Steve Klc

Robert, thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful piece and thank you, too, Lumpy. Philly seems to have a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to accepting other's assessments of their culinary value--and their reduced standing nationally. I'm envious you two have had the chance to see things firsthand.

Damian--from posts elsewhere, Samantha seems to be back in the UK, and I suspect none of this will ever help her. Though we both can hope our evolving mini-DC board helps others down the road. Peking Gourmet Inn is a good one, glad you mentioned them--were you here when they really hit the big time when a certain Republican President started going there and the NYTimes decided to write about them? Of course that was ages ago. I've been going there about twice a year for what seems like 20 years--rather expensive, rather resting on their laurels, with a service staff that knows right off whether you're a Beltway/Military player or not and "seems" to treat you accordingly--but I've had well-prepared, safe and predictable Chinese there. I completely buy into all that leek/spring onion business of theirs, too. Nice, also, that the owner is often there--albeit shaking hands with all the retired Generals--and hey, you gotta like a restaurant still making it after all these years smack dab in the middle of a lower-income strip mall. (Route 7 approaching Seven Corners from the East for non-locals.) And funny you mention Havana Breeze, I have not been yet, but we do eat often at their "sister" place, the Caribbean Grilled Chicken joint on Lee Highway/George Mason intersection in Arlington. I'm going to flesh out this second-class DC hypothesis of mine soon and I hope you chime in here to help or dissuade.

I don't know anyone who uses the guard either, so I'm with Steven. I also don't know anyone using those very expensive stainless models anymore either. Did you know the Benriner comes in two widths, too--so wide stuff can be sliced.

and I should have mentioned this earlier, but alot of very knowledgeable espresso people, who have already gone through this process, hang out in this newsgroup: http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_q=&as_ugroup=(alt.coffee)

Hey Damian--thanks for chiming in with your recommendations about DC. are you still local? I may give Full Kee another try. I ate there 4 times last year and besides the shrimp dumpling noodle soups, I've otherwise been underwhelmed, especially since I've eaten just enough in NYC and SF to know the difference. For those not familiar with DC, our always-weak Chinatown once spread into a dangerous, decrepit downtown "wasteland" that was really scary and now is a fully-formed yuppie/buppie/boho (insert your acronym here) bastion of re-development, tourist venues, chic condos and Starbucks. Those restaurants and restaurateurs who got in early--Jaleo, Austin Grill, Cafe Atlantico--ahead of the curve when it was risky, have reaped immense dividends as all the Mom & Pop smaller businesses have been forced out to the fringes or marginalized. And I guess I should reiterate something from my previous posts, lest I be misunderstood--it's not solely that I think DC is not NYC. Of course it's not. But dining-wise I don't think DC is as relevant, knowing or interesting as it should be--or could be--especially when compared to other secondary American food cities, like Chicago, SF or Boston. We'll get into my major problems with L'Auberge and minor problems with I@LW--undeniably romantic settings aside--and why I feel both reinforce the second class culinary status of DC when I have a little more time.

