Restaurant Week - Winter 2007

[Barbara]

OK, people. You wanna know who REALLY gets RW? It's 1789. No lie. An absolutely wonderful Quail "Waldorf" salad--at $16, this dish can give a run for the money to any duck confit or mushroom with lardons salad anywhere in the city--just tremendous; a bowl of parsnip soup with scallops--compare and contrast with Tom Power's parsnip soup; Venison with red currant sauce--I asked for it to be "medium" but it was rarer than that (to me); Kotobucha (SP?) Pork Chop--had quite a bit more flavor than the venison, go figure; white and dark chocolate bread pudding--a luscious dessert but a bit heavy to end this particular meal; apple crostada with caramel ice cream--also luscious but too much; 3 glasses of wine; 2 cups of coffee=$96.40 (before the tip). I found the wines by the glass to be very thoughtful and not overpriced one little bit. No scaling down of the portions or anything remotely like slap-dash cooking for the masses. Impeccable service, smiles from everybody, not a patronizing or sneering attitude from ANYBODY. The best dishes were the quail salad and the pork chop. Desserts were a tie. I felt like we shop-lifted half of our dinners.

You want quibbles? OK. We were seated in the downstairs main dining room, at a 4-top right next to the fire place. This is not a quibble. However, the restrooms are TWO flights up and I got into such a groove walking downstairs afterwards that if a waiter hadn't come out on the landing and asked if I was looking for the main dining room, I would have wound up in the pub in the basement. I didn't even KNOW there was a pub in the basement. Plus, there was quite a line in the Very Girlie-decorated restroom for the two stalls. (I wonder what the boy's looked like?). Later, when Dame Edna went to the Gent's, there was quite a crowd on the stairs with people competing with the busboys from the upper dining room. One is reminded that this is an old Georgetown building.

Foodwise, the only miss was the "mac and cheese" in a cute little iron frying pan which came with the venison. Those of you who are mac & cheese fans might appreciate this more than we did. Eh. The apple crostada was nice, but it didn't compare with the apple tart we had at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago at Corduroy. But, at these prices, why quibble at all?

The next RW will be in August and if you don't go to 1789 then, well, shame on you.

BTW: There were a couple of surcharges ($10?) on the sirloin and the rack of lamb and maybe something else. Since the steaks I want are at RTC and the bar at Corduroy and, since I can cook a very nice rack of lamb my ownself, why would I order these in any case?

[Margaret Johnson]

OK, people. You wanna know who REALLY gets RW? It's 1789. No lie. . No scaling down of the portions or anything remotely like slap-dash cooking for the masses. Impeccable service, smiles from everybody, not a patronizing or sneering attitude from ANYBODY. The best dishes were the quail salad and the pork chop. Desserts were a tie. I felt like we shop-lifted half of our dinners.

Great review, Barbara!! I haven't eaten at 1789 during RW but have had similar experiences there recently with Chef Beauchamp's cooking. To me 1789 and Curdoroy are similar in that you get amazing food and equally gracious service, with that same level of execution in the kitchen that you'll find in the city's top kitchens, but both with an "atmosphere" issue (servers in tuxedos, or located in the Sheraton). Some of the best food to be found in the city, and you feel like you are stealing it because the prices are reasonable.

Both are great values for restaurant week.

[Barbara]

Great review, Barbara!! I haven't eaten at 1789 during RW but have had similar experiences there recently with Chef Beauchamp's cooking. To me 1789 and Curdoroy are similar in that you get amazing food and equally gracious service, with that same level of execution in the kitchen that you'll find in the city's top kitchens, but both with an "atmosphere" issue (servers in tuxedos, or located in the Sheraton). Some of the best food to be found in the city, and you feel like you are stealing it because the prices are reasonable.

Both are great values for restaurant week.

The coffee is better at Corduroy.

[rbh]

Agreed. I was at 1789 on Monday night with a party of 7 and found it excellent. None of us had been to 1789 before and I was very pleased with the meal. Most of us started out with the oyster stew or the crab salad. I liked the oyster stew, but it was quite rich. I was wishing for soup... but I'm not a big fan of parsnips... the one I wanted to try and should have was the poached pear salad w/ spiced pecans and blue cheese.

I also had the venison with chestnuts and currants. As one of my friends remarked the texture of the chestnut topping with the currants was like peanut butter and jelly but it was delicious with the venison. Agree with Barbara that my medium venison seemed to be more like medium rare. Loved the macaroni and cheese. White slightly gooey cheddar cheese with the macaroni. Other entrees at the table... the Kurobuta Pork Chop was also a winner. Crispy sea bass was good, not great. The grilled sirloin looked a bit pedestrian but my friend was very pleased with it (I wouldn't have gotten it, particularly with the $10 upcharge... given the other locations in town to get steak... and the other yummy things on the menu here).

Desserts - I liked my apple crostada...but the bread pudding... vanilla and bittersweet chocolate served in a 6 inch plate. I'm not a bread pudding fan... but that bread pudding was amazing. Definitely needed coffee to go with it but it really was quite amazing... and one of the better desserts I've had in awhile. Fortunately, one of my dining companions was willing to do halfsies with me on the crostada and bread pudding. Someone got the poached pear... which was good... but didn't compare to the crostada or the bread pudding.

This is definitely one of the best RW deals in town... whole menu.. only a couple items with upcharges. My meal at regular prices... $14+$35+$9 = $58... for just $30. damn. and splitting a bottle of a BV 2003 cab for $45.

Thursday dinner is Corduroy It's a good week.

[chickenlover]

the point is to get the butts in the seats, period. it's a money maker.

Our server at Vidalia told us the same thing in August. He described RW as a "win-win": the restaurant is full when it would otherwise be empty and diners get a good deal.

[Heather]

as a party of six, each person's plate was cleared once the last bite was in, not once all at the table had finished, and the next course arrived in about three minutes. Being six people, with a couple bottles of wine, I was not particularly pleased that the entire night out was over in less than an hour (check dropped on table with desserts!). While I've had some very nice food from RJ on other nights at Vidalia - to me this was why I no longer "do" restaurant week.

Our server at Vidalia told us the same thing in August. He described RW as a "win-win": the restaurant is full when it would otherwise be empty and diners get a good deal.

Emphasis mine. Being treated like a child, or a cheapskate, and hustled through three courses in less than an hour, doesn't sound like a "win" to me. I would wonder if it was really worth it for a free dessert.

[wahoooob]

My husband E and I had lunch today at Farrah Olivia. Since he is the professional writer, I will let you see what he wrote about it (with a little in put from me). I, of course, am CG.

