edenman

27th @ san marco?

me

cjsadler

waitman

u street guy

eating out

ETA:

Barbara? (you suggested the place, just not clear if that meant you could come)

San Marco would be perfect; don't do Mandu.

Works for me. I've certainly walked by that place enough times and never gone in. Anybody have a preference on date?

What if you don't have a larding needle?

Jamie: Well you better go get one.

I'm watching this clip and imagining him telling the reporter afterwards "shove that fruit in there. more! more!"

Also interesting (as noted before) his continuing love affair with amaretto-based marinades/sauces.

New location in International Square (downstairs between 18th-19th on K, south side). Like I need a Five Guys closer to the office. Better go schedule some more time at the gym.

Count me in. I love that bar, and I haven't been getting there as much as I used to. I'm not terrible at pool, but I'm not great. It cycles between utter brilliance and missing the easiest shots. A tuesday or wednesday night would be the easiest to lock down a few tables on, methinks.

Troegs Mad Elf

Wild Goose "Snow Goose"

Anderson Valley Winter

Delirium Noel

The Troegs and Anderson Valley were especially good I thought. It's worth a trip.

These are all on tap? I loved Mad Elf last year, didn't realize they even distributed kegs of it.

I haven't had the Winter Solstice (Anderson Valley) in a few years, but I hated their Summer Solstice so much that I'm somewhat reluctant to try it. It's a shame because they make some really great beers, but they also make some very mediocre/bad ones: their "Belgian" style stuff is particularly odious, but the IPA and oatmeal stout are awesome.

Yeah - we could include Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Mt. PlEasant, Dupont Circle, U St Corridor, Columbia Heights & Kalorama. We'd be the LAME DUCKs

That covers me, and I'm potentially in. This probably needs to go to a LAME DUCKs thread, and may I suggest Mandu for a first location? I haven't been but have been meaning to. Maybe after xmas? 27th or 28th? Open to other location/date suggestions of course.

Also, I'm sure there will be several DR Metro commuters that will be happy to give folks a ride.

Just make sure you are prepared to get a little snark for not being willing to walk it for the record, google maps says it's .7 miles, so I'd say 15 minutes is probably about right, depending on your pace.

I'm still on the fence (deciding if I'd rather splurge on the Tallula beer dinner that night) but will probably ending up at Bob's.

There is no beer sold to go at Dogfish in Gaithersburg.

All the more reason to just drive out to the brewery to pick up bottles (they have tours MWF at 3pm if you can make it during the week), then stop by the brewpub for a meal and some beers.

It makes a beautiful weekend day trip, or an even more beautiful "take the friday off just because" trip.

Sam Calagione's book "Extreme Brewing"

RFD is also having an event with Sam for this book release, next monday the 11th.

Yes, you can use canola oil.

For any interested turkey fry fanatics, I ended up going with canola...it was much cheaper than peanut, even at costco. Since my pot is quite large, I had to buy 6.25 gallons, and peanut was going to be almost 2x as expensive. Also, I had to custom-construct a turkey lifter, as the one I bought at L&T wouldn't fit down to the bottom of my pot. Two metal rods from the hardware store, bent into the appropriate shapes (one in the pot, and one for lifting), and it all turned out just fine. Crispy delicious skin, juicy meat that went like hotcakes after I carved it. I only did a brine this time, but I'm definitely going to try injecting marinade next time I give it a go.

And now I have alot of canola oil filtered and back in the jugs it came in. If i'm not planning on using it for a while, is putting it in the freezer preferable to just leaving it at room temp? I have a good bit of spare freezer space, but no fridge space to speak of.

Tonight I bought a 10# turkey at WF and I plan on frying it this weekend. Peanut oil was $6.09/qt at WF, and Safeway didn't have any peanut oil at all (although they did have canola oil at $9/gal and vegetable oil for $7.20/gal).

1) Is canola an acceptible substitute for peanut oil?

2) Anybody know where I can get 3-4 gallons of peanut oil without spending a fortune?

I assume costco has peanut oil...should I just bite the membership bullet? Anybody know how much it runs there?

Personally, I'd love another shot at the awesome Philadelphia Bob sandwich, and if some photographer happens to point a camera in my direction, well, that's his/her problem.

I'm aiming for 11:45.

Chevy Chase is indeed great, but it's just barely in the district. If you're looking for something more central, Cairo Liquor store at 17th/Corcoran (across Corcoran from the Safeway) has a pretty good selection for being a small liquor store. The prices sometimes leave something to be desired, but you can occasionally find some good deals. Aside from that I haven't found many places with anything but the basics.

