xcanuck

I'd appreciate some help here. I see the Le Creuset 7.25qt french oven for $179 on Amazon. I also see the "Mario Batali" 6 qt dutch oven for $99 at Crate and Barrell.Can someone help me understand the quality/functional difference between the two? The Le Creuset is considered oven safe to 450F while the Batali is advertised as oven safe to 500F. The Le Creuset has a plastic knob where as the Batali has a stainless steel knob. They're both made of enameled cast iron. If it wasn't for my inherent distrust of anything with a celebrity chef's name attached to it, I'd think the Batali was a hands down winner. Is an extra 1.25 quarts worth another $75 or so? Does size really matter...that much?

FYI...My dry cleaner is right next to Upstream. I went there yesterday and noticed a sign on the door of Upstream indicating that they were undergoing a "financial restructuring" and would be closed indefinitely. It also said they hoped it would be a short term situation. I can't say I'm too sad about it. People have heard/read me complain about their service. And their prices aren't that great, either.

Not that I don't trust JPW's excellent judgement...but I believe that independent review of his statistics is warranted so that we don't lead our fellow posters astray. I volunteer to make the sacrifice.

Further to what Blake said, there are some items on the bar menu that aren't on the dining room menu. I remember Michael mentioning that they were getting so many orders for the hanger steak that it's only on the bar menu now. Even still, they're selling out of the hanger steak (happened last Friday night by about 7:30). That alone is a great reason for sitting at the bar, not to mention Nick's great martinis!!

I'm one of those people who worries about that kind of stuff (more concerned about how they're treated as opposed to what they're fed). I've been paying through the nose at WF and am getting fed up with it. I took JPW's advice and checked out the farmers market at Takoma Park - it is VERY nice. I think I'm going to make Smith Meadows Farms my semi-regular source for meat. The prices are more than competitive with WF and they appear to have great selection. I'm going to put in an order for some leg of lamb and porterhouses for this upcoming weekend and will post my impressions of their quality later.

Ditto to what Heather said. Let's not forget BlakeG and Ms. S (sorry - forgot what your DR.com handle is!). It was good to have so many people from the board out there. Lisa and I revelled in the biscuits and scampi, then veal and hanger steak (agreed Heather - Michael could easily increase the price for something that delicious!), and finished off the evening with the glorious key lime pie. I must say it was nice to see Michael actually sweating and dirty from working the grill! He was still the consumate host when he came out to say 'hi'. My veal was beyond perfect, thanks to him. Tomorrow night is Restaurant Kolumbia, before heading out to watch the Tigers and Caps (on TV). Hope to see a few of y'all there enjoying Chef Jamie's creations.

Dunno about the rest of them but Lisa and I will be at RTC in about 15-20

Lisa and I have already planned to be there tonite. Maybe we should ask Michael for the back room for the Rockweillers?

Right about now, crawling into a bottle of Grey Goose with a jar of olives and going into a fetal position sounds really good. Oh wait, this thread isn't called What Do You Wish You Were Drinking Right Now?

So then where does one go to get reasonably priced meat that does not come from a factory farm? I would love to find a butcher in the SS/Wheaton area who I could trust to tell me where the meat comes from and how it's raised. Depending on hangover status, I will try to check out the butchers at the Takoma farmer's market this weekend. But since most of my grocery purchases are made on a daily basis, I really need something is operational throughout the week.ps....I did read through earlier posts. Laurel seems like it might be the closest alternative.

Anyone going to the Caps game tomorrow night? I'm up for meeting up with people either before or after the game for drinks/food. To be honest, we'd prefer a place that has a TV in the lounge so my dear wife can keep up with the Tigers game.

It's hard to fire up the charcoal BBQ in the rain Besides, half the fun (for me anways) is relaxing by the BBQ with a beer and good music/friends to keep me company. It's not just the end result. And the food that gets me out of my cooking doldrums is usually comfort food e.g. stuff my folks always made at home. For me, that means dal, torkari, and mangsho jhol (or lentils, veggies, and lamb curry). Yours will differ, no doubt!

GASP! $14.99 for SKIRT steak? Which WF were you at? The SS WF only charges $7.99/lb for skirt. They charge $14.99/lb for flank so I wonder if your WF is mispricing. As for hanger steak, I remember seeing one of the vendors at the SS farmer's market selling meat and she had hanger steak listed. Whether or not they'll be there this upcoming weekend is debatable, since the market is almost at an end. You could try the Takoma Park market - I've been told that they have good butchers there.

Not a ridiculous question! This happens to me from time to time. For the past few weeks, as the weather has gotten worse, I've had to pass on grilling and I can't seem to make the transition to the cooktop with any real verve. Cooking in the kitchen seems like a chore after enjoying months of BBQ'ing on the deck. I don't have kids to worry about, thank goodness, but my wife is stuck with cereal or frequent trips to RTC if I don't cook (the latter not being that much of a hardship!). Some suggestions that might work for you - your mileage will vary. make the cooking environment as appealing as possible. Clean it up, turn on some music, light a candle, open a bottle of wine...whatever it takes to make you WANT to be there motivate yourself with a gift - maybe a new cookbook, kitchen toy, or special purchase from the butcher/grocer/etc cook something you want instead of something the kids/hubby want give yourself plenty of time. Don't be rushed (I know, easier said than done) I had to do a little of each of these to get myself back into the cooktop frame of mind. Good luck, Heather!