Liza--I realize you are just relaying info, but do you know if Rosengarten was recommending the in-expensive Capresso grinder that Williams Sonoma has sold? Was he recommending it for use in the context of espresso machines? If so, he must drink tea. The reason I ask is because the Capresso model I'm familiar with is abject crap--worthless unless you plan to grind coarse for use with a French press while you are still drowsy. Do you have a link to the specific article? Since I posted this morning I spent a little more time on the Coffeegeek site and am incredibly impressed with its organization, depth and blend of professional and consumer advice--it seems a little sluggish, but then it's in beta. There are 46 user reviews alone of the Sylvia from the past year. In a review there of the newish Solis Maestro grinder, Mark "Coffeekid" Prince asks "is the Rocky worth the $$$ more than the Maestro? If your primary coffee beverage is espresso, then yes, it is - you're getting commercial grade parts in the crucial areas that matter-- the burr set and motor--in the Rocky, and that ? is definitely worth it and I would not hesitate recommending it over a Maestro, telling you to save up your pennies to cover the difference." But he's talking about espresso, made seriously by people who've already invested in a serious, semi-professional machine--like Sylvia or one of the comparable Saeco, La Pavoni or Gaggia models. Reading the consumer reviews there reveals a wealth of tips about the buying experience, making deals, extra perks to be had, etc. across a broad spectrum of coffee styles, not just espresso. And Bux brings up a worthy point: there is something to be said for buying locally, even if you usually have to pay more up front and pay sales tax--no matter how frustrated you are you can walk in and drop your item on the counter and say "Let's see you make it work!" Way back when, I bought my first IBM PC locally and was so glad I did, though now I'm buying my new iBook online. And Bux, as always, brings up another important consumer issue with any high-end purchase, and surely a semi-commercial espresso machine qualifies--what's their return or replacement policy? But I buy online and mail order alot now, especially as technology and manufacturing has improved across so many sectors, and bought from Whole Latte Love mainly because they had a much better price than the few sources available to me locally, free shipping and I respected the amount of effort they put into their site--effort at content and education that many can benefit from. Plus, they actually do the repair and warranty work on Sylvias, and knew its intricacies and tendencies inside and out.

Steven--this is where (I believe) Bux and I got our machines: http://www.coffee-machine.com/cm/rancilio/silvia_features.htm It took me a week of constant experimentation and immersion in the wonderful online information provided by Whole Latte Love about the Sylvia and making espresso to start producing something adequate. My machine worked right out of the box and has been in constant use for 7 months. Another site that was extremely helpful was: http://www.coffeekid.com/main.html And this site, currently in beta, already gets my seal of approval: http://www.coffeegeek.com/ Rancilio prices on this model seem to be retaining their value like Apple Powerbooks. I can't disagree with anything Bux has written about the Sylvia--his assessment is spot-on--however, I would wax on a bit more explicitly about how I am absolutely in love with her. As much of this ground (sorry) has already been covered on that other eGullet coffee thread, I'll add: The Sylvia is noisy but powerful, beautiful and decidely, blessedly, not automatic. Its greatest value is that she relies heavily on her owner becoming an involved barista--with an experimental almost scientific approach. Selecting beans, grinding beans to a certain precision, tamping are all paramount. You have to buy a good grinder or you've wasted your money and otherwise all of your efforts to embrace the espresso process and obtain consistency are for naught--I use the Rancilio Rocky, but here's an interesting analysis of a new grinder: http://www.coffeegeek.com/features/innova In short, you have to be involved. But requiring that involvement is not a weakness of Sylvia; rather, it is her enduring strength and responsible for the sustained viability of this machine among those in the know. Bux and I have e-mailed back and forth about this for months, but I too am at the point where I can't order espresso out anymore. It is very unlikely that servers in a fast-paced restaurant environment can get it right--and it is usually your server that draws your espresso. Their job is hard enough and it is unrealistic to expect a decent espresso in 97.5% of the restaurants in the US. And you learn little tricks after awhile--like how to boost the percentage of robusta beans in your espresso mix to get the appearance of a little extra crema, just as the Italians do.

