xcanuck

Stopped in here for the first time. Miso ramen soup was simple but very tasty. Excellent broth!! The pork cutlet wasn't so much a cutlet as a slice. I don't know if the ramen noodles are on par with what are considered high quality noodles in Japan. I understand that they're imported from Japan, which must contribute to the high cost. I'd stop in again if I was in the area and hungry, but a bowl of beef noodle soup from JNH or the excellent congee from Wong Gee would be preferred choices (and MUCH less expensive).

In his online chat today, Tom Sietsema posted this excellent dining guide for Montreal. He says "One of the best guides to Montreal comes courtesy of my friend Francois Furstenberg, a professor of American history at the University of Montreal (and the son of local baker Mark Furstenberg, my long-time friend). " I love the personalized Google Map that comes with it.

Lisa and I went to the Chevy Chase location last week. She (and her friend) stuck to items off the standard menu, whereas I decided to simply ask the sushi chef to surprise me with whatever dishes he thought were the best that day (essentially omakase). While Lisa and her friend had a reasonably decent (and boring) meal, mine kicked serious ass. Piter was the sushi chef and he started me off with a couple of fairly conservative dishes. But as things progressed, he got more and more into it and started serving up some really interesting items. After a starter of ohitashi and grilled baby octopus, Piter served me the following: Japanese snapper - ok... Seared marinated tuna - more or less ok... Fresh scallop - now we're getting some decent stuff Salmon confit - amazing! Slow cooked for over an hour, it looked raw but simply melted in your mouth with a delicious, rich flavour. Spotted prawn with caviar and onion vinaigrette - very good Flounder carpaccio - excellent! Squid with quail egg and wasabi dressing - oh, wow. I don't think I've had squid quite this tender and tasty. The quail egg/wasabi dressing was fantastic. Very creamy, spicy, and complex. Uni and flounder fin - served slightly roasted. Both were delicate tasting and the flavours were very complimentary. At this point, I cried "Uncle". Piter came up with some really tasty dishes, once he realized that I was comfortable with anything he threw at me. I tell you, I simply can't wait to go back. A little on the pricey side but you certainly get what you pay for.

You can find the menu for the Tavern on their MySpace page. I was told that it's open Thu-Sun with the possibility of it opening on Monday nights once the NFL season starts.

Yeah, while I didn't agree with everything said in Mackey's op-ed piece, it was a thoughtful point of view that didn't negate the call for health care reform. I don't see the need for boycotting WF.

The patio is gorgeous and the whole place gives off the vibe of being The Ultimate Neighbourhood Hangout. I don't think I'd leave this place, either, if I lived in the area. The menu is primarily small plates with some paninis, as goodeats pointed out. Reasonably priced but it would get expensive to make a full meal out of it. Quantity is sacrificed in favour of quality (e.g. only two beers on tap, but they're damn good beers!). And did I mention how great the patio is? The staff were fantastic, too. I'd love to see a certain establishment in my neck of the woods exude this kind of warmth and customer friendly attitude. ETA - and thx to Jake for introducing me to the joys of ti-punch and the Minister of Rum himself!

Add me to the list for 9/28. I will wear my "Fonzie" t-shirt in hopes of being accepted by the Cool Kids.

Thx for organizing this, Daniel. A good time for a good cause. And I was eventually allowed to hang out at the cool kids' table.

Sounds like Jake has a cot in the back room.

What are the post DCCK plans? I could go for a nice cocktail and nibblies. Thinking Oyamel or Proof. Or someplace else.

I checked the place out for lunch today and brought home some take out. Spinach and tofu soup - just what it sounds like. Light chicken broth with soft tofu and fresh spinach. The broth is somewhat lackluster but then again, I had it after some of the other dishes and my tongue was already a wee numb. I can see this working well if you have it first, especially if you're ill and in need of something comforting but not too spicy. Beef Tripe with Spicy Sauce - a wee little too much oil for my liking but the overall flavour and texture of the tripe was outstanding. I mixed in a little rice to help absorb the oil. I can't get over how the texture was what I enjoyed the most. Not chewy at all! The peppercorns really stood out. I love this dish! Bean Curd Salad with Chinese Greens - this was mostly pressed bean curd, edamame, and noodles. A little too delicate, considering I dove straight into the tripe first and then went to this. Lisa really liked it. Shredded chicken with pickled cabbage - delicious!! The sour of the pickled cabbage went well with the heat of the chicken. There were ample amounts of pickled carrots in there, too, which were surprisingly refreshing. This was my favorite entree. Shredded pork with garlic sauce - not bad. A little sweet and the sauce was a little "gloppy" but not a bad taste. I preferred the shredded chicken, though. If it were just me, I wouldn't order it again but I wouldn't turn it away if someone else got it. All this for $30! There's so much more to explore on the menu, too. The main lesson we learned today is to pay careful attention to the order that you eat the food. It makes a difference. I'm not sure if this place is better than JNH but as long as they don't dumb down the heat level, then this may become our "go to" for Sichuan lunch.

