curiouskitkatt

It was delicious.. 

Stuffed,

kat

4 minutes ago, Mandy Delk said:

Hi!  I am Mandy Delk.  My husband, Mitch, and I are food lovers.  We have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the tremendous growth of the dining scene in DC over the past 27 years since moving from NYC.  Although we count many in the food industry as friends, we are simply two people who love good food.  Clearly we have a lot to learn, as we had never heard of Don Rockwell until we met a lovely couple at the bar at 2 Amy's and started comparing "favorite" spots.  We owe them!  Looking forward to learning more from all of you!

Welcome M & M !! I bet you get that a good bit. Mandy and Mitch you have been guided to a trusted resource for practically all good things under the bright Sun. We too look forward to picking up recommendations from you as well.  

Peruse the halls . There are several topics, including food yet not limited to food and beverage. We got it all at Donrockwell.com. Happy to have you be a part of the community!

kat

Today I am doing a happy dance that Copper Crust will be opening  a brick and mortar dangerously close to my place of work. I could possibly justify ordering from this spot everyday if I walk there for my order. Otherwise no amount of Lycra or pajama jeans will cover my fluffy curves.. I will report back with what I will indulge in this later this afternoon after I recover from my butter, and pastry induced coma.   

Tonight I went out in for dinner close to home. I chose Thai. There happens to be  a local favorite. This spot serves many dishes that hit all those Thai notes perfectly.

I started out with vegan crabcakes that were served with sweet thai chili sauce. Mung bean cakes heavily seasoned with garlic that could have used less garlic , and more old bay. The texture was good, but all I could taste was the garlic. I was hopeful my next course would deliver better. It did. A sea bass soup filled with all the Thai aromatics that I happen to enjoy very much. A richly flavored soup infused with kefir lime, lemongrass, cilantro, thai basil, and tamarind. Fresh herbs imparted freshness to the dish, while the tamarind provided a sourness that makes the soup absolutlely perfect.  Unctuous cuts of sea bass in every spoonful with herbs and  stewed tomatos made for up for the less than impressive start  to the meal. This dish tastes like home to me. I savored every drop of the broth. Sweet & sour. 

This dish is what Thai people would likely cook at home. Knowing I could find the exact version in a restaurant, unchanged,  in the tiny rural town of York, Pa, brings me more joy than I can adequately articulate.

Today was a good day.  

kat

2 hours ago, zgast said:

This right here.  Good wine dinners are becoming more and more scarce as far as I can tell.

You will not be disappointed in whatever wine dinners are hosted at Corduroy. You can take my word. I have worked several back at Corduroy, each one of them as stellar as the next. 

DC Eater  list of places to eat near the Convention Center. I am loving the attention Corduroy is getting. In my opinion, it has always been #1 for me. But in previous posts I may just be a little biased . I once worked for Chef, and consider him top knotch. I mean 17 years ain’t to shabby. I think on his 20th year there should be a celebration? What do you say @Tom Power? 

On 2/22/2018 at 11:37 AM, curiouskitkatt said:

Its a little early to be thinking about what to bring, but just in case anyone is incline...

DR PICNIC sign up list

The google doc can now be accessed by everyone and edited to add data. Sorry. Please bear with me as I may make technical mistakes along the way.

On 5/3/2016 at 2:39 PM, dcs said:

Eric Ripert Looks Back on a Youth Both Tender and Tough, by Jeff Gordiniermay, New York Times, May 3, 2016.

I will take this a sign to have my 44th at Le Bernardin this year! Happy Birthday to me!

3 minutes ago, Mark Slater said:

Katt, Le Bernardin is the place. Eric is a genuine person. I worked with him at the Watergate a few years ago.

Im leaning toward Le Bernardin. Thank you!

15 minutes ago, lekkerwijn said:

Realizing I haven't posted in over 2 years since we moved from DC to NYC. Not sure what made me decide to sign in tonight... I think I've missed this.

We've been to both Le Bernardin and Batard recently. They are very different restaurants and I think the answer to your question totally depends on what you are looking for. Batard is going to be a much more relaxed meal from the food to the atmosphere. I like the format of the menu at Batard and the flexibility it offers to create your own adventure.  If you are going on a Monday night, Batard has free corkage. We usually go there on a Monday night for that reason, though their wine list is exceptional and well curated. 

I must admit I have been dreaming of a meal at Le Bernardin ever since I personally met the silver fox, aka Eric Ripert in DC many moons ago. I also follow John Winterman, the maitr’de extraordinaire  on social media. To answer your question, I just want a great meal paired with superb wines. This, I imagine can be executed at both establishments. I guess Ill jusy flip a coin, and it will depend on what hotel Ill be staying at. I want to be able to walk to the restaurant. So we shall see, and I will certain report back.

industry groupie,

kat

On 2/24/2018 at 10:05 PM, jrichstar said:

If you liked Lucky Peach and have Netflix, Ugly Delicious is a must watch.  The show has the same wit, fun and humor as the magazine.  Even some cartoons and profanity mixed in as well, just like Lucky Peach!  Also watched the first episode and loved it.  Eight total episodes were released yesterday.

