Lori Gardner

valid point. I wasn't quite clear about what he said and I therefore didn't focus on it. I'm guessing by the way he was portrayed in this episode that if he had moved on in the competition, he may have become the Spike of season 10.

they take reservations only for parties of eight. I was there tonight and originally had a reservation for 8 people. I had three late cancellations so we showed up with 5 people and they were not happy. not sure what the problem wasm since we were there early and there a number of empty tables upstairs. had some really delicious food- particularly fried rice and garlic chips, grilled bbq beef short ribs, spinach goma, tuna sashimi, and salmon tataki. oh and mero grilled with miso. I should just list everything we had- it was all pretty great.

I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to interview judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons when they were in town last weekend for the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show. I asked them what they thought about the success that DC Top Cheftestants have had after being on the show and they really wouldn't take any credit. I asked specifically about the chef from Seasonal Pantry (saying I thought his restaurant was about to be an even tougher reservation to get) and they looked at me blankly. That should have been a clue that he didn't make it to Seattle. I'm disappointed, as it's always fun to root for hometown chefs. I'm looking forward to watching Bart Vandaele of Belga Cafe. He looks like he's going to be lots of fun to watch. Here's a link to my interview: http://beenthereeatenthat.net/2012/11/exclusive-interview-with-top-chef-judges-tom-colicchio-and-gail-simmons/ for anyone who's interested.

Headed to Quench last night after a movie. Arrived at 8:30 pm to find it was closed for a private party. I follow Quench on Twitter and would have appreciated a warning regarding the closure. Instead, earlier in the day there was a tweet about the evening's festivities - no mention of anything private. I was disappointed as this was to be my first visit. I'll get there eventually, I'm sure, but the momentum is gone.

This year's guide inspires me to revisit some places that I haven't been for quite some time including Zaytinya, Blue Duck Tavern, and Oval Room. I think it's time to try Bombay Club- I've never been- always favoring Rasika and now Rasika West End. And I'm particularly interested in trying Lacomelza Ethio Cafe - since it's close to home. My restaurant wish list was starting to dwindle down. I feel better now that it has been refreshed.

I just came back from San Antonio after 5 days of meetings. I ate at Biga on the Banks- where I had an antelope and quail dish that the server raved about. I had to send back the quail- it was overcooked and tasteless and I didn't care for the antelope at all. I was with a large group and most of the others liked their food- particularly a lamb dish. A habanero jerk scallop appetizer was a little heavy on the spice but well prepared. Also ate at Mi Tierra, which has a really cheesy atmosphere and our whole group found the food pretty mediocre. They do have a large bakery with interesting selections. (loved the candied pumpkin). I also organized a large group dinner at Boudro's on the Riverfront, which I liked very much- we were at an offsite location that was beautiful. My favorite meal was at Rosario's, which at first glance looked like a chain Mexican restaurant that could be in any city. I was surprised by the depth of flavors in the food- had fish tacos and tortilla soup. I sent a group to Silos Elevated Cusine- although I didn't go with them- and they raved about the food.

Thanks for the review. I was there a year or so ago and found it to be pretty mediocre. I'm going to give it another try as I don't live far from Olney.

I was at Family Meal this past weekend too (which Food Nomad already knows, thanks to Twitter). I enjoyed the chicken- it was moist and flavorful. However, I was disappointed in the goat cheese gratin. The goat cheese flavor was barely discernible, and overall it was a bland dish. However, I can highly recommend the blueberry shake which was chock full of fresh blueberries. I'm going to agree with Food Nomad- if you're in the area it's definitely a worthwhile stop. But I wouldn't call Family Meal destination worthy. Side note: we never saw a drink menu and our server never mentioned any alcoholic options. ...full review on my blog at http://beenthereeate...09/family-meal/

had a RW dinner at Rasika West End tonight, although it was not an intentional plan to take advantage of RW. I think the restaurant benefited in this instance. There was no other option but the RW menu. Seven appetizer choices, nine entrees, and five desserts. They had a packed house with everyone guaranteed to order 3 courses. It's probably easier for the kitchen this way. I figure I saved about $3 had I ordered the same things at another time. I really didn't care. The food and service was great, consistent with my previous visit a few months ago- if not better.

