Joe H

Post #1! Whoa! I assume you were having a glass of wine as you typed it?

http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...ages/38584.html is the link to a more thorough and detailed post about Restaurant Eve. I posted it on Chowhound only because I have been a regular on there for almost four years and feel part of a family as many do on here. There are about ten or twelve of us who get together regularly either at others' houses or in restaurants. Still, the frequent overbearing, arrogant, insensitive moderation is close to driving me away from it-as it has many on this board. For the moment I have made the decision, because of friends, to try and survive it.

What is the point of your saying something like this? I am applauding excellence and our good fortune in having it here.

Last night my wife and I had the nine course prix fixe and were disappointed overall. One great dish, the gnocchi. One horrible dish, the skate which had an aromatic spice that seemed like camphor attacking our nostrils. We were told that it was Tahiti #1 vanilla whatever that is. Service was exuberant, almost Michelin correct. At one point there were eight staff for a room of about 30. The sommelier is a real credit to this restaurant: knowledgeable, enthusiastic, personable-I cannot say enough about him. Along with the service this was a production that was among D. C.'s best. Soft shell crab was good but coming eight hours after a lunch at Kinkead's with his soft shell crab this was a distant second. The bomb was nicely presented but lacked richness and intensity, it's texture almost seemed "thin" even "dietetic" if you will. The five course prix fixe should be compared to Obelisk. The style of Eve and the enthusiasm and profssionalism of its staff will put it almost on par. But the food, for me, needs to be more fully developed. The gnocchi, by the way, was an absolute knockout! Old Town has needed this restaurant. Open only a month it is already very popular with Saturday nights booked up in this room over a week in advance. There is a lot of promise. At $300 for two people including a very fairly priced $58 bottle of South African red this was not an inexpensive dinner. I think we would hve been happier spending $200 and doing the five course. I should note that a week ago I had dinner in the Black Forest at the two Michelin star Bareiss and the three Michelin star Schwarzwaldstube on back to back nights. With fresh comparisons in mind Eve couldn't help but suffer. Having said this it also reaffirms my conviction that Maestro is truly a world class restaurant and Fabio was paid a real injustice in not winning the Rising Star Beard award. Maestro is BETTER than Bareiss, on par with the three Michelin star.

Red Roost, as of last year, is still there and living up to its legend. Crab Alley in Ocean City, Pope's Creek with three places, Cantler's but ONLY for crabs and the best overall which is closed because of hurricane damage, Stoney's in Broome Island. Kelly's and Bill's in Baltimore also.

Please post on here your thoughts about La Fournace. Also, it is difficult to find, but if it is helpful the restaurant sits very close to the autostrada which passes nearby. It is getting from the autostrada to the restaurant that is challenging. There is a map on their website but it is off a little bit. Ca Peo is outstanding. Somehow, for some reason, Fieschi may have a different chef. I could be wrong but when I was researching restaurants in this area about a year and a half ago I found an article in Gambero Rosso in Italian that a friend roughly translated for me meaning there was a "new" chef. He was certain of the translation but at the time it caused me not to go. Part of our wonderful experience at Baldin was expecting very little and knowing almost nothing other than Gambero Rosso's 50 point rating. Nondescript, out of the way, but extremely friendly and accommodating with wonderful food fairly priced. It is not Le Calandre (my choice for best in Italy outside of Padua) but it is VERY good. Have a great trip!

Fabio is extremely creative. Steve klc and I have discussed in the past whether he would even be considered "Italian." For me, he is, but he uses this as a starting point for a very personal cuisine that is really quite dissimilar from most of what you would find in Italy, Le Calandre excepted. This is a restaurant where not every dish, regardless of its description, will taste or even look like what you might imagine it to be. In the link above most if not all of the dishes from the Chowhound meal are shown. Note Roe's description versus what the dishes actually looked like. My point is, this is a restaurant to order the $125 tasting, not even consider what the next course on your plate might be, and just go for it! For me, some of Fabio's dishes are as close to sublime as I will find on this side of the Atlantic. Yes, Keller, Trotter and several others including Roberto for some of his dishes (duck custard brulee) are in this league. But you will taste things, Bilrus, and LIKE things that you never would have imagined you would. I envy you for your first meal at Maestro. No matter what you expect, it will surpass it. There are very few restaurants anywhere that I can say this about.

