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. You can access his Postcards from Tom to read his recommendations for other cities, read his dining column or read transcripts of previous "Ask Tom" chats . Tom's Sunday magazine reviews, as well as his "Ask Tom" column, are available early on the Web.

The transcript follows.

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Logan Circle, Washington, D.C.: Has Komi closed? I walked by on Saturday and the building is shuttered and the windows are covered in brown paper.

Tom Sietsema: Not to worry: The restaurant is merely being renovated. A message on Komi's answering machine says it will reopen later this week.

Did anyone else get caught in the monsoon this morning? I'm typing in a wet wool suit. Maybe I'll dry off by the end of the hour.

Onward!

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom-

You are an inspiration for me in the way you do you job with such style and humor.

I am an amateur cook looking to move to the next level, but I don't have a whole lot of money. Any recs for great cooking classes in the DC area? Thanks much.

Tom Sietsema: The single best place to start looking for cooking class ideas is L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, which is responsible for stocking many Washington area restaurants with serious-minded chefs. It has dozens of themed classes from which to choose.

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Fairfax, Va.: I heard a rumor that you visited L'Academie de Cuisine last week. Any truth to it? If so, how can you justify showing your face to future local chefs & restaurateurs? Thanks, Tom.

Tom Sietsema: Word gets around!

I did indeed visit there, for a tour and a lunch prepared by students. But I was careful not to go into classrooms where future chefs would see me and avoided them as much as possible.

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Fine Dining on the Day of Loooove...: Dear Tom, I was hoping you'd be able to offer me some advice on a Valentine's dining dilemma....I've made reservations at 3 places: Restaurant Eve's tasting room, L'Auberge Chez Francois, and Le Paradou for the 14th and have no idea which to choose! Given this luxury of choice, which would you pick for a young couple looking for a v. romantic and gastronomic epiphany-style dining experience?

Tom Sietsema: No question: Restaurant Eve!

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Downtown spot: Hi, Tom. If you had a $50 gift certificate to Les Halles and your in-laws were coming into town, would you go there for dinner on Saturday night, or pick another spot downtown? My mother-in-law loves D.C. at night, so Virginia restaurants are out, and we tend to pick mainstream, moderately priced places (think Little Fountain Cafe and Al Tiramisu). What do you think?

Tom Sietsema: Les Halles is a perfectly respectable French restaurant. I especially like its location. Plan to stroll off a few calories before or after dinner on Pennsylvania Ave.

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Kensington, Md.: Tom: You were right about Coppi's. My wife and I had dinner on Sunday night after the Studio Theatre and we left wanting more. Although the salads were very good the pizza left something to be desired. The place is nice and reminded me of places in New York but the food didn't live up. Thanks for the advice not followed.....

Tom Sietsema: Actually, I wish you could say I was wrong!

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Tom, thanks for the great chat, as always. I just wanted to make a comment about the new restaurant Sette Bello in Arlington. I have been three times in the past two weeks - once in a big group for a celebration, once to sit at the bar, and once during restaurant week - and I must tell you the food and the service were nothing but top notch every time. We interacted with everyone from the manager to the bus staff, and were treated like gold by everyone. The food was fresh and delicious and the wine recommendations were reasonably priced and went very well with our orders. And you can bet we tipped accordingly for how impressed we were. As an aside, there was an error on my date's credit card bill (the restaurant billed him more than once) and when he called them to rectify it, they not only corrected the mistake, but they gave him a free meal for his next visit! What a great addition to the heart of Arlington!

Tom Sietsema: The gift of a free meal was more than generous. Sette Bello certainly seems to be winning over its neighbors.

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Washington, D.C.: Good morning. What do you consider to be the three best French restaurants in (or around) DC? (Its semi-business related and price is not a concern.) Thanks.

Tom Sietsema: Michel Richard Citronelle for contemporary French

Gerard's Place for a more classical experience

Le Paradou and Marcel's.

