reedm

Yesterday's cold, rainy weather called for a pasta dish, and I found this recipe for "Sausage Carbonara". It's certainly not what I know to be traditional carbonara, since it uses cream, but it was surely delicious. (I added fresh peas to the recipe)

If you live in near Ashburn in Loudoun County, Ahso is now offering curbside delivery.

The entire menu is available to-go, as well as growler fills, wine, and dessert.

Choong Man Chicken is solid. 

We had a great time in Boston, and enjoyed some excellent meals. 

For starters, we took a 5 hour walking food and history tour, which was phenomenal. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g60745-d14071143-North_End_Small_Group_Food_Tour-Boston_Massachusetts.html. 

Our dinner that evening at Coppa Enoteca https://www.coppaboston.com/ was superb in every way. It's a tiny place, but the food was inventive and delicious. I finished with a flight of amaro, which was eye-opening for me. 

We also very much enjoyed Barcelona Wine Bar, which even though it is a chain, provided a great brunch for all of us. At $90 for three of us, it was also a relative bargain.

We ate at a decent, but somewhat forgettable North End Italian restaurant, but I don't really recommend it.

Saturday evening, we endured the two hour wait to dine at Saltie Girl, which in my opinion, is somewhat similar to Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. It made for a very expensive evening ($300 for the two of us), but it was worth the cost. My personal highlight was the lobster and waffles dish, in which the waffle was even more memorable than the lobster! Getting on the wait list was a minor pain, but the service was great after we were seated. 

Finally, we grabbed a slice at the original Regina's, which was one of the best pizza slices I can recall. 

Last night's dinner began a couple of gin-based cocktails inspired by a bottle of Ford's Gin that I managed to find. Classic Negroni for me, with the gin, Campari, and Carpano Antica Formula, and a Bee's Knees for Mrs. Reedm. Quite delicious.

I prepared Steak Diane using Mark Bittman's NY Times recipe as a starting point. Very easy and tasty. As a side, I roasted some radishes with olive oil and a few seasonings. 

The 2016 Chateau La Grange Clinet Reserve was a fine match for the meal.

I also attempted to make some chocolate covered strawberries, but the monk fruit sweetener used at the request of my keto diet wife (ugh) didn't set very well.

As a follow-up, my daughter landed a great job in Boston. She looks forward to our upcoming visit, but denies that is because she will get a free meal or two. 

My wife and I will be there for three nights beginning next week. Mrs. reedm has requested Italian food at for at least two meals, so that's a starting point. We will be celebrating a wedding anniversary, so we are interested in a special occasion-ish restaurant as well.

I'd be grateful for any and all suggestions. 

I wasn't able to try a couple of Scarr's or Grimaldi's, but my daughter and I ended up at Patsy's Pizzeria in Midtown East early on the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday. We ordered a 19" Old School Round Pie, and mistakenly thought it would be more than we could eat. 

The pizza was delicious. The Old School Round essentially a pizza margherita. The sauce was a tiny bit sweet, but excellent, and the crust was thin and very light. 

Service was friendly and quick. Definitely a place I'd try again.

Wow. Great video. I'll try to check the place out. Thanks!

On 11/25/2019 at 10:53 AM, Steve R. said:

Okay, this post (unlike the Yonah Shimmel one) I can weigh in on, as there are lots of excellent pizza places using lots of kinds of ovens in existence in this immediate neighborhood.  I know this because I live in the immediate neighborhood (Brooklyn Heights, 10 blocks away).  It's "okay".  Its a long story, but Grimaldi's is not owned by Patsy Grimaldi, who retired and sold the name years ago.  However, due to some really fun Brooklyn story stuff, he came out of retirement and opened Juliana's, which is right next door.  I'm glad you liked Grimaldi's, but most locals agree that Juliana's is better.  So there.

(of course, the above is written without too much seriousness since, if you enjoyed the experience and the food, the rest is just internet chatter)

Next time, let me know you're in the neighborhood.  I'll show you around.

Minor thread jack. I'm going to be in Midtown East for work next week. Care to recommend any good pizza spots? Thanks!

