Tom Sietsema's Online Chat

[TedE]

Washington, D.C.: Tom,

I drank far too much last night. Told my boyfriend's dad I wanted to marry him (the boyfriend) and passed out in my office only to wake up at 6 a.m., go home and shower, and come back.

OUCH

About the boyfriend question: Oh god. He's in NY with his family. I told his dad over the phone - and I have no idea what happened in the conversation. The only reason I even remember is because a friend that was at the bar reminded me of it this morning.

Oh god.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUCH

She is in dire need of this

[Tujague]

Washington, D.C.: Returned last week from Napa Valley, and I must say, D.C. restaurants are absolutely terrible. While in Calif., we were treated to fabulous scenery or decor, delicious food presented beautifully and nice, knowledgeable and attentive staff. For the same price in D.C., you get mediocre food and surly staff.

I will no longer eat out in this city.

Tom Sietsema: Huh? While I agree that the wine country has some top-flight places to eat, I disagree with your assessment of Washington. "Mediocre food" and "surly staff" are not what I equate with Rasika, Palena, Komi, Restaurant Eve, Cashion's Eat Place, Vermilion, Blacksalt, Two Amy's or two dozen other places I can think of right now.

Is anyone else as happy as I am that we will no longer have to share restaurant space with this asshat?

[mdt]

Is anyone else as happy as I am that we will no longer have to share restaurant space with this asshat?

Yup. Interesting how they did not provide any specific comments. Asshat they are!

[SeanMike]

To me, it sounds like the stereotypical "This place is just SO much better than this other place, and you just don't know it" attitude that people get in various areas.

California, Paris, NYC, etc...it's like they have to show off how "wordly" they are by insulting the place that they're in.

But I'm with you - good not to have to worry about him or her anymore. I bet local restaurateurs are happy, too.

[Waitman]

Before your chat begins, I just wanted to say that Leo, Ricky and I worked incredibly hard this past year to turn the Westend Bistro into a major success. We cared deeply about the restaurant and strove for perfect food under difficult circumstances. In the end, The Ritz had other ideas about food and what it took to run a great restaurant. Eric Ripert's name was on the sign but the Ritz always called the shots _ for better or worse. So we parted ways. All three of us. I think it was best for everyone.[emphasis added]

Robert Berry Former executive sous chef, Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert.

Did he just call just call Eric Ripert a "bitch?"

[DonRocks]

Speaking of online food discussions, Don Rockwell, a former egullet host, has just launched a fun one: DonRockwell.com. Don is a fine writer, has good taste and eats out almost as much as I do. If you care about food in Washington, his is a site to monitor.

The review that you won't read in the Oct. 12 Washington Post Dining Guide:

WESTEND BISTRO BY ERIC RIPERT (2 1/2 STARS)

You're welcome!

Washington, D.C.: You mini "review that never was" of Westend got me thinking about chicken. Specifically, that I religiously avoid it in restaurants due to a lifetime of bland chicken dishes. Suddenly, I feel like one of those people that hate all "seafood" because it's too "fishy." Where can I get a good roast chicken that will change my mind (recent trips to a few rotisserie places haven't)? And are there any other exciting preparations that I shouldn't miss? I'd be interested in both high-end places and mid-priced, everyday kind of places.

Tom Sietsema: Off the top of my head, the roast chicken at the bar at Palena is sure to change your mind if not your life. Chatters, what say you?

The two best chicken dishes in town right now are at The Oval Room and The Source, in that order.

[Heather]

Did he just call just call Eric Ripert a "bitch?"

Sure seems that way to me. Makes me even more skeptical of that WaPo food section article last week about how out-of-town chefs just loooooove DC.

[SeanMike]

Arlington, Va.: Your colleague at the Washingtonian had some very unflattering things to say about you in his chat yesterday.

He likes loud happening restaurants. Enough said and has a bias against restaurants in Va.!

Tom Sietsema: You know what? I think the area is well-served by the likes of Todd Kliman, Tim Carman and Don Rockwell, despite any differences they may have with me.

I like hopping restautants, too -- sometimes. The reason I wrote that noise article in the first place was because I was getting a ton of complaints from readers.

I didn't see what Kliman said but I haven't checked his transcript yet...

EDIT: Just read it, and I really didn't see anything "unflattering" except maybe some confusion as to why he picked Great Wall.

