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acgator

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  1. Hi friends, has anyone spotted ramps down at the Dupont Farmers Market? I usually go to either Silver Spring or Takoma Park by my house but I've never seen them in several years of shopping. I'd like to make the trip if theres a good chance of availlability. (other locations nearby would be appreciated)
  2. If you fancy a homemade version. I've also bought smoked octopus at the Whole Foods in Silver Spring. It wasn't expensive either, I think the entire creature was $10. I warned it up on the grill and put it on top of the paella I made. Quite a dramatic presentation and rather tasty.
  3. I've seen bottles at the Takoma Park coop if you're still hunting. I have no idea about production though.
  4. If you're down in Shaw, the Royal makes a pretty good version.
  5. I think we went to different places. Upon setting sights on the word AREPAS images of the glorious corn cakes of La Caraquena sprung into my head. Alas, I saw the cook heating up our family's meal from pre made arepas from a plastic sleeve. To be honest, I can't even remember what else we ordered it was that forgetable. We've never been back since. Raul has nothing to worry about, I'd rather drive the 45 minutes to Falls Church from Silver Spring then try Arepas Pues again.
  6. If it's going to be 80+ degrees this weekend I might as well make margaritas right? I'm curious about trying cactus pear ones. I enjoyed one I had years ago at Mesa Grill but I've never made them myself at home. Has anyone on this forum? Did you like it or was it a waste of time? It seems like my best bet might be to order the stuff online unless somebody is aware of a store that might carry it. Thanks!
  7. They offered it at brunch... But I don't remember them sounding enticing at all. It was something like a rice pudding.
  8. Sietsema says that, "the restaurant's only rival is Oyamel." After brunch here on Sunday I couldn't agree with him more. The drinks are creative, tasty, and don't taste of overly sweet bar mix. We had the Misa del Gallo (tequila, honey, grapefruit, sparkling rose) and their version of a margarita with mezcal subbed for tequila. While those were good, the subsequent salsas that followed were fantastic. A far cry from the ubiquitous out of season pico de gallo, the roja (guajillo, roasted tomato, onion garlic) was a rich, smokey, and slightly spicy while the verde asado (roasted tomatillo, onion, garlic, serrano) was bright, acidic and frisky. Both proved to be fantastic foils for the crisp and crunchy tortilla chips. Our family definitely prefers the lunch part of brunch so we of course ordered the tacos. I went with the skirt steak (salsa bagna, cilantro) while my wife dug into the grilled tilapia (pickled slaw, chipotle mayo). The proteins were cooked well, but the real stars of the dishes were the sauces and tortillas. My wife positively swooned over the chipotle mayo, ordering an extra tortilla just to swab the errant mayo that had parachuted to the plate. Both of us said these tacos were in contention for best tacos in the city, and my wife even claimed that Espita was worth getting a sitter in order to go to dinner.
  9. I'm reticent to commit to another appliance in our kitchen... But I have a hankering for a Belgian waffles (a hankering supported by my wife). Any DR members have a recommendation for a basic model they like? Currently I'm eyeing a cuisinart model at Sur la Table that runs 60 bucks. But I could be convinced to get a more expensive model if it's worth the expenditure. Thanks in advance!
  10. Straw, Stick & Brick (the artist formerly known as 3 Little Pigs) has it in case from time to time. They're worth a call.
  11. It does get loud, and at times crowded (especially during happy hour). We went at lunch with a 4 month old and she slept through the noises. I saw several young children with their parents at that time.
