mnebergall

331 Pa. Ave., SE. Hole in the wall, good burgers, cold beer. On the House side of Capitol Hill a couple of blocks up from the Library of Congress. Its been there for years.

Tune Inn?

Ortanique makes a respectable mojito.

Here is the list of attendees for next Sunday's eGullet event at Ray's the Steaks: mnebergall mdt JennyUptown +1 Laniloa hannah +1 Hillvalley JPW tomdc squids +1 I have one or two on the waiting list. Once again, at the last minute a person or two always cancels out so if you are intersted, be sure to send me a PM.

Frankly, while I never had a "bad" meal there, I never felt the need to go back. Someone else always paid. If the check is on me, I would not think of Georgia Browns.

Even though the table currently is full, I expect attrition. If you are still interested in the Ray's the Steaks eGullet dinner, PM me and I will put you on the "waiting list." I really want to make sure that the table is full, but keep in mind that we don't want to overload the staff with a table of more than 12. We want to strike a happy medium. Those who need to cancel for whatever reason, please PM me as soon as you know so that I can clear people from the waiting list (where there currently are people on). I am certain that a good time will be had by all.

At this point, if Mrs. JPW is in, we are full up. If she is out, we have one more spot.

success has a thousand fathers.

All right. I talked to Michael and we are on for Sunday, August 1, at 6:00. He has a table for 12 reserved for us. PM if you are coming so that I can keep a list. We discussed the menu and decided that the $21 prix fixe is the way to go (both for him and for us). The hanger steak is 10 oz. so no one will go home hungry.

Be sure to differentiate between San Marzano "style" tomatos and imported from Italy San Marzanos. The big cans from Costco are the real McCoy. And Stop 'n' Shop has them as well. Just make sure you look closely at the can for the "imported from Italy" stamp.

There is a parking lot in front of the place. However, there is about a half-dozen restaurants in the same little strip mall (many of them quite good by the way), so depending on the level of partonage, you might have to way a minute or two for a spot to open up. Or, look on the street for a space. On Sunday, I don't expect a problem.

Give her the charred part and eat the inside. Tried that one and got a steak knife inserted into my left nostril along with the appropriate threat. Why does this conjure up images of Jack Nicholsen and Roman Polanski?

Is anyone "lactose intolerant?" Perhaps we can talk him into the shoestring/matchstick potatos.

Chef Michael has an "entrecote" steak on the menu which he describes as good for those who like their steaks well done. Many of his steaks he refuses to cook beyone medium rare, and rightfully so.

The stars are beginning to line up around Sunday evening, August 1. My preference is for early evening, say 6:00 or 6:30. See the other thread to get a sense of who all are intersted.

I will take the issue of the $21 prix fixe when I dine on Saturday. My thought was to ask him if he could do a twoo level operation one for $21 and a higher level with a different steak. And yes, this should be on the other thread. What times are good for people: earlier or later? I'd like to be home in time for 6 feet under.

Put it back, I've been laughing all morning.

Whoops, neglected to turn the page on my planner. Yes, Sunday would be the 1st of August.

So Sunday the 31st would work for a number of people? What time would be preferable?

i've been there. i thought that it was a joke because of the eggs. i thought chef michael wrote that post about eggs in jest, and i still think that. so why would he serve it to woodley girl? also how did he know you were from egullet? did you reserve with your egullet name? btw, i'm pretty stupid. If you look on the other "Ray's the Steaks" thread, you will see that Woodley Girl taked to Chef Michael when she made the reservation.

Yea, when is this going to be?! I plan to try and have dinner in there this Saturday evening. I will ask Chef Michael if there is a day next week that would work for him. How does that work for you all? PS: It is the "Commonwealth of Virginia," not the "State of Virginia."

What makes you think its a joke? I found it perfectly believable. I guess you have to experience Ray's the Steaks in order to fully understand.

Wide Worlds of Wines on Wisconsin. Don't tell anyone you heard it from me. It's sort of an insiders' place. You have to know about it. Very small store from but it opens up towards the back and they have a downstairs. That's where I got all of my 2000 Bordeaux futures.

Nullo: Congratulations on your achievments, both culinarily and physically. For a 23 year-old, you have amazing skills in the kitchen. I'm sure there is a reason your roomates stick around. I'm sure you know that your physical acheivment had as much to to with your adherence to the "Atkins diet" as it did with your swimming exercise regimen. You must keep vigilent with both. You can put it all back on in half the time it took you to lose it; speaking from first hand knowledge ( I went down (-45 lbs) and back up (30+ lbs), and I'm more than twice your age). Stay on the wagon. PS: Fabulous blog. Further your passion for food, and don't fall off of the eGullet wagon. I will be trying some of your concoctions soon (the poppers especially). Mark

The Busboys brought the ratatouille and it was excellent. I went back for seconds.