Thanks for the review CG... after reading the previous posts on Farrah Olivia I was starting to think about cancelling and finding another option, but guess we'll give it a shot.

Any of the Wednesday diners have reports?

[blakegwinn]

I have never really done much RW dining but have any of you done one of the sushi places? How does that work? I can't figure out how they fit into the format. Same goes with some of the tapas style places that are particpating. I wouldn't mind going to Kaz or Sushi Ko this week but if it is going to be like soup, chicken teriyaki and some ice cream or something I don't even want to bother. Also how the hell are some of these places like Clydes and Saint Ex making this worth it. You can get App dinner and dessert for less than 30 at both on any other day. This is almost like an upcharge.

[Waitman]

Emphasis mine. Being treated like a child, or a cheapskate, and hustled through three courses in less than an hour, doesn't sound like a "win" to me. I would wonder if it was really worth it for a free dessert.

As Truman Capote once said of Jack Kerouak after dinner: That's not dining, that's eating.

And people used to complain that 90 minutes at Ray's was too short.

[mdt]

I have never really done much RW dining but have any of you done one of the sushi places? How does that work? I can't figure out how they fit into the format. Same goes with some of the tapas style places that are particpating. I wouldn't mind going to Kaz or Sushi Ko this week but if it is going to be like soup, chicken teriyaki and some ice cream or something I don't even want to bother. Also how the hell are some of these places like Clydes and Saint Ex making this worth it. You can get App dinner and dessert for less than 30 at both on any other day. This is almost like an upcharge.

What about Austin Grill? Can you really spend more than $30.07 for dinner on an app, entree, and dessert?!

[DonRocks]

The following posts have been moved into the restaurants' own threads:

Kinkead's (The Hersch)

Ceiba (stacylyn)

Charlie Palmer Steak (genericeric)

Taberna del Alabardero (agm)

Vidalia (Saycheese)

Vidalia (cloax)

Vidalia (NCPinDC)

Vidalia (treznor)

[mame11]

I have never really done much RW dining but have any of you done one of the sushi places? How does that work? I can't figure out how they fit into the format. Same goes with some of the tapas style places that are particpating. I wouldn't mind going to Kaz or Sushi Ko this week but if it is going to be like soup, chicken teriyaki and some ice cream or something I don't even want to bother. Also how the hell are some of these places like Clydes and Saint Ex making this worth it. You can get App dinner and dessert for less than 30 at both on any other day. This is almost like an upcharge.

I don't know about Clydes, but St. Ex isn't participating. They have an amazing deal every day where you get 3 courses for $32. Even then, there are some huge bargains. I once ordered the most expensive entree and app as part of the 3 course prix fix and with dessert saved around $15.

Of course the first time I did the prix fixe, I had the most inexpensive items. Doh.

[DCJono]

Emphasis mine. Being treated like a child, or a cheapskate, and hustled through three courses in less than an hour, doesn't sound like a "win" to me. I would wonder if it was really worth it for a free dessert.

I had the opposite experience at Acadiana last night. The place was packed. We were seated at nearly 9pm for our 8:30 reservation and didn't get out of there til 11:20. We didn't dawdle, just long gaps between the courses. We watched a table next to us turn twice. Not sure what the issue was, we were only a 4-top. Server was indifferent to our pleas. Manager disappeared after 10:30, which was about when we noticed how long we had been there.

Other than the pace, though, it was a fine meal and kudos to Acadiana for including nearly the entire entree menu. Understandable that they were packed. I had the grilled redfish and tasted the crabcakes and they were both just perfect. Started with turtle soup with sherry and ended with a bread pudding with tastes of someone's peanut butter creme brulee with strawberry jam. Both were quite good.

Even though it turned into a later night than we wanted, I'd totally recommend it for RW to others.

[Barbara]

I should also add that since our dinner was about 1/2 the normal price for what we ordered, I left a BIG tip. Don't tell Dame Edna.

[Capital Icebox]

Farrah Olivia. I go so you don't have to.

I'm short on time, but here goes: The aforementioned upcharges are difficult to comprehend, as they pop up at different prices (i.e. $6 for one entree, $8 for another, $12 for a third) that make the already difficult-to-navigate menu even harder to comprehend. (I counted no less than three different symbols next to some dishes. A black asterisk meant that consuming raw or undercooked items may be unhealthy, a blue asterisk meant that the item was part of the RW menu without upcharges.) On the dessert menu, all the desserts (except for ice cream) are priced a la carte at $9, but several of them came with a $2 upcharge for restaurant week. I felt like I should've shown up to the meal with some Scantron sheets and a No. 2 pencil.

But this would have been forgivable if not for the service and food. Wine ordered before anything else did not arrive until a reminder was given while receiving the main course, plates were constantly being auctioned off, and there were lags between courses. This is something that usually doesn't bother me (who wants to dine in a hurry?), but... The Food. Hangar steak tartare was underseasoned, with all the elements of the dish deconstructed and placed far apart from each other on the plate, leaving it to the diner to blend them in the right amounts. It felt like homework. Butternut squash soup tasted more like an oatmeal cookie, Pork tenderloin was overcooked, ordered medium rare and arriving well-done. The 'chocolate merlot' sauce overpowered the (also underseasoned) meat. Overall the meal lacked flavor and intensity, and again I do not like having to hunt across my plate just to put the elements of a dish together. This place falls too easily into trite gimmickry: "yogurt foam" appears in one dessert, and if you ask how the salmon is prepared, the server will answer "We cut a log from the salmon, then sear it and then bake it in the oven." Who wants a cut of fish to be called a log?

It was a rare meal when I couldn't wait to leave, thinking of the dozen other places in town (RW participants or not) where I could've dined for the same price but received far superior food and service.

[hgolightly]

so, how is the upcharge for Farrah Olivia??? I've heard there's one on almost everything... true??

[Capital Icebox]

so, how is the upcharge for Farrah Olivia??? I've heard there's one on almost everything... true??

Roughly half of the appetizers, desserts and entrees come with upcharges, most of them at different prices from the others.

Thank God for Corduroy tonight.

[KeithA]

I had the opposite experience at Acadiana last night. The place was packed. We were seated at nearly 9pm for our 8:30 reservation and didn't get out of there til 11:20. We didn't dawdle, just long gaps between the courses. We watched a table next to us turn twice. Not sure what the issue was, we were only a 4-top. Server was indifferent to our pleas. Manager disappeared after 10:30, which was about when we noticed how long we had been there.

Other than the pace, though, it was a fine meal and kudos to Acadiana for including nearly the entire entree menu. Understandable that they were packed. I had the grilled redfish and tasted the crabcakes and they were both just perfect. Started with turtle soup with sherry and ended with a bread pudding with tastes of someone's peanut butter creme brulee with strawberry jam. Both were quite good.

