sacrilicious

Are there any vendors selling margaritas now that Cantina Marina is gone? I'm not expecting anything fabulous, just in the mood for something cold and citrus-y and non-beer for tonight's game vs. the Os.

I was a little surprised that the fancy $10 nachos from the Stars & Stripes club area were topped with a decently spicy chili. But for the most part I have given up on the ballpark food and usually just bring my own.

Then again, the Bavarian nut cart sounds semi-promising - I will try to find it tonight.

Surfing around my digital cable lineup, I recently found the WETA Create channel, a/k/a, the America's Test Kitchen channel. I swear it is being shown every time I turn on the TV. So I've been watching a lot of it (beats the evening dreck on Food Network).

It amuses me that everyone is totally average-looking, and I don't have to stare at someone's cleavage and/or distracting french manicured lacquered nails while they chop. Ah, public television.

(Unfortunately though, I haven't been that impressed by the couple of recipes I've tried from their website so far. I've had the same problem with Alton Brown's recipes - it's always just not quite right. Which is odd because both shows seem to put so much emphasis on precision.)

I took the knife skills class a few weeks ago, and I enjoyed it. I should note that I'm a novice / home cook so people who are more skilled might have found it a bit too basic, in terms of going into details of what each knife is, how to hold the knife, etc. But for me it was helpful and just the right amount of information.

We started with fruits and vegetables and moved on to breaking down a chicken - demonstration first and then we practiced on the food given to us - one chicken per two people. (I'm a vegetarian and had no real need to learn that, but I gave it a try anyway, without much success. ) The meal we prepared was chicken in mustard /thyme sauce.

There was a handout with the recipe, although personally I felt like it was a simple enough dish that didn't require a recipe. I would have preferred handouts illustrating the knife techniques a la Cook's Illustrated, because by the end of the morning I was tired and had already forgotten some of the tips.

The class was full or almost full (Saturday morning) but there were plenty of volunteers walking around to help and give advice. I guess the only odd part for a knife skills class was that some of my knives were not very sharp.

I would definitely take another class there at some point. I'm more into (and better at) baking, so I'd probably try a cakes or breads class. I haven't really compared the cost to other cooking classes, because the location and schedule at CulinAerie are by far the most convenient for me.

I've been disappointed with the food here too. Last time I ordered, The spring rolls were incredibly greasy. The broccoli in ginger and garlic sauce tasted of neither, and the sauce was so sweet and thick that it resembled syrup. Szechuan chicken was bland and boring. The wonton soup was pretty good though.

I used to eat at the Bruce Lee Chinese that was across the street - is it still there? I thought it closed years ago, but I never thought to look that last few times I've been there. Now that was a place that satisfied my cravings for stereotypical Americanized Chinese takeout.

Unfortunately I find myself relying totally on the star ratings now; because some Sundays, I'm just not in the mood to slog through some of the worst writing in the Post.

Although to be fair, I assume he has an editor, who seems to be MIA.

From Sunday's review of Bourbon Steak:

(1) French fries amuse bouche = "golden bouquets"

(2) Quote from "a gal pal," rib-eye is [wait for it] "ignited with black pepper," and NY strip "gets a zesty lick of red pepper sauce" (all in the same paragraph)

(3) And the obligatory, vaguely dirty sentence, "'Oh. My. God.' You'd moan like the third member of my recent Friday night outing, too, if you had tasted his appetizer."

Tried the falafel sandwich for lunch today. The falafel patties were nicely seasoned and relatively crisp (to start out with, but quickly cooled and got soggy, see bread comments below). Three or four patties on the sandwich, along with cucumbers and tomatoes and a smattering of tahini. They gave me extra yogurt sauce and tahini on request, otherwise IMO the sandwich would have been a bit dry and underflavored.

The bread is a puffy round rather than pita -- it's not bad on its own, but for my personal taste I don't think it's the best match for falafel. Too much bread quickly suffocated the falafel patties and they turned cold and mushy. Maybe it works better with the meat sandwiches.

All in all, nothing stellar, but a decent cheap lunch.

PS - Can someone explain what "Urfa" refers to? Is it a place?

