collije

* sauteed mushrooms [this is what I noticed the most] Yup ask for the wellington topping

* a good variety of cheeses [some examples: swiss, american, provolone, pepper jack, blue, muenster, sharp & mild cheddar Yup American (yellow and white), swiss, cheddar, pepper jack , blue all avail incl feta

* onions: choice of sliced raw or caramelized/sautéed onions both availabale, raw red or white, grilled red or white...

Mark, but the issue is that your basic burger doesn't list that detail.

The Burger

This is the one that put us on the map. Served on a fresh, buttery-toasted brioche bun. Specify lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mojo sauce. Add cheese, applewood bacon, double it.

B2C messaging: Should the customer have to guess any of that?:

* Cheese

* Mushrooms

* Onions

Ok, I'll bite, what other toppings would be preferred?

Mark, sorry just getting back to this thread.

Thanks for considering this! Quick list of what I'd love on a "build a burger":

* sauteed mushrooms [this is what I noticed the most]

* a good variety of cheeses [some examples: swiss, american, provolone, pepper jack, blue, muenster, sharp & mild cheddar]

* onions: choice of sliced raw or caramelized/sautéed onions

while not a crab cake there is always the Crab Royale at Ray's

2nd this recommendation.

Hadn't been back to the Burger Joint in a long while so stopped by for dinner about a week ago.

Disappointed that the "build your own burger" options were limited [lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mojo sauce, cheese, applewood bacon]. So went with one of their preformatted ones, the Cuban [slow roasted pork, serrano ham, sweet pickles, dijon mustard and swiss cheese. Served on our brioche bun and grill pressed] and requested medium-rare.

The burger was cooked closer to past medium but the flavor of the Cuban was dee-lish! Accompanying fries are definitely improved from what I last remember. Washed the burger down with a beer which I agree is always nice.

Ray's is still my 1st preference, especially since I prefer to build my own burger & Hellburger's options are fantastic. But Burger Joint is producing a damn fine burger, and needs to go into a regular rotation of mine when I'm jonsing for a good burger.

Happy B-Day GennaroE!

On a whim I stopped here by myself for dinner, and I'm quite happy I did.

Looks like we had many of same things. For starters, I tried the Cream of Mushroom Soup and Pan-Fried Oysters w/ Smoked Pepper Aioli. And for Mains I did the Porgie Crab Imperial [after heavily weighing between the Corned Beef Shortribs, I'll give that a go sometime soon] with the Grilled Corn with Espelette Pepper Aioli. For Dessert I had the Carrot Cake. Good pricing on the dishes for what I got, and nice to see very reasonable pricing for entrees overall [$13 for Fried Chicken to mid-20's for things like the Porgie Crab Imperial, Corned Beef Shortribs, Marinated Flank Steak or the Rockfish].

Imbibed entirely too much the past 2 days so didn't get to sample a variety of their cocktails [quite a few looked interesting] but did have the Peche Mode [Earl-Grey infused Maker's Mark w/ Vermouth, Peach Syrup & Peach Bitters]. Liked it but not sure I loved it. Perhaps the last 2 nights influenced me [to be fair, one of those nights was at The Gibson], so I'll need to come back and do some dedicated imbibing another time.

Many of your comments on the shared dishes echo mine. On the whole I really liked the food. Classic dishes [well classic cocktails too] with kitchen with pretty strong execution. At the restaurant's early juncture, that's a great sign.

Atmosphere is what I'd call accessible. This place can easily accomodate a variety of clientele [small private parties, families, business folks, tucked-away areas for dates, hotel guests]. Music over the speakers ranged from Huey Lewis to SRV to Mellencamp to 70s Funk. I'm sure there are mid-range plans to enhance the space to make it more of their own, but it's certainly fine at this juncture.

So far, imo Sou'Wester complements CityZen in giving hotel diners a good alternate experience while still providing quality food with good service. I look forward to coming back and exploring the menu more.

Bump for a very interesting read!

I found them earlier in the week. It was worth the effort. Finding them is truly an adventure - no telephone and in an "alley." To aid all those searching - get on Wilkins Drive in Rockville, look for the Amalfi Restaurant, St Michel Bakery is around to the east side of the restaurant. The Wilkins Court sign is there but hard to see. So far I have been there twice and tried: Miche bread and french baguette - very good, lemon tart - wonderful, paris brest (no laughs) - very good, raspberry tart - very good, apple turnover - very good, raisin pastry - wonderful. I have not been able to get there early enough to buy their croissant, only got a fleeting look as they disappeared into someone else's bag. Looked very good.

I can confirm the croissants are quite good [sampled the regular, chocolate, & almond versions]. All were very good, but definitely give the Almond version a whirl sometime!

I'm glad David will be back on "P" with Regine again

Second. Nice to see David have a new opportunity after his place in Bethesda closed down.

Lol, another bump for Herbie. He is a chill & very pleasant server.

