sunshine

Peach Farm Restaurant in Chinatown. Super authentic, nicely prepared greens and vegetables, fresh seafood. The Parker House Hotel has a nice bar where one can order well-prepared classic and not-so-classic cocktails and a huge bowl of delicious clam chowder. The last time I was in Boston, I also ate a great, small, local spot called the Grotto, near Government Center. Fantastic and reasonably priced Italian. I had a gnocchi with beef short ribs and gorgonzola dish that I often think about and wish I can eat again.

Pork and pork products cooked many different ways. Sausages and lentils. All kinds of risottos. Just made a shrimp risotto using Stanley Tucci's mother's recipe from an old issue of Saveur magazine. Thanks for some great ideas.

So exciting. Free parking, efficient line and checkout, and the products and prices! Many wines were purchased for $5.99, in addition to a 6-pack of 17 oz. bottles of Czech beer for $5.50, real Greek yogurt, bresaola, gouda cheese with olives, even pre-seasoned bulgogi, ready to cook. Don't have to go to Bailey's Crossroads anymore. I just hope they can keep up with the demand.

I was there recently and had the mahi mahi (they ran out of wahoo) with black-eyed peas, andouille sausage and gumbo emulsion. Very good, though the mahi mahi was a bit salty. The steak frites are always a good choice. The tomato-bread salad is tasty (and a good deal for $4 as a side). The bbq salmon with corn, polenta and watermelon looked interesting. (After reading other posts, perhaps I should've chosen it.) My favorite appetizer: the fried oysters with chipotle tartar sauce. I've had these before, and this nite the batter wasn't as light, and the oysters weren't as plump and juicy. They were over-fried. Not that it wasn't good, (because deep-fried crunchiness is never bad in my book), but they just tasted different this time. Had a simple dessert of roasted peaches with basil and vanilla ice cream. Never would have thought to put basil and peaches together, but it worked. A nice 'taste of summer' treat. I always have a nice meal when I go to Firefly. The bar scene dominates, the dining space is small and tight, and the noise level is high, but the food and service has always been good when I've visited.

This is great news. Hopefully it will be real Korean in the city. I've gotten by with Kuma, but it's more Japanese- Korean. Definitely interested in a DR outing when it opens. Mmm, spicy food and ice cold soju. Can't wait.

the canning experiment continues. next up. apple butter. first timer on this one. anyone have recipes, directions, suggestions, tips? also - do you have recommendations on what kinds of apples are most suited for this? any thoughts, from general to specific, would be much appreciated.

Last nite, we tailgated before a DC United game (DC lost 5-2 to LA Galaxy, suck). We had: Guacamole and salsa with chips Bratwurst and assorted Aidell's sausages cooked on a charcoal grill with mustard Thin sliced zucchini and squash with parmesan cheese beet and heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese dressing and crushed toasted pistachios Raw carrots and vegetable chips with herb cheese dip sesame crackers Salsa sun chips fake crab salad Texas sheet cake Lots of beer - Yuengling, Bud, and Sam Adams Tonite, Hungarian Goulash, because I have to use up some chuck that's been in the freezer. Using the tried the true New Joy of Cooking recipe.

I recommend Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room, a humble, family-run restaurant that still serves its meals family-style in an old-fashioned dining room. It doesn't have all the hype of the Paula Deen places, but it is great. When I went, there was a line of people waiting to get in. You'll be seated at a table with other diners, then the waitstaff just starts bringing out huge bowls of Southern fare like fried chicken, greens, cornbread, biscuits, yams, etc. It's very communal and the food is plentiful. I recall that their sweet tea was good too. http://www.mrswilkes.com/

Breadline Bakery, Cibolla Farms buffalo, pork and chicken, several vegetable farms, one or two fruit farms -- definitely worth a trip. Was there today and saw many heirloom tomatoes, melons, blackberries, some apples, lots of peaches, some okra, lots of basil, lots of zucchini and summer squash, onions, greens such as arugula and mesclun, eggplants, some grapes.

