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OK, so, NQD and I just got back from Citronelle. And yes, we took a taxi, otherwise we would have just begun a long sobering-up process. I'd like to give a detailed report on the tasting menu, but that may be beyond me at this point (basic keyboard skills are questionable right now). But I'll give it a shot. The amuse bouche - egg surprise, mushroom cigar, haricots verts tartar: NQD ate the egg surprise slowly, in pieces, and was blown away by it - she claims the fake egg components (cheese, tomatoes) would have fooled her in a blindfold test. I ate it slowly and found it delicious, but not as effective an imitation as she did. The mushroom cigar was excellent (and I don't eat fungus normally). The haricots verts had a flavor that was both extremely familiar - the taste of dozens of summertime salads (tuna, etc.) - done with vastly superior ingredients and infinitely superior technique. Possibly my second favorite dish of the evening. Eggplant gazpacho followed, also wonderful, the other contender for second best. Lighter than expected, not nearly as earthy as expected. Once again, I don't eat eggplant. (As I have mentioned after other tastings, I'll eat almost any style of preparation other than raw protein, but in ingredients, my palate is extremely limited. I'm currently exploring such things at the highest level I can find - nearly all of tonight's menu was foods I normally don't eat - and finding that I love them. Enjoying them in the hands of a more ordinary cook is still questionable). Soft shell crab followed, served as a tempura, stuffed with blue crab. Amazingly good, light beyond expectation. Neither of us care for soft shell crab, but this again pushed my boundaries (and NQD's). NQD adored the blue crab filling, I wasn't as thrilled, but that's because of the ingredient, not the preparation. Perfectly fried, excellent. Neither of us is fond of halibut, so the next dish was the only forgettable item of the night. Lobster medallion - perfectly cooked, although I often find lobster tail chewy and prefer the claws (yeah, I know, most people have that reversed). The japanese eggplant was yet another example of the kitchen attempting to convince me that I adore foods I normally won't eat (and succeeding). Light, subtle flavor, absolutely delicious. Medium rare duck breast followed - wonderful, of course. Also duck leg confit, and this was simply perfect, and the most exquisite taste of the evening for both of us. If I were forced to eat this again every night for the rest of my life, I'd be quite happy. A selection of cheeses followed, and we had a long discussion on the various flavors and textures and other aspects of these selections, but by this point I was too drunk to remember, so I can't make any intelligible comments here. Oh, did I mention that we had the wine pairings, which were simply flawless, and extremely generous pours? Rasberry vacherin followed, and chocolate three ways, and each were exceptional, but again I can't really begin to do them justice, since, well, I'm drunk. If you haven't tried them, you'll just have to head over to Georgetown yourself. Oh, yeah, the wine. Did I mention I'm drunk, quite a long time after I left? (We took a taxi). The pairings - well, it's certainly possible to have better wines on their own, but better pairings with the food would be difficult to imagine. I assume they're posted on the website, but it's not loading right now so I can't be sure. The Riesling paired with the crab was the only wine we wouldn't order again; the rest - well, read the website or go to Georgetown yourself. Nine glasses, all generous pours, I can barely remember my own name, never mind the wine. Service was flawless, and it was great to meet Mark and put a face to the name, and to enjoy his hospitality. We talked for a while about food, wine, and the kitchen (and maybe other things I can't recall). Sometime this fall NQD and I want to try the chef's table in the kitchen - we'll need six other people to join us, so if you want to give it a try let me know. Total cost for two just under $700 with tip. Expensive as hell, but I'd gladly do it again, given sufficient time to save up. And yeah, we had wonderfully profound thoughts about the food and Michel Richard's approach while riding home in the taxi. If I remember them tomorrow I may post them. Did I mention the generous pours? Oh, God, do I really have to get up for work in the morning?

