curiouskitkatt

I will be organizing an event outside the beltway. I am hopeful members will drive the distance to a restaurant that I find remarkable. The dinner will be hosted by yours truly, and be held in Lancaster, Pa.

Maison, although it does not bear a liquor license, is worth the trip. Plus, this will give me an opportunity to reconnect with so many I have lost contact with over the years.

The dinner will be held on February 25, 2017. Passed hor'deurves will greet guests on arrival. Followed by a family style meal of 3 savory courses, and a sweet course. Details of the menu will be updated as soon as I coordinate with the restaurant. This dinner will cost 75++(20% gratuity& tax).

 The seating count for this dinner stands at 18, with 8 spots filled already. I could possibly expand the seat count if enough members are interested in joining me for dinner. Please spread the word!! I look forward to seeing you!

#1 cheerleader,

kat

The article was printed in 2014, but is still certainly relevant:

Arts, distillery, farm to table, and arts. 

A perfect day trip.

your tour guide,

kat

Apr 23, 2014 - "The Lancaster Food Scene: Totally Happening" by Craig LeBan on philly.com

"Alton Brown Names Ma(i)son 'Restaurant of the Year'' by Kevin Stairiker on flymagazine.neet

Maison, mark my words, will make it to JBF, along with other Lancaster culinary talents. 

My goal is to add Central Pa, to the dining map, one bite at a time. 

hungry,
kat

On 12/30/2016 at 5:32 PM, Gloria said:

Traveled to York, PA yesterday a town I've been to many times but got to see it through the eyes of a local filled with pride for her home town which made me see the magical side of this very special town. The day started at the Central Market where I was introduced to everything from pulled pork crepes to teff (an ancient grain) to craft beer to artisan baking to a burrito food truck INDOORS!!! All served with great pride and passion behind the making of these products. 

Then off to Otto's before this jewel closes, then off to Farm to Freezer (brilliant) and those delicious Thai food anywhere at District Thai!!!!! Checked all the galleries and shops in the Royal District even getting to meet some of the artists! 

And finished the day off at Collusion for a hand crafted beer and I was mesmerized by the canning machine at the bar waiting to fill a "Crowler" with your beer of choice!

I left York already planning my next visit and greatly appreciating the time and talents of the artisans in York who take the time to put their love and pride in their craft and then make it accessible to so many!! York has a lot of magic to share with all of us!! Thank you to all and I look forward to seeing, eating and drinking more in the near future of what you have to offer very soon!!

-Gloria 

It was my absolute pleasure to be your guide to all the treasures my home city has to offer.  There is a tremendous selection of hidden gems here in York, as well as Central PA. Its heartwarming to meet likeminded persons that share my passion for both food and culture. This certainly marks one of many adventures we will venture on. 

grateful,

kat

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

I don't know how in God's name you found this, but ... good work!

 I have to confess I enlisted the help of my artist friends to get to the bottom of this mystery.  

I totally dig PIMAX, too. 

On 12/28/2016 at 0:22 PM, kitkatpaddywak said:

I have enlisted my voracious brain to dig deep. I attempted to use goodle image search, with no definitive findings, other than leading to other Abstract artist blogs.  I will get to the bottom of this. Its a challenge. I love challenges.

sleuthin' it out,

kat

Found it!!!

PIMAX Sculptures

2 hours ago, dcs said:

http://www.music-map.com/

what is this sorcery?!? 

I like it.

8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

art_psycho is a robot.

I have enlisted my voracious brain to dig deep. I attempted to use goodle image search, with no definitive findings, other than leading to other Abstract artist blogs.  I will get to the bottom of this. Its a challenge. I love challenges.

sleuthin' it out,

kat

On 12/25/2016 at 7:27 PM, DonRocks said:

Do you have the Instagram page or user name? I'm not convinced this is in America, but it might be.

art_psycho is the user on Instagram.

On 12/25/2016 at 6:51 PM, DonRocks said:

I am your Shazam app - not because I'm any sort of expert, but because I know a little, and have an insatiable curiosity to learn.

Did you take this picture? And if so, where was it taken?

This is why adore Donrockwell.com!! 

One stop shop for all that I need to know...

But to answer your question, I did not see this piece "in person", but rather virtually. 

I find that Instagram is an incredible  virtual gallery, but in this case , the piece was posted without any information. Follow art_pycho, you won't be disappointed!!

curiosity is my middle name,

I really should have been in forensics.

Can someone please help me identify the artist who is the brain behind this piece?

