Sthitch

My wife decided to choose the Prime Rib to begrudgingly acknowledge another birthday. She loves big red slabs of meat and the pomp and circumstance of the restaurant. We arrived, and they shuttled us to the middle side of the room. The seating was fine, except for the view of the young woman next to us who appeared to have learned table manners from Attila the Hun, but I cannot blame the restaurant for such things. The room is Playboy Club 1968 (I have seen pictures). Black and gold everywhere, but the bunnies are replaced with men in tuxedos. We both ordered the same thing. The crab cakes for an appetizer and the prime rib for the entrée. I have yet to have a better crab cake than what the Prime Rib puts out. They are half the size of what you would get at G&M, but have four times the flavor packed into the smaller cake. The crab is pure lump, with a fresh crab flavor. It almost seems as if they hold the entire thing together with the restaurant’s tartar sauce. The only issue I have with these cakes is that when I am done with them, I am salivating for another. The prime rib was cooked to exacting order. My wife got an end cut that was medium (she likes the extra crust), and mine was rare. And when it landed at the table, I wanted to let out a Fred Flintstone like “Yabba Dabba Do” these things were so large. They serve and entire bone, cut not on the bone, but midway between them, so everyone gets a piece of meat that should serve two large men, or a medium sized village in Sierra Lorne. The meat is so tender that you can cut it with your fork. They do not over season the crust at the prime rib, instead allowing the meat to show in its purest form. The jus provided just enough seasoning to not require a dash of salt for the monstrous slabs of meat. We had a side of mashed potatoes. They were creamy, yet pleasantly chunky at the same time. We followed up dinner with a slice of cheese cake topped with strawberry coolie and with fresh strawberries on the side. The cake was nicely cooked, creamy, with not a sign of grittiness. The strawberries were fresh and sweet. Nice way to end the meal. The Prime Rib is not a restaurant that I would recommend for those seeking an inexpensive meal. But I believe for the quality and quantity of the food, it is a value.

Hmm yum, raw beef cheeks, almost as sounds almost appetizing as a boiled shoe, and just as tender. On Saturday, we went to celebrate my wife's well, 29th birthday (she would killing me if I admitted to how many times we have celebrate this same birthday). It was a spectacular meal, with only a few blemishes. Everyone had a different dish for appetizers and the entrée. Appetizer: Soft Shell Crabs: Perfectly sautéed on a bed of greens with a lovely vinaigrette. The softies were still wonderfully tender and cooked to perfection. Snapper Bisque: The first taste was a bit over-powering, but soon showed itself to be a wonderful representation of the fish, with no residual fattiness. Beet Salad with Goat Cheese: Perfectly cooked sweet beets served with a goat cheese sauce. The goat cheese and beets was a perfect match. Micro-Green Salad: A salad of impeccably fresh mix of greens. These fetal greens were simply dressed and provided a great start to a meal. Entrée: Wagyu Sirloin with Rutabaga Pave: The sirloin was cooked flawlessly and served with a simple jus, with a side of a rutabaga pave that was able to change my mind from being a rutabaga hater. Lamb Loin with Goat Cheese Ravioli: I am not sure where to start with this dish. The lamb was beautifully cooked, and simply dressed, however, the ravioli was so impressive that it is hard to remember mush else about this dish. They were delectably cooked with a mild goat cheese filling Braised Beef Cheeks: Yes they were a bit sweet, but it helped to balanced out the gelatinous meat. I just wish that the beans it was served with were a little more done, I found that they were a bit too toothsome. This dish and the sirloin also had perfectly cooked wax beans served with it. It is so rare that a restaurant serves these verts. Roasted Baby Chicken: The only part of this dish that I was able to try was one of the small legs. Good God, this little bit of meat was not on par with Palena's wonderful chicken, it lapped it. The meat was as tender, but packed with even more flavor. When the chicken was served it was topped with a friend something. I call it a something because no one at the table could quite figure out what it was. We were split on it being either potato or plantain. I believe that it was add to the dish for textural purposes, and not for flavor, well at least I am hopping that is why it was served with it. Desert: These were a bit hit or miss Trio of Ice Cream (Vanilla, Raspberry, and Lemon) - The vanilla, and raspberry were not flavored as well as I had hoped that they would be. The vanilla did not have much flavors of this delectable bean, and the raspberry was a bit too bitter. The lemon was a true stand out. Even though I did not like the flavor of two of the ice cream, the texture of all of them was impeccable. Chocolate Torte with Caramelized Banana and Vanilla Ice Cream - The bittersweet chocolate torte was rich and matched perfectly with the bananas. Like with the previously desert, the vanilla ice cream was unremarkable. Crème Brulee - The custard was well cooked and had a very nice texture. The vanilla shone through, unlike the ice cream.