[giant shrimp]

tom said:

"I was fully expecting to give Corduroy the three stars it is probably destined to achieve. But I didn't taste three-star food when I went back just before the guide and I was dismayed to see that the lone vegetarian plate was STILL a bunch of sides. Tom Power is more creative than that, I know from having experienced his great cooking in the past."

i recommended this place to a vegetarian before it moved from k street and he was very happy with the food, which wasn't a bunch of sides. he called ahead to let them know a vegetarian was coming.

"Marvin was unbelievably good when I went back. And the restaurant has such a great vibe."

i would love for marvin to take over cafe deluxe in my neck of the woods, whose formula for success, founded on meatloaf, is showing its age.

however, the food was reasonably good, not unbelievably so, when we went there a few days after tom's fall guide appeared. maybe i should have ordered the sure bets -- chicken on waffle and duck confit. there was nothing screamingly wrong with a salad of endive and asparagus, but it was soulless, underdressed, seasoned primarily by salty cubes of hard country ham. a cold, watery poached egg on top had little yolk and hardly pulled the trigger, and nicely shaved asparagus seemed to be there more for the architecture of the dish and some lincoln log action. the spears, however, could have used more cooking and their flavor was weak. the asparagus also appears with the steak frites, similarly forlorn. the frites, by the way, twice fried, are not crisp, but i thought they were good. the steak, ordered medium rare, was good, but medium. a pork shank, served with lentils and carrots in a dark sauce, was exceptional for its size alone. the waiter described it as something the flintstones would like -- a cudgel that ends in an extremely thick hunk of meat that does fall easily off the bone, as advertised. after i was finished with it, if i had been fred, dino would have gotten a nice bone, though little else. the meat courses precluded dessert

tom’s guide is more on the mark about buck’s, where these days you can dip perfectly fried sugar beans in creamy basil, for a double crunch, and dig into a thick slice of meatloaf slathered with a sweet carmelized barbecue sauce accompanied by a ramekin of mac and cheese that will vaguely burn your tongue (with tobasco?) as you get deeper into it. apricot pie and gingerbread were two desserts I don’t remember seeing here before, and both evoked memories of mom at her most accomplished.

Tom’s guide also led us to Rockville, to la canela, where we left realizing that it would take some time to eat your way through this menu. For two people, starting out with ceviche and chicarron is a big mistake. Each is the size of an ample entrée. If I could choose only one, it would be the meat, ribs dripping with pork. the fried yucca was just alright and seemed to be missing something, salt for a start, but it got me thinking about the slaw that used to be served with this dish at el tamarindo in ancient times. Though fresh and bright enough, the ceviche of cubed flounder is more noteworthy for what comes with it, which includes toasted corn (cancha) and two pastes, one hot and the other sweet. Ordering the jalea next is another misstep, the battered calamari, shrimp and fish tidbits plus yucca picking up too closely where the ceviche leaves off. This dish is also awkwardly assembled on its long white plate; there’s nothing to anchor it, leaving the impression of small pieces of food rolling in isolation. If I lived in the restaurant’s faux urban neighborhood, I would probably have already returned to try the hen in the milk and figure out how to order judiciously enough to make it to the dessert line. But I don’t, and by the way, just a couple blocks away, a new two-bedroom condominium, about 1,200 square feet, is selling for just under $600,000. I find it disturbing.

[Heather]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia. When was the last time Sietsema was there? I have not noticed any dropoff in the food quality, or read any complaints about the service.

[DanielK]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia. When was the last time Sietsema was there? I have not noticed any dropoff in the food quality, or read any complaints about the service.

Sietsema foretold this one - he remarked twice recently in chats that he'd seen a dropoff in food and service on recent visits.

[giant shrimp]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia. When was the last time Sietsema was there? I have not noticed any dropoff in the food quality, or read any complaints about the service.

if anyone asked him why, they didn't make it into yesterday's discussion. i don't get to vidalia that often, but the last time i did, whenever it was restaurant week this summer, i found the food as good, or better, than it has ever been. tom previously mentioned reports from readers and even grousing from the staff, so it would be informative to know what guided him in his decision to drop vidalia. he has reported hearing a lot of complaints about buck's and the chinese hole in the wall on 14th street, and that didn't hurt them. dropping vidalia implies that something may have gone seriously wrong, but for all we know the rationale could have bordered on a whim. he almost dropped citronelle, he said, and if that had happened who would have known that it still wore three stars (more than punishment enough)? the bottom line for me: i know for certain that the fairly recent meal i had at vidalia was better than the meals i had over the past weekend at three restaurants that made his cut. i think it's best to be an american transcendentalist in your approach to restaurants. there's at least one sure-bet restaurant i go too fairly often, yet even there my experiences reflect what thoreau meant when he said something about never being able to walk down the same path twice (even when it's the same path). i doubt tom sietsema shares this philosophy. (also, what does it mean that heritage on wisconsin avenue, which used to appear on the list, has stopped accepting american express? i think it's a bad omen.)

