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KeithA

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Everything posted by KeithA

  1. KeithA
    It is a great, little gem of a place in the heart of DC (it is tiny but packed well). I've been going since they opened - really nice selection of japanese goods at reasonable prices - especially compared to the overpiced, lesser quality stuff you find in your typical Asian food aisle at the grocery store. Lately, my go items have been the instant dashi (it is such so quick ;-), par-boiled udon noodles, filled mochi cakes in the fridge, and the chocolate filled koala bear cookies from Lotte (one of my childhood favorites). The vegetables are very fresh and nicely priced too. If you are cooking Japanese or want an authentic Japanese snack/junk food, this is the place in DC. Very nice staff too.
  2. KeithA
    So our family is gathering for the un-Super Bowl party to celebrate my inlaws 40th anniversay but we've been slow to organize. So now I need your help - we're looking for a nice restaurant in Montgomery County that has a private room for 10 people (8 adults and 2 small kids) available this Sunday, Feb 3rd. Due to dietary issues, we need some place that has some vegetarian and fish options (but not Asian) - probably American, Italian, French, or Middle Eastern would fit the bill. So I know it is somewhat specific, but we need your help - suggestions please!
  3. KeithA
    I live right near the Cleveland Park Nam Viet so it has been a regular, consistent go to spot of mine for many, many years. The pho is definitely more Americanized in that while there are various protein options, there is only 2 beef options (spicy and not and both are thin sliced flank? steak) - that being said it is still very good. I especially enjoy the tofu garden/fresh rolls that taste extra fresh with the addition of some mint leaves and a great peanut sauce. My other go to choices here are the 1) lemongrass skewered beef either over rice or vermecelli noodles - (you tend to get more herbs with the vermecelli version) and 2) #46? the stir fried noodles with tofu, vegetables, and crushed peanuts (I think of it as vietnamese vegetarian pad thai).Lately, we've also been getting the carmelized chicken with ginger but it isn't as good -sometime the chicken is overcooked and last time the dish was super spicy whereas it usually is rather mild. As a guilty pleasure I also like the crispy vegetarian rolls but they basically deep fried grease with a bite of veggies dipped in their excellent nuoc cham (sweetened, prepared fish sauce). Overall, it is a good place, the prices are good for the area and it seems to be one of the better Vietnamese options in the city (albeit that is only saying so much) - so if you are closer to here I say go and enjoy, but if you want something more authentic or don't mind travelling to the burbs, then go forth.
  4. KeithA
    Sometimes, 2 Amys has a pretty nice thin sliced roast lamb sandwich as a special.
  5. KeithA
    What sandwich do you like at Cork Market? The one time I stopped in to check out the selection I wasn't that impressed. What am I missing?
  6. KeithA
    Soon after I got married, my wife's grandfather decided to provide us various bottles of booze from his decades old stock. I recently checked and realized that we still have an unopened bottle of 1965 Canadian Club whiskey which was originally aged 6 or so years. We don't drink this stuff, but was curious if anyone on the board was a collector/whiskey enthusiast who would be interested in it - willing to take best offer. Send me a PM if interested.
  7. KeithA
    I accidently left Wagshal's off my go to list. I do love the smoked meat there. The thanksgiving turkey dinner sandwich there too is a good, messy monster too.
  8. KeithA
    Ok, I'm reviving this thread a bit because I love sandwiches and am always looking for new places to grab a quick lunch on a weekday (when you work from home you need appetizing excuses to get out ). So here is my current list of good places in DC to quickly grab a sandwich (or similar size entree) (all counter-service) and I think I've posted reviews on this site for all of them in each of their own topics: G Sandwich Sundevich Stachowski's Deli and Market DGS Delicatessen Amsterdam Falafel Breadline Julia's Empanadas WTF takeout Bub and Pop's The Greek Deli G Street Food So I like all of the above, but some are farther away and we all need variety - what are your favorite weekday lunch counter-service places in the city?
  9. KeithA
    Went back to G on Monday and had the lamb sandwich again. Unfortunately, not as good as the first time. The lamb was still very good but the cook was too heavy on grilling the pita and the meat and too light with the dill. So instead of a crispy but pillowy pita, I had a very crisp (see brown burn marks) pita and drier meat. Due to these cooking errors the sandwich was pretty similar to your average gyro but with better meat and not as great as my first visit when it really tasted restaurant-quality with the homemade bread and herby fresh dill. Still worth getting but next time I'll need to keep an eye on the grill to make sure it isn't overcooked.
