SilverBullitt

We spent Christmas/New Year primarily in Delhi. Since we're Indian and my wife is from Delhi, the following list of places are those popular with the middle class and from my observation, less frequented by tourists. All have good levels of hygiene and as long as you stay away from anything uncooked, your tummy should be fine. CityWalk (Saket, which is south of Defence Colony) - This is a mall. Enclosed malls are very popular with the middle and upper classes as they were in the US maybe 40 yrs. ago. They are clean, safe, and air conditioned. They also have bars and young people will go dancing there. Anyway, CityWalk has a food court in a separate building called “Foodtalk.” India has many cuisines and this food court will give you the opportunity to try them in one place. And these aren’t big chains- they are typically outposts of well-known restaurants. You go there, get a card (like SmartTrip), load money into it and buy food by swiping the card. Can’t escape the food court ambiance but the food is of high quality. Dilli Haat - is a small outdoor shopping area consisting of small stalls selling handmade stuff. Like FoodTalk, there are also many restaurants serving food from the different regions. Karim’s (Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi) - Famous place, started by hereditary chefs to the Mughal emperors. It’s near a landmark mosque called the Jama Masjid. Karim’s has a location at Foodtalk. Al-Kauser (Vasant Kunj, west of Defence Colony) - famous for kakori kebab. Story goes that an old king had no teeth but still wanted to eat meat. Chef came up with kakori kebab. Meat is ground with spices into a paste and grilled. Normally, it’s served in a paper-thin flat bread called rumali roti. Melts in your mouth. There’s a location in Chanakyapuri on SP Marg but I didn’t think it was as good (I also spied a microwave in the back). Incidentally, near Vasant Kunj is a shopping center in Vasant Vihar. In it is a store called “Modern Bazaar,” which sells overpriced imported food products. However, they sell Nepali cheese made from yak’s milk (tasted like a strong cheddar, apprx. $7/lb.) and cheese made by a guy near Delhi who trained in Europe. Sagar Ratna (Defence Colony) - Known for S. Indian (vegetarian) food. The dosas are great but avoid the chutney - one year, I absentmindedly ate some and had continual, though controllable distress for several days. Nathu’s Sweets- (Bengali Market, east of Connaught Place, near the “Modern School”)- Indians love sugar and this place has very good sweets. Love the rabri (kind of a like sweetened condensed milk) and kala (dark) gulab jamuns. They also serve regular food and do a pretty good job of it. They make “chole batura” as do many places around the city. It’s a spicy chick pea curry (chole) served with a fried wheat bread (batura) that looks like an inflated whoopee cushion (an apt metaphor because of the pairing with chole ). Really tasty. There’s a very good fruit store nearby called “Shiv Fruit Mart”. The old guy there is named “Nandi”. Nice guy who will choose the best fruit for you if you ask. Stick to the in-season Indian fruit. Out of season or imported fruits are pricey though we bought some Iranian dates that were delicious. Wenger's (Connaught Place)- This is a bakery founded by people from Switzerland in the 1920s. It's one of those places that is popular, in part, because of nostalgia. For many years after Independence, it was rare to find Western-style food products. Wengers became very popular with Indians that are Christians (wife's family) or had Western educations (yup) or were in the military officer class (her dad). The baked goods are competently done but comparable products are better in the US. However, they do make something called a "paneer roll". It is paneer (fresh cheese) mixed with spices, breaded and fried. Delicious when hot. Aap ki Pasand (Daryaganj, on the way to Old