reedm

No registration required. I believe the time is now 12-2. Hope you enjoy it!

My wife works for Williams-Sonoma. She learned of this days ago, and I'm trying to help her out. Chef Bryan Voltaggio will be signing copies of his new book "Home" at Williams-Sonoma in Tysons Galleria this Saturday from 12-4.

My thanks to you and Don for your sage advice. It's too late in the game to get the word out, and I don't want to get too involved in a company that is not my employer. On the other hand, I need to make a good faith effort to assist my wife.... Thanks again!

This question may be too broad, but here goes. I don't intend this to be an advertisement, so let me know if I'm not complying with rules/etiquette, etc. My wife works for Williams-Sonoma in Tyson's Galleria, and her boss managed to arrange for Bryan Voltaggio to appear for a book signing appearance 30 April. The store doesn't have a large advertising or social media presence, so she asked if I could help. As a child of the 60's, my skills are very limited. Does anyone have any ideas to "spread the word"? I'm really out of my element. Thanks in advance.

Coincidentally, my parents are also in their 70's, and my dad is also mobility limited. I picked Central for lunch, and the food remains excellent. It's interesting Michel Richard is there quite frequently--perhaps that's the reason Central continues to impress. The day we were there, he enjoyed his lunch at a table next to us.

Nakwon's owner is the mother of one of my daughter's friends, so it's nice to hear a compliment. I don't have any Korean heritage, and I've never been to Korea, but I really enjoy Korean food. I don't know if I've tried Nakwon's pork belly, but it's on my list. Nakwon is certainly more of a family restaurant, and it's not as flashy as Kogiya or Honey Pig. They also operate a catering business which is located next door to the restaurant.

Don, I think you did the right thing, and it is commendable that you spoke to him as you did. In all likelihood, he had friends and/or family waiting for him, and probably had members of his unit there as well. His optimism was likely well-founded, as well. While losing part of a limb is daunting, and certainly a set-back, I'm betting he made a full recovery, and his chances of leading a normal life are very good. Tammy Duckworth, as you probably know, is a Congresswoman now, and lost both of her legs. Also, thanks for supporting such a worthy cause. I'd never heard of Operation Honor our Heroes. Finally, my thoughts are my own--I don't pretend to be able to speak for any other veterans or active duty service members. That said, I'm glad to share my thoughts if it helps raise awareness.

Several years ago, we lived in Yorktown, and Pierce's was always one of our go-to spots. I happened to be in the area last year, and nothing had changed. While I wouldn't necessarily put it on my national "best barbecue" lists, I always enjoyed their pulled pork sandwiches. The flavor is somewhat unique--it's tangy/sour, sweet, and has a bit of heat. The sauce is ketchup and vinegar-based, and it's certainly thicker than NC style, but it's not as thick as KC style. A good spot for a quick bite.

* I always thanked soldiers in uniform; then, I read an article, and I'm less certain that I should (but I still do it, quietly and tactfully, regardless of what the article says - this may be of interest to you): "Please Don't Thank Me for My Service" by Matt Richtel on nytimes.com - reading that article made me feel like a real creep. (I may move this portion of the post down into the "Current Events" forum, so if you could answer both of these in two separate posts, I would appreciate it - just quote it twice, and cut out the parts that aren't relevant to whichever of the two questions you aren't addressing) - I'll take care of moving things, and editing so it doesn't look or feel "clumsy." ********************* Don, I've read that article. While I respect the opinions expressed therein, I don't know if that sentiment is universal. I would always accept the thanks with humility, and reply with "thank you for your support". I always accepted the thanks on behalf of others, and it didn't take it personally. By the way, the "thank you's" were a relatively rare event, particularly in the DC area. I deployed many times during my career, and that included two tours to Iraq. I had it easy; I was near Baghdad, slept with a roof over my head, and I really had no complaints. Regardless, returning from deployments was strange. Imagine the following; (these are all "best case" examples.) You've been away from friends and family for several months or a year or more. You're living in a place that's dusty, dirty, and usually hot. You have become used to drinking bottled water exclusively, and brushing your teeth with bottled water is the norm, and not a novelty. You have carried a weapon of some sort 24/7. Food is acceptable and plentiful, but it's rarely something to look forward to. You've worn some combination of a uniform every waking moment. You've missed birthdays, seeing your kids grow up, births, and perhaps deaths of friends and family, and too many things to mention. Now imagine it's time to return home. You fly back to the US on one of the "rotator" flights, which lands in a major US airport like Atlanta or DFW. Once you pass through customs, you exit back into "the real world" of said airport. You're now in the minority, one of relatively few people in uniform. You have immediate access to beer, crappy overpriced airport food, etc. Nobody knows where you've been, how long you've been gone, or what you've experienced. It's quite an adjustment. Often, we stayed in hotels while waiting for a connecting flight home the next day. The luxury of potable water, a warm shower, and a comfortable bed are hard to describe. Now imagine someone approaches and says "thanks for your service". I always appreciated the sentiment, and never thought to question the person's motives for saying thanks. Next time you see someone in uniform, particularly a young person, please say thanks. It's the furthest thing from "creepy" you will ever do.

