amyblues

Mark Bittman's fast version of his no-knead bread dipped into Marcella Hazan's easy tomato sauce. First time making them both and they are great! The sauce is really rich-tasting but incredibly easy to make.

Thanks for the heads up on Argana and the feel of the country! I'm definitely learning about the prices being driven up as we negotiate costs for our meeting. I'm in the bargaining mindset for our site visit next week, and I'll report back any good findings here.

Hi all, Just found out this week I'll be spending 3 weeks in Marrakech, Morocco this June for work. Has anyone been and, if so, any restaurant/market recommendations? Three weeks is a long time, so I'm looking to explore any and everything: cheap/pricey, small/large, quiet/crowded, etc. I'll be on gov't per diem, which is approx. $99 a day at this point, and I'm hoping that gives me plenty to work with...I'm learning that Marrakech is more expensive than expected. Thanks for your suggestions!

I tried out a new orzo improvisation last night that turned out pretty good. I roasted some cherry tomatoes with oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil for 45 minutes and tossed them with the cooked orzo and some crumbled feta.

I buy the premade, seasoned polenta rolls sometimes and slice them thickly, pan-fry with butter and olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Another option is to reconstitute it with some chicken stock. From there, I usually mix in mushrooms sauteed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and thyme or rosemary. It's not bad served with pork or chicken, or on it's own.

I went with the +1 to Corduroy Friday night to celebrate a birthday (him) and new job (me). I stuck with the luscious seared tuna, as I always do, but the true highlights of the evening were the tomato tonnato and the chocolate hazelnut bars. The tomato tonnato was just spicy enough to wake up the tastebuds, with the cubes of raw tuna cooling things off. The +1 dubbed the chocolate hazelnut bars kit-kats of the Gods and I second that.

Cooked dinner for friends who just had a baby, so I snagged a little bit of the extras for dinner last night: Green beans with butter and dill Rosemary roasted potatoes Flank steak in a red wine vinegar, soy, garlic, honey marinade. For dessert, two white nectarines and some red cherries. I love summer fruit.

I supplemented a Costco roast chicken with Zora's roasted fig, fennel and onion dish. This time, I used fresh lemon juice and zest per her instructions and they really cut through and complimented the richness. That roast chicken is a wonder at $4.99. The skin could be crispier but the meat is incredibly moist and I've got a ton of leftovers. The figs came from Costco also, and are pretty good!

I loved Wheatberry when it was open, and probably spent more money than I should on the delicious cupcakes Gerald, the owner, made. He didn't say why he closed, but a Mediterranean restaurant is due to open there, or so says the large white sign in the window.

Where can your hotel sales manager take you, a stressed out meeting manager, after a disasterous start to a three-day conference, complete with falling ceiling tiles, soaked meeting rooms and short staff numbers? The Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve for the 5-course tasting menu. You have the Summer Daisy, a drink made with fresh blueberries, limes, and vanilla vodka (not sweet, very refreshing), the Bacon and Eggs (everything that breakfast should be, with crispy on the outside/tender on the inside/smoky throughout pork belly) and an amuse from the chef that includes strawberry gelee, candied hazelnuts, rhubarb puree and goat cheese. You forget the last few days of weather-related havoc and enjoy the wine, the food, the superb service. I'll be sure to return on my own dime as soon as possible.

On a tip from Zora last summer, I started thinly slicing fennel and mixing it with sliced vidalia onions, cut up fresh figs, salt, pepper and olive oil, all roasted together in the oven till caramelized. The sweetness of the figs and the onions counters the really strong licorice flavor of the fennel and it's delicious!

Thanks for the tips on Sonoma and Zaytinya. I've put in a call to CP Steak, because it was a big hit, and will follow up with these other suggestions. Same goes for the post website.

Hi all, I'm in a bit of a bind for a work dinner I'm attempting to organize. We're holding a conference at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, and are looking to organize a dinner to thank our program committee members on Tuesday, June 27th at 7:45/8 p.m. We have 10 confirmed attendees but the number could go as high as 25. The catch is we need to adhere to federal per diem standards, which means $34 for dinner. I haven't received any comments from the group about likes/dislikes. One member suggested Jaleo, but I'm curious if the downtown restaurant would permit reservations past 6:30. I'll be calling them this morning. The only availability on OT for a group of 20 that night is Restaurant Kolumbia. Does anyone have any other tips? Past dinners have been at La Colline (but I heard some complaints re: service) and Charlie Palmer Steak. Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

The last time we went, they did give us a free baguette. The bread is still dreary, but not bad when it comes stuffed inside the roast chicken, soaking up all the juices.

I hit Eastern Market with a friend on Sunday around 1 p.m. The NC peaches were not yet ready for purchase and the honeydws that were left at that point were either too hard or turning, but I bought some wonderful tomatoes and vidalia onions. The stall along the short side of the market had fresh figs, but it strikes me as a bit early for figs and for $1.25 each, I wasn't taking my chances. The sorbet stand was a great treat at 91 degrees.

I, too, had the menus without pricing, which was a wonderful touch. I had called the day before to say that I was hosting this dinner, and wanted to receive the bill. I didn't expect the menus with no prices, but it was appreciated.

