| Ask Tom
Hosted by Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Food Critic
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002; 11 a.m. ET 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.
Rockville, Md.: Hey Tom, great to have you back. We missed you! What have you heard about the latest branch of the Clyde's Restaurants in Tower Oaks area in Rockville? From the outside it looks very nice, any scoop? Tom Sietsema: Sorry, but I’d rather not discuss the place so close to my review, which comes out December 15.
Good morning, everyone. As a reminder, I’ll be here the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, to talk about restaurants at our usual time. On with your questions and comments ...
Bethesda, Md.: T.S.-
Boyfriend's 25th birthday in a few weeks. Would like to keep the bottom line under $75.00, if possible. He's a meat and potatoes guy all the way. I need a romantic, reasonably priced steak house. Is there such a thing? And please don't say Outback!
Thanks! S.G. Tom Sietsema: If you don't mind driving, there's Fleming's on Chain Bridge Road in Tysons Corner, which has the advantage of an interesting wine program that your budget should allow.
Germantown, Md.: Tom, So what will You be doing for Thanksgiving?? Going out?? Cooking at home?? Going to a friend or relative's house?? And what will be on your table for Thanksgiving?? Also, everyone has a dish that is "family" driven...Its been on your table for years and doesn't quite fit for Thanksgiving...ex. for our family its coleslaw... Thanks and have a great holiday... Tom Sietsema: I've been invited to a big gathering of about 15 people here in town. My brother, The Turkey Expert and a guest to the same dinner, has been asked to roast the star attraction, and I'm in charge of the vino. For nostalgia's sake, I just might whip up a green bean casserole -- the one with fried onions and cream of mushroom soup, natch.
Silver Spring, Md.: Tom: A comment and a question on restaurant pricing. Last week my wife and I and another couple went to a very nice restaurant, I won’t name it because this is a general practice rather than a problem with a specific restaurant. We had a very wonderful meal, three courses plus desert and coffee, and drinks. Total bill just over $400, plus D.C. tax and tip call it a $500 evening. We had aperitifs, wine with dinner, and after-dinner drinks. The aperitifs were kirs at $10 each from a $10 bottle (retail) of white wine, the dinner wine was two bottles at $60 each ($23 each retail) and grappa $9.50 each from a $40 retail bottle. This means we just paid $178 for drinks plus tax and tips that cost about $60 at retail. I understand that the restaurant has to make money to stay in business. However, why do restaurants seem to gouge their best customers? The food for the evening came to just over $50 each, very reasonable for the quality. Sitting next to us was a table of four who ordered roughly the same meals and diet cokes to drink and no coffee. Their bill would have been less than half of ours. I know they lost money on that table and on our food. So why did we have to provide the restaurant with profit from our drinks for two tables of people? The food was exceptional but we felt we had to drink average wine in order to make the meal worthwhile, to have drank a wine that the food deserved would have made the entire evening unreasonably prices. Yes this sound snobbish, but if a restaurant expects me to pay $125 per person for dinner the whole experience should be considered. Tom Sietsema: I sympathize with your concerns. It’s really frustrating to see so many restaurants inflict lofty markups on their customers, often preventing them from trying non-mass market wines or otherwise enjoying an important part of the dining experience.
One way to make your feelings known is to take your business elsewhere, to places that offer interesting labels at gentler prices – and let the competition know you are doing just that, and why.
Washington, D.C.: tried the short ribs at 15 ria last night per your recommendation in a review. yum. a propos of nothing, a (positive) service story. First time I went to the restaurant in the Jefferson Hotel, I went with a friend-- he ordered a steak, and I ordered a cheeseburger. Second time, about an entire year later, I went with the same friend and we ordered the same things.
The waiter said: "Ah, same as last time!"
Was thinking about that this morning as I walked by the hotel on the way to work. I've never been so impressed or surprised by a wait staff. Tom Sietsema: Thanks for the smile.
Servers like that should be cloned, yes?
Washington, D.C.: Tom, have you ever considered a Frequently Asked Questions link (FAQ)? Then you can defer all the, "I have 8 people for a special birthday and want to spend $25/each at an interesting place" questions to the link. Tom Sietsema: Good idea! Thanks for the reminder.
Washington, D.C.: Any dining suggestions for dumping someone this evening? Tom Sietsema: Ouch. How about a drive-through at a fast-food joint? I mean, why linger?
Holiday lunch: Tom, sweetie, love these chats! Any restaurant suggestions for a holiday lunch for my office in Georgetown, preferably west of Wisconsin Ave.? We'll be about 16 people & looking for lunch entrees under $15. A private room is nice but not essential, as long as it isn't one of the noisier establishments. Probably best if it's not too ethnic. Tom Sietsema: The forthcoming Pizzeria Paradiso on M St. NW should be open by the time you plan to celebrate. Neyla on N St might be fun, too.
