CrescentFresh

Well honk my hooter! That's a refreshing and lipsmacking article to read.

Some of McGee's science meets foodstuffs.

I've heard rumors of two cask ales, beer lovers.

Right in front of Cafe Atlantico this afternoon! Ok, Rachael Ray wasn't there, but if she was she very well could have joined a threesome with José and Tony! It's probably what they're laughing about.

Oink!

Great article on "recipe dealbreakers" in today's New York Times. What are the things that make you say, "F that! I'm using brownie mix." ??

I wonder why they felt it was important to get the salmon and tilapia stoned before they baked them? Couldn't they just put them in the freezer for a little while first, like when you boil lobsters? Or are the tilapia and salmon baked simply because they got them stoned? And if that's the case, what happens to those of us who eat the salmon and tilapia? Will we all of a sudden get even more hungry and want to eat the rest of the menu? There are no desserts mentioned but I wonder if their brownies would get you baked?

Cook up some assorted chicken parts and finish them off in a skillet with the mole. You just reminded me of the assorted moles I brought back from Mexico City recently and have packed up in my vacuum-containers. My simple mushroom sauté to go with the pork tenderloins tonight may have to be re-thunk.

Until I started rooting and growing my own all throughout the summer (after purchasing one plant at the beginning of the season), those bags of basil were the (and probably still are) the best deal going for anyone looking to make pesto, which is already a snap, into something even easier to make. Take it home and store it in your food processor with garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and good olive oil.

I never thought it possible to eat at Ray's and NOT run into someone I know, usually from this particular community. Then, lo and behold, during our entire dinner tonight -- no one. Almost. We made it to having our plates cleared when Mel Gold spotted us and came to say hi. And you know, for the most part, I guess it's a good thing to go to Ray's and always know you'll see friends. I never thought it possible to eat at Ray's and NOT have a box of leftover food to take home. Holy cow! It happened tonight! I need to go back to my cowboy cuts. Some pretty good steaks at this place. You should check it out.

That's the name of the place I was trying to recall in my original post!

How do you do your freezing? Do you try to retain structure? Or do you resign yourself to the fact that they're likely going to get mushy? Freeze them first individually on a sheet pan and then vac seal them?

Yes, but looking at the crowds waiting, there was minimal "taking mom out for brunch" action. It was mostly couples, groups of friends, etc. Perhaps 2 or 3 parties were Mother's Day-related.

Arrived at Blue Moon Sunday morning at approx. 8:55. First visit and went based on the recommendation here. Was told wait for the two of us would be approx. 45 minutes. Okay, we wander around. They're setting up the flea market a few blocks away. Lots of crap to buy for people who don't generate enough of their own. Return to Blue Moon in about 30 minutes. Wait around outside amongst numerous others, including some parties of 6 who I just have to wonder how they're going to get seated. At about 9:45 I thought I'd run back inside to get a sense of how much longer the wait would be. "We're running kind of slow today. Maybe another 10 to 15 minutes," was the answer. Well, if we didn't expect amazing biscuits, great coffee and a great atmosphere, we'd have left long ago. Finally, at 10:15 we're seated. This better be good. Two crab benedicts, side of bacon, two cups of coffee and two glass of fresh squeezed OJ. The coffee was watery, the bacon was limp, the OJ was great (but it's not like the kitchen could have screwed up squeezing an orange), and the benedicts were semi-decent. The poached eggs were nicely done but the lump crab meat was actually kind of tasteless. It was missing the sweetness I was hoping for. So, either the meat wasn't the best around or perhaps there's something about trying crab meat with gooey eggs as opposed to having them in a fully cooked omelet or something. Giant-ass hash brown cake took up the rest of the plate with a few grapes and an orange wedge. Blue Moon Cafe was decent, but for the life of me it is no where near worth waiting anything more than 20 minutes for. I realize it's a small place, but the food is just not that killer. I'm sure there are plenty of other spots in Baltimore that can do the same and, if not, then Baltimore is hurting big time. (Perhaps that's the case as many folks seemed to have no problem adding their name to the wait list when told the wait would be an hour or so. Although I'm sure many were regulars realizing they could use that hour to run to the Farmer's Market, or go get some other business done). I'd return to Blue Moon Cafe, but won't even think of putting my name on the list if the wait is more than 20 minutes. Coffee and bacon were highly disappointing, as noted above, but we got one of the cinnamon rolls to go. Now that's one pleasant waistline buster!

