Barbara

I just read about this and I'm not surprised. The food at Cashion's was just awful. I don't know what they were thinking. It'll be nice to have the original Ann Cashion back in the 'hood.

A very strong cast, yes, with the glaring exception of Katharine Houghton. She couldn't act her way out of a paper bag (any wonder why you never saw her again?) and there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Poitier. Even back when I first saw it in the 1960s, I thought this movie was patronizing.

Watching Hepburn and Tracey together in a film for the last time, however, was a hoot. Those two had chemistry.

Yes, it was a child of its times. I'm glad those times have changed and nobody would make a movie like this again. Or, at least, I hope not.

I've been unable to access this website since it went down. Finally resorted to shutting the computer completely off and then restarting it. Seems to have worked

Dame Edna and I showed up the night of the DR.com gathering. Since everybody just ordered off the regular menu and there was space available, it worked out just fine.

(I had actually been the week before for lunch. The changeover from Target to CVS at the Columbia Heights Target pharmacy turned out to be a real clusterf**k and I had some time to kill and hadn't eaten anything; so, I jumped on Metro and went to Drift. I was madder than hell and equally hungry. Lemme tell ya--a plate of the seafood pasta and a glass of the Riesling put a real smile on my face.)

Dame Edna and I split an appetizer of the crab cake sliders. You can order either 2 or 4 or those and we chose to have one each. My goodness! They were delicious! Then, we had the lobster bisque. I already knew from Ferhat's soft shell crabs that he learned a thing or three from his time at Corduroy and the bisque didn't disappoint--although I don't believe there was any foie gras in it. Still, a more refined soup than you might have expected--if you didn't know any better.

For mains, I ordered the mussels and DE had the fish tacos. I didn't get any of the tacos, so can't speak to those. The mussels, however, were quite wonderful. Not a sad, shriveled-up one in the bunch and the broth didn't overwhelm the mussels.

I'm going to try the Boulliabasse (sp?) next time--while I wait for soft-shell crab season to start.

Needless to say, I am thrilled that Ferhat gave this place another shot and upped his game in the interim.

+1000

For me, this was a perfect film.  A suspenseful thriller without the violence and the car chases.  One of the most moving scenes in the film for me was when the editor was sitting in his car in the pre-dawn hours outside the printing plant, watching as the trucks started rolling out carrying the edition containing the bombshell story.  The anticipation of what was about to happen was goosebump-inducing.

This was also the only film I saw that was nominated for Best Picture. I thought it was worthy of the award but didn't think it would win precisely because there were no car chases or sex scenes or any explosions.

The scene that will stay with me forever is when Marty Baron opens the present from Cardinal Law (who told him that it was everything he needed to know about Boston) and discovers a copy of the Catechism. The sheer hubris of that was just breath-taking. (The real Marty Baron wrote in the WaPo that they used the actual book that was given to him all those years ago). It was very gratifying for me when it actually won. This ranks right up there with "All the President's Men" and I hope it will be shown for a very long time. The script and the acting were superb and the subject can't be discussed enough. Maybe Hollywood decided that they could actually do good by awarding this film its top award.

After many months (years even) of walking past Hana, last night I finally went inside.  What a great place.  If you like poking around ethnic grocery stores with shelves piled high with stuff that you have never seen before and have no idea how to use, Hana is a must visit.  This is a tiny place but they make use of every square inch.

I don't know much about Japanese cuisine so I can't really comment on what they have, but it looked like they have pretty much anything you would need.  I did notice in the back refrigerator case that they carry Thai basil and garlic chives (which you rarely see in the District) (and for that tip, you better save me some).

Next time I'm walking home from work, I'm stopping in again.  Who knows what interesting stuff I'll buy...I'll probably have no idea how to use, but I'll buy it anyway.

It is THE place to find Japanese dried noodles (soba, udon, etc.) for much lower prices than you will find elsewhere.  I'm  speaking here of local supermarkets and not the big Asian markets in the 'burbs (about which I know very little). I love the Japanese low-sodium soy sauce there and the variety of miso. I don't know enough about Japanese cuisine to venture into the freezers; but, I've always found the service to be very friendly and helpful.

I would simply urge any of you who can get to Adams Morgan to look for the most important--and most hidden--of the Heritage Trail posters on the corner of Columbia Road and Adams Mill (very near Southern Hospitality). This one concerns the Knickerbocker Theater disaster and also points out that the Christian Science Church (which has a historic designation and is being renovated as a hotel) was used as the local morgue during the disaster.

Interestingly, in modern terms, all of the lives lost were Caucasians--because the Knickerbocker was segregated and, so, no black people were allowed to attend the movies there. Karma continues to be quite the bitch!

I guess I must be really special. I'm afraid it's still the same. At the forum level there's a little notice that says "you cannot start a new topic" and then at the thread level a notice that says "you cannot reply to this topic"....and there is no reply box, and no "quote" button at the bottom of each comment.

