turbogrrl

An easy alternative to changing the look of the front page is to make the image for the address a link to a simple page that has just a map and the address and phone number in plain text. That keeps the main page clean and pretty, and provides the accessibility that people on phones are looking for ;-) You *could* add a Directions heading (in addition to reservations/menus/photos), for people that don't intuitively click on addresses, but that would require delicate rearrangement of your page.

I've had their srirachi salad a couple of times, and I've found it depends on who makes it. This last time there was better balance between the fish and the greens, and I was very happy. I generally eschew dressing, and do in this case as well; it's a sweet-spicy sriracha based dressing, but doesn't really do anything for me. Greens and fish and roe and pickled veggies is fine unadorned. I've been tempted by the berliner but still haven't tried it yet.

trying to figure out where to put everything I got at the farmers market this morning: tomatoes, basil, burrata, mozzarella, milk, apple tarts, strawberries, duck eggs, beets, rhubarb also, slowly finishing making rillettes while the dishes finish. Then rhubarb compote. And I thought about making bread, but I think it might be a cocktail instead.

Also went to Nan Xiang last night. Soup dumplings, without a drive to new york: awesome. Not the best soup dumplings ever; the dough was a bit thick, and the broth didn't pop as much as I wanted, but all of them made it to my mouth without losing their hot soupy goodness. We also got the fried crescent dumplings with leeks, but ... ok. not awesome. Scallion pancake did not satisfy. Nick ordered fried fish with black pepper, which was tasty but I wished the accompanying greens, peppers, + garlic had been more than briefly introduced to heat— they were essentially raw. :/ I got some ma po tofu, which will be my lunch today. Not terribly spicy, and I can't quite identify the flavor profile of the meat in the dish... something along the lines of a ragu? It was registering more "italian" on my tongue than "asian". Maybe I'll have a better description today. But... soup dumplings!

Haven't made my way *entirely* through the new menu, yet; clearly more research is in order! So far, though, the standout for me is the pulled pork sandwich: messy, tangy, spicy porky bliss on a bun. following closely behind is the okra and then the fries (I wanted to lick the aioli bowl) and the hushpuppies. Nick had the oyster po'boy and seemed to enjoy it, but I am unqualified to comment as 1) filter feeders and 2) dill pickles. The batter was nice and crispy and golden, though. The sliders were tasty, but didn't have any kick or flourish to catapult them up the ranks of a strong pack of contenders. So, obviously, will need to be trying the fried green tomatoes, the wings and the catfish this coming week. Once this hangover goes away.

Well, if you had read... anything else in the thread, then you would have known whether I tried it or not. I can understand wanting to get some exposure for your website but leaving comments that are just this side of spam is not the best way to do it. Please stop. That said, Astro doughnuts is about as southern as hockey. YMMV. Anyway, back on topic: based on a tweet, I swung by the shop to try an unlisted doughnut called the fireball, and try a few more of the standards. Walked away with a sampling of the fireball, vanilla, chocolate, and s'mores. I really liked the fireball- a yeast doughnut with cinnamon sugar and a healthy sprinkling of I think cayenne pepper on top. The s'mores was a deep chocolate cake doughnut with marshmallow on top. The vanilla was fine, but the chocolate glaze on the yeast doughnut was insanely sweet. it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it.

Our original destination didn't pan out tonight, so on a whim we redirected here. Lovely space. Standouts of the evening were the Hamachikama, the short ribs, the fried rice, the agedashi tofu, and the aki and shrimp tempura. A couple of the dishes were served with candied kumquats, which were intense and awesome. They were out of the uni and the black sesame flan, which made me sad, but we had a great dinner. I think if we still lived at 9th and V we'd be here every week.

Well, my lunch date (who can out themselves if they so choose ;-) and I redirected our lunch plans to the afternoon reopening of Astro today. They only had five doughnuts flavours in the afternoon: Brooklyn Blackout, PB + Choc Chip, Creme Brulee, Espresso, and Twink Nut. I got a dozen doughnuts and hauled them back to the office. (IT staff run on sugar and caffeine, right? Right. Done and done.) We also split a box of chicken. The chicken batter was nice and crispy, but they are only frying the buttermilk one right now, and I found it a bit bland when my tastebuds know that there is Sriracha chicken on the menu but not available. On the doughnut front, I'd say the Doughnut Plant is still my gold standard. The doughnuts are quite tasty, though, and it *is* only the second day. The espresso is very intense and chewy. The Twink nut is fairly light, considering. The PB + Choc chip is tasty. The creme brulee was somehow slightly disappointing. The blackout is very dense and chocolatey. I was sad to not have a chance to try the cinnamon or the maple bacon; will have to swing by in a couple of weeks.

well... at least it's a nice walk between metro center and dupont? ;-) Think of the service you will be doing the rest of us, throwing yourself on the doughnut and fried chicken grenades. Report back!

