Spiral Stairs

Has he "refused to engage" or simply not gotten around to answering? He did say, after all, he'd be happy to answer once the thread was opened. That said, I personally don't see any problem with asking, speculating, guessing in an educated manner, or otherwise discussing a change in a restaurant as significant as this change. If some restaurant whose proprietor is not on this board made this change and a discussion about ensued, no one would bat an eyelash.

There are people -- I know a couple -- who won't (or at least, don't like to) eat meat on the bone, because it reminds them of where the meat came from. Similarly, I know people -- I am married to one -- who won't (or don't like to) eat meat that, as presented, reminds them too much of the animal from which it came. (Thus, at one high-end restaurant, I ended up eating her rabbit entree, because, well, it looked like a rabbit.) It's not a matter of these people being "surprised" by the fact that meat follows from death. They're not numbskulls; they know the facts. It's the willful blindness that bothers me, and I think such people should, in fact, be reminded that meat cannot be divorced from death. P.S.: I am tempted to draw one of many applicable analogies that verge on the political. But I won't, for fear of accidentally setting in motion a chain of events that will, inevitably, lead to the invocation of Godwin's Law.

Are half-smokes the kind of sausage that can safely be eaten without concern for whether you have fully cooked them (e.g., like a hot dog)? Or are they the kind of sausage that will make me spend days hunched over, on, and beneath a toilet if I have not cooked them thoroughly? Just askin'. I checked every single one of the internets and there is an astonishing lack of information about the half-smoke, aside from endless advice to get them at Ben's or, sometimes, Weenie Beenie.

Citronelle hardly needs additional extended discussion, especially from someone like me, whose bludgeon-like palate cannot do it justice. I'll just make a few observations from the dinner my wife and I enjoyed there last Friday. (Our first time there.) 1. This thing you call "Kobe beef" ... Please allow me to collect the shattered pieces of my jaw before discussing it. Since I haven't had "real" Kobe beef anywhere else, I can't compare it to anything. But holy shinola, this "meat" was unlike any other "meat" I have ever had. Savory to the point of ridiculousness, like it came from the belly of the unholy offspring of cow and pig. Cotton-candy tender, too. 2. My wife and I hate snooty places. Jacket requirements are a massive turn-off for me and, under usual circumstances, a deal breaker. But man am I glad I made an exception for Citronelle. I'd still ditch the jacket requirement if I were President Of The World, but the place is plenty friendly and non-snooty even with the rule. The volume level and table spacing allow comfortable conversation without fear of annoying others or being annoyed by them. 3. The whole Michael Richard sleight-of-hand thing just guarantees fun. I wanted to try all the illusions I could, so I had the Egg Symphony for the first course and the Breakfast at Citronelle for dessert. How can you not laugh a little when eating things like that? My wife's mushroom "cappuccino" was another crowd-pleaser. She wouldn't drink it through the straw, preferring to use one of the tiny spoons that came with my Egg Symphony. But when she gave the remainder of the "cappuccino" to me, I slurped it up like a root beer float. 4. Let me add my small contribution to the heapings of praise already stacked atop Mark Slater. How he found the time to chat so much (including explanations of virtually the entire menu) with little old us is a mystery. But it made an already special dinner even more memorable.

That looks like torture, not fun. What's next? "Dinner With A Fork Stuck In Your Eye!"

(Wow: Three straight posts by three different posters, with three different Simpsons quotes as signatures.)

Having enjoyed an anniversary dinner in the Tasting Room and a birthday dinner in the bistro, the only advice I'd offer is to make sure that your table in the bistro is a standalone two-top. We were seated at the banquette between two large parties, and it felt a little oppressive to me. Space was tight and it was a little too easy to hear others' conversations (and, presumably, for our conversations to be heard). I was jealous of the couples who had their own space, and will request such a table next time.

A sign now hangs in the window proclaiming that "Mediterannean [sic] 8 Cafe" is coming. Apparently, pursuant to a little known local ordinance, it is now mandatory that every new restaurant on 8th Street include "8" in its name. As for cuisine, the sign says it will serve "great food." So that's good. It also implies that "great people" will be involved as well. That's good too. A couple weeks ago, it looked like it was on the verge of opening. Tables and chairs were in place. Then, when I walked by yesterday, everything was a shambles again. I couldn't tell what was going on. My analysis of the liquor permit sign hanging in the window suggests that the owners are the same people who owned Ellington's. Although I can't remember the applicant's precise name, it is an LLC with "Ellington's" in the name, if I recall correctly. P.S. -- I hope they correct the spelling of their restaurant's name.

