Chris Cunningham

Peking Gourmet Inn- Duck, Joy-Yen Shrimp, and Pork Peking Style

Cedric's Pickles--Formidable!!!!

The safest bet would be California Tortilla--get their party buffet platters and buy a couple suitcases of beer. might as well make the most of those $$$$ count

Just another tidbit of info regarding flips..Flips were named after the meatl "flip iron" specifically used for heating beverages usually made of Rum, beer, spices and eggs. The flip irons were set in the fireplace(screw smores) to heat up until red hot then stuck into the large mug to "mull" the beverage, then set back in the fireplace to prep the next one . Eggs were optional here not specificsally required FYI In addition Most flips today are shaken and served over ice, rather than being heated You can make your own using just a saucepan or kettle and stovetop, along with haet proof mugs. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IF NOTHING ELSE--whyen you prepare a hot drink, the booze of choice is only to be HEATED NOT BOILED!!! Otherwise the alcohol will be boiled away and the flavor compromised. Also prewarm your Glass Irish coffee mug or glass vessel of choice with hot tap water first to prevent cracking and the tears that will follow One of my favorite that I made at Andale was the Aztec Eggnog For 6 servings use the following: 4 cups eggnog 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocao powder 1/2 cup grated Mexican chocolate-Ibarra cinamon flavored choc from mexico-available here 1 1/2 cup Reposado or Anejo tequila I prefer Sauza Hornitos for the reposado and Chinaco or Don Eduarado for the Anejo--Trust me in a saucepan combine and whisk the eggnog,nutmeg,cloves, and cocao powder. HEAT NO BOIL, the mixture over medium-low heat until simmering Slowly add the chocolate until melted.\ Remove from the heat and add tequila and stir Serve in your prewarmed cups\mugs and top with chocolate shavings Kick back, enjoy, then shoot that annoying neighbors cat You can also substitute bourbon, rum or brandy for the tequila Another awesome drink is the Sevilla Flip 1 oz heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 light Rum 1 1/2 Ruby Port ground nutmeg make same way as above

It's only about $31-33 civilian costs...so it's not going to break the bank...Go for it. Life is too short to drink cheap or lesser products

Yes, I have been noticing these new stoppers becoming more and more prevelant lately. We have about 3 Italian wines that are going this route. It makes it a pleasure to open and is such a better alternative to CORK AH Evolution

The Filet Mignon TARTAR--AMAZING

I remember going as a kid, enjoying the Prime rib and the bountiful salad bar. Last time I ventured in was about 9 years ago--not the same unfortunatley. It is now a tour bus haven. The building and property has been owned by Louis Farrakhan and Nation Of Islam--nice little piece of real estate. I miss the old place as well as Hot Shoppes-which had the best damn chicken noodle soup in the world-Off topic but in my mind

If you want quiet go to a funeral home This place always has it's niche and while I admit that it gets noisy, it's the nature of this beast and I kinda like the feel and vibe. Obviously it is not going to be for everyone, so i recommed if your looking for intamacy and quiet--this is not the place for that--unless you go withing the first 2 hours of opening.

For the perfect greasy, square pizza I still emplore you to try the Broiler in Arlington. Excellent house-made spicy sausage and the right amount of grease at the bottom of the box. It's the stand-alons square building with the Orange roof on Columbia Pike, one block past Glebe

The new place is to be called Los Tolectos...or something along those lines. Hopefully it will be an improvement over the last "house of horrors" that called itself a restaurant. A new paint job does not make for a new restaurant, so I hope they step up to the plate and turn out some edible fare.