Robert--I'm sorry if it seems I champion Ferran, but believe me, he doesn't need my support. He is so huge among chefs internationally that we all are late to the party. It is amazing to me, though, that so many still have no idea what he is all about and that is why I feebly champion him. You wrote "His approach to savory seems to resemble that of a dessert man." This most thoughtful inquiry prompted me to ask a question of myself that I have not yet done--my initial off-the-cuff sense is that what I appreciate most about Ferran (and similarly in Philippe Conticini, by the way) is that when they create and compose "desserts"--they think like chefs, and blur the line between sweet and savory--thereby unifying the meal into a more cohesive and more harmonious experience. Their desserts are much more "a la minute" than a typical French or French-emulating American pastry chef--much less about form and rule (the entire history of "traditional" French pastry is one of rigid adherence to form) and I see Ferran and Philippe as bringing a kind of "line cook" approach to desserts--and in the process rendering completely irrelevant most of the misguided American attempts at architectural plated desserts stemming to the early 90's. (This is apart from what they're both also doing innovatively with regard to dessert ingredients and exploration of palate.) Yes there are similar witty deconstruction/postmodernist/reconstruction elements to Ferran's cuisine, but I'd suggest it is the chef and the cuisine that drives the desserts--and is responsible for what I find so liberating. It is hard to understate the effect I feel this is having worldwide in cooking at the highest levels. Perhaps you could help me flesh this out Robert by elaborating a bit on how you see Ferran's savory food as like pastry? Do you see it with Bras? Bras, by the way, I consider unique among the 3 star French chefs as having a significant grasp of pastry--his desserts have always made sense. All the others cede much of the spirit and creation of their desserts to their pastry chefs--and their desserts, historically, have lacked in spirit and effort, slightly, in comparison to the cuisine that preceded it. I've written elsewhere that I consider Bras himself a very significant force behind restaurant plated desserts in France. Pierre Herme told me recently that "I consider Bras as the only savory Chef who has a real creativity and technical skill in the desserts field." But apart from this feeling about Adria--which of course is just my very subjective assessment--perhaps one way to approach your one line rhetorical post is by asking which other 3-star chef--if not Adria--would provoke and attract the most international attention--were he to open a restaurant in New York? I'd suggest no other chef in the world. Not that Thomas Keller's impending opening, a hypothetical Gagnaire, Veyrat or Bras move would not be significant--it would be hugely significant--but each would pale to the arrival of Ducasse. (I can already anitcipate the critical refrain of Keller, at one time a New Yorker, not opening a real New York restaurant and his cuisine sufferring from not understanding local ingredients on this side of the country, but that will be a debate down the road.) Maybe I'm seeing things through rose-colored glasses, but only Adria's arrival could come close to the earth-shaking arrival of Ducasse. I'll flesh out the local ingredients angle when I get back from the holidays, but basically I think it's become too pat, too much of a de rigueur line now in the US to spout off about ingredients as the be-all and end-all of sophisticated cooking when you don't have the skill, talent, technique, creativity, inspiration and/or sense of refinement in presentation that equals those ingredients. It's easier for average culinary talents and un-knowing food writers to embrace ingredients than it is to embrace complexity, context, history, technique, significance or relevance. This might make me a heretic to the Alice Waters-worshipping/Gourmet magazine crowd--but to me it's just too much of a crutch sometimes. And I do not mean to lessen or denigrate in any way your "preference for provincial gastronomy" and your "love of eating in Italy. " I appreciate that as well when I am in that context.

