Mark's Duck House

On a nice Saturday afternoon, I went with Alyssa to Falls Church for a quick bite of Dim Sum at Mark's Duck House.  At one time, this place was rated in the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the US and the Washingtonian can't get enough of it.  It certainly lives up to the thought that the great places are the holes in the wall.  Hole is putting it nicely.  In a strip mall called Wilson Center is an uninviting facade with ducks hanging from the chop shop side of the restaurant.  The place is filled with Asians -- a good sign for any Asian restaurant.  We sat at a table for 2 in the back as the Dim Sum carts made their way around.  The movie Working Girl flashed in my mind.  I'm not really sure what anything we ate was called.  Many steamed dumplings with pork, shrimp etc. in them.  The one that I loved the flavor but couldn't eat a second one because of the mashed potato texture inside was the taro root crusted pork.  Flavors I'd just never had with a texture that made me gag a bit... You have to be a bit daring here, however,  I stayed away from the Chicken Feet. At $20 for two, it was certainly a bargain and an experience.

Hard Times Cafe

To celebrate national chili day, I met Monica and Kyle at Hard Times Cafe on King St. in Old Town.  I've passed this place so many times not ever giving it a second thought other than, "what's that horse statue doing in the back of that old timey truck?"  Anybody who's been to old town just had a light bulb go off and knows exactly what restaurant this is now.  Apparently known for its chili, their schtick tonight was order something, anything... a diet coke even... and get a free bowl of chili.  What nobody told us was that this was a popular celebration in Old Town and that we'd have to wait an hour to get a table... so our something was a number of beers.  I was thrilled that Shiner Bock was on tap.  A Texas brew from Shiner, Texas, that you just don't see often.  After a few of these, we were seated.  Our waitress brought us a taster of chilis.  There are 4.  A red one that was too hot for me.  A Texas one that was full of flavor.  A Cincinnati one that was on the sweet side and I wish I had ordered, and a vegetarian one that tasted like a can of smashed ass.  There was a moment of flashback to Langley O'Club free chili Sundays with all the Peters' kids when I asked if they served their chili over rice.  Sadly no.  When the waitress explained the deal of the night, it was clear she was either 'over' it or toked up because we asked if our beers from the bar counted as our 'something' and she responded with 'I don't care, I'll bring you some chili.' ... but we ended up ordering some sliders.  I settled on the Texas chili, but forgot to ask for it with beans, which would have settled the spice down a bit.  Regardless, it was some great chili.  After some laughs, some more beers, a lot of chili, and a pocket full of saltines to take home, we called it a night. National chili day will be celebrated on my calendar next year again.  Especially if the economy blows as much as it does now.  Everybody should celebrate these hard times at the Hard Times cafe.  

Hook

For my last outing of this year's DC restaurant week, I decided to finally check out Hook, given all the buzz around town about this place.  It's a fish restaurant.  Not seafood, but fish.  Seafood restaurants are on the coast and serve hushpuppies and buckets of shrimp.  They are messy, smell of the sea and usually have a large fish tank in them.  Hook serves fish.  All different kinds of fish, but specializes in finding regional products that support a sustainable, earth-friendly philosophy.  But don't throw on your birkenstocks and think you can come in here. Hook has clearly made its mark as a place to see and be seen before drinking the night away at one of the many posh lounges nearby.  This was evidenced by the table of sparkly girls next to us.  But if you're a big girl, request a bench seat.  The awkward round chairs of Hook will not fit a big ass.  We watched uncomfortably as an amazon sized woman tried to pry her way between the arms of this poor chair.  I don't think she ever got all the way into it.  As for the food... I have to give restaurants who serve their normal menu as their restaurant week menu some props... Hook did this.  It says to me that they don't need the money, they just want you to experience the food.  That's what this week is all about.  My meal started with a bit of a shocker... it was the bread on the table.  One bite and I went for the water.  I'm not a horse.  I don't lick salt.  This cornbread was salt cornbread -- I had never hear of such a thing.  Dining with Monica, Ty, Jen and Nancy... one of them tried to convince me that this was a southern thing.  I'm southern.  The only way you're going to have cornbread that salty in my part of the South is if you mistook the salt jar for the sugar on the counter.  My appetizer continued the theme of salt.  How good does this sound?  Yellow and red beats thinly sliced with a vinaigrette, whipped goat cheese and pistachios?  YUM.  Now the waitress did say this was a sweet and salty dish... the juxtaposition enticed me.  But again, all I tasted was the salt of the nuts.  Now that my blood pressure was raised from all that salt, I chose the Barramundi from Massachusetts for my entree.  I just wanted a different kind of fish I'd never had before.  To the waitress' credit, she did say this was a medium to bold fish... which means it tastes like fish.  I'm not a fan of fishy fish... but again, I wanted to step out a bit and ordered this.  I primarily ordered it for the parsnips, which I love... otherwise, I'd have chosen the char, which Ty hand and looked great.  Jen had the steak, so there is an option for the fish-haters, although there was only that one option.  The accolades for this evening's meal do not go to executive chef Jonathan Seningen and all his fish variations, but to Hook's pastry chef Heather Chittum.  My desert was the apple tart with a side of vanilla ice cream (which I traded for the nutella ice cream from Monica's Chocolate thing).  Very thinly slice apples layered and designed on a light puff pastry made for a wonderful finish to the evening.  It's no wonder she's so good.  Her lineage includes being the Pastry Chef for Chef Richard from Citronelle, arguably the best restaurant in DC -- Chef Richard of course having been a pastry chef for 15 years himself.  Overall, it rates as a restaurant I'd like to bring my mom to for a DC dining experience, but probably not a place I'd frequent.  The best part of the evening by far was simply the company.