I took my parents to Corduroy on Saturday evening to celebrate their birthdays/Mother's Day. Everything was wonderful, but the true standouts were the scallops and the strawberry tart. I feel that so many restaurants I've been to don't let the flavor of the main ingredient shine through. The scallops at Corduroy were so sweet and buttery, with just enough firmness in the texture. If they were salted, I could barely taste it and that was a good thing. Oh, the strawberry tart, with bruleed strawberry slices and sorbet on the side...I'm a sucker for a chocolate dessert, and the tart with caramelized bananas was calling my name, but I read about the strawberry tart here and thought I'd buck tradition. Pure bursts of summer goodness, with the true flavor of the strawberry coming through. Seeing the melted sorbet made me wish it wouldn't be improper to lick the plate. Alas, decorum came through in the end. My parents went on and on about how lovely the dinner was, from the service to the seemingly simple preparation of the food to the wine. When they returned home last night, I received a phone call again praising the restaurant. Many thanks to Corduroy for helping me celebrate with my parents.

Thanks for the heads-up on this! I'm taking my parents to Corduroy tomorrow night for their birthdays and they love soft shells.

Thanks Zora! I had the steak out for half an hour prior to cooking but a steak that thick probably takes a bit longer. Last night's dinner was perfect: toasted everything bagels with lox, whitefish salad and Temptee whipped cream cheese. Temptee is a Breakstone product, and I've never seen it around here but it's everywhere in NJ where my family is from. It's my taste of home, and far preferable than the Philly whipped cream cheese. My friend's dad owns a kosher store in VA Beach, and she brought me back a container when she went for Passover. Bagels, lox and whitefish from Calvert Woodley, and I was in heaven!

I'm a fan of Sakana on P, about a block away from Uni. The service can be slow, but I've never had a problem with the freshness of the fish.

Seared NY strip steak, with broccoli and cubed, roasted butternut squash sprinkled with salt, pepper and rosemary. I don't have a grill so I used the cast iron grill pan. I need to work on my indoor steak grilling, or perhaps buy thinner strip steaks. This was 2 inches thick (maybe a little more!) and in a 500 degree oven, after searing it on the stove-top for 4 minutes a side, it was still really rare after 10 minutes. I'm fine with rare steak (my preference!) but the +1 is more a medium rare guy. Any tips?

Thanks to everyone with recommendations for the trip to NY! After much debate, we attempted a reservation at Gramercy only to make the wait list. We ended up going with a reservation at the Biltmore Room, on 8th between 24th and 25th. 3-course prix fixe ($67) with some amuses from the chef and some lovely glasses of champagne on the house to wish us a happy anniversary. The amuse from the chef was a spring pea flan in a dashi broth with crab meat on top. Delicious and so very spring-like. For the appetizer course, I had the roasted beet salad with herbed goat cheese, spiced pecans, mixed greens and a sherry vinaigrette. The pecans were a real highlight, as I was expecting something sweet and they had a bit of kick to them. The +1 had the fried squash blossom stuffed with Maryland crab, which was a fun takeoff on the typical crab cake. I wish the mango chili dipping sauce had been hotter, but it had a nice flavor to it. For main, I had the cider-glazed roast berkshire pork chop, which was phenomenal. I feel like so many places offer pork that has had the flavor bred out of it, but this was rich and coated in a tangy, mustardy-cider glaze. I ordered the dish for the pork, as well as the sides: whipped sweet potatoes, red wine braised cippolini onions and a belgian endive gratin. Small portions of each item were perfect. The +1 had been hoping for the red snapper in miso-mustard sauce, but it wasn't on the menu. Instead, he had the hazelnut crusted roast halibut with truffle-scented artichokes with ginger-papaya salsa, leeks, fennel, and yuzu-lobster butter (copying that right off the menu...my memory isn't that good!). The halibut was too mild for both our tastes, but the artichokes, leeks and fennel were tender, spring-like, almost sweet. For dessert, I had the caramelized pineapple and almond cake, with vanilla ice cream and a thai basil syrup. I could have used more of the syrup and a different flavor ice cream (the vanilla was too mild for me). He had the warm chocolate torte with macadamia brittle ice cream. This was lick-the-plate good, with a cookie-like crust and an oozy middle. It reminded me of Corduroy's warm chocolate tart. The check came with some petit fours - chocolate biscotti, a lemony madeleine, mini blueberry muffin and some others I can't remember. We were both full but didn't let that stop us. Our waiter was warm, friendly, knew when to leave us alone, and was helpful in picking drinks. The space at the Biltmore Room is lovely, an old bank with marble walls, low plush chairs and romantic lighting. It did get noisy as the space filled up (high ceilings, marble walls) but we never felt crowded, rushed or bothered. With tax and tip, our meals, one cup of coffee, a glass of wine and a Chimay Rouge came to about $210.

I received a jury duty summons for yesterday and wanted something beyond Au Bon Pain or Cosi for lunch. The line at Teaism was too long so I headed over to a half-empty Jaleo. Sometimes I like to linger, but I had to get back shortly, said so and they did everything to accommodate. I thought about sitting at the bar, but a table by the window was wonderful for people watching. A glass of sangria, a plate of tuna and potato salad, a roasted portobello mushroom, and the entire pickle/olive/onion bowl later, and I was ready to serve on a jury. I could have gone for slightly less olive oil on the mushroom, but its garlicky, meaty flavor was delicious. The tuna and potato salad topped with roasted red peppers is just salty enough, soft and comforting. A nice mid-day break with quick service, and I got dismissed from jury duty just after I returned. Not a bad way to spend a day.

I had an okay burger at Cafe Deluxe in Cleveland Park last Friday. It was cooked to medium rare as requested, but was a bit too buttery/greasy and lacking in true meaty flavor. I'll stick with Soutside 815 in Alexandria for my burger fix from now on, though I have been meaning to try Palena.

Brookville Market in Cleveland Park has Empire kosher chickens, whole and in parts. Good luck with your seder!