Busboy
-
Posts
4,428 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Busboy
-
-
Tiogo's tomatoes were not bad yesterday at Dupont. The flavors were not as developed as they are later in the season, but they did taste of tomatoes. I bought a huge bunch of watercress from Tree and Leaf yesterday and agree about the hippie factor. I was under the impression that they were new to the market.
Question: if they work Wheatland's fields, why would the tomatoes not be as good? Am I confused here?
eta: I am becomming a big fan of Keswick Creamery cheeses. I love the cheddar and yesterday I bought Calvertly (sp?) and something called Quark. I just had to try it reading that funny name, but apparently it's German cream cheese. Flavor-wise it is a bit more tangy than you're Philadelphia brand. Very good. I think the savory flavor will go very well with a berry jam.
Watercress salad with just picked asparagus and a warm vinagrette for dinner tonight.
Logically there should be no difference in the tomatoes. But emotionally, I can't help but worry about my luscious love apples.
Tree and Leaf have been regulars at the Mt. Pleasant market for three years now (as were Wheatland) and a couple of markets in Virginia; I believe yesterday was their first-ever appearance at Dupont.
-
Heinz had the first strawberries of the season this Sunda but the big news is that Tree and Leaf farms is becoming a huge, multinational agribusiness or something
and has swallowed Wheatland Farms whole, under the guise of working Wheatland's fields and holding down Wheatland's coveted space in the Dupont Circle market while the senior Plancks (farmer's market pioneers and parents of Nina Planck, who starts up farmers markets the way most of us buy shoes) build "a hamlet of seven houses to preserve the family farm" and possibly retire to.This is alarming news in I have been dragging an oft-tired and occasionally hungover body out of bed at ungodly hours summer Saturdays since 1999 to be first in line for Wheatland's astounding tomatoes -- the best in the market by far -- and I am terrified that anything about them might change. Wheatland also employed an endless supply of stunningly cute hippie chicks and dudes, apparently all English Majors at small private colleges, to sell their wares, and they will be missed, as well.
On the other hand, Tree and Leaf seems to carry a very similar karma and are my favorite for everything but tomatoes, so there is a not insignificant chance that it will all work out in the end. My fingers are crossed and congrats are due to Georgia and Zach and majordomo (or fixture, at any rate) Katherine for what I am sure will be a successful expansion.
Anybody know if they've taken over Wheatland's Arlington spot, as well?
-
An interesting and encouraging piece about Eastern Market's history as a survivor, despite numerous attempts to kill it off over the last couple of centuries.
And a new website dedicated to tracking reconstruction efforts.
-
I need to buy a decent bottle of port and I'm clueless. In the range of $60.00, can I get something good? Recommendations?
Jean
Other may know better but I think you might have trouble getting a full bottle of vintage port that's not way too young to drink for $60.
On the other hand Graham's makes a non-vintage blended Port called 6 Grapes which I find quite tasty, and it retails for about $25. Makes a fine accompaniment to a wedge of Stilton.
-
Although it's the consensus favorite, my one experience at Etete was dramatically underwhelming. Might have been an off night. I'm also pretty sure that Meskerem peaked and went into a modest decline several years back. Dukem, however is quite good. And a friend of mine who has solid cred in this area -- his daughter is studying Ahmaric in Ethiopia and he just got back from three weeks there -- agrees with my wife and daughter that Abiti (on 9th down towards T) is tops.
-
Next week, my husband and I will be visiting DC (from Seattle) for the first time. I have been reading tons on all of the boards and getting advice from friends who have been before as well as those who used to live there. I've got a couple of specific things I haven't been able to nail down yet....
Lauren
So?
-
No one ate the grasshoppers. Despite the 10 or so tequila selections nobody crawled deep enough into the anejos or patrons to order flamin cheese with insedts on the side. We did cut a wide swath through the rest of Casa Oaxaca's (wah-HA-Kuh) menu, however, came away quite pleased with the results.
This is not standard Mexican (American) fare. No burritos or chimichangas or fajitas. Instead, it's a fine place to get your mole (mo-lay) on. As with curries, there seems to be an infinite variety of moles and Casa Oaxaca offers a little rainbow of options: brown, black, yellow green and red moles splashed atop various meats. Though I don't pretend to know much about Mexican food -- DC being largely bereft of anything other than boring chain and chain-like salsas 'n' guac joints -- the Mole Coloradito was pretty impressive. The tender strip of skirt steak graced by beans and a red, non-chocolate mole was alarmingly eatable and tried my best not to share. The black mole was pretty tasty, as well; the green mole on baby back ribs struck me as a little subtle -- that is, boring -- but what do I know from moles? My friend ate it with great glee.
