Joe H

With the construction at the Monument and the foot thick glass windows, for me, after 40 years of talking about walking up it, when I finally did-OK, I rode the elevator!-I was disappointed at the top. The top of the Cathedral will not disappoint. Nor will the Cathedral itself, recently completed after almost a literal Century of construction. It's funny but in cities throughout Europe-Koln, Paris, Venice, London-Cathedrals are always one of the most important stops for anyone visiting the city. Here, we have one of the most beautiful and exquisite anywhere; a place to go for Christmas Eve service, for a wedding, to bury a past president. But for tourists and for many locals they take it for granted, oblivious to its incredible beauty and majesty. I think the Library of Congress and the National Cathedral are two of most important stops on any visit to D. C. There is no one on this board whose mouth will not drop in awe when they walk in the door of either. My apologies for overstating the number of steps on the side of the Busbarn. I still feel for the person who intentionally "threw" themself down those steps! I've also walked most of the C & O Canal over the years and the Old Dominion Trail as well as the B & A trail. I really thought it was 140 miles-my apologies. Charlottesville? Wasn't/isn't there a pizza place there just outside of the city that is legendary? Also, a really eccentric person owns it who won't seat you unless you have a reservation?

Two Amy's, for D. C., is superb. By New York standards it is very, very good. It even has the D. O. C. authentication. Una Pizza Napoletana, Grimaldi's, Totonno's, Patsy's, Lombardi's, etc. are at least as good if not better. (I personally have driven several hours out of my way, fighting traffic, to go to Grimaldi's; have also driven roundtrip from D. C. to New Haven for Pepe's and Sally's with a stop on the way back at Tacconelli's coal oven in South Philly. Yes, I've also been to Modern and loved it.) Respectfully, with you and your family coming from Manhattan, I would not go out of my way for Two Amy's. Several weeks ago my wife and I drove to Trenton to DeLorenzo's Italian pies. Two days later we were at Two Amy's. DeLorenzo's competes with New York and New Haven's best. For me, Two Amy's is a notch below. (Although it has extraordinarily good ice cream and I would suggest, that excepting part of the Northeast, is as good as one can find elsewhere in America. You just happen to be coming from the Northeast.) I would go out of my way for the National Cathedral which is a magnificent structure, one of only two Gothic cathedrals in America. Its observation deck is also the highest point in the city, with a more spectacular 360 degree view than even the Washington Monument. Most tourists, even locals are not aware of this. For thirty plus years I've given tours of D. C. for friends in my business who visit here, for customers when I drove a cab through 8 years of college. I always include the National Cathedral AND the Library of Congress which is its own cathedral to knowledge. Absolutely spectacular lobby, magnificent, extraordinary art on the walls, ceiling-this is an incredible effort, testimony to some of the landmark structures found on this side of the Atlantic. Several of the memorials are truly awesome: Vietnam Vets, Holocaust, even the WWII is interesting. All of these, along with the Lincoln Memorial (just sitting on the steps facing the Capitol is an experience for one's lifetime) and the Jefferson memorial, the various buildings of the Smithsonian, the two buildings of the National Gallery of Art, etc. Collectively, these are the Champs d'lysee, the Louvre of America. Stay in the area around the Mall and downtown if you can. In Georgetown consider walking on the towpath behind the several hundred year old Georgetown Seafood House which is never discussed on here. The C & O Canal runs 140 miles west originating at Watergate. Yes, Watergate. THE Watergate. But with all due respect to M street and Wisconsin Avenue, the Georgetown that I find most fascinating is on the Canal and some of the side streets. Do you remember the movie, The Exorcist? The steps are on the side of the "Car Barn." They're impressive. An stunt person actually fell down those during the filming of the movie. All 300+ of them. Dunbarton Oaks Cemetary is also truly fascinating; it dates to the 17th century and is on a hillside fronting a parkway. Some of the graves have begun to erode and literally start sliding down the hillside. If you visit the Iwo Jima Memorial you will have the postcard view of D. C. with the Lincoln Memorial, the Monument and the Capitol all lined up in a row. Still, the pool by the Jefferson memorial is unbelievably beautiful. The cherry blossoms line an area near this. Underneath the Lincoln Memorial are catacombs which are reputed to be haunted. They're actually the foundations for the structure but there is a local "legend," an "urban legend" if you will about them. I did the Park Service tour about ten years ago and came away believing in ghosts. The other fifteen or twenty in our group did also. To this day I still don't know why the Park Service stopped this tour. Enormously popular, six month waits and yes, we heard sounds, eerie almost frightening sounds, tapping, knocking, breezy sounds that left memories for weeks after. But, like the Baltimore tour for Edgar Allen Poe, that tour is "nevermore." Enjoy D. C. I am proud of the city I was born in. PS: "Busboy's" suggestions are excellent.

