brian

I think using terms like foodie or food snob would is a bit polarizing in terms of this issue (because nobody is going to identify themselves as a food snob), but yes, like anything else in life, it's possible to overinvest yourself in food. On the other hand, just about everything great that's come out of the food world - be it restaurants, cookbooks, criticism, great meals, etc. - has come from people who have put an unreasonable amount of time, effort, and money into the field.

Shenandoah Brewing, easily my favorite brewers in the area, sometimes have a firkin on at their small retail counter, though it's much more a place for brewing than a bar. Vermillion in Alexandria is starting a weekly firkin night tomorrow with New River Pale Ale from Old Dominion. When it opens, the new Old Dominion pub in the convention center should have a couple of hand pumps, as they'll have 32 taps. Maybe I'll head to the Beer Fest next month and make sugestions...

Elephant & Castle may be Canada's volley back at the UK for giving us La Tasca.

There's no corkage for the first 2 US bottles, and I believe $25/bottle thereafter.

The tacos aren't any lower in price, and they look a little silly coming out in those custom stainless steel holders clearly meant for three. I think they are a bit fuller, though. Yesterday I had the duck leg confit tacos with shaved pineapple. A bit of a letdown, as I was hoping for something up to the level of the fantastic duck confit served at Atlantico. I also tried the beef tongue taco special, and it was excellent. In the past week I've had beef tongue at wd~50, Casa Mono, and Oyamel, and Oyamel's was the best of the bunch. As it's been noted elsewhere, there's no melding of the flavors in the tacos, they're just carriers for the meat, which is what made the duck a failure and the beef a success. Service was oddly over-explanatory. The initial presentation of the menu lasted about 3 minutes, but it didn't stop the server from explaining what ceviche was again when I ordered the tuna. One of the desserts was described as "homemade ice creams made in house" - a bit rendundant. I was constantly having to scoot finished items closer to the server due to the depth of the booth, but considering our table had contact with about four different servers the experience was pretty smooth if a bit too quick on a fairly slow night. Still, it's hard to think of other places that provide the same sort of overall experience for the same value - you can order like a king and walk out for less than you'd pay with stingy ordering at a competitor.

Tapatinis

When I stopped in on Monday there were some magic words on the menu following the burger listing: "with house made bacon ($2 supp.)" It was excellent, although next time I may order it without or have the bacon on the side - I like the unfettered gooeyness of the meat and cheese. The lemons with the fry plate have been getting thinner and thinner (better and better), but the fries themselves are still the weak link.

Mark, as I said in my post Citronelle handled the situation well - I didn't call beforehand and our server was gracious and upfront with the information. It was a shame I wasn't able to eat there, but because of the way we were treated I left more likely to return rather than less, a notable contrast with CityZen.

Mission: nice food at a nice bar. Last night I went to CityZen for a light meal in the lounge and a drink. I called the restaurant to make sure they were still serving, but the phone went unanswered. I reached the front desk of the Mandarin and asked how late food was served in CityZen's lounge, and was told 11pm. Great! After some navigational and parking errors we ended up sitting at the bar and asking for drink and food menus. Unfortunately, I was told that I had obviously made some error in my phone request as the kitchen closed at 9:30 (it was maybe 10:15 at this point). Café Mozu and the Empress Lounge were still open and serving until 11, but I was looking forward to trying some of Ziebold's cooking so I left a little frustrated by the inaccurate advice and the bartender's tone. Doubting myself, as we drove away I called back to CityZen (again no answer) and again to the Mandarin, where I asked a different person what time CityZen's lounge served food until. After checking, she was happier than Nigel Tufnel to tell me that they went to 11. Last night I went to Oya for, well, not to eat but because we parked across the street on the way to Zaytinya. It was 10:30, and because I'd called to check and been told that their kitchen closed at 10:30, I figured we wouldn't eat there. They were happy to tell me upon going in that their bar menu was served until at least 11. Zaytinya was still serving, and it was probably the best meal I've had there in my last 4-5 visits. The service was a bit flaky but quick and knowledgeable, the lamb sausage special was excellent and the standard menu items were as good as they've ever been. I had tried Citronelle first in the evening for a light meal in the lounge and a bottle of that amazing domestic tempranillo. Alas, it was not to be as we ended up there at 9:30pm and our server politely informed us that they had stopped serving at 9 due to water being shut off in Georgetown for road work. Disappointing, but understandable. I've certainly got nothing against Citronelle, as I didn't call first and the reason they closed early was out of their control, but the false information from the Mandarin was surprising considering that they pride themselves on their service, and I probably would have eaten at Oya had I not made other plans beforehand based on the wrong closing time given to me on the phone. So I'm wondering - how often do you run up against the kind of inaccurate information (especially in terms of operating hours) that ends up seriously affecting your evening, and is there a better way to confirm? (edited to move Citronelle out of chronological order and lower in the post so as not to make it seem as though it is the target of my frustration)