I did a bit of searching, and I stand corrected. According to this article, the changing of the guard is abbreviated during hours when the public is not allowed. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sentinels-guard-tomb-unknowns-clock/story?id=17666504. The more formal ceremony is done to raise public awareness. Again, I have no first-hand knowledge, but it makes sense to me.

As mentioned upthread, they are operating as a pop-up. I haven't been to the location, but I had lunch delivered from them via UberEats. The menu on UberEats is somewhat limited, but they offer a few sandwiches as well as meats by the pound.

Don, The guards and ceremonies associated with the Tomb of the Unknowns are in place to protect and honor our unknown service members. I mean this in the nicest possible way, but the ceremony is in no way conducted for the benefit of the public. As mentioned above, the times and frequencies of the ceremonies vary depending upon the time of year. I suspect this is a way to provide more people with an opportunity to view this solemn event. The ceremony is interrupted for severe weather, but I'm nearly certain it remains the same whether or not the public is present. According to every source I've read, serving as a tomb guard is considered a great honor. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification badge is the second least common badge in the Army. The first is the Astronaut badge. If you'd like to help the Old Guard directly, I recommend you contact the Ft Myers public affairs section. They might be able to offer suggestions. If you want to demonstrate your support to service members in general, there are many ways. A simple "thanks for your service" is always welcome if you see someone in uniform. I'd also recommend working as a volunteer with the USO, or a similar organization. As an Air Force veteran, I thank you for your support of those who serve in our armed forces.

Anyone have any updates about Metier's opening?

I'm not a barista, but my daughter worked at Starbucks, and I drank a ton of these during my last trip to Australia. To me, it reminded me of a latte with an extra shot of espresso, but with a small amount of foam on top. The coffee flavors are much more pronounced. A ristretto pull uses the same amount of coffee, but half as much water. It is also made more quickly. I'd liken it to a dense espresso. I'll wager there are many coffee experts here that will provide a more accurate description, but there you have it. I had a delicious flat white at Maketto, and they are also on the menu at Starbucks.

I'd really enjoy seeing a first-rate review of Chop's Crafthouse, located in Fairfax. (It used to be Piero's, and then before that I believe it was Carlos Okelly's or something close to that.) I've been a couple of times, and while shows some promise, there is plenty of room for improvement. Thanks!

I attempted to change my vote to Graffiato, but I received this error message: Oops! Something went wrong! [#10355]You must cast your vote in each question of the poll. Did I make a mistake, or is this a known glitch?

Against my instincts and desires, but in order to preserve household harmony, my wife and I made a reservation for Easter Brunch at the Tysons location. As a rule, I dislike buffets, and I rarely eat at restaurants during holidays. Regardless, I tried to set aside my preferences, and vowed to have an open mind about the experience. We arrived a few minutes early for our 1:15 reservation, and the place was packed. They offered very inexpensive valet parking, so chose that option to avoid garage parking, ticket validation, etc. The entry way was packed with people, and I overheard the host quoting wait times of 2 hours. After a few minutes of waiting, during which I exchanged a few pleasantries with their hard-working pastry chef, we were seated. I believe a regular menu was available, but we chose the $30 buffet. (Drinks not included). Their buffet operation is a bit unusual. In addition to the standard self-service routine, FF offers a number of "passed" items. Servers occasionally walked by with plates of deviled eggs, bacon lollipops, crostini, fried green tomatoes, and a few other items. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear which items which items were going to be passed, and there was no way to tell when the food would show up. Our server was friendly, even though she was extremely busy. I asked about deviled eggs, and she made good on her promise to bring some by. Honestly, only a few items were memorable: The fried chicken was quite good; hot, crispy, and moist. No complaints. The aforementioned deviled eggs were disappointing, and sorely lacked seasoning. The bacon lollipops (bacon threaded onto wooden skewers) were fine, but there were two other versions of bacon on the buffet line. Roasted salmon was sadly overcooked. A variety of scrambled egg dishes were available, and freshly prepared by a cook. More on the eggs in a bit. Finally, the mini-desserts were plentiful, and for the most part, very good. Here's what really put me off about the experience; As I was perusing the buffet, two members of the staff carried out an enormous transparent bucket full of raw eggs. Now, I enjoy eggs, but I don't enjoy seeing 10+ dozen of them in a restaurant. Yikes. I watched in amazement as the staff poured some of the eggs into a smaller bowl, where they could be used by the cook as she prepared her egg dishes. Why they didn't think to take the smaller bowl back to the kitchen, and refill it in more appropriate (and potentially less hazardous) area is beyond me. Fortunately, the eggs were transferred without incident. As I mentioned, our server was great, and she salvaged an otherwise mediocre experience. I'm a bit predisposed to dislike buffets, so I'd probably have to rate the FF version as better than average for the price.

