iamthestretch

Since we've pretty much answered the questions at the top of the thread, here's an extension: Are there any worthwhile pubs in DC? I've enjoyed a couple of nights at the Flying Scotsman down on the Hill, but otherwise the pickings are pretty slim. Maybe it's best not to even aspire, as British pubs always take on that unmistakeable Ye Olde Theyme Parkke quality when established on foreign shores. The Irish variety seems to have traveled far more widely, though not necessarily to any better end.

This is supposed to be going in down by Les Halles, in a space that used to be some (other) chain restaurant. Promises "heart-warming comfort foods from Britain", which conjures visions of stodgy steamed puddings with runny custard, but also "imported beers, ales and a variety of single malt scotches," which could be OK. Anyone been to any of their other spots before? Any better than the generic Oirish Craichouses?

See below.

The Post can.

I got a taste of Todd's Red Hot Passion today, and I'm not ashamed to say that I liked it. As mentioned above it's a bi-temperate concoction, with a warm layer of passion fruit foam, crushed Red Hots and ... this is the Flaming Mo moment ... cinnamon Altoids afloat atop a chilled syrup of hibiscus flowers steeped in sweet leaf tea and spiked with honey, vodka and some other good booze. When you drink it, you get hot sherbet in the top of your mouth and flowery punch in the bottom at the same time, which both delights the senses and befuddles the brain. Two of these would be worthy investment on any hot date, gents.

Tom Sietsema likes it and it crops up in Thai discussions here now and again but doesn't seem to have a thread of its own -- so here goes. We went down there today and had a pleasant (and extremely cheap) lunch. Savory larb, a fiery pork kaprow and a well-done pad thai without the greasiness and sugariness you often find. In fact, generally, the kitchen seems to have the heat-to-sweet ratio cranked up good and high, which suits me fine. Being a rainy Monday afternoon, and Valentine's Day to boot, we were pretty much alone in their small, no-frills dining room and the service was very good. Apparently it can be a crush in the evenings though. The menu is shorter than some, but has a number of out-of-the-ordinary choices ranging from frogs' legs to novel seafood preparations. And at $6 for an entree, there's room to experiment. I'll definitely go back, although not for the pleasure of listening to world's gloopiest background music mixtape, which took us through a medley of Wind Beneath My Wings, Up Where We Belong, Save The Best For Last and, at which point we finally broke and fled, I've Never Been To Me.

South African Pinotage, a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is often described as having distinct characteristics of both burnt rubber and baked bananas. This may be one reason why it has caught on somewhat slowly outside its homeland. (To be fair, good Pinotage producers make some very nice wines that evoke rather more traditional associations with plums, cherries and blackberries.)

Didn't call me. And I'm so hip I can barely see over my own pelvis.

The Brewer's Art gets lots of good press here. And it opens at 4 p.m.

He's right. Food and good fortune, mainly. We are particularly lucky that King Baby generally retires from 11 a.m. to around 2 p.m. and that no edicts are issued during this period. This allows the courtiers time for a humble midday repast. His Majesty is quite well travelled for a stripling of but a month, having so far slumbered blissfully through meals at 2 Amys, Bangkok 54, Colorado Kitchen, Restaurant Eve, Mandalay, Houstons, Red Dog Cafe and Jaleo. On the subject of kids, and bringing this back to 2 Amys, I noticed today that they've almost run out of space in the back to store the literally dozens of highchairs and boosters they need for the kiddie lunch crowd. Soon, they may have to change their name to Franco E. Formaggi's.

Fanboy that I may be deemed to be, can I resurrect this thread to note that the above lamb meatball calzone spoken of lo these many months ago was back on the menu today? In the company of some suppli, three La Chouffes, a blood orange panna cotta with caramel sauce and spiced shortbread and a baby who slept through the whole proceeding, it made me very, very happy.