The tacos are the small, soft type and when stuffed with shredded, marinated lamb and topped with a not-unfirey salsa are excellent.
The grasshoppers are just one of two nasty-sounding appetizers, the other being the Ravioli de huitlacoche (wee-tlah-KOH-cheh), aka corn fungus, aka corn smut, aka Mexican corn truffle. Whatever, it's good stuff, hard to find in DC and put to good use here, in combination with a squash-blossom poblano sauce. The ceviche -- the fish finely chopped and mixed with pineapple -- and the plantain won-tons (rounds of green plantain pounded into dumpling wrappers) stuffed with black beans were standouts, as well.
Desserts were only OK, with the Flan de Horchata being a bit leaden (they're working on the recipe, we were told) and the Tirramisu Oaxaqueno quite good.
Few things are as refreshing as a tequila with an iced Mexican beer to wash it back, but the Michelades Cubana was pretty good: beer, lime, and chili sauce poured over ice. The restaurant also offers about a dozen tequilas, the usual Mexican beers and random (at this point, it's only been open a week) types of South American wine.
The room is nice -- I'd almost forgotten that good Mexican food can be served without fluorescent lighting and a big screen TV showing soccer matches -- and the service very friendly. Apps are $7-10, main courses $15-19.
All in all, an excellent addition to the neighborhood and I'm looking forward to getting back soon.
Casa Oaxaca. 2106 18th St. NW Washington, DC 202/387-2272 (Website coming soon).
-
In spite of all the discussion here, I'll bet the restaurant review is one of - if not the first - columns read in any paper.
Even I read them. Though, within minutes I have forgotten everything but a few key points: stars, wine list, maybe a standout them or dish or two and, generally, whether it lodges in the "we should check this out" portion of the brain or is erased from the hard drive.
In rereading the thread I did fail to mention a couple of things that I think good restaurant critics do well and I thought I throw those in as long as I'm throwing stones.
First, I appreciate critics who take the time to root out the new, obscure and bizarre. The ones that cruise the strip malls, bad neighborhoods and ethnic communities to root out a spot that most people don't have the time (even if they have the inclination) to find on their own.
Second, one thing I will pay attention to in a restaurant review is how to eat cuisine with which I am unfamiliar. What to mix with what at a Korean restaurant, for example, or how to order an omokase, or even just a little background on where Oaxacan cooking comes from (this is why I want to free critics from the drudgery of the weekly report). Things that will help me and other readers for a long time, rather than a short-term comment on the state of one restaurants clams casino.
Third, I appreciate that critics play an important role in the restaurant market. Everyone knows some restaurant for another that got an "unfair" review and went out of business soon after, but good critics also recognize talent when they see it and by getting word out, help rectify what my old econ professors would call a market failure: good decisions cannot be made without good information. If I don't know that Chef A is cooking like gangbusters in a small restaurant near Dupont Circle, I can't make the ideal dinner decision and he can't reap the rewards he deserves. I think critics have made many more restaurant fortunes than they've broken (when did Thomas Keller go from regional genius to national brand? Arguably, When Ruth Reichl wrote that the French Laundry was "the most exciting place to eat in the United States."
So, I'm not hating on the critics themselves, just the format into which they find themselves crammed.
******
On a related subject, what I truly find bizarre is people who can't seem to eat at a restaurant unless they've memorized at least two reviews, viewed the website and asked for advice on eGullet. Have they no sense of adventure? Don't they trust themselves? Of course, I'm a technophobe who prefers dead reckoning to GPS devices (which is likely related to my original post) but still....
-
I don't know if you're dining alone or with company, but the bar at Brasserie Beck , which just opened last week, seems like it would be a great spot for solo dining (and the restaurant not bad for a group), especially if you have a craving for good Belgian beer. It's not particularly inexpensive, but the serving are quite hearty; a single main course or two apps will likely appease many an appetite, particularly if washed back by a bitter Belgian brew. I would not attempt the place at anything approaching peak dining hours (6:30-8:30) without a reservation, as it seems to have been jammed since the doors open. But the doors stay open continuously (IIRC) from 11 or 11:30 AM to 12:30 AM and it's walking distance from your hotel, so you could probably plot an off-hour arrival for bar or table with the cooperation of the very helpful hostess(es).
