By Elisa Nader/washingtonpost.com

Washington Post food critic Phyllis C. Richman recently came to the Internet – live on Style Live!

In more than two decades of critiquing Washington restaurants – from the hautest temple of gastronomy to the most obscure off-the-beaten track discovery – Richman has become a household name for everyone in our area who loves to eat.

Every Thursday at noon, Phyllis will be on hand to answer your questions and field your comments about dining out in Washington. And, you can read Phyllis's Sunday reviews on Friday – only on the Web!

Phyllis mentions several restaurants during her discussions. If you are hungry to find out more – prices, location, hours, dress code, etc. – visit our restaurant front, go to the "Find Places & Events" search box, enter a restaurant name or category, select "Search StyleLive" and click "Search Now."

If you missed out in today's chat you can either join us next week or post your thoughts in our ongoing discussion area which Phyllis visits periodically.

Following is the transcript from this Thursday's chat.

Arlington, VA: I've heard the former chef of Evening Star is opening a new place in Falls Church....Now that that's cleared up. There was no mention of what happened to Mathew Lake, the chef of New Heights. Where'd he go?

Phyllis Richman: Welcome once again to a glorious sunny Thursday lunchtime when we are indoors trading restaurant lore.

Thanks for the Evening Star info. Matthew Lake, late of New Heights, is said to be in New York looking for a new restaurant in which to settle.

Washington, DC: Is it proper to request another waiter once your meal has started? My girlfriend and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants recently, where the service has always been good, and got the worst waiter - his hand shook when he poured the wine (to the point where he was spilling it on the table cloth), he tried to take our dishes away before we were finished, etc. After the first ten minutes, we were pretty sure our meal was going to be considerably less enjoyable than it would have been with a more competent waiter. What's the proper etiquette for requesting another waiter, if it's even possible?

Phyllis Richman: It's not often done, because it is uncomfortable to confront someone in a public place, but there is not reason you can't ask for a new waiter. You'd ask for a new table if yours was in a draft or under a leaky roof, so if a waiter is ruining your meal you should be able to ask another be assigned to you (though it's mighty inconvenient for the restaurant and could entail your having to move to another table). Just do it discreetly, and the maitre d' should be cooperative, even sympathetic.

Reston, VA: My wife and I have always enjoyed taking large groups of our friends out to family-style Italian restaurants. Our Favorites include Carmine's (NY) and Maggiano's(Chicago and Tyson's Corner). Could you recommend other restaurants that have created an atmosphere which is advantageous for large groups? PS-Carmine's has the BEST Caesar salad!

Phyllis Richman: Have you tried That's AMore? It's a local chain that, like Carmine's and Maggiano's, serves family=style Italian food. It's fun, and it serves some good food.

Arlinton, VA: Hi Phyllis. Have you ever been to Otellos (sp?), italian restaurant on Connecticut near Dupont Circle?? I've been there numerous times and think its great. I love the food (awesome Bolognese sauce), the prices are reasonable and I like the intimate, relaxed atmosphere. However, I have
never heard it mentioned. Is it as good as I think or am I easily impressed?

Phyllis Richman: I haven't been to Otello's for awhile, but I've always found it a pleasant and definitely above average Italian restaurant with reasonable prices. Most important, if you find a restaurant you like, you should support it with your loyalty. Restaurant preferences are a matter of taste, not a science. And no one size fits all.

Rosslyn, VA: It seems as if the cost per person for most of your reviews is $40 or more per person. Since my husband and I do not drink alcoholic beverages, and it is rare that we will get appetizers and desserts, we don't always spend much more than what an entree and a cup of good coffee costs. Also, most of the people we know don't spend that much money on a regular basis to eat out. So then, why are the restaruants that you review always so expensive?

Phyllis Richman: Thanks for raising this question. It's not that the restaurants I review are necessarily expensive, but that in my price summary I want to warn diners what is the most they will spend. It includes wine, tax, tip and three courses. Few people always eat three courses, and often you can spend much less at the restaurant than my summary implies. But that you can figure out from the listings of price range of appetizers and entrees, which are also included with the review.What I intend is that the reader will be prepared for what the price could be rather than the least one might pay. At a restaurant I estimate at $40 a person you could probably eat for $20 if you had only an entree or if you didn't drink or order dessert.

