jwhite

As I said before, intellectual property protection for food is wishful thinking. I don't see Congress enacting such a law.

Wishful thinking? More like a nightmare scenario for customers. Patent law would handcuff and stifle up and coming chefs while benefiting the established and wealthy (corporate backed).

But the problem for me is keeping enough coals going for a long period of time, while not getting the smoker too hot. I've tried the Minion Method but haven't been able to keep the coals going.

I suspect you are doing something wrong. Please elaborate; when do the coals go out and what are your vent settings.

As a result, I keep firing up my chimney starter with a small amount of coals and transferring the hot coals to the smoker with tongs. Not the best way to do things as I've gotten a few burn marks on my deck to show for it.

I like mesquite for brisket and prefer a dry rub and a big layer of fat.

I've never had any problem with the Minion method keeping my temp between 220 and 250. I just throw a handful of chips on every two or three hours and it keeps on humming. I normally try to keep the vents open all the way to start and then close to about 50% after the cooker gets up to temp.

Why would you pay a premium for chips and have to toss them on every couple hours as opposed to just tossing on a few fist sized chunks at the start?

Chips have merit on non charcoal grills but with a multi hour smoke they just get silly.

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.

My list goes like this:

1. El Pollo Rico

2. Crisp and Juicy

3. Super Chicken

I will say however that all are very good and all are a ridiculous value. Also, this ranking is based exclusively on the chicken.

Most restaurants keep their grills on high and ovens over 500. Better restaurants do it slower, like better lovers.

Not sure I've ever heard lower and slower advocated for grilled steaks before.

Care to elaborate?

Dan

The product in question is sold in over 70% of the stores in the country. If there was a systemic problem with Earthbound, the outbreak could ahve been devastating.

The Jack in the box case in the early 90's cost 4 people their lives and over 600 people were sickened enough to require medical attention. Many needed to have long term care well after their release from the hospital.

There was an outbreak of Lysterosis from Sara Lee Ball Park Franks that killed 22.

Just because we have not yet had an outbreak that has killed hundreds or thousands, don't believe that i cannot happen.

Fear mongering and wild speculation. You provide data that indicates deaths at a ridiculously miniscule level and claim we are at risk for a massive outbreak.

Lightning is killing more people than your great threat.

John,

I have eaten there on a couple of occasions this year as I often have business in the Ashburn area. It is good for the area but I would rarely if ever eat there if it moved to DC.

No, I think Horton is targeting the K-J crowd that thinks, "It's from California, so it must be good" - the type who buy a white wine for dinner tonight on the way home from work but give it little thought other than choosing a familiar label.

Targeting how? Specifically, how is he reaching them with his message?

If they can convince someone - even a retailer who may sell boatloads of K-J - that their Chard is better, they have a chance of winning customers over.

Wait, do you seriously believe that a retailer will be moved that a local winery is producing better quality than KJ and decide to push their wines, stocking less KJ in the process?

You seem to believe "Well, of course Horton is better." People who haven't tried Horton are not going to agree ... until you give them a taste. Neil's comment re: K-J was aimed at convincing people to take that first taste.

I believe that pretty much anything is better than KJ. However, I know that KJ is very cheap and very well known (marketed). I believe Horton is a horrid value relative to other wines that I generally drink. I will (and do) visit local wineries for the joy of the experience.

What's so staggering? Face it, K-J Chard is the market leader, even if everyone here would turn up a nose at the very thought of drinking it. If you were making quality wine wouldn't you want to compare it to the best-known brand in the market? And if yours were better, wouldn't you be telling everyone within earshot?

dm,

It is because such a statement appears to be vastly misunderstanding your customer base. It is akin to Hans Hess who runs Elevation Burger bragging to his customers that his burgers and fries are better than McDonalds. The people who buy KJ are not the people traveling to your winery and seeking out local wines. Trying to market it as better than KJ will not be effective.

I have been very positively reviewed by the Wash. Poast, Frederick News Post, Frederick Magazine, and lots of other publications.

Tom,

Saw your review in the post and took note of your hours. How do you manage your cooks? I see 8-10 hours a day and given that each butt will take 10-15 hours if done as you describe and imply, how hard is it to manage the supply?

I would have to agree that I find that many local wines (not naming names) are overpriced per quality. At Horton we taste our wines against what we perceive as our competition and invariably that turns out to be California wines. Our standard 2005 Black Cat Chardonnay (approx. $10 list at stores) is a wine that we price to compete with KJ's Reserve Chardonnay. I love presenting the Chardonnay to a restaurant and knocking off KJ's. We like to think we got them beat with quality and price.

Neil,

I cannot tell whether or not you are being facetious. On multiple levels this paragraph is staggering; please elaborate on your meaning. Are you stating that you believe your chardonnay stands up to equivalently priced californians, that you believe kendall jackson is a competitor, both, or some other assertion which I've missed?

J

I have a budget for a Summer party ... someone else's money. I know what to get for one person, she prefers Cooke's "champagne" above anything else. For the rest, should I just get as many bottles of Bella Sera 1.5Ls as possible. or would some better bottles and some not so good bottles be better? Is it fair to hide some good wine until thirsts are somewhat slaked? What would Miss Manners do? What would Martha Stewart do? Or for that matter, what would Donald Trump do? Please help.

