Lola007

I see where you're coming from given the focus of the recent episode. At the same time, whether or not a chef is classically trained, a well-prepared, knowledgeable one should know how to make basic sauces and dishes, many of which happen to be French. Mike I.'s not knowing how to make a bearnaise sauce, for example, was very telling (as was his not knowing how to make Eggs Florentine, a pretty common brunch dish served in American restaurants). Unless I missed something, I don't think we've seen such shortcomings from the V. brothers, Kevin or Jenn.

I'm not so sure about that as a lot of people can see through the spin (as I did). Maybe some people will become more curious about Zaytinuya because of Mike I. as a "celebrity," his controversial comments played up by the Top Chef producers, and perhaps b/c of some of the recent PR efforts, but I would argue that many more people watching and following the show and who are interested in eating food prepared by really great chefs will flock to Volt given Bryan V.'s solid performance (and also to the Langham in Pasadena, Ca. where Michael V is the chef de cuisine as well).

Interesting. Have never heard of sour cream timbits before! Hope you have a good trip.

Don, it is good stuff. I'm pretty sure that Whole Foods carries it. They've given me a (can't recall if it's 5% or 10% ) discount on cases of bottled water (I love Iceland Spring), so I bet they'd do the same for a case of Zico. P.S. Check here too: http://www.bulkhome.com/aisle/beverages/ They offer free shipping on orders over $25.

Can I ask why you're excited about Tim Horton? I haven't been to the one in NYC, but the TH's I've been to in Canada have been just OK. My NYC friends tell me that the coffee is on par with Dunkin Donuts (some actually prefer Dunkin Donuts' coffee) and the donuts are pretty mediocre--not as good as either Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme. For really good coffee in NYC, I like Ninth Street Espresso or Abraco.

I pretty much agree with your take. But it would be hard for a chef without knowledge of cooking fundamentals to have an impressive showing. It's really poor that Mike I. didn't know how to make a bearnaise sauce (it is pretty much basic knowledge for most serious chefs); he actually said it was his first time doing it when he was paired with Bryan V. It's time for him to go. He's been riding the coattails of the Voltaggio borthers long enough.

I have to disagree with your comments except for the fact that Mike I. is in the middle of the pack. I've never thought of him as supremely talented, and have never been wowed by the food at Zaytinya. Mike I is in the middle of the pack because he is nowhere close to the talent, cooking knowledge, or skills of the Voltaggio brothers, Kevin, or Jen. Re: the WaPo article on Mike I., it didn't change my opinion at all. If anything, it only reinforced my earlier impressions about Mike I.

a piece of kalamata olive bread from Atwater's Bakery (Foggy Bottom FM yesterday) w/ cream cheese Greek yogurt w/ blueberries cranberry juice Earl grey tea w/ Belgian brown sugar cubes and a spot of milk A chocolate dipped macaroon from Dean & De Luca I'm stuffed!

I'd like to report on my visit to the Foggy Bottom market earlier today. It was the second time I've been there. It's a very small market, with a few fresh fruit & veggie vendors, two bakeries (Atwater's and Bonaparte Breads), and some other food vendors like Cavanna's which makes and sells pasta. Today I bought my favorite kalamata olive bread in the whole world, which is made by Atwater's (to say that I was psyched to find it again is a understatement!). Unlike others (Whole Paycheck and Marvelous Market), Atwater's uses whole olives in its olive bread. I swear, you need a microscope to find the olives in Whole Foods' version and Marvelous Market has significantly reduced the size and number of olive pieces it puts in its bread. So, Atwater's bread is fabulous. I understand that they sell at a number of local farmers markets (including the Dupont Market). Besides the bread, I also picked up some giant honeycrisp apples--very crispy and honey-ish (Quaker Orchards). There were lots of apples to taste, but the honeycrisp were the best by far. Tasted a few pears too (red and Bartlet), but wasn't impressed. Last but not least, I also bought some spicy salsa from Sunnyside Farm & Orchard (West Va.) and a couple of OK tomatoes and red bell peppers. On a previous visit, I bought some gnocchi from Cavanna's, and it was delicious. All in all, this is a great little market. It's not too crowded, as friendly vendors, and you can shop at a leisurely pace and taste a lot of good fruit.

It would suck if neither Voltaggio wins! This is my first season watching the show, so I have no clue. I just like what I've seen from both Bryan and Mike (V., of course!). You might be right about Kevin, but I hope not...

I'm not impressed by Vosges' chocolate-bacon bar either, but do like another one they make with sea salt and smoked almonds. I love that combination.

Cafe du Parc would be good. Also, Juniper in the Fairmont Hotel at 24th & M has a great breakfast menu and opens at 6:30 am.

So who thinks that Bryan V. is going to win this thing? I actually like both brothers and am somewhat torn.

