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Oh MY.. I do agree, the more experience I gain at special places like Sushi-Ko, Palena, Nectar, and Indique, places where I am consistently satisfied time and time again (ok, in the case of Palena, a place where I imagine myself to be satisfied again), I wonder why I continue to venture out to other 'must try' places. Safe, sure bets that are far from safe = staid are a great thing. But then again, without those other adventures, I might fail to gain a new regular spot. Say Firefly. Say BDC. Say Eve--I have high hopes for Friday night. Say Ray's--when am I getting there??? Striving for more places to spend heavenly evenings with food and wine is a big part of what makes life fun.

There's an exception to that small portion rule at Johnny's-- the po boys. Gigantic, especially if you get a whole. 2 people could share the calamari and split the oyster po boy and leave filled and happy for about $10 each.

For food and lodging near San Diego-- I think La Jolla is way prettier than San Diego, and will impress your girlfriend. Book a room at the Best Western there; it's clean and affordable, and we had sunset views of the water from our room. Go to Point Loma Seafood for lunch-- tons of awesome seafood like you rarely get in DC, for a very low price point. Restaurant in San Francisco-- I'm a big fan of Tommaso's for pizza in North Beach. You may have a wait to get in, but it's worth it. From what I've heard, Chez Panisse modeled their wood-burning oven after Tommaso's. Not far from Tommaso's is a great Hunan restaurant, called Hunan, on Sansomme. Inexpensive, kickin Chinese.

I agree-- I was at AOC in LA recently, and Palena's approach is generally different. I would think that restaurants featuring main menus with only small plates would be the focus of the article, thus the inclusion of Avec. Otherwise it should be places with bar menus, which often are smaller portions. AOC has big plates too, but many more small plates. I would've added NYC's Tasting Room to that list, and if DC were included, I suppose Jaleo and Zaytinya--tho it seems silly, since tapas and mezze are by definition "small plates." As are all appetizers! Hmm....

Yep, they have hushpuppies. LOVE that name-- hush puppies...

Wow Steve...Sounds great, lucky you. When are they moving to Dupont??

Get the hushpuppies and onion rings!

Not to echo another post in another thread, but I finally had dinner at Palena's bar last night. Seriously, Palena's bar food, where have you been all my life?? You are splendid and inexpensive, just my kinda soulmate. Tried the lamb breast (not breast at all, but maybe formerly breast, ground--like lamb sausage, breaded and served with a 'red' sauce that definitely had some peppers in it); the wild Alaskan king salmon (AWESOME dish, served with porcinis, baby carrots, roasted garlic, tender flavorful salmon as I've ever had); the burger with the fried things (potatoes, lemons, onions, Nuff said), and the best roasted half-chicken of my life. $9 for a big plate of juicy chicken? In DC? That outdoes El Pollo Rico? Not kidding, I'm in love. To top it off, Derrick (Jarad's not-so-evil twin) is all he's cracked up to be, and then some, and my adorable server, former Marine Corps now heading for law school, knew exactly what he was doing. Oh Palena, I'll be back.

Thanks for posting on this place--sounds like a find! Do they serve any moles?

I finally got to Cantlers this past weekend with LiamDC. Great place! We had a dozen large one for around $32 (they also had jumbo and extra-jumbo with prices going up to around $50/doz). Served piping hot, plenty of Old Bay, totally delicious. Lotsa meat, very juicy in these suckers. And the service was great--when I cut my finger the waitress brought a bandaid. And when the guy nearby me did the same thing, she even put it on for him! We arrived around 6 pm on Friday night and were seated on the deck instantly. I noticed a line forming in the parking lot around 7, but that was mostly due to the closure of half the deck, since it'd be raining and was still wet.

Jonathan, here's my q. What's it like working with your Dad? I know many restaurants are family affairs, but I haven't heard of too many father/son ventures as of late. Do you fight? Throw dough at each other? Have separate kitchens to work in, or work together? Thanks.

Thanks much--especially for the Palladio suggestion. I made a late lunch reservation there. My thinking is to hit Grey Ghost, St Michal's and then Barboursville for tasting and lunch--and then get to Richmond in time for dinner. Is that reasonable--and are there other vineyards on the way we could hit briefly if we have time?

We went by today..the limeade ROCKS! But after standing on line for the Haitian platters for 15 minutes and only moving a foot, we left and went to Zaytinya. Oh well.

How is Cafe Ole?? Never been.

