RaisaB

The Gainesville caught my attention, has anyone else tried this place?

We went to Bebo's last night. No food report...I have always thought it was good. Service though was pretty nice. Courses were spaced correctly, wine was poured in a timely manner. There was actually a miscommunication where the server thought we wanted the chef, the manager was at our table within seconds. It was all good. We had a great wine, can't remember the name, luck of the draw.... Do they have a someiller?

Talk about weird coincidences...I was reading through this thread (including the post above) when an email from Saks advertising the new Louboutin collection popped up in my inbox. I'm choosing to interpret it as a sign, and will be picking out a pair as an incentive.

I go through periods where I use mine quite a bit. Lately I have been using Chicken thighs, (you can brown them or not), Patak brand prepared Indian sauces, and add onions, canned tomatoes, garlic, whatever I feel like experimenting with. Towards the end I add vegetables, butternut squash, potatoes, etc...

I have never heard of a crockpot running out of liquid, usually it is the opposite, too much liquid. Perhaps it was left on high too long, or someone did not fit the lid on correctly. Or maybe it is just a bad crockpot...

We must have crossed paths...I was there also (Fells Point). I am not sure I have ever seen that place!

Edited to add: Never mind, I have crossed in front of it countless times, never stopped in though.

You writing and humor reminds me very much of someone else.... Welcome! I hope you can make it to a DR event, I will be sure to come!

Montreal (or anywhere in Quebec). He'll be of the legal drinking age there.

K Turkey: What is BLT? (besides a sandwich?) I must be really out of the loop!

Steakhouses sound good....

Hi guys! Tomorrow is my sons' eighteenth birthday. He is not having a party (at least that I know of) but what restaurant do I take him to? Don't worry, I suggested he invite a bunch of friends to Hooters but I think he wants family for tomorrow (aww...). I have asked him but he wants me to come up with a place. Suggestions please! I have been out of the loop for quite a while! He is not the most adventurous at trying new things, but he loves fine dining! Thanks so much! Love y'all!

Fire Works Pizza has been great everytime I have been there. The crust in light as they are in Italy, the toppings plentiful and fresh. Service is young there but efficient. This is a pizza place not fine dining, the owners were looking for an alternative to all the chains out in the suburbs. (Disclaimer: I am friends with the owners.) This is owned by the same family who owns Tuscarora and Magnolia's. Personally I like it better than 2 Amy's and Paradisos' Pizza. though 2 Amy's has it beat with their winelist . They also do not serve as many cool appetizers as 2 Amy's but I know that they tried to establish what their "market would bear".

On 7/6/2005 at 4:50 PM, cjsadler said:

Never even heard of this place until Sunday night, when I was taken there. It's a combination wine store/bar/restaurant in Columbia off Rt. 108 in a pleasant location across from a huge field. They have a menu of small plates items (with a few almost entree size things too), most of which we tried were very good. However, the main draw is, of course, the wine. Glass prices were about on par for this area, but the real deal is the bottles. Any bottle from the wall shelves around the restaurant (this is basically the entire wine list) are only $5 corkage. Prices and selection are pretty nice. After sampling a couple of glasses, we had a Torbreck 'Woodcutter's' Shiraz ($22 + $5= $27) at our server's suggestion that I thought was quite good. A couple of highlights from the small plates we tried were a pancetta and asparagus tart and a marlin steak with a chipotle-corn-cream sauce.

Definitely something to consider if you're out that way for Merriweather-- or even worth a trip if you aren't.

You may also want to check out IronBridge Wine Company in Warrenton. The building itself is awesome, go downstairs and see what they have done with the basement! The food has been consistant each time I have visited. The menu seems to change weekly so that is a good sign! (Hey we welcome any kind of change in these here parts!) The wine selection and prices can't be beat. The main floor can get busy on Saturday nights though, so upstairs, the windows, or the basement is where I would sit! Good luck!

Hey Don... I have lost another five pounds, where's my meal? Suenos?

My beloved wants to take a drive out to Middleburg this Saturday, and stop for lunch in the town. I've been to the Red Fox Inn, but about 2 years ago for dinner. And 15 years ago I had lunch at the Coach Stop. OK, so I don't get out that way much. Has anyone been there recently, and what did you like or dislike out there?

Hunters Head is an option....But after your drive head on over to The Plains Virginia. It is a short but beautiful drive from Middleburg. Make reservations at The Rail Stop. The food is more than good, the wine list sometimes surprises. The Plains is a great little destination in and of itself. They have little shops also, and great characters! You might even run into Duvall himself! (It is his favorite resto.)

Joe, you know I love you. You are passionate, about wine, women and food. I have read over these posts and I cannot find where there is a true personal attack against Donna. There is a problem with service at Bebo. Yes his food is good but it is inconsistant. If his managers are yelling at the staff, (whether in front or in the kitchen) (which countless have attested too), it shows poor judgement on Donnas' part. I do not go out of my way to go to Bebo's. It is a shame. He may be a great chef, but he needs a better business system.

BTW, try Fireworks Pizza in Leesburg.

