DaveO

I used to lease restaurant spaces...going back a long time. Its astonishing as to the amazing disparity in rents with regard to restaurant deals. While I haven't done that in ages I would be surprised if there is any consistency to rents. A place like B Smith's could have an extraordinarily inexpensive rent due to a myriad of factors...almost too many to mention. I'm sure the restaurateurs could speak to this, though they may not wish to. Its a very private situation. I do recall brokering a lease on behalf of an office tenant during and after the building leased space to DC Coast. When they made the deal with DC Coast they gave away so much in rent and concessions they came back to my office tenant and completely changed terms. Ooof. Certainly its possible that catered parties, a low rent, and some name recognition could keep B. Smith's at Union Station all these years...though I have no inside information on that situation. If one of those restaurants really worked hard at both food and service there is a huge market and potential at Union Station, above and beyond the enormous volume of travelers that walk through its halls, at least IMHO

Damn; I work around there...and don't make it there very often and haven't focused on these sandwiches that have received such acclaim. Now I'm game to give them a try. In fact I picked up a menu to try some of these sandwiches that you folks have been raving about!!

25 years. Damn, I was going there abt 25 years ago and doing a lot of take out from there, back then. back then I thought it had the best crispy beef around. but that was then and this is now. my time flies

Must admit, tried it just once. Enjoyed it. Just didn't get to Bethesda enough to try it more times.

Jeez. so hard to keep reasonable deli's in this area. In fact they are a vanishing breed in general imho.

I remember when they opened it. Nice look and feel, and good fish as I recall. But it didn't catch on. I doubt they have ever put much time or effort into it over the years and I suspect the rent is dirt cheap. They could be approaching a new lease/ higher rents and trying to make a serious go of it now with thought and work.

Is it still owned by Mr. Day's?

I really love the funny dirty stuff. and I follow your tweets. yikes. I even read them. They are terrific leads into tremendous threads full of depth. thanks.

I'm going to be building some google maps for some businesses. Ultimately I should know that, but I don't right now. What have you been doing to add the links to the threads?

By far my favorite coffee in the Courthouse, Arlington area has been at Euro Cafe: Not a coffee house, a mini market at Wilson Blvd. and Veitch Road. But truth be told its not necessarily the coffee. Its the cocoa powder. Not chocolate powder...not anything else. Cocoa powder. In fact...why write this? I've got to go out and get cocoa powder and bring it back home.

Its absolutely fantastic news. Not sure when i'll have a chance to eat there but I'm already feeling relieved to know an IHOP is awaiting me in Dubai. Now as to IHOP on a national and local basis...when I was a kid in suburban NJ, IHOP was the coolest place to sneak off to...which says something about what food deprived kids we were. Locally...I must admit I like those great big IHOP omelets stuffed with meat or chicken every so often. Filling is the word I would use to describe them.

Tx. I merely wanted to post both alternatives. If I were the host I'd start working on the menu first and then get to the staffing. As to the "aorta" of a respectable wedding reception....LOL. I'd say it goes 3 ways: the food, the bar, and kick ass music!!!

As an example of the "outside party" catering services I saw this picture on our facebook page and thought I'd post it here: (that dave is not me!!!) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151986363205099&set=a.10150346118055099.575390.453679290098&type=1&theater&notif_t=photo_comment

That is why I suggested "between 1 and 2". ONE, if they are good, and efficient, experienced and capable. I'm comfortable with some of our grads handling that. I'm not comfortable with everyone doing that. ONE: If you wish to save on staffing costs for the 3-5 hours. TWO: if you wish to be safe. I also think that in a wedding, waiting forever at the bar does stink, and the hosts really don't want that, since the guests are friends and family celebrating with you. But I wanted to present both possibilities, since there is a budget.

