Chris Cunningham

Allmans Barbeque in Fredericksburg is a true gem. It's been around since 1957 and is still family owned. Yes it's a trek out there, but when in rome...One of the best

Not trying to be egotistical here, but being an expert in the tequila field(created the tequila and drink list at Andale, winning best specialty margarita 4 years in a row, teaching tequila classes to the public, and 2 Sante awards for best Spirits Hospitalty Mid Atlantic) I will proudly Chime in with my 2 cents on this subject By my calculations I made at least 20,000 margaritas at Andale. The basic margarita is a volatile subject based on peoples experience or lack of tequila knowledge. First and foremost, the please stop consuming Mixtos tequilas. These are the tequilas that we have all been sick on and swore off to GOD in college, or yesterday depending on who you are Tequila by law must be 60-40, 60% minimum agave(distilled juice from the plant, not cactus, tequila comes from) and the remaining 40% can be sugars and addatives such as caramel and coconut for color and flavor-all unatural. The Quervo that we all know so well is a mixto that has caramel added to it to give it a color that makes it looked aged. Quervo brand recently split with its 1800 line which are now 100% agave. What you want to be drinking is a 100% agave tequila. This is as good as it gets. No additives, extra sugars, colors, etc. The bottle will say 100% Agave. Yes you are going to pay more but the difference is incredible and it is noticable. Many people unfortunatley believe that if you are going to mix your Tequila or Vodka for that matter with juice or a mixer, that you should use a lesser priced spirit becuase your cutting its quality-MALARKY Quality spirits, especially Tequila, hold up well with juices and mixers and at times are enhanced by your choices. Quality begets quality folks. There are 3 basic types of tequila- Silver/Blanco-your traditional. unaged tequila with that spicy. clean herbaciousness flavor, this is how tequila should taste and usually used for margaritas. Reposado-also known as gold -Meaning "rested", is aged in oak barrels(primarily used bourbon barrels from the US- by law we can only use bourbon barrels once for bourbon production in the US, we then sell those used barrels to the Mexicans for tequila, the French for Cognacs, and the Irish and Scots for their Whiskeys) for a period of 2 to 9 months. This give the tequila a bit of color and takes the initial bit out of it. Anejo-means "aged" this is tequila that has been aged in barrels for a minimum of 1 year and up to 5 years. Tequila is never aged past 5 years, it cant be done. Most Anejos are aged 3 years on average. Herradura Suprema is aged tha maximum of 5 years in oak barrels as well as French oak. It also costs $300.00 a bottle, and is more Cognac like with hints of vanilla and wood. There are other great anejos that won't break the bank. Anejos are smooth and silky with hints of vanilla,caramel, and wood I prefer Silver as the tequila of chioce, but using a Reposado or Anejo makes a fantastic margarita as well. So experiment with the different choices. The second most important aspect of a margarita is the Mix. Please forget anything you can buy, including Rose's lime juice. Fresh is the best. what you want to use is simple syrup( equal parts sugar and water boiled, then cooled. Then you want to use fresh lime juice for the mix. Combine 2 parts simple syrup with 1 part fresh lime juice-this gives you a balance of sweet and sour and that perfect Tang. The next ingredient is open to argument. Many people like triple sec or Cointreau. I personally prefer a Mexican herb that is made into a liqueur called Damiana. I had this brought into the Dc market in 2002 by Bacchus Importers for my margarita recipe at Anadale. Damiana is a Mexican herb with aphrodisiac qualities Unfortunatley most liquor stores don't carry it, but you can ask them to order it from Bacchus and the better stores will accomadate your request. I do believe that Cointreau is the better choice if you must have a dash of orange, but I prefer fresh OJ as an alternative. Gran Marnier is also an option and again a personal choice( for many people a Cadillac Margarita is basically tequila, GM and a dash of OJ So my perfect margarita would be 2 oz 100% agave tequila of choice 6 oz fresh simple syrup/lime juice mix 1/2 0z Damiana liquer or Cointreau 0r just OJ on the rocks, salted rim, and a lime wedge. Tequilas to look for in the store Sauza Hornitos Don Eduardo Don Julio Oro Azul Chinaco El Tesoro I cannot speak for the quality of Andales margaritas at this time, I have been told that the quality as suffered since my departure( I thank those for their approval), but you should be able to get a better than average margarita there. If you can, order the El Diablo, I created this one as well, but it is topped off with a bit of Mezcal, for a nice bit of heat and smoke on the palate. While it's a bit of an odd pairing with the cusine, if you are in the mood for a margarita, I invite you to stop by Dino and I'll make you what I hope will be one of the best Margaritas you can have. I only have 1 brand of tequila at the bar, instead of the 62 I had at Andale, but I have each type, and if you don't think it's one of the best margaritas you've had I'll buy it for you Now let's talk about the 28 Grappas that I carry.

