xcanuck

Thx for the recommendation, JPW. To be honest, I would have never tried this place without your comments. We got take out lunch there today and I think it has the potential to take a lot of our business away from Nava Thai. Both Lisa and I started with the Tom Yum soup, then shared orders of the Seafood Fried Rice and Thai Chili Tilapia. They're not kidding when they say everything is cooked to order. The Chili Tilapia was perfect! Crispy fried tilapia fillets served with a chili sauce and plenty of vegetables. Even after the 10 minute drive home in an enclosed take out container, the fish was still wonderfully crisp. The veggies (beans, carrots, and cabbage) all still had a good crunch to them. The heat level wasn't blistering hot (maybe one chili on the Nava Thai scale) and I'm sure you could ask for it a little spicier if you like, but the flavours were great. Similarly, the Seafood Fried Rice didn't suffer from the clumpy or dry texture of a lot of take out rice. Lots of nice hunks of seafood in it, including shrimps and mussels in the shell. The Tom Yum soup had a nice brightness to it, and lots of tender white chicken meat pieces. While Thai Flavor doesn't have some of the more esoteric dishes that Nava Thai (I miss stuff like larp gai and tripe), they seem to nail what they ARE offering. Granted, it's our first visit but we'll keep trying out their menu. Hopefully it's consistently as good as today.

I'll arm wrestle any of you motherf**kers for the saucisson sec. It's all mine. Mine, I tell you! All mine!

Lisa and I went to Kaz on Tuesday night for our birthday dinner (yes, we share the same birthday). We sat at the sushi bar and ordered the omakase. Kaz Okochi was directly opposite us and we were prepared for one heck of a night. Let me first tell you what we ended up getting (everything was nigiri - no rolls of any kind): - Tai snapper - Japanese scallop - Flounder (2 ways) - Tuna with foie gras miso - Tuna with black truffle - Sweet shrimp - Walu - Albacore (seared) - Smoked monkfish liver - Seared scallop - Uni - Japanese mackerel - Tasmanian salmon - Smoked mackerel - Octopus All this was washed down with a bottle of Oyama Nigori and then a few Sapporos. There is no doubt that this was some of the best nigiri sushi I've ever tasted. The Walu was our hands down favorite, but the smoked monkfish liver and raw scallops were a close second. The uni was amazing. Simply nothing like the crap that gets served in most places. The flavour was so sweet and delicate. Absolutely nothing like the overpowering and bitter slop most places pull out of their fridges. And the rice, Oh, the rice!! Every individual grain was like a little pearl. I've never, ever, tasted anything quite like it (possible exception being Sushi Nozawa). While nothing was bad, I might rethink the truffle on the tuna. Tuna is so bland these days to begin with and all I could smell/taste was the truffle. Maybe there's a better venue for it rather than on top of the very mild tuna. But it's a minor quibble. Value for the dollar? Exceptional!! I've simply never eaten such fantastic nigiri sushi without paying almost twice as much. So...why did I walk out of Kaz somewhat disappointed? I've had omakase quite a few times, most notably at Sushi Nozawa in LA, Nobu in Vegas, and Morimoto in Philly. While the quality of fish at Kaz was easily up to par with all the aforementioned places, what was missing was some of the sense of adventure and creativity. At virtually every other omakase, I was treated to something truly out of the ordinary. I was given variations on themes, rather than just nigiri for every portion. Granted, at Nobu and Morimoto, I also paid twice as much. But I guess that when I order omakase, I expect to experience not only the highest quality of seafood the chef can procure, but I also expect him to stretch (or even break) some boundaries. I didn't get that on Tuesday night. Now - is this a fair expectation? Have I bought into a concept that is outside of what omakase what meant to offer? That's quite possible. At least now my expectations have been reset. I wholly agree with susanmab who said "I would rather eat at Kaz once than a less pricey joint twice." This will be my go to place for the most exceptional nigiri sushi I've had in DC. But I don't think I'll ever go there with the expectation of a "show".

We had lunch there two days ago. Again, my complaint is that they're really toning down the heat. And as Ericandblueboy mentioned, the salt level seems to have increased. The larb gai is a good example. It had virtually no heat and was all salt. I hate asking them to crank up the heat - it makes it sound like that's the only reason we non-Thai people go there. But there are some dishes where the heat is really important. *sigh*

This blows. We've already got a commitment that night. Are you going to the AC Newman show at the Black Cat?

