Melanie's Profile
Funniest Thing a Server Said to You
My aunt and I stopped at a restaurant in a small town in Texas.
Aunt: Do you have hot tea?
Waitress: You want hot tea?
Aunt: Yes, please
Watiress (looking confused): Uh. OK.
We watch as she goes behind the counter, takes a coffee mug, fills it with "Brisk" iced tea from the soda fountain and proceeds to put the mug in the microwave. We stopped her at that point.
Best Eggs Benedict?
Hi all,
After an amazing meal at Brennan's in New Orleans, my husband has been craving eggs benedict.
Where should I take him for the best in DC? Traditional or not...doesn't matter.
Thank you!
SF Favorites
OK, 'hounds, my husband and I are moving to SF in July after having a wildly successful culinary experience living in Washington, DC, Manhattan and Austin, TX.
Though I grew up in the city, I haven't lived there (nor appreciated food as much as I do now) in a decade.
So here's my question (those who only like to answer very specific questions will not like it so much, unfortunately): Where should we eat? In other words, please let me know your favorite eats anywhere in the city. Could be take-out, hole-in-the-wall, upscale, whatever! Up to you...
Thank you!
Chinese Restaurant for Casual Rehearsal Dinner
Hi all,
The title of the post pretty much says it all. We'll probably have about 20-30 people, so it would be preferable to have a private room (or semi-private area, at least).
I know that the best places are outside of DC, but Here's the catch: it needs to be right in Washington, DC or, if need-be for REALLY good chinese food, metro accessible might be acceptable.
Lastly, some members of the group are hardcore chowhounds, so a place with more daring options as well as simple menu items is a plus!
Thank you!
Where to find good Cheese Fries?
Buffalo Billiards actually has some pretty good cheese fries. Waffle-style with real melted cheese.
Low-Key Dinner for Family Catch-up?
Hi everyone!
My fiance and I are SO EXCITED to come back to my hometown of San Francisco for a few days next week. On one of the first nights, we are having dinner with my dad, brothers, brother's new girlfriend (whom I have not yet met) and a couple of family friends. In other words, we will be doing a lot of talking/catching up.
Will the infinitely wise Chowhounds please recommend a restaurant that fits the following criteria?
a) somewhat quiet
b) good food (I guess that's probably a given)
c) can take an 8 person reservation on Friday evening of this week
d) is not insanely expensive
Thank you as always!
It’s not food if ...
That reminds me: A couple of decades ago, my family and I would go to Denny's every so often and I would order a breakfast sandwich called, "Moons over My Hammy"...or something along those lines. I was nine-years-old and I still remember cringing when I actually had to say those words to the server. Now I cringe if I have to go to Denny's at all, but that's another topic :)
Washington Magazine's Top 100.....ANY ONE ELSE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH IT? [moved from DC/Baltimore board]
The first thing that made me dismiss this list was the fact that Dino is now off the top 100. Ridiculous. Also, completely agreed about Jaleo being placed above Volt - are you kidding me?
Restaurant Week - Cedar (and possibly others)
Restaurant week dinner at Cedar last night was quite good!
First of all, I thought it was interesting that the restaurant didn't even offer a regular menu - restaurant week option only.
For appetizers, we got the simple salad (which was fine but nothing out of this world), butternut squash soup (really good - the bacon made it very smokey and delicious), and an oyster pan roast with leeks and jerusalem artichokes, which we were surprised to find was more of an soup. This was my favorite appetizer. It was incredibly creamy with bold flavors and perfectly luscious oysters.
Entrees included mushrooms, lentils, and walnuts with a poached egg on top (delicious), salmon (which sounded like lox on the menu, but was actually more of a fillet-type), and steak with chimichurri sauce and an array of beautiful veggies.
Dessert was carrot cake with caramel pecan ice cream and bourbon sauce. In my opinion you can't go wrong with carrot cake, so I enjoyed this dish very much. The Chocolate praline crunch bar is perfect for people who love rich, chocolate-y dishes...I am not one of those people so, enough said. Lastly, the coconut tres leches cake was a nice spin on the traditional dish.
Service was friendly and helpful without being overbearing. I think if I were to make any criticisms, it would be that the menu descriptions are a bit misleading. The oyster pan roast and the salmon, for example.
Please feel free to hi-jack this thread with your own restaurant week experiences!
Recommendations for Dinner for Large Party in Frederick?
Hi all.
