ol_ironstomach

United is again pushing their frequent flyer miles dining program, which ultimately leads back to Rewards Network, which operates United's membership dining rewards program as well as practically everybody else's in the US. They've been at it for nearly 30 years, and reported 2011 in-network spending to the staggering tune of $723 million. All of it dining. What is interesting to note, and I don't know if they've done this all along, is that lately the emphasis seems to be on the optional post-dining review mechanism, which seems to be a requirement for the current bonus air miles campaign. I'm tempted to interpret this as a push to Big Data-ize the performance and marketing analysis services they sell to member restaurants. Wikipedia reports that by 2000, Rewards Network was the world's largest "dining rewards" program. Maybe they still are, but I wonder if they're not scrambling to stay relevant in an age when the upstart group deals site memberships are well into an order of magnitude larger. The casualties are already out there: American Express used to participate in RN's iDine program, but dumped it in favor of upstart DinnerBroker.com, which flamed out 2011 after a decade of operations.

Sietsema's preliminary take: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/range-firing-on-all-cylinders/2012/12/28/b57a75a8-46c8-11e2-8e70-e1993528222d_story.html

A quick shout out for the Alpine Bakery & Trattoria west of Alpharetta. Lunch is what you'd expect on an Italian-American menu, with large portions and somewhat better than average execution. But the bakery is the real reason to make the trip to this location in an otherwise nondescript strip mall. Enormous wedges of cake. Elaborate cheesecakes. Ridiculous cupcakes. And cookies. The pignoli are excellent but too precious at almost $20/lb, especially when the amaretti can be had for $12/lb and are terrific. Very good "mini" sfogliatelle which were hardly mini, and even better: a "lobster tail" which was basically a cream horn, except made with sfogliatelle pastry. Dining in the northern suburbs reveals an interesting property of the local restaurant scene. Given a predominance of bland strip mall commercial real estate in all but a few historic town centers, more than a few establishments have turned to elaborate interior designs and blocked out exterior windows, making sitting down to dine an immersive experience that shares nothing with the forgettable neighborhood outside.

This amuses me. In 2009, we were browsing a wool shop in the charming hamlet of Picton, Ontario, located on the opposite shore of Lake Ontario several hours east of Toronto. Paraphrased: Shopkeeper: "Oh, you're from Maryland! You must love going to the sheep and wool festival!" Us: (cluelessly) "What sheep and wool festival?" Shopkeeper: "You must be kidding. It's enormous! Everybody goes to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. We go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!" So, yeah. Local wool.

Customs has a limited time to examine imports for detention, and an almost unbelievable workload. My guess is that we'll see that trend continue, especially as it's simply more difficult to combat fraud issues the farther and farther away you get. And the seafood is coming from very far away these days. See map on page 6: http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/649010.pdf

I said that already Now highlighted for emphasis.

Too early to say that. They're only in preview "pop up" mode right now. I had written a brief diatribe about some of the differences between what most of us do and what a critic does, but that's not really relevant.