  12. When I read all the brouhaha about Rose's Luxury and whether it is or isn't a neighborhood restaurant I can't help but think of Republic. I feel like Republic is the quintessential neighborhood place. The food is great, but not pretentious, the service is friendly and the vibe is rather casual (without falling into the ever present fast/casual category). We've ordered food to-go when we don't feel like cooking, take out of town guests there for brunch and even celebrated our anniversary there recently. Yesterday at lunch we had: Addie's Mussels (tomato, garlic, lemon) - we've ordered this dish every time we've eaten at Republic. The mussels are plump and fresh and swim in pool of broth that is bright with acidity and savory garlic. Until yesterday this was our favorite item on the menu (we've ordered double portions as entrees before) Ancient Grain Salad (pomegranate, pistachios, mint) - another item that has been on the menu since day 1 of Republic's opening. If they removed it I'd be quiet cross. Al dente grains like quinoa, farro and the like are dressed with what I assume to be pomegranate molasses and olive oil and picked up with flecks of fresh mint. A simple grain salad done really well. I'd love it if they paired it with lamb sometime. Wood Grilled Rhode Island Calamari (arugula, pesto, pickled peppers) - This is the kind of dish I think of from a neighborhood joint. Wonderfully grilled calamari on a bed of arugula laced with peppers, all on top of a swirl of pesto. My wife and I both loved this dish and decided that it had knocked the mussels from their perch at the top as our favorite item off the menu. Fried Shrimp Po'Boy (lettuce, pickles, tartar sauce, lemon) - It's fried shrimp...how bad can it be? While my wife liked it, she did say it paled it comparison to Puddin's po'boys at Eastern Market. Smith Meadow Farms Burger (mustard-ale cheese, pickles, lettuce) - I was taken aback when I saw the double patty on the burger...I had to eat one with fork and knife to make the sandwich a bit more manageable. It was a nice burger, the fries were a little lackluster. To me the restaurants biggest strength is in the seafood preparations, appetizers, and their simpler preparations. Sometimes the full size entrees can get a bit lost.
  13. unimpressed? He created a great company with solid values, amazing food with a philanthropic outlet to boot and then made his money. Moreover he keeps the namesake flagship while continuing to help the children of Philadelphia with his Vetri Foundation. Sounds like an impressive legacy to me.
  14. I think the best way to describe it is Little Serow Light, not quite the wow factor, service and exuberant highs of Johnny Monis.....but also not quite the wait. Six of us ate there tonight and largely had the back room to ourselves until the end. Most of my dining companions stuck to the "Old Time Favorite (read: standard)" menu but there were a couple dishes off the "Thai Isan Menu" that we tried. Som Tum Pu: Green papaya salad with salted crab, cherry tomato, lime, peanuts and chili peppers - was good, spicy, sour. However the salted crab was just too funky for my liking. Not sure if this is an acquired taste or whether it was just plain bad. I did find the version without the crab was much more pleasing to my taste. Aom: fish with mix veggie, lemongrass, shallot, chili, scallions, cilantro and shrimp paste soup - was rather dramatic in its plating with some sort of metallic candelabra looking bowl holding a broth laden with chil and seafood. It was delicious, there were no leftovers. Nam Tok: Grilled meat salad with lemongrass, shallot, parsley, chili powder, galanga, scallions, cilantro and mint - was my entree, a pile of red onion, chili and grilled pork rested on a bed of romaine lettuce that I used to make lettuce wraps to go with the sticky rice served alongside the meal. After not eating more than 2 bites of the papaya salad I eagerly tore into this and found that great balance of sour/hot/funk/sweet that I love about Thai food. The rest of the dishes ordered this evening fell into your standard drunken noodle crowd and really aren't worth mentioning. Would I go back? Sure, if I was in the neighborhood. Would I drive over again from Takoma just get it? Probably not. However, it wouldn't be a bad consolation prize for a diner who got sick of waiting 234987209472347 hours to eat at Roses.
