dmwine

One quote that caught me off guard (emphasis added by me):

I am curious if any restaurants/retailers have had problems with the storage conditions of the county's warehouse. Perhaps I am being naïve, but I know I would be concerned taking delivery in the summer if I knew that the warehouse was not air-conditioned.

I patronize the county stores for cheap Argentine and Chilean wines (esp Alamos and Cousino-Macul), and have bought some at the Randolph Rd store (near the gucci Giant) that were clearly cooked. The store gave me a refund no questions asked. I've had no problems with the White Oak store, but because of my experience at Randolph Rd and knowledge that the warehouse is not air-conditioned, I avoid the stores altogether in the summer months. I keep my fingers crossed at other times for rapid turnover in the warehouse.

Nope. Never heard of him. Must be your side of the species.

Anyone else notice this hilarious byline in today's Post Health section?

Getting to The Heart Of ED

Sexual Problems in Men Are Often Tied To Vascular Disease

By Ben Harder

Special to The Washington Post

Tuesday, March 13, 2007; Page HE01

The ... er, thrust ... of the article is that cardiovascular disease is a contributor to sexual dysfunction ...

Since we all know that red wine contributes to cardiovascular health ....

ergo ...

RED WINE = VIAGRA

Quod Erat Demonstrandum

In March issues, Bezu gets an unqualified rave from Bethesda magazine and ... something less than that from DC.

if you're drinking based on what some movie tells you to drink then you might also be smelling a hint of asparagus in your wine.

I've drank a lot of wine in my life, and I'm no expert, but I've never EVER tasted asparagus in any wine, bad or good.

Try an aged New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. No need for any genetic ability to recognize digestive mercaptans there.

As part of the Jamestown 400 celebrations, some Virginia wineries have arranged a tasting for British trade and media in London on May 2 of Virginia's finest wines. I was privileged enough to be one of nine judges invited to evaluate and select the wines to be presented. My writeup of it is here, and there is a link therein to the list of wines that made the cut.

I just got an email from a friend of mine - anyone have any suggestions? (He said I could cut-and-paste it here)

Cheers,

Rocks

If you know of anything, please let me know. Thanks! (maybe he can simply follow you around for a month!)

Certified Wine Specialist is the Society of Wine Educators. It's a more basic certification they introduced a few years ago for people who don't want to do the more rigorous Certified Wine Educator program.

I believe you if you say so, though their address listing and takeout menu say Potomac.

I have a friend who lives nearby. His address is "North Potomac." Prestige without property taxes.

... if you are in it for the right reasons, to cook good food, make people happy and enjoy the camraderie of a kitchen enviornment, where your coworkers often see you more than your wife, then it is ALL WORTH IT....

They damn well better NOT be seeing my wife!

This evening I saw a ghost in my closet. I slammed the door and ran down the stairs, but I heard it coming out after me. I threw open the front door and sprinted down the driveway. As I slipped on the ice, I wheeled around and saw Todd Gray standing at the window. Just before hitting my head on the pavement, I saw him leaning forward and mouthing the words, "I'm back."

So does this mean he's NOT the one Tom's teasing us about leaving town???

The night of the BLT Steak launch party in November, my wife and I were so claustrophobic from the crowds and the long lines for the food that we slipped out and went to Equinox. We practically had the place to ourselves. Todd was very gracious, added a course of risotto w/truffles and exchanged pleasantries about the kids. We had an excellent dinner, even if we paid a considerable sum after expecting a freebie at the launch party. We talked about how Tom S always disses the decor, which isn't anything fancy, to be sure, but isn't really bad either, except for the really conspicuous fire alarm on the pillar in the atrium.

Todd Gray isn't "back," because he was never "gone." We just were looking elsewhere at newer, more flirtatious conquests while he quietly plied his trade, confident that we would return. Maybe he isn't really innovative. Maybe he doesn't seduce us with popovers and marscapone-filled dates, or olive-oil marbles or whatever the hell Jose calls those things. But Todd is damn good. Always has been.

Eh. My 2 cents'. Time to go watch Jon Stewart trash the Bush speech ...

Monica,

Great to see you in print again! Great article and recipes!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7012300296.html

What do you mean "again"? She's everywhere! The WaPo is NOT the only publication out there ....

Review from the DCist

Interesting they report the staff walkout without verifying it ...

The name of the company is FoKitchen Concepts, but apparently this is psuedoname for Farrah Olivia itself. They advertise on the restaurant website as a "separate company" of sorts.FoKitchen Concepts

You're probably right about the origin of the name, but it risks being read as "Faux" kitchen concepts!

"Grow up?" Thanks for the polite ad hominum attack. That's what makes dialog so fruitful. Always a pleasure hearing from "adults."

What's "ad hominum" [sic] about suggesting that you over-reacted to a server asking the same question that any server in any restaurant in town will ask - essentially, offering you water?

I ask this, violating my new resolution to post here no more, because this Hobbesian "community" is too prone to vituperation and ... er, ... well ... ad hominem attacks ....

(Though I am curious to ask RaisaB what marketing group she thinks would advise any chef to use anything powdered, much less bicarbonate of soda, and put it on the menu ... not meaning that question as an "attack", ad hominem or otherwise, just an innocent question because my experience at Farrah Olivia did not match hers ... )

Had a good RW lunch at Farah Olivia on Saturday, and it was certainly a decent value at $20.07. First time we were been there. I could have easily popped a bag of the fritters on the way home. They were far better than my goat cheese potstickers, which were overwhelmed by the salty saucing. In contrast, my pork tenderloin was exquisite and done perfectly, as was mrs. dcdavidm's scallops. Desserts were a good finish, and we had several wines by the glass that complemented the food. Our server was truly wonderful, but we were really turned off by the mercenary server covering nearby tables. When we were seated, our server said, "Can I bring you ice water? Or, if you prefer, we have bottled sparkling and still water." That struck us as a polite, professional offer. The adjoining server, however, told each of his tables (on three occasions that we overheard), "Would you like sparkling or still water?" without ever offering the third choice of just a normal glass of water. Disgusting.

