TrishCT

...hiding in corner... My 30 year old sister tivos Unwrapped and Top 5. She is FN's target audience. She makes more reservations than dinners. 'nuff said.

So let's get this straight...Arthur Schwartz leaves WOR because he doesn't want to be a company shill... and Rocco steps right in. It will be interesting to see what places he recommends to his listeners. Ka and ching.

I think pre-Restaurant he garnered a great deal of respect. With Chef Landrum you have a different caliber professional all the way. Very exciting to witness.

We just returned from our trip to D.C and I wanted to write a brief postscript because your recommendations helped make this a WONDERFUL experience. We ate very few meals out because we wanted to spend as much time as possible seeing the sites. The night before our trip we made the decision to bring a cooler filled with sodas, water, fruit and milk. For breakfast, our hotel (the Omni Shoreham) provided us with juice, coffee and tea and we had cereal and croissants which we brought with us so we could get a fast jump in the morning. For lunch we made sandwiches and brought them with us in a backpack along with drinks and snacks. Our first evening, we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Ray's The Steaks. It is everything you all said it was...and more. We enjoyed the seemingly simple, yet somehow extraordinary, seared scallop appetizer, it was definitely more than the sum of its parts. My daughter likes well-done meat so she had the entrecote which she happily dipped in bleu cheese sauce. My husband enjoyed the special, cowboy rib steak--deboned. I had the hangar, a wonderfully flavorful and tender cut of meat. The steaks were cooked perfectly with lots of char and sizzle. My husband swooned with each forkful of mashed red potatoes, and we all enjoyed the key lime pie and chocolate mousse. A class chef and a class act all the way. D.C. you have something very special here. On our second evening we dined at Palena. We were given a round banquette in the front room, which was fun. I ordered a madras, and noticed it was made with fresh squeezed oj, very nice. Two of us ordered the roast chicken, and because it takes 45 minutes we ordered the Palena fries sampler, a kind of whimsical fritto misto platter of fries and onion rings. I especially enjoyed the fried lemon slices. The roast chicken was just as you all said it would be...excellent! Simply prepared, nicely seasoned, served fresh and piping hot....it makes you wonder why no one else serves a roast chicken this way. Two days and two great dinners...We were loving our trip!!! Day three after lunch, we were in the National Art Gallery and I remembered that you all had recommended the gelato. So for a snack we shared a couple cups (forest berry and one which name I can't remember--vanilla with shards of chocolate...begins with S ends in A). The forest berry had very nice mixed berry flavor and was refreshing. Dinner needed to be fast because we had to catch a bus for an evening tour of the monuments/memorials, so we decided to have pizza at Sette Osteria. I had the Regina--sauce, buffalo mozz and basil. My daughter had a margherita with ricotta and sausage and husband had one with prosciutto and mushrooms. All were good, and we got to our bus on time! It was a nice closing dinner. Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with us. This is what we saw in 3 days---Tour of Library of Congress, Senatorial tour of the Capitol (saw Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor...not ON the floor...in the Senate room--he was ON his feet...), The National Book Festival, Archives, National Art Galleries-East & West, Museum of Air & Space, Museum of American History (Julia Child's kitchen made me misty-eyed), Lincoln, Jefferson, WWII, Viet Nam, Korea, Nurses, FDR, Iwo Jima memorials (at night they were all beautiful, Iwo Jima just stopped me cold--I was in awe), a real bald eagle (in Senator Lieberman's office), and the Zoo (pandas and tiger cubs and orangutans, oh my!). With that schedule, the time we saved eating on the go, really helped. Oh yes, thanks for that rec. about the Butterfly Garden!!!! We had a picnic lunch there, and I found out that squirrels like goldfish crackers but do not like potato chips. (My husband said that's because they don't eat veggies.) Thank you all again!!! Trish

I had the good fortune to dine at RTS on the first night of a recent DC trip. What a wonderful experience. You know how you get an "aha" light bulb moment when you realize you are in the midst of greatness? Well that's what I had. Throughout the meal, I kept thinking, "Michael Landrum is a chef that totally gets it!" You give your guests so much to savor and enjoy... including a menu with a terrific variety of steak cut options, perfect meat preparation, and mashed potatoes like, well, like I make, which means they're damned good. You are attentive to your grill and customers alike, ensuring an enjoyable experience for all. My husband said you reminded him of Rocco DiSpirito--pre "The Restaurant"... because you are talented, hard-working and have a special charisma. Thank you for the 2nd class E-G service. It was a true pleasure and we appreciated it. I'm going to write a bit more about RTS on another thread I started because I want to also comment on other rec's given by DC'ers on this board. Thank you again, Michael, and best wishes for much more success!

