DavidO

The Colonnade at the Fairmont has a very good buffet brunch but I think they now only offer it a few times a year (although Easter might be one of them, for what it's worth).

For non-buffet brunch my personal favorite has been Birch and Barley, but I need to check out Fiola Mare.

If seeing the All Blacks is on your list then I would add that probably the single most beautiful place I've ever seen in my travels is pretty much anywhere on the South Island.  We spent a week or so travelling around (including the Milford Trek) and didn't see everything but loved it all.

On the same note, if you are going to Sydney, I'd suggest the Great Ocean Road (at least ).

Honestly, for what it's worth I will say that we went to Rogue once a couple of years ago and it was interesting but not superlative (if you want specifics, I will say that as far as I know, no other chef in history has tried to make a dessert that resembles the flavor of soap, and there is a reason for that).  We were considering going back for a special occasion, and the posts on this thread lately have not made me think that would be a good idea.

Are you really saying you'd like to debate whether only "professional" food critics  should be allowed to post here? 

Thought I'd bump this old thread because we too are looking for a pre-theater menu for the National Theater.  Was considering Central or 701 but Central's pre-theater options didn't jump out at me and I haven't been to 701 in years. Cafe du Parc is another interesting idea.

Any thoughts or other suggestions?

Anyone know if this is open yet?  (Or better yet, has tried it?)

We went and my feeling was that it might be a decent place to get a drink after work, but the food seems to suffer from the curse of Bethesda mediocrity-- I could see going again, but I'm not really planning on it either.

Washingtonian reports that there will be an outpost of Lunchbox near Range opening "later this year".

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/bestbites/food-restaurant-news/lunchbox-headed-to-chevy-chase-pavilion.php

I did like the last line that people should cross their fingers that Family Meal will come to DC...

I don't know how helpful this is, but I recently got the Canon SX230 HS (which is a 14x zoom) and so far I really like it (the pics from it look a lot closer to the pics from my D40 DSLR than was true of the last point and shoot I had). Of course the temptation is to zoom in on the kids indoors-- only to realize just because you can zoom in doesn't mean you have enough light to get a good shot.

I broke one and then got the Williams Sonoma 1/2" version. At the time someone told me it came with a lifetime guarantee. I don't know if that's true, because fortunately I've never needed to find out.

I used to keep it in the oven but but my better half is convinced it screws up temps for baking other things (I maintain that having a pizza stone on the bottom of a gas oven could only help even out temps).

OK not really (or at least not yet) but I have to say I am fairly uncomfortable that they named one of their popular beers "Raging Bitch". Yes I get the dog reference, but it's still not a beer I'm comfortable having in my fridge with kids (or ordering in a restaurant in front of kids). Certainly my kid has heard me swear, and I could teach the kid that bitch has more than one meaning, but I think I would have to teach more than one meaning, and that raises the question as to why I'd buy the beer in the first place.

Anyway, I've been thinking about some of the beer names I think of as coarser (such as "Pearl Necklace") and wondering if they just rub me the wrong way because I am being old and crotchety, but I think Raging Bitch is coarse verging on sexist so that, plus the fact that it's reasonably common, makes it the one that bothers me most.

I don't know if this makes sense, but if someone sold a black imperial stout and called it the Niggardly Emperor, I am pretty sure I'd find that offensive even if they came up with some explanation about how the recipe was stingy with the use of hops.

Anyway, feel free to tell me I'm being overly sensitive (as long as you stay off my lawn) but the Fojol Bros. discussion prompted me to put down some thoughts that had been in the back of my head.

Sorry I missed the celebration but happy anniversary!

I was a little disappointed to learn that it seems most of our favorite specials deals (cans & clams, lobster roll & draft, kids 2 for 1 hotdogs) seem to have gone by the wayside, and I have to agree that the service can be a little slow/spotty, but I'm still happy to have Freddy's in the neighborhood!

Ate here recently and the pizza was good, but I think the only think that really wowed me was the price. You'd think I'd be used to it but a pizza dinner for 3 (2 apps, 2 pizzas, 1 dessert, 3 drinks) costing $90 all in? Interestingly they seem to have given in to local custom and started slicing pizzas.

After looking at the calendars of other WF stores in the area this special appears to be happening at the Arlington location only.

I was just checking calendars too, and it seems Rockville will have it also.

In Washington DC-National, a good alternative to Legal Seafoods is sushi at the high quality restaurant Matsutake Sushi in the National Hall. This place is as good as many non-airport sushi restaurants in the DC area, and is the only sushi restaurant at an airport in the entire country where I will order sushi and sashimi pieces, rather than rolls.

DCA BOS

Just because it's local and it's got the dog theme tie-in: Baying Hound.

That's a great idea, and their website says it should be at Corridor.

The best large format bottle I've had recently was Brooklyn Local No. 1, but it's more of a Belgian pale ale.

Haven makes a big deal about using coal-- says it burns hot and dry.

Thanks! I did mean Mazza Gallery. I thought of Lia's but to be honest I've only eaten brunch outside there and wasn't sure what the bar was like. Indique Heights sounds like a great option too (the movie gets out around 7 pm on a Sunday)-- is it in that space above the metro/bus stop? (I almost asked who is the current tenant of that space.)

We're planning on meeting some friends for a movie in Friendship Heights and I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a place within walking distance where we could get a drink afterwards, or maybe a drink plus a bit of dinner. Has the small plates trend taken over anywhere there yet?

I like Guardado's. There was a time when I thought it was quite good (better than Jaleo at the time), but now I would say it's pretty good and still worth a visit (although admittedly some of that is because it's not hard to get a table and they've always been child-friendly).

I've always liked this place-- I think the burgers and the fish (which is all I've tried) are great. I've never really understood why they decided to open a block from BGR but personally I prefer Fresh Grill to BGR. My fear has always been that they'd close for lack of business since I rarely see people there, but now it seems as though nearby construction has made it unsafe. Hope they can reopen soon.

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Blogs/Table-Talk/March-April-2012/Fresh-Grill-closed-due-to-construction-damage/

Another vote for Jaleo (for what it's worth, I've found the Bethesda outposts of restaurants to be generally family friendly). I will also say that we did Brasserie Beck at a slightly older age and the staff were very welcoming.

We ate there a couple of weeks ago (when it was almost empty). Our service and food wasn't bad (but wasn't great). I'd say it was pretty comparable to Guapos.

We ate there recently and for what it's worth I thought the pickle worked well on the pastrami sandwich, but I did not like the chicken soup-- I thought it did not have much flavor and was very heavy (we left a lot over). I thought the butternut squash soup was ok, but my favorite was the mushroom soup (although in general I think the sandwiches were better than the soup). I thought the meal was still a decent value-- getting a good sandwich and a soup (plus an apple) for under $10 is pretty reasonable, at least by DC standards.

We tried the gelato and while it was a generous portion, I thought it was only ok. Basically seemed like acceptable but not great chocolate ice cream (I overheard an explanation that this is "American gelato" not "European gelato" which makes no sense to me, but I wouldn't care if it tasted great). In the end two of us couldn't finish a single portion, which I think speaks to both the portion size and the appeal.