syzygy8

My understanding is that the sidra is more traditional in Asturias, a bit west of the Basque Country. Not 100% sure on that though. Am recently back from Madrid where the most enjoyable sidreria was Bar Neru. Drink the stuff down fast when it's served to you as all the air that gets incorporated through the long pour and the slam into the glass supposedly activates it.

August, I recall.

I'll second that. It's the only one I go to on Penn. Street sate and cheap Singha.

$1.95 for a half pound burger and fries???!!!!

Lots of GREAT beer. Pitiful service.

My wife and I paid our first visit to Madrid about 16 months ago and had a great time. Most of our meals were all tapas hopping, but we did go to eat in a restaurant one night for our long weekend there. We went to Restaurante La Opera on Amnistia. We really enjoyed it. Moderately priced, nice atmosphere, convenient location near the Palace with an easy walk to Mayor afterwards. The Maitre d' also spoke English and was able to help out with our poor Spanish. He was able to recommend proper dishes for my wife (a vegetarian) and chose the wine for us. We're going to be in Madrid for the second time on Feb. 29. We will likely go there again. Also on our list to hit this time is Terra Mundi, which also seems highly recommended and moderately priced with Galician specialties. But with all the tapas gorging, it's tough to consider investing in a sit down restaurant. Let us know where you end up going so I can compare notes.

Mmmmm...Love those Ollie's fries.....

A co-worker of mine has. Says he really liked the food (Fish and Chips) but the beer selection kinda sucks. Which is a shame because quality ales are important for such a place. Newcastle ain't gonna cut it, bottle or tap. "How about a cask conditioned Caledonian," he said wishfully.

The beer selection is superb, but expect LONNNNGGGG waits to get a beer and between beers at RFD. I don't care if the place is empty, it's as if they want to keep the beer all to themselves and only reluctantly share it with the customers. As for the Chop House, nice steaks (not the best in town at all) but no Guinness. It's all their own homemade brew. Some of which are rather tasty. They've got a hand-pulled bourbon stout that's far too sweet for my tastes but some like it. They used to have a second cask running with another selection of beer, but they got rid of it some time ago, much to my dismay. Now I'm left having their "velvet" selection which runs through nitrogen.

Yeah, but should I go?

Not even close!

I second the recommendation for Oakencroft. Excellent quality over several varietals, and quality tasting staff. I also second avoiding Prince Michel. They're tasting room is unimpressive and impersonal, much like their wine. My favorite Virginia winery is not near Charlottesville, though. Try Linden near Front Royal and definitely pay the fee for the cellar tasting. You'll get the best hands-on example of the role of terroir in winemaking. And Jim Law, the winemaker/owner is a pleasure.

Only the NYC outlets have menus posted. The DC branch doesn't...at least not yet. Does anyone know if the DC menu is the same as in NY?

Luigino is a good choice.

The La Tasca here is the first non-European site for this chain. It is based in Manchester, UK and has a couple dozen outlets across the UK and maybe on the continent. I think they are opening another one in the US in Florida.

I frequently buy the raw pizza dough at Vace in Cleveland Park. I really like it for home pizza. It's also convenient because it's right on the metro line (but in the opposite direction from my downtown job and apartment in Arlington.) Is there anywhere else that people know of that sell the dough like that? Back in my past life in NY you could get it at any supermarket. Not so here. I haven't been to Lettieris, but I presume they would have some.

Ella's does pickup and you can call ahead. I've done it often. Some of the best pizza in the city, I've found. Still want to try the burgers at Matchbox sometime.

If you do, please post your impressions. I'd be anxious to know what you think. Never hurts to get confirmation that I'm crazy, right?!

Albany is dining hell. I lived there for nearl 20 years before I moved out 4 years ago. I do visit, however and can say with wholehearted gusto, "Get to Cafe Capriccio!!!!!" Run. Don't walk. Not only is it the finest restaurant within 50 miles of Albany of any kind, it may well be one of the top 20 Italian restaurants in the entire northeast. Service, food, you name it. There is not a bad dish on teh menu (their pasta excels) and they have a superb wine list. When I return to Albany from time to time to visit the in-laws, the Mrs. knows that to make me happy (Thank God someone noted that Reader Favorites in that area are places like Red Lobster! That's why there's no one willing to invest in anything quality there) a dinner at Capriccio is required and it keeps me from complaining about the trip. For the folks who mentioned Yono's. It's not the same place as it was years ago. It used to be down near the Empire State Plaza and it was excellent. About 7 years or so ago, Yono closed down that location and moved into space at a car dealership. Yes, you heard that right, a car dealership. Supposedly it does pretty good business, but I never went there after he moved from downtown. I think the menu changed with the move too. But I can't be more emphatic. Eat at Cafe Capriccio.

Not much about Andale here or elsewhere. What I have seen hasn't raved and hasn't panned. It just seems to be there. What do people think? Am considering stopping in.

You are not mistaken. There is limited US distribution at this point though.

Well, considering that I'm bringing this back to share with family and friends, I probably won't use the vacuum sealing. The idea being that I want these folks to share in the proper taste of some cheese that you can't buy here BECAUSE IT'S KILLING PEOPLE RIGHT AND LEFT ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD! I think I'll arm myself with my ziplocs and a few cold packs. And I love the suggestions you've all presented. Now I just need to make sure that my plane can take off in tomorrow's hurricane in DC! Thank you, Paul

Interesting. Does the vacuum packing do anything to disturb the cheese in any way? I'd think not. Which makes me wonder why I had never thought of something like this before. I'll buy a Food Saver in Canada and bring it back duty free!

Thank you all for your friendly advice. I'm ready to start tasting now. To answer a question, I'm staying near the Guy-Concordia metro station. I am now also anxious to try some of the Quebec cheeses. I will also NOT decide if I should bring gallon-size ziploc storage bags, or the thicker freezer bags. Again, I appreciate the help. Cheers! Paul

So, I'm off to Montreal for a few days this coming weekend. It used to be I'd load up on cases of beer when I drove back to the states. Then it was Havanas. But now I fly to Canada (don't live in NY anymore) and the contraband of the hour is raw milk cheese. I'm looking for advice on exactly where to go buy cheeses unavailable in the US. Having never been to France, I particularly want to try some real French brie or camembert. So here's some questions: What's your favorite market with the best selection and happiest sales folks to steer me right (my French is not too good)? If you could only come back with three or four cheeses, what would they be? What kind of cheese do you recommend I buy to bring back with me? Has anyone ever heard of anyone stopped for bringing in cheese from out of the country? It's not a "meat product" so I don't think the USDA folks with Customs would be too upset if they found it, right? Thoughts and advice are appreciated! Paul