Great place. Stopped by yesterday on the way to see the a movie at the E street theater, and walked out with their special of the day: 1 round of Mt. Tam, 1/2 a round of St. Pat and a wedge of Carmody, a cow's milk cheese from Bellwether Farms in California for $20, in addition to a round of their Red Hawk. They had samples of a delicious Salumi Toscana and McEvoy olive oil out. I like how they also carry local cheeses like Firefly and Blue Ridge Creamery. Their cheese selection is indeed impressive. Other non-cheese products like jams, chutneys, honey, crackers, etc., are also featured. It's too bad there's so much construction going on around there. If you weren't looking for the place or weren't in the know, it would be difficult to find. They said business has been ok. Spread the word so that more people check it out and it stays in business! Also, St. Pat is their spring/summer cheese and won't be available for much longer as they bring in their fall cheese, so pick one up soon if you like it. It's my favorite - I really like the herby flavor imparted by the nettles. Gotta go eat some cheese for dinner.

Yes, same owners. The Park Road location is their second. The tamales are very good. Wrapped in corn husks, good-size, moist but not overly. You can get them as appetizers or with pupusas in a combo meal.

I've eaten at several Salvadoran-Mexican places in DC, but El Rinconcito is the best, and I had to give it some props after a great meal there recently. (I'm surprised it's not already on this board.) Located on Park Road off 14th Street, across from the new Giant/Tivoli Theater complex, El Rinconcito is a neighborhood gem. It's got the usual Mexican fare (tacos, nachos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas and fajitas), and even a selection of hamburgers and subs, but the real draw is the Salvadoran food. The pupusas can be had a la carte for $1.75 each or as a combo meal (Choice of pupusas with a choice of Tamal with rice and beans ($5.95-$7.25)). The pupusas are large, and a couple of these served with cabbage salad can make a great cheap meal. The Tamales de Elote (made with fresh corn) is excellent. My favorite beef dishes are the Carne Deshilada (shredded beef with an egg on top with Salvadoran cheese, avocado, rice and black beans for $10.50) and the Milanesa de Carne (thin breaded beef cutlet with black beans and rice, plantain and fresh pico de gallo for $10.50). There are a wide selection of beef, chicken and seafood choices (ceviche, whole rock fish, shrimp). The specialties of the house are 12 oz. steaks prepared in a couple different ways with rice, salad and tortillas for under $18 (the most expensive items on the menu). Everything tastes freshly made, and they serve real crema instead of sour cream. The fried yucca and plantains are cooked just right, over-fried, soggy or overly oily or mushy like I've had it at other places. Entree portions are generous. I'm still eating my way through their menu, but for next time: Sopa de Mondongo (beef tripe soup), Carne de Salpicon (round eye mixed with cilantro, oregano, red onion, relish, mint leaf), and the plaintain empanadas with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I had a bottle of Dos Equis with my meal for $3.60 (same price for other Mexican beers). They also serve horchata and tamarind juice. Complimentary homemade tortilla chips are served with a peppery, mild pureed salsa. The restaurant is entered from the ground floor, and has seating on this floor and upstairs. The upstairs has a larger bar and a nicer dining room, so head upstairs for better ambience and a view of Park Road from the window. Service is friendly, and we didn't have to wait long for our food. I'm not Salvadoran, so I can't vouch for authenticity, but judging from the largely Hispanic clientele, I believe it's the real deal. Finding places like El Rinconcito is one of the best things about living in this diverse, immigrant-populated city.

SpamJam, I love it! Hilarious. I note that the blogger is from Guam, where America's day begins, and Guam is a large consumer of SPAM much like Hawaii and the Phillippines. (Thanks to the U.S. military and post-war introduction of this "pork" product). SPAM and eggs with rice and soy sauce was a staple growing up. In Hawaii, SPAM sushi is also ubiquitous. Quite literally, SPAM sushi is a block of raw SPAM on sushi rice like a piece of nigiri, wrapped with a strip of seaweed. I recently tried a New Jersey pork roll and thought it tasted like a better version of SPAM. Go figure. And for those who seek SPAM enlightenment, check out "SPAM-ku, Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf" by John Nagamichi Cho. A sample: Moments of pleasure:/ The small noise when the seal breaks/When opening SPAM. Ruby rectangle/In a coruscating gel/Jewel on my plate.

