DonRocks

Hi Pat, The first time I was asked for a credit card to hold my reservations at an area restaurant was a few years ago at Makoto. I, too, was surprised by the request, perhaps even a little put off by it at the moment. But I think it's a perfectly reasonable policy for a restaurant to implement, although I agree that the better policy would be to ask for the credit card when the reservation is made. Knowing what I know about Corduroy, however, they were probably so busy that they didn't think to do this at the time, then woke up one morning and realized that, yikes, New Year's Eve is fast approaching, and we can't afford any no-shows. I'd be more surprised to hear of this type of thing happening at a well-oiled corporate machine, since they've got all the details planned for in advance and have the manpower to organize and control important events such as this. Corduroy, despite it being in a Sheraton, is still sort of a mom-n-pop operation with all of the accompanying charms and foibles. Your question is perfectly reasonable, and I agree the timing seems a touch inelegant, but I'm certain that this is all well-intentioned and that you'll have a terrific meal if you go. Cheers, Rocks.

When you make leaping assumptions such as this, it shows that you didn't read what I wrote with any degree of thoughtfulness. ← What you wrote was, "Pull aside any restauranteur in the country. Ask him or her whether it's fair for one single person's whim in assigning stars to have such a dominant influence." That does on its face seem to me to be a species of the standard chef/restaurateur complaint leveled against all critics when unfavorable reviews come in: "Who is this person to criticize my establishment?" Those same chefs and restaurateurs can often be heard to say, when a favorable review comes in, "You know, he gets it. He really gets it! He gets what we're about!" ← Here is what I originally wrote: Stars, points, tocques or macarons are an inherently flawed method of evaluating a restaurant. This is independent of whether or not restauranteurs use this entrenched system to their advantage when it's convenient for them to do so.

When you make leaping assumptions such as this, it shows that you didn't read what I wrote with any degree of thoughtfulness. Again, you are presuming far, far, more influence than the reviews, in fact, have. The influence that stars, points, tocques or macarons can have on the dining public and the restaurant industry is enormous. Cheers, Rocks.

I'd take this a lot more seriously if the restauranteurs considered it unfair. ← Pull aside any restauranteur in the country. Ask him or her whether it's fair for one single person's whim in assigning stars to have such a dominant influence. And these little asterisks (how are they arrived at again?) are based on ... how many visits to the restaurant by this one single "critic?" Three? Five? And THIS is what establishes a restaurant's reputation as being good or bad? I reject the entire notion of this fundamentally flawed and incorrect "system," and so should you. Cheers, Rocks.

And the winner is... Every single one of them. No restaurant deserves to be pigeonholed into a bogus category of stars, points, tocques, macarons or whatever other numerical rating system happens to be used to quantify the unquantifiable. It is utterly unfair to the restaurant for a reader to put any credence in such a system. And for the critics who advocate these ratings, my response to you is: learn how to write and you'll lose the need to assign a mathematical value to something entirely unrelated to mathematics. This needed to be said, Rocks.

Wasn't your Congresswoman named Connie, morela?

The sex scene between the waitress and the tow-truck driver was underrated and more subtle, nuanced and tender than people give it credit for.

Protocol for Fat Guy 1) Receive cup of decaf 2) Receive doo-dad-jiggle 3) Acknowledge there is worthwhile decaf.

Could someone explain the precise difference between kamaboko and surimi? On a related topic, how do they give these pastes the consistency to become cole-slaw-like shredded imitation crab meat (kani-kamaboko?) as opposed to the gelatinous cake-like patties so often found in soups? I believe in North America, pollock is used as a base for these, but can I safely assume that in other parts of the world other fish are used instead? Sorry to, erm, "spam" this forum, Rocks.

It was the breast of times, it was the wurst of thymes, Dickens Don.

In certain test markets, they're apparently doing a variation using Munster cheese, and calling it the Munster Thickburger. I didn't believe it either, but you can click here to see their new spokesman. An urban legend is born, Rocks.

