RJ Cooper

From two Detroit boys here at Vidalia..............(Doug & RJ). One should not go to Detroit to get phu phu gourmet food. Take advatage of the ethnic groups that hibitate in the metro area. greek town-great flaming cheese and lamb......the best greek food in the midwest Laffayette Coney Island..........The only coney Doug and I would ever eat right Rocks!!!!! all kinds of middle eastern foods that are heads above the make shift we get here the best jewish delis are in oak park......come on now Hamtramick is the largest population of Polls oustide Warsaw (ahhhhhh sausages)the greatest slider in the US is in Farmington.......... Greens Hamburgers......55 years of the best greece Detroit is not about great chefs....its about great ethnic foods.........blue collar.......stick to your ribs food. And Rocks Doug says stick up for the Dog

Vidalia is seeking talented cooks to join the culinary team. Culinary school and/or 2 years fine dining experince helpful. Please reply via email to rjcooper@vidalidc.com or fax 202.223.8571

dishes will change truffles will be here all month

This weekend at Vidalia we are shaving albas on 3 dishes: Briar Hollow Farm Rabbit Sausage with creamy risotto, chanterelles and truffle butter 17.50 with shaved alba truffles add 25.00 or with shaved burgundy truffles add 10.00 Hand Rolled Pumpkin Cavatelli with crisp veal sweetbreads, chanterelle mushrooms and sage butter fondue 13.00 with shaved alba truffles add 25.00 or with shaved burgundy truffles add 10.00 Creamy Anson Mills Polenta with parmesan reggiano and alba white truffles 22.00

And the Menu for the dinner Old Vines & New Wines of Spain Friday, October 6th, 2006 Reception with Passed Hors d’Oeuvres 2002Gramona “Grand Cuvee”, Cava, Penedes Amuse Bouche Pinenut Risotto with snail ragout and smoked bacon emulsion First Course Sea Urchin Panna Cotta with cold poached chesapeake oyster, albino adriatic caviar, sea beans annd albariño-meyer lemon emulsion 2004 Lusco Do Mino, Albariño, Rias Baixas Second Course Iberian Ham with poached sekel pear, valdeon, honey gastrique and almond-milk puree 2004 Naia “Naia Des”, Verdejo, Reuda Third Course Foie Gras parfait with plum mustard, spiced pecan and blis sherry vinegar beignet with blackberry-tellecherry peppercorn syrup and white chocolate powder 2000 Costers Del Siurana “Dolc De L’ Obac, Priorat Fourth Course Squab Breast with slate roasted chicken of the wood mushroom-gizzard brochette, kennebeck potato dumplings and smoked chorizo consommé 1996 Muga “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva, Rioja Fifth Course Piedmontese Beef Strip Loin with crispy chic pea cake, onion glass and cocoa nib mole 2003 Clos Erasmus “Laurel” Priorat Dessert Giant White Chocolate-Honey Truffle with vanilla yogurt, apricot sorbet and macadamia nut crunch 2005 Casta Diva “Cosecha Miel”, Moscato, Alicante Mignardises RJ Cooper III-Chef de Cuisine Jeff & Sallie Buben-Proprietors

Okay Rockheads!!!!!!!! I'll let you all in on a great new tradition at Vidalia. We have brought back or Friday night wine dinners. They will start on October the 6th with the first dinner theme being "Old Vines, New Wines" taste of Spain. A sparkling wine reception with canapes follwed by six courses to match the wine the Doug has chosen (see below) is a great way to spend a Friday night. Our second dinner will be on the 20th of October and will be theme Parker's 90pt. Value meal, more details to come. Cheers 2002 Gramona "Grand Cuvee", Cava, Penedes 2004 Lusco Do Mino, Albarino, Rias Baixas 2004 Naia "Naia Des", Verdejo, Reuda 2000 Costers Del Siurana "Dolc De L' Obac", Priorat 1996 Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva, Rioja 2003 Clos Erasmus "Laurel", Priorat