But Joe! What about Oyamel? Didn't you write on ChowHound that it's going to win a Beard Award or something? Oh, okay, I admit it: I'm razzing you a bit. But it's all in good spirit. Do you really think Guajillo is the best Mexican restaurant in the area, or are you just being enthusiastic? Cheers bro, Rocks. ← In all honesty I don't think either D. C. or NY have outstanding Mexican. Certainly nothing like El Paso, Juarez, Tijuana or on the Pacific coast. I really do think that Guajillo had the D. C. area's best margeuritas. But for Tex Mex comfort food I probably like the Arlington Taqueria Poblano as much as any. Guajillo, for me, FEELS like Juarez inside. Oyamel is an incredible disappointment. My wife and I went on the night of my 40 year high school reunion with serious munchies, "college" era munchies, if you will. It was also its opening weekend and Jose was in the kitchen. Obviously, I raved, RAVED about it. Steve klc's dessert, too, which I thought was inventive and delicious. Two weeks later 8 or 10 from the other board went for lunch and laughed at my comments. LAUGHED! A half dozen more have gone at other times and agreed with them. (Laughed even harder!) I haven't been back since that first night in large part because of the others' experiences. I know them and trust their opinions. We've been getting together for monthly luncheons for almost four years and if its not what my wife and I found-for them-it won't be the same for me, either. A major disapointment since I've been to Bayless' places several times as well as Stephen Pyles' (Routh Street, AquaKnox, Star Canyon) and Dean Fearing's. I hadn't thought of the last two when I wrote what I did (I should have); but that night it was just outstanding. Now, I'm afraid to go back.

What telephone number do you call between 12 and 2? Ray's only accepts reservations for two hours Tuesday through Friday from 2:00PM until 4:00PM. If you are calling a different number that is answered and making a reservation on this number at hours other than these then there is no question that you are not having the same experience as I and many others who have become frustrated to the point of not returning. I just called Ray's garbled recording which is on it. Hearing that there is A SECOND PHONE NUMBER THAT ACCEPTS RESERVATIONS AT DIFFERENT HOURS is, really, a bit much. It's no wonder that so many feel the way they do about this restaurant. They don't have to put up with what the general public does to get into it. For myself and others I stand by my comments: the best restaurants go out of their way to make their customers feel important and special. Ray's is doing this. For some of their customers.

While you are at Ray's, immediately next door is the best Mexican restaurant in the Washington area, Guajillo (source: Tom Sietsema in the Post). Not Tex Mex but Mexican, i.e. exemplery ceviche, mole, flavorful carne asada, hand stirred margueritas on the rocks worthy of Chihuahua Charlie's in Juarez, etc. Also, not too far away are several outstanding Peruvian rotisserie chicken "joints." Crisp 'n Juicy is the name of one, El Pollo Rico is the other. I realize that New York has outstanding rotisserie chicken but I am not certain if you have pollo a la brasa on par with this. Perhaps. But if not, for what it's worth, Zagat (don't laugh) gives El Pollo Rico 26 for food and an appropriate 5 for decor. http://www.zagat.com/Search/Details.asp?VI...%27%27&RID=3986 This is a review of El Pollo Rico from Washingtonian: http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/ElPolloR.html Enjoy Ray's.

