CrescentFresh

Penn Quarter opening day is April 3!

Very early this year. I'm glad.

Today was the first day at the market for J. Wen Farms and Dairy from Harrisonville, PA, selling creamline milk, heavy cream and chocolate milk. their product is seriously underpriced ($2 for a pint of heavy cream, $3 for a quart). I suggested that they stop at Whole Foods after the market and see what Trickling Springs milk and cream are selling for. I suspect their prices will be higher next week. Bruce from Eco-Friendly came over to buy some milk as I was making my purchase, and also told them their prices were too low.

I think this is actually their 3rd or 4th week. I've not tried anything but their whole milk. I'm happy it's there. But it's definitely not of the quality Adam Cook had, at least in terms of richness and mouthfeel. And I'd like to know if anyone else who buys their milk doesn't think it lasts as long as it should. It's something I plan to ask them about. I don't think it's wrong to expect the milk to last a full 7 days if it's kept cold from purchase to home through consumption. J. Wen's has not lasted that long for me. BTW, half gallon of milk is $3.50. Comes in plastic. (Perhaps that has something to do with how long it lasts?)

The hike from Metro to the stadium that you had at RFK is over. It was an absolute breeze last night to get from the station to the park. Joe Riley is right. Be prepared to invest a good bit of time buying food. We spent the first 4 innings or so last night just wandering the whole stadium, level by level. It is VERY nice. Some additional things of note:

The food and beverage stands take credit cards unless they say cash only.

Five Guys and Ben's Chili had the longest lines I'd ever seen for food at a ballpark. Ever. Be sure to get there when the gates open and maybe you'll be able to get to see the second half of the game. The Ben's outlet in the indoor, club level mezzanine (snuck in, nice area and weather proof) had some pretty big lines too. They had empty made to order pasta stations, however, with assorted pastas for $15/plate.

Many more places to get a cocktail than you'd ever imagine was possible if you are only used to RFK.

Lots of beer variety, but those varieties begin to wane as you head to the upper levels. My fave of the night was the Home Run Ale, which I found first in the Red Porch Restaurant right in center field. $7.50 for a 16 to 20 oz cup, perhaps. Same as most of the beer costs. Home Run Ale had tap handles in a few other places throughout the park but, IF IT'S NOT WORKING, PUT A FREAKIN' EMPTY CUP OVER THE HANDLE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ON LINE FOR 20 MINUTES ONLY TO LEARN YOU DON'T HAVE IT DAMMIT!

Get a load of this. Do you recall those "on the fly" carts that have been popping up with some "higher end" street food in various parts of the city? Well, the owners are geniuses. I don't know how long ago, but they contacted a private property owner who rented them a tiny spit of land on Half Street bout 50 yards from the park entrance. It was the only food to be seen if you were hoping to pick some up outside the park and bring it it (aside from a guy who had pretzels). But the food carts were great. One had BBQ sandwiches from Rocklands along with mac and cheese and a few other sides. There were also tacos (carnitas and chicken) at 2 for $5. I had one of each and was quite pleased. The Mrs. had the BBQ sandwich which looked very nice, but I didn't snag a taste. Nor do I recall how much it cost but I presume it was in the $5 range. Lots of other odds and ends for sale at these carts too for you to bring in. The thing I'm told is, that once On The Fly rented out this spot, the police(?) somehow put the kibosh on any more space rentals. I read that story somewhere about all the vendors wanting to sell the scummy water dogs were wondering when and if they'll be able to set up shop outside Nats Park. I don't know the answer to that. But On The Fly is freakin' sweet!

Lastly, can anyone tell me what it is about sports arenas in DC in that they don't sell dogs in the stands? At any baseball or hockey game I've been to in any city EXCEPT DC, you can get a dog right at your seat. Nats Park is the same way. What's up with that?

Will see some of you there tonight. And Joe is right. Bundle up! The wind moves very differently here and while weather.com may make it seem like the temp isn't that low or the wind speed that high, expect it to be worse than you think. Of course, some July and August, that breeze is going to be very welcome.

Did anyone else read this piece on Slate yesterday?

'Techno-Emotional' sounds like me in a bad mood.