After posting a note in the Help Needed Section: http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showtopic=18472entry212478 about our ability to staff catered events, Don suggested I post here about the Professional Bartending School. He added that many drive by our location (w/ its large signs) on Wilson Boulevard and don't know who or what we are!! LOL..(so much for "brand recognition") So here is a little about the Professional Bartending School http://bartending-school.com : 1. We are a hands-on 40 hour, state approved bartending program. The business has been around since 1968. 2. Our group has owned/operated it since the mid 1980's. 3. Relative to about 100-150 bartending schools around the country we are pretty old, pretty consistent and pretty large....not to mention impeccably clean and respected within a sort of snarky "industry". 4. Our program consists of 10 classes in which we teach many drink recipes, opening to closing and customer service functions for bartenders, deep instruction on alcohols, mixes etc, an additional program on "alcohol management" (how to deal with drunks, potential drunks, how to identify fake ID's, etc), and give job placement assistance. We have extensive hands-on practice, which is used to get people efficient and knowledgeable as bartenders. 5. Everything is hands-on with a fully functioning built out bar, all equipment, double speed racks, two large professional ice machines, etc. The one thing that is fake is the alcohol. We use water and colored water to simulate the colors of alcohols. (works well). In 40 hours the students literally make/practice thousands of drinks. 6. We teach efficiency, and practical ways to develop bartenders and try and teach from an owners perspective. 7. We are not a training ground for advanced mixology nor craft bartending. Some of our grads are some of the craft bartenders in this and other regions. They arrive at this status through subsequent personal development and additional learning. (More power to them) 8. We have Very extensive Job Placement Assistance on behalf of graduates. In the last couple of years we've been able to confirm our grads landing about 1200 bartending jobs/year. Nothing else comes close to that in the DC region--not remotely close. 9. We reach out to up to several thousand bartending employers (everything from the ugliest crudest bar/club you wouldn't want to send your worst enemy to --to the regions finest fine dining. We have had some of the region's most revered restaurants hire from us over the years. Our placement services are free to the food and beverage industry. 10. Currently I believe we reach out to around 1,000 or so grads, recent and past who stay in active touch with employment opportunities. We could probably reach out to a couple of thousand more if need be. 11. We are able to reach out to grads with extensive experience if required and can work with F & B employers in many different ways to satisfy staffing needs. 12. Of note: if anyone has ever read anything about bartending schools and the commentary they get (often from people who claim to be bar managers) our school has gotten thousands of people jobs and we specifically have responded to and targeted certain niches in the big industry. Now here is why I responded to the Help Wanted request referenced above for catering suggestions. We provide up to thousands of graduates to caterers. They staff many of the caterers, both well known and little known throughout the region. (By example, Ridgewells, which still hires many of our grads, used to visit on site to recruit.) We direct provide bartenders for parties, catered events, weddings, special events, corporate events, birthdays, bar mitzvah's, funerals, charity events, you name it. The school does not charge for this service, nor do we tack on overhead charges. Since many of our grads already work for these caterers, you can get people at "probably" below catering charges, who might have been staffing your event anyway....Its a good deal. All costs and pay go directly to the bartenders/staff who work your event. We arrange for these people to work the events but do not get involved in contractural agreements concerning the staffing. 13. We do have staff and graduates who are "experts". My expertise probably falls on the "quantity side" 14. Oh yeah....we earn our living by providing that 40 hour program. New classes start every week. Our phone number is 703 841 9700. Our job placement line is 703 841 9757. Placement email is pbsplacement@gmail.com Main contact email is info@bartending-school.com Cheers: Everyone.

Thanks for moving my post to this thread. Hadn't seen your update. The 2nd one is priceless!!!!! (and unfortunately something to which I can relate-> oi)

This is very very funny. Wouldn't all restaurant reviews be enriched if they were live?? http://bit.ly/IWannaCry

I'm one of the people that operate the Professional Bartending School in Arlington. We staff bartenders for these events all the time and have been doing this for decades. Some advantages to using our grads directly through us include: 1. They are often the same people who work for caterers. We don't charge for the people; its a direct to the people that staff your party. That probably saves you a bit on mark up and overhead. You could contact the school direct at our placement phone # at 703 841-9757. We have a very professional, responsible placement person who can help. You can DM me here. I'll give references to some people who have been doing events and parties for years. Unfortunately I'm not up to date with what we charge or what the experienced people charge. But I suspect its lower per hour than through a caterer if only b/c of no mark up. 2. The grads can provide a list of alcohol, mixers, and extras for a party. It works. It could be a bit dated, but its easy to update. You of course can make all types of substitutions. If you follow the suggestions of the folks above, and you buy your own alcohol, mixers, supplies you will also probably save somewhat on overhead. Lots of people do that. At 150 adults you are between 1 good experienced bartender and 2 bartenders. 1 good experienced person can handle that sized crowd, essentially keep people from waiting on line, keep their drinks refreshed and help you have a successful wedding with everyone enjoying the event. To be on the safe side, and if you aren't sure about the staffing efficiency then you should have 2 at the bar. 3. I'm not going to comment on caterers. There are a lot of great ones. I always like going with a strong recommendation from someone who has used them before and could use them again. Most caterers will work with your flexibility. Most of all: Congratulations and good luck. Have a great wedding.

That is depressing. I had no idea as to the facts. The taste test and suggested reasons (colder water->more fat->sweeter taste---interesting.) make me mourn for the old days. But the question comes up....when did Maryland crab cakes start becoming primarily crabcakes from other regions? When was it?

7-11 pizza. Hey...I've never been asked if I want fresh slices? Do they actually exist? I would imagine the executive chef at 7-11 central advises all franchise operators that pizza is done best if well aged.

