mike5585

Hello All...

My name is John Dober, I am the Executive Chef of Monterey Bay Fish Grotto in Tysons Corner. Although I do work (and LIVE) the food biz.. I still try to be a "foodie" in my spare time. I have heard that this is THE site for people "in the know". So I look very forward to participating.

Little background on myself...

My wife and I moved here last year when the restaurant opened. I am born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I have been with Monterey Bay for the last 5 years. We have 2 baby boxer puppies that we love like our children. Overall we have enjoyed the moved down here.. new and exciting city and all.. really a sum-up of where I am right now lol.

I have been working on Kindai Bluefin Tuna for the last 6 months, and have to say that it has been a great success for me personally as well as what I hope for the d.c. dining public. lol can't wait to see what's next on the agenda.. anyway it is very late and just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as I did join this afternoon..

Look forward to talking to some great people..

John,

Welcome to DC. I enjoyed a business meal at your place last month and very much enjoyed the swordfish, cocktails, service, and beautiful dining room. This Friday I plan on starting the weekend early at your bar with a couple of cocktails and an appetizer.

I wish your establishment much success!

Mike

Hi, I am am Alison Christ the Sommelier at Willow Restaurant in Arlington. I am introducing myself and hope to make some useful contributions to this blog.

Alison--just a quick reply to tell you (and anyone else reading this) that I've very much enjoyed Willow over the past couple of years whether it's sitting at the bar downing a couple of martinis and scarfing down a flatbread (with help of course) or enjoying great service in your dining room.

Hello All!

I'm Mike Bowers and am new to the board having read about it in last Sunday's Post. I'm looking forward to expanding my restaurant knowledge beyond Chowhound and the Washingtonian dining site.

I enjoy most cuisines and foods except sushi; that's probably a vestige of my southern upbringing and the result of marrying into a family of avid fishermen. My son, however, has overcome his dad's prejudices. I've also been known to enjoy a martini or two (Bluecoat if available), so I'm on the lookout for recommendations here.

Recently visited restaurants are Inox (for lunch where I very much enjoyed the Truffle Patty Melt and Frites), A La Lucia in Alexandria (where almost all the veal dishes are excellent), and Indochine in NYC (where in spite of various snarky comments about dated '80s glam, you can construct a hugely satisfactory meal from the appetizer menu).

Cheers,

Mike