DaRiv18

That may be the future Corner Bakery location, but there may be another spot in the same building.

I agree with this and argued this to a colleague (I didn't invoke Jacque Pepin though). Still, I think he's commenting on variety of stock, not quality of stock? I don't think he'd argue that using a trashy stock wouldn't make a difference in the recipe?

Miso broth recipe. Tri-Continental Onion Soup recipe, page 82. Regarding off-the-shelf beef stocks, I watched a America's Test Kitchen last Saturday and they said most beef stocks are garbage, compared to the chicken stocks which aren't bad.

Thank you Walt for a personalized and focused walk-thru of "the scene." I'm really fascinated by coffee and espresso, because it's almost purely a study in technique. From my limited understanding, it's as if all the action takes place in the blending and roasting stage, and afterwards it is only a question of how much can you mess it up. I feel espresso isn't presently customizable as opposed to cocktails (unless you walk down the mocha path), and there really isn't a wide selection of beans from which to select (though Chinatown usually offers two). I've even tried to apply my cocktail slant to the espresso stage, asking for a peel of orange or lemon to accompany my shot, but the most gracious response I've heard was along the lines of "to each their own." As with most bartenders who don't like to riff during down-time, most baristas I've encountered instead pull their best shots when they're in a rhythm, with a long line of consumers watching their every move. It's funny you mention Dolcezza, although I've never been. I've always suspected that espresso and coffee are more versatile than ordinarily recognized (or bastardized), and the new trend of expertly pulled espresso over craft gelato (the italian name escapes me) is pretty cool. At home, I'm experimenting with which liqueurs best compliment my shots. Chantal Tseng had a killer espresso cocktail last year, the Dulce y Salado. Your narrative seemed to suggest that coffeehouses vary mostly by furniture, music, and the employee attitudes, and while those are important components to an establishment, I have to believe that the product can eventually be just as a defining component. But there are lots of different blends and roasters and producers, and DC has a growing scene. Thanks wlohmann for your perspective, I feel we have some similar tastes and so I really was living vicariously!

Another thing I've seen that's related to what Waitman brings up: wearing bluetooth headsets at the table. It must have been around 2005 when Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley were club fixtures, with MJ blinging a lit blue headset in his ear. Of course, just like when he shaved his head, half the male world follows suit. I've seen countless dates between a well-dressed lady and some dude with a bluetooth headset in his ear, pretty much signaling that he's a button away from blowing her off. I realize it's a fashion statement, but I'd be pissed.

That's a legitimate complaint. Not personally liking a particular taste profile is a legitimate complaint. I regret that I resorted to auditing to make a parallel here, obviously it missed its mark for some. Bottom line: Medium Rare offers a legit option to DC diners, in my opinion. If I read Seitsema correctly, Medium Rare's concept is a poor one, at least from a business perspective. If I read Seitsema's subtext correctly (after all, the reader's main question was "Why doesn't DC have more concepts like this?"), the concept applied to any restaurant venture would still be a poor one. Just seems incredibly dismissive to me.

Thanks zoramargolis! That sauce sounds mysterious and ever-morphing, can't wait to try it.

Seitsema's 4/6/2011 chat on Medium Rare. Seitsema now regularly lobs unfair comments in many of his columns, but this one crosses a new line. The job of a critic is to evaluate the standards of the service, menu and atmosphere. Regarding the 2nd sentence above, let's keep personal bias out of it. I, for one, think there should be many more restaurants that employ the highly specialized menu model. I don't think anyone, including the owners, has made the claim that Medium Rare offers everything for everyone. When auditors review the financial statements of a publicly traded company, they do not take the opportunity to opine as to how the company could be run better. No. They bury themselves in the processes of the company, and ultimately opine as to whether the financial statements "present fairly" what is going on at the company, so that investors can be better informed. As to his first sentence above, isn't that the concern of every restaurant?? Not sure where he is going with that. If he is singling out Medium Rare, he is being unfair. Not happy that Seitsema is trashing a perfectly legitimate business model.

