cjsadler

I forgot to mention a really interesting place in Barcelona, Le Quinze Nits (on Placa Reial), which was/is something of a sensation there. It's part of a group of extreme budget restaurants, providing higher end fare and atmosphere at rock bottom prices. The lines to get in started forming an hour before it opened. I had to check it out one night and was pleasantly surprised. The appetizers were like $3 and the entrees were about $7 (this was a couple years ago). For those prices, it was really quite good. A total zoo in there, though (obviously they make whatever thin profit they must make on volume).

I'll hopefully be there.

If you paid for a tasting menu at Komi for him, he'd probably win the damn thing knowing that was waiting at the end.

I think you're only going to find the Well Dressed Burrito average. Has anyone checked out any of the places in Bladensburg lately? That's my last hope for good Mexican in the area.

Mama Ayesha's. I've always been intrigued by the location (off by itself at the end of the Ellington Bridge). I now live right behind it, but still haven't made it over. Anyone ever been?

Not sure how long you'll be staying, but if you have time, a jaunt down to Oaxaca is highly recommended from a food perspective.

Up that way for business yesterday, I stopped in at State Line in Elkton, MD. From the outside, this roadhouse on a divided highway looks like the "Budweiser and Jack Daniel's Emporium", but inside there's a fairly decent wine store. Good prices and decent selection, but nothing to truly recommend it. However, the Belgian beer selection is of note-- an entire aisle full, including some hard-to-find stuff.

While there's much to argue about with some of his choices (and it seems many picks are out of date-- like he hasn't visited these places in quite a while), I love this bit about 1789 (which is exactly how I feel about the place): "Georgetown standby, it has about the most boring looking menu you can imagine. That being said, quality is uniformly excellent across the board. In a nice old building, the room is charming in the sort of way that appeals to fireplace lovers. Wealthy parents of Georgetown spoiled brats eat here. I can’t complain about the quality, but I will only eat here if someone else is paying the bill. Many will love it, and I enjoy it when I go, but it is not my thing."

Aaaaggh! When is this available? Randomly? I keep missing it.

Hopefully I'll be there at the grill at noon as well.

I was at Marigold tonight, and it made me seriously regret not getting there earlier this year, when it was getting some very high praise. The chef left a couple months ago and the restaurant was closed for most of Sept while the owner and sous chef regrouped. Should have taken that as more of a warning. And I should have walked straight away when I arrived to find the menu prices about 50% higher, with most entrees now around $30. Long story short, the food seems to be nothing like it was (judging partly from the old pictures on their website). It was average and over-priced... cross this one off your list. I do have to admit that the one redeeming value was the service, which was excellent. They even gave me an extra course of foie gras and apple, gratis. I think this was solely due to the fact that I was a solo diner-- a very thoughtful gesture. Marigold and Django are some tough losses for the Philly dining scene.

What was up with Gerard Pangaud being nominated for a Beard award in 2004 (Best Chef Mid-Atlantic)? I guess that organization totally discredited themselves anyway, with the financial scandals...

I've learned alot from their recipes. That said, the magazine really is irritating these days. They keep doing the same things over and over, since that's what their focus group testing tells them people want. This means 86 versions of things like mashed potatoes, brownies, and roast chicken. I wonder if Chris Kimball is going to read one of his cornpone "On the Ol' Farmstead in Vermont" editorials

I was at a wedding reception the other week, with Aquarelle's kitchen providing the food. Maybe not fair to judge them based on that, but it certainly didn't make me want to eat at the restaurant.

