"The Waterfall Room" Dinner at 2941

[hillvalley]

We're going to begin organizing more inexpensive events so everyone can join in, but you also have to nab opportunity when it arises. And it has arisen.

Early tomorrow afternoon, we'll be announcing another special event. It won't be cheap, but it will involve a terrific meal in a beautiful, private room in a well-known restaurant. Pricing will be given both with and without wine, and will be all-inclusive (tax and gratuity included).

No PMs or Emails before then, please! It's important that everyone gets a fair chance to attend this event, so we're giving you some advance notice this time.

Visitors and guests, if you were thinking of registering for the website, now's a good time to do it - we'd love to see some newcomers on November 6th!

[DonRocks]

The Waterfall Room at 2941 is one of the most stunning places to dine in the Washington area. It's a private room that you've probably never seen, but when I saw it a couple of months ago, I said to Jonathan Krinn that it would be a perfect place for a special group dinner, and he agreed.

Jonathan will be creating a special tasting menu for this event, open to all members of this website. We'll need a minimum of 20 people to book the room, with a maximum of 40. The cost will be all-inclusive (tax and gratuity are included), and will be $85 without wine, and $143 with wine pairings (no shared pours).

While that isn't inexpensive, it is a great value for a restaurant of this caliber: subtracting out tax and 20% gratuity, it works out to $68 for food and an additional $42 for wine pairings. Broken down into these terms, it's pretty clear Jonathan is cutting us a break.

And there's more! Everyone going to work at David Lankford's farm this weekend will be placed into a pool (a lottery-pool, not a swimming pool), and one lucky recipient will receive a free dinner at this event (an $85 value!). We'll devise a Powerball and/or Lotto-based system once the list of Lankford attendees is finalized, and use one of the drawings next week to determine the jackpot winner. And if you can't make the 2941 event, I'll take you out to dinner myself. That's right: you can Win Dinner With DonRocks! So please, come to the Lankford Farm this weekend and lend a hand if you can.

Please reply via PM only (not email) to HillValley, who will begin processing the PMs next Monday after escaping for a much-needed vacation this weekend. PayPal will be used to collect the money in advance, and a waiting list will be started if we somehow go over 40 people.

It doesn't seem fair that people who can't be on the computer as this message is posted are shut out of the dinner, so everyone who gets their PMs to HillValley by tomorrow, Friday, at 5 PM will receive an equal chance to attend. If we somehow go over 40 people by then (I can't imagine we will, but you never know), then we'll have to institute a lottery system for fairness.

Okay, have at it.

Rocks.

P.S. I've seen Jonathan's menu and it's impressive.

[JPW]

Rocks,

Just a note to say that I think this is a very fair system.

Thinking into the future -- if we continue to oversubscribe events such as this, perhaps those who have been lucky enough to win in the lotteries will be kind enough to sit one out for others to get a chance.

[bookluvingbabe]

Bravo on the well-thought out and fair system!

I'm insanely jealous as I have a prior commitment that evening.

Enjoy!

[hillvalley]

To all the lurkers and guests out there.....If you register today you can still be included in the first lottery, just let me know when you recieve the registration email, so start that registration process and set your SPAM blocker to let mail from Donrockwell.com in

[Halloween]

Rocks Rocks!

Edited to add, "And now, I'm a clam!!!!"

Edited October 6, 2005 by Monique DC

[hillvalley]

Thanks for everyone who has responded so far. Keep sending those Pm's if you are interested. It's not too late

I apologize for not answering each PM but I just don't have enough time. I will send out a PM to let you know if you have "won" the lottery on Monday.

[hillvalley]

Me again

Due to the popularity of the event we are going to have to limit each member to only one guest. We want these events to be open to as many members as possible and this seems the most fair way to do it. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Don't forget that the first phase of the signing up is open until 5pm this evening. I hope you will consider joining us for this special evening if you have not already PM'd me.

