Ask Tom

Lent

In a city loaded with diverse restaurants, from New American chic and upscale Italian to sandwich shops and burritos on the run, finding the best places to eat can be a real puzzle. Where's the best restaurant for a first date or an anniversary? Father's Day? What's the best burger joint? Who has the best service?

Ask Tom. Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post's food critic, is on hand Wednesdays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions, listen to your suggestions and even entertain your complaints about Washington dining. Sietsema, a veteran food writer, has sampled the wares and worked as a critic in Washington, Seattle, San Francisco and Milwaukee, and can talk restaurants with the best of 'em. Tom's Sunday magazine reviews, as well as his "Ask Tom" column, are available early on the Web.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Washington, D.C.: I really liked the article in the Food section today about the chef's clubs in DC, but was dismayed to see only one woman in the Chef's Club About Nothing. I know that she said she felt comfortable joining the group, but the make up of the group seemed so imbalanced! Is this just the way the industry is? I know there are a lot of talented women chefs out there. Say it ain't so!

washingtonpost.com: Chefs' Club About Nothing.

Tom Sietsema: I posed the question to my pal Judy Weinraub, the author of the piece. She pointed to the 11 p.m. start time, the 3-4 a.m. finish time, neither of which are exactly convenient for married women or mothers. "Like everything else, the working world is designed around men." That said, Judy pointed out that the guys typically bring staff, including women, to their gatherings.

Good morning, all.

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Opera?: Hi Tom, We dined there last Saturday and had a very indifferent meal from start to finish. Has there been a change of chefs? This was far from 2 stars in my book. You were correct about the stem ware -- I brought my own (as well as wine-$15 corkage) which seemed to befuddle the server who took a long time to appear. The lack of patrons should have been a warning. Keep up the good work!

Tom Sietsema: It was clear from my multiple visits that the owners couldn't decide what they wanted their new concept to be. And I wasn't sure why they deemed change necessary in the first place. If you know how to order, though, Opera is a "good" restaurant. At least in my book.

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Washington, DC: I wondered if anyone else was having this problem. Over the last 3 to 4 weeks we showed up at Rice and Matchbox and gave our name for dinner and had a seat at the bar to wait. Both times we missed the call of our name. At Rice there were only 3 other couples at the bar and I noticed another party of 2 who came in after us got seated before us. I mentioned this to the hostess and he said there must have been confusion in the name and we got the next seating. At Matchbox it was crowded but we were right next to the hostess stand and the same thing happened. If restaurants are not going to take reservations they should come up with a better system of seating guests. My suggestion - laminate cards with numbers on them and give them to the people waiting and call them by number and not name. We have been back to both since then and I notice the hostess does not speak up when they call the names or in the Matchbox case work their way down the bar.

Tom Sietsema: Good solution to a growing problem there!

At the new Tallulah, I was amused to be asked for my cell phone number before I went to wait in the bar.

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Washington, DC: Hi Tom - I love your chats. After your review and the recommendation of someone else I decided to try Ginger Reef with three friends this weekend. Your review had hinted at slow service but I was unprepared for just how bad it was!; There was only one server for the entire downstairs area, and she was inexplicably bad even given the fact that she had no help - ie., no apologies for slow service, no acknowledgement that our food would be coming at some point, etc. The meal started out on a bad note when we said we needed one more minute to look over the menu and then ended up waiting a half hour for her to come back and take our order. And all of this was a shame, because the food was delicious!; Were it not for the service I'd go back (and recommend it to others) in a heartbeat. Are they planning to hire more servers or somehow fix the problem?

Tom Sietsema: One can only hope!

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Washington, DC: Hey Tom, love your chats and your articles. I have a friend who raves about an Italian restaurant in Alexandria called A la Lucia. Have you been? Is it worth the trip across the river for a couple in the city?

Tom Sietsema: I'll tell you what's worth a trip: the newish Amici Miei on Seven Locks Road in Rockville. The decor isn't much -- it looks like a nice Marriott dining room with an open kitchen -- but the food I've had there has been lovely and more adventurous than you'd expect. GREAT baby octopus, vitella tonnato, and thin-crusted pizza.