Delhi) http://www.aapkipasandtea.com/sancha-retail-outlets/ Well-known for high quality tea. They also sell at the Cottage Industry stores (government-run outlets for traditional crafts- guaranteed quality and provenance so you pay a little more) but the HQ is a nice experience. Bhavans- Bhavans are state houses that were set up to house state govt officials when they come to Delhi. Most, if not all, have cafeterias where you can get authentic, regional food at very low prices (usually <$5/person). Here are the two I enjoyed this trip: Andhra Bhavan- Food from Andhra Pradesh (S. India) is really spicy. Went there on a Sunday because it is the only day they serve biriyani. Delicious. The mutton (lamb) fry blew my head off but was addictive. There were two pickles- tomato and something else. Also spicy. Probably the best meal I had this visit. The setup is a bit strange. You push through the crowd waiting outside to go to the counter. You pay for what you want and get a ticket with your number. As your number gets closer, you push your way back in and tell the guy directing diners your number and number of people. You get seated, give your ticket and the food comes out right away. It’s controlled chaos unlike most North Indian places which are chaotic chaos. If you get the set (vegetarian) meal, they’ll keep serving you until you say no. Because of the biryani, I think we spent $7-8/person. Goa Nivas- Goa was a Portuguese colony (if you can, you should visit it- beautiful place). The food, therefore, is an interesting combo of Indian and Portuguese. Lot of seafood and pork dishes (e.g. vindaloo, sorpotel). Usually spicy and sour (they either use a kind of plum or tamarind). Relatively new building and nice ambiance. Some random observations: 1. I noticed less pushing this time. One of the most irritating things for me was that Delhiites do not respect lines so you frequently had to push people to ensure you were served. My sister-in-law was telling me that many businesses are actively fighting this by ignoring queue jumpers. I found this was generally true, though I did have to push some people out of the way (queue jumpers don't take offense so it can be a low risk way to get some aggression out). 2. Despite all the traffic, and people cutting each other off, I didn't witness any road rage as one would expect to find in the US. In fact, I even saw a couple of instances where, when the traffic was stopped going in one direction, people drove over the median and went on their way against traffic. I wondered about this and I think because Indians view rules more as guidelines, when someone breaks the rules, it's not seen as such a violation as it might be here. 3. Go to the Taj Mahal. I'm usually let down by things that have been widely publicized but the Taj is the real deal. It is incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately, the process to see it is not. The last time I had gone was in the late 80's and one could take a day trip and still see it at a leisurely pace. Now, perhaps because the price for Indians to see it is about a quarter (the foreigner price is $15-20), the place is packed and you wait a long time. As a foreigner, you bypass a lot of the crowds but both Indians and foreigners are funneled into the little area where the replica tombs are located. Everyone is pushing to go around the circle, cops are yelling and sometimes banging people (typically teenage boys who aren't paying attention) on the head with their radios; one could easily be trampled. In hindsight, I should have blown off the mosh pit and simply spent more time enjoying the architecture and view of the Jamuna River. My advice is to go on a guided tour as early in the morning as you can. Not as awe-inspiring as the Taj but amazing nonetheless, is Humayun's Tomb in Delhi. It's being restored by the Aga Khan Foundation and they're doing a great job. Those Mughals really knew how to build lovely structures.

