synaesthesia

New website done and rolling out in the next couple days. Pssstttt...no flash! It seems that was already in the works before I came on board. Yay!

If this is true for all of Ashok's restaurants, then I am a very happy camper =D.

I stopped in there to buy something so I could get change for a parking meter. I ended up chatting with the proprietor for a while and perusing the menu. (I know it doesn't speak to the food, but she was delightful to talk to.)

Yes, she's extremely nice. I imagine she gets hit up for meter change ALL the time since there aren't really any other businesses there. We only got some water, but she was extremely nice about providing us with change for our meter.

Never been but maybe Chatman's D'Vine Bakery? They're more known for their sweet potato pie.

The website is going through a complete re-design and the menu online isn't entirely accurate. It changes almost daily, but it remains lengthy and incredibly well done. Say hi when you come in!

Dunno if you have any input on this, but if they could get rid of the Flash on that website that would make me (and a million other people) so very happy.

One of the PR folks that I've spoken to told me that if you call ahead to some of the more chef-driven restaurants and tell them your dietary requirements, they can usually prepare in advance and actually like the challenge of providing other options. Since some of the chefs she works with know that she's vegetarian, when she does press meals they have something specially prepared for her.

The secret to parking near Palena -- though not necessarily too near -- is to forget trying to park in the area immediately around the commercial strip and look a block or two north of the restaurant.

Or, just show up at 6:30 (weeknights) when the rush hour parking restrictions end.

Also... on Ordway, west of Connecticut.

Is it still called Queen Makeda? This is one of the more bizarre things I've read here in months.

The signage still says Queen Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant. It was a very bizarre experience to walk upstairs and see someone DJing with their laptop in the corner. It wasn't clear to me if the bar was some separate operation and the downstairs was supposed to be the restaurant.

I noticed something funny when I looked them up on Yelp, and thought maybe it was a mistake. But going in, confirmed that it's definitely not operating in its usual capacity. The about tab says the management changed in July 2010, and mentions the "option" of Ethiopian...

I should probably post this on the Queen Makeda thread, but they seem to no longer be serving Ethiopian food. They've converted to bar/nightclub that serves chicken wings it appears. The bartender told me he hadn't seen the Ethiopian chefs in 2-3 weeks.

Kanlaya Thai is good for a group of that size. They have all those crazy umbrella drinks. Vapiano's might be another option.

As does Blenheim's. Thanks for looking that up...I wonder why "oil of ginger" is distinct from "ginger flavorings"?

My guess oil of ginger is actually derived from ginger. Ginger flavorings are probably manufactured flavors. In the same way that natural flavors are still manufactured, but chemicals are from nature.

Someone should go to Tony Cheng's, but I'm not volunteering. I'd hesitate to say anything ill about a place that I haven't been to in at least 5 years.

I think the last time I went was two years ago, but I'd been going once a year after an annual family activity. During the years I'd gone it had gotten worse each year. Dunno if that's changed in 2 years.

And at the other end of the spectrum, we have the Oarsman Ale and Third Coast Beer. I'd be greatly appreciative if anyone could let me know if either of these rare specimens are spotted in our environs.

AFAIK what you said is correct. I seem to recall a sushi book that came out a few years ago in which the author states that (most forms of) sushi must not be served absolutely fresh for the reasons you stated. I tried to find a reference to it before my post but didn't succeed. If anyone recalls it I'd be grateful.

Trevor Corson - The Story of Sushi

BTW, my understanding is that nearly no tuna served in Japan or anywhere else is fresh (never been frozen). Today nearly all of it is caught (and cage fattened) far from Japan and other retail markets, and the logistics of the business, airplanes notwithstanding, are such that it simply can't be landed in a fresh state. Witness those films of the central fish market in Tokyo where the tuna are dropped off of trucks onto the floor, stiff as boards and they bounce. They are frozen solid.

This is not limited to tuna, but pretty much all sushi. And all sushi in restaurants, as this is essential in killing parasites and other nasties. Salmon sushi was pretty much never served in Japan before because they're supposed to be riddled with parasites.