[porcupine]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia.

Someone failed to osculate someone else's patootie.

[Hannah]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia. When was the last time Sietsema was there? I have not noticed any dropoff in the food quality, or read any complaints about the service.

I remember a comment from him several weeks ago about Vidalia "straying from its roots," which seems to me like a not-so-subtle way of saying he doesn't like the changes in the menu. There may be more variation in style and ingredients on the menu than there used to be a few years ago, but you can say that about pretty much every other place in town as well. And, certainly, making the best possible use of what's available is firmly in the tradition of Southern cooking, modern or otherwise, so I fail to see how that's a diversion from their "roots".

If someone's wedded to the shrimp and grits, they're still there. If they want to try something else, they have the option. I don't get it either, but I also don't get how Bar Pilar doesn't make the wine-and-nibbles list along with some of the other places he listed.

[Heather]

I don't get it either, but I also don't get how Bar Pilar doesn't make the wine-and-nibbles list along with some of the other places he listed.

Yeah, what's up with that?

This "dining guide" is yet another example of why I almost never remember to read Sietsema anymore. His palate doesn't match mine at all, and he's impressed by things that I could give a rat's ass about.

[Waitman]

I'd love to know what happened to Vidalia. When was the last time Sietsema was there? I have not noticed any dropoff in the food quality, or read any complaints about the service.

You're in the tank for Vidalia.

[Heather]

You're in the tank for Vidalia.

Prove it.

Seriously, though, not even a mention? That's pretty egregious. I have to imagine that Ms. Porcupine is correct WRT osculating posteriors.

[giant shrimp]

a ramekin of mac and cheese that will vaguely burn your tongue (with tobasco?) as you get deeper into it.

or paprika?

[deangold]

Prove it.

I think you've been paling round with terroiristas.

[sandynva]

Yeah, what's up with that?

This "dining guide" is yet another example of why I almost never remember to read Sietsema anymore. His palate doesn't match mine at all, and he's impressed by things that I could give a rat's ass about.

I'm so glad someone else finally said that!! I've felt that way for a long time now, and thought I was alone. I think my overall problems with him are his seeming to value novel presentation or deocroative flourishes more than I would, and what seems to me to be a general lack of understanding of, or real interest in, ethnic cusine, particularly at smaller, hole-in-the-wall places.

However, I still read his reviews because i think they're an ok screen--in general, i think i must be a much pickier eater than him, because him liking something is no guarantee that i'll like it, but i assume that if even he doesn't like something or somewhere there's no way I would like it.

That being said, i have no idea what his problem is with Vidalia. Every meal i've had there has been fabulous, and the service, even at the bar, was always wonderful, and even managed what almost no one else in DC seems to do, by being genuinely warm, welcoming, and attentive, without being at all intrusive.

[Heather]

Price is right, DC: Persons wishing to explain that they are able and willing to fund a blowout meal should use the phrase, "whatever it takes, dude," as this frames their ability to spend money as a practical matter -- "i don't want to light twenties on fire, but I want to make the meal special --" rather a reflection of their success and wonderfulness. Also makes it sound like they might be fun to, like, party with after, you know.

Tom Sietsema: I bet you're fun to dine out with, Price Is Right.

Yes, he is.

[DonRocks]

What about Nage?: Hi Tom,

I'm an avid restaurant-goer (who works for the feds, not the food industry), and I was shocked, shocked to discover in last week's chat that you've been to Nage only once and weren't utterly blown away by it.

Their savory baklavas and peppery cocktails are my favorites on their customer-centric and creative menu. Unlike in other places, I've found Nage's creativity is more about pleasing my palate, not the chef's ego.

Cheers. DR

Tom Sietsema: Well, perhaps I hit the restaurant on a middling day, but I didn't experience anything on my visit that would make me rush back, certainly not with all the interesting new restaurants opening up left and right around town.