I don't think Moore probably believes in spending much money on food, actually... That said, I definitely gotta get to Ray's! The movie really wasn't funny at all-sure it had a few lite moments, but really it makes you sad/mad/scared and tearful more than anything else.

Yeah, Bishop's House was mentioned by one shopkeeper...Dolls and such is sorta what I thought the Inn would be like, and thankfully is not at all! But it is kid friendly, for sure--in fact one table was celebrating a 10 year olds birthday the night we were there! Wow, to have a dinner at the Inn when you're 10, I'm jealous! It's certainly nice to know about less-pricey places to stay in the area if you want to get out there for dinner.

I finally got to Zaytinya for the 1st time today...I know, it took me forever. We stopped in this afternoon for a late lunch around 2:30. Very quiet, nice Sunday afternoon, I love restaurants this way, without all the noise/buzz/hype etc. I had a Retsina cocktail, which I found surprisingly good-- it's Retsina, vodka, apricot and appe juices, very refreshing. Liam had the lemonos maximus, a good version of a vodka lemonade. We shared five dishes. Two were wonderful--the taramosalata (tangy cod roe in a creamy dip) and the Turkish Delight (Steve you simply Rock!). One was better than average--a special of fresh prawns, grilled, heads on--but overpriced--$12.50 for 2 prawns? One was very average--rabbit lagos, b/c the rabbit was overcooked and very dry, tho the lentils accompanying it were good. And one, IMO, was just terrible--the baby octopus. Couldn't really cut them couldn't really chew them, I think they were undercooked--not tender at all, and I love octopus and order it everywhere. Overall, a nice joint for some mezze, but I was reminded of the several other mezze places in Arlington that are less expensive and less showy, i.e. Layalina on Lee Hwy (am I getting that right--I think that's the place I mean). And Lebanese Taverna...why by the way do they do a dish at Zaytinya and call it "Lebanese Taverna-style"? Does that make sense to anyone??

We stopped in to have a light meal at Buck's before seeing Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Avalon tonite (GO SEE THIS MOVIE IT IS AWEEEESOME!!). My first time, even tho the place is just 2 blks from the apt. Liam and I shared two appetizers-- the fried green tomatoes and okra, and the mozzarella and beet salad. The tomatoes and okra were tempura-battered, not floured and fried the way they're done in the South, and the way I prefer them. The tempura crust was a bit sticky and got soggy too fast. Pretty missable dish except for the dressing on the side which was delish. The other app was much better--The mozzarella was incredibly fresh, moist, and sweet, and I liked the pairing with pale pink beets and pesto. For our entree we ordered the grilled shrimp with corn and tomato salad. But alas, it was 8 pm and they were out! The bartender came over and gave us the bad news, and then strongly advocated we have the lobster instead. Only problem? No lobster on the menu we'd seen. It was a mystery where this lobster was coming from, and we still didn't know as she and the host swooped around us, pushing the lobster, putting the menu in front of us, taking it away--it all happened so fast and it was so pushed, well, we got it. We postulated aloud that after such a show, the lobster would be provided at the same charge as the shrimp--$18. And if not, we thought, well then we'd note that and mention it here as punishment (hee hee)... The lobster was fabulous. 1.5 lbs approx, split and grilled, covered in a yellow grape tomato, corn, and rice salad. We each had half and I sucked mine dry, dipping in with all fingers, then tackling Liam's remains. My fingers *still* smell good. However, we were charged $25 for the lobster on the bill. Not cool. But we were in a hurry, decided we were partly at fault for not saying something when they were pushing us, and paid and left. Oh well. The lobstah was So Good. As for drinks--I had a very nice, fresh and strong margarita and Liam had a glass of verdehlo(sp?). Service was friendly, excepting the lobster incident, but we sometimes had a very hard time catching the bartender's attention--especially when we wanted the check. Overall, I like the bar area at Buck's--the red walls and artwork are very attractive. I think I'll be back...

Thanks--definitely go check it out!

That was in the Style section yesterday...think they got their info on Egullet??

Hi I'd like to get your thoughts on favorite picnic foods...aside from the typical cheese and crackers and wine, or tuna fish sandwiches. My preference is for simple dishes (10 ingrediants or less, 20 min or so to prep), that are easily transported by one without a formal picnic basket. Thanks!

