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.
Submit your questions and comments before or during today's discussion.
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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Tom Sietsema: Welcome back, everyone!
One of the things I love about the industry I cover is the generosity of spirit I see in so many chefs and restaurants.
Latest case in point is the way in which so many men and women in the business have responded to the crisis in southeast Asia. For instance, The Breadline is hosting a benefit for tsunami victims Thursday, Feb. 3 from 5-8 p.m., at which some of the city's biggest culinary names will be offering samples of their food. But even smaller places, such as Sala Thai on U St. NW, are getting into the act. Next Monday, Jan. 10, the new restaurant will offer live jazz and free menu tastings; 100 percent of all cash donation will go relief efforts in Thailand. Plan, if you can, to patronize either restaurant -- or any other that happens to be helping out in the coming days.
Onward!
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Fairfax Station, Va.: Dear Tom,
If your bride presented you with a map with a pin on Paris, which mine did, what are the must go to restaurants if you could pick several. We always love Citronelle, Colvin Run, and the Prime Rib, and have been amazed by Charlie Trotter and Daniel over the years. So if we save our choices for a few what should we be researching between now and then?
Sincerely,
J&E
Tom Sietsema: If price is no object, splurge on Le Cinq, one of the grandest dining experiences in my life. But I also love the less pricey L'Astrance, whose young chef comes from the excellent Arpege. A tip if you're considering either: Start dialing. Now.
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Washington DC: Happy New Year, Tom-
I have a craving for red velvet cake, where can I find it?
Tom Sietsema: Hmmm. If anyone serves it, it would be Majestic Cafe in Old Town.
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Washington, DC: Hi, Tom. Thanks in advance for taking my question! Just a quick one: can you recommend a spot in NYC for a great and fun dinner? My last trip to NY was 6 ridiculously long years ago (before kids!), and we had an amazing meal at Jean-Georges. Now I want something a bit less fancy/pricey, but still memorable. It's just an overnight trip for me and my husband and we're SO looking forward to our date! Many thanks for any help.
--Eager to Eat in NYC
Tom Sietsema: Head to Wallse, a softly lightly and modestly romantic Austrian restaurant in the West Village (212-352-2300). The food is beautiful and light, the service warm and welcoming. I've been there three times since it opened in 2000 -- and I always look forward to my next meal there.
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Old Town, Alexandria, VA: Regarding the Majestic Cafe: We would know if they had red velvet cake if they finished the "construction" on their web site that has been ongoing for the last six months!
Tom Sietsema: You hear that, Susan? ;)
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Fairlington, Va.: Have you reviewed Oyamel? Am going there tonight - is there anything not to be missed?
washingtonpost.com: Tom's review of Oyamel from this last Sunday's Magazine (also available online).
Tom Sietsema: Start with a margarita!
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Washington, D.C.: I know this a hard question, but that is why I need your help. We are planning a training for a group of about 50 government people. We would like to have a group dinner on a Wednesday night. The problem is that half the people are local which means that they will personally have to pay for a work dinner since the government won't. As a result we are trying to keep a very tight budget - under $25 a head including tax and tip, people can pay for their own drinks if they want them. Do you have any suggestions? We will be meeting in a hotel near McPherson Square but can go at least as far as Chinatown. Thanks for any suggestions.
Tom Sietsema: Fifty people for dinner downtown? Yikes.
I'd start the process by dialing Kanlaya, an attractive (and spacious) Thai restaurant in Chinatown. There's something on the menu for just about every taste, and the price fits your budget.
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Parkfairfax, Va.: Hi Tom! Two questions. One: my boyfriend and I are celebrating our joint birthdays at minibar next week. What can we expect? Can we choose what to order, or do we just wait for things to be presented to us? Any advice? Secondly: our reservation there is fairly early, so can you recommend somewhere in the neighborhood to go for drinks, dessert, and music after dinner? Thanks!
Tom Sietsema: Minibar is one wild ride. As I recall, you can let the staff know your likes and dislikes, but otherwise, you don't get much say in the matter. But hopefully, there's SOMETHING you'll like amid the 30 or so small whimsies that float your way during the evening.
For drinks afterwards, I'd probably head to Poste, Le Paradou or Ginger Cove -- admittedly three very different nightcaps, but it just depends on what you want after the magic show.