Even though it turned into a later night than we wanted, I'd totally recommend it for RW to others.

To follow up on the comments about being rushed through dinner during RW, I had the opposite experiences too. Monday night at Circle Bistro at 7:30pm lasted till 10:30pm, partly due to slow service in a half empty dining room. I already complained about that though in the CB thread. Tuesday night at a packed Oval Room at 8:15pm lasted till almost 11:00pm. This time the service was nicely paced and we were chatting alot. Around 10ish when we were served desserts, the waitress even said take your time. So I guess it comes down to whether the restaurant overbooked and its attitude toward dining pace.

[youngfood]

Farrah Olivia. I go so you don't have to.

... The Food. Hangar steak tartare was underseasoned, with all the elements of the dish deconstructed and placed far apart from each other on the plate, leaving it to the diner to blend them in the right amounts. It felt like homework.

It was a rare meal when I couldn't wait to leave, thinking of the dozen other places in town (RW participants or not) where I could've dined for the same price but received far superior food and service.

I'm sorry to hear you experience mirrors my own. The deconstructed servings, in particular, were attractively presented, but uninteresting apart.

For anyone going soon I will say that the black-eyed pea fritters were tasty and largely constructed when presented, and that the crunchy yucca couscous that accompanied the salmon was fascinating and delicious. And the morrocan beer was pretty good and at $4.50 a better value than the wines by the glass.

[Pat]

We had a wonderful meal at Restaurant Kolumbia last night, with service that went above and beyond. Some of our party arrived late, but the patience and good humor of the hostess made everything right. I'd go back again just for the quality of the service, but the food was memorable as well. The ambiance, including the music, was also quite enjoyable. I liked the layout of the restaurant, and especially the wall ornamentation above our table. I'd been wanting to get there, and RW finally gave me the chance. The friends who met us there were pleased with the restaurant and said they'd be back.

The mini butcher board was a great opening for the meal, and I look forward to going back for a fuller sampling. I especially liked the kielbasa skewer. At least two of us ordered that, but I can't remember what the fourth appetizer was. My husband had the spinach salad with the poached egg and thoroughly enjoyed it. It looked beautiful. For the main course, my husband got the mushroom lasagna, which I enjoyed my taste of, and three of us got the crab cake with salmon mousse. It was a great dish--the presentation, the texture, the flavors, the match with the creole sauce and rice--but it could have been served a little warmer. That may have been the only shortcoming, and it was probably due to the brisk business they were doing--but there were no problems in timing and pacing other than those attributable to us.

My husband and I both got the ice cream and fruit, and the chocolate dessert drew raves, as did the cheese over greens. I found myself wishing I had gotten the cheese and greens, as I'm not real fond of sweet desserts. Maybe next time, presuming that's regularly on the dessert menu.

I forget which course came with the homemade chips, but they were a perfect accompaniment to whatever it was

[TinDC]

I was at Sushi Ko last night and even though we didn't partake in the Restaurant Week menu, I wanted to report what was on offer.

For the first course, there was a choice between Sushi Ko salad and seaweed salad. Second course, I only remember one choice which was shrimp and vegetable tempura because that is what I would have ordered. And third course was a choice between 12 pieces of sushi (I don't remember all of them but I know tuna roll, California roll and crunchy shrimp roll were on there) or chicken or beef? teryaki.

We ordered two glasses of wine, two sodas, a rock shrimp/asparagus tempura, edamame and five sushi rolls for about $33/person before tip, so pretty much the same price as the Restaurant Week menu.

[Sundae in the Park]

I'm sorry to hear you experience mirrors my own. The deconstructed servings, in particular, were attractively presented, but uninteresting apart.

For anyone going soon I will say that the black-eyed pea fritters were tasty and largely constructed when presented, and that the crunchy yucca couscous that accompanied the salmon was fascinating and delicious. And the morrocan beer was pretty good and at $4.50 a better value than the wines by the glass.

At Farrah Olivia, our service was prompt and attentive, especially for such a young restaurant, but I either didn't "get" or didn't particularly care for several of the items we ordered. Each of the ingredients in our dishes were fresh, carefully prepared, and beautifully presented, but I didn't enjoy several of the combinations of flavors and textures. I found the juxtaposition of the duck confit and the monkfish "foie gras" to be odd and slightly unpleasant, though fine when eaten separately (I wished for more deconstruction for my choices). The pasta/lobster bite amuse was difficult to eat and not very flavorful. My ($8 upcharged) patagonian toothfish (chilean sea bass are so out they're back in!) had crispy seared skin, but for me, it just didn't gel with the accompanying bean puree/squid ink "black" mustard sauce, though the vegetable (bok choy?) side was very good. It was a similar case for the quail dish. Actually, I liked the parmesan soup, which was extremely rich and well-leavened by the cinnamon swirl. I also got a nice 3-course wine pairing for $15. The desserts were very pretty, but nothing that focused my attention.

I'd say go and try it out for yourself. My issues were almost entirely related to my choices, which were, truthfully, inventive, and you may find something that surprises and delights you, which is the whole point of restaurant week. Just read up before you go!

[legant]

I can top that! Pizzario Uno participated in Baltimore's Summer RW. Right now, the special is: 2 regular size deep dish pizzas for $21. I'm sure one could easily feed a family of 4 (with pop) for $30.

What about Austin Grill? Can you really spend more than $30.07 for dinner on an app, entree, and dessert?!

[cjsadler]

Had lunch at David Greggory with a couple of coworkers. The entire regular lunch menu is available, except for a few items (like crab cakes and strangely, the BLT). With their pricing, it basically adds up to getting free dessert, but it served as a good excuse to enjoy a nice, long lunch. A couple of us, including myself, opted for the soup of the day, which was a sweet potato and apple soup with bacon-apple chutney and fried shoestring potatoes. Great, especially with the bacon-apple garnish. I tried the pulled pork as an entree since DG really digs on the swine. It was done NC style with a vinegar based sauce-- just ok. However, I should've had the tuna brioche burger, just for the very delicious fennel fries it came with (think onion rings, but... fennel). Desserts were standard RW choices: bread pudding, ice cream, creme brulee, choc cake, etc... I went with what looked most interesting to me-- the "S'mores in Greek Clothing", a chocolate souffle cake with housemade marshmallow topping and a phyllo crust.

Bell's beers (from Kalamazoo) have now inundated the DC area. This is a welcome development. DG had the Bell's cherry stout seasonal. The cherries aren't really discernable as a flavor, but they add a refreshing acidity to the heavyness of the stout.

