Al Dente

If you get into some kind of trouble for posting inappropriately, you could be temporarily given hagfish status. Mmmmm, slime.

I think it's very difficult to find a good soft shell crab. Too often you end up with a greasy flabby uninspiring mess. The last time I remember having a good one was at Cafe Marianna in north Old Town about 3 or 4 years ago. It was deep fried in a light batter and the crab itself was nice and meaty.

Tabard Inn?  Asia Nora?

Thanks-- I've put in inquiries.

Just who do I have to... ahem, I mean how many posts till I reach the exalted "Grouper" status?

You are so bad.

I'd also like to nominate the African Restaurant in SS - can't remember the name.  Joe, can you help me out here?

That would be Roger Miller.

And how do we handle the "simple sauce" part of the operation?  That will involve cooking a number of different batches of sauce.

To keep it simple, we could do the Marcella Hazan method:

Basically, you take a 28-oz. can of tomatoes, squeeze or cut the tomatoes into chunks, and simmer them with half an onion (peeled but not chopped) and 5 T of butter for 45 minutes.

I know that Michael Landrum has done at least one rehersal dinner in the past.  (Great story, his grill craps out and he goes to Home Depot and buys a Weber  to cook the dinner.)  You are far enough out that you might be able to get him to do an early seating for you.

Man, that would be the shiznit, but I don't think we could do it early enough. This would probably be around 7pm or so. Plus it's kinda far for these outta towners to find their way. Uncle Clem and Aunt Bea might get too confused in the big city.

Edited to retain my street cred.

I'm getting hitched in a couple of months and we're having difficulty deciding on a good venue for our rehearsal dinner. It will be on a Friday night and it includes about 50 people. We have a proposal from the hotel where most guests will be staying, but I think it will less than memorable-- you know, the dried out chicken cordon bleu or sirloin tips with mushroom sauce-gunk variety of meal. We'd rather have good honest simple food rather than mass produced chain hotel fare.

We're hoping to keep this under $50/head all in (perhaps well under) and serve beer and wine only. The guests will be staying right near the Friendship Heights metro stop, so it could be in that area, or somewhere easily metro accessible on the red line. Dupont, Woodley, or Cleveland Park would work. I'd like to keep it casual and fun.

Also, we have a kind offer from a friend in Bethesda to use his house for this shindig, so we've considered having it catered or just ordering a bunch of food from a good carry out place. Moby Dick's has been discussed as an option for a pile of kabobs and so forth.

Are there any brilliant ideas out there?

I'm looking forward to First Thursday's too. More info here:

http://www.visitdelray.com/

That website has a link to all the restaurants in Del Ray. You will all be jealous, but I managed to secure a much coveted reservation for tomorrow night at the 7-Eleven.

I'm interested. I'd be happy to pick up a few varieties of canned sauce at A. Litteri's (and wine of course).

I could probably also get my hands on a hand cranked pasta maker if we need it-- depending on your pasta production capabilities.

The room is lovely, and the bar would be a nice place to catch a drink or enjoy a bar menu, if one is offered (I am not sure).

Bummer about the service. I've been wanting to drop in for some time now. Perhaps a trip to the bar would be the ticket.

I'm putting as much thought into my review of Cantler's as they put into the food:

Raw oysters= edible with extra grit

Fried oysters= hockey puck with soft oyster center

Smoked blue fish= not bad

Soft shell clams= gag

Soft shell crabs= more like "soft shell crab shells"

Steamed shrimp= appeared to be dredged up from oil spill

Scallops= lame, really lame

Jumbo crabs= $80/dozen

Service= well meaning

Disappointing.

Ah yes, the thermos of hot water.  I have still not found another place that does that.  BTW, anyone know what that sawtooth herb is called?

Also notice the link for a thai herb which provides natural breast enhancement!

This herb which is sometimes called foreign coriander, culantro and saw tooth herb

Note to Rocks-- Observe proper use of line return spacing above!

(from my recent comments on Mouthfulsfood)

I now have a much more solidly positive opinion on Poste. The service was attentive-- a little salesey, but not overly so.

Standout dishes:

Steamed mussels in a delicious broth of saffron, chilis, lotsa ginger, and cilantro. This was the best Asian-inspired mussels dish I've ever had. It has such distinct crisp flavors and the mussels were plump and fresh.

Beef Bourguignon-- the beef itself was as tender and succelent as could be, but the star of the plate are the vegetables. Small carrots and turnips (I think?), green beans, potatoes, with some fennel fronds and other vegetables are all cooked perfectly for this dish. The veggies are available as a side dish as well, so there is no excuse not to try it.

