Tuesday, May 11 at 11 AM

You're right — great location, very peaceful, very beautiful, and yes, it's made for gatherings like this. Good call.

The cooking isn't up to the level of the view, though very few restaurants in such gorgeous settings deliver the hoped-for exquisiteness on the plate.

Incidentally, parts of "Wedding Crashers" were filmed in and around the property, if I recall correctly.

Annie's Paramount Steakhouse and Skewers are two very close places — they're both about two blocks away — and they're both in line with what you're looking to spend.

I'm not enthusiastic about either (I'm talking primarily about the cooking, here), but if I wanted something close and it was raining, I'd give them a long look. What they have going for them, Annie's even more than Skewers, is a good neighborhood atmosphere. They're low key, relaxing places to be. 

You might be.

I've had very good meals there, but then, I haven't been there in a few months. Things can change, and change quickly, in the restaurant business.

I think it's interesting that you had the halibut. I know it's on the menu, and I also know that everything on the menu ought to be subject to scrutiny, but in my experience there are very, very few restaurants that know what to do with it.

It had better be cooked absolutely perfectly, and even then that's no guarantee of a great dish or even a good dish — so much depends on its saucing and its accompaniments.

Not much that's new excites me, no.

But I have always loved Potato Valley on State Circle, Joss is an excellent destination for sushi, and Lewnes's — when it's having a good night — is a pretty darn good steakhouse.

Of the new (and relatively new) spots, a lot of disappointments. Osteria 177, Stoney River Steakhouse, Carpaccio … eh. Hell Point Seafood has made strides in the past year, and I think you can have a really nice meal there these days. And I think Punk's is fun for a good burger (made with locally raised beef) and a cold, strong rum punch. 

How about you? What are the "few" you've gravitated to? 

Oohhs & Aahhs, while I love it, may not be quite what you have in mind — it's a soul food joint, an eat-at-the-counter sort of place where your dish is a styrofoam carton and your knife and fork are plastic. It's the very opposite of a tourist trap, but I think you have to be a food adventurer to really enjoy it and what it represents.

And since you're looking for fried chicken, you should know that O&A has some of the best, if not the best, in the city.

As far as blue crabs go, if you have a car and have the time, take the drive out to Cantler's in Annapolis. To me, that's the best place to pick and eat. But avoid the place on the weekends, it's slammed. Go on a weekday, and go mid to late afternoon. You ought to find a table then.

If you're looking for crabcakes, then you want Kinkead's. I think they're hard to beat.

Eve is excellent, and you need to know about the Lickety-Split lunch they do — two courses for $13. Great eating on the (very, very) cheap.

Breadline? Not what it used to be.

I think you should add Palena Cafe to your list. And make sure to get whatever soup is listed on the menu.

Also: Bar Pilar, Cork, Cava and the new Kushi.

And you really ought to do some exploring around Little Ethiopia (I like Etete best) and, in Falls Church, The Eden Center (a de-facto Little Vietnam).

Hope that helps a little. Drop back on when it's all over and let us all know where you ended up eating …

Before I answer your question, I just want to say that I don't rely, ever, on what I've "heard" about any place — only what I myself experience. I listen, like everybody else, but I never use what I hear to form my judgments about a restaurant.

Now, to the question at hand … I've been to the newly relocated HEC on the B and from what I've seen and tasted, I think the place is still finding itself.

The dim sum right now is good, just not as consistent or as wonderful as it had been in the old location. A lot of things are heavier, or taste heavier. That is due, in part, to the diminished crowds (a lot of people don't know where to find them right now). You can tell that the restaurant is holding back as a result, downscaling the number of carts it uses. I would do the same thing. The problem is, the kitchen is not working at the same high volume as before, and things tend to sit. And dim sum, when it sits, becomes flat, becomes heavy.

The famed carrot buns, however, are every bit as good as they used to be, and I expect that things across the board will pick up in the next few months.

There are, in addition, a few dishes on the regular menu that I am really enjoying. One is the whole chicken, cleavered into small bites, and buried under a hailstorm of garlicky bread crumbs. 

I think so.

I mean, if any dinner is worth $125, then this one is.

It's interesting you bring up Le Bernardin, because it's not at all that kind of a place. LB caters to world-travelers, the elites of business, and endeavors to provide a seamless, exquisitely calibrated experience — perfect, and also perfectly impersonal, the way a lot of affluent customers tend to want their high-end restaurant meals to be.

Komi is personal and warm and sensual. It's cozy and intimate. In our most recent review of the place, I said it's meant for "gastronomic thrill-seekers" — diners who are looking for great and interesting tastes and textures, above all. As opposed to diners in search of a perfect and perfectly impersonal meal.

I think it's terrific that the Obamas ate there the other night, although I worry what a visit like this will do to the place. Not from within, but from without — from all those who are now likely to regard the restaurant as something it's not.

Thanks for this, Annapolis.

I should also throw in Jalapenos, which I think Annapolitans overrate, but which has a number of dishes I enjoy. 

My pick would be Las Canteras, a Peruvian spot on 18th. Weak drinks, but the food's good. I especially love the version of chupe de camarones there.

I'd skip dessert there, though, and walk down to Locolat. 

How has it stayed around so long? I don't know. "Charm"?

I do like the wines there. I can say that. 

Oh, wow, lots of places … Ray's the Steaks, the best steakhouse in the area … Minh's, one of the very best Vietnamese restaurants in the area … Liberty Tavern, one of the best casual-serious restaurants in the area … Tallula, for smart fine dining …

You've got a wealth of options.

I don't, sorry. Has anybody out there had a butterfish sighting on an area menu? 

I love it, too. Very distinct, very flavorful. 

What I hear is: shortly.

In the restaurant business, of course, that could mean two days, two weeks, or two months. 

Take your fiancee to KBQ Real Barbecue in Bowie. They've got good dry ribs. At their best, they don't need the sauce.

You should also take her to Red, Hot and Blue — the Laurel location only; I think it's the best of the locations. I've had some great ribs there in the last year or so. If they're dry — not dry from the rub, that is, but dry from sitting and then being reheated on the grill — then send them back and ask for something fresher and more luscious.  

Very different places, as I said, and so very different experiences, too.

For some people, Le Bernardin and places like it are always going to be seen as more impressive — more statement-making — no matter how good Komi and places like it are. For those people, the trappings matter. They matter a lot.

Komi isn't about trappings.

I just think for that many restaurants, the quality ought to be higher.

What mom n pops would you have me try that I haven't already tried? Guardado's? I like it. Wonderful? No. Visions? No, thank you. Where else?

That's really tough — there are a lot of places on that short list that I think are terrific. But for one meal, right now, I would say The Source –1a, and Palena — 1b …

I've got to go now and knock back some meds — my throat is getting scratchy, and I've been nursing a cold the last couple of days.

I've got to rest up for tonight. I'll be talking about (and signing) my new book, The Wild Vine, at Bailey's Crossroads. 7:30. On Thursday, I'll be at Barnes & Noble in Bethesda. Also at 7:30. Maybe I'll have a chance to meet some of you –?

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

[missing you, TEK … ]

Submit your question in advance for next week's chat here.