If it is not your party you should do what the host wishes.

Were it my party, assuming an average group with 6-10 wine lovers and 60+ who just want a glass of something, I would go with mostly bottles of acceptable wine but keep a couple of special selections for those whom I felt would appreciate the wines. I would feel neither ashamed nor offensive in doing so and would have no problem steering a wine lover from the marginal to the special even in front of others. It would of course be best done using a comment such as "Here Joe, I thought of you when I last tasted this wine."

Thats because you haven't tasted mine. Unfortunately for you its more elusive than Donna's grill. As a matter of fact right before I moved there was a lot of buzz starting to generate about this hotshot newcomer to the DC BBQ scene.

Your facetious response has a great deal of truth. The backyard is where the best bbq in DC can be found. BBQ with it's 6-12+ hour cook times does not lend itself to a restaurant business. In order to do it right, restaurants are forced to make estimates the day before; closing early if the underestimate demand or eating the cost if they overestimate. Most are unwilling to do that and instead choose to reheat precooked food or use higher temperatures and other shortcuts.

My wife and I recently had lunch there. I had the Phat burger, her the Veggie #1, and we split the fries and chocolate shake. I was very impressed. The burger was two small patties of good beef cooked to well with no char. Some char would have improved it as would cooking to specification (medium) and a larger patty. My wife enjoyed the veggie which I did not taste. The fries were thin, not at all greasy, and had a nice hint of olive oil. The shake was excellent.

I don't know what the complaints on pricing are about. That lunch cost $15. That's a shade above McDonalds pricing.

The restaurant itself is nice. Service was friendly and it did look like Hans basically hired the local high school. Most of the patrons looked to be young families.

As others have pointed it, Elevation compares very well to In N Out. They are extremely similar and I mean that in a complimentary way. Elevation has higher quality beef and thus would get a slight edge. It is better that five guys, much better. However it is not as good as the burger at Harry's (especially when they served Wagyu beef) . While Harry's is not a very fair comparison, it sets the bar and provides some ideas for potential improvements. A larger single patty allows for the burger to be cooked more like a steak with the seared exterior and a rarer interior. I believe the absolute best preparation to be a 1/3-1/2lb patty with a seared, charred exterior and a medium rare center. This just can't be done with the smaller patties.

As for the Wagyu vs Virginia Kobe branding silliness; it's just marketing and I certainly know what I'm getting with American Kobe beef.

Thankfully, Linden does not allow large groups or tour buses. It's also a really short drive to Rappahannock from Linden. When leaving Linden, make a right out of the driveway. Rappahannock is only about 15 minutes away IIRC. Nice setting at Rappahannock, but I'm no fan of their wine.

Yes, if I recall Linden went so far as to refuse to be listed in the Virginia wine guide for that very reason. My coversations with the folks at Linden in particular have colored my opinions of tour groups.

A friend of mine expressed interest in doing a VA wine tour by limo. There are several companies that do this, so I am wondering about personal experiences. She definitely wants a private limo for a small group. Anyone done it?

I love going to local wineries; venturing way out west, doing tastings, talking to the winemakers, and having a picnic on their grounds. As others have pointed out, the wine quality is not great and certainly no value. However the overall experience is wonderful.

With that said, the tour groups destroy this experience by herding large masses through to quickly get their free / cheap buzzes before moving on to the next winery. Please don't be one of those people.

Now this just does not make any sense. You want the same government entity that gives what you term unacceptable abatements to now turn around and do something that you would consider acceptable. Who on the county board has changed since the previous unacceptable abatements took place? Why do you think that they would change course now?

While I cannot speak for the poster, I suspect that if the govt restrained themselves from "redeveloping the area" by throwing money at large chains such conversations would be unnecessary.

I live in that neighborhood, but have never tried the place. Pronouncing the name always sounded too much like "gonorrhea" to me, and needless to say that turned me off.

If you're looking for a good, cheap lunch spot in that neighborhood, I'd recommend either Caribbean Grill (rotisserie chicken, cuban sandwiches, etc.) at the corner of Lee Highway and George Mason, or Heidelberg Bakery (great baked goods, Boars Head meats) a little farther east on Lee.

And just a little further, where 29 and old lee split, crisp and juicy has the best chicken that side of ballston. Never cared much for carribean's chicken relative to other choices but they do make a good cuban.

Yeah, both good choices. I've worked in Falls Church (just over the line) for 14 years so I know both of those places well. Caribbean Grill has OUTSTANDING side dishes -- their yuca is superb, and their plantains melt in your mouth. While their chicken is very good, I've often just gotten side dishes for lunch.

This was actually my first time trying any of the eateries in Lee-Harrison (other than Dogma for my pups). Pietanza looks interesting too, but also a bit pricy. Then there's Sushi-Zen. Any 411 on either of those? I'm guessing "Oriental Gourmet" is as bad as you'd expect from the name?

Pietanza is a solid, brick oven pizza place. A good lunch spot. Go less is more on the toppings and stick to their specials.

Zen is highly americanized sushi; big servings and approachable rolls. Service can be horrid (slow, oblivous) but it's good (not great) sushi at decent prices.

Most places in that center are primarily attractive as kid friendly establishments. None are worth a special trip for.