Still gotta get to one of those bacon dinners...

[DCMark]

Hearty recommendation for Bistro Lepic for RW Lunch. What a steal at $20. Started with the pied au cochon, a hearty portion taken off the bone and very crispy. Followed by the enormous cassoulet, with a nice entire duck leg and all the rest. Finally a floating island that has me in sugar overdose right now.

There were about 10 choices for appetizers and 10 for entrees. All desserts except a fruit tart were on the RW menu.

[Tujague]

An excellent RW dinner at Notti Bianche on Monday night--we felt very fortunate to get a last-minute reservation at 6:30. The RW menu was almost identical to the regular menu, four options for the first two courses (antipasti or salad, pasta or entree), with only the risotto left off. I started off with the belgian endive salad, two endives tightly wrapped in prosciutto and topped with grapes and pears, with a gorgonzola cream dressing. The dressing could have used a bit more punch, or the offer of some pepper to heighten the flavors, but it was otherwise delicious. My partner had the brodo di pollo, a rich chicken soup with malfatti (which I believe Don was raving about recently).

We both opted for pastas for our main course over the "carne e pesce." I went for the cannelloni, two large rolls filled with poached chicken, Italian sausage, on bed of wilted baby spinach. The server described it as the best pasta dish he's had from chef Chittum, and indeed, the first bites were rich and exciting--the balance of chicken and sausage was perfect, and the pasta delectable. If I was a bit less enamored by the end, I think it had to do with the overall richness of the dish--I was sated. One cannelloni would have been plenty, and by the end, the chicken seemed slightly bland to me. Still, I'd go for a half-portion again in a second. My partner had the rabbit ragu with pappardelle, which I tasted, finding it flavorful--and again, great noodles!--and it seemed like a good winter comfort food.

For dessert, the options were restricted to a panna cotta and a sort of deconstructed tiramisu--marscapone cream in a chocolate cup topped with chocolate covered espresso beans and two ladyfingers sticking out (hmmm, I had a lot of phallic food, come to think of it ). Both were fine, but I was disappointed the profiteroles weren't available on the RW menu. For wine, I stuck with a glass of Malbec. At $9, I at first thought it was a bit pricey, but it was a large pour and a good value for that. As a RW selection, NB wasn't the best buy, especially sticking with the pastas--we only saved a few bucks apiece off the regular price. But on the basis of the quality of the food, I didn't feel cheated. I'm late getting on the Notti Bianche bandwagon, but I now a definite fan--I'm glad I finally got here.

[Walrus]

We had an unexpected RW dinner at Rasika this week -- friends of friends were in from out of town for one night, and we were invited to tag along. As mentioned a couple of times above, the Palak Chaat (I believe) was fabulous. That dish alone made me decide that we've simply waited too long to visit Rasika -- and that we shouldn't wait that long again. Tripewriter and I both enjoyed his Black Cod -- not too vinagery for either of us (to each his own!), and I loved the daal makhni with the lemon-cashew rice. On its own, it was very earthy -- not as rich and sumptuous as I've had it elsewhere -- but with the lemon rice, wow. I want more just thinking of it . All told, a nice meal in a really pretty spot (with comfortable bar chairs!) with good friends at a reasonable price -- and leftovers for lunch!

[Sundae in the Park]

We had an unexpected RW dinner at Rasika this week -- friends of friends were in from out of town for one night, and we were invited to tag along. As mentioned a couple of times above, the Palak Chaat (I believe) was fabulous. That dish alone made me decide that we've simply waited too long to visit Rasika -- and that we shouldn't wait that long again. Tripewriter and I both enjoyed his Black Cod -- not too vinagery for either of us (to each his own!), and I loved the daal makhni with the lemon-cashew rice. On its own, it was very earthy -- not as rich and sumptuous as I've had it elsewhere -- but with the lemon rice, wow. I want more just thinking of it . All told, a nice meal in a really pretty spot (with comfortable bar chairs!) with good friends at a reasonable price -- and leftovers for lunch!

Seconded. Rasika is a beautiful restaurant and the service was very good. The palak chaat was amazing - now that is a salad for the winter! I actually ordered the Kingfish curry, but ended up being overpowered by the tangy sauce and eating most of my friend's cod. Different strokes! We also had a delicious lamb rogan josh at out table - the lamb was meltingly tender and the sauce has just enough kick to be mild but interesting. The desserts were surprisingly good; the traditional desserts - the honeyed cheese balls and the shaved carrot, um, pile, were sweetly spicy and better than my "safer" choice of pineapple-ginger sorbet (which was still creamy and nice). The prices are quite gentle for this part of town, the quality of food, and such luxe settings, and I think I'll be back for more sooner than later.

[Demvtr]

Four of us had dinner at Farrah Olivia last night (1/11/07), and the restaurant's pluses far outweighed its minuses.

Regarding the Restaurant Week menu, I agree that the format of the menu is unnecessarily complex and requires an abacus to calculate what one's bill will be. There are a number of items with upcharges, but I prefer having the entirety of the menu available, with upcharges, to being limited to two or three options per course. I think it worth stating that if the restaurant had chosen this latter (easier) option, it is doubtful that anyone would have thought twice about it. (I do hope that the restaurant, in the future, does away with the asterisks denoting "regular" Restaurant Week items; simply listing the upcharges indicates, by default, which items are part of the "regular" Restaurant Week menu).

The food. The bread basket is filled with sourdough and raisin-walnut bread. I ate only the raisin-walnut bread, which was good, but not amazing. The spreads were, as noted elsewhere, pumpkin, sun-dried tomato, olive, and bok choy. The pumpkin went best with the walnut-raisin bread, but the bok choy was the best of the bunch (and is sweeter than one expects). The sun-dried tomato spread tastes exactly as it sounds. I did not try the olive spread.

The amuse bouche was a curried pear soup, and my girlfriend and I agreed that it was the best part of the meal, not because the rest of the meal was mediocre, but because the curried pear soup was so amazing that I wanted to dive-tackle the next waiter who walked by with a tray of the little soup cups. The soup was thick, rich, not too sweet, not too spicy, and completely satisfying. Really, it would be an act of culinary criminality if the curried pear soup does not eventually find its way to the standing menu at Farrah Olivia.

My butternut squash soup was fine, but it could have been better if it had less going on within the confines of the bowl. The soup itself tasted like standard butternut squash soup, which one either normally finds worth ordering or does not, and the creamy froth complemented the soup well. The pecan pie crumbles, though, while adding an interesting, crunchy element to the soup, were overly sweet and made the dish far too akin to dessert.