Robert--I say it's Ducasse and Adria vying for the top spot in worldwide pre-eminence--not necessarily for "creativity"--based on my personal, subjective feeling from being in the industry--talking to other chefs, reading their books, and reading knowledgeable assessments of others. I realize fully how speculative and unproveable this statement might be. You have written elsewhere about your admiration for Bras and his scientific approach--which you know that I share--but I disagree respectfully with you when it comes to assessing Bras' significance and relevance in light of Ferran. Yes, Ferran also is methodical and scientific in his approach--but my sense is that Ferran has already transcended Bras creatively and that Ferran's significance worldwide has only scratched the surface. But what a scratch. And let's not forget Bux: El Bulli may be in the sticks but Ferran has resonated in the European community for a decade, with numerous icons of French cooking taking note publicly. As I've written elsewhere, some of Charlie Trotter's and Thomas Keller's best ideas have come from their exposure to Ferran. To knowing observers, Ferran has always been so much more than a one-trick-pony--talk about a specific technique, like foam or a specific dish--limits one's appreciation of Ferran and reveals the inherent limitation of the observer. Outside of Europe, Adria has hit mainstream: remember Time magazine named Ferran one of its "top 100 innovators," across all fields and Gourmet magazine picked both Ducasse and Ferran for that trading card business. And the fact that he is "in the sticks"--and has managed to attract so much attention from knowledgeable industry sources and other chefs--just furthers my position. He may seem outside of the mainstream, but I'd argue that's not really the case. And, I am not sure if this has been reported elsewhere or is common knowledge--but I have been told that Ritz-Carlton negotiated with Ferran last year to bring him aboard to revamp their entire culinary footprint nationwide--and install a restaurant in the new Ritz in NYC--but that both sides could not agree on the right figure. And I'm with Steven, once again, in feeling that AD/NY has been subject to misinformed media criticism. I don't find the criticism that "AD/NY does not feel like it was a NY restaurant" as a valid one. It is a Ducasse experience--a Ducasse restaurant. If Ferran were to open a restaurant in NYC, does anyone think it should be assessed as a "NY restaurant?" Of course it shouldn't. And stressing the primacy of local ingredients is overblown. What's more important is that the chef know how to use the ingredients at his disposal and has the talent and mind to express what he is trying to create. Ferran did a frozen corn "powder" that was light as air, made in the Pacojet with canned cream corn--and paired it with truffle-infused olive oil and a parmesan water gelatin. He felt it expressed better what he was aiming for than if he had used locally sourced fresh corn. Why should that be criticized if the dish is interesting and amazing? Some chefs allow themselves and their significance to be defined by their region or locale. Some transcend it. I'd suggest Ducasse and Adria have transcended it.

No implied equivalence on either side Bux--sorry for the confusion. In fact, I see them all as very different. I could have added Gramercy Tavern and Union Pacific to the mix, too--each has a chef that has managed to attract attention in different ways and from different sources. None of which Le Cirque was attracting anymore.

If arrogance of a chef were relevant to restaurant criticism, we'd have a whole lot of poorly reviewed restaurants serving amazing food, 85% of them French. And Bux hits it exactly on the head about those early "human interest" pieces--undoubtedly written by more than a few food writers wishing to extend their reach, influence and self-importance--and egged on by editors in search of buzz or furthering of an agenda. How can one argue with a single meal report at a brand new restaurant--it's virtually incontrovertible. What will be perhaps more interesting is if and when Ferran Adria opens a restaurant in New York--and to compare the critical response to that Ducasse experienced. Worldwide, it is still Ducasse and Adria, Adria and Ducasse for number one.

