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Vidalia, Restaurateur Jeff Buben's 20th and M Streets Southern-American Downtown on 20th and M Street - Chef Jayro Cruz Replaces Hamilton Johnson - Closed


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I went to Vidalia on Saturday night for Restaurant Week. One of my favorite restaurants in the city, I have extremely high expectations of Chef Cooper and his staff. Here's the report:

VERY unfortunately (for me and for everyone else in the restaurant, I'd imagine), included in our party (but not invited by me) was a personification of what every server, bartender, and chef HATES about Restaurant Week--someone who simply doesn't know how to behave in an upscale dining environment. He was adorned in jeans and white sneakers, he was incredibly loud and crass, and he pretty much embarassed me the entire evening. While this individual's behavior was certainly NOT Vidalia's fault, I wanted to take advantage of this forum to apologize, so as to not have my personal reputation tarnished. After all, I would like to return!

On to the food...half the table got the mushroom soup appetizer (which was deemed to be successful but not spectacular), but I opted for the veal tongue and my boyfriend got the bison carpaccio/tartare. The former was out of this world--incredibly tender and flavorful, it almost reminded me of a really good pupusa (due to the flatbread on which it was served and the cabbage "slaw"). The bison was also a winner, though I didn't get much of it because it was wolfed down too fast!

For entrees, I went for the rabbit saddle and boyfriend got the cassoulet. I've had rabbit before at Vidalia, and this version just didn't wow me--it was tasty, and the carrot-ginger puree was a wonderful touch, but the meat was cooked more than I would have preferred (my sister got the same thing and asked for it to be cooked rare, and the server indicated that it couldn't be done that way) and the spaetzle didn't really contribute anything to the dish. The cassoulet was great--we couldn't decide which part of the pork was our favorite (I think mine was the shoulder, but the sausage was also nice). The beans were hailed table-wide as the best part of the dish--yummy!

For dessert, we returned to our favorites--the pecan tart for me (fabulous, as always) and the peanut-butter crunch for my man. I can't believe no one opted for the lemon chess pie--but folks seemed satisfied with their choices, so who am I to judge? :-)

Service was good, if a bit frazzled (hey, it was Saturday night of Restaurant Week, that's to be expected). Wine recommendations, from both the server and the bartender, were spot-on and reasonably priced. As I left, I was even invited back for one of the wine tastings (in a way that didn't feel like I was being sold something)--what a wonderful strategy to get people back in the door!

I will certainly return to Vidalia as many times as possible before I leave DC--without any objectionable company, of course.

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What better tribute could there be to the great, departing sommelier Doug Mohr than to show up, ask for a wine list, and point to something inexpensive.

2004 Chateau de Caladroy "Cuvee Les Schistes" is a Cotes du Rousillion imported by Roy Cloud's company Vintage 59 Imports. It's no surprise that the first time I ever met Cloud, it was by a chance introduction at Vidalia's bar. A Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend, this is a juicy little wine that works beautifully with R J Cooper's gutsy veal-tongue taco (served with gribiche fritters!). It's on the list at Vidalia for $30, and comes served at the proper temperature, with good stemware, and the usual first-class service by the fine bartender, Dimitri (who, incidentally, used to co-own Rasputin in Georgetown).

I hope to get back once more before Doug leaves in two weeks - I'll miss him, and his departure is a great loss for the Washington, DC dining community.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Ah, my annual birthday splurge-a-thon, where I hit up one of the restaurants Don has bolded and spend as much as possible on food (no lunch menus or a la carte, please!).

It's bizarre "driving into work" on a Saturday night, but refreshing to find street parking less than a block from the restaurant. Donald, our waiter, was fun and knew right off it was my birthday (probably because I'm starting to look old), and our menus both said "Happy Birthday" (probably because I'm starting to go senile). Maybe because of coincidence, or maybe because the restaurant wanted to corral all the unruly patrons, I was surrounded by other parties who were also celebrating birthdays. Go figure.

We ordered the $85 pp "create your own tasting menu," which I think is a plain fantastic concept for a number of reasons. One, it's reasonably priced compared to some of the other high-end tasting menus in town and two, while ordinarily I like to place my meal in the hands of someone who knows far more than I do about food and let them pick a tasting menu that makes sense, it's refreshing to be given this sort of freedom.

My memory is a little hazy on what everything actually was (and I feel like a douche taking a notepad into a place like this - so I don't), but if I recall the amuse was an apricot gel of some sort topped with a crisp carrot chip and a lobster sauce. My bouche wasn't particularly amused, as there wasn't a lot of flavor going on here. The carrot chip I would describe as more "dry" than crispy, and there seemed to be an absence of seasoning (and I would never insult a chef by putting my own salt on a dish).

I started off with a foie gras torchon with many chocolate accoutrements. This was a tinglingly joyful cold foie dish. The torchon was firm and creamy, and all the different forms of chocolate made me want to get a second one for dessert. Nothing was overwhelmingly sweet. I could have eaten this for the next four courses.

