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I know this goes against the strict recipe but also interested in using some other kind of cheese.

Molecular Gastronomy is an evolution of technique. The ideology of only appealing to the visual sense without regard to taste and smell as well, is a well worn criticism for food that occurred before the words 'Molecular Gastronomy' were used. Food that looked pretty but didn't taste well was not good. However, others might say that assertion was dependent upon the eye of the beholder. So many of the more 'main stream' techniques used in Molecular Gastronomy were of course abducted from Chemical and Biological sciences. In these laboratories, these techniques were used to isolate and purify elements or compounds. Every age of cooking from outdoor wood fires, preserving and curing meats for the seasons, coal fires, trading spices across continents, etc... thru the history of human beings allowed for a new language of food to be created during the changes. Looking at http://www.bullipedia.com, it is clear the goal is to disseminate information that has been investigated and learned. This is the model used in science, knowledge should be shared, which is how incremental and evolutional changes occur. Regardless of the purity of a flavor or how it combines within a dish, it still has to capture the senses to create a taste that has significance. Something that you want to taste again. In terms of local critics and their opinions, everyone is entitled to theirs. Can it make a difference if a restaurant is to survive? Of course. Personally, however I stopped reading critics reviews as a primary filter to choosing something. I would rather experience it, good or bad, because the experience will and should be unique to myself.

We ended up there for lunch since the the day's activities made it difficult to stop by any of the vineyards. Very enjoyable comfort food for a cold and windy afternoon. The fried chicken was unbelievably crispy and juicy. Thanks Don!

Thanks for the advice everyone! Definitely some good spots to check out if we make it down this week.

Does anyone have recommendations for vineyards or restaurants for lunch/dinner on a visit to Monticello midweek? My in laws are visiting and there's a chance we may scoot down to Charlottesville for a day. Thanks!

I think it is important to consider when RTC was built ~20 years ago, it was a premiere destination place for points west of Reston. People would drive to RTC from an hour west to visit a more urban center and it was a safer option than DC. This is before the outdoor open air style shopping center with a mixed usage park or outdoor pavilion (aka faux main streets of yesteryears) became the fashion for development. Now all across America that design has taken hold and classic malls are falling by the wayside. There are corridors of wealth in VA that are clearly defined for example with the Tysons Corner versus Fair Oaks malls. Fair Oaks since its inception attracted people from south VA because of the anchors stores that were more affordable. Thus the intentional draw does establish the overall intended shopper. With weekend revenue, it is clear Mosaic District is for adults without kids where as RTC is for families. The intended demographics support the developers intentions. The food in the gentrified suburbs is always bland in a sense because the audience is for families. That audience needs food that little kids will eat, will appeal to the largest demographic of the population, and cheap to prepare. Of course, I would love for RTC to have more diverse food. If there was a 'Maestro' at the Hyatt, it would be incredible for those of us who love food. However, I'm a big believer that restaurants have to go wide more popular (sizes, tastes, accessibility) and before ratcheting up quality (experimentation, diversity of items, high prices) to insure the strong foundation is there to keep the room full. For example, we went to Bon Chon in Fairfax recently. It is a strip mall across from a Home Depot. There are four or five other little restaurants/food offering places in the same location. Bon Chon's interior was substantially higher quality than the other places within the strip. It was packed the entire time we were there and there was a strong take out business. Visibility wise it is on side street, so people had to intentional being going there to get it. The brand name draws people. Could they have opened in the RTC and been successful?

Very sad to hear that Suna has closed. We enjoyed our evening there and had looked forward to seeing what the talented individuals would come up with over the various seasons. Tip my hat to Chef Johnny Spero and the wonderful kitchen staff!

Eh. The show continues to disappoint.

More details please.

Has anyone been to one of these EggFests? http://dizzyclass.com/dizzyfest/

Still watching it and this week's episode was better paced. I think the series first episode should have been inverted. Seeing the backstories on people who did not make it or even the picked epeople a la the American Idol style was completely misguided. We the audience should have been in the dark like the judges relaying just on the taste of the dish. As people were voted off we could have learned a little about them. Malarkey did bring the overall level of the show down with his behavior. I would have liked more seriousness and time spent on the actual cooking versus antics. Since there are only two more episodes in this series will finish it.

Anthony Bourdain answers a few questions about the Taste on http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/197ji0/i_am_anthony_bourdain_ask_me_anything/

"The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food"

I liked how stakes are getting higher for the celebrities judges. They are feeling the pain of their team being judged and losing. However, the format of the show continues to irritate especially the editing style. I wonder if the original series, which I believe was an Australian show and very popular, had a more pleasing pacing. It's too bad they couldn't have gotten David Chang or somebody else in place of Malarkey. Really would have liked this show to have been good.

Nice. Hopefully in another year or two, he'll be back in the DC area.

We stopped by yesterday and picked up a dozen of the Polyface eggs and they were quite good. I've been driving by there since Taichibana opened up in that location and never stopped by. Should have taken a look. Thanks to Nervous Eater and others for speaking so highly of it.

Thank you Koolpaw for arranging the dinner at Peter Chang's. It was a very nice introduction to his food and the community of people at the Don Rockwell forum. Both my wife and I enjoyed the late afternoon dinner and meeting everyone. Thanks Darkstar965 for filling us in on the sweet sour pork story! We defintely enjoyed the bamboo fish, it had the perfect blend of spices and amount of salt. Happy New Year!

Ayrshire has not had eggs at Mom's Organic in either Herndon and Merrifield, the last few times I checked. Ayrshire Farm is a nice place, we went there last year for Loudoun County Spring Farm Tour, and it was lovely afternoon. Mainly, I'm more interested in healthy fresh eggs for Omega-3 consumption. As for the taste, I think there is a larger difference with texture.

Can someone who has gotten Polyface eggs from there, add a few more details in terms of cost and quality? Usually we like the Ayrshire Farm eggs and occasionally make a trip out to Middleburg for their eggs and chicken, but would like something closer.

She was quite intense watching her review. I was surprised they let that one slide by since on the other dishes that had more spice, there seemed to be consensus, they considered 'comfort food' from a more Western perspective.

After the 3rd hour, I still don't know what to think about this show.

He said that he also had a wholesale business and got shipments 3-4 times a week. I assumed it was flown in and the reason the costs were so low was because of the wholesale business side of things. When we were there he only had four kinds of fish, one of which was salmon in the quantities of a single fillet. The branzino and orata had crystal clear eyes and very good sheen to the scales. The only time I remember in this area where all the fish on display looked good was at Blacksalt. Granted, he has much less variety. I don't mind having less selection if it's good quality and healthy to eat.

The owner, Bilgur (not sure I'm spelling his name correctly), said he only gets what is fresh. It's probably better to call ahead to see what's in stock. I was surprised that the website isn't working yet, but apparently, they're doing well without it.

We're still in for (2) and looking forward to it.

Got a few orata fish last weekend and we asked for it to be prepared for grilling. Literally, 3-4 minutes on each side and it was done. So fresh and quite tasty.