dcdavidm

We haven't been to Canoe in two years, but my recollection is that, while pricey, it was an excellent meal, with top-flight ingredients creatively prepared and served in comfortable surroundings, and we considered it worth the tab. Great view if you luck out on the weather, too! Although not extraordinarily creative, we have always had good meals in Niagara on the Lake at the conveniently located Prince of Wales Hotel. In the past few years, several of the NOTL wineries have added restaurants to their properties, but we haven't tried them yet.

We had forgot how nice Tosca is. We went this evening anticipating the artichoke tasting menu. The server warned us away from it because in his view it did not meet Tosca's high standards. He did, however, recommend the taglierini with lobster and artichokes that was on the artichoke tasting menu, so we constructed a meal around it. Asparagus soup with crab was outstanding; the taglierini with lobster stood up to its high-praise billing; and an almond-encrusted halibut served on a bed of fava bans (love those favas) was terrific. A bottle of greco di tufo had enough body to go with everything, including the sorbet selection (pear, rasberry, mango) for dessert. Great food. outstanding service; generous but not obscene portions; good seating and ambience despite a full room. We definitely have to go there more often.

Not specifically "ethnic" unless one defines an expansive Mediterranean style as ethnic, but some friends and I ventured out from DC last night to hit te strip malls and revisited the "Idylwood Grill and Wine Bar" in the Idylwood Shopping Center in Falls Church to see if it matched an excellent first visit from a few months ago. It did, and we highly recommend it. Around the table, our tuna and trout were perfectly cooked, high-quality dishes accompanied by a generous quantity of really delicious vegetables; a seafood linguini was expertly prepared and richly flavored; lobster ravioli had a delicious pernod background that brought out the lobster flavor; and a filet mignon was crusty and flavorful. Mrs. dcdavidm's penne chicken pasta had great flavors, but the grilled chicken was a bit dry. Pricing is reasonable for the quantity and quality of the food.

Those admittedly great dogs have gone up in price. We paid $10 for six yesterday. My recollection is that a few months ago, they were about $7 a half dozen. That said, they sure were delicious. Oh, people should realize that Wagshal's Deli (where the chicken and shrimp salad are) is a different establishment than Wagshal's Meats (where the dogs are); the stores are at opposite ends of the Spring Valley shopping center.

Well, I didn't have any leftovers myself to contemplate, but in a moment of her distraction, I raided the fridge for the remainder of Mrs. dcdavidm's ribeye, figuring I would slice it thinly and build a nice, refreshing salad. Alas, after bringing the steak up to room temp, I began to slice...then nibble...then slice...then nibble. Well, you get the idea. The steak disappeared, and with it any notion of a salad.

Good things coming to Tenleytown Whole Foods? Went there today and picked up their brochure on the rather ambitious renovations they have planned over the next few months. Creating a second floor with a cafe; an unexplained "open market; on the first floor; and, finally, a "full service" meat counter. Since WF is our closest supermarket, we are especially looking forward to a decent meat counter; there is no joy in the prepackaged stuff.

Price has gone up a bit since we took it a few years ago, but the risotto class is definitely worth it. We had struggled with risotto until taking the class, and now we can say with confidence that our home preparations are almost as good as those of the professionals. The downside is that we sometimes find ourselves muttering to each other in a restaurant, "We can make this better at home."

Don't give up on the rosemary. A truly wonderful local source for plants, DeBaggio Herb Farm and Nursery (www.debaggioherbs.com), specializes in varieties that show some hardiness in this area. DeBaggio, located in Chantilly, reopens for the season in a few weeks. They take their herbs seriously, and you can find an incredible variety of almost any herb, tomato, or pepper you could want. (The story of the founder, Tom DeBaggio, is heartwarming, too.)

