Alex

I have, too. For some reason she said she wasn't impressed with her last meal there, so would prefer going someplace else.

That's why I love eGullet, right there. There's a whole story in that line, just waiting to be told. Irwin...?

As I mentioned in another thread, I'll be in DC May 1-4 to visit my cousins. They recently were gifted with a bottle of ~25-year-old Montrachet, and, lucky me, would like to BYO-it to dinner on the 2nd or 3rd (Sun/Mon). For medical reasons she follows a macrobiotic diet that allows fish and seafood but prohibits dairy, most nightshades, corn, soy, and non-whole grains. So, we'd like to go to a restaurant with some ambiance that does creative and impeccable fish/seafood. She mentioned Kinkeads and DC Coast as two possibilities, and nixed Pesce. Are there other recommendations? Perhaps a place that does not specialize in seafood but nevertheless does an outstanding job with it? Thanks in advance...

Yikes! By myself?! Thanks to Don's very useful feedback via PM, it'll be the café/bar menu at Palena at about 6:00 on the 1st. If anyone would like to join me on the spur of the moment, I do look like my avatar, but without the carrot cake.

I suspect it's never been mentioned because it's probably the norm around these here parts. My kind of folks...

Homer. Watching the sun set over Kachemak Bay and the volcanoes beyond. Sigh. It's not too late, Alex. Certainly you must move there. And be sure to get a place with a lovely guest room, okay? Of course I'm just thinking of you, you understand. Of course. I understand completely. For years I've encouraged friends to move to really great places.

Thanks, babka. We've visited DC perhaps a dozen times in the past seven years. We've been to Cafe Atlantico, Yanyu, Indique, Lavandou, and Ardeo -- some of them multiple times -- but not the others on the list. I do my research, but my cousins also are very much into good food and wine. Their wine cellar is a treasure trove of older Burgundies. :envy:

The Obscure Store & Reading Room. (Scroll down to the articles for April 22.) In 1987, I came within a hairsbreath of moving to Homer. I still occasionally have a small twinge of regret for not having done so. edited for content

Clicky

Thanks for your detailed posts, Charlie. I'm looking forward to hearing about your May Day visit. The posts also are a good reminder that RV is only about an hour from our house in GR, and is more or less on the way to/from my occasional trips to Detroit -- no more excuses for not stopping there!

I'll be visiting my cousins in DC May 1-4. They have a prior engagement for the 1st, though, so I'll be on my own for dinner. Might anyone be interested in joining me? They live in Cathedral Heights, but I'm willing to travel most anywhere within reasonable reach of Metro or bus. (I'm not sure if their car is borrow-able that night.) My preferences: 7 p.m. or later; under $75 or so, including wine and tip; not Restaurant Eve (I'm going there for lunch on the 4th, if anyone would like to join me then); not Zaytinya; not Thai, Chinese, or Japanese (I like them, just not in the mood). Thoughts: Corduroy; Nectar; any of the Cleveland Park places; Cafe Atlantico (regular or chef's menu, not the mini-bar); Ginger Cove/Reef; Firefly. Anyone?

Welcome to eGullet, Amy. Glad to have another Michigander on board. The best N.A. beer in general distribution, imho, is Thomasbräu (made by Paulaner). Clausthaler is acceptable, too. edited for content

I'll be visiting my cousins in DC May 1-4. I strongly suspect I'll be going there for lunch on the 4th.

Yep, still around. I'm hardly a big party wheel, but I did accept the nomination for US Congress, 11th district. Congress, shmongress. What's really important is -- How was your meal?

Welcome to eGullet, Shannon_Elise! Seventy-six cookbooks by age 21 and not yet in your own place? Now that's impressive. Think of all the room you'll eventually have to acquire and store hundreds (thousands?) more. In my first year living apart from my family I acquired three cookbooks, having owned exactly none when I moved out (also at 21): Fannie Farmer, The Joy of Cooking, and The New York Times International Cookbook.

Even an extravert like myself (ENTP, if you must know) enjoys solitary dining at home from time to time. I talk and listen for a living, so a short stretch of relative silence and a magazine for company often is most welcome. I'll usually make something quick -- perhaps steak and asparagus, or penne w/goats cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, or even a veggie burger smothered in onions and mushrooms -- accompanied by a beer or a glass or two of wine. MFK Fisher wrote a succinct essay about dining alone, in An Alphabet for Gourmets, collected in The Art of Eating. Edited for wording.

I recommend the National Cherry Festival, in Traverse City, Michigan. The northwest Lower Peninsula is beautiful, Lake Michigan and its dunes are spectacular, and the area is home to some excellent restaurants, including Tapawingo, one of the best in the Midwest.

...or how about the Yellow Line to Archives-Navy Memorial and walk a couple of blocks to Cafe Atlantico. Not Cuban per se, but Pan-American/Nuevo Latino and a real treat. Web site here.

On eGullet, about two years ago, Michael Laiskonis said, "Eric Villegas of Restaurant Villegas in Okemos, near Lansing, is one of the most passionate chefs I know, and he may just be more of a food geek than I!" High praise indeed from one of the top pastry chefs in the country. As of two months ago, eG member terrarich was in his second year of apprenticeship there; you might want to try a PM. It's been a long time since I've been to RV so unfortunately I can't supply the specifics you're looking for. It's considered the top restaurant in the Lansing area, though.

What an incredible heritage! Welcome to eGullet, Redtressed. Oh, and one more for me: The Balthazar Cookbook.

For Passover I grated some fresh horseradish using the food processor, then switched to the steel blade and processed it with lime peel and juice. It added a nice dimension to the gefilte fish. I've made a sauce from pureed tomatoes, sour cream or creme fraiche, and freshly grated horseradish; it worked especially well with lamb.

I gravitate to red, Ms. Alex to white. Sometimes that helps, sometimes not.

"OK, ma'am. Just drop that second sample, put your hands in the air, and slowly back away from the table."

Thanks to all for the recommendations. I CTA'ed up to Evanston mid-morning Monday and just strolled around the Davis downtown. I was so sated by the previous three days' eating and drinking that I couldn't even bring myself to eat so much as a bowl of soup for lunch. I did, however, stop for a while at Dream About Tea and enjoyed a very pleasant hour or so of reading and green tea. Next visit I think I'd like to do a Baha'i Temple/lakefront stroll/Trio lunch combo.

I've always liked Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe, right on Dupont Circle.