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Re: Red velvet cake: I realize it's not a restaurant, but Safeway makes a yummy red velvet cake, believe it or not!
p.s. sign me up for also being annoyed that Majestic's web site is STILL under construction.
Tom Sietsema: It's pretty easy to make at home, too.
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Washington, D.C.: A friend walked by Johnny's Half Shell last night and said the building was on fire! what's the story? Was it damaged?
Tom Sietsema: News to me. Anyone have details?
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Arlington, VA: Hi Tom - my boss gave me a gift certificate to Restaurant Eve for Christmas. I don't know the amount (since they are holding it for me at the restaurant.) Assuming it is an OK amount, how flattered should I be by this gift?
Tom Sietsema: Very.
You've obviously made your boss extremely happy.
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Northern Virginia: Restaurant etiquette question -- During a holiday meal at an upscale restaurant, a busboy rushing past whacked my friend's head with a tray, dumping a dozen pieces of silverware on her head and lap. Management stopped by briefly to see if blood was gushing, but despite our being well dressed and well behaved, nobody (but the busboy) apologized, and nothing was offered as a small token of comfort. My office-mate says the restaurant should have paid for my friend's dinner; I say that's too much when it's an expensive meal and no skin was broken, but the restaurant should have offered a free drink or dessert. What's your view? Ordinarily a Big Fan of Chez Francois
Tom Sietsema: I'd say that an apology from the maitre d' and a gratis glass of vino or dessert would be appropriate in this case. But a whole dinner? No way.
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Fairfax, Va.: In your last chat, you commented that you don't like reviews if you don't know the reviewer and questioned their credentials, "other than being able to chew and type" Are you saying that you have to be a restaurant critic to know good food??? I have been eating for 45 years and I know what I like to eat. Isn't that all that counts?? In fact, I'd rather read a review from someone like me who is NOT a "restaurant critic" because of a more common point of view. Please have the guts to answer this in your next chat.
Tom Sietsema: I think you misunderstood me. If I recall correctly, I was responding to a question about anonymous reviewer opinions. My problem with criticism from people who are allowed to go nameless is I don't know where they're coming from -- what their tastes, preferences and qualifications for judging food are. Just because you've been eating for 45 years doesn't make you qualified to access a dining experience for a mass audience. Restaurant criticism is all about transcending personal taste. I could go on, but that's it in a nut shell.
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Washington, D.C.: Hello Tom. Welcome back. A friend and I very recently went to CityZen after reading your excellent review of the place. I wanted to report to you some less than stellar service. No one was rude, but... the Mandarin is DC's only 5-star hotel, therefore one would expect a comparable level of service from all of the hotel's staff, wouldn't one? And I was rather disappointed with the lackluster service I received.
My friend and I had originally decided to go just for drinks at the bar area, but when we got there we thought we'd ask whether a table were available for dinner. The hostess hemmed and hawed and said she'd check but she thought they were booked. She said she'd get back to us while we waited at the bar. (Again, she was not rude but her demeanor was more that of someone at a Zola or a Rosa Mexicano -- somewhere between polite and offhand.) She came back after a few minutes but did not seek us out to tell us whether a table would be available -- we had to seek her out and she didn't look as though she had been terribly busy and hadn't had time to find us. She said nothing was available and then suggested we go to Cafe Mozu instead. We elected to stay where we were. I couldn't help feeling that perhaps the hostess held the view we were lacking in some way or that perhaps we did not "belong" in a place as fancy as CityZen. Well, we are two 30-something professional women who were dressed nicely and we were very polite and appropriately behaved. It was the hostess's demeanor that was lacking, in my opinion. And frankly, it made me less likely to want to go back there even though I love fine dining and am dying to try this restaurant.
And, to contrast my experience at the Mandarin, I want to say that whenever I go to the Four Seasons in Georgetown (which is a 4-star, not a 5-star, hotel) whether for drinks or a meal, I observe that each and every staff member is impeccably polite and helpful to all their customers. It doesn't matter to them who you are, nor how you are dressed. That is how a high caliber place ought to treat its visitors... and that is exactly not how we were treated at CityZen. (What if we had been food critics?) this hostess is the first impression that restaurant customers will get of the restaurant, therefore shouldn't she treat everyone in a 5-star manner? Has the restaurant not properly trained its staff?
Anyway, I'm wondering whether anyone else has had a similar or different experience at CityZen and would like to share in this forum.
