Busboy

Fair enough, then. I love the concept, in case that got lost in the exchange, btw.

Yes. Instead of trying to bring four things home at once when the entree is served, you only have to have three hands. A lot of times I blanch green beans and, as they're draining, I sweat shallots and garlic in olive oil. Toss the beans into the pan to stop the heat and -- when the time comes -- all you need to do is warm everything up, maybe toss them with a little parsley and sea salt. It ain't ain't Escoffier but one day my then-twelve-year-old looked up from his plate and said "Dad, best green beans ever."

I guess I'm unclear as to whether "do their thing" applies to on the job or off. I'm delighted to hit a place that hires dedicated and competent people who bring a little color and personality to their work. More than delighted. On the other hand, I have no idea why anybody would want to spend their money in a restaurant where the people whom they are paying to make their night an enjoyable one are more interested in "their thing" than in your dinner. Interestingly, one of the better known and -- in my limited experience -- most talented sommelieres in DC, someone who sufficiently transcends "attitude" (is there any word that more fully implies empty posturing than "attitude?"?) to actually have played in aband or two. I had only met Andy a couple of times before theWashington Post blew his cover, and so I never noticed the ink creeping out from beneath his French cuffs, among other signs that he was not your father's sommeliere. But the great thing about Andy, in addition to an excellent and -- occasionally -- delightfully random -- palate? No fuckin' attitude. Just wants you to have a good time. I love that when I'm spending my money and time on dinner.

More supportability, I have more than once walked into a dining room and silently cursed the fact that the last few dollars of my entree were paying not for ingredients but for over-the-top decor that did not excuse the mediocrity of the cuisine.Here in DC, Michael Landrum has been wildly successful with his growing Ray's the Steaks group (including the now-legendary r -- Ray's Hell) pursuing a low-overhead, high value strategy. I've spoken with him a couple of times and he is quite psychotically devoted to the idea, including also no real decore and excellent wine values. He bragd about being profitable with food costs over 40%. I believe this description has been greatly exaggerated by the media and others on the Internet. Even Michelin contributed to this false image with a innuendo tweet suggesting smoke drifting out the kitchen. In my experience had the cooks been in a uniform and not aprons I would have never known they had worked in the kitchen. Very professional and equal to other such restaurants, if not better. I'm not sure what you are talking about. If it helps, the "punk rock attitude" paragraph and the Ray's paragraph are more or less unrelated, the former concerning a general concern about "attitude," and the latter being an endorsement of the low-cost approach to superior dining.

I am unsure why I would want to be waited on by anybody who brought their "punk rock attitude" to the floor. Hair, ink, piercings -- fine. Attitude? not so much. Though perhaps I misunderstand. More supportability, I have more than once walked into a dining room and silently cursed the fact that the last few dollars of my entree were paying not for ingredients but for over-the-top decor that did not excuse the mediocrity of the cuisine. Here in DC, Michael Landrum has been wildly successful with his growing Ray's the Steaks group (including the now-legendary r -- Ray's Hell) pursuing a low-overhead, high value strategy. I've spoken with him a couple of times and he is quite psychotically devoted to the idea, including also no real decore and excellent wine values. He bragd about being profitable with food costs over 40%.

I toast. Perhaps because I grew up not knowing any better. Even when I get bagels from New York or DC's one remaining (that I know of) decent bagel shop. I just like the taste.

