synaesthesia

The preliminary list of participants for the event have been posted. Tickets are $45, and go on sale Thursday, March 13 at 11AM. In Philly, the event sold out in 30 seconds, and in minutes in Boston.

The Bacon

1905, Agua 301, Art & Soul, Bar Charley/Jackie's, Bar Pilar, Boundary Road, Bourbon Steak, Chef Geoff's, Kitchen Cray, Menu MBK, Penn Social, Poste, The Pig, Three Little Pigs

The Beer

DC Brau, Dogfish Head, Fordham/Old Dominion, Full Tilt, Sam Adams, Starr Hill, Three Stars, Union

The Bacon and Beer Festival is coming to Washington, DC on Saturday, April 12th, 2:30-5pm at Penn Social. Featuring 25 area restaurants and breweries, the Bacon and Beer Festival is a fundraiser for Food & Friends. More details on the participating restaurants and breweries will be released very soon!

2014 DC Bacon and Beer Festival Website

Probably something to do with when grocery stores change their prices, and put out their circulars.

Can CO2 be flavored? BTW - this is the kind of magic that comes from a really neat meal. Something you've not experienced before and that you might not be able to figure out, yet is compelling. The $3 soda was like that. Right where you'd expect nothing unique per se.

It's actually a shrub syrup. Depending on how it's made the fruit is either fermented with vinegar or a syrup is made and combined with vinegar.

Sorry to hear this. She was one of my favorite people to sit next to at DR dinners.

In 1992 I was in culinary school and one of the classes was "oriental kitchen"

Shirley Cheng, the very knowledgeable Chinese instructor informed us that in China, unlike the West, there are five flavors.

So this was a full 8 yrs. before 2000.

Of course she called the five tastes:

Sweet

Sour

Salty

Bitter

Fresh

I only wonder if that means there are now 6 or still 5.

I believe it's still the same five. The second symbol in fresh is the same as for umami. But for older generations of Chinese, they don't know to translate the word into English. My parents have always described it as the characteristic that makes food tasty.

Get the seasonal lemonade.

It was Sunday night and the store was closed.

I've noticed them towing even when the store is closed. It's pretty ridiculous and nuts. They should contract someone to manage it as a paid lot when they are closed. They could make a pretty penny.

Prince of Petworth has published an email from Slate Wine Bar & Bistro saying that it will be taking over the closed Kitchen 2404 (formerly "Kitchen," formerly "Glover Park Kitchen") space.

More details about the program at Eater. Focus on small producers, sustainable wines. GM is Mark Krieger from Chef Geoff's.

Aside from the gratuitous observation that the food "didn't look like anything special," NovaLawyer's post looks completely legitmate to me. He came, he saw, he left, he posted. It's unfortunate that Chef Black didn't care for the comment about the food, but the thrust of the post was about the service, and that concern remains unaddressed.

There is value in getting members' backs, even when they disagree with a famous chef.

+1 This is a discussion board, not a blog, despite assertions otherwise. There is a strong distinction between those things. Generally speaking conversations happen, not hit and runs.

My sister bought coconut sugar in granule form at Whole Foods. And I've definitely seen it elsewhere. I've also seen palm sugar that is more liquid - that might be easier.

I know this isn't helpful for your specific situation at present though =(

Just for the record, new Spicy Chicken McBites are substantially better than the non-spicy version.

OK, back to whatever you were doing...

That is sad. I have not had the originals, but I did happen to try the spicy ones and wow. Like eating spicy, salty bundles of uncooked flour.

I think it gets a lot of buzz *here*, but - tough pill though it is to swallow - it's the national publications - Zagat, Fodor's, Frommer's, OpenTable, National Geographic, etc. - that matter the most, and they were initially influenced by uninformed, negative reviews, and their inertia is such that they are unable (or unwilling) to modify their opinions. Sou'Wester has been an excellent restaurant since day one.

I agree that outside of Rockwell (which may not be the center of the universe for many people) you almost never see it written about it much in local press - City Paper, Washingtonian, Eater, etc. Let alone nationally. Granted it's also related to the way that some sites structure their editorial calendar. But also they don't do as many events/promotions or, in MANY cases, controversy, as some of the restos that get a lot of attention. I think I have received 1-2 press releases regarding both CityZen and Souwester' in the five years or so that I have been writing about food. The harsh reality is that in the fast food culture of food writing that's how you get attention.

ETA: And that being said, I did include Sou'wester in my roundup of waterfront dining options.

I have been getting a lot of phone calls, in addition to emails. Not very fun. I have stopped answering my phone.

Yes, fruit crops need a lot of sun to produce sufficient sugars and produce well. They also need relatively low amounts water during the ripening period, or the fruit will be watery and insipid.

Actually, I think it's not the sun, but temperature. Think of ice wine - made sweeter from the use of grapes that have frozen on the vine. It's the overly warm temps right now that are causing the problems. According to this high temp increases respiration rates, whatever that means, reducing sugar content. So while there has been less rain, which I've noticed makes the fruit smell better, the heat is wreaking havoc on the sweetness.

It's not really a pop up anymore. Senor Chicken is gone indefinitely. http://dcist.com/2012/01/peoples_noodle_bar_pop-up_levels_up.php

One thing I've noticed about Popeye's is that it's pretty inconsistent between franchises. The chicken at the Tenleytown location is tastier and less greasy than the 14th St location. My uncle and cousin in Boston used to go to a further away Popeye's because they knew and could taste that the oil was changed more frequently. I'm guessing it's a similar situation here.

I do like that the gravy for the potatoes have little meat bits in it still. Mmm...

