Rhone1998

What has been a minor inconvenience for everyone else was, I'm sure, a major headache for you. Thanks for working so hard on making this site an enjoyable place for the rest of us.

When you google "bullfrog bagels donrockwell.com" both threads pop up. I posted in this one because it seemed to be about the bagels, whereas the other one was focused on that H street store in particular. Not sure if it warrants two separate threads if they are basically both a retailer and a wholesaler.

Saw tonight that Bullfrog bagels are now being sold at Smucker Farms on 14th St.

I know from Twitter that she is wrapping up a trip in Laos right now. So if you decide to go, I'd be very curious how your meal is there, as their ability to produce good Lao food when the chef is not in the kitchen is about to be tested with Thip Khao's opening in DC.

This, definitely. I've always thought of this, rightly or wrongly, as Spanish style...with the oil very hot so the egg whites puff up and get crispy. Love it.

I dunno, the few times I've tried this the bacon flavor has been overwhelming. I want to be able to taste the eggs in my eggs (which leads to another discussion entirely, which is that most supermarket eggs are pretty tasteless.) But maybe I just need to try a milder bacon.

I randomly chose to try Donburi today for the first time on their one-year anniversary. The meal was great (and great fun) and I'm kicking myself for not coming in earlier. The only snafu, and it was probably as much my fault as theirs, is I didn't realize their system is that you order at the host stand by the door, even if you're eating in. I walked by without anyone stopping me, sat down, and waited stupidly at the counter for a while feeling ignored. But once that was cleared up I had a great lunch. Mixed katsudon was breaded fried pork and chicken cutlet, with one big fried shrimp as well, atop a bowl of rice with a half-cooked egg, two types of pickles, and a sweet/savory "donburi" sauce (the other option was curry). Very nice. Excellent bowl of miso soup with the expected seaweed but also tiny little baby oyster mushrooms in the rich broth. Plus, you get dinner and a show with the setup they have there, watching the staff fight through the weeds in the tiny little space they have there behind the counter, working their butts off getting things done well and done quickly...that was pretty damn impressive. Cool little place, can't wait to go back.

Today seems to be their anniversary. Everything on the menu is half priced!

Is #2 even possible? I'd love to know if it is...

OK, so Justin Bittner is only supposed to be playing a supporting role now, but it's hard to imagine he's not having an influence on the direction of the kitchen, even if his stay is temporary while he looks for other opportunities, as the bartender described it. I don't think there are too many menus in DC more interesting than this one right now. A few highlights as I perused the offerings: Buttermilk fried sweetbreads with maple sriracha glaze; crispy duck boudin, with whole grain mustard mushroom gravy; kombu salted Hamachi, ponzu, and scallion; fall octopus and white bean stew with olives and harissa; seared scallop, lobster, and fennel salad with honey carrots and sorrel; rabbit cacciatore...I could go on and on, that's only a small part of a pretty big menu and nearly all of it looked good to me. Execution on the three items I tried was excellent -- the Hamachi was a beautiful, sophisticated presentation of three pieces of sashimi, with edible flowers and little piles of accompaniments; the crispy duck boudin was 3 crispy arancini-sized balls of what to me seemed like (excellent) duck rillette. And finally, brown sugar and soy marinated beef over rice, with an enormous crispy fried egg (I know, trite, but the yolk is so good mixed in with the rice). This was basically a super savory and fairly spicy bulgogi (the beef more thinly sliced than you'd find traditionally) over rice, no fancy presentation like the hamachi but delicious and comforting on a cold night. I hadn't been in a while and my last visit, before Bittner's return, wasn't that great, but this was a welcome reminder of how good Bar Pillar used to be and hopefully a good sign of things to come as well.

I'm looking to get a large charcuterie platter for a party, picking up in DC proper if possible. Debating between Red Apron, Three Little Pigs, and Stachowski, though I'm certainly open to other places. Does anyone have any recent experience getting platters from any of these folks, or alternatives in DC? Thanks in advance.

I don't make espresso, and can't really justify investing the $$$ in the Rancilio Rocky. But two recommendations for the Baratza are good enough for me. Thanks for the responses, everyone.

I recently got a carry-out order from a fairly well-respected place. My order included a "charcuterie board" ($14). This is what I saw when I opened the box: Needless to say I was not happy. Hopefully I'm not violating the rules of this thread by not naming names, but I was curious what others would have thought/done in this situation. I actually don't think it's an absurdly small amount of meat if it's good quality, which it was, but I don't think any self-respecting restaurant should present their food this way, and honestly just how it looked put me off from ever going back there.

My burr grinder just kicked the bucket, and I thought I'd turn to the collective wisdom of this forum for replacement recommendations. A cursory search online reveals models ranging from $30 to $300+ and I don't really know how to evaluate the differences between them. What are folks using that they're happy with?

Fantastic meal last night. It looks like they purposefully kept the restaurant only about a third to a half full for the soft opening, With that caveat, though, it felt like things were operating on all cylinders. Service was great, stuff came out promptly, and the staff were familiar with (and wildly enthusiastic about) all of the menu items. Our food was wonderful, with many old standbys from BG -- Lao pork sausage, crispy rice salad, watercress salad, fish orm...plus a couple things I hadn't tried before, including a pork stew. Flavors were intense and complex, though we all noted that from a pure heat perspective, things were toned down relative to what we'd become used to at BG. Overall, though, the four of us walked away very, very happy and super excited to have Thip Khao in DC. I think the six million dollar question now, though, is how Chef Seng is going to divide her time and attention across the two restaurants, and how good the rest of the kitchen staff beneath her is.

They are soft opening starting this week (or maybe even last week) and if you follow her Twitter feed she's posted a couple of times about open tables for that night. We are going Friday night...can't wait!! ETA: bleh, I should have read the article before posting.

The drink I had in mind uses dry vermouth, and makes a great appertif. A Carpano Martinez sounds great but very different.

Reverse martinis (with good quality vermouth) can be a really nice alternative, particularly if you want to go with something with slightly less alcohol.

Definitely seen them at Indian grocery stores. I'm pretty sure I've seen them at the little grocery store in the same complex as Tiffin in Langley Park. You might also try the one in Arlington, in that little row of stores with the two Bangladeshi restaurants - Gharer Kabar and Alladin. Are you going to start chewing paan?

Crazy. That place is usually packed, at least when I've walked by.

Streets is a nice little grocery store that opened a few months ago on 14th St NW about 4 blocks north of U. Decent selection for its size but otherwise unexceptional, except I noticed yesterday they advertised Korean style wings at their deli counter. These turned out to be a more than passable KFC alternative to Bon Chon. Crispy even after the 10 min walk home in a sealed styrofoam container (they helpfully poked a few holes in it to let the steam escape) and with good flavor -- both soy garlic and chili. $10 for a dozen "wing"-sized wings and drumsticks (if you've been to the Bon Chon Arlington location lately you know what I'm talking about). Your PSA for the day, Dan

If you do decide to continue using the filter the water method, coffee filters work great for this. I also use them to strain the water after soaking dried mushrooms, which can also be gritty.

Ditto, do it.

Great post, great line.

FWIW, the trio of spreads is $12 at the bar during happy hour (5-7pm). Have no idea if the portion is the same as you'd get in the dining room.