Joe H

Super H.

I have shopped everywhere. I am a serious cook and at least once a month do some kind of seafood stew/bouillibasse/etc. Black Salt is extraordinary. Wegman's, Super H, Whole Foods, Jessup are all exceptionately good for specific things but if you are somewhat knowledgeable the absolute best you will do ANYWHERE is to go to Maine Avenue. But I am talking about buying a whole 2+ lb fish and having it cleaned/gutted/fileted there and using the frame and head for a fumet. For shrimp Super H is probably the best overall. Crisfield lump crab meat at Black Salt. Carolina lump crab meat for $21/lb at Maine Avenue. Whole Foods and Wegmans for farmed mussels but don't expect either of these to filet a three pound red snapper for you. If you ask for this and then request to have "the frame back" they will look at you with horror. Super H doesn't like to do this either which was a shock for me when I went there. At Super H the prices are outstanding but you are going to buy what is in their case-not that which can be fileted, etc. Same with Whole Foods and Balducci's. Jessup and Maine Avenue are different but Jessup is limited to ONE retail store out of the entire wholesale market. And, they don't have as much as you might expect! My one trip to Slavin was VERY disappointing.

As long as I'm in "Joe H mode," a great little divey Italian place in that area is Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico in King's Contrivance Village in Columbia, Maryland. ← Although I grew up in Silver Spring I still swear by and drive from Reston to the original Ledo's in Adelphi. My wife thinks I'm nuts! But she puts up with me because it's a lot closer than DeLorenzo's in Trenton or Arcaro & Gemelli's in Old Forge.

One of the best posts I have ever read in YEARS of reading message boards..... Perhaps a script writer for Deadwood?

My wife and I had dinner at the restaurant which is on Bob Jones' farm last July. Once a month or so visiting chefs come in from around the U. S. and cook at "Veggie U." It was an extraordinary event that I've long meant to write about but never got around to. Bob Jones also literally custom grows for various chefs including Michel, Keller and others. He has a website which provides a great deal of info along with photos, etc.: http://www.culinaryvegetableinstitute.com/ We literally drove from Reston to just south of Cedar Point for this. It was worth it.

I think most would agree that Dr. Hall's behavior, as described in the article, is somewhat, shall we say, abby normal. ← My point exactly. ← Exactly what he is doing that is "abbynormal?" I cannot help but really be surprised at the reaction of several on this thread. I also can't help but wonder how many people noted that he spends "Thanksgiving day" at the chef's house each year. There is genuine affection, empathy and care on both their parts. There is nothing "abby normal" other than several reactions on this board.

Really interesting report, Bill, and much appreciated. I couldn't help but go back and look at my post from early October on another board which is linked here: http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...ages/48684.html We haven't been back since then and honestly, haven't thought too seriously about returning any time soon. Citronelle, Maestro, the Lab yes but for now, not CityZen. I think the reason is the overall presentation and style. There is something special, unique, indulgent about sitting and having a sommelier "coat" a wineglass, turning the glass on its side then letting wine flow down and cover the walls of the glass. There is something special about decanting. Eve does both, as does Citronelle, as does Maestro, as does Laboratorio. This type of wine service is a statement, a "big deal" if you will. Some restaurants decant any decent bottle just for presentation. But CityZen did not. Note my comments about not even a decanter in sight as well as the wine service itself was on the side of the room. There WAS NO OPPORTUNITY for tableside wine service, to watch this type of performance. Presentations were correct but not "theatrical" as at some restaurants. The kitchen was not the focal point of the room unless you were sitting at one of the two tables I noted. Yet there were several of what I call "great dishes." But, for us, CityZen lacked a certain emphasis, a certain type of European "style" if you will that the others have. Wine service, location of the kitchen, little opportunity for tableside presentation of any kind, etc. Much of this could be changed, too, but from reading your thoughts it sounds like they haven't.