Alberto's stone pizza in Adams Morgan--actually pretty good for what it is-not anything like the tastless crap served all around it in that area. 1 slice equals 2 regular slices for $4.50 with toppings

It's called a fork and it is the long silver thing with tines. Invest heavily in this stock..I think it could revolutionize eating as we know it

AHHH, The famed Chez Beenie-where one can get a good BBQ sandwich, grilled bologna and cheese, and several day laborers all in one conveinent location

I have always been a fan of Allman's BBQ in Frederickburg and was down there on Sunday. Their main location is closed on Sunday, but they open a drive thru/walk up sight at an old bank drive thru last year, next to BIGLOTS on RT 3. Unfortunatley this time, the BBQ I got home with had multiple dried pieces of pork in each sandwich and the BBQ itself tasted really tired and bland. The only redeeming aspect was the Baked Beans--they are the best. Called to let them know and they will replace the sandwiches on my next visit...God I miss the Dixie Pig when I was growing up here

Nice Post Joe..great info. I personally wake up each morning hoping wine makers have come to the realization that it's 2007 and Screwcaps are the way to go. Technology folks..time to move forward and embrace new ideas. For some, they will never be able to live without actually fighting to get that crappy, deteriating cork off the bottle...but then they get the added benefit of picking those dear little pieces of cork from the wine..which might have turned south as well. I love wine as well as the next..it's my job, but most wine produced today is meant to be drunk now..not in 5-10-15 years. I have over 200 wines in my cellar and yes, I am looking forward to trying those special aged wines as well, but most of us are consuming what we have now. The screw cap is the better choice. Others will say there is not enough studies to conclude that screw caps are any more effective than cork..Well there are. The screw cap is much more effective and simple than cork. Yes wines either screw or cork still can turn..sad fact of life with a living organism, but true. However, there is less chance of Corked wines with screwcaps. The most prized bottlings of France..etc.will probably never switch primarily due to Tradition and Heritage, Corked has worked for hundreds of years..but as all things, time makes way for better ideas. I would much rather spend 3 seconds opening a wine for my guest than 2 minutes fighting a crappy, shredded cork in their Brunello bottle. Pomp and circumstance aside, let the food and drink show through, rather than the battles of foil and cork. Tree huggers be damned, but I will actually join these enviro-hippies in their pursuit to stop the cork farms. I'll gladly drive them to the rallys in my Escalade.

This place is like my last girlfriend- great looking from the outside, but Clockwork Orange on the inside.

Carpano Antica formula was out of stock for several months until This past February. Republic National is the wholesaler of this product. Most any liquor store that buys from them can obtain this item for you...I still have it readily available at the bar FYI. With regards to 209 Gin..this was one of my most popular finds and is the ingredient in one of my most popular cocktails..Unfortunatly there has been none available for the last 4 weeks as they have stopped all shipping of the product outside of California. I used at least 4-5 bottles per week for my Cucumber-Thyme Refresher and am currently mourning the sad fact that there is no further information available on when Production and shipments will ever resume. I have 1 bottle left that is for sale....the bidding starts at $500.00 I will however take this moment for a shamless plug of my Cucumber Margarita with Coconut and Kaffir lime salt to ease the heat of summer and for your drinking enjoyment.

Actually, Jimmy K's is going to reopen in a month or two as a new Chef driven concept restaurant with a great chef who has been here for a while...can't say anything else at this time, but should be well worth the wait

My girlfriend and I polished off a small box of Haagen Daaz mini bites while watching the Departed last night. MMMMM

Finally tried Elevation for the first time last night....What can I say, it was not bad, but there is no overwhelming desire to rush back. Ordered the Big Phat which is a double with cheese, fries and a shake. They did leave the pickles off by mistake, which did upset me, but life will continue. Overall the burger was juicy and very fresh, but there was a residual taste of "something" that I can't describe, that left an aftertaste that was'nt so much as "beef" rather than just grease. The fries were very hot and not bad, but I just can't deal with the huge GREASE factor that accompanies these or most other fries. A little grease is a given with fries, but the residual from these on my fingers, could lube Hillary for her next 3 presidential bids. I ate a few and tossed them. The shake was actually pretty good, but needed another minute under the blender. A few sips and I had had enough( a personal choice as with the fries because I don't really eat too much unheatlthy food much, rather like to sample it). Overall, not bad, but would probably prefer a five guys for that beef taste(albeit overdone-taste). I was having a conversation with a guest the other night about burgers and we talked about Inn and Out again. We both agreed that In and Out is good, but it is good for a fast food burger, nothing really outstanding and actually way overated when compared to other burgers, but against McD's and Wendy's etc, Inn and Out is the better Cookie Cutter alternative. Elevation and Five guys trump any of the Chains

