goodeats

That's hilarious, because that's what it's called in Chinese: seven-spice (or flavor) powder. Thanks Xochitl10!

Yes, you're right. I always get the 2 stations confused. Sorry!

"Dees iz not Top Scallops, itz Top Chef!" was all I can think of when Radhika's team had the scallops + chickpea cake dish. I started laughing when that dish was served because it was channeling Fabio's rant. All I could think about when Carla defended herself was, "Mmmmmm. She's channeling some Southern Mama right there." Sass. It was great to watch. I think the guest judge won the annoying award this episode, rather than Toby. But Stefan's mint chocolate lollipops looked really appetizing. I just felt bad that the freezers weren't working well for them.

That's funny -- that was how I was taught to cook ramen. Ichiban will also be close to my heart as it was the first brand of ramen I ever had, and it was the first brand that I learned how to cook ramen. Now I'm getting all sentimental...Nowadays, I don't add any of the packets, use a dashi base, and add roast pork and tofu and the Japanese spice powder that comes with a red cap. Don't know what that's called in English.

Add me pls!

Out of all the local Legal Seafoods in this area, Crystal City's food and service has been consistently good. Aside from Ray's & Guajillo's, Greenberry Coffee & Tea (also a chain) has decent coffee for a breakfast run. In the same plaza, Pho 75 can satisfy your pho fix, but the chicken pho is nothing to sneeze at. Many people like coffee at Murky, which is at the Clarendon metro stop. Also near Rosslyn metro is Me Jana (Mediterranean) and Minh's (Vietnamese). For a Chinese fix, TNR Cafe might do the trick at the Courthouse metro stop, but it's a slight walk. Closer option might be Cafe Asia, but it's fusion food and it's hit-or-miss, I think.

The Asian Gazette ad stated they are having a "Grand Opening on February 27, 2008." ?? There's also something about 30% off to celebrate the grand opening with the following specials (sorry if it's a bit off, as I'm translating from Chinese): $9.99 for Soju; $13.99 for Boneless Short Ribs (beef small ribs? orig. $19.99); $12.99 for Pork Belly slices (orig. $17.99); $6.99 for seafood pancake. There's also a lunch special for LA Galbi beef + cold noodles for $9.99. Did something change? If so, maybe that's why hillvalley + group's experience was different?? I've not been there, but found the grand opening announcement interesting, so I thought I would post it.

Diced pineapple in lime jello, courtesy of Dole. :blush:

Well, lucky is the man (or woman) to get real crab meat out of those fried goodies (unless you make it yourself). Mom's recipe incorporated lots of imitation crab meat, cream cheese, salt and pepper, and even minced celery (if you do use celery, leech the moisture out of it first), on wonton wrappers and fried to melty perfection. But, color me pink is the meat of choice, which will be why there's no "crab-looking" at you. Heehee.

I think the menu and perhaps even owners have changed since last posts on this thread. But intrigued by an ad in the Chinese yellow pages, I truly thank ol_ironstomach and gubeen for being good sports to accompany me on this venture. The cooking style here, to describe its authentic region, is Hunan homestyle. It's not flashy, nor is it well-presented as some other Chinese places in this area, but the flavors were there, even if the chef was a bit heavy-handed with the salt here. There is now 1 full menu dedicated to Chinese dishes and had 4 to 5 pages of what I considered "comfort Chinese food." It is all in Chinese, with no accompanying translation, so if you go, make sure to drag someone who can translate. I was too shy to ask for recommendations but the staff was friendly and spoke English, so I am going out on a limb to say that they will probably help you pick out dishes to try if you do go. We ordered the following items: scallion pancakes; scallion meat-filled pancakes; ants in a tree; chili-fried duck; stir-fried rice cakes and bean curd skin with pickled vegetables. The scallion pancakes were the best I've had in this area, and mostly eaten with approval by gebaby. They had a true scallion flavor to it and not a doughy flavor like I've had at some places. My favorite was the ants in a tree (or ants climbing up a tree?), made with bean thread noodles, ground pork, soy sauce and chilies. Even though there was heat, it didn't overwhelm the dish, so the meat flavor really came out. The noodles were done just right and not mushy too. The weakest dish was the rice cakes. Although the rice cakes were stir-fried just right, it was lifeless. Overall, I would come back and try more dishes from the Hunan section of the Chinese menu, I think.