My fellow diners were all quite pleased with the ricotta ravioli of which I had a small taste, and a coffee roasted duck breast over risotto with mango and scallions. I only got to try the terrific risotto.

Chef was kind enough to send out a few of the Hog Island oysters that were slightly cooked on the halfshell in some sort of cream sauce with chervil and American caviar. And after our coffees and desserts, we were each given a tall shotglass containing a mini root beer float! That added a good chuckle to the end of the evening.

I imagine this menu with be replaced soon with more springy offerings, so get there soon.

Some apps and drinks at the bar may be in order in the near future, "on a whim"!

Tease...

<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>Can I still be part of the group if I say that Palena's burger failed to knock me on my ass?</span>

When did you have it?

I ask because I've heard from two independent sources that it ain't what it used to be. I haven't had one in about 3 or 4 months, so I'm wondering if they're right. The two possible heretics in question have used words like "dry", "tough", "less flavorful" and "smaller". Both have said that everything but the beef itself is the same as it used to be.

I may need to go and investigate.

I've played poker with dogs (who do you think created the famous painting?), but never really dined with them. However, I once accompanied a friend and her dog to a canine happy hour at the Holiday Inn on King St in Old Town. It was fun until the dogs got all liquored up and started humping your leg.

It's getting worse.

This may require more draconian measures.

Sat night - burn my hand and go to emergency room (after I ate dinner).

Good man. Eat through the pain!

Poor sandwich engineering is a real pet peeve of mine. There is a deli of sorts called Little Home in Silver Spring and it happens to be the closest place for lunch where I work. They bake some excellent bread, but they can't make a freakin sandwich. They have tuna melts, but no grill, so it's just toasted bread. On top of that, when you order a hot sandwich, they wrap it tightly in cling wrap so when I get back to my desk two minutes later the bread is soggy from condensation.

Also, name your sandwiches! I don't care if you just number them-- call them whatever you want. But give me a starting point when I order. I don't like having to specify every single item I want in my lunch. I'd rather say, give me an "xyz" and hold the mayo.

I'm doing my best to herd cats and get a bunch of friends and family together for my brother's birthday on Saturday. Someone in the group suggested Cantlers.

I've always wanted to go, but I envisioned a hot day in August crackin crabs and drinkin beer. Would you go at this time of the year? Anything to recommend? Any pitfalls to avoid?

I would, however, get a little nervous if you see a guy walking towards you wearing nothing but chaps and a Fat Albert t-shirt.

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to impending senility. I would happily send the chaps and Fat Albert shirt along if someone else would like to wear them.

I'll be first in line when it opens. I've found few thrills, on Capitol Hill...

If you're willing to walk all the way to the Chipotle by the Camelot, then you really ought to try the Well Dressed Buritto.

Must. Keep. Taco/Undressed/Camelot. Comment. To. Self.

They're not yet as ubiquitous as Starbucks, but they're getting there. But still, a barbacoa burrito with pintos, hot sauce, and everything else (except sour cream to keep it under 10,000 calories) is a guilty pleasure of mine.

I love living on Capitol Hill-- beautiful strolls through the neighborhood and the Capitol grounds, parks, quick access to Union Station and the Metro, Schneiders, and of course an easy 10 minute stroll to Eastern Market. But as everyone knows, the restaurant scene leaves a lot to be desired. However, there are a handful of gems scattered about, and I think Old Siam may get there one day, but it's going to be a long trip before they even reach the semi-precious stage.

They're certainly doing brisk business and the space itself is warm and inviting. We sat and had a cocktail at the bar and asked for a table and were soon directed to the front of the restaurant where we were seated at a tiny two-top in the window. Unfortunately this is where everyone stands around waiting for a table. For whatever reason, the crowd hovering over us was predominantly young and female so it sounded like we were in the tropical bird exhibit during feeding time at a zoo. So, after ordering, we asked to go back to the bar and ate dinner there.

I enjoyed a spicy lemon grass soup with a few shrimp and mushrooms. But we also tried some pork and shrimp dumplings that had a slightly off, vaguely gym locker kind of aroma. The vegetable pad thai was mushy and oily and lacked focus. It was as though they threw a random assortment of vegetable scraps into the stir fy. We also had what was described on the menu as simply "basil duck". This was supposed to be one of their more spicy offerings (which I gravitate towards), but instead I was presented with a deep fried breast in a syrupy sweet sauce. The batter was so dense that I ate only a few slices before I felt like I had swallowed a lead weight.

Wine selection was pedestrian but fairly priced by DC standards. A couple of drinks each, two apps and two entrees came to $55 before tip. I'll give it another chance someday, but it won't be anytime soon. Maybe I need to open my own damn restaurant in this neighborhood.