morela

Is "SO MUCH MORE" the name of this place?

Does anyone have feedback from staying/dining at their others of those around the globe? 5 stars is many. It's supposed to open in a little more than a month on Southwest Waterfront (1330 Maryland Ave. SW). Lounge and Restaurant too (Though, I have no clue who is involved). As date approaches, wld be interesting to hear what people know/see...

That's so American. We're too big for Benetton's European sizes...so let's eat fuckin' donuts! just felt like being wanky.

pickled ginger (at least today)

Agree with above, Mr. Slipp has a great sense of humor!

Not possible.

I love magic! I must go for soup!

Happy Birthday, Sara! (if you were serious on nectar thread)

I would totally, say go to Persimmon... but it seems Washingtonian has given it a consistently good review and that Tom is straying from pointing people there in his chats, so I just don't know anymore. I went with chefs, though, so my dinner might have been more special than I really know. Again, morela is a magical wanker. Plus, the readers like it (click here to see their reviews): http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...ype=restaurants

People like Grapeseed. I liked it a lot too, but the truth is that it's small and on Friday it might not be the best palce to eat. Have you been there? I like Matuba... I like(d) Persimmon, but have heard less wonderful things recently. Why not Houstons!? I don't care, I like that place... Bistros?

Bring your own buzz (not bottle). Sunday nights aren't so bad without wine... *You cld get a drink at 15 Ria, and it's a mostly straight uphill drive from there.

Link to open letter PS: For a year I lived right across the street from CK ...and considering the other options in that hood (paper bag and malt liquor), I was ecstatic when they came along. I always had delicious brunches and supers there in a really cozy environment...and was never really in the mind set to be super critical about service. To me, it was Christmas morning having that place so close. If you go Sunday, you may even catch Randy Cole ( or maybe he just works brunch); Randy is an excellent server and is as friendly as they get. At least we have more cheese options these days! (see question following open letter)

I once saw Al make a wine key out of the tail and hide of a sand rat. It was in Pashtunistan, though. Trip to Afghaistan was overrated, I feel...

You know Fantastic Foods that does all those dried soups, etc. that they sell at WHOLE FOODS? Well now they have CARB-tastic soup! I mean, come on, those soups aren't that good. You can enjoy them when you're starving or on your little diet before you put on your bathing suit. And now they go and make low carb versions of everything. Yuck, right? If we have to be like this, isn't vigorous exercise much more attractive than eating all this low carb stuff? Eggs, lattes, soup. NO, NOT SOUP! http://www.fantasticfoods.com/scripts/disp...category_id=300

When does Eve open? http://www.restauranteve.com/

By the shore of Creamy Turnip, By the shining Steaming Cauldron Stood the Wigwam of morela, Daughter of the Soup, morela Her soup canoe she paddles With her silver soup companion....... I'm touched! Drunken editing might happen. Too damn long....

