TSE

I finally took the plunge and ordered the king of burritos.

I'm sure it was awesome, but there's something about getting a burrito that's delivered to you while sitting down at a "real restaurant" that just seems wrong to me.

Or you could take a blowtorch to a cast iron pan until it glows. I wonder what would happen to the steak if you tried to cook it at that temperature.

Does anyone have pretzel-shaping techniques for the aesthetically impaired?

Make Salzstangen instead? Seriously, though: take your dough ropes and lift them in the middle so they drape down evenly and put back down onto your work area so that both sides are very close and parallel to one another. Lightly pressing with one hand on both sides about a fifth to a quarter of the way twist the loose ends with the free hand and then pull them outward. Now lift the loop side and spread it as you fold it towards you and place it past the free ends of the dough. Lift up the free ends and stick them onto the loop and even out the shape. It sounds really elementary, I know, but as you've discovered it takes a lot of practice I'm definitely not one of those people that can just flip them around in the air a couple of times and lay down a perfectly shaped pretzel.

I'd also consider using this recipe, particularly because it involves boiling them in alkali solution, which produces a wonderful crust. This is method produces what the Germans call Laugengebäck, which rocks.

Whole Paycheck carries a range of demi-glaces.

Reduced in free-range pans on a cruelty-free burner, I hope.

2 Amy's has a website now (as far as I'm concerned it's new).

Yeah, it's around there for a while, and while spare, it's far more informative than Komi's...

Bistro Lepic is right there above R st. on Wisconsion.

Bucheron and...Ak mak

Where do you stand on loose cigarettes? I don't have the budget to give each of the little freaks a whole pack.

If you pair them with an airplane bottle of Jack, I say go for it.

The only non-wrapped item we were ever allowed to keep was from a dentist who lived a block or so away. He gave out apples. Given his profession, we didn't hold it against him.

I've never understood this- isn't it bad for business?

Their website has the linger odor of catering to the "see and be seen" crowd. Yawn.

Funny, I would describe it as a stench...

This Best Bites (Washingtonian food blog) post makes a somewhat rhetorical aside regarding homemade Halloween candy. When I was of trick-or-treating age, my parents inspected my candy (no doubt taking a few pieces for themselves), and on a couple of occasions, discarded what they viewed as of questionable safety.

This made me wonder: what do DR.com parents think of allowing their children to eat homemade treats given out at neighborhood houses on Halloween? Were my parents paranoid or prudent?

Note to the kids: If your going to skim a bit off mom & dad’s chilled Zubrowka and top it off with water and it freezes, you’ve taken too much. Pinch your nose and move on to the Drambuie.

Or: leave the cap partially undone so that your father thinks that it evaporated. Still doesn't know.

Last night was pork ragu over butternut squash gnocchi topped with La Quercia Pancetta*. *This was sourced at the Old Town Whole Foods, and is worth every penny. I was not as salty as most brands, and had a delightful gamey flavor.

Did you get this at the deli counter or was it prepackaged?

Humbolt Fog on a homemade baguette and some medjool dates

So did anyone actually go?

He said he knows Alefantis, so yes they know who he is.

Seriously. If there's any place in this town where being known would help, I'd imagine it'd be buck's. I can imagine that they'd manage to "find" a couple of menu items that they had been out of for other patrons. I love the place, btw!

Has anyone been to Town Hall? Experiences to share?

My mom went there right after they opened and thought is was a bit scene-y and the food was passable but forgetable. She said that a couple of friends have been since and raved about it, so bascially I have nothing notable to say.

Do fish count? I'm thinking about the last time I was at Great wall and the fish guy, having failed to stun the fish suffient to lay it out on the scale with side of a chefs knife, stomped the fish's head with his boot before scaling and gutting the unfortunate creature. Not quite as gruesome as seeing the live eels half-decapetated -- apparently some customers just like to get the "nose" cut off, but not exactly "lightly killed" either.

Too funny- but I think it's pretty obvious that people's attitudes toward animals exist along a continuum. Fish are gross looking when alive to a lot of people, but a cute yitto calf's eyes are so big and human-like.

Technically, it' s the only producer of Vegemite, since the Vegemite is a brand name, not a generic term, and the brand is owned by Kraft. Apparently this pissed off the Australians so much that somebody developed "Aussie Mite."

Which is just plain silly- the guy that invented the stuff was actually the one that set up the joint venture with Kraft to market it only a couple years later.

A couple of the recipes I looked at called for smoked pork chops (store bought). Where can these be found?

Safeway sells Smithfield brand smoked pork chops, though I haven't actually tried them. My guess is that they're bascially like smoked ham, so that might be an acceptable substitute.

What's the verdict?

I found it to be well written but hardly revelatory. For those that aren't quite as obsessed as myself with the history of food (and the attendant personalities) in the U.S. over the past few decades, though, it would be a good primer.

You all mean "Jumbo Slice", non?

Exactement!

Super slice... oh yeah, you can get those by that Rotterdam falafel place...

ETA: Didn't the City Paper's article on jumbo slice have a nutritional analysis in it? Anyone remember the results?

"Super" slice- qu'est-ce-que-c'est?

When I was last at Surfas chef supply store in L.A., I found a product I had not seen before: porcini powder, which is exactly what it sounds like: dried porcinis pulverized to a fine powder. I can add it to risottos, stews, soups, etc. to add some wonderful porcini flavor without having pieces of mushroom there that <he who doesn't think he is a picky eater> will bite into and complain about.

This is ingenious on the part of the porcini packer- all of the little bits that crumbled off in the packing process can be collected (or swept off floor ) and still be sold! Brilliant!

ETA: Zora, do you recall the price differential between the dried whole porcinis and the dust?

Click-click-click

I wonder if one could arrange for endless grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the bottomless tomato soup...