[Buckinghamilton]

Wow! A few weeks ago, my company put me in charge of finding a new venue for our annual party (for years we've had it at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg), and I booked the Waterfall Room for it (for Dec. 9th). I suspected I was a genius for doing so, and now, with it chosen as a special dr.com event, I'm sure of it.

(the head honchos made it very clear that they wanted not only good food but a very impressive room and great service- and this seemed perfect)

I've never eaten there myself (though I will in a couple months on the company's dime!), so I'm very excited and eager to hear the reports back from you all (sorry, won't be able to join you this time).

[hillvalley]

Thanks to everyone who offered to miss the event so we wouldn't have to use the lottery system. Fortunately someone had to cancel anyway so we will not have to go to the lottery

If you received a PM from me yesterday then you are on my list for attending the dinner. If you did not hear from me and think you should be on the list please let me know.

I will be sending out PayPal information soon.

[hillvalley]

Just to clear up a few things from the PM I sent out this morning:

a) Even if you attended an event before or have my personal email I need you to email me at the address I put in the PM I just sent.

You can attach up to 6 email address to one PayPal account. So if your account is set up under your spouse's email you can add your email address to the account.

or

c) Have your spouse email me with your screen name and real name.

These little steps by you save me an enormous amount of time and stress. Thank you for helping me out and saving Rocks from bitchy venting emails from me!

Again, let me know if you have any questions.

[hillvalley]

Sigh....someday computers will be my friend.

Long story short you received 2 PM's from me with different titles but with the Exact Same Information! Sorry

Edited to add this: Sorry these posts sound bizzare to those of you who aren't involved in the dinner but this is the easiest way for me to reach everyone without sending out mass PMs. I sent out a PM today asking those coming to the dinner to follow a few simple steps and I posted what needed to be clarified. If you are interested in the non-drama PM me and I'll fill you in on the dullness and absurdity that goes into putting these things together

Edited October 10, 2005 by hillvalley

[hillvalley]

One more time....please Do Not PM me with your paypal info. Email it to me at the address provided in the PM. (Please send the email from your PayPal address.) This makes my life and record keeping a lot easier.

Thanks

Edited October 10, 2005 by hillvalley

[Al Dente]

Can I just post my credit card info in this thread and someone else can do the Paypal thing for me?

Thanks

[ScotteeM]

Can I just post my credit card info in this thread and someone else can do the Paypal thing for me?

Thanks

Just give me your credit card information, Sweetie, and I'll take care of it.

Going shopping. . . .

ScotteeM

[TedE]

Can I just post my credit card info in this thread and someone else can do the Paypal thing for me?

Thanks

Sure, but I'm going to need your SSN and mother's maiden name to make sure everything goes through.

Oh, and a list of your last three legal residences.

[hillvalley]

Don't worry, I already have that information

I am hoping to get out the Paypal email in the next few days and would really appreciate it if those of you who have not emailed me your information from your paypal email would take a minute to do so. Thanks!

[tripewriter]

I worked a private party in the Waterfall Room on Sunday night and was impressed by the space. The massive main dining room also has a great feel. The outdoor stone paths near the waterfall and koi ponds are tres cool.

[Tweaked]

Chef Krinn was on DC 101 "Eliott in the Morning" this morning. Eliott was raving about the restaurant, the space, the fish pond. Chef Krinn said he is 37. He is the only chef to get his Mishima beef from the ranch he buys it from and has the exclusive rights to use it on his menu. He said that no Kobe beef actually comes from Japan anymore, they stopped importing it 5 years ago and that most American raised Kobe beef uses cows mixed with Japanese and American stock cattle but his supplier uses only Japanese stock. Apparently chef brought in some Alba white truffles which are just starting to come into season. Otherwise eliott made fun of the restaurant being in an office building and the sommilier for sampling their wine. He was on for maybe 10 mintues but good to see some local coverage, esp. right before our dinner!

Edited October 12, 2005 by Tweaked

[hillvalley]

Edited to change it to Three Open Spots. Pm me if you would like to join us.

Edited October 12, 2005 by hillvalley

[hillvalley]

If the following people will send me an email, to the address listed in the PM, from their PayPal email account, I would really appreciate it Thanks!