We got an electric egg poacher/cooker as a wedding present, and although it is ugly as hell, we didn't dare give it away because you never know when you might need a perfectly poached egg in 3 minutes. The gadget that I'm always tempted by is the Hot-Diggety Dogger-- you know the bun and weiner cooker that's always in the Skymall catalog on the airplane? Someone tell me if it really works! The gadget I've never regretted buying is the handheld lime and lemon juicer. Works perfectly every time, straining as much of the juice without the seeds.

This summer, a group of us did a canning project for the first time. We were very ambitious and learned much: With 50 lbs of tomatoes, we canned several quarts, then made tomato jam with the "seconds". With about a lb. of okra, we made four pint jars of okra pickles Hungarian and jalapeno pepper jelly - unfortunately, we learned the hard way that one should never substitute powdered pectin for liquid pectin. Did not gel. With 50 lbs. of peaches, we preserved several quarts of slices in light syrup, then made peach butter (using food mill) and peach jam with the "seconds". Found smaller size jars and powdered pectin at Shoppers Food Warehouse in Potomac Yards, liquid pectin at Safeway in Chevy Chase, special ordered large jars through Logan Hardware, and found a huge Presto pressure canner online from Ace Hardware. Found a can lifter and funnel at Sur La Table. Apparently, Strosnider's in Bethesda has everything you might need for canning, although it's more expensive. It was fun but alot of work. Our written resources were an old edition of "Joy of Cooking", The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader, On the Side by Jessica B. Harris, and the Good Housekeeping cookbook. The pressure canner also came with some recipes. Our success will be measured by whether these stand the test of time and last long enough to become christmas presents!

I bought it at Costco for about $24 instead of the listed $39.95. I really like it. It's well-organized by ingredient, e.g., poultry, vegetables, meat, etc. and the index is very helpful for finding recipes. There are also some very nice photos , although they are not identified with a particular recipe, so one has to guess which recipe the photo depicts. There's a recipe for hard boiled eggs with green sauce that I haven't tried but am hoping that it's the same or similar recipe used at 2 Amy's. The book is very comprehensive, hence massive. This has become one of my first books to consult for recipes, along with Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking and the New All Purpose Joy of Cooking.

