Joe H

Joe - you wrote what I was thinking. I love crab cakes but rarely order them out because a proper crab cake to me is a very specific thing and most places just don't make them "right." ← My wife and I both have an obsession for crab cakes; there have also been several long threads on here about them. Many on here rave about G & M and Faidley's in the Lexington market both of which I have been to. In fact Faidley's has a fish sandwich similar to Benny's of Maine Avenue in the '50's that I actually prefer to their crab cake. But that, too, is another thread. Baltimore has at least a half dozen or more places with excellent crab cakes (Angelina's, Bo Brooks, Obrycki's, G & M, Faidley's, The Prime Rib) along with the best crab cake I've ever had, the "non traditional" at Charleston. My wife prefers the crab cakes from The Cove in Crisfield, I prefer the Narrows in Kent Island. Captain's Galley, Suicide Bridge, Waterman's in Rock Hall, Stoney's in Broome Island, Tony's Riverhouse in Benedict all have crab cakes at least on the level of the Prime Rib. On another board, last summer, I reported on three or four weekend trips we made in search of the best crab cake.

Barbara, the reason the Prime Rib is so good is NOT that it's a steak house; rather that it's a Baltimore ("Bawlmer") steak house from the '60's! Both crab cakes and crab imperial as Bill and Steve Hitchcock noted are exemplery. They are UP to the Bawlmer standard. There is nowhere else in D. C. that has crab cakes or crab imperial on this level. In the suburbs you would have to go to Jerry's in Seabrook for better-but that is another story and another thread. In the meantime, with all due respect to Black Salt (yes, Black Salt), the Minneapolis founded Oceanaire, Johnny's Half Shell, etc. the Prime Rib really-REALLY has the best crab cakes in D. C. By the way, the best tortilla soup that I've ever had was last summer at the Camino Real in El Paso. Also, serious Mexican across the border at Chihuahua Charlie's. We also need to talk about pistachios from Alamagordo which I still send away for three or four times a year.

I'm sure that if Michael was truly concerned that his business was going to be hurt by this policy, he wouldn't have done it. And why should he expect to be criticized for the 90 minutes deal?!! You knew about the 90 minutes up front, didn't you? If you or the other countless hordes out there who can't stand Ray's have a problem with that, then simply say, "Never mind. That won't work for me." And as for all those "many, many more who just don't return or call back because of such restrictive hours to take reservations," who gives a rat's patootie? It's obviously not hurting the business. For chrissakes the guy's booked weeks in advance AND he's opening up a second branch in Maryland. If you can't abide by the policies that you know up front, then Don't Fucking Go! ← Your post speaks for itself.

The problem, Michael, is that EVERY reservation you make for 6 or 6:30 is told that they must be out within 90 minutes. You prioritize those who come later and allow them to stay as long as they want. Why shouldn't SOME of the earlier tables be allowed to stay longer? You've established a two tiered system where early reservations mandate a time limit and later do not. But some people, such as myself, want to come early. Do you turn over a party of six or eight who come early in 90 minutes also? I cannot imagine going to your restuarant with five others and finishing our dinner in 90 minutes. A larger group, by definition, just takes longer. All I am suggesting is that by having EVERY earlier reservation limited to 90 minutes you create situations where some dinners do not like this type of restriction. ← I typically do not seat parties of larger than 4 before 8. They almost always prove to be disruptive of service and other guests' experience at earlier times. Also, if a table tries to book at 6 and that table is not previously reserved for 7:30 I will acommodate that table with no limits (first come first served, remember?). That almost never happens. But no, I do not make every table available for seating at 6. I stagger seating. I don't start driving in fourth gear, either, or brush my teeth after going to bed. I also do not board a rollercoaster while the train is still moving and full, of after it has left the platform. It would be nice if I could demand to ride twice, or even three times, in a row, though, and make others wait until I was done riding. Better yet, my own private roller coaster that no one else could ride. ← "I typically do not seat parties of larger than 4 before 8. They almost always prove to be disruptive of service and other guests' experience at earlier times." Michael, I don't know what to say. Your comment certainly speaks for itself. Again, I am sorry that I feel the way I do-I'm also sorry that you feel the way you do noting your comment above. Still, for the many, many on this board who have not been to Ray's you should go. The man makes the best steak in D. C. and possibly the best scallops, too. I sincerely respect the effort that has gone into creating this. No one reading my comments should fail to try Ray's at least once and making your own decision. Judged solely on the basis of food I honestly believe that Michael has set the bar awfully high. Perhaps one day he'll have a different type of operation serving the same food; I would jump at the chance to dine there as often as I could.