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Being called at the bar: I never hear my cellphone - nor would I want to hear someone else's in a restaurant. I like those big disks with flashing lights that also vibrate. Alternatively, I give the hostess a name which is more distinct than my own - that I would clearly hear and distinguish from other names yelled out in a loud room.

Tom Sietsema: What about putting your cell phone on vibrate?

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Bethesda, MD: I saw that David Nugent left the Oval Room. Is he opening a new place?

Tom Sietsema: I seriously doubt it.

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Italian chef's wife downtown: I've been to one of these chef's club meetings and near another one (at the bar). I didn't see any other females either time but I think it's just the way the chips fall and not by exclusion. And by the way, these meetings are hilarious. When I went, they talked for 3 hours about having a picnic which never materialized. Kaz also had business cards printed up. You gotta love it.

Tom Sietsema: Sounds like a blast. Wish I could be a fly on THAT wall! (Or maybe not ...)

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Washington, DC: Hi Tom,
I can't believe that you didn't comment on the poster who brought their own stem ware to Opera!;
Don't you think that is a little out of control? I am horrified!;

Tom Sietsema: Actually, I know some wine geeks who do that. They carry the fragile stem ware in special cases.

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Washington, DC - Galileo Restaurant: Dear Tom,

I wanted to respond to the post on your chat last week about Galileo being unresponsive to a customer who inquired about cooking classes for her boyfriend's birthday. The customer called in early January and left a message stating that she wanted to know how far in advance the classes fill up, and that she wanted to purchase a gift certificate and register her boyfriend for a class. I returned the call and left a message indicating that she should call as soon as possible after the class schedule is released for best selection, and at the time there was still availability in some of the classes. I recommended that she should contact me to see if any would be of interest to her boyfriend. Unfortunately, when we spoke the class she had wanted was full (it filled up immediately after it was announced in December). With regard to the customer's repeated return calls and difficulty reaching someone, regrettably, the customer never left another message. Therefore, I was not aware she had tried to reach me. We are very sorry that this misunderstanding occurred and that a potential customer may have been lost because of it.

Customer service is something we take very seriously in everything we do at Galileo. Roberto has been teaching classes in Laboratorio for five years. The classes have been very successful and they tend to book up quickly. Roberto limits the class size to 13 people because it allows the customers enough elbow room to work and also allows for personal attention from him. When there is overwhelming demand for a certain class Roberto tries to open a second session or holds the same class again later in the year. Cooking class calls come in at every time of day (even at midnight on Fridays!;) so we are not always available to answer calls in person. Calls are returned Monday-Friday in the order in which they were received. We encourage students to get on class wait lists, or sign up for our e-mail list to receive updates on the new class schedules. We have classes every month, but only book 2-3 months at a time.

Thanks for taking a moment for the other side of the story!;

-Alysa at Galileo

Tom Sietsema: Happy to do so!

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Washington DC: Tom, have you tried La Perla up in the West End? We wanted someplace special and have walked past a number of times but have not gone in.

Tom Sietsema: I haven't been in since it opened a few years back. Does anyone out there have recent experience with the restaurant?

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Can you post this question to Jose Andres?: Tom, I was hoping you could post this question to Jose Andres, who I know reads this sometimes. I was at Jaleo in Bethesda over the weekend, but it was too busy to bother the server with the question.

What happened to the tortilla at Jaleo?? It used to be, you got a slice of thick, yummy tortilla, room temperature, as I remembered it from when I was in Spain. Now, it is "cooked to order" and it comes as a still-hot, thin, hamburger sized omlette. It tastes fine, but not like the tortilla I was used to. What happened? Will the old version ever come back? Boo-hoo. I still love Jaleo though. . .

Tom Sietsema: Jose? You out there this morning?

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Rockville, Md: Tom, This also could be a growing problem. We had our hearts set on going to Addies Saturday night. When I called, the hostess said they don't take reservations but that if we came around 5:45 or 6 p.m. it shouldn't be a problem. When we arrived, the placed was packed. The hostess apologized, said there would be an hour and 45 minute wait because of the program that evening at the new Strathmore Concert Hall right down the road.
She apologized again so we called Mykonos, also a good place right down the road. They too had an equally long wait. We finally found a place a little further away from the concert hall. Perhaps Addies might start to take reservations? Your thoughts

Tom Sietsema: I love a restaurant that takes reservations, too (obviously!) We've addressed the problem of businesses NOT accepting reservations in this forum before, and I'd like to hear again from restaurateurs exactly why they don't. I see it as a courtesy.

