Rovers2000

I've used the Alton Brown recipe for about 10 years with excellent success. I've also used it for bigger birds with the same ratio listed in the recipe and not had any issues. One thing I would say is make sure you air dry the bird or the skin will not crisp (a major bummer for my father the first year I did it). Recently I've leveraged the Alton Brown brine with tweaks from Kenji @ Serious Eats. The spatchcock method really cuts down cooking time and this year I'm going to give his turkey porchetta a try.

My wife and I went in last night and the place was humming. The table next to us laughed when we told the waiter that we saw the email and immediately decided to come in - they'd done the same. I will probably make a weekly stop in to simply work my way through some of the more expensive options on the list (last nights 2003 Brunello was tremendous) with Dean's VERY generous 50% discount - one of those Dal Forno's (if still available) will be mine! I wonder if we might, as it gets closer to closing time, organize some sort of DR event here? Just to celebrate a place I know many of us truly love.

Just saw Dean's email and I am extremely sad that Dino will be leaving Cleveland Park . I have probably eaten at Dino more than any other single restaurant in DC - I celebrated the purchase of my first house, took my family from out of town on a number of occasions, and would simply stop by if I drove by and it looked empty - by virtue of it being less than a block away from where I live. I will miss them being in the rotation of "I don't feel like cooking tonight, where would you like to go" but am happy for Dean and Kay that they'll be continuing on somewhere else.

My two favorites: Troegs Mad Elf Great Lakes Christmas Ale - even though its a pain getting my hands on a few six packs each year.

I have not personally been - but multiple folks on my team have recommended / regularly use Dr. Robert Feier at Dupont Circle Chiropractic. The office is right on Connecticut Avenue and they all have come back with raves. His website is: www.doctorgoodback.com

First meal at Casa Luca on Friday and my initial thoughts are that it was a pretty mixed bag. I say this having really enjoyed Fabio's cooking at Fiola, but also understanding that Casa Luca isn't trying to be Fiola. The good: -I wish more restaurants (and I suppose some are) would strive to serve good quality wines for a reasonable price range. The Nebbiolo (a wine I find myself drinking more and more of lately) was excellent. One thing I found interesting, they have "tumbler" style wine glasses at the table and poured our wine into those...but the tables around us were giving typical bowl style stemware. I don't really care (although I do prefer proper stemware vs. stemless), it just struck me as odd if they only use that for people ordering the cheaper wine. -Burrata Salad with pesto and roasted tomatoes was an excellent dish with perfect burrata and nicely done pesto / tomatoes that made me think of summer -The Bucatini was perfectly cooked and a nice sized portion, even though the guanciale flavor was a bit subdued - Hazelnut cake with gelato and chocolate sauce - delicious and a perfect way to cap off the meal The not as good: -I read up thread about the banquet seats not being that close together...something must have changed b/c we were literally almost on top of our neighbors. I felt like it was impossible to have a conversation without announcing it (as its also loud) to my neighbors. In a funny turn of events, I ordered my main based on what the folks to my left received, and the folks on my right did the same once they saw mine. -I ordered the filet medium rare. Apparently its cooked over a fire in an iron pot which I'd imagine causes some fun cooking time challenges...however, the steak I received was at minimum medium well if not well done. As we were on our way to see Spinning Plates I didn't bring it up as between the sauce, the ciopolini onions, and mushrooms with rosemary the steak actually was pretty solid if lacking any appearance of a pink or red interior. I give the restaurant a heck of a lot of credit for making an overdone steak actually taste pretty good - I can only imagine how a properly cooked one tastes like. All in all, it was a mixed first experience but I'll go back. I will however expressly request we not sit along the banquets unless they decide to create a tad more space.