When I first called to make the reservation I asked for a time around 6:00 or 6:30 since my wife works in Ballston and get off from work around 5:30. I was told if we came that early we would have to be out in 90 minutes. When I asked for 7 or 7:30 on a Saturday night instead I was told that it would be five or six weeks before a Friday or Saturday would be available where we would not be limited to 90 minutes and could arrive later. My problem was wanting to come early. It seems that ALL of his early reservations have 90 minute limits. I don't believe you can go to Ray's at 6 and stay longer than 90 minutes if you want to. He and I also had a disagreement in that first phone call. Some of this isn't worth going into but what's important is that I asked for four consecutive Friday nights at 6 or 6:30 until I learned that he did not have any early times that did not have a time limit. ← Joe: Frankly, I'm shocked at your position here. You accepted the reservation knowing of the time limit. What gives you the right to complain about the restaurant under these circumstances. Please explain your position more thoroughly so that I can understand where you are coming from. ← No, the dinner that we had was after waiting five or six weeks for a time that did NOT have a time limit. During this dinner there were two courses that were served within two minutes of the previous courses being removed. When I looked around the room I noticed that virtually EVERY table had their courses served almost immediately after the previous courses were removed. Further, there were quite a few empty tables since the average stay seemed to be relatively short. I am focusing on this because of the COST of the dinner. Again, it was $150. My wife and I would have ordered exactly the same things if we had come at 6 instead of 7. As it was we were still out in 75 minutes. But it was the IDEA that if we had come at 6 and were served so quickly, almost urging us to eat and leave, having spent this much I felt that it was intrusive to EXPECT us to be gone in 90 minutes. Maybe two hours, but not 90 minutes for $150. And, for me, it is the cost that is factoring into this. If the dinner was $75 or 85 or 95, fine. But not with $30 entrees, etc.

The problem, Michael, is that EVERY reservation you make for 6 or 6:30 is told that they must be out within 90 minutes. You prioritize those who come later and allow them to stay as long as they want. Why shouldn't SOME of the earlier tables be allowed to stay longer? You've established a two tiered system where early reservations mandate a time limit and later do not. But some people, such as myself, want to come early. Do you turn over a party of six or eight who come early in 90 minutes also? I cannot imagine going to your restuarant with five others and finishing our dinner in 90 minutes. A larger group, by definition, just takes longer. All I am suggesting is that by having EVERY earlier reservation limited to 90 minutes you create situations where some dinners do not like this type of restriction.

← Realistically most dinners that my wife and I have at 6 (and we've been doing this once or twice a week for 12+ years) usually last only 75 or so minutes unless the service is really terrible or they are multi course. What is bothersome about Ray's is the idea that we HAVE to be out in 90 minutes. Even though almost every time we probably will-with time to spare-it's knowing that we HAVE to be out. Why is this personally bothersome to me? Because he really does have some outstanding dishes done as well or better than anyone else locally. It is a personal frustration that he is as "structured" as he is in his operation. But again, this is me, and I am in a tiny minority on this board.