Pet peeve du jour: Restaurants, including That Hip New Spot Downtown, that ask for credit card numbers even for non-holiday, small numbered parties. Grrrr.

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Rural Restaurants: Hi, Tom - I know you try to get a mix of downtown and suburban restaurants in your reviews, but I was wondering if you would consider doing some of the more "rural" restaurants. Specifically, the Comus Inn in Comus, MD, near my hometown - it just went through some major renovations and is now serving a prix fixe menu. I know the view is great but would like to hear your opinions before I head up to the new (but pricey) place. Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: And that makes 101 restaurants on my to-do list.

Thanks for the tip.

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Hyattsville, MD: Tom

Can you bear one more comment/tip for vegetarian diners?

With advanced notice, most good restaurants will accommodate a vegetarian diner, and in my case, a vegan diner.

Kudos to Equinox, who prepared a vegan meal that could be suitable for their regular menu. And to Olives, for calling the day before my reservation to see if I had any special requests before they ordered their food for the next day.

I have had many unsatisfying meals (at restaurants that are mentioned favorably on this chat), but I appreciate being able to take a date to their favorite place for a special occasion.

Tom Sietsema: Kudos to YOU for planning ahead.

With advance notice, most restaurants are pretty accommodating. Things get tricky, of course, when special requests are made at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night and the dining room is packed.

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Sideways, Me(h): Thank you for that piece on the "Sideways" effect. I have to say, I have become a little frustrated as my varietal of choice has become the flavor of the week. (It all happened way back when I lived in Oregon and the Willamette Valley Pinots were a tasty and affordable--in the early 90s, yes-- option.) Of course, there are other lovely wines out there so I'm not unhappy.

And while I'm here, I am going to send out a general recommendation to those who visit NYC on a budget and wish to try decent restaurants: There are places in the outerboroughs that serve Manhattan food at reasonable prices. Tom, you often presume folks travel with expense accounts, and I guess many do, but for those who don't, this is an excellent option. Have you ever thought of a postcard from the wilds?

Tom Sietsema: Actually, if you follow my Postcard columns regularly, more often than not, I include a budget suggestion. Last month, for instance, I wrote about a good buffet in Las Vegas. And the month before that, I highlighted a place in Seattle that offered reasonably-priced small plates. That said, I like to include a choice that is a splurge, for those that seek just that, whether they're on an expense account otr not.

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Washington, DC: Thank you for you article on Thai Basil. I go there at least once a week since my company is across Rt. 50. It's a great little place that is a good neighborhood restaurant.

Since your article they even got rid of the music. So, they're changing things based on your article!;

Tom Sietsema: LOL

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Being called in a bar: The vibrate function isn't that strong. I can put the phone on the bar while I'm waiting but then I am bothering my dining partner and other guests if it rings - and it's not the restaurant calling.

Tom Sietsema: Really? Mine goes off like a rocket.

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Nome: Where can I get some of that poison Japanese blowfish?

Tom Sietsema: Fugu? I recall Cafe Japone serving it awhile back. The fish must be cleaned by specially trained chefs before being served.

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Arlington, Va.: Tom, And if Jose is out there (and I know he is), could you also let him know that while I love Maho cheese and sobrassada, he needs to let his kitchen staff know that it would be nice for them to let the cheese melt before they bring out the torilla menorquina they are now offering? (It also could use a much more assertive bit of salt, since the sobrassada wasn't salty enough.) We were at the Jaleo in Crystal City about 2.5 weeks ago, and this was the only crimp in what was a very nice meal (as usual). Thanks!
(From a former waitress at Cafe Atlantico)

Tom Sietsema: This could easily become the Jose Andres Hour ....

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Washington, DC: We went out to dinner last night (a random Tuesday) and it took us three places to find a spot without a huge wait. What was going on last night?

