KeithA

My wife loves whole wheat pasta and I like it less than regular pasta but find it is still pretty good. Typically we use penne from trader joe's or a brand from Whole Foods (can't remember exact name) that is 100% whole grain. I think you have to treat it like a different ingredient and not substitute it for regular pasta because it has a firmer texture and more grainy taste -equivalent to whole wheat vs white bread. So we typically use the whole wheat pasta for heartier dishes with oil-based sauces, rather than cream-based or tomato sauce recipes. Our current go to whole wheat pasta recipe was adapted from a food network recipe (can't remember which one though) - it is very easy and simple. First, cook pasta according to instructions on package and then saute a lot of diced onion in olive oil, then wilt a lot of baby spinach in the onions, add a generous handful of pine nuts and let that all cook for a bit. Then when the pasta is close to done, drain and rinse a can of cannelini white beans (soaked dried beans would probably be better, but we always make this last minute) and add the beans to the spinach onion mixture - cook it all for a few minutes on low heat to combine flavors. Finally, drain the pasta and add to other pan with spinach mixture - if the pasta is still dry after tossing it, add a bit of extra olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. And that's it. The nice thing is everything cooks up in about 15-20 minutes it takes to bring the pasta water to boil and cook the pasta and the only thing you have to chop is the onion. Also since there are beans providing protein, this is a one dish meal. Enjoy.

Had a really good lunch yesterday from Greek Deli. I got the chicken platter which on Thursday was a huge amount of boneless chicken breast pieces - probably 2-2.5 in a white wine sauce, good size mound of string beans (which were cooked almost perfect - impressive for a steam table), potatos (I subed them instead of the usual orzo), a greek side salad, and a big piece of bread. A ridiculous amount of food for $10. I plan on eating the other half today for another full lunch. The chicken was good, but a little dried out (more typical of a steam table). The best part was the amazing potatos - big thick wedges seasoned very nice with herbs and lemony flavor. It was worth the trip just for the potatos (not sure if they were a special or not as I only get there once in a while).

Haven't been in awhile to this location, but I know the CalTort across from the Gallery Place cinemas used to have a similar deal.

I've never been to the Heights or Grill Fish, but I've always liked Logan Tavern and thought Merkado was good. Sounds like Commissary needs to work on its service to the patio. While as i said, my burger was overdone, there were longish waits for service on Sunday.

Does the plate still have the dauphine potato puffs of sweet yummy melt in your mouth goodness and the crispy lemon slices in addition to the fries? Or are you just saying they have only fries? If only fries then yes bring back the other fried goodies too! As for the fries themselves, who wants limp fries, I think Don, the wine aficionado, has drunk himself silly thinking floppy fries are good.

Sunday for a late lunch tried out Commissary, the new restaurant/cafe from the folks that run Logan Tavern, Grillfish, and the Heights. The location is the old Merkado spot which has been stripped of some of its center tables and replaced with couches and tables. There are still regular tables outside and around the main room inside. A number of folks were chilling inside working on their laptops using the free wi-fi. The restaurant follows in the tradition of Tryst, the Diner, and Open City and tries to cater to any and all food desires serving breakfast to late night food and cuisine ranging from breakfast and brunch to coffee house snacks to full lunch, dinner and long list of desserts. The menu really ranges from southwest, to typical American, to pizza, and a little bit of everything else. The prices are similar to the above mentioned places - moderate to cheap (not as cheap as a greasy spoon diner, but cheaper than your average DC sit down restaurant). The service was very friendly and accomodating of special requests, although a little slow when we were sitting outside (although they were really busy). Both my wife and I added a green salad to our sandwiches for $2 for which we got a good size portion of mixed lettuce and a few cherry tomatoes with a bit too much dressing (although I really liked the lemon vinagrette). Nothing exciting here except the great price for some veggies. My wife had the veggie burger with matchstick fries and liked it, but thought it was too heavy on the mushrooms (which she isn't really a fan of). I had the burger with fries. The best thing by far for both "burgers" was the great buttery (although not buttered) toasted bun - almost as good as at the Burger Joint. Definitely made the burgers more enjoyable. My hamburger was ordered med-rare, but came out medium well on half and medium on the other half which wasn't great - but the burger was juicy and flavorful. The fries were fine, except I'm not a fan of matchstick at all preferring thicker fries, but my wife liked them a lot. Definitely a nice cheaper option when you want to eat out but don't want to spend too much. Also my other favorite thing/ pet peeve, I loved the big bottle of filtered water. I drink alot of water when eating and I hate having to wait for a refill, so giving me my own bottle is great. And seriously, except for the most upscale restaurant, do you really mind pouring your own drink - I don't. The bottles also looked nicer and were slender making them easier to pour for a klutz like me than the similar concept at Clydes with its wide mouth pitchers (still kudos to them for having the pitchers for years).