I know, I'm just saying I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

Google search fusion cuisine confusion: 49,200 results

Charlie Palmer does have a very good $20 3-course lunch special, but the burger is not avialable as part of it.

Ah, now I remember having it at Jaleo. The quality of the sausage itself was good, but if it's the same dish I'm thinking of it was absolutely swimming in oil.

Sure I like boudin blanc, but it's harder to find a boudin noir of distinction, a french or spanish preparation would be great. Any suggestions for a local restaurant serving it?

If it's still up to the level of my lunch there last year, it's worth a trip to the bar or for the $30 lunch to taste the boudin blanc, the best I've had in the area (sorry, Palena).

With Vetri getting the best Mid-Atlantic award and Christopher Lee at Striped Bass getting rising star chef, it's a pretty big deal for Philly, which has had a criminally underappreciated dining scene up to this point.

I know I don't go much anymore. They're in the unfortunate feedback loop of closing early if there's no one there, which means that people who try to go and see that it's closed, which means that they end up closing earlier more often. I've heard rumors they're looking at a Clarendon location, though.

1. Belgique Gourmand - Occoquan has the best fries within 100 miles of here. And when they're really on, they're the best I've had outside Europe. Crisp and salty outsides heading to golden at the tips, fluffier than cotton candy inside. Excellent with the house mayo, or soaking up juice from the beef carbonade or mussels. 2. Amsterdam Falafel - Not so good when they first opened, but consistently better and better to the point that they've surpassed Bistrot du Coin's frites. They're a little bit greasy in the typical Dutch style, but a fresh order is the best thing going on 18th St. 3. Bistro du Coin - Sometimes a bit mushy, but then again that's more typically French. The best mayonnaise out of any of the contenders. Very flavorful, enough to make them worthwhile even when they're delivered at room temperature. 4. Chadwick's Georgetown - I've already been talking about Chadwick's more than enough recently, so I'll just say that I confirmed at lunch yesterday that these are great fries.

Maybe there should be separate bar burger and yupscale burger categories instead of one sit down group. With Citronelle's lobster burger, having a "Best Seafood Burger" category would be as predetermined as a North Korean election. Also, Sign of the Whale.

Well, the cheeseburger is $4.39 and a regular fries is $1.89, putting you at a dollar or two under the price of a cheeseburger and fries at most downscale restaurants.

Sure they're different categories, but I was comparing them as local chains. I've had pretty good (but not great) burgers at the Five Guys in on Route 1 in Woodbridge and poor ones at the Georgetown and Chinatown locations. Never really cared for their fries at any location. I do think there's something to be said for a fresh McDonalds cheeseburger at 5am on a Saturday morning, though.

I had the Palena burger last Friday and it was the same old same old to me - which is to say it was pretty much perfect. In the local chains category, I'll nominate Chadwick's and Clyde's burgers as far superior to Five Guys.

I definitely enjoy drinking there - I usually sit in the lobby rather than the bar area, but the service is good and the cocktails are always well made. Maybe there's a tasting menu available from the bar instead of the restaurant?

I'm going to an upcoming client dinner in the chimney stack of Fahrenheit at the Ritz in Georgetown. Has anyone tried it recently? After Sietsema's negative review, the lack of buzz has been deafening.

Chadwick's in Georgetown. One of the juciest burgers in the city served with hotter, crisper, and better fries than most places here that claim to have 'frites'. And they're half price on Monday evenings.