goodeats

I'm not sure this is too helpful, since I couldn't find notations on WaPo's site on vegetarian accommodations, but I thought it is good info: 1) Thanksgiving takeout; and 2) In search of turkeys and trimmings

Little Saigon (6218 Wilson Blvd.) next to a Latin-Oriental market (does this count as an oxymoron or just a strange combination?). Recommended by gebaby's barber, his godmother and I had a nice girls' night out there. Their gỏi cuốn filled with shredded pork, shrimp, basil, scallions, mint, and rice vermicelli was a nice start to the evening, with smooth peanut sauce that wasn't too heavy or watered-down. We then split a Banh Tam Bi Nuoc Dua (Thick rice noodles with shredded pork & coconut dressing, served cold - $8.25) and a Ga Xao Sa Oc (Spicy lemongrass chicken - $9.95), of which the dressing was the highlight of the noodles (as well as its texture and chewiness), while the chicken was missing a bit of something (despite the accompanied onions and amount of salt used) until you add the spicy sauce to it. They offer syrupy-tasting fruit frozen drinks (mango is one of them), as well as typical Vietnamese drinks (and hot pots too!). I was impressed that this place accepted Diners' Club & Discover on top of MC & Visa. It was pretty packed with families on a cold winters' Saturday night. A lovely little place to go back to, especially if you don't want to drive out to Merrifield for your Four Sisters' fix.

Early Thanksgiving this year: Roasted turkey from TJ's, seasoned with sage under the skin & rosemary with ginger in the cavity, then basted with an apple-sparkling wine concoction. Roasted vegetables: Butternut squash, Carrots, Yellow yams, and Mushrooms (salt & peppered) Birch syrup sweet potatoes Mashed potatoes Pear stuffing Cheesy Chicken Meatloaf Homemade cranberry sauce Homemade gravy Cabbage risotto, courtesy of friends Bread rolls, courtesy of friends Sea salt-apple pie (cheated on pie crusts from TJs) Fed 8 people and still have leftovers. I agree with chomer that Thanksgiving gets me excited too!

Chinese wintermelon soup. Comfort food on a cold night like this....

Cranberry crunch (flavor of the day) topped on sour cherry cobbler. Liz is taking orders for Pilgrim Cakes, Pumpkin Moon Pies and other assorted goodies for Thanksgiving -- clicky.

Tru Wub. Congrats!!

Land o' lakes butter on sale at Target for $2.25 a pound until Sunday. ETA: Compared to TJ's at $2.67, HT's house brand at $2.99 until Weds., as is Cabot's at $3 at HT until Weds. WF was running over $3, I think for this week.

5 baskets of bread 4 courses (with the panini = really soft-buttered grilled tomato & cheese dipped in Chicken Noodle Soup) 3 rounds of beer consumed by some 2 separate tables ALL containing wonderful people Thanks to a wonderful crew servicing, DanielK for setting up, DonRocks visiting, and Chef Jamie saying "hello." 1 Chef Jamie mishearing Ericandblueboy's name as "Ericandblueballs" = Priceless.

This is a tough crowd, and as a result, I think some of your words have hurt someone's (or multiple people's) feelings. Perhaps we should all take a step back and review: the complaint at one point on this board was that there was NOT enough events, and then at some point, it was that the time wasn't suitable to people; then costs, and now too many events. Boy, I feel like telling you all what I told my son this afternoon: take a time-out. We are all adults; thus we should be responsible for our actions and our choices. If you choose to not partake or to, then it's your choice. The small chain of rants reminds of me of the airline fuel crisis: why did only one airline (Southwest) hedge fuel funds and estimated for their increases while the others did not? So, why did you not save $5 on that slice of pizza or latte and build up for a 5-course wine pairing for $65? That was certainly what I had to do to make up for my dinner at Thirsty Bernie's, and it was my choice. And I'm sure I am just as much in the hole as some of you. As stated in by the incoming Administration, this is a time of change - so make those changes!! IF you don't like the events, coordinate your own, as suggested above. What happened to the $20 Pete's APizza suggestion? Or maybe we can have a potluck if someone's willing to host? But take the *proactive* road, and not sit and type like I am doing here. In other words, take your own advice and eat it too. Make something of it. Don't gripe about how the economy failed you-- remember the "Core" of the events & gatherings: a place for community and enjoyment of the people and the food. Take responsibility or take charge. Just don't whine. I have enough of that at home, and I'm sure you all do too.

