DanCole42

Tried this out last night (minus the garlic powder and parsley butter). The cornstarch worked miracles. This is the sort of snazzy trick I want to know more of. I've never home-cooked potatoes with such a perfect level of cripsness before. After taking them out I tossed them with some truffle oil, truffle salt, pepper and parmagiano (I didn't have any truffle parmagiano, truffle pepper, truffled water, or waterated truffles). A delicious home-grown, non-deep-fried version of Firefly's frites. Served it along with some perfectly-grilled NY strip with some St. Pete's blue from Cheesetique and a bottle of Monsanto for the perfect steak-and-potatoes dinner.

I would like to think that those areas would be unaffected. Having a dialog in those threads is CRITICAL to whether or not they're useful.As to the restaurant threads, I consider restrictions on social interaction to be anathema to the spirit of the forums. Here is fostered the sense that there's a dedicated and interested restaurant community in what is an otherwise relatively soulless dining town. DR.com makes me feel like part of a neighborhood. Limitting the scope of the threads to "mini-reviews" would detract from that. I know I'm only a very recent poster, but I used DR.com regularly for about a year before I actually made my first (of many) posts. I found it to be an incredibly helpful resource when trying to find out more about restaurants in the area when the often terse user reviews on WaPo.com and the Washingtonian just didn't quite cut it. I also found that all the social interaction in no way interfered with this process! Now that I've started posting, I think I can rate my favorite things about this site thusly: 1) Being able to hear from the people who make it happen. Landrum, Slater, what's-his-face from Notti Bianchi, that-guy from Elevation Burger, etc. 2) Talking about restaurants with like-minded people in an open, friendly way. 3) Interacting with amateur (and professional) chefs who are not afraid to ask questions and helpful enough to lend answers. 4) Restaurant reviews. I certainly haven't been here long enough, nor do I have a high enough ranking, to have much clout in determining the way these fora work. It's Don's site, and if he wants to he can make it into a forum for labradoodle fanciers (please don't do that). I just happen to like it the way it is: not a collection of user reviews. I don't think RTS should be singled out. It's certainly not the only establishment with 20+ pages of posts! (Cordoruy - 26, Dino - 21, Palena - 21)Again, as per my previous post - nothing wrong with chattiness!

It would appear we're about to witness a flood of WaPo reviews for RTS (my, but we DCers love our acronyms, don't we?). This should be fun.

Ray's is open starting at 6PM Tues-Sat. It's closed all day Sunday and Monday.But trust me - Ray's is worth observing your anniversary a day early.

I got there about five minutes before six last night. There wasn't even a line. And even by the time we had FINISHED our meals (a beautifully efficient forty-five minutes in) there was at least one empty table for four.Saturday might be a different story, however.

Fourth time at Ray's tonight*. What's to say that hasn't been said a million times already? I had the bisque and my fiancee had the onion soup. I know what you're thinking - hot soup? In June? In DC? What kind of magic anti-perspirant do you use? Well, Ray's was quite cool on the inside**. The bisque was decadent and creamy without being heavy or filling. It was our first time trying the onion soup - my fiancee is now begging me to try and duplicate it. The massive slices of garlic were nice surprises. Our "amuse buche" consisted of the scallops (a little firmer/drier than I remembered, but still #1) and the shrimp (loved the BBQ sauce - it was spicy and snappy and not sweet). She got the hangar steak, which was a new experience for both of us. I've never tasted a steak quite like it before. It's certainly a very flavorful cut, but the flavor itslef was different. It almost seemed to have a more earthy sense to it than other beef. I was all set to get the diablo, but then I saw the blue devil and I just CAN'T say no to bleu cheese on anything, and this way I still got to try the oft-raved about diablo. I now understand the raves. The whole thing just LOOKS delicious sitting there on the plate. I'm trying to speed up time to when I can have my leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The fiancee got her favorite of the three mouses (white chocolate), and I tried the key lime pie for the first time. As I said, I'm not a huge fan of citrus-based desserts, but this pie was fantastic. My fiancee said the filling reminded her of gelato. The citrus bite that usually puts me off wasn't there at all - all that remained was the lime flavor. And it was goooooo-oood. I also MET Michael for the first time. I was rather nervous, and I forgot to introduce my fiancee, but I think it went well. In any case, green gym shorts and a dirty t-shirt will soon be replacing the usual chef's whites in restaurant kitchens all over the country. Michael, again, thank you soooooo much. *Rather, my fourth time at Ray's - period. I didn't eat there four times in one night, although that would be an astounding experience. **I don't know HOW Michael keeps the temperature so low with that massive grill sitting in the back.