When I first called to make the reservation I asked for a time around 6:00 or 6:30 since my wife works in Ballston and get off from work around 5:30. I was told if we came that early we would have to be out in 90 minutes. When I asked for 7 or 7:30 on a Saturday night instead I was told that it would be five or six weeks before a Friday or Saturday would be available where we would not be limited to 90 minutes and could arrive later. My problem was wanting to come early. It seems that ALL of his early reservations have 90 minute limits. I don't believe you can go to Ray's at 6 and stay longer than 90 minutes if you want to. He and I also had a disagreement in that first phone call. Some of this isn't worth going into but what's important is that I asked for four consecutive Friday nights at 6 or 6:30 until I learned that he did not have any early times that did not have a time limit.

Actually I complained to him about it. I also noted on here that I will not return because $150 for dinner for two and having to be out in 90 minutes, for me, is unnacceptible. On top of this "accepting" reservations two hours a day, four days a week isn't the most convenient either. What does someone do who is running late or needs to cancel and can't get through or its outside of the two hours that they answer the phone? Further, virtually "instant" service at a less expensive restaurant is fine, perhaps even preferred. But with $29.95 entrees two of our courses were served within two minutes of the preceding ones being removed. I sincerely felt rushed. Michael has rebutted me on here; my point in mentioning this is that I think he is alienating a significant number of people from returning for a dinner that is not as inexpensive as many are led to believe. When I see reactions on Tom's Chat that agree with mine I do not find them surprising. I do find his policies particularly disappointing since I believe that his ribeye is the best of any steak I've had outside of Luger's or Sostanza; his scallops and key lime pie are absolutely delicious. But this is not a $60 or 80 or $100 restaurant. It is more with wine and a full course dinner-much more. Virtually the same dinner that my wife and I had at Ray's for $150 was $200 at the Capital Grille with a similar bottle of wine. Fifty dollars is the difference in the room and the convenience. There are many on here that prefer Ray's. Some, such as myself, prefer the Capital Grille and spending $25 more per person. It is here that there may be the problem, at least for me. A full dinner with decent wine is going to take 90 minutes for two people, maybe two hours for four. The idea of HAVING to be out in this period of time is just ridiculous for me. Yes, I know he has some reservations for 7 or 8:00 without "a time limit." But they are a month or more out on Friday or Saturday. I honestly think he should not take reservations; first come, first serve. Let people stand in line or take a pager. It would eliminate all complains about two hour windows for reservations, 90 minute slots and being asked out if you haven't finished in time. I can't imagine spending $150 and being asked in the 95th minute to leave! Still, it's his restaurant and he's going to operate it the way he wants. I suspect that because of his independent personality it is as good as it is. But anyone that tells customers they will have to be out in 90 minutes, even when spending $150 for two people, has to expect they are going to be criticized. For everyone that complains on a message board or a newspaper Chat there are many, many more who just don't return or call back because of such restrictive hours to take reservations.

I have long been suspicious of any judge/food critic/writer who appeared anorexic/bulemic/underweight. I must confess to past suspicion at the many trim, athletic actors, actresses and authors that were frequently asked to judge the Iron Chef when it was based in Japan. I would also note that not once did I see a single one of them attempt to steal a bite of another judge's portion. I would argue that if what which was prepared was truly extraordinary, especially the few bites judged orgasmic, each of these would be a treasure, certainly worth appropriating from any nearby plate.... For me, the failure to covet such an ethereal indulgence speaks volumes about the priorities, and the qualifications of those chosen to judge. If I were invited there certainly would not be a speck left on any plate-whether mine or my neighbor's.

