JULIANA's is a jewel at Cotswold House in Chipping Campden (Gloucestershire, UK)

We arrived in the Cotwolds after the long drive south from Yorkshire and settled in to our totally cool and modern suite at the Cotswold House Hotel, which is a true gem. I should preface this rave of a review for Juliana's and its chef Stephen Love with the fact while we were guests of the sales manager, a friend of mine for several years, we had an awful experience the next day when we were told we had to move rooms....across the street to another hotel to a very hot and noisy (although amazingly historic) room. The experience, along with the hotel misplacing my jewelry and house key and losing much of the next night's sleep at the liability of the hotel, was most unpleasant...but has not changed my mind about the amazing meal we had (see, how FAIR I can be!).

We sat down with Declan, our friend, to champagne and hor's d'oevres in the bar which consisted of
a POTATO with SMOKED SALMON, Creme Fraiche & Caviar
Crispy PORK BELLY on AVOCADO (this was supreme)
Parmesan SHORTBREAD with TOMATO Fondue and Feta

As we perused the menu, it was hard to choose, so we all decided on different things so we could taste lots more. A bottle of SAINT VERAN Domaine Jean-Claude BOISSET 2005 started us off on what had turned out to be a quite warm and almost muggy day for England...about 77 degrees....

The amuse was a Warm BEETROOT Puree with Poached QUAIL EGG and GOAT CHEESE that was also superb and we knew that more good stuff was yet to come.

The starters were 65degree(Centigrade) Coddled Free Range EGG, Braised PIG CHEEK, Pork Belly (actually more like bacon), Wild MUSHROOMS and "Hogan's Cider" (actually in jelly form) Seared SCALLOPS with Peanut Textures, Pickled and Raw Cauliflower, White TRUFFLE and APPLE Salad and my CUCUMBER and LANGOUSTINE which had a cucumber sorbet, papaya, cucumber soup and Royal Baer;s caviar.

The starters were all god but not really superlative....I think the pickled part of the scallops tuned me off and the egg, was again as in Yorkshire, an egg...no matter how intense the cooking procedure.

We moved to a bottle of LA CADENE Cotes du Rhone 2000 from Domaine Chaume-Arnaud that was just perfect at this age and great with all the main courses: 21 Day Matured BEEF(a 4ounce Herefordshire fillet) with Braised Ox Cheek, Oyster, Garlic, Blackcurrant, Onions and coffee brittle. As you can see Chef Love is inventive and creative to the max.

LIGHTHORNE LAMB Loin, Braised Shoulder and Epigramme (actually saddle of lamb, pressed and rolled in breadcrumbs) with Sweetbreads, Leeks, Mint Jelly and Girolles was also quite excellent, the highlight being the saddle.

My GOOSENARGH DUCK two servings came with the first platter of Breast, Winglet, Liver and Gizzard (these latter three gorgeously glazed), Peas, Carrots, Apple, Cumin & Dates. Second came a plate with CONFIT LEG and smashed pineapple. I was in heaven.

We all wanted dessert, but could not resist the awesome local cheeses...so we split a cheese platter which was perfect:
Cotswold Organic Brie served with Quince Jelly (Kirkham Farm) Berkswell with fig & almond wheel (like a small paste brick) from Ram Hill
HEREFORD HOP with apple. apricot & vanilla chutney haisl from Pind Farm and is a gorgeous crunchy, yeasty treat that we returned to again the next night!
CERNEY ASH GOAT with chilli jam was a great combo. a light goat dusted with ash
ST EADBURGHA came with tomato and pear chutney an is made at Gorsehill Abbey in Broadway (where we actually are tonight) and while Brie-like is creamier and richer like a double cream and was one of my favorites
St OSWALD served with plum and ginger chutney from the same Abbey is another treat that is not to be missed in the region
COTSWOLD BLUE is light again like the Yorskshire and was served with fig jelly and also comes from Kirkham Farm.

I do not know how I will survive back in the US without these magnificent treats.

We moved on to dessert and had the RHUBARD-RHUBARD which included ices, fritter and a rhubarb-ginger parfait with macadamia nut and custard on top. I loved the variety and fact that it was like three different dishes--well, you all know me by now.

Marinated Poached PINEAPPLE came with Coconut Porridge and Sesame Seed Crisp was not real porridge and was a bit of a disappointment for Will, and the STRAWBERRIES and CREAM with port wine, local vanilla ice cream, pink champagne jelly and smoked macadamia nuts was gobbled up pretty fast by our host Declan.

After some port (Grand Marnier for me), we rolled back to our suite and had a great night of sleep...which was good, as the next day was to bring a disaster.

the last night in Yorkshire--LEVEN at Crathorne Hall

We met up with Will's teenhood theatrical pal Sue and her partner Steve who we have been in touch with over the years and dined at our hotel, CRATHORNE HALL just 10 miles south of Middlesborough and has a 4-Michelin hotel rating. Despite our problems with the manager, the hotel and dining room deserve kudos as our dinner was superb. BRUNO PAILLARD Brut Premiere Cuvee Champagne started us off in the bar with some wonderfule treats:

LOTUS ROAST CRISPS
Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Roasted Punmpkin Seeds in soy(yum) Chef James Cooper who we did not meet (was he there?) has a local menu that shines and we all tried lots of great dishes.

Steve opted for the Terrine of Smoked Eel, Runner Bean Salad and 2-1/2 hour egg.....I asked what it was like...and Steve bluntly said--a poached egg!

My POACHED LOIN of RABIT with Roasted Local LANGOUSTINES, Lentils and Lentil Dressing and Crisp Prosciutto was a dream come true and also included surprise GNOCCHI and mini-lardons. We had asked for a bottle of DOMAINE LAFAGE Cuvee Centennaire 2006 Cotes de Roussillon WHITE and they had opened the same in RED...but no problem..,we liked it and sked for the white first, which was yummy too. The red was a Cuvee Authentique 2005, and after sitting an hour was perfect.

Hand Dived Scallops with Smoked Bacon Creme Caramel (hints of the Fat Duck here),Peas & Girolles was another brilliant composition. The entrees were less varied as three of us chose LOIN OF MILK FED VEAL(bacon wrapped) with Pressed BRISKET en croute, DUCK LIVER Toastie (a bit high on fat) and Hazelnut Butter.It was the simple column of brisket that blew our minds and mouths.

Will chose the tasty ROASTED POLLACK with Cauliflower Cheese, Crayfish Pie (like a stuffed Yorkshire pudding) and Mash with Poached Egg. HEAVEN as well.

Desserts were all superb with a RHUBARB & CUSTARD deconstructed composition; the former in a mason jar, the latter as creme brulee all with Crumble Biscuits. Raspberry & Lime Jelly came with Elderflower Arctic Roll (sponge cake and ice cream), Poppyseed Tuile but it was MY YORKSHIRE cheeses that blew away all four of us:
Katy's White Lavender --ewe's milk
King Richard III cow (less exciting)
Ribblesdale Smoked Cow
and the supreme but not too strong but sublime creamy YORKSHIRE BLUE from Shephard's Purse near Thirsk just 15 miles away....we had that
again and again this week!

Sadly the music in this magnifcent Edwardian mansion came from a boom box in the corner and amounted to sad 70's pop....other than that..it was a sublime evening.

I apologize for yesterday's pub posting listing CHICKEN ASTA not PASTA, and I wish this google group system had a good food spell check!

ALAN --now in the Costwolds....more food reports soon.

Romaldkirk's ROSE & CROWN, a jewel, if pricey in remote No. Yorkshire

It's no often you get to pop in for lunch into a 1750's tavern a town where there are about maybe one to two hundred inhabitants and your partner runs into the church graveyard and finds four ancestors buried there!

Well, this happened yesterday at ROMARLKIRK in North Yorkshire where we chose the ROSE AND CROWN as recommended by our Michelin Guide! Well, the prices did seem very "Michelin" even without any stars, but the food was quite good. So, if you are about 20miles north of Barnard Castle, then head to the ROSE & CROWN.

Will could not resist the STEAK, KIDNEY & MUSHROOM Pie, short crust with Thealeston's Ale Gravy which was as superb pie en croute and had a thinner gravy than the pub the day before, but better ingredients.

Will's sister, Carol loved her WELSH RAREBIT with what looked like very yummy GRILLED BACK BACON and a side salad. Her partner, Gill looking for the veggie option chose the ROASTED VEGETABLE FRITTATA, Shaved Chevriot, Tapenade and Salad. Samuel gobbled up his BANGER, BEANS and CHIPS which is English for sausage, beans and fries....we told him it was an English hot dog!

My option was the CHICKEN ASTA with Chestnuts (which turned out to be Chestnut Mushrooms), BACON OLOROSO SHERRY and Rocket (which is English for Arucola). An excellent side salad made a complete meal for me, and we all headed on our tour of the region....

The POVERINA aint no poor girl in Normanby (Teesside, North Yorkshire)

When it comes to pub food, outside London is where it's at, and here we are more than 250 miles north of London outside the steel city of Middlesborough where Will calls home. Normanby is, well, a suburb, and very close to where Will gre up, and his sister led us to THE POVERINA, a small local pub that does an amazing job with prices lower than anything I have ever seen in the states, so sticker shock with the pound exchange rate is not a factor here.

The children's menu is 3.25pounds for anything and comes with a side of one veggie (choice out of 5) and Samuel opted for the Spaghetti Bolognese with peas on the side. He devoured all the pasta and most of the peas and the portion was substantial.

The four of us chose the lunch special which was also under 4 POUNDS!!!!!! TOTAL!!!! and included a full entree wand a side as well as a pudding (aka dessert).

Will and I devoured the STEAK & ALE Pies with fries in a yummy brown gravy, and this was the authentic homemade pie that tasted of ale and had yummy meat to boot. I was amazing at the GAMMON STEAK, a huge slice of ham served with fried egg atop and sides and then well all had HUGE desserts.

The RHUBARB CRUMBLE was divine, especially when coated with "custard," which basically amounts to about a full cup of thicker than usual creme angalise!!

OMIGOD!! We all adored the simple yet delicious food for the most unreal prices and praised the staff as we rolled out the door. We shall seek further Yorskire dining tomorrow night on our last night

in the north, before heading to the Cotswolds.

acclaim to AKBAR's The Grand in Leeds (UK)

On my second and final night in Leeds, I really wanted Indian food as it is always top notch here in the UK, and it was not hard to convince Will of the same, knowing that Samuel likes somosas, Our hotel and the guide books recommended AKBAR's THE GRAND at 16 Greek Street, just two blocks from the City Square where we dined the night before in the heart of the city, which is a vibrant up and coming area for al sorts of activity. It was, however, August bank holiday (e.g.. Labor Day), so many spots were closed.

Luckily, Akbar's was open and heaving. At 7pm it was almost full and the noise levels were high as we settled into high black leather chairs with the bit-too-dark lighting; although I did like the large votives hung on the central pillars. Samuel discovered "appleteaser," a fizzy apple juice and enjoyed a simple KEEMA SOMOSA if chicken onion and corn with no sauce.

The Papadam came with two superb chutneys: Tomato and Onion..I can't recall better. A HOUGHTON 2006 Western Australia Verdelho was bright and crisp and great with the spicy food.

The starters were MASALA FISH--a spiced and flash fried haddock (Sam loved the fish too)that was to die for and MURGH TIKKA a strongly spiced (ginger,garlic,coriander) chicken marinated in yoghurt then skewered and grilled to perfection. The cucumber and yoghurt raita was almost a necessity to cut the spice.