The chill of fall is in the air and we at Vidalia are busy coming up with our fall menu. Posted is the new dinner menu do out Saturday night. We will also be posting about our wine dinners. Stay tuned and check our web site. www.vidalidc.com Happy Eatting. RJ Cooper Chef-Vidalia Appetizers Five Onion Soup cabbage stuffed with duck sausage, sweet garlic soubise and sweet onion glass in a rich onion duck broth 12.00 Truffled Heirloom Potatoes roasted with crispy pork belly, garlic cream, shaved truffles and juniper infused sea salt 14.50 Sweet and Spicy Cured Hamachi molasses cured and seared raw with pear almond kuri squash relish, date espresso purée and ginger-olive oil sorbet 13.50 Hand Rolled Pumpkin Cavatelli with crisp veal sweetbreads, chanterelle mushrooms and sage butter fondue 13.00 Ducks in a Row foie gras parfait, smithfield style duck ham and duck rillettes 13.75 Steak & Egg Tartare prime raw beef tartare with poached quail egg, frisée bacon salad and toasted brioche 13.25 Chesapeake Oyster Toast with globe artichokes, country ham, swiss chard, black pepper brioche and champagne-chive emulsion 12.75 Whipple Farm Salad organic lettuces with crisp market vegetables, capers, fines herbs, applewood bacon, sheep’s milk cheese, egg and mustard-verjus vinaigrette 12.00 Diver Scallops chorizo crusted with cauliflower purée, roasted cauliflower, olive leaf arugula and curry oil 13.50 Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with chow chow relish, sweet potato chips, spiced butternut squash and spicy crab aïoli 13.00 Flight of American Caviar three selections of caviar with cured salmon pavé, smoked trout parfait, cornmeal blinis and crème fraîche 44.00 Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. Entrees Shrimp and Grits sautéed “head on” gulf shrimp with creamy grits, davon crest farm chard, sweet onions, scallions and crayfish-tasso emulsion 29.75 Hereford Beef Sirloin pan roasted with yukon potato purée and root beer braised short ribs layered with cipollini onions and wild mushrooms 32.00 Trout in a Blanket tasmanian sea trout wrapped in phyllo with herb butter, crisp pork belly, honey cap mushrooms, beluga lentils and pinot noir essence 29.00 Red Tail Venison Loin with black pepper-brioche crust, heirloom onions, huckleberry-horseradish purée, chestnuts and venison-red wine reduction 33.00 Atlantic Black Bass pan roasted with black-eyed peas, fennel, oven roasted tomato-cuttlefish ragout and roasted garlic fines herbes emulsion 29.50 Tuscarora Rabbit Loin wrapped with applewood bacon, heirloom pumpkin purée, crispy grits cake, chicory, acorn marmalade and birch beer rabbit jus 32.00 Carolina Mountain Trout deviled crab stuffing with fingerling sweet potato-smoked surry sausage hash, arrow leaf spinach purée and brown butter pecan emulsion 27.00 Suckling Pig with amish braised red cabbage, peanut potato confit, pearl onions, rye-cider gastrique and red wine apple butter 31.00 Vidalia's Vegetable Blue Plate chef's daily selection of four composed vegetable plates featuring local and seasonal market produce 26.00 Farmer’s Farm Quail with chestnut wild rice and apple stuffing, boudin blanc, brussel sprouts, blue plum mustard and rosemary 34.00 Sides Baked Macaroni with Brad’s Goat Cheese and Shaved Truffles 14.50 Fall Mushrooms with Creamy Grits 6.50 Oyster and Applewood Bacon Hush Puppies 7.00 Sweet Potato Custard Soufflé with Glazed Pecans 6.25 9/23/06 Dinner

We do the lemon chess tart only for restaurant week.......On our regular pastry menu we have our traditional lemon chess pie. Come in and try this pie its the best I have ever had.

