ALB

I talked to Mark Toigo about this last year- but didn't end up making the sauce. But he might be another person to check with.

Also baked good likes whoopie pies!

I second Shangri-la- I really like that place. and I always get vegetarian dishes there.

RiRa on Elm has great happy hour prices and I think the items are on the appetizer menu after that. Rira.com

Last night my family celebrated two birthdays at the Cava in Rockville. All in all- a fantastic dinner and we are thrilled to have an interesting option in the MD burbs. We ordered: Greek Salad- no lettuce, tomato wedges, cucumber rounds, onions, feta and a nice vinegrette. We felt we needed something lighter since we also ordered- cheese pies- filo triangles with a very light cheese filling. almost like a mousse instead of a heavier filling we were expecting. really really good! cava disco fries- as my sister put it- really upscale chili cheese fries. fries with a veal ragu and feta. good, but I'm not sure I'd order again over other options on the menu. the ragu softens up the fries- so they can't be crisp anymore. tasty ragu but I'd probably try new things. mussel risotto- a mushroom risotto that had a nice texture and the mussels were cooked perfectly- I'm very picky about overcooked shellfish. These were really great. spicy tuna sliders- they are not kidding- these are spicy- and I like spicy food. The brioche buns as noted above- are fantastic. I added some tzatziki from another plate and it cooled them down a lot. This is the spicy dip from the pita/olive oil/olive plate they bring out at the start, so make sure you can handle it before ordering! Chicken oregano- a chicken kabab. tasty but definitely improved by the aforementioned tzatziki . I think there are more interesting things on the menu that I'd order before this again, but its a good option for pickier eaters. domades- not my favorite thing (anywhere) but those that love them, Loved them. dessert- baklava, very very good and fresh tasting. one piece was enough for the four of us to each have a bite. greek donuts dessert- fluffy donuts soaked in honey and cinnamon, whats not to like? I really look forward to going back.

I don't know if this is the burrata mentioned- but Blue RIdge dairy was selling burrata for some time at the Dupont Market this fall.

I think that one closed in the spring of 99- right before I got there. underagers everywhere wept.

yum Acropolis.. though I preferred Varsity. If you are speaking nostalgically- I'm guessing your Chuck's is gone. But after a few years gone- a "new Chuck's" has opened.. maybe in the old Darwin's space.

I went to college at Syracuse.. oh how I miss Dinosaur. my other favorite was Tully's- a sports bar on Erie blvd. The best chicken fingers EVER.

I haven't been yet- but the 7 course/cocktail pairings at PS7 for $77 seems like an amazing deal. CapitolSpice wrote it up the other day.

I want to add my appreciation to this thread. That was truly a fantastic party. Incredibly delicious, creative cocktails from all of the mixologists- and thank you to Peter Smith and his crew for wonderful food! I completely agree that this FAR exceeded my expectations.

I had a fantastic breakfast at Bin 36 if you are staying near Mag Mile-ish.

I won't have time on friday to bake everything sadly- so I'll unfortunately have to bake early. Thank you all for your help!!

Hi everyone- I need advice. I am making 60 cupcakes for my grandmother's (90th!) birthday party on Nov. 14th. The party is saturday at noon- so I can't make them all that morning. My tentative plan is to bake them all this weekend and freeze them until next Friday- thaw and ice. refrigerate overnight and take out in the morning for the noon party. My question is- do you all think this is a workable plan? and b: what is the best way to freeze the cupcakes? individually wrapped in saran wrap? freezer bags? Thank you all. I really appreciate your help!

In moments of stress repeat to self: Cooking is fun. Cooking is fun. I love my friends and they love me. They will love that I spent all day preparing a great meal for us all to enjoy together. They will never notice the imperfections I see, and its going to be a great (early) Thanksgiving. But seriously- I am sure you will make enough food. I find that I make too much always. Side dishes will likely please your vegetarian friend. If you can, make the stuffing with veggie stock instead of chicken, and save some to cook outside the bird. Add mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes and some salad or greens, and you won't have "gone to extra trouble" at all, but thoughtfully included her in the majority of the meal. I can't vouch for your friends with the wine, how much do you trust them? maybe have a few bottles as back up?

Nevermind I should have checked before I posted- this just in from their website ** Important Announcement ** (Updated 10/15/09) We apologize for not having our website updated sooner, but we have good news! The building plans have been approved and the building permits have been issued to us. Our construction team has been working around the clock to finish the job as soon as possible. With construction well underway, we plan on opening by Mid-November. Please continue to visit our website for updates. Thank you all so much for the kind e-mails! We really appreciate having your support!

Does anyone have intel on when HEOTB is reopening? I really would love to go get dim sum and none of their competitors are as good..

Yes- it definitely happens (and conversely some very good chefs go before their time). The cheftestants are judged by the plate they put out that night- with no consideration to any other week, so one screw up can send you home. And some luck out that every week- someone screws up more than they did. Or someone screws up while they held with merely passable.

I have wanted to check this place out for a while- so when meeting a friend for brunch today I suggested Visions. I REALLY wanted to like it there. I know brunch is code for the b team doing the cooking, and it was the day after taste of bethesda... but I was disappointed. First there was no milk in the place when I requested it for my coffee. Then we both ordered double the kids breakfast- bacon, eggs, french toast and fruit. A few minutes after ordering, the waiter returned to tell us that their fresh fruit is not as fresh as they would like- could he send out chocolate truffles instead... fine (and on another day, likely very exciting)- but not what I wanted at 11 am. Then the eggs tasted a bit off, and the bacon was not crispy. The eggs may have been fine, but with the caramel sauce on the french toast I wasn't sure. The french toast was very good. I might check them out for a dinner or happy hour. Though I hadn't checked them out before- I do live in the neighborhood so would have been happy to love it so I could go back and recommend to my friends.

Also the salt and goji berry. LOVE

I split the Kerry Simon with my Dad when my family stopped in for dinner. SO good. It was bacon-y without being overpowering. I'm not sure how we ordered it cooked- but it was perfect and juicy. Thanks Mark= another good one.

Cafe Delux for something a little more upscale- but to be on par with the Pancake House- I'd recommend the Old Georgetown Grille. Pancakes, eggs etc. and really inexpensive. Every time I've been there, there have been tons of kids.

I just had a really nice restaurant week lunch there. I had a spicy grilled shrimp appetizer that was very well cooked and very peppery. The catfish was good also, my southern dining companion told me it was not an etoufee but it was very tasty. Her friend chicken was really great. The arugula salad was just that. The peach cobbled like dessert was great. and she liked her lemon pudding. Neither was overly sweet which we really appreciated. Service was a little slow. I think a waiter that was not assigned to us saw we were waiting and took care of us. but all in all- a really nice lunch.

Because we work on Capitol hill and there is nothing over here. and I actually do like the turkey burger.

Huckleberry lemonade on Monday. yum! seriously the best lunch deal in town. I love August.