Mie-n-Yu

For my second night celebrating DC restaurant week, I went out with my dear friend Alyssa to catch up after not having seen her in some months.  Catching up with people is one of the reasons I like Restaurant week so much... it's an excuse to get together like any other holiday...  hence its holiday status in my book.  We chose Mie n Yu, a Georgetown restaurant whose menu follows the silk road from China through the middle east.  It has decor that might be better suited to Disney's Epcot... fountains pouring into Bowls, a room that makes you feel as if you were a tuareg in the desert.  Last night though, I dined in Afghanistan and Morocco... or so those were the dishes I chose.  I started with the Afghan Mantu, which is a beef and scallion dumpling that had mint yogurt and a tomato sauce.  All of this is fancy for undercooked potsticker from any Chinese place, although I enjoyed the yogurt sauce.  Maybe that was the Afghan part.  My entree was the Moroccan Beef.  It was a large piece of slow roasted local organic beef with moroccan fruits, cinnamon, honey and saffron chutney served over roasted root vegetables.  Now this was good.  Of course I love most chutneys having grown up with my grandma making them, but I've never put it over a slow roasted side of beef.  By far this was the best meal of my week.  For desert, I was stuck with either chocolate or cheesecake.  Neither are good choices for me gastronomically speaking, so I chose the less chocolatey sounding chocolate choice.  That would be the Pecan Chocolate Croustade with chocolate whipped cream.  It just tasted like pecan pie with chocolate chips melted in it.  Nothing special.  The service, while good, was impersonal and the vibe was lively and trendy which proved an interesting juxtaposition to the Epcot decor.  Overall assessment, a fun place to dine with a very creative and different menu.