PLEDGE DRIVE RIDE August 2-12, 2006 DISTRICT HOGS and Share Our Strength are raising additional funds for the NATIONAL KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT being held August 29--“Restaurants for Relief 2” Minimum pledge is 10 cents and we encourage up to $1.00 pledge per mile. The distance from D.C. to Sturgis is 1,600 miles. Each chef and other bikers will have sign up sheets at the restaurants or businesses for anyone to pledge funds. BIKERS: Mike Barch, healthcare programs executive; RJ Cooper, Chef de Cuisine of Vidalia Restaurant; Steve Greenwald, President, D.C. Chapter of La Chaîne des Rotisseurs; David Guas, Executive Pastry Chef of Acadiana, DC Coast, Ceiba, TenPenh; Fred Knight, Entrex, Inc.- advisor in assessing capital; Robert McGowin- Executive Chef at the Old Ebbitt Grill; Maurice Moorgat, Network engineer/ mechanic of the group; Cliff Wharton, Chef de Cuisine of TenPenh; and Robert Wiedmaier, Executive Chef and owner of Marcel's restaurant. Pledge Drive is available these participating restaurants: Acadiana- 901 New York Avenue Ceiba- 701 14th Street NW DC Coast- 1401 K Street NW Marcel’s- 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Old Ebbit Grill- 675 15th Street NW TenPenh Restaurant- 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Vidalia and Bistro Bis Restaurant- 1990 M Street NW Ask at the host or hostess how you can pledge TODAY All proceeds will go to Share Our Strength, Restaurants for Relief 2. (Restaurants across the nation will join together to raise money for the recovery of the Gulf Coast region, for more details www.strength.org ) Simone Rathle simoneink, llc po box 25723 washington, dc 20007 703.534.8100 phone 703.534.8101 fax simonepr@aol.com www.simonesez.com 703.534.8102 associates' phone for overnight packages only: 6011 Chesterbrook Road McLean, VA 22101 The Point - Lake Placid Lodge - Restaurant August International House - -Seeger's DC Coast - Ceiba -TenPenh - Acadiana The Inn of The Five Graces - Cal-a-Vie, The Spa Havens

If you havent heard (or have) a small group of chefs from washington dc who love bikes and cruising through the country side making their first trip to Sturgis SD for the annual bike rally. We are teaming up with share our strength to raise money for the second annual relief fund. How?, your asking?!!!!!!! You can sponsore you of us chefs (the list will be below) on a milage basis. We are looking for sponsors to donate to SOS between $.10 and $1.00 per mile no minnimum or maximum milage (hoping people will donate $1.00 with a minimum of 50 miles). The trip to sturgis from dc is approximently 1600 miles. I will post press release in the morning. Pledge packets are avalible at the restaurant/chefs below. Okay now the Chef's: David Guas-Pastry Chef, Ceiba, Acadiana, DC Coast, tenpenh and our organizer and rding a deuce Cliff Wharton-Chef de Cuisine Tenpenh, riding a night train Robert McGowan-Executive Chef-Old Ebbit Grill, riding a road king Robert Wiedmair-Chef/Owner-Marcel's/Beck, riding a herratige classic RJ Cooper-Chef de Cuisine-Vidalia/Bistro Bis, riding someting new suprise The Great Ramone-Somelier-Marcel's/Beck And others associated with us that are not in the bizzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!! We leave wed. from dc!!!!!!!!!!! Help us help with katrina relife The District Hogs Washington, DC

Heck Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! You can do it either way. Plan ahead and let us know when making a reservation, how many courses, dietary restrictions ect. or We can do it spontaneously. It is a minimum of 5 courses for $70.00 and an average of 12 bucks a course when adding on (depending on ingredients of course). You can also put Doug and Mike to work pairing wines. Lots of cool food in house now!!!!!!!!!! Rocks I cant do that sea trout again. Only 1 time for your palate only.