This is the link: http://share-dell.shutterfly.com/action/sh...M2r5I&sm=0&sl=0 to a series of about 60 photos of the dinner I referred above. It was 14 courses, lasted a shade over five hours and extraordinary. A number of the dishes shown in this dinner are available in his tasting menus.

Call Emanuele Fissore at 703-821-1515. He is the general manager and very accommodating if at all possible. I arranged the Chowhound dinner for 58 on February 18th. Also mention that you'd like to reserve a room, too. (This helps them.) If you are flexible (i.e. early dinner at, say 6:00-it will last three hours +) he may be able to get you in. You should do the $125 seven course blowout. You'll end up with 12 courses total and, yes, you'll leave stuffed. Their goat cheese and grappa risotto is superb. Fabio flies in arborio from Alba which is the same that Le Calandre uses. In fact Fabio has now eaten at Le Calandre, the Michelin three star outside of Rubano that is most similar to Maestro. In my opinion Maestro is the best and most creative Italian restaurant in America as well as the best in the greater D. C. area. Laboratorio is also superb with Roberto but the style is different. We are very fortunate to have these two great restaurants here.

I suspect that Europeans are much more tolerant of having your dog join you than are Americans. I've eaten in Michelin two stars with an extremely well dressed couple and their equally well behaved and jewel collared poodle sharing some of their meal. We enjoyed it and thought it wonderful that Violon d'Ingris in Paris, the restaurant, counted them as regular customers. Having four cats I'd actually be tempted to bring one of them with me one time. He thinks of himself as something of a gourmet and it would be an event! But having said this I'm guessing that there is a different attitude here than in Europe. I would call a particular restaurant and ask them for their policy and thoughts on this.

I got in a lot of trouble on this board because I thought tthis was reasonably good fast food fried chicken, not quite as good as Popeye's best and certainly not on par with what could be done in a cast iron skillet and a bit of time. Now that the lines have died down and, frankly, disappeared, Pollo Campero is still very good. but it is also fast food fried chicken and not on the same level as what can be done totally from scratch with a bit of time. For all of those who swore that it was great, it is not. But it is very good; still, this is/was a social event. Now, months after the lines have disappeared, where are all of those who swore that it was the best fried chicken they have ever had? It's not.

That Hyatt is arguably the most difficult of any to find.

You know the Sterling/Chantilly/Reston/Ashburn area better than I do--but who are the high-quality threatened small shops--the bakeries, sausage makers, barbecue joints, cheesemongers etc out that way--that Wegmans will take business away from? I want to know so I can support them. This is the problem, Steve: there's virtually nothing out here in what otherwise amounts to an artisinal wasteland. Other than farm markets and a handful of decent bakeries the only ones who will really suffer are Sutton Place, Whole Foods, Giant, etc. A number of these have renovated their stores while adding new product lines. Wegman's in D. C. would be catastrophic for many smaller stores since there are a number of them; but in the suburbs their damage is really limited to chains since there are so few artisans anywhere. Italian markets, Hispanic, Super H, etc., I don't think Wegmans will hae any impact on these.

Because I know so many people I spend considerably more time on CH. There's a group of about ten or twelve of us who get together fairly often; this reinforces time spent on that board. I think this, Chowhound, and Road Food (the Jane and Michael Stern board: http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?US=0...id=332637551105 is the link to a recent outing of theirs') all have groups that post regularly and, in many instances, become like small families. In fact the two dinners that I put together at Laboratorio and Maestro for 30 and 58 people respectively were wonderful opportunities to meet new friends. If I had known about eG first I probably only rarely participate on CH.