Checking in from Tokyo. Here are a couple of pictures I took while on walking food tour in Asakusa. 

The four pieces of Nigiri from the stand up sushi bar Hinatomaru were as good or better than any sushi I've ever had. (Not sure why the photos appear 90 degrees off) 

3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

It's amazing we don't have a thread on The Shrimp Lover, a Thai-owned quasi-seafood shack, located in a strip mall just off Route 28, very convenient for Washingtonians traveling to Dulles Airport.

I went for lunch today, had wonderful service at the bar, and a kick-your-butt shrimp plate that's worth knowing about.

Seated at the bar, I was asked what I'd like to drink - I wasn't drinking alcohol, so I got a Diet Coke ($2,50, unlimited refills) while I waited for one of the most interesting raw seafood dishes I've had in quite awhile: Shrimp Nam-Pla ($12) - five (the menu said six, but I got five) large, split, raw shrimp in a cold, Thai-ceviche-like broth that was a combination of lime, intense salt, pepper, and heat (and I do mean heat), each shrimp topped with a small piece of bitter cucumber and raw garlic, and the entire dish topped with a few basil leaves.

While officially an appetizer, this was more than enough for a small lunch, and while the intensity of the "severe ceviche" might take some getting used to, heat-lovers will really enjoy this. The combination of the dish itself, the wonderful atmosphere, and the uber-friendly staff makes me take note of The Shrimp Lover anytime I'm close to Dulles Airport, and you should too.

Looks like a lot of bold flavors. Glad it was delicious. BTW, the leaves appear to be mint instead of basil. I'll put the place on my list!

22 hours ago, Jeff Heineman said:

I second what Dean said. 

I started to eat the worst sausage I have ever put in my mouth at the Columbia location. It reminded me why I have said many times that, just because someone knows how to smoke meat it does not mean they know how to make sausage. The skill-sets have nothing in common, yet more often than not the barbecue places that say they make their own sausage almost always disappoint. (I'm looking at you, Monk's BBQ).

I forgot how bad their sausage was. It makes me long for superb central Texas sausage such as that sold at Kreuz Market. (You can get it from Hill Country Barbecue, albeit at a significant mark-up). 

One of my late grandfathers made his own sausage, and it was incredible. He lived in North Dakota, and made it from scratch once a year. Whenever they would visit, they would bring sausage that had been frozen in milk cartons. You can find similar tasting sausage in Wishek, ND at https://www.wisheksausage.net/wishek-sausage/.

9 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I don't know how many outlets Mission BBQ now has, but it is expanding extremely rapidly, and the number of locations might now be over 100 (if anyone is curious, you can go to their website, and count the number by state).

I've driven past them numerous times, but have never been in: Can anyone give me any culinary reason to try it, especially when places such as Smoking Kow are generally within reach? I don't wish to go and have a 1,500-calorie meal just to say "I've tried it once."

Regarding the issue discussed above, their website certainly seems inclusive to me - I'm hopeful that this is now a non-issue. Regarding the patriotism, I just look at it as a theme, and to the founders, it may be a passion, but to the consumer in the end, it's just a theme to be enjoyed, ignored, or shunned.

I think it is one of the better chain bbq restaurants, but I don't crave it, and I won't go out of my way to eat there. For that, I'll seek out The Pit Stop in Sterling.

8 hours ago, mnnchas said:

I listened to this a while back, on the origins of the belief that MSG is bad for you  (fake news  ) - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript.  

That's a wild story! I've heard David Chang rant about the myth MSG is bad for you many times, but I've never heard the story you posted. 

2 hours ago, saf said:

So, a good experience to share.

Went to pick up a friend at Union Station last night. And since we were all the way down there, we thought we would try one of the places on H Street that we never get to. The staff were lovely. Since we had never been there before, we had no idea how it worked. They explained, and we snagged bar seats on the main floor of Maketto. There was a wait for a table on the main floor. But we like bars, so it was all cool. There were plenty of seats upstairs, but we wanted to eat off the big menu. There were 4 of us.

