Jonu

Skank's oi-hooters Bar Spewoooos and Gaaaaags (i know this is a stretch)

Anyone heading to Cambridge, I strongly recommend to go get Cream Brulee from Finale in Harvard Square. Rich and creamy, slightly cooler on the bottom and perfectly carmelized on the top which you get to crack with your spoon.. it was delicious. I also liked the melange of fruit - blueberries, rapsberries, strawberries, kiwi, orange, etc. - and orange-flavored mini shortbread cookies that come atop. Service was over the top, and I can't wait to go back..mmm

Although I assume they will have a set menu, I may be tempted to get the lamb if I went back to Corduroy... and my father is just as weak as me when it comes to lamb

My family will be in town for Thanksgiving, and I would love to have a nice meal with them without worrying too much about the big bird... I heard DG and Corduroy were opened for the big meal last year - hopefully again this year?

I made my second visit to Busboys and Poets tonight. I foresee more visits for many reasons and for different occasions--just like what the owners must have thought of when he opened this place. Conveniently located in my neighborhood (14th and V), this is a place for: (1) food: i am so glad to see decently priced and well-prepared food in the neighborhood where all things on the new-and-hip U St. are expensive regardless of the quality (think of Alero). All under 10, the chicken pizza w/ mushrooms, spinach, and roasted red peppers would shoulder next to pies at Coppi's, and the spinach salad w/ grapes-covered-in-goat-cheese-and-rolled-in-crusted-candied-walnuts was definitley memorable. I saw juicy-looking burgers, golden catfish, and more pizzas passing by me, and all looked pretty delicious. (2) drinks: The beer selection is pretty large - both tap and bottled: tap including magic hat #9, magic hat hocus pocus, delirium tremmens, amstel light, and two local microbrews. I can't remember too well, but it had a mixed bag of domestic and imported (one German and one French) bottles. There is also a full bar + wine. It's a nice to see this place continuing the trend in the neighborhood where bars offer a wide and interesting beer selection (e.g., the saloon, saint ex, and bohemian cavern). and (3) couches + wireless: this place is huge, airy, and full of couches and a handful of work tables. When are they going to start brunch on weekends? I can't wait to swing by with a book and grab a cup of coffee and a croissant. I sense that Busboys and Poets will become the U Street's Tryst (there were definitely a bunch of people w/ books and lap tops among diners). Anyone else who checked out this new spot?

Sollongtang's stock is made from oxtail and other bones of the cow, which should produce an opaque, watered-down-milk-like stock that is rich in beef. To serve it correctly, you add rice noodles (angel hair style) and a bowl of rice into a hot stone pot, add the almost-boiling stock, and bring it to the guest. Sollongtang is typically served with chopped green onion, salt, pepper and sometimes red pepper flakes. Because the stock is barely salted, people get to adjust to their liking. That's how I remember my sollongtang from the g'ole days at home - whether it was the sight of seeing rows of hot pots sitting on the grill at a small, no-frills restaurants in Seoul or worrying about the simmering pot of stock left over night in my mom's kitchen.

Dear fellow DRs: I am a member of SustainUs (www.sustainus.org), a youth/young professional organizaiton promoting sustainable development. We've been working on creating + updating our "Sustainable DCity Map," which features a list of sustainable enterprises in DC. Think of farmer's markets, consignment/thrift stores, and, of course, restaurants. I am here to ask your input - take a look at my list of restaurants below and let me know if I am missing anywhere that: (1) purchases local, organic, free-range, and other sustainable ingredients (i.e., Tuscarora Organic Growers [TOC] Coop) (2) serves local and/or organic wines (3) practices more socially and environmentally concious business (please be specific here) Thank you all, and I hope that this will be a great opportunity for me to expand my research on these wonderful places! My List Asia Nora (certified organic) Austin Grill (100% windpowered) Bossa Organic Bistro and Lounge (organic food/bev options) Café Atlantico (TOC) Cashion's Eat Place (local/organic ingredients, Anne Cashion is also a sustainable biz promoter among chefs) Coppi's Organic (TOC) Equinox (TOC; the mission says, "the name Equinox depicts its commitment to seasonal cooking using products harveted in accordance w/ the environment and the earth's natural tempo) Gabrielle (TOC and other local organic producers) Jaleo (TOC) Johnny's Half Shell (Anne Cashion's other restaurant) L'Auberge Chez Francois (TOC) Local 16 (locally supplied ingredients, supporting local issues and community efforts) Mendochino (organic produce, free-range meat, wild seafood) Mimi's American Bistro (local, organic produce) Palena (local, organic produce) Restaurant Nora (certified organic) The Reef (sustainably sourced seafood, organic draft beer option, strong supporter of local, social, and enviornmental efforts) Thyme Square (local, organic produce and meat from Even Star & TOC)

Hongkong for those w/ adventurous palate but timidity about language. From the ball-room packed dimsum in the morning to uber fancy french restaurants at night, it's an awesome city for a short-term traveling.

