bilrus

Rigatoni with Basil and Walnut Pesto made from the first generous bunch of basil picked minutes earlier from my planter herb garden. As fresh as you'd imagine.

Here. ← Well, yeah - that too.

Do any legitimate restaurant critics base their review on one meal in the first month a restaurant is open? As for the number of stars - I think it matches up pretty well with what was in the text. He thought the food was excellent but is not the type of food that would wear well with repeated eating. And he felt that the tour would be "too much" of a good thing. Those points sound like enough ofa reason to deduct a half star. Of course not everyone would agree.

He has left, apparently due to a difference in vision between the bar vs. restaurant thing. Or so I have heard through the grapevine.

I haven't been, but on another site it has gotten quite a few good reports.

St. Louis Style Pizza - read more here...

Hmmm...can you fill the rest of us in on how hamster crap tastes? ← Apparently, it tastes like bad split pea soup.

That is a surprisingly good recipe.

Papardelle Bolognese from the Babbo Cookbook.

I believe I saw somewhere that it runs from the 23rd of June to the 26th and starts up again the 30th through the 4th of July.

Weak.

And, at night, one of the better restaurant views in town with the full view looking up THE Hill at the illuminated Capitol dome.

I'm not a big oyster person, Old Ebbit Grill by the White House is also purported to have a great oyster program in addition to having a very "DC" vibe.

And, at night, one of the better restaurant views in town with the full view looking up THE Hill at the illuminated Capitol dome.

My nominee for dish of the week.

Not to take away from the other possibly more substantial and creative things that Maestro does so well, but they are, without a doubt, turning out the best pasta dishes I've ever had the opportunity to eat. Between jenrus and me last night, we worked in five different pasta dishes - duck confit tortellini, goat cheese agnolotti with 100 year old balsamico, salt cod gnocchi, tagliolini with sweet Hawaiian shrimp and lobster ravioli with ginger bisque . All five were as good as I've had anywhere. And last night reminded me that the lobster ravioli is my favorite restaurant dish I've ever had. Aside from one ill-conceived halibut dish in a red-wine sauce (and an overpoached egg yolk in the same dish) everything we had was nothing short of excellent, right down to the warm pot of madelines and half-dozen other petit-fours and mignardises we were given at the end. I wasn't entirely convinced after the first visit I described above one year ago (although my memories of that visit grew more fond as time passed), but last night made it clear to me that Maestro (along with Citronelle) is several steps above any other restaurant the area has to offer and as good as any I've been to, anywhere I've visited.

I have had good luck at the Lebanese Taverna at Tyson's II. It has been pretty consistent and a nice space. Shamshiry is a Persian place known for its kabobs and rices.

I can guarantee that if it is on the menu, I will order that next Friday when I am there. Unless my wife beats me to it. I do have one question before I go. How does the whole BYO thing work (we don't have this sort of thing in DC)? DO you just walk in with bottle(s) and give them to someone? Clue me in and help me not look like a tourist.

Grilled pork tacos with mango salsa and goat cheese:

I think it is tough to compare the "soft-serve" varietym plain vanilla custard like is found at Ted Drew's and (if I remember correctly) Milwaukee Frozen Custard and the hand-dipped, flavored style served at Del Ray.

OK, what is it about Missouri and gas station pizza? When I was in college in Fulton, MO I lived two doors down from a gas station called Casey's. They had their own pizza made from scratch - or should I say "Freshly-made", not the pre-packaged stuff described above. They actually marketed their whole pizzas for carry-out. My senior year this was my go-to over Domino's and Pizza Hut.

I heard second hand this weekend (but from a source I trust) that Graig Glufling has left Ugly Mug.

Or maybe they should check out what "real men (and women)" can do without the help of a food stylist and professional photographer.

Were you spying on me last night?

That's really interesting. I wonder if they had too many complaints from other guests about picture taking being too distracting? I know they ask you "refrain" from using a flash, so maybe too many people took that as a request and not a rule? I suppose if they will be posting pictures of every item on their menu, then taking pictures isn't a necessity, but there are still things you are going to want to have snap shots of. ← Some diners may be disturbed by the flashes, but the story bentherebfor referenced is true. On another food site, a squabble broke out after it was raised that the appearance of the food in the beautiful pictures posted at the beginning of this thread by Yellow Truffle and JeffJ might have been influenced by the fact that the restaurant knew that the pictures would be going on eG. It's a shame that this is keeping other diners at Alinea from being able to take their own snapshots (with the flash disabled, of course ).