ScotteeM

My sister and her husband worked in fine dining up in Pennsylvania for about 15 years, as catering manager and executive chef, respectively. She told me about the same figures for profit margin in fine dining. To those of us paying the check, it seems surprisingly low, but seeing Cathal's detailed breakdown of costs is a real eye-opener. When my sister and her husband left fine dining (not their own idea, but management wanted a younger, cheaper chef) and opened a tavern, she told me about some of their startup costs and told me what their monthly electric bill was. I don't remember exact figures, but the amount was absolutely stunning. I think the electric was a few digits into four figures, per month. In my sister's case, the financial backer thought it would be "cool" to own a restaurant, and probably thought he would make money by the wheelbarrowful out of the starting gate. Their tavern was packing in the diners and the end was in sight for paying off the startup loans when the backer bailed on them and they were closed down in a day. It's a tough business! Think I'll keep my day job.

Guess I don't get my wish, then. Fair Lakes might as well be in Leesburg, relative to my home and work locations. Although out of the way and small, Springfield is still my best bet.

That's been almost my neighborhood store for years (OK, a little far for an emergency run at 6 miles, but still important). I'm so sad that they are moving so much further away. I'll still be able to get there maybe once a week, but not as often as usual. I wish Whole Foods would open a store in Merrifield, or on my route between Merrifield and Lake Braddock!

Thanks! It was fun. Tonight was Orange Peel Chicken, War Shu Opp, and Eggplant with Garlic Sauce delivered by Chinatown in Burke. It was all very good. Chinatown is a tiny, carry out/delivery place in the Burke Village shopping center. I believe it's been there as long as we have lived here, which will be 25 years in February. The prices are great (cash only) and I've never gotten anything awful there. Their Sam Su Bow is a mighty tasty dish. I love their egg foo yung and their chicken wings with black bean sauce (a lunch special).

Today was my birthday, so we had steamed live Dungeness crabs (from The Great Wall), with a lemon risotto (lemon from my friend's tree), and stir-fried baby bok choi It was what I wanted, and it was good!

I ventured into The Great Wall after work tonight. What a fun place! I got a 7-oz package of enoki mushrooms for $0.99, and a healthy sized bunch of green onions for $0.33. Lemons were $0.20 each. Tiny "Shanghai" bok choy were $0.99 per lb. I remember what I purchased, but the selection, quality, and pricing of their produce was very impressive. Frozen quail were on sale, and since Mr. B doesn't care for them, I got them as a special occasion dinner for my Boston terriers (why can't they eat well, too?). This place will be a great source of small whole fresh fish for them, too (I feed a more "natural" diet to my dogs). I also got a pint of mango ice cream. OK, seeing the eels slither in their tanks, out of the corner of my eye, set off my flight alarm slightly but I hit the reset button and moved on. I think they must have half a dozen (or more) varieties of live clams. They have live blue crabs (females) for $1.99/lb. I asked for 2 "Canadian" crabs, and was pleased with how lively and large they were. I wasn't too sure about the live scallops, but I'll check back on those. Lots of fish! I must say that the drive home in the dark down Prosperity Avenue, with the crabs in the back seat rattling around in their plastic bag, was a little unnerving. I reminded myself that the fish guy wouldn't get a lot of repeat business if the crabs escaped their bags in the customers' cars on the way home. I glanced at everything else quickly, but it was a bit overwhelming to take it all in. I saw 2-3 different kinds of whole chickens (and I do mean whole), and whole ducks. There were packages of all different kinds of parts, although I didn't spot any sweetbreads. They had duck feet. Although the store itself was not crowded at 6:30 on a Tuesday night, the parking lot was packed because of all the folks going to the Golds Gym next door. I noticed that what was a Pho restaurant a few doors down in the shopping center has a sign that says a Thai restaurant is opening soon. I hope it's good, and I hope they deliver!

Maestro does have a small private room. The Vinyard Room seats up to 14 people. The restaurant itself is also available for private lunches for up to 75 people. Maestro does not do lunch service, but is available to private parties. The hotel itself also has private rooms available for dinners or parties.

