DaRiv18

. . . a 6oz duck on top of what seemed to be 40 ounces of beans . . . Probably a good 16-20 ounces of sausage in there!

Just back home from a very late dinner at the bar. So I ordered this and was of course very pleased. But clearly, my math before was waay waay off . . . it was never a 66 ounce dish. Let's call it 10-12 ounces of assorted meats and another 8-10 ounces of the beans. Still, a very hearty one-course meal.

Do they sell loose baguettes?

Yes. One is the "straight" kind, and the other is jagged, with much more crust. I think both are $2.50?

But I am increasingly convinced that there hasn't been a decent baguette in this town since before the Bread Line got sold.

Have you tried the one at G Street Food? They have a couple different kinds, and it's the guy from Breadline, right? They seem fine to me.

They have a french sandwich with sweet butter and ham, too.

Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia ($10.50 for a half-order), black spaghetti with blue crab, in a classic aglio, olio e peperoncino sauce. The spaghetti itself glistens with pan-emulsified oilve oil and pasta starch, and the occasional peperoncino cuts through everything, keeping this rich dish light on its feet. . . I followed it with an appetizer, Trippa alla Parmigiana ($10), a hearty portion of slow-braised beef tripe, bathing in a rich tomato sauce, covered with Parmigiano-Reggiano,

The reason I took half of it home is because it was a rich dish, I had finished every single bite of my black spaghetti and crab

Just had lunch there and ordered the black spaghetti. Oh my! No wonder you couldn't finish the tripe. I'd find Corn Chex to be hefty if it had to follow this dish. Rich and "light on its feet" is spot on.

The transformation into Bibiana is so extensive that the space is almost unrecognizable, but the pizza oven itself looks similar to the old one, and I wonder if it was unable to be upgraded because of architectural constraints, building codes, etc. Does anyone know?

I was told 1) it is a new oven and 2) it is a very expensive new oven.

Lola007, thanks for the Al Tiramisu tip, I'll have to try their gnocchi. I did try Proof's lunch crush gnocchi ($12, including a glass of white wine!) and that was killer. Oyster mushrooms, grilled green onions, green beans in a nice sauce. I liked Bibiana's gnocchi but I am no guru.

Normally when I go out with this group . . . Any suggestions for this situation?

This is a loser situation and I avoid completely. My fixed rule is no more than 6 people in my party, unless we're all eating family style, or I am close friends with everyone attending. I really hate dealing with this situation. Personally, I think you got off extremely easy with only having to throw in an extra $20, for 12 people.

But you say "this group" . . . I would suggest getting someone else to deal with reservations. This can't be a dinner club, sounds like you only spent $18/head.

Intelligentsia: Chinatown Coffee on H St NW or SOVA on H St NE. G Street Food also carries it but not sure if retail.

Counter Culture: I get mine at Bolla, next to Old Ebbit Grill on G Street. It closes at 4pm though. The other stores where I used to buy CC have closed, so not sure. EDIT: Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale offers it too, for a more traditional coffeehouse setting.

ME Swing's: DC's oldest roasting operation. They are to coffee beans what Ben's is to chili. Trying to be subtle here . . .

EDIT: Sidamo roasts their own coffees, too, Ethiopean style. Cool spot.

There is an intriguing Bourbon that I liked on L Street, near that Eli's Gathering Place that you visited. High quality beans, but I had to ask for the fresh ones.

(*) Regarding my comment at the bottom of this post about Bibiana's pizza oven, I received a seemingly well-informed message saying that "Fire codes in DC do not allow for wood burning ovens when there are tenants above. There may be a room, but not tenants, or at least that is my understanding of the code which allows 2 Amy’s and Red Rocks to have such ovens with a dining room above."

What about Ella's? Seems to be in the same setup as Luigino's/Bibiana, as part of a huge office building with tenants above.

I have enjoyed Bibiana several times and always sit at the bar. I have enjoyed the pastas and pizzas, the risotto and a grilled fish. Tom Street is one of my favorite bartenders in the city, he really has all the fundamentals down and puts out a distinctive cocktail list.

At the risk of sounding like a glutton, though, I don't find their portions particularly hefty. I've had the tripe several times, and it's wonderful (almost like a penne in a red sauce) but we're talking about a 5 or 7oz serving of tripe and sauce. The smoked gnocchi ($16) is also very nice, but a full order may be 10 or 11 ounces.

EDIT: The pizzas however ($10 -$15) are plenty.