I hear tell of lots of people using various exotic rendered fats. How does this work, exactly? Are people buying exotic fats from restaurant suppliers? Do people purchase meats JUST for their fat (which seems wasteful)? I'm guessing that people actually cook something with the meat in question, and then SAVE the fat that renders off. What's the best way to do this? How do you get the optimal amount of animal fat off the food and into your pot for saving? How can you be sure you're avoiding burning the fat? Once you're done cooking, what's the best way to get the fat out of the pan and into a container for saving it? What's the best way TO save said fat? Fridge? Freezer? How long will it keep? Can ANY separated fat be used? I.e. fat that's floated to the top of a cooled braising liquid? I once saved the fat off the top of the liquid from some balsamic braised shortribs I made. I stuck the gross-looking orange slabs in some tupperware and tossed it in the freezer. They worked great on the old indoor grill - I just stuck a slice on top of a burger and the fat oozed into the meat.

I like to cut the taters into quarters lengthwise. That way you get more of a crisped, browned edge. Of course, it's twice as much cutting, and some people don't like their edges that way. You can certainly go nuts. If there's any spice or herb mixture you've wanted to experiment with, roasted red potatoes are probably the most versatile (and easy to prepare!!!) dishes you could find. I.e., if you screw up or decide that your idea for crab juice, lima bean and natto potatoes is disgusting, you're only out a few potatoes. Try some truffle salt, some old bay or cajun seasoning, roasted garlic, or whatever you can think of. EDIT: Depending on what you use, you may want to adjust the cooking temp/time. Also, if quartering, pay attention to what the potatoes are doing - you may need to turn them.

I'm (fiancee-willing) heading to Ray's this week (it'll be my fourth time). I'm thinking about trying something new. I've already had the scallops, bisque, and the house special. My desserts have always been chocolate in nature. I prefer that my steaks offer something in addition to the actual steak (as with the special - blue cheese and the sauce). I think based on what I've heard I'd be a fool not to try the key lime (despite not being a super fan). Aside from that, anyone have any recommendations for what my next step should be?

Q'est que c'est "whimming"?

My fiancee took me on a date to Firefly last night. I had none of the service problems that plagued New Foodie, and we both left feeling satisfied. I tried their Little Italy cocktail - for some reason it really DID remind me of my time in Italy. I started with the duck rillettes (which I found suprisingly bland!) and she had their chicken noodle soup (which I found surprisingly flavorful!). Somehow we ended up ordering ourselves a potato overload. In addition to our two appetizers, we also got some of their parmesan truffle frites, which were DEFINETELY the highlight of the evening. I'm going to try recreating them using some truffle salt from Cheesetique. Then our entrees came with sides of MORE frites and some lyonaisse potatoes, but for some reason we ALSO ended up ordering an additional side of lyonaisse. I'm feeling very starchy this morning. I got the lamb. I thought it was some of the best fennel I've ever had - usually I don't care for it because I hate licorice, but the power of it was very well controlled. The future Mrs. Cole got the steak. The meat itself was good, but nothing special, but the sauce and compound butter were fantastic and went beautifully together. The steak, however, was not nearly as good as the frites themselves dipped in said sauce and butter. For dessert we shared a coffee and cream float. It was suitably refreshing given how full of Irish dirt candy we were. That's another of DC's good restaurants to check off my list. Next up... Citronelle. But first, a stop into Ray's during the week.

I was quoting a previous post of Michael's indicating, in his own special way, that he'll (probably) be happy to accomodate. If you ask nicely, of course.

Ahem... if I may be so bold:Have ketchup with your steak, your sauce on the side of your well-done filet, take all the pictures you want--I don't care. I'll serve whatever you want however you want, but I don't serve assholes. -Michael Landrum, "Improprietor" of Ray's the Steaks (PS - to elaborate on the relevance of this quote, you're being served what you want however you want - you're not the asshole of course)

Smoking and roasting make me nervous. I like me food to cook fast - I feel more in control that way. I should really buy a meat thermometer.

One specific item - I can't seem to consistently get good grill marks. I don't move the meat, and it SEEMS like my coals are plenty hot enough... Should I invest in a heavy duty cast iron grate?

So after several years of obeying the legal restraints on putting grills on balconies, I finally moved to a jurisdiction with lose enough fire prevention laws (Alexandria). I picked up a Weber 22.5" - the CLASSIC grill - and I've been using it almost every night since I moved in a month ago. I've made sausages, vegetable kabobs, marinated steaks both flank and flat iron, swordfish, burgers, dogs, buttermilk biscuits, etc. Veal, pork, chicken, bacon and lamb will soon follow. I use all natural lump charcoal (no briquets here), and lighter fluid never gets near my food. I start the fire with a chimney starter, although I use scrap paper from the office instead of newspaper (hopefully the toner vapor isn't giving me cancer). So like I said the first time I've ever grilled on my own was a month ago - I'm a grilling novice. Since this is such a savvy and sophisticated group, I was hoping I could solicit some tips, techniques, recipes, etc. from you all. Luckily, what I lack in experience I make up for in the apron my fiancee bought me after I got the grill - "Sophisticated, Seductive, and Full-Bodied (and the wine isn't bad either)."