Say hi next time! (I had to wake up at some crazy hour several weeks ago to get this res, not unlike shopping for a new Apple product.) I am told that the lack of a phone number was not intentional, and that Range only got their phone lines plumbed in a couple of days ago. Even so, your chances for getting a walk-in seat aren't entirely zero so long as you can deal with bar seating: there are a few stylish lounge four-tops (with unfortunately awkwardly proportioned sofas for seating...try sitting in one and you'll see what I mean) in front of the bar, plus the bar itself, and bars in front of several of the kitchens placed throughout the dining area. It's too early for anybody to review this place as a going concern, and my guess is that they'll still be sorting out the FOH processes for the next few months, so don't draw too many conclusions from the early reports including this one. It was clear that Voltaggio (who was working in the central kitchen alongside his staff) was already tweaking processes and ordering additional supplies and wares to improve his operations, for instance some visual distinctions between still and sparkling water vessels. They clearly hadn't fully worked out a system for matrixing so many specialty kitchens - each one basically with its own pass - against so many orders yet. Espresso isn't available yet, nor are the housemade sodas. Some condiments were either unavailable or had already been changed. There is no parking validation at the moment. Range's concept is ambitious, and almost Batali-esque in its attempts to cover so much different ground. Range is practically four or five restaurants in one, from the seafood raw bar to the wood-fired oven, to the bakery, the main kitchen, the dessert bar and the drinks bar, each with its own staff of specialists. You have to remember that unlike his last two restaurants, this one is opening far, far away from his power base at Volt, and at this size it's almost as if he's building a series of teams from scratch. That's not to say that the servers weren't helpful and gracious to the very last one, but considering the number of floor managers with earpieces hovering throughout the room, there was a surprising degree of not-yet-organized chaos visible beneath the surface. But what a kitchen team! The bar crew, under Owen's management, brings serious cocktail creativity closer to the MoCo border than it's ever been before, and pours much of it in very appropriately-sized coupes which will probably draw some the undeserved ire of some well-heeled patrons who really just want a giant martini glass of cold vodka. Our own Poivrot Farci lords over the meats, including a version of his pâté en croûte of pork and squab with pickles. Partway into our meal, pizza man flagged me down as I was returning to my seat; out of their wood-fired oven, his margherita ($12) remains noteworthy, although mysteriously it arrived precut into quarters The menu we were presented wasn't exactly the same as the one online, but close enough to give you an idea of what's in store. We did find it a bit odd that there were no soups at all, and precious few green things offered apart from the sprouts, kale, and a couple of items from the garde manger. The by-the-glass wine list could also really use a Riesling option. The menu is nominally "small plates" with a few exceptions, and our server told us that three plates were suggested. Personally, I think you'd be well sated at three plates per diner, as most things came in somewhat more generous portions than one might see at other "small plates" concepts. It wasn't always evident just how large some of the items would be, so it would be wise to ask about the sharing potential of specific items. I'm only going to call out a few things from our visit. First, while the selection of hams was credible but not really awe-inspiring (except for the gloriously funky EcoFriendly Virginia prosciutto, which I thought roundly trounced the vaunted Surryano), the terrines and pâtés were outstanding, including the best head cheese I've had. The potted foie ($21) was incredibly creamy and rich, and I would suggest is really too large a serving, even factoring in sharing. Baked goods were also quite strong, with the skillet cornbread perfectly browned underneath without residual greasiness, and a much better interpretation of bacon marmalade than the original item from Brooklyn. The lobster dusted with chilies, garlic, and shallots was also terrific. And do get the brussels sprouts. We also loved the tagliatelle, which had the perfect amount of chew, suggesting that somebody had taken the care to dry it to the ideal moisture content before cooking. Meanwhile, the unbelievably plump goat cheese ravioli was marred by a fresh and delicate pasta that was just slightly undercooked and doughy. Difficult to pull that trick off without the ravioli falling apart, but they *almost* nailed it, and deep down I was really encouraged that they hadn't just tried to pass off a one-dough-fits-all pasta. I don't know who designed the space but it's suitably modern (as opposed to Family Meal, which looks much spiffier than it has any right to), even if some of the design choices don't work anywhere as well as they look. The aforementioned lounge seats are tres chic, but the armrests interfere with entry and egress and the backs are set so deeply that most patrons will end up awkwardly perched on the front edge. The bathroom design seems to have sprung full grown from some architect's head without much practical testing. There are huge glass sliding doors to the bathrooms that you must first recognize as doors, and then find the fingerhole grab to open. They seem to have some sort of inertial open/close "helper" on the track, but it's too slow-reacting to be of any practical value (I only noticed them because I paused to study a door as I exited). The faucets and valves are touchless, but not the soap dispenser. And I'm predicting that in the subdued lighting, more than a few people will accidentally walk into the mirror adjacent to the door while reaching for the reflection of the handle. To be blunt, I predict it's going to take them a couple of months to figure out how to make the FOH really flow, and that might hurt them with the critics' first looks. The cooking is also not in the style of uber-modern dining that Voltaggio is famous for. Still, for the adventurous diner, the potential of the menu should already be magnetic. Take the Metro there, grab a bar seat (since the tables seem to be booked into January), pick carefully, and explore a couple of plates and glasses at a time.