You could have at least sprung for the price of Capri (also in Wheaton) instead of Pop's - an unforgettable spaghetti in butter sauce which was (God forgive them) ... spaghetti ... in ... butter sauce. Actually, I went to the mildly horrific Tutto Bene this evening in Ballston, and I remember Capri as being just as good (although I was, like, 12). Of course this futile exercise is like comparing Aaron with Bonds (*). The Demise of Luau Hut The Silver Spring Metro is singularly responsible for surrounding, and then annihlating, the first place I ever heard a waiter curse - the resplendent Luau Hut, famous for their Suffering Bastards and Pu-Pu Platter. Carrying a full tray of food for a party of four, this poor man let it tilt, and then everything slid off the edge and crashed onto the floor as he tried to catch the plates, and I heard him mutter, "shit." I was a young child, and this scarred me for life. And we can't forget Dominique's - the only place in town where you could get moose for dinner and mousse for dessert. Chateaubriand and Chateau Haut-Brion. No, scratch that: it was probably something more like Beef Wellington and Barton & Guestier. (*) Joe Aaron and Jim Bonds were two little-known players in the Class D Blue Ridge League. Auld Lang Syne, Rocks.

The Washington Post had an interesting Weekly Dish feature about Mel Krupin in October. I had a corned beef sandwich for lunch at Krupins a couple of months ago and it was just terrible - perhaps it's a good thing it's renamed to "K's Deli" in order to protect his formidable legacy. Yes, Larry King used to chirp that he was going over to Duke Zeibert's after his show - he'd then play this tune as sung by Louis Armstrong:

I officially appoint Joe H DC & DelMarVa Culinary Historian and curator of this list. Joe, it's all yours - I can't touch your historical knowledge. Cheers, Rocks.

I have yet to go, but Joe H heartily recommended the Reston Carrabba's Italian Grill in this thread. I suspect it's the type of restaurant that could handle a large party with diverse needs. Cheers, Rocks.

Can you name anyone who doesn't recommend the same places over-and-over again? If someone asks me, "where should I go for a good hot dog?", I'm going to whip out my laundry list of four or five places. Look at this forum, with hundreds (yes, hundreds) of readers, and you could name the favorites here on two hands: Palena, Firefly, Eve, Corduroy, Nectar, etc. Why don't you start some threads about some of your favorite places in town? I was thrilled when someone started chiming in about Madam's Organ. Where are the threads about Cashion's, Nora, Pesce? Ollie's Trolley? Tivoli? Obelisk? Shamshiry? Paolo's? Equinox? Dragonfly? Ginger Cove? DC Coast? Moby Dick? Bob and Edith's? Why aren't there hundreds of comments about The Inn At Little Washington? (Yes, yes, I know, none of us can afford to eat there, but still...) There are a hundred more restaurants that could each have their own thread here, and I'm not going to start them, either, even though I've been to 'em all. And this is just Washington DC. Let's not forget that this forum, in theory, is DC & DelMarVa. Logistics prevent me from personally straying too far into northeastern Maryland or Delaware on a regular basis, but where are our posters from Baltimore? Dover? Frederick? Wilmington? Hagerstown? Ocean City? How about it, newcomers? Start some threads on new places and let's diversify. And if you're lurking here, and haven't signed up as a member of eGullet, then why don't you? C'mon, sign up, send me a message letting me know you're here, and I'll make sure you find this place as welcoming as your own family room, sitting in your rocking chair, curling up with a glass of cognac, and reading a great book in front of a warm fire. Okay? Okay! What are you waiting for? Do it! And please let me know you're here. Cheers, Rocks.

I walked by Thursday afternoon, and there was still a fair amount of construction going on - it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for the opening. Cheers, Rocks.

[it's a very good question, and I think the best answer is that posts about meals enjoyed at individual restaurants should fall within the individual restaurant threads (hopefully with the clear caveat that the meal occurred at restaurant week). Things about restaurant week itself, or who's doing what, or anticipation before the meal, or a comparative analysis of the pitfalls and benefits of various restaurants during restaurant week - those can go in this thread. Nothing needs to be so terribly black-and-white, but I think these are pretty good guidelines for the best interest of the forum. If anyone wants me to move their posts from last year into the individual restaurant threads, please PM me and I will do so. Cheers, Rocks.]

This is one of those rare moments in life where you could flip a coin and walk away happy with your decision. Poor, but happy.