LoganCircle

mdt

meaghan

ScotteeM

silentbob

[hillvalley]

I have sent out the PayPal money request for the dinner. I would appreciate it if you could complete the transaction as soon as possible so I can move on to the wine PayPals. Let me know if you have any questions.

We still have a spot or two open if anyone is interested.

[hillvalley]

Just to clarify-this paypal only covers the dinner-it does not cover the wine option. Your completion of this transaction is your reservation.

I will send out the wine paypal for those who are interested over the weekend or early next week.

[hillvalley]

Thank you to the 22 of you who have taken care of the PayPal transaction or spoken to me. I have never had such a quick turn around

To the other five, please take a moment and complete the transaction so I can send you your wine PayPal. If you need to wait a few days for whatever reason, would you let me know? Thanks!

There are still 3 spots open if you would like to join us.

[hillvalley]

I sent the wine PayPals out in the past two days. If you did not receive one and should have please email me and let me know.

Once again, thank you to those who are taking care of the PayPal transactions quickly. You are keeping one part of a crazy week sane (cough, cough, ahem those of you who haven't paid for the dinner yet, you have until Friday to gaurantee your spot).

[hillvalley]

Here is the list for the dinner with number of guests and wine pairings. Please let me know if I need to make a change to your reservation. W

We have one open spot left if anyone is interested.

Banco (1 wine)

Barbara+1 (2 wine)

bilrus+1 (2 wine)

Camille-Beau+1 (2 wine)

clayrae+1

DanielK

DC in DC

gnatharobed+1

goldenticket+1 (2 wine)

LoganCircle+1 (2 wine)

mdt

mktye

Monique DC (1 wine)

NotQuickDraw+1

Pete+1 (2 wine)

porcupine+1 (1 wine)

Rissa P (1 wine)

ScotteeM+1 (2 wine)

silentbob

tenunda (1 wine)

Tripewriter+1 (2 wine)

ustreetguydc (1 wine)

V.H.+4 (3 wine)

[DanielK]

Anybody going early to grab a drink at the bar before dinner?

[DC in DC]

Attire?

[DonRocks]

Attire?

Coat and tie for men is appropriate. Since it's a Sunday night, perhaps a nice sweater and slacks instead, but don't go any lower than that (and sportcoat is preferable). It's an upscale restaurant, but we do have a private room so that mitigates it a bit. Think: Galileo, Cityzen, Citronelle.

[tenunda]

What time are we supposed to be there?

Edited to Add: DUH. It's right in the title.

Edited November 6, 2005 by tenunda

[hillvalley]

Tonight's Menu

                                        A Special Tasting Menu

                                                    Canapé

                     

                                                Amuse Bouche

                                        Torchon of Foie Gras with Fall Fruits, 

                                      Basil Escargot Bouché, Mishima tartare

                                                First Course

                                                Crayfish Cassoulet

                                      With pickled ramps and fennel cream

                                              Second Course

                                          Miso Marinated Black Cod

                                          with scallop ginger ravioli

                                              Third Course

                                  Pheasant, Caribou and Venison and Cêpes

                                                  a la bordelaise

                                                  Dessert

                                              Cinnamon Apple Tart

                                  Petits Fours and Cotton Candy

[mdt]

Here is the menu from tonight. A bit different than what Hillvalley posted. No time to do a writeup now, but he langoustine cassoulet was spectacular!

[porcupine]

Here is the menu from tonight.  A bit different than what Hillvalley posted.  No time to do a writeup now, but he langoustine cassoulet was spectacular!

I could be mistaken, but I think all nine people at our table agreed - the langoustine cassoulet was beyond description (for me, anyway).

Many deep and heartfelt thanks from me and my faster half to Don Rockwell, Hillvalley, Chef Krinn and his entire staff. What a lovely evening.

[goldenticket]

I think our table was dubbed the meat table - I'm pretty sure I can safely say that we all very much enjoyed the venison loin and the wild boar rack (we were thinking of you Jacques G. )

A lovely evening in a beautiful space - the food, wine, service, and company were all top notch!

