TedE
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Everything posted by TedE
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Just as I'm sure there are some owner's who spend every home game in their personal suite there are some prominent chefs who personally serve and interact with guests at their kitchen tables, but it's not exactly a hard and fast rule. If the chef is sick that evening or away on celebrity chef-related business but the food does not suffer is your meal diminished that much? I suspect the answer to that question will correlate very strongly with the diner's real reason for making a chef's table reservation. It's a tricky business, and I'm sure some people feel suckered if they don't get to meet The Chef, but I can't say that I blame restaurants for taking advantage of that if it puts butts in seats. I don't hide my disdain for what passes as "foodie culture" nowadays very well ... Don't be pissed if your extraordinary view of the game is "ruined" because the owner is not there to hob nob with you; he or she probably has equally important business to attend to. Have a beer and enjoy the f*@#in' game. Don't be pissed if your intimate view of talented non-celebrity-chefs preparing your meal is "ruined" because the head chef isn't there to shake your hand and explain what is on your plate; he or she has other guests' interests to attend to and a business to run. Have some more wine and enjoy your f*@#in' food
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Yeah, that could lead to problems. When in doubt, blame the publicist
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Dan, I don't know how many owner's boxes you've sat in, but my guess is you would be disappointed a majority of the time! Owner's box is more often the term for the top level VIP suite.
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I think the problem here is the notion of a chef's table. This term has become common parlance for pretty much any restaurant-within-a-restaurant concept, especially when a tasting menu is involved. Are people being led on by the terminology? Maybe. If you are looking for a celeb chef experience you might reasonably interpret chef's table that way. FWIW the Table 21 description on their website actually avoids the term: TABLE 21 21 course tasting menu | advance menu not available Seating in the kitchen | up to 8 guests Kitchen table is the better term here. But, hey, if you are sitting in the kitchen you are more likely to see the chef, right? Still won't stop people from bitching but maybe would temper expectations.
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Agreed, I don't get this whole celebrity chef star-f*@#ing thing. Actually I do get it, I just don't like it or understand it. I believe Volt could have been named the best restaurant in America by the Post, NY Times and SF Chronicle and not have received this kind of attention, good or bad. Bryan goes on screen and suddenly it's, "Oh, he's the guy with the restaurant from tee vee! Let's make reservations and maybe we'll meet him and can tell our friends!" Then people are let down that they don't get the full Bryan "experience". Then again I realize that on the list of priorities for a an increasingly large segment of the high end dining public the quality of the food is 3rd or 4th on the list
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This was a couple years ago, but I found some Dr. Frank's at Planet Wine in Del Ray. Worth a call to see if they still carry it.
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St. Petersburg Thanks, Don, I'll file those away for next year ... I had meant to hit Ceviche in particular given the buzz, but the weekend was bit too hectic and I couldn't fit it in. Out of convenience's sake I ended up eating a couple times at 400 Beach, a seafood place right by the Vinoy. It was decent if expensive for the quality; the BBQ mahi with cheese grits and braised greens I chose at random from the menu was actually the lone highlight. Don't bother with any sushi item, and forget the raw bar offerings even exist. Hooker Tea Company is good for breakfast (very limited menu: tea infused oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and a quiche of the day), and they serve a good variety of quality teas if you sort through the preponderance of rooibos and other fruit-flavored crap.
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St Petersburg Any recent recs for St Petersburg? We're down there again this weekend for an annual race, and I still haven't found anywhere worth returning to. Looking more for casual places than upscale, walking distance from around the Vinoy/Straub Park area a plus since we won't have a car.
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Weren't those functions just added partially as a result of the recent lawsuits? I thought owner responses were hidden from the public and only reviewed by Yelp staff (which pretty much defeats the purpose). Yelp will say it was to improve their service, but the timing is suspect to say the least. I have no idea if the legal challenges will stand up, but I find the behavior unethical. When Yelp first came on the scene I took one look and dismissed it. The reviews often fell into two categories: 1) Reviewer is a sociopathic serial complainer 2) Reviewer is a plant And the only person I know who is a gold star Yelper (or whatever they're called) unabashedly touts that he has received better service at some establishments because he is a Yelper and is known to the staff as such. N=1, but then again i was always terrible at stats.
