pastramionrye

who is subsidizing your outings, Don...and how can I get myself a piece?

Were they your first passion, or ARE they your first passion?

obelisk or palena...both probably a bit more expensive than your average trattoria you visited, but excellent.

morela, you are one strange woman...

I have seen it...it is quite an amazing movie...and i went into it extremely skeptical.

when i worked downtown, i liked ME Swings and Co., near the white house. very good drip coffee.

very funny, morela.

Mr. Pastrami, If you ask for it medium, it works that way, too. Pink all the way through. the real question i had, mark, was how much longer in a 205 degree oven does it take to get a steak medium, as opposed to medium-rare?

have you guys been to georgetown bagelry????? i have been to NYC, NJ, California, Baltimore, and Gerogetown Bagelry has great bagels. Onion bagel with veggie cream cheese and a coffee....mmmmmmm

i had a steak overcooked at ruths chris in the very recent past.... and as much as i enjoyed my hangar steak at ray's, it was undercooked. and don't get me started on my cashion's experience. but then again, sometimes the grill guy/woman gets hit hard...and all hell breaks loose, and a steak or burger or something will get overcooked/undercooked. these people are human and make mistakes like the rest of us. mr. sommelier...if the steaks produce a perfect mid-rare....what do you do if you want a medium?

gp tp georgetown bagelry...i truly believe that the bagels in this area are some of the best in the country, with georgetown bagelry being the finest DC has to offer. grab a bagel at the location on river road in maryland (off of 495) and eat it while sitting on the capitol-crescent trail. or visit the store in georgetown. DC is such a transient city, in that every two or four years there is a turnover. It is difficult for DC to establish a truly unique food or product. Maryland has the whole crab thing, virginia has it own unique things i am sure...but DC somehow doesn't.

that is very funny, hannah. and this whole ranking thing reminds me of a very funny book/movie: high fidelity...about a man constantly ranking women, mixed tapes, songs etc...

i could swear last night there was a thread at the top re: the best three restaurants in washington, dc....where did it go?

not if they're good looking.

dominion brewing company root beer. though no hot dog in the backroom, sir. as for babka....unsavoury? how so?

I finihsed making my potato based starter for my spontaneous leavening bread. yet i do not understand fully what is supposed to happen next (in a week or two's time). I am basing my recipes or formula's off of paul bertolli's chez panisse book. first question, he said the starter should resemble a stiff batter....mine resembled a bread dough. secondly. i will have about 13 ounces of starter once all is said and done. he uses a method, where you take 5 ounces of the starter to make a sponge, then begin making the bread, take away part of the new dough for your next loaf of bread. (but what about the 8 remaining ounces of starter?) But then earlier on the section for spontaneous leavening breads, he says 10 ounces per loaf are to be held back each time you make dough for the starter. someone please help explain how i replensish my starter when i goo to make bread. i am utterly confused by this whole process of starter/sponge.... jonathan ps. if i am using a la cloche to bake the bread, does that get preheated? does it get soaked in water? or will there be enough steam created by the top being on, covering the bread?

what about the morels? and how did i know that you would have been to yannick's already? it's a tough job, Mr. Rocks, but you seem to do it well.

His new place around 7th street opened on Tuesday... any of you folks been yet (Rocks)? I hear he is open 7 nights a week plus 5 lunches. With a 5 course menu set at $85 plus an extra $30 for wine pairings. If any of you have been or know someone who has been, i'd love to hear the first impressions. thanks.

not very seasonal serving tomatoes and cukes in early spring...

Have you been recently? 6 months ago I would have agreed with you, but I think their food has improved quite a bit lately. i ate there probably three weeks ago; because there was a line outside montmarte one sunday early afternoon...and i hate bread and chocolate as well.

i am somewhat shocked at many of the suggestions being given to our friend from new york....ben's chili bowl???? the hot dogs arent good and the chili is worse; sure at 3 am, when drunk and on U street it is ok.... tunicliff's?!?!?!? that place is just your run of the mill, not very good bar/restaurant. down in dupont, hit up johnnys halfshell, for a fancy dinner go to obelisk, hit up 2 amy's for lunch one day for great pizza (need a cab or a car)...

i have never been to al tiramisu...but pines of rome....yuck! but for the most part, i agree with you, rocks.

this might be a little off topic, but i always felt that you should win the award if you deserve it...i know the beard organization only allows you to be nominated and win the same award like once every 5 or 10 years...but if buolod is the best chef in new york every year, or keller is the best chef in california every year, doesnt it do some dis-service to the award to give it to someone else, just for the sake of giving it to someone new and different?

and why does it seem like its the same four out of 5 people nominated this year from last and on and on down the years...sans the winning chef? is it a rule that you keep getting nominated until you win?

i heard california tortilla was coming there as well...so that leaves 2/3 the space left.