It’s time to begin thinking in historic terms about Michel Richard. When Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played, the great Brooks Robinson took the microphone. I don’t remember the exact words, but they were something like this: “People see me, and they say I’m ‘Mister Oriole,’” and then he looked at Cal Ripken, and said, “Cal, YOU are Mister Oriole.” Jean-Louis Palladin has justifiably been considered as THE great Chef ever to set foot in Washington, but it’s time now for the great Jean-Louis to consider passing the torch to Michel Richard. Pork Rinds and Hot Dog – Billed as the “Not-Yet-Famous Pied de Cochon,” Michel Richard’s soon-to-be legendary dish is worthy of awe. A “sausage,” if you will, consisting of pigs’ feet, foie gras, sweetbreads and chanterelles (I will repeat this in a minute), is served on a bed of potato puree, surrounded by a mushroom puree, and topped with a huge pork rind which is a rectangular “tuile of pig skin” completely masking the hot dog. Please allow me to repeat this again: The sausage consists of pigs’ feet, foie gras, sweetbreads and chanterelles, and it’s covered up by a rectangular tuile of pig skin. Tonight I had this for the second time, and the only comparable dish I've had recently is the dish immediately preceding: the “Tuna Napoleon ‘Nicoise,’” which is a multilayered tower of raw tuna resting on thin wafers, each layer stuffed, and the whole thing topped with all the ingredients in a classic Nicoise salad. A straightforward and pure presentation, except that in a gesture of typical Richard playfulness, the quartered hardboiled egg is not an egg: it’s mozzarella, stuffed with yellow-tomato puree. Michel Richard is the greatest chef ever to grace Washington DC. He has taken the longevity and tradition of Jean-Louis Palladin, the technique and promise of Yannick Cam and Gerard Pangaud, the charisma of Roberto Donna, the youthful whimsy of Fabio Trabocchi, the buzz of Eric Ziebold, the innovation of Jose Andres, and combined them all into a … no. No. I saw what I was writing there, and it’s wrong. Michel Richard is Michel Richard, and he is not a derivation or combination of anyone. He is what he is, and he’s the best chef I’ve seen here in my lifetime. Cheers, Rocks.

Saturday at Amernick, I ordered a dozen black-and-white cookies to freeze, and got a piece of my beloved black-olive pizza focaccia and a Baltimore cake for lunch. I ran into a friend of mine there who knows Ann, and when she came over to the counter, we said a very touching goodbye to her, and walked out the door for the final time. My friend and I decided to have lunch down the street, so it wasn't until later that afternoon when I had the focaccia - I had just gotten into my car after playing tennis, and decided to enjoy it on the way home. As I was driving around the beltway, I got to the very last morsel, and with reluctance, I let it leave my hand. When I nipped into it, I bit directly into an olive pit, muttered an obscenity, and heard a faint laughter in the background that I'm certain came from Ann.

From today's Washington Post, an excerpt from the article entitled "Humble Sandwich Often Tops the Menu - Chains Try to Gobble Up the Market for Gourmet Lunch Fare" by Candy Sagon Never forget what just happened to Ann Amernick's bakery: AVOID THE BLOODSUCKING, EXANIMATE CORPORATE CHAINS. Rocks.

Call and see if Koji Terano is working at Sushi-Ko, and try to nab the two seats in front of him (he generally works Sunday evenings). Trust me, it will be one of the few truly great meals served in DC that evening, based on my visit there last Sunday. Order the "chef's choice sashimi," followed by two small plates of his choice (to split), followed by the "chef's choice sushi." And! You'll escape for under $125 if you don't go crazy on wine (pssst bring your own and pay a $15 corkage fee). Sommelier Kathy Morgan works many Sundays at Tosca - I've had very good food even when Cesare isn't there - she knows the menu and can recommend good, budget-priced wines to have with their outstanding pasta dishes (available in half-sizes for less than $10 each). There's a 1999 Salice Salentino on the wine list for about $30 that is quite good - she'll know the one I'm talking about. I just returned from Colvin Run Tavern (preceded by a lamb vindaloo in Germantown), and had a fine Lucien Crochet Sancerre and a trio of sorbets. Though I didn't have any savory courses this evening, I did do a walkaround, and could see that the food looked pretty much spot-on tonight despite the kitchen closing at 9:30. It's a really nice room, and sommelier Michael Flynn has plenty of good wines on his list in the sub-$50 range, some even being in the $20s - there's even a perfectly decent Vin de Pays for $19. Why doesn't this restaurant get more attention here? Cheers, Rocks.

FYI, I've heard from Ann, and she's swamped today. She will still be making the desserts at Palena, and you can look for details of all this in Wednesday's Washington Post Food section.

[And here's an announcement as Forum Host: everyone here should feel free to chime in and say whatever they see fit. As long as it's relating to Bistrot du Coin, it's fair game. Go ahead and disagree, argue and fight it out, but please do NOT take this to a personal level or stray from the topic at hand. Thank you!]