Unlike Don's experience at Bistro du Coin last night packed full of people, Enology had a humming buzz to its smallish crowd. That is, except for the brief mini-Obamarama next to me, with the patron hollering to Corbin to "turn it up" on the televised rebroadcast of the mall concert (which is great and all, but this was definitely no Ireland Four Courts) at the bar. The small plates section is divided in three ways: light bodied; medium bodied; and full bodied. As ReconJohn0321 said, the prices ranged $6-12 between the three sections. The must-try item of the three is the Long Island Duck Breast in the full bodied section for $11. Cooked to your tastes (medium, in this case), it is seared and plated with a flavorfully spiced sweet potato puree, pearl onions (omitted), and dried cherry jus. The breast was quite moist and its counterparts elevated the duck flavor when eaten together. I didn't miss the pearl onions at all. Corbin recommended a glass of the Ridge "Lytton Springs" Zinfindel for $12 to pair with this dish, and its full-bodied flavor help defuse any oily taste the duck may have had. Other wines by the glass ranged from $9 and up. My companion ordered the three flights of the Rhone Reds for $18, which consisted of the Eberle Cote-du-Rhone, Spencer Grenache, and Rosenblum Mourvedre. Another item not to miss is the Herbed Frites for $6 with the truffled aioli, creamy thai chili sauce, and roasted tomato ketchup dipping sauces. Rivaling the best belgian frites in this area, including Brasserie Beck, these frites were cleaned up in an instant with its lightly herbed, non-greasy taste. The only miss of the night for me was the Lobster Raviolo for $10. Like an open-faced sandwich, it was a strip of thick raviolo wrapped around the lobster filling, topped with a creamy tomato sauce. While my friend liked it a lot, I found parts of the pasta undercooked (doughy) to my tastes, and the smokiness of the tomato sauce really put me off, as I felt that the smokey flavor didn't really pair well with the filling. In addition, the filling really reminded me of a crab dip, the texture mushy and meshy. But, the flavor was definitely there. Enology has a simple cheese selection that is ordered in flights of three, four or five, and chosen from the Blue, Cow, Goat or Sheep sections. Aside from choosing a flight of three ($12) of the Blue Westfield Hubbardson (goat's milk with a mushroomy, creamy taste), Uplands "Pleasant Ridge" Cows cheese, and Nancy's Hudson Camembert (a smooth, buttery, triple creme), we indulged in a Chocolate Torte from the dessert selection as well. The cheese flight of three comes with four slices of bread, a side of olives, three small wedges of the cheeses and some quince paste. The torte was also served as a wedge, plated with creme fraiche and raspberry sauce. What paired really well was the combined bite of the torte plus camembert. The creaminess of this camembert resulted in a marscapone-like effect with chocolate. Corbin was a wonderful server and gentleman, and Enology was satisfying and unwinded two stressed-out mamas for the evening.

I tried to go soon after the Washingtonian article came out with their review, but the night I went, a huge electrical blowout occurred causing Annandale Road and that strip mall to go completely powerless. It's on my list to go, and now I'm more excited to try it based on your review cheesepowder.

Maybe parts of some of those chemical structures, but part of the filter is the charcoal, which is only an absorbant of the impurities, and only if it would bind, if I'm remembering correctly. I think no, but maybe I'm wrong. On the other hand, the bright news is that you now can recycle Brita filters at participating WFs.