The last two can soar to glorious heights, but can also occasionally disappoint me. Which is not a risk I always care to take when the bill at each is in the triple digits -- per person.

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Re: fine dining on the day of love: My advice to the person who seeks fine dining on Valentine's Day.... stay in. Valentine's Day dinner is Amateur Night, and one of the worst nights of the year to go out to dinner and actually enjoy the experience. Instead, get takeout -- or cook a meal -- and create a romantic atmosphere at home.

Tom Sietsema: I'm in your camp.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom, hope you're drying off from the rain. Where's the best place in town to get a hot cup of tea and a warm bowl of soup on a wet dreary DC day like today? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Ching Ching Cha in Georgetown is the exact opposite of most of its competition there: calm, quiet, relaxing, restorative.

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20004: Tom -- What's your take on the Segway incident?

Tom Sietsema: I thought it was hilarious -- and audacious. Let's hope it doesn't become a trend.

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washingtonpost.com: The Reliable Source on the Segway incident .

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom! I heard that Capitol Hill is now flush with new hot tasty restaurants. Can't be true, can it? Signed, former Hill rat used to eating bread crumbs and stale cheese.

Tom Sietsema: "Flush" is an overstatement. Of the (relatively) new crop, I'm partial to Charlie Palmer Steak and Sonoma. Belga Cafe has a few charms, but they're mostly liquid (the beer menu is terrific).

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Re: Fine Dining on the day of love: How about figuring out where you want to go and THEN making reservations.

People like this create extra work for restaurant staff and disappointment for other customers who think that they're blocked out of the restaurant of their choice.

Hopefully, this one will at least now show some common courtesy and cancel the two that he won't fulfill. Many people don't even bother with this basic piece of half-decent behavior.

Tom Sietsema: Which is why so many restaurants insist on credit card information when diners book tables on major holidays .... not that I blame them!

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College park, Md.: Is it just me, or is it incredibly rude to reserve three tables for Valentine's day (or any other day) and cancel two of them? What ever happened to having consideration for the restaurant management and the other people trying to get tables? Please, do your research in ADVANCE of making the reservations, not afterwards. Why is that any more difficult?

Sorry, thanks for letting me rant!

Tom Sietsema: Rant away. I hope the earlier poster cancels the other two reservations, too.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom. I'm curious as to how you make distinctions among the very top tier of DC restaurants. In particular, you've carved out a unique spot for Restaurant Eve -- 3.5 stars. Since I see Eve raved about in every chat (and elsewhere), I'm curious about what prevented it from joining the 4-star crowd? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: There were several little (but important) details that kept it from achieving four-star status. One of them was a hard-to-drink cocktail. (It was a tropical fruit drink, impossible to drink because the mango wasn't properly pureed.)

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom,

I just wanted to let you know that I have been to Obelisk and I was very disappointed. This restaurant is supposed to be unbelievable and the only thing which was unbelievable was the price. The food was not very interesting but the bill was.

I think it was too expensive for what it was compare to Petits Plats where I went during restaurant week.

The food was unbelievable with the Tartiflette that I had and then the beef.

I was very impressed especially with the menu that they had and the atmosphere, I will definitely go back.

Tom Sietsema: Gosh, I'd love more detail. Obelisk and Petit Plats are two very different creatures.

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Del Ray, Va.: Note re: Evening Star - on several occasions my friends and I have tried to enjoy cocktails in the upstairs lounge of Evening Star only to be greeted by the usual Saturday night bartender's unwarranted, rude comments. Comments such as "we don't serve water upstairs" when asked for a glass of ice water and responses such as serving my friend a martini glass full of cranberry juice and water when she asked him to make her a cosmo less strong than the first one. Granted we didn't complain to a manager but I can tell you they've lost our business completely which is a shame for them because we live in the neighborhood and on any given night there's at least six of us ready and willing to give our money to a friendly bartender in the area.