Washington, D.C.: Any clue where I can go to get a great pecan pie in the city to bring to Thanksgiving dinner? Tom Sietsema: I bet if you asked sweetly, the Caucus Room would sell you a whole dessert.
Alexandria, Va.: Hi Tom, I recently went to Bombay Club for dinner and found the restaurant astoundingly beautiful, the roof hugging palm trees and the decor was "Orgasmic" according to my wife. The food and service was top notch. I don't remember you mentioning it? Tom Sietsema: I’ve had some very nice meals at Bombay Club over the years, and have mentioned the place here and elsewhere. Certainly it is the city’s most romantic Indian restaurant (though my food vote goes to Heritage India in Glover Park).
Washington, D.C.: Love reading your reviews! Have a problem. Took boyfriend to highly rated restaurant (by you, Zagats, other reviewers). They told us the earliest they could take us was 9:30. Fine. We get there and sit for 25 minutes. Then, when the food arrives, it was best mediocre. The appetizers were not appetizing. One of the two entrees was bland boring and lacking any subtlety whatsoever. The other entree was good and the wine was good. The service was fine, but not remarkable. All for $250. What is a guy supposed to do. This is supposed to be a special evening. I want to make him feel special and yet it seems my only alternative is to make a scene. Luckily, we were having such a good time that we weren't ripped about the food, mostly disappointed. And $250 poorer. Suggestions on how we should handle it, other than badmouthing the restaurant whenever anyone asks.... Tom Sietsema: I would have addressed each problem as it surfaced. Really, that's your best chance of getting what you want from a restaurant.
Dining haiku: No matter how hard
I toil, I cannot afford
Lunch at Citronelle So what's a swank place in Georgetown where I can take a classy dame for a three martini lunch? Tom Sietsema: Not sure what you mean by “swank” but I’d be happy to be schmoozed at Mendocino Grill, Sea Catch or Bistro Francais, all of which are less pricey than The Place You Can’t Afford.
Washington, D.C.: Good morning, Tom. I'm looking for thick, rich hot chocolate. At Angelinos in Paris they serve it in little teapots with a side of cream. Its as thick as syrup and as filling as an entire meal, and its fantastic. But I've never found anything like it here in DC or NY. suggestions? Tom Sietsema: It seems to me that Amernick (bakery) in Cleveland Park offers hot chocolate, but I'd need to confirm that. Chatters?
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom, I am about to enter the restaurant field, and I have a question for you about pleasing the customer vs. sticking to your (the restaurateur's) beliefs. Example: a restaurant nearby (in your dining guide) refused to cook a patron's steak to well done. The customer and his party of six got up and left. Yes, the restaurant lost six customers, probably for good. But as the chef I would have felt pretty lousy for consciously charring a good piece of meat. Your thoughts on maintaining the balance? Tom Sietsema: This subject comes up a lot, most recently in an Ask Tom column in which a diner requested ketchup for his steak frites at Café de Paris in Columbia and the server informed him there was none in the house but she could offer mustard instead. The owner confirmed the incident and told me he wanted to remain true to the French way.
I can see both sides in the steak situation; from a business perspective, though, I don’t know too many chefs who would risk losing six customers and gaining bad publicity by not cooking something longer than he or she thought optimal. (Just as an aside, I used to work in a steak house; people who ordered well-done meat invariably got lesser cuts – the chef’s revenge!)
Had I been the manager I might have diplomatically explained that meat is best at such and such a doneness but agreed to the customer’s request.
Fairfax, Va.: Tom, when there's some kind of problem at a meal, I think we should recognize the downside to "raising a stink" in someone's company, sort of bringing the whole evening down regardless of the outcome. Some people are so conflict-averse they would disapprove of challenging the establishment. Perhaps excusing oneself from the table and asking to speak to the waiter/manager to the side? This would work whether one is hosting or a guest. Tom Sietsema: You raise a good point. Thanks. It never hurts to sweeten the complaint, either, as in: "We were really looking forward to dining here this evening, and the service is great, but I'm wondering if you might help me with ...."
Silver Spring, Md.: Tom- Is there a point where a bottle of wine is so expensive that you would not tip the waiter on some portion of its price? While I will happily tip 18-20% on a $40 bottle of wine, should I do the same on a $300 bottle? It's the same twist of the wrist. Thanks Tom Sietsema: Well, not exactly: that $300 bottle is probably going to get you a decanter, special glasses and a little speech from the sommelier, too.
But back to your question. I have spoken with fellow food critics and wine advisers, and no one can give me a useful answer to the situation. I'd love to hear what some of you wine drinkers out there think about tipping on dear wines.
