jondagle

Mr Galy's interview performance certainly wasn't good. But, if you think the president of company being sued is going to apologize for something related to their conduct or product, you don't understand the legal system in the United States. No lawyer would allow it. Boeing doesn't apologize when one of their aircraft crashes. This isn't a defense of Fig & Olive or their response, it's just a statement of fact. You can't get blood from a turnip.

Brief review: Our expense was very similar to Simul's. We went last night for the first time. Great venue and good service. The venue is attractive inside and out. They've constructed a great patio, with lots of fire! It'll be reasonable to sit out there until it gets much more cold. I would say they need to work on timing -- our pizzas arrived only a few minutes after salads and apps. One appetizer with special addition didn't arrive until after the pizzas. Our server, Travis, was great and made the dinner more fun. They've been open officially since Monday, so... I had the mixed green salad and prosciutto and arugula pizza The salad was impressive, with some slices of salami. Fine. The pizza... well, not great. The crust is much too thick. It's the thickest individual sized pizza I've had. The ingredients and toppings were all good tasting, but nothing great. Pizza is much better at Pizza Paradiso in Alexandria. (I no longer recommend Red Rocks because I've had bad service experiences there, but their pizza is better too, by a good margin.) They have a good wine list and a goo Virginia-focused craft beer list (about 12 drafts). In addition to about 12 interesting pizzas, they offer "panini" sandwiches and a few pastas. Can't comment on them. We'll go back again, but oooh please work on those pizzas!

I attended a private birthday event here on 17 October. A limited bar was open and a sampling of their food items. Everything I tasted was delicious, or at least pretty darn good. They had a slider containing shrimp and something that was really good. They say they make all their bread in house -- and this was the best slider bun I've had. Also good was some kind of risotto. Sorry for the sketchy info, but I had enjoyed an excellent house-special Manhattan or two. They have about 10 beers on tap--all good ones; no throw-aways. There's also a roof-top bar. Wish I had reason to be up around H St more often.

I don't see a thread for Lena's Wood-Fired Pizzas & Tap at 401 E Braddock Rd, near Braddock Metro Station. Friends and family opening was this weekend, and soft opening reported for today. This is said to be a partnership between management of The Majestic/Virtue and the Yates family. The space looks great. Large bar. Extensive outdoor patio with fire pit and gas heaters.

So, we've been to The Cap'n's (as I like to call it) twice. Once at the beginning of August and once at the end. The first visit was spectacular. There were four of us and we all had a great time.Thanks to StarStraf, we were in the know about the ROE. (It's helpful to know the rules up front, as I've heard others complain about time limit or some other quirk) I enjoyed two cocktails and then, perhaps with moderately impaired judgement, had a third. The frirst two were fantastic: The Approach To New York, a Manhattan-inspired cocktail, and the classic, off-menu Remember the Maine. Both were great. The bartenders Sam and Demetrius were great. Sam recommend RtM since I'm a Manhattan fan. Great choice. I don't think anyone was disappointed with the drinks and we had a great time chatting with the bartenders. Our second trip was a bit different, but not disappointing. Although we were seated at the bar, a waitress took our orders. Only one bartender was present. Overall the experience wasn't as engaging. We had the charcuterie plate, which I'd rate as "fair" or "ok," nothing special. Also, i revisited Remember the Main, and it wasn't as good as Sam's work. Overall, I highly recommend a visit. I love the concept and look forward to next time. I would plan to eat either before or after cocktail hour for maximum enjoyment.

Thanks very much for this StarStraf. Going this weekend and looking forward to it!

I must agree with darkstar965 that Starbucks knows exactly what they're doing. Their share price, at or near a 52-week high, reflects this. I've had very nice coffees from Starbucks Clover (not "Clever") machines. Not a pour over though. No reason they couldn't do a pour over though. Frankly, it's easily repeatable if you have the dosage and technique down. I must say I'm surprised a Reserve location would be in a hotel--typically they are licensed and not company owned.

Went back for lunch at Fig & Olive today, after seeing "Spirited Republic" exhibit at Archives. Coincidentally, this was the second day of lunch service, so we're keeping our trend for 2nds. Again, great bart service. Had the Fig & Olive Burger, which comes with side salad and fries. Very tasty, but not the city's best burger. I missed the Shrimp and Salmon Salad (also with avocado) that my wife had. That was excellent. Today two people were at the bar with laptops, after the lunch hour. The patio was open with a number of tables taken. The lounge wasn't at capacity, but was "well attended." I was told the upstairs dining room was open -- at least one section of it, but didn't see it. Brunch starts Saturday. Maybe we'll hit brunch on Sunday....