Months ago, this excerpt peaked my interest the most: But it doesn't sound like these features really thrill anyone, or if the desserts were actually created in-house: I can't stop by in the near future to evaluate, but I'd appreciate to hear more evaluations of the sauce (and dessert, if you're one of the few who have room left). Thanks to those who have already contributed.

Of course, the framing issue in this particular Seitsema review spotlights what represents 10% of every every diner's check in DC.

Thanks wlohmann!! I tried my best to keep the thread going but your java crawl adventures are much more compelling! Really looking forward to your next reviews.

Just re-read my post here. uh W please help this thread??

The morning after my maiden voyage to KOMI, I wanted to keep the culinary exploration magic going. I took a 30 minute detour from my regular commute to head to the Georgetown Law Center for some Peet's. For the record, you have to enter the main building on the 2nd Street side -- I spent a good 10 minutes wandering New Jersey Avenue and the law school courtyard before a kind soul pointed me in the right direction. I signed in at the front desk, headed to the basement and into the food court. Now, following up anything with KOMI (yes, I'm still bragging that I went) and expecting it to shine is rather foolish. Still, I was a bit disappointed when I approached the coffee counter and the first thing I saw was instructions attached to the espresso machine on how to measure and pull a shot. Fundamentals are important, sure, but I got the impression that the machine isn't used too often. A large drip Costa Rican it was, then. (I skipped the "House Blend" for being too generic and the "Major Dickason's Blend" as too weird, apologies to the Dickasons if they're reading). Eh. The coffee was fine. Above average with decent acidity, which is fine for the law students, but not really worth visiting the cafe for, which is probably also fine for the hyper-studious law students who want to hoard the tables. Especially with Chinatown Coffee so close and so much more convenient. haha, I used to do the same thing with Starbuck's coffee when I didn't have gloves for the winter! Their coffee is somehow 10 degrees hotter than anyone else's.

Happened to me today, too. Pretty gross, and really sad that it's a totally different product than 8 months ago.

Just so we're on the same page, Central has been selling fried chicken for the past 3 years. This is just the first time you can get it in a carryout bucket. I have nothing against this development, just saying it reminds me of Posh/Mad for Chicken. I hope it is good for Michel, and for Central's lunch bartenders who are probably coordinating the carryout orders.

May I suggest that the Manhattan is the "comfort food" of cocktails. I would put it up there with burgers, actually. Sure, most everyone likes them. But they really are not the tell-tale sign of a great bartender, IMO. In fact, it's pretty hard to make a terrible Manhattan, the same way it's hard to make a terrible burger (assuming all ingredients used are fresh). I think Manhattans are used the same way most burgers are used in fine dining nowadays: as an entry point on a menu that offers vastly more creative dishes. A cocktail made only of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters is medium-to-heavy bodied. Plus, there's really no citrus involved. So you're riffing with a recipe that has limited range, and most experiments go the show-stopping, heavy-bodied direction (much like a burger). Rarely do I see Manhattan riffs that strip away, instead of pile on. I like Manhattans (and burgers) very much and I am not trying to say they are wack or whatever. I went thru a craving 5 months ago where it was my at-home drink. Just a suggestion that they aren't the end-all, be-all drink. More than any other cocktail, I keep hearing the "Where's the best Manahattan in town" refrain and would like to widen the candidate pool a bit. I would suggest the Martini or the Gin Fizz, instead. The Rickey is another candidate, but for whatever reason that "best in town" refrain only lasts for a month, which is a shame.

