morela

I really like the seating policy and capabilities there. You're right, the place is absolutely accommodating as a party grows, popping up tables, putting a few together. In that respect, the place stands alone. On the same token, Bistrot du Coin is very good about seating partially arrived parties at any hour, any day of the week. There's a lot to be said for not being dragged to the bar or forced to stand up front in the bright light (even for ten minutes). And as someone who has been in the position of declining a party their seat because only half have arrived, I understand the policy (well, in fine dining, at least)...but not having to see any of that strategic seating shit is one of my favorite things about BDC. It feels French, I guess. Un-OpenTable, if you know what I mean...

No one should feel trapped at christmas time. Enjoy the simple pleasures of the season: Eat some figgy puddin' and get drunk on a bottle of something more valuable than your own limbs. Wrap those last few gifts as you doze off... Appreciate the neglected television, after a long walk in the woods... Take a nap to the tune of Chritmas Mass on WETA (after a marathon of Simpsons and Sopranos). Allow just one day to verbally abuse a deserving family member, cab drivers and the pushy cart people at Whole Foods. Maybe the valet guy too, if you have time. If you're feeling really on top of things, go to the Verizon, Sprint or Nextel store and make a scene. Sleep for two, maybe three days, while a strange fairy removes all the decorations from the tree and smuggles away the horrible fruit cake and that despicable sweater from Aunt Gertrude. *** Finally, it's a perfect time to go to Maestro and buy loads of material crap you think you need, like a pink cashmere coat and Louis Vuitton bags. And just maybe, just maybe have sex. Cheers!

This New Year's I'm afraid it ain't Pamela Anderson on the other end of the poker table. Gamble away, as you please.

Thanks JPW- A friend made reservations for Zola based on a great meal she had there a week ago. Soooo Cheers ← I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but a friend mine had such a bad meal there and such bad service recently that she had to complain. She explained that she doesn't usually make a fuss, but did... And the GM sent a batch of catalog Christmas cookies to her office and a large gift certificate with a note to apologize. Consistency is critical. How can a place be so hit or miss? It shouldn't be like gambling.

There's a Toys R' Us on 355, just north of NIH and White Flint. You could go there, touch/test everything (Santa style) and then head to The Silver Diner (in the same shopping center), where they have a stash of crayons, I believe...

I think its location hurts Colvin Run. I've had nothing but good lunches there and I picked it for my company's Christmas dinner this Sunday (we have several employees who are averse/afraid of crossing the Potomac more than once or twice a year). I'll report back on how the cooking is on a Sunday night. ← We're all grumpy about Gucci, Tiffany's, Hermes and Elizabeth Arden Red Door being right next door... and that pretentious cobblestone driveway. Bah!

That white hot chocolate is, like, the opposite of scuba diving in Fiji, in the very best way. I imagine pefection on a night like tonight.

And I know this point has already been made here, but have you ever seen BdC closed? Only once have I actually see the lights off there, but that was the same day that the lady with the "I love Nerds" shirt flashed her chest. I think the lighting was appropriate then... Please. I am chuckling here...

Tonight's one of those night I need Nectar. God damn it.

I thought I started a thread on 21 P. Anyway, can't find it... This place opens on Thursday night and the menu looks great! You won't miss BDC, I mean BeDuCi....

Look at it this way: Do married people hang out where strippers (that just put on a great show for those married people) go after their shifts of hard work? I don't know. The married people need to go home and act married and the strippers need to go have fun. That's right. There is no right answer to the BdC question. Onward my friends...

I'm not gonna lie. I think being a drunken skinny boy from Thailand benefits me a lot in this situation.

Did one of guys with the big glasses have a Southern acccent?

Well, there's the easy answer to eating light. Why do something on your own time and dime that you don't wanna do?!

Are you sure it wasn't a firefly?

Mesclun Salad, veggie soup (or check on the soup special) steamed mussels (just don't be dipping in that broth)... or just have a small plate of something fatty and stop there. Duck confit (the little $13 plate) is a yummy treat. At least it's sort of Atkins friendly. Drink Ricard, it breaks down fat ....

Thanks everyone for fueling another of my obsessions. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wiftiness&r=f Someone needs to add that word to the dictionary.

If I were you, I'd take the lady to Komi. I know it's not Arlington, but it's also not far. At Komi you'll get thoughtful, light-handed, Asian-influenced food (lots of awesome veggie sides, oysters, delicate salads, etc.), and excellent service from attractive people who will remind that you don't need excess. And then there's Asia Nora, even closer to Arlington...

Local dilemma, the evil goodness of a wine list... The wine list is a thing to talk about, for real. After a second visit, I'm still Loving that corn pudin' fritter and them oysters. The fried green tomatoes with duck cracklings, frisee salad and bacon vinaigrette are as clever as they sound. Lightly fried, but unbattered duck bits (Mmmm, ambiguity ) are a heavenly addition to what might otherwise be a little too back home for me. Add some duck and frisee, and everybody wins! But the tomatoes alone were good and the bacon was ground into a thick spread, in which you could drag and spin your fork with each bite . It was gooooood. And I really enjoyed a few bites of my neighbor's hearty-as-hell short ribs (creamy cheddar grits, green tomato salsa). An enormous plate of food, this one, and really saucy... But it screams, "eat me when you actually hungry, you fool" Needless to say, no bites left on anyone's plate. edited to add: The wine options will definitely effect people's expectations of the food... (which is a good thing)

Here's Kliman on Jackie's: Very entertaining read, I thought... Style Invitational What's wiftiness, though? Is it when the food is grabby enough?! Someone tell me about wiftiness.

It's the spooky photos of people with guns that keep me from showing up to the 'on the whim' events. On a whim... Quack

Sort of like egullet.com and egullet.org. Both work for me....

Two Stars from Tom ps: Why is this place (Mandalay) a .org? Just wondering.

Evil! Simply for the funky-looking noodle salad in that square container that I see at every single one of the the stores the DC area. Large intestinal worm-like noodles, green in color and mixed with funky mushrooms and some sort of snap pea or something. I can picture them becoming carbonated sitting on that shelf, waiting for someone to make the mistake of trying them...

Me gusta los burgers diminutos. I'd even be down with mini burger fondue with the right kind of cheese. Mini burgers on sticks.