I was reading about how a bunch of foodies over on chowhound.com got together and 'took over' Laboratorio del Galileo this past day before Halloween.

Here is alink where their post-event discussion begins.

Here is alink to where they posted some pictures (of the food especially).

If we ever have a VC event in DC with 28 people or less, this is the place we need to do it. For when we want to go over the top. Maybe not now, next week or even next month -- but sometime.

They WAIVED CORKAGE FEES for the entire evening -- dudes, we MUST go here as a group! Maybe in March? April? May? June? Sometime?

That would be awesome! This is one event I think our spouses would love to come to. Count me in (date permitting)!

Dude, if Mrs. TJ were excluded for some reason, she would crash the party and smack me around.

This is just an idea. Something for the long term radar -- maybe sometime in the next 6 to 12 months...

ummm I have been begging someone to go to the Lab with me.....Corakage where are you? I fully support overtaking the lab.

Hmmm. Laboratorio...with bottles of Ornellaia, Sassacaia and Solaia...when cherry blossoms are in bloom. I could be persuaded.

Yep, I'm a slacker. Johnny sent me dates back in September. I want to go. Johnny, didn't you say this was one of a few places that you will go to before year end?

yes, it is indeed on the fall list...along with the Inn at Little Washington.

Ok. so when are we going? Maybe I need to skip the middle men and go directly to Nicole and Debbie......

I am not familiar with the Laboratorio....good, great, fabulous restaurant?

Whooah. I'm game!
Do I get to have Foies Gras with every course.......boy I hope so!

We'd come from NJ if on a wknd! It looks awesome!

Laboratorio is quite awesome.

But I am not ready to go just yet (again)!!! I need to buy windows for my house, dudes.

I was thinking of an event where we get 28 of us together to take the place over completely, replete with wines of the gods. Sometime in the first part of next year. Like during the Cherry Blossom festival?

But, by all means, DO GO NOW if you want, don't let me stand in the way. I was just dreaming up our next 'big' event for us to look forward to for a long time...

Jazin....it supposedly is awesome and would be well worth coming down on a weekend......ironically it is located in my office building. I have been to the regular restaurant (Galileo) several times and it is justifiably known as a great restaurant all by itself...as a matter of fact George Clooney and Kiefer Sutherland were having lunch at Galileo the other day.

Sounds like fun, but expensive. It would be a great place to have a large gathering. Of course, Jake would kill me if he wasn't able to go.

If we all brought wines to match the food, oh boy, what a night that would be.

Of course, if we were feeling flush, it would be a great place for a DC Cru gathering. But would Debbie let TJ go alone? Me thinks not. We could take table 7, I beleive it holds 10 or 12.

Oh Mrs. TJ would have to come. That's why I am saying next year sometime -- like Spring. I should be able to swing it then.

Hey, count me in! For my 50th b-day last year, I asked my wife to take me to dinner there....did she?? No, instead she did a surprise party...but I still want to go to the Lab...what a good excuse!

So if we do this, how much $$$ per person are we talking about (ballpark)?

Probably $125 per person (if it is a weekend night, $98 if it is a weekday), plus tax, plus tip, and plus wine (either off the list, wine pairings or corkage fees). If we take the whole place over, we might be able to convince them to waive corkage fees like they did for the chowhound crew. Even if they do, it puts it into the range of $200 per person, most likely.

Good to know, thanks TJ.

Johnny, its my fault. You gave me a list of available dates way back in September.

Johnny here are the remaining dates thru Nov:

Thursday, November 13 [maybe]
Friday, November 14 [dinner on the boss at citronelle]
Tuesday, November 25 [maybe]
Wednesday, November 26 [we're out of town]
Friday, November 28 [out of town]
Saturday, November 29 [out of town]

Honestly its looking like maybe December. Can you get the Dec dates? We'll do it before the year end if it kills us!