After being delayed in San Juan for one night, we got as far as Miami but AA couldn't get us home. Oh, darn. A night in Miami. Where shall we go? Our friends had a real hankering to go to South Beach so that's where we headed. After a round of drinks at Ocean's Ten (tacky, touristy, and strangely classic SoBe), I dragged the group off to The Deuce. Now this is MY kind of bar. This is where the dregs of society and other assorted lowlifes hang out. It was happy hour and we pounded back cans of PBR with shots of Jim Beam. Dunno. It just seemed right. We cranked punk and metal tunes on the jukebox, played pool, and chatted with the local hookers. We craved stone crabs and were sent to Monty's Raw Bar. Happy hour special was 2 stone crab claws for $6, and oysters on the half shell were a buck each. OK - so it wasn't the best seafood I've ever had, but after drinking at The Deuce, it was pretty much what I deserved. Monty's main saving grace (apart from being cheap) is the complete lack of attitude which permeates much of SoBe. The night ended with cigars and rounds of drinks at The Abbey Brewery. Lots of great brews. I think. I stopped remembering stuff around this point.

Wow...I could've used Tweaked's fantastic suggestions a few days ago. We were supposed to fly home from St Vincent on Sunday but our flights were cancelled due to bad weather. We spent Sunday night in San Juan and ventured out to Old San Juan that night for drinks and dinner. We ended up at Mojito's (located Calle Recinto Sur 323). Forget the name or the fact that it's on the main strip. This place served up large portions of traditional Puerto Rican food at relatively low prices. All four of us went for various takes on mofongo - a dish made of mashed plantains that have been stuffed with meat/fish/veg of your choice. I had the mofongo stuffed with shredded aged beef and it was wonderful. The beef was likely a chuck roast that had been braised over a long time and shredded. The seasoning was somewhat indistinct and muted but the beef was moist and strong tasting (in a good way). The plantains had been coarsely mashed and mixed with onions, garlic and seasoning. Certainly, the flavours could have been a little sharper and there seemed to be an emphasis on quantity, but it was a steal at about $12. It had a real "home cooking" kind of flair to it. The place was packed on a Sunday night, mostly by what appeared to be local families. The service at Mojito's was outstanding and friendly. After some of the dining debacles on St Vincent, this place was a real treat

This is also the approach I use. I think I read about this in one of Alton Brown's books. Just heat up the pan, pour in a tbsp of two of kosher salt, and rub with a paper towel.

Fenugreek seeds are so basic that even the Indian section at our local Giant has them. I'm sure your Indian store will carry them. Sometimes they're labelled as "methi".

Just came back from lunch at Nava Thai with DanielK, Waitman, Mrs B, squidsdc and others. Sad to say that this is the first mediocre meal I've had at Nava Thai. I don't know if they were understaffed or if this is part of a downward trend, but the food took a long time to come out and yet much of it was overcooked. The highlights of the meal should have been the crispy duck and the whole flounder. Both had been fried to within an inch of their lives. It was a real shame, especially in the case of the flounder, which had a wonderful chili sauce on it. But it did make for some extra crispy bones, which were fun to eat. The Guay Jub (pork chitterlings) came in a nice, rich broth but was one dimensional in it's taste. That could definitely have used more spice. Even the much vaunted Floating Market Noodle Soup was lacking it's usual burn, even though we specifically asked for it to come out as hot as they could make it. Some items, like the hot and sour seafood salad and stir fried cashews were very good but overall, this was a mediocre meal. I'm willing to cut Nava Thai a lot of slack as this is the first meal in about a dozen that didn't measure up. It would just be a shame if this wonderful restaurant collapsed under the weight of it's own success.

I can't believe there's any reason to order anything other than the hanger steak. Is there a more delicious tasting cut? About once a month I feel like I'm in a rut and order something other than the hanger, and I'm always slightly disappointed. Now...I'd love to see what Michael could do with a nice skirt. Skirt steak, that is.

Lisa and I will be there!

Jesus Christ....I just read that and thought it said "masturbations". Maybe I should consider therapy.

The new dining room is gorgeous. Huge mirrors on the walls make the already large dining area seem even larger. The pirate flag is prominently displayed. The food, prices and service are what you expect from ML. No opening night is without it's glitches, but nothing that won't be addressed quickly I'm sure. Congratulations for making the move and opening such a beautiful room, Michael. Take a bow and a breath - but not for too long! We're looking forward to see what Ray's The Catch brings us! ps....Still have the Beastie Boys running through my head

Very likely +1. Still waiting for our March hockey schedules to come out.

I'm sure most people know that South Mountain Creamery does home delivery of their milk, dairy, and meat products. Well, starting later this spring (possibly as soon as March), they will also start home delivery of fruit and vegetable, drawing from 22 different local organic farms. There isn't going to be an additional delivery fee if you already have their milk delivery. I'm really looking forward to this as a supplement to the farmer's market. A great idea!