I think it has nothing to do with being a "control freak." At 71 this has become a surrogate family of sorts for him. He uses the word "structure" to describe it and mentions the alternative of shopping at Dean and DeLuca, then cooking at home himself. Perhaps alone. It is this last word that is the key for me (my word). For the same reason that Cliff Clavin sat on the same bar seat at Cheers, night after night, next to Norm, the same reason that bars have regular customers who stop in virtually every night after work this man has found a kind of home and family at Marcel's. In the 1960's when I worked as a waiter at the old Hot Shoppe at Wisconsin and Van Ness there were several elderly singles who had dinner there every night. EVERY NIGHT. When they didn't come in we were worried that perhaps something may have happened. I remember one night being dispatched by the hostess to walk down to McLean Gardens and knock on a woman's door. The hostess was worried that something might have happened to her-she was so regular, so dependable. If this man makes several hundred thousand dollars a year or has substantial investments the money is meaningless. I think for him it is the comfort and reassurance that he can go somewhere almost every night where "everyone knows his name." Where, for him, they seem to care. At the Hot Shoppe that night forty years ago a hostess confirmed that she indeed did care. Marcel's does, too. There are different perspectives when one is older, especially in the '70's and confronting realities never before considered. Perhaps without a family or children, a friendly, caring, restaurant or bar that reaches out with warmth means a lot. Sometimes, to both. I was 16 when I knocked on that woman's door. Now I am 58. Thirteen years from now I will be this man's age. I know from personal experience that values change.

An incredible story that speaks volumes for the values of Marcel's and the level of comfort they've been able to give him. It shows the restaurant in the absolute highest light! I applaud them. And the doctor for returning virtually every night.

I apologize if the four of you sat in the bar/lounge area. That was not the impression that I had from your post. It DOES make a difference, a significant difference since this is why they have a menu like this. Still, the post read like you were in the dining room, even down to the reaction of your girl friend which I interpreted as a reaction to the prices of the dinner menu rather than not seeing the lobster burger. There was nowhere in the post where you said that you were not in the dining room. ← There is no need for one to specify where they sat. The context of the post was regarding lobster burgers, not the specifics of each section of the restaurant. One should never be expected to have to order a set minimum at a restaurant(that is why in most cases there is more than one option for tasting menus. For instance, at Morimoto, where I was last night, there were three choices for his Omakase "$ 80, $100 or $120) The fact that people frequent this establishment is wonderful in itself when in this day a plethora of resturants have to close their doors due to a lack of patronage. ←

Wonderful review/essay. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. My wife and I first met Michel at Citrus in the early '90's when he was sitting at the bar and we were waiting for our table. I happened to mention that we lived in the D. C. area, he asked where, and when I said Northern Virginia he told me that he wanted to move to Waterford. And open his version of the Inn at Little Washington! We ended up talking to him for about 15 minutes before our dinner. But in that conversation he clearly was interested in moving to the D. C. area; he also clearly believed that he would turn Citronelle into the restaurant that would supplant Jean Louis as the best DC had ever seen. He just thought that the Citronelle "of his dreams" would be in Loudoun County, having moved from Georgetown. Well, 12 or 13 years later, he now lives here and Citronelle is still in Georgetown. But he was right: he has the best restaurant in Washington! And he is a very real credit to the Washington area. For me, there are three great chefs in this city: Michel, Roberto and Fabio. It is just a matter of time until one of them is finally recognized by Beard as the National Chef of the Year. I think Michel is leading the pack. One more note: in November my wife and I returned to D. C. from a business trip to Germany and Switzerland just before a visit to Citronelle. For part of the trip we went to Schwarzwaldstube, a three Michelin star in the Black Forest of Germany (Baierbronn), considered by many to be Germany's best restaurant as well as the most difficult reservation of any in Germany (equal to the French Laundry for difficulty in getting into; a six month lead time!). Dining at Citronelle 12 or 13 days later seemed a virtual "continuation" of the dinner we had in Germany. We are fortunate to have this level of excellence available to us here. Michel, along with Roberto and Fabio are gifts. One day they will have moved on but for the moment they are here. We should take advantage of them.