Yes, it did and while it is nice to have some more variety for a quick meal (vs. La Prima which was essentially another sandwich express), the food isn't that great. As Don said in the Wasabi dine in thread, the sushi is better than supermarket sushi, but not in the same realm as a real sushi bar. Some of the non-sushi items are alright, I thought the vegetable udon soup was ok and good price at $5 for an entree portion - but they were pretty stingy on the tofu.

Since challah is simply braided egg bread, any braided bread is egg-free challah. If you want to make your own, I'd make your little one whatever type of bread he likes (white, wheat, rye, cinnanom-raisin, etc) and braid it. Just make three long thinnish rolls of bread dough and braid them like you'd do hair and bake. Some people like me like sweet challah, so you may want to add some sugar to the bread, if that is your "tradition." Just avoid the traditional eggs and/or egg wash in any traditional recipe.

2 Amys is baby/kid central anytime before 6pm (afterwards they are welcome, just less common due to the hour). The staff is very friendly and gives kids cups with tops and straws for easy kid access. They do have highchairs, but unsure about changing tables. I don't think I've seen them in the men's room, but I wasn't really looking (no baby myself just yet).

Was in NYC earlier this week for a super short visit, but did manage to have a great bagel at Murray's Bagels on 8th Ave near 23rd street. While pricey, it has some real deal NY bagels (I'm sure there are tons of other places, but this one is very good and a short hike from Penn Station). They have a ridiculous number of smoked salmon, fish and other toppings (at least 8 different kinds of salmon). If you're nearby, you should check it out. For reference iti very near the BBQ place Rub.

Had an very good lunch at Teatro today. The menu is very different from the times I've been here before and that is a plus from this new chef. I started with the smoked tuna app, which was really creative (although it lacked the smoking box special effects described above by Don and others). It was a pile of nicely dressed crisp fennel with pieces of smoked tuna wrapped around it and some basil sauce on the sides with a mini-half green apple. The smoked tuna looked and tasted somewhat like corned beef but still had a fish-like texture and fish after taste. The smokiness was more like a cured meat here, then BBQ smoke flavor. Very different for me and fun. The little apple was gelatin but had a texture like a soft green apple sorbet - it went really well with the rest of the dishes adding some extra brightness. One of the more creative and tasty dishes I've had lately. For main I had the buccatini with duck, porcini ragu which was perfectly cooked, fresh pasta with lots of duck meat crumbled throughout and topped with some cheese shavings. The meat was well cooked and the porcinis gave it a meatier more lamb-like flavor which I really enjoyed. The sauce is almost all meat and mushrooms with a thin broth like base and some remnants of tomatoes - different than your usual red sauce ragu and really good. I'd highly recommend either dish. My dining companions enjoyed there linguine and clams and saffron risotto with asparagus too. The one dish that took creativity alittle over the top was the caesar salad which comes as big leaves of romaine standing straight up with parmesan shavings on top with a giant crouton wrapped around the base. While the presentation was very cool, the person who ordered it had to take a poll of the table on how he should eat it (putting the whole thing on its side - was the final vote and seemed to work well). The only complaint was the service was a bit slow.

Beans and chickpeas are great sources of protein and fiber and usually very cheap (especially compared to meat). Great for chili, add to salads, and can be pressed/fried into patties like falafel.

I've never been to Marlin Moon nor heard of it from my grandmother who lives in OC year round (and makes the best red crab soup in OC but sadly hasn't opened a shop yet ;-), but maybe we'll check it out next time I visit. Similar to your VA/MD divide on beaches, some folks in OC (including probably most tourists) don't like to cross the bridge to go to West OC for dinner when OC has so many options. As for your comments on Fishers - I have to strongly disagree. Now of course this is a matter of taste, but I've never had better caramel corn with the same richness (yes that several pounds of butter they are adding to the copper kettles) and it is especially good when you get it hot/warm. Dumser's is well my personal favorite, so I won't go into that. But Thrashers come on - the location farther up the boardwalk (tiny little place without the insane line) is just as good as the one by the inlet. The fries are made exactly the same way. Definitely the best fries around (although last time they went alittle too heavy on the salt).

These small pours are one of the great things about Dino (and some other restaurants especially wine bars) making it affordable to try multiple wines. Last night I had a really wonderful 3oz pour of Masciarelli {Montepulciano} d'Abruzzo for $3. I had this with the very large antipasti verdure which has many types of flavorings from sweet (balsamic onions) to sour (house made pickled veggies). This red went well with some of the richer foods, but was completely wrong for the pickled items, so my waitress, Tina, I think, brought me another 3oz pour of Le Rote white (also $3) which was much better at cutting all the acid in the pickles. So for $6 I had almost a full glass of wine, but had 2 very different tastes to go with the varied food flavors. Very nice! I would recommend the Masciarelli especially it was great just sipping on its own.

