Dr. Delicious

You guys (Joe and Dean) have been great with the Florence suggestions, and now Rome. Any can't miss spots in Venice? I'll be in all 3 places come July.

Let’s just say that Barry Dindyal, the general manager, is my hero. My wife and I are early eaters, so when we made a reservation for 9:45, we knew it would be a personal struggle. We arrived early with the hope of catching a break, but of course, the place was packed. At 10:15, when we still hadn’t been seated, and were told it would be at least another 15 minutes, we were downright cranky and irritable. Even the bartender was surprised to see us still seated at her bar. That’s when Mr. Dindyal stepped in and saved the day. He realized he had two hungry, cranky customers on his hands, and offered to buy us a round of drinks and an appetizer to hold us over. We acquiesced. Luckily, not 5 minutes go by, when he comes back to us at the bar to tell us that our table was ready, and that he’d bring the appetizer there. After we sat down, he places an appetizer on the table, and I thank him for his generosity, but he stops me and says that there’s more coming. He proceeded to give us 4 free appetizers and two drinks, and needless to say, we were elated and grateful. Mr. Dindyal did more than just salvage our night, but made it one to remember as well, with his generosity and personal service. In fact, we ordered 2 more appetizers and 2 entrees, and basically ended up having our own tasting menu of sorts. The truth is, now, we can’t wait to go back – in addition to the service, the food was that good! To start, we had the Lamb Galouti, Ginger Scallops, Hara Bara Kebab, Paneer Shaslik, Palak Chaat, onion and sage bread, and goat cheese kulcha. Everything was great, but the Paneer Shaslik and the Palak Chaat really stood out. The barbequed cottage cheese tasted almost like pizza cheese would, tho I mean that in a flattering way. The crispy spinach damn near melted in your mouth, and was so different, and so tasty. I got all of two bites before my wife realized the deliciousness of it and decided that the rest was for her. For our main dishes, we had the Chicken Makhani and the Lamb Dahiwala. The chicken came in a delicious red sauce, primarily tasting of spicy tomatoes, that would have also been delicious served over pasta (which is odd, no?). We were sopping it up with the bread. The Lamb was also good, tho I would have preferred it a bit spicier, but that’s just personal preference. Like I said, great food, and a staff that cares about their customers.

I've been to fortune dozens of times, both for dim sum and for their regular menu, and it's quite tasty. The dim sum can be uneven tho, depending on the day. If it's too crowded, the carts don't always make it enough times around, and if it's too empty, things aren't always warm. A few times I haven't gotten what I hoped for because the cart never made it to me. I suppose you could say that about most dim sum places tho. The steam cart, probably the most popular, can be elusive, so keep your eye out for it! My wife and I regualrly eat there for under $20, so that's a plus as well.

Being the Masshole that I am, I'm constantly searching for good fried seafood, specifically scallops. Any suggestions about where I could satisfy my fried scallops jonez?

I've long been addicted to the health code violations section in the Washington Post. There are so many repeat violators; I’ve often wondered how they keep their licenses. And now, another outlet for my addiction, and with rebuttals as well! Can you say livin the sweet life?

Thru my windows, it appears that the Hotel George is undergoing some significant renovations to its rooms. Is Bistro Bis going to be renovated as well? Not that it needs to be, just curious.

Moby Dick's House of Kabob. My wife and I have "kabob night" every week. We can't get enough of the stuff. I'm fairly certain that if eating kabobs and hummos from Moby's every night was an option, that my wife would certainly consider it. I pray for the day where we have a Seinfeldian-Elaine and the Soup Nazi's recipes in an armoir-episode, and find their secrets.

It's been longer than 4 years, but "picket line" might be a little strong, considering that it's usually one guy walking around with a small sandwich board. I wonder if they'd even care if the restaurant wasn't so close to the afl-cio building.

I work in the Hall of States as well, and have never really cared for La Colline. In fact, the office never eats there anymore, and when we do have a work-related luncheon, we dine at Bistro Bis. It's probably because my office window looks out on the Hotel George/Bis and it's got me hypnotized. However, La Colline does provide a huge service for the building with their little take-out joint in the back. I wonder if Johnny's will replicate that?