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Looking for Lighter-Drinking Beers
TedE replied to mtpleasanteater's topic in Beer, Wine, and Cocktails
It's coming up on Maibock season as well. Locally I like Victory's St. Boisterous, but you may be able to find German imports, too (I remember seeing Spaten around). Maibocks and Helles lagers are secretly a couple of my favorite beer styles. They are a welcome break from the hop overload that's overtaken craft brewing. -
Folks on the DCBeer listserv have mentioned Rodman's and Rick's in Alexandria specifically as stocking it recently, and it's been spotted on tap around the area as well. But $9 to $11 a 4-pack? Man. Tupper's used to be in my go-to rotation, but at those prices it'll be relegated to a once in a while nostalgic treat. I get that the economics of independent contract brewing are not ideal, but it's tough to swallow those prices in a crowded market full of good competition (see my thoughts in the Hopslam thread).
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Looks like this place is very close to opening. One preview is up, and the menu is available. Kind of mixed feelings on this. On the plus side it looks like they are somewhat serious about the izakaya piece (decent selection of yakitori, onigiri (yea!), robata bar). On the other hand it looks like they felt the need to class the joint up (big sushi selection, wagyu and fois gras yakitori(?!)) to make it more of a destination place. If they get the latter right it will be an interesting, dual-purpose kind of setting. As long as they keep the cheap cuts of grilled offal and the beer flowing I'll be alright with that! DC needs an izakaya.
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Great list! The only addition I'd like to see: note the places that offer brunch on Saturdays
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Quigley's Down Under! That was it. Absolutely was a GW bar, mostly because of their carding policy
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Was this also the place that had a vaguely Aussie-themed name? Would have been circa '94. The Down Under perhaps?
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3rd-ed Some of my earliest lost memories were courtesy of that place! Mr. Day's was replaced by the CitySports several years ago. It's primary draw was that I could go there from the office without stepping outside into the rain ...
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Definitely not stone crab, not even close flavor- or texture-wise. In fact, not even the same genus according to The All-Knowing Wiki: Jonah crab, Cancer borealis Stone crab, Menippe mercenaria The Jonah claws are my least favorite part of the Orca/Lighthouse platter. Much more akin to blue crab claws but not as sweet.
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Well, crap.
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Pretty sure Franklin's in Hyattsville does growler fills. I think one of the most underrated brewpubs in the area, mostly because their location is pretty crappy.
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Including Peter Smith. If there was a way to corroborate the claim made in Tom's chat there would have been no reason to fire 4 people. Was that anonymous posting the only piece of evidence he had to go on? I mean, c'mon, nobody ever lies on the Internet!!
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And if it had been sold in a bomber at $8 I would have bought one; I've bought gallons and gallons of beer as 22s that I never would have purchased as 6 packs for $20+. As I said before I think it's more of a marketing thing. They set the barrier for entry to this beer in any quantity at $20+ retail, that is bound to lose you some sales. HopSlam (to me) just isn't that special. Now seeing that it is available elsewhere as low as $14 makes me wonder if this is all Whole Food's doing. Where else in the DC area is it available for cheaper? At $16 I probably wouldn't blink.
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I would have accepted the hop shortage excuse if there were increases across the board. Did we see Stone Ruination prices skyrocket? Victory Hop Wallop? Nope. Both of those are of comparable quality. Bell's might be shooting themselves in the foot here, but depending on the production run they'll probably sell out anyway, just might take a little longer (I think HopSlam lasted all of a week in the area last year)
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$23.99/6-pack at WF on P St. $23.99!! I know it's WF mark up, but that is a YoY increase of around 35-40% I believe. Although maybe I'm mistaken: was this sold in 4-packs last year? If so, my outrage is diminished slightly. Sorry, Bell's, not worth it. HopSlam is a great beer, but it's not $10+ greater or more distinguishable than any number of other IIPAs and hop monsters out there. Would have been better marketed as a bomber, but I know that's not how they roll.
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Was anybody able to grab some of the Sahti that Greg seems to have been able to procure?: http://churchkeydc.blogspot.com/2009/12/sahti.html I'm assuming it's long gone by now (dammit!). I may need to stop by tonight or tomorrow while the city is still empty and we can get a seat at a decent hour ...
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WF on P St now carries the full range of Butternuts offerings. Aside from the aforementioned Pork Slap and Moo Thunder there are a weisse beer and an IPA (I haven't tried either).
