goodeats

Read this late, but I just purchased Johnny Iuzzini's new cookbook, Sugar Rush. In it, he stated he used a swiss meringue as a form of frosting.

- do they have chicken liver mouse?

Oh, goodness. I hope that is not on the menu.... ;-)

For anyone who needs their Thanksgiving order form, here it is.

Well, this week's Food section was all about cider. Anyone up for trying one or two?

Oh wow! I remember Blue Plate! It was sold up "north" too (i.e. McHenry County and thereabouts). Or at least I remember trying it. Maybe I did try it in the "south...."

Am I correct in imagining that the Kerrygold "piece" is 8 ounces, while the Land o' Lakes is a pound?

 Yes, you are correct that the Kerrygold is 8oz. I do recall that there is a "Kerrygold light" also on sale, but fail to note the weight.

Barrate beurre?  Where would one find that?

Eden Center grocery store or the bakeries/bahn mi shops carry the famous Vietnamese French butter (something similar to Frentel: http://www.frentel.com/, but I'm not sure) for around $5 a tin. Again, I fail to note the weight, but this is a nice splurge for our household growing up. So I have fond memories of this butter and scooping butter from cans and tins (it wasn't until much later that I understood butter really comes in "pats" and sticks...).

^ It's okay Jason--that's what our autocorrect function in the brain does--glossed right over that (although I see where your bias lay... ^_~ )

So after polling GEgrandma, who promptly said, "anything is fine, but not too..." (I'm not sure what the "not too" part is, so doing my best here), I have the following ideas. Also, apologies, jasonc, my mom's not very adventurous food-wise for some things, so I had to gloss over some of your ideas... ;

1. Booked: 360 at the CN Tower (she wanted to do touristy) and Yasu (after pouring through that Chowhound thread--thanks!).

2. Touristy other places involving food:  Kensington & St. Lawrence Markets (what to taste and see?), Distillery District (Toronto Christmas Market?), walking around Chinatown? Advice would be greatly appreciated.

3. Touristy other places not involving food:  Bata Shoe Museum & Niagara Falls (taking the GO Transit over--any "walkable" places appreciated).

GEgrandma is taking the approach of "it's Toronto; we can eat at any dim sum place and it'll be great!" But I am the cautious one; are there okay places within the Chinatown area?

Itinerary is as follows:

Day 1: Arrive and check in early afternoon. Walk around until 6-ish dinner reservation at CN Tower. (This is where I was thinking Distillery & St. Lawrence Markets?)

Day 2: Breakfast at Kensington Market, then Bata Shoe Museum or Chinatown until 5-ish seating at Yasu.

Day 3: Take transit to Niagara Falls. Do touristy stuff and walk around going "ooh and ahh" and "I'm freezing" around the Falls.

Editing and such advice appreciated. Don't want to wear out my mom either. Thanks all!

Oh, Plugra was ALSO on sale, but not as nice of a price as the Kerrygold was. I think it was on sale for $4.39 or $4.49, which, imho, is pretty good, as it's under $5....

FWIW, Kerrygold is on sale at Harris Teeter starting today for $3.50 a piece (2/$7) and Land o' Lakes Butter for $2.97 if you have your VIC card. Pretty nice prices, I think...

GElittleman, who just turned 8 (oh me, oh my), asked to be taken out for sushi, when GEgrandma said she would like to treat him to his birthday dinner.

Thanks to the wisdom of DR'ers, we picked here and had a great meal all-around. Little man chose two maki rolls (very stereotypical, but good maki-roll-starter-types): California and Philadelphia (yes, just for the cream cheese). The better deal would have been to choose 3 rolls for $17 (their special), but it didn't appeal to him. He rather enjoyed them and their miso soup.