Arlington Market at Courthouse has been loaded with them. And rhubarb.

Was it one of the Naked Neck birds? If so, then you're right, they're for slow cooking, stewing, braising, etc. It probably would have been the equivalent of trying to cook a brisket on the grill, as they're definitely not for grilling. Look for the Grass Kickin' Chicken for grilling.

Cibola was at the Arlington market this AM at Courthouse. If my memory serves, they're new to Courthouse. I don't recall seeing them there before.

I have had bad service at Bebo on 95% of my visits. I live a five minute walk from Bebo and have not been back in over six months. I never will. There are too many restaurants in our area serving celestial food at all price levels. Bebo will never be worth it. Best of luck to you Claudio, but methinks you're the Columbia River salmon, swimming upstream and hitting dam after dam after dam after dam after dam. And that'll damn well wear you out pretty quick.

Thanks for the advice, Mom, but I'm glad I didn't listen. Tasty!

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I plan to do almost the same thing, but will add some blanched and chopped asparagus, a touch of chicken stock, some heavy cream, perhaps some white wine, and then serve it over fresh tagliatelle. (And enjoy it with a nice iced tea! )

I bet you won your March Madness bracket! How are you with lottery numbers?

While everyone was taking 2007 off from posting anything about Zengo, it's clear that they spent that year putting things on a very different track than most of the initial posts here reflect from 2006. I have had dinner at Zengo 3 or 4 times over the past 3 or 4 months and I would venture to say that the food they're putting out is some of the finest I've eaten in DC in a long time. Particularly their entrees. No matter which visit, no matter how many people in our party, no matter how many different entrees I've tasted, there is not a loser in the bunch. Some most definitely stand above others, like the char broiled black cod served with a chipotle miso sauce over a bed of asparagus with lemon aioli dashed with a touch of Japanese chile. Someone at my dining table has ordered this dish on each visit and each time it was knocked the diner (and all of us who got to taste it) out of the park. On the meat side, the beef short ribs, as noted earlier, are highly satisfying and incredibly flavorful. Luscious and served over cheesy mashed potatoes with huitlacoche and shiitake they'll make you think twice about ordering anything different on a subsequent visit for fear of not enjoying the ribs. And what they do with the edamame. The XO style finds the pods served in an oyster sauce base that has been flavored with, among other things, ground shrimp and scallops, chiles, and serrano ham. Only $7 they're a delicious snack/starter. Overall their appetizers are hit or miss. I like the wonton tacos and the arepas, but nothing is as good as that edamame XO. I can't say much about their caipahrinias (Cafe Atlantico's are much better) but their mojitos most definitely excel (better than Atlantico's). (FWIW, an official DR.com member taste test determined this!) Last night's all seafood dinner for three of us worked well with a tasty, if a bit overpriced Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc for $35. That said, there are plenty of bottles to find at all price ranges at Zengo. As for the means the food is brought out, that's just part of the deal. They tell you that in advance, so it shouldn't surprise anyone. Dishes come when they're ready and they're meant to be shared. That may mean some dishes come sooner than others and it may mean that your entree comes moments after your appetizer did. Fix that by delaying your entree order. If you haven't been to Zengo in some time or turned off from the place because of what you read here, try it again, and be sure to work on the entrees. I haven't had one yet that disappointed and many, particularly that black cod and the short ribs, are downright stellar. Dinner at Zengo has become one of my favorites.

Nice gig on Colameco today. Greatest food radio show in America. You gotta get back on there again sometime and give him the lowdown on blogs and sites like DR.com because he's so monstrously down on such sites.

Nice. You called two out of three on my from my visit there the other day. If you're a scotch fan, you'll love the Ola Dubh. No argument in what kind of casks this beer lived in. At 8% it's a bit too heavy for my tastes (and at $12 for an 8oz glass it's a bit too heavy for my wallet) but, as Greg explained, it's the most expensive beer he's ever purchased for Rustico and considering how much a pound sterling costs these days, I understand. And I'm glad it's there for folks to try. I had one and the moved on to the Kellerbier, which was killer beer. Yum. Let me know if and when a Bitter and Twisted appears on cask. There's no better way I can think of to say "Next stop, Rustico!"