Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema's Fall 2010 Dining Guide hit the intertubes today, and on the list were a number of surprises: from food truck Red Hook Lobster Truck (whoa, a food truck) to BGR: The Burger Joint (whoa, where's Ray's?) to The Columbia Room (whoa, a cocktail joint). more ›

The anonymity of a food critic is viewed as an essential part of writing an unbiased review. Like it or not, many times reviews make or break a spot, and restaurants will go to great lengths to ensure that if they have a critic on the premises, the food and service is flawless. That's what makes Eater.com's decision to post photos of top food critics around the country, including the Washington Post's Tom Sietsema, seem a bit of a disservice to review readers. more ›

October’s issue of Gourmet magazine asks six restaurant critics how they would spend a theoretical $1,000 on a meal for two in their home town. Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post is their go-to guy for the District. The spirit of the challenge would seem to be concocting a decadent meal or series of eating experiences that can fit into a reasonable evening and a reasonable stomach. Reasonably large, anyway. As do his peers, Sietsema takes liberties with the task, taking his theoretical companion—and readers—on a culinary tour of the city. more ›

Everyone knows the perils and regrets of drunk dialing. There's that awful feeling of waking up the next morning remembering the nastygram you left on someone's answering machine. Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema must be feeling that way today after the paper retracted his review of Commissary, citing that he and one of the owners has a previous "personal relationship" and should have recused himself. This morning the owners of Commissary also sent out an email to their listserv blasting Sietsema over his review. more ›

Where: Komi more ›

Move over, Don Rockwell. There's a new epicurean discussion board in town. If you can't get enough of Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema between his dining column, travel column, or weekly "Ask Tom" online chats, then you might want to take a seat at Sietsema's Table. more ›

Disoriented and Seeing Stars WaPo reviewer Tom Sietsema has released his 2007 Washington Post Dining Guide online. You can catch it on newsstands this weekend. At the top, Cathal Armstrong's Restaurant Eve has broken through to the four-star category, and his revamped Majestic also made the list. Newcomers Central Michel Richard (3 stars), Proof (2.5), Farrah Olivia (2.5), and Hook (2.5) also made it onto the list. A surprising omission was Brasserie Beck, which Sietsema... more ›

To Beck With It The buzz is all over the place about Brasserie Beck, Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel's new Belgian gastropub on 11th and K, NW. Though not open quite yet (scheduled for an opening in the next couple of weeks), the Brasserie scored two articles in this week's Post, and a post full of restaurant eye candy over at the Washingtonian. The Post used Beck as the latest example in the growing trend of... more ›

There are a lot of rules when you visit Soho Tea and Coffee in Dupont. Customers must spend at least $5 to use the wireless Internet. No credit cards are taken. Non-customers are charged $3 to use the unisex bathroom, adorned with a helpful reminder than only one person is permitted in the single stall at a time. Two months ago, another rule went into effect: no cell phones at the front counter. Owner Helene... more ›

This post by DCist Food contributor Analiese Bendorf more ›

In last week's Feed, we mentioned that the unearthing of Eric Ripert's impending move to D.C. was courtesy of Tom Sietsema in a May 2006 TomChat. We were mistaken, however. The scoop on the story goes to the Washingtonian's Todd Kliman, who uncovered the story in his chat first (link is unavailable, sorry, you can read his latest chat though). more ›

By DCist contributor Analiese Bendorf The Big Apple's Harvest Export Attention, all ye who still doubt whether one may dine seriously in DC (and we hope there aren't many of you left), you may soon be tempted to cancel that weekend jaunt to Manhattan. Washingtonian's Todd Kliman reports in this week's online chat that high-profile chef Eric Ripert, of N.Y.C.'s famed Le Bernardin, plans to bring his four-star culinary talent to D.C., where he will... more ›

