ScotteeM

Right, so right! 30 years this month. ScotteeM

Not before I read it, though! ScotteeM

Elizabeth, You are not the ignoramus here. I've had similar experiences myself. I think Rabbi1969's comments are right on. I've been to Maestro a few times, and watching Vincent Feraud work is just as amazing and entertaining as watching the kitchen. He reaches unerringly for each bottle in his glass-fronted cellar, never hesitating. I think he could find each bottle with his eyes closed! Some of Chef Fabio's dishes do present a challenge to him (see my description of our recent dinner here), but his pairings are amazing and sometimes unexpected, and always a brilliant complement to the food. He is also very patient about informing patrons about his selections, showing labels, and helping with spelling if one wants to keep notes. As has been pointed out on the criticism thread, when we go to a restaurant of this magnitude, paying prices like that, we do have higher expectations, and rightly so, I think. I've been to a handful of other restaurants in that category, once each. At one, the wine pairings were very disappointing--the wines were good, and the food was good, but not together. I am inclined to think that the Sommelier was not behind those selections that night. At other similar restaurants with fixed tasting menus, the wine pairings were planned ahead of time, and were good matches. However, nowhere have I been treated with quite the respect that patrons get from Vincent. I have usually felt that I was not expected to understand what the wine was. In the restaurant with the disappointing pairings, the person pouring the wines talked down to me about what they were, assuming I couldn't possibly know what and where Madeira is (I've been there, thank you). In others, names were rattled off without a pause, as if they wouldn't matter or mean anything to me. At one they were printed on the souvenir menu, which I much appreciated. I don't see a problem with your expectations. I think the questions you raise are valid ones. In this case, I don't know how to raise this problem for resolution as it happens, but I hope some of the other participants here will have suggestions. From reading the threads on this wonderful site, I now have a list of restaurants I've not yet enjoyed where I am certain to have wonderful wine service, and at least one of the above-mentioned that I'm going to give a second try. ScotteeM

Had a late lunch, so now a late supper of Trenne con Zucca e Salsiccia , the cover recipe from the October issue of La Cucina Italiana . Pretty! ScotteeM

That's how it worked for the TemptAsian Cafe lunch I attended. Couldn't miss the group! ScotteeM (also shy)

Oh Squid, I hate that for you! Some day soon, I too will enjoy the bliss that is Firefly. For now, I do so vicariously. ScotteeM

Thank you, Barbara! That makes us feel a little better. I'll bring the green beans, and maybe something else to fill in, or supplies. Coordinator(s), please let me know! ScotteeM

Flank steak stuffed with cheese and herbs (from Wegmans), oven-roasted sweet potatoes dipped in Crema Mexicana al Estilo Oaxaca, and frozen creamed spinach. The end of a hard week. ScotteeM

Love the bendy straw! The rest, well, sounds interesting. Fresca's not my beverage, though. ScotteeM

Mr. S and I are not the most social of folks, but we can't resist this event! We'd very much like to attend. I'm not sure what to bring (a little intimidated, I guess). I could contribute green beans with Smithfield ham and peanuts (it's a cold dish with a vinaigrette--sort of a salad, I guess) or an appetizer. I'm open to suggestions, but not much good when it comes to desserts or baking. We can also help provide supplies or libations, if needed. ScotteeM

Alisa, Happy Birthday! Lucky you, indeed! I've only been to Citronelle once and it was a couple of years ago, so I'll leave the food recommendations to those who've been more recently. Look back through this thread, too, for recent comments. As for asking the Somollier's advice for one glass of wine each, I think that is a good idea. He knows the dishes you are ordering, and once he knows what you like (and price range, if that's important), he can match that with his knowledge of his wines by the glass and provide the best complement to your meal. Enjoy, and share the details after! ScotteeM

I would make a small contribution, if that's possible. I didn't know who they were till now, but I so appreciate their products! ScotteeM

That's not lunch . . . that's BREAKFAST ! ScotteeM

I found the list of candidates for the 2005 Top 100 Chinese Restaurants awards. The website says that the winners will be announced at a banquet on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. Maybe the winners have been notified so that they can attend if they wish. Here's the candidates' list: Top 100 Candidates I see Joe's Noodle House listed, but not too many other area restaurants. They are alphabetical by state. ScotteeM