Tom Sietsema: Why on earth DIDN'T you bring this to a manager's attention? I'm sure someone in authority would want to know about this.

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Ashburn, Va.: Re: French restaurants...I see L'Auberge Chez Francois didn't make the cut...any particular reason?

Tom Sietsema: It's a fine place to eat, but the Alsatian menu doesn't come close to the cooking of the aforementioned French restaurants.

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Washington, D.C.: RE: the Segway incident: this seems to be just another example of unthinking prima donnas running roughshod over public places. The guy rode the Segway, a vehicle, through the lobby, then wondered why he couldn't park it someplace. No-one would ride their bike up to the maitre d's stand, or wonder why there weren't bike racks next to the lobster tank. I understand the need for customer relations, but I wish the restaurant would have told this guy to take his vehicle back to the street where it belongs.

Tom Sietsema: I think the hostess was in shock!

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Fine Dining...: Calm down! I would like to go to all three, but obviously can't, and I really don't think that canceling 2 of the reservations almost a month before Valentine's Day actually arrives creates much work or disappointment for anyone.

Tom Sietsema: I wonder if that's true?

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Washington, D.C.: Just a Restaurant Week Round Up...

Friday night, 1789, absolutely perfect. The food was great (the new chef seems to be doing well), the service impeccable. It was my birthday and the server overheard me discussing it with my friend. My dessert came out with a candle on the plate and Happy Birthday written in chocolate around the rim of the place. I was also given a birthday card from the staff.

Saturday night, Caucus Room, a comedy of errors. Our party was mistakenly seated at two different tables, missing appetizer ordered in addition to the RW menu, wrong wine (we didn't notice until we tasted it--1999 Bourdeaux instead of 2000), beef overcooked (3 out of 4 diners). However, the restaurant deserves to be commended for going above and beyond--two free additional desserts to share, free coffees, overcooked meat replaced, and a free bottle of the correct wine. Kudos for treating RW diners well. Now, do something about all the people in jeans.

Sunday night, 701 Restaurant. Food was good, let me sub an entree of the regular menu and charged me less than the RW price. Service was top-notch. A pleasant night, but not special like 1789.

Thanks for letting me share. It's always nice to see restaurants that see the real value in RW. I will definitely return to them and I hope more recognize this. I recommend all of these to your readers for future RWs. Thanks for letting me share.

Tom Sietsema: Thanks for sharing with the class.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I have been to several business luncheon and have question regarding how people should pay their "fair" share when the bills come. There are times when I go to group lunch and the one that handle the bills usually have to shell out a lot more money out of his/her own pocket when not enough money is collected. We are all professional people, most are even engineers (good math skills?), sometime I just don't understand why people just cannot remember what they order and how much they order. Just added them up and put another 20-25% in and that should cover the tax and tips.

I once have a coworker sitting next to me order a $7 entree and a drink for $1.25. When it is time to pay, he took out a $10 bill and asked for $1 back! Not to mention it was a farewell lunch that all attendances are supposed to "treat" someone.

Can you suggest a better way to approach this kind of "cheap" behavior in the group/business environment?

Also, when I attend a Christmas lunch being treated by my boss, I'll try to order something in the reasonable price range. In this occasion I really like a seafood dish ($12 or $13) from that restaurant, so I order that instead of other usual pasta/pizza dish my other co-workers had ordered ($9-$10). However, since I notice my entree is more expensive, I did not order any drink, only water with lemon. My co-workers were all ordering beer ($4) or soda. After we went back to the office, my boss where "complaining" to me how I "bankrupt" him. I was not really happy with his response since I do think I order reasonably. So I point out to him that I did not order any drink if he did not realize that. Am I not behaving/ordering appropriately in this occasion?

Tom Sietsema: High on my list of peeves: Cheap people.

Folks, if you can't afford a decent tip for a group meal, TAKE A PASS ON THE LUNCH. Toast your colleague with a card and a handshake instead.