GEgrandma and I split their Sashimi Dinner (14pcs for $25), with a wide-assortment of salmon, salmon belly, tuna, seared albacore, white fish, and yellowtail. For an extra $2.75, you can have freshly ground wasabi (we upgraded). It was a nice bonus that it came with some fish roe to pair with the rice. GEgrandma thought it was such a nice treat, with the fish so fresh, that we tagged on an appetizer sashimi order, to boot. Both GEgrandma and I commented on how much we enjoyed the rice they served. Guess I should have asked which brand and variety it was.

It is nice to find a place that serves fresh fish, as, for once, my stomach didn't feel queasy after a sashimi-based meal. GEgrandma even asked to come back here to dine before heading back to the Midwest!

Clos du Mont-Olivet Vieilles Vignes 2012

★ ★ ★

Côes-du-Rhí´ne, France, $16

This beautiful red, which used to be called Montueil-la Levade, is consistently the best local buy in Côes-du-Rhí´ne. Chill it for 20 minutes or so to release the copious aromas of violets and lavender that accent its rich flavors of blackberry jam. This winery also makes a terrific Cháteauneuf-du-Pape that clocks in as a great value at $39. Alcohol by volume: 14 percent

In the spirit of not liking to start new threads, I am piggybacking here.

I purchased this wine at Whole Foods for $15 (more laziness), and indeed, it is a very $15-worthy wine (mr food--will have to try where you shopped for $12 next time).

Many thanks for my decanter-friend \(^^)/, who was VERY forgiving that this wine was probably served at a tad-too chilly of a temperature (bad move on my part--it was cold and left in the car-type of situation). We couldn't find any type of temperature gage, but this was a pretty versatile wine that was fine served at somewhere south of 66 degrees.

I liked the smoothness, not-so-tannin-heaviness, that there doesn't need many adjectives for this wine. Personally, I would say something like: it had a nice mouth-feel with subtle fruity hints.

It is also multi-functional: I can see it served at dinner functions and I can see it as one to open for casual dinner night (as it was the case Saturday night with homemade Italian-rustic vegetables and pasta).

I like this type of testing and hope we can continue it here.

I really thought I read somewhere someone was looking for a good glass teapot? I guess this is a part of getting old. Anyhoo--here is the link: http://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen-table/coffee-tea/glass-tea-pot-with-glass-filter

Any updates? I am taking my mom to Toronto over Thanksgiving holiday. I really don't want to rent a car, so transportation advice is also appreciated. We will be staying downtown, near Union Station.

A visit to Chinatown is a must, but where to go for good eats these days in or around Union Station?

Has anyone done a day-trip to Niagara? Do you recommend a tour ticket or GO or VIA Rail?

Thanks.

Well, Costco has a deal on the Blendtec right now (http://www.costco.com/blenders-juicers.html), but Target seems to be having a nicer deal on the Vitamix (http://www.target.com/bp/vitamix), even though they are factory recertified.

Either way, you can't go wrong, I think.

Dave is right-back up the truck. Today, at least an hour in the decanter. I bought a case and then another one which I won't touch for a couple of years.  Wines from this producer are generally excellent and very fairly priced.

Where did you buy it, mr food? Also, I am curious what the room temperature was when decanted for an hour. What if I don't have a decanter? Thanks.

I read about this wine yesterday, thought of this thread, and thought also I would just throw it out there to see if anyone else want to have a discussion about it?

Is there a good source to learn the vocabulary when it comes to talk about the flavors tasted within the wine?

***

Clos du Mont-Olivet Vieilles Vignes 2012

★ ★ ★

Côes-du-Rhí´ne, France, $16

This beautiful red, which used to be called Montueil-la Levade, is consistently the best local buy in Côes-du-Rhí´ne. Chill it for 20 minutes or so to release the copious aromas of violets and lavender that accent its rich flavors of blackberry jam. This winery also makes a terrific Cháteauneuf-du-Pape that clocks in as a great value at $39. Alcohol by volume: 14 percent

Dionysus: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Rodman's, Wagshal's Deli, Whole Foods Market (Foggy Bottom, P Street, Tenleytown); on the list at Restaurant Nora. Available in Maryland at Balducci's and Bradley Food & Wine in Bethesda, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg, Wine Cellars of Annapolis. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington, Balducci's (Alexandria, McLean), Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview), Whole Foods Market (Alexandria, Arlington, Vienna, Tysons), Wine Guild of Charlottesville.

