John W.

Joe; Thanks for the second response. Cleared up a lot. It seems a lot of your thoughts are you wishing for new places to eat. No one is going to question your dining passion. Bottom line is, private places will lose out to chains when negotiating a lease almost every time. An uneducated guess, that's probably why 2941 and Le Relais are where they are. Not a slight to either place, of course. If a landlord spends 100 million on a high rise place in Herndon or wherever, he or she is going want a quick return. Or at least some return. Private restaurants probably won't be able to match a lease of say an Uno's. Chains have a boatload of capital to fall back on if things go south for a little while. Private restaurants would have to fold. And say I go out there with my bulletproof business plan, everything is in line, and then my estimated buildout is $150/square foot. I'm pretty sure that Uno's (for example) buildout would be much lower. If you were in the landlords shoes, would you take the chance on a private place or the chain? Would you want to be stuck with the hanging clouds that have lightning in them? Or the stupid piece of $100,000 furniture that the prima donna chef had to have? Chains bring cash flow. Chains appeal to everybody except discerning diners, which as far as I am concerned is not the majority of the Reston/Herndon area. This is not a slight to e-gullet types living there, but I need as an owner more than 150 Joe H's. You bring up a few models here. 2941 we are using as a primary model. I can't see that succeeding farther away from DC than Tyson's. I see the Jaleo/Zaytinya concept being hugely successful anywhere Jose and the crew decide to take it. But as far as a white tablecloth, chef owned place, if you took a chance with the menu and made it interesting to the people on these boards, I see it failing. To appeal to enough people, I see a dumbing down of the menu just to stay afloat, and then you alienate the Joe H's while not establishing a good relationship with the average diner of the Herndon/Reston area. At the end of the day, I just don't see it. See you at Maestro soon.

Joe; If you've got a space and about 3 million (make it four because I'm guessing we both have big wine habits) bucks, then we should talk. Auberge has made it because they made it a long time ago. I would not count them in any competitive analysis. Maestro has shown that there is a market for ultra-luxe dining, but remember they have a big hotel subsidising them. I doubt very much they would make enough money to satisfy any investor. Not a knock on the place, but jewel box restaurants are not big money makers. And is there room for a second? Because of that subsidy, I would not count them in a competitive analysis. 2941 from what I understand isn't doing gangbusters, although I could be wrong. I understand that would be a tiny step down from what you are envisioning, but past them what is left? At this point in my career, it's something I think about a lot. Lots of my friends are in the same boat, and we all agree on one thing...there's just too much unknown out there. It would be a hard sell to any investor. I just don't see another free-standing non-steak house, fine dining place in NOVA. I wish and hope I'm wrong.

Ballers can never be the center of attention. As for us, I would say on the Slipp organizational chart we were donkeys.

It was loud. It was annoyingly loud. To complete the story, the French team was given a meal allowance that Yannis (chef/owner) thought was quite low. So he invited them back to his joint where things (obviously) got a little out of hand. I recognized a few faces that were dancing on the bar from the paper this morning. The lady twirler with the mullet and the broken broomstick being used as a baton was classic. Another chapter of comedy at the office.

Check it out here. Their wines are solid. The cabs are good to very good. I don't have any notes on the '99, but I have tasted it and remember it to be pretty tasty. I'd give a few years if possible.

Make that six, contrary to what the title says. But your point stands. I was going to make an educated response, but have since been disqualified because I can't count. Maestro and Galileo are pretty airtight choices. But the other categories lend themselves to debate. Heritage India has great food, but I won't suffer through the service again. Zaytinya is must-see dining in DC, but I feel Nectar is as well. Everyone has their favorite Thai place. Other neighborhood places? There's a bunch. Business? Charlie Palmer Steak (had a great meal there on Wednesday)? Tosca? Citronelle? I don't pay much attention to the magazines unless we are in them, (and don't very much when we are), for reasons like this. It sells copies, it is important for the businesses mentioned, but trying to pick 6 places in each metropolitan area leaves too much open for debate. Anyway, congrats to all that were mentioned.

Five restaurants per city? Someone's always going to be left out.