I've followed Ruhlman's recipe for Pâté de Campagne several times and it's always worked out well (I served up a large slab of it at the last picnic, in case you were there).It's appropriate to be "heavy handed" since the flavours are somewhat muted when served cold. However, I've never cured the meat overnight - just for a few hours. Maybe the difference lies there?

Whole Foods in Silver Spring regularly carries them.

A less respectable but intriguing answer is similar but different. The curing times for different sausages will depend on, among other things, the thickness of the casing. This particular sausage uses the thickest casing which (as Poivrot Farci mentions) is from the end of the pig's large intestine, or closest to the rectum. Some believe the "rosette" refers to the shape of the anus. Drinks to both of you.

Well, I might as well start depositing my entire paycheque in Proof's bank account, especially once the Caps start playing at the Verizon Centre again. I went there for the first time just last Friday. I admit that I went because Adam is working there and we were anxious for one his amazing cocktails. I knew people were raving about the food but I had no idea just how good it was. The cheese and charcuterie selection is excellent (and just why DO they call it a Rosette de Lyon? I'll buy a drink to anyone that knows the answer!). We had the stuffed/fried squash blossoms, panzanella, chilled tomato soup, crispy cauliflower, veal sweetbreads, miso glazed sablefish, and crispy duck & pork confit. Well, damn if it wasn't some of the best eating we've ever had!! I think our mains were a little TOO rich - the sweetbreads had me in food coma and Lisa was struggling to finish off the confit, but you couldn't stop because it was all so good! The highlights were actually some of the lighter fare. The panzanella and chilled tomato soup were definite faves given that tomatoes are finally in season. And the blue cheese with raw honey on the cheese plate was heavenly! We had a fantastic time. We'll definitely be back (again and again).

I guess I'll be the contrarian here. I tried the Wheaton location of EPR today for lunch. No crowd, In and out in minutes. I took the food home but I live less than a 2 min drive away so that should factor into things. I got the half chicken with fries, cole slaw, tortillas, and extra hot sauce. I just don't get it. What flavour? The bland spice mix that got burned onto the skin? The almost inedible dry white meat that had zero juices? The hot sauce that tasted like a simple puree of jalapenos, vinegar, and water? The tasteless and limp fries? The cole slaw and the dark meat were the only edible portions of my meal. Even so, the cole slaw wasn't as good as anything the Colonel sells you and the best thing I can say about the dark meat is that it's competes on even ground with rotisserie chicken from Giant. Bleh! I want my $8.75 back. I want those 1000 calories back (oh, lord...will it really take over an hour and a half going full tilt on the elliptical to burn that crap off?). Nando's Peri Peri is still the best restaurant chicken out there. Otherwise, I'll save my money and calories for chicken cooked (properly) at home.

Better late than never. The Silver Spring Pengiun reports that they broke ground last week for the new Hook and Ladder brewpub.

Leopold Bros are going to start distributing their liquors in the DC/VA/MD area and will be hosting a series of tastings in the area. There will be a tasting TONIGHT (Wednesday) from 5-7pm at Napa 1015 from (1015 H Street NE). Tasting will include vodka, blackberry whiskey, and absinthe, and they're offering cocktail deals on drinks that include any Leopold Bros spirits. Full disclosure: Lisa is friends with the owners and asked me to post this. I will say that we do enjoy their gin and tart cherry liqueur. I'll try to post more of their tastings as they happen.

So my cast iron grates arrived yesterday. I'm guessing that - like any other kind of cast iron utensil - they should be seasoned before use. Would you agree? I'm guessing just brush with oil and get really hot before cooking anything on it. Other suggestions?

Wow...I can think of some uses for that!!Generally speaking, I agree with you about Andres' restaurants being a little too dear. But we love Oyamel for the food and the bartenders. More often than not, they're extremely entertaining, responsive, and generous. I've never sat at a table in Oyamel so can't comment on the servers but we've found that we prefer to sit at the bar at Zaytinya and Jaleo because the bar service is superior to the table service. But I can say the same about RtC so it's probably not a reflection on Jose Andres. Yeah - this was a useless post. I just wanted to talk about the cactus paddle. Please sir, may I have another?

I would guess the latter. And if you squint hard enough, Michael does kinda look like Jimmy Page. Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg.

Actually, I've gotten pork belly from them before (and really good stuff, too). But that was about a year ago, so things may have changed.

Dan - this is awesome!! Thanks sooo much for posting this. Can't wait to grill steak on this baby!!

This NPR article may be of interest to some.

I'm still experimenting/learning when it comes to smoking meat so in these cases, I usually defer to someone like Steve Raichlen (of BBQ U fame). Here's a recipe on their site which looks to cover all bases: http://www.bbqu.net/season3/305_4.html#smoklahoma