Our entrees were RISHAN LAL, a boneless lamb with onion, tomato and pepper with coriander which really needed the brown rice and was so filling and a miraculous MURGH TIKKA and KEEMA (not to be confused with the Murgh Tikka starter) which was a combination of large chicken chunk pot-roasted and mixed with minced lamb, ginger, garlic, herbs and spices. Even more filling than the lamb alone, this was a really novel and great dish. The NAAN we ordered was KULCHA with onion and cheese, but we marveled and the plain naan served at so many nearby tables on 3 foot tall metal hooks; our server insisted this was a tradition (at Akbars!!). We enjoyed a glass of HARDY's SHIRAZ and Sam requested the Strawberry Ice Cream--which they were out of...so we agreed to chocolate, and they brought this laden chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped cream which Samuel sneered at (oh, how happy we were as it would have sent him into a sugar frenzy), finally getting the scoop if chocolate, which tasted like it cam from a carton in the freezer way to long (with ice crumbles on it!).

A nice touch was a complimentary plate of fruit including superb slices of Casabah melon, or was it Persian?

We rolled home knowing we had to head north to Will's hometown the next day.

Leeds leads to good food at THE RESTAURANT Bar & Grille (Yorskshire, UK)

While Will & Samuel arrived in Leeds the day before me to visit Will's sister who lives here, I popped over the pond a day alter and managed to stay up for a superb dinner my first night in Britain at The RESTAURANT BAR & GRILLE smack in the center of the city at CITY SQUARE in the architecturally magnificent old Post Office (www.therestaurantbarandgrille.co.uk). We liked the large enclosed wine cellar that guided us in the door and our table overlooking the open kitchen, but it was the food that was the hit for all out family.

A bottle of LES CERISES Cotes due Rhone ROSE 2007 was crisp, dry and fruity after a warm (75degree) day here in Yorkshire and worked excellently with the ASIAN Starter PLATE made up of THAI PRAWN CAKES with FISH SAUCE to dip in that were superb, wonderful DUCK SPRING ROLLs which even Samuel loved, CHILLI (they use two "l's" here) SQUID which was a nice calamari-like battered squid, VIETNAMESE VEGETABLE & MINT SALAD that sported some hot chillis, TEMPURA KING PRAWNS which were gobbled up so fast, I never got one, but was told they were excellent and the unsatisfactory MALAYAN CHICKEN SKEWERS which were basically dry chicken skewers in a magnificent sauce of yogurt, cilantro and peanuts.

Sam was in heaven with his Artisan Handmade TORTELLINI filled with SLOW COOKED SCOTCH BEEF RAGU in Tomato Sauce---it was as good as it sounds....

We moved on to a second ROSE, CHATEAU MINTY Reserve Cotes de Provence 2007 (from near St. Tropez) made from Grenache, Tiburon & Cinsualt and full of fruit, yet bone dry.

The entrees were even better and included SPIT ROASTED GRESSINGHAM DUCK with ORANGE & SPICE, ROAST LAMB CUTLETS & Fondant Potatoes, Baby Carrots, Peas and Broad Beans(described by Will's sister as "bloody lovely"), and a Sunday Special (all of these were read to us and sounded SOOO tempting) of 28 day AGED ROAST SIRLOIN BEEF with YORKSHIRE PUDDING, Roast Potatoes, Spring Green Vegetables and Gravy which Will gobled up tout-de-suite. The sides were gorgeous JERSEY ROYAL POTATOES which were roasted, yet light and fluffy and served with just a pinch of sea (or kosher) salt and the excellent SPRING GREEN Veggies consisting of PETIT POIS, BROCCOLI, MANGE-TOUT (the British term for pea pods) and more were prepared with a light butter sauce to perfection.

My CALVES LIVER with DRIED CURED BACON, Mashed Potatoes and Onion Rings came in a super rich brown sauce and was sublime. Our server Sally deserves 3 stars and never missed a thing, including getting Will and me a glass of red wine each with our entree--he had the Cotes du Rhones Villages Coteaux Les Bocetinot 2004/2006 (how weird to combine two vintages from more than a year apart) and I went for the richer bigger RIOJA VEGA del RAYO Vendemmia Seleccionada 2005/2006.

We could not resist puddings (dessert here in the UK) and Samuel adored his trio of ice creams: Banana/Toffee, Chocolate and Raspberry Ripple while Will gobbled up the very rich STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING with Vanilla Ice Cream. If you have NEVER had Sticky Toffee Pudding, it alone is worth a trip across the pond! The cheese plate consisted of excellent local cheeses: Mrs. Kikhan's Creamy Lancashire, Golden Cross & Cachel Blue with Biscuits and Pear Chutney. I adored my GRATIN of SUMMER BERRIES-blue,rasp,black and straw-with Raspberry Sorbet served in a light Creme Anglaise--Sam kept stealing my raspberries each time I turned away!

We all left knowing that we WILL return to this place on our next trip here, and Will's sister Edna and her partner, Sue, agreed to return in the fall for their anniversary!

Pentagon City is Puttin' on the RITZ at FABULOUS FYVE

Our restaurant week stories continue with only rave after rave, and we have found a new intimate fave rave at FYVE located at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, VA. Chef Amy Brandwein opened here just months ago after a long stint under Roberto Donna and as Executive Chef at the late Galileo in DC (oh how we wish that were back!) and she is rockin' the RItz with modern new and exciting American-Mediterranean cuisine.

Indeed the small dining room is modernized Ritz at its best with lost of space, comfy big orange fabric chairs, orange and brown swirly carpet, modern orange art and lots of orchids. The woods are dark and each place has a leather placemat emblazoned with a flap (it looks live a leather clip) with FYVE on it. The crystal is Schott, the wine list decent, the menu varied and restaurant week here allows you to choose from any three items! Of course, we had more.

Our first wine choice was out, so our excellent server Jaime offered up a DOAMINE de la CHAPPELLE au LOUPS Saint-Veran 2002 which was superbly minerally and dry and loaded with apples (for the same price as the wine we wanted!). The GAZPACHO presentation gives you a good idea of what Chef Amy can do and make it fun, especially on a hot summer night. Sadly, the waiter (busboy) who delivered it just left it without a word and we were at a loss. Chef Amy arrived and saved us describing the dish as Tomato Gazpacho over BEET CAMPARI GRANITA (yum, yum, yum!). The slight sweetness of the beet with the bitter Campari and tomato was a brilliant foil and each mouthful was different depending on how you combined the elements.

The superb bread and lavosh comes with an impossible to resist Olive/Artichoke/Parmesan/Garlic Tapenade and we had to say no if we wanted to keep on eating when it came to more bread!

The GRILLED OCOTPUS is made of deliciously crispy tentacles and slices with YUKON GOLD POTATOES, Black Olives and Sun Dried CHERRY TOMATOES bursting with flavor, while the SEARED SCALLOPES are huge (almost two inches across) with BACON and a CARROT SAUCE.

Chef Amy has learned the art of pasta well from a master and serves up homemade PAPARDELLE in the simplest yet most buttery of HERB SAUCES that is simply divine.

We moved onto the KAIKEN MALBEC from Mendoza in Argentina which has a really sweet nose but is a wonderfully rich and smooth wine that goes well with just about everything. Will opted for the SWORDFISH with Grilled Sweet PEPPERS, Lemon and Olive in a very traditional Mediterranean feel but bursting with flavor.

My GRILLED LAMB CHOPS were perfect and served with ARTICHOKES and HONEY LAVENDER SAUCE. The seasoning was strong (but okay by me) with a light relish, but the honey sauce paired wonderfully in making the spice less intense.

Desserts were also a success with a MINI SOUFFLE DUO (Chocolate and Grand Marnier), but my LEMON MERINGUE TART with BLUEBERRY Thyme Compote easily winning the contest--although I could not possibly eat every bite...even though it was sublime.

After a glass of 1994 ROZES LBV Port we headed home from the elegant hotel knowing that it IS a place to return to for fun or intimate events alike.

DC COAST does it again with charisma

After a successful restaurant week in my book, I decided to return to DC COAST as I noticed that this week is WINE WEEK there. This means that there are eight wines by the bottle for $20.08 at lunch and $35.08 at dinner.

I settled in and ordered a yummy rich bottle of RIDGE "Three Valleys" ZINFANDEL 2006 from Sonoma that has a luscious blend of 80% zin, 10% Petit Sirah, 5% Grenache and 5% Carignane. A perfect wine alone or with most any food that is not too light or delicate.

My super bubbly and wonderful server Sarah came over to take my order and I already knew what I wanted as I had my mind set. She did bring a magnificent treat out that is not on the menu and the chef was experimenting with. Incidentally, the sous chef (I believe his name is Matt) just took over this week as Executive Chef until BRENDAN COX (of Circle Bistro) moves in as the new Exec in September! Anyway, Matt(?) handled the kitchen, the food and even my wonderful treat all with brilliance. It was a PAN SEARED DIVER SCALLOP and FOIE GRAS Sandwich. A piece of toasted BRIOCHE had twice thick slices of huge scallop disks on it with a small wedge of Foie Gras in between them (about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide) cooked to firmness and making this a
true "sandwich." A sauce on the side was a sublime TRUFFLE HONEYSUCKLE Honey served in a small pitcher with a wooden honey spoon to ladle over the sandwich. Need I say more?

At this point, as I was sitting upstairs on the mezzanine (it was my first time there), I started getting the giggles, thinking of how funny it would be to throw small pieces of bread out the cracks in the glass wall on the diners below. I didn't.

My appetizer was the huge portion of CAST IRON CROCK STEAMED BLUE HILL BAY MUSSELS in a rich and filling sauce of Sauvignon Blanc and Oven Cured Tomatoes. To top this off the dish comes with two 3-4 inch long miniature GRILLED CHEESE on BRIOCHE Sandwiches that taste amazing when dipped in the sauce. I was so full, I had to rest at least 30 minutes before my entree of CHINESE STYLE SMOKED LOBSTER with crunchy STRIFRY VEGETABLES and Crispy Fried Spinach. While waiting, I saw half of a CRAB TOWER go by--the diner had eaten the crabcake and left the softshell--I was MORTIFIED! My buttery and lightly spiced crustacean was a dream and will go down as one of the signature dishes of DC for a long time!

I was so full, I could not even think of dessert and packed off my little cookies to take home for Samuel (although I did eat the Blueberry Madeleine that was superb!).

Supeb SPEZIE rounds out Restaurant Week

While you can still grab one more night (tonight, Sunday) at restaurants that are open on Sundays, many DC dining spots have announced extensions of Restaurant Week specials, so check around and you may get a deal.

With Will and Samuel out of town for several days, I snuck off with "Uncle" Rick to SPEZIE last night (www.spezie.com) where Chef Cesare Lanfranconi (late of Tosca and Galileo) has now been ensconced for some time. He has madea most homey place for himself with not only the atmosphere, but the food itself as it is truly ITALIAN fine dining at its best.

As soon as we arrived it was great to see our old friend LUCIANO who worked for umpteen years at Galileo and really deserves an award for best waiter in DC (so I hereby award him the FIRST "Phyllis-teenY" Restaurant Award, perhaps I shall start my own awards competition and ceremony!). His smile and welcome would make ANYONE feel at home, and it is indeed like being served in his home when you are at Spezie. All of the menu was available for restaurant week and it was hard to decide. Rick went for the TROFIE di CASTAGNE al PESTO all Genovese which I thought tasted more like WHOLE WHEAT Pasta than Chestnut flour (and when Chef Cesare came out, we were informed I was correct as they had run out of the chestnut!). The basil pesto sauce was superb and this truly traditional dish had green beans, potato and aged pecorino in the style of Genoa.

My CARPACCIO d'AGNELLO in SALSA VERDE e Insalatina ai Capperi was just perfect as I really was not in the mood for a super heavy meal (having just been to a baby shower where the food was yummy!). The light lamb carpaccio had a superb sauce and was served with pickled onion and mache.

We enjoyed a wonderful, light, refreshing and just slightly sweet on the tip of the tongue BARBOURSVILLE ROSE 2006 from Virginia. I tend to associate Chef Cesare with Barboursville as he has cooked there regularly and we have had the pleasure of being there a couple of times when he was!

We moved on to a full bodied, smooth and yummy MONTEPILCIANO d'ABREZZO 2205 from CATALDI MADONNA that works with heavier fish and meat as well.

