cigarnv

My thanks to all who responded to the thread and by messaging. With the help of you all we found a chef for NYE who we feel is going to be outstanding.

Mark, behave!!!!! Now be useful and give me some suggestions for a reasonably priced champagne that is very yeasty and full bodied.... Enjoyed seeing you this past week.... as always a wonderful time!!!

Can anyone recommend a chef who may be available for a small dinner party (6-8) on New Years Eve in Northern Virginia?

http://www.mrleonardknifesharpener.com/

2941 has really stepped up the quality of service as of late. IMO one of the best high end spots in the area, not a Citronelle, but top notch. Krinn also takes that extra step to visit his customers in the dining room on a regular basis, something we see far too little of in high end spots these days.

As of late Wegman's in Virginia has had the best. Whole Foods is decent as is Sutton Place and Giant Gourmet in Mclean.

Citronelle is exceptional in every regard and for me the clear choice.....

We had the pleasure to dine at Citronelle last evening with another couple that we regularly venture out with, and enjoyed what can best be described as a magnificent evening in all regards. While I had dined at Citus in Los Angeles 40+ times during the 90’s, I was blown away by the Citronelle experience. First off the entire staff was outstanding, professional and yet down to earth with a sense of humor. Daniel commanded our table for the evening and did an outstanding job in every way. Now what else can I say about Mark that has not been said before… he makes enjoying wines both fun and enlightening. The entire staff operates as a well-seasoned team and treats their customers as guests deserving of a wonderful dining experience. Michel Richard is a refreshing change from many of the new “celebrities” on the block who view customers as a necessary evil that expect far too much for their $125-200 per person evening. We began the evening with starters that included the cuttlefish, Nantucket Bay scallops and salmon offerings. All were outstanding, but IMO the scallops clearly stole the show. Perfectly cooked, sugar sweet and resting on a sweet corn risotto…. WOW! Entrée’s included the squab three ways, chateaubriand, dorade and venison all prepared perfectly. I was quite partial to the squab that was the best I have enjoyed in many years. Chef Richard’s presentations are so well done that you are reluctant to disturb them. They add significantly to the Citronelle experience. Desserts included the breakfast, crème caramel cheesecake, apple tasting and chocolate 3 ways. All were prepared perfectly and presented like artwork. Mark did a great job of assisting us in selecting several wines that were new to us. He also took the time to give us a personal tour of the wine cellar as well as visiting with us throughout the evening to insure all was well. While we appreciated Mark’s extensive knowledge of wine we most enjoyed his approachability, great sense of humor and concern for his guests. All in all Citronelle is one of the few diamonds in a sea on semi precious stones in the DC area. Michel Richard has put in place a team that clearly cares for their guests and takes the responsibility to create a “magical” evening very seriously. While the cost for an evening at Citronelle is not inexpensive, IMO Citronelle represents one of, if not the best, value for your fine dining dollar in the DC area. Bravo Chef Richard!!!

edsz, too bad some restaurants blow off problems and assign the blame to the customer.. "they expect to much, I am doing my best, what do they expect we are busy tonight, etc, etc. Most of these restaurants are young upstarts and never reach maturity thank god..... in the case of NH a real disappointment Funny. We were there 3-4 weeks ago--had great food and the worst service I've ever experienced. I won't go into details because it's too painful. Complaining to the manager afterwards brought an "Oh Well" response. Somebody could have said that they were sorry. ←

It has been a while since I have been to BF 9, but always found the food good. The service they have always done a nice job with. Their pre/post theater meals used to be a great value and you can just leave the car with their valet. Given the choice I would prefer to go to owner Umbi Singh's other property, New Heights where the food is always very, very good... as well as a bit more innovative.

Four of us visited Restaurant 2941 last evening for dinner and at the very least found the establishment to be spot on. This is a restaurant that has emerged from youth with a few scars but has really taken it to the next level in all aspects. We started the evening with a bottle of wine from a list that has grown tremendously just over the past year. The new sommelier clearly has placed her stamp on one of the better wine strategies in the area. The “new” list is well balanced with old and new world selections, the expected names as well as some well chosen new comers and priced “ok”. The sommelier is a joy to work with as she comes with no pretense, is very well versed in her trade and handles her guests with a feminine grace that will impress the connoisseur and put the neophyte at complete ease. The food, while always very good and consistent has risen to what can best be described as magnificent in every way. The abalone in a truffle ginger sauce, the pasta folds with mascarpone and ricotta and the oxtail fettuccini were all superb starters. I followed up with the Hawaiian swordfish with Dungeness crab, which was the best swordfish I have had in many years. It was simply prepared and perfectly cooked. My fellow diners had the truffle risotto prepared as an entree and the bison tenderloin and short ribs…. Both were outstanding. As for dessert the cupcake was ok, the caramel apple crème brulee was very good as were the pancakes with ice cream. The most significant change we saw with 2941 was the level of service, which I found dramatically improved over past visits. The quality of staff, the level of professionalism and the execution in the dining room was all very, very good. Credit must be given to Jonathan Krinn for taking customer criticism and input in a positive and gracious fashion and acting on it. Jonathan is an extremely talented young man who takes both his craft and customers seriously.

GO EAGLES!!!!!!

Mo... great point on the cheese steaks.. they get no better than your own kitchen...and very easy.. shaved rib eye, fried onoins, mushrooms, choice of cheese or Whiz... I do provalone and pizza sauce for pizza steaks

The Italian Store does make about the best hoagie around these parts. The other option is to make them yourself which is quite easy given the availability of good cold cuts in the DC area. The recipe is simple, but the roll makes all the difference , almost rubbery in texture with a semi-hard crust... Amoroso in Philly makes the best... the White House in AC being very good also.

This is an interesting question and one which I am not sure has an absolute answer. The tipping policy of sushi restaurants differ in many cases in how the tips are split. All tips regardless of where they are left may be split, tips at the bar may be retained entirely by the sushi chef or may be split, etc, etc... If you frequent an establishment regularly ask what the policy is and tip as you see fit based on the policy. At the sushi restaurant we frequent all tips are split with 40% going to the sushi chef.... so it really does not matter where it is left. At establishments where the chef keeps all tips for service at the bar, I tip both the chef and the server seperately. When in doubt.. ask.. JMO