reedm

On 4/27/2016 at 3:34 PM, ktmoomau said:

Can you just show up for the event, or do you need to register?  If I can find time I would love to do that!

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.

2 hours ago, DaveO said:

I do a lot of this kind of "work" for a variety of businesses.  Some quick suggestions:

• Don's suggestions with regard to tweeting are good.  Follow those
• Not much time between today and the 30th. so I'd work fast
• I'd look for EVENT postings in search.  I'd try and post the event in every local opportunity you can find.
• Use local or hyper local media and look for "event postings".  Some sources are great:  ArlNow is an example.  But I'd try and get as many of these out there as possible.
• Hit up ALL the food sources in the area, blogs, media such as eater, etc.  Look for events.  Post a note to them.  There are a lot of them out there.  Hit them all up.  
• Find out if the store or restaurant have complementary news or media sources.  Hit those up if there are any.
• Of course hit local facebook contacts and local twitter contacts along with any other applicable locally oriented large scale social media.  I've found great to good success with smaller scale local social media in this and other regions....but I've also found it takes a lot of time to find them and then a lot of time to find the one's that work.  Not enough time to look for them between now and 4/30/16

There is actually an entire "industry" around that does work on things like this, but its done best with far more lead time.  Good luck.

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.

1 hour ago, Deac said:

Central? has something for everyone, fun atmosphere, no steps that I recall

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. 

On 4/14/2016 at 6:54 AM, ylkim30 said:

Kogiya is the best bet, but it's merely passable. The marinated meats are really too sweet, but that's true of most bbq in the area. There isn't great korean bbq in the dmv. Among Koreans, we like Nakwon. But only for samggypseol. (That's where I go with my embassy friends and other out of towners with traditional Korean palates ... not necessarily the place to go if you have an Americanized palate)

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.

And I have a question for you, reedm: I was on a flight once, with a soldier in uniform who had lost part of his arm (land mine). I fumbled around, trying to express gratitude, while at the same time, trying not to sound like some dumb yuppie who just didn't know ... what should I have done? He was as nice as he could be, and his injury was so fresh (he hadn't even touched down in the states yet), that he had this tragic sense of optimism surrounding him. And here, we discuss Congress getting first-class seats and privileged parking, while this kid, who must have been twenty-years old, had no idea of what lay in store for him - there would be no hero's welcome, no nothing, when he strode through the airport. It made me sad beyond what words could describe because I knew what was in his future (essentially, nothing), while he didn't.

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.

In a weeklong trip through Virginia, I will spend one or two days in Williamsburg. If some of the members of the forum could provide me with one or two recommendations I would be most grateful, as some of the establishments I was considering seem to less than ideal after having read some of your reviews.

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.

* Are you *sure* that the ceremony; not the guarding, but the ceremonial changing of the guard, isn't done for the public? I view the guarding and the changing of the guard as two very different things, and the inspection could just as easily be done in the back room, in private. I simply cannot imagine them going through all of that pageantry at 4 AM on a snowy winter night. Where have you heard this information? (I ask this respectfully.)

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.

If anyone has an answer for gibmrm, I'd appreciate it very much - I don't know the answer myself.

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.

Something I've always wondered: When the cemetery is closed to the public (after hours, or from Oct 1 - Mar 30), is there any ceremony involved, or do the guards merely change without ceremony? I suspect the latter, since the ceremony is mostly for the public; the important thing for the deceased soldiers is the fact that their tombs are guarded (and thus honored). Still, I've never seen anything written about this.

I cannot imagine they go through the full rigor of the changing ceremony at 3 AM - what would be the point?

I love that these soldiers are honored to the degree which they are - it means a lot to me as an American, and as a citizen of the world. Anyone who hasn't seen this should have it on the top of their list and do it *tomorrow* - it is one of the great human events in all the world. I wish there were a way to let these soldiers know how deeply I respect them without sounding corny, or interrupting them in their duties.