LOL re: the (accurate) description of your homemade bagels.

Lucky you... Quick question: do you like H&H bagels better than Absolute or Ess-a-Bagels? I like H&H bagels and think Ess-a-Bagels are pretty good. Have yet to try Absolute Bagels. Thanks.

Thanks for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed J&G. I'm particularly interested in the wine selection and atmosphere. Sounds like it was pretty good, and that the noise level was reasonable. Just one question: in what way is J&G Asian influenced? Any particular dishes? Thanks.

Such a scheme does exist, at least for health insurance coverage. I've heard about specialized pools or guild-like set-up whereby people working in different places, but the same industry can get health coverage at group rates. And I'm not surprised by Clyde's. Although a chain, it's not a huge one and yet, addressing DanielK's argument, it hasn't passed 30% price increases onto customers in order to provide its employees with training and benefits (and at the same time, servers also receive tips). IMHO, its menu prices are quite reasonable. To be clear, I'm not saying that Clyde's approach would work for every size restaurant, but certainly it shows that at least it can be, and is being done by some. I would also argue that service is generally good (at least in my experience) at Clyde's, and I have no doubt that the employer's commitment to the employees and investment in benefits and training, is an important factor in the quality of service.

I second the recommendation for Hudson's Matzo ball soup and am impressed by Rocks' soup recs too. I'll add that Marvelous Market also hs chicken noodle soup (not as good as homemade or Whole Foods, but OK). If you can find a decent place for pho or wonton soup in the area (Meiwah has an OK creamy chicken corn soup), that might be good too. Feel better!

Thanks for enlightening me, Dean. I'll try to explain it to the Korean guy. He was VERY curious about what the brain cell killing substance was...

Would love to hear more about the feas! Am trying to learn more about Korean food. And KMango or Dean, can you elaborate on the Dong Dong Ju? I'm teaching a young Korean grad student and he said he's not familiar with it. Maybe he knows it by another name b/c he's definitely into alcohol. Thanks.

Great post, DanCole42. I laughed my head off at the Trebek-Mike V. exchange. And I agree with you. Kind of reminds me of Sarah Palin saying she wasn't going to answer certain questions or rather the spoof on SNL w/ Tina Fey... Am glad Bryan V. won too. I've only eaten at Volt once, but was very impressed. Can't wait to go back.

weinoo, great post and wonderful photos! Thank you. I will definitely be checking out Pepe's Elotes Asados. I can't get enough of con on the cob Latin style. Will also check out your blog. Thanks again, and welcome!

Thanks for posting this info, Joe. Badoit really is excellent. My favorite sparkling water brands (in no particular order) are Spa (Belgium), San Benedetto (Italy), and Saratoga (New York). I also think San Pellegrino is OK. Am not a fan of Gerolsteiner or Perrier.

The issue of how to pay for these things is a good question, but in the context of the article, if one of the goals is professional service and a long-term commitment by servers to their jobs, things like job security, benefits, and a decent wage are necessary. I didn't say I wasn't OK with a service charge being included, but rather that based on my observations of service I experienced while living and dining abroad, it doesn't seem like the be-all, end-all solution--in my humble opinion (in fact, the author of the article mentions it as one possible solution.). Although not always, quite frequently what I have observed in restaurants and shops in a couple of different European countries that employ the service compris and guaranteed wage system is poor-to-mediocre service due to a lack of incentives to improve and a culture that acccepts or is resigned to living with bad service (which I think is a shame). And I have no problem tipping and paying a little more (I don't think customers should absorb all of the costs, and 30% is a bit exagerrated as far an increase, again in my humble opinion). I don't know what the solution is. I'm only going on what I've experienced and think that it's not a black or white issue or necessary an either-or choice between a service charge and not tipping. Perhaps what is needed is more thinking out of the box, and like the current health care debate, thinking about how to balance the cost associated with attracting and maintaining committed, professional employees with business owners' abilities to stay in business and make a decent profit. As someone who has worked in restaurants before (admittedly only part time while in college) and currenty works closely with small business owners and entrepreneurs (and as self-employed consultant, pay for my own health insurance), I do understand understand that.

I found the article interesting as well. And while I can see the merits of going to a service charge, based on my experience living and dining in Europe (where the vast majority of servers I encountered were not the type of professional waiter described in the article), I can't say that I'm sold on the idea. Don't get me wrong--I'm all for giving servers stability, benefits and of course, more respect for a job (which is admittedly not among the easiest of jobs) well done. I just don't think that going to a "service compris" (service included) system is the answer. Rather than throwing out the baby out with the bath water regarding tipping (and the issue of upselling aside), I'd advocate for more and better training, job security, basic benefits, and more frequent performance evaluations with wage/salary increases and bonuses as incentives.