JPW

My thoughts exactly.

I like Adega too, but mainly because I LOVE their Turkey Reuben! I think the selection has been low every time I'm in there; I've gotten some tasty stuff but usually it's kindof a crapshoot as to what they'll actually have on the shelf. ← It had been a while since I had set foot in Adega, so Mrs JPW and I decided to grab a couple sandwiches to go for dinner Friday. On the positive side, the place was actually packed (first time I had ever seen it so). The sandwiches were good. On the negative side, it looked like they had given up on trying to sell wine and beer. The shelves were all at least 50% empty. There were absolutely no new wines that I could identify. And the more I looked around, the more I realized that their prices were almost criminal. For example, Domaine de Pouy, Cotes de Gascogne - a decent cheap white at $7 most places - was $11. Still a good place for a good to great sandwich and a glass of wine, but no longer a retail stop.

I would think that he has been around long enough that any restauranteur worth their salt would recognize Sietsema and his dining companions by now.

C'mon Don, I'd at least give it the "Barnes and Noble" of wine stores.

Cool. I'll bring the baby, the stroller and the shopping bags. You guys don't mind, right? ← Stretch, Should we make it 4 + (2 x 1/2)? I am sure that I could convince Mrs JPW to add to the shopping bag collection.

Yeah, but it's the mushroom selection (or lack thereof) at the SS Whole Paycheck that really gets me worked up. Great stuff Malawry. I think it dredged up some memories for all of us who ever lived in a Greek house. Causing most (like me) to be extremely jealous of your girls. Mrs JPW and I need to take you out soon.

Not much of a deal. Regular retail at TotalWine pops up at $13. At MacArthur $12. CW didn't have the "Cuvee prestige" listed.

I always hated that goddamned Green Giant. He always thought he was better than everyone else just because he was bigger. And that little pipsqueak "Sprout"? What a tool.

Cramped quarters + aggressive crowds = a good thing I don't own a hand gun. Edit to add -- and parking sucks ventworm nuts

Magruder's is one of my frequent stops. Mainly for beer (esp. since they began carrying Victory), but the occasional bargain priced bottle as well. Chevy Chase Liquors the next block down has the occasional interesting bottle (not to mention the best beer selection in the city IMHO). CW drives me absolutely bonkers. For most wine I hop on the beltway and head over to Total in McLean. Huge selection and, with a couple of exceptions, a hugely knowledgable staff. If you're in Alexandria, go to Rick's (where jparrot is pouring this weekend). Small shop with an intelligent collection and great staff.

He probably just didn't see the original thread. I'd link it but I'm on anancient apple over dial up right now , typing with one hand as i have a squirmy baby in the other.

Yeah, but are they serving it on mini-burger buns?

My one surprise at Eve was the number of people in the bar in jeans and casual tops. Granted it WAS the bar, but still.... While I didn't really notice any difference in service at Eve due to attire, as mnebergall and Shtitch both noted, the way you present yourself has an impact on how you get treated in almost any customer service situation. ← Well I guess I better bring a change of clothes if I ever decide to stop and eat at the bar at Eve after work one day. Why are people so hung up on what people are wearing?! You all sound like an old boss that I had that made me wear a suit to pull LAN cables under raised floor at a customer sight. Of couse he got the dry cleaning bill. I really cannot believe that someone not 'dressed' up enough ruins your dining experience. Rant over... ← Well, mdt. Part of the restaurant experience is atmosphere and people are part of that atmosphere. I have different expectations of the atmosphere at a place like Eve than I do of a place like, say, Jaleo. I can't recall ever having said it "ruined" my dining experience. I said I was surprised. Surprised that they thought it appropriate to wear jeans and a t-shirt to a relatively high-end place, even in the bar area. Did it "ruin" my dinner? no. Did it change the atmosphere of the room? Yes. Without getting off on a rant of my own, I find that the blatant disregard of one's effect on others to be one of the least appealing facets of modern American culture. PS - I wouldn't have made you wear suit to pull cable, but would have expected at least khakis, a golf shirt and a clean shave.