Just got back from dinner at Notti Bianche. My wife and I took a friend to dinner for her birthday (a big one, ending in a zero), and one more friend joined us. I had asked Danny to pay a little extra attention to the birthday girl, who has been a bit down recently. We were, of course, treated extremely well - Danny and his team were attentive, thoughtful, generous and warm, without the slightest hint of intrusiveness that sometimes comes with special attention. Truly an outstanding evening, and BG was delighted. (I should mention that my wife and I had only been to NB once before - although it instantly became a favorite, we do at least attempt to follow a low-carb diet most of the time, so a restaurant with irresistable pasta unfortunately can't be a regular part of our dining schedule). The food? Well, celebrating the occasion and the company precluded taking good mental notes, so this won't be much of a report. Three of us had the chilled pea soup - divine, and so light; BG had the carpaccio and was thrilled (didn't taste it). I couldn't decide between the raviolini and the garganelli, so I had half-orders of each. Given the choice again, I still would be stuck for a decision. Both were excellent; the morels in the raviolini especially good considering that I generally avoid any sort of fungus. My wife's risotto with braised lamb trumped them both, the lamb being exquisitely tender and flavorful (I think Danny mentioned something about it being braised for eight hours). BG had the garganelli and loved it, and our fourth pronounced herself extremely happy with the crispy skin sablefish. Two orders of coffee and doughnuts followed - I got a small taste only - and I settled for a delicious wildflower honey semifreddo. Three of us also shared a tasting of five Grahams ports (the 20 year old tawny was the majority favorite). Wine - Not sure what BG started with, as she got there before we did. At the bar we started with - let me find that wine list online, ah, here it is: 2003 the grappler (zin, syrah, cab blend), 20 rows - napa valley, california My wife picked it, Danny seemed pleased when he came back to the bar as it was being opened, and we all loved it. After killing off that bottle during dinner, at Danny's suggestion we went with 2004 shiraz dead letter office, henry’s drive – padthaway district, australia Wonderful stuff also. I'm not much of a wine drinker - single malts are my preference - so I won't attempt to describe the wines. I'd only amuse (or confuse) you without providing any useful information. Danny also brought us something bubbly and delicious to wrap up the evening, but I don't recall the name, and BG took home the list Danny so thoughtfully prepared for her. So, other than killing a couple of hours wandering around the city until BG was OK to drive home, that was our evening - great food, excellent service, wonderful hospitality. Thank you Danny and all at NB. Tomorrow Citronelle. Yeah, it's a tough week.

NotQuickDraw and I will be going to Citronelle for the first time this Thursday (celebrating a wedding anniversary - yeah, I know, how original). We're planning to try the tasting menu, but the question is, just how generous is the wine pairing? NQD is still upset at having to leave a fair amount of wine in the glasses at Maestro in order to get us home safely. Should we plan on a taxi?

Hmmm, let's see. Lots of yummy homemade ice cream appearing at my home with no effort from me, except for a bit of weeding and setting up the extra tables? Yeah, sure, I'll offer my back yard for that. I have a fairly large patio and deck area, seating for 32 (and standing room for more - we had just under 60 in May with no problems), and the kids can cool off in the pool (as long as there's an adult in there with them). In Falls Church, about a mile from Seven Corners.

I generally don't like the stuff. I love it at Ray's.

NotQuickDraw and I are having our anniversary on the 25th, and didn't decide until last week where we wanted to go. Ten days out is plenty of time for most places, but Citronelle isn't most places. We ended up with reservations for Thursday the 29th. Not the best of nights, but as soon as we decided on Citronelle we knew we had left it too late.

All you CARE TO eat is a nice offer. All you CAN eat is a challenge.

Chateaubriand. Definitely chateaubriand. My wife and I went on Saturday night (got a table right away just before 6:00, saw a lot of people waiting on our way out). And key lime pie.