Hi Tarte! Trip number 38? (PM me with your B&B info which I have lost). La Marenda famously doesn't have a phone so, if you want to go there, wander by at the end of the service before, or maybe when they start setting for the night, and let them know your intentions. If your are feeling really macho, the stockfish is a brutally pleasurable experience. If you're American, they may make you taste it before they serve it to you. Rotted (nor really, but quite strong) cod, tomato and garlic in a stew. Quite good, if you like that sort of thing. The wine list is "red, white or rose" and the tables can be crowded. Our last meal there was shared with a pair of Swedish heavy metal fans. They were delightful, of course. One thing to remember in Nice is that their street food is famous. Socca, pizza, harissa... that sort of thing. Plan on just munching out rather than sitting down for lunch one day. "Cuisine Nissard" is a cross between Italian and French, and often involves deep frying. Look for squash blossoms. I saw the chef from La Merenda (I recognized his bicycle) buying the squash blossoms at the market one morning, after I'd eaten them at his restaurant the night before. Also, I loved the shellfish places on the edge of the old city. Try a "violette" if they are in season. Oddest shellfish I ever ate. And the oysters and sea urchins were simply incredible. Are you going to be there for the Jazz Festival?

Head cheese is always fun, especially if you have a large gathering coming up. Ruhlman has a pretty good recipe. A killer cleaver or a band saw helps. Here is an interesting -- if not entirely helpful -- photo guide to breaking down a pig's head.

Where are you headed? There's a Whole Foods just off the interstate as you turn off for Park City/Deer Vally/The Canyons. It's about 10 minutes from either of those resorts, except at rush hour. You actually shouldn't have trouble cooking pastas, should you be inclined, they just take longer. I'd be inclined towards short ribs, myself, maybe served with roasted winter vegetables (check out the French Laundry Cookbook, though the short rib recipe is epically more complicated than need be). Polenta with milk, garlic and grated Parmesan. Chop the garlic, sweat it, add half-and-half water and cream at about 5-1 to the meal (more or less to taste0, with an amount of Parmesan equal to the meal. You can let it set and fry it or serve it creamy with sausage or better yet... Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. This is some great shit and vegetarian, too, if you're skiing with Communists. It and went down brilliantly after a day at Park City. The greens ratio can be troubling, depending on the green you use (ie, chard reduces much more than kale) so don't add it all at once, and accept the possibility of leftovers. Also, anything with garlic bread. Keep in mind, if this is your first trip, wine and liquor are a pain to get hold of, so you may want to research in advance. As far as I know, there' only one wine/liquor shop in Park City (acceptable) and I expect that that pattern is repeated throughout the state.

Glad the recommendations panned out. I have long maintained -- and having live two blocks from it before that neighborhood was discovered -- that Ben's is better as a back-story than a dining destination. My daughter and I used to hit it for breakfast at 6AM every now and again and the charming staff, all-soul jukebox and grits make fora pretty satisfying pre-dawn meal. Old Ebbitt has loads of charm and but is more of practical destination -- it's 11PM and you crave a decent burger; your sun just had First Communion and you need brunch -- than a serious dining establishment. Though, the late night half-priced raw bar and pretty good martinis deserve respect. As for the Marcel's echo effect, when I write my Washington spy novel, one of the important scenes will have our hero overhearing a whispered conversation from across the room, because of its odd acoustic characteristics. The dining room, btw, was designed in the early 90's for the predecessor restaurant, Provence (which I loved) and never updated.

Gotta say, I think Komi is the most overrated place in town. An enjoyable meal, and a cool space. But its not cooking, it's shopping. So, it's the Alice Waters school of dining? Yeah. Although the one time I ate at Panisse, there was a lot more cooking going on than you'd notice, if you weren't paying attention. Who doesn't love a ridiculously fresh piece of obscure fish with a wonderful olive oil and hipster salt. But, really, if we had a fishmonger connection, we could all do that at home. And the date stuffed with cheese: enough. Others who know more about this sort of thing disagree with me, but I find more theory than genius in Monis's cooking.

Gotta say, I think Komi is the most overrated place in town. An enjoyable meal, and a cool space. But its not cooking, it's shopping.