We just fine tuned our summer menu that debuted on Saturday night. Lunch has a $19.90 3 course tasting menu. Dinner still offers $70.00 5 course. Appetizers Chesapeake Buster Crab Chowder with whipple farm new potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, sweet corn and chives 14.75 Hummingbird Farm Cherry Tomatoes with milk poached buffalo mozzarella, country ham, jalapeño, purple basil and tomato water 14.00 Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup with beet and fennel pollen cured sea trout, vidalia onions, smoked steelhead roe and rye brioche croutons 13.50 Marinated Jumbo Lump Crab Meat with horseradish, coriander, tomato, seaweed salad and ginger vinaigrette 15.00 Pork ‘n’ Beans with slow roasted berkshire pork belly, braised broad beans and lexington barbecue glaze 12.00 Smoked Diver Scallops with summer corn prepared three ways, wild rice, madagascar vanilla-infused sea salt and cipollini onions 13.50 Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with fleur de lys crayfish and a modern sauce nantua 13.75 Whipple Farm Salad organic lettuces with crisp market vegetables, capers, fines herbs, applewood bacon, sheep’s milk cheese, egg and mustard-verjus vinaigrette 12.00 Wild New Zealand King Fish citrus cured with avocado, heirloom beets, baby mizuna, black olive vinaigrette and grapefruit-olive oil sorbet 13.50 Onion Sampler roasted vidalia onion stuffed with wild mushrooms, market onions and saba 12.75 Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. Entrees Shrimp and Grits sautéed “head on” gulf shrimp with creamy grits, crayfish, tasso, scallions and warm cherry tomato vinaigrette 29.75 One Two Hereford Beef strip loin poached in butter and roasted with sea salt, short ribs stuffed in cremini mushrooms with potato boulangère, spinach purée and foie gras hollandaise 36.00 Tasmanian Sea Trout braised in smoked butter with cucumbers, fiery potatoes, chorizo, smoked steelhead roe and matelote vinaigrette 29.00 Shenandoah Lamb with strip loin, kidney, tortoloni of braised breast, artichokes prepared three ways and lemon compote 34.50 Roasted Eastern Shore Flounder with sweet & sour heirloom radishes, shallots, grapes, pursalane and navarro verjus-verbena emulsion 28.50 Tuscarora Rabbit Saddle stuffed with sweetbreads, borlotti beans, candied baby fennel and licorice powder 32.00 Roasted Wild Halibut with lima bean ragout, honey mushrooms, onion “glass” and smoked ham hock emulsion 31.00 Smothered Chicken Sous Vide bantam chicken braised in black pepper gravy with summer root vegetables, hen o’ woods mushrooms and rosemary cream biscuits 27.50 Vidalia's Vegetable Blue Plate chef's daily selection of four composed vegetable plates featuring local and seasonal market produce 26.00 Farmers’ Quail cornbread and pecan stuffed breast, leg confit, sweet corn pudding and chanterelle mushrooms 34.00 Sides Baked Macaroni with Brad’s Goat Cheese and Summer Truffle 12.50 Sweet Corn Pudding with Herb-Garlic Popcorn 6.50 Braised Broad Beans with Smoked Pork Collar 5.50 Vidalia Onion Casserole with Smoked Bacon and Pecorino 6.75 7-8-06 Dinner Chocolate, Chocolate Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake with coffee cocoa-nib ice cream, espresso reduction and white chocolate foam 9.75 Silvano Garcia Dulce, Mourvedre, Jumilla, Spain 03’ 16.75 Chocolate Napoleon layers of rich chocolate and caramel mousses with tempered chocolate disks and caramel sauce 10.25 Cockburns 10 Year Tawny Port NV 16.25 From Orchards and Patches Local Bing Cherries with nancy’s camembert cheesecake, pistachio biscotti and port reduction 9.75 Jonesy Old Tawny Port, Australia NV 13.25 Toigo Orchard White Peach mille feuille with lavender sorbet, peach wine gelée and crisp butter pastry 10.00 Mas de Bellevue, Muscat, Muscat de Lunel, France 04’ 14.00 Seasonal Fresh Berries with chantilly cream or baked with sabayon 11.50 Flare Sparkling, Moscatel, Spain NV 15.00 From the Farms Sweet Corn Chiboust with bourbon glace and cracker jacks 9.50 Chamber’s Tokay, Muscadelle, Rutherglen, Australia NV 15.50 Sheep’s Milk Yogurt Panna Cotta with watermelon soup and mint-cucumber granite 9.75 Vriesenhof Melelo, Red Muscat, Stellenbosch, S. Africa 05’ 15.75 Classics Vidalia's Lemon Chess Pie buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard garnished with raspberries and sweet cream 9.25 Baumard, Chenin Blanc, Coteau du Layon, Loire, France 03’ 13.25 Georgia Pecan Pie served warm with bourbon butterscotch, praline ice cream and cocoa nib 9.75 Chamber’s Tokay, Muscadelle, Rutherglen, Australia NV 15.75 Triple Scoop house made sorbets or ice cream with crisp vanilla cookies 9.00 Flare Sparkling, Moscatel, Spain NV 12.50 Hope to see ya'll!!!!!!!!!! The gracious staff of Vidalia