First time I posted here, a couple of members called me out. The review looked like something an owner would have written under an alias. Don contacted me to check me out. Frankly I think that is great. Shows that the membership/community is passionate about the rules. I explained my "fandom" to Don with a long post....and that was okay. So I thought I'd come back with a more precise version on why the new Toscana Grill works so well for me and others I was there a week ago for pizza and returned to my office. I spoke with a guy who said he grew up in NYC. I told him I had gotten back from a place with real NY style pizza. His eyes widened and he said NO WAY!!! I said WAY. He asked for their address and said he had to go there. I think that guy has been in this region for six years or longer. I was there today. A woman was picking up lunch to go and asking about weekend dinner hours. She was from NJ. She has been here 14 years. Her girlfriends and she get together for dining out and they like Italian. There normal get together is Maggiano's Upper Wisconsin, DC. She sooo prefers Toscana and wants her friends to dine there. If you are from the NYC region its incredibly hard to find Italian in this area at a decent price that reflects styles (often called classic) in this area as from the NY metro region. Virtually impossible. Il Pizzico in Rockville has been around for about 20 years. Its the best (closest thing) (ignoring the very high priced restaurants). Toscana Grill is one of the only other examples. On that basis alone its excellent. @Genevieve: I like the Arlington owners at Listrani's. I've eaten their food a lot. Used to go to the original on MacArthur Blvd when I lived closer to it. Its current recipes come right from the MacArthur Blvd location. I think its consistent...but it isn't close to Toscana for approximating "classic Italian" at least IMHO. Couple of other things on Toscana. The owner Joe is great...but I know he is suffering from new owner/ issues and inexperience dealing with all sorts of things. So it is inconsistent. As to Pies and crust. He is one of the only people in the region who hand makes his pies, rolls them, works the crust and flattens them. He cuts out all air bubbles. Virtually nobody does that. If you want a spicier crust ask for it. I've had him add various spices. I like spicier crusts. Its easy. I'm not an owner or an employee. I'm obviously a huge fan. One of the only only only places in the region with Italian food that is close to what you taste in the NYC region. Frankly, Genevieve, I'd bring your review to him and make him do a bang up job for you. Tell him "Dave" suggested it. Ha ha. I bet he'll step to the plate and make sure everything is tip top. (then I bet he'll curse me out in private...but hey...I'm from Jersey....its the norm.)

My goodness. This is a passionate place. I awoke from a deep sleep, noticed my recent emails, one of which parenthetically, had to do with testing, from an SEO (search engine optimizing) perspective, how these damned vexing websites such as yelp, google+, etc. show reviews within a certain mysterious order...and decided to act on the experiment. I did so, in part because the participants of that group have a similar level of passion, (myself included) directed at a topic other than food. Then I noticed in my email, an invite to the DR picnic, read the WashPost article, (I'm a very new member here)--very interesting--decided to go to this forum and happened to see this thread. Oh my this thread is passionate--validating some of the thematic description in the WashPost article. I happen to do seo work, none for restaurants, and found this thread engaging and fascinating on a variety of levels including: 1. The terrific and honest posts (good reading and entertaining). 2. The depth of the posts 3. The way the community pushed through the initial idea and subsequent ideas 4. ...and I suppose because I'm struggling, and contemplating a small issue, and action vis a vis yelp reviews for my clients...and yelp has been on my mind. (also referencing back many posts ago, I almost assuredly found this forum via search. Opening the forum to "search" was, IMHO, a wise move in increasing awareness to the general public). I'd add that ultimately creating a DR approved sticker would be another step in creating additional awareness of this forum and the passionate, educated, and worthwhile commentary. By the way, in general, every current web based review site is subject to significant and accurate claims that there is a certain level of actual manipulation of the reviews. While informative and well read reviews are fascinating and helpful, it is a fact of life today, that the review corpus on any business almost anywhere should be somewhat treated with some skepticism, due to the potential for manipulative reviews (either positive or negative). (my above referenced "experiment" had to do with trying to manipulate some aspect of the visibility of reviews, after all) Mostly, though, this is a refreshingly passionate place. Thanks. My future posts will try and reflect the passion.

This was once a great sports bar...and it featured soccer like no other place around. But ugh its miserable. Basically its best features these days are huge amounts of tv's for watching any event anywhere....it often has lots and lots of room...and prices are relatively cheap. Now the reasons for plenty of room and cheap prices is that every element of the place has gone downhill. sort of stagnated. ho hum service. Really mediocre food and a ho hum selection of beers. Geez, its got this killer location sitting right above the Courthouse metro...it had this incredible rep...b/c it featured soccer from everywhere around the world.....and its gone steadily down hill. Its surprising the place is still in business

I've enjoyed Carmine's twice. Most recently a couple of weeks ago with a group of maybe 12 including out of towners. Portions are enormous....and can't quite remember the number of main dishes and appetizers but with all that food, and everyone full with ample wine....price was about $3-35/person with a large tip. Very good price. The food is fine. With that big a group we probably had about 6 main dishes. None stood out...but none were bad. Service was EXCELLENT and fun. Plus got there early and met one couple for drinks at the bar. Reasonable prices and very friendly service. Before that I was there eating dinner in the bar area.....four of us. Got way too much food. Had an excellent pasta/sausage/red sauce dish. Definitely the best thing I've had there. This place is excellent for groups. Can't imagine how to order for a table for two.

Last two times I've been to any of the clyde's restaurants was old ebbit both times. Food was good not super good. 2nd to last time we were put in a crowded seating area. service always very professional. I've been going to various clyde's around the region for a long long time. Always good...can't recall when i'd call it great. Probably most liked the one in Friendship Heights. Used to love the way the food runners would deliver dishes with plates stacked up their arms.