Thank you for this information. I'll give it a try. In Mr. Airy is another farmhouse brewery, Milk House Brewery. Also very nice people. I enjoyed their Best Bitter and Petite Farmhouse Ale. A visit to both would make for a nice spring/summer afternoon.

I forced my unadventurous family to come here. There were seven of us and we ordered many dishes. Rather than recite the dishes, I'll focus on two that really wowed me. Both were on the specials board. The first was salt and pepper fried tofu. It was soft tofu and was nicely fried. When I bit into a cube, my teeth broke through the crisp coating into the custardy tofu. Remarkable texture. It was served on a bed of fried rice noodles and jalapenos were sprinkled on top. Could have used some more salt but very enjoyable. I found it had to be eaten really hot because the cubes delate as they cool. The second was fried fish filet Hong Kong style. Again, the food was nicely fried and the fish was fresh. There was a little bit of sauce and it was sweet and salty and included scallions. Another hit with the crowd. We ordered some typical dishes (e.g., Orange Chicken) and some Szechwan items. They were competently done but the restaurant's strength, not surprisingly, is the Cantonese dishes. We were served by a lady who I believe owns the place. Very friendly, good service, and the food came out fast. My family loved it and I was a hero.

I'm not aware of a Blue Moon Café being in Boonsboro. Are you sure it's not in Shepherdstown? If you're willing to go to Shepherdstown, you have lots of options. Not much in Boonsboro. My niece is unimpressed with Vesta, the Italian restaurant that I think is owned by Nora Roberts. There's a pub across the street from it http://drnth.com/ that I've ignored. But because of your query, I Iooked it up and the beer list is very interesting. I'm going to check it out. Thanks!

Because I have relatives living in Boonsboro and because I am interested in the Battle of Antietam, I've been going to Sharpsburg for many years. You have very few choices in the town. The only place I've been is Captain Bender's on Main St. The beer is reasonably priced and I thought the burger was decent. Staff and patrons are friendly. Over the years, they've tried to go beyond sports bar cuisine but I've yet to try those items. I'm sure they would pack food to go. Not for a meal (unless you're me) but a place I recommend unreservedly, is Burkholder's on High St. It's a Mennonite bakery and they make the best donuts I've ever eaten. They also make pies, breads, whoopee pies, pepperoni rolls, and cookies. They sell milk and other dairy products from nearby farms.

My wife is from Delhi and I've been there several times. Yours is a pretty easy request. If you stay in a high end hotel (they call them "5-star hotels"), the food will be as hygienic as you can get in India. Many of those hotel restaurants are among the best you will find. The hotels tend to be in south Delhi, near the diplomatic enclave and the wealthy areas. I assume your cousin is in a very good hospital so I expect it is in this area too. Regarding transportation. Stick to metered taxis and make sure the cabbie turns on the meter. Again, at the high end hotel, the ornately dressed guys out front will make sure the cabbies do this. All the cabbies will know where the 5-star hotels are. However, it's possible they won't know where the hospital is, so make sure the hotel guy gives directions (I never failed to be amazed at how often we had to give the cabbies directions). An alternative to the taxi would be to hire a car for the day or week (make sure it is an AC car). The hotel can help you find a good company. The person acts as your chauffeur so it's simpler and it gives you the flexibility of going on side trips without the hassle of finding a cab. With your goals and where you're likely to be, I don't think you'll have any trouble. Tip the hotel guys well (in $, it won't be much) and they'll take good care of you. Good luck and I hope your cousin gets well.

A friend and I went to Dietle's a few weeks ago because Curley's Q is now selling its barbecue there Tues-Sun 5-8. I had the brisket sandwich and cole slaw. The brisket was not as smoky and moist as I had hoped and the bread was dry. In fairness to them, we got there when they had shut down for the evening, so the quality (other than the smoke) may not have been representative. The slaw was good and the different sauces were fine. I'm happy to report that the beer is still cold and reasonably priced. Curiously, there were a surprising number of hipsters there. Dietle's and Jonathan's may be the last of the divey MoCo bars.

One of my favorite writers is John D. MacDonald. He wrote a series featuring a character named Travis McGee. Here is a cocktail Travis enjoyed (from Pale Gray for Guilt): "Two ample old-fashioned glasses, side by side, filled to the two thirds line with cracked ice. A big, unmeasured slosh of dry sherry into each glass. Then swiftly, the strainer placed across the top of one and then the other, as with a delicate snap of the wrist he dumped the sherry down the drain. Then fill to the ice level with Plymouth gin, rub the lemon peel around the inside of the rim, pinch some little floating beads of citrus oil on the surface of the drink, throw away the peel, present with small tidy bow and flourish to the folk. 'Two McGees,' said he." Later in the series, Travis switches to Boodles, saying that beancounters got to Plymouth and quality suffered. I like the cocktail. The sherry (I use Fino) adds a dark note to the herbal flavors of the gin and the lemon adds brightness. Of course, my enjoyment is in part owing to my love of the books and this one in particular.

