vickie

I'm looking for a restaurant to take some friends to after an event at Catholic University tonight. It will probably be around 9 p.m. Any thoughts?

I agree. Dr. Dunn and his staff are definitely worth the extra hassle of paying the bill yourself and filing with your insurance. Along with the excellent care received on a regular basis from him, I have had to call his service several times on the weekend before going on a trip. Each time, it has been Dr. Dunn who called me back, not one of his partners, and he was always familiar with my medical history, what I do for a living and special details pertinent to my case. I could not recommend him more highly.

Vickie Reh

Food Matters was packed last night with people wishing them well. Tom was cooking his heart out up until the last minute. Hopefully now he can get some rest.

Bada Bing - for Philly & NY sandwich-fans. Arlington-only, right now, I'm afraid. (I like their logo.)

Where in Rosslyn?

After time spent rearranging my cellar, I decided to splurge a little. I had found a forgotten case of 2002 Daniel-Etienne Defaix Chablis Vieilles Vignes. I was a little nervous that I might have left it a bit long, but it was smooth and lovely. We followed that with a 1997 Sassetti Pertimali Brunello which was so beautiful. Both wines made me really happy. If only I could drink like that every night.

I had a really nice dinner at Dino's last Monday. It was my first time there since I unfortunately don't get to go out much. The stuffed duck neck was excellent and Dean sent us out a nice radish with anchovy sauce appetizer. I had a difficult time picking a wine because there were so many I wanted to drink, but finally settled on the 2007 Sassetti Rosso and it was very good. At the end of the meal, I went with a glass Pieri 2004 Brunello with my cheese course while my husband finished with the Altesino Grappa di Brunello. Hopefully, I'll make it over there again sometime soon.

2006 Chambre d'Edouard, Domaine Grosbot Barbara, Saint Pourçain Rouge. A delicious but geeky littly pinot noir from my friend Ed Addiss at Wine Traditions.

"I have passed the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."

i know, i know. i just couldn't refuse. i am such a nerd.

You may be a nerd, but you make damn good gelato. Congratulations on the compliments. You deserve them!

I managed to sneak out of Buck's during service on Tuesday to attend the Casa Nonna open house. I wasn't there that long as I had to get back to work, but it was really great seeing Amy and her crew (full disclosure, Amy and I are friends). I know how hard they have been working getting ready for this opening and how dedicated Amy is to the concept of Italian home cooking. A friend of mine who was there after me was able to snag some food from the pasta/meat station said it was really good, especially the chicken picata. Simple Italian food is one of my favorite things, and I'm excited about going back next Monday to taste at my leisure

I was at Terroir a couple of summers ago and my server was wearing an official Terroir t-shirt with the words Pedro F---ing* Ximenez on it. It tried to buy one as a present for Tom Brown but they were sold out. Too bad.

*Except it was spelled out. I can't remember what the profanity rules are on this board. I'm sure someone will inform me in short order.

To Liesel Flashenberg, founder of Through the Kitchen Door, truly one of the best people I have ever known.

Comet Ping Pong and Buck's Fishing & Camping

Kitchen Manager: We are looking for an experienced kitchen manager for Comet Ping Pong. Must have strong prep skills as well as the ability to manage staff and run a busy shift. Ability to speak Spanish and play ping pong a plus.

Line Cook: Buck's is looking for a part time line cook to fill in two to three nights during the week. Saute and grill experience helpful.

Interested parties should pm me or e-mail me at vickie@macuisineva.com.

I am assuming rennet is involved in the process, so they wouldn’t be vegetarian.

It's made with vinegar, not rennet, so the dish is vegetarian. My grandmother back in Kansas used to make her own cottage cheese. This isn't her recipe, but the memory of hers inspired me to learn to make it. I'm glad you liked it.

Sure, though a lot of stuff is too woody. For whites, look for wines from the Ribeiro region. For reds, it's a pretty big mishmash of styles, but two importers, Grapes of Spain and Jonas Gustafsson, bring in excellent wines. This importer thing is important--find a few importers whose wines match your palate, and your life will be a lot easier.

I would add to the list, Andre Tamers of De Maison Selections.

