Tuesday, April 14 at 11 AM

Cantler's Riverside Inn. That'd be my pick.

Big, meaty crabs, perfectly steamed, and a fantastic atmosphere to crack and pick them in.

I'd head to the new-ish Thai Flavor.

Only two tables, and hardly any atmosphere to speak of — it's mainly a carry-out at this point — but the cooking is very vivid, everything's very fresh, and you can't beat the prices (the most expensive thing on the menu is $8.95).

The summer rolls are some of the best around — tightly wrapped, and with good, fresh poached shrimp inside. They also do a very good version of bikini shrimp.

Main courses are generously portioned and — if you request spicy — eye-wateringly hot. I think the drunken noodles is a terrific dish.

Go. It's well worth supporting, and a good addition to the downtown Silver Spring scene. 

With the way this economy is going, yikes is right. But still — congratulations.

Let's see … along those lines — Kinkead's, Central Michel Richard, Vidalia (it's probably more French than Southern, contrary to name and perception). A long shot pick: the new Sei, for very good sushi. Although it might be too trendy and slick for the occasion. (It looks like a North Dallas version of a Hollywood hot spot.)

No, of course I don't think a customer can just waltz into a restaurant and go sending back bottles of wines simply because.

That wasn't my point. My point was that at the very highest levels, the job of the restaurant is to send people away happy. Not to cook great food, not to be pampering and correct in service — no. To send people away happy.

And I think if the restaurant is sincere in its mission to be the very best — a big if — and if the customer is conscientious and not a grubber or conniver — another big if — then redoing or replacing a dish ought to be no big deal. (Or be conveyed as no big deal; no customer wants to believe that a restaurant is taking a hit.)

And the same goes for replacing a bottle of wine that is not a great match. (I've had wines billed as good matches that simply weren't, for whatever reason. If I hear "good match," and I'm dining at the highest levels, I want alchemy.) 

Why? I think newness is a part of it, but it's not as if we docked the place simply for being new.

I like the rolls at Bourbon Steak, but not as much as the Parker House rolls at CityZen. And not as much, either, as the gruyere popovers at BLT.

And I agree, the butter poaching is novel, but in general, I prefer the taste of the steaks at BLT. (I think Bourbon has it all over BLT when it comes to seafood.)

By the way — two luxe steakhouses in one weekend? Whoa, Nelly! The calories! The bank account! 

Are you willing to drive a lot?

The place you're looking for is the Italian Store, in Arlington. They have everything you're looking for. And it's good stuff, too. 

There's also the Three Brothers' market and store, in Bladensburg, which ought to have those very same things. Also a good place, and little known by most of the people in the Upper NW-Bethesda-Northern Virginia power axis.

Hope that helps you out a little.

It's no good to be jonesing for something so badly like that, and not be able to satisfy it. 

Lordy … Did you even read what I just wrote?

I said I didn't at all support sending a wine back JUST BECAUSE.

And I made clear that I wasn't talking about just high-end restaurants. I said I was talking about the very, very elite of high end restaurants — those that aspire to greatness. Those that will go to any length to make sure that a customer leaves happy. I can only think of a handful of places in this area that meet that description.

By the way: If, as you say, the wine is bad — corked, oxydized, whatever — what need is there to send an entire bottle back? The customer will get a taste, and can decide then. 

And yes, I said customer.

"Guest" is a restaurant affectation. Like "neighborhood restaurant" has become.

If someone is a guest in my house, they're not paying. Cf., "be my guest." 

I don't think you're off base. Order something else and move on. 

You don't go to a doctor, only to have them break out a medical book and begin looking up case histories.

Granted, life is not in the balance with a mere drink, but still … 

Here's what you do.

You go to the new-ish Burma Road, in Gaithersburg. They've got two menus, side by side — one Burmese, one Chinese.

If you're lucky, maybe you can persuade your mom and dad to try something new. If not, no big deal — order from the Burmese menu and enjoy yourself.

I've only sampled a few of the Chinese dishes, and they're good, but the real reason to come here is the Burmese cooking, which is terrific — bright, vivid, expressive.

And very, very consistent, too, from the soups to the wondrous salads to the complex curries.

There are a few good Burmese places in the area now, including Mandalay in Silver Spring, Myanmar in Falls Church, and a Taste of Burma in Sterling. I like all of them. But I think Burma Road, right now, is the best of the lot.