Setting aside the fetish part, what's wrong with other cultures being treated as foreign and unusual? To nearly everyone but a native, they are. My hair and skin color boggles Africans whenever I'm over there. And despite spending a significant amount of time in Ethiopia, Sudan, and other countries, those cultures remain foreign and unusual to me, whether I'm overseas or in DC eating at their restaurants, viewing their art, or whatever else.

This is a bit of a digression from the Fojol Brothers discussion. I meant foreign and unusual as "weird", which is maybe a different shade. I guess it just reminds me of all the times as a kid when I and other Asian kids got picked on for bringing Asian food for lunch. Oh how I longed for Lunchables! (But now I realize I was lucky.)

But even now people still look at my choices, food and cultural as "weird." Different people handle being an outsider differently. Some adapt, others rebel, and others shrink or some combination of all of those.

Yfunk3's comment that stuff like this "barely ruins my day anymore" is telling. I don't think it fair to force people to learn to put up with things that simply aren't right.

Totally agree with this. In that on the scale of things this is a small thing. But the problem is if you let people get away with the small things, then what do you do when it's a big thing? Not that I think this would lead to escalation, necessarily. But the main problem is that these other cultures are being treated as foreign, unusual, and an unnamed fetish.

While most of the fairly enlightened people of DC realize that this doesn't really typify any culture, there are plenty of tourists who visit DC from in the US and abroad who might not be particularly enlightened and take all of this at face value.

And, in my mind, there's a difference between a member of a dominant/more powerful group aping a discriminated against minority and a majority aping a group that is not necessarily at a position of disadvantage.

This was one of the definitions of racism that was discussed in one of my Asian-American studies classes. It was interesting because the few non-Asian people in the class had a serious problem with it. But it's true in that it matters most when someone has a distinct advantage in a society. From what I've seen most Asians just put up with it because they have bigger problems to address, and just want to go about their business.

I didnt say Baltimore has no good restaurants , i said it needs what it has and more. True i have only lived here for few years . I have been to Woodberry several times . I might have sound a bit harsh but anytime I bring criticism of it on a conversation with friends it's like crossing a taboo.

In my experience what they offer is overpriced . Meaning it is not as good as what they charge you for it. Please dont take this personally It is just an opinion.

I don't think anyone is saying you're not entitled to your opinion. Nor is anyone jumping on you for it. I'm going to venture to say, the Woodberry Kitchen thread may not be the best place to voice a very broad opinion about Baltimore restaurants. It would be more of a place to level a criticism specific to Woodberry Kitchen.

Just to add on to 1000yregg, I think we are asking for specific things like. I did not think ___ was as fresh as it should be/seasoned properly/cooked to the right degree/a good flavor combination, etc.

The rationale for asking for such specific details is that it adds some substance to the conversation rather than just a thumbs up or thumbs down, since taste is a very relative thing. Everyone has folks on this board they agree or disagree with, but there needs to be some background to make that decision. Also since it sounds like the experiences have been over time, it's important to give some vague hint of those times, as the quality of restaurants can ebb and flow.

I'll say I've had both positive and negative experiences at Woodberry, ranging from rather bland, overfluffy flatbreads at lunch to some spectacular raw bar items and a surprisingly meaty-tasting vegan bean dish.

Cafe Breeze (next door to Yechon) - Bing-soo, bing-soo, bing-soo. (Did I mention bing-soo?). If you don't know what bing-soo is, I'd suggest you go to Cafe Breeze and find out. Select one of those 90 degree days. Take a friend. Order the mixed fruit with frozen yogurt. Maybe add red bean. Be prepared to get a severe case of brain freeze. And while you're there, explore the baked goods. They'll make you forget your diet.

Curious, how many varieties of bingsoo do they have? I've been going to Shilla because they have mochi and the different flavors of ice cream and froyo.

There are a number. What are you looking for in particular? Korean-Chinese? Homestyle? Fish? Soo lan tang? Mool Pajun? Korean restaurants generally specialize in one type of dish (oh yeah, and galbi for the mee-guks ).

Could that actually be a post listing the restaurant and what their speciality is, please? That would be really helpful to have it in one post rather than in multiple threads.

Crab cakes - Faidley's at Lexington Market. (Skip their soft shells.) You can also pick up a chicken box and potato wedges (along with assorted fried chicken parts), cookies, including fresh Bergers at DeBaufres. (And if you're really adventurous, prescription drugs.)

Inner Harbor - Miss Shirley's does a tasty brunch and Joe Squared recently opened an outpost of their coal-fired pizza place there.

Brewer's Art for beer and their frites is another good option.

Take a stroll around Fells Point and hit up Rye for nice cocktails and some decent food.

If you're headed up to Woodberry Kitchen, then it wouldn't be too much of a hike to hit up Hampden to visit the restaurants and bars there.

Having visited DeBaufre Bakeries and bought their small, fresh Berger cookies, I finally "get" it. While I still think they're sugar bombs, the fresh ones are leaps and bounds tastier. Their other "normal" cookies are probably even tastier than the Berger cookies though. It's a great stall with some really gorgeous looking layer cakes that remind me of cookbooks from the 50s.

...now, it's a matter of paying proper respect to hard-working pastry cooks doing creative work.

And I have a slight bone to pick with this comment in that these folks are hard working bakers, who continue to promote a family tradition. It may not be "creative", but I don't think we should devalue their work. (Granted I would say the Berger cookies you buy in the grocery store are now mostly mass produced money makers.)

Having gotten back from eating tacos in SF two weeks ago, I have to say thumbs up on the moist tasty costillas. Meh on al pastor for me as the meat itself was relying way too much on the addition of pineapple - was longing for a few crispy bits. And thumbs down on the carne asada for being pretty dry, and no seared surfaces at all. Love the incendiary salsas though.

That being said, I saw a much larger variety here than other places, and I'd still be willing to try a few more options.