A colleague told me it may be Mr Brainwash?

In learning about Art, I wish there was Shazam app for Art identification. 

Art novice,

kat

"Acclaimed Artist Koons To Speak at York Rotary" by Abbey Zelko on ydr.com

Im freaking out. 

best christmas present ever. well close..

On 11/12/2016 at 10:04 PM, MC Horoscope said:

May I make one more toast to Leonard Cohen? Passing Through.

"Special Needs Schoolgirl Wows Audience with Voice" by Meabh Ritchie on bbc.co.uk

this is a toast to Cohen. 

Miss Kaylee Rodgers you've done well, be proud.

https://secure.customersvc.com/servlet/Show?WESPAGE=pm/Pages/load_order.jsp&WESACTIVESESSION=TRUE&PAGE_ID=10317DIR01&MAGCODE=NW&MSCCMPLX=MEM7

Is this  a NY version of DCdining.com?

One caveat, or however you see it, you must pay to be a part of the conversation. 

9.99 for a subscription.

$99 for annual membership. 

hmmm, scratching my head.

Not sure what to make of this .

Thoughts? 

5 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Kat, thank you for writing about this stirring painting. You really *do* have discerning taste, Mr. Silvah is indeed a talented artist, and "Cervantes Dali" really is a haunting work - it confronts the viewer, and wins in a staring contest ten-out-of-ten times. 

Not knowing what Cervantes looked like, I wonder if this is a synthesis of the two men - I do see some Dali in the figure (the moustache is just great).

David Silvah's Facebook page is here, and CityFolk Gallery's website is here.

They actively promote the works of Mr. Silvah, and that section of their website can be found here. It's a pleasure to be able to browse through such a lovely website as theirs, about such a talented artist as Mr. Silvah. 

thank you!!! 

Sep 30, 2013 - "Baja Artist, David Silvah, Heading to Exhibits in Spain" by Marilyn Helgeson on bajacoastrealestate.com

Silvah is self taught. 

I am continualy in awe of how passion for one's heritage inspires one to be successful. The growth of our civilization is partly, if not wholly based on the conviction and determination of immigrants. 

I too, hope to follow in his footsteps.

always learning,

kat

I will admit I know very little about art, but I do know, or think I do, I  have discerning taste. 

Gallery Row in Lancanter  Pa, certainly has a number of noteworthy galleries worth a visit from those outside the area. 

I am rarely blown away by a piece of art. Today I was impressed. A painting titled, Cervantes Dali, completely haunted me. To conclude my statement, being haunted by a composition of art is a good thing. .David Silvah, you are a master. 

This piece can be found at CityFolk Gallery on Prince Street.

Priced at less that 2 months rent in the District can afford you this outstanding work. 

future art collector,

kat

13 hours ago, dracisk said:

I'm only in RI a couple of times a year, and lately my food explorations have been hindered by a toddler. Last year I enjoyed Cook and Brown Public House on the East Side of Providence (near Brown University), and a couple of years ago I enjoyed Mill's Tavern, which I think is in what would be considered Downtown Providence (North Main Street). Julian's on Federal Hill in Providence is a funky place known for brunch, although I've only been there for dinner. Federal Hill (the Italian neighborhood of Providence) has tons of Italian restaurants, but I don't know which ones are good and which aren't. Al Forno (in Fox Point, Providence) is known for grilled pizza, which I think is a Rhode Island thing. I've been there but not in years, and I sadly haven't had the pizza.

Oberlin in Downtown Providence was recently named the seventh best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit. I haven't been. I think it's currently a no reservations long waits situation.

If you don't mind a drive to the beach, Matunuck Oyster Bar (in East Matunuck, South Kingston) is very popular. They harvest oysters from a pond right next to the restaurant (among other nearby locations). I visited for the first time recently and enjoyed my oyster-heavy meal, including raw oysters (I'm very much a raw oyster neophyte, though) and oyster stew. They don't take reservations in the summer and crowds are insane, but they do take them in the winter. There are tons of clam shacks in that general vicinity, too (Aunt Carrie's, Iggy's, George's, Champlin's). You could have a classic shore dinner.

There's a Connecticut and Rhode Island thread that you might find helpful. If you do go exploring please report back!

omg. 

are you for hire?

I too am a bit if of a traditiionalist when it comes to the consumption of oysters. 

