Escoffier

I'm glad the service was good for you and next time I'm going to sit at your table so that we can enjoy the same level of service. I found the food very good and I'm not dissuaded from returning because I think the staff was overwhelmed by that number of people at one time. We will return during a "normal" time and see if the glitch was an anomaly. I certainly hope it was. I'm simply stating what we observed. Sorry that you seem to feel that this is some grievous slam to Corduroy. I reported the slow service to the manager and things improved. I didn't ask for anything other than a reasonable level of service and when we got it, we were properly appreciative and expressed it.

Corduroy: Food = Good Service = Not as Good... We were getting our soup while others were starting to receive their second course and we wouldn't have gotten it then if I hadn't flagged down the manager(?) to ask why we weren't being served. Wine glasses were removed from people who had paid for the wine service, and overall service was very poorly organized. I hope tonights service is better. Maybe we should have waited until Wednesday night so that all of the kinks would be worked out.

Amen on Colvin Run...the most overrated restaurant in the entire DC/VA/MD area. DaDomenico is also fairly close and if I remember correctly, on the other side of 123 Mr. Smiths (?) (been a really long time since I've been out that way) was a pretty decent place for lunch (10 years ago), and don't forget the new Woo Lae Oak. It was highly recommended by the Post a couple of weeks ago. Fleming's (near DaDomenico) is pricy but good (a great wine list). Songbird is okay but not great Korean. If you have time to drive to Vienna, there are a number of good places there but that may be a bit far for a lunch time.

Our Exciting Evening at 100 King. Grover and I were seated upstairs and finishing up our 6 small plates and contemplating ordering dessert when the one thing that I hate the most happened: a cell phone rang...okay, actually it vibrated and I had to answer because it happened to be my brother who is having some problems. As I'm (discreetly) talking on the phone, I watch one of the large windows which overlook King Street slowly begin to describe an arc which would take it to immediate destruction on the 6 top directly across from us. With a most satisfying CRASH, the window landed on the table and spewed shattered glass over a wide area. For some reason this brought large numbers of staff flying from everywhere. In approximately 10 minutes, the shattered window frame had been removed, the glass swept up and drywall put over the (very large) missing window. Fortunately, there was no one sitting at the 6 top that was inundated with glass. Oh yeah, we did order dessert and it was good. Okay, so here's what we had and what we thought: SAUTÉED SHRIMP ARAK Seven well cooked shrimp. The shrimp were boiled(?) in a garlic infused mixture and served over a base of red onions, parsley and lemon juice. The shrimp were good sized and tasty but slightly tough. GNOCCHI An excellent rendering. Soft, pillowy and full of good flavors. Grover and I split this one down to the very last. SWORDFISH KABOB seasoned with sumac and saffron pernod sauce. Four good sized cubes of Swordfish on two skewers with a braised cherry tomato between the cubes to add a bit of color. The swordfish was nicely grilled and moist. Very satisfying. RISOTTO Watch out local Italian restaurants. This was some of the best risotto I have eaten in a long time. A very creamy rice base nicely surrounded by a wonderful cheese sauce and topped by mushrooms. I could have made a meal from this. BRAISED BEEF PROVENCAL With green olives and baby vegetables. This is a very tender rendition of an old comfort food. The beef was very tasty and the olives added an interesting sharp contrast to the baby veggies. BRAISED LAMB CHOP TAGINE Moroccan couscous and okra. A good sized lamb chop "lollipop". Served on the bone and just made for picking up and eating. Grover and I managed to avoid doing so but the temptation was there. Served medium rare. DESSERT for dessert I had the selection of 3 cheeses and Grover had the special dessert of the night. My cheese plate was unremarkable with the exception of the Stilton which was excellent. Grover had the creamy cheesecake with a orange zest topping. While it's not New York cheesecake, it was way to good to care. Suffice it to say, it disappeared. When we ordered we asked our waitperson to order for us and bring what she thought were the best offerings of the house. For someone who has only been in this country for five months (she's from Khazakstan) Tolkyn and the restaurant did very well. Somewhat flustered at our request at first, she (and 100 King) did an excellent job.

An interesting concept, but does it really make (real) wine? and what is the cost per 55 gallon oak barrel? and how many times would you have to make wine in this thing before that 55 gallon barrel was full?

Speaking for Grover (she lets me do that now and then)...the dishes weren't 'toned down' at all. They treated us as if we were Korean (thus the surprise that the dishes were disappearing so quickly). In Korean cooking, the spicy foods start out with the spices adding a subtle warmth to the flavors of the ingredients. As you progress through the dish, the warmth begins to build to a crescendo so that when you get to the end of the dish, every thing melds together like a good blues tune. If you had eaten just one or two dishes such as the spicy cold noodles, by the bottom of the bowl you might change your mind about the spicyness. I'm a big fan of spicy octopus and when I finish eating it, I'm perspiring. Normally Koreans have one or two dishes each which they eat with the accompanying panchan. We had more of a tasting menu so there wasn't really a chance for the heat build-up. If you'd like to accompany us for one of our "normal" Korean dinners (and you're more than welcome to do so), you'll probably find the level of spicy you're looking for. While I'm not crazy about all the dishes as well, I do find a lot to like..nothing to be upset about or ashamed about in that. I'm not wild about sea cucumber so I pass on that...(and dried jellyfish is a sometime thing as well) Glad you liked the soju. It's a very smooth way to discover you like a whole lot more Korean dishes than you expected (especially if you happen to be eating with a bunch of businessmen you plan on dealing with. Those soju toasts at 10:00 in the morning when you've been on an airplane all night can be a killer ) And a finer group of dining companions you can't find anywhere. It's adventurous fressers that make things like this dinner so much fun. (I even convinced Raisa that barbecued garlic is a wonderful thing). We'll have to do this again.

