ScotteeM

Cox's program guide lists it on Create today at 8 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm, and tomorrow at 2 am. According to the program guide, it's the Birmingham, AL, episode. I don't think that's the one with Cathal et al.

Interesting.

Out of deference to Vincent and Emanuelle and the staff who remain, I want to remind everyone that the restaurant is not closing. It is losing Fabio and a couple of member of his kitchen staff (I got that third-hand so can't be more specific). The staff members I spoke with the other night are committed to the continuance of the restaurant in some form. The Ritz-Carlton group hired Fabio away from a successful gig in London 7 years ago. There's no reason to think they can't do something similar now. And I for one hope that Maestro does continue to be a standout--we need to keep restaurants of that caliber here in Virginia. I will miss Fabio terribly. My affection and respect for him are tremendous. But I remain here and want to continue to have a great venue in my own backyard.

I hope you already have reservations for sometime this week. Fabio's last night in the kitchen is also the restaurant's last night before vacation: Saturday, August 18. I made reservations as soon as I heard Fabio was leaving, and I'm very glad I did. We dined there 2 weeks ago, and it was one of the best dinners we've had there. This would typically be a slow time for the restaurant, but from what the staff have told me they are busy every night. I normally wouldn't plan to dine on the last night before the restaurant is closed for several weeks, because their food supplies might be limited. But I don't think that will be the case this Saturday. Fabio told me more than once that Saturday night will be "glorious." I'll take notes.

Clare & Don's Beach Shack used to be in Clarendon, but it's moved to Falls Church, next to Argia's. Is that the one you're looking for?

This morning I saw a nice feature on Cathal Armstrong and locally produced food on Channel 4's 10:00 news show. I found the link and it turns out it was a rerun of an evening news story from June 26, which we all must have missed.

OMG! That's WAY past my bedtime (although my neighbors were still out on their patio talking at 2 am)! Thanks for the tip on the Grappa risotto. We'll take that under advisement.

Joe, I'm sorry we didn't see one another. We had 5:30 reservations, and finally tottered out at almost 10:30! [Note: we don't usually stay that long.] I had the mussels last time we were there, and they were wonderful. I also recently had a risotto that contained escargot, which was fantastic. Not sure if that's the one you meant.

Maybe we'll see you there! The lobster ravioli is Fabio's signature dish. It is available on the menu for a $10 upcharge. It's the only item with an upcharge. I've had it a couple of times, and was thinking about requesting it on the 18th.