Did anyone else feel like Casey (sp?) was out of place amongst the 3 helpers? I mean I remember her, but didn't really remember she was a finalist - whereas I definitely knew Marcel and Richard were strong contenders. Could just be that her season - I don't even remember which at this point - was one of the earlier ones.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I thought both Marcel and Richard were 2nd place winners. I remember she came in 3rd, but I'm blanking on who was the 2nd place winner that year. I think it was the season that Hung won.

Overall I felt the chefs this season were not as talented and the food not as interesting as in prior seasons. I was rooting for Carla because (1) she's from DC and (2) she seemed like a decent person with decent talent, but I would have never picked her as a top three contender. The other two? Meh. I just couldn't get interested in the battle of the baldies.

On the other hand, it was refreshing to see a season without petty drunken arguments, crotch grabbing, assault and battery, etc. The cheftestants seemed to get along pretty well (in some cases, too well....)

Also on a shallow note, when the introduced the three sous chefs, all I could think was, what a freakshow lineup! Whether it was bad lighting or makeup or whatever, Marcel looked like a stoned vampire, Casey looked like she had come out of a bad spray tan session, and Richard looked like a creepy age progression of the spiky haired kid from Jerry McGuire.

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to having more food options too, since as I age, I find I'm not capable of drinking without some sustenance. As a neighbor I'm very glad to have Enology nearby.

Now if only we can get that damn Giant built....

I just realized I haven't set foot in this place in several months, even out of desperation, despite working two blocks from here in a highly lunch-deprived area.

It was never great food, but at least you knew you could get something to eat, and you could go with a group of picky eater law students or co-workers and everyone would find something they liked. They actually used to have some decent stuff - there was a Marvelous Market, a bakery with cute birthday cakes, decent Indian food for when I was homesick for my mom's cooking, and burritos (which were cheap and filling and quite edible, as long as they were doused with spicy green salsa.)

I don't remember exactly when it started to degenerate into the filthy mess it now is, although I guess it was always chaotic with the tourists and the movie theaters.

Today there was an article in the Post about how Union Station is one of the top 10 public spaces in the country or something. It's hokey but every time I arrive back in DC on Amtrak I'm still awed by the building. Sigh - I hope the downstairs is revived somehow. At least the cobbler and drugstore are still there.

I was really prepared to hate this place, especially after some so-so experiences at Georgetown Cupcake and then plunking down $12 for a box of 4 cupcakes from here.... but I have to admit they were actually quite good. I tried some or all of the (1) carrot cake ("24 carrot") (2) vanilla cake/chocolate frosting and (3) chocolate with peanut butter frosting ("peanut butter blossom").

I happen to prefer a 1:1 frosting to cake ratio, so I liked that aspect. The cake was moist in all the ones I tried, but not too sweet, so it was a nice balance with the frosting. Maybe I just got there at the right time.

The only one I didn't care for was the peanut butter one; there wasn't anything wrong with it, but adventurous cupcake flavors don't really appeal to me. I grew up eating cupcakes from Italian bakeries in NJ, where your choices were basically vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, and vice versa.

I went around 6 pm on Saturday so no line to speak of and they had a decent selection of flavors - probably about 4 others in addition to the ones above.

Until recently I was a very frequent visitor to the Penn Q location. Unfortunately with the lunchtime crowds came some inconsistency. My favorite was the salmon bento box, but I gave it up because on more than a few occasions I got frozen (or very cold) edamame, salmon that seemed less than fresh, and soppy wilted cucumber-ginger salad.

I solved the problem by sticking to the hot dishes, which were invariably good (if not extraordinary, as someone else pointed out), and worth the extra wait. The veggie burger in particular -- spicy mustard, focaccia-like bread, asian slaw -- is excellent.

I also miss my once a week morning treat of ginger scones.

I actually prefer Mr. Yogato's slightly sweeter variety of original froyo

Same here. I'm not sure whether I'll be a frequent visitor in the winter (although I can eat real ice cream all year round), but the lightness of it really hit the spot on Saturday afternoon in 96+ degrees.

I had a hard time with the toppings too. I went with mango, which wasn't bad.

The trivia and all the kitschy stuff is cute but makes me feel old. I was not brave (cheap?) enough to get my forehead stamped for 20% off.