I could have sworn this was going to be about Jose Andres's TV show. I love the program and his intense enthusiasm. But the nonstop soundtrack throughout the whole thing drives me crazy.

Michel Richard on this week's program showing off his famous "fake food".

And our stadium is a lot cooler

Of course it's surely not from playing in October.

I'm sorry to hear that the pizza has gotten inconsistent. I live nearby and will order for delivery from time to time (kid-friendly is not a plus for me).

I'm torn between two worlds here. I have no children and have been to many a "kid-friendly" restaurant where the kidfriendliness pushed into the adultunpleasantness category. But I have many friends with young children, too, and it is not uncommon for me to visit or even seek out restaurants that are kid-friendly. CP most definitely is one of those places where they young folks are welcome with open arms but, in all honesty, I have never found even the slightest impingement when I'm trying to have an adults-only evening. CP is not an intimate, fine dining establishment to begin with, so hustle and bustle that accompanies meals with full families is not unexpected. And, frankly, it reminds me very much of the dining norm in some European and Latin American countries, where families go out to eat AS FAMILIES, and while they may not necessarily be catered to with games and crayons there, I think it's rather pleasant to see CP as the sort of restaurant that's able to cater to the needs of all.

Either through dining in, delivery or take out, I'm probably eating CP about twice a week these days. And while the pizza gets all the attention, I want to point out the gnocchi special I had on Friday. Perfect density to the dough, it was prepared with mushrooms, garlic, white wine and parmesan. And absolutely mouthwateringly delicious. Of the several gnocchi preparations I've had there, this one was far and away the finest of them all. If you see it on the specials board, try it.

I'm glad my primary personal allegiance is to The Drunky Bunch.

Hear Hear! All for one and one for all! So we'll be seeing you at the New England Real Ale Fest, Stretch? Sans huitres?

Does anyone know the story re: ability to bring food into the stadium like you could at RFK?

Don't know where to try it around town, but Ferment Everything and I had quite a few glasses at the Extreme Beer Festival last week. Specially aged with cocoa nibs.

Samuel Adams Utopias aged on Cacao Nibs

EBF special! Sweet fire, with rich malt, wood complexity and subtle chocolate finish thanks to taking some Utopias that was still in wood at the Boston Brewery and adding some cacao nibs; the raw ingredient for chocolate. It was then aged for a few months. The result: the warm, sweet flavor with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel of Utopias is richly highlighted by the cocoa flavor and aroma from the nibs. It brings a whole new decadence to the world's strongest beer! 26.0%

Ferment, with the eagle eyes, spotted Jim Koch there. He was just a guest and not serving his beer. Got a chance to chat with him briefly. He was very friendly and happy to share some time with fans. (Everybody being a bit toasted on dozens of beers all over 10%, it was tough NOT to be friendly!)

Petit Robert Bistro at 480 Columbus was absolutely mind-blowing when the Mrs. and I had dinner there last weekend. Friendly and highly attentive service from start to finish from every employee you encounter...bar to table. Such delicious food at unbelievable bargain prices. My starter of smoked marinated herring fillets over warm potato salad started things off right. (Well, the bottle of Gigondas we began drinking at the bar while waiting for our table was actually the best start). The herring was lightly smoked and moist and the warm potato salad was a perfect balance between potato (large chunks served warm, as described) and the creamy dressing that constitutes the "salad" part of potato salad. The seared sweetbreads in a leek mustard sauce I had as an entree was perhaps the best plate of sweetbreads I've ever eaten. Incredibly crispy outside with a melt in your mouth, creamy inside. I'm told the desserts were wonderful, but we opted for the liquid dessert instead....starting with the absinthe. Not sure what happened after that.......

The front room is small, and home to the bar which has about 7-9 seats. There are also several tables here. The room can be quite loud and if you're waiting for a table, you're essentially standing amongst all the other tables in the area. It can get rather crowded. The back room was quieter and more intimate with candlelit tables and white tablecloths. Perfect for an intimate evening.