So please tell, Barbara, how were the crabs? I work right around the corner from that place, and I've been intending to stop in. You're inspiring me to try to take a longer lunch tomorrow and launch a reconnaissance mission. The crabs sound like just the thing for my after-work birthday dinner on Tuesday! Did you notice if they have prepared foods? I read that they were planning to but hadn't opened that section yet, a couple of weeks ago. Sounds like that could be a good source for a quick lunch to take back to work--better than the alternatives in that shopping center!

Maestro!!! Table for 2 at 6!!!

I actually cancelled my long-anticipated reservation for 2 at 6 for tomorrow . . . on Tuesday. Guess someone else was ahead of you on the waitlist.

Happy T-Day, Friends! We'll be with my mother-in-law in Baltimore. I'm taking it easy on the cooking. Just made mashed sweet potatoes, and I'm roasting some chicken necks to flavor some stuffing with chanterelles. Other than that, it's a rotisserie chicken (what m-i-l wanted) and I hope a relaxing visit.

Maestro Restaurant has a New Year's Eve fixed price dinner that includes a complimentary champagne toast. There's an early-bird rate for diners who are in early and finish by 9. It will surely be a memorable menu, and the early seating would likely avoid the midnight silliness. I'm sure Emanuele would be able to tell callers what the general atmosphere is like for that event.

OK, Craig, So you're not really last, after all! I sat next to you, and I agree with you on many things. The menu was hard to read, at least for my >50 eyes. I wasn't bothered by the waterfall noise, but I work around fountains (which are intended to relax our clients, though occasionally someone with a panicked look will ask directions to the restroom). I, too, would have loved a list of the wines on the menu. (Craig, I noticed you took photos of the wines, while I stuck to the food for my pix.) I thought the pairings were good, but we had one mis-step at our table (maybe at others, maybe not) where we nursed the chardonnay we had with the shellfish course to last us through the fin-fish course, when a red wine had been poured for the latter. The Sommolier had mentioned that the chardonnay would be great with red meat, so some of us thought it was meant for the . . . oh, never mind. We managed to catch up, though! I loved the canapes and the shellfish course very much. I enjoyed the wild boar and the venison was wonderful! I liked the fish, but not as much as the other things. I am not much of a sweets eater, so I thought desert was good, but not life-changing. I did think the grape cotton candy was fun, but no big deal. (ustreetguy--what happens in Falls Church stays in Falls Church, if you know what I mean. So you liked the cotton candy. No big deal. Oh, sorry, I might have said too much! ) I think the menus were printed on the clear plastic so that they would resist food spills, and could be read (by better eyes than mine) against the white tablecloth. While it was a clever concept, it was still hard to read. I did enjoy the dinner. The food was good. The company was good. I would have loved an easier-to-read menu, and a listing of the wines. It might have helped to have us standing and mingling with passed canapes initially, so that we could mingle and socialize more, but that was not a big deal. Our table, at least, was a happy group, overall. And, MoniqueDC, I can't wait to hear how your Thanksgiving dinner turns out!

Late night at Whole Foods. I did pan-seared sea scallops and fresh large shrimp over creamy polenta with steamed broccolini draped in browned butter with pine nuts. Oh, I deglazed the shellfish pan with white wine and then added WF garlic herb butter--OK, I went shopping at 8:30 pm, and we were tired!

I had excellent crabcakes last Saturday from Moe's Seafood Fisherman's Exchange, which is up in the northern outskirts, pretty far from downtown. I don't know if they are representative of the crabcakes at other restaurants in the Moe's group. My mother-in-law has been eating there for years, and in the past couple of years their menu has changed dramatically, for the better. I also love their Oysters Christopher.

Thanks for the tip, Ferhat. Where is Ella's?

The historical info on the Red Fox Inn website dates the original building to 1728, as the first structure in what is now Middleburg (halfway between Alexandria and Winchester). The site claims that the building has had a few name changes over the year but has been in continuous operation since then. The inn changed hands in 1937, when the name was changed to Red Fox Inn. Guess that qualifies it as pretty old.

