cjsadler

Chef, Is a liquor license in the future of Colorado Kitchen? (I do like your soda selection, though) Chris

Here's the gin & tonic secret: make the ice cubes out of tonic water! The watered down g&t is now a physical impossibility (well, sorta... it helps, though).

Went to Tosca for lunch with a friend today. They have a very extensive, generous RW menu. The pastas were definitely the highlight, but there's a bunch of other things that look appealing that we didn't try*. The branzino with balsamic zabaglione was interesting, but the rich, sweet-tart sauce got a little tiring. The tomato tart is on the menu, and it's a surprisingly good dessert. I've experienced some brusque service here before, but today was completely the opposite. Our waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable-- he even downsold us on a bottle of wine (during RW no less!). *They are extending RW through to next week there-- might have to go again.

Nope-- just a potent homemade ginger drink. But you'll walk past Pickles and Sliders on your way back to the park and can stop there for pre-game beers. Or better yet, cut over to the Wharf Rat or Max's on Pratt St. for better beer

Went with some friends to DC Coast last night. They have a decent RW policy-- soups or salads for first course, anything off the menu for an entree (with supplements for the lobster or steak) and basic desserts (panna cotta, choc cake, creme brulee). The whole fried sea bass was the best dish, I thought, followed by the nut-crusted tilapia in a pesto cream that was the special of the night. Service was excellent-- free of any RW condescention (though this often varies inversely with the size of your wine bill, our server seemed genuinely enthusiastic about RW and making sure we had a nice meal).

Al, Rochelle, You might want to try Caroline's Cafe. It's Jamaican (curries, jerks) and can be quite good. The Rastafarian owners (Caroline and her husband) are really nice-- you'll feel like you're eating at their house. It's totally hidden at 413 Penn St in the Ridgley's Delight neighborhood right next to the stadium (less than a 10 minute walk).

I was told last night that the panini haven't made their debut yet. Frank R. is still tweaking the recipes.

Was in that part of town tonight, so stopped by OG. They've taken out the couches from behind the cheese room and set up about 6 tables there. Rustic Italian at seriously low prices-- about $5-6 for appetizers (soups, salads and one or two other things) and $10 for mains (a couple of pastas, plus four meat dishes). Had some good anchovies with a salsa verde, duck leg with a cherry sauce and house-made pork sausage that was delicious. We were also brought a nice selection of breads, including a couple that were stuffed with cured meats. About 10 or so inexpensive wine selections are available by bottle and glass (you're free to order off the main wine list as well). There's also a dessert cart (tiramisu, tarts and a couple other things), but having been staring into the cheese room the whole time, we talked our friendly waiter into fixing us a plate. There was only one other couple there besides us, but I'm sure things will pick up once word gets around. We did notice two of our more infamous eGullet members show up at the bar later . Perhaps they'll chime in...

The Belgian Beer happy hour at the Bohemian Caverns every Tues is a good time. Interesting surroundings (preserved like that since 1926) and about 15 or so Belgians at 1/2 price. It runs from 6 until 11pm, which can be very dangerous. "I'm drunk and I'm in a cave". Can't say much for the food, but Ben's is around the corner.

Had a phenomenal dinner at Nectar, which I've been meaning to get to for quite some time, Sat night. From the wine list through to dessert, they pull off the tough trick of being both very innovative and very, very delicious. It's all been said on this thread and I can only add that it's all true. Before we made some egregious wine/food pairing blunder, Jarad stepped in and paired wines beautifully with all the courses. I recommend taking full advantage of his expertise, unless you're far more knowlegeable about wines than we are. Some of the highlights I can remember: a pinot meunier from Domaine Chandon and a full-on viognier blend from Turley.... and beer with the cheese course (Einbecker Mai Bock), which worked perfectly. Restaurants should think more seriously about beer. You go to a place that wouldn't be caught dead serving Turning Leaf and they've got Amstel Light or some such flavorless water on tap... plus the same list of bottles every other place has. Palena seems to be about the only other restaurant where someone put real thought into the beer list (I think of RFD more as a bar). I award Nectar and Palena (and no others) a '5 Orval' beer list rating (the highest). Desserts were amazing. Two were selected for us that we would not have ordered on our own: the 'suspended' creme brulee with its secret ingredient and the fruits en papillote, which was strawberries, peaches, and rhubarb, roasted and spooned around a lightly fried triangle of poundcake. Damn was that good! Many thanks to Jarad and Nectar for the memorable evening.

