Pamby
March 7th, 2003, 04:13 PM
I received emails for 30-37 attendees (the 7 are "maybes" and people who could only come certain times). I hope a few more than that will want to come. I think we should first pick a time soon, then we can pick a restaurant. I'll append the restaurant info here, because pricing/availability might have an effect on lunch vs. dinner choices, but I think this thread should be primarily for discussion of "when" to eat.
The SkateFAIR protest has been moved to Friday, so we wouldn’t need to have the Saturday dinner so early. Here are the time choices and my ruminations thereupon:
1) Friday lunch before SP (1:00 start) at about 11:00 or 11:30. This would allow us to meet and share our anxieties before the event. Lunch might be less expensive than dinner for the budget-conscious. Gives solo travelers a chance to meet other MKFers sooner.
2) Friday after SP, before Free Dance. 5:00 or 5:30?? Not sure when SP would end, FD starts at 7. Conflicts with SkateFAIR protest at 5:30. We can discuss SP, but the scheduling with the FD coming up and the protest are big disadvantages.
3) Saturday before LP (7:00 start). 5:00? We can discuss SP and share pre-LP anxieties. Lenten Friday food restrictions are not a problem. Everybody is here by Saturday!
What do people think?
==============
Restaurant Options:
All are within a couple blocks of the arena. These are in no particular order; the numbers are included just to offset the descriptions. Under-21 diners are not a problem for the brew-pubs. Tax and tip not included in prices. Teaism requires payment in advance. Drinks not included unless mentioned otherwise (Soft drinks at Teaism and RFD Washington) * indicates spicy dish on Chinese menus.
1) Teaism - “Pan -asian Fusion” Zagat-rated. Probably around $12-15 (quote coming Monday). Pay and order in advance (would be a pain, but doable). I imagine no tip needed, since it wouldn’t really be table-service. Max of 45 people. Max of 30 for Sat. dinner (another event booked).
Should be fast (good option for lunch) since each person pre-orders one of five Bento boxes, so we wouldn’t have to wait for service. They provide us with an assortment of Coke/Diet Coke/Sprite and small desserts (chocolate truffle/mini tea cake/scone)
Bento boxes :
Fish- chilled baked teriyaki salmon, cucumber-ginger salad, rice and edamame
Veggie- grilled veggies with miso sauce, tofu with toppings, rice and edamame
Meatball – beef meatballs and tomato-miso sauce, tomato salad, carrot-sprout salad and rice
Chicken – fried chicken, sweet potatoes, cucumber ginger salad and rice
Tuna – Seared tuna and wasabi sauce, carrot-sprout salad, sweet potato and rice
www.washingtonian.com/din...sp?id=1395 (http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/restaurantDetail.asp?id=1395)
2) RFD Washington - brew-pub. $19.95 for dinner. $14.95 for lunch. Need to know by 3/14. We’d have a section of the restaurant if the group is less than 50. They have a separate room for 80 or so. Includes salad, choice of 2 entrées: 1/2 braised chicken or one fish option (we’d have to pick either salmon atop crab quiche or lobster-and-crab ravioli), soft drink, dessert (tiramisu or cobbler). My notes are kind of messy: may include appetizer also. Those over-21 could buy alcoholic drinks at the bar.
3) Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant -Chinese. Zagat-rated. Washingtonian “100 Very Best” and “100 Best Bargain” Pick one party menu $10.95 to $14.95 for lunch (3 diff menus), or $17.95 to $21.95 for dinner (3 diff menus). Beverages not included. Need at least 40 or 50 to get private room (with own cash bar), otherwise, we’d probably just have a group of tables in the main restaurant.
Sample ($12.95) lunch menu: soup of the day, fried meat dumpling, *crispy orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, string beans with chicken, mixed vegetable, *hunan beef, shrimp fried rice, fortune cookies, sliced orange for dessert.