Stopped by for lunch yesterday for the first time.Great burger, really enjoyed the brioche bun and cooked to a perfect med-rare (although having ready past comments, I made sure to emphasize when ordering that I wanted the real deal with a pink center). They are now offering a whole portabello mushroom cap on top of your burger for a bit extra (less than a buck). I tried the mushroom, thinking it was more like cut up sauteed mushroom, but when I discovered the reality (due to my misunderstanding) I had to pull it off the burger. It was too big and was only half-grilled with a bit of seasoning which while good, didn't add much to the burger. This is my taste though. I like my burgers simple so I opted for just grilled onions, which were indeed nicely grilled with a generous serving under the patty. So after some additions of ketchup and mustard (yeah - 3 kinds available- yellow, gulden's and grey poupon), I was all set and licked my fingers when done. I also had an order of fries which I thought was a pretty big portion for one person. I liked the extra thick, real potato flavor, but what was missing was salt (I even overheard other tables complaining too). Now I don't like MickeyDs drench in salt, but fried food needs some salt and it needs it right when it gets out of the fryer - so my later additions only went so far. Overall - really good burger, pretty good fries. Next time, I'll have to try the really good looking onion rings or the sweet potato fries (nice to have options). Thanks Mark. Also for people upset about prices, I think it all depends on perceptions of this place. It looks like a fast food place with counter service, but it offers much better quality food made to order. So if you think about the prep and ingredients I think it is worth $7-$9 for a really good burger, the same amount you'll pay for in any restaurant and yet you don't need to leave a tip here.

Anyone have any suggestions for a cookbook for Indian food? I'm looking for something that has a wide range of recipes and that is pretty user-friendly. I really like Indian food, but my wife hates spicy food and usually refuses to eat it out with me. Since I like to cook and experiment in the kitchen, my hope is to find a cookbook that can train a newbie to cook indian food while being able to adapt the recipes for less heat and somewhat more mild flavors for my less adventuresome spouse. Any ideas?

There a lots of good non-meat apps like the burrata and 3 cheese polenta with mushrooms. As for main courses, I usually enjoy the non-meat pasta - the pesto was good and the garlicy tomato one looked and smelled good. Any fish dish is usually very good too because the product is fresh. I haven't had the risotto currently on the menu, but in the past I've enjoyed their risottos too. So while this isn't a list of not to be missed non-meat dishes, I would assure your friend that he/she will eat well and have lots of options.

I'm in love with the Dumser's Dairyland at 124rd St (all are good, but this is the closest to where I stay at the beach)!!! First, the ice cream is freaking great - really fruity strawberry, great peanut butter fudge, and great oreo crush. It was so good I went a few times in the course of the week. As always the hot fudge was wonderful too. The best part was my last trip where I sat at the "bar" and watched the "open kitchen" where all of the ice cream treats and old fashioned soda fountain drinks are made. While I don't usually eat non-dessert food there, recently the family has wanted a meal and then ice cream - odd I know - why waste calories on a meal when you could eat a bigger sundaes. But I digress, the fried chicken is pretty good and the onion rings rock (fries aren't anything special), and the fish and chips was ehh. So if you find yourself in OC, head to a Dumser's they are divine. Also got back to the fractured prune one early morning, these donuts really are best eaten right away when hot. You can't beat the neon green peppermint patty. You know they are good when people are lined up out the door on a Sunday morning at 8:30am when they are on vacation.

Never heard of the Carmel brand, but a popular Israeli brand of soup mixes is Osem. They make both a chicken-flavor (pareve) and chicken (fleish) broth mix, as well as other varieties. You can definitely get them at Koshermart f/k/a Katzes, Shaul, and Shalom's and possibly at your local Giant or Safeway. Israeli home cooks often put the pareve mix in just about everything as a universal seasoning. Another treat is Osem soup crackers which are tiny puffed yellow squares the size of a pencil eraser - should find them at the same place. I know Israelis that drown their soup in these crackers.

Very nice meal last night at Dino. Started with the fried zucchini blossoms, which were not what I expected. The fried coating was more like a dense, but still light tempura than a light flour dusting I've had with similar preparations before. Still very good, especially the the garlicky, rich tomato puree on the side. The caprese was awesome - you can't beat a salad like this when the ingredients are super fresh. My wife had the pesto linguini as an entree which was perfectly al dente with chunks of squash and eggplant and a nice amount of pesto coating the pasta and veggies. I really enjoyed the venison steak which seemed to me very similar to a beef steak, but cooked perfect med. rare with a very wonderful flavorful madeira wine sauce that just went so well with the steak and the potato/onion side I opted for instead of the usual kale. What can I say I needed more man food - fried app, meat and potatoes for dinner Since I did the extended RW deal, I also had the hazelnut chocolate dessert which is essentially a big slice of ice cream cake. The top 1/3 is rich hazelnut gelato and the bottom 2/3 is chocolate gelato studded with chocolate pieces and hazelnuts and the whole thing drizzled with chocolate ganache like ribbons. Very good for this chocoholic. Also the muscat/moscato dessert wine was very good too, although it didn't really go with the rich choco-dessert. Another nice visit to Dino. My only regret is that I couldn't convince my wife to get the garlicky tomato pasta that the people next to us ordered which looked and of course smelled very good.