If talented, hard working chefs want to open in Vegas, I wish them the best. I just hope they also continue to open venues in other parts of our country. This is the only issue I have. What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas. I have not been to Vegas, but on occasion I enjoy No Limit Texas Hold'Em Poker at Foxwoods, the largest casino on earth. Casinos are like adult Disneyworlds with the lights, glitz and glamour, yet they are far from the happiest places on earth. Casinos aren't especially welcoming to families (Vegas tried to make itself more family friendly a few years ago and that concept flopped). Casinos prey on people's weaknesses -- gambling, drinking, prostitution. (In CT a tax collector embezzled hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars to support her Foxwoods gambling habit.) The showgirls, Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, and the restaurants are just window dressing to lure and keep the gamblers spending. I guess that's why it is indeed surprising to see special restaurateurs open there. To paraphrase Andy W... In the 21st century, every renowned chef will be famous for 15 minutes... in Vegas.

Have seen many a celeb at Tout Va Bien, the little old French joint in the theater district. A place that looks like time stood still.

Katz's is overrated. After years of listening to the hype I finally went with several people. Yeah, the pastrami was very good (but I think Schwartz's smoked meat in Montreal is better) but way overpriced. And none of the other sandwiches the rest of our group ate there were very good. One hit wonder.

We have a reservation and will be dining here our first night in D.C. Pardon me if I ask questions already answered (I did peruse this thread)... Does the restaurant offer a lot of different cuts of steak? Any steak for 2 options? Other than hangar and flat iron what are some of your faves? Other than eggs what sides do you enjoy? Are there cocktails served here? We may arrive early, so are there any places in the vicinity to go to for a pre-dinner drink? Thanks for any rec's and suggestions.

When FN decided to shoot the last special, I was skeptical because I still had the sourt taste of William Shatner's Iron Chef USA in my mouth. But the recent special was good, and although not perfect, was very engaging. From the scuttlebutt I've heard, the new series is being produced on the cheap. Whether or not that will lessen the quality remains to be seen. I'm disenfranchised from FN right now because of their slim pickings. Marc Summers and Unwrapped is on almost every time I flip by. Argh.

I don't know Rocco (he refused all my attempts to interview him), but those I did interview spoke of him as being very driven with his new found celebrity from The Restaurant. If you catch an old re-run of Melting Pot on The Food Network you'll see a thoughtful, insightful young chef honing his craft with sincerity and creativity. Once Mark Burnett's cameras hit him he decidedly took another path. He became Rocco the TV STAR. And he sacrificed his ethics and reputation as a serious chef (firing chef Tony on-air, not paying employees on time, giving a Vespa to an employee on-air then taking it back because it was never his to begin with). Alhough he didn't sacrifice his mother, he used her, while she showed up to work every day he was galavanting about, and he shamelessly dragged her onto talk shows to hawk his cookware. I can only imagine what the past several months were like for Mama at Rocco's 22nd, working with people openly hostile to Rocco and having to defend him ad nauseum. I mentioned in another thread yesterday that Vegas is the next logical place for him. A shame really, and a waste.

I was at the Museum of TV & Radio the other day and concur with what Alacarte said, they have some early episodes of The French Chef and some newer Julia & Company shows. Also they have some talk shows where Julia Child made an appearance. My time was limited and the "Museum" (really more like a tv library) allowed me only to watch 4 shows. I decided to watch the Sausage episode. I might have looked liked a doofus to anyone who may have walked by because there I was staring at the screen, grinning ear-to-ear and shaking my head slowly up and down. These shows are just incredibly precious. Julia's enthusiasm for making your own sausage at home was delightful. As much as I have financially supported channel 2 in the past I don't really appreciate WGBH's offer to sell us the tapes. They should be televised and shown to all.

Are you thinking of frozen hot chocolate? I believe that's made of hot chocolate mix, milk, chocolate syrup and ice.

Count me in as using 2/3rds granny smiths and 1/3 McIntoshes for a pie. My mom has used all McIntoshes for years and her pies are delicious...but a bit juicy.

No one mentioned this place on my thread requesting restaurant recs in DC.... Maybe because I said DuPont/Woodley?...or maybe because I said casual?...I dunno...anyway...this sounds like such a terrific restaurant... We will have metro cards.... Would we be fish out of water at Rays? Is it a long hike?