Greetings all. It's late and I just got home from work, so it's dinner time. As I am grilling outside at midnight I was looking through my steak sauce options and was wondering who likes what on their steaks. My order of preference is Smith & Wolenskys steak sauce, followed by Heinz 57, then A1, then Maille Dijon mustard from France. I have just demolished a strip with a bit of each of these sauces and decided to share my favorites. Notwithstanding RTS's toppings which I love, I am just fishing to see other Rockwellians favorites.

I have to admit, I used to be a fan of Dixie Bones, but the quality has dropped dramatically. They do have great, homeade pies that are worthy of a sugar fix.

Profit pays the bills. Period The owner of Staglin Winery made his fortune in windsheild repair. He then opened a winery that produces some great wine. He makes little if any profit from his wine business. He does it out of ego/pride to produce a great product. Having said that, one goes into business with the idea to make money. Yes if you want to pay $1.00 for a hamberger one goes to McDonalds. If you want to pay $10.00 you go to Palena.. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. Eating out and drinking wine is a OPTION, not a neccessity. I have great contempt for restaurants that place common, boring, substandard wines on their list at ridiculous markups. I feel a responsiblity to myself and my guests to design a thoughtful, well planned, fairly priced list of wines and drinks to my guest. This is my proffession. This is my specialty. I have issues with guests that blurt out "chardonnay" , "Shiraz" or "heinekin" without first looking at the list or asking what I offer before spewing forth preconceived notions of their expected comfort/limited wine knowledge. I feel that a great balance can be acheived when a restaurants wine/drinks program reflects time and effort put forth by the creator. I love to educate people and open them up to new wines/brands etc. Most people are savvy on this website to know when they are getting reamed when buying wine. If you drink yellow tail shiraz/Beringer Chardonnay that you pay $7.00 for in the store, and are willing to pay 3 times that ina restaurant-you deserve evrything in life that happens to you. A good restaurant, in my opinion, has the responsibility to provide the best dining/drinking experience that it can. It's pricing should be based on the quality of its products and services. A guest that brings in his own bottle should first and formost make sure that it is not already on the wine list. He should also be willing to pay whatever the corkage is for bringing his own bottle of wine in. PERIOD. One does not bring a head of lettuce in and tell the chef to makr him a salad. One does not bring a steak in and give it to the chef and say Medium-rare. But the sad fact is that if people could do this they probably would, and still complain about the mark up, or price being charged. So the million dollar question remains-What is a fair Markup/corkage Fee? THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE, IT"S LIKE PORNOGRAPHY-YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT. The alternative is simple. Stay home and cook yourself and drink your wine, and the only person you can blame for spending what you did is YOURSELF.

Cash is King. No signature, no trail, No card to get lost.

I will be going there tommorrow to satisfy my craving. Thanks for the info

I just pulled up on my Segway for my 9:00 reservation and found the restaurant empty. It was also closed, but by crashing my trusty segway into the front window, I managed to get my table. I am currently enjoying a bottle of wine and a rather delectible Cowboy with Diablo sauce. I think I'm going to stay till 11:00 just to piss off the cops who are now out front asking me to come out with my hands up-To hell with them, I'm finishing my meal! Micheal- thanks for the hospitality and I will pay you next time I see you.

