mrs.albanese

I love the idea of a sparkling wine like cava or prosecco with chili cheese fries. Never tried the pairing, but I bet it will work deliciously. ( I have been known to pair pigs-in-a-blanket with sparkling wine, yum) If not one of those, I would go with a chilled rose. Any of those would have enough body to not be overpowered by the full flavors of the food, and would also have a crisp (& bubbly) character to balance with the rich flavors. Most important is that you enjoy them and have a great time!

Honestly, I think that it is probably just annoying to DC and his staff when people take pictures during dinner. He's in a position to exert power, and he's banning photography simply because he can. This is just my guess. I wonder if he feels like it takes longer to turn the seats for the next reservation if there are pictures being taken? I have not eaten at KO, are there ever waits for reserved seats?

I am disappointed to read about the problems at the CIA, but I am not surprised. I graduated in 2002, and even then there were signs of trouble ahead. It seems that the school severely relaxed it's admissions policies in the last several years; the high standards that the school was well known for are no longer passed on to students. In the past, an employer knew what he or she was getting from a CIA graduate, but I am sad to say that this is no longer the case. The unfortunate effect of poor admissions policies and a general dumbing-down of the school curriculum is that the students are not getting the superior education and experience that the CIA is known for. Seems an end of an era, too bad.

Has anyone been to Rome lately? I am planning a trip for the first week of June, and I would love some restaurant recs. My husband and I prefer more casual dining with the locals as opposed to fancier restaurants.

Jean George is a great place for lunch

I know people who work at both Cafe Lux and Compass. I think that Cafe Lux is disapointed by the review because 1) comparing Lux and Compass is like comparing apples and oranges, 2) After having two chefs leave within 2 months, they finally have a great young chef (formerly of Oceana and Chanterelle) who is really turning the kitchen around, even after only six weeks on the job. On the other hand, the service could really use some work dealing with the 200-300 covers they do in the 80 seat restaurant. They never noticed that Bruni was there- Compass knew every time. Cafe Lux is what it is- a noisy & fun neighborhood restaurant. The review will not affect their business. This review will hopefully be good for Compass- the place puts out great food, but it is always empty. They are also benefiting from a great new chef. I would love to read about people's experiences there- I am thinking about going this weekend.

I also had the veal chop at Babbo with white truffles. The dish itself was amazing; double cut chop, mushrooms, fontina cheese... my only issue was with the truffle! A small, small dried up end piece of the truffle was brought to our table- I was actually worried that the server was going to cut his finger on the slicer! The flavor was mediocre at best. Too bad. The rest of the meal was fantastic- love the food at Babbo. I had amazing white truffles at Per Se last week, by the way.