I think tonight's episode was inspiring for me to want to help out harvesting at local farms come harvest times. Has DR done a group event (other than the farm moving/building a few years back) recently? Are there farms that look for volunteers? How would it work? Thanks.

Well, it's definitely not fail-proof though, as I recently signed up online, only to be told that the signup date online was an error and there was actually no shift that day. I know that you know the system well DanielK, having volunteered numerous times, but I'm the "just to be safe" type of person too.

FWIW, I've not had good luck with sushi zen on Mondays. I don't know if it's just me and Garfield, but on the times I've ordered on Mondays, the sashimi is sub-par.

Having eaten at several K street/Dupont corridor lunch places, I think $6.50 - $7.50 is now the average for a sandwich (agreeing with ladi kai lemoni -- heck, Greek Deli stuff starts at $7.25 right?). But for me, some of these sandwiches will last me for 2 meals. Plus, if the turkey carved is anything like the one I had tonight at their Grand Opening, then I think the thick, juicy, moist slices will be worth the money. I don't think a Boar's Head can be in the same category as this place, having eaten a few BH sandwiches, but that's my .02. I think the owner, Teri, has a good heart opening a Green restaurant. All the plasticware and plates are environmentally biodegradable. Having met her wonderfully supportive family (thanks Gina!), I hope this place will succeed because all of them have Heart, with a capital H. Please keep Mama D (Teri's mom) in your thoughts and warmth. According to Gina, Teri's sister, they use Counter Culture beans. There was heavy barista training too, from what I was told. Visiting tonight was a bit like the atmosphere on the tv show Cheers. I hope it will be a place where everyone knows your name as soon as you go to the bar downstairs.

FYI, Grand Opening Party today at 3:45pm (according to their website).

Sounds like they're doing training and have a free lunch today (this is based off of the lady in the elevator just now-- I already had lunch, sadly [eta: which is why I can't confirm if it's free or not]). The location is right outside of Farragut West metro's 18th & I entrance, if anyone's interested. When I came in this morning, the brown paper was off the windows & it looks like a decent space (****with very limited seating). **Double ETA: According to the mgr (yes, I walked over -- too curious), the real opening is next Monday, and this week is the free lunch-test week. Flyers will be handed out between 8-9am every morning this week, to give away *300* lunches at 12:15pm every day this week. Turn in the flyer for a sandwich or salad + popcorn or brownie. Drinks not included. Good luck! ***there was something else about if you didn't a flyer, you can talk to the manager about getting a free lunch anyway, but assuming it's within the 300.

I don't know if the Clarendon location is going downhill or it's just my luck there. Tonight I bought an expensive dessert only to find it moldy upon opening it, and I had to return foul-smelling ground chicken not too long ago.

See this thread. I went last week and there were familiar faces. They have some lovely Taiwanese cookie boxes and Japanese cookie boxes just in time for the new year celebration.

Ouch, that must hurt after 12 hrs!

Well, it's almost that time of the year again. Chinese New Year is on the Monday, January 26 this year and now celebrating the Year of the Ox/Bull. Other than sweeping out the old and buying new clothes (or hoarding red envelopes, heehee), are there restaurants to try specials at? Anyone want to take a field trip to Odenton to see if Grace Garden has specials?? I really miss celebrating this holiday and am resolved to celebrate this year.

Um, why not? That is the actual Chinese New Year day according to my lunar calendar.ETA for grammar.

Make that until its 11pm closing time, per synaesthesia's posting on DCist.com. At 10:34pm, the line was yaaaaaaaaaaay long (see below), with more coming in, and roughly 12-15 people sitting at the various seating areas (I think at the quick glance, there were about 6 tables). The space is much bigger and less futuristically modern compared to its Dupont location. Fun times. Red Velvet Cupcakery, in comparison, was empty, until I popped in next door to purchase a few cupcakes to sample. The neat design thing is they share the same space, so someone can pop into Tangysweet to assist a customer and then pop back into Red Velvet for its customers. Well, it's neat to me.