dmwine

The Vineyard in McLean carries it.

Very good prices, both, compared to Northern Virginia! I think this one is worthy of a write-up!

My Webster's defines flossy as "downy, light, fluffy," so I think he's OK there. "Deems," ... no.

Ed Sands of Constellation told Marvin Shanken in a Wine Spectator interview shortly after the acquisition that Constellation wanted Mondavi specifically for the Woodbridge line, because it filled a (much needed) gap in their portfolio. They didn't care about the quality stuff. Sad. So sad.

I second the rec for Aged Tawny Ports above. 10 year olds are fine, but they hit their stride at 20. LBV - Late Bottled Vintage - ports are a possibility with chocolate, too. And don't forget sherries - amontillado is moderately sweet, oloroso more so. PX (Pedro Ximenez, the grape) is very sweet, and some dessert sherries are made with Moscatel, which can be luscious. Lustau is a high quality bodega.

My parents used to drag me to Peter Pan, up the old Highway 70S! I don't remember the food, just that they made me wear a damn clip on tie and that the waits were interminable .... Evans Farm Inn was SO much better. And closer, too.

Gold's quote applies to American tastes in wine, too ... but then, you almost need a tarted-up wine to pair with the tarted-up food ...

Eve Zibart and Todd Kliman have also written rave reviews. I live nearby and went several times after they opened, but haven't been for awhile. My seven-year-old walked in and went, "Ooooooh, stinky!"

I used to think my wife and I were getting this treatment at Kinkead's always stuck upstairs in the corridor to the bathrooms. Then I realized that was the only place they had two-tops! I stopped taking it personally after that, and just enjoyed myself.

Think Mark will wear the medal now instead of the tastevin? And the Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, drum roll please ... ETA: Or, at least one of them ...

Mark will probably slam me for posting this, but so be it. From DC magazine, April issue, which nobody reads, and with good reason:

It's called brioche. It's an inherently buttery bread.

I believe you're right - and thanks for busting my chops over my careless use of the word "blend"! Considering I've just quit a paying publication because of errors they insisted on inserting into my articles, I should be more careful even in quick posts. I love the so-called "field blends" - my favorite old zins are some of those cuvees where they don't really know what else is in there, or how much. And it makes for greater variety, which is always a good thing.

The Rhone has a confusing appellation hierarchy. At the bottom is Cotes-du-Rhone. Then Cotes-du-Rhone-Village, then seven towns that can put their names over Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages (eg., Rasteau, Sablet, Muscat-de-Beaumes-de-Venise, etc.) Next up are towns that have their own appellation, such as Chateauneuf-du-Papes, Vacqueyras, Cornas, Hermitage, and Gigondas. Cote-Rotie, while not a town, would fall in this category. These may say "Red Rhone Wine" but won't say "Cotes-du-Rhone". All these appellations will have their own character differences. Mark's north-south distinction is the most important, though, as southerners are blenders and northerners keep to the Syrah.

Tom gave it 2-1/2, I believe. DC magazine's former restaurant critic gave it three, despite panning the hamburger everyone here raves about. That review also included the line, "Vegetarians run screaming from this meat-heavy menu ..." ETA: I stand corrected (by Joe H below). I'd been equating Tom's 2-1/2 out of 4 with DC's 3 on a 5-star scale. So I guess Tom did rate it higher.

Why not introduce them to American wines? They can get Spanish wines at home. If I ever get to Barcelona, I ain't eatin' at McDonalds!

How do y'all keep your starter alive? I had some several years ago that turned funky pretty quick, and feeding it every few days used a ton of flour for no good purpose, since I tossed most of it each time. I bake weekly at most, and have had great results using an old-dough method - saving a golf ball sized hunk of dough just before shaping the loaves, and freezing it in a plastic container. Next time, thaw out and build a 3-stage dough, adding yeast at the final stage. (This method in Baking with Julia, from Steve Sullivan of Acme Bakery.) Mixing up the flours every once in awhile adds interest, and as the "starter" dough ages a little bit, it adds more and more character each time. (I liken it to the solera system of sherry, where the cask is topped off with new wine, but the contents might "average" many decades old ...)

Looks so delicious I wanna dive right in .... and eat the place setting

Michel Richard? Months of publicity/anticipation for Central, while this place sneaked up on us? The Willard's reputation?

I believe she still lives here.

Definitely go for a salt-baked fish. The best strategy is to let Enzo or Francesco give you a "tour" of the fish "market" and then tell them what if anything you're allergic to. Pastas are very good (squid ink tagliatele), appetizers (wan fritto misto) and salads (too-sharp dressing) can be uneven. Desserts are good, if you have room. Wine list provokes sticker shock, but there are some very good selections; they tend to push a Falanghina with the seafood menu - inexpensive and an ideal pairing. Be careful what you say. People will hear you tables away, and you'll be able to eavesdrop, too.

The early history of Jaleo may have gotten murky in the celebrity-chef personality cult of Jose Andres. Who, by the way, is a friend of mine, whom I consider a culinary genius. Or madman, if there's a difference. He's also one of two restaurant chefs who I've actually dared to cook for - the other being Ann Cashion, who, if memory serves, was the original chef at Jaleo. Previously she had won acclaim at the original Austin Grill, which was owned by Rob Wilder, who became Roberto Alvarez' business partner in Jaleo, later Zaytinya and the empire. (Roberto, a longtime human rights activist, has since gone on to a diplomatic career as the Dominican Republic's ambassador to the Organization of American States, where, so I hear, he is distinguishing himself again, as one would expect.) Roberto Alvarez spoke often and movingly of his desire to open his restaurants in neighborhoods that were run down but prime for revival. That's why he moved Atlantico from Adams Morgan to what later became Penn Quarter, and why he and Wilder opened Jaleo where they did, and later Zaytinya. Say what you want about Bethesda and Crystal City. So yes, the Alvarez-Wilder team deserves credit for the revitalization of Penn Quarter. But so does Abe Pollin. So do the Wizards, and the Caps. Jose is indeed a great restaurateur. But he's had the support of two other great restaurateurs - Alvarez and Wilder. And he's had a wonderful supporting cast - Tony Yelamos, for example, who oversees the empire from a management perspective and has been in charge of the wine lists for years. He helped expand the retail market for Spanish wines by pointing importers to up and coming producers whose wines he wanted to feature at Jaleo. There are others - Todd Thrasher and his wife, Maria, are perhaps the most notable on this board, who have come through the Proximo/ThinkFoodGroup network (OK, they open great restaurants, but they suck at corporate names). And there will be others. Now I'll get off my soapbox and return to my usual, circumspect lurking ways. But you guys are talking about friends of mine, so I wanted to chime in. ETA: Hmm, sounds like a worthy restaurant review for DC magazine's "lust" issue in June! ETA: Sheesh, I who'd like an owl in that first graf ...

Perhaps he's auditioning for DC magazine. Or Capitol File.

I like mine fresh-picked. Geez, louise, people, maybe the server forgot to ask! I was asked when I ordered it. And I dinn .... ... Even at Central, such incredibly minor slips can happen. Why, when I was at Citronelle last, I was INCENSED that Mark Slater didn't inquire if I preferred my Puligny Montrachet at 57 or 59 degrees, because, as everyone knows, 58 just don't cut it. Beard nomination indeed. ETA: JLK, you and I think alike.

That's a very good description of what this place is. The food is fine, just don't lift your expectations too high. Think neighborhood café with a chance to have lunch/brunch and socialize. Don't expect to be raving or talking about the food too much afterwords, except maybe for the weird (but not gross) waffle sandwiches. The chef/owner is French. He worked many years at Ridgewells.