fuzzy510

I remember reading before he opened that it was Greek yogurt he added to the toasted marshmallow shake to cut the sweetness and keep it from being cloying (which makes sense, since otherwise it's like you're slurping down liquid marshmallow fluff).

Closed.

I must have missed Gennaro by a couple hours, because I was also in at Ted's today for a late lunch, and I have largely the same sentiment - I really want to go back, even though I wasn't blown away by everything I ate. First off, let me say that I absolutely love the space and the whole retro-type theme they're going for. It could've been really easy to go way over the top and make the whole thing come off as kitschy, but they stopped just short of that point. I opted for the Rachel (turkey, cole slaw, thousand island dressing on grilled marbled rye) ($12.29), and I'm not sure if it's the difference in protein, but I didn't have any issue with a lack of meat or any other fillings. The turkey was flavorful, and their thousand island dressing was about as good a thousand island dressing can be. The bartender remarked that he ordered that all the time, and I can see why - it's a damn good take on a turkey reuben. I got a lot more fries than it sounds like Gennaro got onion rings, but they weren't anything special, and I ended up leaving 1/3 to 1/2 of them on my plate. I finished with an Oreo milkshake ($5.99) on a recommendation from my bartender, and this was a mistake. At the end of the day, there's not much you can do to make an Oreo shake particularly special. On top of that, it was way too thick (yes, there is such a thing) - I ended up eating pretty much the whole thing with a spoon. The end result, though, is that there's enough on the menu that's worth exploring for me to want to come back, especially in a space that's warm, inviting, and just damn cool.

Art and Soul is the only restaurant I've seen in this area (and, really, anywhere) that has a specific menu just for dogs. (Including a non-alcoholic beer for dogs )

I think, unless anybody has a real issue with it, that it would make more sense to table this for a couple weeks until we can get more people together. Let's plan on holding off until June 1st.

Better than I could probably describe it: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/05/14/top-chef-names-contestants-for-d-c-edition/

Excellent, I'll try that. Thanks a ton, folks.

In a word? No. Your best bet if you're looking to stay relatively close is probably to go down Route 1 and visit Franklin's.

Still plenty o' time to jump in, folks fuzzy510 DanielK Tweaked sphere777

Oh man. Who's excited?!?!?!?! (actually, for milkshake purposes only, in a small way I am)

A friend and co-worker is a bourbon fanatic, and hasn't really had the chance in the time since he's relocated from Kentucky to find someplace with a good bourbon list. I don't know the first thing about bourbon, and wouldn't know a good list of them if it was right in front of me. Good food in addition to the bourbon is definitely a plus, but the spirits are the star here, so I'm not looking for a fine dining experience here (but won't turn it down, either). Thanks!

So I'm almost embarrassed to admit I have this problem, because it shows how little cooking I've been doing lately, but I came home tonight and discovered that my chef's knife has developed what appears to be spots of rust, which I'm assuming is from certain roommates not treating the blade very nicely. Is there any way to clean it up and still have it be usable? Is this the excuse I've been looking for to replace my knife?

Made my way over for the three-course bar menu tonight, and I was impressed, but not blown away. This is, however, entirely my fault. First course was the Filipino spring rolls. Loved them, cooked perfectly, and the sauce was great, too. It didn't hurt that I haven't had a decent spring roll in forever, so this really satisfied a craving as well. Main course was easily my least favorite, the duck leg confit. This is where it becomes my fault. While it was maybe a little less crispy than I'd have hoped, there was really nothing wrong with this dish. The problem is that, by and large, I don't enjoy duck dishes, and I keep ordering them in some sort of stubborn attempt to suddenly turn the corner on duck. One of these days, I'll learn. Good thing that dessert was probably my favorite bread pudding I've had in a long, long, long time. Too often bread pudding isn't custardy enough, and the interior ends up being horribly dry. No such problems with the pistachio bread pudding I had tonight, and with the addition of my favorite nut to boot. If I wasn't so curious to try other options on the dessert menu, I would say for certain that I'd order this each time I went. I don't need to mention that this is a steal for $30, but......at $30, this is a steal (assuming you're not an idiot like me and order something you know you won't enjoy). Service at the bar was fantastic, and I was the only person sitting at the bar by 7.