A chocolate tempering machine.

Actaully, I am surprised that the Japanese were not at the top of the list. I used to do business all over Asia, and am still quite impressed by how much wine my Japanese clients would put away.

I have had a similiar experience there. But when I went the beer was really cold and served with a frosty mug and was not Corona.

Make sure you get hominy grits. They are harder to find but well worth it. They are toothsome unlike the quick grits you find at most grocery stores.

A Coke and small bag of Peanut M&M's, the machine was out of Funyuns.

The Round Robin sucks. It is a cramped space with nothing alluring about it, and not nearly as old school cool as the Town and Country at the Mayflower or Off the Record at the Hay Adams.

Tom, What would you say was the single best dish that you have had at any Washington area restuarant (or Baltimore for that matter)?

I think that 1 star is quite generous. My wife and I have given it a try twice for breakfast, both times were very disappointing. The service was as bad, if not worse than what Tom described. The six cups of coffee all arrived at our table less than hot (ranging from warm to cold). Both times we ordered a patry basket. I would think that filling a basket with pastry would take maybe a minute or two. They seem to want to make a career out of each basket. Yeah the pastries are good, but not worth the insanely long wait.

They had this abomination last summer. I cannot believe they brought it back. The soup lacked any corn flavor, sort of reminded me of cold dish water, and while they claimed that there was lobster in the dish, it was presented as a foam, and like the insipid soup was revolting. This soup ranks at the bottom of dishes I have ever had anywhere. However, the steaks are always good.

I think that I exceeded the average Italian by March.

The wine maker Joseb Pinol was in town this weekend along with a number of other great Spanish wine makers. All were as wonderful as the wines that they make. In addition to the 1+1=3 and the Mordoree I would also recommend the following: 2004 Pax Rose of Syrah - Sonoma 2004 Rose of Virginia - Austalia 2004 Coppola Sofia Rose - California 2004 Pavie Rose - Bordeaux 2004 Chapoutier Rose - Rhone And just to include a recently released rose bubbly: 1998 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rose

For Thanksgiving I ordered a heritage bronze turkey from Townline in Pennsylvania. The turkey was unforgettably good, and will oder another this Thanksgiving.

This is the only really disappointing thing I have had at the Luna in Shirlington. I found the bread too dry and flavorless. I would third the Bennigan's recommendation, as embarrassed as I am to type those words.

I know a number of people who went to Bordeaux for this year's tasting. The three who's palettes I trust the most were not impressed. Most of them commented that they had a great nose, and a good finish, but lacked any middle. The structure is also suspect. Not surprising the Mouton did not impress people, but this was also the case with the 2000 vintage, and it is currently showing the best out of the first growths. I would not buy any ’04 futures, there is still too much ’01, and ’02, floating around to pay the elevated prices for ’04.

I have seen it at Balducci's. They do not always have it.

The '04 Roses coming out of Europe are a great steal. Most are under $15, and you should seek out Pavie, Mondree and 1+1=3. The three are very different in style. The Pavie is elegant, the Mondree is a classic Tavel, and the 1+1=3 is a fruity, yet dry wine.

Officials now say their decision to move Taste of DC to Memorial Day weekend from its traditional Columbus Day weekend was a mistake. I guess these people have never been in DC on Memorial day weekend, and noticed all of the motorcycles.

I thought that Charleston had wine lockers. I am also familiar with a number of off-lines at various restaurants around Charm City. There is a loophole in the Virginia code. If it is a private party in a private room, the restaurant can allow BYOB (or something like that).

If I remember correctly, it was reopened in 1976. There has not been a restaurant continuously operating at that location.

There are no BYOB's in Washington that are in the spirit of the great Philly BYOB's. To serve wine in the city, the establishment must have a license to serve alcohol, unlike what you find in Philly. There are many restaurants that do allow corkage, most for a fee. Here is a long, but by no mean comprehensive list.

If you want the recipe.

The original one needs no help jazzing up the food. The steak is not quite as good as Lugar's, but as close and anyone has come. The rest of the fair is far better than Lugar's. That said, this sounds painfully cheesy.

I generally go to an Indian store to get most of my spices. They generally have quick turnover of their stock and cheap prices. There was one right at the cusp of Ballston that had great deals. Unfortunatly the last time I went to pick-up some pepper not only was the store gone, but so was the whole damned building. Now I have to find a new place to shop. When I lived in MoCo I would go to an Indian store on 355 right by Montgomery College in Rockville.