So thinking about going back to Central soon, have only been once a long time ago, but am trying to not over do it on the wallet and the waist line (the portions are huge). What do people think about ordering some of their apps as entrees? Which apps are worth it in terms of taste and portion to qualify as entree replacements? Or another idea is which entrees are best to share for 2? I do have to admit that I'm also trying to save room for dessert - which I know are rich and large.

Yesterday while on a trip to BJ Pumpernickel's I spotted Yogiberry in the Olney Town Center. I was too stuffed with deli to give it a try, but from the following thread, it looks like the new tangy frozen yogurt trend has spread to northern MoCo: http://www.yelp.com/biz/yogiberry-olney

Due to my wife's new found obsession with this place's udon soup, I've now eaten lunch here 4 times in the past two weeks. It is a counter service place that issues numbers and delivers your tray to the table (you get your own water and cutlery from two stations). The food is alright, probably a step above for lunch, but not at all a destination place. The prices are a bit high but still reasonable $8-14/entree. As I said my wife loves the tofu and vegetable Udon noodle soup, which comes with lots of semi-firm tofu, some shredded veggies, lots of good noodle and a light, but tasty broth. I've tried it and it is very good. My choices so far have been hit or miss (probably depending on my personal tastes). Best have been the bento boxes - 1) organic tofu box comes with good amount of decent sticky/sushi rice, a nice green salad with a great dressing, a bit of good seaweed salad, some spicy pickled green beans, and a large amount of grilled/lightly fried squares of tofu. Overall pretty good, but the tofu was alittle bland - needed sauce. Soy sauce on the table worked ok. and 2) Sushi Roll bento - same green and seaweed salad, but with a good california maki roll and a so so tuna roll (it typically comes with spicy tuna, but I asked for it without because i think spicy sushi kills the flavor of the fish) as well as 3 pieces of good nigiri - yellowtail, salmon, and good tuna (not sure why the maki tuna wasn't the same quality). There are also a bunch of other meat, sushi, etc bentos. I also had the bibimbap which is very popular. It is a big bowl of sushi rice with little piles of different diced vegetables from shitakes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. with your choice of topping - tofu, seaweed salad, plain, or korean meats - bulgogi or galbi. I had the bulgogi which I found to be not as flavorful as other places due to the lack of sauce - it was marinated, but dry when served and the cut of meat was kind of fatty. The galbi looked better in hindsight. They also serve the spicy asian bbq sauce on the side for you to mix in which is good because it packs a punch, but I liked it. I think the non-meat bimbimbap options might be better in the future. Lastly, my least favorite was the spicy vege ramen soup which is really really spicy. My lips were burning afterwards. The noodles weren't great either - they looked and tasty like they were from one of those bricks you buy for a quarter. Also I disliked the lack of veggies except shredded carrots and a few super tiny pieces of shitake. I would definitely pass on this dish, unless you really just want a mouth full of spice. We also had so so edamame, great seaweed salad, and ok veggie gyoza appetizers. it is down on 19th between K and L, next to Java Green (which I may try next because it is always packed) and is a nice addition to the lunch places - even if its dishes are hit or miss.

Went for lunch today. We started with the roti canai ($4.50)- a nice size pancake like bread cut into triangles with a nice size bowl of thick curry sauce and few pieces of chicken. We both thought it was very good. I wish I had kept the remaining sauce to pour over the plain white rice that came with my entree. For entrees, my friend had the rendang chicken ($12-13), which was ok - lots of chunks of dark and white meat chicken (with some bones) cooked in a curry-like brown sauce but unlike a normal south asian curry seemed to be without the cococut milk despite the description. I had a very unusual decent, but not great dish which consisted of "salty fish" and "chips." ($16) The dish came out with fish flavored puffed rice chips on the side and lots of chunks of white fish lightly fried and salted on a bed of shredded lettuce with diced bell peppers, green onions, and few pieces of mild chilies. My friend really liked the fish dish, but i thought it was too salty and could have used a sauce or even some lime wedges. Very good service. Not always the best place, but always an adventure to find unusual dishes you won't find most other places in DC - some of which are better than others.

I've never been and I'm going to Ella's this week for happy hour (which I can't change the location), any recommendations? Thanks.