Thanks, as always, to those who worked hard to make it happen - your efforts were appreciated

Edited November 7, 2005 by goldenticket

[mktye]

Pictures!!!

A few of the dozen or so pieces of bread I consumed

Crab Florentine (left) & Curried Eggplant Purse (right)

Torchon of Artisan Foie Gras w/Autumn figs (top), Mishima Style Beef Tartare with capers and mustard oil (left), Escargot Bouche with wild tarragon (right)

My favorite of the evening... Scottish Langoustine Cassoulet with creamy grits, pickled ramps and baby vegetables

... ta dum!

Miso Marinated Sable with confit of spahetti squash and yuzu jus

Venison Loin and Wild Boar Rack with forest mushrooms, fingerlings and salsify

Ginger Pumpkin Soup with pistachio feulletine and floating meringues

Chocolate and Chestnuts, chocolate chestnut mousse and cognac sabayon with brandy caramel and chestnut tuile (and a truffle)

(Oops, I got so excited about the chestnut mousse that I forgot to take a picture! )

Banana Gerbet Macaroons, Chocolate Mints & Chocoate Spice Tarts

Grape Cotton Candy

The Waterfalls (as best as I could capture with the available light):

[tripewriter]

Pictures!!!

Thanks for posting these, they bring back delightful (albeit recent) memories.

The 2941 kitchen seems to have a special touch with seafood. My faves were the langoustine (to quote bilrus, I want this in a four-quart le creuset!) and the sable.

Also stand-out was the dessert--as our table tucked into this, the conversational buzz was "who's the pastry chef here?"

Other highlights for me were the eggplant purse and the beef tartare. And the wine pairings, which hit all the right notes.

And yes, our thoughts also turned to Jacques G. when the venison and boar plate appeared. :-)

[Banco]

Many thanks to Chef Krinn and his entire staff for a memorable evening: creative, imaginative food, beautiful surroundings, and attentive service worthy of a Japanese hot spring resort.

Also a special word of thanks to our sommelier, Caterina Abbruzzetti, whose descriptions of the wines were almost as luscious as the wines themselves. The Savennieres and the after-dinner wine from Southwest France (whose name now escapes me) were particularly inspired choices.

My favorites of the evening: Mishima beef tartare; Scottish langoustine cassoulet; sablefish with yuzu demi-glace. All in all it was an extremely impressive menu, thanks not only to its individual elements but also to its overall architecture.

It was also a pleasure to finally meet some Rockwellians for the first time. They made the food taste all the better.

Finally, many thanks to hillvalley, DR himself, and others who made this delightful evening possible.

[DC in DC]

Thanks to Don, Hillvalley, and Chef Krinn for a fabulous night!

I think the consensus at our table was that the winner of the night was the Scottish langoustine cassoulet. I could have put away a few more of those! I was intrigued by the sablefish-- I will definitely look for that fish in the future. As Chef Krinn noted, the fish has such a great rich flavor that it can really stand up to the miso marinade. I also loved the amuse bouches-- so much flavor packed into those little bites. Finally, I was very impressed by the complexity of the dessert-- so much going on in that cylinder of chocolate and congac!

Really enjoyed meeting and chatting with the others at the table-- Rissa, silentbob, clayrae, mktye and mdt!

[bilrus]

Often in a meal like this a few dishes really stand out from the rest. But to give those who weren't there an idea of the food that was served last night I want to focus on the dish that was probably only my fourth or fifth favorite of the night - "Miso Marinated Sable with confit of spahetti squash and yuzu jus"

Forget the spaghetti squash confit, which was fine in and of itself, and focus on the fish. Buttery, meaty and flaky all at the same time. Seared just long enough that it melted in your mouth. But on its own it would be too rich, too unctious, just too much. That's where the citrus of the yuzu came in - as much to balance the dish as to add flavor.

