DanCole42

You really can't go wrong cooking over a campfire. I've always said the five best chefs in the world are: 1) The outdoors 2) Free food 3) Hunger 4) My mom 5) My wife when she wears her hair down and has the apron tied tight A cast iron pan and a wooden spoon can make pretty much anything you'd ever want to eat, and if Samwise Gamgee can lug his pots and pans halfway to Mount Doom...

Not sure how long it's gonna be around, but the Petto d'Anatra (Seared rare duck breast with onion and mushroom reduction, pickled ramp, and braised rabe) for $22 is a feast unto itself.

Fuck it. I'm taking her to Dino.

Now she's insisting that the place be "relaxing." I don't know what she means. Not even my wife is this high maintenance...

I'm bored of drop-and-stir broccoli with lemon and garlic. What are some fun things I can do with it?

A bar is not required. Also, I was just told no sushi.

My best friend is turning the big 3-0, so I wanted to take her out for dinner/drinks. She would prefer NW/SW DC (we spend too much time in Virginia already). Under normal circumstances we'd end up at Ray's the Steaks, so figure on that price level and that awesomeness level. We both prefer a more relaxed environment. Thoughts?

Local skirt steak marinated in: roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, coriander, allspice, lime, tequila, blistered serranos. Tomatillo salsa. Homemade tortillas. That's right, it's TACO NIGHT. Oh, and guac. Gotta have guac.

Pizza! Homemade sourdough. Tomatoes and basil from our garden. Moz from the farmers market.

Sockeye salmon in brown butter with maple champagne glaze. Rosemary risotto. Local haricots verts. Sauteed oyster mushrooms I grew myself. 2008 Something Oak Sauvignon Blanc.

This is my favorite part.

For my 30th birthday (way back in February) my parents offered to pay to send me to wine school... are there any good comprehensive classes in the area? Something more than the $15 tasting at Wegman's? Or should I just go to Ray's and have Mark bring me one of everything?

Unknown. Best to go soon just in case.

This was just awesome. I want, nay NEED a pizza oven... Leleboo, you're awesome. Thank you for setting this up and twisting my arm to go. Goodeats, thanks for playing hostess. Don, don't get me sick. Edan, you've revived my passion for pizza. Thanks for the trip in back.

Virginia has a plethora of vanity plates... anyone see any good/clever food-related ones? I saw "1IER CRU" (Premier Cru) on a plate. The car also had a "Virginia Makes Wine, Napa Makes Auto Parts" bumper sticker. A local vinter, perhaps?

I used to love their Bullseye BBQ Burger. And the Italian chicken sandwich is a classic.

The only paper magazine on any topic I currently have a subscription to is Cook's Illustrated.

Gratitude should not be given with an expectation of reciprocation...

Ray's the Steaks now offers dry-aged beef. They get the steers from a farm in Virginia. I'm thrilled at all the attention Virginia beef has been getting lately, and the porterhouse and long bone ribeye were delicious. Deeply beefy. Generous portions. And it's Ray's, so half the price you'd be getting anywhere else.

Steve Baker's sausage. Homemade sourdough, buttered and grilled. Red onion, sage, and maple marmalade. Sauteed mushrooms. Dijon mustard. AWESOME sandwich!

Clove and pepper-crusted NY strip steak with dill "bearnaise" sauce Extra-garlicky swiss chard Homemade sourdough baguette

I'm in. I want to try this sourdough pizza dough... ETA: +1

The Smuggler's Pub in Telluride, CO has them: $9.50 or $6.50 for a refill. A guy on the gondola offered to trade me his weed for the oatmeal stout growler I was carrying, until he realized he'd left it in his other pants. On account of he was high. Also, his snowboard was literally broken in half. Possibly because he was trying to impress a girl... and was high. God I love it there.

So, I'm trying to make a chart, but I don't know what kind of chart you'd call it, or even if you'd call it a diagram rather than a chart. Mind map? Matrix org chart? I have no idea. Anyway, I want to make a chart of the various cuisines of the world and the aromatics that sort of define the cuisine (mirepoix, sofrito, the holy trinity, etc.). The problem is, I am not a graphic designer and I can't find a program I really like that would make it look the best it could. Thoughts? Here's a first draft.

You flatter me! The recipe was liberally taken from the infamous "pea puree" Top Chef recipe, but adapted to only use ingredients I had on hand. Thoroughly dry and salt your scallops, leaving them to air dry while you do the rest of the prep. Blanch and shock some quality peas (Wegman's organic frozen section has 'em), puree with sour cream, season to taste, set aside. Thinly slice some mushrooms and saute until golden brown and delicious, add to a mix of razor-thin sliced onion, garlic, rose wine vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper, set aside. Cook the rice with shallots, garlic, thyme, white wine, homemade chicken stock, as you would a risotto. In a screaming hot pan, set down the scallops in some grapeseed oil (or other high heat-tolerant oil) until they release from the pan on their own. When you flip them, flip them to a spot on the pan where there were no scallops before (these spots will be hotter than just flipping them in place). Remove from pan. Whisk together maple syrup and champagne vinegar, then brush on the scallops. To plate: put down a dollop of the pea puree, a spoonful of rice, some scallops, and top with the mushroom-onion-garlic mixture. Enjoy!