Pernil (Puerto Rican style pork shoulder) What I brought to the picnic was not the recipe my family traditionally uses. I'll give a few variations. All of them start with: 1 pork shoulder, 8-10lbs, with skin My method: 2 tablespoons salt (kosher or sea, nothing fancy) 2 tablespoons peppercorns 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or a little more) 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1/2 tablespoon dried onion Place all ingredients (except pork) in a spice grinder, and grind until fine. Take half of the mixture and combine with 1 cup sour orange juice 1 cup water Let sit for several hours, then using a large cooking syringe, inject into the shoulder at varying points and varying depths. Don't poke any holes in the skin! Pour any remaining liquid over the shoulder, cover and place in the refrigerator 8 - 24 hours. Take the remaining salt/spice mix and combine with just enough olive oil to moisten and form a thick paste. Rub thoroughly over the entire shoulder, then return to the refrigerator for several hours. Take the shoulder out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature before cooking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place roast in oven dish (or whatever) skin-side up. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 350 for 30-35 minutes per pound, until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Remove foil, and cut several long slits in the skin. Return to the oven and raise temperature to 400. Continue roasting until the skin is brown and crispy. More traditional method: 1 tablespoon salt (kosher or sea, nothing fancy) 1 tablespoon peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano (or a little more) 2 bulbs garlic, peeled and well crushed Mix all ingredients well, preferably crushing it all together in a mortar and pestle. A wooden spoon and strong bowl will also work. Add enough olive oil to make a thick paste. Cut several short, shallow cuts on the outside of the shoulder (not the skin). Rub the paste over the shoulder, including skin, and work the mix into the cuts. Refrigerate overnight, cook as above. The fresh garlic definitely improves the taste, and the flavor of the paste is stronger without the presence of the sour orange juice. But it may not penetrate as deeply, and the meat may not be as moist. Even better traditional method: Same mixture as above, but make about 50% more of it. Instead of shallow slices on the outside of the shoulder, cut deep, narrow holes - a boning knife is good for this. Rub the paste over the shoulder, and use your fingers to work it deep into the holes. Unfortunately, leaving deep holes in the roast while you cook it can lead to all the juices running out. To prevent this tragedy, cut strips of salt pork and plug the holes with it (how much depends on the size and number of holes). Cook as above.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/28/news/goats.php

Ah, but did he taste it?

NotQuickDraw and I have eaten at Morton's a few times, with other people picking the restaurant (and picking up the check). Steaks are decent, caesar salad OK, hot chocolate cake warm and gooey and filling. Nothing great, overpriced, but OK. Drinkable wine. Service has always been good to very good - efficient, unpretentious (but seemingly ready to adopt a more pretentious attitude if the customer seems to prefer it, as some do). The meat display can be seen as either amusing or absurd, and is far more tolerable if you approach it as amusing. When we've gone there have usually been a few people obviously dining on an expense account, couples apparently hoping for a "fine dining" experience (and if they don't know any better, it's no harm to them), and frequently families. All generally seem to be having a good time. It's easy, it's predictable, everything on the plate is recognizable, it's comfortable and unfussy, it's family- and kid-friendly. As NQD puts it, "It's Denny's for rich people." Not where I would choose to spend my money, but there are worse places. And if someone else is paying, why not?

I did. I used a basic mojo (sour orange juice, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, etc.) for the injections, and an adobo paste (similar spices, olive oil, no juice) as a surface rub. What I'll probably have to do is make a stronger mojo, and increase the number of injection sites, especially around the ribs and certain other areas. Or maybe after one round of injections, let it sit for several hours and do another round. It will be fun to experiment with, anyway. It was pretty damn good as is, I just want it to be better.

In my backyard, using a caja china. It was 67.5 pounds. It was a very tasty pig, especially when dipped in its own drippings, just not quite as flavorful (when undipped) as the shoulder I also made that day.

The odd thing is, I roasted both a whole pig and a shoulder (when the guest list grew well beyond initial estimates), and the shoulder picked up a lot more of the flavor of the marinade and rub than the pig did. The balance of flavors was right, it's the intensity that was lacking. I picked up a very nice pork shoulder, bone-in, skin-on, with exactly the right amount of fat, at Grand Mart. I don't think there are any in the city, unfortunately - Maryland and Virginia only.

I'm trying to expand the range of foods I eat, and I've had some success thanks in part to this board. But I think I'll have to draw the line at foods you shop for in a pet store. Not to mention the notable absence of garlic in that recipe.

I'm slightly concerned about the risk of serious pork overload, but it's one of the few things I can do well. So my +1 and I will bring a pork shoulder, or more precisely, pernil. Roasted Puerto Rican style, not smoked or barbecued, so it should be sufficiently different from the other pig offerings.

Your approach is perfectly reasonable. Certain overly sensitive people might take offense, but if they stop and give a moment's consideration to why you have had to resort to this, would likely understand what has pushed you to this point, and would probably approve of your desire to protect your staff from abuse. Those people who would continue to feel offended are likely to be the sort of people at whom this is aimed. If they decide to go elsewhere, that's probably the best possible outcome for everyone involved, except perhaps for whatever restaurant they end up in. Post it.