  15. Any DR members have any luck hunting down orange wines in a retail setting? Much as I love grabbing a stool at the Red Hen and savoring a glass I'd really like to take a bottle (or 20) home to relax with. I've tried schneiders, calvert woodley and arrow wine to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  16. Joe, Two years ago after purchasing Nate Appleman's cookbook I set out on a mission to find calabrian chilis. He recommended the brand below which is not only available on Amazon but I've also seen for sale at Eataly in New York. I think they're pretty good but I have no other experience to compare them to. Have you tried them? If so how did you like them? http://www.amazon.com/Tutto-Calabria-Long-Chili-Peppers/dp/B000OLBA9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392240505&sr=8-1&keywords=calabrian+chili
  17. Given that Talula's garden sits all of a quarter mile from the Liberty Bell and a half mile from Independence Hall I didn't have high hopes. I never really anticipate good food in major tourist areas, sure there are exceptions to rule but I expect functional food at best. When you arrive at the restaurant you can't help but feel like you're on a movie set, you have scenic Washington Square behind you (with the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier within shouting distance in addition to the aforementioned historical landmarks that define Philadelphia tourism) and you enter through a garden strewn with tables and decorative lights that transport you away from the hustle and bustle of center city Philly. (Although it seems to me that you trade the paint swapping of bumper to bumper to traffic for bumping into fellow diners as you move around the garden as they've packed as many 2tops in that precious real estate as they can). The inside is decorated in a sort of DIY farmstead way as the ceiling's redwood planks were salvaged from barrels at the Vlasic Pickle Plant in Millsboro, Delaware. The white-pine tables were fashioned out of floor joists from Wilmington's historic Queen Theater. Olexy rescued the granite used to top the cheese counter from an abandoned waterworks site by the Brandywine River. We were seated promptly and presented with menus (cheese, wine/cocktail, tasting menu, appetizers "Beginning" and main). Our server told us to that we were free to order cheese to start the meal off...so we did, rules be damned. There are over 6 different plates for you to order from, being creatures of habit we went with Gusto! A slow food study in rare Italian Cheese. A slate board arrived with homemade ricotta, lang la tur, parma straveccio, fog lie di nice, ubriacone and dolcette gorgonzola. The cheeses were artfully presented and accompanied by some candied thyme (which I had never had before and found lovely), raspberry jam, pignoli, and picante salami. Given that Talula's prides itself on the hyper seasonality of their menu (they change it every month) it is unlikely that your dining experience would be the same. Based on our experience it will still be delicious. For our appetizers we began with Pure Green Broccoli Soup, Crisp Golden Potato Skins, Garden Herbs, Parmesan and Potato Frico, Handmade Spaghetti alla Chittara, Creamy Mushroom-Pinot Gris Sauce, Rosemary, and Hazelnut Breadcrumbs, Celery and Date Salad, Shaved Fennel, Crunchy Spiced Almonds, Salty Sheep's Milk Cheese, Arugula, and Date Butter, Applewood Smoked Sustainable Salmon Salad, "Everything" Dressing, Lettuce, Pickled Pearl Onion, Rye Crisps, and Fingerlings and Braised Rabbit and Fazzoletti Pasta, Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale, Breadcrumbs, and Green Olive Rabbit Jus. Being gluttons for pasta my family found the spaghetti and fazzoletti to be of upmost interest, both were clearly made in house with expert care and were explorations in how to make a harmonious melody of flavors. Of particular note for me was the way the kitchen compensated for the fresh pasta by incorporated textural elements to keep the dish interesting. I don't think dates came off the back of a farmer's truck from Lancaster County but the salad was bright and lively (and perfectly balanced with the bitterness of the celery to balance the sweetness of the dates) that nobody seemed to care...as the perfectly cleaned plates can attest. At that point my family had already consumed more than was probably healthy but gleefully dug into main courses that continued to show a kitchen that understanding balance of flavors and textures. Honey Brined Boneless Pork Chop, Fall Scented Kuri Squash, Cripsy Confit of Spareribs, Charred Honeycrisp, Sage Cider Jus was the essence of fall on a plate, and when isn't the combination of pork and apples a good thing to be honest? My mother was worried about the pickled okra in "GardenBouillabaisse"...Roasted Scallops and Prawns,ShelledMussels,FreshFish,Saffron-CitrusBroth,PickledOkra,andCherryTomatoes but she didn't share a bite with anyone at the table so I'm going to go out on a limb and say she didn't mind. Seared Rare Line Caught Albacore Tuna, Braised Red Cabbage, Fennel Puree, Shaved Apple Salad and Juniper Scented Fall Vinaigrette likewise vanished before I could sneak a forkful. My vegetarian fiancé was also looking for those same fall flavors I had found in my pork entree and she found them in Maple BruÌ‚leÌe Heirloom Pumpkin, Steel Cut Oat Risotto, Rare Vegetable Collective, Pumpkin Seeds, Octoberfest Beer and Squash Sauce. We were joking that at this point a crow bar would be required to pry our bloated behinds through the gates of the lovely garden to leave but the kitchen had been informed that our meal was one of celebration so out came dessert. Peanut Butter and Jelly Doughnuts. Concord Grape Jam and Oozy Peanut Butter Creamy Butterscotch Pudding. Warm Salted Caramel and Chocolate-Pretzel Praline Melting Dark Chocolate "S'mores" & Smoked Ice Cream. Molten Dark Chocolate Cake, Charred House Marshmallow, Crumbled Graham Warm, Baked Cinnamon Apple Charlotte Cranberry Compote and Buttermilk Ice Cream were all delicious but the butterscotch pudding was the only one that was consumed in its entirety as at that point we were ready to run up the white flag and call uncle. For a celebratory meal Talula's hit on every note, the environment and ambiance were both relaxed enough for comfort while still maintaining an air of formality to let you know you were some place special. The staff (and there were a lot of them) were attentive, informative, polite but not intrusive. And the food was fantastic. What struck me about all the dishes was that there was always a balance to the plate, whether it was dessert or a cheese plate there was always a yin with a yang and a textural piece to go with something soft. You could tell that each item on the plate had been thought out and analyzed to maximize impact.