Sorry I'm late to this, but a few observations: I have always felt tables were left open on busy evenings--and have even felt this at Gramercy Tavern where I know the wine director and pastry chef--not necessarily left open for the whole seating, but longer than necessary to accomodate celebs, food writers, screwed up reservations, regulars and other chefs that might drop in at the last minute. Other reasons why I've seen tables left open inexplicably long--even at top restaurants--is because the kitchen might be crunched, the chef isn't there and/or the overall staff might be in the weeds or be understaffed that shift. Especially in a restaurant that prides itself on customer service--granted a rarity--but I've wondered if this wasn't a purposeful form of self-protection. I don't know about the rest of you--but once I am seated, I want reasonable and focused service; I'd rather sit at the bar drinking an apertif rather than be seated in a dining room frustrated with harried or slow service. If a few tables are left open to bring this about--I won't complain. (I guess this is tacit support of Cabrales' initial point #3) Moving on to Le Cirque and the "dinosaurs"--I have to say I'm solidly with Steven on this one. (Unlike Wilfrid, I'd love to see the dinosaur ethos become extinct.) "The chickens have come home to roost" and it has "fallen off the radar" and any other cliches one might want to trot out apply to Le Cirque. Savvy, knowing foodies moved on a long time ago from this power lunch-celeb spotting bastion of preferential treatment. It takes more than pedestrian cooking to stay relevant today, even in a theatrically-designed space--especially in NYC where there are such high restaurant standards. Dining philosophies and sensibilities have changed, and the relationship between diner and restaurant has become more equitable, too--for the better, I'd suggest. For the media, it's clearly all about the chef now--and it's much harder to front the "restaurateur as celeb" as in the past. The food media has also pushed along two tracks--a modern chef's food either has to be rustic, authentic and simple or innovative, stylish and creative. Or both simultaneously. Le Cirque was neither. On the dessert side, it takes more than tired creme brulee and bomboloni--how much longer can we read about Le Cirque's unrequited "looking for the world's greatest executive pastry chef" and not become suspect? This marketing strategy worked in 1989 and the nascent media bought it then--but times have changed. Unless Sirio installed Philippe Conticini or Alberto Adria (and even then there would still be legitimate debate) we know better now. It's much tougher to sell "the experience" of the "private club" as Steve P. accurately describes it-- without the talent to back it up--and selling "exclusivity" now is like Salon.com charging for premium content. I'd suggest Steven is right on with his expressed resentment of Le Cirque and all it stood for--and that any bastions which cling to a medeival-type of customer class system will soon be irrelevant. Expect a pronounced pr campaign to alter this perception. Chalk another one up to Danny Meyer and credit the oft-abused food media (talentless shill Bill Boggs excepted) for helping to define a new relevance--where Ducasse and Daniel exist alongside the likes of Craft and Prune. And thanks to Cabrales for his thougtful, provoking lead in to another possibly limitless thread--that of elitism and a diner's perception of the restaurant experience. To Cabrales, I'd say I always put myself in the chef's hands--either off the regular menu, the tasting menu or simply ask the chef to choose for me--and I have never asked for anything special, i.e. substitutions or "special" off-menu dishes, ever. I want to capture a moment or an experience as determined by that chef at that time. As often as feasible, I ask that the chef, rather than the sommelier alone, select wines for each one of his courses. (And I'd never bring a bottle of my own wine into a restaurant that has a wine list. Just a quirk of mine. It would be like someone pouring their own chocolate sauce over one of my desserts.) But Steve P.--I wonder if you're not wading into dangerous territory by defining--for the generic "us"--"why we go to restaurants" for "special treatment" and that there is "no better service than 'custom service'." (I may be inferring something you didn't intend Steve P., but this is possibly as risky as your attempts to define for "us" what is and what is not art on another thread.) Back to Cabrales--I do derive immense, special joy from those "gifts" or unexpected "amuse" from the chef that you were specifically excluding in your original post. To sum up, I'd say that the scarcity factor has zero relevance for me--but the "surprise" factor and "lessening of control" factor has much more. And finally, my hope is with Steven, that we on eGullet help diners, both casual and sophisticated, realize that they are more than just customers in a business transaction when they are in a restaurant--that their patronage has value and that the relationship between diner and chef and restaurant holds hope and promise--and that we on eGullet help to empower that relationship both ways.

Just called the restaurant today to buy a gift certificate--thanks Jinmyo. Spoke with Jennifer, who was very professional on the phone. Might be a sign of good things to come. The 5 page menu is not up on the website yet--but can be faxed. Omakase are listed as ๠, 100, 120 and up. Noticed he also has "Warm octopus carpaccio--hot oil and mitsuba leaf" and "Warm whitefish carpaccio--hot oil and mitsuba leaf"--anyone know whether this is the flash sear with hot oil business the NYTimes wrote up Nobu for? Steven? Robert Brown? any insight? I'm wondering if this might be the same technique--from Nobu--and just how innovative it might have been for Nobu or perhaps, for Morimoto?

oh, I forgot about Mexicali Blues--no, it's new--a year or two old--on the corner of Wilson Blvd. and Garfield. A fun place--very happening at night. Affordable good food, I tend to like the more-Salvadoran stuff better than the Mexican/Tex-Mex stuff--and I absolutely love the sidewalk patio which is very spacious.