Disgusting? Grow up. This is how any server in any restaurant typically presents the choice, even if your server hit upon an excellent variation. Now, if he refused to bring regular ice water when requested, that would be improper.

Was your pork with the "chocolate merlot"?

http://www.mannequinpis.com/

I can't decide if the mouse tracking thing is good or not.

How in the name of Diamond Jim Brady does Mannequin Pis get away with misspelling "mussels" on their Web site???

To me, "gastrophile" sounds like someone in love with his belly. Now perhaps that's what many of us are, but I'd rather not brag about it. Why not use the well-established "gastronome"?

"gastronome" sounds like a fat midget.

Or a dining mecca in Alaska, I'm not sure which.

To make, perhaps, but not to buy. Considering the quality and consistency of the product compared to other wines, I've always thought that Port is rather inexpensive. As we all know, you can spend $50 on a Bordeaux or a Burgundy or some New World wine, and often it's the luck of the draw as to what ends up in your glass. Not so with Port, as long as you know some very basic rules. The same applies to other "house produced" wines, like Sherry, Madeira, or Champagne. In terms of pleasure-for-dollar, I think Port is one of the cheapest wines on the market.

Enjoyed your article in the SF Chronicle, by the way.

Thanks. You're right of course in terms of value and bang for the buck. I was quick with the generalization sensing the preferred comfort-price range of the original poster.

That said, having become thoroughly addicted to Port, I wish I could afford to buy more of it. Saw Taylor's 30 year old tawny on a restaurant list tonight for I think $25 or so a glass - was tempted, if only because the place was new enough that the bottle shouldn't have been sitting open too long!

Does anyone have any inexpensive port recommendations? I've enjoyed the Fonseca Bin No. 27 which can be had for $20 and under, but most decent port seems to cost a good bit more. Anything else good at that level? Any stellar recommendations for $50 and under or does port necessarily cost a good bit?

I second the above - LBV's vary in price and quality according to the house, but should also be around $20. Taylor's and Fonseca's 10 year olds are around $30 or less (I bought the Taylor's at Total Wine in McLean for $24 recently), and the 20's are around $50.

Port is inherently expensive; the oldest and best vineyards are on steep stone terraces that cannot be machine harvested. The aged tawnies spend decades in cask and therefore become even more precious before bottling. And demand of course keeps the prices up.

For a really good Port that isn't really a Port, look to Australia. The Jonesy Old Tawny Port retails for about $10 (at The Vineyard in McLean; I've seen it at MacArthur, too) and is loads of fun. Not even remotely comparable to the Taylor's 10 year old, but still delicious.

You also may want to consider an Aged Tawny, such as Taylor Fladgate's 20-year-old or Fonseca's 20. These are around $50-60 actually, but have some stylistic differences/advantages to vintage Ports. For $100, you might be able to find the Taylor's 40, though that's rare and may not even be in this market.

Vintage Ports are intended to be aged for decades (Joe's 1994, from my experience, might be just beginning to open up, but then, I like mine young, within 5-6 years of vintage, or else very old - 20 or more years). Aged tawnies are already aged for us, and are intended to be drunk shortly after bottling. They also can remain open for several days (refrigerated), while vintage ports tend to disintegrate and should be drunk up upon opening.

I wrote a piece last summer for the San Francisco Chronicle's Wine section on aged tawny - it is here. If you happen to read DC magazine, I have a piece on single quinta ports in this month's issue; I'll be posting a longer piece on my Internet newsletter within a few days.

Foodie.

Please.

What's wrong with "please"?

"Foodie" is trendie, yes, but give us a better one that conveys a love for, even obsession with food, without being pretensious or furrin' ... [he says, thinking of "gourmand" ... ]

From a waiter: "Oh, that's my favorite!"

Maybe Tom got a Thesaurus for Christmas!

And Don, this is one pot that benefits everyone for stirring, even if you're only stirring in the center.

Happy New Year from the crust on the edge of the pot ...

Michel Richard's Begula pasta - I know, but it was the first time I'd had it

Roasted marrow (Blue Duck)

Hangar Steak (RTC)

Peruvian seafood stew (BlackSalt)

Scottish langoustines (Maestro)

Sweetbreads (Restaurant Eve)

Icelandic lamb (from Whole Foods, cooked at home, except for the one time I overcooked it)

My mother-in-law's jiaozi and congyoubing (scallion pancakes), rivaled only by those at A&J

Pommes souflées at a smoky bistro near Les Halles in Paris

Macarons au chocolat from Paul in Paris

Pain de compagne from the little boulangerie next to the famous patisserie (Stohrer) in Paris, a couple blocks north of Forum des Halles

The Crèpes à Nutella my 6-year-old daughter ate in Paris, for the sheer joy on her face and the way she wore it

(In short, anything in France ..... )

"Pud" with Taylor's 20-year-old tawny port

Almond tart, with Taylor's 40-year-old tawny port, at Quinta da Vargellas in the Douro, by the pool, at midnight after treading grapes on the last day of harvest (but that's another story ...)