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Who is Don Rockwell?


DonRocks

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And you may ask yourself

Well, how did I get here?

I can't speak for the rest of the board, but I'm just an average suburban housewife with no "ins" to any great restaurants. :) I have met Don though, and he is a nice guy who for some insane reason set up a website where a bunch of strangers can go on about food.

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Patience grasshopper.

Do you all know each other?

Not all, but I would say that I know the real names and faces of 50 or so people who post regularly

Who is Don Rockwell?

Peter Chang, who is really Keyser Soze. There is also the bad rumor that he was a porn star who retired in face of the shame of needing a body double.

Where did this site come from?

There once was a farm that had been taken over by the animals. Much merryment occured there. Then some animals began to think that they were more equal than others. As the Napoleonic leaders attempted to establish their Society there were many revolts among the other animals. As they were no longer allowed informal get togethers, the other animals took self-imposed exile as their bitter Tonic. A period of wandering ensued with a small core of the exiled animals finding some Mouthfuls of Food in the desert. Lo and behold some months later these animals, desparate for spring roles and a nice Donnhoff Riesling, saw a light shining over the hill. The long lost draft horse, a leader of the banished who had not been seen for oh those many months, had founded an oasis of eating, drinking, and snarkiness.

How is it that you all seem to have "ins" with all the top restaurants in DC?

We visit often, spend a lot of money, tip well, generally try to behave, and be nice to the owners and staff.

I feel like I've stumbled into some secret room where the culinarily priveleged go to swap secrets - - - and I don't belong!

hey, who told him about the Morgue? :)

Welcome. :angry:

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There once was a farm that had been taken over by the animals. Much merryment occured there. Then some animals began to think that they were more equal than others. As the Napoleonic leaders attempted to establish their Society there were many revolts among the other animals. As they were no longer allowed informal get togethers, the other animals took self-imposed exile as their bitter Tonic. A period of wandering ensued with a small core of the exiled animals finding some Mouthfuls of Food in the desert. Lo and behold some months later these animals, desparate for spring roles and a nice Donnhoff Riesling, saw a light shining over the hill. The long lost draft horse, a leader of the banished who had not been seen for oh those many months, had founded an oasis of eating, drinking, and snarkiness.
Wow, nicely done! IS "Donrockwell.com: The Origin Story" around somewhere? I thought somebody posted a rendition but I can't find it.
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Hey, welcome friend. You have just experienced a whiff of the smart-alec side of DR.com. But there are also lots of folks who don't have the energy or inclination to be snarky, who just like to talk about food. Plan to come to the picnic, where you'll have a chance to meet and put faces to the screen names, eat some great food and decide whether you want to start hanging out with the folks who meet for happy hours, or $20 Tuesdays or Dim Sum Sundays, or any of the special organized dinners at favorite restaurants, or just be part of the food chat scene on-line.

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Hey, welcome friend. You have just experienced a whiff of the smart-alec side of DR.com. But there are also lots of folks who don't have the energy or inclination to be snarky, who just like to talk about food.
And Zora has given you a flavour of what happens when people interpret good-natured tomfoolery the wrong way. :)

If there's a better answer to 'who is Don Rockwell' than 'A Bloody Mary-esque apparition that orders you wine or occasionally tequila by the glass and then vanishes' I'd like to hear it. 'Guy who runs a food forum' isn't as interesting. And who hasn't ever tried summoning Bloody Mary in elementary school? It's a Universal thing! I tried once and she gave me a Mimosa. Being like 7 years old at the time I didn't know what it was so I thought the OJ tasted funny, but chalked it up to having been delivered from the Brimstone-filled dominion of the Great Deceiver.

Your mileage may vary.

ustreetguy: Yeah, I think the yearbook was where the origin story was, you're right.

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Don Rockwell set the record for "most sales calls without ever moving a unit of product" with his Soylent Donnhoff effort just after the Soylent Green fiasco. Now, he whiles away the time, waiting for its reappearance...and a drier, Soylent Prager version may not be far behind.

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If there's a better answer to 'who is Don Rockwell' than 'A Bloody Mary-esque apparition that orders you wine or occasionally tequila by the glass and then vanishes' I'd like to hear it.
How about someone whose main pet peeve is triple-spacing? Dan, I'm sure you'll soon figure out what this means.
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Don Rockwell set the record for "most sales calls without ever moving a unit of product" with his Soylent Donnhoff effort just after the Soylent Green fiasco.  Now, he whiles away the time, waiting for its reappearance...and a drier, Soylent Prager version may not be far behind.

How about someone whose main pet peeve is triple-spacing?  Dan, I'm sure you'll soon figure out what this means.
Don Rockwell once wrote an anti-triple spacing memo so scathing that bits on the server hard drives spontaniously rearranged themselves to fix the posts, fearing retribution.

Don Rockwell once dressed down Chuck Norris for triple spacing?

http://www.donrockwellfacts.com

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And Zora has given you a flavour of what happens when people interpret good-natured tomfoolery the wrong way.  :)

That wasn't an interpretation, Tom, merely an observation. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I just don't have the energy for it like I used to--when I was your age, I did improv comedy in New York. I just wanted to let the newby know that it wasn't a requirement for participation.