-
Unfortunately, this is going way beyond "scolding."
there's nothing wrong with scolding or making a case but when people don't respond in the manner the scolders would like them to, the next step is laws, bans, taxes, regulations etc.
More unfortunately, this results in a loss of freedom or choice and higher costs.
The law in question is a good example. The point of the piece linked is that these actions make no sense. If the do gooders behind them believe that it is so important that we have nutritional information about the food we eat in restaurants then it is important that all restaurants be forced to provide this information.
They don't dare go after higher end establishments because the political fall out that would result. In short, fast food restaurants are an easy target.
In the end, the cost of printing this info on menus etc will be passed along to the consumer who will continue to ignore the info and eat based upon their own criteria. As they have always done.
It's actually pretty common for regulation to make exceptions for smaller concerns for the not-unreasonable reason that the cost benefit equation shifts based on the size and nature of the concern.
If, for example, there is an economic benefit in reducing obesity (lower health care costs, less absenteeism, better gas mileage, whatever) and if producing calorie counts will reduce obesity and bring those benefits, those benefits can be weighed against the costs of producing the calorie counts. Since the regulation would cost a major chain operation almost nothing as a percentage of their revenue -- because they serve a consistent menu to millions of people -- any demonstrable benefit would be pure gravy. On the other hand, the relative costs to a small restaurant with a menu that changes daily would be high, while the number of people affected are few, and thus the cost-benefit equation is arguably negative -- the cost of meeting the requirements would be greater than the economic benefits derived.
If it can be demonstrated that calorie counts do indeed have positive economic benefits, this is a relatively sensible way way of putting them in play. If.
-
I saw sea urchins here and there, but they weren't standard taverna fare that I could discover -- I'd suggest looking for a fish taverna or, on the islands, anyplace close to the docks.
-
Mon dieu -- another informal French restaurant springing forth fully formed from the head of the chef-gods, in this case chef Robert Wiedmaier of the excellent Marcel's. Apparently in an effort to avoid sibling rivalry (Marcel's is named after his first child) Wiedmaier has opened Brasserie Beck, christened for child number two (who was lunching with dad and mom when I walked in the other day), in what remains for the moment a relatively unfashionable area of downtown. As far as Beck is concerned the incomplete revitalization of this last nook of SoMa will likely have little impact on Beck, which is alread packed, save that you'll be able to get good parking for now.
Wiedmayer is Belgian, brasseries are Alsatian by way of Paris, exposed ducts are SoHo by way of every hip restaurant or condo for the last 20 years, but the restaurant to blends the various influences in a way that evoke both traditional and modern influences without feeling forced or cute. Immense windows along one wall, 20 foot ceilings (with those exposed ducts and an open layout give the place an open, airy feel, while the classically inspired lamps, wooden booths, classic clocks and and hectares of tile and glazed brick feel quite continental. It all works very well. (Some interior shots, here)
My daughter's meal was determinedly mediocre. The egg on the frisee salad was perilously close to hard-boiled, and so did not ooze with the required aplomb over the greens and bacon, and the steak-frites -- while pretty as a picture and served with three types of mayo for the fries -- did not inspire.
One the other hand, the brandade -- a salt cod dish that remains in short supply, despite the growing number of bistros/brasseries/cafes in town -- was inspiring indeed. Chef David Ashwell ladles out immense portions of this peasanty combination of fish, garlic, oil and cream; it looked as though I was being served a bowl of cream-o-wheat on a snowy morning. It is surely enough for two. Interestingly, it was not served with toast rounds, meaning that I've been eating it wrong all these years or perhaps that the portion is so large that they don't want you spoiling your appetite with carbs. Whichever, I spread much of it on the excellent bread served with the meal.
A not-unhealthy serving of skate, plated atop a lovely buerre blanc and garnished with garlic spinach was quite tasty as well, hot, crisp on the outside moist withing. By the time I finished it, I was like the Georges Banks (he said ironically) too overfished for dessert.
My wife had a tasty potato-leek soup, served with a bit of flourish as a pitcher of soup was poured around a small garnish of boiled (?, I just tasted the broth) potatoes and a delightful, cylindrically-composed salad of shrimp, avocado and hearts of palm with, mayonnaise & ketchup sauce on the side.