I would like to treat some close friends to a meal at OAI. Has anyone been here since Chef Palermo left? Is the quality of food/service still high? Thank you.

Has anyone tried those waxed or cloth bags for protecting tomatoes? Over the past two years, squirrels (I hope not rats) have done the "bite and move on to the next" thing to my tomatoes. Last year, I used bird netting to fence my plants and it was effective, though a pain. I've read the Japanese tie bags around fruit to protect them from bugs and birds. I've thought about trying bags this year and was hoping one of you had experience with them. I know it won't stop a determined rodent, I'm just looking for deterrence. thanks

I have found Maryland's Cooperative Extension website and publications to be excellent. One of their publications, GE-001 , may provide the advice you're looking for. In addition, publication HG-16 provides guidance on planting dates for various vegetables. The planting dates are for Central Maryland so if you're in DC, you can plant earlier, subject to weather, of course. Based on the size of your plot, I have the following suggestions: Plant spring (and fall) vegetables to maximize your production- radishes, peas, and lettuce as well as other greens are all very easy to grow. Swiss chard is particularly good because it can produce from May-December. I've never had luck with carrots and limited success with beets. Incorporate as much Leafgro as you are willing to buy. In subsequent years, you won't need to till the soil- just spread some more Leafgro on top. Because your plot is small, I'd recommend against zucchini since a mature plant can be 3' in diameter. I'm not a fan of growing cucumbers since they're cheap in the store and they've always been bitter when I've grown them. There's a lot of information out there and it's easy to get stressed about doing everything right. Don't worry. You'll learn what works for you and your plot. I've found that if you provide good soil, consistent watering, and use recommended plant varieties, you'll have success. Have fun!

La Bohemia has opened. The two friendly guys from St. Michel are working the counter (and baking). The new owners are from the Czech Republic. They are starting slow- all the breads and pastries are made the way St. Michel made them and with the same ingredients. I bought some canneles and a bread pudding cupcake and thought they were delicious. They plan to slowly roll out non-French items such as a Bulgarian bread and a dark, rye-based, sour Russian bread. The co-owner says she has a special honey cake that will be coming soon. They are eager to hear feedback and suggestions for additional products. Really a good group of people making good products that should get our support.

Don, Are you thinking of Desserts by Gerard? He's in Oxon Hill. According to his website, he worked with Jean-Louis Palladin. I keep forgetting to stop there on my way to Dale's for barbeque

The All Saint's cafeteria at 6th and M NW is very good (I didn't care for the ribs- they were cooked in sauce and kind of mushy). I've heard good things about Henry's Soul Café on 5th and K NW.

I was walking by the former location of the St. Michel bakery and saw a sign for "La Bohemia", a "European-style artisan bakery" that is coming soon. The sign further said that they will be collaborating with the former owner (I assume Mr. Houlier) and it seems they plan to have some of the St. Michel products (hopefully they'll be making those addictive canneles)

Because of Daniel's and Dean's comments, we visited Iron Age for a late lunch. Though it was a sunny afternoon, it was pretty dark and iron-y inside, the air full of grease particles swirling in the light from the windows, and Korean pop at a reasonable level. As reported, the banchan was good; I especially liked the radish kimchee as well as the large, thin circles of pickled radish. I asked for napa kimchi, which was fine. I'm not clear why one has to specially request this. My friend ordered the pancake. At Dean's recommendation, I didn't and was glad. It looked kind of doughy and I would have felt guilty wasting it. We went through a surprising number of items on the Gogi B list- spicy chicken, pork belly, spicy pork belly, pork rib, beef bulgogi, and brisket. I thought all the meats were good but we didn't eat the beef items fast enough so they were overcooked. Next time I'll order the beef first. There is a vegetable option but it's an afterthought ("mushroom, onion, sweet potato, etc.") The staff was pleasant and efficient. I thought it was as good as HP-Ellicott City but more attractive since it's only 10 min. away.

