JPW

Mark, reread. There are several pieces of praise for specific stores. What is getting shredded is the average mainline chain, around DC mainly Safeway and Giant. And they are getting their lunch handed to them. All the recent market studies around the DC metro area show them losing share to Whole Paycheck and, in VA, Wegman's.

Roberto Donna to appear on Iron Chef

They will be open by Friday the 15th. Still waiting for the official notice of exactly when. I'll let everyone know as soon as I do.

Stopped by Jackie's Friday afternoon to take a look around. Had the pleasure of meeting both Jackie and Patrick. The decor is quite funky - think brady Bunch house, but in bright neon colors. Of special note are bar stools with full backs. All the better for the drunks among us to linger longer and libate more leisurely. A very happy warm space overall. Stretch already laid out the beer list add Guiness on tap and you've got the start of their pours. Patrick says they have room for 9 taps that will be filled eventually. To expand on the wine list some - they are staying fairly low to medium end with most wines in the $20-$40 range and a reserve list. There will be a lot of southern France reds (Cotes de Rhone, Couteaux de Languedoc, Costieres de Nimes, etc.) which at the moment happen to be my favorites. They referred to Ann Cashion as Executive Chef, and Sam (who works at Cashion's Eat Place) will be Chef de Cuisine. Open kitchen reminiscent of Kinkaed's. A fair number of booths lining the walls and room for probably a dozen or so tables. 9 seats at the bar and a nice lounge area (check out the carpet - it rocks). If the personalities of the owners is to set the the theme for the place, this should be an extremely fun, warm, and personable spot that should be a great success. A Friday happy hour and/or meal is definitely in my plans this week. For more conversation on that, let's move over to the whim thread. Later. Joe PS - Can you tell that I'm stoked about this?

I've had a bug up my ass all day thinking about this thread. Or, perhaps I just was in a pissy mood and casting about for something to set me off. Waiting on death row? Chicken and lobster sub on crappy Sysco baguette. Picture scene. Summer of '93. Sitting in the hidden courtyard of Jimmy Seas in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, where you'd spent all morning peeling a 50 pound sack of red onions, peeling a sack of carrots, and sitting next to a barrel full of the refuse from all the food you've been prepping. Sweat rolling down your brow combined with the run-off from the ice you stashed under your bandanna in a vain attempt to keep cool. You bite down on the best. sandwich. ever. Juices running down your cheek, you wash it down with a cold Rolling Rock that you had stashed in the walk-in. Digestion occurs with the aid of a Camel Light. The sandwich - Take one-half of a par-baked baguette. Cover with vinagrette. Slice some par-baked chicken breast onto it. Then add some lobster knuckle meat and other lobster byproducts not pretty enough to put in on top of a main pasta dish pilfered from your mise en place. Add shredded red onion (that you prepped yourself around noon in the fuckin' hot sun). Top with some provolone and some Sysco brand parmesan. Add whatever else is available at your station that you feel like putting in. Place in oven next to giant pans of roasting garlic bulbs in 10% olive oil that you are finishing doing your prep work with for 5 minutes. Take out of oven. Go outside into stinking mini-courtyard. Crack open beer. Eat. Finish. Wipe face with apron used for prep. Take off apron. Light smoke and finish beer. You are now prepared to do 240 covers in small kitchen with maniac chef. Sometimes the favorite meal or dish has more to do with the experience and memories invoked than the decadence of the ingredients or the price of the dish. Respectfully, Joe

wasted? tu es folle! Besides think of the leftovers, please won't someone think of the leftovers! Making stock is never wasting time!!!!!!!

lperry, Welcome to the neighborhood. Don't be too scared. We have some great farmers' markets and some excellent specialty shops. Unfortunately, we seem to lack top notch fish mongers and butchers. Sounds like an interesting idea. We'll have to discuss it further once you move up here.

Here's one reaon - take a look at the size and complexity (or lack thereof) of his kitchen and the number of people in it, then do the same at your typical Ruth's Chris or Morton's.

Queso Fundido Brown the chorizo. Melt a pound of cheese (I prefer a mix of jack and chedder) in 1/2 cup wine. Add minced garlic and/or jalapeno as desired. Put chorizo in cheese. Heat at low temp just long enough for flavors to meld. Throw in fondue pot (Hey! The 70s are back!) Thousand of variations are possible off of the basic cheese and sausage recipe. Experiment as often as you can.

In the same strip mall as A&J. Perfect for a crisp fall day, especially when greeted with the free and oh so ironic spring roll. A velvety broth with the exact right amount of intensity (unbelievably not over-salty). Brisket is a little bit chewy, but the eye of round is perfect. Loverly bean sprouts and basil. Will go back to try the meatballs, tripe, and tendon. Why interesting enough to post on? - A big old smile on my face for a grand total of $5.72! (not including tip). AAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! 1327 Rockville Pike just south of Woodmont Country Club.