I have not seen a post for lunch, so I thought I would post a small impression. I'm quoting Tripewriter, as my friend and I experienced the reverse during our meal: service needed to develop a bit more, while the kitchen was mostly spot-on for lunch. It was strange to try to flag down someone (4 times between trying to get our server, any other server, or even the water pourer person) just for a pepper mill. Then when she finally gave one, it was empty and she had to fetch another...anyway, onto the more interesting stuff.Right now, the kitchen has a comforting Fall soup: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, made with vegetable stock, cream, creminis, and shitakes. It was a nice starter for my friend, who is still getting over her cold, and a good way to open up the body to enjoy the main course. The sandwich of the day was the Pulled Chicken on a Brioche Bun. The bun was spot-on, soft, melted in the mouth, coupled with a sweeter, tangy BBQ sauce on the chicken. The bun never fell apart, but tore very easily when shared. What was not spot-on was the side salad and potato salad that came with it -- quite flavorless. Salad had the minimalists of dressings, while the potato salad lacked picnic-style-tang (or any flavor for that matter) and tasted like potato + mayonnaise. The better bargain of the day is the Plowman's lunch: pork terrine or artichoke terrine, biscuit, local cheese, including a cup of the soup for $12. I chose the pork terrine, having never had something like it before. Ever. It was well-done according to my friend. I enjoyed it very much - it was a thick-slice with chunks of cured ham - flavorful, with the ham slightly salty, it paired with a flaky-layered biscuit quite nicely. Overall, a lovely, leisurely lunch for two - very enjoyable.

The latest bakery to join the cupcake race is Fancy Cakes by Leslie, now relocated to an actual shop in the Bethesda Row area. Although Leslie is known for her cakes, I found that she fell short when they were super-miniaturized. After trying four flavors: Chocolate with Chocolate; Vanilla with Raspberry filling (buttercream); Vanilla with Orange Buttercream; and Pumpkin, only the Vanilla with Raspberry cupcake was both flavorful and moist. The other fell short badly, with the Chocolate one tasting close to cake mix-like quality. At a whopping $3.25 per cupcake at Hello Cupcake & G'town cake sizes, it was, um, a bit hard to swallow.

Maxim's grocery in Rockville now has a Maria's Bakery mini-bubble tea stand. I wasn't thirsty enough to try it last time I shopped there.

I wish I could add more to the Milwaukee area section, because many wonderful sounding places to try have appeared in the downtown area (and nearby suburbs) since the last posts in this section; however, it is awfully hard to dine sit-down style with 4 adults, 3 kids, and 2 toddlers. A cozy family-friendly, Korean-homestyle place to try is Seoul Korean Restaurant at 2178 N. Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee, WI - 414-289-8208. I say "cozy" because it only seats about 36 people, not counting the 4-seater at the mini-bar section they have. Apparently it's helmed by a Korean mother as its chef. The lunch buffet at $7.95 is not bad, with really, soft, chewy Korean rice (as well as Veggie Fried Rice) and comfort-style Jap Chae. Other items on the buffet were Korean BBQ meats, as well as a Beef-Daikon soup. Because of the small seating area and how busy it is at lunchtime, even today, the food doesn't taste like it's been sitting long on the sterno-steam tables. I wish I had more time to try other dishes at this place, but I like how family-friendly it is. After a full-meal, right across the way is local coffee roaster Alterra Coffee. It is not as full-bodied as some of the roasters that people may be used to around the DC-area, but it holds its own in smoothness. Much better alternative than chain-coffee places. Has a nice bakery selection as well. With some seating area outside on a nice day, as well as open spaces indoors, one can become quite comfortable and lounge-y post-meals here. ETA: Kopp's is still quite enjoyable with its myriad of flavors and sundaes in this area.

It is supposed to be synonymous but the trend emerging from what I see is something different altogether. I guess I should have put artisan in quotes or something....

I think a bit of both. Some people think good bread is supposed to be soft & fluffy when, as you said, in reality the "baked bread" is actually "raw." I feel like traditional baking is lost and it's now all about "artisan" and fluff. I still haven't found a good bakery and find myself spitting into my napkin at most places because of the undercooked bread served. Troubling.ETA: I'm not a bread baker, so I'm definitely not an expert by any means, but I know what I like and am seeing.

Sprecher Black Bavarian goes really well with Chinese hot pot. Dark, rich brew paired with an assortment of pork belly and lamb makes the Milwaukee chills disappear.