One of my best friends recently married, and was in town this weekend, so I took them out to celebrate. Naturally, we went where my wife and I had enjoyed our first meal as newlyweds: Central. I ordered the cassoulet for him, and could hardly hide my glee as I anticipated his initial disappointment. To play it up, I ordered a nice juicy steak, which would contrast well against his huge hill of beans and a bit of duck. I had it all planned out!

"Unfortunately", his dinner arrived in a new presentation. Served in an earthenware crock, this cassoulet was a WYSIWYG dish. Plus, it had less beans and much more pork, duck, and sausages. And a crusted top to boot! From the spoonful I had, this version was an improvement taste-wise, and I was tempted to suggest to my friend that we trade dishes! (I'm not really a huge steak fan, actually).

So, there we ate, my friend perfectly happy and me bitterly disappointed with Central's cassoulet. AGAIN.

This issue treads awfully close to the FTC's new requirements for the disclosure of compensation.

I enjoyed a Hot Toddy riff at the Tabard Inn several weeks ago, Chantal used star anise, whiskey, and cinnamon stick stirrer. Was very nice, I'd do that everytime.

Had something similar to it at Againn last week, although it was made with Calvados and garnished with a star anise and some coffee beans.

Justin has added some really nice hot drinks on the W's rooftop. I've started with a hot apple cider (made with pear brandy, whiskey, and hot cider) which is killer. And then his ridiculous (as in without peer) Hot Peanut Buttered Rum (or something like that), with peanut-butter infused rum (mine was sans whipped cream). Tastes more like peanut butter than peanut butter does.

I've also been told that Nando's Peri Peri and Vapiano's would be good places.

I don't think Nando's does reservations, but even if it does I don't think you'd want to have 35 people there. Also, the food is borderline adventurous for some. Vapiano would be better choice in terms of conservative cuisine, but still, not sure if they can do 35 people there. Neither one of them provide table service, and Vapiano has this novel payment system that would invite trouble for an office party.

I would have to second the Clyde's choice, as the safest option. The food is non-offensive, which is pretty much all you can ask for in your situation. And the raw bar is worth the visit. You might be able to get a private room for all of you.

it's high time I acquired an inexpensive and practical bar spoon

I haven't used the Swissmar, but I swear by the Rosle bar spoon. Has the hammer, and a smaller spoon that is easier to fit into a glass for layering. I like that it doesn't have the twisted shaft, so it is really easy to stir. Also, if you're trying to layer using the length of the twisted shaft, I've found some liqueurs and liquids just fly off the spoon. Not so with the Rosle. I posted this video of a pousse-cafe sometime last year using the Rosle spoon.

It does cost twice as much as the Swissmar, although I often see it on sale at the Pentagon City Sur La Table on that clearance shelf.

The problem with this though is like Central, the rest of the menu is so darned good, how do you go and eat a burger? I love me some burgers, but...

I think I agree with this sentiment. A burger has limited range, IMO. While I'll take a mediocre burger over mediocre sushi, great sushi beats a great burger every time.

Perhaps it's just a "gateway entree" for dormant gourmands to eventually try the rest of the restaurant's menu.

The most "surprising" burger I ever enjoyed had a chunk of blue cheese embedded in the burger. I wonder if you can poach an egg inside a burger, now that would be cool.

I had the Wellington for lunch today, which was tasty. I wouldn't say that I detected a strong taste of black truffles but the roasted mushrooms were very good, and the meat was too. I continue to enjoy their bun. I definitely preferred this burger to the one I had a Hell Burger a few weeks ago.

I just finished the Wellington an hour ago, from the Dupont location. Didn't detect black truffles either. I broke my own rule and ordered the burger medium rare. The meat is high quality, a bit leaner than most.

I definitely preferred Hell Burger's, actually.

G Street Foods isn't revelational, but it is high quality

I had a very good Breakfast Tartine ($4.25): bread, ham, cheese, and fried egg (not poached, per their website). Perhaps I was too curt in saying the place isn't revelational--it's a very good spot with unique offerings. They serve Intelligentsia coffee here as well.

PS:

The bottom line: even though there are probably 30 things on the menu, only perhaps 15 of them are available on any given day. That's a lot to filter out, and maybe G Street Food should consider just having a daily menu.

Thankfully, they now only pin up the items that they offer for that day, although you can grab a take-out menu or check out the website for their complete offerings.

I wanted something more filling so I ordered the Bison Steak and Cheese. . . The bison brisket itself was outstanding. Excellent flavour and wonderfully moist. . . What was atrocious was the bun that it was served on. It was dripping - and I mean dripping - with grease. There's juicy. There's greasy. I understand the difference.