Can anyone explain the map's rating system? There are a few 3-star, many 1-star, but no 2-star. Hmmmm.

I'm amazed that there's still no thread for Fig & Olive, a week after opening! Well, time to correct that. I can report that their second public evening, June 26, was a huge success--in contrast to Space-X's Falcon 9 launch that morning. My wife made a reservation for us a few weeks in advance. Good thing, because our excellent bartender, Carlos, informed us that they had 500 reservations on opening night the day prior, and the place was nearly full at 6:30pm despite some of the most torrential rains I've seen in a while. For a few more days they open a 4pm daily, but soon they'll be open for lunch--I think starting July 6. Background: You can read about the restaurant group's concept on it's website, but in short it's "Mediterranean cuisine" and features, fresh, seasonal ingredients and olive oil cooking. The menu has dishes inspired by Spain, Italy, Greece, and so on. They make a point that they don't use butter in the kitchen (except for a puffed pastry dessert). They focus on fresh ingredients and slowing things down. To that end, there's a liberal array of pillows and comfy chairs and couches set up for dining on the first floor, in addition to the main bar. They also pointed out power strips under the bar, saying it's to encourage getting some work done (likely not during happy hour!). There's a patio dining area, which is on the Palmer Way and is shielded from main streets by the City Center buildings. On the second floor is a more traditional dining setup, with pillows and a second bar. The decor reminds me of upscale Pottery Barn, but not in a bad way. There's also a private dining room, where Ashton Carter and wife (and security) enjoyed an early dinner before we spotted them on the way out. Bar: The bar service is fantastic. Crostini! Ok, couldn't write any more without saying it. There about 10 crostini options, available in 3 or 6-piece orders. They are hands down the best crostini I've ever had anywhere. I would eat 3 or 6 of every one I tasted. We spit 6, asking for chef's choice (as long as we got the Burrata). Each one comes on a toasted piece focaccia about 3x1.5" and nearly .25" thick. You can cut most in half to share. One of the most interesting was "heirloom carrot, shaved thinly, with spicy charmoula and tapenade. Amazing. So was the Burrata, Prosciutto, Pata Negra, Shrimp & Avocado, and others. Carlos told us the staff had been training for about 2 months, and he was familiar with all the menu items which we asked about. I enjoyed a seasonal cocktail which started with muddled celery & arugula, added lemon juice, rum and fresh pepper. Very refreshing. My wife enjoyed Champagne. They have four beers on tap, one of which is Port City Optimal Wit. Kudos to Bill Butcher for landing that. Dinner: When we sat for dinner we had attentive, competent, knowledgeable service. The "spring" menu is great, front and back. I had the Paella del Mar (looks smallish, but filling and delish), others had Chilean Sea Bass (marinated w/ lemon thyme, carrot, asparagus, celery root purée, roasted potato, charmoula mascarpone harissa olive oil emulsion) and Truffle Risotto. The Sea Bass was probably the best. The presentation of Rosemary Lamb Chops is notable. They arrive sliced on a plate under glass, which is then removed to great fanfare, allowing the aromas and some steam to escape. Focaccia bread is served with dinner, accompanied by three olive oils: a Spanish, an Italian, and a Greek-style (which is actually from California), all available for purchase. Wines: You can review the list here. By the glass feature mostly European wines with a few from CA. Oddly, the upstairs bar was adorned with quite a few bottles of Dom Pérignon. A DP Rosé (2003) is available for $625. Desert: I can only remark on the Caramelized Apple Tart; it was very good but merits no more discussion. My only complaint was that the coffee (normalé) was marginally warm. A refill was so tepid I asked for fresh, which was soon brewed. Still not as hot as I'd expect but ok. Espresso-drinks are prepared in the largest Nespresso machine I've ever seen, by the upstairs bar. I would normally scoff at this, but I recently read coffee uber-brain James Hoffman's piece on how specialty coffee can no longer just scoff at Nespresso. So it was interesting to see that kind of equipment in a place like Fig & Olive. Final notes: All in all, this is a different experience from most DC dining. We had a great time and plan to return soon. My main concern now is getting a reservation. When I need to write at some point in the future, I look forward to hangin' at the bar writing with a Manhattan, rather than a latte in a coffee house. Another interesting note on atmosphere: a DJ begins spinning tunes in the lounge about 8pm. Very tasteful and cool vibe. The music doesn't intrude into the upstairs.

Could someone please post the address of this place?

