Mrs. B

Anyone ever see/try/hear of the shortrib recipe in today's Post Food Section for ribs braised with teriyaki & prune juice? I think I might give it a go just based upon its utter easiness.

Where are motorized step-on/step-off vehicles/seated personal transportation (like amigos) kept when a patron is dining? Patrons don't always pull up to the table and stay in them do they?

In trying to gather all the ingredients to make this brine, I have had no luck finding star anise--none at the regular grocery stores or Whole Foods.  Is star anise a must-have for the brine, or could I replace it with regular old anise seeds?  Or does anyone know where I might be able to pick up some star anise?

thanks

For those interested, Jose Andres is on the Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU (88.5 FM) right now.

I will be either stuffing ravioli or topping homemade pappardelle with shredded leftover lamb shanks that I braised using a new (to me) recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook for lamb shanks stifado. Cool things about that recipe? You start by caramelizing sugar, add vinegar, wine & cinnamon & tomatos then braise. Verrry tasty.

I noticed that several of the recipes called for asafoetida, which I think no longer is available.  Carcinogenic I think.  I also understand that it has a very strong odor.

Montmarte

Chef,

You mentioned that caramel is a favorite for winter dessert. Would you share with us some ideas on your favorite preparations? Do you see this flavor paired perhaps with passion fruit?

Also, are oeufs a la neige or floating island's as I know them too "old school" to have any relevance on today's table. I have a real soft spot for this dessert and will serve them no matter what, but I need to know if I should blush when I do it.

[ducking] Kevin at the Palm [\ducking]. Waitman took my SIL there for a cocktail and Kevin gave him the evil eye and upon W-man's departure suggested in no uncertain terms that his (Kevin's) regards be extended to me - as in "say hello to your wife" (you scum I have your number) .

You are all nuts. The answer is obvious: Clyde's.

I really enjoyed their fried chicken livers, very comfort food.

I think that (Clyde's) Old Ebbitt would suit better (we waited too long to get a res. for Christmas so settled for Mega-C). This spot has pleased (but not not not the atrium!) the family unit (including a discerning 65 yr. old mom) for 2 Holy Communions and 1 Confirmation. Not culinary cutting edge by any means but probably within the budget and I like the nekkid ladies on the walls behind the bars I also like all the other architectural flourishes that come off well considering the size of this place (though I miss the fact that they aren't in the same place I saw them in 1980).

The menu is broad enough to suit all. This dish was most beloved by my dearly departed mom Cannelloni di Casa house-made pasta stuffed with spinach, mortadella ham and three cheeses, baked in a cream sauce

My teens have also enjoyed Bistro Francais and the 13 yr old girl is currently in a swoon over Circle Bistro. Would also add to the Firefly and Corduroy chorus.

This has nothing to do with breastfeeding and everything to do with public exposure of body parts that generally are kept covered when in public.  Some people are uncomfortable with that and the public breastfeeders are insensitive to the other peoples' discomfort.  There is no right answer to this.  The public breastfeeders are going to keep on doing what they do to the continued discomfort of those who are discomforted by it.  Who is right?

So I was insensative to all the other old fuddies out there .

Wow, I'm just not sure where to jump in on this discussion since it has been beaten to death both here and on eG and many of the most important points have been eloquently made, but since I held my tongue over there I am going to unload over here.

I breast-fed both my children in public. At the Mall and at the mall, on the plane, on the train, but never outside in the rain.

I did/do not view it as an intimate act but a utilitarian one that allowed me to go about my life in as normal a way as possible. My modesty did dictate that I keep it between me and the child even in the most public of places. That didn't usually require a blanket depending on the shirt, though I would usually have one at hand even though they are kind of a "look at me I'm nursing" flag. I certainly didn't spend the nursing time looking lovingly down at my feeding child (course I'm certain I never did that even while feeding them in private - eeww!) but continued a normal conversation. I don't think that it is my or my kids birthright to be fed on will in any public place then or now but if the kid is hungry and the boobs are full and you can do it discreetly, fine and boob letchers (not to be confused with boob leeches which are what the little shits are) should also enjoy discreetly as Al Dented so quaintly put it .

I seem to recall that Dupont Circle and the Golden Triangle were wified but have not verified.