So, someone has bought the market, and is serving 'que. It's not B'z, and they'e changed the name (and I forgot to take a picture) but it was a nice stop on the way back from the track. They've set up the back yard as a picnic area. Aha! Found it. Hops and Vines.

This week starts the soft open of Astro Doughnuts... they are open from 8am to sold out, which apparently only took 90 minutes this morning. They reopened at noon with limited doughnuts and buttermilk fried chicken. I did not attempt to go get doughnuts today. Astro Doughnuts 1308 G Street, NW Washington DC 20005

Dc dram: Bombay dry gin, st. Elizabeth allspice dram, apricot liqueur, cherry heering, lime.

while I would be blissfully happy about this, I think the space is likely too small, maybe 1200sf? It's a weird wedge. Otoh, they have almost finished out 40 loft apartments above the Harris Teeter (captive audience), the dorchester is about to add on several hundred units ( next door, construction starts next week I think), and the Teeter has some *truly* abysmal bread. Like, I've started trying to make my own out of desperation. The other nice thing is that the Teeter has a reasonable amount of parking to supplement the foot traffic. I keep fantasizing that a small tea and pastry shop would open there, but I suspect that Douglas wants way too much money for the space, and he never seems to care about leaving things vacant for decades...

Not only is it still open, but despite not working in bethesda anymore I still go at least once a month. I got my coworkers hooked on the spicy fries at lunch, but for me-- brunch is where it's at. eggs creole, or the po mans breakfast, or, if I'm feeling really decadent... the pain perdu. still awesome. Good folks, good food.

Also, if it were not for Paradisio, it probably would have taken a much longer time to discover that I actually like olives.

Just a note; it's always possible to make something plug in, if you have the space. I converted my wall oven to a plug using a Locking NEMA plug and receptacle that I purchased at home depot. But trying to carefully hang a $1000+ hood and make it level and not dent it and hide the outlet and plug and not have a marital breakdown is likely much more effort than just paying the installers to do it. ;-)

In case you guys haven't found it already, www.foodtruckfiesta.com scrapes the twitter feeds of most of the food trucks and plots them on a google map. So you can know at a glance which trucks are near you that day, instead of wandering out and being surprised/disappointed, or trying to twitterstalk the trucks you like in order. As for trucks themselves: -Sate is Satay Sarinah's food truck. Sadly the nasi goreng doesn't lend itself to food truck logistics, but when I was there last they told me the truck wouldn't have it, so I had time to get my tastebuds talked down off the ledge. the combo box I got for $10 was full of tasty rice and curry and veggies and chicken. Since I don't get down to Alexandria nearly often enough, this is a nice way to get some of their tasty food -PhoWheels. This is probably my favorite truck. They know me by now, and recite my order to me: a pork belly banh mi on croissant roll, with an egg. The only question is whether I go for the deep-fried sous-vide-poached egg, or just the fried egg. Oh, their pho is tasty, too, but harder to transport. If you aren't eating it right away they will pack the noodles separately, just let them know. -Dangerously Delicious Pies some days, a slice of chicken pot pie and a side salad just hits the spot. I find their sweet offerings way too sweet, but the savory pies are a nice change. The crust can be substantial/dry (the perils of trying to stand up to the filling without disintegrating), but I find the crust great for mopping up the last of the balsamic vinegar from the salad. -CapMac this was ok. I mean, I wouldn't walk a mile out of my way for it or anything, like I have for PhoWheels, but perfectly acceptable lunch fare. -SUNdeVITCH Maybe Naylor Court is too hard to get to. After being closed for winter, the Sundevitch truck is back hitting the streets. Actually, it was the awesome smells emanating from the truck last year at dupont market that convinced me to walk a mile to try the sandwich shop. I've never actually tried the truck, but SUNdeVITCH makes awesome sandwiches. If you can't make it to the shop, you owe it to yourself to have one of their sandwiches. -DC Empanadas Food truck and at Union Market. When in the mood for a piping hot, fried empanada, this really hits the spot. Frequently I will get one at Union Market because a wave of hunger overtakes me and I don't have enough strength to finish my shopping without one. -PEPE is a known (minimal) quantity. I haven't looked at their menu in a while, but in summer, the gazpacho was the best deal on the menu, because you got a bowl of soup *and* a "baguette". That minimal baguette is the foundation of their sandwiches; it's great in soup but as a sandwich base it amounts to a $14 appetizer. Bah.