Bethesda MD: Where would you recommend taking 20 people for dinner before a show at the Kennedy Center?

Phyllis Richman: You've got me stumped with that one. How do you get 20 people fed before curtain time, that's the problem. The Roof TErrace is equipped to handle such a problem , but any other place would be tricky to manage.

Fairfax, VA: Why does it seem that the majority of the restaurants that you critique are in the DC and Maryland areas? Why are there not more restaurants from the Northern VA area included?

Phyllis Richman: Funny, but Maryland people think I review only DC and VA restaurants.

McLean, VA: Phyllis, can you help? My parents are coming into town (again) this weekend and I'm looking for someplace new for dinner in the city. I've already taken them to Vidalia, Kinkead's, Morrison-Clark, Jaleo, Taberna del Alabardero, Red Sage, I Ricchi, not to mention numerous places in the 'burbs. Any place new, perhaps up-and-coming and /or not yet reviewed, that you could recommend? The folks are fine food and wine lovers and price is not an issue (since they're paying)!

Thanks!

Phyllis Richman: If those are the places your parents take you to dine, you ought to be delighted that they come so often. The hot new restaurants of the moment are DC Coast (which I've visited and like very much) and bis (which I haven't tried yet). Goldoni has just opened at its new location, and Lespinasse reopened yesterday with a new chef from France.

Michal, San Francisco, CA: Just a general question -- where do you think the white table cloth restaurant is going to go next. Martini Bars and steaks are already getting old . . . My own guess is another variety of retro -- classic old world perhaps, maybe even with French service (if they can find the waitstaff that knows how), but that is just a view from the West coast. What do you see coming next from your place in DC?

Phyllis Richman: We must be behind California. We're still getting more martini bars and steakhouses. There are several new mezze/tapas restaurants, too. But the trend I see is a negation of trends: a few new FRench restaurants, Asian seafood, nearly-vegetarian, modern Indian. I can't see the kind of overriding trend we used to have (Cajun, Northern Italian, wraps, etc.).

Bethesda, MD: Does poor lighting, making the menu hard to read and the meal hard to see figure in your overall rating of a restaurant?

Phyllis Richman: It doesn't in any stand-alone way figure in my rating, but it is part of my reaction to how pleasant or diner-friendly a place is. I find it a definite annoyance to have to move the candle or stretch and squint to read the menu.

Washington, DC: How about Zuki Moon for the pre-show dinner? Its walking distance to Kennedy Center.

Phyllis Richman: Zuki Moon is delightful restaurant quite close to the Kennedy Center, but it is small and its tables are too, so I wouldn't attempt to take 20 people there before the show. Four or six people, yes.

Arlington, VA: I enjoy afternoon tea at a variety of local hotels. The Sheraton Carlton is the only one that charges for additional sandwiches. I always thought, based on my experiences in London, NYC and here that they are provided complimentary. What's your opinion?

Phyllis Richman: I wasn't aware that it charged for additional sandwiches. That is definitely not the norm, though of course it is the restaurant's right to do so. I assume that would simply chase away some customers who found the practice chintzy.

By the way, I lost a question on tipping that I was answering. If you receive particularly poor service, you are not required to leave a tip, or you could leave a smaller tip than you otherwise might. But you should make sure that the service problems are the waiter's fault, not the kitchen's or the management's. And your gesture is lost if you don't explain to the waiter or manager why your tip is small or nonexistent.

Bethesda Again, MD: Do you mind if I ask where are you going for lunch after this? (Not that I will try to be there, chained to a desk as I am)

Phyllis Richman: Now that you ask: I'm having lunch on the Delta shuttle. I'm off to New York for the meeting of the James Beard restaurant awards committee, and I'm going to try a reputedly grand new restaurant while I'm there.

Alameda, California: How about an upscale Italian restaurant in the District where we can take our adventurous 10-year old? She loves to try new pasta, and is very well behaved, but not all high-end places welcome children.