Tom Sietsema: Washington has turned into a Very Exciting Place to Dine -- regardless of what they say in the pages of that newspaper to the north.

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Re: Being Seated: I think everyone should start reserving under "Stella."

Tom Sietsema: VERY funny.

And whoever does the calling she wear a tee shirt and an anguished expression:


"Stella! STELLLLLLLLAAAAAAA!"

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Winegeek replies!;!;!;: If restaurants used better stem ware, I would forego the hassle of bringing my own stem ware, but most don't. Additionally, I am careful to bring wines that aren't on the
establishment's winelist. The 1998 Marcoux CNDP I brought in would never have opened up with the cheap barware Opera uses. Hint: Riedel makes a restaurant wineglass that can be placed in a dishwasher. I also tip well and offer a taste to the server.

Tom Sietsema: Cool, and classy, of you to be a respectful wine drinker.

And while we're on the subject, why is so much red wine served so warm?

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Fugu: Kaz used to serve it. I don't know if they still do. It's worth a phone call.

Tom Sietsema: Indeed.

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Alexandria , Va: Hi Tom ,
How should we answer a customer, when they ask a glass of red chardonnay and they insist such a grape is available ?

Tom Sietsema: Carefully!

I wonder if said customer is thinking of a blush wine?

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Solo-Land: Hey Tom. What are your favorite DC spots (regardless of price or cuisine) for eating solo?

Keep up the great work.

Tom Sietsema: I like the bars at Ten Penh, Buck's, Palena, Marcel's (when Robert is in the kitchen) and at Johnny's (though I think they'd just as soon never see me there again, after I wrote about the 50 cent surcharge for olive oil instead of butter)

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Last Week's Chat: I was in a meeting last week and was unable to participate in the chat. After reading the transcript with all the requests for a vegetarian only chat, I realized there is a new kind of vegetarian, more strict than a vegan... someone who not only doesn't eat animal products but can't read about them either !;

Tom Sietsema: Easy, easy!

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Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.: Tom, Are you aware that there is a link currently running at the bottom of your chat for live mealworms and crickets? What's up with that??

Tom Sietsema: April 1 comes early, I guess.

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Please!;: Post the Lent thing!; It's very important to a lot of people!;

Tom Sietsema: Uh, what's the Lent thing?

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Tragically Unhip: Where exactly is "That Hip New Spot Downtown"?

Tom Sietsema: IndeBleu

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi, Tom. Love the chats -- they always make me starving. I need help! My brother-in-law is in town, and we're meeting him for dinner tomorrow night in the Woodley Park area. He and my husband are both vegetarians, and we're all on a budget. Can you recommend a reasonably priced place with vegetarian choices, preferably one that's not overly noisy, so we can catch up? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: I recently took a pal who doesn't eat meat to the small, cozy and affordable Afghan Grill off Connecticut on Calvert St. The pumpkin-based dishes are especially good.

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Miami, Florida: Where can I purchase your 2004 Dining Guide? In my view that information should be provided along with the presentation of the guide. I have to spend needless time and effort to try to buy the book and it should have an automatic link.

Tom Sietsema: Are you talking about my book, which came out late in 2003? You can buy it online, either through the Post's gift site or Amazon.com. The fall restaurant guide that appears in the Post Magazine every October is available only online.

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Annandale, VA: Where can I get really good fish and chips?

Tom Sietsema: In the past, I've enjoyed the combo at Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, Boulevard Woodgrill in Arlington and, most recently, Coastal Flats in Fairfax (where the dish goes by the moniker "grouper fingers.")

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Arlington, Va.: I'd like to compliment the Mercury Grill in Dupont Circle for an excellent Valentine's Day dinner. They didn't turn themselves into an assembly line for the holiday; there was no overpriced prix fixe menu, and no sense of being hurried in and out the door. Instead, the setting was quiet and pleasant, the service was calm and friendly, and the lobster special was magnificent.

Tom Sietsema: Hear! Hear!

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Dupont Circle,Washington, D.C.: Good Morning Tom, My family will be gathering in Seattle to celebrate a major birthday and I was wondering if you had any experience at the Herb Farm Restaurant. We would like to do something quite special and would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks for the chats!

