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Did anyone get to sample Fabio's risotto and chestnut soup demo on Sunday? I saw him wandering the market in his chef's whites then noticed that he was the guest chef for the 11:00 tasting. Unfortunately this was at 10:40 or so and I had to run.

Mr. Smith's of Georgetown I probably misunderstood the OP's goal. To me "piano bar" is an interactive, sing-along joint like Mr. Smith's. I really don't know what I'd call the other type; piano lounge?

This is my exact experience. I have never had anything but the soups there, and almost always the Tokyo dashi (with occasional forays over to the curry). It's one of our favorite winter lunch spots.

Mr. Smith's in Georgetown is the first (and only) one that pops to mind. Definitely not posh, if that's what you meant by over the top. Can't vouch for the food, though.

That was one of the least surprising things I've read in a long time

Thanks for the suggestions! Honestly, I had totally forgotten about Ching Ching Cha; aside from Paradiso Georgetown is totally off of my radar these days. I'll have to stop by when Fall starts behaving like Fall again. Off to do some online tea shopping ...

Aside from Teaism is there anywhere local (D.C. or Metro-accessible preferred) that sells a nice variety of good quality loose teas? I just ran out of the bag of my staple (gen mai cha) and am looking to branch out to another supplier aside from Teaism. The supply I brought back from Japan was subtly different in an interesting way, so I'm interested in seeing what else is out there. Online or mail order suggestions would work, too. Thanks

I'm in potentially for the 14th. I don't get to Birreria nearly as much as I should

I guess this isn't as bad as bowing to pressure to stop selling live lobsters. When they take away the mussels and clams is when I run away. Fast.

From a WaPo chat today: That pretty much sums up the place. I think the dinner part of the "dinner club" is only a marketing gimmick trying to differentiate from all of the other downtown bling palaces.

No need for fancy brushes, one of those Dollar Store long-handled jobs with a round/ball head will do just as good of a job for what is (I'm assuming) a fraction of the price of a "specialized" device, but then again I subscribe to the Alton Brown philosophy of kitchen tool multi-tasking on the cheap. Decanter brush, maybe, if you have one of those ultra wide bottom models. Definitely don't stick your hand down in a glass with a sponge. Copious amounts of blood are almost guaranteed should the bowl shatter.

That one user comment sounds a little more ominous: - Live music stopped a couple months back - Not serving food - Owner nowhere in sight - Smell is starting to get worse I admit I was never a regular at Nanny's (not my regular 'hood), but it was always my choice over 4P's if there was a choice to be made. I remember St Patty's a couple years back when we walked right in, grabbed pints and stared across the street at the wrap-around line.

--> QUOTE(Mrs. B @ Oct 24 2006, 02:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1st Corollary to the Riedel Rule: Do not store glasses overnight under the cabinet with the coffee or Ibuprofen. ETA: Spiegelau glasses are indeed very nice. We managed to go through 2 dozen in less than a year even trying to be careful and when they break there are lots of little pieces (though not as many as Baccarat ) I picked up a full set of Spiegelaus three years back or so when Amazon was routinely having those ridiculous deals (something like $24 for 6 + free shipping; I know people who bought them by the case). I was expecting to go through them like crazy, but to my surprise I've only busted one. It was done whilst breaking rule #1

Given how long the new Johnny's has been open, I would be surprised if that is the forthcoming negative review. It would seem to violate his policy of letting a place work out the kinks before before his "formal" visits. Or were you referring to another easy to guess new place that I'm missing?

I think he's always been that way; if I remember he was criticized for it even in his early days at this gig. Maybe now the groundswell has reached the point of "Enough already, just tell us about the damn food!". Alas, there are many people in this city who care much more about where they eat than what they eat, so I think he has an audience. Any guesses on what the potential one- or zero-star victim is? Well-trod? Prominent chef? Given the other banter in the chat: the new Johnny's?!

When they opened Amsterdam Falafel instantly became my late night go-to joint, but for those nights when I'm in rare form the big slice has no equal. Topping a falafel takes too much manual dexterity and most of it ends up on my shirt or in my lap anyway. Waking to a half-eaten big slice in the living room is not a pretty sight, though. I don't relish the visual reminder of what I did to myself earlier that morning.