Four in the party, so it shouldn't be too different. Thanks, we'll give it a shot. It wouldn't be a concern if it was just the two of us - we've eaten there before and it's well worth the wait. It's the in-laws I'm worried about. But they'll manage.

If it's that bad on a Tuesday, is there any point in even attempting it on a Saturday? My in-laws are in town this weekend (my wife's birthday happens to fall on Mother's Day), and none of us wants to do Sunday brunch, so Saturday night is it. Since we wanted a great meal, but the in-laws are afraid of both high prices and most ethnic cuisine, Ray's is the perfect choice. But how much of a wait should we be expecting (we're flexible on arrival time)?

It was my mother's retirement party, so family and her friends only. With 55+ people, we were worried about reaching our maximum capacity, although in hindsight it looks like we can handle more. Next round with our friends will be June or July. We'll give you plenty of advance notice. It will be better next time anyway - this was my first attempt, and it was very good, but there's room for improvement. I need to work on my marinade.

The recommendation was three months ago, but the pig roast was yesterday. I'm pleased to report that Springfield Butchers were very easy to do business with, and provided a very nice 67.5 pound pig. I suspect that I can do better on price at one of the various Latin or Asian markets, but since I didn't have the time to do proper research on the quality of both product and service at my local markets (time on the calendar, yes, in my schedule, no), this was a simple and stress-free alternative. Thanks! Now I just need to find some decent bread to make Cuban sandwiches out of the leftovers...

I don't like shrimp - I simply have never cared for the taste. I also dislike tartare - I like fire, and think it should be applied to food whenever possible. Texture is a major problem with tartare, flavor is also usually questionable. So, I should have hated this dish. But I didn't. I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I didn't. It was by far the best shrimp dish, as well as the best tartare, I can recall having. A smaller portion size would have helped. Both flavor and texture were too strong for the large portion, and I stopped eating halfway through. Making a ceviche out of it would probably alter both taste and texture enough to make it the first shrimp dish I actually like. As for the rest, the duck rilette was very tasty but nothing special. I'd happily make a light, casual meal of it, but it didn't stand up to what followed. The soup had me reaching for bread to soak up the last drops. The pork cheek was exquisite; the venison confirmed that I do indeed love the stuff (2941 started me on the path to venison fandom, after years of disliking what I had always found to be an overly gamey meat). The chestnut puree was good on its own, and with a touch of the syrah sauce was transformed into something special. Simply wonderful. The squash tart was a close call. I would have preferred the squash itself to be softer, more thoroughly cooked; sweeter would have helped as well. Pumpkin in the place of squash might have worked better for me. More ice cream or less tart would have improved it, and I enjoyed the licorice sauce but didn't taste the licorice (I consider that a good thing). I did eat all of it, but would not order it unless changes were made. The brazo de mercedes brought back memories of brazo gitano, which I had many times as a kid but not for at least 20 years, but was a much lighter variation.

Actually, I'm happy about this... after the recent dinners at Maestro and Han Sung Oak, some non-DR.com events, and with Corduroy coming up, we had passed on this one, fearing excessive overindulgence. We needed a break, but now we'll be looking forward to a future evening at Notti Bianche.

Thank you Grover and Escoffier! It was a wonderful meal - made even better by the fact that NotQuickDraw and I live five minutes away, so there will be many return trips. It's hard to pick out highlights when everything is so good. The barbecue, which was cooked with a stock (I assume?), was excellent; once the stock and meat drippings reduced down almost to a paste, and thoroughly infused the noodles, NQD was in heaven. For me, all of the noodle dishes were stars, especially the Japchae and naeng Myun (OK, so I have a thing for noodles), and I loved the Pajun. But the Dolsot Bibimbop was the high point of the meal for me. There were better flavors last night, but despite being a Korean dish that was pure Puerto Rican comfort food, down to the crusty rice at the bottom of the pot. We call that "pegao", and my family fights over the stuff - there would have been a major battle last night if they had been there. Nothing was overly spicy - there was tons of flavor and a bit of "warmth" to some dishes, but nothing that I would call hot and certainly nothing to worry about for anyone of normal sensitivity.