My girlfriend started with the black-eyed pea fritters. I tried one, and while I liked it, I believe that the frying may have been a little heavy-handed; the flavor of the black-eyed peas bordered on being overwhelmed. Good, but not necessarily worth ordering again.

Our friends ordered the "shocked tuna" and butter-poached lobster appetizers. Both spoke well of their dishes. The person receiving the shocked tuna later deemed it the best part of his meal, though he lamented the Lilliputian serving size.

The salmon entree was perfect. And by "perfect," I do not mean it was the best salmon entree I have ever eaten. I just mean that it hit all the points the kitchen wanted it to hit, and did not generate a single complaint in my mind. The waitress told me that the salmon would be cooked medium, and it was cooked exactly so. The meat was moist. The anise-spiced exterior added a subtly complex note, but was in no way so strong as to overpower the flavor of the fish itself. (I note as an aside that while I cannot stand the flavor of licorice, I never find anise offensive, despite the flavors always drawing a comparison.) The yuca couscous was Grape Nuts-crunchy, as opposed to the soft couscous one might expect, but actually made for fun eating. The flavor was, however, subdued to the point that I would not have known its origins had the menu not labeled at is being yuca. The smoked shrimp essence was, presumably, that little reddish-orange conical-shaped mound on the corner of my plate. It had the consistency of a thick spread, and added a distinct, pleasing flavor to my forkfuls of salmon.

My girlfriend's eggplant casserole, served in a small, kettle-shaped bowl, was outstanding. It was, essentially, my favorite Indian dish, baingan bharta, a spicy mash of tomatoes and eggplant. It was by no means a pioneering dish, but it was delicious. Our companions got the steak (labeled a "New York strip" on the check) and the lamb (labeled a "lamb chop" on the check). I tried neither, but both diners said they loved their entrees. The recipient of the lamb specifically stated that it was in no way overcooked.

Desserts were a pineapple-beet cake, two fig cakes with mascarpone cream and caramel ice cream, and a chocolate mousse dessert with vanilla ice cream. I did not try the pineapple-beet cake, but the chocolate mousse dessert, of which I had more than a few bites, tasted as good as it looked. The chocolate mousse was encased in a brittle shell and covered in chocolate sauce. Classy. My fig cake was a modern twist on cheesecake, consisting of a layer of cake, a layer of spread fig, and a light, creamy, and tall layer of mascarpone cream. The ice cream was just a bonus.

The hostess was appropriately welcoming and our server was pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. There were a few service bumps, such as a cappuccino given to the wrong diner, an appetizer erroneously set on our table as we awaited our entrees, and the length of time between courses (which led our waitress to offer an unprompted apology), but these little issues did not detract from what was, in sum, a very good first impression.

[DCJono]

I'm afraid I can't agree at all with Pat's endorsement of RW at Restaurant Kolumbia. I had a very different experience.

I had a reservation for lunch this week and thought the restaurant quite poor. My companion and I were seated in the tiny booths in the bar area. The regular menu was not available. Only three appetizers, three entrees and three desserts were offered. There was a fish stew, a basmati salad and grilled squid to start. We both had the squid which was dry, chewy and the bitter. The polenta it sat on was delicioius, though. And also something with olives which was good. At least 30 minutes passed between our apps being cleared and the next course arriving.

I had the spinach salad with shrimp and egg as an entree which was very good. Companion had the steak frites which she said was fine, a tad fatty and the fries greasy, but fine. She also said the steak was cooked a perfect medium, but everything was lukewarm.

We finished and our plates were quickly cleared. We had had a choice of vanilla ice cream with some fruit, an homage to the Twin Towers made of chocolate cake, and what appeared to be manchego under baby greens. None of this was anything that should take more than 30 seconds to get out of the kitchen. Another 25 minutes passed with no sign of dessert or visit by a waiter. It's now 2pm and we've been here for 90 minutes. We then spent a few minutes trying to flag someone down for our check and both our waiter and a manager apologized and got the check to us quickly. While we signed, the desserts came. They took 20% off for our trouble.

We took quick bites as we put our coats on. The cheese was fine, but not special. Greens were pretty, but I didn't try them. The twin towers were two rectangles of plain chocolate cake with chocolate chips. Really unimpressive, and I thought the tribute a bit bizarre.

The manager apologized again, said that guests usually have a different experience, but it's restaurant week and perhaps we should visit again when it's over. (?!)

I'm beginning to agree with the ppl on this board that RW is the absolute wrong time to try new restaurants. It's a real shame, but over the past couple of years I've definitely had more misses than hits.

[Saycheese]

I hesitate to post negative remarks about restaurants that most people tend to rave about, but my RW lunch experience at Restaurant Kolumbia was almost identical to DCJono's, that I thought it worth mentioning. My friend and I went on Wednesday and sat at the bar, not realizing that the $9 bar menu was not available. We decided to stay anyway. My friend ordered the basmati salad, the steak frites, and the ice cream, and I ordered the squid, the wild mushroom lasagne and the cheese. It must have taken close to 30 minutes for our appetizers to arrive. During that time, the bartender checked several times on our order. The first courses were not bad -- the salad was a pretty generous portion and the squid was not bad -- I didn't notice any bitterness, although it tasted smoky, like from being grilled. After that course, a whole lot of time went by and our main courses were nowhere to be seen. Again we asked and the bartender was very nice and checked and apologized repeatedly. By then, it was around 1:30 and we'd been there over an hour. We asked them to bring out to-go boxes with our main dishes and our desserts at the same time, because we anticipated that we might not have time to finish our main courses -- if they ever arrived. Finally, about 10 minutes later, they brought out the main dishes and our desserts -- the desserts were already boxed up. We told them we really needed to leave and had them box up our main dishes and bring the check. We were there for about 90 minutes all together. Unlike DCJono, we received no discount. The bartender apologized again and suggested we come back when it's not Restaurant Week. He and a woman who brought our food -- maybe she was a manager -- were well aware of how long it was taking, so it seemed unnecessary to actually lodge a complaint.

I had not been to Restaurant Kolumbia in a while, because the last time I had dinner there in the dining room, the service was lousy and the food was equally lousy -- the cold fried sweetbreads on a bed of salad greens really left an impression -- no comment from the server about the uneaten sweetbread nuggets left on the plate when he finally materialized. However, because of great comments on this website and from other people and because it's very close to my office, I was willing to try it again. When I finally got to eat the mushroom lasagne about 3 hours later, it was delicious albeit rather small. The cheese was a mere sliver of cheese on a bed of greens. I intend to go back to the bar for the bar menu -- I really want to like this place, but if my overall experience isn't any better, that's it.