My wife had a mosaic of yellowtail hamachi, which was a series of fish cubes topped with a series of items (oysters, avocado, sorbet, and I forget the fourth) that were meant to be eaten in order. The fish was, like my foie, firm and creamy. It was a great way to start the meal, although the last part of the mosaic (with a sort of citrus sorbet) we both felt lost the flavor of the fish in the intensity of the topping. Oh - and this is no fault of the chefs, but taking a bite of my wife's fish immediately after taking a bit of my foie was probably the worst pairing in culinary history. :mellow:

A few standouts:

The house brined veal tongue was (in addition to being my first ever veal tongue) a sublime experience. Maybe it was just because of the novelty of the dish to my senses, but with each bite the brine sort of crawled its way to each part of my head and gave little kisses to the parts of my brain responsible for enjoying food. Basically anything that night that was pickled or brined was a highlight - I think the perfect handling of these meats really showed off Chef's chops.

My lobster draped a blanket of buttery aroma over the entire table, and the lasagna and all the different cream sauces turned the dish into a three dimensional lobstery ballet inside my mouth, with each ingredients' differing degrees of firmness turning over and over again on my tongue. I thought the fennel was a bit - not out of place - but certainly the least graceful of the dancers. "What's this stringy piece of lobster doing in... oh, it's the fennel."

The cornbread was just like mother used to make. Growing up in the Northeast, my mother of course never actually made cornbread, but if she did, this is what it would have tasted like. Nothing like the usual cornbread which comes across as dry regular bread that someone colored yellow, the cornbread at Vidalia actually smelt and tasted of sweet corn.

For the fourth course, my wife had the sampler of seared sirloin and corned brisket. Just like with the veal tongue, the brisket floored me. The sirloin was perfectly cooked, but underseasoned. There seemed to be a general lack of salt in a number of dishes.

My shoat dish was piled high with all manner of brined and pickled and smoky goodness. It was like a plate of things that taste like great bacon and other things that go amazingly well with great bacon. This was the real standout of the night for me.

Desserts were the doughnuts with huckleberry sauce and the banana fritters. Both excellent. I lament the overall lack of banana-based desserts in general, and I'm always thrilled when I see one pop up on a menu. Execution here was perfect. I would have been happy spending a lazy summer Sunday just sitting back and popping these fritters into my mouth while I watched the grass grow.

All in all a bold-worthy experience. RJ churns out some fine vittles, and I can't wait to hit it back up for happy hour!

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Had a solo lunch at the bar at Vidalia yesterday. Pecan crusted Alaskan halibut served on a bed of spring peas and chicken jus -- delectable and healthy too! Counteracted the good nutritional benefits with the chocolate/caribe "cubism" dessert and a Calvados pousse cafe. At the recommendation of the young but very knowledgeable server who was doing bar duty -- Gene -- I enjoyed a couple glasses of a Sardinian (Argiolas) white wine made with yet another Italian varietal I had never heard of before. How nice to have such a great opportunity for fine dining at mid-day close to my work.

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See if there's any goat liver left.
No goat liver. :lol: Instead we made do with cauliflower panna cotta with caviar, wagyu with smoked eel (off the charts), skate with beef tendon, and "the claw" - quail three ways, including the roasted leg with the foot still attached. Priceless.
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No goat liver. :lol: Instead we made do with cauliflower panna cotta with caviar, wagyu with smoked eel (off the charts), skate with beef tendon, and "the claw" - quail three ways, including the roasted leg with the foot still attached. Priceless.

Was the wagyu with smoked eel served with fava beans? With a green kanji character drizzled into the background? Assuming it's the same prep, this may just be the single best dish I've had so far this year.

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Was the wagyu with smoked eel served with fava beans? With a green kanji character drizzled into the background? Assuming it's the same prep, this may just be the single best dish I've had so far this year.
Yes, the very same. Unbelievably good.

The cauliflower panna cotta was also reminiscent of a mezze we had at Komi last summer - that was cauliflower foam with sea urchin.

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First time to vidalia and I had a great lunch a few friday´s ago (memorial day weekend). The details are a little fuzzy but my +1 and I ordered the following dishes:

- Yellowtail hamachi cru

- Soft shell crab

- corned beef tongue

- goat meat balls in yogurt with a side of pappardelle and morel mushrooms.

We also ordered a bottle of Txakoli wine and finished the meal with the "whoppers" dessert and 2 espressos. This place is f$&%ing awesome and I can't believe I've never been before, i definately had the best soft shell crab this year which was the highlight of the meal. I've been reading on Tom's chat about people saying Vidalia has gone downhill and if this is downhill, but i've learned to ignore much of what is said there and glad i the chance to try an excellent restaurant I will gladly visit over and over. By the way we had excellent service, I forgot his name but he's the tall black guy at the bar, he was really good and did an awesome job of coursing and reading us and added for some great conversation, service was a 10.