Thank you.
Tom Sietsema: Unfortunately, you are not the only one to let me know about less than stellar service at CityZen. (I hinted at some minor problems in my review, but thought that they could be easily smoothed out given some time.)
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Washington, DC: Would you recommend going to Equinox during Restaurant Week next week?
Tom Sietsema: Rumor has it Equinox is NOT participating?
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Washington, DC: Do you ever cook at home? If so, what's your favorite dish?
Tom Sietsema: I started my New Year's resolution-making early, and whipped up Christmas Eve dinner for my tribe. No one died. A success!
Seriously, I plan on hosting more dinner parties this year. I really miss cooking. Personally, I gravitate to what's simple. A great mac 'n' cheese, for instance, is a thing of beauty.
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Arlington, Va.: This afternoon my little sister is leaving from Dulles for her semester abroad, and I suspect my parents will be a little blue afterwards. I think we'll be free around 5pm. I know it's a bit early for dinner, but can you suggest a place near the airport that might cheer them up? I don't know anything around there. And am worried about rush hour traffic. Also: parents will be driving back to Baltimore tonight, so I'd rather not go any further south than Dulles, if there's nothing in the immediate neighborhood.
Tom Sietsema: Two possibilities: Picante! and Thai Basil, both in the same shopping strip on Lee Jackson Highway.
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Arlington, VA: In the past, Carole Greenwood has served Red Velvet Cake at Buck's Fishing & Camping.
Tom Sietsema: Ah, thanks for the lead!
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Restaurant Week?: Hi Tom,
I’m working my way through your wonderful Fall Dining guide. I noticed that some of the restaurants listed are taking part in Restaurant week. Should I take advantage of restaurant week or avoid them because service and food quality can be off in this busy time? Thank you again for your guide, it’s a great tool for new residents!
Tom Sietsema: Thanks for the kind words. By all means, take advantage of the menus offered by participating restaurants. The program is much better than it was at launch, three or so years ago. Some places even offer their entire menu for $20.05 at lunch and $30.05 at dinner! (And by that I mean they can order their three courses from the full range.) Restaurant Week is a great way to explore more expensive places for less.
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Alexandria, VA: Happy New Year, Tom! My husband and I are being treated to dinner at 2941 next week. Any must-have suggestions?
Tom Sietsema: Honestly, I was not all that impressed with my last meal at 2941, which is why I dropped it from the fall guide. Plus, the menu changes with some frequency; I haven't seen the most recent list.
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Disneybound: Hi Tom, I know it's not the most sophisticated question, but do you have any recommendations of good restaurants within Orlando's Disney World parks? We are DC foodies planning a quick trip and I just can't see us enjoying the Frontierland buffet. Thanks for your input!
Tom Sietsema: Several years back, I had a lovely dinner at the park's California-style restaurant. Great service, innovative cooking and a fine wine list. Alas, the name is not coming to me just this moment. But yes, good food is a possibility down there.
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Denver, CO: Hi Tom. I was in the DC area over the holidays and we decided to try Matchbox for lunch based on these chats. Your review was spot on - the pizza and mini-burgers were great and the calamari was so-so (I didn't want to order it but the guys wanted some). It was also nice to have a good selection of draft beers, including the Belgian Chimay which we haven't had since, well, we were in Belgium. Just wanted to say thanks for your reviews and chats and Happy New Year! May you have some unforgettable meals in '05.
Tom Sietsema: Why, thank you!
The former chef from Matchbox has moved on, by the way, to a joint called The Ugly Mug on the Hill. He's still doing those mini-burgers and calamari with peppers, by the way.
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Washington, DC: So, tell the truth: do you ever just get sick of going to untried, probably mediocre places and say, "Heck with it. Tonight I'm going to, er, check and make sure Citronelle is still up to par (wink, wink)."
Tom Sietsema: Hey, were you trailing me last night?
Yes, that does occur on occasion. But not often! There are some quite nice new players on the horizon.
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Arlandria, Va.: Tom, do you think eating at Per Se is worth it? I want to try to get reservations when I'm next in NYC but also wondering if it's worth the enormous pricetag and the stress of trying to snag a reservation. And, if I don't get in, can you recommend someplace similarly amazing in NYC with an easier reservation policy? Thanks!