As I posted earlier this week, I had a very good RW lunch at Vidalia on Tuesday -- good food, good service, in and out in about an hour without being rushed -- so at least some restaurants know how to handle it and give their guests a good impression. Really, if you can't do it right, why do it at all?

[Pat]

I'm afraid I can't agree at all with Pat's endorsement of RW at Restaurant Kolumbia. I had a very different experience.

I had a reservation for lunch this week and thought the restaurant quite poor.

All I can say is that maybe it's a difference between lunch and dinner. Lunch does have a more concentrated time crunch (though that's not to say they shouldn't be able to handle it.)

Our only significant issue was crab cakes that were a bit too cool. After I took a bite, I thought maybe it hadn't been heated evenly enough. A second bite made me wonder if it was just too cold, and a third told me it was, but by then I'd eaten half the crab cake and it seemed too late to say something to the waiter. ("This is a great crab cake. I love it. Could you take these last few bites in and have them reheated?" )

[TinDC]

What appetizers are on Acadiana's restaurant week dinner menu?

[Ferhat Yalcin]

-why is it a problem for the customers if the food is taking a little longer than usual when a restaurant (especially a fine dining restaurant) is packed , during a busy lunch or dinner or say `restaurant week` time?

-why it seems like nobody in this town has any patience for the food , for the restaurant service ?

-why are the customers expecting a discount or a free something when anything goes wrong related to their service or food ?

-why a `X` table is getting angry when they receive their food after the table next to them because they ordered first and cant realize a monkey`s ass and chicken fingers are not cooking in the equal time frame ?

-why people are not understanding that they are not the only customers in that restaurant ,there are other customers, everything is in an order , even a mixed berries dessert which is fresh fruit only ,can sometimes take 10 minutes to get it out of the kitchen ?

-why those kind of people are not trying to become like the other nice,polite and good people out there and in the restaurants?

-why am I feeling different types of anger and making statements every restaurant week ?

-why why why ?

Can somebody honestly make me understand these ?

[hillvalley]

We love you Ferhat, and Chef, and Rissa, and Kat, and Tom, and Scott, and everyone else I missed.

[deangold]

-why why why ?

Can somebody honestly make me understand these ?

Why do people ask for a reservation at 7pm. Then, after being told its restaurant week and the restaurant is fully booked with no possibility of walk in, accept a 6pm reservation and show up at 7pm? Then they are mad when they can't be sat immediately?

Why do we go from 1-2 no shows a day to 5?

Why do we lose 32 of 186 covers in the books due to cancellations that occur after 5:00pm the same day?

But most of all.... why are we having so much fun? Its a lot of work, but after all beinging busy is what we are there for!

[Escoffier]

But most of all.... why are we having so much fun? Its a lot of work, but after all beinging busy is what we are there for!

and it's things like this that make Dino such a wonderful place to dine and Dean such a great host.

[jdl]

What appetizers are on Acadiana's restaurant week dinner menu?

* smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo

* roasted sweet corn and blue crab soup

* classic turtle soup

* trio of deviled eggs

* pickled beet salad

* green salad (not sure if this is the baby spinach and watercress salad on the menu or something more basic -- they didn't specify and we didn't ask)

Oh, and all entrees are offered at dinner, though there's a $9 markup for the crabcakes and NoLa-style bbq shrimp.

Pretty good food, but how in the hell did the place become so popular that it's regularly at or near the top of OpenTable's Top 10 Booked list? (Then again, that list isn't necessarily loaded with DC's best restaurants -- TenPenh, DC Coast, Old Ebbitt, Ceiba, Clyde's of Gallery Place, Zola and Zengo are also regulars in the Top 10.) I guess people like going there for the incredible decibel level. I couldn't even hear myself think, it was so damn noisy. Somebody needs to bring a dB reader to the restaurant at, say, 8pm and see if it cracks 100.

[Xochitl10]

Four of us broke away from Southwest to have lunch at DC Coast yesterday. The place was packed and wicked loud; the food was quite good. They offered four appetizers and three desserts only, but you could choose from the full list of entrees.

For appetizers, our table had the seared sea scallops with braised spinach (I think) accompanied by some kind of sauce tasting a bit of balsamic vinegar; the squash soup that I think someone upthread mentioned; a Caesar salad, and a regular menu salad of mixed greens, vinaigrette, and tons of mushrooms. My scallops were really good -- tender with just a bit of chew, nicely seared, and pleasantly buttery. I also liked the taste of my friend's soup -- smooth, not too thick, and very savoury.

Mains were the tuna Nicoise, shrimp and grits, fish and chips, and a vegetable plate. The tuna Nicoise would have been good on its own, but was made exceptional by the roasted potato component. My friend liked her shrimp and grits, which were topped with bits of country ham. I didn't taste the fish, and got a chip after we'd been eating for a while so this may not be completely accurate, but the chips seemed like they would have been well crisped and tasty when they came out. Vegetable plate consisted of sides: roasted potatoes, slaw, broccoli rabe, spinach, and a fifth thing I don't remember. My vegan friend seemed pleased with it.

For dessert, we had two chocolate cakes with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel and a cinnamon creme brulee with hazelnut biscotti. Our server came by during the wait to let us know that the kitchen was in the process of baking more cakes, which we appreciated. The cakes were tasty -- not very sweet, very tender, and, of course, warm. I couldn't taste the caramel at all. The cinnamon creme brulee was very good -- properly crunchy top, creamy, cinnamony, not-too-rich interior.

Overall, we had a good experience with DC Coast. Service was pleasant and professional, and the food was uniformly good, if not great.

[Xochitl10]

Four of us broke away from Southwest to have lunch at DC Coast yesterday. The place was packed and wicked loud; the food was quite good. They offered four appetizers and three desserts only, but you could choose from the full list of entrees.

For appetizers, our table had the seared sea scallops with braised spinach (I think) accompanied by some kind of sauce tasting a bit of balsamic vinegar; the squash soup that I think someone upthread mentioned; a Caesar salad, and a regular menu salad of mixed greens, vinaigrette, and tons of mushrooms. My scallops were really good -- tender with just a bit of chew, nicely seared, and pleasantly buttery. I also liked the taste of my friend's soup -- smooth, not too thick, and very savoury.

Mains were the tuna Nicoise, shrimp and grits, fish and chips, and a vegetable plate. The tuna Nicoise would have been good on its own, but was made exceptional by the roasted potato component. My friend liked her shrimp and grits, which were topped with bits of country ham. I didn't taste the fish, and got a chip after we'd been eating for a while so this may not be completely accurate, but the chips seemed like they would have been well crisped and tasty when they came out. Vegetable plate consisted of sides: roasted potatoes, slaw, broccoli rabe, spinach, and a fifth thing I don't remember. My vegan friend seemed pleased with it.