Had never been to Chicago before so took the opportunity to celebrate our first anniversary with a stop over in the city on our way to a wedding in Lake Geneva, WI, some highlights: The Aviary - Really cool place, although it did feel a bit too cool for school (or it could just be my squareness shining through). We sat in the back of the lounge and enjoyed a cocktail each and split part of a "porthole" - mezcal based which was on the smokey side for me. I can't remember the name of the cocktail, but it was a belgian beer flavored with peach and a coffee iced cube. Sounds strange and it was, but it was also incredibly delicious. Our server joked about how they have the best iced coffee ever b/c of those ice cubes. We were offered a reservation when I bought tickets for Alinea, we showed up on the early side and were surprised at how many folks were there on a Wednesday. Alinea - The most expensive meal of my life to date and I don't regret spending a single cent. Top to bottom the best dining "experience" of my life (and my wife's). My favorite part was the service staff - for a place that costs this much I'd expected the service to be top notch, but what surprised me (in a good way) was how casual it was..."It's time for the balloon course" and a few other witty one liners were dropped by our very affable server and I really thought it enhanced the whole experience. For the folks who talk about tasting menu's being overdone - I guess they're a bit more spoiled than I, b/c it's going to take quite a bit to knock this meal off the top spot on my "where I have dined" list. Below is the menu: -Trout Roe - matsutake, apple, mustard (Champagne Jean Lallerment Verzenay - Grand Cru' Brut) -Scallop - citrus aroma, fourteen textures (Felton Road "Rannockburn" Riesling, Central Otago 2010) -Dungeness Crab - squash blossom, cardamom, saffron (I Custodi "Ante" Etna Bianco 2011) -Binchotan - Tokyo inspiration - pork belly, wagyu, tuna (Hitachino Nest White Ale, Takatenjin junmal Daiginjo-shu "Soul of the Sensei) -Veal Cheeks - lapsang, souchong, pine, blackberry (Faugeres Domaine Leon Barral 2010) -Potato - cold potato, black truffle, butter -Duck - ....????....!!!!! (Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley 2005) -Black Truffle - Explosion, romaine, parmesean -Ginger - Five other flavors (The Rare Wine Co - Bonston Bual - Special Reserve Madiera) -Balloon - helium, green apple -Corn - white chocolate, honey, mango (Roberto Anselmi "I Capitelli" Passito Bianco Veneto 2008 -Milk Chocolate - pate sucree, violet, hazelnut (Bodegas Alvear 1927 Solera Pedro Ximenez) Portillos - Didn't have the time to get out to Hot Dougs so Portillos was a solid substitute (and about 4 blocks from the hotel) - I really liked the Chicago style dogs, good contrast of pickle / pepper / snappy hot dog. A bit of a carnivale atmosphere (good lord do they have a lot going on) but it was nice sitting outside on their patio during the last nice days of fall in Chicago. Bull & Bear - Caught the Giants / Caps games here, again, walking distance from our hotel - perfectly fine sports bar with a solid beer selection and decent food. I really enjoyed the town, and would whole heartedly endorse the Architecture Boat Tour of the city if you are in the city and have 2 hours to kill. I can't wait to go back.

I went and saw this with my wife last night - if you have any interest in restaurants and what they mean to different folks (be if families, communities, or individuals) its really worth seeing. There were a few moments (maybe I'm getting softer as I continue to age) where the theater got a bit dusty on me . I thought while the 3 restaurants profiled each had a compelling story unto themselves, the director did a good job pulling them together at the end. I will say, this was probably more impactful for me as I took my wife to Alinea for our anniversary (I'm truant in the writeup) and this was the back half of the gift as I'd stumbled across this film as I was researching Alinea and how to get tickets a few months back.

I'll be going to the showing here in DC. I stumbled across the movie as I was researching Alinea prior eating there for my 1 year anniversary (I've been procrastinating on the write up even though it was an unbelievable experience). Having read Chef Achatz's book around his struggle with tongue cancer, I expect it to be a pretty riveting film even though I was unfamiliar with the other restaurants. As an aside - I love the clip in the trailer where the older gentlemen talks about hopping off the tractor b/c he smelled the fried chicken.

In case anyone is looking - I picked up two bottles of Warlock (and 2 of Pumking) at Lost Dog on S. Glebe yesterday. They had at least one more bottle in the cooler when I walked out Better priced than most places too, 7.99 a bottle.