From what I've read fresh/just killed fish has no flavor. The decay of the fish allows for enzymes to go to work to release the molecules that contribute to the flavors of the fish. Allegedly, a big part of sushi making is knowing to what level the fish needs to decay to release the maximum flavor.

When I was researching about the Jack Rose cocktail, I found this article. Says a lot about the time...

Tofu. Congee made with chicken stock garnish with sesame oil.

The waffles themselves here are exceptionally good and a bit greasy. But the Elvis waffle is not what you are hoping for, sadly. The Nutella and banana flavor are in the whipped cream that tops the waffle, and I'm really not sure where the bacon is. While still tasty, it's not nearly as indulgent as one might be prone to believe.

I had pho here about a month ago. I think I prefer it over Pho 14, which is a little bit sweeter, but I think Pho 75 is better.

Another possibility is that someone has been abroad enough to the point where it is neither glamorous nor exotic, simply a part of their experience.

Definitely true in my case. I lived in London for about a year, and Pret was the sandwich shop where I "treated" myself. There were a number of cheaper ones, such as Benjys, that were on my more usual lunch rounds.

I was baking much of the afternoon, so for dinner, I pulled a quart of short rib ragu with fennel from the freezer and served it over rigatoni. Grated Parmesan over top.

Dessert was chocolate covered caramel "coins". I'm calling them coins since they were cubes after the caramel set and was cut, but after a dip in melted chocolate, they flattened out! I need to get a better candy thermometer because I think mine read a bit too low, so the caramels weren't going to set tup to a firm buy chewy consistency once I pulled the pot off the heat.

If you find they're flattening out, I suggest putting them back in the fridge after cutting. This ensures they won't change shape. Also, if you find your caramels aren't setting up to the consistency you want, you can melt and recook them back up to temperature to reset the crystal structure (the way you do with the seeding method for tempered chocolate).

But here's the thing - and my major complaint. I spoke to the manager about it. Why can't the bartenders keep track of who is waiting for seats at the bar? If I'm standing and drinking and waiting for 30 minutes for a seat, and someone else walks in and happens to be next to someone who is just leaving, why do they get that seat?

Is it really that hard to keep a list of who is waiting for a seat to open up at the bar? They do it at Otto and many other busy places in NYC without a problem. It just seems kind of lame to me that the alleged reason is that they don't want to start any fights. Well, how do you start fights by keeping a list? And then when a seat opens up, telling whoever thinks they're getting the seat that someone else is ahead of them? I think it's pretty easy to do.

I have never heard of any restaurant in D.C. doing this. This is how most bars work. While it's a nice idea, I agree that putting something like that in place on 14th Street is asking for a disaster. There are a TON of places where I'd love to see something like that, but ultimately... it's the bar. Get over it.

An interesting story today on the closure of Morty's and other Tenleytown businesses (including Balducci's). Is American University really to blame?

I wonder which buildings along that corridor are owned by AU. That whole area is really awful - the facades and architecture for the retail areas are really terrible. I think they make it completely unappealing to go there. I mean certainly if the food were better at Morty's (most people went there for memories or because it was the nearest Jewish deli) they could have possibly stayed open, but I imagine it's some combination of factors.

I am told the USA version of this outfit is not nearly as good as it is in London. I loved the one we tried while in London this past October. It was quite good -- fast *good* food.

The bread is better. That's for sure. Better more interesting filling combos.

The educated guess here is that your freezer is at a low enough temperature to prevent any biological activity from occurring (mold growth, bacteria, etc.) and often is actually cold enough to kill some parasites (such as those found in sushi fish). So... indefinitely.

So we're thinking of five or six days in San Francisco in January (unless we blow the budget surplus on Fifth Gear). What restaurants should we go to? These days I'm really off formal dining and tasting menus; if I were visiting DC I'd skip Komi, Cityzen, Citronelle, etc. in favor of places like the (old) cafe at Palena and the bar at Restaurant Eve - really good cooking without any fuss. No big-name chefs or molecular gastronomy or four-hour blowout meals. Just good, honest food.

Incanto. Chris Cosentino may be popular, but the offal scares most people away. Food is great, but atmosphere is pretty relaxed and casual.