I have to admit that I have been a fan of Wagshal's for quite some time. While their sandwiches are above average compared to most other"deli's", they have two particular items that I believe to be the best in the area-Whole roasted chickens and their Shrimp Salad. Their chicken come in two sizes, stuffed or unstuffed, and the larger sells for about $17.00.( about 5 lbs) Not inexpensive, but probably the juciest, moistest(if this is a word)well seasoned bird I have yet to find. The shrimp salad is very pricey-$20.00 a pound but made with huge fresh shrimp and swimming quite contently in a mayo-spiced-celery sauce. Add a french baguette and you are in like flynn. One note is that I rarley buy everything in one place. So if I'm getting a chicken from them, I usually go to Chicken out for Mac and cheese, not the greatest, but if I don't want to make Kraft shells and Mac, it will do. The chicken is also quite good at 3:00 in the morning with a shake of salt right out of the refrigerator. Now if only someone can suggest a place for fried chicken, which I have not had in over a year, cause I'm craving some

In/out is in California and if the current litigation regarding franchising continues it could end up here as well. However, since one can only go to California for In/Out its kind of pointless to compare something that people living and working in DC can't readily have. As for Five guys- its ok once in a while. I personally don't like my meat cooked to a nuclear degree and they will cook it med rare if I ask them 3 times while I'm watching, but their MOD is well done-which I think is a waste of meat. As for the fries, Ive never liked that style FF. I like Mcdonalds a few times a year right out of the fryer with a fountain coke_heaven. As for ripping off Thrashers or anyone else for that matter- no one is reinventing the wheel here. Different strokes for different folks. You think you can do better-Go for it. They are successful because they are putting out an affordable product that most everyone eats daily, and if you don't like 5 Guys their are usually 5 other choices within a 4 block radius. I personnally don't see the rave over 5 Guys, but I might have one twice a year just for variety.

I just woke up. so instead of coffee, i start my day with a Cup of Don Rockwell Anyway, I have to add that I miss Ecco Cafe in Old Town. Not the best food always, but the Straw and Grass pasta-spinach futtucine with italian sausage and cream sauce was great. Their 4 cheese pizza was outstanding as an appetizer, and they has a good side salad with blue cheese. R.I.P. Noe I'm off to Ted's Montana Grille for a Bison burger and to catch a movie-my day off

Growing up in Alexandria, I have to say I miss Hot Shoppes. They had the best chicken noodle soup and a burger called the Mighty Mo(something akin to the Big Mac, but much better). As for barbeque, I also miss the Dixie Pig-they rocked.

Just returned from dinner at Rustico and the overall impression is fairly positive. Arrived at 7:45 and had to wait at the bar for about 20 minutes until a table was ready. Actually prefer eating at the bar, but wanted to sit in the dining room for a better impression of the place. Overall, thought the space design was great and the place had a very positive energy. Started with the Duck confit pizza and then my friend and I split the macaroni/cheese and the Hangar steak. Pizza was great, as well as the two entrees. Mac/cheese was very rich and creamy, but i knew what I was getting into, and enjoyed it. Service had a few slips, with regards to asking for water and not getting it for 15 minutes, and table got a bit crowded with pizza(without rack) and plates-silverware excess was an issue. Overall, not a bad place, good food and a great vibe. Alexandria has always been hurting for good places to eat and Rustico gives them a step in the right direction.