It seems like a lot of modern ovens do more active venting to prevent hot doors/glass. By which I can only suppose that people have been suing when they discover that hot ovens are... hot. My gaggenau doesn't seem to, but the door is pretty massively over-engineered. I really liked the look of the Bosch double-ovens when I was shopping for a replacement for my mom; she refused to consider them because she couldn't see the markings on the knobs as well as she liked. (I think she just didn't want to use a knob.) We ended up with the 30" convection kitchenaids, which she has been over the moon happy with. Well, except for me forbidding her to use self-clean, but that was a condition of any oven purchase. (Tends to fry the control boards.) As for faucets, I adore my Chicago faucet with pre-rinse, but admit it might not be for everyone ;-) My 12-year-old SZ is likely going up soon; the compressor mounts have failed. Trying to decide if I will replace the compressor or just replace the fridge. Bah. (I'd be more upset if I hadn't paid only $1000 for it on craigslist.) Would likely go with a french-door for better clearance, if so. Not looking forward to making the rounds of appliance shops. On sinks, I love love love the utility of my deep single-bowl apron-front sink. (30x22x8.5) All of the pans fit. But it's vitreous china, and I worry about cracking it. Again with the craigslist.

I put in the cork click-lok flooring (the 1ft x 3ft floating floor boards). The construction is a cork, fiber core, and cork sandwich, I installed it over a thin foam underlayment. It comes pre-sealed but it should really have another layer applied after install. I love the feel of the cork, but it really needs a more level floor than what I have. (old school house. floors tend to change direction at major beams.) The cork appears to hold up well if installed well; I ended up getting it off of craigslist, it was the overage from a yoga studio install. I went to the yoga studio after they'd been using it for a year, and it was in great shape. My office has glue-down cork in the kitchen, which is in disastrous shape. But it doesn't look like it was installed well, and it certainly isn't cared for well. We laid about 90 sf of cork; it took me and Nick about 14 hours to install from layout to final click, including "discussions" and various breaks. I still haven't put in transitions, because I'm hoping to win a prize for the longest remodel over. The extra padding does make standing in the kitchen a lot easier. And fragile items are less likely to shatter if dropped. It's hard to get a good idea of how the floor will look just from a tiny little square; I recommend going to a showroom and asking to take home several large boards of ones you are interested in to get a better idea of light/color/texture interplay.

My current ordering of the menu by favorites is: 1. pork + lychee salad 2. foie gras french toast 3. pork fat pho 4. fried chicken It's a pretty narrow spread; they are all awesome. The secret banh mi I saw someone eating yesterday also looked fabulous, but was so secret it was the only one left. :cries:

well, some people bring something to cover the seat (usually a clean plastic bag), and honestly, stilettos are not a huge problem unless the sole is impossibly slippery. Actually, a heel keeps the foot from sliding completely off, which happens to me when it's raining. If the seat is adjusted properly, at a stop the down leg should be on the ball of the foot anyway. (This is why, as a sprinter in high school, I was much better at running in heels than walking in them.) The *real* problem is that a helmet wrecks your hair, and it's awkward to stow the helmet when you've gotten to your destination. I did in fact bikeshare to a fancy dinner I attended with you once, and made the questionable decision to ride sans helmet. OTOH, the incongruity of being in fancy dress on a bike did seem to mean that vehicles and other bikes gave me much more room than normal. But the bikeshare by District Kitchen is usually pretty empty in the evening, which means plenty of place to park a bike getting there, but not so easy getting one to go home. Now that weather is getting better, you could always park at my house and then we could *walk* to DK. Still 20 minutes to your car... but more pleasant than a metro station.