Any other night this would have been the dish everyone was buzzing about the next morning. You're going to hear more about the Langoustine Cassoulet and the Chestnut Mousse and the Beef Tartare. But don't forget about the Sable.

Thanks to everyone - Chef Krinn and staff, Don, Hillvalley, MDT and mktye for acting as hosts and all my tablemates for keeping jenrus and I entertained while we weren't focused on the food.

[Pete]

The 2941 kitchen seems to have a special touch with seafood. My faves were the langoustine (to quote bilrus, I want this in a four-quart le creuset!) and the sable.

Tripewriter is spot-on with his assessment. That Langoustine Cassoulet was one of the best dishes that I have eaten this year. I used many pieces of bread to clean out the rest of the bowl. The miso (and yuzu) marinade on the sable was a beautiful balance of sweet/savory.

Thanks again to Chef Krinn and the gang for the flawless food and service. My wife and I had a wonderful time, and enjoyed the company as much as the food.

If someone was smart enough (unlike me) to write down the wines that were served, could they post them here?

edited for stupidity

Edited November 8, 2005 by Pete

[RissaP]

I had a fabulous DonRockwell Dinner at 2941. These are my favorites:

I’ve never had Sablefish before. Maybe I’m the only one, but this became my number 1 favorite (buttery, milky-white and meaty flakes, glistening-in–the-middle, so fresh and perfectly cooked). Like the foie gras version of fish that melts in your mouth! I love the hint of miso marinade. The wild boar rack and venison loin were delicious, also perfectly cooked to my liking. The wild boar, as if cooked only by smoking, had a pleasant apple wood smoke taste, perfectly accompanied by forest mushrooms and salsify. Amuse Bouché: Basil Escargot Bouché was served with a delicate pâte choux; I can easily pop several of these in my mouth. And the Mishima tartare had an interesting bright red color (I thought it was tossed in a little beet juice). Chef Krinn mentioned that this is typical of the type of beef, Mishima. The Scottish Langoustine with creamy grits and interesting pickled ramps was like comfort food served elegantly in this miniature Le Creuset-like pot. Of course, the grape cotton candy is a nice and comforting touch that they do there. It brought back a lot of fond memories. The waterfall—simply breath-taking!

Caterina, the sommelier, was delightful and informative as well. The wines were complementary to each dish. She did mention that if you are interested in obtaining the complete list of wines, you could email her at Caterina.Abbruzzetti@2941.com.

Thank you Chef Krinn, Caterina and the entire staff for a wonderful experience! I will definitely be back to experience your dining room.

Special thanks to Don Rocks for giving us the opportunity to try 2941, to Hillvalley for passionately working hard and to mktye for being such a lovely hostess to this elegant event. And to my fellow Rockwellians—WOW--thanks for a most memorable experience! It was such a pleasure meeting old and new faces, as always!

Edited November 10, 2005 by Rissa P

[DanielK]

I’ve never had Sablefish before.  Maybe I’m the only one, but this became my number 1 favorite (buttery, milky-white and meaty flakes, glistening-in–the-middle, so fresh and perfectly cooked).  Like the foie gras version of fish that melts in your mouth!  I love the hint of miso marinade. 

FYI - Smoked sable is pretty commonly found at Jewish-style delis. Parkway in Silver Spring and Celebrity in Potomac usually have it, and I think it's pretty good in both places.

[RissaP]

FYI - Smoked sable is pretty commonly found at Jewish-style delis. Parkway in Silver Spring and Celebrity in Potomac usually have it, and I think it's pretty good in both places.

Actually I meant to say that the consensus seems to be the langoustine as the favorite at the 2941 dinner.

But thank you so much for the tip. I will definitely seek this smoked sable in the places you recommended.

[ustreetguy]

If someone was smart enough (unlike me) to write down the wines that were served, could they post them here?

I sent an e-mail to Caterina Abbruzzetti and here is the list she sent me.

