DaveO

10 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I wanted to let folks know about this:

Oh cripes that just sucks.  Good luck Mark. 

Reminder:  Don't shop at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits. 

On 4/28/2017 at 7:49 PM, TrelayneNYC said:

I always tip 20%. I view it as part of the price for eating out.

For me, it doesn't matter if the restaurant in question is Per Se, Applebee's or something in between. While I would never go to Applebee's, you get my point.

What staff does with it after I'm out of the picture isn't my business. *shrug*

ETA:  Just read the link and noted the date (2005). That's great! But I don't think that service model will catch on in the U.S. as widely as I would hope, which is a pity.

6 hours ago, TrelayneNYC said:

Don't be this guy:

https://www.eater.com/2019/8/21/20827181/declan-o-scanlon-anthony-dierolf-tipping-new-jersey-restaurant

Most of the time I tip more than 20%.  I don't do it in big crowds when we are splitting the costs simply b/c I don't want to stand out.  I simply don't make a big deal out of it.  I do it b/c I'm familiar with the industry and the ups and downs  (reference the story of the customer in the Jersey restaurant).  Its a personal choice. 

I typically try and tip in cash.  If I pay for a meal with a card I'll put $0 in the tip on the bill and add the cash.  I'm usually prepared for it before hand but occasionally not.

I tip in cash for a variety of reasons including the following:

1.  (First off I would tip the same in cash or a card)

2.  It gives the server/bartender the option on how much to declare for tax purposes.  With today's POS systems often servers/bartenders get their CC tips as part of their weekly or biweekly pay.

3.  Not all restaurants/restaurateurs are clean and kosher with paying CC tips.  I've heard that too often.  It comes with regard to all types of places.  Not all servers and bartenders totally know how much they earned in a shift (though they should).   If they aren't paying close attention they get stiffed.   Getting paid in cash keeps that from occurring. 

4.  To this day a lot of FOH people do look for daily cash.  Paying with cash makes that happen. 

5.  And paying in cash keeps a disappointed FOH person from making an (appropriate) stink when the occasional angry (cheap) customer stiffs them.

Construction on Sfoglina at 1100 Wilson Blvd is moving along.  They are in the back stretch.  I spoke with one construction person there one day that estimated either late September or October opening.  Looking forward to it.  I have not been to either DC Sfoglina but they have amassed a lot of reviews on google and yelp and they are mostly good.  

On a second dining front, in the tall CEB building in the center of Rosslyn Open Road, a subsidiary of Circa will be opening a spacious restaurant in the central plaza with an additional bar below,  a sizable investment.  Their construction appears to be behind Sfoglina so I'm imagining an opening closer to Christmas.

2 hours ago, dcs said:

Some people will only drive a BMW or equivalent  Others are happy with a KIA.  Not everyone is passionate about food, but recognize they must eat to live.  Frankly, in many locations dining options are severely limited.

There was a point a while ago where most fine dining experiences I had were disappointing.  Was it me or the food or restaurant.  I'm not sure.  I don't believe I wrote negatively about the experiences.  It soured me for a period on fine dining.  A relatively lot of money for disappointing results.  I reverted to less esteemed restaurants and focused on comfort food.

That being said, CCF falls into a vast, really an enormous world of "okay" dining.   The dining experience, service could be terrific.  The company could be great.  The talk and drinks and vibe could be wonderful.  Frankly whenever the last sentence hits I'm usually pleased as could be.  OTOH I have experienced fine dining with great dining partners wherein the chatter and spirit were so terrific the wonderful meal got lost in the environment.

Overall though when you look at the sums spent on less than great food--well it meets what the "public" wants.    

The NBA might have gone through some massive changes this off season.  One prognosis is that the GS Warriors are no longer favored as probable NBA champs.   Well that might be true, but regardless, Steph Curry shows us he is still better than some he plays with....

19 hours ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

I just can't fathom how so many menu items can be executed in a professional kitchen. Most of them have to be pre-made and heated a la minute.

Then comes the "Why?" Why do restaurants like Cheesecake Factory (and GARG) want to peddle us a Cajun Pasta? They don't serve that kind of crap in Louisiana. Why mix Italian, Asian, Continental, and supposedly American on one menu, and expect any kind of real "from scratch" out of the kitchen?

