zgast

1 hour ago, saf said:

That's fascinating, and I would like to try doing that. Recipe? Or instructions? 

Both.  Food and wine has a tutorial with pictures. We've had house guests devour enough butter to top three baguettes in one sitting.  My next goal is to try this with some really fresh cream from a local farm.  Anyone have a dairy farm?

For special occasions, we make our own cultured butter.  It's actually insanely easy and tops anything available in the stores.

I stopped in for a gin and tonic the other night (they had stopped serving food and I was stuffed anyway).  Those things are both delectable and dangerous.

Finally made it down to Kith & Kin for a dinner last night and would definitely return after what I tasted.  The group stuck with one wine all night, so not much to comment on the drinks other than - yes - they could use a shake-up in the wine area. When you've had the majority of the wines on the list (and aren't one of those people who are constantly trying new ones at home), then it's a bit too pedestrian.

Appetizers were the Mushroom Forest, Meat & Cheese, and Brussels Suya.  The first was a mash of mushrooms, herbs, and some other items topped with a mix of mushrooms.  Really great flavor in the mash - probably the favorite of the three appetizers in our group.  The meat & cheese was good - two goat cheeses, duck prosciutto, and chicken liver mousse. One cheese was semi-firm: it paired well with the fruit jam on the platter, but was a little pedantic on its own. The second was a gooey bloomed rind cheese.  Everyone liked this one a lot.  The duck prosciutto was fine - no really strong feelings either way.  The chicken liver mousse was different. We actually had a discussion about it because it didn't really have much chicken liver flavor.  There were some assertive spices and it was quite good, but became a debate on whether it was necessary to make it with chicken livers if you couldn't really taste them.  The verdict on the whole platter was that it was empty and scraped clean before it was taken away.  The final appetizer - the Brussels Suya - was quite good as  well.  Well roasted Brussels with a spice mix, lime juice (squeeze your own and ask for a napkin), and a tomato sauce or foam (we couldn't decide whether it was an airy sauce or a heavy foam). 

For main courses, we all stuck with small plates.  The first (and weakest) was the smoked fish toast. I didn't try this one, but the other two diners agreed on this point. Not bad, just not as good as everything else we had.  The curry crab dip was the second main.  Good curry with pieces of crab that you could put on the accompanying plantain chips.  Everyone liked this one quite a bit, although we all wished there were better ways to get the remaining curry out (the plantain chips were on the smaller side).  Countering that was the fact that the plantain chips were definitely the best I've ever had, making you want to just keep eating them well past the point where you should have stopped.  Last dish was the goat curry with roti.  Wow - definitely one of my favorite curries ever. It was really different from what I've always had since the most salient note was the acidity.  The goat and potatoes were both strong - the former tender and moist, the latter crispy.  The roti was a bit greasy but that puts it on par with virtually every roti I've ever had. Do I want to know how much fat goes into making those things?

Final dish - dessert - was a shared pepper platter.  Good, but we were well past the point that we should have stopped.  All in all a very enjoyable meal - we even got to see the Petal Palooza fireworks display up close.  Will definitely go back when I can face that 40 minute ride again.

One final note - it was pretty clear that the chef made an effort to staff the front of the house with predominately black waiters and waitresses.  It was notable primarily because despite DC's population being predominately black there is a drastic under-representation of that group in those roles at nicer restaurants here.  I'm not sure if he poached staff from other restaurants or simply did a great job training individuals who had less experience in higher-end restaurants but the service was quite strong. Kudos to him either way.  Perhaps he can enlighten some others in the scene on what they're I'm sure unwittingly missing out on.

I went last night. Had the hummus with goat and harissa to start. Decent hummus but I’d go for Perfect Pita’s any day over this. It also came with exactly one pita. No that’s not enough but you can buy more for $2.50 a pop.

Small plates were the charred eggplant, chicken livers and halumi. The eggplant was - as advertised - charred. It wasn’t bad - and was enhanced by the half of the hummus we had no way to eat otherwise. The halumi came with several good accoutrements- I just felt like they should have been a bit more integrated somehow. Lot of assembly required. The chicken livers were the best of the three. Came on a bed of onions that really paired well. Would order that again. 

Last dish was the kofte kebab. Was a bit better than what you might get at A casual Greek joint - we finished it and enjoyed.  Desert was the pot de creme. Good finish to the meal. 

Overall a decent not too expensive dinner but definitely not at the same level as what we enjoyed at Bindass. Service was very good - the group always seems to do that well. Probably wouldn’t travel to Cleveland Park to eat there specifically, but I might drop in again after the zoo. I’ve never tried Zahav or Maydan so can’t offer any comparisons.

