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bilrus

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Everything posted by bilrus

  1. My wife is returning today from a conference at the Opryland Resort and I think would echo the comments others have had here. She did get away for a meal at Radius 10 and the food was excellent.
  2. If the others you are dining with are also drinking, you could ask the sommelier for a half or full bottle of red and a white for the table. Or you could do the same for yourself by the glass. And if you have a budget for your wines, give the sommelier your comfort range. You won't be the first person looking to avoid breaking the bank at French Laundry.
  3. bilrus

    Per Se

    They only accept reservations 2 months ahead to the day.
  4. But it is also the rare restaurant that has both the food and concept to inspire groupies. Think about how many good restaurants don't inspire that sort of passion.
  5. Washington Post article on the Sterling Grand Mart from this weekend's Loudoun section, including quotes from Malawry and Pork.
  6. Not to speak for Firefly, but I'm pretty sure they can handle 12 in the back room with enough advance notice. But like a lot of places - 12 or more might trigger you going into a limited menu. I'm sure they'd do a good job with it though.
  7. I truly love a good poo-poo platter and haven't had (or seen) one in about 15 years.
  8. Strange that this place would be getting any love around here, and granted I haven't been in years, but I remember having several better than decent meals at Thiesmann's as well.
  9. bilrus

    Babbo

    I was just about to make a similar point. I think if you were to ask Batali about this discussion he would say "it is what it is." All these qualifiers - "authentic", "best Italian restaurant", "not subtle enough" - are all projections from individual diners pre-concieved notions. The fact that Babbo is a "famous" restaurant only serves to elevate the expecations.
  10. Au contraire. Off nights do indeed just happen, as dinner service, like so much else in life, tends to accumulate momentum. Once the rhythm gets thrown off, it's hard to get it back -- though I'm certain that happens rarely at Citronelle, and that they recover quickly when it does. ← I'd bet even Mr. Slater would admit to their having an off night every now and then. It happens to the best of us. Just less often.
  11. Made my first visit this weekend. I was impressed, especially with the meat section and the prices in the produce section. I was also pleasantly surprised that I was able to do almost all my shopping here, including a box of Frosted Cheerios and Fritos for my Super Bowl dip. Most of the (albeit smaller) Asian markets I've been to didn't have much selection of "Western" items.
  12. It is on Route 7 east of Sterling Park. Across from a Ford dealership, just down a bit from a shopping center with a Chik-fil-a out front. It is behind an IHOP and there is a decent Thai place called Tup Tim Thai in the same center. I haven't been yet. Pork - do they carry fresh rice noodles in addition to dried?
  13. My answer would be the same as Pan's - this is the same brand that most of the Pho places here in DC seem to have on the table, so it is the only one I know. It is also the only one that they carried at Wegman's when I was there this weekend. I don't use a lot of it in my soup anyway. I do find the flavor to be a bit more "harsh" than "Western" hot sauces. But I feel that way about most Asian ones like sambal oelek or garlic-chili pastes.
  14. Served my Chicken Pho that I started a few days ago upthread - Fixins ready for the bowl Noodles being warmed up Everything in the bowl This turned out to be a good recipe. The broth was surprisingly rich and had a good flavor. A heavier hand than I'd usually use with the fish sauce, soy sauce and salt helped perk it up quite a bit.
  15. I clipped this recipe for Pho Ga from the Washington Post a while back and have been meaning to make it. Pho 75, the restaurant the recipe is from is one of the best pho shops in the DC area. This thread got me off my rear and motivated. Today I made the broth. Probably going to have the soup itself tomorrow or Wednesday. Shallots and ginger to be roasted: Chicken cooking - much quicker step than traditional stock making: Star Anise and cinnamon being toasted: This is a huge bowl of broth - probably 5 quarts. It is surprisingly rich given the relatively brief cooking time: Chicken ready to be cut up for the soup: More pictures to come when the soup is served...
  16. If you were sitting along the wall back by the kitchen, I was sitting next to you in the "wine cellar" finishing my sirloin diablo style when your Chateaubriand was served. I had never thought about the Chateaubriand, but it looked awfully good and I was a bit envious. Not that I'm complaining about my steak by any stretch.
  17. See what I'm saying - pork and fish. The new surf and turf.
  18. Funny - I was about to post about my worst meal ever in DC and then I looked up thread and realized I already had - over two years ago. Good to know my answer still hasn't changed.
  19. Drangonfly is fun and is probably the best "fusion" place I've tried anywhere. It is "Carrib-asian" but it works there. It is almost directly across the street from Parrot Club (with teh same owners) on Calle Fortaleza. I ate at El Picoteo in the El Convento - don't know if that is the one you're referring to. I don't think it is their main restaurant, but is a pretty nice tapas bar in the courtyard of very cool old hotel near the cathedral in old San Juan.
  20. I've never felt more authentic than eating at the food shacks at Luquillo Beach about 45 minutes or an hour east of San Juan near the entrance to El Yunque. Considerably less rustic, but a favorite I've been to four times in two visits to San Juan is the Parrot Club in Old San Juan.
  21. I'm glad I had a chance to go one time before it closed. It never dawned on me that it was kosher until we considered ordering the "cheesecake". The waitress who looked like she had been there since they first opened said "Sweetie, you won't like that. You'll like the cheesecake around the corner at Venerio's much better." Thanks for the tip.
  22. I only made one trip to New York this year, but the chorizo crusted cod I had in February at the dining room at The Modern was one of the two or three best things I had to eat all year. This was one of my first indications of a great trend I've been seeing more and more of on restaurant menus this year - pork and seafood, mostly with a Spanish or Italian accent.
  23. Naan. Even reheating in the oven doesn't work because it ends up too crisp and over cahrred.
  24. This is the one dish I've had there that I found really, really bad in probably a dozen visits. Yet people rave about them as the answer to "What should I order at Zaytinya?"
  25. Yep - I would have liked to get more reaction from him and the other readers.
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