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First time to vidalia and I had a great lunch a few friday´s ago (memorial day weekend). The details are a little fuzzy but my +1 and I ordered the following dishes:

- Yellowtail hamachi cru

- Soft shell crab

- corned beef tongue

- goat meat balls in yogurt with a side of pappardelle and morel mushrooms.

We also ordered a bottle of Txakoli wine and finished the meal with the "whoppers" dessert and 2 espressos. This place is f$&%ing awesome and I can't believe I've never been before, i definately had the best soft shell crab this year which was the highlight of the meal. I've been reading on Tom's chat about people saying Vidalia has gone downhill and if this is downhill, but i've learned to ignore much of what is said there and glad i the chance to try an excellent restaurant I will gladly visit over and over. By the way we had excellent service, I forgot his name but he's the tall black guy at the bar, he was really good and did an awesome job of coursing and reading us and added for some great conversation, service was a 10.

thank you for these kind words. I will enjoy passing them on to my staff and your server Larry. Menus chaning again in june, hope to see you all again
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à la carte menu

or

create your own five course tasting menu (for the entire table only) for $85.00

first course

smoked eel and seared kuroge wagyu beef

with fava bean purée, salt roasted fava beans,

lipstick radish and radish sprouts 18.00

torchon of la belle farm foie gras

smoked duck liver with rhubarb, bitter-sweet cocoa,

vidalia onion jam and black pepper brioche 16.50

yellowtail hamachi cru

with kusshi oyster, preserved melon, spicy

cucumber, anchovy and avocado sorbet 15.00

lime basil vichyssoise

with buffalo mozzarella, preserved tomatoes, olive

crumble, verbena gelée and sourdough tuiles 13.75

second course

coddled duck egg

with roasted royal trumpet mushrooms, tête de cochon,

pickled wild ramps and smoked pork consommé 13.00

“dirty rice”

creamy arborio rice with chicken livers, green

apples, crisp sage and bourbon emulsion 14.50

point judith calamari

oyster-sausage stuffed squid with preserved

tomatoes, haas avocado and periwinkles 15.00

goat cheese ravioli

with bull’s blood beets, mexican marigold tarragon,

bull’s blood beet greens and butter fondue 14.00

signature sides

eastern shore succotash with jumbo lump crab meat 10.50

baked macaroni with cave aged cheddar and smoked shoat ham 8.50

chicken fried morel mushrooms with black pepper gravy and chive biscuit 10.00

Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may

increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

third course

big eye tuna niçoise

seared rare with sweet peppers, fingerling potatoes, anchovy,

green beans, quail egg and limestone lettuce emulsion 33.00

vidalia’s fish and chips

beer battered fluke with kennebec potatoes, vidalia

onion rings, spicy vinegar and tartar sauce 29.50

maine diver scallops

with surry sausage crust, rice beans, chow chow

and key lime infused bouillabaisse emulsion 32.00

grilled vidalia onion bread pudding

with glazed path valley farm heirloom baby

carrots and orange-sage emulsion 24.50

fourth course

roasted squab

stuffed with foie gras and served with yellowfin potato-gizzard

confit torte, fava bean purée and morel mushrooms 36.00

shenadoah valley young goat

stuffed saddle, shoulder meat balls and roasted leg with chickpea

polenta, preserved lemon, eggplant purée and peanut sauce 33.00

braised schultz farm pork belly

with rye berry pilau, snap peas, boiled virginia

peanuts, gulf prawns and ham hock broth 31.00

roasted king trumpet mushrooms

with yellowfin potato pavé, truffle emulsion

and fondue of nancy’s camembert 26.00

vidalia’s classics

shrimp and grits

wild caught gulf shrimp with creamy grits, arugula, house

made andouille sausage and sweet onion ravigote 29.75

slow roasted berkshire rack of pork

with st. mary’s county style stuffed savoy cabbage,

crushed fingerling potatoes, apple butter and rye jus 32.00

hand cut steaks

dry aged, prime

à la carte…priced daily

tasting menu… $18 supplement

japanese wagyu

à la carte…$20.00 per ounce, minimum of 3 oz.

tasting menu…$28 supplement for 3 oz.

à la carte menu or

create your own three course tasting menu for $28.00

appetizers

lime basil vichyssoise

with buffalo mozzarella, preserved tomatoes, olive

crumble, verbena gelée and sourdough tuiles 12.00

the butcher’s salad

farm lettuces with dried sausages and ham, sweet

peppers, onions and creole mustard vinaigrette 11.75

coddled duck egg

with roasted royal trumpet mushrooms, tête de cochon,

pickled wild ramps and smoked pork consommé 11.00

vidalia’s wedge salad

bibb lettuce with vidalia onions, apples, bacon

and bailey hazen blue cheese dressing 11.75

grilled vidalia onion bread pudding

with glazed path valley farm heirloom baby

carrots and orange-sage emulsion 11.25

vidalia’s seasonal lettuce blend

with pipe dream farm goat cheese, hazelnuts, dried

apricots, fines herbes and champagne vinaigrette 11.50

yellowtail hamachi cru

with kusshi oyster, preserved melon, spicy

cucumber, anchovy and avocado sorbet 14.00

baby red mustard green salad

with concord grapes, everona farm ash sheep

cheese, spiced pecans and buttermilk dressing 12.00

maryland hot brown

layers of brioche and jumbo lump crab meat with

sweet peas, asparagus and béchamel sauce 14.50

melon mosaic

local market melons and country ham with

mizuna, vanilla essence and verjus gelée 11.50

Notice: Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may

increase your risk of food related illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.