Ed Addiss, Wine Traditions

To Samantha Stosur. First Henin, then Serena and now Jankovic. Next up, the Finals. First Aussie woman to reach the Finals of the French Open in I don't know how long. At least 30 years I would think. Of course, I'm just toasting her with a cup of tea before rushing off to work, but even so. . .

I'm honored to be in agreement with you, Vickie. Tom Sietsema had some extremely positive things to say about you this past weekend in the Dining Guide, and I for one can't wait to try the pictured roasted chicken from your kitchen.

Thank you very much. If you have your heart set on the chicken you should call ahead to verify it is on the menu that night. I get them from Eco Friendly Foods and from Whitmore Farms (who also provides my eggs) and sometimes the chickens are in limited supply in the size I want.

I used to live in Springfield and Burke and went to Village Chicken often. I agree I always thought they were greek or mediterranean.

The only downside to this news is that Bruce won't be at the farmers markets anymore.

Or working Garde Manger for me at Buck's on Tuesday nights anymore either. Still I'm really happy for him and for the meat lovers of Arlington.

While I do not have the depth of details that many others have posted, I do have a couple of examples to add. My complaint with Yelp is based on inaccuracy as well as suppression of reviews. The top review you see of Buck's is dated 1/22/2010. It is positive (4 stars), but is inaccurate. In the review, the reviewer comments on food (deviled eggs, chicken liver, and a mozzarella, beet and pistachio salad) that has not been served at Buck's since I took over last June. It also states that we don't take reservations--a policy which changed last summer as well. Clearly this is an old review that has been marked with the wrong date, but there is no way to request it's removal.

Also, I haven't been tracking this for very long, but we have had at least one review removed. If you do a Buck's Google search, an excerpt of a review appears mentioning that I have taken over as Chef, but that review does not appear anywhere on the current list of reviews for Buck's.

My only problem with people bringing flowers is then I have to stop what I am doing and arrange the flowers.

It looks like On The Fly is partnering with Comet Ping Pong.

We're looking for a high-energy, food lover to run the food cart at GW. If anyone is interested, they can PM me and I'll pass it on to James.

I'm featuring Turkey and White Bean Chili on Sunday nights at Buck's. A bowl of delicious chili and a piece of cornbread for $10. Come taste!

On his blog, Tom acknowledges the issues that Zora raises without really explaining how Kevin solved them:

"Kevin had drawn the leg of the pig to work with. There are a few things one could do. For example, one could have roasted the whole thing, or steamed it out and then sliced it into cutlets and made a schnitzel. Kevin went very simple: he chose to grind up the whole thing and make a pate, a terrine. It was kind of risky, actually, as a terrine really needs to be made well in advance to let it cure and let the flavors blend. Another potential pitfall is that while a terrine seems like a simple thing – basically a cold meat-loaf – you need to make sure that everything (and I mean everything) is very, very cold when you’re grinding it – the pork, the blade, everything – so that you’re actually cutting it and not just making mush. And, finally, a terrine needs to be seasoned well from the get-go; you can’t cook it and adjust the seasoning at the end. It is thus deceptively simple while actually requiring finesse and skill in execution on several levels to pull off well. Kevin had that skill."

I always make rillettes using a technique half way between a braise and a confit. Lots of rendered fat and some wine and water to raise the liquid level to about 2/3 cover the meat and then cook slowly for about 8 hours. It's a recipe that I concocted after consulting with the people at Hardouin in Vouvray (best rillettes in the world) and using parts of recipes from Anne Willan and Paul Bocuse. I never cover it completely with fat as with a confit, or braise it only in liquid. It turns out rich,fatty and delicious. In fact, I just made some on Sunday and took it to work yesterday for staff snack.

That being said, when Laurine said she was making a confit in such a short amount of time, I knew she was heading for disaster. On top of the necessary presalting time, and the lengthy cooking time, there wouldn't have been enough time for it to cool before serving.

I wish I were high-tech enough to figure out how to send photos from my phone to this website. I have great pictures of Bruce and Eric (and the pig of course). The pork was supermoist, the barbecue sauce contest was delicious and Bruce and Eric were their usual entertaining selves.