I personally wouldn't set foot in the place, but then, they make a lot of money from people who eat instead of dine. I couldn't figure out Rainforest Cafe either, but my kids loved it.

The above are good questions.  They seem antithetical to the predominate nature of this forum which is focused on the quality of the food among other things.  OTOH they are possibly key questions for the management at chain restaurants, who are populated by food and beverage professionals thinking about the issues from a different angle.  The question about mixing Italian, Asian, Continental and American confounds me.  

But it must make sense for the chain restaurant professionals.  Its a different way of addressing the issues.  CCF does serve a lot of people and makes a lot of money.  That counts for something. 

I'll add this:  with a sizable free gift certificate for CCF I recently ate there for the first time in ages;  found one or two things I liked and gobbled my way through that gift certificate, along with supplying our bartending school with some cheesecakes.  Additionally with all the local places that last for a period and then crash and die, there are skills in the industry that mean a lot outside of kitchen skills.  CCF has mastered some of them and for a long period.

12 minutes ago, Pat said:

I changed my mind kind of last minute about what I was making for dinner last night. Instead of a recipe I had planned to make, I cooked down all of the mushrooms I had (a portobello and a few handfuls of shiitakes) with onion and garlic, and added chopped heirloom tomato at the end and used that as a bed for shallow fried boneless pork loin chops. I also cooked some peas that had been in the freezer a long time in a little water with butter, salt, and pepper, to go on the plate. And I heated whole wheat naan in a cast iron skillet to go on the table as well, with tzatziki and hummus. I felt stupid making frozen vegetables in August, but it did clear out some much-needed space in the freezer, so there's that.

And how was it?  Great idea, but how was it?

14 hours ago, cheezepowder said:

On 3/26/2015 at 10:44 AM, DaveO said:

On 10/21/2015 at 5:25 PM, DaveO said:

A Billy update - I was happy to see him working in Clarendon again!  He's working at Spirits of 76 (where the other staff have also been super friendly and provided great service) and Liberty Tavern.

The thread referencing Billy is 7 years old.  That is pretty amazing.  Think I'll stop by those places.  Billy elevated the restaurant experience

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/18/us/marijuana-jalapeno-pepper-shipment-trnd/index.html

You can add 3 Brothers Restaurant, Greenbelt Mall to this list....

A story from 2003...Washington Post. 

1977 to 2019...42 years.   Nice long haul.   Bellissimo!!

18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I sense that this could be something of a big deal, and may not be forgotten easily; still, the entire relationship between Israel and the United States has always seemed to be one between two strange bedfellows.

"A Toxic Rift Opens between Democrats and Israel after the Nation Refuses Entry to Two Members of Congress" by Matt Viser and Rachael Bade on washingtonpost.com

I consider this a volatile and potentially contentious topic.  Trump caused it.   Israel had passed a law banning visitors who supported BDS, but it has since made exceptions.   The two members of Congress were in that "excepted" group, free to travel to Israel.   Trump tweeted his opposition, and was clear he didn't want them going to Israel.  Netanyahu caved and agreed. 

Temperatures rose.....A LOT.   AIPAC and Marco Rubio, among others disagreed.  Israel backed off to allow Representative Tlaib visit, in part to see her grandmother, and Rep Tlaib decided not to visit.  She is struggling with that decision.   (I think that summarizes where it stands--today.  But things move fast and they could change.)

Right now the Democrats are struggling with this situation.  The GOP is with tRump and rock solid for Israel now.  There are contingents among Democrats that would cut aid to Israel and contingents within the Dems that support it strongly.  This will test the party.

I'm sure tRump loves this.  He is in complete cahoots with Bibi Netanyahu, and supports him with regard to his fragile state as PM in Israel.  He repeats himself endlessly about his support for Israel and is direct calling the Dems horrible (anti-Israel) on this issue.  

Meanwhile, lest we forget 12 American Jews have been shot dead in an American Synagogue since he has become President, something that hadn't occurred since 1977.   Currently many synagogues (possibly a majority) have some kind of security.   That is something that was never present in the past.  NEVER.   There was a "spike" of awareness/security following 9/11 but this is a relative sea change. 