  10. KeithA
    Recently, I've read a few of the new/artisan deli cookbooks (Mile-End Cookbook and The New Artisan Jewish Deli) - think DGS Deli - and they not surprisingly with their back to the roots mentality advocate making schmaltz. Their recipes start with solid chicken skin and fat cut off raw chicken per Dean's original post above. I've never actually made schmaltz that seems to be the common method - rather than starting with separated liquid fat from stock or a roast.
  11. KeithA
    So the folks at Palena answered this prayer - on my last few visits this week they have had pizzas out closer to 12 and yesterday I saw 2 types: roasted veggies and the before mentioned carmelized onion with hot peppers. Unfortunately, the communication between the kitchen and the FOH is still not great. When I arrived and saw no pizzas out, I asked if they would have them today and the cashier said she thought so, but really didn't know as the chef just makes whatever he likes and brings it out whenever it is ready So I chose some other items and sat down to eat them. Within 5 minutes, out came the first type of pizza and then 5 minutes later the second type. This seems to be a problem as you never know what will be on the menu or when it is available. The upside is that instead I tried and really enjoyed the squash foccaccia which is a really long but only about 1 inch thick slice (probably equivalent to a smallish regular slice of pizza. It was somewhat similar to a pizza and I believe there was some type of cheese on it too. Also again today, I couldn't resist more of the donut holes. They are usually available and excellent.
  12. KeithA
    Thanks to my wife, I'm devouring the best super fudgy, chocolaty brownies I've ever had.(or at least since I made them last time). The recipe is from the Sticky Fingers Sweets cookbook. The same/modified version is available here: http://www.today.com/id/46284329/ when we got this cookbook for my sister-in-law who is often going through vegan phases, I whipped up a batch and they are just so good. If you like fudgy and not cakelike brownies, give these a try. (skip the s'mores extra steps in the link unless that is your thing).
  13. KeithA
    First time here yesterday for carryout. We tried the steamed chicken "double mushroom" and the egg/chive dumplings (apparently boiled) and the lamb/chicken skewer combo with lo mein. The dumplings are definitely a thicker variety - doughier and less delicate than other types of steamed asian dumplings. (They also will fry them for 50 cents extra if that is your thing, but I never really like fried dumplings). That being said I really liked the egg/chive dumplings - very fresh and flavorful. However, the chicken mushroom (not sure what the double meant) were bland, bland, bland. The dumpling come with generic soy sauce and some chili oil. They would probably better with some homemade dipping sauce which I might do tonight with the leftovers. The kabobs were kind of disappointing - the combo came with 4 kabobs (2 lamb and 2 chicken) and you have a choice of side starch (french fries, white rice, fried rice or lo mein noodles) and we opted for lo mein. The lamb which I had read was traditional to this Chinese region's cuisine (I think a northern one, but am unsure) were cooked well done and very very small chunks so generally pretty dried out meat. The chicken was fatter chunks but as with many white meat chicken skewers it was also dried out. However they smelled great - they put a heavy coating of chili spice and cumin on them. The bright spot was that the lo mein mixed with some bok choy and scallion pieces and rubbed off kabob spices was excellent - one of the better lo mein's I've had. I probably won't be back - but I'm almost never in this part of town anymore anyways. But that is the fun of adventures in eating - nice to learn about these lesser-known places in less trafficed areas (this is in an older shopping center 2 blocks or so from the Rockville Town Center) and you never know when you will hit food-phoria.
  14. KeithA
    Yesterday was my first Bonchon experience. Got carryout from Rockville and totally over-ordered. 2 "smalls" was a really large amount of food for 2 people. I think 1 "small" would have been plenty for 2. Although I can see why people can easily overeat this addictive chicken. The one advantage to my over-ordering is I got to try just about all of their different types of chicken. I liked the soy/garlic wing and strips best (strips a close second)- a great, crunchy, sticky, but only a bit sweet flavor. The spicy sauce was overkill just added a medium burn without much flavor. (although I'm not a huge hot wing fan - this is probably perfect for those who are). I also really liked the pickled radish and sweet coleslaw sides. The wait for the chicken was about 15-20 in the middle of Sunday afternoon, so next time I would definitely eat in or call ahead.