I have gotten tired of North Indian cuisine and have been trying South Indian food recently. Kerala is an interesting state in India so I was happy to see a restaurant that specialized in its cuisine. The menu has a large section of Kerala dishes as well as North and South Indian options. It is clean and the staff is pleasant. They expect to get a liquor license soon. We ordered "idi appam" (string hoppers) with egg curry, Kerala chicken thoran with Kerala matta rice, and Kerala-style fish curry with basmati rice. The string hoppers have to be ordered an hour in advance so we called it in before we left the house. We asked that the level of heat be 9 on 1-10 scale. I had never had string hoppers. They were similar to the vermicelli one finds in Vietnamese spring rolls but were more delicate, fragrant with coconut. The egg curry served with it was rather mild and had lots of onions. A soothing, pleasant dish. The thoran was chicken, stir fried in spices like cinnamon, black pepper, hot pepper, and cloves, as well as with coconut and garlic/ginger. It was delicious but it would have been better if they had used chicken thighs rather than breasts, which were dry. The matta rice was brown rice supposedly good for those with diabetes. The fish curry was also delicious, tangy with tamarind, I think, and with many spices. The fish was moist and meaty. We enjoyed the restaurant. The prices were maybe $2 higher than I would have expected for the portion size but acceptable because the cuisine is uncommon. The waiter told us they have a lunch buffet with lots of Kerala dishes in addition to the standard stuff so this would be a good option for those who would like a lower cost introduction to the cuisine.

We went here for lunch a couple of week ago. There were two notable dishes: Kao Ka Moo- Surprisingly, this was not a beef dish (ba-DUM!). Rather it is described as, "Pork leg stewed in Chinese five spices served with rice, hard boiled egg, steamed Chinese broccoli, chopped chili, chopped garlic & homemade vinegar". That day, they swapped out the Chinese broccoli for a Chinese pickled vegetable and instead of vinegar, there was a small bowl of braising liquid. A lovely presentation and the dish was delicious though the pork leg was a bit dry. Lucky Bag- This appetizer is described as, "Special blend of curry powder, sweet potatoes, minced chicken, and onions; wrapped in rice paper skin; fried until golden crisp. Served with cucumber relish salad." The presentation was again terrific. They look like little money bags and taste like Indian samosas. The frying was expertly done and it was delicious. I tend to order the less common items and have always been happy with them. Service is friendly and prices are reasonable. I strongly recommend this place.

I recommend an instant read thermometer. I have the Thermapen which is close to $100 but seriouseats.com says the $30 Thermapop is also excellent. I use my thermometer for cooking meats, breads, pies, cakes as well as beer-making, yogurt-making, etc.

I had passed this dumpy place many times over the years but never thought to eat there, expecting that my lower GI would register a strong protest if I did. A few weeks ago, on my way back from Heyser's (great cider), rather than turning onto Randolph to head back to stately SilverBullitt Manor, I continued on to Noodle King. I remembered that DC Deb thought highly of the Beef Chow Fun so I ordered the "dry" version which includes bean sprouts (the waitress, who seemed to also be the owner, said she preferred it to the "wet" version which includes a brown sauce and Chinese broccoli). Since it is a Hong Kong style restaurant and they have a section on HK soups, I decided to order that too. I didn't know what type to get until I looked up and saw the cashier framed by a couple of roast ducks. So I requested the roast duck noodle soup. Both were delicious. The chow fun had that combination of slightly charred, chewy beef and slippery noodles, that made it irresistible. The owner, figuring out that I am Indian, brought out a couple of hot sauces, the standard red chili and the other she said was jalapeno simmered in soy sauce (I thought the fruitiness came from an habanero but it could have been a ripe jalapeno in the mix- unusual and very good). The soup had a nicely flavored broth with chewy noodles and a few meaty, fatty pieces of duck. I couldn't figure out how to eat the duck with just spoon and chopsticks without shards of bone going down my throat so I used my fingers. An excellent experience. Thank you, DC Deb.