Besides the people shot dead, the number of threats and violence against American Jews have roughly doubled since the end of the Obama administration.  American Jews are among the targets of tRump's supporters.  It is not a myth. 

I count myself among the targets.

I could go on about this topic but it is extremely volatile and it was created solely by tRump.

Well I don't know, but it made me think of Le Madeleine, a cafe I used to visit with some frequency and then stopped for what has been years and years.  The most recent visit, a few months ago, was sort of charming...and the food was reasonably good, not to mention a strong and distinctive sense between American and French Coffee.  I'd return.

...and now....back to the competition.

Bill Madden adds some perspective...

6 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

Just saw a current interview with Santana where he states that he wasn't expecting to go on stage for at least 6 more hours so he accepted acid from Jerry Garcia and wound up hallucinating throughout the set.  He said that to explain his faces (like the above screen shot) - he said that he was trying his hardest to stop the guitar neck from slithering out of his hand, as it kept curving and moving.

Hah.  Great story.  Having missed Santana at Woodstock, I did see them and Jefferson Airplane at a free concert at Central Park.  Don't recall if it was before or after Woodstock...but it was a surprise concert and it wasn't crazy packed.  ......and both groups were great.

Was listening to the above tape and wondering....where are all these people now...at least the one's who are alive?  What do they look like?  What are they doing? 

A little discussion about being a restaurateur on the Western Side of Glebe Road in Ballston

Scenes from day 2:   August 16, 1969:  Woodstock--the best party on the planet that weekend.... 50 years ago to the day

Some terrific photos of Woodstock  link

My group and I got there the evening of the 15th, the opening night.  It was already dark.  We parked along the side of the road and followed the crowd to the concert.  When we got to the fences they were torn down:  Free access for one and all.   It was wet, rainy, a sort of drizzle, and a little chilly.   We arrived at the concert site and it was amazing...a solid mass of people closely sitting together virtually impossible to get close.  Regardless we sort of shoved/pushed our way to what was the point where the natural amphitheater flattened out.   A huge mass of people and absolutely impossible to get closer.  We could see the stage below and it was a distance.  So called 400,000 people there and I must imagine the vast majority were at the concert site---about 4 times the size and population of the largest football stadium's around.  Simply overwhelming. 

The rain had increased and we were completely ill equipped.  We were sopping.  So one by one my friends urged to return to the car and our "camping gear".  Of that group I was the last to agree to leave.   We didn't get much of a concert:  Saw Ravi Shankar, Melanie, and I'm not sure if we heard anyone else.  We got back to the car and pulled out our meager camping gear...all the while it was raining.   A terrible preparation.   I slept by the side of the road, the main road to Bethel, NY (Woodstock). 

At some moment mid eve I awoke and looked up.   The road that was completely covered with cars when we arrived was relatively free.   A sedan drove by at a slow but reasonable speed with a guy tied to the roof, rope securing him at his body as he lay prone on the top of the car.   Long hair streaming behind him and his body arched up, while his chest was bound to the car, he was screaming out....."Super Hippy".   Memorable.

The following morning when we were all awake, and realizing we were completely ill prepared for what was a sea of mud and more cold rain we left.    Short stay.   But memorable.  We attended the best party on the planet that year. (and for many years)

It was dark the entire time I was there.  All those phenomenal photos of people camping at the site:  The drugs, the antics, the nakedness--I didn't see or sense any of it.   

Long long afterwards I learned 4 townmates, friends/people I knew stayed at the farmhouse of one of the four, very near the site.  Through the local connections they received a press pass and each day they drove to the site, were given preferential treatment and were able to get in and out quickly.  They were allowed to park behind the stage and got premium seating in front of the stage.   They flourished and enjoyed it, while staying indoors in the relative lap of luxury.   That fall I started college and learned some of my new mates had been there, prepared, protected by better camping gear and stayed for most or the entire concert.