Indebleu

DC Restaurant week has always been my favorite holiday... a time to go to the restaurants that you never can make it to (if you make early enough reservations).  Well, Indebleu has been on my list for years.  I never made it there when it was the new 'it' restaurant... and then it got a bad rep, so I never tried to go after that.  But for restaurant week, I felt I ought to give it a shot.  I went there tonight with my friend Lou as a payback for watching my dog while I went off to Mexico for the weekend.  The night started off by me having to take a shower at his place because my hot water is out at home... and my complex changed the door codes on me today so I was locked out after walking the dog and hence late to Lou's... plus, I had a bit of a headache.  Read:  Dave's not in the best/most social of moods.  And if you know me, that can be a bit of a chore to deal with... But Indebleu attacked my downer day pleasantly turning it around.  First, the hostess was apologetic for not being able to seat us immediately and we had to wait 5 minutes past our reservation.  Seriously?  5 minutes is no big deal in my book, but her gracious  greeting earned points.  We headed to the bar where I found their wine by the glass selection appealing.  I had a Sangiovese, which you normally wouldn't find by the glass.  After we sat, our waiter, Brian -- a slight, but perky church-goer greeted us with a big smile and a helpful attitude.  He continued his good service throughout the evening... forgetting to charge us for the bottled water and other glass of wine earning him a generous tip.  My meal started with Main Mussels steamed with lime, tomato, garlic and ginger red curry.  There was a bit of a kick to these mussels, but they were steamed nicely and the curry sauce was a wonderful dip for the bread.  My main plate was the jerk brined and fried chicken.  I was going to order the yellow fin tuna, but I eat a lot of tuna.  I wanted something different... and I had read recently in a magazine... Details or GQ likely... that foodie restaurants were doing fried chicken.  This was my first time to a place of Indebleu's stature with fried chicken on the menu, but it was plump, juicy, crisp and not at all what I expected.  Needless to say, I'll never go to KFC again after this fried chicken.  Not even on the same planet and shouldn't be allowed to share the same trailer trash name.  The chicken was served with chinese greens, green chili corn pudding and a pineapple hot sauce.  Past the breading, the sauce is really what made this dish pop.  For desert, I wish I had ordered what Lou did... the L'Opera: an almond biscuit, kahlua cream, chocolate ganache and pistachio ice cream... but the chocolate ganache sounded too rich for me.  Turns out my Banana split had way more chocolate and less of the cherry that was described in the menu.... and while ok, I could have done without my desert.  Instead, I helped Lou eat his.  The ambiance of the restaurant was loud and bright.  For such a small space, I could appreciate the volume, although to Lou, it was distracting.  I thought it was the perfect level for a vibrant place.... but talking about vibrant, Please send in some lesbians to install dimmer switches.  The sunlamps of recessed lighting almost blistered the top of my head, forcing me to move over a chair.  All in all, I think this place can survive the stigma that it outlived its useful life.  These positive observations, mostly revolving around the spectacular food and service, are likely caused by the relatively new executive chef.  Michael Hartzer, formerly under the tutelage at DC's enviable Citronelle, has been with Indebleu for a little over a year.  With some good PR, this place could be the 'it' place again... it certainly has all the credentials... or at least it will if it installs dimmers.

Sei

Trend setters need to venture to this new eatery on 7th in Penn Quarter.  Sei, pronounced Say, just opened a few weeks ago, taking the sushi chef from Perry's and creating a chic downtown sushi and small plates restaurant.  Where the menu is short on food choice, the options for sake abound.  I however opted for a Pear sangria, thinking if I'm going to be at the new 'it' place, I need to drink their 'it' drink.  The chef's special sushi menu had many interesting options, the best of which that I ate was the fish and chips role, filling flounder in a role topped with thin, crisp french fries and a side of wasabi tartar creating a nice juxtaposition in both flavor and texture.  If you don't like sushi, there is also a small plates menu.  I didn't try anything on it, but the foie gras role looked interesting.  The disappointment of the night was the crunchy shrimp role.  While this dish would have sufficed at any less posh place, the "fried" tasted old.  Chef Yasutake, change your oil!  The Ambiance in this place kept the night flowing.  Don't come if you're sensitive to a loud place.  While we were able to carry on a decent conversation, the decibels were not for the faint of heart.  While for most places, that means it's lively enough and people are having fun.  However had our table for 2 been a larger party, I don't think I would have been able to hear the conversation.  The decor is fab-chic in all white with gold-leafed plaster fleur de les all over certain walls and bold red reeds breaking the space up.  Like Rasika around the corner, this place ads to the growing list of fashionable ethnic dining in a booming Penn Quarter, with my recommendation.

Ray's Hell Burger

I had a lunch meeting today in Rosslyn and as it was too cold to walk, we drove. When you drive in Rosslyn, you have to consider parking -- which pretty much brings me to the only restaurant strip that has parking. There's Pho75, a Mexican Place, a coffee shop, a Greek place, a steak place and a street number: 1713. And inside the non-descript facade under 1713 Wilson is a GREAT find. Ray's Hell Burger. What fantastic play on words. Almost better than the bar I frequented in Florida -- Hellen Back. With a line out the door at Ray's, there were signs up that said don't take a table until you order. WOW! Really? Supply and demand I guess. I ordered a Grilled Burger with Vermont White Cheddar, Smoked bacon, and red onions. I've never had a better burger in my life. Juicy. Flavor. Cooked perfect. On a soft bun. The options were endless. If you're an option freak, you'd be in hog heaven. Options make me stare in indecision... and this place, like Seinfeld's soup Nazi episode -- is not the place for indecision. 16 kinds of cheeses from American to Epoisse de Bourgogne an Chimay a la Biere. Do you want seared foie gras with truffle oil on your burger? Guacamole? Roasted Bone Marrow with Persillade? I don't even know what that is. There is also a list of specialty burgers if you don't want to decide on options, but that requires you to be smart enough to flip the menu over, which I wasn't. And then the sides... I ordered mac and cheese I'd have slapped my mother for. My sister wouldn't have approved of it though as it had spices in it. Don't go here if you're a vegetarian because the only thing they serve is burger and more burger. A+