I'll save you the trouble... "Coffee-Shop Threatens to 'Punch' Customer in his 'Dick'" by Ben Popken on consumerist.com "Murky Coffee's Owner Reponds to 'Espresso-Over-Ice Kerfuffle" by Mark Frauenfelder on boingboing.net "Espresso, Extra Bitter" by Joe Heim on washingtonpost.com And this follow-on discussions over at CoffeeGeek.com: "Murky Iced Espresso vs. Iced American Argument" A brief quote from the a senior coffee geek: I think compromised espresso served over ice AS espresso is not something any quality driven shop would actually feel comfortable serving. Completely right. The customer was an "executive" at Time Warner Cable. This might explain a great deal about cable "service" in the US, today....

Yeah, I agree with everything in the last two paras. But don't blame Ceremony for your Americano, blame Buzz. The original location has never been good -- or at least reliably good -- for espresso. [Was this beverage iced? Well, that would open up a whole other can of worms. Espresso and ice don't mix well (ref: infamous Nick Cho/Murky incident--Nick was completely correct about iced espresso, incidentally). But again, that's craftsman error. The Ballston location is much more on their game at the espresso machine, maybe because they never suffered through the Illy days? Unfortunately, like a number of places, I like the "idea" of Buzz more than the reality. Their cupcakes have always been meh. However, I did get a big cake for a party there and it was great -- as are the pies I've had -- but many "basics" leave me scratching my head. And others miss the mark completely. They have wide variety of stuff in the case tho... I'm not enamored with Ceremony, though they did great work on my espresso machine. The Armstrong empire uses Ceremony and I've had bad coffee at Eve.... Unlike some other roasters, they don't seem to monitor the use of their coffee, and it reflects a bit poorly. And I would point out that CBS has been available in the area (even in NoVa) for at least 3-4 yrs, so it reached DC only 11 years post-Copenhagen That's 26% better than you gave credit! Any thoughts on Compass Coffee (Shaw)?

Wow; just noticed this. How does Misha's rate italics? Iconic and consistent, perhaps; very local. But unless things have changed a great deal, they cannot make espresso to save a life. The ONLY reliable (and very good) espresso in "greater Old Town" and probably the entire city is at M.E. Swing's on Monroe. The italic recommendation of Misha's does not bring credit to the Dining Guide. Their hand-brewed coffee edges out Grape+Bean to be the best on this side of the river.

Stopped by after a short run this morning. Nice people and a good setup inside. They take pride in NOT labeling the donut in the display. Helpful staff will explain There are three tiers of prices: first is almost $2 each, more deluxe ones go for about $2.75, and the "monster is about $3.50. They told me only one flavor costs $3.50. The donut options vary throughout the day and from day to day. I had a maple iced donut with bacon on the top. It was pretty good, but the bacon looked pretty pale. Now I have to say this is the first donut I've had in probably more than a year. I avoid them on the same principle as cigarettes--well, cigarettes don't taste good, so that isn't really right. I can say these are probably very good donuts -- but I can't compare with other haute shops in the area. They *seem* to have a coffee program, but I think it's just smoke and mirrors. They list various espresso beverages, plus drip coffee and pour overs. Coffee from Zeke's, a Baltimore roaster. When I asked about the pour overs available, the staff seemed a bit confused and then said they could make whatever was on display at the end of the counter. When I looked it was all retail bags, and I think all various blends designed for mass sale (like ME Swing's "blends"). I had a cup of drip coffee because of time constraints, and low confidence in a pour over being done well. It was not inspiring. Adequate and a decent balance to the sugar overload of the generously sized donut. I will probably go back in a day or two to try their cake donut, which comes as either a blueberry or what I know as an "old fashioned." Sorry this is a bit sketchy on details.

Bastille [2.0] is open as of January 19. Apparently there is confusion about their opening date? Had delicious dinner at the bar. My wife had Cassiolette, which was unbelievable--with incredible sausage! I had scallops and octopus "a la plancha" which came with grilled cauliflower, dates, and olives. The food was superb. Aside from the vacant tables, you would never know it was the first day. The bar has four beer taps, which as of today are a Trippel that escapes me, Evolution No. 3 IPA, Great Divide's Colette farmhouse saison, and Great Lakes Dortmunder Golden Lager. Colette is perfect for the French cuisine, though a bit more fruity and less Belgian than typical saisons. The red Cotes du Rhone is the least expensive by the glass and is also wonderful. The bar "happy hour" (5-7pm) is 50% off most drinks. The food discount appears to have been a casualty of the move. Mayor Euille even stopped in while we were there. B7wtYaHCMAAB8P-.jpg:large