I apologize if the four of you sat in the bar/lounge area. That was not the impression that I had from your post. It DOES make a difference, a significant difference since this is why they have a menu like this. Still, the post read like you were in the dining room, even down to the reaction of your girl friend which I interpreted as a reaction to the prices of the dinner menu rather than not seeing the lobster burger. There was nowhere in the post where you said that you were not in the dining room.

I have a bit of difficulty in understanding your comment about "buyer beware." You went to Citronelle, not for dinner, but during the dinner hour for lobster burgers. Each of the four of you had a lobster burger and only two had wine. You "ended up spending $90 for this dinner" which is approximately one third to one quarter of what most other couples in Citronelle probably spent that night. Yet for the $90 for two you had, in part, the "Citronelle" experience. Meanwhile the restaurant lost money on your party of four with the table tied up. And you note, "buyer beware" along with noting that you "doubt you would do it again." This is why restaurants such as Maestro, The Inn at Little Washington, Laboratorio and others that are on the highest rung have prix fixe menus. It costs a great deal of money for operations like this, for the china, crystal, presentation, the room that you sit in and its appointments. I could see ordering a lobster burger for lunch or at the bar during the dinner hour. But only lobster burgers-and not even a glass of wine either-you, for me, provided the absolute definitive reason for why some restaurants offer only prix fixe dining during the dinner hour. "Buyer beware?" Indeed.

In my opinion neither Palena nor CityZen are on the level of either Citronelle or Maestro. If they are coming in "a couple of weeks" you will have difficulty getting into either. The Inn is $168 prix fixe on Saturday night, by the way. Citronelle and Maestro are about two thirds of this, even less depending on the number of courses. Quite honestly Citronelle and Maestro are national class restaurants representing the respective best of what can be found anywhere in America. If this were San Francisco or New York they would still be among the absolute best. CityZen has not realized this yet and Palena does not have the presentation nor the sense of presence that the first two have. It is an excellent restaurant for D. C. but not extraordinary as the first two. I would also note that it does not have the national ambition of the first two either. I honestly believe that both Maestro and Citronelle are the current equal of the French Laundry which I have been to twice. To take this a step further I believe that Maestro is the equal of the three Michelin star Le Calandre outside of Padua. Twice I have been to Calandre and Maestro several weeks apart. If you are able to get into either Citronelle or Maestro ask for one of the tables in the front of each room. Both have four tops near the front of their exhibition kitchens. Totally different from either of these two is Roberto Donna's Laboratorio which is as good in its own way as the other two. What is remarkable about this restaurant-beyond the food-is that Roberto stands five or six feet from you (table #7) and oversees/prepares 12 courses. Laboratorio is about the same price as Citronelle and Maestro. A different experience. But equally as impressive. These are the three best restaurants Washington has. We are fortunate to have them. You should focus on whichever of the three you can get into. Unfortunately, all have long reservtion lead times for Friday and Saturday often six weeks and longer. Good luck.

The new issue of Washingtonian has a rave review of Black Salt entitled, "Star of the Sea." Apparently it is not available yet on line.

Interesting. I WILL call the day before. Two or three times! I would call the day of but if I am able to get in I want to at least give Le Cinq an opportunity to fill my seat-calling on the same day would seem unfair to them. But I really appreciate the advice and will definitely try again before finally giving up. Thanks.

Some of York Castle's flavors are the original Gifford flavors from the early '80's and before (they had a store on Columbia Pike in Baileys Cross Roads at one time). Lazy Sundae is a good suggestion. Thomas Sweet on Wisconsin Avenue near P, arguably, is DC's best store bought ice cream. Two Amy's (of all places) has as good of ice cream as I have ever had anywhere in a restaurant. Serious. Some on here rave about Del Rey Dreamery on Mt. Vernon Avenue for frozen custard. I am not a fan of theirs'. I AM a fan of Neilsen's in Vienna whose custard is very similar to Kopp's in Milwaukee which is the world standard for this. (16% butterfat custard is unheard of-Milwaukee Frozen Custard, locally, is 11% butterfat for comparison). There are literally three stores within one block of each other on King Street in Alexandria, one of which is Ben and Jerry's. Dean and Deluca in Georgetown carry several New York brands as does Balducci's. Whole Foods used to carry Dallas' Out of a Flower which is $7.50 a pint (12 ounce container) and almost worth it for several flavors. Balducci's, by the way, is once again carrying Lewes Dairy pasteurized cream while Whole Foods has Harrisburg Dairy cream top milk. For those who make their own ice cream. For heavy drinking AND ice cream try Coco Lopez, rum, vanilla ice cream and ice in a blender. Awesome!