Jamie probably has it right - get it naked and try the different sauces. I had their hottest sauce and didn't think it was THAT hot. Spicy and with a bit of a kick - yes. But hot?? Nah....

Just polished off half a fried chicken with collards and corn bread from opening day at the General Store. It's a beautiful space with a kind of "old south" charm to it. The first thing you notice is the refurbished player piano which occasionally belts out tunes as you await your food. The counter is up front, with a few tables along the side, and more in the back. The basement isn't finished yet, but it appears to be where the bar will eventually be. There's ample space along the side and out back for outdoor seating, if that's what the owners decide to do. Robin mentioned that there were a few glitches that they're trying to work out - certainly not unexpected on opening day. The menu consisted of a soup of the day, chili, beef stew, three or four sandwiches, fried chicken, side orders of mac/cheese and collards, and pie (I was told today's offering was sweet potato). Sorry if I forgot anything on the menu. We got there about an hour after the advertised 1:30pm opening and there was already a steady line of people going in and out. Ran into rkduggins and joec from the board. We're looking forward to many continued visits here, especially once the basement gets done and we can sit at the bar!! Congrats to Chef and Robin.

We dropped in last night after being perfectly repulsed by the high school-ish drink offerings, indifferent service, and abysmal atmosphere at the Tantra Lounge (honestly...avoid that place like the plague!). PS7 was a delightful contrast to the garish Tantra Lounge. The music wasn't too loud (though I guess one can't escape the thumpa-thumpa tunes on a Friday night), and the atmosphere was sophisticated yet still comfortable. The service was prompt, friendly, helpful, and informed. The drinks we had were lovely. I had one of the "a Glimpse of Summer" (aka their take on a dirty martini) and Lisa had the "Yes We Can"ton. I couldn't resist the charcuterie plate and Lisa noshed on the "Nutty Goat" flatbread. I would have liked a slightly dryer sausage, hopefully intensifying the flavours but really one couldn't complain. The figs accompanying the sausage were freaking great. I keep forgetting how much I enjoy the lounge at PS7. We have to hit this place more often.

We were at Dino for our post-inauguration dinner last night and it was excellent value, as usual. The pate plate is an unbeatable deal. Three different pates, a fantastic duck mousse, a variety of pickles, a great fruit chutney, prosciutto, and crostini. I could have been happy with this appetizer alone.

Now you're just making me jealous. I have to pay (through the nose) for any games we go to at the Bell Centre. Enjoy the ASG. I know Ovie's been working on his shootout move!

Thu Apr 23 is good for me, too.

We were at APdC for a quick pregame meal last weekend (Keithstq - we were probably at the same game. Did you get your tix through the Caps Road Crew??). I have to disagree with Waitman and Rocks. While many of the dishes ARE gigantic and take some time to work through, you can order intelligently and get some smaller/lighter plates. The waitstaff is some of the friendliest I've ever come across. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to suggest dishes more to your liking and schedule. For example, the braised bison tongue is KILLER but hardly filling. Lisa had the bison tartare and I had the braised tripe on our last visit. Both were excellent dishes and small enough portions that they didn't overwhelm us (wish I could say the same for the boudin noir I had...THAT was filling!!). I can see how some of their "signature" dishes, like the poutine or duck in a can, are virtually impossible to finish. So just don't order those when you're in a hurry or eating solo. There's plenty of selection on their menu. StephenB's assessment is dead on. This is isn't elegant frou-frou food. It's a celebration of excess and conviviality. No one is so busy that they can't spend at least five minutes discussing Bob Gainey's free agent strategy or the rumours on the upcoming Arcade Fire release. Sit at the bar and strike up a conversation with the cooks. I can pretty much guarantee they'll start offering up tastes of whatever they're working on within a few minutes. Use your worst Franglais on them, and you'll be best friends in minutes. Commiserate with the person at the stool next to you over how you're going to function with your veins full of duck fat and alcohol. It's all part of the experience. APdC is our "go to" in Montreal. I would never dream of visiting Montreal without a trip there.

Wow! This is an impressive list. I lived in Ottawa for 10 years but left back in 1982 and haven't really eaten out much there on my return visits. We tend to stick with mom and dad's home cooking and on the rare occasion when we eat out, it's usually Boston Pizza so we can catch the hockey games on the big screen. Seriously, I appreciate the list. We like to take my parents out for dinner occasionally, and I'm not too fond of their picks. We'll try some from this list.

I am totally up for it! It's been waaay too long. I assume we're talking about Monday. Should we hit one of the traditional places (JNH, A&J, Bob's) or try something new? Maybe one of Dean's Korean finds? Or how about Nava Thai?