goodeats

I know this is such a minuscule thing to love, but I had a chance to try Chef Markert's hand at Monday's Taste of the Nation; I still cannot wipe the cellular memory of the loveliness of his housemade tomato jam. By far the best I've tasted! It may be a tad sweeter than normal tomato jams, but I think I could pair it with almost anything just so I can have some tomato jam....

When Big Bowl first opened in Chicago, I really liked it. Same with Tru. But I haven't really tried any that opened up in DC area. It fills a niche, but probably not for this crowd.

I'll probably bring dessert!

It was a good thing you didn't line up! The storefront is very shallow, so after about five people fitting inside, the rest queued out the door. It made for a very amusing walk to work, considering this place is downstairs from my current project. Coworkers who managed to snag fried chicken said it was good, but no other comment. This will be quite interesting to observe....

Open today!

It's hard to find parking at Me Jana unless you use a nearby garage, plus service can be a bit slow if you are pressed for time. Layalina is a better choice of the two mentioned, but if you're going to drive straight on Glebe from Wilson, then you also might hit traffic in the Ballston region. If you keep going down Rt 50 (which can also be trafficky), the Lebanese Butcher isn't that far away at 50 & Annandale Road. Other nearby options that aren't quite Middle Eastern but quick are: Ravi Kabob and Attila's (on Columbia Pike)

^darkstar: I think there is a continual push lately for natural, unprocessed sweetners, lately, for good reason. Some coffeeshops have set out agave as a natural sweetner option too, that I've seen lately. I don't think this is limited to maple syrup-producing regions--it may be a "trendy" thing, which, then, I may be concerned, due to possible over- or mass-production of these "natural" items than already are (yep, I'm finally reading Bitman's book, so forgive me on this line of thought right now). I'm actually experimenting, switching to cooking with honey, agave, or maple syrup whenever a recipe calls for it, or even adding to my coffee, with good results. Just some food for thought...

The cabbage was masked by the cucumber and pineapple, on purpose, so I wouldn't taste it. :-D

^ Yeppers! Go VikingJew!! Their housemade mustard carries an awesome kick, too.

I'm on a sandwich kick. Where am I? I highly recommend!! Tasty Sandwich Cross-section Tasty sandwich plus dessert

I wish they had a better copywriter on the UMiami Law site. Quick DOL quiz, readers!! On the hand, congrats to Proof for making Zagat's "Sexist Bathroom" list!

Guess chaofun had a scoop, as he added this location to our dim sum guide before any of us posted. I had seen this place advertise in the local Chinese paper but not visited until today. I saw an acquaintance post about dim sum today, so, well, I felt I wanted to have some dim sum on a dreary day, so I went. Golden King opens as early as 10am, which is great, given the congee selections on the menu. I stopped by at 11:00, knowing that they serve dim sum off the menu during weekdays (carts on weekends). The portions were big, I feel, given the price; I think dim sum is just getting pricey. My bill came to $21 and change after taxes, pre-tip. I ordered: Shrimp Har Gow Fried Shrimp & Pork Dumpling Pan-Fried Radish Cake & Twist Cruller Rice Noodle Crepe 1/4 order roast duck All were pretty good, with lots of leftovers since it was just me. I liked some of the things but I also like HK Pearl, which is closer, but it's nice to know there are now two options in Northern Virginia. I think I would like to try ordering from the menu next time, as I love Cantonese rice platters. Definite comfort food. The server said you can order the dim sum or regular menu to go. Delivery is within 5miles (I think) with minimum order of $15. Definitely worth a second look. I will scan in menu tomorrow. 703-433-5888 Hours: 10:00am - 11:00pm Dim sum: 10:00am - 3:00pm 21800 Town Center Plaza, Suite 269 Sterling, VA

