Image: Kim Novak and Debbie Reynolds at the Schwab’s Drugstore, Hollywood. Photo by Frank Worth (1958).

This week we added a couple places and our content management team was castigated for falling behind on revisions.  We also made an argument that the Michelin Guide was sacrificing its credibility to chase eyeballs through its deal with TripAdvisor.  Here is the week that was on our site and in D.C. dining.

Changes to the Recommended Restaurant List:

Added:

Bread Furst – Mark Furstenburg is a legendary baker.  He went away for a few years but came back with this spot in Van Ness.  It took us awhile to check it out.  We are glad we did.

Republic Cantina – Someone recently asked where to get good Tex-Mex in D.C.  Now I have an answer.

Other:

As we noted in last week’s recap, Michelin and TripAdvisor announced a deal.  TripAdvisor’s reputation for reliability is already close to nil.  Why Michelin, which holds itself out as the paragon of independent criticism beyond influence would pair up with a crowd-sourced site makes no sense in terms of brand identity.  This is what happens when you expect a marketing gimmick to become a revenue source.  We wrote a piece on the debacle.

News:

As the holidays get into full swing there is less news thankfully to keep up on.  The most interesting development was something that was somewhat under the radar for an old standard.  Cafe Bonaparte brought in a new chef from Paris to make over the menu and upgrade the food.  As Adele Chapin reports the changes are not small, including a new name: “Lutèce by Bonaparte.”  Also, “the awning is outside is gone, and the popular crepes are no longer on the menu.”  Lutèce is the ancient name for Paris.  It is also the name of a legendary restaurant in New York that was name dropped on Mad Men.

Lucky Buns is opening a stall at Union Market and bringing its late-night Thai cooking too.

The Hilton Brothers are remaking the Gaslight Tavern into Echo Park, a brighter spot serving New York style pizza.

The Washingtonian readers poll came out with Le Diplomate winning in many categories, to include Best in D.C. (Dabney and Rose’s were runner-ups).  Le Dip struck gold, but so many pay for its sins.

Remember that if you are looking for a place to eat in D.C., we have more than 200 places that you can sort by cuisine, neighborhood, and/or rating!  In both MAP or LIST format.

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