Rhone1998

2 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I want people to remind me about this post ten years from now, and if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it.

Offer me a Pilsner Urquell or a Michelob, and at this point I'll flip a coin; thirty years ago, I would have driven fifty miles to find well-kept Pilsner Urquell.

Other Bell's beers are still so good, though.  I don't know why Hopslam is different.  

On 1/30/2017 at 11:46 AM, Mark Dedrick said:

They had it this weekend at Red Apron at Union Market for $9 for a glass. And they also have the RAR Naticoke Nectar for $7, which is also delicious. 

It's still at Red Apron as far as I know, and since they also sell 4oz pours, it's a good opportunity for first-timers to try it and see if you like it without breaking the bank (I saw a 6-pack of cans listed at $24.99 later that same day at Burka's on Wisconsin Ave.)

Not to pile on, but to my taste today's Hopslam is 100% hoppy astringency.  Any of that honeyed balance that used to be in this brew has been gone for at least a couple of years. 

I haven't been keeping up with the dim sum scene recently, but we were thinking of going someplace this weekend, and wanted to tap into the collective wisdom here.  What's good these days? We'd be willing to go pretty much anywhere.

Taking a quick glance at the posts above looking for a dinner spot on a quick business trip up to Toronto earlier in the week, I decided to try the dim sum at Rol San.  Good stuff, and I'd go back, but the real revelation was a place called The People's Eatery I spotted a few doors down.  I stopped in there for a quick drink on my way to dinner the first night where I was also talked into trying a snack of chanterelles on toast.  Both were superb and brought me back for a full dinner the next night.  Overall the place makes me think of a smaller, low-key Rose's Luxury in its emphasis on taste over provenance or consistency of flavors.  There may not have been much coherence to the overall meal but man was everything good, from the cocktails to the sashimi salad (a great mix of textures and flavors) to the crispy Thai style pork belly, while the above mentioned chanterelles on toast might have been my favorite, thick very buttered brioche with a generous portion of mushrooms on top. Highly recommend this place.

I'm in the market for a built-in wine cooler and am having trouble finding something with good reviews in the middle range between the cheapo $250 models and ones running several thousands of dollars (which get great reviews obviously but are out of my budget).  Anyone look into these recently and have any good recommendations?

Also, LPT for anyone doing kitchen remodeling with small kids - the Reico in Springfield has a kids playroom where you can drop the little ones so you can browse and talk to the consultants there without interruption.  Genius!

19 hours ago, Marty L. said:

Well, it's "expansion" only in the sense that I think Chef Seng has had to hire more employees, in the kitchen and out, to handle the larger crowds.  And I wasn't suggesting that it's improved because of this "expansion," but in spite of it.  That's because she and Bobby really care about what they're putting on the table.  Perhaps it's too good to be true -- I can't even be sure there aren't lapses and inconsistencies (which wouldn't surprise me).  But the dinner I had this week was as good as any I can recall.  (I sat at the bar.  It also helps that Tim and the other bartender (whose name I forget) are so good at what they do, despite the fact that they're working like whirling dervishes.)

One observation I've made recently is that they have been very good even when the chef is traveling (which she has been doing quite a lot this summer, and which she documents extensively on her Twitter feed.)  Speaks to the time and energy she must spend finding and training good people.  

Sadly, Radius has been a shadow of its former self for a quite a while now.  

The idea of "$250 of travel" assumes the cost of travel is fixed, but it isn't.  That trip to Orlando that the Chase site markets at $250 might be $275 on Expedia and $225 on American Airlines' site, right?  So I don't know if you can measure the value of $XX of travel without comparison shopping, if I'm thinking about it correctly.

Check out The Points Guy's blog.  He's got a ton of good advice on how to get the best redemption from these things.

44 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Are those tater tots homemade and sheet-baked? I can't tell if they're really good or really gross - what are the rice-looking things, and what makes them so brown?

I think those rice looking things are just minced potato.  Like pressed hash browns more than tater tots.  That said I have no idea where the picture was taken.

11 hours ago, lion said:

Where did you find orgeat? Seems hard to find these days in stores. 

I am drawing a blank on where I found the bottle I have in my refrigerator right now...it's been a while.  But I see a couple of varieties available on Amazon.com right now.  I'm also pretty sure they carry it at Batch 13 on 14th St. in DC (between R & S Streets).