Cooking has changed alot and our awareness of cuisine has changed in the time period we're talking about jhlurie--but that's not unique to DC. One thing special about DC that I think we both agree on is that we got on the ethnic bandwagon, as a foodie community, alot earlier than other major food cities--and we've always had an abundance and diversity of ethnicities--at the low to moderate end. P. Richman did do a good job of raising our awareness of this while she was worshipping at the all-encompassing altars of Jean Louis/Patrick O'Connell/Donna/Kinkead and the boring repetition of classic and traditional French cooking, which we had (and still have) no shortage of. Not that she dined enough in the 'burbs--she didn't--but she did try to raise awareness of strange exotic foods. Considering DC was this sleepy Southern second rate food town--with no real competition at the high end--with a fake rather than real Chinatown--we did seemingly have legitimate pockets of populations--like Malaysian, Ethiopian, Persian, Salvadoran, Peruvian, you name it--and inexpensive restaurants rise up to serve those populations. Adventurous diners years ago benefited greatly and had alternatives if one didn't want to eat steak or chain restaurant crap. You felt there was great Vietnamese, Mexican and Ethiopian then--and I'd agree. Now, only the Vietnamese remain at a pretty good-to-very good level--and only in certain areas. You felt then that there were no good Italian, Japanese, Thai and Chinese restaurants--now, the good news: there are ALOT of excellent Japanese restaurants now(Sushi-Ko, Tako Grill and Kaz Sushi Bistro) and alot of at least decent to pretty good Thai restaurants. As far as Italian restaurants go--New York foodies and Italian cognoscenti don't seem to think our Italian restaurants are very good--for the price. We have alot of expensive ones that get publicity, hometown rooting and media respect--the Roberto Donna/Galileo/i Ricchi/Goldoni crowd. Obelisk has excelled and Tosca is too new to evaluate but shows tremendous promise. And our Chinese restaurants have always been uninspiring. Just as there is becoming a wider income gap separating upper and lower classes--I'd suggest there is also a widening, even more dramatic gap between higher end and bargain, inexpensive restaurants. What DC has not been good at is keeping small, mid-level restaurants going--the kind owned by a chef and charging prices below the high end--that really have to be supported by a knowing, savvy clientele. (Like New Yorkers.) I'd sum it up by saying the low end is still fine here, the middle has virtually disappeared and the high end doesn't compare to the high end of those other, more relevant food cities. Very few chefs and restaurateurs that are making it here--could make it in NYC.

jhlurie--I guess I qualify as a real local. I've lived here since 1979, but the scene has changed immensely in 10 years. In fact, your advice was the exact same advice I would have given someone in 1982--Adams Morgan was THE scene, exciting dynamic and only beginning to be discovered. The cluster of ethiopian restaurants was actually good and I was an under-qualified/in-over-my-head chef in my very first restaurant--called De Gustibus--which later morphed into the Belmont Kitchen after we went out of business. We were way ahead of our time--we paired wines by the glass to each dish on the menu. In 1982. I didn't last 6 months. I was 22. There isn't a single Ethiopian restaurant in Adams Morgan now or in all of DC anymore that hasn't declined steadily since then. Just so you know it's not just me: the Washingtonian Magazine, whose restaurant critics I trust, do not put a single Ethiopian restaurant in their "100 Best Bargain Restaurant List" of June 2001. As you may remember, local foodies once passionately debated the merits of zil-zil tibs or doro wat at the Red Sea, Zed's, Meskerem, et al. Not anymore. In Adams Morgan 2001 all they do is clup hop, eat shitty food late night or get frustrated trying to park and go eat elsewhere, like to Cleveland Park. At the same time in the 80's--ALL the best Vietnamese restaurants were indeed in the Clarendon and Courthouse sections of Arlington--including many where you'd walk in and find the menus handwritten on a blackboard in Vietnamese--with no English translation. The only Vietnamese restaurants remaining here--beside a decent bowl of pho still to be had at Pho 75--in this now highly developed, Uber-chic mix of trendy condos, bars, brewpubs and coffeehouses--are touristy, devalued, flavorless and Americanized. (Like former Washington Post restaurant critic P. Richman's perennial and inexplicable fav, Queen Bee.) I currently live in one of these condos. To get decent Vietnamese food we have to go over to Route 50 and Seven Corners--and even there, in the Eden Shopping Center, the food has started to decline subtly. But at least you still see Vietnamese families dining in these restaurants--unlike in Clarendon. Four Sisters is still the best of the bunch here. Back in Clarendon and Courthouse--we're still eating at Mexicali Blues, Rocklands Barbecue, Rio Grande, an occasional Latin chicken or Thai place, more out of convenience than reverance or appreciation. And Dupont Circle now has a handful of very worthy restaurants: Pizzeria Paradiso, Johnny's Half Shell, Obelisk, Bistrot du Coin.