Vigilante has a new pop-up location: Hogo's. They are occupying the bar from 7am-2pm Mondays through Fridays in March.

Say hi next time ;-) Having gone back, and had the mugi-miso a second time, I can say that I got a distinctly different (and better) bowl this time. The broth was richer, the sprouts were not raw, and the egg was softer and not so hard-boiled. (The chasu is still bland.) Given that two of the front kitchen staff had started within the last 24 hours, I am impressed... and am feeling justified in saying that it is best to let things shake out for the first couple of months before making final decisions. As for spaztic1215's not wanting to compare 'traditional Sapporo-style ramen (like Ren's, Daikaya, and occasionally Sushi Taro) to fusion, non-traditional noodle shops'... well, that's kind of the name of the game. They are all serving ramen. Or noodle soups, if you will. Traditional preparation is only one of the axes upon which we evaluate these establishments, and it's up to the reader to decide on the rank ordering of the various constraints. Other constraints might include: distance to travel, typical wait times for a table, whether or not alcohol is available, richness of broth, spice options, frequency of availability, pork buns, quality of service, vegetarian options, noodle preparation, other patrons. But at the end of the day: noodles in soup. In this case, very tasty noodles in soup. I'll be back for lunch soon.

Just got back from London and Somerset, and we had a thoroughly tasty time. In order of visiting, not in order of preference: 1. Kerbisher and Malt This was a fantastic fish-and-chips place. The sauces are ordered separately; I very much enjoyed my lemon mayo, and Nick inhaled his tartare sauce. The pickled onion rings were tangy and crunchy and really the perfect conveyance for the lemon mayo. The chips were also fantastic, but I preferred the onion rings. Nick had cod; I had pollock, we were both happy. 2. Dim Sum (will expand on this later when my friend reminds me where he took us) [here, we left London in a 69-horsepower Fiat 500 and ventured out to the Somerset countryside around Bath] 3. The Raven of Bath Free wifi-- most places offer free wifi, actually, which is quite handy-- cider, and tasty savory pies; I got mine with mashed and nick got his with chips. We asked for the sauces on the side and tried a little of each; otherwise your pie + potato will come out drenched in whichever gravy you order. This hit the spot. 4. The Stag Inn- High Street Hinton Charterhouse. Local pub; order your ciders and ales at the bar but table service for the food. We started out with some fried tiny fish, kind of like large anchovies. Very fishy, but rather addictive. We had some perfectly serviceable mains, but the standouts were the desserts. The toffee pudding was lovely, and came embellished with a sparkler for my birthday. Yay! Incendiaries on puddings! This is awesome! One of your many friendly local pubs, where they don't mind if the kids run around. 5. The Crockerton House - full disclosure, the owners are family friends, and we'd arranged to visit with them while we were in Somerset. They urged us to spend the night, and so we got the full-on B&B treatment, and it was lovely. The house was originally part of the Longleat estate, and you can get discounts on visiting Longleat if that's your thing. But, this is about food. Enid started off with a cheese souffle which was all the things a cheese souffle should be; veal with sage and potatoes that had a perfect crispy fry on them, and then dessert- a vanilla pannacotta with a delicate forced rhubarb. Nick was fairly certain he disliked rhubarb, but wasn't willing to admit it, and ended up inhaling the entire thing. Of course, normal guests likely don't get to cosy up to the giant aga in the kitchen, which is actually rather sad. 6. The Sheppey This may have been the finest meal of our trip. Located in Godney, about 40 minutes from anywhere along some amazingly windy b-grade roads, it's picturesque and amazing. The bar opens at 5:30; the kitchen doesn't start until half-six. We both ordered some of the local cider, and settled in with the free wifi to wait for the kitchen to open. Nick started with a french onion soup he thinks is the best he's ever had. (Nick does not say this lightly.) I had a spicy fish stew, and soaked up every bit of it with the fantastic breads. For the mains, I had a pork and apple burger, and nick had a trio of lamb chops. My pork and apple burger was good, but the lamb chops were fantastic. We then soldiered on and split a lovely rhubarb tart with ice cream, while the restaurant and pub filled up with locals and others. (The table next to us had their exceedingly well-behaved setter lying at their feet.) Sadly, we then had to drive home. 7. The Little Chef, Popham Services The Little Chef is, as a friend put it, somewhat like a tired Denny's. But michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal took on this location and redid the interior, the menu, and the sourcing. So my breakfast wrap had an organic local egg, and local bacon, and it showed. Nick bravely went for the fish and chips, and while it won't take home any awards, it was much much better than he was expecting. (And much better than the fish and chips at the Golden Hind. More on that later.) This is definitely the best meal I have ever gotten at a rest stop! It's just on the the A303 on the way to Stonehenge from London. 