To all y'all "rockers" out there!!!!!!!!!!!! We have started our series of Friday night wine dinnners. Our first dinner was in April, Sin Qua Non wines were Doug Mohrs choice with 7 course of food to match. On Friday the 26th of May is our next installment................"Pinot Camp" featuring wine centered around that famous get away that I and others here about "Just got back from Pinot Camp..........Wow did we have fun". No we can have a taste of what is like in our wine room that friday night. Including the wines we will be doing a seven course food paring to match these extrrodunary wines that Doug has picked for the event. match. Please check our web site or contact us by phone or email for other details. Here is our press release for this event: Please join us for an extraordinary evening featuring the wines of some of Oregon's top small producers and Robert MacFarlane or Roanoake Valley Wines The first Oregon "Pinot Camp" was held in 2000. Over 40 Oregon wineries grouped together and invited selected retailers and sommeliers from across the U.S. to experience Oregon vineyards, wines, winemakers and hospitality first hand. It has since become an annual event held each June in the Northern Willamette Valley and now consists of over 50 wineries. The camp is built around a series of seminars, tastings and dinners designed to increase knowledge of and to instill a passion for, Oregon wines. This, the last dinner in our series of Friday night May wine dinners, is a "mini" pinot camp!. We hope to expose you to some wines you may not had the opportunity to taste as well as a little information about these producers and the Oregon wine scene in general. To help provide us with some Oregon insight we've invited Robert MacFarlane, who after working with noted importer Bobby Kacher, left to help Roanoake Valley….a small family owned import wholesale company in Virginia, specializing in the wines of the Pacific Northwest. Robert has traveled to the Willamette Valley twice a year for the last several years to keep his finger on the pulse of the Oregon wine industry. Not only visiting and barrel tasting at blue-chip producers (Ken Wright, Brickhouse, Patricia Green, Evesham Wood and Domaine Serene) but also to seek out the new generation of "smaller" producers. (Sam Tannahill, John Grochau, David Autrey, etc.) Executive Chef R.J. Cooper has created an exemplary menu to pair with each wine. The dinner is $175.00 per person excluding tax and gratuity. Seating is limited. Please call a Manager at 202.659.1990 for reservations. This evening promises to be a great culinary event of wine and food. We hope you will join us for our last May wine dinner and become one of our "happy pinot campers". Camp Wines 1999 Argyle Brut 2004 Evesham Wood "Blanc de Puit Sec" 2002 Hammacher "Cuvée Forêt Diverses" Chardonnay 2002 Belle Pente "Murto Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2004 GC(Grochau Cellars) "Cuvee des Amis" Pinot Noir 2004 Ken Wright Cellars "Savoya Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2004 Ken Wright Cellars "Canary Hills Vineyard" Pinot Noir Clear Creek Grappa of Pinot Noir Menu Reception Passed Hors d'Oeuvres Amuse Bouche Dungeness Crab in Three Forms First Course Black Bass Ceviche Mille Feuille with brioche melba toast, seaweed salad and razor clam-meyer lemon vinaigrette Second Course Smoked Maine Diver Scallop with grilled white asparagus, blue foot mushroom and truffle emulsion Third Course Salmon in a Blanket wild alasakan salmon wrapped in phlylo with crisp pork belly and pinot noir-lentil emulsion Fourth Course Turlock Farm Squab with foie gras stuffed morel mushrooms, wild cress and confit leg mignonette Fifth Course Calotte of Long Grass Fed Beef with semolina cake, wild ramp tops, tellecherry pepper-huckleberry gastrique Dessert Lingonberry-Grappa Terrine en Gelee with pink peppercorn crème brulee and pinot noir syrup Mignardises Hope to see some of you there. Chef RJ

Spring is here!!!!!!!!!!!! The Mid Atlantic farms and coastal seaports are starting to produce. Our team of culinarians have just transitioned the menu to spring foods. We implamented the spring menu this weekend, with passover and easter falling in the same week, we were a little lighter then usual so the transition was smoother. Some highlights: "Pig in a Blanket", crisp tete de cochon with cheddar-rosemary bisuit, quail egg and red eye gravy. Citrus cured hamachi with compressed charentais mellon and lychee puree, verjus sorbet Foie gras terrine with rhubarb The ever popular southern Cassoulet Eastern Shore Black Bass In May we will be starting our Friday night wine dinners in the Cellar. Check out our web site for details. www.vidaliadc.com