Woodlands. When it does come up in discussions of Indian restaurants, people nod knowingly and acknowledge its quality. But suffice it to say that it assumes a much larger role in my culinary life than it does on this board or elsewhere in the foodie universe. The weekend buffet at the Langley Park location is a near-weekly stop for my wife and me. (Self-service pani puri! And excellent dosas.)

A few data points from a week in the Outer Banks. (Thanks to the burdens of a one-year-old, our dining out was limited.) Bad Bean Taqueria (Corolla, in Tim Buck II): Take-out place (with counter service and tables too) with really good tacos and burritos. I had the fish burrito. The fish (mahi mahi, I believe) was grilled to order and served with an optional moderately hot, quite tasty habanero sauce. My co-eaters enjoyed their stuff too, though I didn't taste anything else. My wife particularly liked her shredded (braised!) beef burrito. Not cheap -- my fish burrito was $13.50 -- but you're definitely getting food a notch above typical burrito joint fare. Nota bene: Check your bag. Our take-out order was their last of the day (inexplicably, like many things in what seems to be a bustling area, it closes at 8:30), and they either forgot to include the sides promised on the menu or slid one by us in their haste to close up shop. Route 12 Steak and Seafood Co. (also in Tim Buck II): Don't bother. I guess our expectations were a little elevated because it is a place that advertises the name of its chef as a source of pride. But it didn't measure up. My crabcakes were dry and tough -- a crabcake should not resist being cut by the tines of a fork. A co-eater had to ask for an extra bowl of feta for a dish advertised as a shrimp and feta pasta that appeared not to include any of the advertised cheese. She found the dish bland anyway. My wife's ribs were gooey and average. An appetizer of calamari was typically overbreaded. (Another appetizer of buffalo wings in a Thai chili sauce was pretty good though.) The decor was beach shacky but not particularly charming. Blue Point (Duck): Ah, this is the stuff. We had a really wonderful meal here, and I would put it on the shortest list of places I would definitely return to on our next trip. I can't recount everything, but my seared tuna appetizer -- served sashimi-style and quite beautifully -- was delicious. A co-eater had a nicely chunky she-crab soup as an appetizer. As an entree, I had a saute of crab and salmon that was rich and delicious. My wife's pork chop was huge, with a properly (not overly) sweet glaze. A co-eater's crabcakes looked like thick, lightly breaded scallops and were wonderful. (Fork-tender, too, thank you.) Desserts were terrific. I got a chocolate torte, but I quickly wished I had ordered the Kentucky bourbon tart or the blueberry cheesecake, with ice-cold fresh blueberries. Service was excellent; our waitress knew the wine list well and freely shared her opinions of various menu items. I dug the vibe of the place too -- upscale diner (black-and-white checkered floor; red vinyl booths; but with (self-promotional) stemware and lovely presentations). The view over the water (sound-side) is probably very pretty, but it was already pitch-black by the time we arrived. It's not cheap, but it ain't ridiculous either -- four apps, four entrees, four desserts, three cocktails, one $40 bottle of wine, and some coffees ended up at about $330 with tip. I'm told the bathrooms are nice, too.

Holy crap that sounds good. And it's a full meal using just a broiler pan! (I hate clean-up.) I have definitely enjoyed our summer with the Jug Bay CSA, but will want to find a share partner next year. It's just too much work going through everything every week. (And, sadly, sometimes things have languished long enough to go into the garbage.) As a cook I am very much a novice, and this summer has been a crash course in things that I would usually shy away from in the grocery store (namely, vegetables). Speaking of which, we will be missing next week's delivery (pick-up would be on Monday, Aug. 27). If anyone would like to take our share (for free), PM me. You have to go to Christ Church, near 6th & G St. SE, in Capitol Hill, between 5 and 7. It includes whatever veggies and fruit they will have, a dozen eggs, and fresh flowers.

This vending machine company appears to be current tenant at the location. I guess they're getting kicked out. Or maybe we won't have Matchbox there; we'll have Automat-chbox.

I'm struggling with this wine locker thing. $1,500 a year? $125 a month just to store your wine and serve it to you when you come in? Seems like you would have to eat there a lot (and know that you will continue to do so) before that makes any sense at all.