  15. KeithA
    So I guess I posted soon before hunger drew me back. A little before two today while I was perusing the offerings which did include several more savories option per Darkstar's post above (also was an intriguing cheese savory croissant hidden among the regular croissants), I opted for the great sugar donut holes and one of mini-pizzas that the Chef just brought out. I agree with the comment above, not sure why they wouldn't want to also have these available closer to the typical 12-1 lunch hour - but it was good. The pizza ($3.50) is a round about the size of bagel with a nice charred, slightly chewy crust. Today's version was topped lightly with cheese, carmelized onions and hot red peppers. So like most things at Palena's more casual parts - a typical item made better and costs a bit more. (I thinking of this as an expensive but good large pizza slice). I could eat two of these instead of say tacos and call it a nice little meal. My recommendation would be to offer these throughout the lunch/afternoon (say 11-4) in 2-3 varieties and I'd be back regularly for lunch since I live/work close by.
  16. KeithA
    So very sad for Dino to close in Cleveland Park. I've been one of the lucky ones to live within 2 blocks since it opened and we have always enjoyed our experiences there. Best of luck with the new location - since it sounds like you have a spot picked out - where is it? Also, while it sounds like the menu at first will be a work in progress - is it still going to be similar Italian cuisine or something else entirely?
  17. KeithA
    Darkstar 965 has it right regarding the selection and mystery pizzas. On Monday, the staff person also mentioned that pizzas and maybe other savories would possibly be available later in the day and the breakfast pastries would likely go away. I haven't been mid-day yet, but will likely try it soon. The key thing told to me was that the menu is still a work in progress and they are testing out different items in terms of recipe and sales. This is actually very similar to the offerings that used to be sold in the market - a rotating assortment of baked goods, breads, pizzas, etc. that varied each day.
  18. KeithA
    Its good thing that Chipotle has stores all over. Because there delivery service is lacking - http://winningateverything.com/20008
  19. KeithA
    That had a few savories but overwhelmingly it is stuff on the sweet side. There was a frittata like thing sold in wedges, and an egg biscuit - maybe a ham breakfast sandwich. Sorry I wasn't too focused on the savories - but the answer is yes there are some.
  20. KeithA
    I really enjoyed the roast beef french dip sandwich today. It is a pretty large sandwich - although thankfully not gargantuan like the pastrami (I said it upthread that this is too big) - at $13 and worth it. A nice lightly crusty roll filled with a generous portion of rare warm roast beef topped with a few sweet and bunch of rather spicy peppers (I told them to hold the cheese). The dipping juice was piping hot and so flavorful you could tell this was the real deal cooking liquid from the meats with added aromatics - not some reheated beef stock that you often get with a dip sandwich. I saw that they also have another roast beef sandwich done baltimore style with tiger/horseradish sauce - likely worth a taste next trip.
  21. KeithA
    I'm surprised I couldn't find a forum for this place which I think has been there for years. Today was my first time actually tasting it though and it was great. I tried the cinnamon oatmeal cookie ice cream which tasted just like a cookie but instead opted for a scoop of my other taste cardamom almond. This basement place has a really nice selection of ultra cream ice creams in your usual flavors and some more unusual ones like the ones I tried. It isn't cheap though at $4.90 (with tax included) for one good sized scoop but it wa delish. They also have several types of fancy cupcakes, good looking baklava and a 5 layer coconut, chocolate brownie wedge that looked really good for some serious indulgence.