I must be really special, too. I was also going to comment on the Knickerbocker Theater disaster but got the same notice as you. I logged out and logged back in, but it didn't change anything.

After reading about the cauliflower shortage in the WaPo yesterday, I went to the 14th Street Trader Joe's and found a whole pile of cauliflower for $2.49 a head. I'm debating whether to bake it with a cheese sauce on such a cold, gloomy day. That sort of thing hasn't been in our diet for years now. Still . . .

Great insight, Julien, a truly wonderful post.  But ...

How does this help somebody living in DC looking to make better poultry choices on a budget?  What local options are better than Whole Foods?  This ain't Paris.  i know that Harvey's Market stocks D'Artagnan Green Circle birds; are they any good?  What else doesn't require a trip across town or out to a farm to pick up a grocery staple?

I confess that unless there is a relatively convenient way to beat readily available CAFO product then it is a hard sell.  Our family would be willing to pay a premium for better quality (not a $10/lb premium, but something significantly more than $2/lb), and I would learn to stop being so damn lazy and start breaking down whole chickens instead of buying parts.  However, mail order artisanal birds from Long Island isn't an option.

This post has prompted me to look closer at some local meat CSAs, or CSAs that provide a meat option.  That has it's own set of challenges (we stopped our CSA share after kid #2, it was too much of a hassle), and aside from the free range aspect I think you're probably just getting premium Cornish Cross anyway.  What else is out there?

I'll just repeat that I bought a "farmers market" bird from Smucker Farms and paid approximately $4/lb for it. That 5 lb. bird was plenty for the three of us and there were leftovers for the next day. I generally wind up paying $7+/lb for non-CAFO meat when I cook for guests. Even at that price, it's still cheaper to cook for everybody than take them to a restaurant.

OK, I'll admit that I am late to this party. I'll just say that I never buy chicken or eggs at any supermarket. My eggs come directly from my CSA farmer in Pennsylvania and we don't eat much meat or poultry at home--except, when we have people in for dinner. Which was the case on New Year's Day. I picked up a chicken from Lancaster County at Smucker Farms on 14th Street. It cost nearly $20 for a nearly 5 pound bird. I forgot that birds from farmers markets come with the neck attached. Which, I don't know exactly how to deal with.

In any case, with a bird that expensive, I Googled the best way to roast it. The unanimous vote was Thomas Keller's method. Surprise, surprise. It worked out wonderfully. We have a smoke detector that is so sensitive that it goes off whenever I cook anything at a high temperature. Fortunately, we have found that a fan pointed directly at the smoke detector will make things right.

The bottom line is this: if you are willing to eat industrially-produced chicken (or other meat), then you can buy it cheap at your local supermarket. If, on the other hand, you care about where and how it is produced you will pay much, much more for the "artisanal" stuff. My only concern with this thread is paying a premium at a restaurant for CAFO products.

MichaelBDC and I took Don's suggestion and headed to the bar at Corduroy for a New Year's Eve dinner. We arrived at 7pm and there was only one other couple at the bar. We stayed for three hours and I think only two other couples showed up. We were a little sad to see the bar so empty but it was nice to chat with Antonio and other Corduroy staff throughout our meal.

Both MichaelBDC and I enjoyed the three courses for $30 bar menu and supplemented that with three great cheeses -- a gouda (Beemster), a blue, and a stinky French cheese. The courses we ordered have been discussed on this thread before so there is not a need to go into detail about them. I just want to add that despite doing a lengthy New Years Eve tasting menu in the main dining room, our meal was perfectly executed and paced, a tribute to Tom Power and team. We had a great time from beginning to end. It was the perfect choice for our last meal of 2015.

You should have said "Hi" to us.

Do the barstools have backs? If so, I need to go eat at the bar here. That's often the impediment for me.

I understand what you mean by those backless seats. Screw 'em.  The chairs at the bar are just that--tall chairs. I've always found them to be quite comfortable.

Cilantro hate (tastes like soap) is clearly a genetic thing. Think about where this is an important part of any cuisine--none of them are of Northern European origin.  No, cilantro is used mostly in the hot, tropical areas where spices are predominant.

Julia Child, who was of Scottish descent, also thought cilantro tasted "soapy" and it was one of the only things she clearly didn't like.

I actually like the taste of cilantro; but, I am a natural redhead and my genetic mutation(s) has a direct impact on the level of numbing agents I need in dental work. No lie (you can look it up). I can easily talk to my dentist about this, but it's less easily explained to a restaurant.

I'll happily take the trade-off.

To Max, AGAIN!

You beat me to it!

First of all, is there a better collective term for Australia & New Zealand? 

I think you mean ANZAC. It originally meant Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, but it's lately been used to signify both countries, jointly. Australasian includes the entire South Pacific area. IIRC.

I've actually read it. I was hoping that this was a novel about what happened in the South during the Civil Rights Era. Well, it sorta is.

It started out wonderfully. Just what you would expect from Harper Lee. And, indeed, it is set just after the Supreme's Brown v. Board of Education decision.

