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bettyjoan

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Everything posted by bettyjoan

  1. bettyjoan
    I made a key lime pie for a colleague's birthday, and even though it's not a dessert I normally love, I had a piece myself - it was awesome, if I do say so myself! It's amazing how something so easy can be such a crowd-pleaser. I suppose I could up the ante by making my own graham cracker crust and maybe putting some lime zest in there, but I think the difference between that and a store-bought crust would be negligible. I also tried a Martha Stewart recipe for orange cornmeal cake - simple, and it turned out great! Though, in my house, it went over better as a breakfast than as a dessert.
  2. bettyjoan
    I am a big fan of Ina Garten's honey vanilla pound cake, but I made it a week or two ago and could not for the life of me get it to cook through. I don't mind a little underdone, but this was too ooey gooey for even my taste. The only thing different I did this time was use a glass loaf pan instead of nonstick - thought I had both but tore the doggone kitchen apart and only came up with the Pyrex). Could that be the issue? The end pieces that were done throughout were absolutely marvelous.
  3. bettyjoan
    We visited tonight after hearing/reading a lot of great reviews. The beer list is great, and the cocktail I had (with gin, muddled cucumbers and basil, and elderflower syrup) was tasty. We tried the edamame hummus, which I absolutely LOVED, and the duck spring rolls, which were also very tasty. However, service was a major issue. The bar is HUGE, and unfortunately there was really only one person doing any work back there (there were a couple of people who lit candles and/or replaced glasses/napkins, but they didn't seem to make themselves useful other than that). So, it often took a while to get the bartender's attention. Our food took nearly 40 minutes (we were told there was a printer malfunction), and hubby had to get up and walk to the other side of the bar to ask to cash out. We probably would have ordered more to eat and drink, had it not taken so long. The bartender seemed to feel bad about the issues, and he actually only charged us for a round of drinks (comping one beer and both food items), but I feel like Saturday night service is something that needs to be worked out, and fast. The food was delicious, so it deserves some matching service.
  4. bettyjoan
    Was just thinking about Grape Crate today, for some reason - after our first crate, which we loved, we never heard anything else. My computer also won't let me get past the main website (in other words, when I click "Order a grape crate," it poops out and won't let me go further). Anyone know what happened?
  5. bettyjoan
    Headed over to Right Proper for lunch today. Overall, I really liked it. The beers are really good - I had the Range Life (a hop-focused wheat beer - light enough for summer but with enough hoppy bite to make it interesting) and the Raised by Wolves (described above and very good). I like that they have some "guest beers" in case the house-made selections aren't to one's liking (though that's hard to imagine - plenty of variety). We sat at the cheese counter, since the larger bar in the back was closed until dinnertime, and service was fine. We had blistered shisito peppers to start (am I crazy, or are these showing up everywhere now?), then a nice cheese board, then the lamb french dip and the southern chick-filet sandwich. Both sandwiches were very tasty, but my ultimate vote goes to the chicken - it was really well fried and seasoned. I agree that the lamb is more of a panini - which is not bad, but not really as advertised. Fries were meh (undersalted) but potato salad was quite good, though I think the upcharge for both ($3) is steep when the sandwiches are already $11-$14. I'd definitely go back, though! Lots of bike parking out front.
  6. bettyjoan
    Grilled NY strip sandwiches with sauteed peppers and onions Romaine salad with tomatoes and goat cheese
  7. bettyjoan
    Macaroni salad with bacon, peas, and creamy dijon dressing Grilled chicken
  8. bettyjoan
    So, September 28 is the date - I know it is still early, but maybe we can at least get commitments in terms of any "heavy" equipment for on-site cooking? That way, we can plan some activities around what we have. There will be plenty of room for off-site cooking (in other words, people bringing stuff that they cook/prep in their own kitchens) - but we can wait a bit to start tallying up who is bringing what.
  9. bettyjoan
    Martha Stewart's turkey burgers (my favorite recipe - with Gruyere, Dijon mustard, breadcrumbs, scallions, and garlic in the patties) Jean-Georges Vongerichten's roasted corn with Manchego and lime (my favorite summer side dish) It was our July 4 "BBQ," just a couple of days late.
  10. bettyjoan
    It is my understanding that the hotel is owned by the founder of Dogfish (so, Dogfish). He said he was seeing all these people coming to his brewery from out of state, so he felt like there was a market for another hotel in the area. Apparently they gutted an existing motel and really spent some time/effort on the design - I am looking forward to checking it out.
  11. bettyjoan
    Decided to book a last-minute trip to Lewes for the July 4th weekend - did you know Dogfish Head has a hotel now??? I'm pretty excited, especially since pup gets to go, too. We'll have to get up early and stay up late to get him some beach time, but it will be worth it to see his happy little Muppet-face. Other than the Dogfish Head brewpub, any thoughts on places to get some decent beer and food? Outdoor/dog-friendly seating is an extra plus.
  12. bettyjoan
    I would say that I'm a pretty adventurous (and mildly talented) home cook. I love baked goods, but I don't gravitate toward baking as much as I do cooking. I think a lot of it has to do with the risk factor - in other words, in cooking, if I screw something up, the risk of not being able to salvage it is pretty low. With baking, I have fumbled completely enough times to know how easy it is and how much it sucks (both financially and in terms of confidence/morale) to botch a batch of something. That said, I am a pretty decent cookie baker, and I have a couple of easy pie recipes that I can churn out (though all of them seem to have graham cracker or cookie-esque crusts).