By new DCist contributor Analiese Bendorf Ducks and Creeks Fans of Bethesda's calorie-conscious Rock Creek Restaurant will soon be able to nosh on guilt-free grub at a second location in the District, where owners Tom Williams and Judy Hammerschmidt plan to open Rock Creek at Mazza Gallerie. Tom Sietsema reports in this week's Dish that former 1789 chef, Ris Lacoste, will lend a seasoned hand by interviewing potential chefs for the Mazza location, before turning... more ›

Tom Chats It Up Fishbowl DC decided it was high time to figure out what was lurking underneath Postie Tom Sietsema's mysterious fisog. Though they were unable to get him to reveal his disguises, they did show us a side of Tom we may not have seen before. For instance, did you know that he likes the letter "T" best, buys his coffee from a San Francisco roaster (we're guessing either Blue Bottle or Peerless),... more ›

WaPo Food Gets BoGlo Editor With all the turmoil and upheaval at the Post's food section over the past couple of years, we were waiting for news that Tom Sietsema and Walter Nicholls would just take the thing over and rule it a la Tenacious D's two kings in City Hall. This is not the case, though. WaPo announced (good get, fishbowl!) that Boston Globe food writer Joe Yonan will be the new editor for... more ›

In Eating Your Words, former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes discusses what’s in a sandwich name -- be it hoagie, wedge, muffuletta, Cubano, rocket, garibaldi, zeppelin, or spuckie. Region seems to dictate names as much as anything. Grimes attributes the Philadelphia "hoagie" to flapper-era Philadelphia jazz musician Al De Palma — who apparently said, “you had to be a hog to eat it.” During the Great Depression in 1936, he opened up a sandwich shop that sold what he advertised as “hoggies.” more ›

Food with a Side of Sexy? In Wednesday’s Food Section of the Washington Post, we were served alternately sexy and prudish food features. Sexy: In response to a reader who asked Tom Sietsema’s opinion on “sexiest food," he responded, “Mangoes in the bath tub get my vote. Or caviar on scrambled eggs, served in bed.” Hmm. Mangos in the bathtub. I had not yet thought of that. What else would you add to the... more ›

Just when we thought it was safe to go get some frozen custard, corporate evil rears its ugly head yet again. Del Ray institution, the Dreamery, is being forced to change its name by Integrated Brands, Inc., the folks who make Edy's. "Integrated Brands." What kind of name is that? Apparently the kind that hates fun. And freedom. Anyway, Dreamery owner Liz Davis is holding a contest to come up with a new name. Fortunately, the name change will have no effect on the custard or the monthly brat[wurst] nights. The winner of the contest gets free custard for a year. "Suck It, Edy's" has already been submitted, so don't even try. more ›

Last Week's Rumor, Confirmed more ›

>> Put on your robe and wizard hat...Harry Potter's coming to town! The sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will be released tonight at midnight, and don't think we don't know. Watch this space for more info on tons of crazy HP events going on around town. For one, Politics and Prose will be hosting a party in their parking lot with magicians, a costume contest with prizes, and refreshments, starting at 10:30 this evening. Anyway - any bets on who's going to bite the dust in the book this time? more ›

Dino's Getting Kudos more ›

http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com/hungry.php?week=20050610">came to the same conclusions about Leopold's, and Sietsema and Kliman aren't alone. We haven't been to Leopold's, but the deafening cry of "don't expect good service!" is enough to make us want to take a pass-- and the Kafe's Craigslist ad doesn't help much. The caps give us a headache. more ›

We've been waiting patiently for a press release on the 2005 Rammy Award winners, hoping that the three-day delay was because there would be some sort of recount. Not that we completely disagreed with the winners -- many are good choices, whether selected by the public or by RAMW itself. Saint-Ex as best neighborhood gathering spot? Sure. Indebleu as hottest bar scene? Obvious. CityZen as best new restaurant? Even more obvious. But when we read that the public chose Mie N Yu as favorite restaurant we immediately thought there was some sort of mistake. more ›

When Tom Sietsema gave a shoutout to Don Rockwell during last weeks' Ask Tom, it was a quiet nod to one of the lesser-known food writers active in D.C.:

Speaking of online food discussions, Don Rockwell, a former egullet host, has just launched a fun one: DonRockwell.com. Don is a fine writer, has good taste and eats out almost as much as I do. If you care about food in Washington, his is a site to monitor.

