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Ordered this. Today. To toast you. Yes, it's LebTav. Yes, it's probably good to great, and not extraordinary. With years since my last tasting, it read as revelatory to me. And the lighting flash of the server's eyes, followed by the silent, solemn placing of plate on the bar made me wonder if they knew my inspiration. They inadvertantly honored you. Good job, universe! /this dish remains ragingly difficult to find in North Texas suburbs //perhaps one day ///and until then

Just giving everyone an update who might have been following our progress since the fire but we are back open. We just wrapped up our first month of service after being shut down for over a year and a half. It's probably a very different experience than what most had in 2018 when we first opened, we made a huge transition during covid to focusing on seafood, would love to see some new and familiar faces come through!

Meaza via DoorDash crushes it for consistent flavor and value. Several times a year, for the past several years, Vegetarian Platter #1 never disappoints. Pro Tip: Shell out the $5 for "Injera from Ethiopia". It's mostly teff, a flavor win, and more satiating. Each time I have added this item, bolder jalapeno jumps forward in the vegetables, and portion sizes appear larger. YMMV, but the teff injera is worth it, even absent potential, other upgrades. /foods I miss in Texas //I always weigh more ///on the return flight

Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms last night, with one of those wild rice/couscous combos on the side with broccoli. I put a seasoned, rubbed with Worchestershire sauce eye round of beef in my sous vide at 12:30 a.m. and let it cook until almost 8 pm. I had that this evening with fresh spinach that I cooked down with a little water then added olive oil and garlic to cook down more. Also little yellow potatoes roasted with olive oil, S&P.

I bought some morels at the H Street market today. Very extravagant purchase but worth it. I sauteed them in butter with fresh thyme, salt and pepper and then mixed them in with some very buttery and creamy mashed yukon gold potatoes. We also had green beans and roasted chicken leg quarters. There was a salad of mixed greens, radishes, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, and grape tomatoes, with the last of the avocado and feta salsa we'd been having with salmon.

Keren is temporarily closed, but perhaps only for renovations. For Ethiopian, I've had very good (not great) meals recently at Tsehay in Adams-Morgan and at Chercher in Bethesda (and I assume the quality is similar at the D.C. location).

Made a Provence-style sauce with roughly chopped fresh tomato, onion, garlic, capers, herbs and a glug of white wine. Air fried some halibut to rest on the sauce, drizzle of high quality EVOO and basil - delicious.

Playing catch-up here again. We did Taco Tuesday and made these Cajun shrimp tacos. We skipped the hard shell tacos but made everything else. We also did some pulled mushroom tacos as well. On Wednesday, we made this Thai crunch chicken salad with a mango jalapeno rotisserie chicken for the shredded chicken. Really liked this salad. We couldn't find fried wonton noodles so skipped those. The last recipe of the week was this Mushroom Pancit from the WashPo (gift link). I'd never made this before but definitely enjoyed it and will try other variations in the future.

I bought a small pork loin roast on sale at Whole Foods and cooked it in the air fryer last night. It came out really well. Before cooking, I seasoned it with rubbed sage, dried thyme, onion and garlic powders, a little turmeric, and salt and pepper. We had this with more green beans and leftover mashed potatoes with morels, plus a salad. The salad was baby greens, carrots, hard-boiled egg, Campari tomatoes, and radishes with vinaigrette.

Often the menus will offer a “gluten-free” injera option. Those are the teff ones.

Grover and I are going to make a dinner trip to check out the food. If it's up to her standards (and the haemul panjang with shrimp is definitely interesting) we may propose a Don Rockwell dinner here. We're planning on going next Sunday if anyone would like to tag along. Post and let me know you'd like to join us (and aren't afraid to let someone else order) and we'll set a time. BTW, they do have a website now. From the pictures, the food looks very good.

Is Chercher still a good bet? Looking for a place in DC or Arlington for a meal next week. I see they have locations in both. And how is Ethiopic these days? All suggestions welcome.

Last night I made what was supposed to be salmon bowls over rice but did it instead as a 1 1/3 lb. fillet cooked with the same sauce and accompanied on a plate by asparagus with ramp persillade, and TJ's Thai wheat noodles dressed with a sesame soy condiment that came from a Foxtrot* takeout. It came out quite well. My husband especially liked the avocado and feta salsa that went with the salmon. *They shut their entire business operation (35 locations) down suddenly yesterday after I'd already been in the store, so I won't be getting that again. RIP Foxtrot. My condolences to their screwed over employees.

It was packed when I was there this morning. The shelves and cases are emptying quickly. I heard one woman say she's coming back every day until they close. If there is something you really want, get there ASAP. SIgh. That space was Marvelous Market, then Silver Spork. This was a somewhat different type of place, and I really liked their coffee.

Another Tuesday, another cheese pizza from della barba, with pepperoni, Parmesan, and hot pepper flakes added at home during reheating. I also braised some green curly kale and grape tomatoes in chicken broth, with hot Calabrian chilies and honey.

Last night I made an old stand-by, chili beans and mac casserole. It's from the 9x13 cookbook*, all recipes made in that size pan. In an effort not to make way too much food, lately I've been ending up not making enough to have leftovers around for my husband's lunch, etc. This makes a bountiful amount of food. We had it with a salad of escarole, tomatoes, and lettuce with ranch dressing. *The book is a fairly small paperback and the binding is barely holding on after all these years. I've always found it good to use for pot lucks, etc. These are the ingredients. Technique is pretty straightforward. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, though I did it at a higher temperature for a somewhat shorter time yesterday. It has to cook long enough for the macaroni to cook in the liquid. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 onions -- chopped 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef -- or turkey 1 tablespoon chili powder -- or to taste 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese -- grated 2 28 oz. cans kidney beans -- undrained 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 1 1/2 cups olives -- pitted 3/4 cup elbow macaroni -- uncooked 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese -- grated

Cher Cher! I know, too late for this, but perhaps it will help someone in the future. I have been to Zenebech several times since it changed. Chercher is far better these days.

On these boards he shared his love and knowledge of the food of the Levant and of Pennsylvania Amish country; please raise a glass and remember @Kibbee Nayee. https://www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Bruce-Alan-Brody?obId=31120788