goodeats

*sigh,* I made the mistake of grabbing this yesterday to quench my thirst, instead of what I thought was something else....

Well, I guess I can say that little man and I had some fun at a Taiwan-themed restaurant tonight:  Modern Toilet.

There is a similar knock-off in LA-area, but cannot say the food was worth the trip. I can say I am no longer curious about themed-restaurants....

And yes, while I can add to the list above, I think it's a decent list that I am not going to expand upon, unless someone posts asking for guidance here about something in Taiwan.

Also, I don't see Taiwan in the index...

Thanks! Great ideas all around.

Mary, I hadn't planned to pay the extra.  We can't get into our resort until 3 pm so we're going to take our time and head to Deland and the The Old Spanish Sugar Mill --it has been on my list forever.

Oh, cool! Great fun!! You'll have to let us know about the Sugar Mill!

Little man, my mom, and I loved the auto train! Make sure you pack pillows and some sort of throw, and I recommend choosing one of the 2nd story seats, if you haven't been on the auto train before.

Maybe some pho in Springfield or grab and go and eat at the station? There's not much to do at the station, so if you do go very early, you'll be sitting around for a long while.

But I loved it was the only train I've been on that a) had full-service meal (get the early seating btw) and b ) had snacks and movie time in the food car after.

I get motion sickness on the metro, but wasn't affected on the auto train, fwiw. Have fun!!

PS. If you hadn't paid the $50 to get your car released early at the destination, I think the fee is worth it. I didn't pay it and I waited around for another hour before they unloaded my car...

The OnMilwaukee magazine has a pretty good list. Anything with the Bartolotta name is good.

If you can, you must try a New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red (New Glarus is a pretty good brewery in general, if you're not a cherry fan).

Here's another list.

Thanks.  I should've been more precise in my question.  Germantown is about the northern edge of where I'd be willing to drive so anything beyond that is a bit far.  We love South Mountain but only go there when visiting friends in Frederick.

silentbob, you know you can order for delivery of meats, eggs, and milk from there, right?

Little man decided that this is his favorite pizza delivery place now. They have a gluten-free option and it's decent. I just wished they offered some coupons....

I was very sad to discover that the Shirlington location served cardboard cheese pizza now. Maybe it was because it was delivery, but I was rather disappointed with their cheese pizza ordered two weeks ago...lacked flavor, pizza very flat, cheese had no flavor, crust was hard, and even the boys (playdate) didn't really want seconds....

So now that this has spun off from the other thread--I am wondering if anyone has tried the place next to Arlington Cinema Drafthouse?

Btw, I think Arlington Cinema Drafthouse is serving a pretty nice niche--last season's movies with pretty alright food and nice beers on tap. I've taken advantage of their Unlimited movie ticket subscription for the past two years, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

I think there are a few places on Columbia Pike for quick bites. Pedro & Vinny's come to mind, as does some quick bites from the Bangkok 54 market. If you go further, I think Cynthia's Bakery is an option for saltenas? Sometimes there are trucks in the Food Star grocery store lot at George Mason & Columbia Pike.

Dona Bessy and the other dona place near Mr. Wash on Glebe offers pretty good pupusas, tamales, and the like.

South Arlington places go unnoticed....

Is there a better option within a 10-15 minute radius of the Whole Foods in Kentlands or the Wegman's in Germantown?  Not looking for anything special, just standard cuts of beef, pork, and lamb (or their bones).  And how easy is it to develop a rapport with the butchers at these types of places if you're going only, say, once every few weeks at most?

Are there nearby farms like South Mountain? Google maps showed a butcher shop in Mt. Airy.

Thanks. That video actually gives me some hope! Now another stupid question: can those things be used on an outdoor grill or electric stovetop with the same results? Probably the grill would be ideal.

Do you have an oven to preheat the griddle in? Because that is how I thought restaurants did it and it's how this Aggie's Kitchen post (http://aggieskitchen.com/2009/03/01/its-fajita-night/) did too.

BLACKHAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(and goalies--Bishop and Crawford have been indescribably fantastic!!!)

So far, we have a Bakeries, Cupcakes, and Doughnuts thread, but no love for remaining types of goodies. So, here is one, because I thought others could share their finds, given the wide girth of options available in New York City.

