StephenB

Great news, Jacques! Thanks for setting it up. I can hardly wait.

Please save a seat for me.

Fogo de Chão is a great RW bargain. The choices are many. The salad bar alone would qualify as an average RW site. The ensuing cuts of meat are invariably crisp and juicy. The waiters ask what level of doneness you prefer. "Mal passado" -- badly passed -- means rare. "Bem passado" is well done, but few diners prefer that. A jug of sangría goes for about $15 -- more than enough for two. I have been to places in southern Brazil that have more ample salad bars, but you really don't want to fill up on that stuff, good as it may be.

Witticism noted, but for the record Primanti's does not allow prostitutes to enter until their shifts are over.

If you possibly can, get to the fruit and vegetable strip sometime after midnight and enter the 4th level of purgatory, which is Primanti Bros. (pronounced Permanti's). It is the most exciting restaurant you'll find anywhere -- mixing students, opera goers, pro athletes, railyard workers, hookers, garbagemen, commodity investors, motorcyclists, litérrateurs, etc. And there's no separate table bullshit, you just sit where you sit, and you can rely on being enthusiastically welcomed. It's the closest thing to the old Les Halles in Paris before they cleaned it up. The place is famous for putting the french fries inside the sandwich, but after the sensory assault of entering Primanti's, that hardly matters. Say hello to Jimmy D for me, and let me know if my review that appeared in Penthouse is still on the wall.

You have exactly the two places I would have put at the top of my list. I can't say enough about the elegance of Toqué and the spirit of Pied. I would add Brunoise (romantic) and Schwartz's Hebrew Deli (great fun). If you're there for Sunday brunch, try the Hotel Sofitel.

Yes, but not next week.

The pre-historic, version 2.0 meal offered to our group "for enjoyment only" consisted of: Wild yeast bread Shrimp baclava Soy paste Orange blossom Chicken liver Maryland lump crab Olives stuffed with anchovies or blue cheese Chilled carrot soup with almonds and tarragon Crab in brown butter sauce Grilled pepper crab fritters with blue cheese Pickled stringbeans, onions, red and yellow beets Deviled eggs with steak tartare, capers, mustard, pickles. Choice of: Veal chop, European style from quebec, "more mature, richer, heartier" with fava beans Grilled pork chop with cabbage slaw and Dijon sauce Wild Mediterranean sea bass en papillote with infused aromatics USDA prime New York steak, farm raised, “the important part is the butchering and the aging” Strawberry tart White and dark mixed chocolate mousse Sorry, but the coffee machine isn’t working, no beverage

Let's get real. A short car ride is no big hassle. I live in DC. It takes me 10 minutes to get to Ray's in Arlington and 20 minutes to get to Joe's in Rockville. The posts so far seem to be characterized by extreme self-pampering. They remind me of the story about the society dame on Manhattan's East Side who was asked if she ever goes to the West Side. "Oh yes,"she replied, "on my way to Europe."

The exterminator just called to say he's coming at 11. If he's through in half an hour, I'll try to make it to Lucky Three, but I doubt it.

My favorites: Au Pied de Cochon. This requires planning ahead because they are thronged. Wonderful spirit, activity, an inventive menu. Brunoise. Young, trendy, but hospitable to fogies. Very good value. Restaurant Yoyo. BYOB. A local joint. Great atmosphere. Toqué. Elegant, expensive. A dining experience to be relished and remembered. Like everybody else, I like Schwartz's. But it doesn't remind me of anyplace. An excellent Sunday brunch is available at the Hotel Sofitel. On the other hand, you can hardly go wrong in that town.

Dave Hsu -- when you were wolfing down pastrami at Elsie's, how did you manage to keep both hands on the pinball machine? This is what kept the Mt. Auburn cleaners going! Elsie's is long gone, but there is a place sort of like it (minus the pinball) on Brattle St. near the hospital.

I'd like to go, think I can.

I have taken a vow of omertà regarding my experience at Ray's: The Classics, but I think I can reveal that the Boss Guy confessed to sharing my attitude toward wine -- that is, a little goes a long way. Interesting, coming from a purveyor, no?

The word has long been out that the other Michael (Hartzer) has had his wings clipped by doing the same damn thing night after night at RTS. Now he's going to spread his gills and swim. All I can say is, "Gurgle, gurgle!" That's the aquatic equivalent of "Yippie-ai-ay!"