Tom Sietsema: When I was a critic in Seattle, the only place I awarded four stars to was the Herb Farm. In other words, go!

The original house burned in a fire, but has since been replaced. I continue to hear great things about the food there.

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Washington, D.C.: If this is a live chat, why does it take so long for the transcript to become available?

washingtonpost.com: The full edited transcripts appear here by the end of the day on Wednesday.

Tom Sietsema: Thanks, Ms. Producer.

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Gaithersburg, MD: Last week, I was entertaining clients at Cordoroy. The food was excellent, but the service was incredibly slow. We arrived on time for our 9pm reservation and the restaurant was half full. There seemed to be no obvious reason for slow service. To clarify, we ordered pretty quickly -- wine, appetizers and entrees. I can't recall how long the appetizers took (the wine was timely), but the entrees did not come out until 10:30 with no apologies or explanation from the staff.

My question is this - we were a party of 9, and so 18% gratuity was added to the check. It does not seem right that the staff should get that much gratuity for poor service. What do you think?

Tom Sietsema: I'm curious. Did you at any time talk to your waiter or a manager and inquire about the slow service? And was the service rude or inattentive, or just slow?

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Washington, D.C.: Tom, Submitting early...thanks for in advance for letting me vent. Yes, I was one of the many who was taken out by their significant other on V Day. I know enough to expect some issues when going out on a so-called "Amateur Night," but this was ridiculous!! We had an 8:30 reservation at David Greggory. Now, I have eaten there before and it was good...not great, not fabulous, but good and certainly not awful. We arrived a few minutes after 8:30 to a packed restaurant and proceeded to wait until 9:30 to be seated. When we checked in at 8:33, no one mentioned that they were "behind," just said we should go to the bar. Only when I approached the hostess at 9:15 were any apologies offered (we were comped a drink for our wait by the hostess) or explanations given. After being seated one hour late, we received a terrible starter of "grilled oysters" which were nothing more than raw oysters that had been heated to lukewarm. We then proceeded to wait almost one hour for our entrees…and my husband's food was cold. The entrees (when hot) were okay, but nothing special--mine was like something you would get at a wedding reception. Meanwhile, we were never offered additional drinks and our water glasses were empty almost the entire time. We waited another 15 minutes for dessert—that was actually the best part. When the check arrived (two and a half hours after we arrived), there was a charge for a bottle of wine that we clearly didn't have and the waiter, when this was pointed out, said, "Oh and that's the only thing I messed up, sorry." WHAT? I can understand that he can't control the kitchen, but the cold food, empty water glasses, no drinks, and unexplained wait for food are all things he could have at least tried to remedy. So he says, "I wish I could have comped you something but I can't. I understand if you don't leave a tip." In the end, it seemed as if the staff at DG was entirely unprepared for a busy night and moreover, they didn't even make an effort at serving their customers. And this was happening to other diners all around us. When we were a couple of blocks away, my husband looked across the street and said, "Chipotle would have been better!" Sad, but true.

Tom Sietsema: Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience.

Among other things, the situation reminds me that most people --- whether they're waiting in a dining room for food or in an airplane on a runway -- tend to appreciate getting updates rather than left wondering what's wrong.

Your waiter, on the other hand, sounds like he needs some serious training.

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Fairfax, VA: Have you heard of a restaurant offering a lower standard of service (longer waits, seating at an undesirable table) to minority customers? I assure you, it does happen, and I was wondering if this at all factors into your view of a restaurant.

Tom Sietsema: Have I heard of such? Yes. Several national chains have been sued for discriminatory practices in recent years. But I know of no local independent restaurant where minorities have been mistreated.