My husband and I went to Maestro for the first time to celebrate our anniversary this month, and it was superb. All the praise for it is well-deserved and not one bit hyperbole. I can unequivocably say that this is the best fine dining experience we've had in this area, and we've been to Inn at Little Washington, Cityzen and Palena's back room. (Not to detract from any of them. Maestro just took it up a notch.). Of the four different menus, we chose the Tasting Menu (Creazione) which is the Chef's best choices from the other menus. On Fridays, only the 5 or 7 course is available, and if one person chooses the Tasting Menu, everyone else must also. This was fine, though, because the Chef would mix it up so that both of us didn't have the same thing. First, we started out with cocktails: Vodka martini with olive and twist for him, Bellini (with fresh peach juice) for me. The meal began with an amuse of hamachi tartare with caper and chive blossom on a silver spoon followed by a test tube filled with green tomato gazpacho. After that, husband was served raw scallops in champagne sabayon in a glass (very rich because of the custardlike sauce), while I had a row of 5 hamachi pieces with lemon, chive blossom and sorrel sauce. (The combination of raw fish with tart lemon with the herby green sauce was amazing. Extremely refreshing.) Chopsticks (which actually looked like a giant tweezer) were provided to pick up each piece. Second course was pasta: Husband had the cod ravioli with grilled calamari, another richly sauced dish. I had the perfect summer pasta of spaghetti in a fresh tomato, olive oil, chili and 5-basil sauce. Third course: I had the grilled skate with sweet caramelized onion and strips of guinciale on top with a balsamic sauce. I don't even remember what my husband had because mine was so good. With the third course, I asked for a wine by the glass to be paired with it. Vincent, the sommelier, recommended a Rodney(?) Farrell Chardonnay from Sonoma which I was able to taste beforehand. It was a perfect complement to the third course. Fourth course: Me: Lamb 3 cuts, 3 ways. My husband: the winner with the suckling pig belly mentioned earlier on this topic. Fantastic. For anyone who loves the pig, this is sublime. Amuse: lychee panna cotta in a little espresso size cup. Before dessert, the waiter brought out a surprise anniversary treat: a mini chocolate cake with ganache with a candle in it. He had us hold hands and blow out the candle together, then he split the cake and poured fresh cream on the cake to serve it. A very nice touch that endeared us even more to this place. Dessert: Husband had chocolate chocolate chocolate, a trio of chocolate desserts which I did not try because I was so full, and because my dessert, the pistachio souffle with a spoonful of dark chocolate ice cream kicked ass. The server suggested that I put the scoop of ice cream into the souffle and eat it together, which I did. Yum,yum, yum. After dessert: a tray of mini confections - chocolate bundt cake, and white chocolate guava truffles. Service was efficient, non-obtrusive and very kind. Emanuele the manager is charming and has a great accent. My only regret is that we didn't request a table by the kitchen. The kitchen is totally open and there are many tables from where one can watch Fabio Trabocchi in action. We were seated in a quiet but tucked away spot with no view of the kitchen. On the way out, I saw him standing there and was star-struck. I waved and thanked him for our wonderful experience. Husband thought I was flirting. Molto bene, Grazie.

What places would you make sure you visited at least once? KOMI, Citronelle, Minibar, CityZen (bar/lounge if not the dining room), Restaurant Eve, Makoto, Kaz Sushi Bistro, Obelisk, Rasika, Ray's The Classics, Corduroy Where would you go repeatedly? KOMI, Palena Bar, Johnny's Half-Shell, Sushi Taro, Firefly, Jaleo, 2 Amys, Indique, Full Kee, Taco Pepitos (in Adams Morgan), Pho 75 (in Rosslyn), Rabieng (authentic Thai; not metro-accessible though) Where would you spend your happy hours? Tonic, Birreria Paradiso, Belga Cafe, Saint Ex, Oyamel (the only place I've been able to find a Michelada) Where would you schedule your last blowout gastronomic orgy? Maestro (except it's not metro-accessible); in DC, CityZen

Santa Fe Cafe in Mt. Pleasant in the basement of an apartment complex on 16th. 14K, a hotel restaurant in the Crowne Plaza (?) on 14th and K. I pass by these places all the time. Are they any good?

Last nite: Grilled pattypan squashes with a little olive oil and soy sauce Roasted baby potatoes with soy/red wine marinated shiitake mushrooms Heirloom tomato, sliced, with salt and pepper Grilled ribeye steaks served with a green "sauce" made with chopped chives, crushed garlic, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and toasted pistachios (This was a new concoction made by husband and it was awesome!) 2004 Ravenswood Zinfandel Tonite: Leftovers!

I agree with other posters that this place is very good. If you like Belgian beers, Belga has a wide selection of hard to find and obscure brands. I had an asparagus with butter and egg sauce that was really amazing, and the mussels and frites are delicious. It's a fun place and is worth the trip to Barracks Row.

