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Mark Sommelier

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Posts posted by Mark Sommelier

    Mie N Yu

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    Dragonfly:

    What you need to know: Do not wear yellow-based foundation as white decor makes it look washed out

    Decor: Austere

    Highlight: Lounge on second floor

    Seating: Exquisitely uncomfortable plastic chairs reminiscent of Soviet street car seats

    Food: Average but serviceable sushi

    One good thing: Always darkened, so if you're drunk, it's not immediately obvious

    If bored or tired of eye contact, pretend to be fascinated by: Weird Japanese movies projected on screen

    Perfect for :Chilling out when ass is tired from shaking at nearby Cafe Citron at 2 am.

    In a nutshell: Has its time and place

    Mie'N'Yu:

    What you need to know: They deny entrance to people in tennis shoes regardless of how many Russian hotties accompany them and stall people at the door to create illusion of line while inside has plenty of room. 

    Seating: Very comfortable.

    One good thing: Weird but opulent bathrooms.

    Food: Pretentious overpriced menu with separate sections for proteins and starches. 

    If bored or tired of eye contact, pretend to be fascinated by: Stunning decor a la Buddha Bar in Paris. Birdcage VIP booth.

    Perfect for: Impressing relatives visiting from provinces (if they remember not to wear tennis shoes.)

    In a nutshell: Pretentious asshole Eurotrash wannabes (not to be confused with genuine Rude Euros.)

    Mmmmmm......... sounds like 2 good places to avoid.

    Waiters kneeling down at the table

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    One of my new waiters kneels down at the table to talk to the people and I dont really like it.  Whenever I have any employee change the way they do things I have a reason behind it.  I cant figure out why I dont like it, I just dont.  Am I being weird?  Should I allow it or not and why?

    In a formal service atmosphere, kneeling down is inappropriate. The only restaurant I ever ate in where it seemed natural for the waiter to kneel down at the table was a Morrocan restaurant where we were all lounging on low couches.

    Credit card to hold reservations

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    At the restaurant I work in here in DC, normally reservations of fewer than 6 people are taken on faith and confirmed by phone the day before. New Years Eve is a special night. At our restaurant the reservations are faxed contracts and prepaid. N0 SHOWS don't figure into the equation. I will say this to PatDC, there is a lot of play on the reservation book on the last 2 days of the year. This may explain Corduroy's behavior.

    Bruni and Beyond: NYC Reviewing (2004)

    in New York: Dining

    Posted · Edited by Mark Sommelier (log)

    Rocks, et al,

    I would like to suggest that the one familiar acronym that is missing in this conversation about critics impact on a business is "PR". PR is what keeps the chef's name out in front of the public, not the review in the paper of record. Masa, as an example, has had huge buzz. His restaurant appeals to an extemely narrow segment of the dining public, to put it mildly. PR keeps chefs faces in front of our faces. Rocco, Thomas Keller, , Daniel Boulud, Emeril. Thoughts?

    Restaurant Week, January 10th-16th, 2005

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    The best decision I've made since the last time I let Michel choose the wine.

    Care to elaborate? Come on, Johnny, spell it out for the folks!

    My anecdote: Last year a table of 4 came in, rang up a check over $500 and then wanted to argue when the check came that they should pay $30.04 for dinner. Showing them the list of participating restaurants that DID NOT include ours didn't help. This has happened every year since RW started.

    Palena

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    quick question: i'll be driving into d.c. tonight to visit the in-laws; is it impossible to get a table in the cafe/bar area without a reservation or on this short a notice?  there are just two of us.  or do you think it's pointless to bother?

    quick answer: They don't take reservations in the cafe. Try to get two stools at the bar.

    Oldest Restaurants in Town

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    After all of my hyperbole I actually started thinking about my post and noted that I had forgotten Rive Gauche!  I also was really off in my time sequence.  For Tiberio my primary memory is that while driving a cab in grad school I remember picking up the chef/owner.  His Rolls was in the shop.  I was impressed by this and convinced that I was going to school for the wrong reason.  (I had MANY undergraduate years at MD, too, by the way!  ((Great line-thanks!)) ) Sometime, someone should do a time line that shows the evolution of French restaurants in D. C. and the evolution of Italian.  I would note here that in the '60's, living in Silver Spring, I would often take girls out on dates to downtown Washington.  In fact my home away from home was the Old Stein on Connecticut avenuejust south of Dupont Circle.  It was dark, had great beer and a LOT of free cheese with crackers and, in the early '60's, didn't card me.  We'd also go to Trader Vic's-for drinks.  The idea was to create the impression that we were going out to dinner in downtown Washington but not to spend more than, say, Pop's pizza cost in Wheaton!  Anyway,  I'm inclined to think that French is:

    La Salle du Bois

    Rive Gauche

    Sans Soucie

    Maison Blanche

    Chez Camille

    Le L'ion d'Or

    Jean Louis

    Le Pavilion

    Gerard's Place

    Citronelle

    Is this right?

    Italian:

    Cantina d'Italia

    Tiberio

    Romeo and Juliet

    Galileo

    Il Ricchi

    Obelisk

    Maestro

    Tosca

    Hersch and "Busboy,"  Great Posts!  Thanks.

    Add Le Bagatelle on K St. to the list of French Restaurants.

    Chez François was were Equinox is now.

    Mel Krupin

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted · Edited by Mark Sommelier (log)

    Wasn't Krupin's deli around forever?

    No, Nadya, dear,

    Mel Krupin was the maitre 'd for many years at Paul Young's on Connecticut Avenue and then Duke Ziebert's almost until it closed. The deli opened after he left there.

    Single-malt scotch whiskey source in DC

    in DC & DelMarVa: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    The Wine Specialist has always been a good source for independant bottlings of Malt Whisky. These are much harder to find than the distillery bottlings like Glenlivet, Macallan, etc. Look for the single cask bottlings from William Cadenhead, Murray McDavid, Signatory, Adelphi. They are much more interesting and bottled in tiny numbers. The Cadenhead whiskys are bottled cask strength ( 112°-130°), so be careful!

    Bistrot du Coin

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    I can't believe I finally agree with the majority here. BDC sucks. The food and the service are mediocre at their best! Completely bland and forgettable food.

    Dear raisab,

    You are agreeing with 4 or 5 posters here. Not the majority of posters to eGullet who have not answered this latest attack. Don't confuse that , please. I go there often. I always have a good time. Not because, as DCMark said, I'm a VIP, but because I know how to talk to people. Some people go to a restaurant to have fun. Others go to make a test. Which do you do?

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