sklarithy

Hey All, If you haven't had the chance to read Don's review on Savored today, here's the link: http://link.savored.com/view/e3un.0/88afe157 (you don't need to sign in). I've been a member of donrockwell.com since 2009 and recently received the opportunity to work at Savored as DC's Head of Business Development. When introduced to Savored, I found the concept extremely refreshing. As a marketing tool for restaurants, LivingSocial and Groupon do a great job of getting your name out there to their massive subscriber list. The issue though is that when doing one of those "daily deal" offers, it usually has to get written off as a marketing/advertising expense, as the restaurant is not going to make money (on a $25 for $50 worth of food offer, the restaurant usually gets 50% of the deal, so $12.50 in the end). The other issue with those daily deals is that the consumer can use those offers anytime they want. So if it's 7:30pm on a Saturday night and the restaurant has an hour wait, half of the restaurant might be using a coupon while the patrons waiting might be full paying customers that might not want to wait around. What Savored offers is what the airline and hotel industry have been doing for years. It is a yield management tool that helps restaurants fill their empty table inventory during their slow/off peak times (the service is 100% free for restaurants). Same thing restaurants do with happy hour/early bird pricing. Savored's site is set up as a reservation platform (we are actually exclusive partners with Opentable). The member pays $10 for a reservation and in exchange receives 30% off their bill (alcohol included). The service is discreet (no paper/coupon), and all that is mentioned is that you have a 6:30pm reservation when you arrive at the hostess stand. The times available on the site are based on when the restaurant might be slow or have open tables. Not only is it a great deal for the member, but the restaurant can now fill an empty table and make incremental revenue that would have been $0 if the table was not filled. Because of this model, Savored has been able to partner with restaurants LivingSocial/Groupon can't touch. We are in 750 restaurants in the 10 major cities, 250 in New York City alone (that's where Savored started). We are in James Beard winning and Michelin starred restaurants, because the owner/GM realizes they get free marketing to the demographic they are looking to hit (average age in DC is 35) and can solve the issue of filling tables that have been sitting idle. The first thing I wanted to do when I joined the Savored team was have Don involved in some way. He has built an incredibly close knit community on this site and he is the personality I think Savored needs. Hopefully this is just the beginning of an amazing partnership with Savored and Don Rockwell. @bookluvingbabe - Savored does not offer reservations for solo diners. The idea is that if you spend $33.33 like Don mentioned, you'll break even on your $10 reservation fee. If you do not spend $33.33, Savored refunds the $10 back in to your account. We are offering $3 reservations for the entire month of March, so have at it

The LTH Forum in Chicago has a guide called GNR - Great Neighborhood Restaurants. The restaurants are typically the lesser known, "hole in the wall" ones. Each year they put out the guide and give the restaurants a certificate and sticker to put on the window. Every year the GNR guide changes, but it is wildly successful in Chicago and the restaurants really look at it as an honor.

Spoke to a guy at their Silver Spring location two weeks ago. Confirmed Potomac location.

I was slightly apprehensive about replying to this thread because I work for Savored, a company that commonly gets lumped in to the "discount" sites. I have been a member on Don Rockwell way before I started with Savored, so please don't take this as any kind of self promotion. I just wanted to read what you guys thought before I gave my $0.02. I look at the daily deal sites from an owners prospective. The restaurant industry is obviously super competitive. Groupon and LivingSocial have done a great job of building an enormous member base. The deals that these sites offer are pretty much just an advertising tool for the restaurant to get their name out there or to try and acquire a new crop of customers. The restaurant owner is probably going to lose money on these deals (even with the coupons that go unused). The owner has the option of using money out of his/her budget doing advertising/marketing on their own, or going this new daily deal route and using their member base. Obviously LS/Groupon can reach more people, so the restaurant owner does a deal. The problem with doing the deal is that the structure of the deal is flawed based on the way a restaurant runs. As consumers, we are naturally bred to eat around certain times. Typically most people eat lunch between 12-1pm, and they eat dinner between 6:00-8:00pm. Because we like to eat at these times, restaurants will be most crowded at these times. By doing a LS/Groupon deal, the consumer can come and eat at the restaurant at any time and use their coupon. If a restaurant is slammed with a 1 hour wait, but 50% of the place is using their coupon, they are losing out on a customer that is willing to pay full price to eat at that time. The deals are awful in that regard because you now have someone who gets $50 worth of food for $25, and after splitting 50% with LS/Groupon the restaurant takes in $12.50. So not only are you losing money on the table that used the coupon, you are also losing money on not being able to seat a table that will pay full price. Owners need to realize that they can make money off of these discount sites by offering the discount during a time when the restaurant has empty tables. The consumer will be happy because they are receiving a discount still, and the owner will be happy because they will make incremental revenue and profit instead of looking at table sitting empty. I could go on but I think you guys get the gist. I'd be happy to answer any questions about Savored, as I didn't explain the concept (don't think this is the right place to do it). Sklarithy

Chef Peterson, Will you be at the restaurant Thursday (tomorrow) for the dessert tasting? I was thinking of trying it out.

