bilrus

Maybe you aren't, but it's awfully nice to have a source for HP sauce, Heinz beans, and good plain tea that isn't charging usurious prices. I was actually thinking of you when I wrote that.

I agree that personal experience has a large bearing on whether to trust someone's opinion when commenting on a restaurant or issue in food (or anything else for that matter). But I don't think that should hold people back from commenting on their perceptions of the topic. It should, however, prevent people from stating their opinions or perceptions as fact. For example - I have never been to Obelisk, but I want to go there because from what I have read it is the type of cooking I like - simple, ingredient focused and well prepared food in a spare setting. I don't need to ahve eaten there to know about the style and whether or not I might like that style of cooking and atmosphere. What I can't say is that definitively it is good or bad until I have been there. And once I have then I will only be able comment definitively about my experience there. If everyone on eGullet only wrote about things they have direct and/or in depth experience with it would be a much less lively and interesting place.

I am going to predict a better experience. I haven't been to Trotters, but based on having been to French Laundry, the service there was far from overbearing and intimidating. I would expect that the same will hold true at Per Se. Although this is essentially the second "opening" night at Per Se. Now whether that will translate in your account - we shall see.

That was my biggest disappointment with Wegman's as well - the "ethnic sections" carry only about the same number of Asian and Mexican/Latin American products as a good Giant. They do have more "ethnicities" represented, but I haven't been craving any British items lately. But the thing I have already picked up on is that they are pretty responsive to requests. A few weeks ago there were two items I wanted that they didn't have. When the girl who was checking me out asked if I found everything OK, I mentioned that I couldn't find the items (slab bacon and something else I can't remember). She immediately paged a manager who came over and asked for details about what I was looking for. I haven't looked for these items again, and wouldn't expect them to respond just to one suggestion, but I can't imagine that scenario playing out at Giant or Safeway. As for the prepared food, just like we would give any restaurant a few months to settle in, as Steve suggests, I would imagine they will pull things together in a matter of time. I still can't imagine it ever becoming a place I would choose to eat over a regular restaurant - primarily due to the crowds milling around.

In addition to the usual suspects, there are two new places that have opened up in the last few weeks that offer tasting menus - Restaurant Eve in Alexandria and Yannick Cam's new place, Le Paradou - both of which have gotten favorable mentions already on here. Based on personal experience - maybe my favorite meal last year was at Citronelle. Their tasting menu is $125, but the $85 prix fixe was very nice and included several courses plus a cheese course for a $15 supplement.

Wood floors get just as dirty as tile and I always feel like Safeway is dingy - even the new ones. We had an ongoing thread over the last few weeks that evolved into a discussion of the various safeways here.

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't really enjoy Farallon, as I was one of the people who recommended it on the other thread. Based on everything I have heard from you, Squeat and others I am looking forward to trying Quince next time I am in SF. And there will be a next time sooner rather than later.

Same way you'd thicken gravy itself. Use a roux. Mix equal parts flour and butter (oil or crisco if you prefer) and brown in a little pan. Lighter colored rouxs give you thicker gravies and sauces. A roux is equal parts butter and flour? Who knew? Apparently everyone but me A roux is actually equal parts flour and any fat, not just butter.

When I read that I thought that had to be a joke. Or a serious mental illness.

We had a pretty long-running thread here on pizza in DC. Some "high-brow", some not.

I don't really think of Palena as being Italian.

The first two that come to my mind in that category of upscale Italian are Tosca and Obelisk. I haven't been to Obelisk but Tosca was very good - although I would lean more towards the pastas. The pasta dish my wife and I had was excellent, my fish entree, good, but not memorable. And if they are serving the tomato tart for dessert - get it.

Congrats Monica. This might make me actually buy a copy. I swore it off after the last restaurant issue.

The food is as good, the service is as good, the meal is almost as expensive, but the experience is more casual and vibrant upstairs versus more "worship at the temple of food" hushed downstairs. It depends on what you want. Personally, I like upstairs just as much as downstairs, but I'm a casual kind of gal. I do like those Monday night downstairs dinners-they feel pretty relaxed, too. I have not been downstairs, but my wife and I have made two visits to the cafe and based on those it has become one of our favortie restaurants we have been to. I love the feel of the place and the fact that they do so much with so few, simple ingredients.

Another geographic note - you won't actually be on 395 at any point in your trip. 395 is an extension of 95 inside the beltway beginning in Springfield, VA. If you end up on 395 then you've gone too far. I can't think on anything off the top of my head but to spur other's ideas - we have some very good ethnic options that, according to the consensus, are at their best in the suburbs. Anyone have ideas on that type of thing near the Beltway?

Sette Osteria, a new restaurant here in DC is serving small donuts filled with a mixture of Nutella and cream. Good stuff. Pictures Here fairly close to the bottom of the page

and no crowd. It seems a little dead.

So far the floor commentator has not been able to identify daikon and foie gras. Come on now... And they could use some interaction between Alton and someone else.

jenrus has and says it is pretty much Clyde's with a different name. Not that that is entirely bad...

The crispy bits that end up in the botom of a basket of fried chicken or batter-fred fish.

There's a little place by my office called Starbuk's (sp?) that might be what you're looking for. I think they might be a chain.

Why is this such a problem around here? The soggy center has been the theme when talking about Matchbox and Sette too (although my one pie at Sette was fine). I haven't tried Ella's yet - is this a problem there? Is it because the pizzas are too big, poor oven temp, what? I know Paradiso and Two Amy's get it right. Even St. Basil in Reston used to do a good job before they closed.

If someone would open one of these out in Loudoun County I'd be there twice a month at least. And I bet they'd do great business. Better than the typical strip mall Italian places out here, but still more accessible than other options. In the city though, you have to do what you are doing well or have the right location to pull it off at this point. I would think that in order to sustain long-term business these will need to become neighborhood-type places. They won't be "destination" restaurants much longer if they are on every corner. Except for those of us in the burbs.

I wondered why, when it made its way to our table, it still looked like a full order on the plate. Now I know.

Heat it up and eat it would be my suggestion. If it was the Shrimp Dumpling soup I wish I had it here for lunch today. I can't say last night made me a convert to jellyfish, frog bits or pig-skin (aside from the type played on weekends inthe fall). But I did come around on Congee and the Oysters, the aforementioned Soup, Eggplant with Shrimp paste and Black Bean sauce and the pea leaves were all very good to excellent. Although subtly flavorful, everything was a little more bland than what I had anticpated, but that might be from the expectations driven by years of eating sweet/spicy Americanized Chinese food. I also became a convert to the Raspberry Lambic at RFD too (No one mentioned it but nearly all of us ended up there after Full Kee). Sure - it comes out in a girly looking flute, but it is mighty tasty. And I'm fairly secure in my manhood.