We had a variety of DC Brau beers at a holiday party last night, all in growler format, and I found them to be well made but simply much too hop-forward for my tastes, with both the bittering and aromatic hops tending to steamroller the malt notes time and time again. If you're a hop fiend, this is for you, as each brew deliberately elaborated its own distinct hop profile. Unlike so many other microbrewers, this was definitely NOT a case of every brew tasting alike. For me though, these were examples of craftsmanship in a movement I dislike - less "beer" and more "hop vehicle" - continuing the 1990s IBU escalation that started on the West Coast. Ironically, the other growlers we poured were from Chocolate City and perhaps could have used a bit more hop fragrances, but I'd take elaborated malt action over elaborated hops most days.

Slices of domestic Fuet, and a couple of precious ounces of imported jamón Iberico. I don't think it's possible for me to go into A&H and only buy the thing I came in for, in this case a nice piece of bacalao. Also picked up more Ortiz anchovies since we were running low. The Iberico (alas, non-bellota, and machine sliced) is temporarily available, in addition to their usual Serrano.

The latest online Costco.com deal (thru 12/19 "while supplies last") is the Blendtec Connoisseur with both Wildside and Fourside jars for $400 delivered. Sales tax in MD and VA, even though it's not in the brick-and-mortar locations (Gburg is currently running a Vitamix deal instead). http://www.costco.com/.product.11738721.html This is Blendtec's high-end version which can be reconfigured for permanent installation into a countertop. Shown as out of stock on Blendtec's website at $649 MSRP (http://www.blendtec.com/products/total_blender_professional_series). The Wildside jar topped a side-by-side comparison of high end blenders last year. Guess I'll be running another branch circuit to the kitchen this winter.

A very peculiar and sudden development, so much so that one has to wonder if Parker has discovered some sort of terminal condition. Or believes in Mayan doomsday.

Awesome info...thanks!

Any leads on goetta? Currently fascinated by this Cincinnati-centric distant cousin to scrapple and haggis.

Website is running, but still just a facade. Looks like Kats has kicked recruiting for his staff into high gear. From the description: "We are a two concept restaurant; the first floor is a traditional Sapporo-style ramen shop, while the second floor is our take on a Japanese Izakaya. Our Chef/Partner is Katsuya Fukushima, a veteran of DC restaurants such as minibar and Cafe Atlantico. We will be open for lunch and dinner, using both local products and specialty goods from Japan. The Izakaya will have a comprehensive bar program, with high quality cocktails, a large selection of Japanese sake, whiskey, and shochu, an in depth wine list, and over 40 Japanese and local beers." Follow the link for one blogger's notes and photos from the pop-up preview at Starchefs ICC in October. Now that Suna has opened, and Range is in preview mode, will Daikaya open in time to compete for honors with the class of 2012, or 2013?

So the producers of Armagnac have quietly been commercializing la Blanche Armagnac now that it is no longer forbidden in public. Will it languish in le trou Gascon, or will it find life as an alternative to eau-de-vie, marc, pisco, and other clear distillates? Has anyone encountered it (perhaps the Laubade) in the DC market? An intriguing NYT article from earlier this year.

Their "first look" video is up and the scope is ambitious, to say the least. I'm curious how the seating arrangement is going to work if you're looking for a variety of items beyond the specialties of the station in front of you, but this is going to be very interesting. Numerous in-dining-room kitchen stations, snout-to-tail locavore menus, and even a gift shop in partnership with Williams-Sonoma. Their OpenTable book has been filling quickly since it was opened to the public last week.

Also fantastic for ceviche.

While I don't have anywhere near Don's understanding of Riesling much less of wine, I couldn't resist splurging on the '06 Dönnhoff (Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg) "Felsentürmchen" Spätlese off the list at the Inn at Little Washington three weeks ago. Because we weren't drinking it in isolation, it's hard to know how much of the salivating going on was due to the wine and how much to the Inn, but in spite of a bit more sweetness than I had expected (which might not have made for the most perfect match with our food) it was a beautiful thing. I've only had the good fortune to crack open three or four Dönnhoffs ever, but this one promised so much on the nose, and delivered even more on the palate...ripe, fresh, and layered. I can only wonder what Don's "perfect" '02 must have been like. If I were a religious man, I think I'd probably choose to spend my Sundays at the Terry Theise parish of the Church of Riesling.

Well played, Joe. Well played. Even when you love your work, there's a lot to be said for having more time for living.

Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, we stopped in for dinner yesterday. Alexanders is a good countryside dining experience, with a few quibbles that are readily forgiveable, and above all with an honesty to the cooking that is unimpeachable. The reviews I found generally raved about the fried chicken, so naturally I had to give it a spin. The version here is excellent, and worthy of top-tier status, even if I slightly prefer Family Meal. For less than $16, you get a sizeable half chicken, in an outstanding cornmeal dredge whose seasoning kept reminding me of Old Bay minus the paprika...is it celery seed? I can only assume he runs his fryer a good bit hotter than I do, because there wasn't a hint of greasiness even though the blonde crust was beautifully crisp. However he preps the bird, however, leaves it with only average tenderness and moistness. Wednesday night is all-you-can-eat chicken night (reservations recommended), but I can't imagine finishing a normal order in one sitting, much less needing more. The thigh passed the "next morning cold leftovers" test with flying colors. Also reportedly popular is the shrimp on a bed of well-made stone ground grits, so we gave that a spin as well. I thought the flavors were very good, and the shrimp was perfectly cooked, although it seemed to me that they were using a larger size than the small white shrimp of the coastal Carolinas...probably just the difficulty of sourcing that kind of quality shrimp. Winners among the starters: try the sliders with the beef brisket option. It's a good bbq brisket to begin with, made better by the thin smear of sauce on excellent little county biscuits split in half. The bread plate holds housemade sweet potato biscuits, served with a molasses butter that's good enough to be a cupcake frosting. The fried green tomatoes are again covered in a light cornmeal dredge, and would be plenty good even without the corn/tomato/shrimp chutney on top. Boudin balls are served as elongated croquettes along with a remoulade, but the mix is crazy generous with smoky pork barbecue (maybe 80%) and only a small amount of rice for filler...it's really more of a 'que dish than a boudin, if you were expecting Louisiana style. Quibbles: the biggest problem is probably that they could stand to crank up the thermostat in what is, after all, a poorly insulated old Victorian mansion. The front parlor made for a keep-your-jacket-on sort of experience. My next observation is that they could benefit from upping their dessert game; we saw some nice but innocuous slices of cake go past, but I opted for the housemade ice cream, which probably strayed into the "too high % butterfat" zone, and could have used more sweetness and a much stronger vanilla. Finally, while you know how much I love Benton's bacon, it DOES act as a "flavor bully", imparting an uncharacteristically strong smoke flavor to anything it touches, and tending to linger long afterwards. I loved it in the exemplary "Southern greens" where it really gives the collards some punch, but found it overkill in the Hoppin' John, making the overall experience a bit too smoky, especially in conjunction with the abundance of the chef's own smoked meats. All in all, these were minor misses. I have to say that prices were remarkably low, including the wine list, although in the latter's case there was little to choose from. Is this a Zagat 29-ish place? I would think perhaps something 24ish would be more appropriate. In more than a few ways, it reminded me of dining at Monocacy Crossing before that place became quite the local hangout. But it's a pretty friendly menu for a family outing, in a charming and nearby location when the outside temps aren't too low. Everything was very well made, even the few items I didn't completely love. And periodically I need a low country fix that doesn't involve attempting to cook it myself. We'll definitely be back.

I wish I had known, but shouldn't have been surprised. We had a tasting menu at Elements two summers ago, and chef Scott Anderson's work was both gorgeous and delicious, if only a bit less broadly conceptual than Town House had been. (Almost obscenely generous use of morels, but you should have seen the box his forager brought into the kitchen...) Worth the trip, if you're between Philly and NYC.

[Having just read this, I have to agree with the masses...schadenfreude or not, this letter doesn't really contribute any new substance, and looks rather like "piling on" - ol_i]

(Holdover from Sunday, with a bottle of very good "Rambler Ale" Belgian-style blonde from Adelbert's Brewery, Austin TX) To Kevin, and to Anna Katherine, who both should have been there with us. Victory laps are on-course.