(Is this the DR I think it is?)

Not sure if it was me Tom was talking about, but ... nope, not me this time - I was out riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens.

[ol_ironstomach]

Not sure if it was me Tom was talking about, but ... nope, not me this time - I was out riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens.

Gosh, I don't know if I'd smiley that one. What if someone had intended for TS to think that their comment came from a particular DR?

[KMango]

Not sure if it was me Tom was talking about, but ... nope, not me this time - I was out riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens.

Pshaw.

Like you can't get a signal from up there.

[goodeats]

Chef Shuffle at INOX. <--Huh??

[RWBooneJr]

Virginia: Hey Tom, Can you recommend a good first-date restaurant? A place with good food but a great atmosphere as well....low-key but classy, and maybe some dim lighting? Something along the lines of the atmosphere at Liberty Tavern, but preferably nowhere that's so loud that I have to yell across the table.

Tom Sietsema: Are we talking Virginia here? You might consider the new Columbia Firehouse in Old Town, Carlyle in Shirlington, Present (for Vietnamese) in Falls Church or the burger-chicken-drinks joint near Courthouse metro that escapes my name just now ...

Any idea what "burger-chicken-drinks joint near Courthouse metro" he means? I too am drawing a blank.

[Michael Landrum]

Given the shift of Tom's presence on the Post's website from dominant to near-invisible, should we be reading more into this wistful sounding comment on today's chat?:

Tom Sietsema: I've always only written about food. But the cool thing is, food encompasses just about everything: politics, fantasy, the media, literature, travel, public safety ... I've never once wished I had taken a different route. This career has been an amazing ride.

[zoramargolis]

Chef Shuffle at INOX. <--Huh??

Where is Rissa if she is no longer at Inox?

[Mark Slater]

Any idea what "burger-chicken-drinks joint near Courthouse metro" he means? I too am drawing a blank.

Summer's?

[KMango]

Any idea what "burger-chicken-drinks joint near Courthouse metro" he means? I too am drawing a blank.

Argh, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant that went into where RT's used to be, but perhaps that could be it. Adjacent to Toscana, but Google maps street view was too old to show the current restaurant name.

[Merry Mary]

Argh, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant that went into where RT's used to be, but perhaps that could be it. Adjacent to Toscana, but Google maps street view was too old to show the current restaurant name.

I know - frustrating. I want to say TS likes the wings there, it is a small (local?) chain, has a number in the name? can't find online ...

[u-bet!]

I know - frustrating. I want to say TS likes the wings there, it is a small (local?) chain, has a number in the name? can't find online ...

Velocity 5?

[RWBooneJr]

Summer's?

Velocity 5?

I thought of both, though I'd describe either as a sports bar, not a "burger-chicken-drinks joint." And would you send somebody to either on a first date, particularly if the person wants "good food," "a great atmosphere," "low-key but classy," and "something along the lines of Liberty Tavern"? From what the poster wrote, I would be more inclined to say something like Eventide.

[Merry Mary]

I thought of both, though I'd describe either as a sports bar, not a "burger-chicken-drinks joint." And would you send somebody to either on a first date, particularly if the person wants "good food," "a great atmosphere," "low-key but classy," and "something along the lines of Liberty Tavern"? From what the poster wrote, I would be more inclined to say something like Eventide.

I agree with you, but Eventide is squarely in Clarendon, not Courthouse. Haven't been to Velocity 5, no idea what is on the menu. It is where RT's was.

[Merry Mary]

Any idea what "burger-chicken-drinks joint near Courthouse metro" he means? I too am drawing a blank.

Rhodeside Grill?

[dcs]

I'll bite: Ragtime. Low-key. Bar. Fun people. Date goes bad, chat with your neighbor kinda place.

[cajcaj]

Odd.

Reston, Va.: Tom, in Frank Bruni's new book he tells a neat story of eating at French Laundry in Napa and at the end of his meal all the servers came by and stared at him (presumably dictated by management) so they would recognize his face upon his next visit. Have you ever experienced the same treatment?

Tom Sietsema: I nodded in recognition when I came upon that passage.

The best thing a restaurant can do is NOT tell its staff a critic is in the house. That information only tends to make everyone (critic included!) a whole lot less comfortable.

I was at a major restaurant earlier this month, and I swear, half the male staff made it a point to visit the restroom when I did, for whatever reason (checking hand towel supplies, etc.) It was comical.

