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Never mind.

Short notice, but I'm looking for someplace decent but not too adventurous (or too salty) for a birthday dinner on Sunday night. We're in Falls Church, they're in Manassas. The closer to their end, the better, but they understand they'll probably have to come to us. Any ideas?

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Actually, a rack in the roasting pan would be a great idea, and I would even recommend adding some water to the pan to help keep it from drying out. Another moisture-adding trick would be to spray it with diluted apple cider (or some would use diluted apple cider vinegar), starting at about 3 hours and repeating every hour or so. And cook it fat-side up. Looks tasty!

OK, so for a decent brisket, you need a low heat source and a lot of time. Aim for a cooking temp of around 225 degrees, and 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound. It's done at an internal temperature of 195 to 205 degrees. So yes, an oven is your best bet. Smoke is great for brisket. If you think you'd be able to keep your grill at 200 - 250, or a little more, for 2-3 hours, there are several methods of getting smoke in a gas grill. I would hit YouTube and see what people are recommending for grills like yours, and figure out if you can do it. So, if you can smoke on your grill, smoke your brisket for 2-3 hours. Hickory is a common brisket wood. If you want a strong smoke flavor, hickory works. To lighten it up, mix it with oak, which is a milder taste. Personally, I like fruit woods. Apple, cherry, or a mix. After smoking, wrap the brisket in foil and put it in a preheated 225 oven. Total cooking time 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound, but briskets vary wildly, so check the temperature early. Usually there's a stall at around 160 degrees that can last a while, and the temperature climbs quickly once it gets past that. 195 to 205 internal temperature is your target. If you're able to smoke, then for your first brisket, go basic - salt and pepper only. That plus smoke is all the flavor you need. You can add to that next time, once you know what the results are. Add the S&P at least four hours before cooking, or up to 12 hours. If you can't smoke your brisket, then cook it in the oven uncovered for a couple of hours, then cover it with foil (or wrap it) for the rest of the cooking time. But you'll need to use a rub with a lot more flavor to make up for lack of smoke. Something like this would work: 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper 1/2 to 1 tablespoon cumin, depending on how much you like it 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon ground chipotle 1 tablespoon brown sugar (whatever variety you prefer) The paprika and chipotle will add some smoke flavor. And if you can find a decent smoked salt, that will help too. Modify the rub freely. Garlic, onion or both would be tasty additions, but you know your own taste preferences. Mix it, rub it all over the brisket. Some people rub yellow mustard on the meat first to help the rub stick, but I've never found that necessary. Rub it 4 to 12 hours before cooking. If you don't use all of the rub on the brisket, add more right before cooking. After you hit the target temp, bring it out and let it rest a minimum of 1/2 hour. If you're not serving right away, keep it in the foil and wrap it in a towel to stay warm. Finish it on a hot grill to restore the bark if you smoked it (the foil will kill it), or to approximate a bark if you didn't. It's good to have some barbecue sauce on hand in case the brisket turns out dry, but otherwise it's entirely optional.

What kind of grill? Gas or charcoal? What size? Shape?

What do you have? An oven, presumably. Do you have an outdoor grill of any kind? Do you have an immersion circulator?

Although there's plenty for a vegan to eat at Fogo, I think the whole experience is just way too meat heavy. She wouldn't complain, but I'd feel uncomfortable. Compass Rose looks like a good possibility. It's been on my list for a while but I haven't been there yet.

Zaytinya is a strong candidate. I'm not overly fond of Jaleo or Oyamel. Has Founding Farmers gotten any better?

Not too far north in the city; Arlington would be OK, too. Looking for some place not overly expensive, but interesting, that can accommodate two diners' dietary restrictions.

Not many people dance ballet at 255 pounds, but yeah, his technique was incredible.

Yes, high school would be a 12 pound shot. That would be in the top 10 in the country most years, but usually there are a couple of throws in the low 70s. Michael Carter was a freak of nature; nobody has come close to him. His daughter has been the top woman in the US (professional, not high school) for some time now.

I forgot to post after having dinner here a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I don't remember the details well enough for a real write-up, but overall the food was very good, service was good, and the physical space casual but comfortable. We had a round of various charcuterie (not by that name) that was delicious - can't go wrong with Spanish ham and chorizo, and whatever else was there was equally tasty. I don't really remember the starters. Two of us had braised pork cheeks as our mains, and both thoroughly enjoyed it. The third had bacalao, and her plate probably didn't need to be washed when it went back to the kitchen. Dessert was a rice pudding; if you like it not too sweet, this was excellent. The drink of choice was sangria, in all three varieties on offer (white, red, sparkling white). All were good, if a bit light. I have no idea what brunch might be like, but it's definitely worth trying for dinner.

