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mbalaver

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Everything posted by mbalaver

  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.)
  15. Can anyone comment on the produce selection at the Rose Park market? I'm making lunch for guests on Friday and am trying to find a Wednesday or Thursday market that will be relatively inconvenient. The Foggy Bottom one might work as well.
  16. This reminds me of when I called Fiola before they opened last year to make a reservation and ask about the menu. The woman who answered -- who I now suspect was the chef's wife -- said the menu is more causal than Maestro's was and added something like "and it's not as dressy as Maestro, since I know you're going to ask me that --you don't have to be super dressed up -- you can wear anything, just chic and modern!" I was charmed by her enthusiasm and her overly optimistic assumption about the state of my wardrobe. In fact, I've seen her dressed fairly casually, but always chic and modern. She's my hero.
  17. I've never been, so others may be able to respond more definitively, but their website says: ** sorry, no substitutions; many dishes contain pork, shellfish and nuts, even when not listed
  18. There's been a lot of talk about when to arrive for an early seating. Has anyone had experience arriving later -- say 7:30 to 8:30? Is it just nonstop people from when it opens, or does it slack off after that?
  19. Thanks for all your good suggestions. My friend and her 10-miler friends decided to stay in and eat at their hotel, which turned out to be a service disaster. Fortunately for me, I ended up at a movie and dinner at the bar at Oyamel. I met up with them for brunch today, at a nice restaurant at a hotel where again the service was just terrible. Two of them had gone to Estadio Friday night, so at least they won't leave DC with nothing but bad DC restaurant feelings.
  20. I'm trying to figure out where to take 6-8 women for an early dinner tonight. They are in from NY to run the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. Original criteria included pizza/pub food, casual, not expensive, fun atmosphere, and preferably within walking distance fo Metro Center. My first thought was Matchbox. Turns out they are having pizza for lunch, but at least Matchbox has burgers and other stuff. I can't get excited about other options that seem like they fit the criteria (Carmines, Cap City, Chef Geoff's, Potenza). Againn might work, but could be more upscale than what they want and they might not be able to handle a big group. Maybe Hill Country, though personally it gives me a headache to have to go get my own food. Anything I'm missing? We can go as early as 5, which I hope would beat the 7:00 Caps game rush.
  21. This place is less than 20 miles from my parents' house. Who knew? Thanks for bringing this up!
  22. This thread caught my eye because just last week my parents were talking about how their mothers never cooked fish when they were growing up, and I asked what they would eat on Fridays (we're Catholic). My mother said that my grandmother would often cook Welsh rarebit on Fridays. My brother and I found this astounding, because not only did my mother never make it when we were growing up, but the only place we ever heard of it was when Gomer Pyle ate it and, while sleepwalking, went into a rage at Sgt. Carter. (Maybe I should have posted this in the "Today's Dose of Culture" thread.)
  23. I loved the Amish chicken a la king -- white and dark meat chicken cooked in a cream sauce with carrots and beech mushrooms served over grilled breads. A wonderful comfort dish for a blustery night. Although it's something I rarely have, I just love toast that become soggy with gravy -- it reminds me of leftover pot roast, which my mother would serve on toast with gravy and I'd just skip the pot roast part. I also loved the deviled ham, which also brought back happy childhood memories (though this was better than the stuff that Mason Reese peddled). The place was really hopping last night.
  24. Wings Ole used to be called Wings-n-Things (not sure of the spelling; I think they changed the name for trademark reasons when they expanded to more locations in the '70s). It started out as a little hole in the wall not far from today's downtown location. We used to go there when I was in high school, and it's the first place I had a burrito. (A couple of friends still make fun of me for trying to unwrap the tortilla -- I thought it was a towel.) The tortilla was an unusually soft texture (towel-like!), and the flavoring was unlike any burrito -- or anything else -- I've ever tasted. My standard order was a medium beef burrito and a large orange soda. They had a local commercial that showed someone (a WVU player?) dribbling a basketball all the way there to the tune of "What's Happening!!" (There's a 30% chance I made that up, but it feels like a real memory.) I went there last Christmas for the first time in decades en route to Ohio, and there was that distinct Wings-n-Things flavor. I don't know that I can recommend it to anyone, but it's a happy food memory for me. And, as Don said, it's now got a deck, which overlooks the river.
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