Have you been to any of the other Inns in Easton? Several shopkeepers in the area told us that 2-3 others imagine themselves competitors... The Inn already won Food & Wine's best hotel restaurants mentions in 2002 and 2003, and I don't detect any attitude from them about it-- but I have no frame of reference as to what prices used to be. It took a long long time for the Inn at Little Washington to begin to slide, and from what I've heard (and admittedly this is second or third hand information I'm not even totally comfortable speaking on) the decline has largely stemmed from a lack of willingness or interest in change or progress--burnout, you might say. Liz has certainly expressed that she and Andrew sometimes feel overwhelmed, running the Inn and taking care of 2 small children, but there's still a clear sense that they love what they do and intend to keep up the good work.

I would've agreed with you until a recent meal where I sampled a number of dishes I'd not ordered there before, mostly what has been mentioned in reviews--the clams on crackers, the sweet shrimp soup, a whole fish with ginger and scallion--and was much much happier than I'd been before. That menu is huge, it deserves a full trip through it. That said, I'm still a Cafe Dalat aficianado, first and foremost.

In complete agreement. I frequented Pho 75 in Falls Church weekly growing up, and it's still a regular stop. They have a branch in Philly, which I noted with delight when moving there 6 years ago, and it's just as good. What I want is for pho joints to spread like wildfire throughout the country, taking the place of McD's everywhere. Go pho! ps. On a TOTALLY unrelated tip, how's the repair service center at that Micro Center?? Thinking of taking a laptop out there..PM me.