In the run up to the opening there was much chatter about Beck offering 50 wines for less than fifty dollars, which I somewhat uncharitably (if not uncharacteristically) sneered at, saying that I would be impressed if, given their brasserie status, they offered 25 wines for less than $25. So, I was impressed when, by my count, I found 26 for under $26 on the list, with bottles from new world and old, including a quite decent Roussanne/Viogner VdP from Gard for $24. Nice work and a pleasant change from other casual French spots around town.
There are a number of Belgian beers available, I hope someone with more background than I in this area will around to tasting a few and reporting back. And, probably because it was quite warm, lunchtime and we'd had a trying morning, we stuck with the lighter Frenchie stuff rather than digging into the heavier and more Belgian offerings, including chicken waterzooie, rabbit stewed in beer, coque au vin, and thier take on the defining brasserie dish, choucroute en croute. Given that steak frites are now almost as readily available as a slice of pepperoni, in Washington, it may these dishes (and that brandade and those beers) that truly set Brasserie Beck apart. More research is surely needed.
I volunteer.
Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street NW
Washington DC 2005
202.408.1717
Lunch for three, with a bottle and 2 glasses of low end-wine, tax, tip, no dessert: $175.
If you're visiting in the next few weeks: not surprisingly, there are a couple of kinks to be worked out in the otherwise friendly and knowledgeable service. Be patient; it's worth it.
-
Wow - thanks to you both.
Busboy, I have just skimmed your Athens and Crete pages. Again - WOW! We will be spending time Crete and have somewhat regretted all along not just sticking to Crete and skipping the other islands, but this is a first (and hopefully not LAST) trip to Greece. I have already found the villa to rent - now I just need to start saving up the funds.
I will carefully read through your Athens suggestions - we are so looking forward to this!
Boy, if you're getting a villa and have access to cooking facilities, I strongly urge you to find a nearby fish market. The stuff I saw there was incredible. Also: sea urchins. Get yourself a bunch and eat them fresh.
-
I spent eight weeks in Greece a couple of years back, drinking oceans of wine, from whatever cheap swill they served in tin cups at forgettable tavernas to expensive wines at Michelin-starred restaurants and never once had retsina served to me. If I can give you no other comfort, you can relax on that matter.
If you fly into Athens, keep an eye out for a small handbook on Greek wine that is sold in the bookshop -- a little out of date, but very helpful. I'll see if I can find my copy and give you a little more detail, but it will be there in the section that features Greek cookbooks.
I don't know what your budget is, but I found that in most tavernas and informal spots, it made more sense to just order whatever they were drawing from the barrel in the basement. Sometimes it was pretty bad. Sometimes it was surprisingly good. But, given the choice between an 8-euro liter of something intriguing and an inevitably mediocre 20-euro 750 bottle, I preferred the former.
The main wine Santorini is called asyrtico, it's very similar -- to my palate -- to Sauvignon Blanc and I found it a bit tedious. If you're in a better restaurant, you might look for white winesfrom the Peloponnese, which I preferred.
The two red varieties to keep an eye out for are Agiorgitiko and Xynomavro (spelling differs) . I particularly like the latter, strikes me as similar to a Pinot Noiron steroids -- a little more chest hair and a little less grace, but quite good.
Note also that Greeks make some excellent roses, which are perfect for quaffing on an island afternoon, and a fine muscat dessert wine from the Island of Samos.
If you don't mind going a little out of your way -- it's in a close-in Athens suburb, reachable by subway or cab -- you might want to try the restaurant Gefseis me Omnasia Proelfsis; Kifisias 317; 210 6202 158; reviewed here and here. They run the restaurant in conjunction with a wine shop and if you're not getting proper satisfaction from the Greek stuff, they have a fine selection of French and American.
Have a great trip.
-
I am pleased to hear that Close des Gourmets is going strong. My family and I had a fine meal there a couple of springs ago, in addition to the food we found the service friendly and gracious. We had failed to grasp how formal the restaurant was and -- though not in t-shirts and sneakers were a bit under-dressed. I'm not sure I've ever felt quite so much like a clueless tourist as I did when the tableau of linen tablecloths, understated decor and well-dressed Parisians hit me full force. Nonetheless, they put us at ease within minutes and, despite my bad French blue jeans (I did have a jacket on, maybe that saved me), took excellent care of us all night. Maybe they specialize in heads
-- my tete de couchon was wonderful. -
Hi! I have an upcoming business trip to DC and would love some suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The challenge I seem to be faced with when I visit is finding places that are really casual and aren't horridly expensive while still offering good food. You know, holes-in-the-wall, street stands, diners, places to get a cheap pizza or a good sandwich. Everytime I ask the concierge for suggestions for a VERY CASUAL place I end up being seated by the bathrooms because I'm underdressed and don't have a $200 blow-out and a $400 purse.