This past weekend's find was OddFellows Ice Cream, originating in Williamsburg, with an outpost (tiny) in East Village. I determinedly visited here after seeing Chef Johnny Iuzzini's tweets with photos about this place. I like that it uses local dairy to make its ice cream, as well as that it donates $0.05 per purchase to a food bank. The Village outpost is kind of a fun teeny place, with its uniform throwbacks and wholesome flavors, offering typical and unusual flavors, along with shakes, sundaes, splits, and such. When little man and I visited yesterday, his order of mint chocolate and my thai ice both hit the spot. I like how the ice creams weren't super sweet, and it was nice his wasn't so minty like some can be. The unusual flavor yesterday was Ants on a log, where the customer before us proclaimed, "there is such a succinct celery taste to it!"

Cafe Grumpy - Chelsea - (three additional locations: LES, Park Point and Greenpoint). Read bottom Think Coffee review before reading up here to keep with timeline. Cafe Grumpy holds near and dear to my heart because this place is where I first had my coffee awakening about five years ago. I guess it's the heart of the staff and their careful training that brews up an excellent cup of joe which leaves you nothing but a satisfied "ahhhhh." When they had only the Chelsea location, I know that they started out using Counter Culture beans, but since September 2009, they have invested in their own Grumpy Roastery, churning out fine roasts and blends. I knew I wanted to start out my Sunday morning here. I kind of ruined it by ordering Iced Coffee, but gosh darn! it was such a rich way to start out my day. Redemption. Iced coffee was of unknown blend/origin, but it was mildly acidic, flavorful, smooth, and without a bitter aftertaste. I also do not know if it was cold-brewed or concentrated.

Beans are locally-roasted at their Greenpoint roastery. Available for sale starting at $16.00 in-store or online.

Cafe Grumpy's location on the les is at 13 Essex Street.

I started Saturday and Sunday mornings here this weekend at the 20th Street location in Chelsea. Their cappuccino was creamy coffee goodness. The shop was narrow, sleek, very well kept, and adorned with interesting artwork that appeared to be for sale. It is on a nice tree lined street right down the block from the NYPD 10th Precinct Station (which was about the only thing to remind you you were in the middle of Manhattan). The only negative for me was that they do not open until 7:30am on weekends which means I had 45 minutes to wander the streets passing probably a dozen open Starbucks in the process (NYC must have the highest concentration of Starbucks per square mile of any place I have been). Nevertheless, I kept my resolve and was glad I did. This is a coffee worth the wait.

I visited the Park Slope location of Cafe Grumpy on Saturday and Sunday am. The space is clean and slick and is definitely designed to get people not to linger. Service was great on Saturday and slow on Sunday but I had plenty of time so it wasn't an issue. I had a decaf both days made using the "pour over" method. No bitterness at all and a hint of sweetness to the coffee over all.

They get bonus points for selling Raaka chocolate bars. Except they sold out between Saturday and Sunday when I intended to buy them to bring them home.

It was definitely better coffee than I have had previously in Park Slope.

Cafe Grumpy now has an outpost in the Grand Central Terminal station, thankfully, as it combined a great history lesson, awesome coffee, and milk for little man. My only regret was thinking I had time to purchase a bag of beans before taking the subway uptown to catch the bus back.

This just means another trip back at some point....

Took little man up for a two day jaunt to Manhattan; thought it was time he explore the wonders of the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, and of course, take in a Broadway show. Needing sustenance before the show, a quick interweb search yielded this gem: City Kitchen.

Like Chelsea or Gotham markets, but more conveniently located at 700 8th Avenue at 44th Street, its front was very unobtrusive, a small wooden sign hung above regular glass door. Once upstairs, though, you find masses of people, trying to plan out their meal from appetizers to dessert, fighting to find precious cubic footage to park and enjoy the triumphant eats.

Ippudo Ramen opened a small outpost here called Kuro Obi; we split a Shiro-obi Classic ($12) and Pork Buns ($9). I find I am consistently disappointed by Ippudo in NYC--either the flavor is off or the ramen lacked that familiar bounce that its Japanese cousins try so hard to bring out. Little man liked the ramen, happily slurping his way, so all was not lost. As for the pork buns, I find that I prefer Momofuko's, as the fat melts a bit, with the meat looser, falling apart, whereas, here, the meat was slapped on, much like a burger at a fast food chain. If only it could share its feelings...

