Sthitch

This takes the cake for me.  Flavor = belly dancing or breaking plates? 

Along with other questions (such as the vague one about Penn Quarter) makes me think that on the whole, this crew is less knowledgable about dining out than the crew that tunes in for Tom's chat.  Do you agree?

Well, it depends what the belly dancer looks like...

Taverna Cretekou, in Clarendon

Clarendon? I know it is a popular neighborhood, but have they already renamed Old Town to reflect this popularity?

I am wondering if the inelegantly named "Don Corlione's" is as good as the person who asked the question, or if he just wishes to have some confirmation that it is better than Pizza Slut, or Porta John's.

Another vote for Sergio's. The crabcakes are worth a try, they are much different than those you find other places, and they are quite tasty.

Really about Old Ebbits?  It would be more in my price range.  Isn't it a Clyde's chain kind of place though?

It is owned by Clyde's, and has almost an identical menu (but I do not know of any other Clyde's outlet that has the Orca platter).

Cafe Atlantico just appeared on ESPN, but was unattributed, if they had not shown a picture of Katsuya Fukushima I would have never figured out where it was.

Just finished a meal of ravioli stuffed with butternut squash (roasted butternut squash, butter, Parmasean, fresh nutmeg, salt and pepper) , and topped with a hazelnut butter sauce (a simple brown butter with ground hazelnuts added when the first tinge of brown appears, take off the heat when it foams, and add a little salt and pepper), and an herb roasted pork loin. The herbs were a mix of dry herbs brought back from our recent trip to Italy -- it had rosemary, parsley, garlic, juniper, and salt.

I have not been to notti bianche yet, but I have heard some good things. It might be the closest place with decent food, that is not too "stuffy".

Blue Smoke

I have not been all that impressed with Blue Smoke. I think that it might be best BBQ in New York, but that is not really saying a whole lot. The pulled pork would not make you forget Starlight or Lexington #1 (if you have ever been to either). Plus they serve it on a Brioche bun. Brioche? Serving pulled pork on brioche sounds to me like serving, well I don't know what, it just is never done. The richness of the bun takes away from what should be the focal point, the BBQ. The ribs are good, but not something I would make a special trip for, and not something I would spend Blue Smoke kind of money on.

If you do go, you will have a good meal, but I think you can find better food in NYC so I would not waste my precious meal times going there. If you want real Que, head south.

I went last night for a friend's birthday. The food was really hit or miss. I loved the duck confit taco, but hated the tilapia tacos. The fact that the later came out cold did not help it much (that may have been caused by the poor service). The corn tamale with oxacan cheese was worthless, it was one small cube of cheese on flavorless lukewarm corn, however, the jicama stuffed with guacamole was quite good.

I was uninspired by the drinks as well, the mojito was practically flavorless. My wife got the rosa blanco special drink was also lacking much in the way of flavor.

I had hoped that Oyamel had improved since our first so-so experience, but it appears that it has taken a big step backwards.

several different flavors of truffles,

Last year I made a selection of coffee and Tea truffles (3 different flavors of each). Some were bigger hits than others. People loved the Cappacinno truffle, but only a few cared for the Lapsong shoshong truffles (my mother-in-law thought they were the best choclate she had ever had).

My wife and I have made it a tradition of only giving our friends and family homemade gifts. They have been extremely well received, and many of the recipients anticipating what we will offer this year. We generally have given a collection of canned goods, and baked goods. The canned goods range from chutneys, to preserves. In the past we have decided on what to make and can based on what we could find at SuperH, or other markets. Some of the things that have been particularly well received are compotes (blue berry walnut being the most popular). And I always include a collection of BBQ sauces (I know these are popular because people keep begging for the recipes, by now they should know better).

This year we are going to give wine that is targeted to the recipient and give them homemade items to match the wines. One of item that will be included is a savory rosemary and Parmesan biscotti that goes particularly well with champagne (the one wine that will be included in everyone’s gift). We are still working on the other items, but spiced nuts will be included, as will some homemade crackers, and maybe something from Cheesetique. And as always a collection of BBQ sauces (including my almost perfected Holy Mole BBQ sauce).

I think there is more than one Ortanique (Vegas maybe). 

Since I had not heard of Ortanique (or don't remember hearing of it), I did a quick search, and found that there are three, Coral Gables, Vegas (ast the Paris), and in DC.

Hard to imagine, I know, but also sitting on a shelf at the store I got it from were two magnums of '88 Margaux they just acquired from a private cellar.  Only 30x the price of the Vixen.

It sounds to me that the Margaux is the better offer.