Sorry Don, I had a great RW meal at Elisir tonight. I’ve held off on dining here, due to the price point not seeming quite proportional to the quality of the food. But this is only an impression since I haven't dined here myself. This makes RW a perfect opportunity to scout it out, since most of the entrees are in the $35 range. The service was delightful and there wasn't an employee in the place who didn't treat us with the utmost courtesy. Our server in particular was gracious and did an excellent job (in a perfectly polite way) of talking about some of the dishes on the RW menu and what we could expect on the regular menu. Great way to entice us back. Highlight dishes were the Italian style sushi rolls and smoked seared Diver scallops stack – both first course options. I was also impressed with the spinach pappardelle in a ragu of Hudson Valley duck. (loved the crispy Vidalia onions on top). Would I go back to Elisir at full price? Probably. I like the atmosphere, and it is mercifully not too loud. The food that we had tonight was quite good, so if it is a dumbed down version of food at other times, then wow. My only hesitation is the price. Which brings me to the conclusion that RW is a perfect time to enjoy Elisir. If that makes me greedy, delusional, and thickheaded, so be it.

Kosher Pastry Oven in Silver Spring is your best bet. I don't think Breadsmith has cakes.

I'm not afraid to be critical if it's warranted. My current review of La Forchetta is but one example. I've had plenty of people thank me for bringing a restaurant or particular dish to their attention. The comment about lopsided publicity and " it's a heads restaurants win and tails customers lose situation" is unfair to apply to all blogs and bloggers.

Good discussion and some issues I struggle with regularly. What motivates me as a blogger? I like to write and I like to eat. I spend a lot of time writing my blogs and so I do like it when my blog posts are read. I know that when I write a good review it's more likely to get shared by a restaurant and will get more attention. But I also know that if I don't write honest reviews I will lose credibility. My intention is never to hurt a restaurant by saying something negative, so I think long and hard about what and how to say something critical. I've attended some media events and don't usually blog about them, although I will sometimes tweet. If I do attend a media event or get free food or special attention, I always disclose. I'm not in it for free food but I do appreciate a good media event now and then. if I go to a media event and the food is good, it is likely to get me back as a paid customer. Sometimes I feel like giving up my blog, but then a friend or someone I don't even know tells me they read one of my posts, and as a result of my recommendations had a great meal somewhere, and that is usually enough to renergize me.

I ate here with a large group (16 people) tonight and everyone was very satisfied with the food. We began with orders of crispy mushrooms. These were fried with a slightly hot and sweet sauce. Addictive and had everyone at the table raving. Steamed dumplings weren't quite as exciting, but were fine. I don't like all the fake meat stuff so I had vegetable chow foon which ended up having a bit of fake meat in it. It wasn't overwhelming so I didn't mind. The chow foon had an appropriately smoky flavor and was as good as any I've had. My husband hasn't eaten meat in years, so he was happy to have kung pao "beef." It really captured the beef flavor and came pretty close in texture. He loved it. Another popular dish at the table was minced vegetable nest topped with crispy pine nuts and served with what seemed like 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce. I added a touch of chili sauce to punch it up just a bit. Battered and deep fried lemon chicken was great when it came out but didn't hold up for too long. A few people had eggplant dishes, which they reported as being quite good. Considering this group of mostly meat-eaters left happy, it's a testament to the food. Our only desire is that they do something about the air conditioning. It's 100 degrees outside at the moment and about 80 degrees in the restaurant. I will happily go back when cooler temperatures prevail.

will look at Cotogna and Zuni, thanks for the suggestions. I only have a few hours in the city so looking for somewhere central where I can eat and walk around a bit. no other requirements.

funny that there is a discussion right now on San Francisco. I was just about to ask for suggestions for one lunch in San Francisco. was thinking about going to The Ferry Building but am looking for other options. I don't want the Slanted Door- I've been and didn't love it. Help wanted!

Their fabulous pastry chef, Matthew Petersen, was a finalist on "Top Chef Just Desserts" last summer and it should have given Sou'Wester more visibility. Unfortunately, it seems that the show isn't nearly as popular as "Top Chef." I'm guilty of not having been to Sou'Wester, although it tops my list. It's not that difficult to get to from the Smithsonian metro but it is more a perception of it being out of the way. I'm wondering if at the moment it isn't Eric Ziebold himself who is doing some of the cooking, or at least more hands-on oversight, of the kitchen.

Had dinner at La Forchetta tonight, coincidentally just as the Tom Sietsema review came out. We followed some of his recommendations i.e. the squash blossoms- which sounded like a winner, but tasted somewhat ordinary to me. We preferred the polenta fries and meatball appetizer. The cavatelli didn't fare so well in the review, but I ordered it anyway. I wasn't blown away but I liked it. Two of my dining companions had a special pasta- fettuccini with porcini mushrooms. They both enjoyed the dish, but didn't think it lived up to the reputation of the chef. Still, we were enjoying our meal until we decided to order dessert. Le Pizze Dolce with orange marmalade, pineapple, and Savoiardi cookies was a total fail. This dessert pizza was rubbery and had far too much and too sweet orange marmalade. It was literally dripping in it, which made it impossible to eat. Our server noticed the less than half-eaten dessert and asked how we liked it. We shook our heads in dismay. He walked away, which we thought was odd, but when he returned later with the bill he told us they removed the charge for the dessert. We appreciated the gesture. f I lived close by I would surely go back, but I don't find it much of a dining destination.