A family friend is hosting a pop up dinner in Capitol Hill tonight. He has 2 seats availabe and wanted me to ask you Don Rockwellians. The dinner is at 6:30pm. I went to the dinner last night and will tell you that it blew me away. 7 courses and dessert with drinks for $115 a head. Message me if interested.

I lived down the street from Sushi Para II in Chicago. If you are hungry and want to get a bang for your buck, the $18.99 is a pretty good deal. I will say that they definitely pack on the rice on their maki rolls though.

I'm always on the hunt for good falafel/shawarma in the DC area. Not a huge Amsterdam Falafel fan; prefer Pita Hut in Rockville. I went with a buddy for lunch today to the month old Shawafel in the Atlas District. The address is 1322 H St NE. I had the falafel/shawarma sandwich, which came with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, pickled turnips, mint, and tahini. Everything is made in house. The sandwich was absolutely incredible and blew all competition out of the water. The space is really well laid out, extremely clean, and Alberto the owner couldn't have been nicer. All meats are spit roasted and the sandwiches are more "laffa" style then in a pita. We also shared an order of labneh, which tasted super fresh, and an order of fries, which are hand cut. Great new addition for DC's fast casual scene!

Came across this great article on the Bright Young Things blog: http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/articles/silf-sandwich-id-like-to-fck-6.htm Pretty self explanatory with some damn fine looking sandwiches (Fast Gourmet and MGM Roast Beef look best). Got me thinking where I've had my most mind blowing sandwich around here. I'd probably have to give it to the Pork and Fries at Earl's in Arlington, VA. Where have you had your "SILF" experience in the DC area?

Having lived in Chicago for 3 years, I came to love Chicago Style Hot Dog's and got excited to hear of ChiDogo's opening (terrible name btw). I got to try a dog and fries from here on Saturday night, and sadly do not think I will be returning anytime soon. The dog is good quality (Vienna Beef), but only comes steamed with no grilled option. I know a Chicago Dog normally comes steamed, but there should be an option to have it grilled (or griddled). They also put the bun in the steam table when the order is placed, not leaving much time to heat the bun. The fries come frozen and were not very memorable. The staff was friendly and eager to help. My other beef with the spot (no pun intended), was that the space looked like a "franchise." It has zero character and for a 14th and U location, would seem to benefit from a little bit of edginess.

I had the burger at Sei this past Friday. American Kobe with sautéed shitake | tempura bacon | gouda cheese | wasabi horseradish. The tempura bacon was AMAZING. I've had burgers almost everywhere in DC except for Palena and would easily put this burger in my top 5. Top 4 places in no particular order: Sei, Bourbon Steak, Central, and Ray's Hell Burger.

Had dinner at the Alexandria location tonight. Wait was 30 minutes so we decided to eat in the bar area. Started with the carrot hummus which was great. Decided to try the slow roasted duck for my entree. Was one of the worst dishes I've had this year. Tough, salty duck on a bed of overcooked dirty rice. Was very surprised based on everything else I've tried at Rustico. The gf had the spicy shrimp pizza on chickpea crust (gluten allergy) which was pretty good. The shrimp was plain needed some form of seasoning or marinade.

I was in Chicago this past weekend for a wedding. This was my second time back since moving away last October. I tried some new spots and some old haunts with an overall successful weekend. Friday: Hot Doug's for lunch with a buddy who had never been. Line was only 20 minutes long at around 11:45am which for Duckfat Friday's is not bad at all. Hits were the lamb merguez with cumin mayo and a goat cheese I believe, and the sauternes duck sausage with foie gras mousse and fleur de sel. Misses were the ribeye steak sausage with horseradish cream sauce and crispy fried onions and the alligator sausage with shrimp remoulade and velours bleu cheese. Dinner was at The Peninsula for the wedding I was in town for. Very solid dinner of chilled lobster and mango ravioli, potato leek soup, and a perfectly cooked filet. Saturday: M Burger for lunch. This place is new and right off Michigan Ave. It is attached to Tru and has the feel of a Shake Shack or In N Out Burger, but I guess I expected better quality meat based on who was attached to the place. It is extremely small (maybe 500 sq ft) and has seating for 8 max. Dinner at Ria in the Elysian Hotel. Did the 6 course tasting menu. Amazing experience as this was my first try doing a tasting. Menu was as follows: Sea Scallop, Caviar, Octopus, Fumet Blanc Dungeness Crab, Leeks, Pain de Mie, Carrots Dover Sole, Apple, Parsley, Black Trumpet Mushroom Lamb Loin, Chanterelle, Zucchini, Olive Oil White Chocolate, Raspberry, Wild Rice, Goat’s Milk Manjari Chocolate, Black Cocoa, Malt, Smoked Ice Cream Service was impeccable and a glass of Domaine Achard-Vincent paired well with the courses (I'm not much of a drinker). All and all a great trip. Showed me that Chicago (and other cities) are still miles ahead of DC in the dining scene. The range of both high end and low end options trumps what DC is currently offering.