The bartender was fabulous, giving good advice on wine and cocktails and food. So we started with steamed pork buns and gruyere dumplings. Both very tasty. Then we each got a big plate. We SHOULD have shared, but we each wanted something different, and the bartender assured us that the food would keep and reheat well. So one order of fried chicken, one of spicy laab with marrow, one of spicy lamb noodles, and one of wok fried rice noodles with roasted pork added. All very good. The spicy things were far too spicy for me, but the folks who ordered them are heat lovers, and they said their meals were GREAT! I loved the chicken, and the noodles were also excellent. And yes, we brought at least half of each dish home.

We did stop a bit before we were totally full, as we wanted to try the very interesting sounding desserts. One affagato, 2 Thai tea crunch, and one amaro for dessert. All very delicious. 

We will do this again. We will make a point to get over to that side of town for this. The food and service were exceptional, and we had a good time. We agree that next time we will order more appetizers and then split one or two big plates, depending on how many we are that night.

Thanks for your write-up. Your timing is perfect, since I booked a table for tomorrow evening.

Until I read about your experience, I didn't know what to expect since Wozniuk left to open his own place. 

Christmas breakfast, so not techically dinner, but I made "Maman's Cheese Souffle" using Jacques Pepin's recipe. Easy to prepare, and simply outstanding!

One of my favorite things to use my sous vide for is to hold mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Simply prepare the mashed potatoes, and place in a bag. (I don't recall the temp at the moment).

Last night I used it for asparagus. About 10 minutes at 180. Excellent.

I recently made a hollandaise using the sous vide. I think it's a great method. 

(I'll try to add links later, but google should get you there.)

23 minutes ago, deangold said:

Are they black or white? And what is their origin.

Black, and from France.

10 years later, and the price is still "only" $999/pound.

Impulse shopping at the cheese case resulted in a $40 truffle I'd like to use, so I trust the awesome people on this board may have some ideas. (I believe they are fresh--they are not on display in rice as they were a few years ago.)

Thanks!

Courtesy of https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/11/11/the-best-restaurants-for-thanksgiving-dinner-around-dc/

Fried: Medium Rare Capitol Hill
515 Eighth St., SE
Owner Mark Bucher brings back his annual turkey fry for the tenth year in a row. Bring your bird to the Barracks Row restaurant between 11 AM and 2 PM and the team will fry it for free. Requirements: Birds must be completely thawed (no one wants a turkey explosion) and between 8 and 10 pounds.

If you find yourself in the Sterling or Aldie area, Pit Stop BBQ does a great job with their ribs. Rib tips are excellent, too. Pulled pork is quite good as well. They only sell what they have, and close when they are out. It's tough to do everything well, and I can't recommend the brisket.

Hammerdown is ok at best based upon my visits. Brisket was inedible--mushy and soft. I live about 15 minutes away, and it's not a place I think about.

Hill Country may not be perfect (and it is quite expensive), but it has been true to central Texas BBQ every time I've been.

Sloppy Mama's food truck was one of my favorites when I worked in the Foggy Bottom area a couple of years ago, but I've never been to their brick and mortar spot.

20 hours ago, Lydia R said:

World Series Game One:  The space where the Kosher stand is usually located is occupied by La Casita tonight (Friday) and probably tomorrow night too. There are some new lobster roll stands, but the lines aren’t appealing. The Family Picnic Area is now filled with temporary work bleachers and cordoned-off as an Auxiliary Press Box.

I'm curious about the WS pricing. More? Same? Cheers. 

11 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I thought the prices at Sen Khao looks high in general, especially $14 for the Naem Khao (crispy rice salad).  I thought it's cheaper at Padeak but after checking that website, the price is the same.  I remember Naem Khao was only $10 or $9 a few years ago.  I'll give Sen Khao a shot at some point given it's only a couple of miles from my house. 

I hear you, but the rent in Galleria is absurd.

The pictures are crappy. Lesson learned, converting high quality "live" photos to stills, and then reducing the size does not make for good photos.

The chefs pictured on the home page are gone? https://www.blueoceanizakaya.com/

The website has been updated, and the menus are different.

Sorry to hear about your experience.