entrées

shrimp and grits

wild caught gulf shrimp with creamy grits, arugula, house

made andouille sausage and sweet onion ravigote 18.50

“dirty rice”

creamy arborio rice with chicken livers, green

apples, crisp sage and bourbon emulsion 14.50

point judith calamari

oyster-sausage stuffed squid with preserved

tomatoes, haas avocado and periwinkles 15.00

goat cheese ravioli

with bull’s blood beets, mexican marigold tarragon,

bull’s blood beet greens and butter fondue 14.00

vidalia’s corned veal tongue salad

with pickled vegetables, mustard greens

and amish mustard vinaigrette 15.00

roasted king trumpet mushrooms

with yellowfin potato pavé, truffle emulsion

and fondue of nancy’s camembert 16.50

vidalia’s fish and chips

pan fried fluke with kennebec potatoes, vidalia

onion rings, spicy vinegar and tartar sauce 17.50

shenandoah valley young goat meatballs

with yogurt béchamel, spring onions, morel

mushrooms and spicy peanuts 15.50

vidalia’s eastern shore clam roll

fried soft clams with grilled potato roll, ocean city

boardwalk fries and vidalia onion coleslaw 18.50

braised schultz farm pork belly

with rye berry pilau , snap peas, boiled virginia

peanuts, gulf prawns and ham hock broth 17.50

vidalia’s hand cut steaks

dry aged, prime selection (à la carte)…priced daily

wagyu selection from japan, minimum of 3 ounces (à la carte)...priced daily

signature sides

eastern shore succotash with jumbo lump crab meat 10.50

baked macaroni with cave aged cheddar and smoked shoat ham 8.50

chicken fried morel mushrooms with black pepper gravy and chive biscuit 10.00

lunch 6-16-2008

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We celebrated my birthday a little early last night. The menu, as written by the chef with my descriptions:

kusshi oyster, lemon flavorings tiny, briny little guy with lemon sorbet.

melon, lardo, old balsamic This was actually three melon balls with various accompaniments. Avocado sorbet very good. Melon & lardo also very good. Boquerones with watermelon even better.

Wagyu, smoked eel, favas I described this in a previous post. Smoked eel is stunning.

salmon, cucumber, piquillo pepper Cured salmon, watercress, caviar, piquillo soup

foie gras, rhubarb, onion And chocolate! Cold-smoked foie (get the chef to describe the method to you :lol:). I loved this.

clams, linguini, lemon thyme Razor clams, briny, excellent pasta.

egg, sweetbreads, tongue Oh my God. Perfectly soft-cooked egg, sweetbread, tongue and pickled ramp vinaigrette.

tuna, mushroom, tendon barely seared tuna, melty tendon, king trumpet mushrooms, consomme.

porterhouse, potato, morel Rocked old-school with bearnaise.

cheeses I think we tried one of everything.

goat cheese, blueberries Think of the best cheesecake topped with blueberries that you've ever had, then elevate it.

whoppers!!!!! Malted meringue with malted chocolate mousse.

mignardises Divine divinity, and a few other tastes.

We drank a few nice bottles of wine, including a white burgundy that Waitman picked out and might remember the name of. Thank you, thank you to RJ, Khoa, and the ever-patient Donald. Beautiful food, great service, and lovely company. Happy Birthday to me. :lol:

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We drank a few nice bottles of wine, including a white burgundy that Waitman picked out and might remember the name of. Thank you, thank you to RJ, Khoa, and the ever-patient Donald. Beautiful food, great service, and lovely company. Happy Birthday to me. :lol:

I believe it was the 2004 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Referts”, J.M. Boillot. Pretty tasty stuff. Thanks to Heather for getting older :lol: so I had an excuse to order White Burgundy.

Now back to the Two Buck Chuck.

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Come join your fellow Rockweilers at Vidalia on Wednesday, August 20, at 6:30 pm for a 5-course meal by Chef RJ Cooper!

The cost is $120/head, which includes passed hors d'oeuvres, a 5-course tasting menu, wine pairings for each course, complementary Fiji water, tax, and tip! Cost for nondrinkers will be $90/head.

There are only 40 places available for this amazing event, so sign up now! PM me with your name and the number of people in your party.

The menu will be posted closer to the event.