I don't care for wine. Red sends me to bed and then paradoxically I can't get to sleep. White is all right but hardly something special in my gastronomic life. Funnily enough, champagne has no ill effects, and when that's an option I join the crowd. When I go to restaurants, this abstemiousness puts me out of step with most of my co-diners, although no one has any doubts about my affinity for good food. It also theoretically should cause a problem with the bill, although I haven't worried about that so far. Often I'm urged to have "just a little bit," or in the case of Notti Bianche, a "splash." These people mean well and I am almost embarrassed to decline. I am not an alcoholic, although if I were to plead that case it might mitigate the problem. Still, I like beer and I enjoy a good Scotch The idea that wine enhances the taste of good food is like a stoplight to someone who's color blind. Ironically, my chevalier de tastevin uncle left me a cache of 50 year old Burgundies, which I've been selling for obscene prices or giving as gifts to my friends. Is there anyone else around who, like me, loves food but doesn't get a charge out of mashed grapes? And what is the name of my affliction? Vinophobia? No, that would imply hatred or fear. More like vinhedonia.

Sea Catch (for top-neck clams) Legal Sea Foods (cherrystones) Joe's Noodle House (H-20, etc.) Ray's the Steaks (chateaubriand, etc.) Wagshall's Café (dog friendly) (Reuben) Black Salt (chowder) Chen's Gourmet (h&s soup, bbq pork) Oak Tower Lodge (Clyde's) Mark's Duck House (soup & dim sum) Rice 'n Noodles (gyoza soup) off the list: Confucius Café (closed) TemptAsian (xChang) China Gourmet (ditto) under investigation: new French place at Sangamore Mall

Yes, it was spicy enough.

Are you implying that Don Rockwell uses this board to grease the wheels when he visits restaurants? That never occurred to me, and I don't think it's true.

I strongly disagree with Don and John, two people I admire. I think in the case of RTS the human element is just as interesting and important as the gastronomic part, especially when the individual involved is larger than life -- funny, quirky and very talented. There is the added drama of the dark side of success, something any restaurant-centered forum should be interested in exploring. Are mere users allowed to protest, Don? If so, mark me down as a dissident.

You can count me in of course. I hope people don't think the object of the meal is a high scoville rating. As Escoffier and Grover know well, spiciness is best when it enhances the taste of food. Some might think this is a test of their machismo. If that is the case, they might as well stay home and swig tabasco. I know that is not the way you planned the meal, but if you look over some of the posts, it's possible to get that impression. What we are going to have is excellent Korean food with the flavors skillfully brought out by spiciness. That is exactly what I am looking forward to.

Brian, I actually remember you. You made oyster adicts like me, a Chowhound regular then (not now), feel quite comfortable. The people who replaced you are good and professional, but don't seem to go the extra mile. Btw, it's not clear to me if one has to sit at the bar for HH.

I go there every couple of weeks for their top-neck clams. These are the larger version of littlenecks -- does anyody else around here serve them? I was there yesterday and my companion had a dozen sorted oysters. The shucker knows us by now and we seem to get a full complement of plump juicy crustaceans every time. I like their lobster sandwich and their gazpacho when they have it. Yesterday, alas, they didn't. It's great to sit outside on the terrace in season and watch the mule-pulled barge go by. They offer 3 hours of free parking.

I agree with everybody. Now that I've been there 8 or 9 times, and had everything, including the blackened strip, I think I'll have the cowboy cut again next time. That should give me the best chance for a take-home portion. As for the tempest in a teapot regarding "the list," the only thing as delicious as Ray's steaks is teasing Michael.

Not-Yet-Famous Deviled Eggs with Caviar Instructing rockwellians on how to boil eggs would be tantamount to teaching your grandma to suck them. I will note that Extra Large are the best because you want a generous cavity for the blend. As for the caviar, my usual supplier, Trader Joe’s, was out and the stuff at SuperFresh seemed moldy. So I turned to Rodman’s (“between Harrison and Garrison with prices beyond comparison”) and found exactly what I wanted in 12 oz jars. Boil eggs, run under cool water, peel, slice, deposit yolks in bowl. Add about a third of the yolks’ volume of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, sprinkle in dill, a tsp of Colman’s mustard powder, several shakes of parsley and a drop of Worcestershire. (No salt — the caviar will take care of that.) Mish, mash and mosh until it’s no longer bumpy. Deposit in egg halves, smoothing at the top so there’s a place for the caviar. Using a cocaine spoon, or something of similar size, lovingly add the caviar. Grind some pepper over the whole shebang. Refrigerate until you leave for Fort Hunt or wherever the comestibles will be consumed. A couple of years ago, I read in one of the food sections something like, “Let’s not kid ourselves. You can make any kind of appetizers you like, but it’s the deviled eggs that go first.” I took that to heart, and the donrocks picnic gratifyingly demonstrated it. I sent a photo of the finished product to a friend in India and noted that one woman walked by me with four of my eggs on her plate. My friend said, “After looking at those puppies, I think she showed remarkable restraint.”