Rick opted for the tasty SALMONE SCOTTATO con ASPARIGI al PORSCIUTTO e CIPOLLOTTI al BALSAMICO. The asparagus were wrapped in huge slices of fresh prosciutto and the seared Salmon Fillet was served in a tasty sauce with Balsamic braised cipolline onions.

My PETTO d'ANATRA Arrosto con TORTINO di RISO e ASPARAGI, Salsa di CILIGIE e GRAPPA was another dream dish with a huge number of roasted duck breast slices served in a magnificent cherry and grappa sauce with each of the several accompanying cherries having been soaked in the grappa as well! It was accompanied by a light risotto and asparagus cake which was a perfect combo.

Desserts are always a treat as I remember the Tiramisu at Tosca always having been one of the best around. Rick went for the traditional and well made CREME BRULEE, while I opted for the CROSTATA alle FRAGOLINE di BOSCO con CREMA di RICOTTA e MANDROLE, Salsa alla Vaniglia which was a flaky pastry filled with strawberries, ricotta and almond with a creme Anglaise sauce.

Due Limoncelli, or two small glasses of that miracle after dinner drink sent us home very satisfied and completely happy with this year's choices for Restaurant Week!

DC COAST conquers and claims the crab contest/DC Zagat '09

Hi foodies,

Just wanted to let you know that the Washington/Baltimore Zagat 2009 Guide came out last week and there are some new/odd/interesting items to be observed:

Most popular DC spots in order: Citronelle/Zaytina/Jaleo/Kinkead's
Top Food ratings go to Makoto (I like this but don't see why its #1)/Inn at Little Washington (tie) then 2nd place tie for Komi/Cityzen/Marcel's and L'Auberge Provencale. Third place honors for Citronelle/Eve/Obelisk/L'Auberge Chez Francois/Ray's the Steaks/Prime Rib/Le Paradou/Palena and Kinkead's.

Top Decor & Service went to Inn at Little Washington (watch here for a review in mid-Sept!)

While I may not totally agree, the Zagat guide does tend to be a pretty good reference in general.

As always, Zagat gives high scores (as I do) to DC COAST (www.dccoast.com) that has become, along with Kinkead's, one of the fine seafood bastions of DC cuisine.

We popped into DC COAST with Samuel on the second night of Restaurant Week and things were running quite smoothly. Those of you in the biz know that Restaurant Week can be feared. Will always enlightens me with such anecdotes about clients asking if they can SPLIT the lunch at $20.08. This week he got a call from one woman worried that being seated downstairs, she might be left in the dark! Anyway, DC Coast seems to have the clientele and the superb staff in order, and there was not a single glitch all night. Their menu includes a choice of about 6 or 7 starters, any main course (surcharge only for lobster) and a choice of 3 or 4 desserts. The minor limitations on starters probably keeps it a bit easier to manage, and they are all of good quality and have a wide range. Will had the YELLOW HEIRLOOM TOMATO GAZPACHO with CRAB that was sublime and I had the WARM BALSAMIC SHRIMP on WILTED SPINACH, Roasted Peppers and Garlic Toast. The three large skewered shrimp were moist and full of flavor from the balsamic sauce and roasted peppers in it.

Samuel went right for the FISH & CHIPS which were, to quote him, the best he has ever had (well, at least until we get to Yorkshire next week!). The batter was nicely seasoned and the fish was excellent. I thought at first it must be halibut, but was told it was tilapia, which I ALWAYS find so dry. I am totally amazed how Chef Travis Timberlake managed to keep this fish so moist! The fries were yummy too, as we explained to Samuel how the French called them "frites," the Brits "chips" and we French fries.

We started with a totally wondrous minerally, steely and slightly creamy SANCERRE 2006 from Chateau de Sancerre in the Loire; this wine has everything going for it and is perfect with most seafood (think of that mineral acidity with the gazpacho and the balsamic!).

We wanted to try several things so two additional appetizers came (not on the restaurant week menu) that were both magnificent and new to DC Coast:
GRATIN of ARTICHOKE HEARTS with Spinach, JUMBO LUMP CRAB, BENTON BACON (from Alan Benton of Tenn.) & Ricotta Cheese, all superbly broiled to melted perfection. Another dream dish with the Sancerre!

Pan Seared TERES MAJOR STEAK is another new starter served with TRUFFLES, Mashed Potatoes and a STRAWBERRY BBQ Sauce. We were told by the ebullient maitre d'/sommelier Ryan that this was a rare shoulder cut from the cow next to the filet (each cow apparently yields only a couple of these steaks--wow you learn something every day!). Well, no matter, the meat was supreme and the sauce was to die for, a brilliant combination of fruit, truffle, some spice and meat that melted in our mouths.

I must also mention our server, pretty perfect Patrick, who was there at every second to handle whatever Sam or we requested and never flinched or bat an eye (again, all this with the inquiries and demands of restaurant week). Samuel made drawings for Patrick, Ryan and another server Rick (who is a well known local actor we know) and carefully spelled out each one's name on the back. It was adorable, and this time, he was truly a gem!

By this point, he was on his SORBET TRIO consisting of Coconut-Lime ( a bit too mealy for me, more akin to Indian Kulfi), Passion Fruit-Banana and the one that Sam gobbled up-PEAR GINGER!

We had moved on to a superb 2006 ROUSANNE from VERGET in the Vin de Pays de Vaucluse region. We knew before we came to DC Coast what entree we both wanted, and it was no surprise after the previous night's crabcake competition that we opted for the now famous TOWER of CRAB consisting of a huge JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE sitting atop a Tempura-style battered CRISPY SOFTSHELL CRAB and a plate of SWEET CORN SUCCOTASH, also laden with chunks of crab. The simplest of crabcakes with no filler and just some spices was indeed the best one we have had in a very long time (including all those the previous night). It was moist and did not need the corn sauce below, although that was an enhancement from time to time. The softshell was also superb and I can only hope to see some more of them on my plate in upcoming weeks before the season ends.

Desserts were the KEY LIME CHEESECAKE with Cinnamon Sugar Graham Cookie, which was really an ingenious Panna Cotta in Lime sauce with cookie on the side. Pastry Chef Lauren Whitledge does a great ALMOND CREME BRULEE which crunchy top and a FRESH BERRY COMPOTE and Brown Sugar Biscotti on the side for a dash of extra flavor.

We WERE stuffed and are glad we have a night off before our next restaurant week assignment tomorrow!

PS- the only complaint we all had was that the dining room was a bit chilly.

The CRABCAKE CONTEST or "I Love Crabcakes" presented by AIWF

Last night we attended the 3rd Annual "I LOVE CRABCAKES" Competition at Phillips Seafood in SW DC and it was a real treat of an evening presented by the local chapter of AIWF (American Institute for Food & Wine).

We had seven chefs from the metro area each making crabcakes and serving them along with nice wines and superb BLOODY MARYs made by the Phillips staff (their spicy version is a real zinger!). A small buffet of salad, fruit and soups also had some yummy fried chicken legs! But it was crabcakes that we came for and crabcakes that starred. All were pretty good, but some shone brighter than others:

RICK BECKEL of Hooked (Virginia) which seems to keep getting confused with Hook in Georgetown (I wonder why) had the simplest version with no filler and a simple remoulade. Incidentally, we hear they will open a second location in Shirlington soon!

NATE AUCHTER of Mitsitam Cafe at the National museum of the American Indian rightfully prepared his with a pressed corn mayo binder and served it over a sweet potato puree.

Perhaps the lumpiest (that's good) and best presentation (for me) of the CRAB itself came from JOHN PAYNE, Jr. of Stone's Throw at the Marriott Wardman Park simply because it was a huge lumpy all totally crab cake nicely broiled and then served with a dollop of red pepper puree with a bit of spice. I would have liked a bit more puree to dip and a bit more spice (jalapeno) for flavor.

A big winner for me was our dear friend JIM SWENSON of the National Press Club who created a BLUE CRABCAKE that was not "blue" crab, but crab made with Roquefort BLUE Cheese that had a nice flavor and was enhanced by a simple homemade lattice potato chip on the side.

A newcomer to DC is ROBERT GELMAN of McCormick & Schmick's at National Harbor (whose food we tasted at an event there in May). His New Orleans connections have his crabcake simply prepared with a dollop of jalapeno remoulade on top that had a slight zing and lots of flavor. He explained to us that some of the chefs were presenting the cakes differently to the judges and his came with a BLACKEYE PEA Salad and GINGER SLAW on the side that were both oh so tasty.

KEVIN MESIAH of Seafoodie out in Virginia (past Dulles?) was another favorite of mine as he took the crab, rolled it in a ball, dipped it in panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and flash fried the ball. What a SUPER appetizer for passing this would make at any party (and they deliver by fedex!).

The winner of both the public vote and the judges vote (a panel of 8 well known food experts/chefs/critics from our area) was CEDRIC MAUPILLIER of Central Michel Richard, and this was most likely for the least pure, but perhaps the most work-intensive and most "French" presentation as each cake sat on a bed of LEEK PUREE and a SCALLOP MOUSSE was used as a binder. YUM YUM.

Besides huge gallon jugs of TABASCO for the chefs and prizes, Chef Maupiller won a $3000 scholarship for a chef-intern at his restaurant (well, at least that is what I heard it to be).

We all had a great night, even though we missed the first night of DC's Restaurant Week, but tonight we will be taking Samuel for more seafood at DC COAST!

HAPPY RESTAURANT WEEK!

Santa Fe's LUMINARIA (previously Baleen) at the Inn at Loretto is luscious

My last night in Santa Fe was supposed to be at BALEEN at The Inn at Loretto, but just two weeks ago the Hotel was sold and they renamed the restaurant, LUMINARIA (www.luminariarestaurant.com), albeit with no change in chef and only some small decor and menu changes. Nevertheless, it was a rainy evening so outside dining, which is what Luminaria is famous for, was out of the question. The outdoor patio area overlooks the famous Loretto Chapel with fountains, candles and just a real warm local flavor. Indoors, are lots of adobe colors, woods, woven chairs, pillowed banquettes and again a posh, yet traditional Santa Fe feel. Candles are all over, even on the walls and after I sat down they lit the large fire in the corner (with the a/c on) only to have to open the door to let cooler air in; so much for efficient energy use.

A tasty amuse of three 1 inch squares of JICAMA came with three toppings: Guacamole, Pico de Gallo and Pineapple Salsa with dollops of aged balsamic..YUM YUM.

I really wanted the POMEGRANATE LEMONADE made from vodka, pomegranate juice, lemonade and limoncello, but knowing the opera was ahead, I settled for a glass of wine. With only about 6 white wines by the glass, my first two requests were out of stock; not a good omen. I settled on a WHITEHAVEN SAUVIGNON BLANC 206 from Marlborough in New Zealand that had a sweet-tartness to it with lots of citrus. It was perfect with the GRIDDLED CRAB CAKE and RED CHILE-LIME AIOLI that had a punch and was splendid. The crab came from Dungeness in Washington State as well as Alaska and got a B+/A- on the crab factor, but the cake and aioli get an A+ for flavor.

My entree was a spectacular IDAHO MOUNTAIN BROOK TROUT with SAGE BARLEY, FRESH PEAS (snap, English and tendrills) in a superb ALMOND BROWN BUTTER; one of the best pieces of trout I have ever had in an oh so simple splendid sauce.

I wanted to skip dessert, but settled for the MELON SORBET TRIO (watermelon,honeydew and cantaloupe) with Toasted Coconut and Candied Lime. Each two tablespoon size scoop was just right with the watermelon more like ices, and the honeydew being my favorite due to the sweetness. The coconut added sweetness to the watermelon and the lime was a nice touch.

I had to ask for my check three times and it was getting late. The hostess brought the check and comped the dessert, wine and coffee, which was most generous since I had a coupon for a free appetizer! I made the opera with about 12 minutes to spare, but loved my meal and know I will return to Luminaria when I am next back in Santa Fe, a city I love for food, opera and so much more.