We spent last weekend (plus a few days) in NYC for a food fix. (Looks like a few other Rockwellians were there, too.) Went to some old reliables and tried a few new places. A return visit demonstrated to us that Lupa continues to be the outstanding “name brand” value restaurant, with excellent, fairly-priced food and an outstanding wine list. After tantalizing our tastebuds with prosecco and terrific focaccia, we shared a creative and delicious salad of celery root, grapefruit, blood orange, and chives tossed with thinly sliced roast pork. I had a perfect sea bass served over lentils, and Mrs. dcdavidm had her favorite and memorable Pollo alla Diavola. I must comment on an incident that occurred that separates restaurants that truly care about their customers from all the rest: we had ordered a pasta course, but because of an error, our main course came out prematurely ahead of it. When I pointed this out to the runner, within 10 seconds our server was at the table apologizing, and within another 15 seconds, unprompted, the manager also was at the table offering both apologies and several solutions, which we accepted. When we finished, I expected to look at the dessert menu. Instead, two desserts appeared at the table (a wonderful panna cotta with roasted figs, and wine-braised dates with a mascarpone sauce), which our server asked us to accept with the restaurant’s apology over the earlier trip-up. Lupa scored highly that night. The second night, for the first time we went to Blue Hill, which gets much of its food from farms in the nearby Hudson Valley. We had mixed views about the place. The food was certainly made from high quality ingredients very well prepared. Great bread. Decent wine list. We had a greens and mushroom salad that was refreshing; an exquisite poached cod in a shellfish broth; an intensely flavored roasted veal served over spaetzle; and a roasted pear/passion fruit gratin for dessert. That said, it is not really the “warm, affordable, neighborhood restaurant” that it bills itself as. The prices were on the high side. The tables were practically on top of one another. The noise level was uncomfortably high. Service was not well-timed (the first course arrived within minutes of our cocktail order, for example, precluding a relaxed start to the meal.) Next, we went to the first time to Daniel Boulud’s db bistro moderne. We have enjoyed his cooking at Daniel and at Café Boulud, and expected we would enjoy the bistro. “Moderne” it is, with a clean, contemporary, tasteful interior. At first, all the hard surfaces made it a bit noisy with a full house, but as the tables thinned, it became quite relaxing. The food and service were Boulud-quality excellent. We had an artichoke soup that was incredibly rich and satisfying; a tomato tart tatin that brought summertime to a March evening; scallops (with risotto) that were “almost” as good as Corduroy’s; and a red snapper with a Riesling sauce that was out of this world. We topped off dessert with a lime parfait that just oozed flavor and was a perfect ending. The bill was almost the same as that of Blue Hill, but we felt we had a better experience. I got good vibes about this restaurant. Finally, we went back to Babbo. What can I say? Every time we go there we enjoy it more and appreciate what Batali has brought to the city. Babbo has great food; and adventurous wine list; and impeccable, warm, and welcoming service. (We even liked that the house music in the background that night was mostly Dylan and the Doors.) We opted for the pasta tasting menu with wine pairings, and were not disappointed, although I also envied the pork chop that a neighboring diner was tackling. The five pasta offerings were magical blends of tastes and textures. Dessert and assorted nibbles were exquisite. Expensive, but a real treat. We will continue to go back. Oh, just briefly, while walking around on the rainy Sunday, we stopped in at Otto for a pizza and a glass of wine. It was excellent, and we definitely have to explore more of its menu the next time.

Ah, what a coincidence that I should come home from work today, twist open the convenient screwtop on the bottle of Domaine des Blagueurs that Joe sold me on Saturday, grab a hunk of cheese from the fridge, fire up the computer, and see his review. It is, truly, a good wine at a terrific price. The color is incredibly dense; the aroma fresh and inviting; the flavors surprisingly complex for the price, with a slight tannic finish. It is not a subtle wine, and it probably would go well with a variety of meat and pasta dishes. It puts other similarly-priced syrahs to shame--especially the overweight Australians and the pretentious Californians. Thanks, Joe, for recommending it.