I have one "nice/expensive" dinner planned (Obelisk) but am looking to fill out the few meals I'll have free with good places instead of eating at the hotel. I'll be stuck in the hotel for quite a few meals, but should have at least 2-3 days to visit other places. I'm staying near the Farragut North metro stop. I have no problem taking the Metro or walking, so it doesn't have to be in the neighborhood, though breakfast places close to the hotel would be great. Healthy would be another plus, particularly at breakfast, but not 100% necessary. Like, a place that serves organic pancakes with locally-farmed blueberries or something.
I'll have access to this thread til 5/13. Appreciate any suggestions you may have! Thanks!
What do you consider inexpensive and informal? Right now we are crawling bistros of varying quality and expense, for example,; inexpensive by DC standards, but not exactly cheap. And you can go to two of the best restaurants in town, Palena and Marcel's and eat exceptional darn bar food and maybe sneak one item from the regular menu into your order if you don't have to count your nickels too closely. Likewise Pesce, just across the street from Obelisk, is a relaxed, mid-priced fish place that only locals know.
Someone already mentioned Ethiopian; I'll throw out my favorite-of-the-week, Abiti, on 9th between T and U. We have Thai and Salvadoran in profusion, as well.
I'm not as keen on 2 Amy's pizza as the rest of the world, but I love their small plates -- rustic Italian snacks, home-cured meats, excellent cheeses. If you go, go early or late at hunt for a seat at the bar (you can get the pizza there, too) and watch the small plates being assembled.
You should also check the Washingtonian Magazine Washingtonian Magazine website for their "100 Best" -- which includes a couple of inexpensive spots -- "Cheap Eats" and "Dirt Cheap Eats." A lot of the stuff is the deepest 'burbs, but there are a few places in town.
Speaking of which, on a nice night you can get an outdoor seat at Zorba's Cafe 20th and Q (just footsteps from Dupont Circle), order up a gyro or something, drink cheap wine that won't actually kill you and have one of the best people-watching spots in the city, for dirt cheap.
-
Ironically, the identification of Chianti with that particular reed-wrapped bottle eventually became something of a marketing fiasco, with increasingly sophisticated consumers (rightfully) dismissing the contents of said flasks as unreliable swill. The result were two sets of regulation -- in 1967 and 1984 -- tightening the region and blends that could be called Chianti, in conjunction with a move away from fiaschi to Bordeaux-shaped bottles. The result being better wine commanding prices, but increased interior design pressure for the young sophisto set.
-
Perhaps she should print out or xerox one of the many, many article about wine that point out that a modest percentage of even properly produced and stored wine is corked (accompanied by nhconnor's link), educating the manager and making her point. She might also see if there is a wine division within Costco (or if the department managers are simply assigned there, as the would be to housewares or shoes) and pass the word.
(she should also stop buying cheap Pinot Grigio, but that's another thread)
-
This thread is becoming personal, unpleasant and off-topic. I'm sending it to its corner for a standing eight count and revisiting in the morning.
-
They're called <<fiaschi>> (singular is fiasco, but I don't know if it's related to our word for an unmitigated disaster or not).
Fiasco in Italian has the primary meaning of "flask." It also has a secondary meaning carrying the same meaning as the English word, that being a spectacular failure. Rossini was known to send letters to friends with a drawing of a bottle to indicate that one of his operas had failed upon opening. I've read that the secondary connotation derives from the practice of disgruntled Italian opera patrons expressing their displeasure by blowing across the tops of wine bottles to make a hooting noise (similar to booing), but I have no idea whether this has any real support (I've heard several other seemingly plausible explanations as well).
According to the Car Guys "Puzzler" segment: Question. Answer.
Not that I hold these guys out as an authority on anything non automotive (and even then they're a bit suspect), but it certainly sounds good.
-
I alway call to cancel a reservation. I always call to confirm one as well. And I stand by my position that I am extending a courtesy. It's a gift, not an obligation,
So doing what you said -- or clearly implied -- you would do is a "gift," not an obligation? I guess the whole "a man's word is his bond" thing is passe, as far as you're concerned.