I don't understand this difference. I've ordered several high-end burgers (here in DC and in other cities) and I must say that often the bottom bun is just too wet to hold. I like soft buns (please don't quote that out of context) but they don't stand up well to either juice or grease, as you put it. It's to the point where I now order burgers at Medium temperature or higher, and even then I often have to resort to using silverware to finish my sandwich.

I was actually going to start a new topic on this, but I see the bun vs. juice debate has been explored in other threads here. Didn't seem to get a definitive answer on what the right balance is, but many people still go back for juicy burgers it seems.

BTW, too bad you didn't do the Happy Hour moules yesterday at GM. I think you're missing out. It's a huge plate, and is more than enough for most appetites.

Where are the sausages?

My first reaction was more, "Wow, Central finally screwed me!" I was looking at maybe a 6oz duck on top of what seemed to be 40 ounces of beans for a $28 entree. Seriously, I was really disappointed going in, all of the dishes I've had there had been good values, and this just seemed really pretentious. Then I started poking around and found all that "buried treasure". Probably a good 16-20 ounces of sausage in there! That was really a fun dish for me, a complete ambush.

Walked by today . . . there's a sign saying it has been permanently closed.

The cassoulet that Cedric Maupillier makes at Central is the best I have had in DC, especially in terms of the quality of ingredients and flavor.

Being the rube I am, having never heard of, much less enjoyed, cassoulet before, I had no idea what lay in wait for me when I ordered this dish. Chef Maupillier's version really is the best way for a newbie to be introduced to it. One of the biggest culinary surprises I've ever had before. Once my friend visits me (also a rube), we'll go to Central and I'll order this dish for him.

the newly opened Toscana cafe. . . a lovely creamy winter squash soup.

Tried this on Tuesday and it was killer!!

In the Farragut Square area, the soups I like are at the Greek Deli (Lentil and Lemon Chicken), Pret a Manager (Lentil and 3 others), and Teaism (Lentil). Breadline and G Street Foods have good soups.

I guess my point is that if you have a French friend who is a good cook, he/she might be able to give you some pointers.

But I'm trying to make a great omelette so that I can MAKE some friends! Let me know Lola007 if you give any lessons in charm, I am sadly lacking.

Although I hear what Mark Slater is saying, perhaps along the lines that the french omelette is a national dish with a certain amount of pride involved (much like a burger or chili here in the States), I don't intend to get sentimental, romantic, or snobby about it. Surely Surely Surely there is someone closer than Paris who can transform 3 eggs, salt/pepper, and a tablespoon of butter into a textbook (i.e. not necessarily champion) omelette.

Also, on 2nd thought, $5 or $6 for such a omelette seems a bit low. $14 for one stuffed with, say, 2 ounces of risotto, sounds not outrageous. But the economics must be compellingly adverse for such a breakfast/lunch shop not to be open already. Are crepes really that much more feasible?

Looks like Nick Cho isn't the only person having issues with DC Tax and Revenue.

I am a huge Pepin fan and have seen both his classic and rustic techniques on The Complete Pepin video. It is in that sequence where he claims that he would judge a chef by how she makes an omelette, above all other dishes. I have come close to his style of omelette making (Julia's looks like a good one, but completely different). But I can't always close the omelette at the end, and forget about stuffing it -- a complete mess. Mine is generally smooth, but always has several pleats.

I will say that Williams-Sonoma generally has deals on 8 inch non-stick omelette pans right about now: they are bundled with a 10 inch pan and the cost savings are tremendous. I like to use a small rubber spatula instead of a fork so that I don't scratch up the pan.

Still, I'd like to try a professionally done omelette. For awhile, I made the Aviation cocktail at home and thought I was doing ok. Then Justin Guthrie made it for me and it was clear that my recipe was just way off. There's no substitution for the live professional experience.

I will definitely check out your suggestions. Thanks for the tips, I really want to find a good one!

One ulterior motive: I've understood omelettes to be the classic "throwdown" subject matter. Eggs and butter are relatively cheap and easily sourced. So it really just comes down to the chef's technical skill and aptitude for sucessful riffs. I was taught that even sushi chefs are ultimately judged by their tamago skills. I want to better my own home game on this. But it seems burgers are the new exhibitions upon which chefs stake their reputations, and I have not seen a French omelette on a menu before. I am truly perplexed, as it seems that many people would pay at least $5 or $6 for a classic 3 egg omelette?