Chef Krinn, Prompted by an experience I had Saturday (which I'll post about shortly), I ask an unoriginal question: What dish on your current menu would you most like people to try?

Those deep fried Mars bars (Scotland) last year were pretty tasty. Looks like there's a whole bunch of Eastern shore cooking demos going on today. Anyone check them out?

The Frog's Leap Sauv Blanc is excellent. No intrusive oak and very tasty.

I have a question about mussels and their spawning season. I've had some problems with bitter, gummy mussels that glue to each side of the shell (hopefully someone will recognize this problem). Drove me crazy until someone told me that you can't buy them during their spawning season, or they will be like this. Now, I've heard that there is, in effect, no spawning season for mussels since they are all rope grown under controlled conditions. What's the story here? (And if the 'no spawning' season is true, why were my mussels bad).

I base my earlier comment solely on the Centerville location, which is utterly vile. And yet, there seems to be a 1-2 hour wait on most nights. I despair of humanity... and my parents, who can't get enough of the place!

Carraba's is even more baffling than Lauriol Plaza. Some very probing questions in the Q&A, though: How do you value the customer and make them feel important at Carrabba's? -Steve H. Mint Hill, NC

Had lunch at Indique yesterday with a friend. If you go for lunch, you'll likely have the entire place to yourself like we did. It's a deal too, with most entrees at $8-9, including naan and soup or salad, and apps for $4-5. However, both our entrees were quite oily (Lamb Niligiri Korma and Bhartha), which was a real disappointment to both of us. Too much oil and ghee seems to be the problem with 90% of Indian restaurants in the US. We've both been to Indique on several occations and the food has always been excellent, so imagine it's either the lunch chef or just an off day.

What about Mighty Midget? I've been meaning to try it ever since it was mentioned (very favorably) in that WP bbq article last year. 202-A Harrison St, Leesburg

I think the OG will basically be Roberto grilling and then the lunch bar menu, which has been around for awhile now. Just guessing that's what he means by OG, as they were putting copies of the bar menu in your bag when he was out there grilling. Here's a sample menu. Prices were cheap-- averaging about $8 a dish on the menu they passed out.

I go to the one at 12851 Clopper Rd in Germantown (which must have improved since Heather first posted about it). There's also one at 221 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg.

I've recently discovered Grand Mart. Living in the grocery wasteland of Kalorama, I am in awe of Grand Mart, something my girlfriend, who lives out there in the MD burbs, does not understand at all. Her: "What's going on this weekend?" Me: "I don't know. More importantly, let's go to Grand Mart" The prices and quality there are incredible. I'm used to getting so-so stuff for ridiculous prices at Whole Wallet on P street or paying almost as much at the extortionate Secret Safeway. I laugh when the cashier tells me the total at Grand Mart as she packs up my loot. You want fresh fish? How about LIVE tilapia for $3.99. Or how about some soft-shells, sea bass, conch or any other of two dozen varieties of seafood for dirt cheap? Wanna cook Thai? Huge bundles of holy basil for $2.00, blocks of tamarind paste for 99 cents, good coconut milk for 79 cents. Hell, they even have durian. And there's plenty of non-Asian produce at similarly decent quality and very low prices as well.

Unfortunately no-- I wish I had one to post. Here's the man himself on this morning.

I'm not sure if this is what Robert Donna meant by 'Osteria Galileo', but he's been out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for the past couple days grilling up panini and ribs. No joke. I stopped by today at noon and was one of the last people served before he was shut down by city officials. "Fire hazard" was the reason-- completely ridiculous considering that everything within three blocks is concrete. Our fine DC government at work. Roberto joked he would "find a loophole", vowing that he'd grill out back if necessary. I had an excellent pork shoulder panini with a garlic-parsley sauce. There was also sausage and chicken paninis. You have to admire a chef of RD's stature standing out on the street asking "You want sauce with that?".

How about making some orangecello?

My friend and I did the final blending of our batch of limoncello and it is absolutely fantastic! Better than any I've ever bought, including some stuff I brought back from Italy. We're thinking of having a special dinner to 'tap' it. Orangecello is next. Thanks, Katie!