fuzzy510

Amanda Cook is reportedly leaving CityZen in order to "do her own thing." I haven't had the chance to dine at CityZen, but her reputation precedes her. Best of luck with whatever may come down the road. (and despite what my posting tendencies today may be indicating, no, I don't follow Sietsema on Twitter for a living)

I'm not sure why, but I was convinced to head out Monday night with Gennaro for burgers at Vidalia's bar, despite having eaten a really late (4:00) lunch. More on this later. Anyways, Gennaro's said that the Vidalia burger is better than the Hell-Burger, and I was skeptical, but there's a lot of truth to that statement. The patty itself was immensely flavorful, and it was cooked perfectly to my desired medium-rare. I'm not sure that the fried onions and bacon are entirely necessary to the enjoyment of this burger, but I think to turn them down would cause my friends and family to question my sanity (for good reason). I'm not sure that I would order this burger more often than the Hell-Burger, but that's more of a function of cost and accessibility. Seeing as how I can nearly get two Hell-Burgers for the price of one at Vidalia, and that the bistro at RTC is much easier for me to get to than Vidalia is, I'm going to find myself there more often, I'm certain. With that said, taking those factors out of the equation, I'm much more of a fan of what Chef Cooper is serving right now. I'm also somewhat disappointed to say that the Vidalia burger was too much for this person to eat in one sitting, especially having had lunch as late as I did. Naturally, I was ridiculed by our bartender (lovingly) and Gennaro (much less so), but the joke's on them! Leftover Vidalia burger, while not close to being as good as it was Monday night, still beat the pants off anything else I could have pulled from my fridge. Suckers! Chatting at the bar caused me to become hungry enough to consider dessert, and I went with a slice of the lemon chess pie. It was as sweet as a lemon chess pie should be, but eaten with the tart blueberry compote, the sweetness was cut enough to make this a really strong dessert. Also, Gennaro is better than me at identifying the ingredients of fruit compotes. Damn. All in all, a fantastic meal at the bar. I'm anxiously awaiting an excuse to return. EDIT: That's a hella long post about a burger.

If anything, I think this might cause restaurant staff to be more aware of how their servers are doing. Think about it - if the only feedback you get is a tip amount, what does that tell you? Sure, maybe a low tip means that the service wasn't up to par, but maybe it's a case of somebody who never tips well leaving what they think is a fair tip, or maybe it's somebody unfairly docking the server for the kitchen's faults. Asking the diner specifically at the end of the meal how their service was is a far better way to have a handle on how your FOH staff is working.

Food Factory II makes good naan in-house, which alone means they do more cooking than about half of the dining establishments in College Park. Not sure I can recommend much else, though. (They've come under new management, and from what I can tell, the new management has let things slip. I never ate at the place before the switch, though.)

And Sietsema reports that they'll be open at 7 tomorrow morning for breakfast.

OK, who wants to get me a really nice birthday gift?

In the words of the Washington Nationals marketing department, plenty of great seats still available! fuzzy510 DanielK Tweaked Porcupine sphere777

There's a sign on the door today saying that they'll be doing an invitation-only soft opening tonight, with a public opening "soon."

Stopped in today for lunch, and wasn't disappointed. -First off, the ribs here are REALLY good (even if they're not the best in the DC area; I still prefer Mr. P's in that department). Nice smoke flavor, and the rib tips served with the ribs was a nice touch. -Also tried the brisket, which is probably the best I've had in the area. I'll be even more impressed, though, if it's as good on future trips; my biggest issue is that I can't get consistent brisket around here. -Baked beans were sweet and a bit spicy; probably my favorite side I got. I prefer my baked beans a touch on the sweet side, so I really enjoyed these; I can completely understand why somebody else wouldn't like them as much as I did. -Ditto with the potato salad, which was heavy on the mustard. Again, I usually prefer my potato salad this way, so I was really happy. -Green beans were a special side, cooked with some of their smoked chicken. Really nice flavor to these, with the smokiness and meatiness you'd expect from a good plate of collards. -Cornbread was decent; not the best I've had, but far from the worst, too. -Key lime pie had a really nice, strong lime flavor, but the custard was too soft. Overall, I enjoyed my meal today, and I'm looking forward to a return trip. Many more hits than misses, and while I think KBQ didn't nearly live up to the hype (of which there was plenty), it's still going to be in my rotation as much as humanly possible.

Unusual, maybe, but I wouldn't call it confusing. The logic behind it makes sense to me. And count me in with the group that will not ever understand the "too expensive for counter service" argument. If it's good and the food itself is worth the price, who cares how it was served to you? I was unaware that having someone in a white shirt and dress pants bring it out made it taste better.

Did not intend, on this occasion, to set the menu ahead of time, but if that's something people would prefer I can certainly be flexible.

Apparently you (well, mere mortals like myself) can't edit posts after a certain period of time. Go figure. fuzzy510 DanielK Tweaked Porcupine (+1) sphere777 rkduggins (+1?)

Esta cerrado. (2/3 down)

The space will not be a full-on Hook & Ladder brewpub, but instead be a restaurant called, appropriately enough, Fire Station 1. I'm a bit disappointed, because a lot of the menu feels like a cookie-cutter chain American restaurant, offering everything to try and please everyone. There's not anything on it that seems even remotely exciting or different, and the whole operation feels (to me, at least) to come off as saying "Hey look! We're a restaurant in an old firehouse! ISN'T THAT COOL?!" If a great meal comes out of the kitchen, that's a bonus. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, and I will certainly try the place once it's open to give it a fair shake, but I feel like we've seen this script play out before.

Where exactly is this on Georgia Avenue? I'm having a bad time visualizing the space even with the help of Google Maps.

Oh yeah? Well screw you, Rocks! Am I doing it wrong? (I'm sure this would be as funny to the rest of you as it is to me if you were also going off of about three hours' sleep in the last three days)

I'm actually glad to see Atlantico get knocked down a few notches not out of any sort of malevolence towards the restaurant, but because I have had a couple of really lackluster meals here, and I was starting to think I was the only one who thought it wasn't that great. I think "tired" really is the best word to describe Cafe Atlantico right now, and if it weren't for Jose Andres' star power or the fact that Minibar is inside, I'm not sure how relevant it'd be.

Is the dinner menu available anywhere? I swear there was a photo of it here, but I can't find it now to save my life.

Aiming for, unless there's a massive outcry, May 18th. Who's interested? fuzzy510 DanielK Tweaked Porcupine (+1) rkduggins (+1?)

Ditto the Silver Spring location, although I'm not sure I see that happening; that slop passes for fine dining in Downtown, and I think they turn quite the profit during happy hour from the Discovery employees nearby.

I wholeheartedly agree with TMF about getting more than one bottle. Especially if he doesn't know much about tequila, it would probably be a nice idea to get him a couple to taste and compare, and he may not appreciate the one single bottle as much as somebody who is more knowledgeable about tequila would.

Any interest in hitting up 8407 in Silver Spring for lunch today?

I noticed your critique of the carnitas, and considering I enjoyed mine, it just makes me anxious for a return trip to try some of their stronger offerings. And I can certainly understand why you go so damn much, both because of the food and the general atmosphere of the place.

Heck of a lunch at La Placita today. Played it a bit safe today with the pastor and carnitas, and both were very good. Just a little squeeze of lime put them over the top. I'm anxiously awaiting my return visit, when I hope to take a look at some of the less common areas of the menu.

Because if you're there, you get an estimate that's applicable right when you start waiting. If you're talking over the phone, you're getting an estimate that's applicable then, but if ten parties arrive in short succession right after that, you're going to be looking at a longer wait than you were quoted.