  18. While dining tonight at Little Serow we were offered a rose of Nero d'Avola "aprile" fondo antico sicilia 2012. With a color reminiscent of Campari and taste of pomegranate it was unlike any rose I'd had. I thought for sure that Schneiders would have it stocked but no luck. Any luck that someone else has spotted this gem on the shelves in the DC area? grazie mille
  19. In case you had hopes of reliving some "glory days" from restaurant visits past let me dissuade you. Having just moved into the neighborhood one of my neighbors recommended Mid Atlantic as a place to go when "you don't feel like cooking". Having finished work late last night this was just one of those nights. I arrived at Mid Atlantic just 15 minutes before closing....I almost wished I hadn't made it. The fried shrimp were precooked, greasy, and over breaded. The smothered pork chops were grisly and tough. Neither of the side dishes we ordered (collards and mac and cheese) tasted of any sort of culinary integrity....I felt like all I was doing was eating off the back of the Sysco truck. When I see soul food I expect something homemade and comforting, this was neither. If this is "soul food" then Mid Atlantic will surely be spending some time in Purgatory before seeing the pearly gates.
  20. Having just proposed to my fiancee courtesy of Todd's company I'll second the wonderful uniqueness of the experience. Moreover, Todd is a dedicated pilot who is fully invested in the complete satisfaction of your experience. Tommy Flaherty --- [Tommy, if you get a chance could you add 15 more words, or another 1-2 sentences of detail? The informal rminimum for subsequent posts is 50 words, but I don't want to be a dictator about it - if you can get around to it - great!]
  21. Being in need of privacy in our newly purchased house I was referred to Window Wears by our realtor. I couldn't be happier with the result. The consultant (Bill) came to our house after work at 6:30 and was a true professional. Despite the late hour I didn't feel rushed nor did he push any certain product on us to try and make a higher profit. We picked out what we wanted, he measured the windows and we got a call two weeks later that our custom shades were in. The installers came to our house on a Saturday and had all 6 windows done in under 45 minutes. Total cost for beautiful window shades complete with decorative tapes? $995. Put simply, it's perfect, the company is flexible and professional and their work is immaculate. We plan on using them again for our rooms upstairs once we save up the money. 1601 18th St NW #1 Washington, DC 20009 (202) 265-1009 Tommy Flaherty
  22. Business models aside, I was able to pop in this past weekend to the shop and grab a pound of halfsmokes and a good sized chunk of spanish chorizo. The halfsmokes plumped up fantastically on the grill and had a wonderful snap and spice to them. I didn't hear any complaints from the crowd. Selfishly I kept the chorizo for myself. It's red and lusty, and the cubes of fat give it great unctuousness. It made for a delicious late night snack with some leftover cheese from the party.
  23. finally, can anyone confirm that Komi has a vegetarian menu? i've tried calling them twice to ask if it was possible to dine there if you were vegetarian (though admittedly the last time i called was over a year ago) and both times the person answering the phone said something to the effect that they didn't have vegetarian options for people who don't eat seafood. I can vouch for Komi having no problem accomodating a vegetarian diner (or any diner for that matter). Last spring my friend, his gluten free wife and my vegetarian girlfriend had a wonderful meal to celebrate the end of the school year. Each course had three different preprations, all equally dazzling and delightful. The only thing I would say is that I definitely gave them notice when I called for the reservation.
  24. Red Apron has a fantastic version they sell on Sundays at Dupont Farmer's Market.
  25. Looking to make Tiramisu for the Super Bowl party this week. I thought I could pick up the lady fingers at Eastern Market but the baker there said no go. Any thoughts as to another option?
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