goldenticket

I also would like to make chicken white bean chili again, however I have to head to Orlando on business Wednesday through Friday, limiting my free time.

Dinner last night was the last of my white bean chicken chili - good stuff! So easy to make. And tasty enough that I didn't mind the leftovers that provided 3+ dinners. Posole is the next adventure, but may have to wait until the weekend.

I'm still in - how about 7:30 so the folks who are Metro-ing have time to get across the river and be collected

So far the following people have said they'll be there:

Banco

jmchen*

StephenB

cucas87

Shogun*

Ustreetguy - maybe?? - let me know and we can work out the ride...

me (and maybe the +1)

* I'll pick you up at Braddock Road Metro around 7:00 (a few minutes later will be fine).

Any one else want to join us for a $20 Thursday, 7:30pm, at Temptasian this week (1/26)?

The Midget was smokin' yesterday!

Always a great place for lunch after working up an appetite at the Outlet Mall (well - it was really just a quick stop and the Midget was the main destination )

I opted for the pulled pork sandwich (sans bun) with the hot sauce and a shared order of fries. Man, that stuff is good!! Tender and smokey and the sauce has just the right heat - flavorful but not so hot it takes away from the taste of the other ingredients.

I know there's been some discussion of the consistency of the fries... but, in my few visits, I have to say these are THE best damn fries I've had anywhere in the area! (and that includes 5 Guys, Elevation, Hard Times, and Amsterdam Falafelshop) They are hot, crispy, and salty - just the way I like 'em.

The almost balmy January weather made for quite a pleasant little nosh out on the patio.

Umm, is #13 a trick question?

Zaytinya is misspelled, but otherwise, aren't they all A&D-designed restaurants?

I just sent an email to inquire...not really fair to make it a question of picking out the misspelled name.

#30 is killing me...any clues??

i have checked out with her before and the situation turned contentious when she started loading my items into a plastic bag and i stopped her because i wanted paper. (you said plastic. no i said paper. no, you said plastic... and further idiotic conversation.)

At the new WF store plastic is the only option - fairly detailed cards posted at the register explain all the environmental reasons for this (paper bags take more energy to produce than plastic, plastic is a byproduct of petroleum production, you can get more -5 times more- plastic bags on a delivery truck than paper bags, etc - all my details may not be quite right)

Sorry to hear that this pricing problem continues to happen - thanks for the reminder to be vigilant when I'm shopping - or more importantly, checking out - at the Old Town WF.

1) Juniper berries - how about Dean and Deluca? I recall they have a large selection of spices. I have some I'd offer to share, but I think you're looking for them sooner than I could get them to you. I'll try to find out where the person who gave them to me found them.

2) The new Whole foods - FINALLY - it's open! It's beautiful and big and was a total lovefest yesterday. The selection (for now) is huge. I stood in front of the mushroom selection and just stared - they have varieties I've never heard of/seen - pompom, french horn, etc. The seafood and meat counters are vast and well-stocked, as is the cheese department. All pork, turkey, and chicken sausages (made in-house) are on sale for $3.99 a pound for at least the next few days (reg. $5.99/lb)

We've been so starved for a good grocery store in Old Town, I imagine this store is going to do huge volume. I'll be curious to see what the impact is on other area stores, primarily Balducci's, and, to a lesser extent, Trader Joe's. I hope it doesn't affect Cheesetique, as I saw a lot of similar offerings at comparable prices. All parking proceeds go to the Alexandria Scholarship Fund - a nice gesture in support of a local cause.

Only bummer was there's no Jamba Juice!

Forget about the Scottish stuff ....I want to know what we can expect at this "Dublin Chipper" (which I'm very excited to hear about). Too many empty storefronts on King St. these days with restaurants promised that never seem to materialize.

I just hope the 3-6 months is all it takes. The new Whole Foods was originally scheduled to open more than a year (maybe two) ago.

SO - would either of the Armstrongs (or other sources in the know) care to give us a preview of what's to come? Other than the obvious great food and atmosphere... Do tell!

Looks like there is a need for some education about the Segway Human Transporter on this site.

Uh, maybe it's just me, but I thought this was supposed to be a food and restaurant-focused site...

I'm having smoking ban and public breastfeeding thread flashbacks...

They have announced the opening of the Caribou as Monday, January 16. For once, I actually have some inside information about something: there will be free coffee available there both January 16 and 17 to celebrate the grand opening (and presumably to sucker in all the folks who are now getting their fix at the Starbucks one block away.)

Not sure if "free coffee" means "free supermochahellalatte" or just "free drip," but stop by and find out.

My loss is your gain! I just learned that the (very nice) manager of the Caribou out here in the Skyline wasteland has been whisked away from us to open the new 18th and M location. His name is Josh and he always made a trip for coffee more pleasant. Stop in and show him some love on this holiday opening day. And tell him his friends at Skyline will miss him

Personally, I like Caribou's coffee and the ambience better than Starbuck's. And I'm a native Minnesotan, so I like to support a Minnesota-based company when I'm not hitting the locally-owned coffee shop (of which there are none in the Skyline area).

