Fred

Hear Hear....that reminds me I have to make some reservations........

oh oh you have to get a Reuben from Sam Lagrassie's in the Financial District...Soooo good, damn I miss those things. Also as I'm sure it's been said many times East Coast Grill is fantastic.

I'm not a fan of the Brickskeller either. Food miserable beer selection well let's just say it looks good on paper but try ordering an Allagash Triple Reserve and see what happens. I just feel dirty when I come out of that joint. For me the best beer selection in the general vacinity is Lost Dog Cafe. I know, I know the 3 beer limit is a kick in the pants but the sandwiches are good and if your still in the mood to kick a few back after three at least you can drive home with a six pack of whatever you like. Eagerly looking forward to the opening of the Lost Cat Cafe next door.

ABSOLUTELY!!! you will have a wonderful meal. I personally can't wait to go back. Chef Power is extremely talented.

I think spicy shrimp fajitas are on the menu for tonight...... Johnny those wave heights look low to me for 35+ sustained I'm betting they got monsterous outside last night.

This is a really great point and I think it speaks directly to why there are not more L'Auberge etc. type of restaurants in the suburban areas of DC.

To coin a phrase your right on the money here. Unfortunately I think the commercial real estate market is doing a couple things to these great restaurants and shops. 1) making it harder and harder to turn a profit due to the increase in rent leases etc. 2) making it hard to refuse an insane offer from a national chain willing to pay top dollar for a fantastic storefront with tons of collegiate foot traffic. G-town used to have and edge to it....not so much anymore.

Ahhh good Gulf of Maine weather. good picture taking weather I bet there will be some good rolers out at the Portland head light.

Wait a second, how does one make this obvious back handed statement about Morimoto's passion for food and love of cooking when one has not been to his restaurant or eaten his food? I think it's wrong to say that just because Chef Donna couldn't manage to a one hour time period is because he has more passion and love for food, regardless of whether he was in a new kitchen or not. A little less time throwing salt and flour and haming it up for the camera and more time cooking could have saved him. Extrodinary chef no doubt about it but come on there is a reason why Morimoto sells out the house every night in Philly.

I assume you made the stock immediately after peeling and cooking the shrimp right? Only thing I can think of is that the shells et al spent time in the fridge/freezer before being made into stock.

Is he providing a discount if you are not served in a timely manner? ← No, you just can't eat them if they are not plated within one hour.

Chef Donna seemed disjointed from the beginning. I feel bad for the guy but come on he was flipping flour in the air within the last 5 minutes of the battle when the pasta wasn't even made yet. Why try to embed herbs in the dough when you don't even have enough time to cook it?

Completely agree, I went in around New Years Eve and they were having a sale....I cleaned house. Great stuff.

My favorites are Wide World of Wines. Awesome selection a good prices. I go here for Port. One of the better selections in the city I think. I also like The Vineyard in Reston. The guy who is running the store now has some amazing juice most of which is in the back but he is happy to show you. Personally I hate Total Wine just because for the amount of wine that's in that store I do not trust their provenance at all.

WARNING: Don't get the Dogfish 60 minute IPA on tap at the Birchmere. The lines must be so dirty it didn't even come close to tasting right...Absolutely nasty. Anyone reading from the Birchmere......please clean your lines!

Another superb meal at Ray's last night. Really amazing how busy the restaurant is. Jarad has the place running like clockwork. Well Done.

Awesome shot's Johnny...wish I was there. I guess I'll have to go home tonight put on my Grunden's oil skins and pretend.

I had the 90 minute through the Randalizer at the Oktoberfest in Shirlington.....WOW I can still taste the hops, spectacular!

The Dogfish 60 & 90 minute IPA are my favorite beers. Sam summered on Dogfish Head in Southport ME, I grew up a few mile from there and a couple years ago he came back and threw a huge party in Boothbay to introduce Dogfish beers to the area. Mmmmmmm tons of free Dogfish, it was a good time.

I've learned to trust that whatever Michael wants cook I will eagerly consume without objection or question. This is an empire in the making. And to think there was a time when you could just walk into Ray's The Steaks and get a table whenever you wanted......even though Michael told me I should really try and make a reservation first, I've never been that good at listening.

My brother recently ate at Clio and RAVED. My favorite seafood restaurant in the city is East Coast Grill. Warning on ECG there are no reservations so be prepared to wait but it's worth it.

A well done steak when I SPECIFICALLY asked for Med. Rare....YUCK that's just gross.

JohnnyD Absolutely agree with you it's a mad house, but if it wasn't the town couldn't very well survive. The fact is that Brud is too old to run his cart properly anymore, that's just the way it goes. I'm not privy to whether someone could help Brud out or not, but I can tell you that bureaucratic decisions like this get made in Philly, NYC, and in Boothbay. Just because we are a small town (in the winter) these situations are magnified. No one is throwing Brud out into the street. He is a decorated war vet and deserves and gets support from this town. I personally wouldn't be surprised to see someone running his cart this summer and him sitting next to it. I don't mean to be edgy about the subject, just one of those things you learn growing up in Boothbay when the rest of the world thinks they run your town for 4 months of the year.

As someone who grew up in Boothbay Harbor I'd like to quickly chime in. I've known Brud for years, he is a landmark in Boothbay and it is too bad that his source of income is being taken away. That being said the town has tried for a couple of years to take away his vendor license not because they dislike Brud or think he is a nusence. There are some serious health issues at stake, Brud is not a young or even middle age guy any more. There have been some serious issues with the quality of food he serves and the confidence that he was maintaining health code standards. The town can't take the risk when it comes to these issues, and trust me they have had deal with it for years. Brud is the man, but I wouldn't eat one of his hotdogs if you paid me. It's sad to see him go and his cart should be bronzed but it had to happen. PS. Johnny swing through town I bet you don't get that "theme park" feeling

Zola maybe? Close to MCI Center, fun upscale place for a post game drink and dessert.