Soldiers, I am not qualified or worthy to properly thank you, so instead, I will simply figuratively bow my head, and say, in public, for all to see, "Thank you." Both you, and the soldiers you guard - you are the reasons I am free to run this website, and I have never forgotten that, nor will I ever. Some may differ; I feel they are wrong. "Total respect" best describes what I feel for you, and to merely say "Thank you" sounds grossly inadequate, but what else can I do? This is perhaps already a heavily-donated-to cause, so perhaps it's not necessary, and perhaps the best way to honor these soldiers is to donate something to *other* soldiers instead - veterans' hospitals, for example, but I just don't know, and I suspect many others don't either.

Perhaps someone could post about some donation information? Surely this ceremony costs money to run. and if I could be convinced that donations go directly to this, 100% - even if it's just buying a pizza, or a deck of cards, or a good stereo system, for the soldiers working all-nighters, I would donate, and I suspect others would, too. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes there at night, but I would want to make life as comfortable as possible for them.

Next year will be the 80th-consecutive year that the tomb has been guarded, 24 hours a day, and to the best of my knowledge, it has been without interruption, not during the Pearl Harbor attacks, nor during the whole of WWII including the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nor during any time of the Cold War, nor during the Cuban Missile Crisis, nor Kennedy's assassination, nor during RFK or MLK's assassinations, nor during the moon landing, nor Nixon's resignation, nor the assassination attempt of Reagan, nor during the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Think about that, and be grateful to these men and women doing the hard labor, all for us, and for the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us - even for those who would spit on them.

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:

Did I make a mistake, or is this a known glitch?

I had one forgettable meal at the Tysons location before Thanksgiving.  When I say forgettable, I truly blocked out most of it.  I remember parking that costs $6, no fountain soda--just cans, some small sandwich trio -- mediocre.  I don't remember what my friend had.  Place was mobbed.  I will never go back.

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.

Thanks -- we're headed to Local 11 Ten later this week.

The big HHI food winner on our trip so far has been Java Burrito just outside Sea Pines.  Think of it as a very rich person's Chipotle, with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.  You pick a protein (chicken is least expensive, up to fish, the latter of which is made to order) and then add toppings to make tacos, a burrito, bowl, or salad (no difference in price).  We've been here twice already and may go again before heading home!

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.

JSnake, I'm not going to get into this all over again - there are hundreds of posts here about this. My problem with sous-vide is primarily one of texture - especially with animal proteins - secondarily one of temperature, and I'm going to leave it at that - your picture showed me nothing.

Ponder this, and then I'll let you have the final word: There have been *dozens* (I was going to say "hundreds," but I decided to be conservative and say "dozens") of times when I've been served a dish - often fish - with a texture that shouldn't be there. I've asked my server, "Do you know if this was cooked sous-vide?" And the answer has invariably been, "Yes."

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.

The sous-vide technique is why it was as delicious as you say. (Well that and it was likely very high quality chicken, I would imagine). I don't mean to be overly harsh here, Don, but you might want to do some further investigation into the sous-vide method and how it allows food to be cooked ahead of time and then finished in the oven without any degrade in quality. The reason they finished it in the oven was more than likely to get a nice sear on it, which sous-vide doesn't allow for on its own. That's why when cooking a protein sous-vide you either blast it in an oven preheated to hot as Hades or in a cast iron skillet that is, again, as hot as a goddamn volcanic eruption. Because of the extreme temperatures being used during these final steps, you don't end up cooking the meat any further. Meat cooks from the outside in, meaning that the skin gets a browned, crispy exterior before the inside even has a chance to heat up any further. And since you have cooked the meat to a precise inner temp already during the sous-vide process, you get the best of both worlds every time: Juicy, tender and flavorful meat with a perfectly browned crust.

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.

On 3/30/2016 at 4:04 PM, dinwiddie said:

A few of us wine geeks had a dinner at Requin last month.  Had a tasting menu and instead of having to pick one from each course, they brought out enough of everything that we all got a tasting of everything.  We opened 9 bottles of wine to go with the meal (8 people) and we could not have been treated better.  Everything was fantastic,but I especially enjoyed the French Onion soup, Ratatouille, quail drumettes (we ordered another round of them because they were so good), and the bouillabaisse. 

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).