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Stella is in the short conversation for the best of the new New Orleans restaurants, but as mentioned already it does require a real time commitment and it's a decidedly more formal, 'old school' experience than places like Cochon. That being said, if you have the money and time, it's worth the three hour tour. Their duck five ways is one of the best things I've eaten in that city. You'll have a hard time finding the strength to stay out after though.

I'm visiting on Friday - anyone else have any food recs here? No offense Don, but I fear the amount of brown liquor that's going to be consumed is past the pay grade of a grilled veg sandwich.

I'm fairly certain they use a griddle at BBP, not a grill. If you didn't taste some kind of crust though, that's not a particularly good sign.

Edan, just wanted to say thanks for hosting all of us on Tuesday. I expected the pizza to be high quality, and it definitely was (count me as part of the chorus praising The Aden). However, I was pleasantly surprised with the high quality of cured meats and seafood we tasted. The gazpacho with bacalao in particular was delicious.

The dining contract is the kind of story that, when picked up by a few media outlets, can toot-toot along for days on a stream of faux outrage from people that were probably never going to eat there in the first place. No one ever fussed about the Minibar contract in this fashion, and taking a CC# in advance at the places in the DMV offering this kind of dining experience is common. I guess it's a slow news week. Toot freaking toot.

I don't know why Pete's doesn't get the same love as some of the other (deservedly lauded) pizza spots in this area. Maybe it's the fact they have more than one location. Maybe it's because they don't do the individual sized, neopolitan inspired pizza that DC seems to love. Maybe it's the sticker shock at seeing a pie cost $26. Pricy as it appears, those pies will feed 4 people easily and make three people leave stuffed. They're more than happy to do half-and-halfs if you're with a group that can't decide on just one variety. Try all you want, but I'm not sure there's a better topping combination in the area than the Edge of the Woods (Sauteed Savoy Spinach, Caramelized Onion, Ricotta, Fried Italian Eggplant) ($24.95). The toppings provide a contrast of both salty and sweet as well as softness and crunch. Better still, for a heavily topped pie things don't seem out of proportion. That crust (thin, crispy, just slightly charred) was more than able to handle the load. Washed it down with a delicious Port City Essential Pale Ale ($5.50) on draft, which I'm starting to think might be a better beer than DC Brau's equivalent. We also split an antipasti platter that was middling at best. And your mileage will definitely vary when it comes to ordering by the slice depending on what time you're there (sometime they look they've been hanging out a bit too long). But the whole pizzas? Damn. They are killer.

This whole discussion takes me back to my high school days as a busboy for a fancy waterfront steak/seafood establishment (not in this area). My marching orders from the owner/manager were to collect empty plates as soon as they were finished regardless of the other diners at the same table. If he saw a single empty plate in the dining room he'd whisper the table number in my ear, and heaven forbid if he saw multiple cleaned plates in a section. So, so misguided, but out of fear of reprimand I became damn good at yoinking plates off of tables one at a time, oblivious to the looks of confusion at the table. Knowing what I know now I'd like to go back in time to (1) slap the owner/manager and (2) apologize to so so many tables.

$30 for $60 at Kushi

Especially considering GSE pours Yuengling. Shake Shack has Brooklyn on draft, and Ray's has Bell's and DT (amongst other things, but that's as far as I ever looked).

It would appear you are right. Nice to see they'll be updating that now dated signage down there too.

I'll need a +1 now. You can't type the words "you can expect bubbly upon arrival" and not expect my girlfriend to not want to come along.

Yes!

I'll second the char sui buns being solid - and not much else food-wise being compelling. That being said, 3 pretty small buns for $6 is pretty rough. They have a solid happy hour though that cuts them to $3 for the same order of 3, as well as several of their (not best in the city, but certainly above average) cocktails for $5. If I was paying $2 a pop for the buns and $10 for the cocktails I'd feel pretty jilted. An earl gray julep and an order of char sui for under $10 total is a pretty damn good deal for the PQ area.

Friends of mine were just talking about this the other night. There are too many blogs in the DC area that might have once been talking about their own trips around town, but are now basically posting solely about their experiences at press events. And WAY too many that aren't disclosing. Maybe it's just the rise of food blog culture nationwide but it really seems more prevalent here than anywhere else I've lived. And I don't want to name names, but the blogger with the post that started "my friend and I thought this would be a fun place to visit..." and then mid-post showed elaborate tasting plates with small bites and cards denoting what was being served? And then photos of the chef giving a talk to the assembled? Yeah, pretty sure that wasn't a random night out between buds.