A lot of us were skeptical about the likelihood of success for reviving the F1 USGP at a new site in the scrubland southeast of Austin Bergstrom Airport, but at the same time if the ambitious plan were to be completed in time, it could only have happened in Texas. A rumored $340 million of investment later, and suddenly Austin is home to the best new racetrack in the world in decades. I thought it would be very good, but it turned out to be spectacular. There are a few mistakes to be ironed out, but the inaugural event ran far more smoothly than anybody could have guessed. Officiating doesn't leave a lot of spare time to explore town, so my limited efforts were concentrated on the Wednesday before, and the Monday after. Uchiko, as others have mentioned, is a standout. The ten-course omakase is designed for two diners and although based on the day's availability, the menu is "set" for the evening, so our party of six opted for two omakase menus, plus a parallel course of plates mostly at the chef's discretion. The top section of their menu dedicated to the day's selection flown in from Tsukiji, so I did insist that one course include the horse mackerel. For the most part, Paul Qui's dishes excelled at augmenting traditional sushi-based flavors with unexpected ingredients like nasturtiums. The potato "scallops" were creative, and a nigiri of fresh bonito with a slice of black truffle was a sledgehammer of flavor. Only two items fell a bit short: an uni which was utterly fresh but lacking in briny sweetness, and a "48-hour wagyu shortrib" which was a bit too obviously a crutch. Note also that a couple of the courses aren't really suitable for dividing into individual portions, including a stew-like fish en papillote that needs to be eaten from the serving dish, so you need to be pretty friendly to choose the omakase. We also noted that the wine list was very usable. Following the Burgundy-is-sushi-friendly trend that began here with Sushi-ko, the list was skewed towards pinot noir and chardonnay, and then sake. However, our lead diner was also an aficionado of Terry Thiese's portfolio so we conspired to pour the others the last bottle in the house of the NV Billiot "Cuvée Laetitia" (despite NV status, a blend of the house's older wines), followed by two Rieslings: the 2011 Bründlmayer "Kamptaler Terrassen", and the 2010 Hexamer "Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg" "Quarzit" which had somehow bucked the stony high acid profile of its original catalog description. Was it revelatory? Here I have to confess that I didn't think so. But it was still excellent; service was warm and efficient, and the company and conversation made for an excellent evening. There's also the local Ferrari dealership in the building next door, in case you need something to look at while waiting for your reservation. I could not visit central Texas without attempting to sample the local 'que, but therein lies the danger that if it's too good, I can't really just sample and move on. I didn't leave a meal open to hit Franklin's, and they weren't open on Monday when I headed towards San Antonio, but I did manage to get to Lockhart. I stopped at Black's, where the brisket was pretty darn good and very tender, and the "giant beef rib" was ridiculous. Both had a fairly straightforward oak smoke flavor, without a lot of contribution from the rub. Their ring sausage was decent. Unfortunately, I just didn't have room left to hit Smitty's, which was my original plan. MelGold and others rave about City Market, in downtown Luling, and with good reason. I had expected the draw to be the brisket, but found theirs to be tasty but a bit dry even when cut from the fatty end. The ring sausage was superb, however, with a great snap to the casing, and the forcemeat rich and moist. The surprise that blew me away, though, was the pork ribs (!). Especially the last rib on the small end. Slight chew and tug. But that bark...easily the best bark I've ever encountered on a piece of pig anywhere. Great moderate smoke flavor, and a lot of interaction with the rub. Where the ribs thinned out near the bone, it took on an almost Peking duck quality. I have a lot of respect for the work of any credible pitmaster who works live coals, but this was truly special. I went back for more ribs...and this was the morning of our Uchiko res, when I was intentionally saving room. Worth the trip from either Austin or San Antonio, period. I did not make plans to revisit the well-known Salt Lick, but it turns out that they had been contracted to cater the marshals' dinner on Thursday. Certainly not the best Salt Lick I've had, but pretty good for catering. Two of my friends, one from the UK and the other from France, had been chatting up some local ladies in the media center, which led to a lunch recommendation. One half-mile east of the new Circuit of the Americas, on the north side of FM812, stands Wild Bubba's, a local burger shack which specializes in game burgers. Try the antelope...it's pretty good, and surprisingly non-gamey. I got to thank Bubba himself when he stopped by briefly, before taking one of his game rancher suppliers and some pals on a tour of the racetrack. Without going into details: taco trucks are about the same everywhere but the chorizo is better there; Tex-Mex chain restaurants aren't that much different except that they properly crisp up the edges of your carnitas unlike anything I can find here; the sweet tea is sweet but not saturated to a cloying level as in the mid-South. I saw gasoline for $2.98, and folks were really polite and friendly.