Phyllis Richman: I don't know of a restaurant that would not welcome a well behaved child. In fact, I've often seen upscale restaurants pay special attention to children--they can make a delightful change in a routine workday, of course, and many waiters recognize that.

Adams Morgan, DC: My parents often come into town for dinner as well, and some favorites that weren't mentioned before were Georgia Browns, New Heights and Lebanese Taverna, also Jean Michele near Bethesda is also great if the parents are picking up the check.

Phyllis Richman: Thanks for adding your suggestions to the discussion.

Portland, OR: Phyllis,
How many restaurants do you visit every week, and how do you manage your weight with all that dining out? How many times do you eat at a restaurant before writing your review?

Phyllis Richman: Nowadays I'm visiting a lot of restaurants per week, since I am finishing up the fall dining guide and working on the forthcoming edition of the Washington Post Dining Guide, which will be in the bookstores by November.

I visit most restaurants three times before I review them. Occasionally I make four or five visits, sometimes only two if the menu and the consistency make that feasible.

As for how I manage my weight: badly.

I was at a restaurant very recently where the waiter at the next table was discussing me with the diners--loudly. He said that I was coming to that restaurant the next week (hey, I didn't know that) and that he knew me. He also described me as ""Reubenesque." The rest of the conversation was too lewd even for the internet.

Would that he signed onto this chat line.

Washington, DC: Hi Phyllis,
I was recently at a restaurant and ordered a glass of wine that I didn't care for. When I asked the waiter if I could order something instead, he said no (at least not without paying for it). I asked for the manager, and he supported what the waiter had said -- he also said that he felt that the wine was described accurately in the menu. It left a poor taste in my mouth (no pun intended) about this restaurant -- what is your opinion on the topic?

Phyllis Richman: Some restaurants will take back a glass of wine if a diner doesn't like it, but I think it isn't fair to expect them to do it unless the wine is bad. It costs them money, and they have served what they promised. That said, I'd suggest that if you are unfamiliar with a wine and/or have strong opinions on what you taste, you ask the waiter to pour you a small taste of the wine before you decide to order the glass. It's a bother for a restaurant, but easier than having an unhappy customer to mollify.

Wahington, DC: Have you heard of the new Coffeehouse, lounge, bar that opened up in Adams Morgan called Tryst? They have an interesting menu and a pretty relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. I would be interested in your impressions of the place.
Just wondering!

Phyllis Richman: This is the first I've heard of it. Pretty compelling name.

Washington, DC: What is new address of Goldoni's and is it as good as the original?

Phyllis Richman: Goldoni has moved to the old site of Marrocco's. I don't have the address at the moment, but I think it is on 20th St., around M. There's no reason to expect it to be any less good than the original, since it will have the same staff, and they will have had a vacation and fancy new digs in which to work.

Alexandria , Va: My husband and I just purchased a Sunday evening subscription to the Arena Stage. Are there any resturants you would recommend near the theatre?

Phyllis Richman: That's a tough call. I like to eat in Chinatown before Arena; it's not far away, and you can usually get fast enough service to get to the theater on time. On the waterfront, Le Rivage and Pier 1 are pretty good.

Arlington, VA: Sports Bars and Good Food are not usually used in the same sentence...Do you know of any
such places that combine two of my favorite pastimes?

Phyllis Richman: Not I. The best of the combo I know is a kosher hot dog and a beer at Orioles stadium. Anybody out there have any suggestions?

Laurel, MD: You have mentioned the "hot" new restaurant "DC Coast" and I have had an opportunity to eat lunch and dinner on a few occassions. Your comments on what dishes you have enjoyed the most?

Phyllis Richman: The review is coming in about a week.

arlington,VA: As an avid wine collector, I can not understand how you can review a restaurant without rating the wine list. You generally provide a cursory note about the list and usually regarding price. With this in mind, I always take your reviews with a grain of salt.

Phyllis Richman: I sympathize with your problem even if I am not solving it. The Post food section, however, is planning a big story on local restaurants' wine lists.

Laurel, MD: What has become of Red Sage? I hear the executive chef has moved onto Nora's and that Mark Miller is not as active in the management of the restaurant?