Charles County, Maryland is the ONLY place in the greater D. C. area that allows open pit barbecuing. There really are a lot of places there that are excellent. Johnny Boy's used to set the standard but I haven't been in a couple of years. Most of my recent trips to Southern Maryland have been in search of crabs-perhaps I should have been looking for Q which, several years ago, was my primary obsession. A lot of these places also come and go, open one year and then gone the next. I remember one place that was a hang out for bikers; it was outstanding. (I think it was on the "back road" than ran from La Plata to Indian Head. Route 225? Route 6?) I felt uncomfortable eating in my car since ours' was the ONLY car in a lot filled with 75 or 100 Harleys. Still, they KNEW great Q and for me, it was worth "the risk" if you will. Over the years some friends of mine and I have done tours of the Charles County pits and returned convinced that they set the standard for the DC area. On another board someone had the suggestion (a serious one but no one picked up on it!) of renting a stretch limo and eight or ten of us cruising the various Charles County pits and joints, looking for the DC area's best. I'm still willing and know a half dozen others that could probably be talked into it! As for the place where the Harleys hung out, well, today, it may be known for crabs in the same way that Stoney's in Broome Island lost their "chef" to Tony's Riverhouse in Benedict which NOW sets the standard for the definitive southern Maryland crab cake.

State Line? Serious? I haven't been in a couple of years but they typically would carry 95 to 100 cabs, 50-75 merlots, etc. Most of the stock was in back. Did you see the size of the store, Steve? Two brothers own it/used to own it. I wonder if something has happened over the past couple of years to change things. Once, this was a really good store that I even drove to from here for bottles I couldn't find in D. C. (i.e. '85 Groth Reserve, '85 Caymus Special Select, '97 Masseto).

Kitch'n Cook'd is the 50 or so year old brand that made Maui potato chips famous. Any chip on the mainland that talks about "Maui" onion is an imitation of the original. In fact in Hawaii there are a number of imitations including Maui Specialty which are fairly good but somewhat greasy. As for Herr's I can't imagine comparing any Herr's to some of the locals such as Diffenbach's and King's around Reading or Lancaster. We're just talking about two different things. I also remember actually going to the Utz factory in the '60's and eating their chips directly out of the fat. Then they sold cans of chips in a small store in the factory. Those chips, fresher than what was found in stores, were outstanding and very different from today. I also found a chip in Rockford, IL that was seriously good. The name escapes me but it was sold in Woodmans stores in part of WI and IL. Olde Salty? or something like that. Not a lard fried chip bu excellent potato flavor.

I prefer a numerical system similar to Gault Millau or Gayot which assigns a rating from .5 to 20.0. The advantage to this is a further differentiation within what otherwise would be a star. Thus a "strong two star" might have a 15.0 food rating while a "weak" two star might be a 13.0. Using four stars leaves no distinction within each grouping.

For 110 posts on eGullet I am disappointed that the absolute best chips on the face of the earth have not been mentioned by anyone: Kitch'n Cook'd from Maui. Lancaster Mike noted the second best chips, the "ellusive Diffenbach's." This is the website that will tell you a bit about them along with where to purchase them in central Pa: http://www.dutchvalleyfoods.com/food/ItemD...7e-c78eb3a374a6 There are other central PA potato chips that are outstanding, fried in lard and generally very difficult to find-outside of central PA. Even Gibble's has a homestyle chip available around Chambersburg. Note, I am not talking about Gibble's; rather, I am refer to Gibble's thick cut, lard fried old fashioned potato chips which are only sold in a handful of stores. Local stores in Reading feature a number of serious potato chips including King's lard fried chips in bag's that look, for all the world, like Tim's from the West Coast. Having said all of this, there are a handful of small towns throughout PA, even Hagerstown, MD, where store front shops sell in house sliced and fried potato chips. For anyone that mentions Grandma Utz, Poole's, Tim's, Zapp's, Mike Sells and a whole host of others, these all seriously pale to the old style chips made in store fronts like this. Excepting these, the best I have ever had are the Kitch'n Cook'd which have become all but impossible to find outside of visiting Maui. Several stores used to overnight these to the Mainland but, to the best of my knowledge, they have stopped. Now, the ONLY way to taste Kitch'n Cook'd is to visit Hawaii. In person and buy them there!

I agree that their clam chowder is, indeed, excellent. One of the reviews (I don't remember if it was the Post, City Paper, etc.) essentially called it decent while the other raved about it. Black Salt, similar to Kinkead's, is strong on soups and stews.

