Sam

I want to buy a friend of mine who is on bedrest a gift certificate for take-out. She is vegetarian, so ideally some place with lots of vegetarian options. It does not have to be delivered as there is a person who can pick it up. Does anybody have any suggestions, specifically in DC near Penn Quarter? Thanks!

I moved to Denver a year ago from Arlington and have discovered the delicious goodness that are tamales. Never had one before moving here. I really want to try making my own (realizing they are time consuming) but have no idea where to start. What is a good basic recipe? Any special techniques I should know about? Thanks in advance!

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before, but the LATimes food section had a big article a few months ago on how to convert your oven into a pizza oven. Maybe it would work on a grill too? http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-homepizzatool25-2009mar25,0,2992963.story

Can you post your dough recipe? Thanks!

I have been going here for years and at dinner, the place is never crowded. I used to work across the street and I think lunch is where their business really comes from. I have stood in line from the entrance on Wilson. For those who have been inside, that is a long walk from the counter. I can't say I am an expert on Tex/Mex or New Mexican cuisine, but their refried beans are the best I have ever tried. They are creamy, but thick. Not too thick, but just thick enough to stick to your fork. They mouthfeel is a lot more substantial than others I have tried. For comparison sake, I find Guajillo's a bit thin with little flavor. The salsa is quite spicy but really good. You can buy it by the pint to go. It is a really nice family run place. The help never changes, the food is good, you can hear your dinner companions (my big complaint with Guajillo is that it is too noisy). Great for crowds too. Some of the tables middle of the restaurant are really big.

I am thinking of it too. Anybody else?

I think I posted above about GCF, but I have nothing but good things to say about them. I did a 1/2 share to feed my boyfriend and myself. I got enough to incorporate the vegetables into probably 3 meals per week. we got lots of greens in the beginning and end which I loved since GCF actually turned me onto greens. Corn was not that great this year. Peaches were ridiculously abundant. I am still sick of peaches right now. The positive with GCF is that they will deliver to your doorstep. I don't think any others do that. As long as you are willing to cook meals at home, I think a 1/2 share would be good. You may, some weeks, have too much, but you can always give it to a coworker if that happens? To split a 1/2 share with somebody could be hard. What happens when you only get 1 zucchini or 1 eggplant? Some weeks we got a little bit of different produce, other weeks it was a lot of a few items.

I went for lunch the other day and found it fine. I wasn't blown away by the pizza but thought it was good, albeit a bit oily with the extra olive oil drizzled on top. I don't think it will be on my rotation of favorite pizza places, but I would be more than happy to go again. What I found odd was the service. Our waiter was good-prompt, checked in occassionally, etc. My lunch companion ordered the gnocchi special (the gnocchi were great!!-nice and light) and I got the pizza. His dish come out in under 5 minutes (no exaggertion) whereas my pizza came out in 15. the waiter explained mine would be longer because it was being cooked in a different area. Can't the kitchen get its timing right even if the two are located in different areas? I did not have the bad waiter service experience I was expecting based on this thread. Kitchen service on the other hand was poor.

Have you done the full two weeks in brine? I would think you ought to leave them in the brine, longer. Maybe make ups a new batch of brine and let them sit for an extra week or more. As far as color goes, mine are also sort of variegated. I used a zip-lock bag full of water to keep them submerged during the water cure, so it wasn't that they got oxidized. I can't explain the color--as long as they taste good, that's my biggest issue. They have been in the brine for about 1.5 months now. Maybe I will try a soaking a smaller batch and see if that works. I only have a sacrifice a few at the start to do the experiment

I was trying the olive curing this year too and did the exact same thing. Cracked the olives (and proceeded to ruin a shirt with olive juice on it!), soaked and changed water everyday for 10 days, and now is in a brine. When I taste them, however, I still get that bitterness. Do you think I could resoak in cold water for a few more days to try to get the bitterness down? By the way, did yours turn from green to black due to exposure to oxygen during the soaking process? Some of mine are polka dotted!

Same here. Corn has been terrible this year. I try to salvage as much as possible by shaving off little parts of each cob that look ok. Again, being 2 people really help stretch things. I have been supplementing the corn through the farmer from WV at the Columbia Pike market on Sundays. His corn has been amazing all year.

I am with the Great Country Farms CSA this year. Added bonus is that they deliver to your door. Downfall is that you don't pick your produce. However, I have been so happy with them. I get a 1/2 share which is a 10X12X14 box every week. It started with lots of greens and lettuces, but this past week I received 1 big zucchini, about 5 tomatoes, 1 medium eggplant, a bunch of peppers (not as much of a fan of peppers though), 4 ears corn, and 6 gala apples. I was swimming in peaches all summer (some weeks getting upwards of 10-15 peaches) to the point that I never want to see a peach again. Corn and eggplant have been coming for weeks also. Additionally, I have a U-pick allocation each week if I am willing to schlep out to the farm. As with others, it has forced me to try new vegetables. I have found I LOVE sauteed greens more than I ever thought. We only eat out 1-2 times/week due to the CSA. I am already dreading the stop at the end of October. For what it is worth, I am feeding myself and my boyfriend. I know I sound like I work for them at this point, but I cannot say enough good things about the farm. The owners are very responsive-I get emails back from them within 24 hours. If I have to skip a week, I get a double delivery the next week.

So you did decide to share with the babysitter??? With only 2 of us in the house, I am going to have chocolate for a few weeks at the rate I eat it at. Poor me!

I agree, I had a wonderful time last night. I am looking forward to having the chocolates over the next couple of weeks.