OH NO!!! I was just waiting for more of the Risotto with squid ink...

and we refer to it as "buttwiper"

TonKatsu with rice and kimchi with Jindalee Syrah 2004 because the 2003 is gone. Dessert is a Chocolate stout cake with chocolate sauce.

Hmm, either we have been very lucky or we have been there on a night when the kitchen was spot on. However, at the risk of being labelled a syncophant or a booster, here is our latest meal at Dino. Grover and I went on Saturday night. We managed to get a great seat at the front of the house where we could watch the comings and goings of patrons and servers. We asked Dean to pair wines with two small courses and dessert. In order: Scamorza d'Inveron - smoked mozarella covered in breadcrumbs over a bed of garlic roasted tomatoes. This dish is served with toasted baguette. It reminded me somewhat of pizza minus the crust. The most pedestrian dish we had the whole evening. Timbale Di Funghi - Baked mushroom tart with truffled Ricotta, served with a jug of Pomodoro Caldo. Surprisingly good mushroom tart and the Pomodoro added a very nice touch of tartness. I had to fight Grover for my half. She didn't want to give it up. Cannelono Di Mare - Shellfish stuffed Pasta Roll. Baked and served with Pomodoro, an Italian burrito is how Grover described it. Oh that all burritos tasted this good. I have a fondness for seafood and this was very good. Plate was wiped clean. Bistecca "Rossini" - This is a 12 oz Ribeye topped with Foie Gras and a truffle. It is served with endive stuffed with figs and gorgonzola cheese. I wish I could make my steaks taste this good. The steak was ordered medium rare and came perfectly done. The stuffed endive disappeared before I got more than a tiny taste. We followed all of this with the Cheese course. I wish I could tell you the cheeses but I'll have to ask Dean (and about the wine pairings while I'm at it). Needless to say they were very good and a (almost) fitting end to dinner. After the cheese we decided to have just a bit more dessert. I had the Gelato Affogato which is vanilla gelato drowned in a shot of espresso. If you read our earlier Dino adventures, you know I had the same thing then. This is really good. Grover did the encore route as well and had the balsamico with vanilla gelato once again. A very pleasant evening, the pace of dinner was excellent, the couple at the next table were very pleasant dining neighbors, the service was flawless and the wines...well, the wines were absolutely great. DINO and Dean have made us break our ususal pattern of not returning to a restaurant in at least a month. We both enjoyed dinner very much.

not sure that I'd ever accept websites as gospel truth, but now I HAVE to ride by there. A good excuse to get some cheese if they're open.

Dinner at Dino...damned hard to beat!!!

Hmm, we were there a couple of weeks ago and I could swear that the sign in the door said they were closed on Sunday. I could be wrong (and in this case, would happily be wrong) but we ended up at Caboose Cafe and had to eat lunch because breakfast was already over. Now, on Sundays we're not early risers so I'm sure it was later than noon...but as I said, I could be wrong. Only take 5 minutes for me to drive by there and see if I'm really and truly losing it (as my wonderful +1 thinks sometimes).

Just make sure you do it on a Saturday because unless something has changed, Cheesetique is closed on Sunday. Dairy Godmother is closed for the month (noted above) but you could try Caboose Cafe for lunch as a somewhat lighter alternative to Taquieria Poblano with a side trip to Sundae Times for ice cream.

You forgot lousy service, misplaced orders, wrong wines delivered and sushi that had been sitting around a bit too long.

I just spent 20 wretched minutes reading the Examiner's restaurant "reviews" and was overwhelmingly appalled at the level of understanding of food that was shown. Prime example: "kimchi is Korean pickle" from a review of Woo Lae Oak titled "Woo Hoo". No, I'm not making that up. Am I the only person who thinks this is more of a joke than a restaurant review?

Well, after our dinner last Saturday, you'd definitely be in my top 10 list. (okay, not you personally, but Tallula definitely would be).

What? You mean Wisemillers is moving? Where am I going to get those half-smokes at lunch?

I worked/attended class at GT in 1980 and I believe it was there then...but more often in the basement of Healey before the new part of the U was built behind the science building.

The proprietor, Vivian is no longer there and the last time we were there, there were serious changes and not necessairly for the better. Haven't been back since. It may be better now.

We generally go around 9:00am. A Sunday trip is an option if that is easier for everyone. (We're nothing if not flexible )

Russian Beluga Caviar...

행복한 생일 or 誕生日おめでとう or 生日快乐

From following the Blooms link, it's definitely not plain ole Food Lyin'...one of the features of the link is a feature on wines (something FL kept to a minimum if at all). Seems to fall somewhere in the upscale Safeway/Giant bracket (or at least that's the impression I came away with after exploring the website)

6:00pm 이월 21 일, 우리는 Braddock 도로 Metro 역 에 Han에 의하여 노래되는 오크를 발견하기에 도움을 필요로 하 는 누군가 만날 것이다. 거기서또는 Han에 의하여 노래되는 오크에 너를 보십시요 If you can read this, you already know what the menu will be like. Really looking forward to putting names and faces together next week. Grover and I hope you will like Korean food as much as we do.