A few of us gathered last Sunday to relax, catch up, or at least be in a house with electricity. A couple of excellent Italian Store pizzas provided the nourishment. Fiano di Avellino, Fuedi di San Gregorio, 2002 Aromas of crushed rocks, pear, and lemon rind. Flint and more mineral notes combine with pear and green apple on the palate. Medium body and finish, nice crisp acidity. Definitely a food wine. Valhalla "Cornucopia" (75% Cab Franc, 18% Syrah, 7% Cab Sauvignon), North Fork of Roanoke, VA, 1999 Light in color and already fading a bit on the tongue. Very fragrant wine with blackberry, spice and sweet tobacco aromas, with a definite meaty streak (some said fresh raw tuna). Black tea, overripe berry and vanilla flavors round out this interesting wine. I think the fruit was cooked a touch, but it's definitely a fun drink. Viognier, Darioush, 2000, Napa Valley Definitive aromas of kirsch, pear, dried apricot and brown sugar. Kirsch is confirmed on the palate, along with caramel and oatmeal flavors, with a hint of wood. More of a science project then anything. Not terribly enjoyable, lacking the enticing fragrance this wine is known for. Lends credence to the "drink this year's viognier before the next one comes out" statement by Steve Devitt, Darioush's winemaker. Zinfandel, Robert Craig, Amador, 1997 Brick red in color, fading a bit on the edge. Obvious nose of coca-cola and dark berries. Primary fruit has started to fade. Flavors of cherry coke, black raspberries, dried strawberry and vanilla are supported by still-present tannins, this wine finishes pretty long to boot. Not a big fan of zin, especially from Amador, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. Cabernet Sauvignon, Marques de Casa Concha, Puente Alto, Chile, 2001 Purple hued with lots of extraction showing in the legs. Aromas of currant, dried bing cherry and sage combine with a touch of bell pepper and olive, plus a smell I always identify as insecticide that blows off (It's not offensive). Flavors of smoke, creme de cassis and cherry. Very good tannin structure, pretty long finish. This wine seems to be the flavor of the month in the local papers and wine stores. I think it retails for $13.99 here. Pretty good value. Chateanuef du Pape, Guigal, 2001 Intense ruby/purple color. Dense sweet plum, crushed raspberry, pepper and spice aromas. Walls of raspberry, cherry, plum and black pepper flavors seem to last for awhile. Definitely alcohol in this one. I bought a case of it, wanted to see where it starts. Probably will visit this one again in 5 years or so. Cabernet Sauvignon, Dalla Valle, Napa Valley, 1990 Consisent ruby color throughout. Beautiful lead pencil, creme de cassis and sage aromas. Elegantly structured with attractive blueberry, herb and currant notes. Still seemingly youthful. I would love to drink a bottle of this wine a day. This is how I like my CA cabs to taste. Consensus was that we drank this bottle when all the planets were aligned, or at least was payback for the storm.

I have been tasked with the meeting. I should have given you the damn phone when he called last night. Ever see Charlie's Angels, Mark? Keith is Charlie. Yes I am friends with Bryan and Keith. But I am certain that Bryan didn't cook my steak any different than the other ones, or wine service was any better because of that.

Donrocks and I went last night for some meat. Sat at the bar. After the roasting they took about service, we did discuss it, suffice it to say there was no issues. The bar staff did a very good job of juggling the business with our wine service and subsequent "wine salvos" launched at us and back by the gentleman further down the bar. The bar was packed with staffers, lobbyists and wine reps. Probably exactly what they envisioned when designing the place. Wine: Drank a Hamacher Chard, and since we were quite pleased with our choice, Keith poured us a glass of Hamacher's excellent rose of pinot noir. For the red, Rocks brought an old bottle of Beaucastel ('81), which went quite well with the steaks. Apps: Prawns with pea greens and summer truffle risotto and romaine with pancetta and a dressing that tasted of creamy italian but was addictingly good. The prawn dish was excellent, my salad was as well. Main event: I had a braised veal cheek/sirloin combo simply garnished with spinach and veal stock reduction. Rocks had a bone-in NY that resembled something out of the Flintstones. Both dishes were of very high quality ingredients, done simply and well. The crunch of fleur de sel really brought out the carnivore in us. We had a bunch of sides: rapini, cannelini beans and butter held together with a little Yukon Gold potato. I've seen the Keystone Kops service routine, but it looks like it's settled down. We had a great time, and apparently so did the other million people there last night. I think we paid $25 for the corkage on the Beaucastel. I really have no desire to go to Morton's et al, but someting about this place appeals to me. It will never be a regular spot, simply because it's not cheap and I tend to not eat 5 pounds of beef in one sitting, but it's pretty damn good.