I have never been there, but was at a party recently where the host had brought a smoked fish platter from Ivy City, and everything was fantastic.  I've also gotten their pre-packaged smoked salmon a few times at Smucker Farms on 14th St...good stuff.

2 hours ago, The Hersch said:

I don't disparage the drinks you suggest, as they're both quite nice, especially for summer, but I question their being called cocktails. I would call them long drinks or highballs.

How about Tiki drinks? These are good to make at home (though not necessarily easy) because you can control the quality of ingredients that are often pretty sub par. Mai Tai's are delicious and pretty simple --1 part each light and dark rums to a half part each lime juice, Contreau, and orgeat, all shaken. 

4 hours ago, dracisk said:

This looks to be a different place in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ha ha, whoops, that would explain it wouldn't it.  the perils of doing too many things at once.  

On 6/15/2016 at 2:21 PM, DonRocks said:

This should go over really well.

I can hear the owner's line of thinking: "Hmm, there's a large Ethiopian community a few miles west of here - this will draw some of them in, and *everyone* likes Italian food. Plus, Italy colonized Ethiopia, so it's a natural fit!"

Yeah, Ethiopia loves Italy, just like India loves the UK. I have to take a screenshot of this to prove to the world fifty years from now that this actually existed.

The website looks very different today.

Looks like they're focused on East African food now. 

On an iPhone, you don't even need an app.  If you use Siri you can just say something like "What's 3000 rupees in dollars?" and it will give you the answer.

Another article relevant to this conversation.  And a thousand others, some of which appear here (umami anyone? MSG?).  Rational evidence is just much less powerful at convincing people to change their beliefs than we'd hope it to be, unfortunately.  

The vegetable dishes have been among my favorites here, including the amazing mushroom dish bettyjoan described above (honestly one of the best things I've tasted in a long time) and a celery root (yes, celery root) dish from a winter menu a few months ago. Actually some of my favorite things at the Dabney have been dishes I didn't necessarily expect to love from the menu descriptions but was convinced to try. He does really creative things with interesting ingredients. I love this place.

Thanks for all the replies.  I wound up getting one of the last open spots reserved for walk-ins by the bar at Tinto around 6pm.  That place is pretty small and gets packed quickly (this was on a Wednesday night).  Food was very good and they have a really interesting beverage program going on (Basque cider is quickly becoming one of my favorite drinks, and also tried a fantastic red (yes red, who knew?) Txakolina.

Don, there are lots of Amish places and lots of places for breakfast in Reading Terminal Market, but the one you refer to that has the real maple syrup available for an upcharge is Down Home Diner, on the far South side of the building (pretty much opposite of Dutch Eating Place).  Thanks for the tip!

I see Eric there and at Honerycomb in Union Market all the time. There is seemingly no ego there. Doing what needs doing. His attitude is a big part of why I love his joints so much.

I don't know if this is the place for a random Eric story, but I was at Honeycomb a few months ago looking lost and he asked if he could help.  I had just bought some short ribs at Harvey's and told him I had some vague notion of doing something East Asian with them.  He went into the back and made me a braising liquid from scratch (which turned out fantastic), and charged me peanuts for it.  I was really impressed. He didn't know me from Adam.

What's good these days in, or within a short cab ride of, Center City for a solo diner? Looking for a place where I can sit at the bar and have a good meal. Any type of cuisine, nothing too outrageously expensive.

Thanks!

They have it at the Dolcezza in Logan Circle.

I like this, too, but so far have only enjoyed it on the rocks. It felt too different from normal gin to work in a traditional gin cocktail for me, but maybe it's worth trying. Definitely recommended it on its own, though.

I first tried this as a free sample from the distillery at the Burlington farmers market. Yes, they can do that up there.

La Fonda Paisa had morcilla in the freezer case yesterday afternoon. Success! Looking forward to trying it later this week.

Anyone know where I might find Asturiana fabada beans in the DMV? I am loathe to pay La Tienda'a shipping charges.

Thanks!

Warning: Parking for DGS on the west side of Connecticut Avenue can require an illegal crossing followed by scaling a guardrail. It's not a big deal, but if someone is 8-months pregnant, it might be quite a nuisance.

DGS doesn't offer vallet parking, but the restaurant next-door does, and DGS patrons can use theirs.