Springfield, Va.: I hear ya on the green bean casserole, Tom. Quintessential suburban Midwestern fare, but I've always loved it. You've mentioned you have to eat at a lot of bad places to find the good places. What's the ratio, approximately? About how many restaurants do have to visit to find one worthy of reviewing?
And any chance of you doing a column of collected humorous or horrible moments you've had in your endeavors? Without naming names, of course. Tom Sietsema: I don't write about a quarter of the places I scout, for a variety of reasons. Why waste 25 column inches in the Magazine on a bad place in the burbs, for instance? On the other hand, that doesn't preclude me from writing negative reviews, particularly of places that people are buzzing about.
Arlington, Va.: About complaints: I think people are often so PO'd that something is wrong that they don't realize the restaurant wants them to be happy. Explain nicely that you aren't happy and watch them try to make it up to you (usually). Tom Sietsema: Right-o. Restaurants are in the hospitality business, after all. No good restaurant owner wants a customer to leave unhappy with his or her time there.
Washington, D.C.: OVER RATED!!! There are lots of restaurants in this town that are nice, but way too expensive. The fact that they use good ingredients makes reviewers give them high marks, but the prices are only good for expense accounters (the reviewers and law-business meetings). These restaurants should be rated in a different category. I.E. "Average expensive restaurants that would never make it in New York, Chicago, or SF, but in DC they are supposed to be good." The woman's experience on her $250 below-average meal, will continue to be repeated until reviewers start to factor prices into ratings. A restaurant with an average $25 entree, should be rated worse than a place with good honest papusas, burritos, burgers, pho, and other cheap food. My all overrated list would include: The Jefferson
Butterfield 9
I Ricchi
Greenwood
Galileo
The Prime Rib
The Palm
Sam and Harry's I am not against spending a fortune on food at Citronelle, Laboratorio de Galileo, Palena, because those and others offer interesting food at those prices, but there are too many average kitchens in Washington that get a free pass because they serve high quality ingredients at high prices.
Tom Sietsema: I like your passion there! But I would remove three of those eight restaurants from your list.
And a clarification: I ALWAYS factor price into my reviews, as do most serious reviewers. Just because a place uses fancy ingredients doesn't mean it's good. Furthermore, I've eaten in plenty of places in NY and Chicago that I consider to be over-rated.
Arlington, Va.: Tom - love the chats. Not a question - but a comment on the well-done-meat issue. I always request that my meat is well done. I'm a former vegetarian - I'm working my way towards meat that is less cooked. I like the taste of meat - but have a bit of trouble eating it when it looks like - well - red meat. Anyways - I am accustomed to waiters who react with disdain when I request my meat well done. However - I was very impressed at the Caucus Room, where our waiter didn't bat an eye at my request. Thanks very much Tom. Tom Sietsema: Cheers for the Caucus Room!
Cleveland, Ohio: Hi Tom, Last time we visited our son (at GWU/a freshman), we were in the coolest, gazillion types of beer, kind of "cellar/basement bar." Near Dupont Circle, BUT (too much fun) I cannot remember the place. Can you? Do you like it? S.Sheridan Tom Sietsema: You have to be thinking of Brickskeller on 22nd St. NW, where the suds could be had some 700 ways the last time I dropped by.
Washington, D.C.: I'm trying the Marrakesh experience for the first time next week... any tips? Tom Sietsema: Yes. It's not too late to change your reservation to Taste of Morroco in Arlington, is it?
To: Washington, D.C. with bad experience: Please tell us which restaurant this was. The point of this chat (I thought) was to share restaurant experiences, good and bad. We understand that it is only one experience, and submitted anonymously, and therefore will be taken with appropriately sized grain of salt. By the way, Tom, I think you are guilty of the same thing from time to time. Let's make this great forum even better. Tom Sietsema: I try to name names in this forum as I think is appropriate. But sometimes I prefer to be vague -- particularly when I'm about to review a place I have a problem with and don't wish to be outted before I've made all my visits.
Re: tipping on wine: What an interesting problem. Let's see. 20% of $300 is $60, for about 10 minutes more effort from a sommelier. That's about $300/hour, more than most doctors and lawyers earn. Does that seem ridiculous to anyone but me? And greedy to expect? Tom Sietsema: Yes. And yes. But at what point should a customer stop multiplying? That's the question even a lot of the pros can't address very convincingly.
