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mbalaver

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ventworm

ventworm (57/123)

  1. Has anyone been to the Wisconsin Ave. location? I'm going later this week for a friend's birthday, and was surprised to see Drew Trautmann's name on the menu.
  2. Your whole post is wonderfully informative -- I will print it out and bring it with me to Rome. Thanks for taking the time to write that up! One question: Il Desiderio per la Coda sounds great to me, and it's not far from our hotel. Does it seem like a good place for teenagers as well? We'll be a group of 5 with an 18 yo and a 13 yo.
  3. Does anyone have any updated thoughts on the question Choirgirl21 asks above about books, as well as ideas for items to include in a gift of cocktail-related items? A friend recently said that she'd like to start adding cocktails to the mix when friends come over, and I thought some cocktail-making tools, ingredients, a book, or some combination of those would make a nice gift. The trick is that they shouldn't add up to more than about $50, and nothing should take up a lot of space. My friend tends to be nostalgic for all things '60s, so a nice pitcher from The Hour in Old Town would be great except that would likely violate the cost/space rule.
  4. This all sounds fantastic, but on the flip side, how accessible is it for a picky 13 year old? My sister will be in town with her two teenagers and I have reservations at Casa Luca, but I'm not sure my niece will be crazy about the menu. I sent it to my sister, who said maybe they could do pasta with olive oil. I'm hoping to stick with the reservation and maybe my niece would be surprised at what she likes, though I hate to impose my preferences on my visiting family.
  5. Same at the Twin Springs market at All Souls Church on Saturday (their email said they were from auction). They inspired me to make gnocchi with peas, bacon, spring onions, ramps, a little cream, and a bit of fresh mint. It was worth the effort.
  6. Has anyone been to Ju Mak Jib, a Korean restaurant on Little River Turnpike that Tom Sietsema is reviewing Sunday? I didn't see a thread on this.
  7. I may be too late, but I have a few recommendations from a trip to Sicily in 2009. In Taormina we had a good dinner at L'Arco dei Cappuccini. It couldn't have been an outstanding dinner, as I don't remember that much about it (I think I might've had simply grilled swordfish), but it came highly recommended and didn't disappoint. One night in Taormina we just bought some cheese, olives,and salumi and enjoyed them with wine on the hotel's terrace overlooking the Ionian sea and Mt. Etna. (We had gelato that night before dinner so we wouldn't have to budge after dinner.) In Siracusa we had a wonderful meal at Osteria da Mariano, a small place tucked in an alley (http://www.osteriadamariano.it/). We sat down and the waiter (owner?) asked if we wanted red or white, then brought wine, and some fresh ricotta with bread, then plates of Sicilian specialities like caponata, then asked if we liked shellfish, after which he brought two of us pasta with assorted shellfish -- some of which I'd never seen before -- and, for my sister, two vegetarian pastas. At this point the wife of an English couple sitting near us, who got there before us, said "have you seen a menu, or are you flying blind too?" They were concerned what the bill was going to be, but when they received it they gave us the all's well signal. We were pretty full by this point and begged off the second course (though I was tempted just to see what they'd bring us). They then brought after-dinner wines and a couple of sweets -- candied ginger and sesame if I'm not making that up. When the bill came it was about $25 a piece. Was it the most delicious meal I ever had? No. But it was well-prepared, simple, local food and a great deal of fun. The next night we went to kind of a weird place recommended in our book and regretted not having gone to da Mariano again. When we visited Agrigento we stayed outside the town, and the owner of the place we stayed (Villa Diana) recommended a restaurant nearby. It was a touristy, event kind of place (it looked like there were big groups of families celebrating high school graduations or something like that), but the food was fine (I got a sampler of local foods), and we dined outdoors with a view of Greek temples. Might as well do that when you can. Finally, we had a very nice upscale dinner in Palermo at Osteria dei Vespri, below the piazza where the long, beautiful ballroom scene in The Leopard was filmed. I don't remember the details of what I had there, but do remember a wonderful cheese plate. I also remember feeling like we were taking our lives in our hands walking through deserted alleys to get there even though it wasn't even dark yet before dinner started. I felt less uneasy walking home afterward -- probably due as much to the wine as to the fact that there were more people around later. We also enjoyed visiting the outdoor market in the morning (the Vucciria) -- as always while on vacation, it made me regret we didn't have a kitchen. (On a non-food note, we loved our visit to the mozaic- decorated cathedral at Monreale, outside Palermo.) As you probably know, Sicily has some wonderful food, particularly if you like fresh fish -- especially tuna (tonno) and swordfish (pesce spada). The cuisine of Sicily has been influenced over the centuries by Greece, Northern Africa, Spain, and their Italian neighbors to the north: cinnamon, pistachios (Bronte is near Mt. Etna), olives, citrus, raisins, almonds, . . . . And they really prize their sweets, including granita, cannoli (of course!), cassata (a kind of cake), marzipan candies, and a sandwich of gelato on a brioche, an item supposedly eaten at breakfast. I hope you're having a great time!
  8. This might be too late, but have you ever been to the bar above Pearl Dive (Black Jack)? I was surprised when I went there for a drink in the spring to see they had a gigantic TV (showing basketball then, I think). I made a mental note for some future day when I was looking for a place to watch sports. (Though I'd call first to see if they're showing the game.)
  9. Prince of Petworth says you're right! http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2012/08/president-obama-dines-at-mintwood-place-tonight/
  10. Thanks for the suggestion! Reading the tripadvisor mentions of Daniel, I realized this is the same guy whom a friend of my sisters recommended for a food tour. His photo looked familiar and I realized I saw him the other night on Kimchi Chronicles (which WHUT is reairing). I emailed him and it looks like we might be able to make this work. Now if only I knew when we were leaving.
  11. Does anyone know where to get good japchae in Seoul? (Okay, this was my unsubtle attempt to get Seoul restaurant recommendations since no one's responded to my Intrepid Traveler post. )
  12. Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in Seoul? I may be heading there for a few days later this week. We'll be staying in the business area south of the river, but hope to get around a bit in our short time available.
  13. I really enjoyed the grilled pork chops the other night. They were two thin chops given a Vietnamese treatment, with cilantro and carrots, and nuoc chom on the side. They were also served with sweet potatoes. Our server (I think his name was Michael) was great. And we got to sit outside on a lovely evening.
  14. I made bolognese sauce last spring and it wasn't nearly as good as Mintwood's version. What's your secret? (I used Marcella Hazan's recipe.)
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