As for the boss who said something about your order: Boo! Hiss! He has bad manners.

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Rockville, Md.: Hi Tom,I know I keep asking this...but I'm hoping you'll post it for me, just once!

Does anyone know of a recent rehearsal dinner location for College Park, MD, for 30 people?

Thanks!!

Tom Sietsema: Chatters?

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20307: Do you smell like a wet dog in your wet wool suit? I hope you don't have to go out to lunch that way.

Tom Sietsema: Me too! Actually, I borrowed a friend's hair dryer. I'm ALMOST dry enough to go to lunch. (Thank goodness for Hugo Boss cologne, too. I'm spritzing on extra, to get rid of the, um, canine aroma.)

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Tipping: Tom- what's your guide for tipping?

I tipped 25% the other day at a restaurant for good service, and the waiter blew us off as we were leaving. I thought that 25% was a good tip!

Tom Sietsema: Twenty five is exceeding generous! I can't explain your server's tude ...

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Gift Certificate Questions: Hi Tom,

My husband I were recently given a very generous gift certificate to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I know you are normally not a big fan of chains, but I thought you or the other readers may be able to point us towards which of the locations we should make our reservation for. I know the quality can vary a lot from one spot to the other.

Also, when making the reservation is it necessary to mention the fact that we have a gift certificate?

Thank you very much for your help!

Tom Sietsema: (Who says I don't like chains?)

It's been a few years since I popped into a RCS. Can a reader point our meat eaters in the right direction?

With gift certificates, it certainly wouldn't hurt to let the receptionist and server know that you'll be using one. As long as it hasn't expired, I don't think you should have any problem.

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Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom-

After 2 years of being away from DC, my fiancee and I are back in the city we fell in love with during our 3 years living and working here. And now its time to plan the wedding. We're hoping to do a breezy 5-minute ceremony in order to concentrate on creating a fun and social reception, i.e., good wine and beer choices, and eclectic food stations instead of a sit-down dinner. Do you have any suggestions of restaurants that could capture this atmosphere? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: What's your budget? Your taste in food? Your group size?

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13th & K Street: Hi Tom,

I am looking for a tasty 'cheap eat' in my area. There are plenty of great moderate or expensive restaurants nearby and there is no shortage of mediocre chain sandwich shops, but I haven't found a good AND affordable lunch (entrees about $10). From my discussions with friends, this is a problem PLAGUES the District.

Thanks a million!

Tom Sietsema: Cheap and good (if somewhat Spartan): Casa Blanca on Vermont Ave.

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CEIBA: Hey Tom:

Went to Ceiba earlier this week and loved it. I had the halibut and I loved the ceviche and black bean soup appetizers. However, I was not impressed with the dessert? I was a little disappointed since your review adamantly stated to "save room for dessert". What gives? What did you order when you were there that was so good?

I had the flan and the choc cake and was underwhelmed.

Everything else was great, though.

Tom Sietsema: I had the dulce de leche cheesecake and the chocolate Cuban coffee cake and loved 'em both.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi Tom,

What are your thoughts (and the group's) on Chef Geoff's downtown? I ask because my husband and I had a very bad experience there before Christmas. Our issues were server-related. She didn't tell us the specials. She brought my steak out without a steak knife, then disappeared for so long we finally had to flag down another server. My husbands meal was practically inedible. When the server finally came back to ask how our food was, my husband responded that his was "marginal". She responded by saying "That's good!" (She must be used to everyone just answering fine to that question.) When we looked at her in shock, she recovered sort of, but didn't apologize. She just said, "I hope we can make it up to you with dessert." She then left my husbands plate in front of him for another 15 minutes, even though he clearly indicated he was done.

We declined dessert or coffee, and after searching for a manager with no success, decided to just cut our losses and go somewhere else for an after-dinner drink.