Went here Wednesday for a quick bite after a grueling work out at my gym;Mint, which is right around the corner. This could pose a future problem, since a hot dog in and of itself is quite the quick and tasty meal. Looked over the menu and decided upon the Chicago Red hot,small fries and a drink. Asked about the uptown or downtown and none of the toppings in the uptown relly appealed to me at the time. Definately like some of the offerings, just not right on my first visit. I have to admit I was a bit pissed at the fact of Spicy mustard, for $2.00. I have no problem paying $7000K for a watch, but I was qiute irked to pay for frikin mustard Got the hot dog first and took a bite. It was pretty good, with the exception of the beginnings of heat wrinkling from the mechanical hot dog roller this was on. My chicago hotdog experience has these dogs being cooked in water, as opposed to this other method. While not a taste killer, it could have been confused with a 7 -11 hot dog. My fries were unfortunatley the remains of the bag:bits and peices of potato with lots of grease, not like the longer, much better looking fries, the guy next to me got. Anyway, I just wanted a few fries for taste, and never finished the rest anyway. Still wanted to try another dog so went for the Wisconsin(bratwurst) which I had planned to go "uptown" on, only to be told they would'nt have that till the next day. Oh well. Would go back without hesitation and try some other offerings, and better fries. This place will be a gold mine regardless, especially after the drinkers decend on weekend nights, and I look forward to returning.

I started them with a Eycalyptus honey simple syrup, mixed with pomegranite and blue berry juice, topped with prosecco. The nexy cocktail was A Manhatten made with Old protrero Rye, Maple Syrup, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, A dash of orange bitters and top with orange zest. The wines began with Elana Walch Sauvignon Blanc, Giacomo Conterno Barbera D'Asti, Neyers Tofanelli Ranch Zinfandel, finishing with Brachetto D'Aqui with dessert. It is extremely rewarding to see a wonderful group of people enjoy their dining experience, and Daniel has really outdone himself on each of these Bar Dinners we do.

Basically you can reserve the bar for your party. As my bar is small and intimate ( seats 7 ) it is very comfortable and easy to see and converse with your dining companions. While I prefer your party to be 7 people, we have done it for 4, which is the minimum on a mon-wed. Thursday-Sat 6 people minumum to reserve the bar with no other diner's joining unless you don't mind meeting a new friend. For 55-75 per person Chef Daniel will create a special menu and presention for your party. I will create 2 cocktails for your group and then a wine pairing with the courses for an additional per person price. It is a really fun experience, and we like to do these more often, right now we do about 1 a week. Please contact me or Dean at Dino and we will be glad to plan your Bar Tasting.

Personally, I would forget the Angustora bitters, and instead use Peychaud or Regan's Orange bitters. Both add a unique element and color tinge to your martini.. I'm not sure where you live, but Cleveland Park liquor carries both brands. As for a few different kinds of drink's that are not classic martini's try these. Fizz- gin, grapefruit juice,soda water- serve in tall glass with ice The Nooner- 1 1/2 gin, 3/4 dry vermouth, 3/4 sweet vermouth, 3/4 fresh OJ, 3 dashes Peychuad bitters, 1/2 fresh egg white- combine in mixing glass with ice and shake like hell 25 times-then strain into martini glass and revel in your new found nirvana. North Pole Martini- 2 shots gin, 1 shot Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, 1/2 shot lemon juice, 1/2 egg white. Shake and strain into a martini glass, then float a dash of heavy cream on top. Dino's Revenge- 2 shot's gin, 1 shot lemoncello, 1 shot fresh pink grapefruit juice. Shake and strain into martini glass. This conncoction is both bitter and sour but quite nice I can give you some more, should these not be to your liking