I, too, remember the days of packed lunches without refrigeration. Lots of peanutbutter sandwiches, but I also remember bologna & cheese sandwiches. I went through a phase in Junior High (now known as "middle school") of eating bologna on white bread with mayonnaise and yellow mustard every day. Nowadays, I do use a Cool Tote insulated bag Cool Click with a little blue ice thing, and that works brilliantly. They make a nice wine bottle tote Cool Wine Click just perfect for taking wine to restaurants in DC that allow it, too! Edited to say: Sometimes I risk the refrigerators at work, knowing that there's always a chance my lunch will disappear before I get to eat it. ScotteeM

I want that! ScotteeM

I'm curious about this one, too! I just looked up some of the places I frequent for lunch, near my work place in Merrifield. Some reports were encouraging, others , but none was particularly surprising. ScotteeM

Congratulations, Monica! It's a great essay! ScotteeM

I wish I could help this weekend! Physically, I'm not much help, and this weekend is commited to my termnally ill mother in law. But I will be there in spirit! ScotteeM

Last Saturday we had a 6:00 reservation at Maestro to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We like starting our meals there that early, because everyone is less rushed then. And, as Vincent pointed out, the chefs' palates are sharper then, too. Vincent started us off with glasses of Tattinger Champagne. Fernando took our order for the seven-course tasting menu, and we asked Vincent to pour wines by the glass to go with. The amuse buches are fairly standard, and yet they're always a little different. The first was two bite-sized wafer tubes topped with olive tapenade. One contained a bite of Barrada Bufalo Mozarella, and the other Hamachi tartare. The second amuse was a bite-sized slice of seared nairagi resting on a lacy bread tuille, accompanied by a test tube of chilled fennel soup. Just perfect with the champaigne! The platings are beautiful, too. The first is on a plate that resembles a round slab of ice, with indentations that just fit the tubes on end, secured in place with a dab of tapenade. The second comes with the bread tuille balanced across a tiny china cup that sticks magnetically to its plate, with the test tube lying next to it. Vincent next poured us an Alsatian Riesling: 2003 Grand Cru Schlossberg, Domaine Ehrhart, which beautifully complemented our appetizers. The first appetizer was a tribute to the last days of summer. The centerpiece of the dish was a puffy cloud of Bufallo Mozarella Barrada, with a wonderful texture and taste--soft, delicate, melt in the mouth, full of flavor. It was topped with two tiny fresh basil leaves, and flanked on one side by roasted hot red pepper compote and on the other by olive tapenade. There was a tiny glass of Fabio's sparkly tasting, summery gazpacho to wash it all down. Next came a salute to autumn and it's bounties: two perfectly seared crawfish resting on a bed of thinly sliced fingerling potatoes and smoky calabrese sausage, in a tiny (less than 3 inches across) cast-iron skillet. This was paired with a little mug of warm pumpkin soup that tasted equally of pumpkin and lobster bisque (I didn't try to ask what was in it, but that's how it tasted). Our next dish presented a real challenge to Vincent. Usually he would pair foie gras with Sauternes, but other components in last week's version would not work with that sweet wine. He thought about possibilities and settled on a Miner Vionier (I didn't get the vintage). It was a perfect match for seared foie gras and Sunset Beach oysters in a leek "cappucino". The textures of the oysters and foie gras were similar, while the flavors were total contrasts. The green leek sauce provided enough camouflage that each bite could be a surprise of either buttery richness or the taste of the sea itself. Mr. S declared that it should be considered good manners to pick up the bowl and lick the last of the sauce off, but we settled for wiping it up with bread. Next was Stinging Nettle Gnocchi with Oregon Chanterelles, diced pancetta and tarragon. Vincent paired that with a half-glass of 2003 Cameron Dundee Hills Pinot Noir. We loved every bite. Vincent chose another red wine to match both our fish course and our meat course (he had worried at the start that we had an "all-white-wine" dinner and would tire of it, but he made sure that didn't happen): 2001 Chianti Classico San Vincenti. With that we enjoyed king salmon scabeche with fried squash blossoms, and rabbit with white polenta and fresh vegetables--actually pickled sliced onions and carrots, and what tasted to me like fresh edamame. I was getting pretty full by this point, and rabbit is not high on my list of favorites, but it was delicious and well-prepared. We chose the cheese cart next, and Fernando did his usual fabulous job of picking wonderful examples of every type for us. I'm not sure what everything was, but we had a robiolla in fig leaves, a camembert that made me re-think that particular cheese (in a good way), a couple of blues, and a nice hard cheese. There was Humboldt Fog on the cart, and I didn't ask for it because I've had it several times lately, but in retrospect I wish I had tasted it there, knowing how well-cared-for the cheeses are. With the cheese we sipped a 2001 Gigondas Montirius. We felt quite satisfied, and thought we were done at that point, but Fernando persuaded us to try a new dessert: peppermint souffle with lemon verbena ice cream. We "forced ourselves" to eat every bite of the chocolate-flecked souffle and the ice cream. I enjoyed it with a decaf espresso, which, of course, was excellent. I can't forget to mention Mr. S's very favorite course: pre-dessert. He loves the lychee panna cotta with basil grappa (I do, too). And, of course, the petits fours after dessert are wonderful, but I was too full to do a lot of damage to those. This is our favorite restaurant, and we love that it is out here in Virginia. We have eaten there enough times that Fernando and Vincent both remember a lot of our preferences, so we really feel pampered there. Now I have to decide whether to go back there for my birthday in November, or try another of the great restaurants in the DC metro area.