There are several Harris Teeters in Atlanta that are probably 75 to 80,000 square feet and, for me, superior to any Harris Teeter in the D. C. area. Still, H-T is capable of a "national class" grocery store. I haven't been in either of the Giants I mentioned in RV and Baileys in a number of years. In the late '80's they were the D. C. area's highest volume stores, slightly over $50 million per year each. I would suggest that Giant has either sat still or regressed, if you will, while H-T, Whole Foods and Wegmans have taken D. C. overall to a higher level. Thanks, Steve, for your comments about NYC. I was not thinking of the suburban stores there. I've been in the Wegmans in Pittsford four or five times and believe that their Dulles store is its equal although it lacks the Rochester store's restaurant. I've also been in Woodbridge and Downington but, honestly, haven't spent enough time to compare any of these. I did note that the Woodbridge store has a very large Indian section along with the tandoori oven. My guess is that Wegmans here is starting off slow to see which direction they should be developing various departments in. There is also no question but that Wegmans is going to take a fair/large amount of business away from smaller specialty stores as well as other markets. Essentially it is the ultimate category killer. But a by product of Wegmans introduction into our market is that it causes a number of other stores to upgrade to be competitive. Lastly, perhaps sadly, there are so few true grocers/butchers/bakers left in most citie's suburbs that a store like Wegmans often represents the only opportunity to find many foods. Overseas Auchan and Carrefour may have a significant impact on these small businesses-I think much more so than Wegmans because there are usually so many of them. But here this is often as much of a statement about our lack of certain kinds of stores.

Bilrus-I've travelled 125+ days per year on business for almost 25 years throughout North America and Europe. This includes annual driving trips of 8,000 miles here and 5,000 km overseas. At this point I hate travel. Having been obsessed with food since shortly after birth I reward myself for far too many nights away from home. A number of these meals are also on business. For all of my discussion of starred this and starred that I've probably spent more energy and time driving out of my way for bbq, pizza, fish and chips and curry over the years. Most people who travel as much as I do may enjoy food and wine but don't share my life long obsession. I've just learned to take advantage as for many others mine are not their priorities.

Actually he introduced a new consideration: that it's "nowhere near the heights it hit in the mid '90's." Having first gone to Obelisk in the early '90's and consistently averaging at least two visits per year since I've had several meals with courses that were merely very good or satisfying. But overall, over the years, I've found there to be a rather remarkable consistency in the level of excellence of this restaurant. I've also eaten in enough restaurants around the U. S. and Italy (perhaps 30 or more starred restaurants over the past 20+ years in Italy) to feel that by my standards, Obelisk continues to excel for the style that it is. No, for me it is not Maestro; perhaps not even on the level of a one star. But it is essentially simple food done very well-if I found myself in it in, say, Florence or Siena or Genoa I would be very happy when I left. My real concern is from the perspective of having a sister who has owned a restaurant that was considered one of D. C.'s best by Phyllis Richman. (This is before her bankruptcy.) She, as many on this board, put in 80, sometimes 90 hours per week. At age 64 she is still doing this although she is now a caterer. It is one thing for her to be "punished" with criticism when someone visited and left unsatisfied. It is quite another, especially now with message boards like this and the influence of many who post on them, for a restaurant to suffer because of a single opinion passed along with a very narrow base. I think this is unfair. I also believe that most on this board who are in the industry will relate to what I am suggesting. One customer, vindictive because of a singular experience, can literally be poison for a restaurant if they actively promote their negative experience. If I am guilty of hyperbole and exuberance for D. C. area restaurants (and, yes, Citronelle is one of them; mine was the winning bid on Michel's jacket at the James Beard dinner) it is because of a real sense of pride of how far this, my hometown, has come over the years. We DO have national class restaurants now; no, there are only a handful. (Yes, Zaytinya is one-of course) Obelisk is also. I passionately believe that excellence-based on what I have put into my own mouth-deserves to be defended. For too many years Washington, D. C. didn't have a single restaurant even worthy of a defense.

