JennyUptown

I am up for same old, same old. Tonight? I'm introducing a friend who is new to DC to Palena.

Does this help? Oops! Thanks hillvalley.

I think any of the breathstrips are kind of scary. Once the novelty wore off, I said "never again" and gave 'em all away. Stuff I do like: * Tangerine Altoids (the best, my absolute favorite) * Cinnamon Altoids (though I phased them out for awhile after eating so many they burned a hole in the inside of my cheek - no lie) * Breath Assure (I can't believe no one has mentioned this wonderful remedy yet; parsley oil capsules that work from the inside)

Skip Mie n Yu - during RW and always!!!!

Hi, I'm Jen. I like gnocchi.

Thanks! No brown bag - it's served up in a martini glass looking clear and dangerous. It's very wine-y obviously (my friend hates wine and hated this cocktail, but loved the grapes). The thing that this layperson finds hard to reconcile is that Tallula takes wine pretty darn seriously (about 70 are available by the glass) so mixing it in a cocktail seems...odd, no?

A friend and I returned to Tallula last night. It's turning into quite the little hot spot (although I'm sure my presence cooled things off a few degrees ). When we arrived around 6:45 or so, there were ten or so other people in the dining room and bar combined. When we left? Packed in both areas--and it was a Monday. We were starving so after getting our drinks (the Wimbledon for her, the Inn for me), we ordered: Baby Burger with truffle butter, onion marmalade $3.00 Yep, they have a mini-burger, but it's so freakin' tasty that you won't decry its ubiquity. The first was so good we ordered a second to avoid sharing. Served medium, the burger was juicy and nicely-seasoned. Loved it. Risotto fritter, wild mushrooms, parmesan $2.00 Good, but not exciting. I liked the flavor the mushrooms added, but this won't become my "go to" item or anything. Grilled flatbread, truffled pea puree, Fontina cheese $2.50 The flatbread showed up looking different than we expected; we thought "crispy" whereas this was more like a mini-pizza. Only about 3/4" thick, soft, good flavors came from the peas, fontina plus uncredited caramelized onions. Beer Battered Corn Dog - chorizo sausage, whole grain mustard $2.25 Unlike my first Tallula corn dog, this one arrived hot. That plus spicier chorizo made the corn dog a winner for me. Crispy Corn Beignet - corn custard, pickled red onions $2.50 Sadly, the beignet, which was my favorite last time, was kind of gross this visit. It seemed to be undercooked because the custard was oozy and not hot enough. We should have sent it back, but by this point, the cocktails had kicked in. The drinks were fun, girly ones. Although I went in thinking the pop rocks rim on the Wimbledon was the dumbest thing ever, when the drink arrived hissing and popping, I can't lie: it made me smile. Oh, and it tasted good too. Although I liked the Inn, I'm a little conflicted about the concept (wine + vodka?). I did, however, love the little green grapes, about six of them, that came in a skewer in the martini glass. Click here for the food menu and here for drinks.

Yes, this is still on the menu - it was the other pasta I considered ordering. Another funny thing about Palena: the bartenders are good at getting me to try drinks I think I don't like. Derek got me into gin. Jeff snuck in some tequila (!!) on Saturday via a sweet margarita and guess what? I didn't mind it at all.

If my friends thought I was obsessed with Palena before, they'll think I've totally lost my mind about the place now. Went last night. Ate gnocchi. Can die happy. I'm totally serious. I had a version similar to the one described here: The version served last night featured a dice of sweet potato, not butternut squash, was simply incredible. I can still taste it and I swear, if Palena were open on Sunday night, I'd be back for another go at this dish. The portion was small, but just right for I had started with the minestrone (loved, loved, loved it). $12 for the gnocchi and worth every penny.

Is there a Metro stop within walking distance? If so, which one? Thanks.

OpenTable.com will eventually add a link to participating restaurants that use the service. But it's not up yet - I just checked.

Some friends and I stopped into Tapatini's for drinks last night. Has anyone eaten here yet (click here to view the menu)? It's an attractive space and last night it was packed with a diverse and lively crowd. We had just come from a party where we ate plenty so we didn't try out Tapatini's "middle eastern tapas." Beverage service was a little screwy--the only bottled beers they had last night were Corona and Amstel Light, and only one red was offered by the glass. Is it worth giving this place another shot? 711 8th St., SE 202-546-8272

Uh, their tongues...

Chocolate. Last year they had one with milk chocolate and another for white. Toward the end of the night (after I'd already had my fill of chocolate), I amused myself by getting a couple of my drunker colleagues to try the fondue hands-free and video taping it on my cell phone. Among my friends, I'm usually the equivalent of the "drunken colleague" so in this situation, it's fun to be the evil one whispering encouragement.

If only. Tonight is ye olde company holiday party. Same ballroom as in years past. Same tired food as in years past (I wonder if they'll have the fondue fountains again). *sigh*

Same here. I think they're nicer to girls.

IndeBleu was also recommended by Tom in his chat yesterday as a possibility for a 7 or 8 year old's birthday outing. I thought that was a rather bizarre suggestion personally.

I am tentatively planning to duck in to Matchbox tonight before the Wizards/Nuggets game. But I had a burger at Palena last night so I'll probably pass on mini-burgers tonight.

I can't imagine going to Bistrot du Coin and NOT having tartiflette! It just wouldn't be as good for me.

Actually...this HAS been a problem the last two times I sat at the bar. Fortunately the friend I took to Palena for her first visit last night loved the food, wine, cocktails and bartender so much that she was willing to overlook what I think are fruit flies. It was kind of gross (although everything else was great). PS I was not the poster on Tom's chat!

Nothing to add. Just wanted to say good luck, Romeo!

The menu on Babbo's web site describes it thusly: Grilled Pork Chop with Cipolline, Carciofi and Aceto Manodori, $29

Great pics. I'm hungry for...for...for, well all of it right now. Now the important question: who's the hottie in the first picture (with Brandon)?

I was there last night too, after catching a movie nearby. It was around 9:30 or so when we arrived. The bar was too crowded for us (we wanted drinks plus a few of their "Amuse Yourself" plates) so we moved over to the quieter dining room. Overall, it was an enjoyable visit. The staff was friendly if clearly still getting used to the new digs. I didn't love the chorizo corn dog as much as I thought I would (it was barely warm when it arrived and the sausage itself was kind of tough to cut and to chew), but the corn fritter was outstanding. I wanted three or four instead of the one you get! FauxVeg didn't eat anything, sticking to cocktails. Our third friend had the mussels in carrot broth. She seemed to really enjoy them after getting past the fact that they too arrived barely warm. As Mark mentioned the wines by the glass is impressive. I had a Zinfandel/Syrah blend ($7; blanking on specifics) that was wonderfully fruity, low on tannins. I liked this wine a lot. My friend had a Pinot as we had just seen Sideways (this will make sense to any of you who have seen this film), but it was pretty weak; she liked my wine better. All in all, I think this is a place with potential. I'll check it out again once things settle down.

I may check out Tallula tonight after seeing Sideways in Courthouse. I need a cocktail to celebrate my victory in court today. Ha, ha!