Despite the fact that they were mobbed AND I accidentally made my reservation for their other property on Commonwealth Ave, they made us feel at home the moment we walked into the door. I'd go back there in a flash. And plan to next time I'm in Boston in early May. In fact, I'm hoping to find a place to stay that's only a short walk away so I can eat all my meals there! (A friend ate the night before at their Commonwealth Ave property and had the same rave review).

And Jake, thanks for the Bukowski's tip. Niiiiiice bar.

hmmm, no personal chef recommendations out there? I'm looking for either a personal chef or a small catering company to put together a nice meal for my wifes upcoming birthday. I'm having a small get together at our house for about 12 people and don't want anyone to have to think about cooking/cleaning. Awaiting a quote from 3Citron whose online menu seems interesting/appetizing but happy to receive recommendations from other folks.

Thanks

I did the exact same thing a few months ago for my wife's birthday. I hired Eliza Gonzalez, who teaches most of the Mexican cooking classes at Sur La Table in Arlington. She put together a fantastic menu, including a variety of antojitos, soup, mole for the entree along with some sides, several fresh salsas, a dessert buffet, drinks, music and decoration. Prices are very reasonable for the quality, quantity and variety of food, not to mention how she takes care of it all, start to finish, including cleaning. She even had special dishes made for some youngsters who were with us. I can't recommend her highly enough. PM me if you'd like contact info.

RFD continues its upward climb (which isn't that difficult considering how bottom level they were). There is now regularity of cask-conditioned ale from England (most recently Williams Brothers Joker which I found to be the best pint of real ale I've had in the area in years) and they're turning it around quickly, so you're not getting it stale like you used to. And at only $6/pint you're paying a helluva lot less then Rustico or BP and getting real UK ale the way it was meant to be served (albeit gravity pour and not pump). I'm told that Rustico will be pulling in more UK and I'm anxious to check it out. (But I think their pints start at $8 or $9!).

Garrett Oliver will be returning to National Geographic for their annual beer event, the one that Michael Jackson used to lead until a couple years ago. He's doing "The Italian Beer Renaissance" on May 8. $70!!!! These events with Jackson used to be under $50. I plan to pass. (Same thing with Steven Jenkins's cheese event on April 30)

http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurc...organ_val=22070

How did you send your pot back? What was the address?

Info is all here. They were great about it. I replaced two items that had de-anodized.

So, I took advantage of the lifetime warranty for Calphalon products and sent in a de-anodized stock pot that I've had for years. They sent back a "comparable" stock pot since they no longer make the one that I originally had. However, it's actually incomparable, because it's tiny compared to what I sent them. An 8 qt stock pot is not going to cut it for me.

Bottom line is this: They're allowing me to pick one item of anything I can find in their product catalog.

Naturally, I can't pick a full set of something. But if you could pick one single item from all of these with price being no object, what would you pick and why? Anodized? Copper? Stainless? Enameled iron? This is like Wheel of Fortune, only I'm not going to pick the stufffed giraffe for $300 and put the rest on a gift certificate.

I have two nights there, travelling on business. The first night I am going to dinner but the restaurant will be picked by those who I am meeting. The second night I am on my own and, having done quite a bit of research, I have made a reservation for one (Yes, for one!-me!) at arguably one of the best restaurants in the city, Aguila y Sol. They even gave me a confirmation number to prove that I have a reservation when I show up there in two weeks. (I've never been given a confirmation number by a restaurant before!)

I am not interested in having anything there that I can find in D. C. or New York. I want something that I can only find in Mexico. Creative, innovative, imaginative Mexican if you will, something that I would fly back just to have dinner at. That good. That memorable.

Am I on the right track with Aguila y Sol?

We chose not to go to Aguila y Sol on our visit to DF last month. We still hit a good mix of places. Like you, we hunted down spots that you've appropriately defined as "imaginative Mexican" but we also went for traditional Mexican. Of the "imaginative" ones, we had our favorite meal at Izote. Perfect through and through, from creative dishes to service. Another favorite was Tecla, where we had lunch, but they also serve dinner. Contramar is only open for lunch and is jam-packed from open to close. Don't even think of going without a reservation. All seafood and while they had some very simple preparations that showed off some great Mexican style and ingredients, they also could get really imaginative, too.

