syzygy8

May I suggest that you try it again? I really enjoyed the minute steak, but I'm on the flipside re: the lamb sirloin. I think it rocks. The kitchen whacked it in half for me and the Mrs. to split tonight and not only was it cooked to absolute medium rare perfection, the sauce was bread soppin' good. Give it another shot. If it doesn't work for you, at least we can agree on those cornmeal dumplings! And a Bourbon Slipp or two.

I'm sure that if Michael was truly concerned that his business was going to be hurt by this policy, he wouldn't have done it. And why should he expect to be criticized for the 90 minutes deal?!! You knew about the 90 minutes up front, didn't you? If you or the other countless hordes out there who can't stand Ray's have a problem with that, then simply say, "Never mind. That won't work for me." And as for all those "many, many more who just don't return or call back because of such restrictive hours to take reservations," who gives a rat's patootie? It's obviously not hurting the business. For chrissakes the guy's booked weeks in advance AND he's opening up a second branch in Maryland. If you can't abide by the policies that you know up front, then Don't Fucking Go! ← Your post speaks for itself. ← Damn straight it does! If you got fucked over because you were booted out at 91 minutes and weren't told about it, I'd be standing by your side with a freakin' scimitar if I had to. But if you know the policy beforehand and can't abide by it, then don't go. It's that plain and simple. And if Michael goes out of business because you and the "many, many more" don't show up, then I think he'll begin to realize pretty quickly that his policy isn't working and he'll make some changes. Any attentive businessman would. If Michael decides to boot my ass out at 91 minutes, I'll b e expecting it. And I'll be happy to walk out of there with my styrofoam container wondering when I should try to make my next reservation. May I suggest that instead of Ray's you start hanging out at Murky Coffee? I hear they've got the best service in the galaxy. I bet you'll be treated like a king!

I'm sure that if Michael was truly concerned that his business was going to be hurt by this policy, he wouldn't have done it. And why should he expect to be criticized for the 90 minutes deal?!! You knew about the 90 minutes up front, didn't you? If you or the other countless hordes out there who can't stand Ray's have a problem with that, then simply say, "Never mind. That won't work for me." And as for all those "many, many more who just don't return or call back because of such restrictive hours to take reservations," who gives a rat's patootie? It's obviously not hurting the business. For chrissakes the guy's booked weeks in advance AND he's opening up a second branch in Maryland. If you can't abide by the policies that you know up front, then Don't Fucking Go!

Don't get your hopes up too much on HT being your savior. I frequent the one in Pentagon City...closest market to my home. Frankly, their produce sucks. UNLESS you hit it on the day they put it out there. But then you really need to use it quickly. I don't know where their suppliers come from, but I think it has lots of mileage on the truck before it hits the shelves. I really think the best answer, for produce at least, is to find out when the deliveries come and work according to that. As far as I'm concerned, there's no discernible difference between produce from Safeway, Giant, HT, Shoppers, etc. The key is to make sure you get it on the day it arrives.

How does this differ from, let's say, the honey yogurt that the Blue Ridge dude sells at Dupont. Just a drier form, more in a Greek style?

Well, unless they start letting customers go behind the bar to pour their own beers, they're going to have to put service issues on that bottom line. Their servers utterly suck, particularly at RFD.

Interestingly, Total Wine has some incredible prices on wines in New Jersey. From time to time when I drive up to visit my folks in NY, I'll stop off at one of the stores outside NYC and load up on several cases, often for 20% - 25% less than I'd pay around here. That can't all be taxes, can it?

I'm not a gin fan either, but Derek whipped up one of these for me recently, and I agree. Tasty. I didn't think a Bourbon Slipp could last 90 minutes. Doesn't that violate the laws of physics or something?

I actually read Nadya's post and completely agreed. But when I read it, I didn't take it as though she was talking to you directly, JoeH. I felt she was just speaking in general about anyone who may not want to take the time to read 11 pages. I get kinda testy about people who don't even make an effort to search threads on a subject before asking about it. Nevertheless, I agree with you about something like Tom's chats. I can't see a problem with a separate thread with a date in the subtitle for a recurring item like that, where something new happens pretty regularly. On the other hand, I don't see a problem with 11 pages of posts going back two years for a single restaurant. I think that history says a lot about a place and informs to current date.

The servers at Zaytinya must be instructed to praise choices because they always seem to. I think it's a little annoying myself. Anyone know if that's a common tactic to teach waiters? Sorry you didn't get to eat more! You'll have to come back soon. ← Reminds me of every time I go to Sur La Table at Pentagon Row. No matter what I purchase, or inquire about, there's always a salesperson there to say something like, "Oh, I just got the same one last week. I love it!" Every visit. Happens to my wife, too.

Greenfield was kinda fun in a "let's get a large table with lots of people and stuff ourselves with all kinds of meats until we blow up like that girl in Willy Wonka" way. The place was mobbed when we went. Service was terrible. Next to impossible to get your check when you want it. Food delivery is easier because lots of folks wandering the room with skewers of meat that they carve right to your plate. I didn't find anything particularly Brazilian about the place, except perhaps the concept. But I've never been to Brazil, so I can't judge that even. Not cheap either. If Ray's didn't exist, I'd maybe, perhaps, possibly consider going back. But since Ray's can help satisfy the meat urge and it's light-years to the hundredth power beyond Greenfield (I'm even embarrased to mention them in the same sentence!)I would not go back.