Commissary

Commissary -- on P between 14th and 15th downtown -- has been on my list simply for its location since I read about it a while ago. It stuck with me because of its name and the idea it would probably have a little of everything. So on a chilly February Saturday after swimsuit shopping around the corner, when some hunger pangs started panging -- I recommended a 3pm meal at Commissary. The previous tenant of this location was Merkado -- an odd Latin/Asian/I don't-know-what kind of place where I had a birthday at a few years ago. I was served a lamb shank sticking out of a soup bowl like I was Fred Flinstone at a state fair. Merkado was just sucking up good space -- the wrong restaurant for that neighborhood. A fly-in at 3 with no previous plans place like Commissary was perfect. We sat in the corner with a view of the trendy people with afternoons of nothing to do. Our Latin waiter was very helpful and when he didn't know what the answer was -- he went and found out... even though I knew after one bite it was potatoes that made their blueberry pancakes different from the bisquick IHOPy kind. Our neighbor table didn't have the same luck with our same waiter. It was like two different people and we commented to each other on this fact. I started my meal with lentil soup. It was bland and could have used some meat, but after a request for some lemon juice, it brought memories of eating at the Iranian place in Qatar. Lemon juice is the trick for brining out flavors at the last minute in a complex soup. My main dish was a chicken stew with rice. Perfect comfort food, although the bay leaves in it were a bit much. One would have sufficed. I hope Commissary makes it. We need more restaurants like this. The closes alternative I can think of is Busboys and Poets sans bookstore. Both worthy afternoon hang outs.

Ping

I watched Ping with interest as it was built -- the unfinished wood outside making a modern facade on an otherwise mainstreet USA kind of street in Shirlington. My first visit, I didn't make it past the hostess stand as a mean Russian lady (in an Asian Restaurant) curtly tried to shove us to a table. We abruptly declined and I boycotted the place until Friday when an overly lively Guapos next door forced a last minute dinner decision elsewhere. We settled on Ping. While also lively and filled, we didn't have to wait for a table. My only complaint for the evening was the heater under the table was cooking me so Louis kindly switched seats with me. My other Table companions were Rudy and Elliott. Our service was very good. Our Catholic waiter was knowledgeable and expeditions, but not overly expeditious where we felt we were being shoved out the door. I had the honey chicken. It used to be if it had mangos, it was my sure menu choice. Today, it's honey. As with most 'Chinese' food, it filled the hole, but tasted mostly like any other Chinese dish I'd had in the past. I will say the purposely cold and fresh green beans were very tasty. Ping is a little cousin of the Charlie Chang restaurants. I'm not a fan of chains, nor am I a fan of restaurants with sports playing on TVs over the bar -- but I think this one has earned a space on my "I feel like Chinese" list of restaurants. And if I'm in a rush -- there was the take out option with its own entrance, averting any further possible interaction with a mean Russian lady.