Firefly is a delightful place if you want to spend the hours knocking back $11 dollar martinis with legal professionals in a restaurant that employs a decorator.  But if you're in that neighborhood anyway and you've a mind for affordable, yet Amis-level binge-drinking, you might consider a couple of carafes of cheap Greek wine at Zorba's, followed by a steak frites at Bistro du Coin and a desparate attempt to shove crumpled bills into an aging stripper's garter as the ground beneath her feet -- or is it your feet? -- sways in disconcerting patterns, at the Royal Palace. 

Not that I recommend it, but my husband  seems to think it's a fine way to spend the evening.   

How about:  drinks at Firefly, then more drinks somewhere else, then finish up the evening with drinks in yet another location? 

And maybe some food somewhere along the way?

Firefly is a delightful place if you want to spend the hours knocking back $11 dollar martinis with legal professionals in a restaurant that employs a decorator. But if you're in that neighborhood anyway and you've a mind for affordable, yet Amis-level binge-drinking, you might consider a couple of carafes of cheap Greek wine at Zorba's, followed by a steak frites at Bistro du Coin and a desparate attempt to shove crumpled bills into an aging stripper's garter as the ground beneath her feet -- or is it your feet? -- sways in disconcerting patterns, at the Royal Palace.

Not that I recommend it, but my husband seems to think it's a fine way to spend the evening.

I know that pork and apples are the natural combination but what else could I use besides apple cider or calvados?  I'm not a huge apple or sweet and savory fan.  Beer maybe? 

Mrs. B-I'm asking nicely and would bring you gin if I had any.  Wisdom please....

May I have my gin now?

I liked the New Mexican sparklers from Gruet quite a bit for the price and the (to me) novelty. Is this for a party of for consumption over a period of time?

It is unimaginable that one could emerge from The Raven without the reak of cigarette smoke clinging to every molecule of ones being.

So wrong, so very, very wrong.

I am an (at this point) unrepentant ex-smoker btw.

We had a "famous face" call for a last minute reservation.  We were able to accomodate them not because they were famous (in fact they called not using their famous name), but because there were these nice sounding people on the phone and they were asking if they could be squeezed in.  We said yes and discovered that they were celebrities only on arrival.  They were a blast.  They let me explain the menu, help them chose a wine (nothing expensive, but a real gem), help them order.  They were a fun group in the restaurant and wound up buying Dino tee shirts.  I wish I had hundreds more customers like them. not because they are famous, but because they are the kind of people I want in my restaurant.  People I can share my passion for food with. 

From today's Washington Post:

"Hey, Isn't That . . .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

. . . Jenna and Barbara Bush dining at Dino in Cleveland Park Saturday night? The party of six (three guys, three girls) drank Dolcetto wine and shared salumi, cheese and pasta at the family-style restaurant-- and the twins each bought a Dino T-shirt: Jenna the $10 gold tee with Nicky the Venetian lion logo on the chest; Barbara the $15 chocolate limited-edition "Lion on Your Belly" version.

Charles (Waitman) cross-dressing as Stephanie again. Sorry. Mrs. B would never call Nadya a crank.

It could also be a reponse to the increased amount of discourse and criticisms of the restaurants themselves on sites like this and eG and others.

Naaaah. I'm the crankiest of critics but I still try to be polite when I go out. I'd say sites are a healthy outlet. And, antbody who spends any time on one of these, is sure to pick up on how much better restaurant staff/owners respond to polite people.

Especially cranks like Nadya and Dean.

The Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant in the Chastleton on 16th St., before they renovated the building and kicked them out. (They reopened on, I think, 17th St., but never made a go of it.) My introduction to Ethiopian, and a nice place.

edited for grade school grammer.

For the carnivores I must enthusiastically recommend Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly's book "The Complete Meat Cookbook." I have been pleased with each recipe I've tried. It includse a discussion of various approaches to cooking meat, and individual chapters about meat varieties that addresses choosing the correct cut for various presentations and also describes the yummy overlooked cuts of each variety.

I don't know, however, quite what to make of the author's inscription (met him at Dupont market) "You can't beat good meat."

Is Sodere a go or no go for tomorrow?

I agree with the non-stick solutions (don't use it if you want good fond), I would take a slight issue with the handles question if oven space is tight. Spend your money on high end removal mitts or such rather than handles on your pan. One can save oven space by not trying to make room for such useful items (assuming they are fixed rather than hinged). I am completely open to disagreement since I have never, nor will I ever roast a turkey but have had some serious sides of beef and other large fleshy things come out of my oven in pans sans handles.

This is enameled, I presume?  Where is Rodmans?