The ongoing go-to for Ethiopian is Etete, on 9th, but there's a growing feeling that it's trending towards bland. My wife -- who knows about these things -- says that for her money, Duken has the best Kitfo (spiced raw meat) in town. And the new critical favorite is Ethiopic, on H Street, a few blocks from the Union Station metro. My one meal there was painful, though. My favorite place is actually Zenebech, a hole-in-the-wall that wholesales injera to most of the other Ethiopian places in town and sells spices, videos and the usual assortment of immigrant support stuff, and also puts out a pretty mean plate of wat. The best metro-friendly Indian is Rasika, where beautiful people dine on what some have called "the best Indian in the U.S." Of course, those same "some" have given Rasika's sister restaurant, Bombay Club, high marks and that place should be shunned. More informally, Heritage Indian Dupont is pretty decent and has a good lunch special, if you're in that neck of the woods. Indique and Indique Heights are both a cut above your basic lunch buffet joints (so is Heritage, though it offers a lunch buffet) but have seemed a little bland on recent visits. They are located almost on top of the Cleveland Park and Friendship Heights metro stations, respectively.

I think Andres is increasing overrated -- including Zatinya and Minibar -- but I'm in the minority, and you might enjoy this extensive portrait by one of the Big Two food writers in town. Best dinner in town on Sunday night is Marcel's (two blocks from the Metro, btw). The Boudin Blanc are legendary, everything else merely exceptional. You can get the menu or just scattered courses at the bar. You seem to be locked into a lot already, but if you're you're feeling offal, you might try to see if Eola works into your schedule. It also has the advantage of being undiscovered (despite this not-well-written piece in the local alternative weekly). Not to be a bitch (yeah, to be a bitch) but your agenda is heavy on the usual suspects at this point. I'm not sure I'd travel all the way from wherever you're traveling from to go to the Palena Cafe, (the main restaurant is closed Monday) but I've ended a long-time boycott (apparently the servers in the main dining room are no longer complete assholes) and find the place quite tasty. The Mackerel With Some Bitter Italian Green was spectacular, pasta top notch, pork belly mind-blowing-- even moreso than pork belly is by definition. The much-lauded gnocchis have been disappointing and I find that the legend exceeds performance when it comes to the roast chicken and the burger. Though, if you're in the mood, it's said that they're great. d'Oc isn't bad, and who doesn't love brains? But it's not great, either. Last time I was there, none of their wines by the glass were from Languedoc or Provence. Which disturbed me. Mostly agree with weinoo, though my experience at Cashion's is 50% "why don't I come here more often?" and 50% "I paid how much for that mediocre shit?" And, my one night at Estadio suggested that the food is hit or miss. PS7 (not sure about the others) has an extensive non-alcoholic cocktail program. There is one decent pastrami joint in DC and it's 1) utterly inaccessible, 2) closed for dinner and 3) the aged Jewish lady who keeps the stuff up to snuff may die any day. (Perhaps not brilliant, but would hold its own in NYC). City Deli, BTW

Sure, I'll take any ski-oriented suggestions regarding which mountains are better, and which condos are cheaper. But, is there a noticeable difference between the two areas regarding local food? I bought tickets into Salt Lake City but beyond that have no plans. Probably less worried about "fine dining" as we have that here in Washington and resort restaurants, in my experience, tend to overcharge and under-perform. Also, I'm with the (22-year-old) kid and not the wife, so why pay for foie gras? But Mexican/Southwestern and fine pub grub would be very desirable. Also, decent wine/cheese/bread resources. Thanks!

Thanks, Tim. Your response confirmed what I'd suspected from an earlier visit -- a great neighborhood, though perhaps not on a the culinary cutting edge. I look forward to exploring it in more detail. My worry about the drive downtown is based on some killer traffic jams on 76, though those journeys were admittedly undertaken at high-traffic times. We ended up in Manayunk because there are apparently both a marathon and major convention in town, the result being that all non-premium downtown hotels were booked and B&B rooms were in high demand. But, if you ever have a crowd coming that can't fit in your guestroom/on your couch/on the floor, you might try here.