For dessert, we had two chocolate cakes with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel and a cinnamon creme brulee with hazelnut biscotti. Our server came by during the wait to let us know that the kitchen was in the process of baking more cakes, which we appreciated. The cakes were tasty -- not very sweet, very tender, and, of course, warm. I couldn't taste the caramel at all. The cinnamon creme brulee was very good -- properly crunchy top, creamy, cinnamony, not-too-rich interior.

Overall, we had a good experience with DC Coast. Service was pleasant and professional, and the food was uniformly good.

[Barbara]

-why am I feeling different types of anger and making statements every restaurant week ?

-why why why ?

Can somebody honestly make me understand these ?

Now, now, Dear. After you get through tonight, your RW will be OVER.

[grover]

Escoffier and I went to Vidalia last night and we had another memorable dinner. Although I had a stomach problem, I truly enjoyed the 3 courses. I ordered hamachi as an appetizer, catfish for an entree and Tatin as a dessert. He ordered rabbit sausage as an appetizer, the chacuterie as an entree and the lemon chess tart as dessert.

I liked the lemon sorbet because it refreshed my mouth after tasting the sliced hamachi. The breaded/deep-fried catfish got along very well with gumbo rice. The apple and sweet onion tatin made me feel like I was eating my mother's cooking. What I would like to talk about was the chacuterie he had.

It had three different meats (pork belly, beef and lamb ?) with sausage, a bit of sauerkraut and potato. I had a chance to taste the pork belly and it was unbelievable. DR people who will have dinner tonight at Vidalia, please order the chacuterie. You won't regret it.

[Smita Nordwall]

Hubby E and I lunched at Corduroy yesterday. Once again, I will let him be the writer.

"My first impression: Corduroy looked & felt like a hotel restaurant, rather than the hotel in a restaurant that it is. I think it was the combination of the wraparound mirror on the walls & the somewhat shabby/run-down upholstery on some of the chairs (mine had a half-dollar-sized hole in the seat). This impression was forgotten almost instantly by our friendly & competent waiter. We’d ordered a glass of wine each; he returned minutes later saying the chef had recommended a half bottle of something else that was similar & cost the same. More of similar wine, less money? Absolutely. The wine? Eh. But we’re not sommeliers, so he stuff probably was similar to what we’d ordered. Do I believe the chef recommended it? Power was there (he’s known for almost always being there), but I rather doubt it. Either way, it was a very promising start.

As were the appetizers. I had the warm goat cheese with crispy potato. It came with a large portion of cheese atop lettuce leaves, with a spider web of -- yes, crispy -- potatoes sticking out of the cheese. The lettuce was difficult to cut through with a fork, & I refuse to go to the knife for that kind of appetizer, but it was otherwise excellent, a nice combo, beautifully done. At the waiter’s suggestion, CG had the Filipino-style spring rolls with dipping sauce. I loved it -- the fried shell was crispy without being greasy & I thought the pork filling was nicely seasoned. CG liked it OK, but found it a little dull; I think she expected it to be a little spicier. In fact, she said preferred the ones at Manila Cafe in Springfield -- greasier, but, in her mind, more flavorful.

Between courses, I asked CG why she thought there was a saucer in the middle of the table with two slices of lemon on it. She guessed -- correctly, I’m sure -- that it was for people to put in their water, & thank the gods! I’ve been railing for years about restaurants just assuming you want lemon with your water; this may not have been the most elegant solution, but a solution beats the hell out of the alternative.

Entrees. I had the lobster & chervil omelet with baby greens. I have never had an omelet that was better cooked. This was art -- light, fluffy, glorious. Which was sad, since the rest of it was pretty bland. More lobster would have helped there, not that I’d expect the omelet to be lobster-packed during RW, but so would salt. Like, any salt. If the kitchen folk were aiming for pure egg-lobster-chervil flavor, they achieved it, but I’d have appreciated a bit of cheese & at least a pinch of salt. Still, you don’t come across a perfect omelet often enough, so I’d call it a wash. CG had the roast (organic) lamb sirloin with garlic mashed potatoes, and, wow. WOW. CG’s an awesome cook, & I say this with no disrespect, but I’ve never had a piece of lamb I liked better -- it was juicy, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The spuds were excellent -- so often, places over-garlic their garlic mashed spuds, overpowering the potato flavor. Not at Corduroy. And the green beans served with it were dead-on al dente. For my money, this was easily the best of the four entrees we tried during RW.

Neither of us are dessert fiends, so I don’t feel qualified to say much about them except that my chocolate tart with caramelized banana was rich & very, very satisfying. And CG’s chocolate-hazelnut bars -- which our waiter said that Power learned at Citronelle & which he serves with Michel Richard’s blessing -- was downright decadent. We brought it home, ate it hours later & loved it. And if CG loves a dessert, that’s saying something.

In sum: Great service, great food, pleasant atmosphere. That was our first trip to Corduroy; we’ll definitely be back.

[Smita Nordwall]

Whoops -- make that "felt like a hotel restaurant, rather than the restaurant IN a hotel that it is."

Hubby E and I lunched at Corduroy yesterday. Once again, I will let him be the writer.

"My first impression: Corduroy looked & felt like a hotel restaurant, rather than the hotel in a restaurant that it is. I think it was the combination of the wraparound mirror on the walls & the somewhat shabby/run-down upholstery on some of the chairs (mine had a half-dollar-sized hole in the seat). This impression was forgotten almost instantly by our friendly & competent waiter. We’d ordered a glass of wine each; he returned minutes later saying the chef had recommended a half bottle of something else that was similar & cost the same. More of similar wine, less money? Absolutely. The wine? Eh. But we’re not sommeliers, so he stuff probably was similar to what we’d ordered. Do I believe the chef recommended it? Power was there (he’s known for almost always being there), but I rather doubt it. Either way, it was a very promising start.

As were the appetizers. I had the warm goat cheese with crispy potato. It came with a large portion of cheese atop lettuce leaves, with a spider web of -- yes, crispy -- potatoes sticking out of the cheese. The lettuce was difficult to cut through with a fork, & I refuse to go to the knife for that kind of appetizer, but it was otherwise excellent, a nice combo, beautifully done. At the waiter’s suggestion, CG had the Filipino-style spring rolls with dipping sauce. I loved it -- the fried shell was crispy without being greasy & I thought the pork filling was nicely seasoned. CG liked it OK, but found it a little dull; I think she expected it to be a little spicier. In fact, she said preferred the ones at Manila Cafe in Springfield -- greasier, but, in her mind, more flavorful.

