Ann Lemons Pollack
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Washington, DC:Ben’s Chili Bowl and more
While Washington, DC, grows more and more impressive as a fine dining destination, with more of that in future entries, we also take considerable pleasure in the more folksy sort of eating. One of the classic spots for that is Ben’s Chili Bowl, a fixture on U Street since 1958, and now in the midst
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Washington, DC: Central Michel Richard
It isn’t often that we get to eat at a national-award-winning only a week or so after it’s been honored, but it happened at Central Michel Richard in Washington, D.C., named Best New Restaurant of 2008 by the James Beard Society less than a fortnight earlier. We were there because we had eaten Richard’s food
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Woofie’s and Pam’s
Woofie’s is one of those "insider" places that don’t get much publicity outside of the local area. And in this day of multitudes of travel publications and highly active blogmania, it’s always surprising that newcomers don’t know the place and passers-through-town aren’t Googling for directions off the interstate. A mustard-yellow building on Woodson (or,
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Washington, DC: Rasika
Rasika stands very tall as one of the handsomest restaurants in the burgeoning Washington D.C. neighborhood known as Penn Quarter, just north of the Mall. Elegant and yet intimate, the Indian cuisine it offers is refined and exciting. We stopped there for lunch, and were surrounded by people who were having such a good time
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Truffles
Low-key. Yes, that’s the word to describe Truffles. The restaurant has outlasted big-budget competition, parking lot wars, chef changes and economic vagaries, and just keeps humming along. The bar is often very busy, but pass on to the muraled dining room, have a comfortable seat and watch the well-dressed clientele catch up on their gossip.
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This Week’s Wine July 20, 2008
Even in the midst of summer, I prefer red wine with main courses. The big, full-bodied Cabs, Shiraz, Zinfandel and most Pinot Noirs, are excellent companions to meat dishes that come sizzling off the grill; the ones with bigger body are a fine complement to barbecue. Some of the lighter wines are surprisingly delicious with
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Soulard’s Restaurant
Just south of the market for which it’s named, Soulard’s Restaurant offers a dark, brick-walled interior, dotted with black-and-white drawings of St. Louis landmarks. Owners Dan and Tom Badock offer Saturday breakfast, handy for market-goers, along with lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Lunch is busy, with local business types knocking back sandwiches; dinner seems
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Louisville, KY: Toast on Market
When we’re driving east–and hungry–our respect for Louisville keeps on growing. Leaving St. Louis on I-64, it’s a fine place to stop for lunch. The city may be a culinary sleeper, at least for a midday stop. The city was made memorable by the Hot Brown, reportedly a native. We’ve written about Lynn’s Paradise Cafe,
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This Week’s Wine, July 6, 2008
Summer’s here! Chill the wine! As St. Louis sinks into the summer doldrums, with fierce heat, bright sun and high humidity adding to our discomfort, relief is as close as the nearest refrigerator or cooler, because there should be some white or rose wine resting there, offering more chill than an oak tree’s shade. There
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The Fountain On Locust
Attention nostalgic ice cream lovers: We’ve found the best chocolate ice cream to hit St. Louis since the much-mourned Gold Coast Chocolate. At The Fountain on Locust, they bring their ice cream from Wisconsin, and while there are other flavors that are extremely enjoyable, the Zanzibar Chocolate is absolutely killer. The Fountain on Locust is