Did we just have an off-night, or is Chef Geoff's not worth the time? There are too many good places out there to risk going back again, in my opinion.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Tom Sietsema: Like Coppi's, I keep returning to CG's to see what I'm missing. Invariably, my conclusion is: Not much.

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Rehearsal dinner location..: There's always the 94th Aerosquadron over at the airport grounds. Lovely location with all of the planes and the woods, and the food is quite good. I suppose Lupo's on Rt. 1 might work as well, but it's not quite as good.

Tom Sietsema: To the rescue!

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Washington, D.C.: To the person who "doesn't think canceling a reservation for Val. Day a month ahead of time" should be a problem. That person is right. He doesn't think. For instance, that recommendation you just made for Eve. When people call today for a reservation for Valentine's Day, they may be turned down because of that unthinking person who has taken that slot already and has not chosen to make up his mind yet. Also, from experience I know that most often , the triple reserver "forgets" to cancel the other reservations. Bottom line: there is no excuse for this selfish behavior.

Tom Sietsema: Nuff said

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Three reservations for Valentine's Day: Let's just hope he doesn't have dates with three separate ladies and will make a choice one week before!

Tom Sietsema: You're cracking me up!

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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: To Washington, DC who doesn't like people wearing jeans --- am I the only one who finds this odd? It's Saturday night, people have been in suits all week.. lighten up!

Tom Sietsema: True. But some of the people around you have saved up their hard-earned money to enjoy a nice restaurant, and are disappointed when they're honoring the environs with appropriate attire and others seem not to care. (I hear this all the time, by the way.)

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great cheap lunch: if you're willing to walk a few blocks, Couscous Cafe is wonderful!

Tom Sietsema: Yes it is.

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Cheap people: OMG! When I was a server, whenever someone would whip out a calculator, I knew my tip would suffer. Generally these people would also leave change for tip ( like $11.87 vice $12.00)

Personally, I think the bill should always be split unless there is a huge discrepancy between what was ordered. I have put one of my friends on my "do not invite to dinner out" list because she made a point of paying $5 less than everyone else because she felt her bill was less (it actually was maybe $2 less.) She also mentioned the cost of the meal per person -- $50 for a seafood dinner entree, 2 cocktails and tip -- as though it was more than she expected.

Tom Sietsema: Cheap diners tend to be cheap in other aspects of their lives, too, I've discovered. It's one thing to be careful, or smart, with your spending; it's another thing to pinch pennies.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom,

Maybe 3 times the charm? My girlfriends dad is coming into town this weekend, and we were thinking of taking him to the Iron Gate on N. Any thoughts on this place?

Tom Sietsema: (It worked!)

Pretty atmosphere, dull menu. Go to the nearby Tabard Inn instead.

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Re: Chef Geoff's: Just a quick comment at the end of the chat about Chef Geoff's. We (a group of 5) went there for RW over the weekend. All 5 of us were extremely pleased with the food and our server. Our experience there seems to be pretty opposite the previous poster. Plus, it was nice to see that they offered their full menu for the RW prices.

Tom Sietsema: I LOVE it when a restaurant offers lots of choices. So, hurrah for that.

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Washington, D.C.: Love Restaurant Eve - but you are right; they need a better bartender. We love to start a nice meal off with a bombay saphire martini -- the martini was awful. The food was then great! No offense to the bar staff there, I don't know them personally, but they do need some help in this area.

Tom Sietsema: Uh oh! I thought mine was a one-time problem.

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Washington, D.C.: Re: Dining in groups. One way to reconstruct the cost of people's meals is to ask the server for a menu along with the check. That makes the numbers more concrete and also makes it less likely the total dollars collected will come up on the low side when it comes to adding a tip.

Tom Sietsema: Good point.

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Washington, D.C.: Based largely on your review, my fiancee and I decided to try Meskerem some time ago, and have been hooked ever since. What else constitutes the cream of the crop for Ethiopian food in the area?

