agm

Yeah, the traffic has really killed Maestro's business.

Interesting. I've been there maybe a half-dozen times, and never had any problems of that sort (well, except for one occasion when someone who is no longer there seemed rather upset that one of our party actually poured his own wine - no words were spoken, but she watched very closely afterwards). Let's see what happens on Friday night.

Any visits to Bamian in 2007? NQD and I will be going there this Friday with friends. Are the highlights from 2006 still the best choices, or does anyone have a current set of can't-miss/must-miss dishes?

Since nobody has mentioned this yet: "Tres Sabores Wine Dinner Monday, September 17, 2007 Join us for a five course dinner featuring the fine wines of the Tres Sabores winery. Julie Johnson, 'Wine Grower' of Tres Sabores, will be on hand to describe her creations. The evening will begin with a reception at 6:30pm with dinner following at 7:15pm. The price is $89 per person including tax and tip." Menu and further details on the RK website.

On Saturday I tried Nathan Anda's bacon-wrapped fig recipe (link posted here a couple of months ago). It calls for dried figs, not fresh, which is an essential point, as he uses chicken stock and incredible amounts of butter to reconstitute them. At this stage, the figs were so incredibly rich, sweet and tender that the bacon in the final version was an annoying distraction.

I had already been thinking about bacon-wrapped figs, and then somebody posted a link to the recipe for the EatBar version in the figs thread in the shopping and cooking forum, so I tried it. It's a hard thing to admit, but I think I actually preferred the figs (dried, reconstituted with chicken stock and huge amounts of butter) without the bacon. I found a recipe for the risotto balls earlier this year that worked beautifully on my first attempt, and made me think the difficulty of good risotto was overblown; this time around it provided plenty of challenge and didn't turn out as well. Oddly enough, although I've enjoyed many of the items on the EatBar menu, I've never had either the figs or the risotto balls. I guess I'll just have to go back.

I had a couple of good chicken tikka wraps at Naan and Beyond. But I've also walked out of there with a chicken tikka wrap that tasted bland, boring, almost completely unseasoned. Nothing remotely resembling chicken tikka, and nothing like the previous ones. I didn't bother finishing it. So I'd have to agree that on occasion, Naan and Beyond can, in fact, be tasteless. But I also agree that this is not the norm for them.

NQD and I went to Farrah Olivia on Friday night with two friends, taking advantage of their extended Restaurant Week offerings. I don't really have time for a full write-up, but before I forget completely, I just wanted to say that our experience was similar to jiveturk21's. Very good to excellent food, pretty much all-around. The two people who were not thrilled by their entrees (neither disliked their dish, they just found them somewhat lacking) each thought the other's entree was excellent. Everything was well-conceived and well-executed. Yes, there were powders and oils and liquid spheres everywhere, but all of it seemed to work quite well to support and enhance the base dish rather than distract from it. Service was friendly and enthusiastic, but not polished. The bartender makes a very good mojito. If I get a chance I'll edit this post with specifics; for now I just wanted to say that the problems and the inconsistency that were talked about here in January seem to have been worked out (as far as I can tell from a single visit). Well worth a visit; we'll be back.

If you're in the Falls Church area, and you look up Papa John's in the phone book, you'll see several listings. If you pick the right location, dial the first three digits, and glance back at the page to get the next four, you may accidentally read the line below the one you're calling. Especially if it's late, or if you're drunk. If you do, we get the call. I've been tempted to take orders, but it's really not worth the effort. Fortunately, fewer people are using the phone book these days than, say, five years ago.

<< deafening silence >> Yeah, that's about what I expected.

Interesting. This is very definitely not what we were told a couple of weeks ago at dinner. Our server was unsure of what would be happening, but clearly expected the restaurant to stay open and expected the sous chef and others in the kitchen to stay on.

Restaurant K at 1700 K, Restaurant Kolumbia at 1801 K. Hmm.

Does anybody know this place? Is there anything decent there? I'll be there for a VERY long day in September, and I will be in serious need of a good meal. So far it's not looking promising; a chain steakhouse may be my best option. How bad can Montana Mike's be, anyway? I'm hoping there's a better option. I'm also hoping that someone here might know what it is. Can anyone help me? Please?