Our biggest disappointment was Pujol. We were really looking forward to it and while it wasn't so much the food that was disappointing, it was more a question of poor service. No one really bothered to check in on us during the meal and the Mrs. wasn't feeling particularly good that night, so we opted for glasses of wine instead of a full bottle. I don't think they particularly cared for that option.

Again, the food was highly creative and put together some great combinations of Mexican ingredients, (too much "espuma" however) but here's my lasting memory of Pujol. In a city already suffering from terrible air pollution, and our lungs already feeling the effects of it after 5 days in DF, here we were in Pujol, with its very low ceiling and the unending crowd of chainsmokers that happened to be at every table around us.

On the one hand I can understand that if you're already breathing crap in 24 hours a day, why not be a smoker? But there's no way you can possibly enjoy the really cool flavor combinations that hit your plate at Pujol when all you can breathe is the smoke around you. There's some really subtle but cool stuff coming out of that kitchen, but the heavy cloud in the dining room dulls it.

BTW, both Pujol and Izote are on Open Table. I'd pick Izote. Ignore the comments you see here and there that Patricia Quintana is past her prime.

Mazel tov! Babies ROCK. And I can already see the book jacket with the author's name on it-- Violet Lockwood.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday! And I can already see a dish or cocktail named after her at Corduroy!

But who in their right mind would eat anything more than a pub snack in that place? And even then, only if desperate. The rest room is a disgusting, piss-puddled, graffiti-strewn, rat hole. And you know what they say....if you can't keep the public spaces sanitary.........

Two bits of good news about RFD. The rest room....(at least the one behind the door I go through)....has been renovated. It's still not the greatest thing. But how difficult can it be to improve upon a room where even threatening to bring in a can of Lysol would have been a major upgrade?

News bit number 2. Some good English cask ale being poured. Not only served properly but also served fresh. More should be tapped soon. All from Moorhouses. Earlier this week it was the Premier Bitter. A very easy drinking, tasty, low alcohol brew. Yesterday they tapped a cask of Pride of Pendle. A bit hoppier than the bitter. Again, delicious. I understand that the next one to be tapped will be Pendle Witches Brew. I am looking forward to trying it.

(Still no way I'm gonna eat anything there though!)

OMFG is utterly right. I have no clue how I possibly could have survived living in Albany and environs for 17 years prior to moving here. Actually, I think it's the reason why I'm a halfway decent home cook right now....because I really had no choice but to cook in my own kitchen during "the Albany years." Cafe Capriccio is, indeed, an exception to the rule. It's the best restaurant in the area by far. Also check out Arlington House in West Sand Lake. If you like beer, you're lucky to be near one of the finest beer bars in America, Mahar's. Troy, actually, used to have some decent restaurants (Allegro) but unfortunately that never lasted long. So outside of the above, I'm firmly on the side of the Capital District as nothing but a chain restaurant wasteland. And I'm sorry to compound it further, but even Saratoga has nothing worthy of being decent. In all my years there I never once found a reason to head up the Northway for the same mediocrity I could get in Albany. I cannot agree at all with a previous poster about "gems" in the Albany area....unless your gems include pyrite and cubic zirconia (Jack's Oyster House????)

Here's another way to look at it. The greatest culinary talent in the Albany area is Rachael Ray.

Sorry to be such a downer, but as you're house hunting, make sure you find a joint with a really decent kitchen.

Was anyone else unaware that Cowgirl offers sandwiches? I'll be checking it out today.

The Bread to Filling ratio is a bit too high in favor of the bread...but it is decent bread and they are tasty sandwiches. I wouldn't mind an extra slice of meat, cheese, and leafy green in there, though.

The wines are simply awful, so I can't help you there in any way - stick with beer if you can; otherwise hold your nose and pick something from Mendoza and ask them to chill it down for fifteen minutes.

I liked Fogo de Chao for an unabashed meatfest, and I'd do it again in the right circumstances - tourists probably love the place.

Cheers,

Rocks.

IIRC, they serve Tikal Patriota, which is the Mendoza choice that I think is more than decent and quite tasty. And FdC is fantastic for large groups. No need to waste time with that ordering thing......just sit, talk, eat, drink, eat, talk, eat, drink, and everyone knows what they're paying.