Dough was a nice find, as I wanted little man to try a good doughnut, which I just haven't been able to find here in DC (haven't tried a few of the new places, but I don't like Astro or GBD ones). But I still prefer Doughnut Plant's....

Finally, the star for us was finding fluff ice or snow ice, where they freeze the flavors into the ice and shave that as your ice foundation. Wooly was definitely worth the relief from the humid heat New York offered this past weekend. You choose a 12oz or 16oz bowl, pick your foundation (ours was root bear float), pick 3 toppings (strawberries, mochi, & pocky), and then, finally the finish (chocolate drizzle).

Dough in bedstuy does pretty good doughnuts. I think they sell their stuff in other locations.

I finally got to try Dough this past weekend at their City Kitchen stall. While their chocolate nib wasn't bad, the dough wasn't as good as DP's. I did like that it wasn't toooo sweet, but the denseness of this yeast doughnut makes me prefer DP.

Oh, wow. I never thought I would miss Butternut bread, but boy, does it taste deliciously nostalgic when I haven't had it in a long time. The only bummer part of that statement is that I didn't get to pair with some Harold's Fried Chicken. Next time.

This time, my trip coincided with National Doughnut Day! And right now, there is no city better to be in for that day than Chicago!! With gems like Doughnut Vault and Do-Rite as new world doughnut shops and classic old world shops like Country Donuts and other suburban great hits, you can't go wrong with a nice glazed classic almost at any shop. This great day was celebrated in trendy Wicker Park, where two new world shops compete right across each other at the Damen Avenue L-stop:

1. Stan's Donut, on one side of the street, is probably on the upper-eschlon of trendiness, where you can order from a three-tiered system:  standards (aka classics at $1.75 each, which a tad higher than old world places); specialties ($2.50 each with flavors like Lemon Curd), and Dough Boy's Best ($3.25 each, with unique flavors like the Biscoff Pocket). I bought a half-dozen to bring to a friend's party, with the intent to taste a bit of each of:  glazed (hit), chocolate glazed (nice chocolate used), maple long john (didn't get to try), lemon curd (didn't get to try), captain crunch bismark (good), and biscoff pocket (really good). It was really busy, with a steady line, and sensory-overwhelming, but fun.

2. Glazed and Infused, on the other side, is equally trendy, but with less options, so it was less overwhelming. The average doughnut ran around $3 per, which is about the same Astro here, but tastes better. By the time I arrived, there were only 2 flavors left:  peanut better & jelly and the white-praline. The PB&J was awesome, with the PB oozing out quite nicely after a bite. The praline was too cakey for me and a tad on the sweet side, though.

If doughnuts aren't your thing, then you might think about stopping by Sugar Bliss cakery. Owned by a college friend, I happily noshed on lemon, pumpkin, and chocolate flavors last weekend. Good cake.

I don't really know if this is a secret or not, but I think Chicago serves some of the best Southern cooking ever. I was spoiled by Dixie's Kitchen & Bar back in college, and now that the location I used to frequent no longer exists, but I was craving it, my friend introduced me to Pearl's Place instead. Mostly, I miss rib tips. Many won't know what I'm talking about, but I think rib tips are the best part. Pearl's barbecue sauce for the tips were kind of weak and the tips a bit fattier than what I was used to, but it was still nice to have, since my other favorite place, Rib n' Bibs, has since closed, too. But, the must order from this place is their shrimp and grits. Other than Grapeseed's fine version, these grits were nice, creamy, and buttery. Quite tasty, as was their fried green tomatoes and collard greens. Total comfort food. If you dine there, be slightly careful, as Bronzeville, where the restaurant is located, is still in transition.

Also still an experience is riding the Cottage Grove bus. Brought back memories. Wouldn't recommend for first-timers. There are just certain bus lines visitors shouldn't take.