Unless you wish to dine at the Mandarian, it is still a wasteland. If you are a self-loathing individual, you can go to on of the Maine Avenue tourist traps like Philip's Flagship and get your fill on poorly prepared seafood. If that is not an option (as since you asking here I assume it is not), what direction are you coming from? That would help focus a recommendation.

[desperate attempt to find some room in JLK's good graces...]

My mother makes a lovely bernaise sauce that passes my muster.  But mayonaise and hollandaise definitely result in, as donrocks pointed out, malaise. 

Sauce Béarnaise is a variant on the mother sauce known as Hollandaise, so I am not really sure why you like one and not the other (unless you don't like lemon).

How's the service these days?  We used to go there about once a month since it was so great with the kids.  But the last two times we went the service wasn't the friendly quality we had experienced in years past.  As a result, we haven't been back in more than year.  I'd love to add it back to the rotation.

The Six Way BBQ Pasta has always been my entree of choice.

I have never had issues with the service, but I also don't look for overly friendly service.

I have to put another vote in for the chicken fried steak, I just wish they would season the gravy a little more (it cries out for pepper). Also, I love the Crystal Fire shrimp.

I second Berns. This is a wonderful steakhouse, and even better when you are dinning on someone else's expense account. We used to make-up reasons to go see clients in Tampa just for their steak. I particularly enjoyed the steak tartare that is dotted with pieces of fresh black truffle, the best French onion soup I have ever tasted, rich and flavorful Delmonico, and those onion rings.

I have not been to Urban, but I can say that there is nothing to get excited about at Rocklands. All of the times I have been there I have found that the Que has promising smoky smell, with no smoky flavor. Also they seem to rely on sauce for moisture, because their meat sure does not have any. It is quite sad to say, but I would rather go to Red, Hot and Blue, than Rocklands, and I would rather go without Que than go to Red, Hot, and Blue.

Maybe based on the traditional European sense of the Michelin stars,

We can stop right there. The Michelin list is based solely on the traditional French measures. This is not limited only to food, but also rates the service, and the look and feel of the restaurant.

With those measures, food only gets you so far. If they offered half florets, then Babbo might be at 1 1/2, but the room and service at this restaurant will keep it from receiving two. I would say the same for a number of the other 1 stars, they offer superlative food, in less than ideal environs. What I think might be lost on Mr. Batali is that the Michelin adage is that one star means that a restaurant has exceptional cooking, 2 stars mean that the restaurant is "worth a detour" and 3 stars mean that it is "worth a special trip". Based on this definition, I would say that Babbo and the other one stars are fairly judged.

My wife and I went to Florence in October for what was originally meant to be a long weekend. Alitalia had different ideas. They cancelled our return flight, so what was supposed to be a weekend turned into a week. Of that we spent four days in Florence. I found the city to be much like the Duomo, beautiful on the outside, empty on the inside. However, food and wine were a much different story. Some of the best food I have ever eaten took place over those four days. So here it is:

Sosstanza � JoeH recommended this fine hole-in-the-wall restaurant to us. It specializes in Bistecca Alla Fiorentina (made from just the best Chiana beef). We went on our first night, and it was actually the first kibble that we had in Italy. Neither of us really wanted to eat after a long flight uncomfortable Alitalia flight (I really expected to see someone bring chickens on board). But we had reservations, so we went.
We were the first people to show-up and had to kill some time before they opened for dinner. We wandered down to a neighboring street and found a butcher shop. I didn�t want to leave. The beef, the pork, the chickens, I just wanted to rub them all over my body, they were so gorgeous. My wife dragged me out so that we could go to dinner. We ventured back to the restaurant. As we approached the restaurant the metal screen was lifted and we went in for what we hoped would be a good meal. What we were met with was more than we could have imagined.
We started with a plate of Prosciutto, and Finocchiona. The Prosciutto was unlike any version of the beautiful ham I had ever tried. This was almost as delicate as the finest Serrano. The velveteen texture of the heart was heavenly. The Finocchiona (a course dried sausage made with pork, pork fat, and fennel seeds) was loosely packed and the best we would find in the city. Because neither of us had much of an appetite we split a single T-Bone Bistecca. This steak was huge, it must have been a pound in a half of meat, and cost a whooping 19 euros. It was cooked rare, with a heavy amount of salt. The first bite I had was from the tenderloin portion of the T-Bone. It was actually flavorful. I can�t remember the last time I had a flavorful filet. It did not give-up any of its delicate texture to get that flavor. The next bite was a juicy piece of strip. There was so much juice it almost seemed that I was drinking beef stock. This was the single best steak I have ever eaten (even better than Peter Lugar�s). My wife followed it up with a radicchio salad. The greens were more sweet than bitter, and were simply dressed with olive oil.
We finished our dinner with a wild strawberry, chocolate, and meringue desert. This was a simple desert with a baked meringue with chunks of milk chocolate, an ample amount of juicy and flavorful wild strawberries covered with whipped cream. Taking all of the ingredients together tastes almost as good as the steak.
If you decide to go to the restaurant, do like the regulars and order the house red. The only people we saw ordering by the bottle were the table with Americans, and another filled with Australians. I can�t imagine that what these tables had was any better than the house wine.