Having just returned from an overnight at the Inn at Easton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, LiamDC and I have sat down to write our review with much trepidation. Will we be successful in conveying the degree to which we loved this Inn and can't wait to return? Can we adequately translate the divineness of Andrew Evans's dishes into words, without any pictures to share? Well, fellow Gulleteers, we're gonna try! First, giving credit where it's due, this was a special occasion for us, arranged by Liam to celebrate the completion of my doctorate. Having read a bit about this 4-year-old Inn in places like the Washingtonian and the Post (Tom reviewed it about 2 years ago), but without having seen much talk about it on Egullet, Liam "took a flyer" and booked us a night. The Inn is a Federal Mansion built in 1790 and subsequently split into apartments. It's been fixed up beautifully by Liz Evans, who has a taste for luxious linens (we had 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets with a springy green flower print covering our queen-sized bed with feather mattress), antique dressers paired with modern mirrors, and steel bathroom accessories topped with Aveda products. God, I aspire to develop even half of Liz's skills in this arena. The rooms, many of which are suites (bedroom, sitting room and bathroom) look out of the pages of a very chic magazine. It's a completely unexpected look in the middle of the Eastern Shore. Liz is Australian, and so her husband Andrew Evans has created an Australian-themed menu, with a sophisticated largely-Australian wine list. The prices ($10-15 apps, $25-$40 entrees) are more than reasonable for this quality of food, and feel like an absolute deal coming from the DC area. Andrew's strengths are his pairings, and his work with various textures and always high quality ingrediants. This will become clear in the subsequent description of what we had for dinner. But first, beginnings. After arriving and checking in at 7:30 pm (it's about a 2 hr drive from DC, with a little traffic), we mentioned a wish to sit outside in the early evening. While the front porch with its white rocking chairs was a good option, they took us to an even lovelier spot--a backyard dining patio, whose centerpiece was a water foundation. Beautiful white and pink flowers surround the patio, which is backed up by a small tree-covered yards. It's simply idyllic. You can dine outside, and we saw several people doing so. We sat and had cocktails-- a vodka lemonade for me, a nicely-made gin & tonic for Liam. After about a half-hour we expressed a desire for some food, and they led us inside to the beautifully elegant dining room, which has a fireplace (not lit up thankfully in June!). Each table has a heavy glass bowl containing a Japanese fighting fish--we had great fun psychoanalyzing our fish, who didn't move throughout our 2.5 hr meal, speculating on his depression (the fish at our new breakfast table this morning, in a corner nook, was much more active. Sidenote: Apparently a few years back the Inn hosted a wedding rehearsal dinner and a number of men got drunk and on a dare ate the fish!! This was quite upsetting to Liz, and they haven't been invited back.). Now--the food. First, we were served fresh bread, hot from the oven, with very creamy butter. I started with Seared Diver Scallops, dauphine potatoes, tomato and lemon oil vinaigrette. Each large scallop was placed in a scallop shell, which was placed on a bed of rock salt. The scallop sat atop the dauphine potato, and was topped by a little olive tapanade. Around the scallop was the tomato and lemon vinaigrette. This was simply a perfect dish--the meaty scallops could be consumed in no less than 3-5 bites a piece, their salty sea flavor was offset nicely by the olives and tomatoes. Liam and I fought of this dish piece for piece. His appetizer was Jumbo Lumb Crab and Papaya Salad, frisee and minted verjuice. The sweet crab and papaya played off of each other beautifully, and the textural combination was a joy! He had a glass of Australian riesling--2002 Eden Valley Rockford, "Hand Picked" that the waitress thought would be an ideal match but unfortunately wasn't--her idea was to offset the sweetness of the crab with something dry, but he would've preferred to have a slightly less dry match. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant Aussie riesling with strong mineral and grassy notes. (I have to mention that I had an internal battle of choice of appetizer, given the appeal of several other options, including: Korean Style Steak Tartar, sesame dressing, lavash toast points, and quail yolk; and Seared Calves Liver, applewood smoked bacon and fried shallot rings.) For entrees, I had Pan Seared Squab, grilled figs, wilted beet tops, seared foie gras, and saba jus. Liam had Slow Cooked Lamb Sirloin, dijon herb crust, creamed spinach, potato galette and sauce pinot. OH GOD were these good! My squab (two little legs) sat in a tart shell, atop to slices of superb foie gras, over wilted beet tops. The four halves of grilled figs framed the plate, which was rich with saba jus. This was a 5-star dish. The squab was meaty, the tenderness and richness of the foie gras a beautiful complement, I swooned again and again over the figs. Liam's lamb was Australian, extremely tender and juicy, and completely herbaceous. It was placed on top of a comforting creamed spinach over a potato galette, and surrounded by a medley of baby asparagus and pearl onions. He declared that lamb the best he's had--and that's saying a ton since I make great lamb!! Now, for the wine...oh, deep breath...we introduced ourselves to a real lover--the 2001 McLaren Vale Grenache-Shiraz "Hattrick." It's so named because it's really a trio of grapes, include cab sav (only 7% however). The palate was ripe cherries and big flowing jamminess, with great structure. It was extraordinarily refined and very well-balanced. One of the more refined Shiraz or Shiraz-blends Liam's ever had. The nose was a little fruity, a little spicy. It was absolutely plush, and a perfect pairing with our entrees. (Price=$75; we found it in Annapolis today for $47, so that's not a bad markup, eh?) Dessert. I had the much acclaimed, and rightfully so, Sticky Fig & Ginger Pudding, caramel sauce and english double devon cream. Rich rich rich rich rich. But perfectly rich. Liam had a more unusual dish: Cold Wattle Seed Soufflé, warm kahlua sauce. Wattle seeds are like hazelnuts, so this was a cold nutty souffle in a small ramekin, accompanied by a tiny pitcher of kahlua sauce. Liam immediately went to drink that pitcher--which I can only assume is Jamie Blankenship's influence (that darn milkshake!)--but I also pointed out how good the sauce was poured over the nuts, softening them and making the souffle simply melt. Awesome! We thought it was over then, but... Out came our server, pretty young woman in black (the bussers were a young duo of dour teens, pretty funny), with a plate of petit fours--still warm cookies, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and blackberries. She sent us up to our warm room, full and delighted, with that plate of pleasures and the rest of our wine. Ah, now to the next morning, this morning (and yeah I'm skipping out on the hours of 11 pm- 10 am Except I will note when we arrived upstairs our bed had been turned out, with chocolates properly placed, and complimentary bottles of still and sparkling water available), when we sauntered downstairs and were treated to breakfast alone, in the dining room's sunny cornernook. Continental breakfast is included with the room, and while I've heard that one before (stale Frosted Flakes anyone?), this one was exceptional. Fresh illy coffee, juices, a homemade parfait of homemade granola, yogurt, and blueberries, homemake croissants and danishes. And asian pears and oranges on the table. What we couldn't eat we were told to box up and take along with us! What a beautiful morning, what a beautiful day... Listen folks, I had a surgical procedure at 9 am yesterday morning and found myself at the Inn at Easton dining extraordinarily well by 9 last night. You will not find a more lovely place for R&R, a breather, a fabulously refreshing meal, and a great value (around $450 for the whole deal with room, dinner, etc), not too far from home. We haven't been to the Inn at Little Washington, but what I've heard lately about the food there, I'd put money on people preferring this place. My oh my, go there, go NOW. Here's all the info you need (well, I guess I thought I'd add a thing or two... ): Inn