No, not generally. I personally enjoy pub grub if it fits the occassion or whim, just like I would go to Charleston or Eve if I wanted a truly special dining experience. But I think many people who don't have a passion for food, unlike most people on this site, tend to eer on the side of caution or a budget. If it's not meat and potatoes, chicken, or a Caesar salad with chicken on top, many folks won't venture to try something different. Obviosly it's not one size fits all, but I think that the majority of people who frequent chains as their go to choices for dining are lost on the independent restaurant concept and are denying themselves some good times. BTW-don't be a stranger-would love to see you back for a glass of wine

Chophouse is a chain with locations in Denver, Boulder, Cleveland and DC To me "safe food" is really unfettered, simple and just for nourishment. If you look at the menu, it's nothing exciting or different. For example- a hamburger-basically a piece of meat with a bun and cheese(monterey Jack if your wild). Nothing that really requires culinary daring or special skills. Arguably, we can differentiate between quality of beef and toppings in a burger realm, but one doesn't go to chophouse to see what the Chef can do. Safe food is basically simple and without much imagination-which at times is just what we want, but please don't expect to be wowed or discuss its levels of culinary depth-because its just not there.

District Chophouse is a fairly predictable chain restaurant. The beer, pizza, burgers, and salads are straitforward-not bad, edible, and fairly priced. It's not going to win any awards but I don't think anyone who eats there is expecting that. It is "safe food" and affordable for those who are afraid to eat outside a concept.

Seriously, If I read one more"Tom, love the chats", or "we were going to go there until we read your review" I'm going to barf. His chat's are as helpful as Desson Howe's movie reviews. I think that the Washington Post in general has writer's who's ego's are as inflated as the federal deficit. Really-do we need to have a critic that doesn't identify himself. It's kind of on par with Deep Throat-Anonamous source tells us that the bread they serve is a day old-Scandal. While most restaurant people can identify him, I believe that critics should foster relations with the dining community-the premise of disguise is outdated and fosters a lack of accountability, or perhaps the idea that his food would be spiked with something undesirable if given a poor review It worked for Phyllis Richman, but it's 2006 time to get over yourself. If your going to be a critic-and we all are, except that he's paid to do it, lets show yourself and not be automatically distrusting or defensive when reviewing a restaurant. I don't think he is far off the mark with regards to his reviews, but there are plenty of times that he takes unessassary potshots with catty comments that have no place in his reviews. He's a pretty predictable guy-he likes plummy Malbecs, Pho, a good bar scene, chairs that fit his ass. If you are a certain celebrity Chef who makes him starstruck, you could basically serve sh@t on a parkerhouse roll and it would be ingenious. Please understand that I'm not saying this becuase my current restaurant only got one star, I've been mentioned favorably by him personally before, but He is really in a job that is self-empowering and I think he could be a little more professional and learn to expand his somewhat limited/repetative vocabulary. He has a job that I think we all would like to have for a limited period of time. My wish is that most people would takes his reviews with a grain of salt and ultimatly give many places a try and make up your own mind. Be your own critic and then tell your friends about the place in a food site like Don Rockwell--Oh My God, we've Morphed

It's a statement like this that actually frustrates me with this site. I have a love/hate concept of this site. I am admittedly addicted to it since I joined-I read it when I get up in the morning and when I come home at night because it involves my profession and I like to hear what people are thinking in general. However, this topic for example, really is a matter of personal choice-it can be argued /disscussed forever. I am however, interested in the varying degree of opinions, which until Don decides to hint that it's been discussed enough-its time to move on. Yes, it's his site and he can do whatever he wants with it, but this is interesting subject matter that is subjective. Why does it seem necessary to prod this thread in a certain direction or have the appearance to limit discussion? Obviously, any thread on this site can be redundant, overexposed,debated, or just left to die until the Segway guy decides to have a hamburger, at an outdoor patio, and not tip on his wine bottle And then a whole new thread can be started with everyone chiming in until Tom Seitsema writes a mindless blurb about it. This is a great site for the restaurant community and our guests who support us. However, My blood pressure skyrockets when I read some of these posts and I feel that I need to take a break from this site for my own general sanity because we are just people here with different opinions and ideas-right or wrong- but I need a self imposed intervention from this site. I wish you all well and hope you find that elusive-perfect restaurant/dining/drinking world that may exist...............