Hi Samantha--in general, DC is very conservative and traditional, full of mediocre unadventurous dining. You're in a tough neighborhood for restaurants--K/Conn/17th--very close to the White House. It's busy, touristy, pricey and full of power lunches--all of which augurs against finding stylish, interesting cooking at a reasonable price. Which is the kind of cooking that I like. The obvious higher-end places nearest you are Equinox (818 Conn. Ave.) and Gerard's Place (915 15th St.) and I have had some excellent dishes and experiences at both. Todd Gray and Gerard Pangaud are considered by media as among the best chefs in this area (Pangaud, we are constantly reminded, at one time, in a land far, far away, was a Michelin 2 star chef.) I have also had underwhelming, simple, boring conservative food that was "mailed-in" and over-priced. While these restaurants may be at the top of DC, according to local restaurant critics, they are not at the same creative level of comparably priced restaurants and chefs that I've found in other serious food cities like NY, Paris, SF, Chicago and Boston. How much of this is due to the conservative clientele, home-town rooting by the food media or the chefs' themselves settling in and coasting, is an open question. DC Coast is another restaurant near you that, inexplicably, gets alot of attention from certain NY food media types who only eat at white tablecloth fine dining establishments--and if you want huge portions of straightforward power lunch type food, this is the place for you. I'd try Ten Penh, their newer restaurant with an Americanized "Asian" flair at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. If you are at all interested in modern, stylish, innovative cooking or simply excellent cooking at a fair price--you will be hard pressed to find it your neighborhood, if indeed in all of DC. Instead, I'd recommend you travel a bit toward the MCI Center to dine, in order, at: Jaleo (480 Seventh St) with chef Jose Andres--a good friend and colleague of mine; Cafe Atlantico (405 8th St.) with chef Christy Velie; Tosca (1112 F St.) a stylish, new, modern Italian--whatever that means--with Cesare Lanfranconi, a young chef who is now cooking under his own name, after doing the cooking for years for a local celebrity chef named Roberto Donna; and Butterfield 9 (600 14th St.) I've included Butterfield 9 because the chef seemed earnest and his food interesting--though I have only dined there once, with Jose Andres, and Martin, the chef, cooked a special tasting menu for us. But it might be worth a try. There's not much to recommend in DC's faux Chinatown, which is also East of you. Travel a bit the other way from Farragut--westward--and you'll find Kaz Sushi Bistro (1915 I Street). Sometimes it's easier to dine solo at a sushi bar and this place is modern, innovative, welcoming and superb. Dine early and you shouldn't have a problem dining alone at any of these places--Cafe Atlantico is on 3 floors with lots of deuces and nooks and crannies and in Jaleo you can always eat at the bar or in a deuce along the windows. Realize, though, that both Jaleo and Cafe Atlantico fill up and get quite busy as the evening wears on. Hope this helps and please report back--let's build a database of DC dining.