I also managed to gorge on pancakes and waffles while in Chicago. I haven't found DC places that are as good. Maybe it's the water, or feel free to PM me of places, but I liked Wildberry's Gluten-free honey cakes, even if they are a chain. I like that they served Intelligentsia coffee there, too. If you are looking for a vegetarian and gluten-free brunch place, then you might think about going to Victory's Banner up in Roscoe Village. A vegetarian, gluten-free friend suggested this place as our meetup and it certainly hit the spot. Especially their housemade chai. I really liked their buckwheat waffles with real maple syrup.

Another friend recommended Cai in the new Chinatown plaza area. (aaronsinger--why didn't you tell me Kung Fu Tea was there!!!! So awesome.) HUGE bonus points for Cai is that you can order online for pickup. Including dim sum options during their dim sum hours. So awesome, awesome. And convenient when the friend you're staying with has a newborn. It was nice to have good dim sum in Chicago.

Finally, I forgot what it was like to buy liquor in grocery stores. My mind was blown when I went to the South Loop Whole Foods (it is equally mindblowing to see South Loop become trendy), but then on an entirely other level when I saw that Koval distillery made these little Asian/liteweight-friendly bottles (200mL) of bourbon and rye whiskeys for $17. Needless to say, I bought one of each and the Letherbee flask-sized fernet. So happy. One last very happy thing was to buy Metropolis beans (I like them better than Intelligentsia and someone should try to bring them out here!) and to tryout Bowtruss for the first time. Will have to report back on the latter.

A friend found a website for a showroom/scratch-n-dent seller of a high-end store and the possibility exists for me to get a Viking RDDOE306 for $2700 showroom model (they may not ship to NoVa).  Anyone have experience with Viking ovens?

I would pass. Their number of recalls over the past few years have been on the increase, though I'm not sure how many oven recalls there have been...

Something happened because I drove by Sunday afternoon and now it's Fusion Asian something or the other restaurant?

ETA:  Fusion Supper Club (per their FB page).

We are staying two nights at Wanosato (a ryokan near Takayama).  They have offered us a choice of sukiyaki or shabu shabu for our second night's meal (both with hida beef).

Which do you all think we should choose?  Leaving tomorrow and very excited.

We've also got a reservation at Shiba Tofuya Ukai in Tokyo- any recent reports?

I'd vote for sukiyaki. I don't think you can find proper sukiyaki in the states and it's a good experience, esp. if you have already tried any type of shabu shabu, imho...

On my way to Bread Corner last night, I passed a "Coming Soon" sign on one of the storefronts of the new building where the old Bank of America was on North Washington Street, near the XLB place.

I. Cannot. Wait. Kung Fu Tea is the one of the closest I've had to Taiwanese milk tea or bubble drinks in the states, and I usually make a pit stop to one of their New York shops when I do get the chance to trek up there.

They not only offer bubbles, but also offer Wow milk (or you see it as "punch milk" in Chinese), slushes, jellies, mung and red beans, and the likes. I don't know how they flavor their teas, though, as I usually get the milk tea.

When I visited their site this morning, it listed a "Coming Soon" for a place on Heritage Drive in Annandale too.

Although I am now slightly worried about Jumbo Jumbo Express, I hope the two can co-exist.

Kung Fu Tea

275 N Washington St

Rockville, MD

7895 Heritage Drive

Annandale, VA

Well, my views have changed since up-post of February 2008. Since then, Maxim changed hands to Meixin and their quality has gone down, while Kam Sam's has gone up. So, for the past few years, I have shopped happily at Kam Sam, especially enjoying their summer local farmers' market fruits and produce.

Except, the owners are retiring and have sold the building. So I'm not sure what will be at this lovely location, once the building gets razed, if it does.

The last purported date is last day of May. Currently, all non-produce items are 15% off. But since this was announced in early April, many things have already been cleared off the shelves.

I am very distraught by this news. 

2) Was the clarinet the modern clarinet we know today? This is key, and I know one person who will know the answer - I will ask him this evening.

Having played myself, and being somewhat only a surface geek on instruments, I recall (vaguely) that my reading on this subject would answer "no." The B-flat clarinet (the now common one) came into existence, according to 1 website, around late 1700s. I remember reading that the A clarinet was more common back then, but the history is best described on this site.

A further dissection: Early Clarinet Sonatas.