As always, operating on a last-minute basis and have found myself exiled -- hopefully happily so -- to a B&B in Manayunk. One visit years ago suggested that it was a charming little spot, but are there any go-out-of-your-way restaurants -- especially BYOBs -- in the area? A quick search suggests that Philly's best spots are further downtown, I hope that's simply my poor search technique. Other recco's for bars, breakfast (un-elaborate) in Manayunk or the the Drexel area, cool places ot hang with a 17-year-old would be appreciated, as well/

So, of the "countless other nameless Southern restaurants in the city" name me five. Hitchin' Post....Georgia Brown's...and ... Or are you counting the fish places? Just curious. Ziebold, by the way, is not actually the chef at Sou'Wester. Though he was of course instrumental in the design, Rachel Harriman is the chef. And if you were going to bust they hype, you're about a six months too late because the Washington Post gave it a decidedly mediocre reviewlast November. I trust that law school help you learn to do your research a little better.

I find it amusing that any contributor to a food website that has well-love threads on pizza, Tater tots and hamburgers would trash Tony Bourdain for being a one-trick pony. Yeah, he's no MFK Fischer -- wildly overrated in her own right -- but he's a fun read and knows his shit. And, having dined with him once and been on the fringes as he held court on another occasion, he's a lot like a lot of contributors on this and any other websight (aka Miami Danny and, arguably, me) probably a very decent guy, but with a profitable gift for articulate assholery. Credit that prep-school education he got before he went wrong, and the delight one takes in making the rent. And, if Wolfgang Puck can get rich off his atrocious chain restaurants, why can't Tony make a few bucks peddling books?

I actually don't get to Old Town much, and if the kids are small it's a bit of a hike from the metro. I hear good things about the Majestic Diner, though (mid-price) and Eve, but that's swank and expensive. Nice place to wander around if you make the trip, though. I'm not sure I'd Metro from Roslyn to Bethesda -- a long trip. And, I confess, living in town I usually just eat nearby and don't have a heap of Suburban expertise. I'm good for a Clyde's drop-in any time. Burgers, Martinis, half priced wine on Sunday night. Good place for kids, but can be crowded at prime time. And Georgetown, which is a slightly annoying location for us jaded locals, is a real briar patch for kids. We used to take ours to the book store and -- once they're old enough to appreciate this stuff -- Urban Outfitters, along with a movie at the multi-plex. An excellent escape from high culture. Also consider a late lunch outdoors at the very moderately priced Cafe La Ruche -- or the pricier Bistro Francais, for a tasty steak tartare. A 15 minute walk from Wisconsin and M gets you to Montrose Park for a picnic (Stock up at Dean and DeLuca) and Dumbarton Oaks for the formal garden/pre-Columbian art aficionado.

Endless possibilities you you have more specifics to add, but just for starters let me suggest a couple of places that have been friendly to my family for many years; If he's staying in Roslyn, Ray's the Steaks and are just one stop away at the Courthouse stop. Ray's isn't exactly a cheap date but is an excellent value if you love a good piece of beef -- I just ate there last week, and vowed to return more often. A little loud and a little frenetic but well worth a visit. The do reserve some tables for walk-ins, but a reservation is recommended. Waits can be long. Also, if your friend drinks wine, the owner views bringing excellent wine to the masses at a very good price as something of a mission (seriously, I've seen him go off on this) and if you don't finish the bottle, you can cork it and bring it home. The sommeliere used to work at the best French Restaurant in town (Robert Parker was a regular) and has shifted gears admirably. Try the Petite Sirah. Near Dupont Circle (North Exit) (the less-well-known-but-brilliant Phillips Collection is nearby, as well as the Textile Museum and the Woodrow Wilson House, and Embassy row -- but I guess you know this) we always hit Bistro Du Coin, which has both groupies and detractors. Think of it as a neighborhood bar that happens to serve hangar steak (onglet) instead of cheeseburgers (get the hangar if you want beef, their other cuts are authentically mediocre). Always best to go early or late, it can be pretty insane between 7 and 9. Consistently pretty decent food and a fun atmosphere. Two blocks away, at 17th and Q, Trio's serves up decent diner food to an urban eclectic crowd, and, for the kids, makes real milkshakes with real ice cream served in the metal cup they blend it in, with a glass on the side. Very nice. Full bar for dad, if necessary. Forgettable food but sometimes you just want your turkey club and be done with it. It's where my kids learned to eat out. If you're like me and prefer good old Amurrican pizza to that yuppie "authentic" stuff, Pete's Apizza has the best pie in town, right on top of the Columbia Heights Metro Station. Not sure what a tourist would be in Columbia Heights, unless they just want to hang out in a cool neighborhood, or maybe go to the zoo, but worth it for the pie. Kind of half-way between fast food and a real restaurant, but with decent beer and wine in addition to the high quality apizza. And, down near the museums, at the Gallery Place Metro, I'd suggest well-regarded tapas joint Jaleo, where even the picky kids can find something and picky adults will enjoy the quality of the cooking.