This was clearly written before "Mockingbird" because the tale of Tom Robinson (who isn't named in this book) was referred to with a completely different outcome--an aside, if you will.

However, it devolved into the most incomprehensible gobbledy-gook imaginable. Such a shame. It is also obvious why this was originally rejected for publication. We are all just lucky that some editor saw the value in it and urged Lee to rewrite.

The review in The New Yorker explains all, if not exactly explaining why I, in particular, was disappointed:

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Adam Gopnik on newyorker.com

---

Harper Lee (Al Dente)

Eatruneat and I went to Corduroy to try to have the 3 course for $30 meal at the bar. Due to the heat and humidity coarsing through DC Saturday evening, I wore a nice pair of shorts. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the upstairs bar, I was told that  shorts were not allowed in the restaurant.  Antonio, the bartender, was very nice in conveying the information and told me that the restaurant had a loaner pair of pants downstairs that I could slide over my shorts. I passed on the loaner pants and Eatruneat and I walked over to the izakaya at Daikaya instead.  Gentlemen, consider yourselves warned.

This is one of Tom Power's pet peeves. The website itself states "No shorts."

I'm awaiting my copy of the book as I write.

This episode is reminding me of the origins of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. From what I have read recently, she originally submitted a much darker memoir, which was rejected for publication. She subsequently rewrote the story as a more fictionalized and uplifting book which, of course, became a beloved classic (except by me because I've never read it).  The original book is being published, if it hasn't already, and that's the one I look forward to reading.

Harper Lee said in an interview back in the 1960s that (I'm paraphrasing here) that people outside the South really had no idea about race relations in the South and that it was entirely possible for white people to hold conflicting positions at the same time. I expect the portrayal of Atticus in the 1950s conforms with that.

Knowingly or not, anyone can get caught up in politics, activism etc.   Jose Andres' planned restaurant in the planned Trump hotel in DC is now a target for protests against Trump's recent statements.

Here is one article on the topic and includes a tweet by Andres

I bet this story isn't going away for a while.

I think The Donald needs Jose more than vice versa. There is no upside for Andres at this point.

Surprise, Pete Rose re-inventing the truth after the public finds out something else he can no longer lie about. First he "never bet on baseball", then he "bet on baseball but never on the teams he was a part of", then he "bet on teams he was a part of but only as a manager."

Now it's he "bet as a manager and player but never against himself or team".

His own hubris and continued defiance of any sort of accountability are the reasons he is not in the Hall of Fame. He is a liar and nothing he says about his betting history is credible.

Exactly. He is toast.

For some reason, my local Harris Teeter has been contracting with local fishermen for stuff to be ordered in advance. A couple of weeks ago, it was day boat scallops (which were the best scallops I've ever bought from a market) and last week it was Blue Catfish (for a mere $5.99/lb.). I'm going to pick up 5 lbs. on Thursday and found a guy in MD (on the intertubes) who "blackens" them in his restaurant. I've got his recipe and the grits to go with them and will report back on a later date.

To Sepp Blatter! Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on your way out!

I'm just wondering how "golden" his parachute is going to be.

I have not read that book yet. Also, were my questions offensive or inappropriate in any way?

No, not at all. It's just that Frank McCourt's family in Ireland was given a pigs head from the St. Vincent dePaul Society and it was a sign that you were really, really poor and had to depend on charity. While I have no issue with the whole nose-to-tail use of any animal, it just struck me as being ironic that you would even have to do a search for something that once was a symbol of shame (although it shouldn't have been).

I have plans to roast a whoIe pigs head and I just want to find if there are any new updates to this topic. I'm hoping to pick a 10-20 pound head for about a $1 or less per pound. Is this even possible anymore. I live in Rockville and asked someone at Great Wall on Hungerford. However, the person at the butcher section said that they don't carry pigs heads anymore. I also emailed Harvey's Market at Union Market in DC and they can get one for me for $2/lb which I feel may be tad bit pricey. Has anyone else found any other places that will sell a pig's head at my price point? 

Lord have mercy. Has no one here read "Angela's Ashes?" We are SUCH privileged people.

Gee, I read Ferhat's post, and can't help thinking that these problems can, must, and will be overcome. Would anyone like to have an event there (I haven't checked with Ferhat, but I'm thinking - not some blowout that masses of people won't get, but things from the regular menu, and maybe our members can fill out evaluation forms for each dish and the meal as a whole) - I cannot believe someone as talented as Ferhat, even if there are architectural problems, can't overcome this, and I'm personally willing to throw myself behind Fishnet to make it happen. The thing is though: he needs honest criticism on everyday dishes, and maybe we all need to do the exact same meal twice, a couple weeks apart.

There is absolutely ZERO problems with the food Ferhat is putting out. The decor? There might be the difficulty. I just remember going to the pre-Valentine's dinner and insisting that we be seated as far from the front door as possible. If you remember, it was COLD in February.