My fiance and I are having our wedding at Volt in Frederick, MD this spring and were curious about recommendations for a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner.
Suggestions for some place fairly low-key that won't break the bank (as we'll be breaking it at Volt :)) for approx 30-40 people would be much appreciated!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend and thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on the subject!
Aziza for Dinner - Recs and Advice por favor!
As a native San Franciscan who is currently living in Washington DC, I am excited about taking a trip back to my hometown in a couple of weeks! My chowhound Aunt has made reservations at Aziza and I know absolutely nothing about it. Any thoughts? Recommendations? Things to stay away from (if there are any?)
Thank you! I'm SO EXCITED to come back home!!!
What restaurant are you excited about for DC's restaurant week?
Oh dear! Perhaps we should reconsider! Or, since we're going for dinner, maybe it will be a bit better? I'll report back so we can compare notes.
What restaurant are you excited about for DC's restaurant week?
Got reservations for Poste - anyone been for restaurant week? How was it?
Soul Food
Agree with Steve on all counts...including the fried chicken at Central - YUM
Better Late Than Never...
Yes, and I have mentioned that to my fiance a few times. However, the fear for some restaurants is that it will serve as a deterrent and will drive away business. If EVERY restaurant applied this policy, that would work just fine. I hope someday they all do!
Better Late Than Never...
Good point, Cathy. I'm pretty sure most restaurants call the day before to confirm for such a large party, but unfortunately that doesn't guarantee that people show up. Things change. Also, the person at the restaurant who makes the call to confirm the reservation may not be able to reach the party and have to leave a voicemail which that person may either not check, or not care enough to take the time to call back and cancel, thinking that it's not that big of a deal.
Better Late Than Never...
I know it's a bit late to mention this, as many holiday parties and such have already taken place. However, my fiance works in the service industry at an upscale chain restaurant, and it is astonishing how many people book a large reservation for an office party and then simply don't show up.
Keep in mind that servers often count on having that one large table's tips as most of their pay for the day. They have to spend time putting several tables together and putting out extra place settings. They are given no other tables while they are waiting for this large group. In hopes that the group is running late, the server will often wait an hour or more after the reservation before they decide the party isn't coming at which point they have to break down all of the tables and, often by this time, the lunch/dinner rush is over and they take home virtually nothing for the day.
So, if you know that your office changes restaurant locations or cancels a party altogether, make sure the person who is handling logistics has called the place to cancel the reservation, as it may slip their mind. Even giving last-minute notice is better than nothing (though advanced notice is ideal and always appreciated).
All it takes is one phone call.
Thanks for reading and happy holidays!
Ever feel guilty about eating too much at a buffet or all-you-can-eat?
I see your point about the frustration. (Why throw it away when you'll be perfectly happy to take it home and eat it as leftovers the next day?) However, from a business perspective, if this was the case, what would stop people from eating until they are full and then going to the buffet one more time to pile as much food on their plate as possible, sitting down and asking for a doggie bag?
Top Chef - Las Vegas - Finale Part 2 - 12/09/09 (Spoilers)
I'm most likely having my wedding at Bryan's restaurant, Volt, memorial day weekend, so needless to say, I was pretty disappointed. Bias aside, I do think Bryan seemed like a more talented chef than his brother.
Cityzen menu questions
My fiance and I are celebrating in style at Cityzen tomorrow night...and we're VERY excited about it!
However, we want to maximize our experience so I figure its best to ask those in the know.
We first thought about getting the 6 course tasting menu. However, after some thought, we are now considering getting the 3-course menu instead and each ordering separate items. Thus, we get to taste 6 items and not only is it less expensive, but we would get to choose what we wanted. Does this sound like a good idea? If so, what are some of the items that you recommend from the current 3 course menu?
Lastly, if we did each get the 3 course, would it be rude for us to ask them to bring out only one dish at a time? This way we would be able to put all of our focus on only one dish at a time, which I think we would both like.
Thank you in advance for any thoughts or advice you might have for us!
Oyamel: chef needs to take it easy on the salt...
I had the same experience. My fiance thinks I need to try it again and that when we went it was unusually salty, but it's usually better. I kind of doubt this.
Trip Report!
Good job, dad! You're right..I'm terrible...I totally forgot about that. I was thinking along the lines of restaurants only. Thanks for pointing it out! However, you forgot the gumbo and free samples of surprisingly amazing cheesecake from the fish market, too! And, sorry about the sauerkraut guy. All the more reason to come back and visit!