As I said in my previous post, the restaurant was extremely busy last night--more akin to the pre-Christmas holiday rush, and certainly not what one sees at this time of year in general. By comparison, the Steak House across the lobby was less busy, more typical of the summer doldrums. Fabio and his entire staff, FOH and BOH, were really on their game last night. We lingered far longer than normal, but we savored every minute of it. My new favorite table is back by the large window, where I can see the kitchen and most of the dining room. This could be a very long post if I detail each of our courses (OK, it's long anyway), so I'll mention some standouts: I can't get enough of the fried squash blossoms with fennel aioli, a special treat with a good-sized square of Ahi tuna topped with a tiny oyster, which we dipped in sorrel cream. Two peeled cherry tomatoes, one red and one green, were refreshing and provided interesting contrast of flavor and texture. Washed it all down with a shot of tomato water--so refreshing! More fresh, peeled cherry tomatoes piled with pieces of heirloom tomato "confit" provided a tangy, summery backdrop to Bufalo mozzarella set in a pool of freshly made pesto. The hints of crunchy fleur de sal and drizzle of "Manno" EVOO were subtle enough to accent, rather than drown, the flavor of the cheese. A shot of their fabulous gazpacho finished it off perfectly. A strip of seared Dorade over some lightly steamed clams in a clear broth redolent of young garlic and fresh herbs, topped with fried capers and garlicky croutons to catch all the sauce, proved to be a lovely, light fish course. Tortelini with prosciutto sat on pieces of seared mortadella, topped with shaved parmesan and summer truffles, dressed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. The flavors remain in my memory though all of the ingredients did not make it into my notes. One of the best meat courses ever: Seared duck breast resting on a fried ravioli filled with duck confit, paired with seared foie gras resting on grilled endive, with fresh sweet cherries, a cherry reduction, and a side of spicy "pesto". Guess that would be "duck three ways." The duck breast was nicely medium rare with crispy. A surprise of the night was one of the appetizers: Roasted quail breast and sea urchin roe in a verbena/chardonnay cream. Vincent proudly told us that this was created by Sous Chef Nick, and that Vincent thought Nick was crazy when he proposed it, but that it was delicious. I've never had sea urchin roe before, and I thought the flavor provided a great contrast to the quail and the cream sauce. When we were saying our goodbyes I wanted to tell Nick how much I enjoyed this, but he was back in the kitchen working furiously. I'm sure he'll get my message. Cheeses, desserts, and everything else was as wonderful as ever. And despite the fact that they were so very busy and still seating diners at 10:00, they allowed--even encouraged--us to linger as long as we wanted. There were some new wines on the by-the-glass menue as well: Elena Walsh Pinot Grigio Alto Aidige 2006, Stendorfer Eiswein from Burgenland 2004, Tari Cantine Antonio Coggiano Campania 2004 (Vincent took my notebook and pen and wrote "%100 Aglianico" next to that), and a couple more I'll have to Google to decifer my handwriting. By my estimate I've dined there nearly two dozen times over the last four years. I disagree with previous posts about "dumbed-down" food. Fabio's menus are always changing, always emphasizing fresh, sustainably farmed ingredients, acknowledging local producers, and importing special ingredients not readily available here. His hay-smoked turbot may not set off the smoke alarms anymore, but that doesn't mean it's less wonderful than it was initially--just that they've perfected the technique so they don't "smoke out" the dining room. Although I'm sorry to see Fabio go, he and Vincent and Emanuelle have created a staff that remains a cohesive force, and I am confident that they will carry on, under Nick's direction or that of a new chef, for the foreseeable future. I can't wait to go back one more time on August 18, and then in the future after their vacation.

Tonight every table was filled by 6:30. Although they were seating diners as late as 10:00 tonight, most tables were not filled when we left at 10:30. However, I got the impression that the last 3 Saturdays are filled, so your best bet might be a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday night. Not sure about Fridays. I'm very happy that I have secured a table for August 18th. Definitely, if you've been meaning to go and haven't gotten around to it, try to get a reservation now before Fabio leaves.

I'm not a fan of Thai iced tea. I don't like the taste. I prefer iced coffee or coconut juice in that venue. I had lunch a couple of months ago, found the space empty and the seafood overcooked.

I've eaten many meals at Maestro over the last 4 years, and while not every dish has been perfection on a plate, I have loved the total package of his food. He has grown and progressed over that time, not content to keep things the same. I hope that he has much success in NYC, and that he will return to DC soon. Tysons isn't as prestigious a location, perhaps, but they managed to keep the restaurant busy most of the time. Many of us who live in Virginia are very happy to have restaurants of this caliber on our side of the Potomac. Why should we always have to shlep into DC for a decent meal? Fabio will be a tough act to follow at the Ritz-Carlton, but that company has a good track record with restaurants in their hotels, so I have some hope of there being another great place to dine in Tysons before long. Chain? No way.

Any word on the Falls Church location?

OMG! Are Vincent and Emanuelle going, too? I will miss Fabio very much!

I live in Burke, and I've found BBQ World's offerings pretty much inedible, at least recently. Last night I stopped at Bubba's on Route 29 at Fairview Park Dr. I got pulled pork (dry and salty), ribs, moist and OK, and smoked chicken wings. All was OK, with a very sweet sauce (sweeter than my favorite bottled Smokey Maple Barbecue Sauce by Annies Naturals). I prefer the offerings at Wf in Fair Lakes. JMO.