Of the photos from the link above, the final one shows a smiling Mr and Mrs Yasger, the owners of the farm where Woodstock occurred.   The concert has ended, they are standing in front of the natural amphitheater, it is a filthy pile of junk.   The Yasgers are smiling.   Good for them.  Hope they made money out of renting out that farm.   Great party.

A little replay of a classic SNL riff from yr 2 (or possibly the 2nd half of year 1):  Joe Cocker and John Belushi....two terrific performers.....

In two days the 50th anniversary of the first night of Woodstock will occur.  I was there.  $18 (expensive) ticket in hand and wallet.  When we got there the first evening the fences were down and it was free access to one and all.  A little story from the Post remembering that 3 day festival 

It turns out two of my old high school friends co-Woodstock travelers will get together in September, they are both Great Uncles to a kid who is going to be bar mitzvahed.  My my time flies.

From the concert:

31 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Kind of a shame. Like going to see a major league baseball game, and instead, seeing the Orioles.

Low blow, but accurate and especially accurate if you wish to watch home run derby performed by the other team. 

This is a wonderful, accolade rich 1 hr long perspective on Dr. J, covering his life, from that of a little boy, through his development as a teenager, as a college player, joining the pro's, being traded to the 76'ers, winning the championship, and taking him to the death of his then 19 year old son and then beyond.   It's very rich and enhanced by the comments of many including teammates, commentators, fans, etc.  Just a great watch.

Hmmm.  Dr J spanned the era in between the end of the 60's Celtics dynasty, the 70's (a mixed decade of basketball) and then the 80's dominated by the Lakers and Celtics.  Throughout he defined stardom and class;  an athlete at the peak of respect and elegance:  a superstar who transcended athletics:

Must add something.  While this is a terrific piece it is strongly "pro Julius".  Can't blame them.  One little note:  In the 1977 NBA championship;  a series won by Portland 4-2 with Philly winning the first 2 games and Portland taking the last 4, there is a "little" flaw on the DR. J. list of accomplishments.

Sure Dr J upped his game and had a killer final series.  He took over the role of dominance during the series.  Regardless Portland noticed that J would veer off covering Bob Gross, the Portland small forward.  Gross a serviceable forward was never known for his scoring during an average career.   Nevertheless during the final two games he scored 24 and 25 points, hitting 10 of 13 and 12 of 16 in those last two games, super duper stats.   He scored those points as Portland realized Julius sluffed off him during the series.  Not mentioned above.

Regardless...over a long history:  Dr J a truly historic figure in modern American sports.

Best guy to watch....Ever??   Maybe....

Pete's in Clarendon closed for good.  Decided I wasn't a fan a while ago and didn't return so I can't speak to this.

On 7/10/2019 at 6:46 AM, KeithA said:

We go pretty regularly to the Cleveland Park location including a few days ago. Our favorites are the pesto fusilli with goat cheese, spinach agnolotti, meatball app (it is now rather good), and the ricotta cavatelli (more like super soft gnocchi) that come with the salmon are great, the gnocchi is also good, the big portion of branzino is good for the non-pasta eaters. They also often have a lamb shank special on mushroom risotto which is good. I also really like their house red wine. Lastly but not least their focaccia bread basket with roasted garlic hunks in the olive oil that they bring to your table is addictive. My kids could eat just this bread but they also like rigatoni with butter. 

The Ballston outpost is limited.  Regardless it is currently my favorite pasta in the area and pasta is my favorite comfort food.  I can see a long solid relationship!!!

Say it ain't so.  Sonny Jurgensen retired from broadcasting Redskin games.   Now that is the end of a long established era:  Sonny of Sam, Sonny, and Frank:  Frank Herzog was let go in 2004 by Snyder, Sam Huff retired a few years ago in poor health and now his old friend and teammate Sonny calls it a career!!!   Ooooof    that is auld lang syne.  Put the TV on, turn off the sound and listen to Frank, Sonny, and Sam cover the Redskins back when they were the toast of the NFL.

Sonny Jurgensen is a Hall of Famer Quarterback, one of the fabled QB's of the NFL, a member of the NFL team of the 1960's, a fabled Redskin, and a storied telecaster.  And now he is retired.    Ooooof.  I'm feeling my age!!!