The mother wanted to go to the Montgomery Mall location tonight for Mother's Day dinner (some truly awful experiences dealing with crowds led my mother to swear off going out on Mother's Day proper). Nothing really noteworthy to mention, save for dessert. My mother ordered the Boston Creme Pie ($6.75), and what arrived was nothing like the classic dessert. A thin layer of cake at the bottom, a dense custard on top of it, a layer of chocolate cake (I think) on top of that, and then drizzled with a chocolate sauce. The whole thing tasted oddly bitter, and not because of dark chocolate. I tried one bite, and didn't attempt to have any more. I'm all for reinvention and reinterpretation, but this was just bad, and for a seafood restaurant with a menu that's as straightforward (and, er, boring) as Legal's it doesn't work. (And I'd never expect it from a restaurant based in New England)

Given the popularity of my suggestion for a date switch, let's keep it on the 18th. And the more, the merrier, folks!

Can't say I was looking for any of the above, but the next time I pass by, I'll definitely take a look.

Does branch out mean something other than Szechuan, or just not Sichuan Pavilion? I ask because my first thought is Joe's Noodle House.

To be fair, is it possible that the AVPN is just slow in updating, given that Pacci's has only been open for a week?

Just tossing this out there: Would May 25 work better or worse for anybody? It occurs to me that the 25th might actually be a better date for me, and if others feel the same way or are indifferent, I'd be for moving this one week later. If the 18th is a better option for everyone else, though, let's just leave things as-is.

I know it's not fair to completely judge Pacci's in its first week, but the pizza I had tonight was quite a letdown. On my Margherita pie ($11.50), the crust was really flavorful, one of the best I've had around, and the sauce was great. What was the problem, then? There was so much oil on this thing that I honestly gave thought to mopping some of it up with my napkin. As a result, the flat part of crust was completely soggy, too. The basil was also poorly placed; I got two leaves stacked up on each other in one part of the pie, meaning that maybe two of my six slices had any basil on them. My friend got the Il Ripieno calzone (ricotta, mushrooms, ham, mozzarella di bufala, basil) ($13), which was much more successful. It was a little too salty, likely because of the ham, but it stayed together much better than my pizza did, and was absolutely huge; this thing is about the size of a large delivery pizza folded in half on top of itself. Service was also a huge issue tonight; my pie came out a good five to seven minutes before the calzone did, and I might be generous. I waited for a few minutes, made a bathroom trip, came back, and ate half of my pie before the calzone finally hit the table. It's one thing to not have everything come out together, but this is absurd. It's something that they'll really need to iron out as they move on. All in all, I wasn't terribly impressed with my meal tonight, but the elements of a good pie ARE there, and I will be back to see if they hit their stride. Without some refinement, though, Pacci's won't hold a candle to some of the better pizza places in the area.

I didn't claim there was false advertisement. I said there was a reasonable expectation. The far more common way to interpret that phrase is that Chef Voltaggio and his team collectively create and serve the dishes. And besides, even if it was meant to be interpreted the way you describe, that's pretty lame to tout it as a unique personal experience if it's going to be not much different, service-wise, than sitting in the dining room.

If the restaurant's website says that you will be personally served by "Chef Voltaggio and his team," which it does, I think it's a more than legitimate complaint if he didn't come over and interact in any way. With that said, if not meeting Bryan Voltaggio ruined Table 21 for you, you're missing the point.

I think there's a world of difference between expecting Bryan Voltaggio to make an appearance at the chef's table in the restaurant he's currently working in, especially on a night when he's in the kitchen, and expecting Jose Andres to pop up at Minibar when you know full well that he hasn't been cooking at Cafe Atlantico or Minibar for a while.

Well, yeah, but you didn't eat dinner with me on Monday night, Michael......

How much of a crowd are you fighting during the Old Ebbitt happy hour? The first thing that comes to my mind is that if it's as much of a consensus choice as it seems, no chance is it anything resembling an undiscovered gem.