Will be in Mendoza in about a month, for three nights. The whole goal is eating and drinking. Never been there before. Staying at a place recommended in the NY Times just outside the city in Chacras de Coria. They don't serve anything outside of breakfast. I wasn't planning on renting a car, and was thinking of just paying for taxi from the hotel to Chacras and/or Mendoza for dinners. Lunches, I'm thinking, will come at the vineyards. Any egullet-worthy recommendations for Mendoza or Chacras? I'm not expecting fine dining a la some places in BA, but tell me where you've enjoyed a meal and can recommend a visit. Also, did any particular winery visits in Mendoza strike you as particularly fun and interesting for some independent travelers who speak very little Spanish? Thanks for your thoughts.

Sticking with the Italian theme, we enjoyed Il Matarello (can't recall spelling) in La Boca. Sucre had plenty that was non-meat, and Oviedo for seafood.

I can't vouch for the parador in Chinchon, but I can vouch for the roast lamb at Meson Cuevas del Vino. Been there twice in two visits over the past few years. Don't miss a visit to this place. Delicious. It's shocking how massive the place is once you get inside the unassuming doorway, and be sure to get down into the wine caves. As for the rooms themselves, you can probably learn a lot from Madrid Man's bulletin board.

On two recent visits, I've sampled the Bourbon Slipp. Perhaps the single greatest cocktail I've ever had. The problem with encountering the single greatest cocktail you've ever had is that you can't just keep it to a single one!

At least that's a better bet than our current choices like Cap City or Gordon Biersch, which are odds-on to blow chunks. ← Word. I've found you can do relatively well at District Chophouse. Taking into account all the local brewpubs, I think it has the best quality beer and food combo. Shame they haven't run Cask Two in years or I'd be there a hell of a lot more often.

I beg to differ. There really is no better feeling than a stomach full of delicious beef products.

We are surrounded by too many abominations, like Sine in Pentagon Row, that claim to be authentic Irish-/British- style pubs. They concentrate so much on decor that they forget what makes these places real. For starters, get rid of the televisions. Get rid of the piped in music. You want to be authentic? Then get some folks to play it live, preferably with traditional instruments. Next, fix your beer. Stop pretending that you're the closest thing to Galway this side of the Atlantic and you're serving single pour Guinness that's not cellar temperature or (egads!) Killians Irish Red! It's just not that difficult to bring in quality imports these days from all ends of the spectrum. And pour it through the nitrogen, will ya? And would it hurt to have a cask-conditioned ale? Even if you can't bring in the Bluebird and put it through the beer engine, why not try partnering with one of the many area microbreweries, or even brewpubs as a "guest ale?" I'd be very anxious to see the beer list of Elephant and Castle before I pass judgement on them, but I have a strong feeling I know where this place is going -- right down the path of Sine, which I went to once, sat down, saw what they were about, and left, never to return again. Of course, for that serious authentic feel, adding some slot machines would help! I must really be on crack to think that any of this might happen around here, huh?

Eco-Friendly sells at the Dupont Market on Sundays. And probably elsewhere other times. Although I don't think they do beef, Cibola is also there. They've got the best eggs, too.

You mean Kupi Luwak coffee? No. I don't. I don't deal with gimmicks in my business. (except for one ) ← Nick, Come on, lighten up! Wouldn't it be fun to order a "double cat crap latte with 2% milk"? You could charge a lot for that. ← Genius! We should take this to Sietsema's chat next week.

This one might have been my favorite today: Re: Being Seated: I think everyone should start reserving under "Stella." Or was it this one?: After reading the transcript with all the requests for a vegetarian only chat, I realized there is a new kind of vegetarian, more strict than a vegan... someone who not only doesn't eat animal products but can't read about them either !

I've been to Tunksville three times, once each at TenPenh, DC Coast and Ceiba. But this smoked lobster dish over crispy greens is one that I had at DC Coast, not TenPenh. What's that all about? The same dish at a different branch? It was quite tasty, I should add, but it just seems mighty strange to be serving the same dish at two different restaurants that are supposed to be different, no?

For those of you in the DC area, may I recommend you consider coming to Steve Jenkins presentation at National Geographic. I went last year and he's very funny. Particularly when making fun of the Federal Cheese Police. Great cheese selections (I think we had 9 different ones. Most raw milk). Good supporting wines from Best Cellars.

I assume the wine acts as a preservative of sorts. After all, wine lasts a heck of a long time, and I think that's on account of its acidity and alcohol content. Still, I've never kept fromage fort around for long enough to test the radical claims of longevity made about the product. A month has never been a problem, though. ← Let me turn this question around to see what people think. Is there a standard "I would not make fromage fort with any cheeses older than X."? I've made it a number of times taking care to knock off the visible molds. Blue cheeses are a bit different, naturally, because you can't quite cut it off and it grows pretty strong, let's say, in the interior. Anything with a hint of ammonia hits the trash bin. But I'll still use my semi-hard cheeses that have turned to rock once I've grated them. What do others do? What are your limits regarding the age/consistency/odor/funkiness/etc. of cheese that you use in making your fromage fort?

Well, I'm not going to belittle French or Italian cheeses in any regard. They are delicious and have unrivaled variety. But because someone must do it, I am willing to hold the banner up for Spain. Cabrales, Garrotxa, Manchego, Torta del Casar (for you runny, stinky cheese fans!) and many more. Add them to a plate of Marcona almonds (yes, the salty Spanish ones), olives from Sevilla, a touch of membrillo and the finest, aged, cured pigs' legs in the world. Now who wants some Rioja????