mhberk

I would second Teaism for a nice cozy place to relax and a light lunch or breakfast. It was featured on Rachael Ray's $40 a Day show. I would recommend the Chai tea. They told me that they have to bring a specialist in to make the blend to capture its true authenticity. It's the best chai I've ever had. I would also check out Vidalia (http://www.bistrobis.com/vidalia/index.asp) in Dupont. They consistantly get high marks

Thanks for the info. I was planning on doing Charlie Palmer, but it looks like they can't make up their mind as to if they want to do dinner or not. They keep going back and forth, so it looks like I WILL be doing Vidalia after all (unless someone can recommend going somewhere before Vidalia).

Man, all this talk about Italian hoagies sure has got me hungry! I would give just about anything for one of those right now if only I was allowed to eat one. DAMN YOU SOUTH BEACH DIET!!!

Can't say I've ever heard of or seen anyone putting potato chips in their hoagies around these parts. They're usually served on the side. ← Actually, I've heard it a few times. The first time I heard it was on "The Cosby Show". In the episode, Bill Cosby was eating an Italian hoagie and he started putting chips in the center of it. He told who ever was in that scene that it was called "Philly style".

Giolotti's would have been my suggestion; when I lived in Annapoilis, it's the only way I could survive without a Philly hoagie fix. But really, if you want a decent hoagie, ya gotta head to South Philly. Nothing else compares. ← I hear ya on the South Philly hoagies! I like to buy the kettle potato chips and put them in my Italian hoagies. Adds a nice crunch and some extra texture. I have heard several people refer to that as "Philly" style.

Trattoria E Pizzeria here in Columbia is the best I've had. I don't know what it is about it that makes it so good. It's not anything out of the ordinary. They use great bread and heat it in the oven before they start stacking on the ingredients. So you're biting into this warm, crusty bread with the cold, thinly sliced ingredients.

OK, just made my reservations for Ceiba (mainly because I've always been impressed with TenPenh and DC Coast) and Vidalia. Two places that I've never tried. Has anyone been to Vidalia lately? I don't see it much on these boards. Would others recommend going somewhere else before Vidalia? Thanks in advance!

For those that have had both, how do these compare to Kron's truffles at Mazza Gallerie? I've never had the same sensation from any other chocolate (and I'm a chocoholic).

Thanks Mark. Last time we went to the Kennedy Center, we ate at Nectar and were very impressed. This time, however, we will be joined by my parents, and so we would need to go somewhere probably not as upscale. Does anyone know how the restaurants inside the Kennedy Center rate? Has anyone been to Circle Bistro or Filomena? EDIT: added links

I know that this one has been done before, but I can't seem to locate the thread. I do remember Nectar being the clear choice. With that gone, what are some other great restaurants within walking distance of the Kennedy Center. Thanks!

Sounds like business as usual... ← That's pretty funny! I had dinner there last weekend and wasn't impressed. A few times I spotted our waitress around the wine table, filling up her glass and drinking it as she walked up and down the stairs. She served us our appetizers and then didn't come back until she served us our entrées. We sat for quite a while staring at the empty plates from our appetizers. When she came over to serve us our entrées, she stood over us holding our dinners, and asked us if we were done with our aps. At that point, what if we WEREN'T done? The dinners were just OK. I agree, stick to the pizza! The entrées are very inconsistant and the service isn't much better. I've never had a bad (or even just OK) pizza there. I have been thoroughly impressed with every pizza I've had there. One time when I was there for lunch (with my brother and sister), we told our waiter that we were in a hurry and asked how long the pizza would take. He told us that they would take about 15 minutes (which was reasonable). After 20 minutes, my brother got up to ask how much longer it would take, and it appeared that the cook was just putting it in the oven. The owner over heard our conversation and told us that if we could just wait 5 minutes longer (appearently it only takes 5 minutes to cook the pizzas there), they would be ready. We told him that we were in a hurry and at that point, we would have to take them to go (if they weren't so good, I would've left as soon as I found out that they were just being put in). They arrived in to go boxes and told us that all three pizzas were on the house (drinks too). The owner was a very nice and gracious man who understood the meaning of customer service (something that hasn't been passed on to his staff).

How many of you had the opportunity to try Jarad's Creme Brulee? Of the ones that did, how many of you came close to guessing the "secret" ingredient?

I just caught the movie this weekend and decided to make the recipe sometime in the next month. I looked on the Internet for different variations and found this. Has anyone that has attempted to make it, tried letting the meat marinade for 8 hours and then draining the marinade off before cooking?

