Escoffier

Perhaps you'd like to borrow my glasses. I said, and I quote: "We arrived (early, about 10 minutes early) to an empty restaurant".. Now, I'm no restaurateur, but perhaps if you don't open until 5:00 pm, you wouldn't open the doors at 4:50 pm and not expect people to come through them (as another couple did 5 minutes after we entered) Exactly. about 50% of what was left after extracting the fat and bone from the shank and then eating about 5 bites. That's not so really hard to understand now, isn't it? I'm not sure what it is you're talking about here, Don. Again, let me quote what I wrote which you seem to have overlooked as well: "Now for the lamb shank, it was a bit fatter then the lamb shanks I have eaten at other places but it was tasty". I hardly think this was anonymous as you seem to somehow infer considering I stated the time we arrived, what we ordered and the restaurant was able to furnish you with the times that we started to eat and the time we paid our bill. Perhaps next time I get service such as this, I'll leave a business card rather than a credit card imprint to save the restaurant from having to contact you. Perhaps if they had simply said, Sorry, we were overbooked, didn't have enough staff on hand, didn't expect quite this rush and somehow didn't get your food out after it sat overly long, I would have never written anything. As it is, rather than reading what was written and simply apologizing for a case of bad service, they have managed to create a maelstrom. Again, we started going to Del Merei the week it opened. It's been one of the restaurants we go to when we want comfort food. This is one time when they fell down and I'm sorry to see it and hoped that perhaps they might see the problem and alleviate it. I wasn't expecting (and wouldn't take) anything comped, I just wanted a simple "sorry about the cold food". Now, that's not so hard, is it?

Great. If they have something to say, why not say it? I'm quite willing to listen to anything they have to say and perhaps others might also want to hear it. and if you bother to read my post, you will see we arrived at 4:50 and opened the door only to realize that they didn't open until 5:00 after which we apologized profusely (more than 5 times if I remember correctly) about being early and said that we would wait out of the way while they got ready to open. (and incidentally, the busboy came out from the kitchen and asked if we'd like anything which we refused because we realized we were early and didn't want to interrupt their preparations). If you aren't prepared to serve the reservations you have made, perhaps you shouldn't open at all (or bring on more staff or take fewer reservations). It's amazing how forgiving people are when you explain that you weren't prepared for the number of reservations that had been made. A simple "sorry, this sat longer than expected and we'll warm it for you" would have gone a long way to alleviate the wait. The time we paid the bill is one thing that you got correct. And if you had asked you would have learned that more then 50% of what we ordered was still on the serving plates. I did not ask for my left overs to be boxed, as a matter of fact I wasn't interested in seeing them again. Grover on the other hand wanted what was left of the shrimp and polenta or grits or whatever. We ate the appetizers because they happened to be at a roughly correct temperature to be eaten. If our entrees had been approximately the correct temperature, we would have eaten them as well. As it happened, they weren't and we didn't. That we paid the bill at 5:46 is correct and we also left a half finished glass of wine sitting on the table and refused the offer of coffee and dessert because we were tired of having to flag down servers and runners to get any kind of service. One of which was entirely unasked for. You would think when there is more than 50% of a meal left sitting on a table that you might consider asking if there might be a problem. There certainly are. Nice to see the sincere apology for the cold food and the rather indifferent service.

thank you, a worthwhile improvement.

and a couple of non-Jews will be following the tradition for Chinese (but I think we'll do the movie at home). Have a great/happy/joyous/wonderful/etc. one and may the coming New Year be a good one.

So finding a place open on Christmas eve where we figured we had a reasonable chance to get good food, I made a reservation at Del Merei Grill. We arrived (early, about 10 minutes early) to an empty restaurant devoid of servers, hostesses or anyone, really. Apologizing for being early, we took a seat and told the runner that we'd wait until everything was prepared as we were in no real rush (no Santa Claus for the Escoffier/Grover house). Our server came by and asked if she could get us drinks, however as we were without menus, we decided it would be better to order a glass of wine if we knew what was available. Ten minutes later, we were given menus and a short course in "by the glass on the left, bottles on the right" and "would you like 5 minutes to study the menu?". We took that 5 minutes and then 5 more minutes when, once again our server dropped by to ask if we'd like 5 minutes more to study the menu. Now, I don't know if you've seen the menu at Del Merei, but in 15 minutes, you can memorize the entire menu including every bottle of wine, every wine by the glass and most of the appetizers. We selected glasses of wine and ordered quickly. We ordered the beef BBQ taquitos and the calamari to start. The taquitos were the star of the "starters". For some reason, everybody seems to turn calamari into breaded and deep fried rubber bands. The accompaniment for the calamari was rather interesting as well. It appeared to be pickled green something and red something. There was a layer of juice of some sort moistening the bottom of the serving dish. Strange and somewhat off-putting, but tasty. For mains, I ordered the lamb shank and Grover opted for the shrimp and grits. We waited and waited, as our server evidently decided that the 8 top she was serving absolutely had to have their wine before our food could be delivered from the kitchen. Eventually, someone (another server? the runner? my Uncle Frederick?) delivered our food. The lamb shank was quite a substantial piece of LUKEWARM to cool shank riding on top of a layer of corn-pudding and stewed? tomatoes and okra with pistachios. Grover's shrimp and grits seemed to be more polenta than grits and was also lukewarm. I can only conclude that both dishes sat at the serving window for a time before someone noticed that we hadn't received our food. At the initial delivery I asked that we be provided with forks (eating with your fingers is so declasse, you know) and we were provided with one fork. I asked for and received a second fork so that we could tackle dinner. That's when the cold food made itself known. After a couple of minutes, we finally got the attention of someone and told them that our food was a bit chilly to the touch. Both dishes were whisked away and we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited to the point where I was ready to ask for a bill for what we had managed to eat up to this time so we could leave and find dinner somewhere. Grover played the soothing partner and so we waited (did I mention we had already waited a considerable amount of time already?). Finally the dishes were returned (at least the food was warmer than the first time) and we ate. Now for the lamb shank, it was a bit fatter then the lamb shanks I have eaten at other places but it was tasty. I managed to fill a bread plate with bones and fat from the shank. Grover found her shrimp and grits (polenta?) to be appetizing and of a considerable size. I didn't try any of the shrimp so I don't know if they had been frozen before cooking or were fresh and frankly, at that time, I really wasn't interested in finding out. The bill was around $80 and, quite frankly, we could have gone to Brabo and eaten better and at a lower cost. I don't usually tip 15%, but there was no way I could justify tipping any more than that and I had an internal argument before I settled on that. I don't think we'll be interested in returning, which is a shame. We started going to Del Merei when it opened and saw a lot of promise. Somehow (at least for tonight) that promise was gone.

