brian

FANTASTIC spirits column today, though. Probably my favorite one yet. A full bar laid out in a clear way, cost conscious without feeling at all dumbed down. Kudos to Jason Wilson.

Jeffrey Chodorow and Michel Richard meeting at Central yesterday. Any possibility of a Central or Citronelle-like restaurant opening in NYC?

I'll have to try again to be certain they don't suck . To be honest, they weren't that memorable (neither is anything anymore), but I don't think they sucked. Compared to, say, a dozen bistro-like places that serve fries, they were good.

Regardless of how well cooked the fries at Beck were and how good the accompanying mayos, I can't support a belgian restaurant that makes fries that are thinner than McDonald's. It doesn't give them the chance to develop the fluffy center that makes frites great. At this point the frites at Central are much closer to what you'd get anywhere in Belgium than the ones at Beck.

They could have relocated to the O Street Market if the city had done any work there since its roof collapse four years ago.

Hopfully this event will also make the city rethink the massive redevelopment being planned for the Florida Avenue wholesale market area.

There's a parking garage on P between 16th and 17th? Since when?

Say you wanted to dine at Komi, and one of your party was about to turn 85 (the occasion of the dinner) and not able to walk more than a block or two without major strain, and coming from way out in Fairfax with three other people, meeting a fifth at the restaurant, how would you arrange the logistics? There's absolutely no reason to suppose you might find street parking within two blocks. Are there any commercial garages nearby likely to have space? There are a couple of hotels over by Scott Circle, but I think their parking facilities are extremely limited. Any ideas? Stuffing four people into a taxi doesn't sound like a very good way to start a birthday celebration.

In my opinion RAMMY helps a business boost the sales alittle. After all it is free advertisement.

It's only free if you don't count the considerable cost of RAMW membership.

I've had very well made manhattans in DC at Temperance Hall, PS7's, Round Robin Bar at The Willard, Off the Record, Bourbon, and wherever Derek's working at the moment.

A lot of this doesn't strike me as being any different than hearing that a restaurant bought onions or potatoes at Giant or ordered their spices from Penzey's. It isn't that much different than what you'd get right off the farm.

If, however a restaurant that makes it a point to tout the artisan, local, organic or specially "sourced" nature of their foods and they use something "sourced" this way, we'd have the right to be outraged. If Chez Panisse was serving berries with honey from South America in February or Restaurant Nora was serving Harris Teeter "Rancher's Choice" beef or Blue Duck Tavern's house made bratwurst from German Reserve, PA (how is it house-made and from PA at the same time anyway?), I'd see the problem.

So would it bother you if Bouchon's website described it like this?

The French word "bouchon" describes a particular style of cafe that has existed in the province of Lyon for centuries. Bouchon, opened in 1998, lives up to this designation, offering authentic French bistro fare of a quality not to be found elsewhere in the United States.

Congrats to Eric Ripert for inking the deal on his third Ritz Carlton restaurant!

(Go ask Brian what kind of hops are in each beer and he'll tell you not just that but how the beer is made, where the recipe came from, etc.)

Very true, and one of the many reasons that interacting with the owner of an establishment is great. Ask a typical server at The Reef what kind of hops are in a beer and you'll get a blank stare.

Greg's done a great job taking over from Thor at BP, you may have better luck talking with him when he's tending bar as he's a real hop head.

Think of it this way: if someone were to point out a Russian chef's use of chorizo as "trumpeting his/her European origins," you'd at the very least be confused, right? So why's it okay to do the same for an Ivorian chef using an ingredient from a continent away?

I had a similar reaction when reading the review, but on FarrahOlivia's website it describes the cooking as "...American, French, and African cuisine", so it seems like more of a case of the restaurant trying to position itself that way rather than Tom ignoring the distinction.

If the goal is to incorporate as little water as possible to the gin when icing it, why not start with gin in the freezer? Or, if a small bit of water is desirable, find the perfect amount and add it rather than the imperfection of stirring or shaking the drink.