I'm eating chicken tikka masala from Aditi in the Union Station food court right now. Please don't take my Aditi! (Which, fortunately, is not singled out in the article as in jeapardy.) I'm surprised to learn of the financial woes of the food court businesses. I work next door to Union Station, and the food court is absolutely mobbed over the lunch hour, thanks in large part to tour groups and in smaller but still significant part to the proximity of the SEC and other large government offices.

What is the argument in favor of cork? Is it anything more than an appeal to nostalgia and prestige? (If the pro-cork lobby is explained in the video, sorry. I can't view Youtube clips at this galdurned work computer.)

Is that your full load? I feel like we are getting huge amounts in the Jug Bay CSA. This week, we got: - 6 ears of corn - 3 eggplant - 2 squash - 1 cucumber - 1 head of garlic - 1 pint of cherry tomatoes - 2 big heirloom tomatoes - 6 smallish tomatoes - String beans - 2 green peppers - 2 hot peppers Plus, eggs and fresh flowers for those who have signed on for those optional additions. Then again, maybe we're paying a lot more. ($570 for the season, plus $125 for 14 weeks of flowers, plus $55 for 20 weeks of eggs.)

German Gourmet ... Lebanese Butcher ... I'm just waiting for the Swedish Chef.

This place is now open. We walked by it earlier tonight. There was no menu posted. It looked sleek and modern. The place occupying the former Ellington's site appears to be on the verge of opening as well. No sign or menu up, though. The early reviews for Locanda and the possibility that one or more of these might be decent are excellent signs for this neck of the woods.

In my experience, most casual places with sidewalk seating won't mind if you keep a well-behaved dog at your heels. (Unfortunately, our dog isn't always so well-behaved, so we don't try it that often.) I believe that health codes prohibit a restaurant from letting your dog inside a restaurant. (I don't know if that varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.) Union Bar (or is it Union Pub?) near Union Station has doggie-friendly happy hours on Saturdays. This is only tangentially food-related, but here is a doggie-friendly event on Capitol Hill this Saturday: (Aside: Not that it matters that much to the issue at hand, but places in New York were sometimes willing to overlook those rules. When we lived there, we took our small (12-pound) doggie to Surya, a pretty nice Indian restaurant in the West Village, a couple times. He sat next to us on the banquette. (The restaurant was either empty or nearly so at the time.))

Perhaps the Little Fountain Cafe in Adams Morgan? A lot depends on whether your bread basket is your appetizer, and whether the pint of Ben & Jerry's in your freezer is your dessert. If you're willing to eat one (or two) courses, the range is much broader than if you want three courses.

Salt bagel, no cream cheese. Black coffee. And a handful of broken glass.

10 pounds a week? Holy crap. If you're not careful to reintroduce calories, you could evaporate entirely. Congratulations. It's great that you're working with a physician, instead of with a trade paperback from the Safeway check-out. (I'm guessing long-term results are quite a bit better with the former than with the latter.)

Legant, how can you be a CSA member and order take-out? Getting through our weekly CSA dump is a second job for me. Every meal we have that doesn't involve CSA produce is a step backward. It's like Forrest Gump: We have CSA stew; CSA stir-fry; CSA casserole; fried CSA; grilled CSA; etc. We hardly ever get delivery, but we get take-out fairly often (or did in the pre-CSA days). My pragmatic midwestern upbringing kicks in when it comes to having a restaurant bring food to me, when I could walk a few blocks and get it myself. I think we did get delivery from Old Siam, a Thai place on 8th Street in Capitol Hill, a few months ago. And, not infrequently, we get take-out from Pacific Cafe, a Vietnamese place in eastern Cap Hill.

Huh. I haven't thought of these in a long time, and I had no idea they were (somewhat) regional in their availability and popularity. Now I want one. Or three.

I know Park Cafe gets dumped on all the time, and my only visit was an unremarkable one 3 or 4 years ago. But is it possible it's improved? I know there's been some shuffling in the kitchen (and possibly ownership?). His comments on the Ugly Mug caused me to check the date of the blog post. To wit: My understanding is that it was OPENED by the Matchbox guy (two years ago, or whatever), but he left a while back. This is consistent with my impression of the mini-burgers, which started out great but became pretty average. However, St. Barry (as some Nationals bloggers call him) seems to believe that the Matchbox guy has RECENTLY come to the Ugly Mug. Which one of us is confused?