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Washington Post Food Section


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DLB - Can you share which ones are good.. I would love to try some. Thank you!

Here are few that I have been taking for lunch recently:

Chicken Pot pie- excellent crust and lots of chicking

Chicken Marsala with brown rice

Sheppards Pie

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verda

Most are only about $3 and make for a pretty good lunch.

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I really liked the pizza story in today's section. A really good comparison of how these chefs are tweaking the ingredients to make "their" pizza. (Albeit 2 Amy's has always followed the Neapolitan rules of the road). What I learned: Where the sauce and cheese comes from. I love how Blue Ridge Dairy cheese shows up in there, as well as how a year's worth of sauce is jarred with the folks at Toigo at one time.

What I wish I saw (and would hope could appear in a follow-up story): While I agree the nature of the pizza changes when you can't have an 800 degree oven at home, that doesn't mean you can't make good pizza at home. (I'm quite proud of mine.) I'd love to see these same chefs share their thoughts on creating a good one at home...what they've learned from working with the 800 degree machine and adjusting what to do with a 500 degree machine. More than just saying "use a pizza stone," I'd love to read (and try) their suggestions on dough and sauce recipes.

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Once again the Times leaves us in the dust. The articles on Top Chef, New Yorkers paying for reservations, and the wine feature were all very entertaining today. What did we get today in DC? A feature article about winter markets, making chili, and a pretty boring feature on pizza. The "A" section is becoming more entertaining that food these days.

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Once again the Times leaves us in the dust. The articles on Top Chef, New Yorkers paying for reservations, and the wine feature were all very entertaining today. What did we get today in DC? A feature article about winter markets, making chili, and a pretty boring feature on pizza. The "A" section is becoming more entertaining that food these days.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I've actually enjoyed the Food section of late. I'd be surprised if the general public is disappointed, either, though I could see members here feeling frustrated that the Food section has become more Sunday Source than Gourmet magazine. I don't mind coming to environments like these to fill the niche desired by the advanced world of early adopters. IMHO, though, I've found the Food section better formatted, more informative of how national food trends materialize locally, visually catchy with more pictures and more color, and more compelling to read the whole articles. I've even torn out and saved a couple things to cook from the recipes, too. Maybe my satisfaction is subliminal recognition of improvement that has lead to an acceptance of mediocrity. But it's a quieting ignornace I appreciate after my opposition research (in, yes, the A section) swells my blood pressure and makes me want to smack that bad part out of George Will's hair.

I say to the editor: Keep up the good work but, of course, continue striving to improve.

Just my humble opinions...

Pax,

Brian

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I have to say, The WP food section has gotten pretty poor as of late. I think they need to do a little bit better than "Man-Catcher Brownies". As a man, even I find that offensive. I've been thinking about going to the WT's anyway. :lol:

If, as a man, you're going to be offended by something in the Food section today, you should be offended by the article providing guidance to male "smooth operators" as to how to woo a woman with a four-course meal. What, men can cook?

Me, I'm not offended by anything in today's paper, but I would simply cite both articles as illustrations of the pervasive entanglement of gender and food in our society.

Signed,

A husband who cooks for a wife who doesn't.

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If we're speaking of gender-specific clichés, I thought women were the ones said to crave chocolate as a form of sexual desire. You're supposed to catch a man with red meat and booze.

The recipe for Man-Catcher brownies was offered by one of the Post's regular staff who is not part of the Food & Dining section. Doesn't an editor chose titles?

Nonetheless, the person who chose the name for the recipe (flawed IMAO by exclusive reliance on cocoa) is a friend of the staff writer. Name? Waitman.

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"Man-catcher brownies"? Are you kidding me? Did we revert to the freaking 1950s while I slept?

Perhaps next week we can have some tips on how to get a meatloaf on the table by the time our men get home from the office?

Huh, I thought that the Post was simply continuing to promote its pro-gay agenda with this recipe title--after all, aren't gay men the only people who actually cook at home anymore? Isn't the '50s thinking that "Man-Catcher brownies" would only be appealing to women? :lol:
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Today's online WaPo: "Culinary Love-A-Thon chat" at 1 PM. Oh, joy. :lol:

You have to pity Kim O'Donnel. Is she being set up by editors at WP or is this her own idea?

Imagine having to sit down and plan content for the weeks and months ahead, feeling obligated to do chocolate and Valentine's Day the week before February 14, uses for hard-boiled eggs at Easter...

It might be a breath of fresh air (notice irony embedded in use of cliché) to pervert the theme, say with recipes for beef-heart or a somber discussion of diets and heartburn. Foods to make your breath and skin smell... Or at least have some fun with recipes for delicious sauces and whipped creams that will not stain linens.

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You have to pity Kim O'Donnel. Is she being set up by editors at WP or is this her own idea?

Imagine having to sit down and plan content for the weeks and months ahead, feeling obligated to do chocolate and Valentine's Day the week before February 14, uses for hard-boiled eggs at Easter...