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Washington, DC: Hi Tom!;
Posting regarding a horrible dinner at indebleu. We went on Valentine's day knowing that it would not be truly indicative of a regular night at that beautiful restaurant. We did not order their "aphrodisiac" tasting menu. We ordered a regular three-course dinner and sparkling wine, and were really bummed that every course was really subpar: uninspired tasteless beef carpaccio, a ho-hum tuna napoleon, briney iodine-laden lobster bisque, overly salted and spiced scallops, tasteless maine lobster and really off-tasting salmon.
We're ready to go back on a regular night- the service was spotless, ambiance lovely. We had an early reservation, the restaurant was totally NOT overrun with business. Should we attribute this to the fact that it's amateur night anyway? Or do you think that the kitchen's efforts were focused on the tasting menu, and whenever possible we should order the specialty menu since that's the star of the evening anyway?
Our foodie friends went this weekend and had a spectacular dinner they can't rave about enough, but considering our $200 plus final tally we are still really bummed the food was not good since, after all, that's what we went for.
Thanks for responding, Tom!; (in advance :-)

Tom Sietsema: Interesting. Keep in mind, IndeBleu is relatively young.

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Washington, D.C. : Tom,

I agree that you do provide budget meals while traveling out of town, which is why I am posting this to you. I am celebrating my birthday in NYC, and would like a special night out (drinks and dinner, maybe something after) but not break the budget. Can you put together what you consider a nice, celebratory evening at a reasonable price? Any cuisine, and by reasonable I use the same guidelines you do when reviewing local places.

Unfortunately, the NYT reviews are less approachable than yours and the critics do not have a format like this. That said, we appreciate this service.

Tom Sietsema: Sorry, those Postcards were never meant to focus on cheap eats out of town. I stand by what I posted earlier: I always aim for a mix of what's new, what's classic, what's reasonable -- and what's good.

Back to your question. My recent postcard from NYC includes a good, wallet-friendly tapas suggestion in the Village. It is Alta, on W. 1Oth. And I'm hearing great things about an Italian newcomer (tip alert!) called Bellavitae.

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Re: Reservations from a restaurateur's perspective: In everything we do, we try to satisfy as many customers as possible. Initially, we took reservations, but soon realized that with the limited seating we have, we were aggravating more people by taking reservations than not. A typical situation: We take a reservation for a party of four. Other guests have arrived on a busy night, and are waiting for tables to open up. The reservation is 15, 20, 30 minutes late - while the people on the waiting list are looking at an empty table that could be theirs. Finally, we release the reservation, and seat the party that is now irritated that we didn't give them the table sooner. All too often, the reservation arrives soon thereafter with a tale of wow (traffic delays, etc), and is disgruntled to find that their table has been given to someone else. Now we have two parties of unhappy customers.

Taking reservations for larger parties and parties with special needs still makes sense for us, but we have found, in general, that we can better serve our customers by seating on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tom Sietsema: Thanks for showing us The Other Side of the Story.

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Per Tom's request, submitting again: Tom, I have a major complaint with area restaurants and I beg you to air it here, as I know a lot of restaurateurs read your chat. Last Friday, the first Friday in Lent, the restaurant we went to had run out of seafood and vegetarian options - but I couldn't eat meat due to my religion!; Last year, I experienced the same thing, over and over. We eat out most Fridays with friends, as it's our time to catch up, and I really hate being the downer who can only eat a salad and side dish, but by the time we get to a restaurant, the fish is gone. Shouldn't they plan ahead, knowing that it is Lent, and order more?

Tom Sietsema: Restaurateurs, are you listening?

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Arlington, VA: Tom, in answer to your question about why some restaurants don't take reservations: because doing so reduces the number of tables that can be turned in a popular establishment, which reduces profits. The only solution is to raise prices. To quote Jose Andres from a previous Post Live chat:

Washington, D.C.: Love your restaurants and would like to go more, but not being able to make a reservation at Zaytinya, for example, is a real turn off. I and even more my wife just don't feature waiting an hour or more to get a table. It would be nice if you'd change your policy.

Jose Andres: Yes tell me what you prefer $75 check average per person and with reservation...Or $30 no reservations ( well we take them until 6:30)and you can come anytime you want? Well me and my partners Roberto Alvarz and Rob Wilder we are committed to great dining without breaking the bank........At Cafe Atlantico you can make reservations, but at Jaleo, and Zaytinya no or we had to raise prices by a big margin

Tom Sietsema: Thanks for jogging my memory. (So many chats!)

