yeuxblu

Just finished some baked oysters from the fish market with a lovely pairing of Linden's 2005 Seyval.

Opened a bottle of Linden's 2003 Claret last night and have decided I need to pick up more bottles this weekend. Suprised us that is was better than we remembered. While I'm heading out I was thinking of trying Chateau O'Brien, Chester Gap or Fox Meadows. Anyone tried these yet?

In my holiday laziness, I visited dinnerdone.com. They have all the ingredients ready and you go in to prepare a number of entrees you select prior to your visit. They offer a service specifically for new parents. If nothing else, their menu offers some good ideas like a variety of stuffed chicken breasts, shepards pie, pulled pork and beef wellington. Most of it is fairly simple and may fit your friend's palate. There are other food preparation services in the area but the Centerville operation is the only one I have tried.

Anyone have a restaurant suggestion for Philippino food? I've only heard of one place in Arlington with mixed reviews.

Has anyone tried the special dinners you order in advance?

We went last Wednesday for the first time. We only went for sushi but I would like to try some of the entrees after seeing them pass by our table. As a mayonaise hater, I asked if their spicy tuna contained any. It normally does but they offered to make it with the chili and some sesame seed oil which gave it a nice smokey taste. Its definitely worth a try if your in the area. Casusal and moderately priced. Probably going to become a regular haunt for me so I don't walk in to Trader's Joe (next door) on an empty stomach.

Pith of the orange, the entire kiwi in all its fuzzy goodness and my favorite- carrot sticks dipped in instant chocolate pudding. My dad is a big fan of peanut butter toast with sliced tomato and a sprinkling of salt. Its suprisingly yummy.

I've followed the well and mixed with a fork school, then rolled it through a pasta maker, slicing it up as desired. The finishing is where I get a little stuck. If I'm making my own pasta it is going in to a pot sometime that evening. Currently I drape it over a drying rack till I'm ready to cook it. Raviolis are scattered around in single layers. How do you store pasta till you're ready to cook it?

For everyone its a different battle. I make a conscience effort to drink at least 64 oz of water a day (8- 8 oz glasses), which is about 2 Nalgene bottles. I confuse hunger with mild dehydration. Track what you are eating and place it in a category (veggies, fruit, carbs, protein, dairy and fat). Its amazing how skewed a diet can be and what happens when you eat a balanced one. I tend to fall really heavy on the carbs and fats so I try to eat as many of my fruits, veggies & protein early in the day so I can enjoy my plate of pasta in the evening as a reward for the day. Find an activity that you love, be it kayaking, yoga, climbing, frisbee throwing, hiking or walking. Just something, anything to get you moving. That's usually easier than going straight in to a gym routine that you may or may not like. The weird advice- I have one friend that asks for half of her meal to be placed in a to-go box prior to it being served. Personally, I find it a little freakish and not something I would do at many non-chain restaurants but it works for her. She uses it as her portion control since she knows she has none. Best of luck.

This subject is discussed under shopping if I recall. Some one mentioned using http://www.localharvest.org/ which I was going to try this January. Best of luck.

I was wondering what people thought of the process in this article from the NYT. It might be a recipe I could actually make. Whoops- just saw this in the shopping. Would some one delete? I apparently am not smart enough to figure out how.

The NY Times said "The mice were fed a hefty dose of resveratrol, 24 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Red wine has about 1.5 to 3 milligrams of resveratrol per liter, so a 150-lb person would need to drink 750 to 1,500 bottles of red wine a day to get such a dose." At least now I have a goal.

We did a spider with the web etched just to the flesh. Yeah, we had a little too much time on our hands too. Mainly we wanted the seeds and had an 1hr to kill while they baked. Last year was a sun & moon motif that some critter took a bite out of prior to Halloween. Looked more like I had kicked the pumpkin with my boot and shoved a candle in it.

I saw an apple in a couple bags last night so some one in my neighborhood was trying to undo some of the tooth rot I was doling out. We had suprisingly few trick or treaters so I'm pawning candy to people here at work. Since the weather was so nice, I decided to pretend it was still summer and opened my last bottle of rose. We had a boy in a grey sweatsuit with painted traffic lines, bits of trash attached and an Interstate 66 sign attached. His father said they were going for the scariest costume.

We met up with family this weekend at Buz and Ned's. We were early and the place hadn't opened but that didn't stop a line forming outside. It was wonderful. Satisfied the 2 South Carolinians and one semi-Texan. They pulled off both pork and beef bbq. We ate the porkbaby back ribs (huge), beef brisket sandwich and a pulled pork sandwich. The greens had little cubes of bacon and was suprisingly our favorite side. Mac & Cheese was good with the slightly crispy cheese from baking. It was by far the thinnest cut of brisket I've seen but all in all a great meal. Thanks for the recommendation.

Finished my bowl of butternut squash soup with collard greens, pinto beans, corn, carrots, bacon and a small amount of red pepper. Paired with a hunk of bread and a creamy brie like cheese. I love the start of autumn.

Does anyone in town do a tasting of whiskeys, bourbons and such, you know a sampler for the unschooled? My appreciation for brown beverages is lacking.

Its a little off the current route of this thread but Tapatini is a rather interesting experience. Friday nights they do a $25 open bar. Unfortunately I had had a couple martinis before we ordered any food. If I recall the calamari was actually quite good. We went for dinner at Beluga afterwards. That was yummy.

Arlington does the same. I tend to browse at book stores (with out my wallet). Book stores are more damaging to my bank account than vineyards and farmer's markets.

So my office is very close to Charlie Palmers and Johnny's 1/2 Shell. I've been charged with finding a spot to host a hot breakfast for 20 people at the end of November. The location needs to be with in walking distance. Besides contacting the local hotels (Hyatt & Hotel George), who else would be open and able to seat everyone? Also, are their any recommendations on preferential hotel food?

Johnny's 1/2 Shell does a dry rub on their chicken wings. The dressing as side was like not very thick and tasted like a mix between ranch and tahini sauce. They were pretty good. Wouldn't have thought to try them but we forgot that one member of our dinner party doesn't eat seafood. I'd be interested to hear what others think of them. That was the first dry rub wing I've eaten.

Initially I go fairly bland like egg noodles or rice with a touch of butter. After a day or two I start adding cooling elements like ginger and cucumbers, something crispy and fresh, you know the opposite of my mood. Interesting thread idea. Probably one I would like to revisit in the dead of winter.

Chocolat with Juliette Binoche. I'm going to have to find a copy of Tortilla Soup. I've never seen that one. Is there already a thread for a favorite beverage movie (or shall I offer up the 1983 classic Strange Brew)?

Something casual- Frogmore stew. Shrimp, corn, sausage boiled up with some Old Bay. We do the potatoes in a separate pot to keep some of the starchy residue from covering the rest of it all. I agree with the stewing idea and usually open up the Indian cook book for large groups.

A few years back when reading the Hobbit our book club went to Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria. It actually turned out to be a good discussion place. We went around 2 or 3 to avoid any rush. I definitely lean toward pubs for book clubs unless there the book to be discussed inspires a specific cuisine.