While I enjoyed my first visit to Sugo, I went again this evening and was disappointed. We had a special pasta with corn and brown butter, which was soggy and tasteless. We also had cauliflower with tomato, parmesan, and goat cheese. We ordered two portions to share between five people and still ended up with two tiny bites per person. The toppings were not distributed evenly on the cauliflower so some bites had little flavor, while others were a bit better. But overall the flavor was sorely lacking. Service was also somewhat disjointed. We attempted to stretch things out rather than order all our dishes at once, but our server returned to the table every couple of minutes to see if we were ready to order more food, which became exceedingly annoying.. While he hovered in one respect, in another he was completely absent, i.e. making sure we had enough plates and the right utensils. (we didn't) The redeeming part of the meal at Sugo was the pizza. We had the Onion Love again, which I enjoyed just as much as the first time. We also had the Uovo with fennel pork sausage, farm egg, and mozzarella. Nice flavors and I love the char. We ended the meal with cannoli, which was really meh and coffee that was not drinkable. I was excited to bring some friends here after a very satisfying first impression. Unfortunately, Sugo didn't really impress any of us tonight.If I return, it will be for another taste of Onion Love.

I dined at Sugo Cichetti a couple of weeks ago (on my own dime). I really enjoyed the “Onion Love” pizza with caramelized onions, shallots, goat cheese, and truffle oil. The crust is nicely charred and perfectly crisped. I'm also a fan of the seared scallops. I would have gladly eaten a few more of these. The gnocchi were a highlight as well, filled with cheese, truffle creme, and basil. They are light and fluffy, and the sauce is flavorful without being overwhelming. I'm not sure why so many people have a problem with small plates. The answer is....order more food! This can definitely add up on a tab, but there's no reason to leave hungry.

I am heading to Omaha for a wedding this weekend. I'm looking for a restaurant for brunch on Sunday and every place that sounds interesting is only open for dinner. Do people in Omaha not believe in brunch? Does anyone have suggestions? I have a reservation for a place called Upstream Brewing Company but reviews are a bit mixed.

went to Curious Grape last night for dinner before going to Signature Theatre. Thanks KMango for the recommendation. It's a little difficult to find, because rather than their name being posted at eye level, a sign sits high atop the building, so you have to look up to see it. Once inside, it is a spacious and welcoming space. We began with the sparking wine cheese selection and the red wine cheese selection, which we paired with a bottle of Pinot Noir. I arrived after the bottle was ordered and neglected to get more info. on it. The cheese plates were both appealing and interesting- my favorite cheeses being a cheddar with caramelized onion and goat gouda. I found the menu quite appealing. We began with warm baby artichokes with spring garlic, mint, red chile and crispy bread crumbs. It had all the right ingredients but was lacking slightly in flavor. I'm thinking a simple touch of salt would have gone a long way. Similarly, lightly-cured yellowtail with preserved lemon, fresh chile, cumin seed, and radish salad sounded terrific but was missing any punch. For an entree, I had pan-roasted sea scallops with black rice, bok choy and plum wine beurre blanc. The fish was prepared quite well but I expected a bit more from the dish. Everything we tried went along these lines- promising ingredients but falling short in terms of flavor. Things looked up when we got to dessert. I had a delicious lemon mousse in a crisp cookie cup with lavender blueberry sauce. A friend had dark chocolate pot de creme with caramelized hazelnuts and chocolate shards and loved it. This is a terrific place to enjoy wine and cheese and dessert. I think the food requires a bit more finesse. We all agreed that it is a great pre-theatre option, particularly compared to many of the other restaurants in the neighborhood. I would certainly try it again on a future visit to Shirlington.

Thanks for this- I've changed our reservation to The Curious Grape. I'm looking forward to checking it out before a show at Signature Theatre.

Has anyone been to Carlyle recently? I am heading here for dinner tomorrow night- not my choice- and have much trepidation. I would appreciate some recent insights.

I just posted my review and couldn't help but mention donrockwell.com with a link back to this discussion and dinwiddie's comments. http://beenthereeatenthat.net/2012/05/cedar/