I will be curious to see how the '10's taste after some aging. When I picked up my allocation earlier this month, I thought the '10 Rendevous that they were pouring was FAR superior to the previous years - I had opened one of the '09 Rendevous about a month ago. I look forward to trying the '10 Hodder Hill vs. the RdV wines after another 2 years of aging on them. It'll be an interesting contrast to see how a $45 dollar bottle from Glen Manor (which I consider to be a great winery) stands up to a $90 dollar bottle from RdV - based on my samples of both to date, I think Glen Manor will have little issue keeping pace with its more expensive neighbor.

I have to give a shout out to the folks manning brunch at Spider Kelly's this morning. For a place that I think of mainly as one to grab a post work beer or head on a weekend (although, as I continue to age, those come fewer and farther between ) vs. a place to eat, they really do an excellent and well priced brunch buffet (I believe it was all you can eat for 18 bucks). Food was excellent and the discounted pitchers (12 bucks for a pitcher of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - normally the cost of 2 pints) were a nice surprise. But the real reason for the kudos was their ability to easily seat a party of 12 (with one baby) and provide seamless service Tucked away in the back of what used to be the former Spider Kellys (in it's non-game room incarnation), we were able to enjoy the meal and catch up with the family in from out of town. Our waiter (I want to say it was Juan, but I may have misheard) was just tremendous - water was filled, drinks and food were delivered quickly. With a group that big, ease of dining was all I cared about and Spider Kelly delivered in spades. I'd highly recommend it as a brunch spot (we walked in right at 11 when they opened) for those needing to feed a crowd.

Had an interesting cider that actually fits in this thread (I NEVER drink cider for whatever reason) while in Chicago this past weekend. Ace Pumpkin Cider from the California Cider Company - I was at a bar, and saw the pumpkin logo on it and asked to try it (thinking it was some sort of pumpkin beer). Nice and crisp with a nice balance between pumpkin and apple flavors. Very clean and crisp tasting. I'm not sure how this compares to other ciders, but as a beer drinker I thought it was a nice change.

Apparently liking Shipyard blows away my "craft beer cred" (although, the chances I had any to begin with are small). I suppose there is something about it jogging my memories to college and trips to Maine that may cloud my taste buds on that one - but whatever. The best Pumpkin Beers I've had this year: Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Southern Tier Brewing Pumpkin Schlafly Pumpkin Ale DC Brau Fermentation without Representation (collaboration with Epic) I would encourage anyone who has tried some of the worst (and sure, include Shipyard in that) to give these a taste.

And to piggy back off of this question - why now? Ben's has been an icon downtown for literally decades - and yes there is a presence at the Nat's stadium too - but was there a specfic driver of expansion or was it more of a "the time is right" as folks seem to be moving to more casual type places (particularly in VA)?

I actually enjoy the Shipyard Pumpkin Ale - its on the lighter side, and with the release being so early I enjoy it when its still warm outside. Currently in my fridge I have: -Schafly Pumpkin - traditionally one of my favorites, although this years release struck me as a tad lighter than in years past -Weyerbacher - (full disclosure, its brewed in the town I grew up in so I'm biased) - one of my favorites, I like that its a bit on the heavy side but traditionally save this one for when it gets a bit chillier. -Southern Tier Pumking - they have quite a bit of it at Rodmans on Wisconsin Ave - haven't cracked either of the bombers I picked up yet but historically this is my favorite Pumpkin beer -Sam Adams Double Jack - had never seen this before, have yet to taste it but will post when I do.