There's only so many times you can go to The Passenger 10pm on a Saturday night -- you know it's going to be packed, you know you'll probably won't get a seat, and even though I *really* wanted the Duck Carnitas last night, I'd been going there a disproportionate number of times to my visits to other worthy venues. Plus, the more I thought about it, the more I remember how Rocks thought Peter's burgers were just as good as any in town. Time to throw down with Gina! As a pretty casual guy (read: near-sloven), I often feel out-fancied by the usual lounge clientele at PS7's, and I find the conversation to be pretty guarded there as well. Last night, I eased into some easy bar talk with two laid-back gentlemen. And I was pretty happy I was wearing jeans -- the Chef's Choice Burger ($12) wears an immodest bun that barely holds together the patty, bacon, and fried egg -- though delicious, pretty soon the yolk is dripping everywhere. Each of my two new friends immediately ordered one once mine arrived, and soon we were "those guys" at the end of the bar drinking, feasting, laughing. Gina, of course, loves to encourage a party. We abused her hospitality until about midnight, where she ushered all the the remaining deadbeats to -- where else? -- The Passenger! Bet you didn't see that one coming . . .

Chris the bartender (who says he has The Gibson pedigree) pretty much lied to me the other night, saying the small dishes are 3-5 bites each. Not feeling very hungry but still in menu-exploring mode, I ordered the pork flatbread ($9) and the lamb fritter ($7). Ok, yes, I did receive 5 (large) bite-sized fritters, which wendydb22 describes very nicely. The pork flatbread, of which Seitsema must have tried a beta version, was conservatively an 8 oz serving cut into 4 pieces, and more like 12 large bites. So, obviously, Chris doesn't know what he's talking about! Spiced butternut squash puree, red onion, goat cheese & herb gremolata also accompany the shredded pork, the online menu says, but I recall a roasted pumpkin instead of the squash. In any event, I really enjoyed it. I struggle to understand Seitsema's above review of the flatbread. Was the "underbaked" flatbread not crisp enough to support the toppings? Apparently, all the ingredients fell off a sagging underbaked flatbread. Heroically, he tried the flatbread in isolation, and found it "nicely chewy" -- which to me means it wasn't underbaked. He must have then painstakingly reassembled said toppings, which would explain how the flatbread "gained more flavor". Note how I'm trying to give Seitsema the benefit of the doubt here, a pardon that I cannot grant to Chris the bartender for his inexcusable lies. (LIES, I tell you!) At any rate, I just ate the flatbread the way it was presented, and had no structural problems. There are several specific dishes on H Street for which I would hype to my Virginia friends as worth making the trip. Building on what hillvalley says, The Atlas Room is one of the few restaurants in the area that applies the same high standard to the majority of the dishes it offers (I've been 4 times now), and I hope it does well.

Yep, that would be me, The Know-Nothing

Friend them on Facebook, they will announce the day before. I hear they only have like 25 orders when they do offer it. The deluxe chef platter I got was $35, they have a regular one for $20. I'm talking about the lunch menu, now. You can also do ala carte sushi, they also have lunch bentos and other lunch combos. EDIT: now that I look at their FB page, perhaps they offer it more than just once a month. Don't rely on me for any specifics, apparently. Also, getting a reservation that day is a good idea, I lucked out just walking in.