For more information about Vidalia, see http://www.vidaliadc.com/.

See you there!

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Had a quick late lunch at the bar yesterday. Ordered half order of the shrimp and grits amd it was exactly as i remembered it. fresh, rich and well rounded. After 15 years I think Vidalia deserves to be a DC institution. Congrats to Jeff, RJ and crew for keeping it real, true and spot on... THX!

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Howdy Rockweilers!

We still need a couple more people to make this work, so come on, sign up! You won't find a better deal than this -- nibbles, 5 courses, wine, tax, tip, private room, and, of course, the fabulous Rockwell community as your dining companions!

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Last chance to sign up for this dinner!

This is the list of attendees as of today:

Walrus + 1

Scott Johnston + 3

Amit + 1

ZoraMargolis + 1

ScotteeM + 1

Nashman1975

1000yregg

Dan Cole

TheMatt

brr + 1

michey1st + 1

porcupine

goodeats

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So, I had a great RW lunch here yesterday with a co-worker, and it was completely unexpected since I'm always iffy about RW. The RW menu this time around appears to be broader and with minimal upcharges, in contrast to the winter RW.

I started off with the hamachi dish which I thought was middling at best. The idea was nice, but the slices of hamachi were difficult to fork and get bites of the apple and cucumber along with it. However, the pork belly entree with snap peas, boiled peanuts, and rye berries in ham hock boullion was excellent. Crispy, fatty, porky deliciousness that hit all the right notes, esp. with the boiled peanuts. Also, a generous slice of the lemon chess pie was an excellent cap, and I did not expect the slice to be as big as it was. Kudos to Vidalia for delivering such bang for the buck despite the usual trends that one finds during RW.

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So, I had a great RW lunch here yesterday with a co-worker, and it was completely unexpected since I'm always iffy about RW. The RW menu this time around appears to be broader and with minimal upcharges, in contrast to the winter RW.

I started off with the hamachi dish which I thought was middling at best. The idea was nice, but the slices of hamachi were difficult to fork and get bites of the apple and cucumber along with it. However, the pork belly entree with snap peas, boiled peanuts, and rye berries in ham hock boullion was excellent. Crispy, fatty, porky deliciousness that hit all the right notes, esp. with the boiled peanuts. Also, a generous slice of the lemon chess pie was an excellent cap, and I did not expect the slice to be as big as it was. Kudos to Vidalia for delivering such bang for the buck despite the usual trends that one finds during RW.

and no additions, with the lone exception of $5 for the cheese plate.

i would recommend the rabbit mortadella and the corned beek brisket. also the oyster-stuffed calamari.

also, five courses for $50.08 is the way to go for dinner. i believe they are fully booked, but we found a last minute spot on open table, and you might be able to get in if you arrive first thing.

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i would recommend the rabbit mortadella and the corned beek brisket. also the oyster-stuffed calamari.

also, five courses for $50.08 is the way to go for dinner. i believe they are fully booked, but we found a last minute spot on open table, and you might be able to get in if you arrive first thing.

Entirely agree! Vidalia might be about the only spot I think makes RW worth it, but they so did this year. Their adding the 5 course option, and a couple lists of discounted inexpensive, as well as discounted not-so-cheap wine options is a real plus. The corned beef (KUROGE - aka the closest thing to real Kobe beef around short of actual Kobe) brisket and the oyster "sausage" stuff calamari were absolute highlights along with the coddled duck egg/veal sweetbread with pickled veal tongue vinaigrette and baby goat three ways. When you consider that kuroge, baby goat and various other not inexpensive chosen for restaurant week items are available and compare the $50 price tag to the regular cost of a five course tasting menu meal here, you can see that you are in for an extraordinary bargain, as well as a superlative meal.

Kudos Vidalia crew! Other restaurants should take note.

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As I woke this morning at 6 am to the sounds (in stereo mind you) of papa papa!!!! I was imagining what we could have done better in last nights dinner. The conclusion is none. We all made the evening special, we (or I) could not have made it possible without our team: Mike, Ed, Khoa, Harper, Bull, Sara, my many talented cooks, the great servers. Put what else makes it special is the community.

Harper once asked me what does local mean to me. It is not just buying ingredients for the region but its the community that surrounds the concept.

The rockwell.com community is one of locality and support, when I first met Don and read these blogs it occurred to me that this media outlet is extremely supportive to what we as cooks in this city are doing.

So again thank you for letting us show you all what we are doing and thank you for the generous accolades and support.

Have a great end to summer!!!!!!!!

RJ Cooper

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Long time lurker...first time poster ;)

We've been fans of the 'big onion' since they first opened--and after every visit there's at least one thing that I wake up thinking about. This morning...Chicken fried morels in pepper spiked gravy and chive biscuit. More please. I will eat anything they are putting through the chicken fried gilding process! Ate at the bar and had some of everything--goat dish is incredible; torchon of foie; pork pate; tomato salads, and amazing cheese plate...runny goat cheese, oh my :lol: Excellent Footbolt Shiraz and Garrigue Cotes du Rhone in the glass, plus a surprise flight of reds to accompany the main grazing portion of the evening, and a Finger Lakes Region Icewine (Riesling?) to cap off the gluttony!