I wanted to give a run down of some of the things we did and places we ate on our trip to West Maui / Kapalua: Things are did: Before jumping in, I would highly recommend the "Maui Revealed" Guidebook. Its written very well with some humor / sarcasm mixed in. They update it every year and we found it spot on. Additionally, we stayed in the Kapalua Bay Villas - I found ours on Homeaway but you can leverage a site like outrigger.com or VRBO as well. For us, this was preferable (it does make a Costco trip a must) as it allowed us to cook breakfasts and lunches (along with a few dinners) in our condo. Sunrise at Haleakala - We did this our first day there when we were still on east coast time so getting up at 2am wasn't so bad. The drive from Kapalua was about 2 hours and change. My advice would be to err on the side of getting there early and taking a snooze upon arrival. Its definitely cold up there, it was about 70 degrees at the bottom and 40 at the top, so bring warm clothes / blankets. If you arrive on the early side, you'll have access to park at the summit itself which provided just awesome views of both the sunrise and the crater. If you're at the summit, the best views are on the left hand (facing the sunset) side vs. the pavilion where most of the crowd will form. If you get it on a clear day (which we did), this will be one of the highlights of the trip - truly majestic. West Maui / Molokai Helicopter Tour - We used Blue Hawaiian on a friends recommendation and were glad we did as they are one of the few outfits that allows you to have two way conversations with the pilot, which allowed us to ask questions and just have a more interactive trip. This was by far one of the trips highlights, flying into many of the valleys that are not accessible through West Maui and across the ocean into Molokai. The pilot was awesome and shared some really cool tidbits throughout the flight. This wasn't cheap (about 250 a person) but I would highly recommend doing it. Olivine Pools - This was one of the gems we grabbed from the Maui Revealed guidebook (I hadn't seen it anywhere else). Essentially, after a short hike down a rocky trail, you'll find an outcropping of lava that shelters you from the pounding waves on all sides, but contains multiple crystal clear, deep pools that you can jump in / swim in. Its kind of cool hearing the surf surround you while sitting in a calm pool. Nakalele Blowhole - On the way back to Kapalua from the pools, we stopped here. This is a longer hike but I thought it was worth it to see this upclose. Basically during high tides (windy days will be best in combination with high tide) the ocean spits up like a geyser through a rock formation. Its a picturesque hike and well worth doing if its active (you can see if its active before committing to the long hike). Golf (Kapalua Bay and Plantation Courses - Both of these courses were in immaculate shape and were worth playing. If you commonly play any of the nicer public courses here in DC, there won't be a TON of sticker shock (the Plantation is about 205 bucks and the Bay is around 150 if you're staying in Kapalua). The Plantation is a true PGA level course (I shudder to think how hard it might be as they get it ready for the Hyundai tournament in February) that will really beat you up if its windy. I played it on a calm day and found it to simply be a gorgeous well maintained track with very difficult greens. The front 9 of the bay course goes right out between Oneloa Beach and D.T. Flemming beach which is also really cool. Its not as hard as its sister course but its cheaper and still offers ocean views from basically every hole. If you're a golfer they're worth playing (you can rent clubs, although we did bring our own - it depends on if you want to spend your money on a bigger rental car or on renting clubs ) Spas - The tradeoff for me playing 3 rounds of golf was my wife spending a few days at the spa . She had positive reviews for both the Kapalua Bay Spa (not sure if its only available to those staying in Kapalua) as well as the spa at the Ritz Carlton. I believe she had a massage and some sort of wrap in addition to some other treatments. Both weren't too crazy on the sticker shock scale (all things considered, since Maui as a whole was pretty expensive). Places we ate: Pineapple Grill - Next to the clubhouse at the Bay Course, this was one of the highlight meals of the trip. Excellent short ribs and pineapple upside down cake. Others at the table had similar things to say about their pastas. I found the wine list to be on the pricey side, and went with a "special" Pinot that was fine