Yep on Sunday I was able to get soda and soft serve ice cream but not much else in the later innings (up around section 240). The Noah's Pretzel vendor was walking through the stands, but I had already had a (crappy) Nats Dog pretzel earlier and had used up my carb allotment for the day.

So far the best food I've had has been the vegetarian empanadas from the On the Fly cart outside the park.

That is an acceptable result. Whew.

Ditto. It seemed scarily close to me between Stephanie and Lisa, but maybe that was editing to increase the tension.

Richard - again with the banana scallop dessert? (I know, it's not a dessert competition, but to me a tasting menu means a dessert.) Apparently they had 6 months before the finals. Is it really that hard to learn a new one? But the judges loved it, so what do I know. At least he left out the chocolate so it didn't look like a big piece of poop.

I thought Lisa's dessert would fail for sure, but I guess she spent the break learning how to cook rice.

I was a little surprised when Padma said something about how Lisa has always shown an excellent palate. ??!! The times she was in the bottom group (5 times! according to Judge Tom), the judges criticized her specifically for poorly seasoning her food and generally creating bad-tasting dishes. Padma is not very impressive at all. Maybe they should just formally make her eye candy and demote her from judge status.

I am actually surprised that most of these guys do not have a larger arsenal of dessert choices. I mean, they know they are going to have to do pastry at some point, why not just try out a few recipes beforehand and write them down. I know it is not "Top Pastry Chef" (now that would be a show I would watch religiously), but I think repeating the same dessert is kind of weak. It seems like Stephanie is the only one that has grasp on the pastry. I honestly would expect more out of Richard in that regard.

Exactly! I can think of lots of basic things a decent chef could whip together without using too much of their allotted time - variations on simple shortcakes, mousses, etc. Just to have a little something sweet at the end. I thought there were some restaurant wars episodes from past seasons where some teams would prepare a multicourse meal and not include a dessert course. Not a restaurant I would want to eat at.

The judges encourage this dessert ambivalence by not dinging the chefs for stuff like no dessert course, or repeating desserts. And when they do make a dessert, they risk being told it's not good enough. Hung got criticized at the final for making a perfectly decent chocolate cake. At altitude no less. (Although he did win, it seemed like he could have won without that.) So I can see why the chefs don't bother.

Is it me, or have there been fewer individual challenges this year? It seems like almost everything is a team challenge.

Here is my question...how can Z Burger and Sandwish get away with their blatant rip-off of Five Guys and Potbelly?

Apparently, blatant ripoffs are just part of the game in the fast food biz: Which Came First, or Does it Even Matter? (may require registration)

Or excuse me, perhaps I should say, "the fast-casual restaurant industry."

I'm not totally sorry to see Dale go, as his attitude was only a smidge better than Lisa's, overall. But Lisa has been in the bottom so many times, for really bad food, while Dale has shown that he can cook some really good dishes (even if he is a tool). I thought that maybe their overall strengths as, y'know, a Top Chef, could have been taken into consideration. But I'm sure the producers were thinking, hey, throwing out one of the favorites makes for some good reality TV.

I wasn't totally surprised to see them repeat desserts, since as they keep saying, they're not pastry chefs. But I thought maybe someone could have found a way to make banana scallop dish not look like poop, literally.

Wait, does this mean that either Lisa or Spike will have to be in the final four? I think so. That is just wrong.

(I have to say, Stephanie and Spike looked really cute all dressed up. Spike would be an attractive man, if he just shut up and got a new personality. And lost the hats.)

Both of the Potbellys (or would it be Potbellies?) in Penn Quarter are packed every day, lines out the door and everything. The crowds alone turn me off, but then I'm also not a fan of the toasted sandwich. It must be me though, because my coworkers will happily wait on line there several times a week.

I asked them to make me a toasted cheese sandwich once, thinking I was making it easier on them. They were really really confused. "Just cheese?" "Toasted? You want it toasted?"

But the milkshakes and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, as others have mentioned, are pretty damn good.

A friend of mine did have a great observation though: it has been stated that this challenge occurred the day right after the wedding challenge (a Richard comment near the beginning of the episode), it is quite possible that they were still just very much on edge due to the mass exhaustion/lack of sleep.