Many thanks to Mike, Dmitiri, and Ed, and whomever made the morels (really, everyone in the kitchen!) for the usual excellent and generous hospitality! Makes the rest of the week seem quite manageable!

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Details, details...

Washington, DC: Do you like Washington? What do you plan to do while you're here?

Carrie Fisher: Well, I'm enjoying it, I've been here quite a few times. We had a driver to take us around on our one day off so far. A man named Dwayne Gaines, who we called Capital Gaines. We went to the monuments and some of the shopping malls, because I'm a consumer from way back. I have a few friends in town, Judy Cooper, a political consultant, and her husband RJ is a chef at a restaurant here called the Dahlia. We go over there a lot and hang out with their twin 2-year-old daughters.

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Hey RJ!

Still planning on flipping us the bird?????

(DR.com Bird dinner that is!)

Yes, but there are alot planned for dr.com event dinners in october you have eve and i belive another. We would love to do a fall game bird dinner.

If the powers would allow.

Quick Note: All wish Mike N. out beloved GM a quick a speedy recovery after his surgery today. Two new knees he will be spry gm running around our dining room.

rj

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Come join your fellow Rockweilers at Vidalia on Wednesday, October 29, at 6:30 pm for a bird-centric meal prepared by Chef RJ Cooper!

Cost is TBD -- we must have a minimum of 14 interested in attending this special event for it to happen, so sign up now! PM me with your name and the number of people in your party.

The cost and menu will be posted closer to the event.

For more information about Vidalia, see http://www.vidaliadc.com/.

See you there!

Update!

Menu:

bird of a feather passed canapes featuring birds

pressed capon and foie gras terrine

bobwhite quail from beaver creek

red tail partridge

wild scottish grouse

pre dessert

dessert

Cost:

$150 per person, all inclusive: food, wine, private room, tax, tip.

Anyone else salivating at the thought?!? If so, PM me to be put on the list. I'll send out payment info as soon as we hit 14 -- the magic number!

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I had a delicious pressed capon & foie terrine tonight, and wonderful crisp sweetbreads with apples and wild mushrooms. Yes, I'm a regular and probably will be considered in the tank for RJ, but his food is consistently innovative AND delicious - not sure WTF Sietsema was referring to in his chat today about straying from its "time-tested roots." Those who know me, know that it's not enough for me to have my ass kissed and be treated like a queen - the food has to come through. Vidalia has impressed me enough to become our go-to celebration spot.

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I just had the best lunch that I have had in recent memory. Why in God's name was this place empty at 12:45 today but Hudson had at least 20 occupied tables? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great for us, as we had ample opportunity to talk to our bartender Lawrence and the affable RJ Cooper, but I don't get it. If I worked less than 10 blocks from here, you couldn't stop me from going here at least once a week for this deal. Thanks RJ and the group, we will be back.

For the record, I had:

Chicken fried rabbit livers - HOLY SHIT

Stoltzfus farm shoat shoulder reuben - I know, Reuben purists, this is not a traditional rendition of this sandwich. But I don't care. I'll take this over any other Reuben I have had in town, and I LOVE traditional Reubens.

Georgia pecan pie - Crunchy sweet pecans....soft, caramel-tasting inside....dough-like crust....bourbon ice cream...delicious

All for $19.90

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We are celebrating the holidays and Vidalia’s 15th Year Anniversary, but you don’t have to bring us the traditional crystal! Instead Vidalia is giving you a holiday gift. Vidalia will feature a three course tasting lunch for $19.90. You may choose a tasting portion of one appetizer, entrée and dessert from our entire incredible lunch menu. Beverages, sales tax and gratuity are not included. For reservations call 202.659.1990 or bookonline at www.opentable.com.

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Guest CJD2008
We are celebrating the holidays and Vidalia’s 15th Year Anniversary, but you don’t have to bring us the traditional crystal! Instead Vidalia is giving you a holiday gift. Vidalia will feature a three course tasting lunch for $19.90. You may choose a tasting portion of one appetizer, entrée and dessert from our entire incredible lunch menu. Beverages, sales tax and gratuity are not included. For reservations call 202.659.1990 or bookonline at www.opentable.com.

Looking forward to trying Vidalia for the first time! Lunch on friday, here I come! I've been in this city for too long not to have tried it yet.

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Sucking The Knuckle

We've all been there. You're standing around at this awful party, full of people you don't want to be around, and you're holding a plastic Solo cup with a few ice cubes, a watered-down vodka drink, and a little brown plastic straw that's so narrow you aren't even sure it's hollow. In the same hand, underneath the plastic cup, is a soggy paper napkin.