KitchenAid, Asko, Bosch, Miele, Dakor, JennAir, Fisher & Paykal seem to be the favorite recommended these days. What's new seems to be the drawer systems, where it's more built-in and easy to pull-out. Apparently, there can be a lot of leaks if not installed correctly. What's also new & old is the continuing technology of "quiet" dishwashers, as well as the need to use less detergent. I didn't know until recently that European made dishwashers operate supposedly better if half the required detergent is used. Haven't really tested that out. Also new & old is flat paneling/integration, as well as having buttons on the top after you open the dishwasher door, as opposed to having it outside. This seems to sum it up too.

The Pumpkin Spice cupcake is the go-to cake for this season. It has just the right amount of pumpkin to frosting ratio. And unlike some of the others tried, this cupcake was moist and flavorful. A very nice way to celebrate Halloween!

For fans, just rec'd this email: Steal a base. Steal a taco. Free tacos next Tuesday. Click!

It appeared to be family-night at Del Merei, as I found it comforting that gebaby was to be in good company upon hearing a wee babe's cry right after step out of the revolving doors. The place is cozy yet spacious, the atmosphere welcoming kids and I really wished I found this place much earlier than just now. Brian was a wonderful server, making great suggestions all-around. The Buttermilk Biscuit started the evening off very nicely -- warm, buttery, soft & fluffy. It was the best biscuit I have had for a long time, if not ever. The wine recommendations of a Tempranillo for me and Don's/Brian's choice of Sancerre for my friend complimented our dishes nicely. The Pan Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast with its orange-date sauce really hit the spot tonight. I think ordering it slightly under medium is probably more ideal, though I enjoyed my medium cut very much so. The sweetness of the date + sauce + moist duck meat was very satisfying. My friend's was a bit unsure about the cream sauce that accompanied her Jambalaya Pasta but it was really done well with this twist, along with Chef Reid's spice choices for that dish. However, the real hit of the evening is this seasonal dessert: Cinnamon Pumpkin Crume Brulee Cheesecake (I am unsure of the exact name, as my friend ordered it). WOW! It was sugar-crusty, the just-right creamy, not-too pumpkin tasting and airy, which is how cheesecake should taste. Perfect to hoard or to split, but a definite must-get.

Brief clip now posted above. Babies loved it. Gebaby definitely enjoyed it, as evinced by the vanilla stains on his pants and jacket. goldenticket made the pretty batch with the candy corn on it and I made some too.ETA: Gebaby also loved the zucchini fritters, *both* types of bacons, fried chicken (he devoured most of a drumstick & thigh), the orzo, a bite of Waitman's special and 2 yummy pumpkin muffins.

Antonio's chicken crack, which was gone in 3-2-1: Mad scientist (aka ol_ironstomach) clips to come at his best...dry-ice ice cream! Click. *This clip will be taken down in a day or so...Pls. let me know if there are tech. difficulties. This show's not exactly G-rated...

Bundle up! High = 60deg. but SUNNY!

Not sure if this is ok to post, but wanted to share that they have a $5 off $25 purchase coupon from 10/15 - 10/22. Click here for more details.

Stepping in at 7:30pm, we were heading in as 1 other family was getting ready to step out and there was literally 1 other person otherwise. Despite the so-called empty restaurant, the place was beautifully colored, brightened by family photographs that entertained gebaby as he pointed out the "older sisters" on the wall; it helped that we were by the window, as he pointed out all the "ka-ers" zooming by. The waitress was very warm but service was, um, leisurely. My friend enjoyed her super-raw butter kitfo, which needed to be slightly warmed, as the butter ended up congealing a tad, while the vegetable platter and doriwat was "comforting." It was a nice place for comfort food -- not fancy or spiced up as some other Ethiopian places might be -- but the faint taste of cinnamon to all the Doriwat, lentils, split peas, collard greens, and carrots & cabbage gave it a very homey touch. Gebaby surprised me by enjoying the enjera, along with some cabbage and greens and asking for more "bread." All-in-all, a nice dinner to satisfy my friend's cravings. *Note: it was pointed out that there is only 1 high chair in the entire restaurant. Gebaby actually had to wait a little bit for it while the other family was wrapping up. also, most of the seating is upstairs, which I didn't know at first... Another note is that if you have a little one and go to the bar, they might play some Ethiopian MTV for you so that your little one can dance to it as gebaby did.