It's too easy for any donkey to fire up his or her computer, and post something derogatory. I don't think there's a way to stop it either, except with a well-trained thought police doling out beatdowns for every unwarranted negative post. Seriously, Mark has a point about the repetitive nature of Citronelle's negative issues. All it takes is one person with a lot of free time to tarnish a restaurant's reputation. I do read all the opinions I can find about Firefly, and any negative posts I see I do a little self-check to see if the comments hold warrant. Usually they don't. Luckily, sometimes they are so stupid that no one could take it seriously. Or does the adage "if you read it then it is true" hold here? The internet has forced restaurant employees to have even thicker skins. Mark, have you ever thought of adding "fuzzy" to your arsenal of warm, sincere and friendly?

I would say young. Some are built to age, but I have seen no benefits from it.

So Bill, you're saying you are amused by our wacky antics and hijinx?

Are you jealous that you didn't get to hijack this one?

Where do you live? If in NYC area, I can certainly direct you to a few bars that have a boatload of labels. Other than that, if something looks like it's packaged for Americans, stay away. Also, look for ginjo or daiginjo (has to do with the polishing of the rice, the more polished the grain then the higher the quality). Also, check for junmai (means 100% rice). Some names that I like that should be easier to find are Suisin, Onikoroshi and Maibo. If you can't read the label, there is a better chance that it will be good. And if you drink them by yourself, get smaller bottles. 1500 ml are quite big, and the fragrance doesn't last. Apologies in advance for spelling errors or innaccuracies, but I have no notes in front of me. Another fun thing is nigori-zake (sake unfiltered). The consistency of milk but damn tasty.

I believe that in Quechua, the language of Tawantinsuyu, which colonialists like you and I know as the Inca empire, this dish was referred to as a "hooker." If you are kicking Quechua and Tawantinsuyu freestyle off the top of your head, then you are hereby deemed the smartest man I know.

Rocks, my records show that there was oxygen during the Precambria chardonnay era, thus rendering anaerobic bacteria dead due to presence of oxygen. As it were (and I am leaving myself wide open here), let's use the start of recorded cuisine, brontosaurus burgers nonwithstanding. The Mayan, Aztec and Inca civilizations were quite advanced and civilized and each had their own cuisines. Tomatoes, chilies, chocolate and a whole slew of other goodies originated in Central America (and there's a case about coffee as well, but I don't think so). As I see it, the indigenous cuisines where destroyed along with the cultures of these fine people, and the conquistadors simply ate what they had been cooking all along with the addition of local, organic ingredients. My old boss Nora Pouillon would have been proud.

Indigenous? The Mayans didn't know how to cook? I think that is a bad choice of wording there. I would say the Spanish culture and the indigenous Mayan culture would have become more homogenized, producing something more recognizable to our (at least mine) more European palate. That's not to say it's a bad thing, just wording that I personally find inaccurate. I'm certainly not an anthropologist, but weren't the (what's the PR term these days) Native Americans the indigenous people in what is now known as the United States? As for Ceiba, having never been to any of Tunks' places, I will probably venture over there soon after the dust settles.

Actually, work has picked me to be here. It might be a while before my Mondays are re-instated.

17th and R. On the Tom Ridge Homeland Security scale, it's orange, or high.

Right. I forgot. That's his house. Man, scotch at the Fox and Hounds sounds pretty damn good right now.

To fully enjoy El Nuevo Wong Grande, you must be seated after 2 AM.

I am fairly certain I am working that night.

Went again last night, as usual. Small group but very, very lively discussion. As the weather starts to get colder, people's taste for bechamel seems to make a comeback. A few raviolis (baked with bechamel and gruyere), tartines (basically baked ham and cheese on good bread smothered in Mornay sauce) were had. I had the magret de canard with green peppercorn sauce and pommes frites. Damn, I forgot how good this was. Made what was a shitty week a hell of a lot better. The word restaurant is derived from "restorative," no?

I'll play. Toss up between a '95 Dominus Cab and a '97 Dalla Valle. Both wines were too young obviously, but I enjoyed them both tremendously. As for the year in and year out wines, my fave lately has been Darioush. Their first release was only in '97, but they seem to improve every year without raising their prices accordingly.