Champagne Gosset, Brut , Excellence, Ay, France NV

Chenin Blanc, Savennieres, Chateau de Varennes, Loire, France 2002

Savigny-Les-Beaune, Le Mouttier Amet, Domaine Christophe Buisson 2003

Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, Domaine Font De Michelle, Rhone 2003

Jurancon, Domaine Uroulat, 750 ml. 2000

Thank you all very much for having your event here at 2941 Restaurant. We appreciate your support.

I hope to see you all again in our restaurant.

It was a fun event.

Best Regards,

Caterina

[goldenticket]

I sent an e-mail to Caterina Abbruzzetti and here is the list she sent me.

I believe this should also be on the list - it was the accompaniment for the dessert course (I think this is the right one):

Vin de Paille D' Arbois, Domaine Rolet, Half Bottle 1999

[vintage in pic may be different than what we served, but as Caterina put it, the bottle is so "cute" I thought it was worth a photo]

Edited November 10, 2005 by goldenticket

[DameEdna]

I have left my comments until the very last, just because they are so fussy.

I very much enjoyed the wine selections Chateauneuf-du-Pape especially.

Service was excellent, the wine service most of all.

The fussy part:

The menu was printed on plastic (like an overhead projector slide) ... what's

with that? No photocopier paper in Northern Virginia? The menu was almost

unreadable in the dim light.

The menu was printed in wretched fonts (is there a font "Wedding Invitation

Minuscule"?)

No wine pairings listed on the menu.

I thought the waterfall room was designed as a Business Lunch/ Business Meeting

space ... lighting sort of office spacey ... not very flattering to food.

I was sitting at the table closest to waterfall (with only glass between). I thought

the ambient sound was ... a running toilet (stuck valve). Would someone jiggle

the handle, please? One person hears a soothing waterfall, another hears ...

**********************

When we got near the end ... the chocolate chestnut mousse and cognac sabayon,

brandy caramel and chestnut tuile ... amazing!

********************

Then to trample on the moment by bringing out a giant purple haybale of cotton

candy. I think the cotton candy machine should be used very, very carefully. Or

sent back to the carnival.

[ScotteeM]

OK, Craig,

So you're not really last, after all! I sat next to you, and I agree with you on many things. The menu was hard to read, at least for my >50 eyes. I wasn't bothered by the waterfall noise, but I work around fountains (which are intended to relax our clients, though occasionally someone with a panicked look will ask directions to the restroom).

I, too, would have loved a list of the wines on the menu. (Craig, I noticed you took photos of the wines, while I stuck to the food for my pix.) I thought the pairings were good, but we had one mis-step at our table (maybe at others, maybe not) where we nursed the chardonnay we had with the shellfish course to last us through the fin-fish course, when a red wine had been poured for the latter. The Sommolier had mentioned that the chardonnay would be great with red meat, so some of us thought it was meant for the . . . oh, never mind. We managed to catch up, though!

I loved the canapes and the shellfish course very much. I enjoyed the wild boar and the venison was wonderful! I liked the fish, but not as much as the other things.

I am not much of a sweets eater, so I thought desert was good, but not life-changing. I did think the grape cotton candy was fun, but no big deal. (ustreetguy--what happens in Falls Church stays in Falls Church, if you know what I mean. So you liked the cotton candy. No big deal. Oh, sorry, I might have said too much! )

I think the menus were printed on the clear plastic so that they would resist food spills, and could be read (by better eyes than mine) against the white tablecloth. While it was a clever concept, it was still hard to read.

I did enjoy the dinner. The food was good. The company was good. I would have loved an easier-to-read menu, and a listing of the wines. It might have helped to have us standing and mingling with passed canapes initially, so that we could mingle and socialize more, but that was not a big deal. Our table, at least, was a happy group, overall.

And, MoniqueDC, I can't wait to hear how your Thanksgiving dinner turns out!

[tripewriter]

I think the menus were printed on the clear plastic so that they would resist food spills, and could be read (by better eyes than mine) against the white tablecloth.  While it was a clever concept, it was still hard to read.

But it was oh-so-convenient when regaling my co-workers about this special dinner to simply throw the menu onto a nearby overhead projector!