erikv

I don't know the details of the layout, but I plan on introducing myself to JParrot early in the evening at his booth. Anyone else going?

Coming soon to Birreria Paradiso: Half price draft happy hour from 5-7:00 starting April 18th!

Unfrigginbelievable. So much for trying to go running after work.

Wow, that is great! It makes me wish I had joined earlier! Hopefully I will finally get to meet a lot of you throughout the rest of this year!

WooHoo!

I can't wait for this tomorrow!

My first pizza stones were the ones you get at Bed Bath and Beyond type places that cost about $10, are about 16 inches square and not particularly thick.  They come with a peel and a cutter usually, too.  I found they broke really easily.  It bummed me out.

So I went to Home Depot to find these unglazed quarry tiles.  Nobody there was able to help me find what I needed.  And I ended up buying a handful of tiles that looked right, but I still just haven't had the balls to give them a go yet.  (hell, they were probably about 20 cents each, IIRC?).

As for mdt's water trick.  I dunno.  It's probably true.  But, then again, mdt's quirks could be the result of lead poisoning.  So I'm not gonna test it out. 

What I've done now is go back to the $10 tiles at Bed Bath Beyond.  Usually when they break, it's clean and you can just push them together.  If they break in more than a couple places, I simply put them on the bottom of the oven and put a new stone on the rack.  At this point, I haven't had to buy a stone in about a year.

When I bake pizza, I crank it up all the way and let it preheat for a minimum 20 minutes at temperature to ensure the heat has thoroughly penetrated the stones.  900 degrees is unnecessary.  I make great pizza at about 550 in my oven.

I've been buying the premade pizza dough at Trader Joe's but have been having trouble getting a good outcome. Should I give up on trying to make shortcuts, and just make dough from scratch?

Hot sauce is delicious, there is no denying that. But....it's easy to overdo.  If you're not careful, you can lose control, lose your lunch, or worse.  Two good drops of Dave's Insanity Sauce is perfectly safe to put into a bowl of Spaghetti-Os.  Three is just too much.  Please, be careful with hot sauce.

The More You Know

When I was younger I convinced my friend that Dave's Insanity Sauce was just a marketing ploy and that it really was tangy. Convinced of this, he then thought it would be great to "pretend" like it was really hot in front of another friend. The moment he put a tortilla chip soaked in Dave's Insanity Sauce into his mouth he called me an A-Hole and proceeded to cry in pain from the heat.....15 years later he is still somehow one of my best friends.

Does anyone know how we receive our tickets? Or will our name just be added to a list at the door?

How was it?

I unfortunately didn't make it out tonight, but would definately be willing to go tomorrow...

See above....but 6 or just after seems to be the pole...

Hopefully I'll be able to get there when you're all still there. I need to run out from Rosslyn to Reston and back all during rush hour. Fun, fun, fun

As this event is fast approaching I am wondering if the raito of

quantity to price is worthwhile for someone on a budget (saving for an engagement ring is seriously curtailing my dining habit).

Are the Citronelle, Restaurant Eve, and other "heavy hitters" tasting tables only available for VIP ticket holders?

Is there a specific time everyone is meeting there?

I've never met anyone from here, but love beer. I'm interested for sure

Congrats! Can't wait to read the issue....and eat at Restaurant Eve

On a nice day get carryout from River Falls Market - as expensive as anything else in Potomac but mostly worth it.

I agree. The seafood at River Falls Market is great, albeit overpriced. Speaking of the area, how is Picasso (sister restaurant of Matisse?)

Haven't been there in years but remember it serving standard american fare that was a bit boring and bland. That said, if I were hungry and in the neighborhood, there aren't too many other options in Potomac Village, although I do like the italian place next door to flaps.

Morels are in forest waiting for you; interested?

I've decided to spend some time each weekend in the following month searching for Morels.  Does anyone have good suggestions they wouldn't mind sharing of where to look?

According to my research they grow well in this area April 15th to March 15th and are most commonly found under "Tulip Poplar" trees.

Problem is most people who hunt mushrooms are so seceritive, they don't want to share there spots with a rookie hunter.

Ideas?

I hear that cow pastures are often sought after spots for specific varieties

Just when I thought I could start saving more money

Thanks for the thread, Al.  I have the same dismal milestone coming up, and had the same idea about dinner, so it's interesting getting everyone's thoughts on it.  We were thinking of Citronelle, but the point made above about Maestro being the only high end experience with no other option is well taken.  What about CityZen?

(I'm also throwing myself a partay, to cover the low end celebrating.  " Heineken? F*ck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon is what you'll drink tonight!"  )

Nice Blue Velvet quote...don't forget the ether at your party

I'd vote for Citronelle

I prepared the monkfish by baking it in olive oil, white wine, butter, and s&P. I then added lemon zest. It came out very succulant, and smelled great. I didn't really follow a recipe, but really enjoyed both cooking and eating the fish, so there will be more chances in the future. In addition to my improvisational monkfish cooking, I hedged my bets with some seared tuna just in case the monkfish was horrible. It turns out my guests loved both dishes, and everyone had a great night. Next time i do some monkfish i want to add some red chili flakes or some other spice to give it a bit of a kick though.

I've been debating getting the CIA textbook from amazon.com, but haven't quite been convinced about it.

Boy am I glad I got this textbook! I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in improving their technical skills in the kitchen and increasing their understanding of the restaurant industry!

I went back to Whole Foods this afternoon to try and pick-up some more Monkfish for the dinner tonight. The fishmonger said he wouldn't recommend it since it smelled a bit off, so I took his advice....should I be worried about the Monkfish I bought last night (it has remained wrapped and in my fridge since I bought it).

Does the standard, make sure it doesn't smell like fish apply? Any color I should watch out for as well?

The monkfish episode on one of Julia Child's series is a classic.  That is one ugly fish; fortunately for us, the tails are usually skinned and filleted before being set out for sale.  In that show, Julia made a piperade, using red and green peppers, onion, garlic, herbs, etc.  She then cut the fish into cubes, salted and peppered the cubes, and then dredged them in flour.  She briefly sauteed the fish and then added some wine and the piperade and simmered it all, covered for 10 minutes or so.  She then removed the fish and vegetables to a platter and boiled the juices down to a syrup.

Easy as pie.

Wow, looks like we have a winner. Thanks for all the recommendations everyone!

Is there a chance that tickets will sell-out? Or should I be OK getting tickets the day of the event?

Wrapping monkfish with bacon is always a good thing.    Whatever you do, make sure you trim the fish well, removing all the membrane.

Thanks for the tip on trimming. The bacon idea sounds delicious to me, unfortunately my gf doesn't eat bacon or meat