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Barbara

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Everything posted by Barbara

  1. Barbara
    I just read about this and I'm not surprised. The food at Cashion's was just awful. I don't know what they were thinking. It'll be nice to have the original Ann Cashion back in the 'hood.
  2. Barbara
    A very strong cast, yes, with the glaring exception of Katharine Houghton. She couldn't act her way out of a paper bag (any wonder why you never saw her again?) and there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Poitier. Even back when I first saw it in the 1960s, I thought this movie was patronizing. Watching Hepburn and Tracey together in a film for the last time, however, was a hoot. Those two had chemistry. Yes, it was a child of its times. I'm glad those times have changed and nobody would make a movie like this again. Or, at least, I hope not.
  3. Barbara
    I've been unable to access this website since it went down. Finally resorted to shutting the computer completely off and then restarting it. Seems to have worked Dame Edna and I showed up the night of the DR.com gathering. Since everybody just ordered off the regular menu and there was space available, it worked out just fine. (I had actually been the week before for lunch. The changeover from Target to CVS at the Columbia Heights Target pharmacy turned out to be a real clusterf**k and I had some time to kill and hadn't eaten anything; so, I jumped on Metro and went to Drift. I was madder than hell and equally hungry. Lemme tell ya--a plate of the seafood pasta and a glass of the Riesling put a real smile on my face.) Dame Edna and I split an appetizer of the crab cake sliders. You can order either 2 or 4 or those and we chose to have one each. My goodness! They were delicious! Then, we had the lobster bisque. I already knew from Ferhat's soft shell crabs that he learned a thing or three from his time at Corduroy and the bisque didn't disappoint--although I don't believe there was any foie gras in it. Still, a more refined soup than you might have expected--if you didn't know any better. For mains, I ordered the mussels and DE had the fish tacos. I didn't get any of the tacos, so can't speak to those. The mussels, however, were quite wonderful. Not a sad, shriveled-up one in the bunch and the broth didn't overwhelm the mussels. I'm going to try the Boulliabasse (sp?) next time--while I wait for soft-shell crab season to start. Needless to say, I am thrilled that Ferhat gave this place another shot and upped his game in the interim.
  4. Barbara
    This was also the only film I saw that was nominated for Best Picture. I thought it was worthy of the award but didn't think it would win precisely because there were no car chases or sex scenes or any explosions. The scene that will stay with me forever is when Marty Baron opens the present from Cardinal Law (who told him that it was everything he needed to know about Boston) and discovers a copy of the Catechism. The sheer hubris of that was just breath-taking. (The real Marty Baron wrote in the WaPo that they used the actual book that was given to him all those years ago). It was very gratifying for me when it actually won. This ranks right up there with "All the President's Men" and I hope it will be shown for a very long time. The script and the acting were superb and the subject can't be discussed enough. Maybe Hollywood decided that they could actually do good by awarding this film its top award.
  5. Barbara
    It is THE place to find Japanese dried noodles (soba, udon, etc.) for much lower prices than you will find elsewhere. I'm speaking here of local supermarkets and not the big Asian markets in the 'burbs (about which I know very little). I love the Japanese low-sodium soy sauce there and the variety of miso. I don't know enough about Japanese cuisine to venture into the freezers; but, I've always found the service to be very friendly and helpful.
  6. Barbara
    I would simply urge any of you who can get to Adams Morgan to look for the most important--and most hidden--of the Heritage Trail posters on the corner of Columbia Road and Adams Mill (very near Southern Hospitality). This one concerns the Knickerbocker Theater disaster and also points out that the Christian Science Church (which has a historic designation and is being renovated as a hotel) was used as the local morgue during the disaster. Interestingly, in modern terms, all of the lives lost were Caucasians--because the Knickerbocker was segregated and, so, no black people were allowed to attend the movies there. Karma continues to be quite the bitch!
  7. Barbara
    I must be really special, too. I was also going to comment on the Knickerbocker Theater disaster but got the same notice as you. I logged out and logged back in, but it didn't change anything.
  8. Barbara
    After reading about the cauliflower shortage in the WaPo yesterday, I went to the 14th Street Trader Joe's and found a whole pile of cauliflower for $2.49 a head. I'm debating whether to bake it with a cheese sauce on such a cold, gloomy day. That sort of thing hasn't been in our diet for years now. Still . . .
  9. Barbara
    I'll just repeat that I bought a "farmers market" bird from Smucker Farms and paid approximately $4/lb for it. That 5 lb. bird was plenty for the three of us and there were leftovers for the next day. I generally wind up paying $7+/lb for non-CAFO meat when I cook for guests. Even at that price, it's still cheaper to cook for everybody than take them to a restaurant.