Looking forward to reading your report. I just remembered another spot that delivered great barbecue; One Hot Mama's. The chef/owner is Orchid, who was on Next Food Network Star some time ago. It's not a fancy place, but I ate there a few times, and I'm picky about barbecue.

The method is certainly not to everyone's liking. Kenji discusses sous-vide chicken breasts at length, and I can certainly understand different textures can be off-putting to some. That said, I prepared an aged boneless rib-eye sous-vide, and I was incredibly pleased with the result. The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare throughout, without any overcooked/tough spots. Of course, browning is necessary to achieve the great crust most of us look for. The method also prevents over-cooking, and that's important when a $28 cut of beef is on the line. I did try salmon filets as well, and while they were perfectly cooked, the texture was a bit soft for my taste. Pork chops turned out perfectly as well. Since pork is so lean now, I find it is easy to overcook if I pan fry, roast, or grill it. I roasted a pork loin last night, and went over my desired temperature by a mere 6 degrees, and the result was a tough piece of pig. BTW, thanks for moving my post to a much more appropriate area. I'm always amazed by the depth and quality of this site.

I recently acquired a home sous-vide device, and have been experimenting with a number of recipes and techniques provided by Kenji Lopez Alt (www.seriouseats.com) Before I began tinkering, I knew about the precise temperature control the method provides, but I did not know it allows you to leave the food in the water bath well after the desired internal temperature has been reached. ("Well after" can mean three hours plus.) Easy to see the appeal of this method in a professional kitchen. I also learned the cooking temperature can also produce a range of textures depending upon the protein involved. One of my favorite uses has been to keep mashed potatoes warm. The method produced potatoes that tasted as if they had made minutes before. Sorry to go a bit off topic, but I would wager many restaurants use sous vide, but don't announce it. If my memory serves me correctly, Rose's Luxury brines and then sous-vide's their chicken before they deep fry it.

That menu looked great. Wish I had known about that one. What was the price?

I'm not sure where Tim Carman was born and/or raised, but while I'm certainly not a professional critic, I am a native Texan. Barbecue evokes strong emotions in some, but I enjoy barbecue of all types as long as it is delicious. I've been to Hill Country, DCity, and the BBQ Joint (Union Market), and hope to try the other spots you named. While taste is an individual matter, I can say Hill Country is the most authentic Texas barbecue of the three. Walking into Hill Country for the first time evoked memories of the big name spots in Lockhart (Kreuz, Smitty's, Blacks, etc.), as well as Rudy's. Food prices are much higher than you'll find in Texas, but the essence of Texas barbecue is unmistakable. Last week, I ordered a rib and chicken plate from Hill Country (courtesy of Uber Eats), and the barbecue was spot on. They also offer Kreuz market sausage, and that's as authentic as you can get. I also enjoy DCity, but they don't claim to be true to any particular region. Recently, I read Evans described his barbecue as a Kansas City/Texas mix. Both are well-regarded, but they don't claim to be Texas barbecue. I haven't been to any of the spots to comment on consistency, but I doubt you'll be disappointed any of the ones I mentioned.

I've tried a number of recipes, and most are excellent. His recipe for Tom Kha Gai is my go-to for that soup. Note: I've found many of his recipes are a bit sweet for my tastes. Your experience may vary. Time to look for some jumbo lump crab. Great picture!

We own a Breville one-touch. It's certainly expensive at $249 (to me, at least), but it is programmable, and features an automated tea basket. Breville tea maker

I nominate Requin. It's technically a pop-up, but I suspect it will be around much longer than a "traditional" pop-up (if there is such a thing).