Bizump, my bitches. After a few profoundly mediocre meals at Red Dog last year, we stopped going altogether. Judging from the silence here, that wasn't an isolated decision. Anyway, yesterday we were right around there and it was such a nice day and they had the front 'wall' open so we thought we'd try lunch. And, behold, it was really quite good. The flabby, doughy, watery pizza I remembered came out nicely brown, decently crisp and pleasantly slicked with tasty animal fats. (It was the pepperoni/sausage pie.) The chicken in the ripieghi was moist and lemony and the flatbread was soft and light. Even the service bordered on the excellent. Jolly good show.

For what it's worth, the Washington Post's restaurant critic, Tom Sietsema, basically agreed with Bruni in his online chat today, saying he had never had a four-star meal at ADNY. "Rockville, MD: In light of the recent review by Frank Bruni of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, which resulted in the plunge of the restaurant's rating status from a 4-star to a 3-star, does your own experience, based on your most recent visit (if you've had the opportunity to dine at this establishment), echo Frank Bruni's or do you feel the place deserves better? Tom Sietsema: Honestly? I never had a four-star experience at Ducasse -- either before or after the glowing review from William Grimes, then the restaurant critic." How much of that is pure DC/NY animus, I leave to others to decide. He did praise Per Se to the skies, though.

A good book that you might enjoy perusing while drinking your purchases is Languedoc-Roussillon: The Wines and Wine Makers by Paul Strang. It's fairly up-to-date, published in 2002, and is available on Amazon.

Try Pesce or Johnny's Half Shell on P St. in Dupont Circle.

Made it to Cheesetique for the first time today. What a great little store. Went a bit crazy, getting gorgonzola for a winter walnut salad, a bunch of 90-day pecorino, piave vecchio and castelmagno for a cheese course tomorrow when we're having friends over and some jamon serrano, manchego and toasted almonds for a light supper tonight. Also, now that I have proper pancetta, there is going to be much bucatini all'amatriciana on the table in my house from this day forth. Still, I'm a lightweight compared to some of the heavy users. Saw a well-known local sommelier laying in about five pounds of assorted good cheeses while I was there. "Hey man. Those for the restaurant?" "Nah. For me." Respect.

I'm just jolly proud to be immortalized as the unwitting starter of this edifying thread. Are you being paid to assassinate my character, Rocks?

Makes a good rub, too. There's a Ming Tsai recipe for short ribs braised in riesling that I've made a few times using Lapsang Souchon to great acclaim.

If that's one of Pearsons' email wines, you can go over there and taste it before pulling the trigger. He always keeps his special offers open for sampling.

Thank you for so concisely framing a view I've long held but never been able to satisfactorily articulate. I intend to steal this and nonchalantly trot it out at the first available opportunity. As the sincerest form of flattery, of course. ← Bought a tomato lately? ← Hell no. But we're not really talking about personal sourcing here. Look, it's mid-summer in the other half of the world, right? What's the philosophical difference between a July Hanover tomato three days from vine to your restaurant table by truck and the January, I don't know, say, Chilean equivalent that makes the same journey by air in the same time? And, while we're at it, why are we apparently happy to accept a piece of fish that was hauled from the deep off the coast of distant New Zealand, but will get the vapors unless its garnish was demonstrably grown no more than six feet from the restaurant's back door? It's one thing to argue it's more likely that local, seasonal produce will be fresh and tasty, it's quite another to adopt as an article of faith that anything that isn't local or seasonal won't be.

Thank you for so concisely framing a view I've long held but never been able to satisfactorily articulate. I intend to steal this and nonchalantly trot it out at the first available opportunity. As the sincerest form of flattery, of course.

Bruni docks them a star, cites broken toilet, snotty sommelier.

That certainly does reflect one popular vision of manhood, gustatory or otherwise!

What if you ... can't ... get ... no ... sa ... tis ... fac ... shun?

Took the family for lunch at the bar at Eve today. Had the bacon and egg salad, house-cured salmon, braised lamb shoulder sandwich and crepes with sour cream/brown sugar ice cream. All very good. Whopper Jr. was received as gracefully as full-size paying customers are and signaled his approval by napping through the proceedings and refraining from spitting up on the bar stool. So there's another vote of confidence.