Tesuque's (New Mexico) TERRA opens tomorrow at Rancho Encantado

I was invited today to visit Santa Fe's newest and most luxurious hotel Rancho Encantado, about 10 mins. North of the city nestled in the mountains with spectacular views.

The restaurant TERRA opens officially tomorrow and should be a huge success based on my excellent lunch. LOBSTER TORTILLA SOUP is served in a cool tall bowl with chunks of meat, lots of crunchy tortilla strips and a bisque-like soup that is creamy rich and superb.

The DUCK RUEBEN was a huge sandwich with large chunks of yummy duck, super juniper sauerkraut and homemade Russian dressing. There was a huge pile of fries, ketchup & Dijon mustard as well as fresh tomato slices and sauteed onions. It was the best Rueben I have ever had anywhere!!

Next question:can I eat dinner?

Santa Fe: FUEGO at LA POSADA passes with posh plates

I have stayed at La POSADA many times and dined at Fuego, their fine dining spot, many times, but it seems they have been plagued with a revolving door for chefs over the years. Only recently, Mary Nearn (whose stellar history can be read here) took over and revamped the menu, but the ambience and class of the spot still remain adjoining the grand old mansion of Santa Fe, the Staab House.

I chose FUEGO for my client dinner which turned out to be a tete-a-tete with the world's most famous countertenor due to cancellations and no shows, but we both had a superb time and enjoyed every morel and word. We joked with the two captains (to call them servers would be demeaning) about how they called us "sir," as if graduates of a military academy. Indeed, the service was perfect, save for one time I had to pour our red wine. There was the case of the busboys who sometimes serving us not being sure of what the dish was; I think it was more of a language barrier, which shocked me in a 4 diamond restaurant.

The lighting was also a bit too low and was raised upon request so we could enjoy and see the food even better, We looked at the menu and asked about the tasting menus that Fuego has been famous for, only to be told that Chef Nearn had done away with them for an all a la carte menu, but we could have a 7-course option if we liked and choose anything specific we liked from the menu. We did, and insisted only on the sweetbreads.

The restaurant seemed to have no more than three or four occupied tables, perhaps because it was a Sunday? I asked if Chef Nearn was in and they said yes, but we never did get the chance to meet her.

After cocktails, we ordered a bottle of DOMAINE SERENE CHARDONNAY "Clos du Soleil" 2002 from Oregon which, like northwestern chards, was very fruit forward and low on oak...superb taste and a great pairing with the dishes to come. The Amuse was SMOKED SALMON on Herb Blini with Mache and Chive Oil. It was nice, but did not really excite my palate for what was to come....

First was the WHITE & GREEN ASPARAGUS with ASPARAGUS Coulis, Carrot Puree, Fingerling POTATO CHIPS and Cypress Salt. A light dish for sure, but full of exciting flavors. We really got turned on by the Poached and Sauteed SWEETBREADS wrapped in ITALIAN HAM on MUSTARD GREENS with REDEYE GRAVY, which I learned is a southern treat based on a simple roux with coffee added. It was an ingenious combination of flavors and truly thrilled our palates.

Pan Seared DIVER SCALLOP with LEEK VELOUTE, BABY RADISH & Micro Greens was an exquisitely delicate dish that ended the first section of the meal, followed by a yummy MANGO SORBERT palate cleanser.

We switched to red wine with a LANG & REED CABERNET FRANC 2004 recommended by our captain and it was a real budget find at $40-something with lots of body and flavor with a slight tartness, bigger than the Virginia Cab Fracs we like and perfect with the meat course, but especially the cheese to follow.

DUCK BREAST with Confit of DUCK & PEACHES and Baby Fennel was our main entree and even though I am not a fennel fan, the mild baby fennel was a nice touch to the superb duck and peaches combination that really did fill us up.

We were given the choice of dessert or cheese and quickly chose the latter having seen the wonderful cheese trolley at the entrance. We did right...our captain came over and in a display of what I have never seen before, proffered a taste of each cheese to both of us with a complete explanation. It gave us the opportunity to try them all and then choose the four or five we liked best for our plates. It's a shame this is not done more often.

GRUYERE CRU from Virginia was more liked a reserve gouda with a bit of crunchiness (Samuel would have loved this). Cowgirl Creamery's RED HAWK was another treat OSAU IRTAY (sp?) was a Basque sheep. Two chevre cheeses followed and then there were two blues. TAYLOR STILTON was mild and crunchy and PERSEILLE de MALZUE was a molten Roquefort that had my guest in heavenly ecstasy, especially when combined with a fresh lavender honey.

The plates came with apples and bread (I skipped most of that) and two salts for flavoring the goat cheeses: Fleur de Sel from Brittany and ALEA, red sea salt.

Small postludes of mini-CHEESECAKES finished off the evening as we rolled out.

I must only say that if count everything including the amuse and sorbet (not the cheesecake) it does add up to 7 courses. Usually, I don't include the amuse (and sometimes not the sorbet) in the course count. We were full enough not to be upset, but I would have gladly had a smaller portion of the duck and an extra course, perhaps the quail & beets??

Oh well, there's always next time.

Santa Fe's 315 is a find in a city of varied cuisine

I've been coming to Santa Fe for over 25 years, and was thrilled to hear some raves about a new dining spot called 315. Upon arrival at 315 (located at 315 Old Santa Fe Trail - www.315santafe.com), my server advised me the adorable French-style bistro had been open for twelve years! Was I shocked!

315 is a small, slightly cramped indoor space of yellow and blue adobe walls, but cooler than the outside seating in the almost 90 degree heat. The walls have vases of dried flowers and small oils of the French countryside making for a nice ambience. The wine list is varied (it is actually called 315 Restaurant and Wine Bar, and I ordered a glass of SCHUG Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc and kept it to just the one glass as another long opera was in store for that evening.

The menu is also varied, but its the blackboard of specials that seems to draw everyone's attention. I immediately decided on the SQUASH BLOSSOM BEIGNETS over Goat Cheese Fondue and Tomato Coulis. There were six or so large blossoms, lightly battered and fried to perfection over a light cheese sauce and coulis that had just the right amount of flavor to enhance these treats. They were my first squash blossoms of the season and indeed, it's been a year since my last tasting of these rare delicacies.

My entree was LINE CAUGHT KING SALMON and SWEETBREAD NAPOLEON with SUCCOTASH, ZUCCHINI SOUFFLE and Local Farmer's Market Scallion Coulis. The northwestern salmon was perfect and the sweetbreads ideal, but I am not sure why it was called a Napoleon as it was simply the two on the plate with no real "layering" or such. The succotash sat bowl-like inside the small souffle, which was okay, but a bit dry; the scallion sauce sublime and solved any dryness in the small souffle.

I felt the simple standard desserts were not on the charts and enjoyed a superb cappuccino before heading to FIGARO.

Santa Fe: Cut the COWGIRL BBQ and Hawaiian musings at MAUKA

Yesterday's dining was a mixed bag all day with my return to the COWGIRL BBQ at 319 S. Guadalupe (www.cowgirlsantafe.com) where we had a super breakfast just a couple of years ago. I was in a GREEN CHILE BURGER mod and really wanted to go to my favorite burger place around (Bobcat Bite) but just didn't have the time to drive the 15-20 minutes each way, and could not justify the waste of gas. Sadly, Bobcat is only open Wednesday-Saturday and since I leave Tuesday, I know have missed that option! Cowgirl's GAME BURGER sounds great and looked even better on the plate. A combination of elk, buffalo and venison smothered with melted cheddar and a superb green chile sauce. Simple, yes, but I asked for it medium rare and it came pretty well done! I mentioned this to the server who shrugged. When the bill came, he had removed my lemonade and cut the cost of the burger by a buck or so, but it was so dry I felt cheated. The accompanying salad was nice!

Two years ago the NY Times gave KASASOBA raves, and I loved it too. It closed last year way too soon and has been replaced my MAUKA (www.maukarestaurant.com restaurant.com) where Joel Coleman is the chef/owner. "Mauka" is the Hawaiian term for mountainside, and Mr. Coleman's Hawaiian roots are clear on this menu. The space itself has not changed much with black wood booths and banquettes with not too comfy pillows on the seats remain, but the Japanese kitschy movie posters are gone and replaced with large mirrors on the plain walls and four "Audubon"-like prints of Hawaiian flora. Outside dining, as in so many places is an option as well.

The HAWAIIAN POKE SPRING ROLL was four huge slices of superbly raw Hawaiian ahi tuna wrapped and then flash fried for crunch and serve over a bed of Pineapple/Scallion/Thai Chili salad. The pieces were almost and inch and a half across and really a bit too large to eat in one bite, although I persevered..the guy across the room ended up dissecting each piece. The $15 appetizer was huge and tasty, so I asked the waiter for a good rest before my entree.

The Fish special was WALLOO (Hawaiian ESCOLAR) cooked over Market Veggies (zucchini/mild peppers/thin yellow was beans/greens/onion and a couple of cold potatoes) with a superb lightly creamy TRUFFLE PINEAPPLE REDUCTION. When I told the server about the potatoes, I got an "I'll tell the kitchen." When the bill came I was in shock at the $35 entree price (well, it was my fault as the menu read MP--or market price-- and I should have asked!) as the dish was good, but no revelation.

Things went back to quality with my dessert and I opted to make this a "three course pineapple tasting" with the BLACKBERRY CLAFOUTIS served with a large puddle of PINEAPPLE CARAMEL that was heavenly and three fresh blackberries nesting atop the sauce. The cake was simple and the dish was excellent..a shame the entree was not up to the same level overall.

As the opera was long, and my nap didn't ever work out, I refrained from alcohol (I was surprised that sake was NOT served by the glass) and had a yummy pot of tea.

Today--dinner at 315--which has been getting the raves as one of Santa Fe's newer spots.

supping in Santa Fe (NM) - at bat for AMAYA

I arrived here yesterday for one of my regular opera treks to one of my favorite places and started with AMAYA located in my hotel (The HOTEL SANTA FE at 1501 Paseo de la Peralta www.hotelsantafe.com) with two dear clients from Washington and we all had a most satisfactory meal.

The dining room might be a bit dark with heavy woods, carpets, large chairs and laden tables, so we opted to sit in the quiet outdoor courtyard where is was a dry 78 degrees and simply gorgeous. The service is friendly, attentive and while note a "super-starred" destination, is well worth the visit.

A bottle of light bodied CYCLES Gladiator Pinot Noir 2006 from California's Central Coast was simple, yet fine for us as we had a long opera coming. Similarly, I opted for the CITRUS SPINACH SALAD with Cherry Tomatoes and COTIJA Vinaigrette (I believe this is a mild local pepper). It was well prepared and dressed salad and of very good size. The CHILI ANCHO GLAZED semi-boneless QUAIL with Peach Infused Risotto got a rave as well.

It was a tough decision with so many great entree choices. The APPLE GINGER Sauteed ATLANTIC SALMON with Purple Potato Truffle Hash, Carrots, Edamame and Saffron White Wine Emulsion was nice, but I try to avoid Atlantic salmon when heading west as we have so much back home near the Atlantic. The LEMON THYME SEA BASS with Tomato Artichoke Couscous, Baby Spinach and Sweet Corn Reduction had a beautiful crunchy skin that I could have eaten piles of, and the dish was a perfect combination of ingredients with the firm fish.

I went for the ELK TENDERLOIN with COFFEE CITRUS Marinade, Grilled Blue Corn Polenta Cake, Native American Succotash all in a delicious Sun Dried BLUEBERRY PORT WINE SAUCE that was the perfect foil to two huge rare elk tenderloins that just melted in my mouth. I loved every part of this dish, but ate every
single bite!

For dessert we sampled the nice sorbets:Mixed Berry, Mango, Raspberry and the tasty PICURIS Sun-Dried APRICOT PIE with Cinnamon CREME ANGLAISE, a lighter (but still large) option that can easily be split.