If people want I'm happy to provide a comparative review of Moto vs. Minibar (and I'll even leave out the reasons I don't like Chef Andres).

I'd like to hear that - my one experience at Moto (GTM) was probably the worst high end restaurant meal I've ever had, from the food (too many similar courses/presentation techniques/flavors) to the setting (cheap and unimaginative compared to the menu and prices) to the service (items listed as part of the $160 tasting menu being presented as "a gift from the chef"). Minibar simply served much better food at better prices in a more engaging setting.

I've done the tasting menu at wd-50 a couple of times - the first was very personalized with great service, the second was assembly line.

I'm still waiting to hear from someone who has been to both Greenfield and Fogo whether Fogo, at $45, is worth the price premium over Greenfield.

Tim Carman did the Fogo/Greenfields/Malibu comparison a couple weeks ago in the CityPaper...

http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com...p?week=20061222

It's a restaurant as a licensing excuse for the nightclub upstairs. Which isn't to say the food can't be good, but that it's about as much of a priority to the owners as the food at Blue Gin or Chloe.

After staying away for a while due to inconsistent hours, inconsisent service, and inconsistent food, I've been back twice in the last month and both times the pizzas have been close to perfect - cracker thin and crisp but still chewable with airy crusts. Unlike some past experiences, the toppings were evenly distributed and not overloaded to sogginess. Maybe I've just caught them on their peaks, but it's definitely enough to put them back into my regular rotation (despite having possibly the least enticing interior of any restaurant to open in DC this decade).

Berlin

Berlin report:

Wonderful - I mean amazingly wonderful - schnitzel at Markthalle in Kreuzberg. The jaegerschnitzel is the best option. Also, breakfast until 5pm.

http://www.weltrestaurant-markthalle.de/de/index.php?s=1

Semi Lasso - relaxed and decent Italian across the street from Markthalle. Reasonable prices, fresher and more variety of vegetables than most Berlin restaurants.

http://www.semi-lasso.de/menue.php

Cafe Einstein - one of the few decent and not expensive places in the sea of central government office buildings. Politicians, artists, writers, and the host knows everyone.

http://www.cafeeinstein.com/home.php

Meliá Tapas - I thought Moto would be the worst contemporary Spanish gastronomy-inspired meal I'd ever have. Wrong!

Despite the terrible name, the one in Annapolis is quite good! Reasonably priced casual fusion fare, but everything I've had there has been much better than one would expect.

Sign just went up today - Naan & Beyond taking over the former Quizno's at 2130 P St!

Gosh, I hope this place does well. I am starting to think that that location is actually cursed.

I agree with you on this -- I actually attempted to respond but it wasn't picked up. I didn't think the prices were out of line and goodness gracious we've waited long enough on the Hill for decent food, why limit access?? Small and intimate can be great, but not at a place that will likely cater an awful lot to the expense account crowd. And to your exact point Heather, why diss a place just because it's big?? City Zen is bigger than both Palena and Tosca and seems to be doing just fine....

CityZen may be bigger, but it's got far fewer seats than Tosca and not too many more than Palena. I understand the concern over restaurant size - in a bigger restaurant the GM has more ground to cover, the chef is going to have less time on every plate, food crossing more distance between the kitchen and table, and a bigger staff means it's harder to find enough good people. On my last few vacations I've noticed a clear inverse relationship between restaurant size and the quality of the experience, even for places with similarly enthusiastic reviews.

Is it just me or has Tom been reviewing places sooner and sooner after they launch? Eamonn's hasn't even been open two months and PX even less.