Tom Sietsema: Gosh, that was a recommendation I made a long, long time ago. These days, I prefer Etete on 9th St. NW.

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Washington, D.C.: I had dinner with friends at Jaleo recently and had the waiter demand that we order ALL of the Tapas we wanted at the very beginning of the meal so that he could "put them into the computer". When we said we'd prefer to order as we went along he copped a real attitude.

Ordering everything at the beginning isn't normal is it? I've been there a couple of times and never been asked to do that ...

Tom Sietsema: Ditto. He must have been a newbie, or feeling particularly stressed out. The whole point of tapas is ordering a few plates now, a few plates later -- and RELAXING over your food and drink.

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Washington, D.C.: I'm trying to figure out what restaurants in the area offer a bartending class or two for the ordinary person who wants to learn how to serve fun cocktails at parties. I believe some restaurants who offered this service were listed in the Post's weekend's section, but I can't seem to find them now. Are you aware of such restaurants in the DC area that offer these classes? Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Degrees, in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Georgetown, offered instruction on shakin' and stirrin' awhile back. You might start there.

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Ruth's Chris: My husband and I are fans of Ruth's Chris and always receive excellent service at the Crystal City location. They always ask if we are there for a special occasion when we make a reservation. We went once for an anniversary and were offered a complimentary dessert. On another visit, we declined the dessert because we had birthday cake waiting at home, and the manager comped our drinks. We certainly didn't expect anything free either time, but it was a nice surprise

Tom Sietsema: Sweet! Thanks for the mini-review.

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Baltimore, Md.: Hi, Tom: I'm visiting next month and have fond memories of La Fourchette in Adams Morgan. Is it still good, in your estimation? How would you compare it to Bistro du Coin, which I found fun but noisy and crowded. Looking for something romantic and French that won't break the bank. Thanks.

Tom Sietsema: La Fourchette is kind of .... coasting. Bistro Francais or Montmartre are much better bets.

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RE: Segway defense: While I am not advocating Mr. Segway's actions, I would like to point out that restaurants should be equipped to provide accommodations for handicapped customers. With this in mind, the hostess' shock is a little confusing to me: would she have the same reaction to someone using a walker or an electric (or non-electric for that matter) wheelchair? Do they not have a space set aside for these assistive devices (not to mention strollers, etc)? Seems like, while the user was a jerk, she could have approached the situation just as she would for any customer with assistive needs.

Tom Sietsema: Yeah, but have you ever seen one of those things? They're pretty tall!

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Bethesda, Md.: I was dining at Galileo on Friday and witnessed an odd occurrence. It was fairly late in the evening, after 10pm and all of a sudden all the waiters started clapping. My first thought, and that of my dining companions, was that the waiters were about to start singing "happy birthday" to someone. But then I hear a waiter say something like "It's our owner" and then Roberto Donna walked by. I thought this was very egotistical. Does he walk through the restaurant every night and have the waiters applaud him?!?

Tom Sietsema: I wonder if you caught the whole scenario. I've seen the top toque stroll through his restaurant many times. Not once have I seen his staff applaud him.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Mr. Sietsema,

I have my father in town and have heard that Shula's is a good steak place. Have you eaten there? Do they have good desserts?

Tom Sietsema: Let me preface my response by telling you that the menu there is printed on ... a football.

In other words, there are better -- more serious -- places for a steak dinner. Among my favorites are Capital Grille (don't miss the flourless chocolate cake or coconut cream pie) in the District and Ray's the Steaks in Arlington. And for real Washington flavor, you can't beat The Palm.

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Alexandria, Va.: Help! My best friend is in town for the week, and she is dying to eat somewhere that has belly-dancing. I know Marrakesh is an option, but I think it's probably out of my price range. Is there anywhere that we can see belly-dancing, enjoy good food, and not spend more than $30 per person? We don't drink, if that helps. Thanks!

Tom Sietsema: Head to Taste of Morocco in Silver Spring, which features belly dancing every night, around 7:30.