Based on the two visits I've had to BLT Steak since Will has been in the kitchen, I strongly recommend that everyone 1) Plan to go before July 1 2) Save up some money 3) Order everything on the blackboard menu (Will's specials) 4) Order the wagyu

I only tried once, but damn, that was quick. I guess Rose's Luxury will move from the top of the list of restaurants I want to try, to the top of the list of restaurants I will never get to try because it's too much of a pain in the ass.

You can get Antonio's fried chicken at brunch. On a waffle. Just thought y'all should know. Oh, almost forgot. Donuts.

Found my receipt. 1/2lb brisket $12, 6 pork ribs $18, sausage sampler $21, beef ribs for 2 (one very large, meaty rib) $36, fried catfish $21. Three snacks for the table $8 each, sides were carrots $13 and potato salad $8. Chocolate hazelnut cake was $8, plus a scoop of ice cream at $4; we had two of each. The rest was cocktails and coffee.

They do seem to realize that they're unreasonably expensive. Their website has the full menu, but with no prices anywhere.

Well, I guess now it does have a thread. Four of us ate here last night. Interesting place - downstairs from a very crowded Ghibellina, dark but not annoyingly so. Nice bar, tasty cocktails. The food is primarily barbecue. According to our dining companions, it doesn't live up to DCity (we haven't been), but overall quite good, better than most barbecue options in town. Well-cooked ribs, although I wasn't thrilled with the flavor of the rub. Brisket was moist, tender and flavorful. Good sausages (beef, pork, lamb) with roasted root vegetables on the side. And a big Fred Flintstone beef rib, which they recommend for two people. It was beautifully cooked. There were two crispy fish options - soft-shell crab and catfish. Catfish was ordered by someone else, and I skipped it, but it was proclaimed the best dish on the table. We had roasted carrots and potato salad as sides; the carrots were good, and I might have loved them if I hadn't had the carrots at BLT Steak last week. We shared all three of their starters; my favorite was the hush puppies. We were somewhat surprised to find live music, but then, we knew nothing about the place. There was a decent jazz quartet playing for the first half of our meal. After a break, they were replaced by a Jamaican-looking duo, both of whom played drums, with one singing, more a drone than a melody. We left fairly quickly. So, decent barbecue, but not a challenger to DCity (which I really do need to try), and significantly more expensive. On a more positive note, you can't eat in an attractive setting with good cocktails at DCity. But swinging back towards the negative, NQD liked the bar and cocktails, and liked the barbecue, but found a disconnect between the two. I'm fine with it, but then I like barbecue in any setting.

Six of us ate here last night. Overall - good, tasty food, would be nice to have as a local restaurant but it's not a destination. I started with crème fraí®che wings - basic fried, crispy wings in a sauce made from, well, crème fraí®che, along with gochujang and a couple of other things I don't recall. The sauce was very tasty, but could have been ... well, no, I just deleted my criticism because that's a matter of personal preference. It was a good sauce. The wings were small, and although perfectly acceptable, I think in search of a crispier exterior they cooked a little longer than was necessary. I wouldn't call them dry, but they were heading there. Dense might be the best word. NQD ordered shrimp & foie gras grits; not being a fan of most shrimp dishes I didn't taste it, but she said the various flavors were good but it didn't really come together, and she thought it was too soupy. Mussels were ordered by a couple of people, but I didn't taste them. I think fettucine was the final starter, also not tasted by me. My entree was basil chicken, a boneless leg that was absolutely delicious, with a wonderful light, crispy skin. There were various other elements on the plate - mushrooms, and a puree of some type, among others - but while tasty, could easily be swapped out for other things. The chicken was the star, and would be anywhere. NQD's pork belly was also very good. The coconut sticky rice that came with it was fairly bland. It's probably supposed to be, but the dish would have been improved if it were either sweeter or more savory. Or better still, if the sauce on the plate added as much flavor as it did color. Unfortunately, it didn't contribute much to the dish. To be clear - this was a nice, tasty dish. But it could have been better. I didn't taste anything else that was ordered. NQD's dessert was a light spring dessert, orange sponge cake dressed up with various things I don't recall in detail. Mine was a bittersweet chocolate bread pudding. Normally I prefer my bread pudding unadulterated, but it looked delicious when presented to nearby tables, so I gave it a shot, and I'm glad it did. Very tasty; the chocolate did overpower the bread pudding flavor, but that's OK. I'd happily order this again. Nice collection of cocktails on the menu. I liked what I tried, there were no misses, but no real wows. I can drink happily here, but again, not a destination. First negative - the room is LOUD. There were only six of us, and we had trouble following the conversation. Second negative - service. Friendly enough, but slow. We started out OK, but after our starters, I noticed empty water glasses, dishes left on the table, and no checks for new drink orders. Nothing individually excessive, but the cumulative effect was a bit annoying. I finally got a cocktail list to look over, but had to wait several minutes before anyone came to actually take my drink order. Between the volume, and our server not directly checking in with everybody, the person sitting next to me never realized that new drink orders were being taken. The plates were eventually cleared, and water started flowing again, but empty drink glasses, and the warm damp towel I was given with my wings (a very nice touch), lingered on the table way too long. Entrees took a while; five arrived and there was an unexplained delay for the sixth. It wasn't terrible, but it was noticeably slow, things were missed, and the staff was not as attentive as they should have been. The restaurant was busy, but they were not slammed. A perfectly nice little restaurant I'd happily return to if I had reason to be in the area, but I wouldn't make an effort for it. But it's close.