I actually like the idea of 3 floors with 3 distinct functions. I'm actually going to check on the banqet table in the lounge as a possible spot for my wife's 30th birthday. It seems to fit what I'm lookin for (space for about 25, where friends could lounge around, gather for drinks, cake, and conversation, yet not be totally removed from the bar and the action).

It always stuns me when people say how great this place is, because I probably had my worst meal of all time in Washington at this place. Now granted, I've only been once, but it was so bad, top to bottom, that I couldn't imagine going back for another try. The service was some of the worst I've ever had. The prices were outrageous...something like $8 for 2 deviled eggs, and about the same for half a head of lettuce and blue cheese!?!? Both my father and father-in-law got the steak, paid around $30-40 for it, and both thought it was terrible. In fact, it was a terrible cut, mostly gristle, and not cooked according to their wishes. The shrimp dish, which was in the mid-to-upper 20s had 4 shrimp, not jumbo, and was average at best. Everything was overpriced and underwhelming. It's become a runing joke in my family that when we speak of a terrible meal, we refer to Buck's.

Thanks to both of you (Joe and Dean) for your recommendations. I feel armed and ready!

Went to 21P the other night with some friends to take advantage of their extending the restaurant week deal. We had a 9pm reservation, and didn't get seated till 9:30. Though we all enjoyed drinks at the bar, I was starving and annoyed at having to wait so long. The restaurant week deal allows you to order off the full menu, so the 6 of us made sure to cover as much as possible. In lieu of writing a detailed review of all that we ate, let me just say that everything was tasty, but nothing was great in the way that stood out where you told yourself that you couldn't wait to return to the restaurant to have it again. The one thing that did stand out was our waiter, who was attentive, and gave us free food, though we, of course, didn't ask for it. He heard us mention some things and he gave them to us, no fuss no muss. The one thing I found most appalling was the scallop appetizer, which I believe normally costs $9, and consisted of exactly 1 scallop! The entire table was shocked to see it and we all felt it was ridiculous. It still angers me now, and I didn't even order it.

My wife and I will be heading back to Italy in the summer. We've been to Cibreo (it was fantastic) and will likely go when we return. When you return, i'd love to hear about where you went and where you'd suggest.

My wife and I went to Andale for RW the other night, and had a very nice meal. We started off with 2 margaritas, mango and hibiscus, which were both great. Not frozen or served in a cheesy glass, but on the rocks and in a glass you could be proud of. For appetizers, we had the “Empanada Serrano Rellena de Camarón” and the “Queso Fundido con Chorizo”. The 1st was delicious, all the flavors really complemented each other, and didn’t serve to cover the shrimp taste, but enhance it. The 2nd mostly just tasted like baked cheese, which isn’t to say that it was bad, just not something I’d go out of my way for. I suppose I could say the same thing about my dinner, the enchiladas, which were good, but not great. But hey, they’re enchiladas…how good can they be? My wife’s meal, Pescado en Pepián, was fantastic. The grouper was cooked to perfection, and the accompaniment, which was basically succotash, was yummy. Plus, it gave me a reason to say succotash, and who doesn’t like to say the word succotash? It’s also the main reason I’m writing this review – to get others to say succotash. Our desserts, the upside-down pineapple cake and the cheesecake, were both fantastic, and oozing with caramel sauce. Mmmm…caramel. Unfortunately, they would not allow us to order the churros, nor would they allow us to pay extra to get them. The waiter said that everyone would order them if allowed and that they couldn’t handle that. A total bummer. All in all, a good meal.

I believe someone mentioned this earlier, but 21P has extended their restaurant week offer.

It's an apple tart with a stutter....Heyo!

I've only been to Corduroy once, and I went for the scallops, which of course they were out of...or so they said. This actually ended up being a good thing, because it forced me to try something different. I went for the lamb and mini-ravioli, which was wonderful. In fact, as good as the lamb was, I could eat a truck load of that ravioli. I cant wait till "giant bowl of mini ravioli" makes the menu.