I'll have to remember that

I know this is written in English, but it makes no sense to me. "Too much food"? We went to Maestro for a friend's birthday and all decided to get the 7-course tasting menu (which I thought would probably be 5 courses plus a cheese course and a dessert course). As it turned out, there was a pre meal course, 7 food courses, and 3 dessert courses (appearently, when it is someone's birthday, there is an additional dessert course served). I was getting a little full after the 6th course (the seafood course). I got the 7th course (the meat course) down with no problem and had a little trouble with the 1st dessert course. I was really uncomfortable after the 2nd dessert course and when the 3rd arrived, I just put my head down. I ate it of course. How do you live with yourself the next day knowing that you passed up a dessert at Maestro? So this is what I meant by "too much food"

Joe, Great analysis!! I have been Nectar, Restaurant Eve, and Maestro (w/ a kitchen view table) and have had the tasting menu at the both Maestro (althought WAY too much food when you go on a birthday!) and Eve. All were excellent! I have yet to try Laboratorio or Citronelle, but with my wife's birthday coming up, I was trying to plan something special. And after watching Patrick O'Connell being featured on "Great Chefs in America" twice in the last month, I thought I'd give it a try. Watching him create his dishes with such care and knowledge as well as promoting the local ingredients made me question why I've never been there. So, perhaps I'll put off the treck to The Inn for a little while longer and give some of the others a try.

I've never been, but I remember when it was THE place to go. It was always written up as being one of the top restaurants in the country with rave reviews. Now all I read about is Nectar, Maestro, Restaurant Eve, Palena, Citronelle, etc. Has The Inn really gone down hill that much? Has anyone been lately that could share their opinion?

I think every Krispy Kreme is different, but 2-5 usually get a dozen free every month for a year (as opposed to a dozen a week for the 1st person). 5-20 get a free dozen plus t-shirts (I think).

That's how it was here in Columbia and opening day was during a bad snow storm

I was afraid of that ! Unfortunately, we'll need to stay in Glendale because that's where our workshop is and it's would be more convenient to get there in the morning. I guess another option would be to sacrifice sleep and just stay closer to a restaurant area and just get up earlier on the mornings of Friday and Saturday. I will check with my wife to see what time we would need to be there in the morning. If it won't make that much of a difference, I wouldn't have a problem staying in Santa Monica, Venice, or Hollywood (unless it's grossly more expensive in those areas). Have you been to the DC area before? If so, what restaurants have you tried in this area?

Actually, I will NOT have a car, but I have no problem taking a cab. How far away IS Glendale anway? I guess I would be willing to go 30 minutes by cab. This is my first time out to the west coast and I'm not really sure what to expect but I know that I'll want to sample some of the best that LA has to offer as far as a culinary experience. I posted this question because we (the DC board), from time to time, get out-of-towners that ask a similar question. There are 3 to 5 constants where we can predict with most certainty that the visiter will be utterly impressed with our selections. I am really looking for fine-dining, tasting/chefs menu, and american, european, or seafood cuisine. I want to be "WOWed" with the presentation and taste (I know I'm asking a lot). But anything (no matter how simple) will be helpful! Thanks again

When we went to the Kennedy Center, we went to Nectar for dinner (which was easily one of the best meals in DC), saw our show (at 7:30), and then came back afterwards for desserts (the creme brulee is a MUST!!) and coffee.

My wife and I will be in the L.A. area (Glendale) for a weekend in October and will be looking for a restaurant for a memorable dining experience. We are looking for a restaurant that offers tasting/chef menus in the $75 to $100 (before drinks) range that will showcase fresh local ingredients. I look for service above all, but I also look for creativeness, innovation, and courage of the chef in his/her dishes. Since we will only be there for 2 days, we would like to go to THE restaurant that we HAVE to try while we're there (such as Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, The French Laundry in Napa Valley, or Maestro, Citronelle, or Inn at Little Washington here in DC). I could easily look in Zagat or read reviews in local newspapers, but, as with DC, I'm sure I can get more knowledgable and honest opinions from Gulleters. Thanks in advance for your help!

I, too, will say that the 7 course is too much. My wife and I went there with another couple on Saturday for a birthday. We felt adventurous, so we chose the 7-course over the 5-course. I guess it was poor planning on my part, but I thought it would 5-courses plus a cheese course plus a dessert. WRONG! We started out with the complimentary flan. Then we proceeded to go through 7 courses after that. I couldn't even finish the 7th course (the meat course), which was really the 8th (if you include the flan at the beginning). All I wanted after that was a small dessert so that I could taste what they had to offer. The first (OF 3!!) dessert course was a chocolate mousse because it was my friend's birthday. We were then served a large plate of 3 more desserts (each). After that, I was just praying that it was over. I was wrong again. We were served three more small desserts each. I could barely walk after that. Over all, I would have to say that the food was some of the best and most creative I have ever had. We cherished every morsal on the plates. I would highly recommend Maestro to anyone and would rate it as one of the top 3 dining experiences of my life! We decided to have the sommelier pair wines with our meals. Although he did a great job, I feel that Todd at Restaurant Eve and Jarrad at Nectar far surpassed his ability to match the wines. Every glass that both Todd and Jarrad brought to us, was equally as impressive as the meals themselves.

Now there's a group I haven't heard in a long time!