When we mentioned that the double espressos seemed a bit small, a second round came out gratis...keeping us awake for the opera and finishing off a nice meal with friends.

fabulous food at FARRAH OLIVIA by Morou with bravura Broadway and Opera

Opera & Broadway are back in DC, well, Alexandria, VA at least and can be found the last Tuesday of each month (check with Karen at 703-778-2233 for exact schedule) at FARRAH OLIVIA by MOROU. The superb food is a four course meal for only $60.00 per person and has hours of Broadway and Opera music sung by soprano DIANE ABEL and tenor JOSEPH HAUGHTON with Darrell Partin at the keyboard. You enjoy super food with Rossini, Puccini, Donizetti and more interspersed with West Side Story, Gypsy and Les Miz! Don't MIZ it! We'll be back again.

Last night we ordered a bottle of Rose to start which was out of stock and settled for the CUVEE Marie Justine 2006 LOIRE VALLEY Rose of Cabernet France (Chinon) that was only $20 and nice and dry and great with the starters as there was spice and acidity. First comes the excellent bread and its four accompaniments: BOK CHOY PESTO, CINNAMON FENNEL BUTTER, HORSERADISH-COTTAGE CHEESE and TOMATO PESTO, the last of which wins my award for flavor, although they were all tasty and unique.

There was an amuse of BLACK BEAN FRITTER in a Tomato base SHRIMP SAUCE that was crisp and tasty and whetted our appetites for the fabulous array of food to follow.

Will opted for the lighter HEIRLOOM TOMATO "Caprese" made from slices of huge yellow and red tomatoes with WATERMELON cubes and AGED MOZZARELLA. I adored the PAINTED GAZPACHO, which will be a new summer favorite. This version is presented in the bowl as a yin-yang symbol of green (Cucumber) and red (Tomato) with two small cubes of CURRIED EGGPLANT for flavor and design. Gorgeous to look at, and even better to devour.

The second course was DIVER SCALLOP for Will which on the menu is listed with "BACON POWDER/MELON SEED MILK" which our educated server Jason explained each element of (he always did this when requested). The brown sauce was made from cream, half and half, roasted melon seed milk (which is akin to pumpkin seeds) and believe it or not peanut butter!! It was heavenly and the crushed white bacon powder and bacon crumbles adorned either side of the bowl.

My SHOCKED ESCOLAR was a dream sashimi dish with about 8 or more slices of the just barely seared fish served with SOY PEARLS (which has become a signature of Chef Morou) looking like caviar, PICKLED PEAR (think ginger on sushi platter) Slices and slash of strong Cream WASABI. I loved every bite.

We took Jason's suggestion on the red, which also was out of stock, and chose a LOLONIS 2005 "ORPHEUS" Petite Sirah from Heritage Vineyards in Redwood Valley, California that was heavenly. It had strong alcohol and lots of fruit, but was not overpowering at all. It was ideal with the LEMONGRASS CURED DUCK BREAST (which we both had). Another huge portion of a dozen or so slices served with GINGERED BRUSSEL SPROUTS and DATES and a RHUBARD-RASPBERRY Sauce that looked like ketchup, but was simply brilliant with the duck; each and every element and taste came through just as Chef Morou does this when he puts each and every ingredient in!

Surprise to us when we heard pastry Chef RITA GARRUBA (ex of Butterfield 9 and more) has come on board with some amazing desserts. We marveled at her COCONUT PANNA COTTA with Rum Pineapple, Cilantro Syrup and Tapioca Pearls and a small plate of yummy mignardises arrived as we settled our bill and went home full and oh so happy from the gorgeous music and glorious food!

Off to Santa Fe tomorrow for many more reports!

super soft shells and more at A LA LUCIA in Alexandria

Last night we took in a fabulous new musical (world premiere production of ROOMS at Metro Stage) in Alexandria and popped over to A LA LUCIA where we haven't been for some time (joined by our dear friends Mel & Juan).

As we looked at the menu, we all knew it was a seafood night (and the 9pm hour and heat made us feel this way as well) and ordered up a bottle of FALANGHINA 2007 from TERREDORA di PAOLO in Campania. All three wines were had were superb, crisp and tasty, but this was a memory for us all to our trip to Italy just a year before. The second white was a FALERNO del MASSIO 2005 from VILLA MATILDE from the same region, but our 3rd was a citrusy CHARDONNAY 2005 from I SISTRI in Tuscany that was perfect with the seafood.

Appetizers included a HUGE platter of tasty MUSSELS in SPICY WHITE SAUCE, LENTIL SOUP (which I prefer a bit thicker), GRILLED OCTOPUS with ARUGULA which came with grape tomatoes and two adorable whole baby octopi that again were tender and tasty and grilled to perfection.

POACHED ATRICHOKES were served with Capers, Black Olives and ANCHOVIES in a mild and savory White Wine Sauce making this a lighter, but most exciting dish.

Will and I could not resist the three perfect SOFT SHELL CRABS Sauteed with ALMONDS, WHITE WINE and served with Broccoli di Rabe. This dish reminded me of my first Soft Shell Crabs Amandine which my Mom always ordered at A La Fourchette in Manhattan back in the 60's and 70's (alas, now long closed!).

The WHOLE BAKED BRANZINO with Herbs, Lemon Butter Sauce and Fennel Salad was a revelation in tasty, fleshy, meaty fish preparation that melted in your mouth with each bite.

Desserts included CHOCOLATE CAKE, TIRAMISU, BERRIES with ZABAGLIONE and Sour Cherry and Grapefruit Campari (talk about sour combos) Sorbets that were actually a great combo! Nobody was upset with their choice and we all went home very full, very happy and very sad to leave!

MORTON's steaks for Samuel

In the heat of the summer, I sure am keeping you folks reading.

I would normally not post twice about the same meal, but this year we took Samuel along to MORTON's of Georgetown last night for their summer special. Each year, I get a couple of coupons in the mail for this deal which is a real steal at $99 per couple (excluding alcohol): That ubiquitous loaf of ONION BREAD which was nary as fresh as the one we had last year at the Connecticut Ave, NW location of Morton's. Choice of Salad (we went with CEASAR which is a superbly dressed salad, but the croutons are a bore)

The entree consisting of your choice of SURF along with TURF: We BOTH opted for the CRABCAKES which indeed were LUMPY and tasty and had oh so little filler, served with a slightly tangy lemony sauce that I loved instead of the traditionally awful tartare sauce! The TURF was a good size FILET MIGNON perfectly cooked and easily big enough to give a chunk of to Samuel without cutting myself short.

Samuel loves most meats and fish (not shellfish at all!) and it took a lot of coaxing to get the first bite of steak into his mouth. Once it was in, he said "yummy" several times.

The TWO sides of GRILLED JUMBO ASPARAGUS with Balsamic Glaze (which Samuel chose and enjoyed very much) and the FRENCH FRIES...which we knew we would ALL love--and they were excellent.

The BEARNAISE Sauce for the filets was nice.

I started with a fun THYME LEMON DROP, a yummy concoction of Absolut Citron, Limoncello, Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice and Thyme which was quite tasty and quite large in a big martini glass. Will had a glass of bone dry tart ALBARINO from Martin Codex 2006 (Rias Baixas, Spain).

Our bottle of wine was an excellent recommendation by the manager of "THE ZIN" 2005 from COSENTINO in Lodi, California which had a caramelly essence (very similar to the Tofanelli Vineyard zins) and lots of body and was brilliant with the filets.

The $99 deal also comes with a choice of dessert, we both had the huge piece of pretty good KEY LIME PIE (way overloaded with whipped cream, which I just pushed off to the side!).

Samuel had a scoop of Raspberry Sorbet and we all had a great deal!

luscious LIMA makes for a savory summer stop

It's rare we go out on Saturday, and even rarer we take Samuel, but we have never been to LIMA (www.limarestaurant.com) downtown and figured that this "in" Latin spot would not be too crowded if we went early. We were spot on, and since LIMA is a big nightclub scene, it really had just started to fill up as we left around 8pm. How perfect was that timing?

At the door we were surprised to see our opera and zarzuela singer friend PABLO who I had forgotten works there. He is such a sweet guy that he brought a superb BLACKBERRY and STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE upstairs for Samuel several minutes after we sat down.

The upstairs dining room (street level is the bar and kitchen, downstairs is the disco) is chic and trendy with lots of glass (modern oil lamps at each table instead of candles), gray and steel. The banquettes are more comfortable than the hardish leathery wooden chairs. Modern-style Schott crystal stemware adds to the sleekness. Indeed, if I have to say ONE bad thing about Lima, it's that the sleek stainless steel men's restroom is lacking a toilet seat which was broken! Other than that, it was a treat of an experience from the excellent food to the brilliant service proffered by our waiter Fausto. He explained that "lima" refers to "lime" in many Spanish dialects, so virtually every dish seems to touch on this at some level. Even the yummy butter has hints of lime and salt! Samuel gobbled up the small warm rolls and we all wanted more, just for the lime butter!

He enjoyed the SALTED COD FRITTERS with their tasty and not too spicy TOMATO SAUCE (even though its called "spicy tomato sauce," but he passed on the superb huge BEEF EMPANADAS saying they were too spicy (they weren't!). Made with raisins and olives the meat was tasty and moist and the pastry perfect with an indeed spicy CHIMICHURRI dip. Our first two requests for wine were sold out, so we settled for a BLACK CHOOK VMR (Viognier,Marsanne,Rousanne blend) from South Australia that was big enough to fight the lime and spice in some of the dishes.

Choosing the ceviches (available as ceviche or as tiradito(no lime--aka sashimi) was very hard, but Fausto suggested the superb TUNA GINGER which was made with green onion, white soy, lemon, sesame seed and tobico (I guess this is the Spanish spelling for "tobiko"). Will wanted to try the WHITE CEVICHE (incidentally they can be ordered as all fish or fish with shellfish--scallop and shrimp) so we went for this pretty dish with COCONUT, Pineapple, Lime, Habaneros and Cilantro. It sounded better than it tasted simply because it was too laden with raw white onions and needed a bit more oomph or flavor
leaning towards the savory and away from the coconut. I look forward to going back again and trying the many other options.

We chose a number of HOT SMALL DISHES which are quite large appetizer portions (like the empanadas and cod) and were thrilled with the soft moist tasty TAMALES with Chicken, Watercress and two dipping sauces of PICO de GALLO and CREME FRAICHE. Indeed, these might just be the best tamales I have ever had, as I so often find them to be a boring option.

The GRILLED BABY OCTOPUS was tender and tasty and came with Grape Tomatoes, Garlic Olives and Cilantro.

We wanted to split one entree and could not decide, so Fausto steered us to the CUBAN CHICKEN saying that Chef Raynold Mendizabal indeed hails from Cuba. This superb moist traditional dish was a 1/2 chicken roasted and served with yummy LIME BRAISED RED ONIONS, Steamed aged Basmati Rice and Chimichurri Sauce (lighter and less spicier here) with the Black Beans on the side, which we promptly poured over the rice for a brilliant mixture.

Samuel was not too full for dessert so he got a huge platter of three homemade sorbets: LIME which was excellent and MANGO & RASPBERRY which were creamier and smooth and also superb. When I asked him which was best, he hinted at the lime, but proceeded to say "all three."

We were too full for dessert, but Chef Raynold had come over to say hello and invited us to the kitchen for a short tour. Samuel seemed enthralled and we tasted some superb BLUE SPANISH CHEESE (next time we must have the cheeses and the charcuterie as well!) with some figs. Chef offered a chocolate covered fig to Samuel, and we gave in as he licked the chocolate off the tasty fruit and passed the rest to me; and we thought our son loved almost ALL fruit!

On the way out we bumped into the dining room manager Ciroc, who had been a fixture at Galileo for dozens of years, and it was nice to see he has found a new home, one that we shall surely return to again very soon.

Superb SPICED PEAR at the classy CHANLER in Newport, RI

On Saturday afternoon while in Newport, I visited the The CHANLER at Cliff Walk to check out this mansion turned hotel and it's a gorgeous gem. I was first impressed by the CNN & ESPN running screens above the urinals in the men's room, which was great since we don't get much news on the ship!