Inn at Easton is excellent, 208 Talbot is also very good-just a step below perhaps. Suicide Bridge, about 45 minutes away in Hurlock, is an outstanding Maryland style seafood restaurant. The Narrows, I believe with all due respect to G & M and Faidley's, has Maryland's best crabcake. I haven't been to the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford in several years but used to like it a lot. The Inn at Perry Cabin is expensive; for the money I would prefer the Inn at Easton. I do not know Ruke's but Smith Island food tends to be more simple and straight forward. If you go to Smith Island and happen to return via Crisfield (75 miles from St. Michael's) the Cove is Crisfield's best restaurant although it is not on the water. Captain's Galley is overrated yet has a great location. The Crab Claw in St. Michael's is good for crabs-in season.

I can't believe that I forgot to mention the Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cake at the Charcoal Pit! For anyone on this board who remembers Hot Shoppes this is an absolute clone.

I believe Safeway actually refers to their 65-70,000 square foot market near Arundel Mills as a "concept" store. I also believe that the one under construction on Elden Street in Herndon (about the same size) is also one. I have not been in the Arundel Mills store so I really don't know what constitutes a future store for Safeway. But a 55-60,000 square foot Whole Foods could be seriously interesting. I'm guessing that the Whole Foods in Vienna is about 30,000 or so; therefore doubling this would create quite an attraction. Still, I believe that the success of Wegmans more recent larger stores, the City Markets, maybe Byerly's in Minneapolis, several of the Larry's Markets in Seattle (I travel too much!!!!) and others are causing chains like Safeway and Harris Teeter as well as Balducci's and Whole Foods to take serious looks at some of their future stores. One of the few advantages of travel (after 24 years I'm really burnt out!) is that sharing the same interests with many on this board I have the advantage of stopping out of town to see what I may read about on here or elsewhere. There are also national trade publications which have extensive features and updates on the success of these. I remember stopping at a Larry's Market east of Seattle 15 or 16 years ago and being blown away since at least 1/3 of it had a distinct marketplace kind of ambience. I hadn't seen this anywhere else, outside of say, the Lexington Market, Pike Place, etc. But I really liked it, even down to the boutique stands within the store. The market itself wasn't enormous (maybe 55,000-60,000 square feet) but the concept was really unique. A hybrid grocery store/city market/farmers' market ambience. I can't remember the first Whole Foods/Fresh Fields/Wild Oats that I was in but I really don't think any of them were more "interesting" than the Larry's. HEB then did not have their City Markets and Wegmans had large 110,000 square foot stores with their version of the marketplace/grocery store/food court mix but Larry's really seemed to have it down. Since then Wegmans has evolved into what is probably the industry standard as represented in Sterling with City Market directly comparable. The Whole Foods in Vienna always appealed to me because it was a renovated 60-70 year old Southern States building with a relatively high ceiling. I have always really liked that particular Whole Foods. Anyway, coming full circle, now we have Safeway, Harris Teeter, maybe Publix in Florida and even Schnuck's in St. Louis with their versions of this, all somewhat smaller than the 130,000 square foot Wegmans. I haven't been to the Larry's in Bellevue since that first visit. I wonder if now it seems small and outmoded by comparison. I also wonder if Larry's has a new concept store of their own. The limit for all this seems to be the store that I mentioned in another thread, the 285,000 square foot Jungle Jim's in Middletown, OH which bills itself as "an amusement park for foodies of all ages." I was there before the current expansion and it was huge and interesting. Still, for me, then it was huge but not quite on par with City Market, Wegmans or an Auchan I was in overseas at Val d'Europa because of the overall ambience. This is the link to it: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general18/...ages/64210.html Anyway, I've talked about some of this before so I apologize if I am redundant. Grocery stores have fascinated me for a long time-an alternative to bar hopping when travelling! I think we are particularly fortunate in the D. C. area since many of these concepts are being tested or introduced here.