Which Chat? I read them almost every week including the last two and must have missed one where Obelisk was mentioned negatively. As for a "recurring theme on here" I don't follow this board as closely as Chowhound but I don't recall any significantly negative first hand comments about Obelisk. If anything the first hand comments have been almost uniformly positive. Still, all that matters to me is what I think of a restaurant and, based on my most recent visit just before Christmas, Obelisk was excellent. If it has declined since then I would have cause for concern. My argument is with posts that speak of second hand negative criticism, i.e. rumors, as opposed to a personal experience. I believe it is one thing to say that "I had a .... at Obelisk." It is quite another to say "severely downhill" when this is not based on a personal visit. One visit by one person can indirectly lead to a sum of criticism that can imply many people and many visits. I would just feel much more comfortable in accepting the statement if it was based on his personal experience.

I could be wrong but I believe the largest Carrefours is near the intersection of the A4 and A 104 east of Paris. I stopped in this in January on the same day that I first went to the Auchan in Val d'Europa. I would guess that the grocery portion is, perhaps, 150 to 175,000 square feet. This is an older building that just rambles on forever with a number of smaller businesses associated with it. The entire complex must be the size of a larger shopping mall in the United States, probably 750,000 square feet or more. I have been in larger grocery stores in America (i.e. Woodmans in Rockford, IL and also Wisconsin) but they were rathe nondescript and, other than size, didn't compare. the largest Wegmans are a favorable comparison suffering only by products which are available only in Europe and not in the U. S.

Obelisk has NOT gone downhill in the last several years. Pastan was just nominated for a James Beard award as the best chef in the Mid Atlantic area. I think it is questionable to claim that this, a wonderful restaurant that we are fortunate to have in this area, is anything less than excellent without substantiation or specific criticism. Frankly, "severely downhill" just seems to be an comment that causes me to wonder if there was a personal experience that colored one's perception? I've averaged two to three dinners there a year for the past ten and have never had one that was less than wonderful. The Beard Society seems to feel the same way with his nomination.

Fascinating thread. Absolutely fascinating. I grew up on Garland Avenue, two blocks from the Giant on Arliss. Not only do I remember when it was built but I also remember when the Co-Op was built at Piney Branch and Greenwood. I've also been in Publix all over Florida from Sarasota to North Miami Beach along with Harris Teeters all over Georgia and both Carolinas. 1. The Giant on Arliss has nothing in common with many other grocery stores in the Washington Area. The fact that it is disappointing is more a reflection of where you live than of the chain or the area it is in. The Giant at Rockville Pike and Randolph or the Giant in Baileys Cross Roads are both exemplery. 2. There is not a grocery store in the states of Florida, Georgia, North or South Carolina that can compare to the Wegmans on route 28 in Sterling. There are many specialty items that I cannot find anywhere in the Atlanta, Miami or Tampa metro areas that I CAN find in D. C. 3. There is not a grocery store in Southern California or New York that can compare to either Wegmans or a better Harris Teeter here. Yes, Manhattan has better specialty shops. But New York, San Francisco and Chicago aside we can find more specialty items here than anywhere else in America. I strongly disagree with those on this board who feel that the D. C. area is lacking. I've obsessively been going in grocery stores around the United States since the '70's (from Byerly's in Minneapolis to Larry's in Bellevue to Ukrops in Richmond to the Central Market in Austin) and am convinced tha we are indeed lucky that we have what we do here. No, it's not at Piney Branch and Arliss. But it can be found elsewhere in the D. C. area if you look for it.