[goodeats]

From Tom's WaPo chat today:

PX etc: I agree with you, Tom. We go to Eve or PX for drinks every weekend (and eat at the bar at Eve), and both remain tops in the drinks dept. FWIW, I see Todd at Eve AND PX regularly, but yes, he is at Eve more often. Also, the bartenders at Eve truly deserve praise. Keith and Val are just wonderful, everything you want in bartenders.

OK, enough raving (and I am not in any way affiliated with these places. Just spend a lot of money there, and would not do so if they were not worth it!)

Tom Sietsema: D.C. is lucky to have so many fine bartenders. My new favorite is Gina over at PS 7's. She's a hoot-and-a-half. Plus, she makes some awesome cocktails.

[Tujague]

From Tom's chat today:

Tips... for friends?: Hi Tom,

How do you dine with a stiff tipper? I'm trying to think of a coy way to say... you need to put in more than that. Help?

Must ... resist ... urge ... to reply ... This is Michael Landrum's territory ...

[synaesthesia]

I'm going to post this here since I don't think it purely is a PS7 issue. What bugs me about this the most is that this is going to empower people to go on one of the local chats and complain, thinking that there will be some similar type of reaction. This sets a precedent and puts the onus on other owners to take similar actions. I know that other owners may likely not choose to accept this pressure, but it's a dangerous road.

[ol_ironstomach]

I'm going to post this here since I don't think it purely is a PS7 issue. What bugs me about this the most is that this is going to empower people to go on one of the local chats and complain, thinking that there will be some similar type of reaction. This sets a precedent and puts the onus on other owners to take similar actions. I know that other owners may likely not choose to accept this pressure, but it's a dangerous road.

I'd agree with your prediction, at least the part regarding diner behavior, and add that it's a path we've seen many times over and will likely encounter again. The onus, as you put it, is not so obvious to me.

(I suggest directing followups to the other thread, because I don't think it's purely a Sietsema issue either. Thanks.)

[Michael Landrum]

I'm going to post this here since I don't think it purely is a PS7 issue. What bugs me about this the most is that this is going to empower people to go on one of the local chats and complain, thinking that there will be some similar type of reaction. This sets a precedent and puts the onus on other owners to take similar actions. I know that other owners may likely not choose to accept this pressure, but it's a dangerous road.

I can categorically state that in eight years of business, I have never read or received a negative--negative, not critical--complaint where the event described or details offered come close to matching the reality of the situation.

This is especially true when the complaint criticizes a member of the staff on an individual or personal level, or when the complainer presumes to know the thoughts or motivations of the server or manager (e.g. "We obviously received lesser service than the tables around us because we are younger."; or "Once the server found out we weren't ordering an expensive wine he promptly decided to ignore us."; or "The waiter was too busy being hipper than thou to bother to re-fill our water glasses."--Just a heads up guys, every member of my staff is trained and instructed that once he feels a guest has been rude or dismissive or insulting in his conduct, he is not to interact with the guest other than to provide the basic necessities of service, and offer no more.).

Being an owner who does not conform to the expected role and appearance of an owner, I am in a unique position to experience directly the hysteria and falsehoods of those seeking to complain in a retaliatory fashion. I can not tell you how many times, whether while working the phones at Ray's: The Steaks or working the floor at Ray's: The Classics, I would get a call from an outraged guest demanding to speak to the owner who would then go on to describe an interaction they had with me in the least truthful of terms, expecting that I be fired. Or the lies that would be told about the conduct of a member of my staff while I was a first-hand witness to the event, albeit presumably as a cook or food runner or mere host. Again, with the expectation that this lowling be fired.

Many of these would also appear in Tom's chats as well, or in the WaPo's unmoderated reader reviews section.

I also can not tell you how many times I have heard from guests "Wait until Tom Sietsema hears about this!"

I have pointed this out to Tom on a number of occasions, with numerous examples and with a seeming understanding of this phenomenon on his part. It is a mystery to me why these uncorroborated accounts continue to dominate his chats.

Let me make clear here that I am distinguishing between a negative review, which is inherently retaliatory or otherwise agenda-driven, and a critical review, which while expressing critical opinions or negative criticisms, is to the point, is based on an actual experience (one of my most seething personal critics has neither been to my restaurants nor met me--despite espousing publicly many of the same personal beliefs and commitments as I do, strangely enough), and is not personal in nature or directed at an individual.