It might be a breath of fresh air (notice irony embedded in use of cliché) to pervert the theme, say with recipes for beef-heart or a somber discussion of diets and heartburn. Foods to make your breath and skin smell... Or at least have some fun with recipes for delicious sauces and whipped creams that will not stain linens.

LOL!! How about "Favorite flavor jams and jellies for anointing private parts" and "the latest trend in fruit-scented douches--pomegranate--the perfect segue from the pomegranate cosmopolitan"...??
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"Man-catcher brownies"? Are you kidding me? Did we revert to the freaking 1950s while I slept?

Perhaps next week we can have some tips on how to get a meatloaf on the table by the time our men get home from the office?

Oooo--close! Today: How to impress the boss's wife.

Are they just trying to be post-modern and I'm being dense about it?

Let's do a lottery for next week. My money's on "Third Date Cooking: How to prepare a dinner that wows him without even chipping a nail!"

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Let's do a lottery for next week. My money's on "Third Date Cooking: How to prepare a breakfast that wows him without even chipping a nail!"
That would move them into the 1970s. :lol:

The article about Virginia distilleries was interesting, but I won't be rushing out to buy the bourbon. It sounds like the bourbon maker might need time to perfect his product.

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"Man-catcher brownies"? Are you kidding me? Did we revert to the freaking 1950s while I slept?

Perhaps next week we can have some tips on how to get a meatloaf on the table by the time our men get home from the office?

Oooo--close! Today: How to impress the boss's wife.

Are they just trying to be post-modern and I'm being dense about it?

Let's do a lottery for next week. My money's on "Third Date Cooking: How to prepare a dinner that wows him without even chipping a nail!"

That would move them into the 1970s. :lol:

I don't know why you girls are worrying your pretty little heads about all this. Maybe you should just stick to the bridge column and the Women's Style Section if it upsets you so.

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Oooo--close! Today: How to impress the boss's wife.

Are they just trying to be post-modern and I'm being dense about it?

Let's do a lottery for next week. My money's on "Third Date Cooking: How to prepare a dinner that wows him without even chipping a nail!"

I think a lot of the retro aspect in these pieces is from the way the headlines are written. In the article on the brownies, it turned out to be a friend of the recipe author who gave them the man-catcher name and included them in a collection of recipes as a wedding gift. The boss's wife piece reads to me more like an episode of Food 911 than anything else. The hook comes from the intimidation factor that the boss's wife used to be a pastry chef. The protagonist of the piece is a female attorney, so it's hardly a Leave It To Beaver household.

The elements are in there and mentioned by the article writers, but someone is making a decision to highlight those points in the headlines. It may well be meant to be ironic, but I too find it annoying.

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It's unlikely that the headlines are written, or even suggested by, the people writing the articles. I suspect it's someone in the production hierarchy, who may or may not be affiliated with the food section but is convinced they're much funnier than they really are. :lol:

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It's unlikely that the headlines are written, or even suggested by, the people writing the articles. I suspect it's someone in the production hierarchy, who may or may not be affiliated with the food section but is convinced they're much funnier than they really are. :lol:
I doubt the writers have anything to do with the headlines and didn't mean to imply they did. I guess I didn't express myself too clearly. Someone at an editorial level is deciding how to target/sell the articles.
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I don't know why you girls are worrying your pretty little heads about all this. Maybe you should just stick to the bridge column and the Women's Style Section if it upsets you so.
But bridge requires strategy and intelligence...
I doubt the writers have anything to do with the headlines and didn't mean to imply they did. I guess I didn't express myself too clearly. Someone at an editorial level is deciding how to target/sell the articles.
Today's headline caught my eye and got my gender-dander up, too. In this case, I suspect the editor who slapped on the title was in cahoots with the writer regarding the angle since the piece closely adhers to the whole "cooking for the boss's wife" theme. (Nice to see the reliance on Strunk & White in the possessive form.) 'Twas effective in making you read and making you feel less smug as you became aware of the fact that the cook was bringing home the bacon, putting it in the pan and intimidated by her boss's wife's professional credentials. Only thing missing was a same-sex couple.
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But bridge requires strategy and intelligence...

Today's headline caught my eye and got my gender-dander up, too. In this case, I suspect the editor who slapped on the title was in cahoots with the writer regarding the angle since the piece closely adhers to the whole "cooking for the boss's wife" theme. (Nice to see the reliance on Strunk & White in the possessive form.) 'Twas effective in making you read and making you feel less smug as you became aware of the fact that the cook was bringing home the bacon, putting it in the pan and intimidated by her boss's wife's professional credentials. Only thing missing was a same-sex couple.

You caught me! I am often -- usually, in fact -- "in cahoots with the writer." :o

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Is the WashPo food section intended to be a "Local news"-caliber collection of corny food related diary entries rather than reflections on or news from the bigger picture...perhaps the new Michelin guide that comes out today, spring produce forecast or something relevant other than rice pudding and linguine recipes for the home cook. Can we expect a fold-in, picture hunt or instructions for making a novelty Steve Martinish asparagus-through-the-head gag next month?