Sorry I can't get you the exact link to the lunch menu, because my work computer doesn't have Macromedia Flash (what's up with that?) , but if yours does, click here and then follow the links to the lunch menu, which may or may not have prices. I'm told by someone who seems to know such things that you might be able to call the restaurant and ask a staff member to fax their lunch menu to you. I can't wait to read your report on whatever restaurant you select! [Edited to add:] I've always wanted to go to Kinkead's for lunch, to try their lobster roll, but since I live and work near the outer rim of the galaxy, I haven't gotten there yet.

We were having the wine pairing tonight at 2941, so Mr. S and I sat down at one of the tables cleverly set with multiple wine glasses (that's how the servers knew who was getting the wine). We joined Barbara and Craig and Monique DC, and were soon joined by Goldenticket +1. There was one empty seat at our table, which was soon occupied by a lone gentleman whom none of us recognized. We all casually scanned his name tag and saw no screen name--it read Larry T-something. Everyone at the table was wondering the same thing: Who is this mystery man? We all started to connect the dots at the same time: square jaw, broad shoulders, white shirt and tie . . . "ohmigod--you're ustreetguy!!!" He did look just like his Avatar. So we went to work on him. We tried subtlety: "You have something you'd like to share with us?" We tried reasoning: "It's almost Monday . . . we'll know soon enough anyway, so you might as well tell us now." We tried sharing stories of conversations we'd had with Don Rockwell, hoping he'd slip up in telling us his stories. I think Barbara even tried to bribe him with a bite of her escargot. But it was a no-go. I doubt that even trying to blackmail him with pictures of him eating cotton candy would have weakened his resolve. Well, we tried, but we all still have to wait until tomorrow. Rocks, you picked a good guy to share your secret!

Yesterday for lunch I swooped in and grabbed up some Five-Spice Beef and an order of Fried Dumplings to go. I know, not much heat there, but just right for a quick lunch. The beef seemed to braised brisket, full of flavor, meltingly tender, with just a little kick at the end. The dumplings were plump and fresh. Not as much ginger as the baby wontons, but very good.

OK, I've not been yet, but have a reservation later this month for my birthday dinner. When I called to ask for a table at 6:00, I was told that the table was committed to another party at 9:00. On the advice of the reservationist I moved the start time to 5:30 (we like to eat early when we eat out). My question is, will that be enough time for the 9-course menu? Or will we be limiting ourselves to the 5-course menu? Not sure if I should try for another night. . . .

I'd like that, also! It sounds like a great cartoon to print out and slip into visibility when needed while dining out.

Which Costco? I went to the Springfield outpost today, and hunted everywhere. I found shiitakes and portabellas, and other cultivated varieties, but no chanterelles. I wound up going to Wegmans for a combination of hedgehogs and trumpeters for my mushroom bread pudding.

I, too, appreciate the tips on squash soup. I made roasted red kuri squash last night that I basted with melted butter, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup. Tonight will be a boneless beef rib roast done on indirect coals in my trusty Weber, with charcoal-roasted Brussels sprouts and a savory wild mushroom and pancetta bread pudding. Happy Halloween!

And the Scoville Wimp said: But before that, Rocks said: Last night, after a rough day, I pored over my notes and this thread, and placed an order for take out: #13 Beef Jerky, #25 Baby Wontons in Chicken Flavor, #65 Roasted Fish with Green Onion, and Salt & Pepper Shrimp (from the Chinese/American menu). Visual inspection of the Beef Jerky suggested that this was not the dish I had enjoyed at the group lunch in August. So many dried peppers! So many red flakes! It was indeed not the same dish, but it was delicious, and it did relieve the toothache that one dentist has given up on fixing. The fish was exactly as Mr. Rockwell had described it. I couldn't stop eating it! Thank goodness for the shrimp and the mild-mannered wontons! They provided a little "shade" for my tongue between bites of beef and fish. I've come to the conclusion that the dish we thought was the beef jerky in August was more likely the Five Spiced Sliced Beef, #15, directly below the jerky on the menu. Now I have to go back for that. [edited to add:] Though I was ready to dodge them again, there were no agents in flak jackets and ski masks in the parking lot last night.