The justification is that you ordered it and should be prepared to tip on it. I don't understand how people can justify "itemizing" what they are going to tip on. So let's say since it's Wednesday, that because I order an appetizer with my meal, I'm only going to tip on the the entree today, everything else I ordered should just be included? You can't go fill your car up with $50.00 worth of gas and then try to pay tax on only $22.00 of it, why do some of you think that's ok with regards to wine and dining?

This could go on forever..People tip what they feel like tipping, some with tax, some pre tax, some 10%,some 20%. Most of the people on this site seem to me, to be restaurant savvy. From the ones I know and most of my 15 years restaurant experience people are generally good, if not better tippers when you give good service and especially when you get to know your guests. Occasionally you get someone who is just cheap or eat out at Denny's and a .25 cents on a drink,or $2.00 on a $30.00 meal is "taking care of business". Thank god they are few and far in between. But it is a fact of life in restaurants. For every bad tip, someone will come along and make up for it...life will go on. If you order a $200.00 bottle of wine you should tip the full price of it. Forget complaining about the mark-up on it. Some people on this site forget that a restaurant is a business, who's goal is to make money. I agree some mark-ups are ridiculous, I have always limited my mark-ups on products because i believe in giving a good value to the guest. I also don't serve Kendall Jackson that you can buy at Safeway for $7.99. Eating out is an option, if you don't want to pay for it..take a cooking class. If you think the food is overpriced or bad, don't go back. the great thing about this country is that a restaurant exists for every budget. If you are a good tipper, you'll be remembered as that, if your a bad tipper, you'll still be remembered--I personally will give the person who leaves a .25 tip on drink the same service as one who gives me $3.00 because I'm dealing with people-humans and know that for every low tipper someone else will make it right. And if you leave a bad tip, well hey, that's the cheap guy--and we all have a friend who is one-he's just ours. As for sommeliers many are managers as well and/or paid a salary for their position. I personally would give the sommelier a little on the side for a great recommendation and especially if I knew them, but for the mostpart I would not expect to tip that individual. But if I ordered a $200.00 bottle of wine with my meal that costs an additional $100.00 for a $300.00 total, I'm going to leave at minimum-$60.00 I am a firm believer in mandatory restaurant classes for all people in general, just a five hour course before you obtain a drivers license to properly introduce you to one of life's major activities...but could we start a thread on how much this course would cost

For kick ass fries you have to go to the Broiler in Arlington-the fries are crinkly cut and fried to perfection-salted just right as well. Enjoy a sausage sub-(homemade sausage) with it...a bit of heavan as you bite into that burning hot bit of potato

I've been smoking cigars since 1993 and I have had some real Cuban cigars in my time. Whether in the US or when I travel abroad, I ocasionally induldge in a Cuban cigar, but for the most part, I really consider Cuban cigars overated. Yes at one time they were the shit, but many of the cigar makers and workers who left Cuba and moved to the Dominican Republic or elsewhere, took their craft with them and created some great smokes. It is a personal matter of opinion, but its nice to be able to enjoy your smoke after dinner without the tobacco cops adding their two cents

I opened Les Halles in 1993 as the bar manager and some of my best memories are of sitting with michel (now owner of Bistro DuCoin) on the patio at night drinking wine and smoking some phenominal cigars. When We opened, the food was great-best fries and steak frites around-now i think the only good thing about it is the patio and the view. I miss it sometimes.

No, not at all. Obviously he didn't have a good experience and that bothers me. I am sorry we let him down and hope we can give him a better one if he gives us another chance. I am saying that some people, no one in particular, make statements about food or drink that are ill informed and lack kwowledge. It's like saying Pizza hut has the best crust as compared to a thin wood fired pizza crust. It's totally subjective, but because its different from what they are used to, they make assumptions based on limited experiences. Bottom line it comes to different people, different opinions.

ons.