Tom Sietsema: There's a reason Per Se is such a difficult ticket: it is in a league of its own. But frankly, it is such an ordeal getting a table, you'd be better off getting to know some of the city's other grand destinations. Le Bernardin, for instance. Or Daniel. Or Jean-Georges.
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Johnny's Half Shell: I was there. It was on fire last night around 7:30pm. I was walking by and saw that there was a fire alarm and all the patrons were filing out then I looked up and saw plumes of smoke coming out of the back of the building. It looked like it was coming from Johnny's kitchen and it spread to the trash shoot on the side of the building in the alley.
Lots of trucks, cute firemen, and hullabaloo, but the flames died down shortly after the firemen got there. It looked like it was going to spread to the apartment building above the restaurant for a while though.
JMM
Tom Sietsema: Oh dear. I'm very sorry to hear that.
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Washington DC: Hi Tom,
Happy New Year! I believe you visited Inde Bleu last wednesday with your parents. The restaurant staff claim that they identified you.
Just for FYI.
Have a great year.
Tom Sietsema: I will neither confirm nor deny such reports.
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Re: The Ugly Mug: Where is this located on the Hill? Is it new?
Tom Sietsema: It's on 8th St. SE, near the Marine Barracks. So new, it doesn't take credit cards. So new, there was but one wine offered by the glass. So new, I could smell the paint drying.
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Haymarket Virginia: I am looking to have an upscale evening out with my husband that includes a very elegant meal and romantic dancing. We are in our early forties and aren't looking for the club scene; rather a night of rekindling our relationship with fine food, wine and soft music. I would think that in such a diverse city this should be easy to find but I'm not having much luck. I can find many wonderful upscale restaurants but the combination of dancing and food is a mystery. I'd even be happy with two different spots if necessary. Can you recommend anything?
Thanks,
Hollis Bauer
Tom Sietsema: I think this is the 1,254th time this question has come up in this forum, and my answer remains the same as the first time I responded: Melrose in the Park Hyatt continues to offer good food and live music.
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Bethesda, MD: Hi Tom, Your chats help me make it through "humpday." Do you or any fellow chatters have any suggestions on where to get the best raw oysters in NYC? Hope to hear from you.
Tom Sietsema: Try the Grand Central Osyster Bar in the train station (for a quickie) or Oceana on E. 54th (for something more luxe).
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Washington, D.C.: Tom - where can one find REAL Cuban food in the surrounding DC area??
Tom Sietsema: What's your definition of "real"?
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Clinton, MD: Good Caribbean!! In the mood for some Jamaican staples, fried plantains, rice & beans, curry chicken. Where should I go?
Tom Sietsema: Tobago on Georgia Ave. does a great job, but it's a carry-out.
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Washington DC: Tom, Frank Bruni's review of Masa seems to be creating quite a stir among foodies in NY. Do you think $1000 is a bit much to spend for dinner?
Tom Sietsema: (Gulp) Yes.
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Re: Restaurant "critic": Reason #1 I don't put much weight behind anonymous "average joe" critic...
...The wait to get into The Cheesecake Factory.
Tom Sietsema: LOL
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Arlington, Va: Tom, wanted to say thanks for a recommendation. A few weeks ago you recommended my family and I try The Tabard Inn for a nice Christmas Eve dinner out. We took your advice and really enjoyed the delicious food, well-paced service, and cozy atmosphere. A very memorable Christmas dinner! Thanks!
Tom Sietsema: Happy to hear that.
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Washington,D.C.: Instead of rating the best restaurants, why don't we look at some of the restaurants to stay away from? I realize no one wants to hurt a business yet, if someone has had a bad experience that is "real", they ought to explain it. I think it would also motivate restaurants to maintain standards; instead of the random voting that goes on over the internet, anyone can get their employees to vote for their establishment if they tell them it will bring money in their pockets...I do not enjoy reading a great review, showing up to the restaurant, and not getting all that was expected through the ideas of another person....
Tom Sietsema: Bad restaurants. You start!