It makes complete sense that Ugly Delicious follows a similar format of Lucky  Peach. If I recall Peter Meehan,& David Chang were co -collaborators on that publication. I can’t wait to binge on it myself. Today seems perfect to do so on account its soggy outside. Junk food & Chang make for a perfect Sunday afternoon. 

49 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

Tough call. Le Bernardin is amazing, and puts any seafood centric restaurant in this area to shame. I’m up in NY next week and will be at The Grill and Le B back to back. Will be sure to report in.

Thank you! much appreciated 

2 hours ago, Shaho said:

New (Lunar) Year, gonna try this food blogging thing again while I have the energy... My account handle is shahokun, I'll be posting reviews here and linking to pics on IG!

awesome! please use the hashtag #donrockwelldotcom and be sure to follow the tag! Thank you for following our lead!

10 minutes ago, Al Dente said:

I'll wear my assless chaps!

Oh boy... as I read back my post, my mind is racing in all different directions. Your assless chaps could cause a stir, but as long as you bring your ass to the party.

I am struggling with where to celebrate my 44th. It will be either here, or Le Bernardain. First world dining problems 

19 hours ago, John William G said:

I will certainly be there. Really, really looking forward to another Rockwell picnic.

Its gonna be so good!  I plan bringing a meaty spread from Chaps!

Just now, leleboo said:

Carlisle!

Ahh, Ive been to Carlisle a number of times. Have you been to Carlisle Thai?

11 minutes ago, leleboo said:

KitKat: You’re schlepping from PA? Whereabouts? Maybe we can carpool!

Im traveling from York. I would hop on the carpool invite, but chances are I will be in town for the weekend. Thank you for the suggestion though!

38 minutes ago, pjnewman said:

I looked at the website again 

and it appears as if a number of dates are still available. Let me know if you would prefer that I book a date? Are Saturdays or Sundays preferable or does it matter? If you have already booked the site (July 29th has been reserved) than never mind.

Paul

We are locked in for 7/29! Thank you for providing all of the information. It was very helpful. 

Its a little early to be thinking about what to bring, but just in case anyone is incline...

DR PICNIC sign up list

I always knew @Tom Power was the most clever, but now that I know @Mark Slater is the Ops Mgr, this confirms what I have known from the moment I walked into the restaurant that was formerly on the second floor of the Four Points. Chef is a genius. Every time I am in the District, I always make it a point to stop and see Chef to catch up, and have a meal. No matter if its having the exquisite dried scallop chawanmushi, or a skillet fried Jersey dog that can be devoured next door at Baby Wale, it is always aces. Now with Slater leading the roost,  I hope this means there were will be amazing wine dinners. 

On 2/20/2018 at 6:13 PM, Mark Slater said:

These are all wines that, theoretically, are never out of stock. They can all be ordered with one days notice so the venue doesn't have carry any inventory. That's why they make you chose the wine 3 days before the event. But, to answer your question, yes- those are some terrible choices. I'm also pretty certain they are all from the same distributor. 

Corduroy, Operations Manager, Social Media Contact?!!? How did I miss this?  @Tom Power & @Mark Slater!! The dream team.

This right here is why I will continue to spread the good word of this forum. @FranklinDubya you have done such an incredible job following my lead on INSTA, may I ask that you kindly do the same for this picnic. Please have your food lovin friends register  on this forum and join us for this grand picnic. Hopefully you will be in town!

On 11/3/2005 at 2:08 PM, kitkatpaddywak said:

First Post ever....

Hello to all. A brief introduction- I'm Kathryn Hull- recent addition to the staff at Corduroy. I am interested in learning more about this city through other people that work at other restaurants. A " dining tour guide " of sorts, I am in search for- the more the merrier. Anyone interested in filling this position or at least giving me some direction is well appreciated. It seems that HH at FF is the place to go to get started- but any other suggestions I would love as well.

Its seems like a lifetime ago that I made this post when I moved to the District. Now to take it one step further, I personally would like to invite you to this year's DR picnic. This community has become a beacon for me, and I am fortunate every day to have found such a motley crew of humans. There were a few years that I went silent cause I was trying to figure stuff out, but I have come back to a place that feels like home. I am in constant awe of the wealth of insight this forum offers, and as @DonRocks says, there is not anything quite like it. I agree 1000%. 

So please mark you calendar, and I hope to meet you on July 29. It's gonna be a  blast!

kat 

The location is set. True to his word, everyone take a moment to thank @DonRocks. The picnic is set for July 29 at Carderock Picnic Pavillion. I have not had the joy of attending any of the past picnics, but as the lead in this, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME being at this one. The only "price" of admission is that you are a registered member of the forum. WIN WIN, I say. I can only imagine the deliciousness everyone will be bringing to this event. I am actually looking forward to seeing some old friends, and walking away with new ones.  C' 'mon we are a fun bunch,  with gobs of insight on everything ranging from food, to the proper use of the oxford comma.  In the meantime, I have a picnic to plan. Its gonna be epic. 

Your cruise director,

kat