I went a little overboard when making tea-infused liqueur earlier this year and infused a pint of vodka with szechuan peppercorns. The infusion is really, really, really strong. Way too strong to use in any kind of beverage, unless I use an eyedropper, and maybe not even then. Anyone with creative ideas on how to use this concoction in cooking? I could just try substituting it for infused oil, but there might be some more....intriguing....experiments possible.

I find that red meats are really good at soaking the oil up, or maybe you can make a reduction sauce? Something with brown sugar or molasses to cut the spice away?

The first thought was some sort of roast pork shoulder/butt or pork chops. Then it migrated to some sort of play on a stir-fry lamb dish. Either way, the possibilities are endless!

That's why it's called PERSONAL taste.

True, but what is it called when a gaggle of folks dislike it? :-) It was alright, and Barbara did take one for the team, but I seriously cannot justify the cost of buying a bottle based on the taste.

Lperry--think you got tricked by fancy design--those look like ancient characters but...well, they are pretty! :-)

Nelumbo--there are full leave tea bags nowadays that made me feel like the article was a bit put-down feeling. Why can't teabaggers and whole leaf folks get along? I was rather sad.

When my washer/dryer broke, I researched the heck out of dealers in this area. I ended up choosing M&M Appliance (http://www.mandmappliance.com/by-brand/ask/Asko.html) for my Bosch set. They were great to deal with, I got to haggle, and look at the appliances right there.

There are A LOT Arlington moms who are unhappy with Bray & Scarff, so don't use them...

Hope this helps...

FWIW, Pho 88 in Falls Church, which was referenced in the above posts but never got its own thread, has now closed.

FWIW, FCNP reports that Pho 88 is "closed for renovations" and due back open in October...

I haven't had a chance to visit, but my co-worker says this is the best place in this area for XLBs. The answer to the question above is that JDS is the abbreviated initials for their Chinese name: Jin Ding Shan.

Well, the Arlington location is definitely thriving. Had dinner there with friends Monday night and thought it is better than Meaza.

The only issue I had was I'm used to having my injera being warm--they served it on the cold side. We ordered doro wot, lamb ribs, and veggie combo. Everything tasted much like Dukem in the old days.

It'll be nice to go back. Especially for their desserts.

Do skip the Ethiopian tea or ask for it more authentic style. It was rather on the weak side....

Zombie thread...revive!

I suppose the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up soon and I had a question for the board: anyone ever tried the mooncakes at Cha Kim Phung in Eden Center? I was at EC last weekend picking up some beef jerky and saw these guys have mooncakes...and might make them themselves?

I would have just bought some but, well, mooncakes are expensive so I thought I'd ask if anyone here gives them thumbs up or down.

This year's Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is on September 8.

Kim Phung makes themselves, since they are Sino-based bakery. It would be legit, I think.

Any on NoVA?

I only really trust the vendor next to Red Apron in Mosaic District.

Other places that looked alright but haven't tried are the Organic Butcher in McLean and Springfield Butcher in Springfield near the Trader Joe's.

I really miss the sweet old couple at the farmers markets. They had really good seafood. :-(

Not fish, but I've had good lobster from Salt River, I think, which at the Kensington FM? Finally, the little Japanese carry out/market in Glen Echo sells some fish, I think....

I found that I couldn't sleep last night and even though I was craving food, it was really past prime digestion time. So I did the next best thing, which is to watch a movie that was food-related. Maybe we can merge this thread with our old one so someone can index this too?

Thus, below is a list of films that I watched last night and where I watched it, in case others want to watch the same film. Hope you will add yours.

Le Grand Chef - Korean (Amazon Prime)

Le Grand Chef 2, Kimchi Battle - Korean (Amazon Prime)

Cafe Seoul - Korean (Amazon Prime)