Neri � We went to many Gelaterias while we were in Florence, this was the only one that really struck me as something special. The others were good, and better than anything we have around here, but nothing that made me want to go out of my way to get some gelato. Neri was different. It was raining outside when we happened upon this little Gelateria, not exactly gelato weather. I ordered a Nutella and my wife a peanut butter. Both tasted better than their name stakes. We loved it so much we both ordered a second gelato. I ordered a raspberry and my wife a chocolate. These were just as good as our first selections. This gelataria is near Santa Croce, and a little out of the way, but worth the walk.

Procacci � This is a small gourmet store/wine bar owned by the Antinori family. It is located on the tony Via Tornabuoni. We had several glasses of Prosecco and finger sandwiches. It was a nice little respite from our long walks on the uneven streets of Florence. The smoked salmon sandwiches were especially good.

Il Pizzaiulo � This was another JoeH recommendation. We almost did not pay it a visit. On our last day in town we found ourselves with a number of hours to spare, and wandered outside of the Italian Disneyland also known as touristy Florence. We ventured into the outlying neighborhoods in search of markets and fun stores. We happened upon Il Pizzaiulo by happenstance, and we were quite glad that we did. Once we found it, we had 45 minutes to kill before they opened, and so we found a great wine store where we could buy wine from large casks. We bought their most expensive Niebbola for 5 euros (we drank it the next night in Milan, and must tell you that it was worth five times what we paid for it). We wondered back to the pizza place and still had ten minute to stalk the front entrance.
It was well worth the wait. This restaurant is run by a family from Naples, and does their home city proud. We ordered two pizzas. One was a simple Margarita; the other was dotted with Prosciutto. These were the best pizzas I have ever eaten. It was not just the perfect crust, and the simple sauce, or the savory cheese, but all of it together. I am still having dreams about these pizzas, and I curse JoeH for introducing me to something that would put almost all other pizzas to shame. I was recently talking to someone else who always makes this a stop on trips to Florence. He told me that last year he took another American family to Il Pizzaiulo, when the teenager that was with them took her first bite she dropped her utensils and threw her hands in the air almost as if she had just scored a touchdown. That really summed-up my feeling about this pizza.

Enoteca Pinchiorri � I have heard mixed opinions about this restaurant. Some find it to be a bit overdone; others claim it to be one of the best restaurants in the world. I have been disappointed by other �best restaurant in the world� in the past, so I went in hoping it would be good, but not banking on it. This is Italy�s only 3 star restaurant, and is known for its extremely large wine cellar (from what they told us, they now have 220,000 bottles).
When you arrive at this unmarked but stunningly beautiful former palace you are met by doormen who escort you to a sitting room. You are then taken to your table in one of five dinning rooms. Since my wife made the reservation in her impeccable Italian we were not relegated to the �English only� room where most Italians are seated. Lucky for me, the waiter was quite fluent in English and could tell me what we were eating.
We ordered the Grand Degustazione Menu. The wine can be purchased by the bottle, or as a tasting menu. The wine tasting menu allows the diner to order wine based on how much he or she wishes to spend. It can range from around 120 euros per person, to over 3500 euros per person. When it comes to these tasting choices, you get what you pay for. We went for a mid level choice with all Italian wines.
The Degustazione Menu says this is a 9 course meal, reality is that we had about 15. I cannot remember all of them, but I will describe what I can. We started with a glass of vintage Champagne (a boutique house I had never seen before, and wish I had written down the name), we also received a sweet and savory tuile. It was dotted with sunflower seeds and a sprinkled of sea salt. Next they served a study of tomatoes. One of the components of this dish that sticks in my mind is the tomato water. It was a clear liquid that is drained from chopped tomatoes. It tasted like the most perfectly ripe tomato in a glass.
One of the next dishes was what looked like a simple foie gras and apple dish. It was much more. The foie was delicately cooked and served along with an apple jelly, apple puree, and prune bread. The tartness of the apple, the sweetness of the bread, and the fattiness of the liver was a match made in heaven. Next arrived a crab salad topped with onion foam. I am not sure how to describe this dish. The crab was impeccably fresh and was joined with small bits of cucumbers, and topped with a cloud like caramelized onion foam. This was a dish with so many layers that it defies explanation. At the point that I ate this, I felt that it was the best dish I had ever eaten.
The crab salad was followed by a dish that did not challenge us with contrasting flavors, but contrasting temperatures and textures. This dish was a bowl of hot porcini soup, with a scoop of porcini ice cream and topped with a thick slice of porcini tempura. Who would have thought that mushroom ice cream would be appealing, but it was. The hot, and cold, along with the creamy and crunchy made us quickly forget about the crab salad. I never wanted this dish to end.
But lucky for us it did end. The next dish was saffron pasta stuffed with an perfectly fresh ricotta, with a shrimp ragu, and topped with strips of licorice root. The flavors matched perfectly, the saffron and shrimp met with the exotic licorice root. This became the best dish that I have ever eaten. This was followed by red wine braised short ribs that have been braised for three days. There was so much gelatin in this dish that my lips were almost sealed together. The flavor was intense, the texture was delicate.
Amongst other things we also enjoyed a squab dish, a cheese fondue, plus a cheese cart, and a heavenly strawberry dessert. The wines from that night were:
2001 Borgo del Tiglio Ronco Della Chiesa
2000 Antinori Solaia
1999 Paleo
1998 Carbonaione
1997 Barolo Le Vigne Sandrone
1997 Brunello Pian Delle Vigne
1986 Castello di Ama L�apparita
We were also treated to a dessert wine, plus a bottle of wine as a gift when we left.