This could warrant a thread on it's own...but maybe we should be thinking about a DR's holiday happy hour? Or maybe a DR's Hallowe'en happy hour? Come dressed as your favorite tart

To be totally selfish, I'd love it if this got postponed a week or two. I really want to try the AA in SS since it's so close (and bigger crowd is better with Ethiopian food). We can't make it this week but another week would likely be fine.

A little more info here on the Galileo site. I'm looking forward to the trek out there.

I so totally nicked the recipe for the smoked salmon from the Weber site. But let me say that it always tastes better if you start the cooking after a couple of martinis.

It seems unfair to single out certain dishes, since there was no way I was going to be able to try everything. Everything we tried was delicious. But it would be a shame not to point out a few outstanding items: Ferment Everything's homemade mustard and gouda. I need a bottle of that mustard to bring with me everytime I have the charcuterie at Restaurant Kolumbia. The prosciutto and artichoke schiacciata - easily my wife's fave of the day homemade terrine (I think it was mdt's) Scott's collards - as mentioned before, absolutely delicious mktye's bacon buns - mmmmmmm.... foie gras cornbread - talk about decadent Oh, yeah .... and there was some pig product Both were excellent - and that skin...oh, that skin.... We had a great time meeting so many people! Thanks SO much to the organizers for all the hard work. We're already looking forward to the spring event!

Pressure Cooker Chili I stole the cooking technique from Alton Brown but the ingredients are a result of my inadequately stocked pantry. Also, all measurements for spices/herbs are approximate. I don't use measuring spoons for this kinda stuff. 1.5 lbs chuck blade, cubed 1 lb boneless pork chops, cubed 1 lb leg of lamb, cubed 2 cans Guinness beer 2 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp dried oregano 6 dried cayenne peppers (with seeds removed) 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa 1 tsp cinnamon 1 28oz can diced tomatoes 1 14oz can kidney beans 2 chipotles in adobe sauce 2 cups beef stock 1 cube beef demi glace Salt to taste Sear all cubed meats in batches so they are well browned. Deglaze pot with all the Guinness and add all the meat back. The liquid should just barely cover the meat. Lock down the top and bring it to pressure. Let it cook for about 45 mins, all the while keeping the pressure so that there's just a bit of a whistle. While the meat's cooking, make your chili powder. I usually use a combo of several dried chilis but all five stores I went to were out - so I had to make do with just cayenne. You should try anchos, new mexicos, etc to get some sweetness. Anyhow, Toast the cumin, coriander and dried peppers until fragrant. Grind in a coffee mill along with oregano and paprika. De-pressurize your cooker and open it up. The meat should be soft enough that the fibres come apart simply from the pressure of the back of a spoon. Remove all the meat to a bowl and shred the meat, then add it back to the liquid. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, ground spices, cinnamon, and cocoa. Chop up the chipotles and add them to pot. Salt to taste. Add beef stock and demi glace and let it cook down for about an hour over low heat. It shouldn't be too watery and the stock/demi glace should create a rich texture and smell. Serve with toasted challah bread.

Darn! You nicked that? I have to say that it was one of our favorites from the picnic. My wife was badgering my last night to make sure I got the recipe. I think it'll go nicely with alot of the Indian dishes I make. Great job on it!

We island-hopped through the Cyclades islands in the Med for our honeymoon. Every taverna we went into had their own homemade retsina which we got thoroughly addicted to. Every morning, we'd stop off at the tavernas and fill up 2 litre pop bottles with their product and drink it as we sailed to another island. I was quite surprised to find that the Adega wine shop in SS was selling retsina. Alas, it was too good to be true. It didn't have that pine flavour that I was craving. I'm guessing it was "toned down" for western tastes. Anyone had positive experiences buying retsina stateside? Any places around here that sell the good stuff?

I don't like to buy meat from Giant, et al. We only purchase it from local farmers or WF. The reason isn't that I'm pro-organic but rather that I'm anti-factory farming. Don't get me wrong - I love to eat meat. But it doesn't mean that I can justify animals being mistreated so that I can stuff my face. It was reading Fast Food Nation that started me down this road but what really convinced me was reading Dominion by Matthew Scully (a Republican animal rights activist - fancy that!). I have no delusions that the meat I buy comes from Happy Cows that prance in fields playing football, but I like to think that at least they're not treated as miserably as they are in factory farms. /hopping off the moral soapbox

I work right on Rockville Pike (waaay up in G'burg) - can I come too??

Just picked it up at the local Borders. Sweet! Thanks again for a great recommendation!