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Types of vegetarians: Just as an FYI to all out there: Vegan- avoids all foods of animal origin, so nothing with milk, eggs, cheese, etc.; Lacto-ovo vegetarian- eats egg and dairy; ovo-vegetarian, eats eggs but avoids dairy. None of the above eats anything prepared with animal stock. NOT a vegetarian at all- pescetarian- eats no meat or fowl but eats fish. People, you are NOT a vegetarian if you eat fish. Vegetarians do not eat anything that had a face.

Thanks.

Tom Sietsema: Whew!

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Washington, DC: While I appreciate the problems with loud restaurants and patrons not hearing their names being called, I would seriously shy away from and might actually refuse to dine at any establishment that actually encourages their patrons to use their phones in the restaurant. I am getting so tired of jerks ruining my dining experience with insipid cell phone conversations. I make a point to frequent the few establishments that actually make a point of discouraging cell phone conversations in their restaurants.

Tom Sietsema: I wish I could do that ...

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Alexandria , VA: Just want to remind those big parties say more than 6 people , when they dine out . If they take their time after seated , by talking to each other and ordering drinks and they don't even look at the menu for the first 30 minutes , how are we supposed to bring their food very fast ? They maybe be thinking the dining room is not full so the food should take very less time than usual. That will not happen unless they want their food raw.
Can you please make a point here Tom ?
thank you

Tom Sietsema: You made the point quite clearly.

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Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Tom, love your chats. I've been wondering, personally, what food(s)do you dislike and how that impacts your judgement whether it's good or bad? Also, have you taken many food classes or do you have a degree from a cooking school? I imagine your tastebuds needed some training to discern subtle flavor combinations, etc.

Tom Sietsema: Honestly, there's not much I don't like. Doing this job requires me to eat things that I might not choose on my own time. I'm not a big chocolate fan, for instance, but I always order desserts made with chocolate because most readers LOVE the stuff. I hope I can still discern the difference between good and bad, despite my preference for vanilla or caramel or just about any other flavor.

My "cooking school" experience consisted of testing recipes, thousands of them, for the Food section of the Post years ago and the occasional class in bread baking or sauce-making. As a food editor and reporter, I've also spent a lot of time in professional kitchens, watching talent up close.

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New York, NY : Hi Tom,
I live in NY but nonetheless enjoy this weekly treat. I'm coming to town and will dine at BlackSalt this weekend -- what should I not miss? Thank you.

Tom Sietsema: Great timing. My review of the new seafood venue runs this Sunday in the Magazine, but goes online early Friday. Can you log on then?

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom, I'm headed to DC Coast this weekend with my parents and boyfriend. What's the one "must order" item on the menu?

Tom Sietsema: I haven't dropped by recently, but I was impressed with the kitchen's "tower of crab," fried oysters, whole fried fish and tangy lemon meringue pie less than a year ago.

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Falls Church, Va.: Is there a way to locate all of your postcards in the Post website? Thanks, and I love this forum.

washingtonpost.com: The Postcards can be found here in Travel.

Tom Sietsema: There you are!

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Regarding all the veggie talk from last week...: I agree a vegetarian/vegan chat might be a good idea. I recall several occasions of vegetarian-bashing in your chats (my personal favorite being accusations of vegetarians being "cheap" because non-meat dishes often cost less) that might cause us to not be as open with our thoughts and questions as we vegetarians might like to be.

But I wanted to add this vegetarian girl's observations to the other chatters' thoughts about restaurants around town that do a better job of vegetarian options than others. Among restaurants that you have lauded, Tom:

Corduroy - Only one veg entree when I dined in December. It was mainly a selection of side-dishes, many of which appeared on the plates of my dining companions as well. The sides were nice, but I was a bit disappointed.

Bombay Club - I felt right at home here. An entire section of the menu for vegetarians, with many options as far as both appetizers and entrees. And the service was so gracious...

You mention Nirvana often, too - a less pricey (and all-vegetarian) alternative to Bombay Club. They sometimes have special price fixe meals for special occasions, should you want to treat that special vegetarian in your life to a nice night out where they don't have to worry at all about seeing or smelling or accidentally consuming meat. (Or you could always go to Amma Vegetarian Kitchen in Georgetown if you don't care about ambiance and you only have a few dollars to spend.)