Uncle Julio's Rio Grande are individual chips and not limp, greasy, or oily. You can get fajita steak or chicken on them. I'm a fan.

Can anyone recommend any Indian restaurants in NYC that are more on the modern side (similar to Rasika)?

I was in Chicago for Lollapalooza this weekend. It was my first time back since moving away last October. I guess I'll go through some of the highlighted meals and my observations: 1.) Smoque BBQ - I had been there a few times when I lived in Chicago, but there is nothing in the general DC/MD/VA vicinity that can come close to tasting as good as this place is. The pulled pork and sliced brisket are so succulent and even their sides are amazing. I had baked beans, hand cut fries, cole slaw, and mac n cheese. All were incredible quality and a meal for less than $15. * I've noticed that other then 5 Guys, not many DC places do hand cut fries well. Hand cut is not much of an undertaking for restaurants and produces a much better product compared to frozen fries. They are the norm anywhere you go in Chicago. 2.) Hub 51 and Rockit - These places are for the young and hip but still produce great food. The pulled chicken nachos at Hub and the Rockit Burger are fantastic. Rockit Burger came with Wagyu Beef, melted brie, and fried shallots on a pretzel bun. * Bar food in Chicago is so much better then bar food in DC. I've noticed DC bars serve mostly all frozen, processed food. Almost every Chicago bar I ventured to put out a good product and made the place worth attending not just for entertainment. 3.) David Burke's Primehouse - Tableside Caesar was solid, Bone Marrow was big but much better at Blue Duck Tavern, and 55-Day Aged Ribeye was tasty but nothing really beckoned my return anytime soon. This had the food and feel of a modern steakhouse but I think DC is doing better in that department.

I have sat back for a little while reading some of the comments on this thread before I decided to chime in about Bobby's. I have only been to Bobby's twice, and both times was during lunch. I thought the food was solid, but the place made me uncomfortable both times I went. You go up to the counter and order and then some guy comes in and grabs the soda cup you paid for and gets your drink and refills it throughout the meal. I'd rather fill my own drink and not feel weird about whether or not I should tip the guy when I'm leaving. I also don't want somebody coming up to me while I'm eating my lunch and talking to me if I'm not at a restaurant that is waiter service. To be honest, Bobby's could probably change some processes that would turn in to cost savings for customers and charge a little less for what I consider slightly overpriced items. Bobby's has the feel of a fast casual place, not table service IMHO. -Sklarithy

I went in to Earl's today as a first time visitor with a buddy of mine after reading of its praise on DR. I tried the pork and fries sandwich and my friend had the turkey cranberry. I also ordered a southwestern corn chowder and a side of fries. Having recently moved back to DC from Chicago, I have not been able to find a place that competes with the quality sandwich shops out there. The Pork and Fries sandwich was unlike any food item I have tried since moving back here. Earl's is the first food destination that has warranted return visits over and over again for me. My friend loved the Turkey Cranberry sandwich he had, mentioning the oven roasted turkey put it over the top. DC needs more places like Earl's that has a personality and turns out quality food. I will mention that the corn chowder was slightly thin and didn't have much of the "Southwestern" flavoring its description mentioned. For a sandwich is DC, I'd rank Earl's #1 and Taylor #2, with no other spot wowing me enough to even be ranked on a best of list.

Hey all, I'm a Washingtonian venturing to your neck of the woods for a date this coming Saturday. I'm looking for a small sushi or contemporary American spot in Baltimore. Any help is greatly appreciated!

The Gage is close by on Michigan Ave as well which is great. Also Mercat a la Planxa is incredible. There are some higher end places north on Michigan Ave like Nomi, Avenues, Spiagga, etc. Also decently close by is Avec and Blackbird, the first of which is a can't miss. Hope that helps.

Hey all. My name is Adam and I currently reside in Chicago, IL. I am a member of a forum out there called LTH, which is pretty much the Don Rockwell of Chicago. I am relatively new to the "foodie" culture, but love trying new places. I am planning on moving back to DC in the coming months, so I figured I'd brush up on my DC game. If you have any questions about places in Chicago, let me know and I'll be sure you give you my best answer. Thanks, Adam