Sample ($21.95) dinner menu: soup of the day, spring roll, fried meat dumpling, *crispy orange beef, seafood double delight (shrimp and scallop), *shredded chicken with pepper in black bean sauce, *double cooked pork, mixed vegetable, young chow fried rice, fortune cookies, sliced orange for dessert.
If we decide on a Friday, they would be open to substituting another Catholic-acceptable dish for one of the meat dishes (we’d probably want to make sure it’s not a spicy one), but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were resistant to substituting Sweet and sour Shrimp for pork in the cheapest menu without raising the price.
www.washingtonian.com/din...sp?id=1142 (http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/restaurantDetail.asp?id=1142)
4) Mr. Yung’s –Chinese. Pick one of three party menus $15, $20, and $25. Cash bar. No private room, just a group of tables/section of the restaurant.
$15: Shredded duck with orange peel soup, steam dumpling, crispy vegetable spring roll, shrimp with mixed vegetable, beef with broccoli, *General Tso’s chicken, *Double-cooked pork, *Kung Pao chicken, sautéed vegetables, steamed rice, fresh fruit and fortune cookie.
$20: Seafood with tofu soup, pan fried dumpling Peking style, Steamed dumpling Hong Kong style, *shrimp in shell sautéed with garlic and spicy salt, apple flavored pork and beef, sesame chicken, eight treasure sautéed with vegetable (not sure what this is!), sautéed vegetables, boneless Chilean Sea Bass chunks (Hunan, sweet and sour, or steamed), steamed rice, fresh fruit and fortune cookies.
$25: crabmeat with asparagus soup, crispy seafood spring rolls, skewer chicken, jumbo shrimp with walnuts in salad sauce, *flank steak with hot black pepper sauce, roast chicken with bones Cantonese style, seafood combination in bird’s nest, sautéed vegetable, boneless Chilean Sea Bass chunks (Hunan, sweet and sour, or steamed)
5) Gordon Biersch – brewpub. Buffet with 3-4 entrees. Price TBA. A section of the restaurant for 30-50, Over 50 people, semi-private. I kind of dropped the ball on getting in touch with their events manager, who only works weekdays. She’s supposed to call me at work Monday.
The SkateFAIR protest has been moved to Friday, so we wouldn’t need to have the Saturday dinner so early. Here are the time choices and my ruminations thereupon:
1) Friday lunch before SP (1:00 start) at about 11:00 or 11:30. This would allow us to meet and share our anxieties before the event. Lunch might be less expensive than dinner for the budget-conscious. Gives solo travelers a chance to meet other MKFers sooner.
2) Friday after SP, before Free Dance. 5:00 or 5:30?? Not sure when SP would end, FD starts at 7. Conflicts with SkateFAIR protest at 5:30. We can discuss SP, but the scheduling with the FD coming up and the protest are big disadvantages.
3) Saturday before LP (7:00 start). 5:00? We can discuss SP and share pre-LP anxieties. Lenten Friday food restrictions are not a problem. Everybody is here by Saturday!
What do people think?
==============
Restaurant Options:
All are within a couple blocks of the arena. These are in no particular order; the numbers are included just to offset the descriptions. Under-21 diners are not a problem for the brew-pubs. Tax and tip not included in prices. Teaism requires payment in advance. Drinks not included unless mentioned otherwise (Soft drinks at Teaism and RFD Washington) * indicates spicy dish on Chinese menus.
1) Teaism - “Pan -asian Fusion” Zagat-rated. Probably around $12-15 (quote coming Monday). Pay and order in advance (would be a pain, but doable). I imagine no tip needed, since it wouldn’t really be table-service. Max of 45 people. Max of 30 for Sat. dinner (another event booked).