You eventually find the table of food, and what's there is what's always there: a tray of sliced carrots, celery, broccoli, and radishes, with a dipping-bowl of ranch dressing. A bowl of baby pretzels. Seedless grapes with crackers and brie and a little white plastic knife to spread it.

And then there are the potato chips, the little thin kind, with a bowl of cold dip sitting next to them. You're standing there, drink in your left hand, trapped into having a polite conversation with some bore that you realize is going to keep talking for several more minutes. While smiling and pretending to pay attention, your right hand reaches down and grabs a chip, sticks it into the dip, and when you try to pull it out, the chip snaps in half.

Damn.

With half a chip sitting right in the middle of the dip, and the other half in your hand, you act like nothing happened. You nod your head in response to whatever the person just said, then pucker your cheeks to take another drink through that little straw, causing a high whining sound because most of what you're getting is air. You nod again, then casually take your right hand, and put the half-chip back into the dip, pulling it towards you, and then the chip snaps in half again.

Damn.

The bowl of dip now contains a half chip and a quarter chip, and you're left holding a quarter chip that's no bigger than your thumbnail. With a single motion, you plunge it into the dip, along with your fingertip and a portion of your thumb, then pull it out and stick the whole thing in your mouth, fingers and all, right up to the first knuckle of your second finger, which you quickly pull out of your mouth while clamping down with your lips and "cleaning" it.

You've just sucked the knuckle.

Not Lays ($4) on the bar menu at Vidalia had all the components in place for sucking the knuckle. The homemade Kennebec potato chips are thin-cut and often long, and the ramekin of blue-cheese dip is refrigerator-cold and thick. The longer chips are at greater risk for increased foot-pounds of torque during the dip swipe, and I wasn't sure they'd remain intact. But since the chips are hand-cut, they're wavy and not uniform, and the waviness distributes the resistance over a greater surface area of the chip which prevents fissure.

Pig Out ($9) is an evil little flatbread, a bready oval cut into five pieces, the outer two being less-topped and benefitting from the tiny drizzle of olive oil on the plate. Little cubes of andouille and tasso are distributed among pancetta, the irresistible pork menagerie bound by vidalia onions, and the aroma of the flatbread giving off the impression of a Smithfield smokehouse. This is completely different, but just as rewarding, in a more direct and primal way, as the magnificent little lavash flatbread I had the other day at the hands of ex-Vidalia chef Peter Smith.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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It was a long day yesterday, and I was still a big bundle of stress when I strolled into the bar at Vidalia at almost 9 PM. Mike Nevarez came over and sat down, and I pretty much shooed him away, asking him not to talk to me before I ingested a few ounces of wine.

Vidalia has just launched a new menu which has a Palena-ish leitmotif: Diners can create their own five-course tasting, from any items on the menu, for $78 (at lunch, three courses are $19.90). I asked RJ if a single table could order different items within the same course, and he said yes - so it's possible for two people to share ten different things.

And somehow, my falafel and veal brains turned into pumpkin soup and scallops.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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And somehow, my falafel and veal brains turned into pumpkin soup and scallops.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Indeed, my veal brains turned into an excellent razor clam chowder the other night, when Vidalia had the unenviable task of feeding both my parents and my children -- four slightly picky and very different palates. Perhaps there's a nation-wide crise des cervelles as recession-damaged gourmands abandon foie gras for the less photogenic specialty meats. Madam B's foie gras, by the way, was exeptional.

Even in light of some of the more elaborate meals I've had at Vidalia, this may have been my favorite dinner, what with the chowder and a duck breast that had been spiced, seared, rolled, sous-vided and them seared again. Normally I'd dismiss such a preparation as borderline wankery, but the result -- served on a smear of puree that I confess I ignored -- was extraordinary.

More impressive -- every plate (save one) was licked clean.

If only I could get that to happen when I cooked for them.

The much put-upon Joe provided excellent service.

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vidalia's new year’s eve à la carte menu

or create your own five course tasting menu (for the entire table only) for $85.00

first course

nantucket bay scallops

with spoonbill caviar, yukon gold potatoes,

lipstick radish and meyer lemon aïoli 16.50

prime beef rib eye tartar

with manni estate olive oil,

arugula and truffle coulis 15.50

spanish mackerel

with country ham, piquillo peppers,

brioche and key lime vinaigrette 15.00

citrus marinated madai snapper

with ruby red grapefruit, pickled

watermelon radish and avocado oil 16.50

caramelized fennel

with cara cara oranges, black olives

and fennel seed-olive oil purée 12.00

second course

tagliatelle pasta

with rabbit bacon, smoked gouda

and black périgord truffle sauce 17.50

crispy pig tails

with pickled turnips, mutsu

apple sauce and rye jus 14.25

king crab tempura

with cinderella pumpkin soup, toasted

pumpkin seeds and coral sabayon 15.00

white truffle risotto

with shaved white alba truffles

and parmigiano reggiano 40.00

(30.00 supplement on the tasting menu)