Cafe Atlantico - Possibly my favorite meal. The seemingly standard portobella mushroom dish was the vegetarian option when I visited last year, but it tasted quite unique, likely due to the huitlocoche accompanying it. I also still to this day smile when I remember my arugula "salad" (rolled almost sushi-style in paper-thin slivers of jicama). Vegetarians will also find lots of choices at any of the other Jose Andres restaurants (though the dishes at Oyamel didn't seem to fill me up, despite that I (moderately sized female) ate three of them and desert and a drink).

You also suggest Bacchus a lot for a place to take vegetarians, but I found their vegetarian entree list to be quite lacking. You could just have a lot of appetizers, but I seem to recall seeing a notice printed on their menu somewhere requiring each diner to order an entree or pay a fee.

And among restaurants that I don't hear you speak of often, Tom:

Melrose - a wild mushroom plate, but the mushrooms had such a great flavor. (The service there was also excellent.)

Mama Ayesha's - several vegetarian options that are right at home in the restaurant's style (i.e. they don't seem awkward at all).

The Palm - Not a place for vegetarians. When my boss took me there about two years ago there was not one single vegetarian entree on the menu. But I must confess that upon revealing that I was vegetarian to the chef who came to take our orders, he (seemingly) happily volunteered to make me a pasta dish with the garlicky spinach they serve there. It wasn't the best meal ever (though it was pretty decent), but it made me feel comfortable and welcome - and that's really all we vegetarians want at (omnivore)restaurants most of the time.

Ruth's Chris also has a very good portobella mushroom, should a vegetarian find themselves forced to go to a steakhouse. It was very well marinated and seasoned.

For vegetarians on the road - there is a "vegetarian soul food" restaurant in New York called Red Bamboo. It is all vegetarian with lots of vegan dishes. Nice atmosphere - very cozy. Lots of creative meat analogues that aren't...scary or awkward (my meat-loving dining companion and I both loved the butterfly soy chops). I'd kill for a place like this in DC. http://www.redbamboo-nyc.com/

And let me close this mini-manifesto with a reminder to vegetarians dining in Thai restaurants that Thai food is often cooked in fish sauce. I ordered something off of Tara Thai's "vegetarian menu"; when it arrived it had a strange flavor. I asked the waiter if it was prepared using fish sauce and he replied "probably - we use fish sauce in almost everything here." So be sure and ask before ordering, even if it claims to be vegetarian.

Tom Sietsema: Happy to share your thoughts here.

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Kurt -- Washington, D.C. : Hey Tom - Have you been to 2 Amy's yet for pizza? If so how would you compare it to Pizzaria Paridisio. Keep up the good work!

washingtonpost.com: 2 Amys, 0ctober 2004.

Tom Sietsema: Obviously a loyal reader there! (Let's see, HOW many times have I praised Two Amys in print and online?)

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Meatville: Would a vegetarian eat a meat-eating plant (venus fly trap)?

Tom Sietsema: I know who this is -- and he has his own column and his own chat, thank you.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom

I would be curious to know how other restaurateurs handle customers who expect their checks to be discounted for various reasons. You know we all work a lot of hours and our number one objective is to insure that our customers have a good experience. But I find a tiny minority of people who know that restaurants will discount checks to compensate for slow service or other unhappy things--a false fire alarm went off last week and rang obnoxiously for about 10 minutes during lunch. I bought everyone sorbet. I wanted to!;

One time during restaurant week, and again on Monday night (Valentine's Day), I was approached by a customer who clearly understood that a complaint may result in a discount. Where else in world does this happen? Is one 'compensated' at the dentist or Home Depot for having to wait? In no way am I justifying slow service, come see me scurry around this restaurant 6 days a week. I would just like to know if I am alone in being put off by this expectation--actually, recently it has been a demand.

Thanks,

Carolyn Stachowski
Restaurant Kolumbia

p.s. What do you know, a concierge just called me with the same exact complaint!;

Tom Sietsema: Maybe we can use this post as a springboard for next week's discussion. Time is running out for now.

Have a great week, everybody. (And thanks to ME for a MOST enjoyable evening last night. Four stars in my book!)

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