Bastille [2.0] is open as of January 19. Apparently there is confusion about their opening date? Had delicious dinner at the bar. My wife had Cassiolette, which was unbelievable--with incredible sausage! I had scallops and octopus "a la plancha" which came with grilled cauliflower, dates, and olives. The food was superb. Aside from the vacant tables, you would never know it was the first day. The bar has four beer taps, which as of today are a Trippel that escapes me, Evolution No. 3 IPA, Great Divide's Colette farmhouse saison, and Great Lakes Dortmunder Golden Lager. Colette is perfect for the French cuisine, though a bit more fruity and less Belgian than typical saisons. The red Cotes du Rhone is the least expensive by the glass and is also wonderful. The bar "happy hour" (5-7pm) is 50% off most drinks. The food discount appears to have been a casualty of the move. Mayor Euille even stopped in while we were there. Pic: B7wtYaHCMAAB8P-.jpg:large

I opened an email today "Farewell, but not goodbye" reporting that The Majestic on King St is no longer part of Eat Good Food Group, as of close on Jan 17. The message thanks guests for helping bring back The Majestic over the past 8 years and "We wish the Majestic well as she goes into new hands. Please look forward to our next delicious ventures as we search for a new home!"

We drove by Sunday morning and the place was full of people taking shelter from the cold rainy morning. Henry and Madison Sts, next to Lost Dog.

Another difference between Swings and St Elmo's or Misha's is that the former (Swing's) knows how to make espresso and espresso-based drinks, whereas the other two do not. Or at least cannot reliably do so. Misha's espresso is undrinkable and can be compared with bad Turkish coffee. Elmo's, well, where to begin. I would never order espresso there. The coffee is marginal and the espresso is probably adequate for a favored latte. Extra credit: Try ordering a cortado at these three places and see what happens. In Old Town, "Killer ESP" is the best bet (only bet?) for espresso, also Grape+Bean makes fine coffee.

Oh, no. Starbucks is now pushing soda. Just what we need... (You can also read about this on the hack-of-a-site usatoday, but I will not link to that purveyor of garbage, masquerading as a news outlet) Regarding the Clover, the story is detailed here. Starbucks bought The Coffee Equipment Co., which designed and built the Clover machines. To my knowledge, Grape and Bean was the only place in the metro area to have a Clover before Starbucks bought the company.

I was being intentionally simplistic saying "caramel is burt sugar." Of course that wouldn't be terribly tasty. I apologize for this vagueness or inaccuracy. Indeed the chemical reactions involved in cooking are quite important. I note that the Wikipedia article on Caramelization says "When caramelization involves the disaccharide sucrose, it is broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose." My post was intended to be mainly about the ingredients for "caramel sauce.". The chemical reactions involved in making the caramel don't change the list of ingredients, the first three are forms of sugar. As for whether caramel is no longer "sugar...." Well, not just sugar. There's definitely a lot going on in the caramelization process. Interestingly, the chemistry of caramel is apparently not well understood. However, a number of health sources identify caramel as a form of sugar for dietary purposes. In fact, this article indicates that 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce contain 27g of sugar (source: g.sfgate.com/happens-eat-much-caramel-9434.html). In fact the photo caption says "Caramel is mostly sugar." A quick computation using molasses as a surrogate: two tablespoons of caramel sauce weigh about 43g or less, molasses being heavier. In this case, caramel is at least 50% sugar by weight. That would qualify as "mostly sugar." I have been unable to find any detailed explanation of how caramel is metabolized. But, most sources I've seen address the topic as if caramel is sugar.

Maybe a foodie forum is the wrong place to bring this up, but some authorities say fructose is about the worst thing you can put in your body. (see "Sugar: The Bitter Truth, Dr Robert Lustig: ) Corn Syrup isn't the first two ingredients: HFSC and Corn Syrup are not the same. Corn Syrup is maltose or malt sugar, which is two connected glucose molecules. HFCS is Corn Syrup processed to convert some of the glucose into fructose, usually 40-55% fructose, depending on the grade, and this is suspended in water. Sugar (assuming it's sucrose) = 50% glucose + 50% fructose, as well. The best of these is probably Corn Syrup. So the ingredients list is just saying the caramel sauce is made of (at least) three forms of sugar, which again, isn't all that surprising, since caramel is burt sugar.

Is this really surprising? Caramel = burnt sugar For the record I avoid HFCS and CS almost always. Problem is, you don't always know. But caramel is still just sugar. Also, I love the Clover machine. Sad that SBUX bought it out. It's still worth it to get a cup, especialy if you can watch the machine in action.

I'm embarrassed to say I don't know the protocol to add a cafe to Porcupine's list. But there's a glaring omission that's been around for more than a year: Room 11 They probably merit a * but I haven't been there in months.