You might also check with Springfield Butcher. They are a real butcher shop and should be able to give you any size in any configuration you want. Grover and I did a standing rib roast from there that was excellent. All of the meat that we have purchased there has exceeded our expectations.

Royal on St. Asaph Street has a pretty good version on the Sunday breakfast buffet. Looks homemade, taste's homemade. Can't say for sure it really is, but it definitely fills the Corned Beef Hash urge and you can eat all you want (or about 2 tablespoons in my case).

Nope, not import tariffs, subsidies to the sugar companies in the US forced prices up. Check with Grand Mart, they serve the Latino community, they may have it.

They're really in close proximity to the Escoffier and Grover domicile (too close, perhaps). Every time we've come by there since they've opened, they've had customers. We were going to walk up on Sunday but a 4 hour brunch put the kibosh on that plan. Perhaps one day this week...

I like their chicken wings. I don't think I've ever eaten anything else there.

Sign me up....

You got Grover at kimchi...

We had seven courses of totally wonderful food at Vidalia and there wasn't a single piece of turkey anywhere in any of them...an excellent dinner. Thank you, RJ.

From the description, looks like someone is trying to duplicate Korean Fried Chicken. Did you hire a Korean chef to do the chicken?

Vidalia and I don't need to say more. Six course tasting menu and not a piece of turkey in sight...pure heaven....

Grover organized a DR dinner there and we had about 20 people. There is really no problem (other than the noise and the smoke). How's your Korean?

The one on Fern St. is now gone (for over a year, actually). That only leaves the original one on Rt 1. (I haven't been there in years so I don't even know if it's still there or not).

Last night must have been Proof night for a couple of DR folk. Grover and I arrived as the doors were opening at 5:30, were seated and had our bread and glasses of champagne before 5:40. For dinner, we started with the Pate plate, moved on to the Ahi Tuna Tartare and then the Garlic and Soy glazed Pork Confit (possibly the best pork confit I have ever eaten) teamed with the Hudson Valley Fois Gras (our server knew from a previous restaurant how much I like fois gras) and rounded out our dinner with the Chocolate Five Spice Cake with crumbled pistachios and home made (restaurant made?) whipped cream. Every course was accompanied by a wine selected by Jesse our server and every one was spot on. Unfortunately for us, as much as I hate to admit it, we left full and happy but menu-less. Suffice it to say, we will be going back and often. If we had known you were there Hersch, we would have said hello and sent over a glass of wine.

At the risk of becoming redundant, the risotto with white truffles is...let's see...amazing? nope not strong enough...OMG!? closer... howzabout, if you miss this risotto, it will be like missing your first kiss or make-out session in the drive-in in the back seat of your Daddy's car? I'll pass up fried chicken for this risotto any night of the week (to say nothing of the wonders of the slowly braised pork belly, veal, boar shoulder and rabbit leg in veggies that was my main course...a tour de force of complementary flavors and textures). Once again Dean paired our food with some wonderful wines (and the vanilla grappa is outstanding). A most satisfying meal and evening.

Because Tony and Nathan (and if you know NRG restaurants, you know of whom I speak) have a defining interest in laying out the menu and overseeing the kitchen, the food will be good.

and I have the feeling that if he finds out about this "expedition", it's going to become his day (or week) off. Like a bunch of lovestruck trannies...(I think I prefer my original, Don... and now to revert to the original, as typed by me...) a bunch of lovestruck teenies...(..btw, is that a 6 speed or a 5 speed or an automatic trannie? a little car humor there, perhaps?)

Two freaking hours is quite a schlepp? Guess that means you aren't going to dinner tonight with me here in Amsterdam?

Yep, that's the one.

If you can talk him into it, Tom Powers of Corduroy makes a awesome cassoulet (as a number of lucky people found out one night). It set the new higher standard for cassoulet for Grover and me.

Not to hijack the DB thread, but better BBQ can be found at American BBQ on Telegraph Rd (near Rt 1 in south Alexandria). Their BBQ sauce is better than Dixie Bones as well.