Between courses, I asked CG why she thought there was a saucer in the middle of the table with two slices of lemon on it. She guessed -- correctly, I’m sure -- that it was for people to put in their water, & thank the gods! I’ve been railing for years about restaurants just assuming you want lemon with your water; this may not have been the most elegant solution, but a solution beats the hell out of the alternative.

Entrees. I had the lobster & chervil omelet with baby greens. I have never had an omelet that was better cooked. This was art -- light, fluffy, glorious. Which was sad, since the rest of it was pretty bland. More lobster would have helped there, not that I’d expect the omelet to be lobster-packed during RW, but so would salt. Like, any salt. If the kitchen folk were aiming for pure egg-lobster-chervil flavor, they achieved it, but I’d have appreciated a bit of cheese & at least a pinch of salt. Still, you don’t come across a perfect omelet often enough, so I’d call it a wash. CG had the roast (organic) lamb sirloin with garlic mashed potatoes, and, wow. WOW. CG’s an awesome cook, & I say this with no disrespect, but I’ve never had a piece of lamb I liked better -- it was juicy, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The spuds were excellent -- so often, places over-garlic their garlic mashed spuds, overpowering the potato flavor. Not at Corduroy. And the green beans served with it were dead-on al dente. For my money, this was easily the best of the four entrees we tried during RW.

Neither of us are dessert fiends, so I don’t feel qualified to say much about them except that my chocolate tart with caramelized banana was rich & very, very satisfying. And CG’s chocolate-hazelnut bars -- which our waiter said that Power learned at Citronelle & which he serves with Michel Richard’s blessing -- was downright decadent. We brought it home, ate it hours later & loved it. And if CG loves a dessert, that’s saying something.

In sum: Great service, great food, pleasant atmosphere. That was our first trip to Corduroy; we’ll definitely be back.

[legant]

Anyone been to Majestic during RW? Any hits? Misses?

[Yentruoc]

I was at Majestic Cafe for lunch today. They are offering their entire menu as part of RW, no restrictions or upcharges. it was crowded, but the staff seemed to handle it well- and our server was doing double duty at the bar, too. I had the garlic and goat cheese flan with beets for the first course- outstanding. the pork loin sandwich was well prepared, too. I guess I was expecting more of a traditional cuban witht the pickles, but this sandwich still fit the bill. We ended up skipping dessert b/c we were so stuffed, but everything sounded lovely. This was my first time there, but I certainly would come back if in the neighborhood.

[Scott Johnston]

and why did I have the best dinner I have ever had at Corduroy tonight with the best service I have had anywhere during RW tonight?

Why is Corduroy extending their RW till Weds and open on Sunday and still completely booked solid for dinner every night?

No reason to ask why I come to Corduroy before during and after RW.

Words cannot express my gratitude

-why is it a problem for the customers if the food is taking a little longer than usual when a restaurant (especially a fine dining restaurant) is packed , during a busy lunch or dinner or say `restaurant week` time?

-why it seems like nobody in this town has any patience for the food , for the restaurant service ?

-why are the customers expecting a discount or a free something when anything goes wrong related to their service or food ?

-why a `X` table is getting angry when they receive their food after the table next to them because they ordered first and cant realize a monkey`s ass and chicken fingers are not cooking in the equal time frame ?

-why people are not understanding that they are not the only customers in that restaurant ,there are other customers, everything is in an order , even a mixed berries dessert which is fresh fruit only ,can sometimes take 10 minutes to get it out of the kitchen ?

-why those kind of people are not trying to become like the other nice,polite and good people out there and in the restaurants?

-why am I feeling different types of anger and making statements every restaurant week ?

-why why why ?

Can somebody honestly make me understand these ?

[dinwiddie]

Why do the folks on the phone seem suprised when I call early in the day to confirm my reservation for that evening? Isn't it just polite to do so? It isn't like I do it in the middle of the lunch rush.

On a lighter note, we went to Dino last night for RW. At the request of my nephew, this is the second time we've gone for RW (he and my sister came from

Richmond for dinner) Five of us shared appetizers, a cheese plate (three robiolas, all wonderful), Antipasto alla Macelleria (butcher plate), Tris di Bruschette, Polipo (the octopus) and a half order of Orechietti ai Funghi. For our entrees we had the Linguini ai Fruitti di Mare, Seared Black Pepper Tuna, venison steak, the beef short ribs, and the fillet of cod special. All were excellent. Desserts were shared, the gelatos, the bread pudding, etc. again. Glasses of moscato and espresso ended the meal. We had a great time.

I asked Dean to pick the wines and as usual, it was perfect. The Gravner Ribolla Gialla "Amphora" 2001 is the most unusual white wine I've ever had. A massive, wine, I've had reds with less power. Amber gold, it changed character as the evening progressed. At first toasty, then more lush. I can't even describe this wine other than to say that it was a joy to imbibe over the evening. The red he chose for us was the 2003 Abbazia Di Novacella "Praepositus Dunkel Riserva" Lagrein Alto. Adige. Wow. Opened with a nose of caramel and blueberrys, it was soft and lush and smooth. Fine tannins made this a very easy wine to enjoy.

Thanks Dean for a great evening.

[TinDC]

I did not plan to participate at all in Restaurant Week, but ended up at Sushi Ko on Wednesday and last night at Acadiana. It was no surprise that they were absolutely slammed the entire time we were there. Our service did not suffer at all, though. I am the only one at the table who opted to not participate in RW. I knew I wanted crabcakes and possibly dessert but none of the appetizers on the RW menu screamed out to me. I decided that my appetizer would be those biscuits, because let's face it, they know how to make some mean biscuits.

My crabcakes were very good. Generous cakes and large lumps of crab. I also enjoyed the succotash that accompanied the cakes. There were thick pieces of bacon scattered throughout that lent a nice smokiness.

For dessert, our waitress insisted that I try the chocolate and pecan tart calling it "hands down" the best dessert they offer. It was soooo rich. I am of the "nothing is too sweet or too rich for me" school, but I could only manage a few tiny bites. I was able to share it, though, with my dining companions who were not too fond of their RW bread pudding.

After witnessing Sushi Ko and Acadiana this week, I can only imagine how utterly exhausted all restaurant staff must be at the end of this week.

[Biscuit Girl]

Jim and I thought we'd try to get a seat at the bar at Corduroy tonight knowing full well that getting a table in the dining room on such short notice during restaurant week was not going to happen. But something told me to check open table and sure enough there was an opening at 7 pm so I jumped on the phone to Corduroy and snagged it. Turns out someone had just canceled their reservation.

Schweet.