Speaking of Craft, I was at Hearth this weekend, which is the restaurant of former Craft executive chef Marco Canora. I've never experienced Craft, but Hearth continues the philosophy of Craft: very high quality ingredients prepared simply. It's hard to fault any of the food we had, as preparation and quality was all faultless, but I don't know how excited I was about the place. Maybe I'm just jaded after all the eating out I've been doing, but the food just came across as too simple. An amuse of parsnip soup was pureed parsnip with a little butter and cream. It was fine, but didn't go beyond that. The skate I had was sauteed perfectly and served with a bare hint of vinaigrette and some roasted root vegetables. This was perfectly fine as well. However, I don't know if this is the type of thing I'm looking for when I go out to eat in NYC. These days, you can buy similar quality fish from Black Salt and cook it with some butter and s+p to the same effect, or get some nice vegetables from the farmer's market and roast them. (Though if I lived in NYC, or was up there more, I might enjoy going to Hearth occationally). However, the next day, a brunch at Prune showed how remarkable simplicity can be (Chef Gabrielle Hamilton is known for simplicity... and for using offal). An omelet stuffed with fried oysters was somehow more than the sum of its parts. The perfectly (and I mean perfectly) fresh and well cooked eggs combined with the crisp oysters and a strange sauce of tabasco and powdered sugar to create the greatest omelete ever. A thick, baked pancake with pears was insanely good. The housemade lamb sausage was the best I've ever had. Worth the wait (no reservations for brunch-- plan on about an hour)

I too really enjoyed the Dahlia Lounge when I was there last year. Man, that coconut cream pie that they're legendary for was unbelievable.

Seen this popping up in alot of magazines. It's published by an arm of the Spanish Trade Commission. Looks like it could be interesting. And hey, it's free.

From an email: Jose Andres invites you to join him in celebrating the publication of his first cookbook! Enjoy a very special menu with a selection of Jaleo's award-winning tapas and an autographed copy of: Tapas: a taste of Spain in America - Clarkson Potter/Publishers - On sale November 8, 2005 $85 per person (Tax and gratuity not included) 10% of the proceeds donated to benefit DC Central Kitchen To reserve, please call (202) 638-1910 or send an email to the link below: mailto:RSVP@joseandres.com Thursday, November 10, 2005 @ 7 pm Jaleo. 2250-A Crystal Drive / Arlington, Virginia Monday, November 14, 2005 @ 8 pm Jaleo. 480 7th Street, NW / Washington, DC Tuesday, November 15, 2005 @ 7 pm Jaleo. 7271 Woodmont Avenue / Bethesda, Maryland

Saw that sign too. What goes on in the Zuccabar? I live around the corner, but don't know anyone that's ever been in there.

I like DC Coast (not sure why it doesn't get more coverage... maybe because of the lobbyist/expense account scene that seems to go on there). If for lunch, have the shrimp and grits. If dinner, they generally do good things with scallops, or there's the signature wok smoked lobster.

Why?

I generally don't worry too much about those dates, based on my logic that manufacturers are probably very conservative with them in order to avoid lawsuits. Years of using products past their 'best by' date have confirmed this enough for me This drives alot of my friends crazy, though, as they religiously throw out anything past the 'best by' date (hmmm... maybe that's another incentive for manufacturers to be conservative with those dates....) That said, mdt is right-- if it doesn't look or smell right, toss it.

Surprised nobody's mentioned any Cuban places. Check out Versailles first, which is something of an institution.

Did the one in Chinatown close? I was walking by there last night and it looks like it (either that or they're totally remodeling it)

Talked my non-food interested fellow bachelors into eating at Simon Kitchen. The menu seems dull (steaks, pizzas, meatloaf, a chicken dish, a salmon dish, etc), but most things I had a taste of were very well prepared. The beef carpaccio pizza was excellent-- good quality beef, crisp crust, and topped with a bit of argula and truffle oil (which really worked here). My tandoori salmon, which seems to be one of his signature dishes, lacked flavor, though-- it just tasted like a plain piece of salmon. I think we all agreed that the best thing was a large side order of tempura vegetables that was perfectly fried. The place was so damn dark, though, that I often had a hard time getting a good look at what I was eating. Kerry Simon was there at the pass, alternately working and talking with customers. So I guess there's at least one 'name' chef who still works at his Vegas place. The Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay is definitely worth a stop, especially if you've lost a ton of money at blackjack. The Kobe/Waygu beef wasn't worth it, though. I thought the Hereford burger was better at half the price. Really interesting selection of toppings, including beet pickles, half a lobster, shrimp, etc...