I'm following this thread closely, because my much-younger SIL (mid-20s) just started a job at WF in Boulder, CO, about a month ago, coming from several years at Starbucks. We very much want her to have a good job with benefits so we don't have to worry so much about her. When we talk to her on the phone now she is so much more positive and enthusiastic, and seems to enjoy her job, so far.

<------------ Logan is a master of the time-honored art of Doberigami. He fits into some very small spaces. Not ready for the restaurant scene yet. Several years ago, I had a Boston terrier named Wimsey who was trained to provide assistance for my medical disability. He accompanied me to quite a few restaurants, and most of the time no one even realized he was sleeping under the table.

I got some at Slavin & Sons yesterday. Good sized, tasty, $4.99 each, cleaned to order.

Yesterday in Burke, I stocked up on Cibola Farms pork chops (main ingredient: crack) and got some pork cutlets to try for a quick week night supper. A sign at the front of their booth introduced their new item: Dog Food. My dogs will sample the ground chicken/bison combination tonight and report back. The other meat vendor (Smith) had a few chickens in a wire crate under their awning. Everyone was admiring the beautiful birds and chuckling when the rooster crowed. A few people thought they were for sale and tried to buy them. I heard the vendor telling someone that she'd had a visit from Fairfax Animal Control earlier in the day, responding to a complaint of "chickens in a small cage in the sun with no water". The ACO took a look at the chickens and pronounced them the healthiest-looking birds he'd ever seen, echoing my sentiments. I also got squash blossoms, peaches, onions, potatoes, cranberry beans, corn, cherry/grape tomatoes, some larger red tomatoes, one heirloom tomato, and a couple of green ones, and a couple of cucumbers. I'm trying to buy only things that I don't expect to get in my Monday farm share, which sometimes is difficult. I'm going to use the potatoes and onions with some bison short ribs from Cibola for a nice oven braise that my husband can put in the oven tomorrow night while I go pick up the farm share. Since I'm frying the squash blossoms tonight with some soft shell crabs, I may experiment with the green tomatoes in that venue. I'm loving summer, despite the Ozone warnings!

Last night's dinner captured summer and put it on plates! We started with a lovely "surprise" from Chef Trabocchi: A cup atop a tower containing a candle, in which lay two tempura-fried squash blossoms and a pool of fennel aioli for dipping. With it was a tiny plate of cherry tomato confit, a little square of Ivory Alaskan King Salmon crudo, a little glass of gazpacho, and a test tube of tomato water "to cleanse the palate." Wow! That was comforting and coolly refreshing, and left me in eager anticipation of the rest of the meal. Fabio's take on the stuffed tomato was a peeled, seeded fresh tomato, filled with lump blue crab (was that a Chesapeake Bay type seasoning I detected in the creamy sauce?), placed open side down, like a dome, surrounded by a tomato coulis. This was no supermarket tomato--it really tasted like a tomato. Next came a plancha seared Maine diver scallop, which served as a pedastal for a tiny potato blini that just covered it, atop which rested a piece of seared foie gras. The musto cotto pooled on the plate set off each of the elements nicely. I found the glass of Sauternes sorbet on the side a little too sweet, but WWMeade (who has yet to post here, despite my constant nagging) really liked the sorbet. Another enjoyable appetizer was the steamed mussels, out of the shells, in a bowl with minced garlic scape (?), pane fritto crumbs, spicy chilies (not too much for my Scoville-impaired palate), and fresh oregano all in a broth, accompanied by a tube of fennel "cappuccino" that was poured over the dish. It was delicious, but would have been satisfying at about 2/3 the portion we were served. Even though I was afraid I'd get too full, I enjoyed it so much I couldn't stop eating it. Another highlight was the hand-cut tagliatelle topped with slices of roasted squab breast, with a ragout (?) that included cut sweet corn and marjoram, and what we thought were pieces of morels. The menu changes constantly--even daily--and items that seem to be the same on paper are often different in execution from the last time we had them. The crudo is a dish I could have over and over again, because I love it and because it's different depending on what's fresh that day. The carpaccio also seems a little different every time I try it. Fabio's hay-smoked fish last night was monkfish tail, rather than his traditional turbot, and it was accompanied by seasonal baby beets (other times I've had it with fingerling potatoes). Last night's study of lamb was quite different from the dish that appeared in photos a couple of years ago. Fabio encourages diners to return by offering so much variety. Last night's menu was full of temptations, and I wish I had been able to try more. Desserts were a nice surprise. WWMeade, who actively dislikes chocolate, loved our chocolate dessert so much he ate all of his and half of mine (I did get the fresh currants before his spoon came the way of my plate). Their desserts are generally light and the right size for me after such a huge meal. I would normally skip dessert, but theirs seem a perfect close to the meal. We're already contemplating our next visit--perhaps to check out their offerings for Fall.