I think there are two different issues here, and you may be lumping them together when they shouldn't be. Issue one - the service and food consistency problems at Bebo - are beyond Joe's ability to fix. He knows there are problems, Roberto Donna knows there are problems, presumably everyone at Bebo does. Whether they're unable to fix them, unwilling to fix them, or just don't give a crap, who knows? Joe's not in a position to fix them, and I don't think he's trying to, even though it sounds as if people want him to. Issue two - how can YOU get a decent, even excellent, meal there? This is what Joe can help you with. Because of his friendship with Roberto Donna and his familiarity with the restaurant, he can provide tips on what and how to order that will help you have a much better experience there. Should Joe keep his mouth shut and not help you get a better meal simply because he can't fix all of the other problems in a restaurant that he has no ties to beyond friendship? Sorry, but that just doesn't make any sense to me. Because of Joe, I now know how to get a potentially great meal at a decent price in a place where otherwise I might be lucky, or might not. Thanks, Joe.

FYI - the dining room was busy when we arrived at 8:00 last night (Friday), but not full. Reservations can be had.

I've done some reading up on the subject, and apparently the regional variations are enormous. Tomato juice or clamato are mandatory in some areas, and competely unheard of elsewhere. OK, folks - enough talking about it. We need to see some recipes! Or maybe this calls for a bunch of potential ingredients, some empty glasses and a few willing taste-testers?

After driving past it many times on trips to and from Pennsylvania, NQD and I finally stopped at Chubby's this weekend. It was a quick grab-and-go, no sides, just one brisket sandwich and one pulled pork. Neither of us having been raised in a place where barbecue is treated as religion, we don't have any hang-ups about what "real" barbecue is. Personally, I don't give a crap how Chubby's compares to Memphis or NC or Texas barbecue. What matters is that the meat in both sandwiches was moist, tender and full of flavor, the sauce was good, and overall we were very happy with our meal. Next time we'll try the sides. Most importantly, there will be a next time, and we're looking forward to it.

Yeah, after not having tried the stuff for quite a while, I had somehow gotten the idea stuck in my head that it was reasonably drinkable. A recent purchase proved me wrong. Fortunately when the temperature climbs into the 90s I don't give a crap what it tastes like, as long as it's cold and wet, so I should be able to work through the rest of it over the next couple of days. Gotta start taking notes...

What time?

NQD and I will be there.

Today was the 2007 version of Chefs on Bikes, the annual fundraiser for Share Our Strength. Apparently there's a long motorcycle ride through scenic parts of Fairfax and Loudon counties - unfortunately, I have no idea how that went. It ends up at Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, with food, wine, beer, music, and a barbecue cook-off. This year suckling pigs were on the menu! I was lucky enough to be on hand to assist Jamie Stachowski, who last year took home second place for his ribs. Remember his pig from the Fall 2006 Picnic? Imagine a similar amaretto-based brine, injected into a 10-12 pound piglet, cooked sous vide and finished in a smoker. Yes, once again Jamie proved his porcine prowess and matched last year's success. The "Pig on a Bike" trophy will likely be on display behind the bar at Restaurant Kolumbia. And of course, most importantly, a hefty sum of money was raised for Share Our Strength. Pictures to come (maybe tomorrow).

Goldilocks?

And the better news is that unlike mad cow disease, there is no solid evidence that transmission of scrapie from sheep to humans has ever occurred, even though scrapie has been around for a couple of hundred years and has been in this country for at least 60 years. A newer variant of scrapie might be transmissible, but that's only theoretical, and that variant is much less common than traditional scrapie. Add in the age of the lamb - older sheep are more likely to be infected - and you're probably at higher risk of being hit by a car. At home, in bed. On the second floor (or higher).

Interesting... NQD and I watched the last season of Hell's Kitchen (well, I gave up on it, but she made it through to the end). I'm not particularly fond of the "reality show" formula, and generally don't watch those shows, but it managed to hold my attention longer than most. We both preferred Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I don't think I've ever seen White on TV. Does he have any actual screen presence? Shouting alone won't make it compelling. Coincidentally, NQD and I ate at one of White's restaurants, Quo Vadis, a couple of weeks ago in London. It's not at the top of his chain, but it had the advantage of being open and able to accommodate us on a night when we had no plans. Quite good, but not exceptional; mediocre service. Lunch the day before at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was outstanding. Eventually we'll get around to writing up the trip in the travel forum. Wagamama, Borough Market, Fat Duck...

My cousin just finished up her first year at George Mason, and as of last night is living with us (home is Long Island). She needs a job, full-time for summer, maybe part-time once school is in session again. She has worked as a runner, would probably be happier as a server. She's 19, so bars are out. Metro/bus accessible. Anybody hiring? (She'll take non-restaurant work, too.)