Should be fast (good option for lunch) since each person pre-orders one of five Bento boxes, so we wouldn’t have to wait for service. They provide us with an assortment of Coke/Diet Coke/Sprite and small desserts (chocolate truffle/mini tea cake/scone)
Bento boxes :
Fish- chilled baked teriyaki salmon, cucumber-ginger salad, rice and edamame
Veggie- grilled veggies with miso sauce, tofu with toppings, rice and edamame
Meatball – beef meatballs and tomato-miso sauce, tomato salad, carrot-sprout salad and rice
Chicken – fried chicken, sweet potatoes, cucumber ginger salad and rice
Tuna – Seared tuna and wasabi sauce, carrot-sprout salad, sweet potato and rice
www.washingtonian.com/din...sp?id=1395 (http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/restaurantDetail.asp?id=1395)
2) RFD Washington - brew-pub. $19.95 for dinner. $14.95 for lunch. Need to know by 3/14. We’d have a section of the restaurant if the group is less than 50. They have a separate room for 80 or so. Includes salad, choice of 2 entrées: 1/2 braised chicken or one fish option (we’d have to pick either salmon atop crab quiche or lobster-and-crab ravioli), soft drink, dessert (tiramisu or cobbler). My notes are kind of messy: may include appetizer also. Those over-21 could buy alcoholic drinks at the bar.
3) Tony Cheng’s Seafood Restaurant -Chinese. Zagat-rated. Washingtonian “100 Very Best” and “100 Best Bargain” Pick one party menu $10.95 to $14.95 for lunch (3 diff menus), or $17.95 to $21.95 for dinner (3 diff menus). Beverages not included. Need at least 40 or 50 to get private room (with own cash bar), otherwise, we’d probably just have a group of tables in the main restaurant.
Sample ($12.95) lunch menu: soup of the day, fried meat dumpling, *crispy orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, string beans with chicken, mixed vegetable, *hunan beef, shrimp fried rice, fortune cookies, sliced orange for dessert.
Sample ($21.95) dinner menu: soup of the day, spring roll, fried meat dumpling, *crispy orange beef, seafood double delight (shrimp and scallop), *shredded chicken with pepper in black bean sauce, *double cooked pork, mixed vegetable, young chow fried rice, fortune cookies, sliced orange for dessert.
If we decide on a Friday, they would be open to substituting another Catholic-acceptable dish for one of the meat dishes (we’d probably want to make sure it’s not a spicy one), but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were resistant to substituting Sweet and sour Shrimp for pork in the cheapest menu without raising the price.
www.washingtonian.com/din...sp?id=1142 (http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/restaurantDetail.asp?id=1142)
4) Mr. Yung’s –Chinese. Pick one of three party menus $15, $20, and $25. Cash bar. No private room, just a group of tables/section of the restaurant.
$15: Shredded duck with orange peel soup, steam dumpling, crispy vegetable spring roll, shrimp with mixed vegetable, beef with broccoli, *General Tso’s chicken, *Double-cooked pork, *Kung Pao chicken, sautéed vegetables, steamed rice, fresh fruit and fortune cookie.
$20: Seafood with tofu soup, pan fried dumpling Peking style, Steamed dumpling Hong Kong style, *shrimp in shell sautéed with garlic and spicy salt, apple flavored pork and beef, sesame chicken, eight treasure sautéed with vegetable (not sure what this is!), sautéed vegetables, boneless Chilean Sea Bass chunks (Hunan, sweet and sour, or steamed), steamed rice, fresh fruit and fortune cookies.
$25: crabmeat with asparagus soup, crispy seafood spring rolls, skewer chicken, jumbo shrimp with walnuts in salad sauce, *flank steak with hot black pepper sauce, roast chicken with bones Cantonese style, seafood combination in bird’s nest, sautéed vegetable, boneless Chilean Sea Bass chunks (Hunan, sweet and sour, or steamed)
5) Gordon Biersch – brewpub. Buffet with 3-4 entrees. Price TBA. A section of the restaurant for 30-50, Over 50 people, semi-private. I kind of dropped the ball on getting in touch with their events manager, who only works weekdays. She’s supposed to call me at work Monday.