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Bethesda, Md.: Dear Tom-

I was hoping you could help me pick a nice romantic restaurant for Valentines Day in the Bethesda area. I know it's a long way off, but this is our first V-Day together and our crazy schedules require a good deal of forethought. He left the planning to me suggesting that I could find something more romantic than he, although I do suspect a little, "honey, it's not a big deal to me, you figure out what you want to do, tell me what to wear and what time I should be there." So, bottom line: I'd like somewhere nice, but not prohibitively expensive (we're young professionals), romantic, in Bethesda, that takes reservations. I know, I might as well throw a unicorn in for good measure, but do you have any suggestions?

Thanks a million!

-New romantic planner

Tom Sietsema: Regulars know I have problems with Bethesda -- So many restaurants! So much mediocrity! -- but I think Black's Bar and Kitchen, Green Papaya, Raku and maybe Rock Creek come closest to what you seek. The Portuguese-themed Tavira in Chevy Chase is also modestly romantic.

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Springfield, Va.: Tom:

We dined at two DC area restaurants during Restaurant Week - the Majestic Cafe and the Occidental. We thoroughly enjoyed the Majestic; we had a good range of selections (about 5 for each of the three courses for dinner), great service and fantastic food. Alas, the Occidental was somewhat of a Disappointment: although the service was good (and they seated 7 of us at a very nice table), we had a choice of only 2 items for each course. Even worse, the portion sizes were miniscule! And, we had to beg for a basket of bread (I did not notice if we had to pay for it). We learned our lesson for the next Restaurant Week, but just wondered if you had heard similar complaints? Thanks.

Tom Sietsema: I've heard about smaller portions at a few places, but not at Occidental specifically. Two choices per course doesn't sound like much choice at all, does it?

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Tomfan, Fairfax, Va.: Tom, I went to Creme last week on your recommendation and after reading about its "homestyle" cooking. When I saw the menu I was elated, but my dining companion (a vegan) was somewhat vexed that I had brought her there. She thought she would have to settle for some mixed veggies on a plate, but when she asked if she could make a special request, the waiter was delighted to take her order. The chef (I'm sorry I forget his name) was thrilled to have a challenge - I know this because he came over to our table and chatted for a few minutes. My dining companion said this was the best vegan meal I'd ever bought her! She has some vegetables wrapped in a pastry with asparagus and rice.

We're definitely going back.

(p.s. you're fabeaux Tom)

(p.p.s. the chef said one night he made 10 different vegetarian/vegan meals on the spot)

Tom Sietsema: I'm glad to hear Creme continues to do what it does so well. Thanks for the field report.

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Washington, D.C.: I have am supposed to meet some friends for dinner at Local 16 on U St. I read your review of the restaurant. Have you been back there since writing the review? And if so, are your opinions still the same?

Tom Sietsema: Actually, the restaurant has significantly improved since my review. I'd definitely consider it for a moderately-priced night away from the home kitchen.

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Petworth, D.C.: Just wanted to tell you about 3 wonderful successes with restaurant week. Vidalia, Georgia Brown's & Sushi Ko were all seated my reservation on time, had wonderful service and in the case of Vidalia and Sushi Ko outstanding food. Georgia Brown's had their usual heaping portions and good food.

Also of note, I recently had a half off coupon for Galileo, which has been getting trashed of late. I went, half expecting to be treated as a second class citizen...as you had to present the coupon at the beginning of the meal. On the contrary, the service was superb, from the maitre d' to the server to the sommelier. The food was absolutely divine...the tuna tartare appetizer was one I could eat daily. The only let down was that after the wonderful appetizer and pasta courses, the main course was delicious, but didn't seem to pop as much as the others...another reason why the small plate movement has me captivated.

Anyway...thanks for the chats Tom!

Tom Sietsema: And that concludes today's chat. See you again next Wednesday, everyone!

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