Wasted? Not wasted. This isn't an information dump; it's a chat. Getting into debates, going off on tangents, indulging in long, meandering riffs, cracking jokes, cracking wise — that's what a conversation is. Or ought to be. A free-form thing.

Glover Park. … Well, I can tell you what it wouldn't be. It wouldn't be Rockland's, which I always get excited about and invariably come away disappointed by. Very good collards, and some other good sides, but the ribs just don't do it for me. Sorry; yuppie 'cue.

At the moment, I'd probably say Surfside. The level of detail is surprisingly high, for what this is — basically, a taco and burrito joint. 

Some restaurants aim high, and fall short of the mark. This one aims lower, but finds its mark almost every single time. It knows exactly what it is.

I recently had a superb tortilla soup here, one that would have been at home in a restaurant that charges four times as much. And there are a handful of specials that show off the talents of the chef, David Scribner, who used to run Dahlia and, before that, Smith Point. 

Good report, Cheverly, and very much on the mark, too.

The thing about Rasika is that it's actually gotten better, bit by bit, as it's gone along. I thought it was a promising place when it opened, but I also had a few reservations about it; it's now one of the best, most exciting restaurants in the city.

It's great to see this kind of steady evolution.

A lot of high-minded restaurants open with a bang, then sputter after about six months. A year later, after they've gotten the good reviews (which you can live on for a few years), they raise prices, they reduce the size of the staff, and nothing's quite the same anymore. It's not really the same place that you'd read about.

It's fine, sure.

But then it's not a real Philly cheesesteak. I don't think a happy medium exists in something like this.

A happy medium is a businessman's notion — how to satisfy both ends?

But if you want to be thought of as working within a tradition, then why compromise? To make money? OK, but here's the thing: Then you're just a sub shop. There are lots of those. Why not be distinctive? Why not stick to your founding principles?

As for Tosca … I think the pre-theater menu is a good one, but I also think you can get out of there a little more quickly — and with less of a hit — if you sit at the bar, and order a couple of half-portions of pasta and a glass or two of wine.

Yes. Agreed.

Thanks for chiming in with this.

I'm thinking the Old Ebbitt Grill would fit the bill perfectly here.

Fun atmosphere, not too expensive, a little touristy, the kids should be as at home here as the adults, and the raw bar is one of the best around.

Third week of May. We'll be wrapping on it in the next week or so.

There's a bunch of newcomers on the list, and we've got a really interested, really varied, lineup of places.

I'd go with Central Michel Richard.

Five blocks away, mostly terrific cooking, a sophisticated, buzzing atmosphere — one of the best restaurants in the city, and one of the most fun, too.

Enjoy yourselves. 

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

I'm not against wet-aging, as many steak lovers are, but I'm not all that big a fan of butter-poaching. (Just for the sake of clarity: Bourbon Steak doesn't just poach; it also finishes its steaks with some heat.)

Kobe isn't so much overrated as overpriced. And to make it available only in a five-ounce portion, as BLT Steak does, is turn it into something it was not meant to be. It was not meant to be a stand-in for a slab of beef. It's best appreciated in small tastes — just as you wouldn't want to gorge on five ounces of fat-striated oh-toro.

Now, American Wagyu — yes, generally overrated.

Welcome. And I'll do my best to help you eat as well as possible …

For sushi — I've got three spots. The newly renovated Sushi Taro near Dupont Circle, Sei in Penn Quarter, and Sushi-Ko in Glover Park.

For Italian, you're looking at Italian fine dining; Tosca and Obelisk head my list. For something a little more casual, Dino in Cleveland Park.

And back, again, to steak. … In the city, BLT Steak and Bourbon Steak. Charlie Palmer Steak I'd put third. 

Fred,

Brasserie Beck and Central both do good frites; so does Cafe du Parc. So does Poste.

And you can try them out at Bourbon Steak at the bar, for eight bucks — three different styles, each with a different dipping sauce. They're as good as they come. 

And enough … : )

I've given you the last word on this, DC.

Thanks very much for taking the time to chime in, and to craft such a thoughtful explanation of your perspective.

I'm off to lunch, everyone. (No returning of bottles, I promise!)

Be well, eat well, and let's do it again next week at 11 …

(TEK, I miss you … )

Submit your question to Todd's chat next week on Tuesday, April 21 at 11 AM.