I've been to Columbia Room three times: once for a vermouth class, once when I was slumming it in the Passenger on a early Sunday and Derek invited me in, and once by late reservation this past Friday. The first two times I really, really enjoyed it, and I would certainly sign up for another class or an early-bird reservation again. This last time was a bit annoying -- not by any fault of Derek or Katie, who provided great service. The issue: at the 10-seat bar, in a very serene and intimate setting, you have no choice but to be involved with your neighbors. Usually that is a good thing. Not this night. On my right, four kids who were absolutely *fawning* over Derek Brown, Cocktail Rockstar. On my left, five guys from out of town, whose ringleader had probably been strong-armed to tag along to this particular spot, as he was copping a "What's the big F***ing deal" 'tude for much of the night. So, for the majority of my stay, Derek did not perform his usual docent role at the cocktail museum. Instead, he was forced to justify himself to this ringleader (who lobbed such winners as "So, what do YOU drink when you go home at night?"). Or he was pretty much fighting off these kids with his cherry-wood muddler, lest they never wash his DNA off their thirsty little fingers. Now, Derek is a big boy and certainly doesn't need me to defend him here. But had this been my first visit, I would have missed out on alot of what the Columbia Room is all about. This post is meant to highlight some of the features of the Columbia Room that I learned or noticed over the course of my visit there. The Welcome: you'll invariably have to shove your way thru the Passenger to get to the Columbia Room, which makes for a nice contrast once you arrive. Piping hot oshiburi upon seating. Looks like they are serving a punch as a first course, which arrives quickly. The ice: no machines back here. Crystal clear block ice, hand chopped. Used for stirring, shaking, and rocks. Great ice program here. The freezer: I recall Derek saying once it was a medical freezer, for a powerful sub-zero frost. The trend nowadays is controlled dilution, and keeping the base spirits colder than your ice is the technique. The bar: Jars of aromatics, herbs, and the like. The soul of in-house spirits, tinctures, bitters, etc. These fill the top-most shelves of the bar, and are spaced nicely. There is actually alot of empty space behind the bar, which adds to the sense of calm. I imagine there are only about 60 bottles on their shelves, whereas most establishments would pack over 120 back there. Of course Derek is plugged in, and has some interesting selections back there. The bitters: Two weeks ago, I hit up a so-called cocktail joint on H Street. Admist all the vodka and whiskey bottles on the shelf, I spied only ONE bottle of bitters. And it was Bar Code lavendar bitters, to boot. Well, this staple suffers no such ignominy in the Columbia Room. 750s of apertifs and digestivos occupy an entire shelf on the right side of the bar. In the middle of the bar, under the faded brick treatment, is a line-up of upscale craft bitters, some of which I've never seen before. My favorite part of the bar is right underneath that: a speed rail exclusively for "well" bitters. How sweet is that??? And of course they have impeccable glassware, great cocktails, and usually I relax there. The mise-en-place is flawless, and the low bar provides a clear view of bartenders at work. I'm sure I'm missing alot of other details that make this space such a delightful respite. Let me nitpick: they did not squeeze the citrus to order that night. The horror. For my finale, I savored The Getaway, as described above. That's what this spot is designed to be, and I was a bit disappointed that these clubbers didn't play along more. I'll definitely do an early reservation next time, and hopefully hang out with old fogeys en route to a nearby dinner afterwards.

A friend has been raving about the pork ramen that's served once a month here, so today I stopped by. WOW. A thick smokey pork broth. I actually thought it might have been a white miso base, given its body and depth, but the waitress assured me otherwise. Served piping hot, I had to let it cool for awhile. Ended up chatting with some nice randoms for about 5 minutes, looked down at my bowl, where a glistening layer of collagin had congealed on top. Don perhaps may not enjoy it this full-bodied, but I thought it was great ($12/bowl). I also spied a gorgeous sushi platter a table over, and couldn't resist ordering a chef's choice. Sue me, I've been MIA the past 3 months and really wanted a decadent lunch. I got great sushi, great presentation. Sushi Taro is top of my list for a sushi fix now.

Keep 'em coming wlohmann! One place that I don't quite get is M.E. Swings, I know it has alot of fans. Just doesn't match my sensibilities, tastes over-roasted for me (at least the house coffee I've had there). I've always wanted to hit Peets, but not sure if I can get into Georgetown Law as a mere civilian to try it. If I could hit that in the morning, eat Senate Bean Soup in the afternoon, and enjoy a daiquiri at the Army and Navy Club in the early evening, that would be quite the eventful day for me!

You are living the dream wlohmann!! Glad you liked Chinatown. If you try Tryst sometime, I would be keenly interested in your take (I have never been there and don't know anyone associated with it).

Follow KMango's suggestion upthread and head to the Grape + Bean in Old Town. Last time I checked, they had a Clover. Can't imagine they would get rid of it.