I do not loathe it. But I do feel people do. I am not one of those. The point I was trying to make was after all of these posts, are there any other positives or negatives that really need airing? Probably not. ← It never hurts to know that a restaurant continues to live up to its reputation or doesn't. The fact that the restaurant continues to generate the interest it does makes mewant to try it for myself and choose it over a myriad of other restaurants in DC accordingly. ← Ray's is legitimately very good. Several of its steaks are among DC's best. A scallop appetizer, a Key Lime pie dessert rival the best of any other steak house. This board aside (there are many here who rave about it without realizing there is a significant number of people who are legitimately put off by the restricted hours and the increasing prices-they rail against anyone who is even slightly critical of Ray's), Ray's is operated in a very non friendly user manner. As you have found out and several others in this thread it is very difficult to make a reservation. Two hours a day, four days a week. If you want to cancel, the restaurant will have no idea that you cannot make it since they don't answer the phone to acknowledge your cancellation. They ask you to reconfirm the day before but this, also, is very difficult since we once again have the two hour window with the always busy telephones. Regardless of the half dozen sycophants on this board Ray's has as good of a steak as there is in the metropolitan area of Washington. There are also excellent sides, exemplery first courses and a Keys class dessert. It also has the most user unfriendly reservation system of any restaurant that I have ever been to, El Bulli and Eiginsinn Farm included. I believe there is an arrogance associated with this that I find unacceptible. There is also some kind of belief that someone who reserves for an earlier table, by definition, should be gone within 90 minutes. This comment is not a problem except that Ray's has some entrees that are $30. Many on this board have rejected my criticism and attacked me. It doesn't matter to them how many restaurants I've been in or how old or sophisticated I am. I, simply stated, am the enemy for criticising their icon, who posts on this board and religiously responds to every criticism. For me, Ray's is not a restaurant that I would invest in. For me, the customer is the single most important person who will ever walk through the door. I will do everything in my power to make my restaurant user friendly to him. Creating a reservation system that is virtually impossible to access, a seating timeframe that limits to 90 minutes and rejecting groups of more than four prior to 7:00PM is simply suicidal for someone hoping to operate a restaurant that is enduring and capable of expansion. So, there will be a host of responses from people on here attacking me for saying this. Still, no one is listening to my, your and other posts: they can't get through to make a reservation, or they have a bit of difficulty in understanding that they MUST be out in 90 minutes. Sycophants rule. But is this good business? I think not. And the real loss is his food which is among DC's best. I just hope that down the road, a few years from now, Michael stops and listens to what people are saying: a restaurant MUST be user friendly and accessible. No matter how good the food is. He's building a very user unfriendly reputation that does not bring people in when others do not show up for reservations. He has empty tables from people who cannot call and tell him they cannot come. There is no opportunity of a last minute reservation or of someone coming in off of the street in Arlington, curious if a table might be available-there is very little foot traffic there. The criticism in Tom Sietsema's chat and elsewhere is legitimate: there is an arrogance associated with Ray's that he only reaffirms with his reservations policy and his cafeteria quick service. He does not market to those who traditionally go to a steak house, whether the business dinner or a roup out for a night on the town. He has a different approach. My personal problem is that I believe he is still, a steak house. And very, very user unfriendly despite what the many on this board say. If I were a partner in his operation I would have a major disagreement with him on how he operates his business. He would point out that he is in this on his own, its his own money and he doesn't care about my opinion. I would add that he doesn't care about all the negative publicity that he is receiving from his overly restrictive operation which can be the death march for many restaurants over time. He and others on this board will remind me that he is able to have such restrictive operating hours because of his success. I merely ask how enduring this success is? The real loss is what he serves: he is making it unavailable to the general public.

Appreciate the suggestion and will look out for Grimminger. I fully understand your point about "heavy" food in areas of Germany. There are times when I would have killed for a salad, even Nordsee!

DC's three best restaurants are Citronelle, Maestro and Laboratorio. CityZen, for me, is still a step below these three. I believe I've read a number of your posts on the Italy board over time; I sincerely believe that Maestro is equal to the three Michelin star, Le Calandre near Padua. It is also different from Esca, Babbo, Il Mulino or any other experience in NYC. I would give serious consideration to this as an equal priority to Citronelle. If you do go ask for a table in the front of the room, directly across from the open kitchen. Note that Fabio was nominated two years in a row for the Beard Rising Star Chef award. These are photos of a dinner that I arranged there about a year ago: http://share-dell.shutterfly.com/action/sh...I&x=1&sm=0&sl=0 I believe the photos will speak volumes about what is available since there are closeups of all 14 courses.

They accept reservations two hours a day, four days a week. When the phone is not busy.

Really appreciate your taking the time to respond. Thank you.

I do not like the Salt Lick, at least not for the Q. The ambience is exactly what a great Texas bbq joint/ranch is suppose to be but the food, overall, was really disappointing. Luling City Market, for me, is the best brisket I've had anywhere. Cooper's in Llano is outstanding also. For ribs I actually liked the original County Line on the hill. Not for brisket but ribs. The last time I was in Lockhart Kreuz had the original owners but even then I preferred City Market.

My 58 year old obsession with food, particularly excessively fattening food, does not discriminate.

Fabio, despite being nominated twice for the James Beard Rising Star award, has not received the recognition he deserves in the U. S. I sincerely believe he is the equal of Missimiliano from Le Calandre who is the youngest three Michelin star chef ever. Maestro is an extraordinary experience that many on this board should take advantage of; Fabio is in his prime.