In addition to the then-big-name restaurants already mentioned, there are several neighborhood and specialty restaurants that I can taste only in my memory. Going back to when I first arrived in DC in the 1970s, I fondly recall eating many fine meals at a terrific Capitol Hill neighborhood Italian restaurant called Machiavellis. Good prices; some care put into ingredients and preparation; and a short walk home. The first "trendy" restaurant in the same neighborhood was called 209 1/2, and had for the time an inventive menue and a clean, modern setting. Another 1970s niche restaurant I miss, and whose name escapes me, was located on the second floor of a loft building on M Street in G'town, just east of Wisconsin, and served nothing but interesting cheese dishes, with patrons seated on pillows and lounges around low tables. Fun.

Stopped off at Black Salt today to get our periodic fresh seafood fix. The crab cakes looked temptingly good, and turned out to be wonderful. Big chunks of crab; no filler in sight; nice seasoning. A quick 10-12 minute saute in an olive oil/butter combination and they were heaven. For those who enjoyed the DonRockwell dinner at Corduroy, MacArthur's (next door to Black Salt) had the 2004 Donnhoff Riesling ($20) that went so well with the Corduroy shrimp tartare. It went well with our crabcakes, too!

I certainly hope the Wednesday crowd had as good a time as we did on Tuesday. This was our first attendance at a function with the group and it was wonderful. Thank you, MDT, for setting it up and for the enjoyment of being at your engaging table. The food was terrific (except for the squash tart, I am afraid) and exciting because it did not repeat the normal menu items. That said, the pork cheeks and the venison deserve an occasional appearance on the regular menu; they were unbelievably good--perfect textures; rich, elegant flavors, and pretty presentations. The soup was a perfect excuse to clean the plate with a swatch of bread. The shrimp tartare was a refreshing bite of the sea. The mercedes with bergamont was a finely flavored cloud. The wine pairings were perfect. Chef, Rissa, and staff were gracious hosts. We slept well that night....

In addition to Babbo (and Lupa), I'd throw in a vote for Gotham Bar and Grill on the higher end, and Union Square Cafe (and Etas Unis) on the relatively cheaper end. We also found Anissa to be delightful.

I am envious. We snagged an early afternoon lunch reservation at l'astrance two years ago on our first trip to Paris and it was everything it is cracked up to be. The room is extremely comfortable; the food was prepared perfectly; the wines (which I had asked the waiter to choose after I narrowed my preferences to the Languedoc region) were exquisite; and the service was warm and impeccable. Even then it was expensive, but overall I thought it a good value for the two-hour+ experience. We also found l'atelier du Robuchon to be a delightful eating experience. So many dishes to try; and only so much room in the stomach! We also had a great experience with the service there. I had selected a familiar, modestly priced wine; the waiter recommended another that he said was better, at a noticeably lower cost. It was better, and belied the notion that Parisians are difficult on Americans. Let us know how the new casual restaurant turns out.

We stumbled upon Idylwood Grill last night during a foray into the 'burbs and were impressed by the quality of the food, the comfort of the room, and the reasonableness of the prices. Don't be deterred by the shopping center storefront location; it is worth a visit if you are in the Tysons/Falls Church area. As it turned out, a friend of ours is distantly related to one of the owners and asked us to join him and several others for dinner. The place is a bit hard to find because it is in a separate shopping area behind the Idylwood Shopping Center (where Whole Foods is). The room is a pleasant, persimmon colored space, tastefully decorated and spacious. White tablecloth, but casual. It fit our group of seven well. The food is contemporary, with what I would call a slight Latin edge. The page of specials on the menu for that night was heavily seafood, but also had a rack of lamb and a steak. The normal menu was fairly standard. All of us ordered from the night's page. Among out appetizers for the group, the calamari stood out; the white bean soup of the day was delicious, the salads better than average (except for the Ceasar, which could have used more dressing). Several of us had the grilled tuna, which was cooked to our request. (I like mine rare, and it was perfectly done; a friend asked for medium-well, and it was to his liking). The tuna was served over rice, and with a surrounding sauce based on black beans that went great with the fish. Among the other dishes I got to taste, the rack of lamb was excellent, as was the shrimp and scallop pasta (with a nice picante bite to it). Quantities were generous but not overwhelming. Prices were generally mid-teens to mid-twenties. My sense was that the kitchen took its ingredients and preparation seriously. The only dessert made in-house is a flan, which had a nice texture and a caramel flavor. The wine list, which they said changes regularly, is short but well-selected to complement the food, with most bottles in the $20-$30 range. It looked like the markup was about twice retail, perhaps a bit less on some. Dinner for seven, with three bottles of wine, tax, and a bit over 20 percent tip came to $340. We all felt it was a good value.

