synaesthesia

Well going back to dim sum experiences. Both of my times at dim sum have been really good. My Chinese parents said it was the best dim sum they'd had on the East Coast in a long time.

Some of the stuff did come out a bit cold... so I would say try to stick to the steam carts. Everyone was in agreement that for a duck house the duck is rather disappointing.

I would highly recommend the radish cakes though. I don't really quite know how to describe them visually except that they're white and slightly browned on the top. They're very flavorful.

If you have a smoker... smoke 'em, dry 'em out and make chipotles.... Hmm.. I suddenly seem to be speaking like a cowboy. Yee-haw.

I miss Tung Bor Harbor. It was in the Wheaton Mall. They had the best fried sesame balls, which had yam paste inside. I think they closed in the early-mid 90's.

Hmm... let's find a way to make this work. Actually I read about this book Tasting Club, http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Club-Gatheri...ie=UTF8&s=books, in the Express. Haven't actually tried to read it, but I think it has potential. And actually looks like the author will be at this lil' shindig http://www.metrocooking.com/tickets/index.html

I was a little inspired by the book club post - http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?showtopic=4273. Was wondering would anyone be up for a cookbook reading/cooking club. Two possible ways of doing this.

1. Getting a book-style cookbook - for instance the Amanda Hesser or the Jeffrey Steingarten books and folks picking a dish, making it and bringing it to the discussion.

2. If someone had a nice big kitchen, getting the recipes from the book and cooking altogether.

Maybe logistically a little harebrained, but curious to see what folks would think.

I was part of a drinking/book club for a while and can advise on several options.

Best were the Penn Quarter Teaism, which tends to draw a bunch of big groups in its basement anyway, and L'Enfant over on 18th, which didn't mind us as long as we kept ordering. Mr, Smith's in G'town gave us plenty of room to discuss Life of Pi. Place we tried that didn't really work out so well: Helix. Small tables, dim light, loud everything. Tryst was a mixed bag and I think most of its chair/couch seating areas don't get you close enough together to hear each other anyway.

If they have alcohol in the new-ish cafe at Politics and Prose, that might be good.

I would also totally take a small (4-6) book club to Birreria Paradiso.

Mayorga in Silver Spring seems like it would be quite good. Full bar, as well as coffee. I don't think Politics and Prose has alcohol, but it's still quite nice.

I was out in Beltsville to see if th Oriental Noodle House had reopned. Unfortunately for me it had not. The only place I could find other than a Burger King etc on my route home was Hard Times. Never having ben there, I went in. The Dogfish IPA 60 Minute was cold. Thats the good part...

Grilled wings came out fried and then grilled (wouldn't that make them fried and grilled wings?) and covered with a rank chili lime sauce that was mouthsearingly full of lime and yet curiously devoid of any food like flavor. The Terlinga chile was ground beef with what tasted like a bad store brand chili mix and shredded onions and shredded colby. I wish I had gone farther up the street for Popeyes wings.

At least the beer was cold!

That's sad to hear. Back in the day when they had the 20 cent happy hour wings (before they raise the prices) my friends and I would be there every week. But that was also the regular wings, none of these fancy sauces.

If you're ever around in Baltimore around brunch Miss Shirley's is a great place to go. The place is always hopping on the weekends. They have excellent grits with applewood bacon, sweet potato fries and salmon BLTs.

'johnb said:

IIRC, Full Key in Wheaton was affiliated with Full Kee (note the different spellings) downtown/Va a long time ago but is no longer. Kee is definitely better, but Key is passable. However, if in Wheaton, you'd be better off two blocks west at Hollywood East or Good Fortune.

I don't know if I went on an off-night, but I thought Kee was terrible. Or I ordered the wrong stuff - seafood - I felt like I was chewing on rubber.

Based on the recommendations upthread, I took my grandmother to the Super Chicken in Wheaton. We ordered a whole chicken with fries and cole slaw (not my preference, but gotta defer to your elders) to go.

The chicken was perfectly roasted and juicy. It was not as seasoned as I expected, though the sauces certainly made up for that in spades. The green chili sauce could've used a bit of salt, and the mayo sauce worked better with the fries.

I will try El Pollo Rico next time, just to see how they compare.

I gotta say I am a big fan of Crisp and Juicy more then El Pollo Rico. Their chicken has great seasonings; I think the difference is that El Pollo Rico is chargrilled too.

Surprised that no one has mentioned Full Kee (in Chinatown and Bailey's Crossroads). Their tabletop menu has all kinds of great deals: All the Hong Kong style noodle soups are under $6. The shrimp dumpling noodle soup is my favorite - 4 good size dumplings in a clear broth with thin, chewy noodles and scallions. Add a bit of the chili condiment and soy sauce that's on the table to it. The rice and noodle dishes are also under $10 - beef and vegetable chow foon and singapore style noodles ($8.95), beef and vegetable over rice, shrimp and egg over rice, roast pork over rice are $5.75 (they do not skimp on portions here). The special lunch menu in the regular menu has options for around $5. (The best is the combination lo mein with beef, chicken and shrimp. ) Also in the regular menu, the appetizers are a great deal: red roast pork, quarter duck, quarter chicken for $5.75. Consistently, Full Kee is a great place for a cheap meal.

