Mark Sommelier

For the true flavor of Silver Spring: TASTEE DINER.

How could I forget this one? The tartare at Circle Bistro is first rate.

At Les Halles you have to tell them "not too spicy".

Get the big shellfish platter and crabcakes for main course. You won't have room for anything else. Those are the things they do best.

Even 30 years ago when I was there, Grinzing was a tourist trap. Armies of tour buses would pull up and clog the streets. 2 hours later hordes of weary, drunken travelers full of baked chicken and new wine poured out into the narrow streets. Something you want to see only once. Much more fun was to hop in the car and journey out to Gumpoldskirchen or Coblenz.

One of the most memorable meals of my life was had at Zu dem Drei Husaren in the first district near the Stephansdom. Service, food and ambience combined into something magical and something I had never experienced before. Austrian whites have come a long way since the days we used to swill liters of cheap plonk.

I lived in Vienna for a year in college. I went to Demel's once. It was VERY expensive compared to other konditerei. At the time there was a small chain called Aida. We went to the one across from the opera house almost everyday after music lessons. I became addicted to the topfengulatchen (and came home much heavier than when I went).

The tartare at The Guards is made fresh for each order. Those at BdC and Bistro Français are good, but seem to be made ahead of time.

I absolutely will not laugh, but I had no idea it was on their menu. Thanks for the tip. ← At The Guards, its an appetizer. Freshly chopped, it is moist and well seasoned. At Bistro F, its a main course with excellent frites.

If you promise not to laugh..... I've eaten steak tartare all over town. My favorite is still at The Guards on M St. in Georgetown. Second place is Bistro Français.

The chef who got the good reviews left, and Drew Nieporent's management company pulled out, too.

I had dinner there 2 nights ago. It was wonderful. The standout dish of the night: braised lamb short-ribs.

I had an awesome "Orca" last night for half price! Yikes!

Steve, After reading this post through 3 times, I still can't figure out if you are kissing or biting Tom's ass. You included a lot of "insider" stuff, too. I guess that's cool. I must say, most people reading this board haven't the faintest clue what you're alluding to. I would call you the Bourdain of Washington, but I think that's no longer PC on eG.

First, any restaurant meal depends on what you order. Chinese places have huge menus. Everything can't be great. That said, I had an incredible meal last week at New Big Wong (Gallery Place Metro - Red Line). Live shrimp, dungeness crabs, clams, whole fish. The "special" fried rice with dried scallops and lobster is the best rice I've ever had (and no soy sauce!). Mei Wah has the best BBQ ribs in the city, IMO. Order a double. Mr. Chen's has an appetizer of Peking Duck Rolls - order a double, they are that good.

Yeah, Craig, we all do.

The restaurant reviewer for the Village Voice is ROBERT Sietsema, not Tom Sietsema.

From Van Ness to there should be either $5.50 or $7.60. Take a bus, it costs a buck. There are no $30 fares within the District.

I have never been disappointed with Cannon's in Georgetown ( 31st and the Canal). Cooked shrimp or fresh shrimp, fish fillets, live lobsters, clams and mussels. Good, professional place.

Yes.

Winesellers Ltd. in Chicago is the US importer in this part of the country. The link to Ernst Bretz is here: http://www.winesellersltd.com/fact_sheets.php?id=25

I'm with you, Michael. You have nothing to apologize for. This ought to be the last word on this subject.

A Sunday night visit to the bar at Vidalia was both quiet and relaxing. We sampled some spectacular new dishes on the menu. Cornmeal breaded oysters were perfect. Southern Style Cassoulet was hearty and quite delicious: braised pork shoulder, pork belly, sausages and a sprinkling of beans in a delicous savory sauce. Calotte of Beef was off the charts. The Calotte is the cap of the rib-eye. Deeply flavored, great texture. The Mac and Cheese finished me off. A special compliment to Doug for the great work he has done on the winelist. Beautifully arranged and full of interesting selections, plus a huge assortment of wines by the glass available in tasting and regular pours.

The Citronelle Bar is at street level and accessed from 30th Street. The restaurant is downstairs. Its hard to predict how busy the bar will be. The kitchen opens at 6. Come on down!

This past weekend, March 12th, was a major wine event in New York City. This was the fourth La Paulée de Meursault that was produced in Manhattan by Drew Nieporent and his accomplices. It took place at the New York W Hotel at 49th and Lexington. I was lucky to be invited to be a guest sommelier. 275 people paid $1275 a ticket for dinner. There were a great many top vignerons there, the mayor of Meursault, and the amazing and wonderful Cadets de Bourgogne, who sang all night. The Cadets sang, not everyone else. This is basically a very posh BYOB event. The bottles that showed up were heart-stopping. A 6 Liter bottle of Romanee Conti 1979 (brought by my new best friend RK) was the wine of the night. There were so many bottles of good vintage DRC wines flying around that it made my head spin. I was able to taste a Richebourg from my birth year (1952) !! The wines the table I was assigned to were served 2001 Marc Colin Montrachet and 1999 David Duband Echezeaux. These were the "house" wines". Then the BYOB part kicked in. Magnums and Jeroboams of Le Montrachet, Jeroboams of La Tache, Richebourg, Echezeaux flying around. Burgundy vintages back into the 20's were brought. Daniel Johnnes (from Montrachet) arranged the whole thing. He did a fine job. I had an amazing time. Anyone else go?