Thank you crazeegirl and escoffier for clearing up this culinary mystery! I figured I was missing some subtlety of the pronunciation. I had actually wondered if it could possibly be a sea squirt but couldn't find any mention of them being something that gets eaten. Now I can sleep tonight

Thanks also for the tips on how to better enjoy the bulgogi! Now I'll be able to impress my coworkers with my Korean dining knowledge

I just have to chime in with more positive feedback on Notti Bianche. I felt like we had uncovered buried treasure last night. The meal was fantastic and I'm only sorry I haven't been sooner.

Most of the dishes have been covered in other posts, so I'll keep it brief. I had the sweetbreads starter, hanger steak entree, and zuccotto for dessert. +1 had the half-order of linguine with shrimp, followed by the cod main and finished up with the poached pear. We both enjoyed the incredibly reasonably priced wine pairings. The cod melted under gentle pressure from a fork and the accompanying braised cabbage achieved flavor that I wouldn't have thought possible from a dumpy cruciferous vegetable And let's not even get started on the crispy baccala cannelloni - is it possible that paper thin wrapper was really pasta??

I thought the sweetbreads were quite good and a different preparation from the (one) other time I've had them with the sweet/tart of the balsamic and squash complementing the crispiness of the featured item. [reading DanielK's post, I wonder if they weren't slightly overcooked as I didn't experience the soft inside he describes - they were tasty nonetheless ]. The steak was great and very generously sized. Desserts were both excellent - he loved the scintillare limon paired with his poached pear [alliteration, anyone?] and the port was a nice accompaniment to the cherries and chocolate of my dessert.

All I can say is WOW! The food coming out of this little kitchen is amazing and I can't wait to try more of it. I heard superlatives coming from the +1's mouth left and right - "the best cod I've ever had" "one of the best meals I've had in a long time" and so on. Simple, clean flavors, expertly prepared - and the service was great too. I think the best part (aside from the great food) was how the space, which, let's face it, can be a bit offputting when you first walk in, was transformed into a cozy, glowing, comfortable cocoon once we were seated. The colors, the music, the lighting - all of it comes together to create a lovely setting for great food.

I'm ready to go back and try the gnocchi and the fritatta and the....

so much for keeping it short

I wound up doing a reconaissance mission to Han Sung Oak yesterday. I had lunch there with 2 coworkers and enjoyed it. We are going to hold our group function there.

For lunch we went with some Korean barbecue/grill choices so that we could see what our group might expect. They do have an extensive lunch menu that looked very reasonable - about 20 choices all under $10.

We chose the bulgogi and a seafood soup for 2. The panchan (about 9 in all) were good. I especially liked the yellow beans - small and chewy with a little bit of sweetness.

I think the bulgogi was about what you'd expect - grilled meat, good flavor. The seafood soup was loaded with all sorts of seafood - and one mystery ingredient (if anyone can identify this I'll be eternally grateful). Our waitress called it a sea mushroom and the maitre(sse) d' called it "mi do do" in Korean. 2 coworkers with Korean parents didn't recognize it and neither did one of the parents. It was a 'sac' -for lack of a better term - that reminded me a bit of a mushy grape and burst when you bit into it. It had a sort of cellulose texture and not any real distinct flavor to speak of. I'm not a huge fan of the seafood soup - just too much going on with nothing very interesting other than the variety.

Anyway - the service was good, surroundings pleasant, and they have a large private room with burners at the tables so it will work for our group. I'll report back after - hopefully I'll get to try a few more dishes.

I've heard of these, why would you recommend those specifically?  I'm just trying to get a sense of how I should prioritize...since while I gather many restaurants will accomodate special requests, requesting them to puree my food would probably lose something in the presentation.

I think Restaurant Eve (specifically the Tasting Room) should be high on your list too. It ranks right up there with Maestro (in my opinion) as far as quality of food and experience. The tasting menu (if this is a big splurge/last hurrah, go for the 9 courses!) will offer a variety of textures and tastes, probably many things that won't be too hard on your jaw. I'm thinking of lobster creme brulee, gnocchi, and lots of other good things....

Welcome to the board! So sorry that you're going through this. Enjoy your meals and be sure to report back and let us know what you liked (and didn't).

Il Mee Buffet is sheer quantity at the expense of quality.

That explains a lot, as the person who told me about it is a recent grad on a tight budget with a HUGE appetite - sounds like just the place for him

  I discussed a few Annandale establishments in the second post of this thread (scroll up!). 

Cheers,

Rocks

I did see those - I think I'm going to have to try them on my own time/dime - looks like the group is going to wind up at Woo Lae Oak... I guess I'll at least be able to provide a firsthand report, if nothing else!

Thanks for the info!

No - Han Sung Oak is on Columbia Pike in Falls Church/Annandale -in the Harris Teeter shopping center at Lincolnia Road. (jaimetown mentioned it above)

Doesn't anybody eat at the Annandale area Korean places ??

I know someone out there must have some info.... a Korean friend tried Ill Mee on Sunday and said it was good.