I then relaxed indoors at THE SPICED PEAR, the Chanler's elegant, yet casual dining spot, as it was 90degrees outside and I needed the cool air after my 40 minute walk across town.

I was impressed that the wine list for a hotel offers (although small) 2 ounce pours as well as 5 ounce pours on all glasses, including a Krug Champagne (5 ounce only) for $60.

As I sat there overlooking Easton's beach and the hundreds of bathers below, I was happy to cool off with a taste of PARES BALTA "Ros de Pacs" Organic Rose from Penedes (Spain) at $5.00 (perhaps a bit pricey) which cooled me off fast. With this came BLUE POINT CONNECTICUT local OYSTERS with a Fresh Horseradish Kettel One Vodka Cocktail Sauce that was to die for. I am not a big fan of sauces on raw oysters, so I ate them with just a tad of lemon and then spooned the yummy tangy cocktail sauce into my mouth between bits of the tasty mollusks.

For my entree I chose the MAINE WHOLE LOBSTER ROLL which is exactly that: a round bun (hamburger style) each half containing a half tail and whole claw!! with Applewood Smoked Bacon (crisp and thick), tomato, Bibb lettuce and a Citrus Creme Fraiche. The roll had a layer of light mustard sauce at the bottom under the tomato which added a bit of tang, but was not mentioned in the menu?? This came with a nice small leaf lettuce salad (but I had a choice of that, chips or fries). A glass of THEVENET St. Veran 2006 "Clos de l'Ermitage" Vieilles Vignes was a perfect wine for the lobster, even at $16 a glass (5 ounce).

I skipped desert and hurried to meet Will to visit more mansions in Newport, but sadly not to dine in them!

Provincetown, Mass's The LOBSTER POT has alas turned a bit lousy

While in port yesterday we lunched at the LOBSTER POT (www.ptownlobsterpot.com) right at Harborside on Commercial Street. It's always been a popular spot, but alas, I haven't been there to eat in almost 20 years!

One of their specialties has always been the BAKED STUFFED LOBSTER which is stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, scallop, crab, Ritz crackers, celery and sauteed onion and served with a sad tiny baked red potato and a delicious small salad which has a superb choice of dressings. Upon the suggestion of my co-worker and friend, Bob G., who was vacationing in town and joined us for lunch, I mixed the CREAMY GARLIC with the SESAME to make a super and not too rich combo! He is right, they should bottle it! Sadly the stuffing in the lobster was bland and the meat itself was fine, but nothing to compare with the day before in Maine.

The New England Clam Chowder was a bit too gummy for me and seemed to have only two or three small bits of clam; again, not a touch to the West Street Cafe in Bar Harbor.

Three of the guys went for the LOBSTER ROLLS which were huge and much bigger than we had in Canada, but NOWHERE near as tasty and a bit too heavy on the mayo.

The 1/2 litre of Casa Garcia VINHO VERDE from Portugal at $15 was a great deal (and the 5 of us polished off three 1/2 litres) and a treat in the 90 degree heat.

I think Bob's choice of the SEAFOOD COBB SALAD was really the best choice at the table, although the boys liked their Grilled Cheese and Hot Dog!

I'd search elsewhere in Provincetown for better lobsters and finer food and leave the Lobster Pot for the salads!

lusciuos lobsters at the wondrous WEST STREET CAFE in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine

Our day in Bar Harbor, Maine started off pretty horribly with disaster after disaster in our travel plans, but after a wonderful 3 hour tour of Acadia National Park we were back in town and opted to lunch at the West Street Cafe (76 West Street - www.weststreetcafe.com) and were thrilled with our choice as the lobsters were huge, superb, juicy and fun; some of the best ever.

Two of us chose the DOWNEASTER Special for $25 which included a 1-1/2+ pound lobster, New England Clam Chowder, Fries, Slaw and BLUBERRY PIE to die for with Vanilla Ice Cream. This was a great, no, AMAZING DEAL. One of us chose the Special for $31 which brought the HUGE LOBSTER on a bed of MUSSELS instead of the bowl of chowder. The ultimate decadence was the TWIN TAILS option for $39 which included two full tails along with their four claws and knuckles...plus sides.

We all marveled at the superb quality of the lobster and wished it was this good back home, not to mention this fresh.

The boys split a pizza and were in heaven as we rolled out after also finishing a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Chardonnay from Washington that worked perfectly with lobster, lobster, lobster and lobster.

Lunching in the Canadian Maritimes (St John, NB and Halifax, NS)

I know you are all itching to hear about the varied cuisine of the Canadian Maritime Provinces, which actually can be quite good. Sadly, on this cruise we are now on, we only have the opportunity for two lunches on land in Canada.

Yesterday, we chose TACO PICA (96 Germain St) in St. John, New Brunswick, an unassuming simple Guatemalan-Mexican place which our friend Lee was dying to eat at with our Guatemalan boys, calling it the northnmost Guatemalan restaurant on earth (probably).

The boys did fine sharing a CHICKEN QUESADILLA sans salsa as we started on an appetizer of GUACAMOLE NACHOS which were very good chips with awful melted cheese on them, a superb spicy salsa on the side and a bowl of yummy guac.

The drinks were large, refreshing and way too full of ice, but nice (Sangria & Mojitos).

The entrees were all quite large and tasty ranging from TACO AL PASTOR- pork, onion, coriander, lettuce and that hot salsa again which Will traded for the milder style.

BEEF PEPIAN was more "Guatemalan" in that it was a traditional stew of shredded beef with rice and tortilla.

I hit the jackpot with the tastiest and HOTTEST dish of all SHELLFISH in GREEN SAUCE which was a very spicy tomatillo base sauce over rice, tortilla and superb local scallops, fleshy fish, small shrimp and sadly a 1/2 dozen plus way-overcooked mussels that seemed to be empty (so much for being near Prince Edward Island and its famous mussels). We skipped dessert in favor of the local ice cream later in the day which was delish and headed out to sea.

Today we hit the jackpot with local seafood here in Halifax, Nova Scotia at SALTY's (www.saltys.ca) downtown on the waterfront. A super-friendly spot (as so much of Canada tends to be) we sat right on the water and ordered up a bottle of GRAND PRE (Nova Scotia) Vineyards 2007 L'ACADIE BLANC. We did not know the grapes, but it sure was a tasty Sauvignon Blanc-like makeup; bright, crisp, acidic and citrusy. The Alex Keith's Light Ales also got high marks, made locally right here in Halifax at a beautiful old brewery.

The kids ate Grilled Cheese and Chicken Fingers accompanied by some of the tastiest fries ever with a kid's dish. The four adults wolfed down the most superb LOBSTER ROLLS with lemon mayo and salads with Raspberry Vinaigrette. Excellent lobster, juicy and meaty right from the ocean nearby was a real treat.

After lunch we headed to COW's next door which has just been rated one of the top ten ice cream spots in THE WORLD! Rich, creamy ice cream in waffle cones just baked on the spot were great with flavors of COFFEE TOFFEE CRUNCH, MOO CRUNCH, WOWIE COWIE and one we chose to skip, MOO YORK CHEESECAKE :-)

Tomorrow, LOBSTERS in Bar Harbor, Maine!

another take on LA TASCA and miss Matchbox

Yesterday before the theater, we headed over to the Penn Quarter here in DC to meet up with some friends for dinner. A huge accident on Key Bridge blocked everything around for miles, so we called them up to say we were running about 20 mins late.

We were supposed to meet at Matchbox which has recently doubled in size and takes no reservations. Our friends said the table wait was over 20 minutes and they would not even take the party's name until we were all there. While I understand this procedure, it sure can dampen one's planes to make the performance!

We were supposed to meet at Matchbox at 615pm, and we were four blocks away at about 635pm and when we called them up again, the wait was way over 20 minutes, so we all met at LA TASCA (www.lastascausa.com) which was full (as almost everything in the neighborhood was), but had no wait at all.

It was half price Sangria pitcher night (they run some kind of special each night) so we ordered up pitcher number one of the sparkly CAVA SANGRIA made with Cava, grape juice and blueberries (on top of the traditional ingredients).

Our tapas were the CALAMARES ANDALUZA which were okay with a standard garlic mayo, LANGOSTINOS a la PLANCHA which were medium size head-on shrimp (hardly the jumbo described on the menu for over $11 for four!)which were also just okay. We fared much better with the SALMON a la PLANCHA sobre PISTO MANCHEGO which was a nice large piece of salmon in a tasty tomato-vegetable ragout and the ATUN a la PLANCHA con PIQUILLOS y SALSA VERDE, a similar preparation for tuna with sweet peppers and garlic, which was just a bit overcooked for my palate.

BROCHETA de POLLO couldn't be simpler with chicken, red peppers and spices cooked to a juicy perfection. The always yummy ESPINACAS SALTEADAS is sauteed spinach with garlic, pine nuts and raisins seemed to have less garlic than usual, but was still my fave. The big surprise hit was the BERENJENAS GRATINADAS, fresh eggplant baked with cheese, tomato and herbs...a superb concoction with firm tasty eggplant and no sloppy slime that I often associate with this veggie.

Our second pitcher of the SANGRIA BLANCO (white wine with peaches) disappeared and we tried the third, a CADILLAC RED SANGRIA (they use Cadillac to indicate premium level of wine) made with Sangre di Toro Red Wine which was my least favorite of the three, but still refreshing.

We ordered the PAELLA de CARNE made with moist chicken, tasty sausage, asparagus, peas, green beans and superbly moist orange-tinged rice from the tomato stock. This is one of La Tasca's fortes and totally over-filled us all as we rolled down the street to the theater!

Arlington's VAPIANO has varied results

Last weekend we headed over to Arlington with Samuel's friend, Joshua and his two daddies after we saw the wonderful production of the LION KING at the Kennedy Center. We were all hyped up for BIG BUN's highly rated burgers only to find them closed for the entire holiday weekend! So we looked around the neighborhood and spotted VAPIANO ( 4401 Wilson Blvd, opposite Ballston Commons) and decided to give it a try.

Upon entering the manager asked if we knew the "routine" which he quickly explained as he handed each adult a "credit card" valued up to $100 to purchase our food with. He explained that we pay upon departure and present the card for each purchase. There are no waiters or servers and you can sit a regular tables, high tables or in the lounge area near the front bar. The place is pretty and simple enough, but it is a bit confusing and daunting at first.

I would never recommend this type of dining if you want SERVICE or if you have children with no patience. We stuck the kids with one parent at the table to play while we attempted to navigate the lines marked PIZZA/PASTA/ANTIPASTO, etc. This is the first problem in that you must get each item in a different line and if the lines are long food can get cold and those waiting at the table (little tots especially) can get impatient.

I headed right for the antipasto counter and asked for the VITELLO TONNATO since there was no line there at all. I was handed a bleeper/ buzzer thingie (like the kind you get waiting for a table at the Outback Steakhouse) and proceeded to the bar to get four glasses and a bottle of CUSUMANO NERO d'AVOLA, a medium to full bodied red which was a bargain at $25. When I got back to the table and poured the others were beginning to return with a salad or whatever here. The pasta line was still quite long as the others waited there.

My buzzer buzzed and I retreived a large platter of sliced cold veal that was quite dry, but nicely sauced with the tuna cream sauce, capers and arugula. The overall whole was pretty good, and only for $9.00.

The kids started devouring their pasta BOLOGNESE which came after about 15 minutes in line for the daddies. This can be ordered in the reasonable size for kids at $4.45 or the regular adult $8.95, but this is NOT advertised!

You also can choose which TYPE of pasta you like from a photo chart displaying about 8 regular and 2 whole wheat styles.

I ordered a PAPPARDELLE with SALSICCIA CALABRESE which amounted to thinner and shoter than normal pappardelle (I think it's really a different type of pasta) with sliced salami-like sausage piled over WHITE BEANS and SUN DRIED TOMATOES with a superb sauce in a monster bowl all for $10.95. The chef at the counter asked if I liked extra garlic or chilies while preparing, so you can actually have input while you stand there which is very nice.