Moving on... ******************************************************************* “Eggs are a good investment now and then, expensive or not, and unless you are told otherwise by your doctor, or hate them in any form, they should be eaten in place of meat occasionally. The old fashioned idea that they are “invalid food,” something light and inconsequential, is fairly well proved foolish by the fact that two eggs are fully as nutritious as a juicy beefsteak...and ten times as hard to digest unless they are cooked with great wisdom.” -M.F.K. Fisher, “The Art of Eating” ******************************************************************* John Wabeck cooks with great wisdom. Right now he has two soups that hi-light the egg, and if you eat them both, it’s like giving your soul a juicy beefsteak. Wabeck’s creamy turnip soup with bacon-n-egg crust is the newest and was just one of several reasons for my jaunt to Firefly Thursday night. To have gone home after work, comforted by some carried-home soup, bad television, a goose down throw, would have been a dreadful mistake... but for some reason the thought crossed my mind. I ignored it, though, and put on my souper hat and gloves, polished my silver spoon... and made my way to Firefly. I arrived, and the place was warm, buzzing and glowing with life... and waiting at the bar for me, my friend, Soupernatural. Oh yes, good company, good times. Creamy Turnip Soup with Bacon-n-Egg Crust The soup comes to me in a nice big bowl, sans fancy pours or shaves of imported delicacy; no vague or rehearsed descriptions. It's just a hot bowl of soup, free of disguise. The soup’s color, a creamy rose, and in the amber barlight it has a lavender hue. On top, defying gravity, a float of minced bacon and egg in a somehow delicate lace of buttered bread crumbs. The eggs (whites and yellows) and bacon are made tender and are naturally vibrant in color; in the soup they have a soft-boiled consistency, nicely balanced by the light crispness from the crumb. I had imagined something different; an encrust that might compare to the cheese atop your French onion soup...or maybe some metamorphosis of a pot pie. No, this float of bacon and egg is unique. I haven't seen this one before. The old pair, eggs and bacon, play a role that foie gras might or rabbit sausage, maybe a flash fried oyster. Flavor and depth, comfort; a treasure at the end of the rainbow to enjoy throughout. My spoon goes in, and I have to stop and think. It’s steamy, the creamy turnip is smooth and rich... and beautifully holds the wonders of bacon. “Mmmmm, this is delicious.” I spoon right into that float; the realness of homemade bacon and eggs, that creamy base, subtle sweetness in the turnip, a taste of chive. Heaven right there. It’s a feeling from childhood, a comfort zone. A pre-obligation, pre-worload kind of bliss. This soup goes on tier one. It satisfies on levels that one could never guess, and it might even be a meal. John Wabeck cooks with great wisdom. ( Firefly thread to be updated soon. Get chicken!) ~Souperstar PS: Maybe I'll edit later in the wee hours.

Do they have soup? I going there in 30 days.

I tell you, I was born in July, but it was so long ago; the year was 2 BM (Before Mazza). I love this quote from a 1999 Washington Business Journal story: "Although Mazza Gallerie is near one of D.C. and Maryland's most affluent neighborhoods -- Chevy Chase -- it in the past failed to attract shoppers. McCaffery is removing its windowless facade and bringing in new tenants to inject new life into the mall. " This story came out when Saks for Men opened. ha ha! Inject this *** Why? Because we all seem to dislike Chevy Chase. Even people like me, who grew up one town away...

On that note, remember Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor? (across the street!) There used to be one in Friendship Heights where the Saks Fifth Avenue for Men store is now. Sadly, Swenson's might be part of the reason I like ice cream a lot less than the rest of the world. This has nothing to do with their sweet, creamy ice cream, and it certainly isn't an aversion to dairy... I think I was about five: I was lying on one of their vinyl red booths (enjoying my bubble gum ice cream), when the entire cushion portion fell off and slid to the floor. This left me with little to say about the ice cream and a strip of carpet nails in my butt. I was a tiny little thing, but the booth might have been designed for sitting...and I was lying on my back, nonetheless, eating ice cream (which is sinful!). If you recall, the place was far from posh. It must have sucked to be the manager that day; it certainly sucked to be me. Whether your five or fifty-five, I'll tell ya, carpet nails hurt like a MoFo. The two foot strip of nails ended up stuck to me like a tail and induced a pretty violent storm of tears. I was taken to the restroom upstairs and someone yanked me free. I had to go to Sibley Hospital for a painful tetanus shot...when all I ever wanted was some damn ice cream. That Swenson's closed down soon after. Was the ice cream there any good (I'm asking)? As much as I have a distaste for Saks Fifth Avenue and that Mazza Galleria insanity, anything is better than that tacky ass ice cream place!

peach watermelons...and no seeds, please.

I think I developed my palate the most by eating play dough. Wasn't much into paste, though. Now you can even make microwave play dough. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/7875/recip3.html

Jenny, I love seafood enough for the both of us. You're still cool. Especially raw!

I eat cheez-its. I cool, right?

I resemble Mrs. Crabapple the most, minus 20 years and the Simpsonesque eyeballs. I love Principal Skinner.