After reading Don's LdMM today, it reminded me that I still hadn't stopped in at Stoney's. I went for a late dinner and a couple beers. The super grilled cheese was good, but not great...the bread was stellar, lightly buttered and lightly toasted, but the bacon was soggy and it didn't really pull together...still good, but lacking. I went with the potato salad over the fries, and it wasn't very good...heavy on the mayo and bland. They have a good number of taps, something around 12, with a few gems (Eggenberg Pils, a few Redhook seasonals, Dogfish 60) but nothing crazy. It hasn't won me over completely, but I can see Stoney's working its way into my rotation, albeit infrequently.

Can't attest to the quality of the Pho there, but I have had a couple of other things from here that were awful.

Ditto...I've never ordered Pho, but the other stuff on the menu has constantly disappointed every time I give it another chance. It's called Asian Bistro.

Although I hit N&B fairly often for lunch (it's our go-to for indian food around the office), today was a day of two new things for me:

1) tried the chips after reading this thread...pretty good, liberally hit with cayenne pepper and decently crunchy. any egg taste as noted above was obliterated by the spiciness

2) chicken biryani. a side order is real cheap (~$3?) and is a suprisingly large portion of rice with big chunks of chicken throughout. i found a couple whole cloves interspersed, but at the price, it's hard to complain.

i don't think i'll be getting the wraps much anymore...biryani and chips/samosa please.

...and a souse that really brought the taste of the meats and bread together...

Welcome to the board, Tony.

I love a good souse. They're much more fun than regular dips.

Are those the same ones the guys at Solly's are serving?

I believe so. Solly mentioned the pies being made by a Kiwi, so the odds are quite good it's the same one.

Those beer samplers are great, especially if you are one of the "so many beers, so little time" people. A do-it-yourself beer festival.

I assume this is something they only have at the Georgetown location?

There is only one tap at the Dupont location, so yes, I believe the samplers would have to be limited to G-town, unless you have enough people to grab several bottles and do your own sampler at the Dupont location. Dupont has a pretty decent beer list, but nothing that comes close to rivalling the Birreria.

Has anyone heard of any plans for Fat Tire Ale to push any further East? I've seen it in Chicago and St Louis, but no further. Anyone else have the scoop on this great beer?

Above is the states where you can get New Belgium beers. There is a sixpack of their "2 below" winter seasonal in my fridge, as I'm in TX for thanksgiving. They are very carefully expanding...I heard reports from some in California that originally Fat Tire came in aggressively, seeking tap handles everywhere. They were successful, but apparently sales didn't measure up and they started to lose tap handles. Not sure how that has affected their future expansion strategy. For my money, I'll drink the (frequently impressive) New Belgium seasonals over Fat Tire, but it's not a bad beer by any stretch. Certainly a great "intro to good beer" beer.

If you're seeking a Fat Tire fix in DC, here are a few other american Amber ales that are similar, if not quite the same...but that are available in DC:

1) Anderson Valley Boont Amber

2) Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre (a stretch, but quite good)

3) Cap City Amber Waves

Can't think of any others offhand, but I'm sure a trip to the Brickskeller would reward you with a few options if you ask the right person about a good American Amber.

reasons why i like eating at the bar at a fine dining establishment:

1) bartenders are closer to the drinks and thus you're likely to get your drink order more quickly.

2) bartenders are less likely to leave an establishment, and thus you get more of a chance to get to know the person if it's a place you decide to frequent

3) the normal food menu is usually available, and sometimes there are bar specials that you can't get at a table.

4) random people are entertaining. even if i'm eating at the bar with another person or two, it's always easier to talk to random people if you're sitting at the bar.

5) this isn't always true, but can be easier to get a seat at the bar than to get a table...saves having to make a reservation, and if the bar is full, you can usually stand up with a drink while you wait for somebody to leave.

and of course, 6) it's more likely you'll see somebody from DR.com at the bar.

A nightcap of Dogfish 60 minute IPA on tap at home. So good.

I walked by Kavanaugh a few weeks ago on a Sunday and saw a sign out for "Bluegrass Brunch". Not sure what this entails, but it certainly sounds interesting. Anybody been to the brunch, or in general have thumbs up/down? I googled and searched on dr.com and didn't get many hits at all (am I misspelling it?).

a massive slab of a stuffed pork chop with amaretto sauce

[snip]

something of a surprise, given all the flavor that Chef Jamie pumped into the pig for the picnic. The sauce was very good though, and while slightly sweet, did not overwhelm with amaretto flavor.

Interesting that chef is working the amaretto angle on pork in the restaurant. Definitely need to get in there and check out that dish, as I was certainly impressed by the impact of the amaretto on the pig that treznor and I prepped. What was the consistency of the sauce? thin/thick?

And thanks for the great and comprehensive review. Lots of things to pique the interest.