The 2006 Dining Guide Breakdown:

Upgraded:

CityZen: 4 stars from 3 stars

Palena: 3.5 stars from 3 stars

minibar: 3.5 stars from 3 stars

Jackie's: 2.5 stars from 2 stars

Montmartre: 2.5 stars from 2 stars

Huong Que/Four Sisters Restaurant: 2.5 stars from 2 stars

Breadline: 2.5 stars from 2 stars

Unchanged:

Maestro: 4 stars

Michel Richard Citronelle: 4 stars

Inn at Little Washington: 4 stars

Restaurant Eve's Tasting Room: 3.5 stars

Inn at Easton: 3 stars

1789: 3 stars

2 Amys: 3 stars

Komi: 3 stars

Zaytinya: 3 stars

Jaleo: 3 stars

Cashion’s Eat Place: 3 stars

Bangkok 54: 3 stars

Sushi-Ko: 3 stars

Rays the Steaks: 2.5 stars

Oval Room: 2.5 stars

Tabard Inn: 2.5 stars

Colorado Kitchen: 2 stars

A&J: 2 stars

Layalina: 2 stars

Downgraded:

Buck’s Fishing and Camping: 2.5 stars from 3 stars

Kotobuki: 2 stars from 2.5 stars

Corduroy: 2.5 stars from 3 stars

Le Mannequin Pis: 2.5 stars from 3 stars

New additions (not appearing in 2004 or 2005 guides):

Rasika: 3 stars

Obelisk: 3 stars

Vidalia: 3 stars

Black's Bar & Kitchen: 2.5 stars

Blue Duck Tavern: 2.5 stars

Ray's the Classics: 2.5 stars

Cafe Atlantico: 2.5 stars

Bamian: 2.5 stars

Kinkead's: 2.5 stars

Artie's: 2.5 stars

David Craig: 2.5 stars

Del Merei Grille: 2 stars

Hank's Oyster Bar: 2 stars

Hitching Post: 2 stars

Cuba de Ayer: 2 stars

El Chalan: 2 stars

Yechon: 2 stars

Back on the list (included in 2006 and 2004 guides but not 2005):

Komi

Zaytinya

Corduroy

minibar

Mannequin Pis

Jaleo

Cashion’s Eat Place

Huong Que/Four Sisters Restaurant

Breadline

A&J

Montmartre

Perennials (included in 2004, 2005 and 2006 guides):

Ray's the Steaks

Restaurant Eve

Maestro

Michel Richard Citronelle

Inn at Little Washington

Buck’s Fishing and Camping

2 Amy’s

Sushi-Ko

Palena

Inn at Easton

Colorado Kitchen

Not included (there in 2005, gone in 2006):

Johnny’s Half Shell

Samantha's

Charlie Palmer Steak

Thai Square

Urban Bar-B-Que Company

Bob Kinkead’s Colvin Run Tavern

2941

Circle Bistro

Capital Grille

Lewnes’ Steakhouse

Al Tiramisu

Amici Miei

Osteria del Galileo

Poste

Occidental

Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant

Ceiba

Delhi Club

Aster

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana

Black Market Bistro

Cafe Saint-Ex

Gom Ba Woo

Mandalay

Etete

Jerry's Seafood

Taberna Del Alabardero

Mitsitam Café

Nirvana

Vegetable Garden

I may have miscounted or mistyped some things, if so let me know and I'll be happy to correct them. Note that upgrades/downgrades are based on previous dining guide ratings only, not regular reviews (for example, I've listed Rasika under new additions even though they were upgraded from 2 1/2 to 3 stars).

Many of this year's changed ratings are to restaurants last reviewed in the 2004 dining guide, so some may be more a reflection of the 1/2 star update than of a change in quality.

Jose is back in a big way. Though Oyamel drops off the list (expect to see it back next year, post-relocation), Jaleo, Zaytinya, and minibar are back on and Cafe Atlantico is a new addition. Apparently all three branches of Jaleo qualify as 3 star restaurants, giving Andres a total of 18 stars. Michael Landrum is the only other owner with multiple establishments in the guide.

Emerald

1 oz gin

3/4 oz green Chartreuse

3/4 oz sweet vermouth

1 dash orange bitters

Serve chilled. A gin with a relatively clean profile will stay out of the Chartreuse's way, it's a potent but lovely after dinner drink. It comes out greenish-brown, though.