My one surprise at Eve was the number of people in the bar in jeans and casual tops. Granted it WAS the bar, but still.... While I didn't really notice any difference in service at Eve due to attire, as mnebergall and Shtitch both noted, the way you present yourself has an impact on how you get treated in almost any customer service situation.

Translation please.

I believe it is Campuget. I, too, enjoy the Cuvee Prestige. I'm not a big fan of the *regular* label.

I like the Valcombe. It, and many Kacher selections, can be found at Total. I find the Costieres de Nimes provides great value. My everyday red is the Ch. Mas Neuf (approx. $8/bottle).

Having sampled some of Malawry's girls' leftovers, I can say from experience that they are very lucky indeed. She was nice enough to bring some over when we brought Peanut home from the hospital. Pecan encrusted chicken breast, corn bread, and beans and ham, if memory serves me right.

Finally indulged in roasted cauliflower for the first time last night. Very interesting. I tend to be overly critical of my cooking and thought the execution was just OK. Need more practice. Mrs JPW, however, loved it.

In Chevy Chase, both Magruders and Chevy Chase Liquor are good bets for finding the whole range of Dogfish potables.

So there I was Saturday morning, preparing to go to work ( ); one sock on, crying baby under one arm, rooting through the closet for a shirt, and the phone begins ringing. Kicking myself for not plugging the upstairs phone back in, I manage to make down the stairs without falling or dropping anything. WHo the hell would be calling me at 9:07 on a Saturday? It was our fairy godmother, the Duchess of Duke Street, with an offer out of the blue to babysit Peanut that night. Once I hung up, I begin thinking, "Where do we want to go?". I somehow remembered that she lives 2 blocks from what used to be that dank repository of my power drinking friends, Santa Fe East. I think that some place called "Eve" now inhabits that spot. So, at about 6 PM, Mrs JPW and I sidled up to the bar for our first taste of the Eve. Initially, I was too amazed at how much better the place looked to notice much else. Mrs JPW tucked into a glass of the Kimball Chardonnay while I started off with a glass of the Monastrell. We began with the oxtail ravioli for me and the smoked salmon for her. The ravioli was very good. I thought the filling was perfect, but unfortunately the pasta was slightly overcooked. Still very tasty though. I'm not a big salmon fan at all, but Mrs JPW loves the stuff. We both agreed that this was among the best we had ever had. Absolutely perfectly prepared and executed. The only drawback is that I think it works better as a tapas dish or happy hour snack than as a meal course. For seconds, we had the confit of pork belly (me) and the game bird terrine (her). We both really enjoyed the terrine and its lovely combination and balance of flavors. The confit was orally orgasmic. Just spectacular. The accompanying braising liquid was just OK, but who could really care while inhaling that beautiful piece of pig. I occasionally joke about opening a restaurant when I hit the lotto. Having enough cash in the bank so that I wouldn't really care if theplace made money and Mrs JPW has always laid claim to creating the dessert menu just so that she could have birthday cake whenever she wanted. As she reviewed her card, she exclaimed "Those bastards stole my idea!!!!". So a slice (actually more like a slab) of cake was in order. Result? One extremely happy mammy (and a happy mammy means a happy pappy). I had some lovely cheese and a glass of bourbon. Nothing complex here. Just top notch ingredients prepared with excellence. With the one exception (an extremely minor one at that), the technical expertise of the kitchen staff really shone through. PS - the coffee was pretty damn good.

Yes. Cliquez-moi!

I went to Carlyle a few times when I lived in the Park Fairfax. While decent-to-good, to me, it is easily one of the two or three most overrated restaurants in the DC area.

According to my very proper old-family Virginia MIL fried chicken is one of the few foods that may be eaten at a proper table with your hands. She does not approve of my desire to eat green beans sans utensils. This is most likely why I continue to do it in front of her.

The list of possible suspects is almost endless. Where's Peter Ustinov when you need him?