Arlington, Va.: I want to let you know about a horrible experience I had this past Friday night, after visiting Guajillo's in Rosslyn. My roommate, another girlfriend and I were sitting at the bar having a drink when the owner's wife verbally confronted us for being there and repeatedly reiterated who she was. Being really uncomfortable, and having been paying patrons for the past five months we asked to speak to the manager. She came back, and told us she was no longer interested in our business. I could totally understand this had we been drunk, dressed in no more than jeans and a T-shirt and hitting on her husband or other staff, but we were having a margarita and have done nothing more than sing this restaurant's praises and bring our friends/family there. Could you potentially pass this on your readers, or find out if anyone else has had this problem. I am just blown away by the lack of professional management and customer courtesy. Tom Sietsema: You leave out far too many details for me to come up with a helpful response. Did this woman confront you out of the blue? What exactly were you doing, other than drinking at the bar? Had there been an earlier incident?
(With so few facts, here's one example of when NOT to identify a place in this forum.)
Arlington, Va.: Tom,
My boss asked me for a hip trendy restaurant in D.C. for an informal and fun dinner with a client of ours the Monday after Thanksgiving. I was thinking Wazuri possibly (is that "hip"?), my boss mentioned something like Nola's (or is it Lola's) but I've never been there. Any suggestions for something comparable? Thanks a bunch! Tom Sietsema: Wazuri would certainly be different. The new Zola (next to the Spy Museum) is more fun for drinking than dining. Certainly I’d put Zaytinya on any list of hip spots these days.
Nervous New Yorker: Tom, I need a little guidance. In the next few weeks, I would like to get my girlfriend's father permission/blessing in asking for her hand in marriage. I would like to have lunch someplace in the area around Pennsylvania Ave NW, (close to his office). We have been to Tosca, Oceanaire and Ten Penh any suggestions? Thanx Tom Sietsema: What a gentleman you are! For such a monumental occasion, I’d suggest a place that has some age on it and will be around for awhile (“Look, honey,” you can tell your future wife as the two of you stroll by your chosen spot, “that’s where I asked your dad if he’d let me marry you.”)
Try 701 restaurant, or the Occidental Grill.
Tysons Corner, Va.: Hi Tom! Perhaps you could offer some advice.
I go to a place right by my house and usually dine at the bar. I enjoy to relax with a few beers and then order a nice juicy steak. Over the past few years I have become friends with some of the bartenders. Well the other night a new bartender was there and when I checked my change I noticed that it was short $ 7. Well I asked him about it and his reply was " Well you usually leave $7 so I was just saving you some time. This guy has never waited on me before. Should I feel slighted because the other bartenders told him what i tip ? Tom Sietsema: THAT'S awfully presumptuous. A diner should always, always have his or her change returned, no questions asked.
Well Done Steak: Went to a business dinner at a top-rated steakhouse in Orlando. One of my colleagues ordered his well-done. When it arrived the waiter placed it in front of him, announcing "Your shoe-leather, sir". The rest of the table (who all ordered medium to rare dry-aged cuts) got a good laugh. Tom Sietsema: I bet that waiter isn't waiting tables these days.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom, I enjoyed your review of 15 Ria, though it would be helpful a specific indication of price in there. Can you tell us the entree price range? Thanks and cheers! Tom Sietsema: Actually, the print version does include price information, as do all my reviews in the Sunday Magazine.
At dinner, starters at 15 ria run from $6 to $16; entrees are $14 to $24. A full meal (three courses, wine, tax and tip) is about $75 a person.
Culpeper, Va.: I've been following these discussions for a while and I want to thank you for hosting them. I've gotten a number of good ideas here, and from your reviews in The Washington Post. One place I'm surprised I haven't seen mentioned, at least for its buffet lunch during the week, is the White Tiger restaurant on Capitol Hill. I've had lunch there close to a 100 times, and I thought it was great all but one time. I have no idea how it would stack up for dinner, as I am rarely downtown for dinner. Currently my favorite Indian restaurant for dinner is Bukhara in Arlington, another restaurant I found on the Washington Post Web site. Tom Sietsema: I have only been to White Tiger once, and that was several years ago. Your experience there (one bad meal in 100 visits) suggests I should try it again.
Somewhere, USA: Have you heard any information from your spies about the new Greek tapas place Zaytinya? Do you think that Jaleo will suffer? Tom Sietsema: Judging from the crowds that continue to fill Jaleo, I don’t think the new Mediterranean destination, with a similar style of serving food (small plates, or mezze) is stealing too many people from the Spanish place.
Los Angeles, Calif.: Moved from DC three years ago. Yikes! Will be in town for Thanksgiving weekend and meeting an old friend for brunch the Sunday after Turkey Day. Looking for a place in Georgetown or Dupont that will make me question why I ever left in the first place - a place with good comforting food (nothing to fancy, please) and with a good DC feel. Thanks, and happy Turkey day to you and yours... Tom Sietsema: One delicious piece of advice comes to mind: Gabriel on P St.
Lunch looms. See you next Wednesday, chatters.
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