The pizza was decent, but gets no raves from me and the salads are tasty and huge.

A second bottle of ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS MALBEC from Argentina was an even bigger wine and went even better with my garlic-laden and chili infused pasta.

The menu has 5 simple pasta preparations called "Traditional," 4 "classic" and 11 "premium" all priced between $8-11.

We skipped desserts and headed home quite full and reasonably happy, but felt it's not a great place if the lines are long and one has hungry kids.

AGRARIA is amazing and needs attention

Several months ago I joined an internet group called the TASTINGS JOURNAL, which I can not rave enough about. Their website is www.TastingsJournal.com and feel free to check it out.

Every several weeks they send a set men out available at a specific restaurant for a limited time. Often, we don't have the time at the last minute to try these wonderful "tasting" options, but this week we MADE time and took Samuel along with us to AGRARIA on the riverfront in Georgetown. It was fun to take Samuel down the staircase at Washington Harbour with its huge sprouting fountains on Tuesday evening last, as it got him excited about eating out again. We decided (after the buggy incident several weeks ago) to sit inside but next to the floor to ceiling windows facing the multiple fountains and the river with its bustling boats beyond. At 6pm, it was bustling inside and out, with many folks hitting the various post-work bars in the complex for happy hour or dinner. Inside, Agragria (www.agrariarestaurant.com) has muted colors with lots of woods, cool lighting and slate accents (which even goes into the restrooms which are quite nice). The menu is based on sustainable agriculture and it shows, much care and thought has gone into the ingredients and the dishes, and I am thrilled we finally made it here to enjoy the wonderful cuisine.

We got Samuel started off with an entree (partial size portion was delivered upon request; there is no children's menu here) of GRILLED CHICKEN in lemon thyme marinade with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus. At first, all he wanted was the standard "kid's dish" but we explained that if he wanted to eat out with us, there would not always be fish sticks or pasta. He was given a choice of several items and reluctantly agreed to the chicken. Once it came, he was ecstatic, as we were. We all tasted the juicy lemony meat which made me want to go home and cook lemon chicken the next night (I didn't). Even though the potatoes were roasted and not french fries, he adored them as well as the slim grilled asparagus. He ate most of the plate and finished it off (or did we) the next night at home!

Oh, yes, the reason we came was for the Tastings Journal Menu which is a STEAL at $45.00 and includes FOUR COURSES plus a glass of wine with the entree!! These are four standard size portions of two appetizers, an entree and a dessert. Needless to say, since everything was simply perfect, we went home quite full. The only thing worth skipping at Agraria is the dry bread (don't be teased because it comes warm), although Samuel seemed to like it.

The options for the entire menu and our choices follow (incidentally, if you join Tastings Journal right now, this menu is still available through tomorrow):
FIRST COURSE:
House Salad-Mesculun Greens with Roasted Red Peppers, Pickled Red Onions, Cucumbers, Nicoise Olives & Marinated Feta Cheese

I had the MELON SALD of CANTALOUPE & HONEYDEW (both perfectly ripe) with Arugula, Spiced Hazelnuts, House Cured Duck Prosciutto and Lavender Vanilla Vinaigrette. The light drizzle of dressing was sublime, but I did have to ask our most considerate and attentive server, Dorlyn, where the prosciutto was; it came almost instantly on a separate plate.

Will chose the TOMATO MOZARELLA SALAD with Peeled GRAPE TOMATOES and CILIEGINE Mozzarella tossed with EVOO garnished with mint and crispy porsicutto, a delish and light starter but there was more to come.

The SECOND course options included:
WILD MAINE MUSSELS in White Wine Lemon House Made Broth
SUMMER VEGETABLE BRUSCHETTA of hand pulled artichoke hearts, asparagus, sugar snap peas warmed with EVOO and served on grilled sourdough bread compress

We both could not resist the PAN SEARED CRAB CAKE served atop LEMON PUREE and topped with an amazing TOMATO JAM & Mache Salad. This brilliant and novel approach to our city's age old dish might just make it one of the top winners in a new crabcake competition in DC! Creamy, yet not made with filler, the tomato and lemon on either side contrast and also blend to make a real treat.

The menu entrees included the chicken, but on ROTISSERIE rather than grilled, a VEGETARIAN POLENTA and the two dishes we choose:
Will went with the HAMACHI - Grilled young YELLOWTAIL served atop Wilted BABY BOK CHOY, EDAMAME, thin sliced daikon radish, julienne carrots in a ginger miso broth. It was Asian all the way, and a great summer lighter dish for those not interested in meat. With it Will received a glass of SHOO FLY WHITE BLEND (Dorlyn said it was Pinot Gris & Chardonnay).

I went literally for the whole hog: HERITAGE PORK brined center-cut loin, grilled and served "low-country" style with Red Beans & Rice, Tasso Ham and CRAWFISH GUMBO SAUCE. It was as lightly spicy, tasty, moist dish that would have filled two mouths. I received a glass of LADYBUG Red Cuvee VII Old Vines from Redwood Valley that was a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, and Carmeniere that was just right with the pork dish, although anything bigger would have been fine as well.

We both enjoyed a bottle of 2006 MOON MOUNTAIN SAUVIGNON BLANC from Sonoma with our first courses that is a perfect wine on a hot summer night and goes with so many dishes as well. It's a good buy at under $40 when so many wines have an awful markup these days (I'm sure this is still over 100%!).

Desserts are as impressive as everything else at AGRARIA as Samuel gobbled up three scoops of housemade sorbet: Blackberry, Mango & White Peach. He enjoyed making it into rainbow swirl in the dish as Will gobbled up the KEY LIME PIE with Graham Crust and Brown Sugar Meringue. My MIXED BERRY CHEESECAKE was another revelation. Not desne, too rich or heavy, it had a slight fluff to it, but still lots of flavor and was surrounded by berries with a luxurious bath of black, red and blue berry sauce that we all adored (especially Sam). Think of fluffy cheesecake sitting in a berry soup and you have this excellent dessert that I could eat regularly, if my cholesterol were not so high!

AGRARIA is worth keeping in your sights and on your table!

and the winner is...TOWN HALL is tops for neighborhood noshing

As you all know each year now ever since I started this Phyllis-teen roup I have graciously announced the winners of the RAMMY's (Washington DC Restaurant Awards) before anyone else has ever done so on the internet. And while our namesake Phyllis Richman won the Duke Ziebert Award this year, I haven't a clue who the rest of the winners are because I never got an invitation to the RAMMY's event this year!

I am so sorry to not be able to report this important information to you, but c'est la vie.

Instead, last night we returned to TOWN HALL in Upper Georgetown (www.townhalldc.com) which has proven to be the winner of our award for best neighborhood spot. The ambiance is great as we reported earlier this year, the service friendly and the food portions are huge and quality-driven. Watch out for the crisp pita chips that come with an OLIVE/ARTICHOKE/PESTO Tapenade when you sit down. Fill up on these and you'll be full by the time your entree comes!

Samuel joined us last night and gobbled up his Frenhc Fries that came with the tasty Hamburger. These burgers are ont he menu for about $10 for adults and are 8 ounce HEREFORD BEEF Pattys on a poppy seed kaiser roll and come with a wide variety of toppings at NO EXTRA CHARGE (how nice not be to nickel and dimed for cheese or mushrooms!).

We all started with a bottle of VINA SALAMANCA 2005 Viura/Verdejo from Castilla y Leon. I have always enjoyed the crispness of Verdejo in the summertime, but don't recall ever drinking Viura before; it was a nice blend resulting in a crisp instense lemon flavor. My PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND MUSSELS in RED CURRY with Coconut Broth and Ciabbata Crostini was a mussel dish dream come true. The wine was crisp and lemony enought to fight the spice and it was (as I mentioned before) a large portion with three huge crostini soaking their tips in the broth. I could not resist dunking the crunchy pieces in the yummy sauce. CREAM of POTATO SOUP was another filling hit at the table and the ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE & MANCHEGO CHEESE QUESADILLA with Roasted Peppers and Tomato. I dont' recall how many HUGE triangles of quesadilla there were, but we all tasted and there were still several to take home after Will age several himself! This is an entree portion size and a tasty one at that!

We moved on to a LIBERTY SCHOOL Chardonnay 2006 from California's Central Coast which was tasty, but nothing to rave about with our entrees, which seemed to grown in size as we devoured them! The burgers come with a choice of sides and if you aren't into fries or veggies or a salad, you must try the GOAT MAC & CHEESE, it's divine. My SEA SCALLOPS with Virginia HAM, ASPARAGUS, TOMATO and ORZO in PINOT GRIGIO CREAM Sauce is almost risotto-like in texture, but made from orzo. A creamy rich dish loaded with tasty scallops is a good option if you are not in a burger, steak or pork mood. The menu is quite large, though, and offers up many options, so we will have to return again soon as we were way too full to even think of dessert.

We may have missed the RAMMY's, but we all found a winner in TOWN HALL!

a lovely luncheon at KINKEAD's back in DC

Yesterday I was treated to lunch by two business friends visiting from Austria. I suggested Kinkead's as one always gets great seafood and since Austria is landlocked, American cuisine, let alone in the seafood style, is something one doesn't find there. We oredered a bottle of crisp refreshing and flavorful 2006 WHITEHALL LANE SAUVIGNON BLANC from Napa which was a great relief in the 90+ degree heat.

I could not resist ordering the appetizer of CRISP CORNMEAL SOFT SHELL CRABS with Housemade PANCETTA, SUNDREID TOMATOES and Lemon Basil Sauce as an entree. After my crabby experience with the soft shell in San Francisco, this was a revelation, with two crispy, if small, crabs perfectly battered and fried and full of flavor. The pancetta added a bite and the sauce was sublime. A pile of crispy fine onion rings were just perfect!

The ladies both went for the signature LOBSTER ROLL which is always a pleaser!

For dessert, I tried a selection of three cheeses which came beautifully arranged with apricot, apple and strawberry as well as berry marmalade that we never did get the specifics on! The cheeses were varied and superb: QUICKE's CHEDDAR from the UK was a tasty piquant cheddar that was very firm, JASPER HILL CONSTANT BLISS from Vermont was a soft cheese with a bit of earthiness and the ALNGRES from France was oozing flavor and taste.

The ladies split the signature (it was a day for signatures) TARTE TATIN with Ice Cream that one can never go wrong with!

It was a wonderful meal and such an improvement since my last lunch in San Francisco on Monday!

San Francisco's SCALA Bistro gets no bravos

On my last day in San Francisco I decided to have a big lunch at SCALA's BISTRO (www.scalasbistro.com), a spot of much renown in the famous Sit Francis Drake Hotel just off Union Square. It was a big disappointment in almost every bite.

I did enjoy my two glasses of wine. First a CLINE ROSE MOURVERDRE and then a Feudi di San Grigori FALANGHINA from Sannio, and while they went well with my two courses, the food itself needed much work. As soon as my server said the special panini of the day was SOFT SHELL CRAB, I jumped. The two large triangles of bread each hald a 1/2 crab and were laden with tomato, marinated red pepper, watercress and aioli, making the crab virtually undetectable; and when it was tasted, it was mushy. This came with a huge pile of their superb FRENCH FRIES, but as soon as I saw the plate I asked my server why she did not mention this as I had ordered the appetizer of MOULES/FRITES in Cracked Black Pepper Aioli for second! She went, "oops" and offered to bring a salad with the mussels, which seemed fine for me.

The mussels were smallish and unexciting, and the sauce was a wine/garlic generic type that I did not even want to wipe up with bread. Where was the black pepper aioli?

The salad of beautiful greens and cucumber was way overdressed and soggy. I barely managed to finish half of it.

Sadly this gorgeous bistro with its faux silver ceilings and wooden accents is running on the fumes of its past fame. Perhaps now that Kimpton has taken over the hotel they can get the management to improve the dining quality as the staff and locale are great.

ALAN now back in DC!