There's a Full Key in Wheaton on University. I haven't been in a while, but it was awesome before. Great homestyle shrimp and egg on rice, salt and pepper squid and congee. Hmm... might need to go back. Has anyone been there recently?

If you ever head up in the direction of B-more (I know... boo. hiss.) Bill Bateman's is quite good. They also have a Cuban burger... a Cuban on top of a burger patty. Mmm...

Count me in for Dino's and tentatively for Joe's.

liam said:

If you're flying into SFO and need a burger fix, the nearest In N Out Burger is one exit south on 101. It's at the Millbrae Ave. exit, just west of the highway. You can see the sign from the highway (but not until after you will have passed the exit).

Or you could try the In-N-Out Hotline to get directions to your nearest In-N-Out. 1-800-786-1000

Not sure if this is totally the right place for posting this article, but following up on the dinner discussion about wine chemistry. I had it a little wrong... the idea was to use chemistry to make all wines good. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-...chemistry_x.htm

Just got back from SF recently.

Miette in Ferry Terminal Building - macaroons (not the coconut type), particularly pistachio and rose geranium - hazelnut was okay, small jar of sea salt caramels at the cashier

Ciao Bella [Closed in 2010; now retail only] - great blood orange and campari granitas

Chez Panisse Cafe - got in just by walking upstairs and asking if there were openings - though I have to say high-quality ingredients, well-prepared, but flavors weren't memorable

Beard Papa - Mission St. across from Yerba Buena Gardens near Convention Center - YUM! Awesome cream puffs

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Olivetto (TSE)

+1, bringing plantanos maduros (fried plantains) maybe with black beans if I have time

Count me in for Lighthouse!

Sandwiches from Paseo in the Fremont area. They are just fantastic. Pork with onions, mayo, cilantro and buttery corn on the cob. It's a little shack, but it's just great.

A good excursion available Thurs. - Sat. is Borough Market. It's a food/produce market. Stalls of exotic meats, fresh produce, cheeses, pastries, dried fruits and nuts, beers, jams, olive oils, cider... the list goes on: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

The absolute best thing is at the Brindisa stand. They grill the best chorizo sandwiches there. They use Spanish chorizo that is an entirely different beast from Mexican and South American styles. There are also great burger stands and various kebabs.

There are loads of opportunities to sample, and you can easily get your fill, though it is hard to resist buying something.

Anyone up for a Tuesday at Joe's Noodle House? Not an all out assault on your tongue but a judicious mix of the spicy and the not? 7:30ish? Let me know.

Count me in!! That sounds awesome.

There is a little Vietnamese carry-out place on 6th and H st corner.

It is between Kanlaya and Chinatown Express. Unfortunately, I don't know the name.

I didn't taste their bubble tea but I think that you could try if you are looking for bubble tea place in DC area.

Shilla Bakery is on Little River Turnpike, The one Escoffier is talking about is located behind Giant Grocery supermarket. I think the name is Napoleon Bakery.

There is also a Shilla in Beltsville that also has jazz nights. http://www.shillabakeryandcafe.com/ They have bubble tea also.

There's a great bubble tea place in College Park besides Ten Ren. (I've always found Ten Ren's bubbles a little inconsistent.) It's called Bubble Mix. Unfortunately it's got extremely bizarre hours, especially for a college town. But they have some great options and you can mix various flavors like strawberry with lychee. They also have various jellies (i.e. lychee and coconut) as a choice instead of boba. It's on College Ave. across from the Maryland Book Exchange.

I'm among friends, right? So I am going to spill my guts, confess to you all, that despite being a Maryland/DC resident since 1979, I hate picking crabs. Lump crab, fine. Bring it on. Sitting down with a hammer and trying to extract my own? Uh uh.

Do I have to move now?

It's okay. I think it has something to do more with being born a Marylander. Must be the water. If you happen get ahold of some of the bigger crabs that you might get at Bo Brooks, it's a heck of a lot easier.

Mmm... *sucks on the crab legs* *scoops out the mustard*

I tried N&B today for the first time. Awesome!!! The chips are on the specials board outside and also on a piece of paper inside. The mint sause and mago sause are very good. the hot sause is just that hot with little taste beyond that. With so many people in the area we should have a 10 dollar lunch bunch down here (17&I) for me.

Scott

Bit late to this, but is there such a lunch group now?

<edit> oops... sorry I don't think this was supposed to end up here.</edit>