  13. bettyjoan
    The Big Board is definitely our Cheers. Beers are ready for us in the time it takes to walk from the door to the bar. Burgers are great, TVs can always be switched to what we want to watch (well, World Cup season notwithstanding...), and the staff takes time to really get to know the customers. My mom and dad came in this past weekend, and The Big Board was the place they wanted to go straight from the airport. High praise!
  14. bettyjoan
    Looks like September 28 is still the date - can we unlock the event thread to start talking about planning/attending specifics? Woo hoo, picnic!
  15. bettyjoan
    Brought the parents to Red Hen for dinner on Saturday night - we got there and put our name in around 6:15, and they were ready for us by 6:45-ish (just enough time to go over to Boundary Stone and have a drink). Ejon was our server, and he was awesome - read our table perfectly and made some great menu suggestions. We had a round of sparkling wine/cocktails, and then we ordered a bottle of wine. There was a really good octopus appetizer - totally tender, not chewy at all, and with a nice smoky flavor that was noticeable but not overpowering. Salmon and tongue apps were also great. For entrees, I know there was chicken and halibut at the table, but I was completely and fully engrossed in my cacio e pepe (off menu, recommended by our server) - when it is done right, it is one of my favorite things to eat, and it was definitely done right. YUM. I ordered the maple custard for dessert, and it was great, as was the cappucino I sipped with it. Everyone else raved about their desserts and after-dinner drinks. The whole experience was just delicious and thoroughly enjoyable. Can't wait to come back for more!
  16. bettyjoan
    Done - voted and retweeted. I am also committed to making this an epic event! Can't wait to start planning with folks.
  17. bettyjoan
    Excellent! So, I'm interested in knowing...what do people want to see/do at the picnic? We want it to be the biggest and best we've ever had. Do you want organized tastings (I'm thinking beer/wine)? Restaurant/chef participation? Food-related games (maybe like a "Chopped" style challenge)? Cookbook swaps? We always have a good time just eating and chatting. But, I feel like maybe we can get some new folks interested if we have a little something for everyone. Really excited to hear peoples' thoughts!
  18. bettyjoan
    Wow, Ilaine, thanks! New thread located here.
  19. bettyjoan
    Thanks to Ilaine, we have site C-2 reserved for September 28, 2014. Let's make this the best gosh darned picnic we've ever had!
  20. bettyjoan
    I am a big fan of advance planning, much to my fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants husband's disappointment. I can start a new thread and start the discussion, but how do I set up a poll for dates? I played around a bit with settings and tools just now, but I couldn't figure it out.
  21. bettyjoan
    I think folks wanted to push for a really awesome fall picnic, since the dates and availability were a bit slim for summer (and lots of folks have vacations planned and/or aversion to picnic-ing in the DC summer heat). I am happy to help organize for the fall. Last year the &%@#*! government shutdown got in the way of our October 13 scheduled date. So, I'm thinking we maybe want to avoid the first two weeks of October just in case? We could do late September (for an Indian Summer/early Fall tilt) - C-2 is available Sundays 9/14, 9/21, and 9/28. Or, we could try for later October. I like the former option, but I also enjoy the heat. Thoughts?
  22. bettyjoan
    Mark, I love your recollections of Tony Gwynn. As a life-long Atlanta Braves fan, I always enjoyed watching him play, for all the reasons you mentioned, but also because he was one of the only guys who could consistently hit against our powerhouse pitching staff. His stats (from Mark Bowman) against some of our best arms are staggering: Smoltz .462 (30-for-65) 1K, Maddux .429 (39-for-91) 0 K, and Glavine .312 (29 for 93) 2 K. Insane.
  23. bettyjoan
    All this weekend, I am drinking to my new nephew, who arrived 2 weeks early but is happy and healthy and maybe the cutest thing on the planet. Only 53 days till I get to meet the little one and snuggle him like crazy!!!
  24. bettyjoan
    Checked out the 14th Street TJ's yesterday afternoon - the store itself is pretty nice (the aisles seemed a bit wider than the West End store, though it was still crowded and tough to maneuver sometimes), and the staff were great, as always. The parking is a nightmare - they have a teeny tiny lot underground, which looks to be a small sliver of the Louis apartment parking deck, and it is TIGHT. Even compact cars were having trouble getting into the spaces, and the turns are really dangerous. I am not sure the closer-to-me location is worth the anxiety attack. Great news for folks who live in the neighborhood, though.
  25. bettyjoan
    I know this is not news to anyone, but I would posit that there are many people who cannot pick and choose what jobs they take - they have to make a living, feed their families, put a roof over their heads, etc etc. Many people work for companies that people don't like/support. It doesn't make what those companies do any more right, but I guess all I'm hoping is that we don't automatically attribute the traits of a large organization to its individual members. I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs - does that mean that I am a soulless beaurocrat who manipulates data and puts Veterans in harms way just to get a bonus at the end of the year? And it wasn't really the underlying content of the message that struck a nerve with me - it was the way the correction was delivered. I have never used Groupon, and I don't doubt that there are all kinds of shady sales tactics used by all kinds of companies who target restaurant owners, chefs, small businesses, etc., but I don't think we have so much of an excess of kindness and courtesy that there's no room for it in this context.
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