A question for those in the business, or otherwise in a position to know: How long does an average bottle sit in the cellar at a restaurant/wine bar like Proof? Specifically, how long before the money invested in it is recouped? How long does an exceptional bottle sit around, not earning back the cash that was spent on it?

NQD and I are coming.

Haven't been to Obelisk in a long, long time. Do they bring out their antipasti one or two bites at a time?

Well, in the particular case of Komi, it's tricky. That's actually one of the problems I had with our meal there; the overall concept of the menu is probably clear to the kitchen, but not so much to us. The first half of the meal was a series of small bites, mostly raw fish and salt. OK, we're sort of in tasting menu territory here. But what's next? More of the same, perhaps branching out into other proteins and progressively more complex preparations (and larger portions)? No, it seemed to suddenly switch gears into a traditional meal structure - app (that awesome date), pasta course and slab o'meat entree (yeah, I want that goat again). OK, so what was that at the beginning? A series of amuses? A fish course served one bite at a time? The two ends of the meal didn't really fit together into a coherent whole; the transition was awkward at best. Ultimately, it was a four-course meal (more or less, it was five years ago and I don't remember the details) with a long intro. More generally, there's no clear delineation. To me, in a tasting menu the various courses are chosen to exhibit the full range and creativity of the chef, and in a multi-course meal every course is selected to build towards a satisfied appetite and palate, even if that means some of the chef's better tricks are left for another occasion. Of course, you should always try to achieve both goals, but it doesn't always work that way. About wine pairings: If you're a wine expert, why bother? Pick a bottle (or 2 or 3) that you can enjoy throughout the evening. But if you're not (and I'm certainly not), pairings are likely to be better choices than I would make myself, and usually give me the opportunity to try several wines I know nothing about. I'd rather my selections be made by "young-amateurish sommeliers who cannot orchestrate a symphony" than by someone who can't read music at all.

Haven't been to Little Serow, but Komi, to me, was a multi-course meal but not a tasting menu.

Different meals for different purposes. Sometimes I want to sit down at a table, have a little something to stimulate my appetite, and a larger something to satisfy it, and a bit of something sweet to finish things off. There are lots of restaurants where I can do that. Sometimes I want to eat a variety of different things. Call it small plates, or tapas, or just a bunch of appetizers with no entree, I want a few bites of something that looks good, and a few bites of something else that looks good, maybe something completely unfamiliar that I'm curious about but don't want to commit to, and I want to be able to make my own choices. There are restaurants that specifically offer that, and others where I can make it happen. And sometimes I want to just sit back and say "show me what you can do." That may be because I genuinely don't know what the chef can do, and I want to let that chef do what he or she thinks represents the kitchen at its best. Or it may be because I do know, and I know I'm going to get a great experience out of it. That sounds like an ideal time for a tasting menu. Which, incidentally, I think is quite distinct from a prix fixe meal. I expect the latter to have greater emphasis on the meal as a whole, and less on the variety of its individual components. None of these options is any better than the others. Any of them can be done well, any of them can be screwed up. What matters is not the format of the meal, it's whether that format is what you're expecting, or willing to accept, on that day.