And on the non-PC side, my tribe was definitely out in full force there.  Twas like several synagogues got out simultaneously a couple blocks away right before we showed up for dinner.  Amusing to see the immediate change in clientele from the Bindass/Ardeo combo.

11 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

Truly. I think a large part of the problem is the crowd of idiots that decide to dine in Bethesda earlysh on a Friday evening I suspect these are the rich that own the $3-5M houses and driiiiive the 5 minute walk it would be and spend 20 minutes trying to find parking crowd gumming up the works.

Pretty much this - I'm about a ten minute walk to downtown Bethesda and am astounded how many of our neighbors drive there.  That being said, the surrounding neighborhoods have a very high proportion of older residents, which may cause some of the driving.  

1 hour ago, thistle said:

I agree with you, mostly because I don’t understand the appeal of Italian food.  Maybe i’ve just never had really good Italian food, it’s all been sort of “meh” (now, I’m not talking about raw ingredients, I’ve had great prosciutto, olives, bread, but most pasta dishes leave me cold).

Take a flight to Bologna. Eat three pasta meals. I’ve got a bottle of wine waiting for our discussion. Great Italian is precisely those raw ingredients assembled and served. 

I think the takeaway away I got from that episode though is that there’s an inherent bias that prevents even great Asian food from charging similar prices as Western cuisines in the States.

Great food is worth more in my book. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of soup dumplings but I’ll definitely pay up for chef driven Asian cuisine. 

49 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

One thing I'm worried about is that I've heard them described as "velvety" - my eyes see this as a possible (emphasis: *possible*) negative. If anyone out there understands why I treasure Figeac so much more than Pavie, they'll understand. Bordeaux has largely taken a tumble since Robert Parker wielded his naughty influence, and RdV being described as "Bordeaux-like" may or may not be a good thing for my palate. Does anyone know what their philosophy is on malolactic fermentation?

Forty-five minutes in the car and $50 could resolve this. Just go. FWIW - I enjoy RdV but simply prefer to keep my price points lower. Also - did and RdV/Linden wine dinner and most at the table preferred the Linden wines even before they knew the price disparity. 

12 hours ago, DonRocks said:

My feeling is that you're no more going to foodie hell than someone who orders a pizza.

David Chang confessed (nay, resolutely defended) to liking and frequently ordering Domino's.  We're worried about cooking a meal with the correct portions delivered?  Life's busy.  Not every meal can or should be gourmet.

On 2/25/2018 at 10:31 AM, Rhone1998 said:

I really enjoyed the first episode.  One of the more interesting moments to me was watching one of them fold a slice of Neapolitan pizza, a method which made me realize why people might not mind the "soggy" interior of this type of pie as much as I usually do -- they cut a wedge then folded the innermost portion back toward the crust, then made anothr fold perpendicular to the first with the crust itself, creating a nice dry pocket to consume the whole thing.  Did anyone else notice this?

I saw that. I've lived in Italy and I never once saw anyone do that, for what it's worth. 

Glad people brought this up - really enjoyed the whole first season. Will definitely tune in for the next if it gets made.

2 hours ago, jandres374 said:

Redwood still has not re-opened following a water main break.

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/Redwood-Hoping-to-Reopen-Soon-after-Pipe-Burst/

Apparently several large tax liens have been filed by both the state and feds. Looking like this one may be shuttered for good.

A waiter at a nearby restaurant told us mid-January that it would not reopen according to staff that worked there.

I'll sous vide eggs at a low temperature to pasteurize them.  Can't detect any difference in taste, but I'm typically not using them for omelettes, etc., so not sure if I would pick up on any change in flavor profile.  I use it mostly for carbonara, aioli, where it's behind other flavor profiles.

33 minutes ago, Rieux said:

Beuller?

I can provide an in-depth review of the Sri Lankan airlines airport lounge. Guessing that's not what you're looking for, though.

The food is actually good.  Make sure to try whatever curry they have out as well as some of the compressed rice sides (forget what they're called due to way too much travel just prior to all my visits).

2 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

So I was perusing my Capital One credit card charges last night and I see a $3,600 charge from Progressive Insurance.  Hmm....(I) I don't insure anything with Progressive and (ii) nothing I own costs that much to insure.  So I call Capital One, and Capital One conferences in Progressive.  They all agree it's a fraudulent charge.  I ask Progressive on whose behalf did I pay the insurance for and they wouldn't tell me, citing privacy concerns.  I'm a little shocked that Progressive would accept payment on someone else's credit card for such a large amount.  Capital One is usually pretty good at detecting fraud and e-mailing me of suspicious activity.  I'm surprised they let such a large charge go through.  Will Progressive open an investigation?  Will Capital One open an investigation?  Does any credit card fraud get criminally investigated? Googling suggests that I file a report with the police?