4 of us ordered a round of cocktails while waiting for our table. No one got the BH drink in particular but they were all served in the glass you linked to. I agree with both your points though. It's probably close (but slightly less) in volume to a regular glass, and they should really ditch them and get new glassware asap. I've joked about it with everyone I know who has gone there, and every person I've talked about it with was similarly weirded out by them. It takes a little extra to be put off by glassware, you know?

Yes. A thousand times yes. We too were laughing about this, wondering if they were going to put the rest of the cocktail in a metal shaker for a refill like a milkshake. For better or worse, it's not like other places in DC (and Penn Quarter in particular) are afraid of a $15 cocktail. I'd much rather cough up more money than pay that cost for what felt like (and looked like) half a drink. A few weeks later I wouldn't remember the cost of drinks in particular, as everything there is pricy. I definitely remember those goofy ass glasses.

I hope he brought a few bottles of that elitist Grey Poupon.

We did the party time at Zahav last weekend, and our menu was pretty similar to Ericandblueboy's but a different soup (chicken and chickpea) and no foie gras. We received a fried cauliflower dish with a dill sauce that was delicious. This is a crazy amount of food for $45/pp and if you can find a reservation I'd strongly suggest you consider it. On the low end of things, Paesano's and Sarcone's are still kicking ass in case anyone was worried.

Those nuts and olives are indeed quite nice, and the jazz is fun too... I've seen acts there both sedate and rowdy (for the hotel lobby spectrum, of course). This is one of the better hotel bars in the area.

A broken iPhone led me to Clarendon (naturally) and I popped into BC to pick up a bottle of the cheap vino verde the gf likes from there. This location is closing in a few weeks (I think the 16th, but can't remember exactly). All wine is 25% off until then. Corporate is closing all the locations but the NYC branch. Sad, but not surprising.

You know, I should have mentioned those too. In a city bereft of quality tortillas, these were a very nice touch. I just wish my taco fillings had been as good as what you were served!

The arrival of my hometown Mariners and a flexible work schedule allowed me to spend much of this week at the Nationals park. While the Mariners offense didn't exactly leave me inspired, I was pleasantly surprised with most of what I tasted from the new Meyer joints. Shake Shack had the longest lines (the only lines really) and I wasn't in the mood for a burger so I didn't try anything from there. I have a funny feeling that somewhere on the internet you can find reviews and/or commentary on Shake Shack. My two visits to Blue Smoke left me very impressed though. The KC Spare Ribs were hot and tender but retained just enough chew to not taste like fatty gruel. The KC style sauce created a nice sort of candied bark on the outside that left me stunned. I spent much of the first few innings wondering if the best ribs in the DC metro area are at a damned ballpark. Faint praise I know, but these will be immediately on my radar when I'm at a game from here on out. The gf's pulled pork sandwich wasn't quite at that level, sadly. Meat was unpleasantly dry, smoke wasn't as prevalent as with the ribs, and the sauce just... sat in a little blob on top of the meat. Not enough to taste it with every bite, and kind of off putting when you did. It tasted like... ballpark food. The next day I went back and sampled the bbq bologna sandwich. Is it possible for a hyped up concession stand that only sells 4 things to have a cult item? If so, this is it. Porky, sweet, rich, goodness. If this sounds even slightly good to you, I'd highly recommend this or the ribs - if only because you won't miss an inning or two. I also sampled the taco combo platter (ah, the joys of an afternoon game) and was wishing I'd gone back to Blue Smoke. The braised chicken mole had moist meat and a good amount of sweet heat from the 'mole'. The slow-cooked pork carnitas, were as dry and lifeless as the pulled pork. The chili-marinated skirt steak was rubbery and flavorless. No chile flavor, no heat, no taste of seasoning at all, really. I was told I was given two different salsas but they tasted the same so who knows. Going 1-for-3 might work on the field, but not in the stands (and definitely not at 10.25 a pop).

This term gets tossed around too often, but if that's not food porn I don't know what is. One vote for Dhalia Bakery in Seattle if you want it classy. One vote for Zarour's in Chattanooga TN if you want it dirty. I'm keeping my fingers crossed someone on this thread will spill the beans on where to find a decent slice of coconut or banana cream. At this point I'll take decent.

I've now settled on a Race Street with extra pesto here - the extra flavor kicks up what's missing from the old bread. It's a decent sandwich and more consistent than the Pattison Ave. Of course 12 months ago 'decent' was an off day there. Sigh. On the other hand, the $4 cannoli needs to go back to the drawing board. While it's there, they should teach the staff how to fill them.

$25 for $50 at Farrah Olivia