Dean, you've made excellent points, as have others upthread. I support sustainable, local farming as much as I am humanly able. But I also recognize that we cannot feed the entire population that way. I support setting appropriate standards for growing crops and producing animal products. The standard-setting process must involve the producers. In some cases where legislation regarding this has been passed recently around the US, producers were not involved in the process, and some of the legislation may make it difficult for some producers to stay in business. The anti-animal use movement is extremely well organized and unbelievably well-funded, and appears to be working from a long-range (decades long) plan. (Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not trying to take away my meat!) This website exhorts its followers to organize protests, offers instructions, and lists target restaurants by state. All of our favorites are on the target list.

No, I do not. And being unfamiliar with that event and the issues, I can't comment on any comparison. But what if the protesters move from foie gras to live crabs or lobsters and start picketing and threatening local seafood restaurants, or the Great Wall with its tanks of live creatures? Again, I'm not trying to argue whether or not these are humane, but whether they have the right to run their business--and their patrons to patronize their business--without harassment from those who pass judgment on them for putting live crabs in a steamer.

I posted the link in this topic in a hurry at work, and I haven't been able to post again until now. I wasn't intending to debate whether or not foie gras production is humane. The Hersch was on the money with his comments, and that's one of the points. These self-proclaimed arbiters of what constitutes "humane" treatment of animals freely and publicly acknowledge that their definition of humane is zero contact or interaction between humans and other species. No eating, no owning, no wearing, no fertilizing with animal by-products, no dogs assisting law enforcement or rescuing disaster victims or assisting people with disabilities. I'm referring to PeTA, HSUS, and ALF, among others--not to folks on this list who agree about foie but not about other animal products. Their protests about foie gras in restaurants and lobsters at Whole Foods are disingenuous, because they really want to eradicate all animal products. Their tactics are not nice. They threaten businesses with protests and defamation. In some cases, the businesses capitulate to the AR groups' terms and are left alone. In others, small businesses are put out of business by protests and vandalism. How would you feel if you arrived at your favorite restaurant for a special occasion--Citronelle, or Maestro, or Restaurant Eve, or any others--and found you had to walk past a group of people waiving signs and shouting un-pleasantries at and about you, and about the restaurateur, just to claim your reservation? How would you feel if your favorite restaurant were vandalized--albeit after hours when no one was there--or driven out of business because people didn't want to cross the picket lines? Restaurateurs and chefs: How would you feel if your restaurant were targeted by these protesters? What if you were victimized by them as businesses elswhere have been? That is why I said I would willingly participate in counter-protests--not because I disagree about foie gras (which I do enjoy on occasion)--but because I want to preserve my freedom to choose what I eat and restaurateurs' freedom to choose their own menus. I'm just sayin'.

I ran across a great commentary in the Evening Bulletin, Philly's evening paper (at least it was when I was growing up there). Foie Gras: It's About Having Guts says it better than I ever could. I hope that more restaurateurs will look to Georges Perrier and decide to stand up to the AR fanatics, too. I had read about the protests and wished that I could go up and participate in a counter-demonstration. If they bring the AR show to restaurants in this area, I just might.