Liberty Tavern

Right next to the Clarendon Ballroom is a "bar."  I'm told at night it's very lively.  I've never really hung out in Clarendon though, so I don't know this first hand.  I don't typically go to bars for food.  There are a few exceptions.  So when Monica suggested Sunday Brunch at Liberty Tavern, it fell under the category of "I've never been there so okay."  And what a nice surprise.  First... ambiance.  The place was hopping on a Sunday morning.  Light, airy, warm feeling, with a good layout despite having to negotiate a staircase after loading up from the buffet.  We took a 6 top in the corner in front of floor to ceiling windows on a bustling city street. DeDe, Samantha and Brenda were already there.  The music was fantastic for a Sunday morning - albeit all over the place.  But brunch music that can go from the calm romance of EBTG to tribal dance and back over the course of a meal and still keep my interest helps intertwine the background into the odyssey.  Next -- food.  We showed up at 1130, which is the "I don't go to church and didn't go out last night" appointed brunch time.   The problem with an 1130 brunch is that you really can't eat anything beforehand.  A 1:30 brunch -- I've either eaten pizza at 3am after the club and slept till noon, or I got up, read the paper over coffee and grits.  Either way, I'm probably not starving.  So here we are, 1130, and I am starving.  Now I didn't do my research on this place since I was being taken, so I didn't know it was a buffet.  And the buffet is upstairs so it wasn't obvious.  All I had heard about was the cheese grits and shrimp making me drool for the Fish House brunches of Pensacola.  I'm scanning the menu and DeDe announces she's going for the buffet.  I drop the menu and bolt upstairs -- heading straight for the meat section in the back of a buffet... Restaurants always put the expensive stuff in the back... Salad and bread up front is not accidental.  I skip through the line and pile up on carved turkey, ham, bacon and sausage links... load up on the cheese grits with unfortunate slabs of pork instead of shrimp... some french toast and a slice of veggie frittata.  Now meat isn't hard to screw up... but I applaud the choices.  The grits were fantastic, said the southern boy who speaks with grit authority.  The french toast and frittata were both dry and unpalatable, but didn't ruin the meal.  I tasted DeDe's parsnips, which I wish I were paying attention to the fillers in the front.  Root veggies seem all the rage now.  Desert -- there was a chocolate cake option, but I don't do chocolate.  And mini-pecan pies, which I love some pie -- but the little ones are hard.  Yet for a place that doesn't have an ice cream bar, there was every sort of candy topping you could want.  I went for the dots -- my favorite movie indulgence.  The buffet was adequate yet forgettable.  What was not forgettable though were the spicey $4 bloody marys that come with a beer chaser.  I had 2.  They must use oyster juice in their recipe.  Not everybody does.  I like the added flavor from the juice which is the real discriminator for those who just can't stand a bloody mary.  And to celebrate the inauguration, our waiter served us complimentary tequila shots.  So was this a bar or brunch?  Either way -- the service and ambiance will earn a repeat performance.  I can't say I'll add this place to my menu I call DC -- where I just crave that one dish that they only serve at that one place -- but overall a good experience.

Cucina Vivace

When I lived in Crystal City, I thought 23rd Street was a bit overrun with Italian restaurants.  So it confused me when the sign for yet another place showed a 4th Italian restaurant in a one block span... but unlike the two traditional places and Portofino's Northern Italian fare -- Cucina Vivace promised a more upscale environment and cuisine.  When it first opened, I got to know the place better than I do now and I really appreciated the effort they put into trying.  Their seasonal menus were always packed with interesting flavors and the service was impeccable.  I would brag on their lamb like nothing else -- the combination of rosemary and other spices overwhelmed your mouth.  And if I wouldn't just slap my mother silly during truffle season and the things Vivace would do with those.  But more than a year later, I think the lack of following has gotten the best of Cucina Vivace.  23rd street just isn't the place for a higher end restaurant and I think this one might be failing.  For a Friday night, when all the other restaurants on the street were packed, this one still was empty.  The service was attentive and the ambiance was enjoyable (save the mismatched music for the look and feel of it), but something was still off.  I feel bad for this fledgling restaurant -- that it never took off.  While I enjoyed my meal tonight and my company --  the lamb wasn't as exciting as it was a year ago and I fear Cucina may be complacent as it dies a very, very slow and painful death.  

Bonsai Sushi on 23rd

I've had posh sushi at Nobu in New York.  I've had all you can eat sushi buffets in Las Vegas. I've had Sushi delivered on vespas in Tokyo like we order Pizza. And I've had nouveau Sushi in San Francisco (french fries in it?).  But nothing really beats the hole in the wall neighborhood sushi joint.  The kind of place where you can sit at the sushi bar and talk to the chef -- ask him to make his favorite.  Where the waitress is the same waitress every night of the week -- there's only one -- and she knows that you don't like your green tea ice cream so frozen it'll bend the spoon, so she nukes it for me for 10 seconds before she serves it.  Where... on a sunny day in the summer, you can sit and eat sushi alone on the patio, watching people walk by -- but you're just as comfortable there on a blustery winter night with a close friend in intimate conversation.  This is what I get from Bonsai sushi on 23rd street in Crystal City.  This is place is the definition of a neighborhood restaurant and the Sushi isn't half bad either.