2 choices - Butcher at Eastern Market. Or call one of the Jewish delis up in Wheaton. Or do what I do and suck up to the butchers at your local Whole Paycheck enough that they're willing to make extra special orders for you.

Son of a Motherless Goat! My brother in law is getting married that weekend! Sounds like a fun event. By the way John. Site looks nice. A vast improvement over that thing that you had before. If I'm not mistaken, that's the summer menu. When's the fall menu rolling out/going to be put on the site?

Short answer -- everything between the front door and the kitchen door.

Mrs JPW always celebrated the start of the season with a product from the hometown of baseball (Cooperstown,NY) Ommegang, generally the Rare Vos. Works for the playoffs too, especially when her Atlanta Braves inevitably come up short. It gives her something to cry into.

I was sitting here thinking (dangerous I know) before I go into yet another pointless interminable meeting. You know what I'm sick of? Mini-burgers! They just appeared on the menu at a little store I otherwise love (Adega) and it sent me over the edge. THEY'RE DONE. Over. Finished. Finito. Fini. Cooked. Passe. Trite. Hackneyed. What local culinary trend do you wish would quickly end up on the trash heap of history?

[re- Jackie's Patrick offering to say hi if someone knocked on the door in the next week or so] We'll see. Got the in-laws in town for a few days on either side of the weekend to meet Peanut (read - indentured babysitters and meal ticket), but I'll try to squeeze-in a drive by. [now the on a whim part] Not certain about our availability at the end of next week, but we might want to throw together a quick group to head down.

If we're including pita sammies, then the best gyro by far I've had in DC is from the Greek stand in the Union Station food court.

Cheesesteaks from Philly Mike's on Sunset Valley Drive in Reston. The same from Ray's on Mt. Vernon Ave in DelRay. Italian Combo Sub from Giuseppe's in downtown Rockville. Anything from daMarco on Colesville across from AFI in downtown SS. That said, DC stinks as a sandwich town. You want real stick to your ribs cause indigestion sandwiches? Go to Pittsburgh! I hear that it's the latest hotspot for DC commuters to look for cheap land and good housing stock.

BUMP Listening to NPR at work and Ruth Reichl is supposed to be on "the next" Fresh Air. Went to check on the fresh air web site and they don't have much listed for upcoming schedule. So take a shot on Tuesday, but don't shoot me if I'm wrong. Please.

Congrats. Having just completed that stage of the journey (look to your left) and being the cook in the house, I know what you are going through. The only aversion Mrs. JPW picked up was to the smell from the rice cooker. As it appears that Batgrrrl has it worse than that my advice may not be so useful. That being said, I definitely second the stock and frozen veggies suggestion. Worked very well for us. The frittata idea is also a very good one. We also did well with a variety of stir fry and curry concoctions that were quite good when reheated (we used rice noodles instead of hauling out the rice cooker). Since the pregnancy M-O is well done meat, cooking slivers of chix and pork in stir fry are much more edible than cooking up a whole bird or a whole tenderloin. Both seemed to be easier to digest than beef. Best of luck!

I think that to some degree, very good service can be something that can be taught and learned, great service is something that is more innate. And I'm not talking about the lower level employees, but the people in charge, say from the maitre d' or other front of house management on up. Give me a million monkeys and a million typewriters and I'll find one that can be trained to provide perfect service. So the question becomes more specific - Why do DC restaurant owners/managers not have GREAT service skills in the same proportion as found elsewhere? 2 interrelated factors come to mind - concentration and maturity. Compared to a NY or San Fran, there is not nearly the number of great service places that have been around for long enough to create the necessary training ground for those in charge now to develop those skills. Think of a story like Sirio Maccioni and Le Cirque. Could that happen in DC? Just my 2 cents. Have a great weekend all. I'm off to teach a certain legume how to make chocolate chip cookies.

Michael, What steps have been on that long and convoluted path that have helped you create that wine list that I enjoyed so much when I was there? Don't know how much I want other people to know, because you might raise your margin, but I, for one, am greatly appreciative of some of the bargins on your list even if I haven't taken advantage of them as much as I have wanted.

decadent elegance? decadent (def.) - Being in a state of decline or decay. Marked by or providing unrestrained gratification; self-indulgent elegance (def.)- Refinement, grace, and beauty in movement, appearance, or manners. Tasteful opulence in form, decoration, or presentation. Restraint and grace of style. decadent elegance (def.) - imbecilic trying-too-hard to be hip in a NYC way oxymoron of a soon to be failed venture. Someone e-mail Safire.

Candidate #2 - Bottom Line on I b/n 14th and 15th

Why would anyone EVER order a burger at Roy Rogers? Two Words - Roast Beef That said, playing according to Don's new rules (hmm, kind of reminds me of my mother-in-law, she too likes to change the rules halfway through the game ), my nominee is Tastee Diner in Bethesda. Your plate comes with its own grease trap.