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Pizzeria Paradiso: Hi Tom. Just wanted to report on a very disappointing lunch my husband and I had at Pizzeria Paradiso recently. We ordered a ‘LARGE’ pizza with our choice of 3 toppings: pancetta, basil, red onion. When the pizza was brought to our table, we could barely spot the ‘minuscule’ size pancetta pieces (we found maybe 4-5 barely noticeable pieces on the entire LARGE pizza), and there were maybe 3 leaves of basil (burnt, I might add), and ‘PAPER THIN’ slices of red onion (again, maybe 5-6 very little slices altogether on a LARGE pizza!!). Skimping with toppings? What worse way for a pizza place to do business? This was maybe our 3rd or 4th visit to the restaurant, and I don’t think I’ve noticed this kind of a problem until now. Needless to say, my husband and I vowed never to return to the place. Have you been getting similar complaints from other diners about Pizzeria Paradiso lately?
On a different note, are there any French Bistros in the DC/MD/VA area that serve ‘frisée au lardon’?
Love these chats!
Tom Sietsema: I didn't notice sparse toppings on my last trip to PP. Did you say anything to your server?
Try Bistro Francais, Bistrot du Coin or Le Tire Bouchon for said salad -- but call to verify first!
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Near Dulles: What about Tortilla Factory, in Herndon (10 minutes from Dulles)? That's a cheerful place, bright with color and flavor.
Then there's Harvest of India, 3-5 more minutes down Elden St. in the K-mart shopping center - a marvelous way with the spices, and a very capable and friendly staff who will make you feel welcome and help your parents relax and be comforted (just as an illustration, one of the staff remembered me, and came over to give me an enthusiastic hello, 2-3 years after I'd last been in there, and about 5-6 years after I'd last been a regular).
Tom Sietsema: Good tips both. Thanks.
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Clinton, MD...Again: Just for clarification: Tobago's Catering and Cafe on 7th street. Is this it?
Thanks! Love the chat!!!!
Tom Sietsema: Right-o.
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Capitol Hill, D.C.: Tom, could you please direct me to the best plate of choucroute in the District?
Tom Sietsema: Alas, I'm still searching ...
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Alexandria, Va.: Tom: I am hoping to setup a surprise dinner party for my wife's 30th birthday. Can you recommend any places in Old Town that have private rooms, seating 8 people? I like the Majestic Cafe, but don't think it has a private. I may just try and book a large table there if you cannot think of an alternative. Thanks!
Tom Sietsema: The chef's tasting room at Eve would be my first-choice, but you'll have to settle for mingling with strangers.
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Bad Restaurants: Hi Tom.
Let us start the new year with something positive, if you do not want to say anything positive about a restaurant, leave them alone. By your saying something negative, you know what damage can be done!
Some restaurateurs are struggling and trying to make ends meet. If you do not have anything good to say, please refrain from classifying them as Bad restaurants etc.
Keep up the good job that you have been doing.
Tom Sietsema: I KNEW I'd hear that from somebody! Okay, no talk of miserable dining experiences for the rest of the hour. Sound fair?
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Washington, DC: Hi Tom,
Which restaurants would you recommend I try during restaurant week?
Tom Sietsema: Whichever restaurant you've been dying to try but haven't been able to afford before.
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Disney World Dining!: Tom,
Please tell the DC Foodies to make reservations at Victoria and Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort at Disney World. It has amazing food for 6 courses, with artistic dessert. Every table gets its own Victoria and Albert for the duration of your meal. With a small dining room and no one under 18 allowed it's a wonderful adult respite. (jacket required)
Also the Artist Point Café in the Wilderness Lodge has great Pacific Northwest cuisine. Things you don’t normally see on Florida menus, like free range chicken and rabbit sausage. Although the food is upscale and the service great, be warned, small children are often sleeping across two or three chairs.
And you’re thinking of the California Grill, on the top floor of the Contemporary resort. The restaurant severs great steaks while revolving slowly to give diners a 365’ view of three of the Disney parks.
Thanks for all the DC dining advice,
A former Disney Dining Reservationist
Tom Sietsema: Wow! Such well-connected posters we have! Merci.
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Great DisneyWorld Dining: I've been to Disneyworld 11 times and I always make a point of dining at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. Remember to make your reservations ahead of time as it is quite popular. Here's the reservation line 1(407)WDW-DINE. Another fabulous place to dine if you're in Epcot is the Bistro de Paris upstairs. Try to get a window table to watch the Illuminations light show and fireworks. If you time it right, the fireworks will go off during dessert. Tres romantic!
Tom Sietsema: Here's more.