We like to chop lamb in sandwich-sized bits (largish) and drop it into a container filled with olive oil, feta cheese, garlic and rosemary, and let it hang around until we feel like the greatest sandwich ever. It will all congeal in the fridge, but the flavors transfer and the congealed oil means it will last forever. Just warm very gently in a pot, put on crusty bread and use plenty of napkins.

Probably won't want to eat there, but Dirty Franks pretty much defines "grungy beer joint." They are on the NE corner of 13th and Pine. For eating and drinking, Pub and Kitchen is indeed a great choice and only a few (maybe eight) blocks from Dirty Franks. As to taking a table for the night, on a Saturday evening, unless you are tipping the owner along with the server, the great BYOs are probably too small and too popular to set aside a two top for the evening. Perhaps a progressive exploration of two or three BYO's by staggering reservations. Perhaps room service at the Four Seasons. Actually six, though we expect that the starving college students will surely keep the tab high. And, while we don't want to be rushed, we do our camping in the woods, not downtown, so we're not actually assuming an all-nighter. Dirty Franks sounds promising. Thanks. Thanks. We are looking at Tarte Tatin's (though parental obligations may cut into our grownups night at the bars), so your recs in that 'hood are quite appreciated. Any ideas for an off-beat Easter dinner? Again, assuming that the white tablecloth places are booked and something unexpected would be the way to go.

I want to piggyback on this thread, and maybe cast a little broader net. First night, we'd like a good bar, maybe even one that serves decent food, close to a B&B, if possible. Our taste in bars is quite catholic, we mostly want to avoid those hipster wannabe joints (actual hipster joints are fine) that are expensive but feel like you're in a chain hotel bar. Grungy beer joints, pretentious cocktail lounges, good old neighborhood rooms -- we love them all. (The only bar I know in Philly is Bob and Barbara's, which we like quite a bit). Did I mention the need for a decent B&B? Second night, looking for fine BYOB dining. We will consult the list above, but if anyone wants to throw another name or two out, that would be swell. Also, assuming that we bring like 20 bottles of wine for a long night of eating and swilling, is there a protocol for warning the place in advance and tipping? Finally, we're looking for a place to eat Easter Dinner where you wouldn't normally eat Easter dinner. Chinese, pizza, something where we can come in and relax, given that all the good places are probably booked and when there's a three hour drive home, the wine list is not particularly relevant.

Depending on mobility, Marcel'sis walking distance from Georgetown and a wonderful experience for your splurge. I love that place. Also, La Chaumiere offers very good traditional French in an atmosphere conducive to (but not demanding of) old money. Unadventurous parents will also appreciate Clyde's of Georgetown. Bistro Francais offers reliable steak-frites type dining. Martin's Tavern isn't bad, either. Further afield, Dino's offer's non-splurgy Italian and CityZen is my go to splurge shop, assuming that it's just the young and adventurous. Fpr a demi-splurge, sit at the bar and get the $50 three-course menu. Best deal in town.