sunchoke velouté

with pickled watermelon radish,

arugula and tomato jam 12.50

third course

new zealand turbot

with heirloom potatoes, braised celery

and smoked bacon-scallop nage 34.00

lake michigan yellow perch

with sautéed crayfish tails, sea

beans and crayfish cream 30.00

shrimp and grits

wild caught gulf shrimp with yellow grits, white pearl

onions, andouille sausage and spicy shrimp cream 29.50

saint peter’s fish

with black truffle-scallop mousse, white

asparagus and duck egg mousseline sauce 35.00

roasted heirloom baby beets

with emmer wheat risotto, blue ridge dairy

mascarpone, horseradish and beet glass 24.50

fourth course

suckling pig

with black eye pea purée, collard

greens and barbeque pork jus 34.00

wagyu beef short rib

braised with root vegetables, cipollini onions,

fingerling potatoes and sweet onion syrup 32.00

pan roasted squab

with braised bacon, dried fruit-walnut bread,

glazed chestnuts and gingerbread jus 35.00

mercer farm rabbit saddle

wrapped with applewood bacon, liver parfait,

apricot mustarda and ginger sauce 34.00

roasted king trumpet mushrooms

with yellowfin potato pavé, béarnaise mousseline,

red ribbon sorrel and wild mushroom essence 25.50

hand cut steaks

dry aged, prime japanese wagyu

à la carte…priced daily 3 oz. min…..$20 per ounce à la carte

tasting menu…$15 supplement tasting menu…$28 supplement for 3 oz.

signature sides

cauliflower gratin with amish cheddar and almonds 8.00

smothered winter greens with smoked bacon, dried cranberries and spicy vinegar 6.50

southern bean pot heirloom beans braised with hog jowl 7.75

baked macaroni with cave aged cheddar and smoked virginia ham 8.50

with fresh shaved truffle…14.50

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

new year’s eve 2008 second seating

create your own five course tasting menu (entire table only) for $85.00 or order à la carte

(also see seven course tasting menu option below)

first course

nantucket bay scallops

spoonbill caviar, yukon potato, lipstick radish, meyer lemon aïoli 16.50

prime beef rib eye tartar

manni estate olive oil, arugula, truffle coulis 15.50

spanish mackerel

country ham, piquillo peppers, brioche, key lime vinaigrette 15.00

caramelized fennel

cara cara oranges, black olives, fennel seed-olive oil purée 12.00

second course

tagliatelle pasta

rabbit bacon, smoked gouda and black périgord truffle 17.50

crispy pig’s tails

pickled turnips, mutsu apple sauce, rye jus 14.25

king crab tempura

cinderella pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds, coral sabayon 15.00

sunchoke velouté

pickled watermelon radish, arugula and tomato jam 12.50

third course

new zealand turbot

heirloom potatoes, celery and smoked bacon-scallop nage 34.00

lake michigan yellow perch

sautéed crayfish tails, sea beans and crayfish cream 30.00

shrimp and grits

yellow grits, andouille sausage, pearl onions, and spicy shellfish cream 29.50

roasted heirloom beets

emmer wheat risotto, mascarpone, horseradish and beet glass 24.50

fourth course

suckling pig

black eye pea purée, collard greens, barbeque pork jus 34.00

wagyu beef short rib

root vegetables, cipollini onions, fingerling potatoes and sweet onion syrup 32.00

mercer farm rabbit saddle

wrapped with applewood bacon, liver parfait, apricot mustarda, ginger sauce 34.00

king trumpet mushrooms

yellowfin potato pavé, béarnaise mousseline, truffle coulis, mushroom essence 25.50

dessert

golden pineapple

white chocolate, sweet onion ice cream, basil coulis 10.50

malted chocolate pudding

bananas, peanut butter, cocoa nib coulis 10.75

southern sampler

lemon chess, pecan and sweet potato pies 11.50

fudge brownie

smoked peanut ice cream and poached meringues 11.25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

chef’s seven course tasting menu $125.00

with sommelier’s wine pairings $190.00

(only available on the second seating for the entire table)

chef’s canapés

rj’s new year’s selection

first course

citrus marinated madai snapper

ruby red grapefruit, pickled watermelon radish, avocado oil

second course

wagyu beef carpaccio

garlic rice pilau, scallions, hot ginger oil

or

carnaroli risotto biologico

white truffles from alba and parmigiano reggiano (30.00 supplement)

third course

st. peter’s fish

black truffle, white asparagus, duck egg mousseline

fourth course

mercer farm rabbit

applewood bacon, liver parfait, apricot mustarda, gingerbread spice sauce

fifth course

calotte of prime beef

bone marrow, cipollini onions, carrots, potato, mourvèdre sauce

sixth course

nancy’s camembert

heirloom beets, spicy pecans, anjou pear and mâche

dessert

chocolate decadence

tasting selection of valhrona chocolate creations


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