Unlike my post above where I felt this was more than worthwhile based on two past visits, today was an entirely different matter. Open from 1 to 5, shorter hours than in the past, I found that with a 1:02 arrival at the back of the line for Will Call, after completing that, the line for coat check and the 250 yard line three wide to enter the Hall, I finally made it in at 1:57. Fifty five minutes was absurd. With lines four deep and armpit to armpit at virtually every table there was not the type of opportunity for the serious "survey" of wines which I've been able to sample in the past. Two years ago I honestly believe that I tasted closed to 200 red wines in a four hour period. I was able to accomplish this because I swallowed as little wine as I could, spitting most out in relatively accessible buckets on most tables. Today was a different matter. For most wines I had to shove my arm between tightly wedged bodies offering a small glass, hoping that a few drops might fall into it. The idea that after swirling, sniffing and tasting that I would be able to spit this out was unthinkable. If I could barely snake my arm between strangers there was no way that my head was going to find an available bucket! The result is that I swallowed. A lot. In fact by four, two hours into this I had a pretty good buzz, feeling thankful I had to walk the 15 blocks back to where I was able to find a parking space. (Of course walking to the convention center, fighting 20,000+ people at the MCI center for the ACC tournement I had other thoughts!) Still, there were several wines worth reporting from the 100 or so that I managed to taste: 1. The wine of the show, for me, was Hardy's $90.00 1997 Shiraz which I was able to steal three different tastes of over the time I was there. (I should note they ran out around 3:00 and was told that tomorrow they only have a couple of bottles for sampling.) An outstanding Australian wine, one of several that I tasted. 2. The bargain of the show, for me, was the $9.00 Chilean, Vinedos de Canata Paso Hondo Reserva 2001. This baby was smooth and delicious and tasted exactly like a good $25 red wine. I was floored when the distributor told me it was "around $9.00. I was also floored when he told me that it was not available in the D. C. area yet but he expected I "could find it in the late spring." 3. Another excellent Chilean (about $20) was Errazuriz 2003 Max Reserva which I was told was available from stores like Calvert Woodley on special order. 4. Also in the $20 range was Stanley Brothers 2001 Warmblood Shiraz, an excellent effort from Barossa Valley. A name, "Warmblood," that I also found appropriate and endearing. 5. BV poured several different reds, the best of which was the 2001 Rutherford. This is a wine that the Wine Spectator has not granted its more liberal marks on, usually falling somewhere in the mid '80's. Yet this was, full and rounded, an excellent California cab that could have sold for more. Costco has this on its shelves for about $16. Unlike past years where there was a sprinkling of better bottles around the various tables this year's show, for me, seemed to imply that most wineries and distributors left them at home. The $90 Australian from Hardy's noted above was a rare exception. For what it's worth: Royal Oak peanuts ("Cajun" peanuts) were fantastic; there was also a company from Richmond (in the VA wine section) that had some of the best salsa I've ever had; the Wine Enthusiast once again had what they claimed was their lowest price of the year on a EuroCave ($2195 for the big one with a glass door and three sliding shelves). P & C art had some really interesting paintings (loved the "Sweet Indulgence" from Markus Pierson) and posters stretched on canvas along with seveal other booths featuring various fascinating wine artifacts and "thingys" to embellish one's love of wine as a theme. And, at 4 when I stumbled out, I noted that many people seemed to have survived the tightly packed lines at the many tables, still sourcing enough wine for their own jovial warmth. Overall, much more crowded and more amateurishly run for an event of this size, especially considering the horrendous waits to get into the Hall. This year, for the first time, it was so tightly packed that much of it was really not very enjoyable. Even after tasting close to one hundred different wines. I probably will not go back next year unless it is open longer hours to stretch the crowds out and they open the floor up to use more of the Hall, one quarter of which was roped off and vacant. There didn't have to be quite as much congestion as there was. I think the subway during rush hour in Osaka may have been more spacious by comparison.