Ben & Mary's Steakhouse

U.S. Rt. 17, southbound side, 1.5 mi north of RT 211intersection/downtown Warrenton, VA

540-347-4100

Home of the "Fabulous Filet Mignon"

Where to go after a long day of hiking in the mountains and hanging out by the swimming holes and waterfalls on White Oak Canyon? Pack a decent shirt and pair of pants and let the traffick on I-66 subside at Ben and Mary's, about 2/3 of the way from Skyline to Mt. Pleasant

We had always taken 66 to 29 (to 211 to Sperryville...) if we wanted to intersect the Blue Ridge further south than Front Royal the traffic is so screwed that we went the "long way last time, geading south on 17 and were rewarded with a savings of many minutes and a glimpse (worth remembering if you're going to the Inn at Little Washington, too) of a homey-looking steakhouse just north of downtown Warrneton.

The sad truth is that too many of these charming little spots turn out reprehensible food but Ben and Mary's is exactly the kind of place you're looking for when you decide to blow off chain dining for a little uncertaintly and delight. Pretty good steaks ($13-25 with 2 sides) surprisingly excellent shrimp, delivered fresh every Friday night, wonderful staff and -- despite the paucity of what might be called "decor," an indisputable charm.

In addition to the steaks, the menu strikes several southern notes that we look forward to exploring, including honey fried chicken and fried oysters (I'll bet their iced tea is good, too -- the tables are set with iced tea spoons); and a selection of sandwiches for a more casual meal.

This ain't Ray's or Charlie Palmers, and the wines come from a jug. But Ben and Mary's makes a decent martini (although the place is so Southern that I almost felt guilty drinking gin on a Sunday) and by the time it arrived, our waitress had us feeling as though we'd been regulars almost as long she's been working there: 29 years.

All in all, a nice little place to unwind after a long day in the woods.

I am so pissed at you! You were a stones throw from my holler and you ignored this fact and did not visit or call!

I thought I was reading wrong when I saw Ben and Mary's! That IS the steakhouse for the horsey set around here. There is a "genteelness" to the gentry around here and that guy in the jeans at the next table may have been one of the Mellons' themselves. I have never been, but my son took our Brazilian exchange students there when he took them to homecoming this past year.

I have been here since Sunday, I left LaGuardia Alvaja, La Rioja today. I am in love with it's wine, passion, and people.Today I arrived in Axpe Atxondo, Pais Vasco. The landscape and it's people, absolutely stunning. I went to Extebarri tonight, the food was good, but it wasn't all that. I was expecting more from this restaurant, but I did not recieve it) More on Extebarri. There was nothing basically wrong with his food, it was all well done. Homemade butter, chorizo, salmon. It was all good but to me it became boring after a while. I love great ingredients, simply made, but tasting smoked everything got boring after 4 courses not to mention 9! He did have some awesome shrimp, lightly grilled, they were very suculent, they still tasted of the sea, (with smoke of course). I also felt the service was quite off, polite but hurried. Would I recommend anyone make the trip there for the restaurant? Well if you love smoked, sure! It is a beautiful area which seems more like Switzerland than Spain. I also have to add that I was there at dinner. Lunch is the big meal here in Spain, so maybe the chef just wanted to get home....

I enjoy Rioja wines, but I am mostly familiar with what we have in the US and moderately priced ones at that. Suppose you were going to La Rioja region, next week, and wanted to visit some bodegas that had exceptional wines, maybe available, maybe not, here in the states. And suppose for a moment you have been given a credit card to buy and ship back some of these wines to the US, by someone who trusts you just a little too much. Where would you go, what would you buy?

Copy and paste is a beautiful thing.

Maybe this the right place for this story....I was flying first class on a flight from San Jose to Zurich (not business, but first...world of a difference). I never liked port before but when the cheese tray came around, I figured that I might as well get a glass. And it was good - really good! So I asked for a second, then third, then fourth glass. The FA look more incredulous but kept serving me. I think I went through the better part of the bottle, which I asked to see so I could pick up a bottle when I got back stateside.

When I did get home, I looked in wine stores but couldn't fine that particular bottle. Who knew that you could only get Graham's Late Vintage Port 1994 on the Internet for $119/bottle? No wonder the FA was virtually apoplectic. Good times, tho. Drank another bottle's worth on the flight home.

I like what you wrote before the edit better.

Congratulations!

Al

I am outing myself , only because I have succeeded . I have lost 15 total and will keep on going until I hit at least 20.

Actually that is a great idea. We only come down the aisle once these days as we have been shortchanged supplies and labor. Add to that we run out of whatever we are selling by the time we reach the last few rows, it makes for some upset passengers. And besides that it also prevents the dude from ringing his damn call light a zillion times!

It's open. We like it.

You guys are fabulous! I am definately going to Arzak, for my anniversary on the 13th June. I made reservation for 10PM. In San Sebastian, I will probably be going to Pinxtos bars for the most part. I will be making a detour for ExteBarri as his cooking culture appeals to me.

I also want to go clothes and shoe shopping so I am going to limit the gastronomic 12 course meals to Arzak. I will still probably gain a bit...

Tony's also has two restaurants in Manassas and one in Centreville. They are all owned by brothers, who are always at work in the kitchen. It is the best pizza in our area.

I will be there +5. I will bring Little Debbie Cakes and HoHo's.