I have no experience with commercial ice cream freezers BUT I've made ice cream for 30+ years with a White Mountain freezer. Hand cranked. Using pasteurized cream. I say this because this type of texture and creaminess is unparalleled. In the early '70's Steve's in Boston (later Northhampton) used a White Mountain freezer with a motor. His texture is close to what I turn out cranking by hand although he uses ultrapasteurized cream and milk. He also started franchising his stores in the mid to late '70's but, for a variety of reasons, these did not survive. (For those who know Coldstone and Marble Slab Creameries-he was the first, long before they ever opened their doors.) My question: is this a viable alternative for you, using a White Mountain freezer with a motor? Yes, I realize you would have to pack it with rock salt and ice but the finished product is unbelievable. I believe that Steve Herrell (and a few others) still do this today. Don't laugh at my suggestion; for someone who is really, really serious about ice cream there might be some marketing value in your doing it the way grandmothers did it!

As part of a lengthy annual driving trip on business with stops in a half dozen countries I will spend two nights in Mainz. In past years I've stayed in Frankfurt and Heidelberg on this trip but this year I wanted to try somewhere different. Does anyone have any experience with Mainz? I'm staying at the Hyatt but will have a car and a navigation system so location is not a concern.

I am in Paris in three weeks for business. In past years I've rewarded myself from annual driving trips through Europe with visits to a two or three star-solo-to cap the conclusion of the trip. I like Schwarzwaldstube in Baierbronn, also Bareiss. Over the years I've been to a half dozen three stars in Paris but have not yet been to Le Cinq. When I couldn't get a reservation at the German restaurants Paris and Brussels became primary choices. To my surprise I was able to get into Le Cinq with three weeks notice. Has anyone been? My expectations are for the highpoint of a trip that is otherwise all business and truly exhausting despite what it may sound like. I would note that I did not visit Taillevent when he was there. I'll do whatever tasting menu is offered; but is there any signature dish that I should look for?

Never mentioned on here is one of D. C.'s best and most reasonably priced, the Afterwards Cafe at Kramer Books, just north of Dupont Circle.

A real pleasure to read. Thanks for taking the time to write so beautifully and expressively.

The Maryland crabmeat is $34 at BlackSalt. It is pasteurized in a can, from last summer's harvest. I haven't tasted it, but I have been told that it is more flavorful than the fresh stuff from Alabama that we also sell. ← That's lower than both Balducci's and Whole Foods which are around $37-38.

This is an effort to take the restaurant national using the name of a sports figure in a different city to help promote it. I have not been to it yet; but I can tell you that the principal backer is as obsessed with food and bbq as any human being on any board anywhere. It's a business, yes, but the element of pride could not be stronger.

The best price on Carolina or Maryland lump crab meat is about $21. a pound at Maine Avenue. Costco carries Phillips for $18 or 19 but this is Indonesian and, for me, nowhere near as good. Black Salt has authentic Crisfield, MD lump crab meat but I'm not sure of the price. Interestingly when we were in Crisfield last summer every store that I stopped in was selling Carolina!

It's pedigree, if you will, is from Birmingham and the principal (not Ray Lewis) is as obsessed with serious Q as anyone on earth. I once visited him in Birmingham and we had Q at six places in three hours on a Saturday afternoon. Now, this is his opportunity to bring Alabama's best to Baltimore and elsewhere...

Citronelle, for the level of excellence that it is on, is more than worth the investment of sitting in the dining room. Prix fixe is $84 per person for three extraordinary courses that would be a wonderful birthday present! But your fiance must reserve now. This is an enormously popular restaurant that books up long in advance. Their lounge is nice and very comfortable; but for the real Citronelle experience you should visit their dining room. A wonderful birthday present and a celebration to repeat in later years.

http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...sages/7171.html This is the link to one of the other board's more infamous posts ever, my tale of "Horror in Vancouver," my encounter with a live Alaskan King Crab at Sun Sui Weh, then Vancouver's best live seafood restaurant. I can't help but mention it here-it seems relevant to the topic.

Zora, I think Cindy's description is absolutely perfect; it really is an enduring Maryland tradition. I also strongly agree with Steve when he notes that you may not have had really good hard shell crabs. Fresh picked lump crab meat still warm, even hot from the pot is an absolute delicacy. Many crab houses have outdoor decks where crab eating, beer drinking and sunshine are synonomous with the summer. I second Steve's comments about shrimp; fresh and properly cooked they can be delicious. I would add that fifteen or so years ago two teenage girls from Wichita had their first encounter with hardshell crabs at Cantler's. Sitting across the picnic bench from them they both reacted in absolute horror when a large tray of them were placed on the table. I actually thought one of them was going to pass out. They'd never had a Maryland crab before-they had only eaten King Crab legs-never thought about the body! (I have my own story about Alaskan crab!) My guess is that to this day neither has yet to try another bite of crabmeat because of the horror of that day. Maryland crabs are a tradition that for some, you almost have to grow up with them.