I can't judge the fast food chains, because I am guilty of occasionally craving and partaking of the Big Mac, the Popeye's spicy dark meat, the Taco Bell gordita, etc., and during those moments, I'm grateful to have them around as a source of the quick, cheap, totally predictable meal that satisfies the particular craving. I think it's good that many of the chains are responding to public pressure for healthier items and more nutrition information. I have less tolerance, though, for the Applebees, Chilis, TGI Fridays and the like, that charge higher prices for loads of crappy, factory-made, high sodium, preservative laden, bulk-purchased food that you have to wait and tip for. I know it's hypocritical given my confession about fast food chains, but it's where I draw the line personally, I guess. As an educated consumer, I try to buy from the local farmers' markets, buy and eat what's in season, and frequent local non-chain places and restaurants that have more of a "food conscience", with the mindset that food choices are political and economic choices. At the same time, I realize that I'm unable to be dogmatic about it, and many people don't have the luxury to make such choices or aren't given much of a choice at all. My personal approach is moderation. "All things are permissible but not everything is beneficial."

On what seemed like the hottest day of summer so far, we took a field trip to eat some fried fish. If it weren't so hot, I think I would've enjoyed it more as a quintessential DC experience. Horace and Dickies, 800 12th Street NE, serves up their fish fresh, right out of the fryer, pipin' hot. They're known for their deep fried croaker but we opted for their 6-piece whiting filets, some potato salad and mac and cheese for about $10. The fish is coated with a corn-meal based batter, and the pieces are huge! 6 pieces could feed 2-3 adults. Two small plastic containers of hot sauce, tartar sauce and 2 slices of white Wonder Bread come with the fish. The sides cost extra. Someone else had the croaker and said it was fishier (and bonier). The collard greens are good, the potato salad is mustardy and on the sweet side, the mac and cheese is not creamy, more lumpy (but still delicious IMO). The menu also has fish sandwiches (literally several pieces of fried fish sandwiched between white bread), crabcakes, shrimp, chicken and seafood platters. The hot sauce tastes like Frank's and extra containers of sauces can be had for eleven cents. In the refrigerator case, there were mini pies wrapped in plastic that were labeled "bean custard pie". The place is takeout only, no ambiance to speak of. It's just some deep fryers, a counter to order, and some refrigerator cases for drinks and sides. They have an old Zagat's Guide write-up on the wall that actually says, "in a sketchy neighborhood, so exercise caution." I didn't see any reasons for caution, except for the quantity of food you get for the price. whatta deal. Gotta love a place where I asked, "What's good here?" and the lady at the counter says without missing a beat, "Everything's good here, baby! It's all good."

Minibar is fabulous -- not just the 30 something courses, but the entire experience. Husband and I went for the first time this week, and it rocked! I loved the intimacy of seeing my food prepared by the chefs before my eyes, getting to know my neighbors and sharing the different reactions and responses to the courses. For several hours, you're part of a mini-community experiencing sensory shock and awe. It is truly one of the things one must do before they die (happy). $95 for the meal with options to pair with wine by the glass, flights of 3 ($20), pairings of 5 ($40) or bottles. We chose the pairings - choice of "light and fresh" or "luscious and sexy". Standout dishes: Jose's olives, the foie gras cotton candy, the foie gras and corn mousse in an espresso cup, the conch chowder fritter, maple pork rinds ('cause i love pork), mini corn on the cob, philly cheesesteak. There were moments where I felt giddy with pleasure and other times where I thought, "hmmm, interesting, what the?" (Smoked oyster with apple and smoke air and cocoa covered corn nuts were not my favorites.) It's already difficult to get reservations (we got in on a cancellation), but keep trying. Minibar continues to get more and more media coverage (PBS and Food Network coming soon). We are blessed to have it in D.C.

Yeah, I think the Times headline does a disservice to Agraria - any restaurant connection to lobbyists is bad news in my opinion, and the angle on the management, Mr. Prescott (former Mortons corporate manager), wasn't very flattering either. I'm glad Bruce chimed in, and when Chef Moore gets there, I'll eagerly want to eat the food produced by people like Bruce. I just hope they showcase the food (the drinks are already in good hands with Derek and the bar folk) and tell me where it's from. A restaurant that can educate people about the connections between land, the people who work the land and the food we take for granted - now that's a concept!