and on the cheaper side. As another FYI, while I brought wine with us on the trip, most restaurants do not offer corkage (which was fine, as we did spend some meals in our condo). I would highly recommend sitting outside since the weather is almost always nice in the evenings. Chefs Menu at the Terrace Grill at the Ritz - This was a fine, albeit very overpriced meal that we had on our last day. The couple we stayed with wasn't into sushi which it seems like many of the higher end options focused on nearby, but the grilled fish was good as was the gnocchi (it did actually remind me of the version I love at Proof). Once again, the wine list was staggeringly overpriced but I suppose most people staying that wouldn't necessarily care about that. I preferred the more casual options for lunch at the Ritz (if you stay in Kapalua you have access to their pool and facilities). Maui Brewing Company - Just south of Kapalua, I thought this was a totally serviceable brew pub. Large selection of house brewed beers and nice twists on typical burger / salad / pizza options. This also was on the affordable side and they offered growlers for about 12 bucks. Definitely worth stopping by. Kimos (Lahaina) - This spot is literally right on the ocean. Well priced and with a varied lunch and dinner menu along with a long list of drinks. Happy hour runs from 3-6 I believe and was an awesome spot to kill some time while we waited for our flight (it was a red eye so we enjoyed dinner / drinks at the bar prior to heading the rest of the way to the airport). Decently priced. Additionally, their version of "Hula Pie" was the best we had on the island. Lahaina was a bit touristy, but this place was definitely worth going to (we did lunch earlier in our trip and found it to be just as good as dinner). Feast at Lele (Luau - Lahaina) - This fell into the "we were glad we did it, but we wouldn't do it again" category. At the end of the day, the luau food just isn't my thing and I'd rather spend this kind of money at a real restaurant. That said, this was not as touristy as some of the other luaus we read about - you're seated with your party and nobody else, you have a dedicated server, and its literally on the beach. The show / dancing was also good. Happy to have the "I've been to a luau" under my belt, as I probably won't ever do one again. Sea House (Napali Beach) - This oceanside restaurant was really good for both lunch, dinner, and happy hour. They run specials during the week (the prime rib was really excellent on Wednesday) and they have a ton of excellent beachside drink options. Sit outside on the patio or if you're looking for a break from the sun, inside still offers decent views of Napali. As always it was more expensive than it should be, but thats the price you pay for the view. Beaches: Our condo was a 10 minute walk from 4 beaches - D.T. Flemming - This is right below the Ritz and I found it to be windy and generally unremarkable. Oneloa Beach - On the windier side, but with nice surf for body boarding and a mostly sand bottom. There are also lava rocks to explore on the leftside (looking at the ocean) of the beach. In the AM this is a better beach to enjoy as in the afternoon, its unprotected nature makes it a bit too windy in the afternoon. For the majority of our trip there were a bunch of surfers here which was pretty cool to watch from our condo's deck. Kapalua Bay - Not a great pure swimming beach but the snorkelling was unmatched from my perspective. The whole bay is lined by a ton of coral and home to a bunch of huge sea turtles. It was really cool swimming about 10 feet away from them as they slowly swam around. The water was pretty calm and we spent a bunch of time exploring all areas of the bay with our snorkel gear (as a tip, rent it from a diveshop as the 7 dollars an hour you'll pay if you rent at the beach is a complete rip off). Additionally, there is a small inlet to the right (looking at Kapalua Bay) that is separate and offers some giant rocks to drive off and into the ocean (maybe 30 feet in the air) which was pretty fun. You have to take a trail to the access points, but its worth the side trip. Napali Bay - This is the best pure swimming beach near Kapalua. Its essentially a perfectly calm, sand bottomed, infinity pool. The water was about 8 feet deep and crystal clear. We spent the most time here and just can't recommend it enough. Its a short walk between it and Kapalua bay so its worth shuttling back and forth depending on what activity you want to undertake. We also did some paddle boarding here and the calm waters made it a pretty nice training ground.