I've printed your post and will take it with me. As I noted in my post above I will probably, based on Vmilor's and Pirate's report try-again-to get into L'Astrance. Assuming that I cannot I will go to Le Cinq. Thanks again for the time and effort. Much appreciated. ← Well, it's now the next morning and I've called L'astrance without any luck. Even for lunch (I would have taken my client if they were available.). Not even for the waiting list with three names. I've been trying to get into this place for three years and still haven't been able to. My problem is that my trips to Europe usually come on less than a month's notice, often just a week or two. L'astrance doesn't work for something like this. Thus, it's Le Cinq.

You can't be serious about Afterwards. Though, it is a historic bookstore in that it is the shop where Monica Lewinski bought the copy of "Vox" she gave to Clinton. The battle over Starr's subpoena of Lewinski's purchase records became a bit of a cause celebre for civil libertarians and one of the whole farce's more interesting footnotes. There are many better places in that neighborhood within footsteps. ← I am actually very serious about Afterwards. Their salads are excellent, outstanding sea bass, fairly priced main courses in the mid teens. For a family, for a local this is a very good meal for the money. Nondescript atmosphere but if its warm enough, sitting outside if fine.

Bistro du Coin, I think is a good recommendation as is the Afterwards Cafe just north of Dupont Circle, in the back of Kramer Books. Johnny's Half Shell comes to mind also.

It's been a few years, but I believe the pizza place in question was Crozet Pizza. I don't recall it being particularly special, though. ← Crozet pizza! Yes!!!! The Washington Post ran a story about it a year or two ago where the author claimed it had one of the best pizzas on earth. Just outside of Charlottesville. Well....he really did say this but at the time I didn't know if his experience was limited to Domino's and Celeste but it was still intriguing! The eccentricity of the owner was also a curiosity. I've never known anyone who actually went there. On a couple of trips travelling up 29 I couldn't remember it's name to stop or look up. Interesting. Really, interesting. Another "urban legend" falls by the wayside. Thanks. Much appreciated.

I've printed your post and will take it with me. As I noted in my post above I will probably, based on Vmilor's and Pirate's report try-again-to get into L'Astrance. Assuming that I cannot I will go to Le Cinq. Thanks again for the time and effort. Much appreciated.

These are really interesting posts. I have a great deal of respect for Vmilor and his opinions. He is also a superb writer and his taste and values tend to approximate mine form the restaurants we've both been to. Pirate, your thoughts are also extremely interesting. You are one of the few people I know that has been to Schwarzwaldstube and also several of the Parisian three stars. Traube Tonbach and Bareiss are both extraordinary escapes, almost bargains in relation to a similar resort/restaurant in France or Switzerland. My wife and I, after a six month wait, dined at Scwarzwaldstube last September. It was fantastic. Bareiss, based on two visits, is also. To be honest I have not been to L'Astrance but I have also not been able to get a reservation for dinner there either. (Lunch is impossible because of my business.) I've tried to get in perhaps a half dozen times over the past several years. After Pirate's and Vmilor's experiences I will probably pick up the phone every day for the next two weeks and try it again. Schwarzwaldstube and Le Calandre (we were there for the sixth time in five years last December) are two of my favorite restaurants on earth. A prix fixe half of the Parisian three stars allow both to seem even better. Thanks to both for your thoughts. Much appreciated.

Sincerely appreciate the information. I've used Gayot/Gault Millau before for Germany although, for whatever reason, I didn't look at it for Mainz.