Mr. H, Next time you're in NYC check out, if you havn't already, Jackson Hole on E. 64th street. I believe they have the best burger in the world. They advertise 7oz. but they usually weigh in considerably more. With so many different toppings, you would be hard pressed not to find one you didn't like. And they've been around since 1972. ← Thanks for the recommendation. Much appreciated.

Well, perhaps unbelievably, I really have eaten at an awful lot of places over the years. About 95% of the ones in Roadfood/Goodfood, etc. which I am credited in twice in early editions. I've done an 8,000 mile + driving trip around much of the U. S. every year for 24 years with another 25,000 miles on business plus flying that takes me virtually everywhere. In the early '80's I used to go to libraries for Reader's Guides searching for good restaurants; I also sent away for "Best of" magazines for most of the major cities in the U. S. researching where to eat when I visited them on on business. (Every city has a magazine like Washingtonian; every one of these has an annual issue for "best of...") This is before Jane and Michael, before the Interstate Gourmet, about the time Calvin Trilling was writting regular articles in New Yorker. I've also written a column for years in a trade publication on restaurants for my industry that's circulated to almost 100,000 nationally. Plus, everyone in my industry knows I'm obsessed with food and they go out of their way to take me/lead me/send me to places they think I will like. Considering that I travel all of North America and Europe this covers a lot of ground. I don't know what all this sounds like but there really is no one on this or any other board anywhere who has gone more out of their way to indulge a passionate love for all kinds of food and who has taken advantage of heavy international business travel to search out the best anywhere. I apologize for what this must sound like but it's just the way I've been for a half century and the last 24 I've been able to go to an awful lot more places. I should also note that I count calories, have lost over 100 pounds twice with the last time 142 and have kept it off since the '70's. I also walk almost 30 miles a week. I say all this because calories/taste/what I eat REALLY matters to me. In my mind it's not about money; it's about whether or not something is truly worth the calories. Anyway, I've eaten a lot of hamburgers including everyone on the list USA Today published a number of years ago as America's best. They didn't include the 1/2 lb. burger at the Charcoal Pit or In 'n Out's 4 X 4 Animal style. Having said this, my wife who has been to many of the same places, often disagrees with my opinions!

What's that all about? Never heard of it! ← The National Park Service used to give a tour by "lantern light" with a ranger at midnight of the catacombs underneath the Lincoln Memorial and part of the Mall. Yes, there are catacombs, part of which are really the foundations of the Memorial but they are extensive and spread underneath part of the Mall. The story is that troops went down there in the 19th Century, became lost and never found their way out. Back in the '70's when they gave these tours you had to sign up six months in advance because of their popularity, in combination with picking small groups to accompany the rangers who led them. To say they are creepy is an understatement. Legitimately scary and, in a small way, DC's version of the Paris or Seattle undergrounds. At some point, I believe in the early '80's, they stopped them. I have no idea why but they were a big deal, especially on a foggy, damp night in Fall, especially after a night of bar hopping. DC has a lot of stuff like this which never make the tourbooks and even most locals are not aware of. Old Town has a tour of haunted houses around Halloween that is more than worthwhile and there are others.

I know I've been criticized for talking about Michelin starred places and so forth but my real love are places like this. The Charcoal Pit's Half Pound burger (NOT the 1/4 lb) is legitimately outstanding. I say this having been to Kincaid's in Ft. Worth, the Apple Pan in L. A., Chester's in San Antonio, etc. and having made something of a reputation in part because of this essay on another board: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general18/...ages/64210.html Unfortunately this place is a local institution and they actually get a line on weekends that can be quite long. They also have a good, but "unconventional" cheesesteak, too. I say unconventional because the bread has nothing in common with Amoroso's. Still, it's good. But the Charcoal Pit built a rep onits 1/2 lb burger and shakes.

What's not mentioned in the article is the presence of the flagship store of HEB's Central Market which is a virtual clone of the Wegmans in Sterling in many way.