Thank you for your input. I will glad take your suggestions and report back on my delicious findings. 

kat,

consumate food voyeur 

6 hours ago, Poivrot Farci said:

I pity the tortured individual rolling out the dough with a rolling pin unless one of the hands is operating the crank of a commercial pasta rolling mechanism, the same hand that pulls down the lever on the French fry thingy at other restaurants.

They have “wild calamari”. I have never heard of any other kind. Must be some untamed squid or sounds better in Italian.

wild calamari. 

I shall use that reference for anything I find amusing in menu offerings.

On 12/11/2016 at 1:42 PM, DonRocks said:

Folks,

Traditionally, being asked to become a Forum Host here has been an honorary position - essentially a huge "Thank You!" for being such a valued and trusted member.

However, we're at the point now where we need Forum Hosts, in many Forums, that will roll up their sleeves and work. (I know some of our hosts do a lot of thankless, behind-the-scenes work that I don't know about, and I am genuinely, eternally grateful for them and their efforts - I know who you are.

Unfortunately, the majority - the vast majority - of our Forum Hosts don't do anything. In fact, some of them don't even sign on anymore.

I need help. This website is gargantuan, I am badly injured, and I cannot run this community without volunteers helping me. One day I hope to get some investment money (at which point, I'll probably be an employee of someone else), but until that day arrives, I'm on my own.

A special note to investors: We *may* be the second-busiest interactive restaurant website in the world, behind only Yelp, which has a market cap of nearly $3 billion, had millions of dollars in seed money, and employed incredibly unethical business practices in order to grow. We have no debt, minimal expenses, have never spent a dime on PR or marketing, have no salaried employees (not even me), are a company of one person, and I have lived my life with such high ethical standards that if Yama were standing on my shoulder, watching everything I did, he would one day direct me to Swarga. We have a very similar business model to Yelp, and I am willing to make whatever changes you feel are necessary in order to become financially viable - in fact, I *know* I need to make changes: We need a landing page, and a complete redesign on the "look and feel" of this website - I cannot do these things, and need someone to do them for me. I need to be paying our Forum Hosts and our Membership Director, but there's no revenue right now. I work something dangerously close to 100 hours a week on this website, am painted into a corner, and I desperately need help. I am not giving this website up after having poured so much of my life into it for twelve years, and if I should pass away, things are being set up so that the website will be a going concern, long, long after this dinosaur no longer roams the earth.

If Yelp can make $500 million in annual revenue, then we can make $500 million in annual revenue. Investors and venture capitalists: I just need *your* help, and we can do this. I'm a strong leader, but I'm a stronger follower, and that is a quality very few people have - and a quality that is desperately needed in this world.

Until that day arrives, if you want to help - and I mean really *help* - please write me. For now, I have nothing to offer you except a sincere thank you. Ask Pat about how annoying I am when it comes to that - the poor girl is probably sick of me thanking her, but she has been a proven, tried-and-true, loyal friend without whom the quality of our members would fall apart in short order. She is the single most valuable person working on this website - I say that, but then there is also cheezepowder, who has earned more respect and gratitude than I can put into words, and whose work on Restaurant Openings will be looked back upon as being historical in nature. What Cheezepowder has done is to create a document of such lasting importance that it will be referred to decades from now as reference standard material - I believe that even she doesn't realize the significance of what she has produced ... but I do. 

You've probably noticed that we're no longer a "Washington, DC restaurant website." Quite honestly, it's because overseeing a city such as Washington, DC became so easy that it bored the hell out of me, so I started to expand out of sheer boredom. My real expertise is in Wine, but the thought of running a wine forum bored the hell out of me too. Then came the Fine Arts Forum, which includes Music, Sports, and several other of my passions, and I want to keep adding new areas - if you have a hobby that you love so much that you consider it a passion, write me, and we'll talk about creating a forum for it - it can be anything at all. This website is built, architecturally, so that there's no subject which cannot be covered, and as long as it's not obscene or indecent, I'm open to anything, and eager to dig new ground. We recently opened a Houston Forum thanks to Josh, before that it was Los Angeles thanks to Christine, and I'm currently working on yet another city which I consider to be one of the most important we'll have - I'm putting a tremendous amount of work into it because I want to do it right, the same way I did Houston and Los Angeles. The table is set, the party has started, and all we need now are guests to come and enjoy the free food and drink.