Trip Report!
Thanks, Steve - I did eat well and I think I did my father proud. We really loved Thai X-ing - thank you so much for the recommendation! Definitely time for you to check out Bistro Du Coin if you enjoy french food (and a Parisian atmosphere to boot). Agreed about the separation of the tripe and the creme brulee. :)
Trip Report!
Hell 'hounds,
First, of all, I'd like to thank the many of you who made wonderful suggestions to my post a couple of weeks ago regarding my dad's trip to DC from San Francisco.
Friday night, we went to Thai X-ing. A hole-in-the-wall if I've ever seen one, but with palpable charm. Here's the big problem with this place: the food is seriously addictive and I have been dreaming about it ever since. I swear, they add a heavy dose of crack to their salmon with red curry! We started out with the Larb Gai. I had specified that I wanted it spicy (be warned, even if you are eating in, you must place your order via phone by 4pm) and spicy it was! I think I literally had fire coming out of my ears, which I loved! The dish was the perfect mix of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. Unfortunately, the server seemed to decide that the little white girl couldn't handle the spice, so she dumbed down the latter dishes, to my disappointment. Next we had the Yum Woon Sen, which was also delicious, albeit less spicy. Next time, I would not have ordered both of these appetizers because they are very similar and I would have liked to try something else. Next, we had the aforementioned curry salmon: a must-order. Lastly, we had the Pad See-Ew, which was good, but not nearly as amazing as the other dishes. Overall, fabulous place but a little too much hassle with the reservations and the ordering process for me to become a regular. Still, I would like to go back at some point.
Saturday, we went to 2 Amys for lunch and then Central for dinner. I've been to both of these places several times before and neither of them disappointed! At 2 Amys My dad and I split the special pizza with fresh sardines. It was amazing! We also got the meatballs, which I would definitely order again, and the fried risotto balls. You can't really go wrong there! As for Central, we had the charcuterie plate, which I always love, and I ordered the shrimp burger - yum! My fiance got the regular burger and my dad got the brussel sprouts and french onion soup.
Sunday we went to Bistro Du Coin - a place that my dad just adored. We got mussels (always a winner), Steak Tartare (my dad and fiance liked it a lot, but I wasn't a huge fan...they seem to put some sort of mayonaise-type of ingredient in the tartar and it really wasnt my speed), tripe (highly recommend if you are a tripe fan. As soon as we ordered it, the server paused and said...are you sure you want to order this? Do you know what it is?" Those are words of beauty to a chowhound!), pate, and creme brulee, which, as always, is truly the best creme brulee I have ever had.
Finally, on Monday afternoon, we went to Zaytinya, which was delicious as always. We ordered a trio of dips, which they brought out with their amazing pita, scallops, crispy eggplant, roasted cauliflower, lamb in phyllo dough with feta, a chicken dish with onions and tomatoes and sweetbreads. I don't think I could pick a favorite out of the bunch, but the sweetbreads were right up there. None of them were disappointing in the least - I would recommend all of them!
Thank you again, for your recommendations - we had a wonderful food-filled trip and even though I needed to loosen my belt a couple of notches by the end, it was all worth it!
When is Burger King going to realize that their fries SUCK?
you know, I haven't had Little Caesars before. I have had Domino's and, while it's most certainly not the best pizza I've ever had, I stand by my statement! :)
Major Chowhound Father Coming to Town!
WOW - you have all given such excellent ideas, I think I'm just going to have to send him this link and let him pick. Thank you all so much - I knew I could count on you!
Major Chowhound Father Coming to Town!
Hi everyone,
my dad will be in DC at the end of October (from San Francisco). He doesn't want fancy shmancy food. No foams, nothing like that. He wants to try the best hole-in-the-wall, down and dirty (well, not literally) places our great city has to offer. He will eat anything from amazing bread and pasta to tripe and brains. I am already on top of the Ethiopian food, so no need for those suggestions. But what are some other gems that he might enjoy?
Thanks so much!
When is Burger King going to realize that their fries SUCK?
I have NO idea what y'all are talking about. Burger King's french fries are the only thing good about Burger King. Plus, french fries fit into the category of pizza and sex - even when it's bad, it's pretty good.
Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Chips
That does sound delicious...however, I'm with you - I cannot allow myself to buy they anymore, so unless someone brings me some sweet potato chip crumbs (which I would still probably inhale before they made it to the chicken), I am out of luck!
