FunJohnny

Yes regrettably street crime is always a problem in the District, particularly late at night, and you can never be overly confident in any part of City. Weeks and months can pass without an incident in one part of town and then --seemingly out of the blue -- something horrific can happen. One of my buddies, was recently mugged and viciously beaten in G'town around midnight right on M St. after a meal with his wife. In the Dupont Circle area, I have heard several reports over the years of restaurant workers getting mugged, stabbed and even, as in this case shot as they made their way home after work. I guess the lesson is that you can't afford to assume it can't happen to you and to take whatever precautions you can, particularly by avoiding being alone on the street late at night.

You will NOT be disappointed! Look forward to your ecstatic reporting on your dining experience.

Laksa: Extraordinarily good show! I'm gonna get my wife, who rarely cooks anymore, to take a look at the pix posted on this blog to see if they will inspire her to get back to the kitchen -- she'll probably just have us go out to eat at one of the Malaysian places in and around DC -- sigh

How far in advance did you have to make reservations?

Run -- do not walk -- to make reservations at Nectar for whichever night you plan to be in town. Ate there last Friday. Pretty slow (end of August/summer doldrums) and Jarad was in charge of the bar. Had an extraordinary wild Irish salmon fillet served on bed of mixed wild fresh mushrooms. Must be sampled while supplies last! After topping off the numerous glasses of wine I consumed with a glass of both of the Grappas on hand, I made the serious mistake of stopping off at Harry's Tap Room where the bar was wall-to-wall and SRO. Don't remember much of the trip home afterwards, but it seems I made it back ok (must have taken a cab -- hope I didn't overtip ).

Another dimension that should be mentioned in this discussion is that some wines are only sold to restauranteurs and getting them for retail is not a possibility unless you perhaps are friends with the producer.

Maybe my perception on this is incorrect, but isn't the mark-up on beer (by the glass/bottle) less than on a glass of wine. In other words aren't we wine drinkers subsidizing the beer drinkers?

Ladies and Gentlemen...Start your Engines!

Well, since I just ate lunch there, I can tell you that the Childe Harold (1967) is still alive and ticking.

Hey Laksa -- any chance of you frying up some of the ikan bilis we were discussing in the other thread? Haven't had a chance to search an Asian market yet for any down here, but just seeing a picture of some with some nuts and chilis thrown in would get me off.

Saturday before last -- a cheerful wake was held where much of the best of the wine cellar was consumed at half-price.

Sam & Harry's at Tyson is closed? Yes "Sam" and "Harry" are divorced. Caucus Room remains -- not sure who got custody. Don't know about the store on 19th. Another Harry's Tap Room soon to open on Rt. 7. Edited to add: The new Tap Room will be in the space formerly occupied by Seven.

When I was dining at Sam & Harry's store in Tysons (OK not exactly Little River TPK, but not that far away) on its last night, I asked what was going to happen to the space. It's going to become one BIG Korean Barbecue joint. Stay tuned.

I'd like to know how you get credentialed as a restaurant insider

If you live in any big city in the Western world, (I assume you're not in Asia, rightly or wrongly), I think you can find "raw" dried ikan bilis (dried anchovies) in the bigger Asian grocery stores. Deep fry these until golden brown and mix them with roasted beernuts and voila! Thanks Laksa. I guess the chili pop could be provided with either chili powder or with some small dried chilis. I'll look for the Ikan bilis at one of our Asian grocery stores here in Northern Virginia/DC.

It's Malaysian bar snacks -- dried small fish called Ikan bili w/chilis and peanuts. Its salty, slightly fishy and spicy and will drive you to the beer without fail. Beats hell out of pretzels. Every time someone in my family goes to Malaysia I beg them to bring me back a kilo or two. Don't know why someone hasn't thought to import them unless they are a victim of our crazed food importation regs.

In VA we are also prevented from getting a freebie for every (fill-in-the-blank) number of bottles we buy, but discounts on quantity are allowed. A certain purveyor of fine wines in the District had a policy of giving a freebie per every dozen bottles, but had to halt the practice due to DC regulations noted above.

And Remember the "Washington Post Rule": NEVER say or do anything publicly that you would not want to read about on the front page (or in the interior sections) of the Washington Post.

NOOO! Verboten! But seriously, John I am very much looking forward to my first of what I hope will be many great meals at Firefly later this week. As an amateur cook, I am very much affected by the seasonal availability of some things -- around here that would be mostly fruits and vegetables. I often experience a feeling of regret as late October comes and the good stuff dwindles. Have you had much experience with preserving summer's bounty in any way shape or form?

While not at a museum, the Kennedy Center's Rooftop Terrace Restaurant and Bar is reportedly a great dining opportunity. Have not personally tried it though -- tried to go on a Saturday before a matinee I was taking my daughter to, but they weren't open for lunch. Anyone else given it a whirl?

This phenomenon has been reported on an earlier thread in this forum: "I'm not sure if this is what Robert Donna meant by 'Osteria Galileo', but he's been out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for the past couple days grilling up panini and ribs. No joke. I stopped by today at noon and was one of the last people served before he was shut down by city officials. "Fire hazard" was the reason-- completely ridiculous considering that everything within three blocks is concrete. Our fine DC government at work. Roberto joked he would "find a loophole", vowing that he'd grill out back if necessary. I had an excellent pork shoulder panini with a garlic-parsley sauce. There was also sausage and chicken paninis. You have to admire a chef of RD's stature standing out on the street asking "You want sauce with that?". " Good to know this is still happening, but wish it was more predictable rather than just having to depend upon dumb luck. See this to read more about it http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44013

Roger that -- After I cook on wkdays (most often the case in our household) I don't have the energy to prod my daughter to lend a helping hand and supervise her in doing so. I experience a mixture of guilt -- for not preparing her for adulthood -- and grim satisfaction because she will be totally unprepared for adulthood and will have to learn the old fashioned way from trial and error. Getting her to eat healthily is enough of a struggle.

2nd the opinion re: the Mendocino gazpacho. Of course Gazpacho is fairly ubiquitous at this time of year, but the Childe Harold version is also very good -- served with dollops of guac and sour creme.

Montmartre -- great summer pea soup, at least they had it on the lunch menu when I was there about a month ago.

WoW This borders on Swift's "A Modest Proposal". But seriously, how 'bout a similar policy recommendation for all the places that sell cheap swill by the glass, often from a bottle that was opened in the Stone Age. How often has anyone out there been confronted by an annoyed bar tender upon requesting that he open a fresh bottle to pour a glass -- even though the mark-up on most wines by the glass assures that a profit is obtained by the second glass poured from the bottle?