I need help running this website. I need an investor and/or a partner, perhaps even someone to lease it on *their own* website (yes, that can be arranged, and you'll have instant mega-content and a slew of readers for as long as you wish). Don't forget I also own the domain name dcdining.com, which I paid plenty for. And I need Forum Hosts - ideally, a small group of people who are willing to sign in each day - just like they do now - and instead of just reading, they'd need to organize and arrange things *while* they're reading. They probably wouldn't need to spend any more time on the website than they do now; they'd just be doing some work while they enjoy the content (I thoroughly enjoy the majority of the work I do here, because I get to read and add content at the same time I'm working, so it's "work" in quotes.

And if you're not interested in being a Forum Host, the best thing you can do to help would be to find me an investor. The second-best thing you can do to help would be to find new, quality members: I'd rather have one *great* member than one-hundred inactive ones.

At this point, people also need to be keenly aware of the severity of my injury, which may, or may not, be surgically correctable, but I need an accurate diagnosis first, and after 8+ years, I still don't have one, and things are getting worse with time. This week, I'll be having my first-ever 3 Tesla MRI - wish me luck: I need it. I kept this from the public for a long time, but I cannot keep it a secret any longer - my parents taught me, by sheer observation of their complete unselfishness, never to be a burden to people, and I refuse to burden you with my own personal problems, so I won't be discussing this on a regular basis, or even much at all. Please just be aware that I'm suffering 24/7, without any relief, and if you know of anyone who can potentially help me, please write and let me know - I'm sorry to even mention this, but I've crossed the line of desperation (to be honest, I crossed that line years ago; I just chose not to burden you. Although my heart goes out to them, I don't enjoy reading about people's suffering on Facebook, and I'm not going to force you to read about mine here - I want this community to be a community of happiness, and would gladly spend the rest of my life doing nothing but bringing joy to other people: I hope more than anything I get the chance to do so).

If you've made it this far, much obliged,
Rocks

I will spread the word vigilantly. 

Guardian angels come in many forms, perhaps one may be under your very nose.

9 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Thing is, I want these awards to be taken seriously by the industry, and to really mean something. Best Chef. Best Sous-Chef. Best Line Cook. Best Pastry Chef. Best Sommelier. Best Bartender. Best GM. Best AGM. Best Restaurant (maybe on several levels). Best Wine List. Best Beer Program. Best Cocktail Program. Best Restaurateur. Even Best Dishwasher (and I'm being completely serious here - ask any Chef how important a good dishwasher is). 

My apologies, Don. 

My snark has no place for this serious effort. 

I whole heartedly agree with all the categories you listed. 

The  back of the house supporting staff at the restaurant are rarely ever recognized. 

I also like to add, Best Non-alcoholic Beverage program. May seem odd, but it is such an oversight at fine dining establishments.

12 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Thing is, I want these awards to be taken seriously by the industry, and to really mean something. Best Chef. Best Sous-Chef. Best Line Cook. Best Pastry Chef. Best Sommelier. Best Bartender. Best GM. Best AGM. Best Restaurant (maybe on several levels). Best Wine List. Best Beer Program. Best Cocktail Program. Best Restaurateur. Even Best Dishwasher (and I'm being completely serious here - ask any Chef how important a good dishwasher is). 

In that case, Id like to throw Avellino name into the pool. 

Same dishwasher at Corduroy's from day 1.

Best Date Spot

Best Communal Dining

Best Happy Hour

Best Late night eats

Best People Watching( cause you know you do)

Best Set List, Best Tunes

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Kat, you've been very kind to me, and I appreciate it. 

I need help with categories, for sure, but even more than that, I need help with the "How" aspect.

I can come up with a really good list of candidate questions that I can propose for people, and also administer polls with relative ease.

Does anyone know a printer who could do certificates? Or a proper venue that would show winners the correct amount of respect? These are the types of questions I need help with. (There won't be any "Rammys-type" party in year one, or even in year five, but we can certainly work towards that.) Trust me when I say that I know of some people who are Rammy judges, and you folks are more qualified. That's not a slam on the Rammy judges; it's a comment on how knowledgeable you all are.

I'd like to add that I have no desire to hold these awards for "us"; I want to reward people doing excellent work, and have them reap the benefits, and take the bow. I couldn't care less about whether or not this advances our own cause.

 I can certainly help with the, "how".

Best place to talk shop with industry folks. 

I find the best conversations Ive had,& treasure were the ones in the Biz.

On 3/27/2016 at 7:52 PM, weezy said:

Ditto best service, best value and best fast casual.  as much as i love fine dining, my budget doesn't allow for much of it.

best cheap eats. 

cheap doesn't always mean bad. 

Some of the best meals Ive had cost less than Uber trip from Dupont to Falls Church.