  22. KeithA
    I went this morning. It is a nice upgrade from the old market - now instead of having to wait till midday for handmade pastries and cakes you can have them for breakfast and throughout the day, plus there are tables to sit at. They have an array of coffee drinks (sorry I'm not a coffee drinker) and seem to be working out the kinks/details. While enjoying my breakfast, I overheard the staff having what sounded like a very involved conversation on the proper ratios/details for making some of the drinks. They also have a large selection of cakes, croissants, pastries, bagels, mini-parfait like cold desserts, doughnuts, etc - similar to the offerings before in the market which I generally enjoyed in the past. Today I had a chai latte and onion bagel. The bagel was wood-fired and good, but the bottom got a bit burnt whereas the top was scrumptious. It is a bagel with a hole, but it has a topping of super thin onions that is more bialy style. I ate in and they offered me cream cheese at no extra charge - a good value at $1.50. Also, I'm personally happy to say the bagel is an American style bagel - not Montreal style (no overly sweet honey flavor lacking in salt. My neighbor recently brought me back some bagels from Montreal and their sweetness was off-puting to my Americanized yiddishe palate expecting only savory flavor). They still need to work out some small service issues though. The bagel was provided on a small plate with a knife - so unlike every other place you have to slice it yourself and since the plate is small I proceeded to get crumbs all over the table. No biggie, but pre-sliced and a larger plate would have been nice. They told me they were working on their own chai mix and it was definitely fresh made because the mini tea pot poured out some of the seed pods, etc. The flavor was pretty good, could use some fine tuning but they should also have strained it so you don't end up with a seed in your cup. It also took the staff a bit of asking around to others to get the wifi to work - but it did (you need to ask them for the password). Overall, lots of promise with some small kinks I'm sure they'll work out as this is only day 2. I will say though that yesterday I got an amazingly good, rich chocolate and large croissant down the street from Firehook for $2.50 which also has wifi and its wonderful garden patio in the back. So we'll see how things go in the neighborhood with these 2 now competing cafes. Again, I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't know if Palena's small coffee purveyor is really better than Firehook, etc. I'll probably continue to patronize both places.
  23. KeithA
    "Refrigerator leftover stir fry" - half yellow onion, baby zucchini, red bell pepper half, green beans, couple of shitake mushrooms in the wok with sesame oil and a few splashes of terriyaki sauce. Separately stir fried chicken with a dollop of hoisin sauce. Then mix together and served over steamed white rice. Simple, yet very colorful dish. When there is no menu prepared in advance and there are vegetables/proteins left to use up - a quick Asian stir fry in our go to dinner. Often we'll throw in some quick fried eggs as the protein since they are usually on hand.
  24. KeithA
    While I love to cook, I'm not much of a baker never having made much beyond cookies, brownies, and birthday cakes. But I've really been in the mood to try my hand at bread baking. I'd love to be able to make a crusty outside airy inside loaf/boule/baguette in my own house. Anyone have any good recipes? Preferably not sourdough as my wife has an aversion to it and the starters seem a bit advanced for me for now at least.
  25. KeithA
    I think that would be perfect amount for 2. I recently went for lunch (first time visit) and the 2 of us shared the yellowtail ceviche (very good, but smallish portion - maybe 4 bites), steak empanadas (really good, extra meaty with romesco sauce to dip/add) which are two smallish pies - perfect for 2 (for those familiar with Julia's - these are each about half the size of one of their savory empanadas), and split the 10 oz hanger steak and added a side of roasted mushrooms (which was a rather ample portion). The steaks are all presented on a cutting board in the center of the table with bits of vegetables (we got 2 excellent slices of smoked red pepper and 2 so so small wedges of corn on the cob), The hanger steak was good and made a bit better with the addition of the sauces (they have 4 that are included with the meal, you ask for which ones you want). I insisted on trying all 4 sauces (I love options) - the best was either the rosemary or the malbec. The rosemary I thought had the right hit of aromatics and acid to elevate the meat flavor. The malbec is a sweeter wine sauce which also went well. 2 very different sauces so you probably can't go wrong if you get both and sharing amongst people who each have their own taste preferences (savory or sweeter). The other 2 sauces were only ok - the salsa criolla was kind of flat tasting, didn't add much but oil. The chimichurri was probably only ok in my book because I'm not a huge parsley fan. I found the rosemary to be similar but with a much more pleasing taste. My only complaint was the bread. I didn't like it - it is like a rather dense pillow that mostly tastes of smoke and becomes smokier when dipped in the smoke infused oil and salt. I also didn't like that while the first serving of 3 small slices was complimentary you had to pay $2 for an additional serving than then only came with 2 slices. I understand this is some type of South American bread, but I would have preferred something crusty to sop up the good sauces and sides.
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