[Ericandblueboy]

one of my most seething personal critics has neither been to my restaurants nor met me--despite espousing publicly many of the same personal beliefs and commitments as I do, strangely enough)

I do love them topless bars but I've been to your restaurants. So it can't be me.

[Waitman]

Alexandria, VA: Tom, I'm not too sure if this is a low brow question for someone like you or if this even falls into your area of expertise but I'll ask anyway. Is there a chef or person in the food industry (either locally or nationally) that you think does not deserve all the positive press they receive? The one person I have in mind is Warren Brown of Cakelove. I'm constantly seeing him written up in magazines as well as the Post and I have to say, I think his baked goods are awful. This guy has a PR team to rival any A list celebrity but his cakes taste no better than what you get from Hostess or Little Debbie. Not to get snarky here on the chat but who's too overexposed?

Tom Sietsema: Interesting question (and answer)!

My opinion: If Mr. Brown didn't have such a great back story (lawyer turned baker) and wasn't so easy on the eyes, I bet he wouldn't pop up seemingly everywhere you look. I've heard the business described as "Cakehate."

The other local who gets far more attention (nationally) that I think she merits considers herself Washington's answer to Alice Waters.

Other nominees, anyone?

Good stuff. Not the (by this time old-hat) trashing of Warren Brown, but the mystery chef. It's too bad Tom let gender creep into his reply; given the sexist nature of kitchen culture it limits the scope of baseless (or, in some cases, baseful) speculation, but who are we thinking? Nora Pouillon? When I worked briefly at Nora's years ago, I thought the Nora and her partners were bastards to some extent (hell, they did fire me), but on the other hand were passionate, committed, and except for the occasional firing, took care of their people. On the other hand, last time I called the restaurant I was offered the option of pressing "2" to get the publicist on the phone, and the "first certified organic restaurant in the universe" thing has gotten a little silly.

Other thoughts?

[Ericandblueboy]

Other thoughts?

Carole Greenwood? Just a guess, I don't know her and don't think I've ate at any of her restaurants. I think Spike Mendelsohn is overexposed.

[Waitman]

Carole Greenwood? Just a guess, I don't know her and don't think I've ate at any of her restaurants. I think Spike Mendelsohn is overexposed.

But she's out of the business now, isn't she?

[DonRocks]

Nora Pouillon?

It's obvious he was talking about Nora Pouillon - I just wish he wouldn't have singled her out when there are more obvious examples.

[Pat]

Good stuff. Not the (by this time old-hat) trashing of Warren Brown, but the mystery chef. It's too bad Tom let gender creep into his reply; given the sexist nature of kitchen culture it limits the scope of baseless (or, in some cases, baseful) speculation, but who are we thinking? Nora Pouillon? When I worked briefly at Nora's years ago, I thought the Nora and her partners were bastards to some extent (hell, they did fire me), but on the other hand were passionate, committed, and except for the occasional firing, took care of their people. On the other hand, last time I called the restaurant I was offered the option of pressing "2" to get the publicist on the phone, and the "first certified organic restaurant in the universe" thing has gotten a little silly.

Other thoughts?

I thought that's who he was alluding to, just because of the comparison to Alice Waters.

[Ericandblueboy]

But she's out of the business now, isn't she?

According to the the sensor I locked on her ankle, she's no longer in the business, unless she's running a restaurant out of her house.

[i'm just kidding, I don't know what she's up to nor do I care]

[Miami Danny]

Good stuff. Not the (by this time old-hat) trashing of Warren Brown, but the mystery chef. It's too bad Tom let gender creep into his reply; given the sexist nature of kitchen culture it limits the scope of baseless (or, in some cases, baseful) speculation, but who are we thinking? Nora Pouillon? When I worked briefly at Nora's years ago, I thought the Nora and her partners were bastards to some extent (hell, they did fire me), but on the other hand were passionate, committed, and except for the occasional firing, took care of their people. On the other hand, last time I called the restaurant I was offered the option of pressing "2" to get the publicist on the phone, and the "first certified organic restaurant in the universe" thing has gotten a little silly.

Other thoughts?

"The other local who gets far more attention (nationally) that I think she merits considers herself Washington's answer to Alice Waters.

Other nominees, anyone?"

Wow. I always thought that Tom considered himself Washington's answer to Alice Waters. Ironic.