I know I read somewhere that Bangkok 54 uses local produce, but I've Googled and Googled and I can't find the reference now. Maybe you can check with them. ScotteeM

I have to second the vote for Rincome. It is in a Days Inn, and you have to exit the restaurant and take the motel elevator--my recollection is that some walking outdoors was involved, but it was a while ago. The Spanish tapas restaurant on Wilson Blvd. in Arlington was a trial for me with my vertigo and inability to walk up stairs. The restroom is two very high, open storeys above the main floor, and the elevator is at the opposite end of the upper floor from the restroom behind the bar. The Sangria actually enhanced the experience for me. And then there is a little diner, name forgotten, outside of Missoula, MT, where the stall doors in the ladies' room were artfully replaced with ripped lace curtains that didn't quite reach across or down. Kind of a symbolic barrier (like Les Nessman's office walls). But their homemade strawberry jam was amazing! ScotteeM

Mr. S and I are going to Maestro tonight to celebrate our 30th anniversary. They're just back from vacation, so we're looking forward to a great dinner. I'll file a full report when I recover enough to sit up at the computer again! ScotteeM

Indeed, what you saw was the second Bangkok 54 grocery store. http://www.bangkok54restaurant.com/bangkok54grocery.htm The little I know of the history of the place is that it started as a grocery store serving a little carry out, and when a space in the same building came available, the landlord offered it to the family for a restaurant. Mr. S and I have been there 3-4 times, and it is our favorite Thai restaurant, although we claim no sophistication in that cuisine. We just like the way their food tastes. Last time I had the duck rolls from the monthly specials menu. I loved them! My entree was also from the specials menu, and I neglected to write down what it was, but I ate every bite. Mr. S has loved the Panang Curry andI have enjoyed one of their pork belly entrees in the past. We usually go for lunch on Sundays, when it is not very crowded. The place is comfy, the service is good, and we do love the food. I've been to Thai Square once, for lunch on a weekday, but it didn't grab me the way Bangkok 54 has. I've also been to the Thai restaurant across Columbia Pike from B54, which was very nice, but I like B54 best. ScotteeM

The heat was affecting my brain by the time I got to the food vendors at the Potomac Celtic Festival in Leesburg in June, but I do remember that one truck did offer Haggis on their menu. Considering the heat and, um, other things, I opted instead for the fish & chips. Maybe next year I'll take a friend, or even Mr. S, and have someone try the Haggis. And to think that I've moved up to Clam on Haggis! ScotteeM