Just stopped by today, still enjoying their Fish Tacos + their Aquas.

What kind of smoker do you have? If you have a Weber Smoky Mountain this is a good resource: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

For me the keys has been top grade Brisket (lots of marbling), baste/mop/spray more often than other meats, and a reliable thermometer. For about a year, I had been using a thermometer that was 50 degrees off.

Great resource website for all things smoking. And good comments by chaofun.

Have fun cooking it, hope it comes out fantastic!

I've used a combination Megafesa pressure cooker [came w/ a 4Qt & 8Qt pot, & a standard lid that fits both] for quite a few years now.

I love making quick risotto this way [i know, the horror ]. Roughly the same initial steps, but only about 4 minutes pressure cooking on high, quick release pressure & then cook for a few more minutes w/o the lid on to firm it up [it'll be a little goopy after the quick pressure release]. Beats stirring the heck outta it sometimes [ah it's truly a labor of love the traditional way]

Awaiting the fall again to make another batch of Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto, yummy!

Making stocks in here is another easy thing to do.

Sorry yeah I thought so but knew I had a handy webpage w/ a map to the local garages & perhaps some folks would want a visual representation [in case they're coming from Rt. 28 for example].

I should've clarified that.

I typically park in the Govt.-owned garage on 215 N. Washington [since it's free after 7 p.m. & on weekends]

The next rumor I need to investigate is that Bobby is now searing up a good steak. Stay tuned.

About 2 weeks ago I saw Bobby having such a steak in the dining room. Looked quite tasty.

(psssst...hey, you...wanna burger? go to evening star and get the speakeasy burger -- burger with a sweet tea glaze and truffle butter, on a waffle for a bun, topped with cheese, bacon, and a fried egg...no joke! -- just ask for the aardvark...you can thank me later!)

Must ... make ... effort ... to ... try ... this [sorry for all the extra spacing Rocks ]

An utterly compelling gastronomic achievement.

Oh my ... me has to try that!

Just stopped by yesterday w/ a hankering for better-than-decent Q.

The pork ribs here are still smoky [nice to see actual pinkish color from true smoke penetration], good solid, tasty crust on the outside. It makes me want to pull out the smoker soon.

Also tried their Fish Sandwich [today it was Tilapia]. I liked it a lot. Good smokiness on the outside, still moist on the inside. Paired w/ a nice buttery flaky bun, and accompanying "mustard-horseradish" sauce brought a nice light spiciness].

I remember how decadent their Bread Pudding was, but thankfully I resisted.

Still a good place to checkout if in the Bowie area. [stop by on the way to/from the Eastern Shore]

Vetri's a fantastic place, nice to see my hometown have a Chef w/ some recognition!

Confirmed (?) from Orlando that they're closing down the end of the month

Really a shame, I'll miss that place.

Perhaps the price?

I'd check it out sometime.

I finally got around to having the Vidalia burger for dinner at the bar. Really good! Got mine served medium rare. Initial impression when it came out with HUGE mound of fried onion crisps [w/ top bun off], "oh that's large" heh. I promptly placed the top bun on & smashed the burger down. [took notes from prior folks in the Vidalia thread]

Good flavor especially w/ the smoked choppen bacon [but the gouda, lettuce, and fresh mustard & ketchup on the side accompanied well]. Little surprise w/ the bottom of the bun

All in all, quite happy.

Going back tonight for another burger...

I forgot that I meant to eat here soon to try the burger again [long overdue]. Still remembering the Burger thread & the mentions to come to Vidalia.

I come to the esteemed DR.com community with the following need:

a place where 20-30 people can have a sit down dinner where entrees range from $15-$30 and be seated in a private or semi-private area without having to pay a guarantee or a minimum. Something chainish is fine. Ethnic is probably not what I am looking for for these meetings. Oh, thinking somewhere from Gallery Place to Dupont Circle to Foggy Bottom....

thanks!

My dinner group that I help organize specifically does this. Between 15 - 30 folks and a la carte menu on Friday nights no less. We don't agree to any minimums or guarantees other than a fixed 20% large group gratuity policy mandated by the restaurant. Been doing it since Feb. '05 with nearly 400 events under our belt [and most of the restaurants too].

Honestly, if you don't need to plan for a Friday or Saturday night, you can get most restaurants to agree with at least 2 - 3 weeks advanced notice. And if the event is on a Friday/Saturday it's possible but requires flexibility and firm negotiation on your part.

Some ideas in the areas you mentioned: PS 7s, Ceiba, Zaytinya, Siroc, Mio, etc. [to be honest, there are a ton of restaurant with a average entree price less than $30].

If you'd like to talk offline about how to approach this & maybe negotiation tips, PM me. Happy to help.

That's a great score for Sonoma in the short-term. I'll be ordering a seafood dish from there soon!

The sign on the case was still there when I was last in, about 2 weeks ago.

And also as of a few days ago