DCist has received reports of widespread sporadic power outages around the Clarendon and Courthouse areas of Arlington. As of 12:07, Dominion reported that nearly 4,000 customers in Northern Virginia were without power -- a figure that has ranged from 2,000 to more than 8,000 at periods throughout the morning. The Post's food critic Tom Sietsema cut short his weekly online chat this morning with the news that washingtonpost.com had lost power at its Arlington office. However, the noontime washingtonpost.com Live Online discussions are proceeding as scheduled. more ›

Charlie Palmer Steak has already received serious accolades from the Washington press (three stars from Tom Sietsema and one of the D.C. area's 100 best restaurants from the Washingtonian, for example) but the "very expensive" price point can often put people off. The restaurant's $20.05 lunch menu, which gives you a choice of an appetizer, an entrées (from a list of two), and a dessert at Restaurant Week prices is one easy way to enjoy the restaurant's meals without breaking the bank. But after debuting their new line of wines -- custom created to compliment Charlie Palmer's cuisine -- CPS announced a better (if significantly more expensive) offer. For the rest of April, they're offering a five course tasting menu for $115. Note that Charlie Palmer typically offers entrées in the $25-$35 range, which makes the tasting menu a little less attractive. That is, until you get to the kicker: the price is not only inclusive of wine, but the final course features Wagyu, the super expensive beyond-prime beef that often costs over $100 a pound. Normally, Wagyu entrées at CPS costs above $40, making the price of the April prix-fixe menu extremely attractive. more ›

There's a minor controversy today on eGullet in reference to Tom Sietsema's review of Pazo, which will appear in Sunday's Post Magazine. This time, the controversy isn't over the restaurant's rating (three stars), but over its location: 1425 Aliceanna St., Baltimore. more ›

The 2005 RAMMYs aren't the only culinary awards on the horizon. The nominees for the 2005 James Beard Foundation awards were announced yesterday (.pdf). The awards are separated into three general segments, cookbooks, journalism, and restaurants and chefs. In the journalism segment, Todd Kliman of the City Paper (who most recently "reviewed" Perdu) was nominated for Best Newspaper Column for his weekly "Young and Hungry" feature. Tom Sietsema of the Post has been nominated for Best Newspaper Feature about Restaurants a number of times, but this is the first nomination for Kliman, who has been writing for the City Paper since late 2003. more ›

Are the standards of Post food reviewer Tom Sietsema declining? Some local diners seem to think so. Sunday's Post Magazine saw Sietsema give three stars to Etrusco, the five-year-old Italian restaurant in Dupont Circle. The three-star rating ranks Etrusco among the best restaurants in D.C., including CityZen, Le Paradou, Cashion's Eat Place, and Palena. eGullet member "BilRus" was surprised by the rating: "A restaurant broke out of the two-star parade and we haven't picked up on it ... We're slipping." Other forum members were quick to point out the negative reader reviews of Etrusco in response to Sietsema's piece, and their own negative experiences with the restaurant:

There were two fish on the menu, rockfish and snapper, prepared three or four ways (all sounded very good). We ordered wine and an antipasti while we decided. It wasn't until the waiter came to take our order that he bothered to inform us that they were out of rockfish ... about 15 minutes later the waiter returns to tell us they are out of snapper with no real apology. We were all dumbfounded that a place praised for its grilled fish had none on a Saturday night.

When DCist checked out Tallula in January, we were expecting the spot to be popular. The combination of cool decor, American comfort food, and a creative "Amuse Yourself" menu seemed a welcome addition to Clarendon. However, the steep incline in the level of the restaurant's popularity has surprised us; diners have reported possible long waits and a noted decline in service. And after Tom Sietsema's two-star review this Sunday, it comes as no surprise that mentions of the newcomer were all over the discussion on yesterday's Ask Tom chat. more ›