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Is the WashPo food section intended to be a "Local news"-caliber collection of corny food related diary entries rather than reflections on or news from the bigger picture...perhaps the new Michelin guide that comes out today, spring produce forecast or something relevant other than rice pudding and linguine recipes for the home cook. Can we expect a fold-in, picture hunt or instructions for making a novelty Steve Martinish asparagus-through-the-head gag next month?

How many times do I have to read about the former White House Pastry Chef?
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How many times do I have to read about the former White House Pastry Chef?

Well, considering his new book was just released a bit more. Not to mention that he is quite an accomplished chef and had a pretty lengthy tenure at the White House.

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Well, considering his new book was just released a bit more. Not to mention that he is quite an accomplished chef and had a pretty lengthy tenure at the White House.
He's been willing to dish on his former WH employers, and apparently Washington readers love that shit.

The piece on La Tienda wasn't groundbreaking, but the little tidbit about the owners being key to bringing jamon Iberico here caught my eye. Good on them.

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I'm with those who say that, when you're White House Pastry Chef for 25 years and you reture and publish a book, you get the front page of your hometown paper's food section regardless of where else you're appearing. Though, as I thought with Joe's interview last week, I wish they'd given it a little more space

But, more to the point, am I the only one whose mind is dirty enough that I laughed out lous at Mesnier's comment that "President Clinton loves cherry pie?"

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But, more to the point, am I the only one whose mind is dirty enough that I laughed out lous at Mesnier's comment that "President Clinton loves cherry pie?"
No, you're not. I assume he knew how amusing that would be to you gutter types. :o

I am not sure what Mr Pepper is getting at with this:

Is the WashPo food section intended to be a “Local news”-caliber collection of corny food related diary entries rather than reflections on or news from the bigger picture...perhaps the new Michelin guide that comes out today, spring produce forecast or something relevant other than rice pudding and linguine recipes for the home cook.
Is Washington likely to have any Michelin starred places? And it's a little early for the spring produce forecast, isn't it? Note the date on this article on foraging at spring markets. I for one am still clearing patches of snow and ice from my lawn.

Check the back of the funny papers; the Steve Martinesque gags are usually included in Kids Post section.

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But, more to the point, am I the only one whose mind is dirty enough that I laughed out lous at Mesnier's comment that "President Clinton loves cherry pie?"
We went to the AFI recently to see the Kubrick version of Lolita. The innuendo may have seemed subtle at the time but it's pretty obvious now. My favorite line was when Mrs Haze asks Prof Humbert (as he leers at Lolita) "What made you change your mind about staying with us? Was it my cherry pie?". Almost as good as Lolita getting sent off to Camp Climax.

Sorry...a little tangential, but I had to add.

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Is Washington likely to have any Michelin starred places? ...still clearing patches of snow and ice from my lawn.
Washington is likely to have a Michelin guide within a few years (albeit diluted like the NYC/SF in comparison to the European one) and just as the science pages will regale us with foreign Nobel winners and the sports pages yachting results from the southern hemisphere, news of a highly regarded restaurant compendium whereupon all others are judged against is interesting to anyone curious or passionate about comestible culture and its tangents. Many in this forum who read the Post may be pleased or inspired to read of M. Barbot's 3rd star despite only 27 seats or Mme. Pic's 3rd generation continuance of the family tradition.

Happenings outside the beltway are appropriate for a publication such as the Post and the DC demographic. Readers might wonder about the logistics of supplying lobsters from the northeast to the rest of the country and worldwide or how flying squirrels are followed to find truffles in the northwest. The Post shouldn't bore readers with pedestrian Hallmark recipes. If this pegboard in any indication of the time people spend on distractions while milking the clock, those who care enough are capable of finding them somewhere on their own.

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Once again, so opaquely expressed...

The Post is writing for those who presumably need to be told to serve cheese on a flat surface. Anyone around here who gives a rat's ass about the Guide Michelin likely knows of several other outlets to get the news, because unless it's a major story it probably won't be in the Food Section.

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I enjoyed Hagedorn's article on the birthday dinner in the "chef on call" series, I'm insanely envious of those kids. (I was a little put off by their description in the paper but when I saw them in the video I found them to be quite likeable) The new cocktail coverage shows promise, I haven't had a chance to read cover - to - cover but I think I like the new look. I am really looking forward to giving the recipe finder a spin because there are a number of recipes that I have noticed and actually a few I set aside and promptly lost that I hope to rediscover. We shall see.

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What happend to Ben?
While I am a huge fan of Dorenberg and Page, until their recent book, "What to Drink with What you Eat", I do not recall them spending much time writing about any beverages let alone wine. I hope that they do as well with this column as they have with their books ("Culinary Artistry" has provided me with more cooking inspiration than any other book I own).
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