8. Norbiton & Dragon It's late, you're on the outskirts of a small college town (even while technically still being in London) solely for the wedding you will be attending the next day, and you need food. And you don't want to walk far. Enter the Norbiton and Dragon, the closest place that did not have abysmal reviews. The bar staff leave a bit to be desired: "Can you tell me about the cider?" "It's cider." Right. But the thai dishes we got were competent and hit the spot (if a trifle more expensive than I'd wanted), and I think the Tom Yum probably saved my cough from developing into a full-on cold. No idea about the english menu; they only serve that until 6. After 6 it's a full on thai menu. I'm told many pubs traditionally don't serve food much later than that, and so in the evenings they turn their kitchens over to thai, chinese, and indian cooks. 9. Pembroke Lodge A lovely Georgian house in Richmond Park, they catered one of the best non-restaurant wedding meals I've had. The tea rooms on the first floor are open to the public. [back to London proper] 10. Lantana Cafe The only place we went to twice! This is an amazing brunch/lunch place. Incredible sourdough for the sandwiches, perfectly-cooked eggs, streaky bacon, a proper flat white. For dessert I had toasted banana bread with raspberry labneh. And then I promptly went back to the hotel and took a nap. Seriously good food, good coffee, and good-looking staff. Lantana is tiny, adorable, and in good taste. 11. Salt Yard Very glad we made it here, thanks to the people who recommended it on this page. We walked in at 8 or so with no reservation and were seated immediately. I think we just got lucky on timing. The confit pork belly, and the pork + chorizo rilletes were the standouts. Great bread. The grilled tuna + blood orange was perfectly rare. Ricotta and truffle gnudi were little pungent pillows of bliss. The only dish that we didn't truly appreciate was the patatas bravas; they were more like old-bay french fries. 12. Nordic Bakery breakfast on Sunday was at this calming and austere spot; we had to wait 15 mins before the next batch of cinnamon buns would be ready, so we started off with crumbly butter buns (maybe a hint of cardamom in them?) and coffee while we waited. But those warm cinnamon buns were definitely worth the wait. 13. Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte also a rec from here, it was about a stones throw from our hotel, as well. Steak, perfectly rare. A sharp mustard salad dressing that insprired Nick to *eat all of his salad and some of mine*. Frites, and more frites. And then profriteroles and a creme brulee, all served with a french accent. We also hit this at around 8pm, and were seated within minutes; there was a line when we left. Now I have to figure out how to replicate that dressing, and maybe Nick will consume vegetables. 14. Golden Hind. This was probably the most disappointing meal of our trip... well, no. It was better than the plane food. The batter was beautiful, but the fish was frozen, sad, and uninspired. The chips were a nightmare. I was glad we had had a hearty breakfast.

As usual, should probably let things shake out for a few months before making any final decisions, and once they open for lunch (maybe a few more weeks, they said) I'll definitely be back. But for dinner, my preferences are still solidly Sakuramen and Toki. We went on monday; the restaurant was hopping, and the advertised 30 minute wait stretched into an hour. Unfortunately we were standing in the vestibule for all of that hour. (It's a very attractive vestibule, at least.) I had the Mugi Miso, Nick had the Shoyu. Summary: the noodles were outstanding, the chasu bland, and the pork belly was extremely tender but flavourless. Both broths were good, but were a bit too delicate; they didn't really stand up to the noodles. The sprouts were a discordant note in an otherwise elegant bowl. It was pleasant to have the option of sake or sapporo with dinner; after a day full of stupid I needed a drink. There is only one sake— it's a single-serve sake, I forgot to catch the brand. The vibe is trendy and hipster, the menu is a chaotic exercise in typography, and I am clearly just turning into a cranky old woman. It was a good first showing, and I hope that business continues steadily.