I'd consider: Society Fair (Old Town) - Parking will probably be an issue here A La Lucia (Old Town) - It's not on the main drag, so parking has always been easy and I believe they do carryout Market 2 Market (Del Ray) - Parking is hit or miss Also if you're planning on jumping on Rock Creek to get out of the city to visit, you could always grab something in Cleveland Park (be it Vace or takeout from one of the restaurants nearby).

Don's post grabbed my interest and made me think of a conversation I had with the sommolier at VOLT when my wife and I were there with friends this past spring. I remember getting the wine list and my eyes popping at the prices up and down the list - when the somm came by, I remarked that when I was recently at Range I thought it was one of the most aggressively priced wine lists (in a good way) I'd ever seen. His response was essentially that he and his wife had gone and splurged in a way they never would have in another restaurant. His comment was that due to volume, Range was able to drive their per bottle price down. Range is one of the few places where I walk out of there after ordering a bottle and don't feel fleeced. I hope that more places take the approach they (as well as Casa Luca, Dino, and some others) do vs. the 3 times retail that seems to be more the norm.

If it were me (assuming a ride in from VA): -Ride down Constitution past the monuments / capital to start off the day -First stop at Fiola (assuming Jeff is bouncing back and forth) for a cocktail at the bar - what I would order: One of Jeff's Manhattens -Second stop at Proof (.4 miles up the road) for a glass of wine or one of Adam's cocktails - what I would order: One of the wines by the glass -Third stop at The Passenger (.4 miles up the road) for one of Derek Brown's cocktails (or you could alternatively hit Hogo or Mockingbird Hill) - what I would order: an old fashioned -Fourth stop at Corduroy (.2 miles up the road) for a 3 course menu at the bar (assuming at this point some food might do you some good) and a drink - what I would order: would let the bartender decide based on the food -Fifth stop at Churchkey (.8 miles) for a beer from their draft list - what I would order: one of the churchkey specific beers from Europe that you may not find in Dallas -Sixth and final stop to POV Lounge at the W for a glass of sparkling wine while looking out over DC (if you do this on Sunday, I would actually move this to the first stop since they're only open till 2pm) - what I would order: a glass of overpriced champagne

First trip to ETTO last night. It was like 2 Amy's minus all of the kids - while still loud, it didn't approach the insanity that can be 2 Amy's on a Friday or Saturday evening. A few thoughts on the food / experience: -It's a small space. I arrived at 530 and our party of 4 was seated quickly but as there were only 4 or 5 four tops (the rest two tops) I watched the hostess quote 45 min + waits for anyone who came in much past 630. -I enjoyed the rose (more like a very light Sangoveise vs. a traditional "pink" rose) and the Ballard Canyon Syrah that were on tap -We had the plate of 3 meats (boar, chorrizo, and spicy calabrian), burratta, and roasted beets / sheeps milk riccotta - all were delicious and large servings for the price. -We ordered 2 pizzas. The flour they use gives the pizza almost a whole wheat look / crust. I really liked it and they came out with a nice char. -For dessert we had the donut peach and blackberry crostada - extremely delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Another excellent addition to 14th street.

Heading to Maui for 10 days at the end of August. On top of the info up thread, wanted to see if anyone had particular advice around the following: -We're staying in a condo / townhome in Kapalua (Kapalua Villas, next to the Ritz) - any advice (the Costco card is coming with us) around places to pick up meal staples as we figured we'd be cooking in for some breakfasts / lunches and even a few dinners -Recommendations for wine / beer purchases - again, as we're staying in our own place, I'd like to get a few nice bottles of wine and some decent beer. I'm sure Costco has some of each, but figured if anyone knew of a good wine shop it'd be worth asking about Any thoughts / suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

A cursory look on Amazon shows there are quite a few sellers with the product available at the moment. Of note though, it looks like many of them are down to a few left.

Stopped by Glen Manor on Saturday with my parents (who had never tasted wine from Virginia). Kelly was tremendous in telling the story of both Glen Manor (the property) and its wines. My parents both could've stop raving about how much they enjoyed her bubbly personality and clear passion for what her and Jeff are doing. She spent a good hour with us walking through their tasting line-up. I personally really enjoy their rose. As someone who 75% of the time drinks red, their rose and petit manseng are great any day drinkers that really fit perfectly on a hot day. For those looking to pick up some of the rose - they mentioned they had less than 20 cases left. They also had just rolled out their 2012 Sauv Blanc which was really great. Kelly said she basically had to beat Jeff up to release it and that he felt another 5-6 months in the bottle will make it even better. Just a tremendous setting and lovely people. I am really looking forward to some of their wine dinners at the Ashby Inn later this year (as well as the one at Al Dente in the fall).

My wife went last week with some of her girl friends. While she has eaten at some of the cities best restaurants (and enjoys them), she always gives me crap for being a "snob" when I scoff at going to chain restaurants, etc. (she makes me out to be a greater snob than I am...as evidenced by my enjoyment of Lost Dog Cafe ) Her perspective was that it was ok (if heavy) and conducive to hanging out with her book club pals...but her comment to me was that she doubted I'd ever want to set foot in the place - not only due to the fact that I still miss Restaurant 3 (one of the quieter happy hour spots in Clarendon, with an excellent beer selection) and lament its loss - but that it was just too corporate and the food was "fake italian" and "ordinary". I, unfortunately, think the place will thrive much as the Cheesecake Factory has a block away...