San Francisco's PAUL K is cool for Mid-Eastern modernized

Last night I took out some of my opera clients for dinner after a performance of Das RHEINGOLD at the San Francisco Opera. I chose a highly rated but casual spot about 4 blocks from the opera house and made a great new discovery for us all. PAUL K (www,paulkrestaurant.com) is about as unassuming as it gets and while it is very casual in design it still has charm and some great food going for it.

We started with a novel and tasty T-VINE Rose "Psychedelic Chicken" 2006 from Napa that comes in a wildly designed bottle wit very little info on the wine itself (such as what grape it is), but we adored the dry fruity treat which went great with our varied appetizers.

A great way to try lots of things is to take the meat or veggie MEZZE sampler. The former has 3 POMEGRANATE Braised Atkins LAMB RIBLETS with a superb GARLIC YOGURT Sauce, CUMIN & CARAWAY Crusted LAMB KOFTE with Almond Sauce and Chili Harissa as well as two dips: a SMOKY BABA GHANOUSH that was intense and smooth (with little eggplant aftertaste, so I loved it) and a wondrous POMEGRANATE DIP (made with a red pepper base, the consistency of hummus). Piles of Olives, a chunk of feta and several marinated artichoke hearts all served with pita filled out the huge tray. The only bad thing on the plate was the acidic Harissa which we simply avoided, and the super-garlicky yogurt sauce seemed to go better with the kofte, those sausage-like torpedo shaped kebabs that we all loved.

GOAT CHEESE & LEEK RAVIOLI with Portobellos, Pistachios and Brown Butter was a nice small plate starter and the BABY ARUGULA, BEETS, AVOCADO Salad with Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese (always a San Fran treat!) with Tarragon Vinaigrette was a huge and fresh portion that could fill anyone up.

We ordered a bottle of FIDDLEHEAD CELALARS Pinot Noir "SEVEN TWENTY EIGHT" from the Santa Rita Hills 2004 which is a huge fruit filled blow your mind wine that we all simply oohed and ahhed over.

The entrees were all huge portions from the EGGPLANT NAPOLEON which was a stuffed eggplant with sauce and chick peas that nobody could finish to the CRISP SKIN CHAR with Farro (a heavy bulghar-like grain), English Peas, Smoked Bacon and a tasty Preserved Lemon Aioli. The fish was firm, frsh and oh so good. My SYRIAN SPICED DUCK BREAST with Portobello Mushrooms, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Ragu of Duck Confit with Pomegranate Molasses Sauce was another revelation an yes, huge as well.

The ladies split a sundae and I adored the SORBET TRIO of creamy PASSION FRUIT, RASPBERY and BLACKBERRY as I rolled off to my hotel and to bed!

I found a NICHE in St. Louis that I shall always return to

For many years our neighbor and friend Jamie Craft and her husband Bob have been telling me of their son Gerard's huge success as a chef throughout the country. Several years ago Gerard Craft settled down in St. Louis and opened NICHE (www.nichestlouis.com) just south of downtown at 1831 Sidney St not far from the Anheiser-Busch brewery. At first glance Niche seems to only have less than 20 tables, but there is a hidden huge dining room at the rear and last night every table
was full shortly after my arrival at 6pm. The dining room is cozy and if I have to find one complaint about anything at all it would be the brown paper covering the crisp white linen tablecloths. They give a bistro feel (and I guess avoid more linen usage) and while this may be a bistro, I declare it to be the finest dining in town, probably the state, and for hundreds of miles around.

Simply put, Niche is NOT about the decor, it is about the FOOD, and I dined terrifically and adored every bite and sip. As I mentioned yesterday, prices here are much lower than on the coasts or big cities. Chef Gerard has a superb tasting menu for $65 which can be paired with wines for an additional $35 and this is they way to go. The food is not overwhelming, and the portions are sheer perfection.

First came a refreshing citrusy NINO FRANCO RUSTICO PROSECCO which had a hint of sweetness or honey and the first course followed--PARSNIP CONSOMME with Pearls of Bacon, Grapefruit and Brown Butter Foam. This dish hints of the (I hate to use the term) "chemical" concoctions many chefs dream up today and it really works to boot. The small teeny gelatinous pearls are not pasta but an amazing tasty creation that sit in the yummy broth with a small foam on top. It is a light dish and a great starter showing the genius of what's to come.

BEET RAVIOLI sat in Chilled CUCUMBER (with dill) SOUP with Shredded Golden Beets and Radish sprouts atop. I call this "borscht at its best!" The soup was superb with a slight creaminess (I assume it was yogurt or a light sour cream added) and the ravioli added a bit a weight. The radish sprouts were tasty and I was told from a local farm (where all the produce comes from) which obviously did not produce the highly bitter radish greens I had the previous night on my beet salad! An okay and apple-y ROMBAUER 2006 Chardonnay from Napa was an interesting pairing which seemed to go ok; I love their chard anyway, anytime, anywhere!

The next course moved into the heavier domain with a FRIED BRANDADE, Arugula & Ramps topped with a sunnyside up FRIED EGG and a sauce of LEMON BUTTER. The lemon butter was rich and perfect on the crisply fried cod browned on top and bottom to perfection. After several bites without the egg, I broke the yolk and allowed it to run all over and give the dish a completely different taste and feel. It was like having two different courses at once! The ST. INOCENT "Freedom Hill" 2006 PINOT BLANC from Oregon had the oddest fizziness on the tongue which was not bad in any way, but the wine itself was the least impressive wine I have ever had from St. Innocent, whose Pinot Noirs I adore; it just lacked any real taste for me.

The next course blew my mind and took me back t the "comfort food modernized" style of the Fat Duck in Britain: "REUBEN" with RYE GNOCCHI, Pickled Mustard Seeds and Horseradish Jus was how it is described on the menu. The meat is specifically not given, but it was a magnificent CORNED PIG's TONGUE. I have always adored beef tongue, but didn't even think pig's tongue could work---well it does, and magnificently. It is tiny, tender and tasty and the dish really did have that "reuben" feel. An M. CHAPOUTIER 2006 COTES du RHONE was an unbelievable pairing, (a) because I love Rhone wines and (b) because the blending worked perfectly with the mustard and pickled tastes as well as the rich gnocchi.

CARROT-LIME SORBET was the creamy palate cleanser and bursting with flavor to boot.

I have never been a big fan of BEAUX FRERES PINOT NOIR from Oregon, but the 2006 vintage seems to have turned more to the traditional Oregon and French Burgundy styles that other Pinot makers have used for years in the region. Maybe the Beaux Freres folks got a new winemaker, but whatever the case the wine is now a treat and it was perfect with the very light Grass Farms Rack of Lamb (two perfectly cooked double ribs) with RHUBARB PUREE, ROASTED FRENCH HORN (or King Trumpet) MUSHROOMS and an unreal HUMMUS & WHITE CHOCOLATE mixture that had sweetness, but was not cloying in the least, with an intense GARLIC FOAM on the side. Lots of love and thought went into this dish and the combinations as well.

After my mealy panna cotta the night before I was thrilled to have a dessert that I could not leave a bite of the COCNUT KULFI made with Goat Cheese Essence, a PASSION FRUIT GLAZED PINEAPPLE Sauce and GRANOLA for crunch. The kulfi was thick and rich and cold and yummy, almost the consistency of hard butter; it was impossible to resist. NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON 2005 lent a sweetness, but I preferred the wine and the dessert separately, simply making meal linger on and on.

I have not mentioned the perfect attention I received from my server TRAVIS, the entire staff and Chef GERARD himself, who was in the dining room all night supervising each plate as it came out and explaining most of the dishes to most of the diners. He obviously has a superb staff IN the kitchen and has no fears of their capability if he is NOT on the line!

I had looked at the wine list and noticed another dessert wine I wanted to try and Travis immediately brought me a generous taste of the MT. HORROCKS CORDON CUT 2006 Riesling that was also a nice wine and a perfect way to end my glorious meal.

I may not have plans to return to St. Louis in the near future, but perhaps I will have to arrange an overnight layover just to return to NICHE; it IS WORTH the trip!

Father's Day is Fair at KEMBLE PARK TAVERN in the 'hood

Last night Samuel took his two daddies out for dinner at a new spot which is part of the Clyde's conglomerate. KEMBLE PARK TAVERN (www.kembleparktavern.com) on MacArthur Blvd. in the Palisades is reasonably priced and decent food with nice decor to boot. The inside has big cushy leather armchairs at tables for two and intimate booths as well. We opted to sit outside as the weather was so nice, as most folks did.

The wine list offers up 9 whites and 5 reds at $27 or less per bottle and also by the glass, many more wines range just higher in the 30's, with some pricey options even higher. We chose a PENFOLD's MERLOT 2007 "Rawson's Retreat" which at $27 these days from SE Australia just an't be beaten. Samuel enjoyed the requisite Sprite and ordered the great deal of a Children's meal for $6.95 which included Fries, Peas & Carrots and English-style Fish Sticks which were nothing like the regular processed ones usually sevred up. This was fresh battered and fried; sadly Samuel prefers the packaged type! He enjoyed the bag of Animal Crackers included for dessert as well. The dry breads (corn and regular) were nothing to rave about although the very soft frothy whipped butter with large salt grains was nice (but has been sitting out way too long).

The best dish of the evening was our appetizer of FILET MIGNON TARTARE served in a mason jar with crostini and made with olives, capers and sprinkled with tasty wasabi sprouts. The other appetizer of SHORT RIB SLIDERS was also pretty tasty with three small sandwiches filled with the tasty meat, sweet onions all caramelized and a dill pickle with some Vermont cheddar on top. They were quite filling as well.

The entrees fared a bit less enjoyable with the STEAK FRITES having a nice cut of wood grilled meat seasoned with grey salt (although Will had some gristle in his 1/2) with a side of gravy and super yummy TRUFFLE FRIES (the thick steak cut) dribbled with Asiago cheese. Indeed, the sides were the hit as my TEA RUBBED BABY BACK RIBS were okay, but very messy and not worth raving about and the star on the plate was the GRUYERE GRITS, creamy, rich and decadent and mixed with some pork shreds for extra flavor. The barbeque slaw in a thimble container was just okay.

As we were finishing a swarm of mosquitoes attacked and Samuel got a bad bit on his wrist that blew up to about 1 inch long. We smothered it with ice and he moved seats to be away from the sidewalk where they seemed to be coming from, but it was too late. We were all a bit distraught, simply asked for the check and headed home. Nobody was crying, but we really were not thrilled either.

Daddy Jack's is just seafood in Ft. Worth

This year's trip to the Ft. Worth Opera festival offered me only one chance to dine out with one of my client's after the closing of the wonderful new opera ANGELS in AMERICA. She chose DADDY JACK's at 353 Throckmorton St in downtown and it was a good simple style choice from the checkered tablecloths to the adorable large mural over the bar with a cowboy riding a giant lobster! It was almost 100 degrees outside and the inside was comfortable and even more so with the dozens of high ceiling fans.

I dared to try the New England Crabcake appetizer which is a large cake for the price with filling (though not alot) and slightly soft rather than firm. A pool of remoulade is on one side and cocktail sauce on the other (which was really unnecessary). A glass of KENDALL JACKSON Grand Reserve Chardonnay (or anything cold in this heat) was welcome and worked great with all the seafood.

My CHILI CRUSTED HALIBUT in RED PEPPER CREAM SAUCE was slightly spicy, firm tasty fish and perfectly prepared, although delivered as I still had three bites of crabcake left! The server did offer to keep it warm, but I said it was okay (I told my guest that all they needed to do was put it on the sidewalk for 2 minutes!). The fish was not really "crusted" but seasoned which was fine and the sauce was not too creamy which was also good. The carrots and string beans on the side were superb as was the baked potato with sour cream. Welcome to Texas where plates and servings are huge and often well-priced!

I tasted my guest's mini CRAB CLAWS in Garlic butter which were nice but not meaty as I like them (and they never really are!). We could not eat a bite more, but really enjoyed the simplicity of the meal and the fact that we were not totally bloated as we headed to yet another opera!