I find Illy fine overseas--some of the best espresso I had was at an Illy shop in KL, Malaysia. I wish companies wouldn't change what they sell to the US vs. other countries. The Illy here tastes awful and not smooth at all.Pour overs are becoming trendy, as even Starbucks has jumped on the trend at certain locations. It's hard for me to see how fashionable coffee can be, as evinced by pretty packaging and an "Artisian" twist seen at Starbucks. I just saw the Clover in action at the Lee-Harrison shop yesterday, using one of these "fancy" beans, and I felt a little sad. In NoVA (I tend to stick with lattes), the last few I had were: Bayou Bakery (very nice) Buzz Ballston (still good and much better compared to its sister location) Caffe Amouri (it was so nice I bought a bag of their beans for regular coffee) Northside Social (would like it better if it didn't taste like they needed to clean their equipment that day) Starbucks (in a pinch and hurry!) St. Elmo's (it's hit or miss there, but I don't which beans they use) I last went to B&W on Friday and chose a latte using Stumptown. Last Friday, when the weather was nice, there was a line out the door at 3pm. My Stumptown latte (you can now use which beans you want on the board of two--this was Celebrate(?)/Caffe Pronto and Stumptown day) didn't taste so great. Not sure if because it was in a hurry, or I only saw a quick wipe of the grinds carrier instead of a good rinse, or the fact that the barista was using her hand to levels he grind and didn't see a presser? To pack the grinds in, but I probably should have left. It was the first time I felt unhappy about something at B&W. I was $10 out for it too, with $5 on baked goods and $5 on a soy-based latte. I didn't have a good experience at Misha's and swore I would never go back. Anywho, in Rockville, I had a nice latte at Dawson's Market. They are using Blanchard's based in Richmond, I think, and I really enjoy their beans. Finally, I think this is in this forum because i thought it was for where to buy beans for home brew or roast? I guess it has evolved? If anyone wants to go on a tour of various shops this week, let me know. I'm in-between contract projects again (which is killing me! I need to find a steady job or ask for help in sending out resumes).

Holla for VikingJew! Best lyrics ever, as performed by ! :-)

The only place, if I think I'm reading your post correctly, is Screwtop's program in Arlington. Am I close? Or maybe this: VA Wine Club

I was thinking by torch if you have one, otherwise: http://baking911.com/quick-guide/how-to-az/meringue-brown-or-browning-techniques

Does anyone have cork or the rubber type flooring seen in office kitchens? I've always been curious about those.

Winner, winner! It is indeed Bubble tea with boba and grass jelly from Jumbo Jumbo.

^that is pretty funny darkstar! My car is nowhere close to the luxury lines you describe. For those unfamiliar, my pic is not really an entree or appetizer, but in the "snack" category that can be found in Eden Center (hence Alex's guess) but not traditionally, counting its origin. I can't imagine a pb flavor ever being invented for this "snack," but I can see how the edible things at the bottom can be "leopard spots." What fun!

Old header. Not sure if there is another Bob's 66 thread, but this was dormant since Bob left for China, hence old title...

To update, someone took over the business/bought it from the old owner, so the market is still there, but renamed MeiXing (美新). Most of the staff and stuff still look the same, so I don't think much has changed....

I guess I had this crazy, weird, eating day, after getting my car serviced up in Rockville at Charles Automotive (highly recommend). I felt like ribs, looked up on DR and saw this place was an Herculean stones throw away*. So I took it to-go because I was tired and wanted to go home. Maybe this was my mistake, but my 2 meat combo of 1/2 rack and chopped pork were a little tough to eat. Nothing fell off the bone like darkstar's experience, with the exception that the chopped pork was equally tough and slightly fried out as mentioned above. I think I'm in the disappointed camp on this one.... *it was about 0.4 miles away from Charles Automotive, according to the GPS, so if Hercules threw a stone, he'd probably hit it, if compared to our measley throws....

Well, I took the pic in my car, so it's potable and not from a food truck. The telescoping thing is my blinker indicator. The top and bottom part are edible, both black, although the top is an item not typically ordered by non-Taiwanese people (this is specific, as I once polled Mainlanders and they had no clue what it was), so to be fair, if you can guess the bottom, I think that matters more. Does this help any?

Awesome! Two secs to vote, too, which was shorter than last season's election line....:-)

I think they've now moved to the old Bob's 88 location. I can't remember who posted about this but when I drove by today, I thought I saw movement inside, with definitely a lot of cars in the lot...can anyone confirm?