That's crazy. You'd think places would be legally required to alter their claims in that case. What a system.So if they get the best of the best of the best (uh, with honors), where do you come by your beef?

The excent of my knowledge of "where food comes from" is limited to "it comes from the grocery store." Where would Luger's get their meat, and how would someone else not have access to it?

I enjoy the flavor imparted by the sweeteners more so than the sweetness itself. I'll defintely have to try the sugarless cold ferment, though. Maybe I'll experiment with cold fermenting sweetened and unsweetened dough. Thanks for the tip!

What would happen if sugar WERE used in a cold ferment?

Short answer: Practice. Long answer: I experimented with many basic pizza dough recipes I found on-line a few years ago. I liked the results I got with milk more than the result with water. I played around with different fats - olive oil works the best, I've found. The sugar is where I went really nuts. First I just used honey, then I started adding molasses from a tip from my father. For a few months I was on a maple kick, working the syrup into as many savory dishes as I thought it would work in - including pizza. Plus, since the best pizza in the world is made in Vermont*, it seemed natural. I ended up tweaking the amounts a little (hence the odd 1 1/8th), and ended up with a pretty consistent, easy to work with dough.*I am of course talking about Vermont Flatbread. You've probably seen it in the freezer section of your local Whole Foods, but let me tell you that there is NO experience on Earth, especially for a pizza lover, like eating one of George's masterpieces right after it's taken out of his hand-built, mud and brick, wood fired oven. They're as much a product of technique, experience, and spiritual magic as they are of the recipe.

I just moved to a new apartment about a month ago, and can FINALLY grill legally on my balcony. So I bought a Weber 22.5" and have since gone a little grill crazy - using it pretty much every night since moving. I've always been tempted to try the whole grilled pizza thing. It always seemed to me, though, that it would make more sense to put the dough on a stone on the grill rather than directly on the grate. Trouble is, I can only get one pizza at a time on my 22.5", but I can get TWO in the regular oven. That's usually enough to do about 10 pizzas in an hour. I suppose I could use the grill to do a THIRD, but running between the kitchen and the balcony sounds a little hectic to me. I can see setting myself on fire in the mad dash to avoid over-crisping. Here's the dough recipe I use. Clearly it's veeeeeeeeeery different from most pizza recipes you see out there in that it uses milk instead of water and a lot of sugar. It's generally a crowd pleaser, though, so I'm not changing it 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour 1 1/8 cups bread flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup skim milk 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon yeast ½ tablespoon honey ½ tablespoon molasses ½ tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup - none of that 2% maple + 98% corn syrup bullshit 1 tablespoon corn meal Heat olive oil and milk together in a saucepan until slightly warmer than the temperature you would take a shower in. Mix in honey, molasses, syrup, and yeast. Let mixture sit for five minutes or until yeast has started to foam. In bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead well by hand or using a Kitchen-Aid dough hook. Coat dough in olive oil and cover with plastic wrap or a wet towel. Let rise in a warm, humid place for ninety minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down, and divide into balls five inches in diameter (seriously, I looked up the conversion from diameter of a sphere to diameter of a pizza-shaped cylinder... it works). Let the balls rise, covered, a bit longer until nice and spongy. At this point, the dough can be frozen or refrigerated. Just make sure it's back up to room temp or warmer before working with it. Roll out (or, if you're more than 50% pure-blood Italian, TOSS) as thinly as possible. Brush olive oil on dough. Using a pizza peel coated in corn meal, place on a pizza stone heated in the oven at maximum temperature. Top with your favorite toppings, and bake until the crust is golden brown - about 10 minutes. I'd be interested to hear what any professional bakers have to say about my recipe.

Okay, it's not THAT empty. It's just never booming.Forget taking my word for it... try it out for yourself

There can definetely be a language barrier. But I'm willing to forgive that in exchange for the authentic food it implies. As for the emptiness, one of my favorite DC restaurants, Palette, is frequently empty. I like that - it means no reservations or waiting required.Imagine if Ray's were you own private dining room?

I doubt it - it's not "that" kind of place. If it were prep, I think the waitress would have known. If it were ordering, I doubt she would have come back to me a mere five minutes after I placed the order to see if I'd like something else. I'm certainly not in the biz, so you'd know better than I, but that would be highly unlikely. This is a decent place where they sincerely care about the quality of their food. That sincere caring is what makes these sorts of mom and pop places successful in the first place.