Terrific idea. I'd love to attend if the chosen day works out. Thanks for setting it up.

I'm looking forward to it. Cello was sublime during its relatively short existance in NYC, and our own region is for the worse that his original intended venture in Northern Virginia fell through. BLT Steak is more than a decent steakhouse, suffering only from being a bit too "trendy" and hence overcrowded. As with any out-of-city-of-origin expansion, however, the downside to a BLT DC is that the chef's personal hand may be hard to detect. Might as well be optimistic, though, until proven otherwise.

Oh, wow, what a treat. Over the past five or so years, we have taken perhaps a half-dozen or more of the classes and enjoyed each one. Ours were pretty hands-on, so be prepared to get messy, play with knives, and stand at the hot stove. From our experience it works this way: Check in, and assemble in the Laboratorio. Some treats will be provided while everyone awaits the start of the class. You will probably get a booklet of recipes, many of which will be done by the class that day. (Beware, when you get home you will discover that the quantities and procedures in the recipes sometimes get lost in translation.) Rather than just sit and watch like in some other classes, Chef Donna's class gathers around the main counter with Chef in the center. Each particpant has a "station" with whatever tools are needed. (Be alert and aggressive and nudge your way to a place near Chef rather than at the end of the counter. It is much more fun.) Chef Donna will take you through a half dozen or so recipes. Just as in real life, you don't do each one from beginning to end, but rather have any number going at once. Depending on how comfortable and experienced you are, he could get confusingly ahead of you, but if you enjoy cooking and have basic kitchen skills, you should be able to keep up. Be sure to ask a lot of questions! He is a fountain of knowledge and loves to share it. His staff is terrific and will help you if you get stuck on something. Beware, too, that Chef is quite generous with the wine during the class, so be careful with that knife! As the parts of dishes are produced, staff whisks them away. When the lessons are done, everyone sits at table and the various parts come together into a great meal for you to enjoy. The classes are expensive, but you learn a lot about techniques and ingredients (I struggled with risotto until he showed me how, and now it is superb, if I do say so myself), you eat and drink well, and Chef is quite a kick to work around. Have fun and tell us what you did!

Wow...what a treat to spend four months eating your way across NYC. We are envious. Check out the January 9th issue of New York Magazine, which had its annual "top 101" list. Here is a link: http://nymetro.com/restaurants/wheretoeat/2006/ Among our "best of" for excellent dining in Manhattan are: Babbo Lupa Gotham Bar and Grill Cafe Boulud Annisa Etats Unis Town Grammercy Tavern Daniel Montrachet Union Square Cafe Payard Patisserie I'd be hard-pressed to rank these, but if you can only choose a few, our "must experience" list would be Babbo, Lupa, Gotham, Daniel; but you can't go wrong with any of these tried-and-true restaurants. Of course, there are hundred more to experience!

