FunJohnny

laissons les bon printemps rollez

Oh go ahead and rub it in

Went yesterday (Sunday) at around noon. The wine section on the lower level was virtually empty and I was able to give it a quick once over. It seems to have a good, if fairly standard representation of regions -- organized rather strangely. Some good prices on a few wines I'm familiar with. Upstairs in the food market once you get past the heavy congestion at the entrance and get back into the produce area it wasn't that bad, crowded but not impossible to shop. Plenty of friendly staff available to assist. Prices are excellent in comparison with Whole Foods on the fruits and veggies, not so favorable as far as the seafood goes. Cheese/appetizer section offers a large selection and includes a good range of D'Artagnan products. Liked the meats and poultry as well -- they have dry-aged U.S. prime NY strips and ribeyes. The rest of the grocery store is large and the prices seemed like it would be worth making an occasional foray (for us it's a 10 mile journey each way). Saved exploring the ready-to-eat foods on the third floor for our next visit.

Michael -- for what it's worth, I think you have a pretty good wine list. Jarad can help you I'm sure if you want to tweak it. Edited to add: Of course Corduroy's list is damned fine!

Yes, it was a pretty big disappointment. I don't know if it was a cultural/personal attribute related to time management, or just basic unfamiliarity with the format. If this was truly the first time a challenger was unable to finish more than two dishes, then I guess Roberto is just built for comfort... (Hopefully the producers will grant him a rematch so he has some chance to recoup in a future season).

Correct -- it is sometimes a bit miffy in there -- perhaps due to its proximity to Camelot

Colvin Run Tavern -- on the opposite side of Rt. 7 from the Mall. Mall options are indigestible or a pretzel. Go there to restore thy soul. Edited to add: Best to have reservations though, particularly for dinner. Not sure if they do lunch on the wkends.

Agree with all the previous recs., and would add Bells Liquors on M St. near 18th. They have good bargains on French and Italians and are really good on Californians. Worth talking to the owners when they are on the premises. Also highly recommend Schneiders as folks that go out of their way to obtain great wines from around the world. Edited to add: appologize for redundance -- didn't see that wmsmurray already mentioned Bell. Great minds...

Can't resist getting in on this discussion on dressing to dine: I'm really of two minds -- the libertarian/egalitarian who really couldn't care if other folks come in their Birthday Suits or their Tux's; and the parent who cues his kid that she is in for a dining experience above and beyond going to Mac's by having her dress-up as she did when we went to Eve a few weeks ago. Clothing has an effect both on the wearer and the beholder -- I'm more concerned about the effect on the wearer when it's me or my own.

Has to be a regular eGer, right? Anyone? ← Wasn't me -- I enjoy hearing 20 somethings "twitter." If you want torture try listening to a teenage daughter and her friends.

Montmartre has a great hanger steak, but the restaurant is definitely not a steakhouse.

Good question and one related to the issue of what to do with left-over rissotto -- I love to cook it at home, but always have extra. According to Marcella Hazan (I think) you ought not to try to reheat rissotto, but should add some additional warm whatever liquid you had used originally in the prep. May not be as good as when first served, but it works. I have also violated the principle and simply nuked leftover riss. -- it's not bad, but not anything like what fresh rissotto would be.

As I happened to have been in the vicinity of RTS yesterday afternoon (ate lunch at Guajilo), I pressed my face against the window and witnessed the feverish preparation of Michael and his crew for this event. Glad to see that it went well. wouldn't want to disappoint a distinguished group of members of the Society (or that any undue arrogance was exhibited ). mnebergall tells me that, with sufficient interest, another such dinner could be organized.

You may also want to consider trying one of the Tunk trio: Ten Penh, Ceiba and DC Coast all located near metro stops and your hotel (more or less). But I second the motion for cheap eats, if you have a car, get out to Seven Corners and go to Eden for a Vietnamese experience.

Yep. ← Holy Hooligan Batman! Is Jarad going to stay in Arlington or at the Maryland branch -- or both?

Agree David Greggory is a great HH choice in view of both price and food selections. Went there with Chef Shogun a few weeks ago on a Friday. It was slammed. How crowded was it last night?

Mendocino Grille may be able to accomodate, but you should ask if they can do it within your price preference. Click

Well let's hope that NYC does not go to Jamison's head and he comes back here after his stage-ship

I trust the meat in the burger was Wagyu (Kobe) beef. Did you avail yourself of a 1/2 priced bot of vino?

Ah yes, but in the business we believe that bad press is better than no press

And then there's this from the March issue of Food & Wine

Made my first foray to Restaurant Eve last night -- and I will attest it fulfilled every bit of the HYPE as far as this diner is concerned. The occasion was my daughter's B'day and she said she wanted to go somewhere "gourmet and French." Couldn't swing a reservation at Citronelle, despite the kind assistance of Mark Sommelier, but TThrasher came through brilliantly and evereything worked out perfectly. My little girl and I had the nine course tasting menu, and my wife, the five. Thanks to Todd who supplied the wine(s) for each course . Todd bemoaned the fact that it was a white wine kind of menu, but even though I'm a red wine guy, I loved the selections -- everything from a rather fruity riesling that was my starter, to the muscadet that Todd poured for the oyster/caviar course were excellent, and I received a good education of the old palette. I was proud of the fact that my daughter proved she was a chip off the ol'bloc by eating and loving everything with the exception of the caviar that came w/ the oyster onion in a pastry shell. The nice gifts provided by the management were inadvertantly left behind by the birthday girl --, hell she was sober and I most definitely was not by the time we rolled out at about 12:30. The funny irony of the evening was one of our servers turned out to be from the same town in Malaysia as my wife. How's that for six degrees...or is it seven?

I'd like to find out where I could get these at retail. They sound suspiciously like burgundies. ← Kacher wines also sell at Arrowine, tho I can't swear that they are always available there. Believe he led a wine tasting there on one occasion a year or so ago - they have regular Saturday afternoon tastings

If the drink's any good, shouldn't Sambuca just be a secret ingredient like Krusty's Non Narkotik Kough Syrup is in a Flaming Moe? Ick. ← Is Derek under exclusive contract at Firefly? Otherwise he could perhaps pick-up a cocktail consultancy.

Whilst we await the opening of Mendocino "Hill", I thought an update on the lunch offerings in G'town would be worthwhile. The RW week 3 courses for $21 is still in effect and the menu has some additions: Apps: diver scallops (w/surcharge); entrees: housemade potato gnocchi, seafood cioppino (w/surcharge), housemade wild boar (shot personally by Drew with the assistance of Troy as the bush whacker ) sausage/pasta. Dropped by today and had the scallops + the boar sausage + the coffee flan with the Pelligrini Carignane -- yum. I gleaned some good intel on what the new place will be like, but was sworn to secrecy So you will have to go there yourselves and ask Jared.