I visited Sodere yesterday, and I am now torn between once my very favorite Dukem and Sodere, the new heart winner. The food took a while to come out, probably because we were the only diners last night (almost 9pm), but it was definitely worth waiting for. We had lamb and beef tibs and kitfo (meat combo for 1) and vegetarian combo that had the usual - tomato salad, potato salad, lentils (spicy!), chick peas, cabbage, greens - plus two more wat that I couldn't tell what the ingredient was. Everything was so delicious: especially beef tibs, spicy lentils, greens, and tomato salad. There was a lot of food atop our injera: I felt like I was at an Ethiopian thanksgiving dinner table, nibbling even after my stomach had reached its full capacity. http://www.sodererestaurant.com/menu.html I am a fan of al fresco dining at Dukem, but now the season is about to change, I am more likely to be heading to Sodere.

I am a big fan of chunky PB, apple slices, and sprinkle of cinnamon. I have tried peaches, all kinds of berries, figs, and nectarines w/ PB, but crispy apple slices always stand out. Once in a while, I like to make a small crostini of nutella and strawberries for dessert. I second that refrigeration is overrated for certain food, especially if it has been cooked thoroughly (i.e., some leftovers). However I would advise not to bring deli and dairy items if you don't have a small carry-on fridge bags (even if you do, they taste much better when they are just out of your home refridgerator). I also make an "office-mix": a small bag of cruchy+bulky type cereal (quaker oatmeal squares, puffins, kashi good friends, etc.), raisins or dried cranberries, and some nuts. If you have a prep area and crave a salad for lunch, bring whole tomatoes and a few basil leaves to work, slice+salt+pepper and enjoy.

I was at Al Crostino on Saturday and had a lovely meal: a perfectly prepared crabmeat-stuffed salmon dish served with sauted greens and scalloped potatoes. The salmon was rolled w/ crabmeat, then cooked in a sweet bun shape, and it was juicy, plump, and sweet (mmm the thought of it makes me hungry). Greens--not spinach but something tougher like kale--were deliciously sauted in olive oil w/ a touch of sea salt (I was glad not to taste any butter in my greens). The potatoes were a tad bit too salty for me, but I might be biased since I am not a fan of potatoes in general. My company had linguini w/ shrimp and tomatoes which was tasty. Tapanade served with bread before the meal was a nice change from the regular g'ole olive oil, and panna cotta was delicious as well. We had a very friendly server who had fabulous recommendations, but the hostess was somewhat abrasive about not having made reservations. I am definitely going back to try their crostini, mushroom ravioli, and zuchinni-crusted fish.

Sitting near the roaring fireplace at Polly's Cafe (14th and U) for frosty $2 can PBRs is my choice for a dive bar on a wintry day. Polly's would be so much better if they had better food (i wish to order food from Nema Cafe and drink PBRs at Polly's). The only downfall here is that when you walk out of Polly's after a few drinks you will smell like burned wood. For lonesome drinking, I echo Saint Ex (and now add Bar Pilar) although I would consider neither as a dive bar.

Cardinelli's is the one - in fact, my friend must be from your class because he mentioned that the place closed down after his second year in college. Thank you everyone for so many suggestions, now we've got a notebook full of ravioli dishes to try! I am on a similar quest: In Chinatown in Manhattan, under the bridge near Canal St., there are numerous dumpling soup places (near Chinatown bus stops). Served super hot (temperature), the bowl is filled with opaque yet meaty broth w/ dumplings w/ very thin--almost paper thin--skins. The filling is smaller than a normal dice, but the dumpling skin is disproportionally large. it doesn't have the normal look of a dumpling where the filling is "framed" in a noodle; rather, these tiny dumpling has large "skirt" of paper-thin skin around the filling. Has anyone seen these guys in DC area? Thanks again, Jonu

I think the Chicagonian ravioli he's been dreaming (and re-dreaming) of was just simple, not too-fancy, regular-size ravioli - cheese, spinach and riccota, and meat (maybe) served w/ very simple sauce (either butter-based or light tomato). He particularly remembers that the sauce was accompanying--not overwhelming--the pasta. I don't particularly remember where exactly he has been disappointed with, but I do know that he hasn't been "wow-ed" yet ever since. His quest and unsatisfied palate reminds me of the drive of Christopher Kimbell from America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Illustrated--working w/ numerous recipes to identify what he considers the best recipe to prepare a simple, original, and free of frou-frou. The only difference is that he is hardly a skillful cook (maybe I should send him to Kimbell's kitchen to be one of his tasters?) I think my ravioli friend and I are going to Al Crostino (I am a big mushroom fan and he's a big butter sauce fan) and Eastern Market Pasta Shop to continue his quest. --------------------------------------------- this is me: I had Chef Power's mini goat cheese ravioli last week and wished that they were served separately from the lamb so that the lamb juice/sauce didn't touch those adorable ravioli. Ravioli was also a bit more cooked than al dente. But I was in the lamb-melting-in-my-mouth heaven and did enjoy the dish tremendously.

A Simple Quest: I am looking for the ultimate ravioli for a friend whose quest has been unsuccessful so far. This is the interesting part of the quest: he's been mostly disappointed with how the pasta is made and prepared (texture, doneness, size, filling to pasta ratio, etc.) more so than the filling. He's tried a number of restaurants and handmade pasta over the counter in DC area, but he says none was better than 'the ravioli place' near University of Chicago that is now closed and caused his quest to begin. anyone w/ great ravioli experience? thanks! -Jonu