I think Rao's jarred sauce is very, very good. I use it to make macaroni and beef (with elbow macaroni) a cheap, fast, cold weather, i don't wanna cook, comfort food dish. In Conn. you can get the sauce for $7.99 for a regular size jar. At Stew Leonard's in Danbury, it's $7.99 for an extra large jar.

I am most eager to try Modern, and looking forward to Jacques "chocolatehunk" Torres in Manhattan. He's so ambitious and dedicated to his art.

Living in Connecticut, our Governor recently resigned for receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of "gifts" from state contractors and employees. He blamed his problems on the media for harrassing him. At my son's school, SUNY Maritime College, the new President, Vice Admiral John Ryan, took on the Alumni Association because they refused to open their books. (The Alums' tax records from last year showed over $500,000 in revenues yet they only gave $60,000 back to the school in scholarships.) The Alums claim they don't want to be micromanaged by SUNY. Ryan has told them they either open their books or they are no longer affiliated with the school. Sadly, unaccountability and mismanagement by people with power and authority is too common nowadays. The Beard House needs a good sweeping of the dirt (and not under the carpet) and all new furnishings need to be installed. Their by-laws need review to allow in fresh air and openness. But if upon review, the foundation turns out to be too shaky, the House may not be salvageable, and a once grand palace will be reduced to rubble. Lessons learned.

I can't thank you all enough for your rec's!! Are there any bakeries/ice cream places we should be on the lookout for? Also, I may have made a faux pas. Based on DonRocks' rec I made a dinner reservation on OpenTable at Palena on a Thursday night. We are looking forward to the roast chicken/burgers/desserts. From what I have read, there appears to be 2 Palenas...a cafe and main room... Do both rooms serve the same food? Is my reservation going to be too upscale for us...?? Also is there anything worthwile in Chinatown...? I ran across a review on TripAdvisor for Ching Ching Cha.... any good...?

A second to Steve, Rosie et als doing a stint...would be fun! Caught about 15 minutes of Michael Lomonaco today. He has a very nice, down to earth style on the radio, would be a good replacement but he's probably too busy. Also, is it just a rumor that Arthur left because he was being pressured into shilling? If that's true, it will be difficult to find anyone reputable to take this job permanently.

Great suggestions on food and sites so far everyone, keep 'em coming. My kids are 16 and 19, good travelers and open to new experiences. Their one request was to keep this trip casual. (Our last trip to NYC they had to dress nicely twice for dinner, poor babies. ) We will be driving in but plan on keeping our car parked and using the metro to get around. I have a guide book and map from about 5 years ago when my husband went to DC briefly for a business trip, today I'm going to pick up some more current stuff. Looking forward to this trip!

Hi all, My family is visiting D.C. over Columbus Day weekend. We're staying at the Omni Shoreham in the Woodley area. This is going to be a casual trip for us, no dressing up, no 4* dining. Are there restaurants in our area that you can recommend for dinner? For lunches we would like to pack sandwiches and eat al fresco like at the zoo or Smithsonian or at the monuments.... Keeping things really simple. Any recs where we might shop for good deli/rolls/baked goods for our picnic lunches? We may spend a long day at the Smithsonian... Any recs for a restaurant in that area for dinner or are we better off heading back to our hotel area? Not familiar with D.C, its been years since I've been. Sights that sound interesting to us so far include Julia's Kitchen and Art Galleries at the Smithsonian, Pandas at the Zoo, the Library of Congress, The Washington Monument, Lincoln/Jefferson/Viet Nam Memorials, and The Holocaust Museum. Your feedback and food/sight suggestions would be very appreciated. Thanks, Trish

I tuned in a little while ago to hear David Rosengarten, in the course of 10 minutes plug his namesake report and his Web site, including a phone number to call to get his report. I guess I missed the food discussion.

I can't tell you who they are or where they usually dine... but I can tell you their usual choice of entree....crow. ...mebbe not this year though....

My favorite fondue recipe is: 10 ounces Toblerone chocolate (broken into separate triangles) 1/2 cup heavy cream Optional: 2 Tablespoons liqueur (usually kirsch, cointreau or rum) Heat in a saucepan till chocolate melts and it's good to go in the fondue pot. For dippers: Angelfood Cake chunks Mini Profiteroles (cream puffs with ice cream) Madeleines or small butter cookies Ladyfingers And yes to the homemade marshmallows. They are especially good with fondue. (Had them at Artisanal in NYC, yum.) Frozen bananas would be great but will they stay frozen while serving? Edited to add: Just saw the dry campus rule...so add 2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Sometimes I make this same recipe with bittersweet chocolate, and because it's served warm and not cold, the same proprtion of cream to chocolate as with the Toblerone works for me.