I average about 10 to 12 trips a year to Europe on business and have been doing this for over 20 years. Until recently when the American dollar weakened so dramatically to the Europe I ALWAYS brought back at least a dozen bottles of wine, half in a carry on and half packed in a suitcase. I've also had my luggage gone through twice by Customs at Dulles. They have a particularly full bellied beagle who has a thing for Tuscan salami. Once he nosed it from 30 yards. Another time he chose a German salami for his dinner. Both times my luggage was opened, both times the inspectors saw a lot of wine. Specifically on one trip I had 13 bottles and two magnums. I had declared wine on the form and a value of $300. I had not stated a quantity. They looked at me sympathetically, smiled and told me to go on. After retrieving the salamis for the beagles dinner.

Have you been in the Wegmans in Sterling? Is the Auchan at the Defense larger for the grocery portion? At Val d'Europe it was on two floors with the hyperstore on the upper level and the grocery below. Similar to Wegmans it was new and had the market kind of ambience in half of it. I am going to be in Paris in three weeks and will literally drive right by the Auchan you mention. It might make a nice stop for lunch! I probably would agree that Auchan was superior but primarily because of the proximity to raw food sources whereas Wegmans "suffers" from this side of the Atlantic. Still, for America, I believe Wegmans Dulles (now their number one store) is the best here. Having said all this there are probably many in France, Italy, Spain, etc. that criticize Auchan preferring local markets. There's a market in Barcelona off of the Ramblas that is incredible; it makes Lexington, even Pike Place in Seattle look like grade school efforts. But this is a topic for another board.

I'm really surprised at all of these problems with Whole Foods cheese. I've been buying almost weekly from their Vienna store since it opened four or five years ago and can count on one hand the number of times I've been disappointed. I would trust mail order cheese far LESS than I would Whole Foods or Wegmans. I've had mixed results with various over night mail order from Urbani to chocolate; despite packaging precautions I've still had far too many packages opened with blue ice that was warm. I've also carried cheese back from both France and Italy. This is the link to a post of mine from Chowhound almost two years ago about an experience I had in a Bologna cheese shop: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general13/...ages/41002.html Because I travel a lot (1K, Million Mile Flyer on United) I probably benefit from considerations that some others might not. Still, I've brought cheese packed in blue ice on board planes and asked attendants to refrigerate it for the whole flight which they courteously have. I should note that with eppouisses the refusal to might have a smell that would overwhelm the plane! (Although you can now buy eppouisses here I do not believe it is tasty as that purchased there.) For the person who mentioned Auchan: they have built several fantastic stores including one in Val d'Europa near Disney that rivals the Wegmans in Sterling. It's not quite as big, not quite as good but perhaps because it is IN France and has so much inventory available it is fantastic. I would guess that it is about 110,000 square feet while Wegmans Dulles is 130,000.

I've had problems over the past five years buying Mauri Gorgonzola Dolce from Sutton Place which was prepackaged. As a result I've learned to ALWAYS have it cut to order-never buying it prepackaged. I've also followed this practice with Wegmans who also carry it. Having said this I'm buying one pound + at a time and generally have the "luxury" of having them open a new package. For a smaller amount I probably could not do this. Reggiano is ALWAYS better when cut from a new wheel. It is also better when cut from a new wheel which is moist in the center as I've found in Italy. Still, this is almost impossible in America so I always end up buying it prepackaged. My experience with Whole Foods has varied from store to store. Simply, for me, it depends on the turnover. I've found their Vienna store to be superior to any other that I have been in; in fact although I live in Reston I'll drive to Vienna for cheese, meat and produce. Actually, I should say that I use to drive to Vienna; now I drive to Sterling and go to Wegmans whose produce I actually prefer over any Whole Foods that I have been in. In most cases it is not superior, rather it is the breadth of their inventory and the pricing that justify it. Also, they are going to carry local farm grown produce once it is available. Dean and Deluca is the best cheese shop in the area. It is also the most expensive and inconvenient for me. Thus, Wegmans and the Vienna Whole Foods.