Though I think the case could be made that Michelin is adapting--albeit slowly--and let's use Spain as the case in point. As has been mentioned elsewhere, elite-level Spanish cooking is now more than Ferran and Santamaria and Arzak, with Martin Berasategui just recently garnering a third star. My chef sources in Spain tell me that there are at least three other restaurants in Spain that deserved a third star ahead of Berasategui--and should get them the next time around. Could it be that Michelin seems to have adapted and gotten it right--they're recognizing creative, modern cooking--and are less dependent on local/regional context and French frame of reference. In Spain, at least, Michelin doesn't seem to me to be so conservative, classic and Francophilic.

and I'd like to say thanks, too, Larry. I enjoyed reading your post and I'm happy you shared with us. I hear Ellen gets cranky when she doesn't eat well and we already have our quota of cranky moderators. (Edited by Steve Klc at 8:53 pm on Dec. 6, 2001)

Dry is a relative term Rock--as Jason started to point out. Perhaps it would be better for you to tell us which brands and bottles you've had already--that weren't sweet enough? And when are you considering having them--as an apertif or at the end of the meal? My recommendations would probably be different. That might help us narrow it down and suggest a few specifics. Apart from house styles, it may be that your "dry" is really dry--or your dry is already somewhat sweet. It's all relative.

Neither Gail--we got into ganache a little bit on a chocolate thread in Cooking, but could always get into it a little more over there! Ganache is a very fragile suspension of water and fat molecules that is extremely temperature sensitive--and whipping it creates an airy, granular mess.

On the supposedly difficult but actually pretty easy side: 1. making puff dough (certainly much easier than brioche or croissant to make); 2. tempering chocolate (so many food writers and food scientists who don't know what they are doing have tried to explain); 3. souffles and liquid center chocolate cakes (no more difficult than brownies) 4. melting chocolate in the microwave (see #2 above) 5. pairing wines with desserts 6. making a real italian meringue buttercream 7. cooking a caramel dry and then deglazing 8. covering a cake with rolled fondant 9. foams and emulsions on the supposedly easy but actually alot harder than one might think side: 1. creme brulee (not the bruleeing--just baking it properly. oh, the bad creme brulees I've had); 2. ice cream and sorbet (very scientific, very difficult to do well, to do well consistently and to store for any length of time. again, food writers have led us astray with the phrase 'freeze according to manufacturer's instructions'); 3. toasting nuts in the oven ('not done, not done, not done--burnt'); 4. grinding your own nut flour (good nut flours come from the squished, de-fatted nut cake after the oils have been pressed out. impossible to do yourself); 5. getting a good dessert from a chef (or at least a dessert that is the equal of the cuisine that preceded it in terms of ingredient expense, thought, creativity and effort); 6. getting a decent espresso at a restaurant 7. using gelatin (80% of pastry chefs and bakers today don't understand the science behind using gelatin); 8. making a French meringue; 9. doing pastry in a professional restaurant kitchen (way too hot. yes, most pastry work "spaces"--I hesitate to say "pastry kitchens"--are not air conditioned); 10. ganache (some would have you believe a good ganache is just cream and chocolate--others that a good ganache is 'whipped')

I thought for sure I must have had one of those parasitic worms, especially after I took a graduate course in parasitology while I was still an undergrad. We peacefully co-existed--if I remember my notes that was called symbiosis--because I was able to consume prolifically and remain relatively thin. That all changed when I turned 35 or so. What hasn't seemed to change, however, is my appetite when I'm in France.

Suvir--thank you for sharing so much with us. I have enjoyed your writing in Food Arts magazine for some time and look forward to hearing more from you--like, have you ever deep-fried Snickers bars wrapped in a naan-like bread?

Fascinating observation Steven--how could any serious contender for gastronomic capital of the world allow smoking in their temples?