D.C.'s restaurant week waits for inauguration

Washington Business Journal - by Tierney Plumb Staff Reporter

D.C.’s winter edition of restaurant week is getting pushed back to February this year because of the presidential inauguration.
Last year, restaurant week was from Jan. 14 -20. No date has been set for the event.
Keeping in line with last summer’s price increase during the event, signature $30 dinners are no more.
Nearly 200 of the D.C. area’s restaurants will serve three-course dinners for $35.09. Lunch will be $20.09. Drinks, gratuity and tax are not included.
The restaurant week Web site tells visitors to “check back to this site in mid-January for more information.”
Dinner prices were first adjusted during the summer in consideration of the rising food and fuel costs restaurants were facing.
Destination D.C. coordinates the week with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington.
Alexandria is holding its own inaugural restaurant week from Jan. 17-25, with 30 restaurants in the area participating. Most eateries, such as Bastille and Chadwicks Restaurant, will offer a three-course, fixed-price dinner for $35. Others, such as Overwood and King Street Blues, will offer dinner for two for $35.

Aria Trattorioa

While I would like to be a guy who's glass is half full and point out all the wonderful things I experience or see, I'm having difficulty coming up with something for this restaurant experience.  The one positive is that if you're going to National Theater, as we were to see West Side Story, that this restaurant validates free parking in the Reagan building right across the street.  As a matter of fact, that's the primary reason I chose this restaurant, so I shouldn't expect anything else.  If you're affected by negativity, stop reading.  For the rest of us -- this place was terrible!  Aria is the third restaurant to be in this location since Michael Jordan's restaurant left.  It's such a great location, but afflicted by the fact its inside an office building and not 'known.'  location, location, location.  So why was it so bad?  Lets start with the ambiance.  Bland, all around.  There was no vibe.  The people were tourists. The lights were bright and the sound was quiet.  Once sat, the maitre'd immediately insulted my mother.  I'm sure he was just an idiot and didn't mean to basically call her an old bag, but that's the result.  Perhaps it was lost in translation.  I don't know... but he was a moron.  Next... food.  I was happy with how the menu sounded... but don't be fooled.  You'd do better at a hotdog stand.  my Sister ordered the pasta prima vera... which was more like soup in a butter broth.  Butter.  With little veggies swimming in it and some pasta.  Did I mention the butter?  Mine... the pasta bolognese... Bolognese is a red sauce cooked with sausage and meats filled with the flavor of those meats.  This sauce had no flavor.  I could have opened the chef boyardee myself and eaten at home.  The special... Fillet Mignon.  Now, to their credit -- Mom's steak came out very nice and tasted great... she ordered medium.  But because Damon ordered medium rare and his came out well done... they switched.  Mom decided the well done was too done and sent it back. This is a good transition point to talk about the service.  While up to this point the service was ok, at this point, the service went in the crapper.  Our waiter... who was clearly serving a theater crowd on a schedule off their theater menu... never came back!  Could you imagine?  He delivered the desert menu only after prompting... (for which they were out of their advertised theater menu desert), and then didn't return for 7 minutes.  At this point, we were ready to leave, even if we wanted desert.  If I were to return to this restaurant, it would only be for the theater proximity and free parking... I'd go in, order an appetizer off their taster menu for $10.  Validate and leave.  But I think I'd rather just pay the $10 to another close parking garage and eat at home, avoiding the dissatisfaction.

Utopia

For New Year's Eve, I met a group of 6 strangers at a restaurant called Utopia on U St.  The night was freezing and the vibe inside was chill. The bohemian patrons provided a great people watching venue... the couple in formal wear with hipster hair and black fingernail polish.  The overly  tatooed guy at the bar.  The bad Macy Gray doppelganger in the tube top (A tube top in 27 degrees -- not to be crass, but a with chest that would have been airbrushed out on TV... seriously?) This vibe is the only reason I'd consider returning to the restaurant.  Okay, maybe to gawk at the hot bartenders too.  The service was moderate if compared to Applebees.  The drinks were weak. and my medium rare fillet with don't get saucy with me bernaise sauce came out well done.  The saving grace for the evening was the company of these happenstance new friends whose company I thoroughly enjoyed.  Marc, Andrea, Sarat, Missy, Derek and Liz -- Thanks for a great evening!