I am definitely going; much to my own amazement I've yet to set foot in Rustico, so now is as good a time as any.

Did they provide any more specific geographical details than "DC area x 2"?

I disagree. It's absolutely does not ignore race in America (it's the subtext for the whole damn article!), and the quotes do not remind us of the bad old days; they remind us that they are the bad current days. That was the whole point, no? That the days of socially accepted, institutionalized racism are not behind us. I think Michael's outcry is based on the fact that Fisher did not cry "Bigots!!!" from the mountaintop. I still think the article was effective in bringing his point across, just with more subtlety. Dunno, maybe I'm reading intent into the article where actual cowardly reporting exists. Knowing that Fisher likely wanted to cry "Bigots!!!" gave me a different reading, but I'd accept that I'm wrong and he dropped the ball where a stronger opinion could be implied (I still stand on the point that I don't want my daily to force opinions down my throat; I have plenty to choke on already ).

Coupled with the dining-at-Ray's comments leads me to believe that this person was trying to make a point about Michael's reaction to the article through compare and contrast.

Michael, I read Fisher's article before seeing his blog entry late last week, and I gotta say, you missed the mark on this one. There was nothing in it that I see deviating from his goal as a journalist: just the facts, ma'am. I got a totally different reading from it. What comes clearly across in the piece is the open secret that there are bigots (What?) living in America (GASP!!) and some of them reside right here in the D.C. metro area (NOOOOO!!!!!). It was not an editorial, it was not meant to proselytize, and I think that by letting the Culpeperians speak their peace it allowed them to shoot themselves in the foot quite nicely in the face of a large and fairly well-read audience. Sure, some among the horsie set will nod their heads in agreement at what the moneyed residents have to say, but that is beyond obvious. Many of these folks live where they live precisely because they do not like their worldview challenged (to me a much more shocking example of this mindset comes across in this article from today's edition, again allowing the bigots to tie thier own nooses in a public forum). I'm fairly sure Fisher ultimately agrees with your point of view, and going off half-cocked doesn't win you any points and leads to some head-shakin' among those who are not used to your diatribes. I don't want the media telling me what to think through day-to-day reporting, and I would hope that you don't either. I had to read that one twice. I think the middle paragraph was a poorly crafted attempt at satire.

RE: the Ethiopian "snub"

Yeah, but they happen to be pretty good desserts delivered on trucks, but I'm not particularly a dessert person. I still think that they're pitcher + 3 apps deal ($20 I think? $24) is one of the great late night bargains in Dupont. I'd second Sette; I've never had a bad meal there, nor a great one, and it fills a once-every-two-months or so niche when we only feel like walking a couple blocks for dinner. The pizzas and pastas are perfectly OK, especially for the unadventurous.

Not claiming any great wisdom here, just calling out a piece of mixological fantasy for what it is. Ummm, uh, yeah: mixological fantasy. My tastes in adult beverages run a little less avant garde. Let's be honest: a "refined" taste for alcohol is merely a social excuse for the drinky-drinky. If Pomerol/Barolo/boutique Cab Sav didn't have the potential side effect of getting you snookered I don't think anybody would be waxing poetic over their flavor profiles or forking over several bills for a bottle. Just callin' 'em as I see 'em. To me (me, me, MEEEEE!) dehydrated rum and wine infused with vanilla bean vapor isn't worth the time/cost/effort (nor is high dollar Pomerol/Barolo/boutique Cab Sauv). The jellied concoctions hold my interest only because, well, they seem interesting (see(!), now you've done it and made me be consistent and reveal my whole only-interesting-because-I-think-it's-interesting gambit). If Homaro is a friend, I apologize. Were I to sit down at that bar I would not be ordering said drink. What a 'tender can do with a vodka tonic tells me infinitely more about their skills behind the rail. edit: cuz I had a bit of the drinky-drinky this evening and can't spell so good and, good lord, I'm a moron with the formatting. look, ma, post 200!

I think dumb here is in the eye of the beholder, and that eye in this case is mine. Different strokes and all that.