liamdc

If you're still looking for an inn with a very good restaurant, check out The Inn at Easton (Maryland)

Georgetown Safeway had it last night. Anyone know where I can find a 20-pound tub of sasspirilla and 12-count packages of pre-wrapped dried mutton strips? Damn, I got quite the hankerin'... and Safeway just ain't gettin' the job done.

That's it. Next time I visit Nectar, I demand elk on the menu and tiny umbrellas in all the drinks!!!

NY Times editorial on this topic today

Zinc Bistro is also woth considering. I had the veal cheeks special one evening last month--rich, lean & delicious. My friend had the steak & frites which he said was wonderful as well.

I was in Phoenix last month and had a terrific time at Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary spa & resort on the north slope of Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale. The food & wine were top notch and the view and sunset were stellar. Reservations, even mid-week, are recomended.

Is that the place that serves pasta and suce in a trough? I'll admit I went once against my will. The place *is* cavernous.

Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica, CA has a nice selection of half bottles. My girlfriend and I recently enjoyed a half bottle of the 2001 Rafanelli Zinfandel there. Wonderful. Ocean Ave. features a terrific happy hour deal, 7 days a week: 6 different oysters and a flight of 3 oyster white wines for $8.95.

La Super-Rica Taqueria, 622 N Milpas St, Santa Barbara

I enjoyed a very pleasant lunch at Zola today. I had the Wild Mushroom Sticky Rice “Risotto” w/ tomatoes, garlic, mascarpone and lemon-basil tempura oyster mushrooms, along with a glass of the 2003 Fox Creek Verdelho from Australia. My colleague had the Pan Seared North Atlantic Salmon with creamy ruby chard, roasted butternut, saffron and pickled ramps, with a glass of the 2003 Duck Pond Pinot Gris from Oregon. It was the first time I had eaten there in a year or more. Service was prompt and courteous. Entrees were relatively reasonable, $13 and $16 respectively. The risotto was rich and delicious. The piece of salmon I had was fantastic--very fresh and flavorful. http://www.zoladc.com http://www.heatherfreeman.com/webpage/zola/zola.html

Does anyone know of a good resource that explains what the various state corkage policies are? Thanks in advance.

No Dennis Miller lookalike this time - unless he was in drag and shaved his facial hair. I agree about those tamarind torpedoes. Ready? Aim. Fire! Seemed to work for sara. The Covey Run gewurzt was a nice match w/ the calamari appetizer as well.

Being at the table with sara, I must admit that I found the whole chardonnay incident humorous. Perhaps it was the slightly snobbish tone in which said "glass of chardonnay" was ordered. Perhaps it was the 2 glasses of wine I'd consumed, I don't know. But Jenny, I don't think we were laughing at someone for being uninformed, but simply reacting to the context of the situation. I agree with bbq that often a customer will not care and simply go with the house wine. But I do find it interesting that many of the same folks who will walk into a restaurant and order something like "white" or "chardonnay" would never walk in and order just a "beer" or an "stout". Just one of those Seinfeldian observations, I guess. At Indique, there is no house chardonnay per se, but a number of choices. While I would hope that every customer would peruse the selections and perhaps ask the server for recommendations, I realize that some don't want to and that a list itself often does not help the customer make a decision. At that point, I guess the ball is in the server's court. Does he/she make a recommendation? Leave it up to the bartender? give the customer whatever is opened? give the customer the cheapest one? give the customer the most expensive one to pad the bill? I honestly don't know what occurs in these situations. Putting wine aside, however, the dinner at Indique was excellent. Sara’s review captured our experience. It was my 4th trip, and I'll be going back again.

Do the right thing. Treat yourself to some Nectar.

Oceanaire is good for a high end experience. I enjoy Johnny's Half Shell in Dupont Circle myself. There have been lots of posts on Johnny's - do a search on the DC page for more info.

Good to know LiamDC isn't the only one until recently unaware of bubble tea--guess this, like many things, has come late to DC. (He tried it in LA with me recently). Hmmm. And I thought bubble tea was created by blowing through a straw. I stained way too many white shirts with that approach, let me tell ya. What I had in LA was OK. I didn't love it, but I'd try it again. Next time I'm around Metro Center, I'll look for the mysterious bubble tea place.

Johnny's rocks! (Not to be confused with Johnny Rockets).

Here ya go... http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary/food/...ssf?DEF_ID=3751 I'm a big believer in eating anything at any time.

I went to the Flying Scotsman last Thursday after work. Despite the fact that My Brothers' Place next door was bristling with business, this delightful pub was near empty. Whadda those government bureaucrats know anyway??? The woman tending bar was very nice with a delightfully thick Scottish accent. The bar serves food, including some really yummy Scotch eggs that my friend had. Their fries were perfectly good as well. It has about 8 beers on tap, including a house amber which was very good, and a good selection of scotches. 233 2nd Street NW Edited to include web site

I haven't tried the ventworm nut at Rosa Mexicano, but I'll second the Andale recommendation. And if you like Jaleo and haven't been to Zaytinya, definitely try it. Also, Legal Seafoods (albeit a chain) is good for seafood. They have an excellent beer and wine selection as well. Haven't been to Matchbox or Ella's for pizza, but I've heard good things.

My eGulleteer girlfriend, another eGullet friend, and I will be touring the Santa Ynez Valley one Saturday in mid-April. We're looking for a nice dinner spot somewhere between Los Olivos and Santa Barbara. Based on a review of past recommendations, is there any reason to consider places other than the Wine Cask in SB or Brothers in Los Olivos? Both sound wonderful. Any thoughts? [edited addition] What are the best sushi places in SB County?

I think we may stay in La Jolla one evening on our way back up to L.A. to take advantage of what it has to offer. Any other La Jolla recommendations would also be appeciated, in addition to LAX recommendations for sara. Thanks for the recommendations so far!

Here are some thoughts I shared a few months back... http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=35914&hl=

The DC boyfriend speaks: As we won't have access to a car while staying in town, we are also looking for a few places to have a nice dinner in the downtown area/Gaslight District. We'd also consider heading to a "must visit" type of place as long as it is accessible by cab and not too far away. (Do you all have cabs in San Diego?!?!) A few interesting places I've read about in earlier San Diego eGullet postings: Bacchus Wine Market/Tasting Room, Blue Point, Chive, Prado, Taka. Comments on any of those? Worth a visit? And--has Cafe W recovered from its fire? Thanks in advance!

Glad you enjoyed Trattoria Delia. Thanks for the report on Single Pebble--I'll have to visit when I'm in Vermont in May.