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That wasn't an interpretation, Tom, merely an observation. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I just don't have the energy for it like I used to--when I was your age, I did improv comedy in New York. I just wanted to let the newby know that it wasn't a requirement for participation.

His name it Matt.

And what do you mean you don't have to be snarky. :)

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Wow, nicely done! IS "Donrockwell.com: The Origin Story" around somewhere? I thought somebody posted a rendition but I can't find it.

Click here for some added mystery and speculation.

For the record, Rocks, Sietsema, and Mr. Snuffelufegus still haven't been seen in the same room :)

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Nobody knows, but they say if you repeat his name three times, he shows up next to you at a bar, buys you a glass of white Burgundy, and disappears without a trace.  :)

Except on the evening of January 19, when he is engaged in a similar act involving cognac and roses in Baltimore.....

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Don Rockwell once wrote an anti-triple spacing memo so scathing that bits on the server hard drives spontaniously rearranged themselves to fix the posts, fearing retribution.

Don Rockwell once dressed down Chuck Norris for triple spacing?

http://www.donrockwellfacts.com

Chuck Norris's triple spacing self was seen enjoying a late lunch today at Charlie Palmer. Our party happened to leave just about the same time as his and as we walked out the front door, Nash himself held the door for us.

I stifled the urge to ask if he's really never paid taxes.

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and for that matter, neither have Diana Ross and Michael Jackson...

Are you implying that rocks is jacks???? :)

No, seriously, DR.com is a food forum for people who take food, drink, and service seriously, but not necessarily life. We attempt to not play favorites but at the same time we try to refrain from picking on least favorites, we attempt to not bore each other with politics, religion, or non-food/drink gossip. Some are restauranteurs, some are business professionals, some are parents, some occasionally act like children, but we try to remember that life and food should be fun. Good Food=Good Fun could be our motto. Actually, maybe 1/4 of the forum dosen't drink. You will usually find groups of us at the bars, watching the kitchen, chatting with the managers or chefs, and asking "so, what's new on the menu?"

Don Rockwell IS actually a real person, he's just very busy and occasionally tries to avoid the masses. He was previoulsy the moderator of the afore-mentioned egullet.org for DC, and is currently pulling doulbe drinking duty as the wine reviewer for Washingtonian Magazine. I would actually characterize us as smart-asses rather than snarky, but that's just my 2 cents. We, are, however, occasionally defensive, but considering that we live in the cover your a%& capital of the world, we do OK. We also PM each other if we want to say something a little more private. ok, that's now my 4 cents....bye bye y'all

"Seersucker" Dave (don't even ask)

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Chuck Norris's triple spacing self was seen enjoying a late lunch today at Charlie Palmer.  Our party happened to leave just about the same time as his and as we walked out the front door, Nash himself held the door for us.
In town for a meeting with the Secret Board Of Shadowy Figures about plans to distill the Roundhouse Kick into a mortar-delivered weapon to aid the Global War On Terror, I shouldn't wonder. Seeing as how this was "Charlie Palmer Steak", did he bring his own steer and rend it unto steak with his own fists of fury? :)
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I’m here to testify! DonRockwell.com has rocked my world. Not only have I learned more about food, cooking, and dining in the year I've been online; I have expanded by intellectual capacity as well. I can now punctuate dinner party conversations with interesting, obscure little tidbits.

I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve read something on DR and immediately did a Google search because a word, phrase, or name was unknown to me. A recent example:

Does anyone besides me feel like they're smack dab in the middle of a Tarkovsky film?
Who is/was Tarkovsky? What type of films did he make? What is a "Tarkovsky film"? Well, he's the guy who directed Solaris, the 1972 Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner. Only now did the 19 minute, long-ass car scene made sense! As a result, I’ll have a greater appreciation of Tarkovsky’s films in the future.

Everything you need to know is on DonRockwell.com somewhere. What words or phrases have sent you running to Google or Wikipedia? What did you learn today?

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re: Julius Caesar Act III, scene i, line 273.

"Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war;" (line 273)

That this foul deed shall smell above the earth (line 274)

Why, you may ask, am I running around, pre-dawn, trying to find my glasses, so I can count down 273 lines to find this reference? Good question! I'll let you know after another cup of caffeine. :)

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I was just curious about the infamous Don Rockwell. Is he a former chef? Does he work for some kind of food magazine or something? I just ask because it seems like he (along with most of the people on this site) knows a lot about food. Also, it seems like he eats out like a dozen times a week, which can get pretty pricey.

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I was just curious about the infamous Don Rockwell. Is he a former chef? Does he work for some kind of food magazine or something? I just ask because it seems like he (along with most of the people on this site) knows a lot about food. Also, it seems like he eats out like a dozen times a week, which can get pretty pricey.

No, no, my friend, he eats out a dozen times A DAY. Don Rockwell is an enigma wrapped in an enchilada.

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You know, anytime someone new wants to know who Don Rockwell is, everyone tends to give these Chuck Norrisf Facts-esque answers. "When Don Rockwell goes to a restaurant, he doesn't pay the bill. The bill pays him."

But after meeting him in person twice, I too, am curious (if a little bit nosy). What is Don's background? I think he wrote a wine column for the Washingtontian... but where'd he come from before that? And what about his job? He eats out every night, but I always see him logged in to the site. Is his job to guard a giant pile of money?

I can't find him on TMZ anywhere...

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