Well, restaurant week accomplished its purpose—it introduced us to the wonderful Notti Bianchi for the first time, and definitely instilled a desire to return. A brisk tailwind on Saturday evening propelled us down from the Dupont Circle Metro a bit early. My heart skipped a beat when the host couldn’t find our Open Table reservation on her list, but it eventually popped up. Whew. A glass of prosecco and a perfectly constructed Negroni warmed us up. Danny Boylen came over to the table, introduced himself, and asked if we would mind moving from an interior table to one of the banquettes so they could accommodate a large group, which was fine with us. I was surprised how small and cozy the room is; a perfect neighborhood restaurant. We couldn’t resist sharing the chestnut papparadelle as an appetizer. I see now what all the raves are about; it is a terrific dish. Perfect flavors and textures. The ragu rivals our Babbo benchmark. Overall, a dish that one would never tire of eating. Mrs. dcdavidm had the scallops, which were exquisite with their contrast between the heavily caramelized porcini crusted tops and the succulent interior. I had the stuffed rack of pork, which had incredibly intense flavors for what can sometimes be a bland "other white meat." Each ingredient on the plates was both distinctly satisfying itself and complementary to the main theme. The wine pairings were intelligently matched and made the meal even more interesting. The panettone pudding and house-made gelato were a fine finish; who would have thought butternut squash gelato would be so tasty! Two tables down we overheard a glum-looking couple whining to Danny about the minuscule upcharges on the meat and fish course. They didn’t realize what a bargain they were getting. For us, it was the highlight of RW. We will be back.

I agree on Circle Bistro's treatment of Restaurant Week. We had heard a lot about the restaurant but had never tried it. Went Thursday night and was surprised that the RW dinner menu had a paltry two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. From the RW menu, the bean soup wast quite good, with a pleasing texture and a nice smokey bacon background. The pork tenderloin main course was okay; perfectly cooked but a bit bland; just not memorable. The dessert was a joke--a thin wafer of dry, overbaked cookie-like pastry topped with a thin slice of baked apple, with a side splash of caramel-like sauce that was so austere that it was hard to get enough on the fork to taste. Mrs. dcdavidm could not find anything appealing on the mini-RW selections and went for the main menu. Her wild mushroom-frisee-bacon salad was out of sight delicious, as was her potato gnocchi main course. Great decor! The room is warm-contemporary and, to our taste, gorgeous. Just wished that the RW menu was more exciting and more enthusiatically presented. Tried 15 Ria for the first time on Tuesday. Decent RW selections; nice flavors; cozy, comfortable room; wonderful service. Certainly would go again if in the neighborhood, though for a hotel-associated restaurant it doesn't rise to Corduroy's heights. Heading for Notte Bianchi on Saturday.

If I may ask, what would be your other two favorites? Thanks.

We, too, had a delightful Friday dinner at Firefly. Seated at the table by the front window, all that could have made it better would have been a nice dusting of snow outside to add to the ambience, already heightened by the addictive "warm cosmo." Nice winter drink! For starters we had the leek salad, which had great flavors and textures, and the mussels, which had a wonderful coconut background flavor. It was tempting to just pour the leftover mussel liquid into one of firefly's mason jars and take it home. A table near us had the oysters, and they smelled good...maybe next time. Main dishes were the red snapper, with its up-front curry spiceness, and the squash risotto, a richly flavored decadence made even more sinful by the slab of tallegio cheese on top. Since Mrs. dcdavidm couldn't finish the risotto, I got a second dose for lunch today. The pear crisp topped off the evening of seasonal delights. It is really nice to have a restaurant like Firefly around.

Another wonderful dinner at Corduroy last night (Friday). Although we have eaten there before, this was the first time that we mentioned on the OpenTable reservation that we were DonRockwell.com members. The mozarella porcupine, cauliflower-parmesan soup, scallops, braised pork belly (you gotta try it!), and apple tart, along with a bottle of ZD Pinot Noir, were all excellent. Our server, Pamela, was among the best we have experienced anywhere--extremely welcoming and friendly without pretense; obviously proud of the restaurant, its food, and her colleagues; knowledgeable and right-on with her advice; and there when you needed her and not there when you didn't. A special thanks to Rissa for coming over to introduce herself to us and chatting for awhile. She is a delightful, gracious lady who we hope to meet again.