The restaurant did a fabulous job at treating us like we were the only dinners that they were going to have that day, but yet we were in a restaurant with every table full. This was simply the greatest meal I have ever eaten anywhere.

My wife and I are heading to London to celebrate President's Day. OK, not really a celebration, but what the hell, we have it off, so why not take advantage of it. It has been a while since I have been. Does anyone know of any hidden gems?

From the Times article:  "Mario Batali, whose restaurant, Babbo, received one star, doesn't think the guide will get much traction with New Yorkers. He was not happy with his ranking, which put him on the same level with the Spotted Pig, a small gastro-pub in the Village."

Shades of Gayot/Gault-Millau!

Having had a very nice meal at Babbo, I can tell you it is a 1 star restaurant. The single floret recognizes how good the food is, and no other florets denotes how much the non-food dining experience sucks. If he wants another star he might consider putting in some carpet, or doing something else to dampen the noise.

Smoking Loon is a safe bet, and reasonably priced at or around ten dollars. I have seen it at Whole Foods, Sams, Harris Teeter, etc...  Both the Merlot and Cab are great deals at this price.

Smoking Loon From your description, it might be better off in the Under $15 thread. Or maybe not there either.

Flavors does not get much love around here. I love the cooked-to-order fried chicken, pork chop, or fish. It goes into the Styrofoam so hot that it melts. My wife particularly smitten with the greens.

Michelin rates NY restaurants

Here is the list:

MICHELIN RESTAURANT RATINGS

ONE STAR (*)

ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD

Annisa Manhattan West Village

Aureole Manhattan Upper East Side

Babbo Manhattan Greenwich Village

BLT Fish Manhattan Union Square

Café Boulud Manhattan Upper East Side

Café Gray Manhattan Midtown West

Craft Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron

Cru Manhattan Greenwich

Etats-Unis Manhattan Upper East Side

Fiamma Osteria Manhattan SoHo

Fleur de Sel Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron

Gotham Bar and Grill Manhattan Greenwich Village

Gramercy Tavern Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron

JoJo Manhattan Upper East Side

Jewel Bako Manhattan East Village

La Goulue Manhattan Upper East Side

Lever House Manhattan Midtown East

Lo Scalco Manhattan TriBeCa

March Manhattan Midtown East

Nobu Manhattan TriBeCa

Oceana Manhattan Midtown East

Peter Luger Brooklyn

Picholine Manhattan Upper West Side

Saul Brooklyn

Scalini Fedeli Manhattan TriBeCa

Spotted Pig Manhattan Greenwich Village

The Modern Manhattan Midtown West

Veritas Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron

Vong Manhattan Midtown East

Wallsé Manhattan West Village

WD-50 Manhattan Lower East Side

TWO STARS (**)

ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD

Bouley Manhattan TriBeCa

Daniel Manhattan Upper East Side

Danube Manhattan TriBeCa

Masa Manhattan Midtown West

THREE STARS (***)

ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD

Alain Ducasse Manhattan Midtown West

Jean-Georges Manhattan Upper West Side

Le Bernardin Manhattan Midtown West

Per Se Manhattan Midtown West

I was lucky enough to sample it with Albert Garcia who is the son of the wine maker. Mariano Garcia, the winemaker, was at another table, and this was lucky for me since he does not speak English, and I do not speak Spanish, so his English speaking son was a better dinning companion for me. None of the other wines served that night would fit this category, but they were all fantastic.