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Pizzeria Paradiso: AG! Diners expect too much!! By the writers own admission "This was maybe our 3rd or 4th visit to the restaurant, and I don’t think I’ve noticed this kind of a problem until now. Needless to say, my husband and I vowed never to return to the place." So one so-so meal sours the diner? I've served up one or two unintentionally less than stellar meals to friends I've invited over for dinner, but thankfully they've come back since.
Tom Sietsema: You sound like my kind of diner.
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Norfolk, Va.: Tom - Happy New Year. This may be more of a philosophical question, but do you award extra points in a review for a restaurant that is surprisingly better than you would have thought? In other words, might a seemingly modest place that really surprises you rate better than one of D.C.'s more obvious upscale choices (which I, personally, often find to be overrated). Thanks.
Tom Sietsema: I try to judge restaurants by what I think they set out to do. But the bottom line, no matter how grand or humble the business, is: Is the food good?
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Washington, DC: Hi Tom - Responding to the submission about CityZen where the would-be diner thought they were treated like they didn't belong. I read that a lot in this chat, and wish people wouldn't immediately jump to that conclusion. Sometimes, people are rude or in a hurry, not that that makes rude service okay. But I've noticed when I'm out with business associates or acquaintances that as soon as someone thinks they've been snubbed, they're insufferable as a dining companion. Just a random complaint. It's not you - it's them. Move on. Enjoy your evening.
Tom Sietsema: You raise an excellent point.
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Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.: Wow, the reader in Fairfax needs to relax. "Please have the guts to answer this in your next chat." Way to preface an presumptuous insult with please. Maybe this is what you mean by rising above personal preferences, but the reason I like journalist food reviews better than Zagat's is that the journalist is supposed to think about what everyone would like, whereas the Zagat's reviewer is only required to recount his personal experience. I can read back issues of Tom's (or anyone else's) reviews to see if I generally agree with him or not, or if he seems to like the things I like. With the Zagat's guide, the featured review could be a four star trained chef, a gastronomically gifted amateur, or my crazy Aunt Myrtle, who hates everyone and everything and just likes to complain. But I can't tell if the criticism "poor service" is the chef being snobby about being served from the left, the amateur getting the wrong order, or crazy Aunt Myrtle Also just being grumpy. So it's not particularly helpful. The journalist is required to think, "Well, it's lame that the waitress served from the wrong side, but a lot of people don't care about that, and she got everything else right, so overall, the service was fine."
Tom Sietsema: Can I shake your hand? You just made my day.
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Silver Spring, MD: You've had good reviews about several Silver Spring restaurants recently. What would your top five of area restaurants be? Is Sergios part of it?
Tom Sietsema: I've yet to eat at Sergio's, and I'm reluctant to list "top five," but places that I'm eager to return to in SS include Jackie's, Mandalay, and Samantha's.
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Washington, DC: Several weeks ago you politely bashed Filomena by suggesting that there are better Italian restaurants with better prices. What do you have in mind?
Tom Sietsema: Al Tiramisu, for openers
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Pizza Paradiso Toppings: Had to weigh after seeing the previous post--went there ONCE, saw that muscles were a topping option, figured that would be something interesting to try on a pizza. Didn't think to ask if they came in the shell, because that seemed preposterous. Make that presumptous--not only did they come in their shells (annoying to negotiate through a pizza), but the shells had water in them from the steaming process--which made for one soggy pizza.
All-in-all, Pizza Paradiso seemed like one of the more over-hyped, undeserving restaurants in DC.
holla!
Tom Sietsema: Wait, the very good Two Amys serves its "cockles" pizza in their shells, too. Not necessarily a bad thing, though no one wants a wet pie. (And I hope your pizza had mussels rather than muscles.)
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Washington, D.C.: re: The Cheesecake Factory. I've been to The Inn at Little Washington (I've had better AAA-Five Diamonds, like Tony's) and I've most recently been to Obelisk (uninspired and left me hungry). I wish I could've saved my money from both of those places and just gone to The Cheesecake Factory.
Tom Sietsema: Everyone's a critic!
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Re: Le Cinq: The place is indeed wonderful. One tip - if money is an issue, go there for lunch. Lunch menus are 80 and 130 Euros; for dinner you would spend maybe 200 - 300 Euros only for food.
Tom Sietsema: Excellent idea!
And with that, I bid you adieu. See you next Wednesday.