One assumes that similarly, if the restaurant decides to hold the table you have reserved until you arrive, that too is a gift, and not an obligation on their part. I trust that you follow up with a hand-written thank you note.
Perhaps instead of reservationists, restaurants will begin retaining notary publics and we call all have our reservations signed and stamped and legal obligations clearly spelled out, until such time as people agree to act like grown-ups once again.
That's funny because I can't recall even once in my life reserving a table with the words "I give you my solemn pledge, my wife and I will be there at 7:30", usually I just say that I would like a table for two at 7:30 and the reservationist tells me if that's possible.
Busboy, I apologize if my opinions have made you angry. I think I understand your frustration. Restaurant owners have to extend trust to (and gamble resources on) people they can't control. I get that there's economic fallout when the customer doesn't show, but that is risk the restaurant owner assumes when they agree to take reservations. I understand that there are "serial reservationists" who abuse the system. But people see restaurants as a service and they show up or don't for reasons that have to do with their lives and not yours. Seeing that as malicious just seems pointless, unless the point is to make yourself crazy.
Actually my frustration is that people often seem to have forgotten what common courtesy is -- or perhaps what "class" is -- or appear to expect praise for for doing what was once considered a matter of course. If you tell someone you are going to be at a certain place at a certain time, civility -- if nothing else -- demands that you make an effort to do what you said you would do. The fact that, with your reservation, you displace others who might have as much or more desire to dine at that restaurant makes the obligation modestly more urgent. And, though I am only marginally interested in a restaurant's profits, I do think that considering the money one may be taking out of the pockets of everyone from the busboy to the owner shows a heartening ability to see beyond oneself.
-
I alway call to cancel a reservation. I always call to confirm one as well. And I stand by my position that I am extending a courtesy. It's a gift, not an obligation,
So doing what you said -- or clearly implied -- you would do is a "gift," not an obligation? I guess the whole "a man's word is his bond" thing is passe, as far as you're concerned.
One assumes that similarly, if the restaurant decides to hold the table you have reserved until you arrive, that too is a gift, and not an obligation on their part. I trust that you follow up with a hand-written thank you note.
Perhaps instead of reservationists, restaurants will begin retaining notary publics and we call all have our reservations signed and stamped and legal obligations clearly spelled out, until such time as people agree to act like grown-ups once again.
-
From long enough focus, three problems are distinct. A, Customer family fatigued, changes mind about dinner.
This over-simplifies the issue. They changed their mind, but waited until the moment of the reservation to call. Assuming they are anything like most people, they would have had to get ready for dinner. This in itself takes time, so at best they knew they would be cancelling an hour ahead (or however long it takes them to get ready and get to the restaurant). Why they waited until the minute of the rezz doesn't make sense...
Putting down a tired and cranky child for the night could have easily captured the parents' attention until reservation time. Whenever friends with young children make plans to visit, I am never surprised, much less annoyed, if they are late or have to cancel. It's not that they're flakes or insincere, it's that parenting is tough and requires the ability to respond to emerging situations.
Porthos: Apologies, I did not see your name in the thread. I plead over-tiredness when I posted.
MaxH: I'm sorry, but no "reciprocal commitment" exists. That's not a rationalization, it's a fact. As has been stated before, reservations are a courtesy of the business. Restaurants do not have to take reservations. Likewise calling to cancel is a courtesy of the customer. The customer does not have to call. The customer does not owe the restaurant anything beyond money for services rendered. Call it a rationalization if you like, I call it having good boundaries.
That's bogus. Everyone -- everyone -- has an obligation to make a good faith effort to keep obligations they voluntarily enter into. That includes showing up at restaurants (who have turned away others to hold a table for them) when they make a reservation. Cheap legalistic rationalizations not withstanding.
(note: I am speaking generally and not specifically to this case.
-
In case anyone failed -- as I did -- to notice that MaxH was not talking about the main French Laundry discussion, here is the link to the topic to which he is referring.
DC Area Farmer's Markets -- 2007
in DC & DelMarVa: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I love Toigo and have been known to hang out with the crew after market hours, but I think their peaches and apples are much better than their tomaters. On the other hand, no less a cred-wielding critic than Carol Greenwood bought a couple of tons of their tomatoes last summer to put up for the pizza sauce in her new restaurant, and posted Mark Toigo's (last seen in South America restoring a vintage plane) photo (with others) in Comet Ping-pong's bar, so what do I know?