chuchelo

The originals are in fact Frango Mints. So the other flavours are just add-ons. Also, they must melt on the tongue. One doesn't chew.

I think the Frango thing is hardwired in those of us who grew up in the shadow of the "lake effect." I love them, but only the original flavour. I never went in for orange, almond, etc.

Is there anything in the city or have all the good bakers gone to the 'burbs?

I don't really know. I haven't seen him on my recent visits but then, I don't seek him out until it's time to plan the big dinner.

I was so sorry to read this in the post. Ann's chocolate brownie was absolutely, positively, the best brownie I've EVER eaten. And the cheese straws! Boo hoo!

When it comes to Ann Amernick, her praises have (rightly IMHO) been sung by the Washington Post long before Tom Sietsema came to town.....

I haven't eaten there for awhile because two lunches in a row, my guest and I were asked to vacate our table just as we finished our dessert, with no offer of coffee, time to finish a last glass of wine, or anything else. I don't think we had been there even 80 minutes. Dessert spoon hits the deck and immediately comes the check. Tom Sietsema mentioned similar complaints in his 'Ask Tom' sidebar in the Post Magazine.

Hmmmm. Every year I take 6-8 people out to dinner who are in Washington, DC for a special program. They are staying at Jury's on Dupont Circle and I've got two hours or so to get them to dinner, eat, and back to Jury's again. In thinking about where to go the first year, I checked out BdC on the suggestion of a friend. I just stopped by one afternoon, ordered a snack and a glass of wine at the bar and studied the menu. I chatted a bit with the bar staff, who were VERY nice and helpful, and was then introduced to Yannis. To make a long story short, Yannis helped me select a special menu for my guests and wines to go with it. When I brought my guests, our table was ready to go, with menus especially printed with our selections. BTW, I only did this for two reasons. One was just to save a bit of time by narrowing options a bit, still with a choice of five starters, five entrees, three salads, cheese, and five desserts. The other was to leave the prices off. The service was great and everyone we've been back every year since. One year I showed up with two extra people who were added to my party at the last moment. They were very gracious about including them with no fuss or attitude. A week or so before each dinner, I show up at the bar and we go through the same routine. No one knows me, I'm not a VIP. They don't seem to remember me from year to year. Well, maybe Yannis does. Anyway, it works for me and when we return to the hotel and the groups mix, I'm always complimented on my choice of restaurant and it is favourably compared with the places other alumni select.

This is welcome news. I stopped by the other day just to look at the menu. A friend and I were passing and didn't have time for lunch, just wanted a look at the place. I'm glad it sounds so promising!

I'll third Cafe Brio!

Do restaurants conduct their own staff training or do they depend on the waiters to grow with experience? Just curious.

Great question! I'd love to hear of a good restaurant there.

I was there a few months back after hearing raves and frankly, it wasn't all that. I was seriously bummed!

I went with a friend to Rosa Mexicana at her suggestion. Guacamole - fabulous! Service - bored. Food - unmemorable, I literally can't remember what I ate. Dessert - horrid! Overall? Well, let's just say I won't be going there again any time soon.....

Chicken livers with rice!

I think I can safely say that there is no need to start packing. And especially after the last few days, I have the feeling Chef is going to be sure you don't leave town!!!

Any chance of Marc Fisher picking up this egullet story???

I was by there today (just in the neighborhood) and picked up some assorted cookies, cheese straws, and a slice of German chocolate cake. Oh my. Oh my my my!

I can't imagine how the Park Cafe rates "worth a 20 min drive" in any review, anywhere. The atmosphere is super, the rest is not worth a 2 minute walk. I tried hard to like it, wanted to like it very much, and after never having a satisfactory meal there after several tries, I gave up. I can't imagine how they stay open. They must own the building free and clear.

I look forward to hearing about your stay at Sooke Harbour House. We stayed in Victoria and ate dinner at Sooke Harbour House one Saturday evening and were distinctly underwhelmed. Cafe Brio was far the stronger restaurant in my experience.

I can only comment on my own experience but this is what I found when visiting Vancouver Island. I had one of the best meals I've had in AGES at Cafe Brio. The food, wine, service, and atmosphere were excellent! The choices were subtle and sophisticated. Much of the food is organic, all fresh. The wine list was very good and I asked for local recommendations, which were terrific! I had Watercress Vichyssoise with shaved radish, crème fraiche followed by Asparagus frittata with carmelized onion. For dessert, I had Dark Chocolate and Pistachio Cake with fresh mint ice cream. Everything was clearly made there, including the ice cream which was bursting with fresh mint flavour. As it happens, the restaurant was recently recommended in the New York Times as part of an article on visiting Victoria. I'm not surprised. It is definitely worth the trip! In contrast, our meal at Sooke Harbour House, which had been described to us as a world class restaurant, was a HUGE disappointment. The menu is based on local ingredients, many of them grown or harvested at Sooke Harbour House and that's a plus. Unfortunately each dish reads (and the descriptions of each dish runs for 4-5 lines on the menu) only like a list of exotic incredients. Unfortunately, it suffered greatly by comparison with Cafe Brio. Instead of being a subtle composition of light and joy, it seemed like it was a contest to see how many different tastes/items could be crammed into each course. As a result, the taste was not compelling but rather competitive and lacking. The wine list is stunning. But when I asked for a local recommendation based on what we had ordered and our waiter seemed to struggle with the request. In the end though, two of the three of us thought the wine was lovely. I was one of the two and I thought it was delicious. The view of Sooke Harbour was very nice, though misty and disappeared from sight shortly after we were seated. It was service where Sooke Harbour House really fell down. It was disjointed and our principal waiter seemed a bit confused much of the time. Also, when clearing our places, they SCRAPED AND STACKED THE DISHES as they carried them away. YUCK. I don't like to see that in a diner, let alone a "world class restaurant." Perhaps it was an off night, still, I was beginning to appreciate why it was that we were able to make a relatively last minute reservation on a Saturday night! When I brought this to the attention of Sooke Harbour House's management's via a later email he defended the actions of the busboy re: stacking the dishes but said he committed a professional error by doing it withour sight/sound. To demonstrate his point, he cited p. 109 of Professional Table Service, published by John Wiley and Sons. I mean, he looked up the page number? Or has he heard this complaint often enough to know the page by heart?!? He surprised me by saying that our waiter, who seemed to struggle to come up with an appropriate wine. and not particularly pleased to have been asked, was in fact a fully-trained sommelier. In the end though, he offered us a free meal on our next visit. Given that I'm on the opposite coast and vacation with these friends (who live quite far away as well) only once a year I think it's unlikely we'll take him up on this generous offer. To be honest, right now the thought of paying for a meal at Cafe Brio is more appealing than a free meal at Sooke Harbour House. That's how good Cafe Brio was!!!

I don't really think any of these places would be up for this... They are when the softball team from my office goes. We've never had a problem. Hill types mingling with the kickball and softball teams. They are oftern from the same offices. Now I think I live on a different Hill...

Has anyone joined in the campaign to bring a Penzey's to Washington, DC? http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/store_contest.html The contest ends on July 31 so send your postcard in now if you are interested in bringing a store to DC.

I don't really think any of these places would be up for this...

No, please, not the Tune. It's rather stinky already. I'm not sure how much more I can take, not to mention what the suits will make of it!