  10. Barbara
    OK, I'll admit that I am late to this party. I'll just say that I never buy chicken or eggs at any supermarket. My eggs come directly from my CSA farmer in Pennsylvania and we don't eat much meat or poultry at home--except, when we have people in for dinner. Which was the case on New Year's Day. I picked up a chicken from Lancaster County at Smucker Farms on 14th Street. It cost nearly $20 for a nearly 5 pound bird. I forgot that birds from farmers markets come with the neck attached. Which, I don't know exactly how to deal with. In any case, with a bird that expensive, I Googled the best way to roast it. The unanimous vote was Thomas Keller's method. Surprise, surprise. It worked out wonderfully. We have a smoke detector that is so sensitive that it goes off whenever I cook anything at a high temperature. Fortunately, we have found that a fan pointed directly at the smoke detector will make things right. The bottom line is this: if you are willing to eat industrially-produced chicken (or other meat), then you can buy it cheap at your local supermarket. If, on the other hand, you care about where and how it is produced you will pay much, much more for the "artisanal" stuff. My only concern with this thread is paying a premium at a restaurant for CAFO products.
  11. Barbara
    You should have said "Hi" to us.
  12. Barbara
    I understand what you mean by those backless seats. Screw 'em. The chairs at the bar are just that--tall chairs. I've always found them to be quite comfortable.
  13. Barbara
    Cilantro hate (tastes like soap) is clearly a genetic thing. Think about where this is an important part of any cuisine--none of them are of Northern European origin. No, cilantro is used mostly in the hot, tropical areas where spices are predominant. Julia Child, who was of Scottish descent, also thought cilantro tasted "soapy" and it was one of the only things she clearly didn't like. I actually like the taste of cilantro; but, I am a natural redhead and my genetic mutation(s) has a direct impact on the level of numbing agents I need in dental work. No lie (you can look it up). I can easily talk to my dentist about this, but it's less easily explained to a restaurant. I'll happily take the trade-off.
  14. Barbara
    You beat me to it!
  15. Barbara
    I think you mean ANZAC. It originally meant Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, but it's lately been used to signify both countries, jointly. Australasian includes the entire South Pacific area. IIRC.
  16. Barbara
    I've actually read it. I was hoping that this was a novel about what happened in the South during the Civil Rights Era. Well, it sorta is. It started out wonderfully. Just what you would expect from Harper Lee. And, indeed, it is set just after the Supreme's Brown v. Board of Education decision. This was clearly written before "Mockingbird" because the tale of Tom Robinson (who isn't named in this book) was referred to with a completely different outcome--an aside, if you will. However, it devolved into the most incomprehensible gobbledy-gook imaginable. Such a shame. It is also obvious why this was originally rejected for publication. We are all just lucky that some editor saw the value in it and urged Lee to rewrite. The review in The New Yorker explains all, if not exactly explaining why I, in particular, was disappointed: "Sweet Home Alabama" by Adam Gopnik on newyorker.com --- Harper Lee (Al Dente)
  17. Barbara
    This is one of Tom Power's pet peeves. The website itself states "No shorts."
  18. Barbara
    I'm awaiting my copy of the book as I write. This episode is reminding me of the origins of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. From what I have read recently, she originally submitted a much darker memoir, which was rejected for publication. She subsequently rewrote the story as a more fictionalized and uplifting book which, of course, became a beloved classic (except by me because I've never read it). The original book is being published, if it hasn't already, and that's the one I look forward to reading. Harper Lee said in an interview back in the 1960s that (I'm paraphrasing here) that people outside the South really had no idea about race relations in the South and that it was entirely possible for white people to hold conflicting positions at the same time. I expect the portrayal of Atticus in the 1950s conforms with that.
  19. Barbara
    I think The Donald needs Jose more than vice versa. There is no upside for Andres at this point.
  20. Barbara
    Exactly. He is toast.
  21. Barbara
    For some reason, my local Harris Teeter has been contracting with local fishermen for stuff to be ordered in advance. A couple of weeks ago, it was day boat scallops (which were the best scallops I've ever bought from a market) and last week it was Blue Catfish (for a mere $5.99/lb.). I'm going to pick up 5 lbs. on Thursday and found a guy in MD (on the intertubes) who "blackens" them in his restaurant. I've got his recipe and the grits to go with them and will report back on a later date.
  22. Barbara
    I'm just wondering how "golden" his parachute is going to be.
  23. Barbara
    No, not at all. It's just that Frank McCourt's family in Ireland was given a pigs head from the St. Vincent dePaul Society and it was a sign that you were really, really poor and had to depend on charity. While I have no issue with the whole nose-to-tail use of any animal, it just struck me as being ironic that you would even have to do a search for something that once was a symbol of shame (although it shouldn't have been).
  24. Barbara
    Lord have mercy. Has no one here read "Angela's Ashes?" We are SUCH privileged people.
  25. Barbara
    There is absolutely ZERO problems with the food Ferhat is putting out. The decor? There might be the difficulty. I just remember going to the pre-Valentine's dinner and insisting that we be seated as far from the front door as possible. If you remember, it was COLD in February.
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