Thank you for writing about this restaurant. I had taken the Bullitt to Pat Goss for a physical and found that I was only a little more than a mile from Just Jerk, a place I wanted to try after having read the above comments. So I walked down the Lanham-Severn Rd. (not one of the more scenic byways in the region). The jerk chicken was delicious- moist with good flavor. I wish I had known that one has to ask for "spicy" because I would have preferred more heat. I also had the festival, which, as already reported, went very well with the chicken. I had coco bread too. It just seemed like a bland white bread. Don't know if that's all there is to it.

HMart on Ga. Ave. in Wheaton, particularly on Saturday mornings, has very fresh fish. This gentleman in Kensington sells seafood. Because he's geared for wholesale, in order to buy retail, you have to prearrange the purchase and go to his house to pick it up. However, I like his sustainable mission. I haven't purchased anything yet from him owing to my inability to plan properly.

Not NoVa, but I'm quite sure that Asadur's market in Rockville will let you use your own bottles to fill up on olive oil. They have a big container of, I believe, Greek oil (there's a sign on it explaining where the olives were harvested) and empty bottles that one can use. The market is located at: 5536 Randolph Rd. (it's actually on Nebel St.) 301.770.5558 It's a nice little Middle Eastern market. Besides the normal products (feta, olives, mezze things), they have Lebanese wine, which seems unusual, certainly in MoCo. There's a MOM's Market in the same shopping center and across the street is the very good Dana Bazaar (Indian) so it may be worthwhile for you to make the trip.

After reading Todd Kliman's recommendation of Thai Taste by Kob, we went that Friday. The restaurant is located on Fern St. in Wheaton, behind the very good Hung Phat grocery store (fresh rice noodles and Red Boat fish sauce). The location seems to be an incubator for well-regarded restaurants, formerly being the home of Nava Thai and Mi La Cay. We had the following dishes: Moo Yang (appetizer)- recommended by Kliman. Grilled pork with a delicious dark spicy sauce; the roasted ground rice added a pleasing texture. Pork was juicy with a nice char. Reminded me of a grilled beef dish called "tiger's tears". Blanket shrimp (appetizer)- Shrimp wrapped in rice paper and fried. Served with a sweet chili sauce. Moist shrimp, well-flavored sauce. Pad Ma Maung Himmapan (entree)- Meat dipped in batter and fried with a semi-hot red chili paste with fried cashews and red chili. This was a disappointment, possibly because of miscommunication regarding heat tolerance. There were no red chilis or chili paste, rather there were sauteed onions, red bell pepper, and jalapenos. The meat was properly fried but too much without an acid counterpoint. The condiments didn't help and I tired of it. Maybe the traditional dish would have been better. Pad Thai and Panang curry (entrees)- Both were fine. Fried Crispy Coconut Plantain w/ condensed milk (dessert)- very good. My wife enjoyed it. Baked taro egg custard w/ sticky rice (dessert)- My son and I loved this. The custard was nicely eggy; the taro gave it a grayish color. The rice was chewy and salty and there was a sauce we thought reminded us of popcorn. An unusual and tasty combo. The service was very friendly but there was a bit of a language issue that kept me from figuring out the better items on the menu (the kids yapping at me while I was discussing the menu didn't help either). Kind of a hipster vibe, including square plates and bowls that sit at an angle. We spent about $60 for four (no alcohol) and which included a February 10% discount. I look forward to visiting again. Next time, we'll focus on the dishes in the Thai street food section.

Dean, I was at the Asian market in that little shopping center in Twinbrook (Viers Mill Rd and Twinbrook Pkwy) and I saw some bottles of Double Golden Fish brand chilli garlic sauce. I'm pretty sure it's the stuff you're looking for. It's in the aisle across from the fresh vegetables. It's in a jar rather than a bottle.