Phyllis Richman: The executive chef has indeed moved to Nora, but Red SAge has had dozens of executive chefs over the years. And Mark Miller hasn't taken a steady active role in it since the first or second season.

Arlington, Va.: That's awfully fast for your review of DC Coast, isn't it? I thought that place was really new.

Phyllis Richman: Nope, I wrote the review well after it was two months old,so now it must be at least three months old.

Arlington, VA: Hi Phyllis!

I'm hoping you can help my husband and I. I am a transplant from Chicago, home of the world's best pizza and my husband hail's from Philly, where they also make some great pies. However, no matter where we've looked in the DC area, we cannot find a place that sells a good pizza.
I'm personally appalled that Armand's and the Uno's chain claim they have Chicago pizza (the originial Uno's in Chicago has pizza completely different than the chain).

Suggestions? We've just about given up hope.

Thanks.

Phyllis Richman: Have you tried Pizzeria Paradiso? Coppi's? AV Ristorante?

Falls Church, VA: How frequently are you recognized when you go to review a restaurant? When you are recognized, how does this affect your service? How many times do you eat somewhere before you write your review? Do you rely heavily on your friends' and readers' comments?

Phyllis Richman: I've already answered the second part of this question today, but as far as how often I'm recognized, it's probably about half the time. There are restaurant staffers such as the waiter I mentioned earlier who think the recognize me, but it's somebody else they are identifying as me.

Of course my being recognized affects the service (usually I get too much service and the kitchen slows down) , but I have pretty much learned how to take that into account.

As for taking into account friends' and readers' comments, they are alway useful to know, but my judgements are based solely on my own experiences and reactions.

Washington, DC: I am what you would call a "big tipper." But, in reality, I just don't like being rushed through a meal. I consider not only the amount of the check when I tip, but, also if I have been at a table for several hours. Is this reasonable? What guidelines would you give in relation to the check and the amount of time spent on a meal?

Phyllis Richman: This is an appropriate way of looking at the tip, I think. I have no hard and fast rules, but if you have taken more of a waiter's time than usual--thus have interfered with his or her opportunity to be earning tips from the next diners--it is fair to increase your tip to account for that. I'm sure waiters wish that most diners were that thoughtful.

Reston, Virginia: On a recent Sunday evening I ate at Donna's Arucola and was very disappointed. As a great fan of Galileo, I expected the food quality to be comparable. My risotto was incredibly salty and watery (I should have stayed home and made my own)and the salad's vinaigrette was quite average. What if any have been your recent experiences with Arucola or any Donna restaurants?

Thanks,
Allison

Phyllis Richman: Roberto Donna's restaurants range from great to greatly lacking. I would put Arucola in the latter category.

Arlington, VA: I'm picking up a friend at Union Station this evening. Any suggestions for dinner either at Union Station or in the surrounding DC area?

Phyllis Richman: The way I like to eat at Union Station is to accumulate my favorite dishes in the food court and all share them. I like the Indian restaurant and Pik-A-Pita, etc. Otherwise, the table-service restaurants are undistinguished. La Colline is nearby, probably the best of the restaurants in the neighborhood.

Baltimore, MD: Do you ever get sick after eating at a restaurant you are reviewing?

Phyllis Richman: Only once or twice, which is a pretty good average considering how often I eat in restaurants. I do get stuffed, though, and wish I'd eaten more lightly. And I often have to eat heavy meals late at night, which leaves me feeling that I never want to eat again.

Woodley Park: Does anyone know what happened to Melati? It has been closed for months.

Phyllis Richman: I don't know, but maybe someone else out there knows. Restaurants close for many reasons, of course, not just economic once. There are family considerations, etc. etc. etc.

East Lansing, Michigan: My husband , adult daughter (a NY lawyer) and I will be meeting in Washington next month to see the Van Goghs and to celebrate the birthday of two of us. Can you tell us a terrific place to have a celebration dinner?

Phyllis Richman: I have two suggestions: read through my reviews on this website or wait for my fall guide to my 50 favorites, which will be out in mid--October. There are too many wonderful restaurants to list here.

And how lucky you are to have those VAn Gogh tickets.

I'm off to NY. If I catch the next shuttle I can see the Tiffany show at the Met.

Until next week . . .

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