I didn't realize Capital One allowed balances that high.  They're infamous in the industry for keeping credit limits low.

On 2/22/2018 at 10:01 AM, curiouskitkatt said:

 Now with Slater leading the roost,  I hope this means there were will be amazing wine dinners. 

This right here.  Good wine dinners are becoming more and more scarce as far as I can tell.

12 minutes ago, lovehockey said:

Two things:

1)  In my 15 years or so of tasting Virginia (and to a much lesser extent, Maryland) wine, there is a lot of product that doesn't justify the cost.  That being said, there are wines I will buy; and

2) I don't know the about the politics, bureaucracy, or demand (and I believe the latter could be a big thing), but the VA ABC stores at least in the Arlington/Alexandria area have a very limited selection of VA wines.  I know they need to get stuff sold so they likely go for the dependable sellers and just enough varietals, but I wonder if the selection changes based where you are in the state.  But I'm a bit doubtful about that.

It does.  There's a VA sparkling wine that I very much enjoyed at a lunch in Middleburg.  Went looking for it in Middleburg and Charlottesville (where it's produced) and found it at a reasonable price ($20-25 if I recall).  In the DC area of VA it was scarce or $15 more, which made it fall off the QPR (thanks Don for that term!) for me.  But I'm happy to drink it when I go back to central VA.

For what it's worth, I enjoy 5-10 VA vineyards.  I can find a wine or two I like at more, but my measure if 50%+ that I enjoy to merit my return.  Haven't found a MD one I like yet, but I've heard good things about Black Ankle and that's really shame on me for not getting there yet.  For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of big, hearty reds, preferring lighter reds and more acidic whites, which may drive my own biases.

Thanks all for the recommendations - not surprisingly we ate well.

Was a bit surprised that the daughter chose the Zoo, but we actually had a blast there.  Of course we also walked through the French Quarter and Market as well. Fortunately, I'm going to have many opportunities to visit again over the next few years.

Oh - and Galatoire's is going to have to wait.  Was not about bringing a coat and tie with me on this trip.

3 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Any suggestions on what to pair with a chicken/lamb curry if you're trying to go low carb (in lieu of basmati or naan)? Texture of brown rice sort of bugs me - maybe just cook it longer? Cous cous? Never tried that. What else?

 

Trader Joes Cauliflower rice, sautéed for about 10 minutes comes the closest for very low carb.  I tried the keto diet once - for about two months to support a certain someone who was put on it - and that was a mainstay, as was cauliflower mash.  

14 minutes ago, dracisk said:

This is why we can't have nice (restaurant) things. Very frustrating.

Perhaps if MoCo residents simply refused to vote for candidates that support the DLC, that would get the message across.  What groups are working on the broader business issues?  After nearly a decade working in MoCo, I'm running across one of these for the first time - but it's completely absurd.

4 hours ago, Al Dente said:

A couple of doors down from my office and I never went. 

Also a couple doors away, but did get to go a few times (working on the same block for 6 years).  Enjoyed the casual, cheap vibe but not a big beer drinker, so didn't do much for me. Will miss seeing people's reactions when we took them there for the first time.

21 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said:

You didn't say 17 year old boy or girl?  I know what I wanted when I was 17....

Girl - who will be with her father.  We'd like to be able to look each other in the eye after all this.

22 hours ago, frogprince said:

Happy Bacchus Sunday y'all!!! 🍾

1 hour ago, NolaCaine said:

Happy Lundi Gras y'all.

These are the two days of the year that I most resent working. 

It's 11:25 am and there is not fruit juice full of rum anywhere near me. :-(

Question for the New Orleans experts here.  Any recommendations on where to take a 17 year old who could use some fun after a rough few weeks?  We've already got a nice meal planned - and I'm sure it will be fun - at Herbsaint, but are there any places that I should hit up more for the fun aspect?  This is not for Mardi Gras celebrations, so I'm expecting things will have died down.

ChiKo and Q are doing a prix-fixe event dinner at Q restaurant on Chinese New Year (Feb 20th) for those that can't get down to DC for restaurants that don't take reservations.

42 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Having just had lousy Small not that moist overpriced wings at a place not to be mentioned—I agree with KN above—at least in part.

Stans has terrific wings.  I like both versions—they are significantly different.

Oh yeah- Stans also serves liquor .

I've stooped to making my own wings at home the wings in MoCo are so bad.  Don't have a deep fryer (and don't love doing it on the stove top), so I either steam or sous vide the wings, then bake at 450 until golden and crispy.  Buffalo style, of course.