I wondered about this too. So do all the challenges take place one day after the previous one? I also read somewhere that the judging process can take hours and they have to sit around in that room the whole time. So I sort of assumed they would get a day to rest in between. Or at least after the ones where they stay up really late (the wedding wars, the catering trucks for the clubbers last season). If it really takes place in such quick succession, I don't know how any of them can even function by the end.

The bottom three were so rude and argumentative at the judges' table. I know they're upset and defensive about their food and in danger of being booted. But based on watching a couple of seasons of this show, it doesn't seem like anyone's ever succeeded in arguing their way out of an elimination.

It did make for some good reality TV though.

I was so hoping they would send Spike home. He totally blew off the challenge, acting like his stupid bread, lettuce, chicken and tomato gave him immunity. Ha. Blocking people from using tomatoes? Big deal - wasn't this filmed in late fall / winter ? Seems like there would be plenty of better vegetables to choose from anyway. Lisa is just unpleasant to watch and her food / attitude sucks. I assume the two of them will be next.

Where is this place exactly?

Wisconsin Avenue and Windom Place (?), just below Tenley Circle. Former location of a spas and pools shop.

I tried it yesterday afternoon, and was pretty pleased with my grilled cheese, fries, and black and white shake. Although the wait seemed interminable until the food came out, now that I think about it, it was probably about the 10 minutes that a previous poster mentioned. Now that I know what to expect, I'll be a little less impatient.

In any case, it was worth the wait-- I really really liked the french fries. Hot, crispy and even the regular was a generous portion for $1.99. But I doubt they would survive even a five minute trip to go - I took them out of the bag and ate them right there.

My grilled cheese was, well, a grilled cheese but it was big and cheap and gooey, perfect for a damp dismal Sunday afternoon.

Clearly they're knocking off both Five Guys for the burgers and Potbelly for the (yet to open) sandwich shop, but given the dearth of options in the neighborhood, I'm not complaining. The only minor complaint is that the food comes out piecemeal (shakes after 5 minutes, rest of the food 5 minutes later). I could also do without the music blasting at 100 decibels, but then again, I'm a fuddy duddy that way.

Dined here last Friday night and was very pleased. We ended up at a table outside on the sweet outdoor patio. Service was friendly, and even though it lagged at times, the weather was great and we were in no rush to go anywhere, so it worked out well.

The pita is incredible and served with accompaniments, labneh, olives, olive oil and a spice mix (is that zatar? I didn't know). We shared several of the vegetarian hot mezze. The common theme was fried food and more fried food. But despite that, everything was greaseless and perfectly cooked.

Thyme fries - thin, crispy, addictive

Potato kibbe - filled with some kind of spiced feta, also delicious

Cheese rolls - filled with manchego and feta

Fatteh - fried baby eggplant topped with yogurt, chickpeas and pine nuts

Zucchini fritters - with mint and manchego, also very good

The only item I wouldn't order again were the cheese rolls. They are somewhat one note - logs of cheese wrapped in phyllo - and the cheese filling becomes a little overwhelming and heavy after a few bites. It only stood out because the other items were relatively light despite being deep fried. I'm not a huge eggplant fan so I can't really give a good read on that, although my dining companion loved it and even had the two remaining pieces wrapped to go.

Prices are a bit high for what I think of as "small plates": mezze range from about $7-14. Bill for two (inc. tax, tip, glass of wine) came to about $68. But the portions are generous enough that we couldn't finish all the food. Given the quality of the food, the pleasant outdoor seating, and the friendly service, I'd be more than pleased to go back and continue to work my way through the menu.

Cupcakes are not trite. Overly cutesy shops that sell only cupcakes and charge $4 each may be. But don't blame the innocent cupcakes.

I personally don't plan to wait on any more cupcake lines, but I suspect this place will be slammed.

Echoing the call here for more neighborhood bakeries. High end bakeries are fine, but the majority of the time, I'm just looking for a simple cake (or some cupcakes) or a pound of cookies to bring along to a casual dinner party. It's kind of sad when the only places I can think of to grab a variety of baked goods in a time pinch are Giant and Whole Foods. Reeves, even though it was inconsistent toward the end, was my go-to place.

A real Italian bakery in DC?! {swoon} Never thought I'd see the day.

Even if it means a drive across town. Maybe now my dad can finally stop bringing me cookies when he visits from NJ.