Come on VA folks spill the beans

Do you mean Han Sung in Ellicott City?  It doesn't have tabletop grilling, and would have a hard time accommodating that many people in general.  ----->clickity

No - Han Sung Oak is on Columbia Pike in Falls Church/Annandale -in the Harris Teeter shopping center at Lincolnia Road. (jaimetown mentioned it above)

Closer to Bailey's Crossroads is Han Sung Oak on Columbia Pike (Falls Church, in the shopping center with Harris Teeter), about 5-7 drive from Duangrat's.

Unfortunately I've never had Korean food in the District.

I know this thread says "DC" - so sorry to be a bit off-topic geographically.

Has anyone been to Han Sung Oak? Any thoughts, particularly in contrast to Woo Lae Oak.

Korean food is a fairly new experience for me and I've never been to either place. I'm helping with the planning of a retirement lunch for a coworker who has requested Korean. We're going to have quite a varied group food/palate-wise. I guess what I'm saying is (unfortunately) maybe the less "ethnic", the better in this case

Any reviews/feedback on either place will be appreciated! We'll probably be about 20-25 people and would like to do the tabletop grill thing...

For my own information, I'd love to hear about other authentic places that are recommended. Thanks

I haven't actually sat down and had a drink there, but the upstairs lounge at Sonoma looks very nice. The one time I poked my head in it was pretty quiet, but I would bet that is no longer the case. And if you decide to dine downstairs, the menu is very reasonably priced (IMO) and seasonal.

Tallula is another option, especially if you can snag one of the larger tables. The bite-size "amuse yourself" menu is inexpensive and you have the option of half pours from the extensive wine list.

I am sure that Banco, Fun J., Tom S., and others would be amused to find themselves on the culinary equivalent of the short yellow school bus.

I'm LMAO!

Very well-said!

But seriously, I am of the opinon that it's not fair to base impressions on one visit. I know that my first experience at some board favorites didn't live up to my (perhaps too high) expectations, so I've held off on posting until giving places another try (or two or three). On the other hand, dining/food is very subjective so there are probably going to be places that lots of people love but don't appeal to some others.

I enjoyed my first visit to Sonoma - which has unfortunately been my only one. I'm looking forward to getting back there as I found the food and wine to be interesting and very good.

Thanks to goldenticket's two friends for deserting her for lunch today, because that meant that Porcupine and I got to enjoy the pleasure of her company and Corduroy instead.... Thanks to Ferhat and Rissa for a superb experience!

I enjoyed both the company and the food at Corduroy today! I started with the potato crusted goat cheese - very rich, but very tasty. It's basically a ball of lovely, creamy goat cheese wrapped in very thin potato slices and then surrounded by long potato strings - all of it fried to a great crispy, spidery effect - and taste.

Next was the seared tuna nicoise salad. It was a very straightforward and simple preparation, which included a lovely, large piece of seared ahi, almost steak-like in its exterior appearance, and very nicely (barely) cooked. Other components of the salad were french green beans, some small black olives, shallots, and a poached quail egg [this appears to be quite the trend lately, based on personal experience and other posts - I like this mix-your-own-dressing concept]. It was filling but not too heavy and I enjoyed the relative 'lightness' in contrast to the starter.

I ended my meal with the apple tarte tatin, which also came with a scoop of white chocolate ice cream, atop a pool of creme anglaise. Mmmmmmmmmm! Again, a very simple dish but expertly prepared. (I will admit, I was tempted to steal a bite of V.H.'s chocolate hazelnut bars but resisted!) Tarte tatin is a classic and this version was just right (IMHO) with a firm custard base and big chunks of apple.

Service by Ferhat and Rissa and the rest of the staff was gracious and professional - thanks to them and Chef Power for a model RW meal!

The 1:00 Corduroy lunch spot is still available....c'mon, surely someone wants to have a great meal at a great price with really good company on this dreary day 

PM me by 11:30 if you want to join us....

I've had a taker - spot's filled - we'll all report back after lunch

what to order...what to order....

I have participated in a CSA a couple of summers, but probably won't do it this year. Last summer I limited my share to a dozen eggs a week and opted out of the fruit/vegetable shares.

I have mixed feelings about my experience. On one hand, it was very convenient and I had the opportunity to try some new and different things. And you can't beat fresh tomatoes and salad greens in the middle of the summer! On the other hand, it was very unpredictable from week to week as far as quantity/selection. Obviously weather plays a huge role in what can/will grow. The last few summers ranged from very wet to very dry to very cool. Surprisingly (to me at least), the dry summer was probably the most bountiful.

The farmer would open his farm up to shareholders a month or more before deliveries started so you could go out and pick lettuce/greens if you wanted and collect eggs. He also held a few 'events' at the farm including a solstice potluck picnic and a pumpkin picking day. He was a nice guy but I wonder about his farming skills . Seemed like something was always going wrong or a crop was getting eaten by deer/geese/turtles

Ultimately, I decided that I really like going to the farmers' market, often several times a week, and picking out what I want/need. I also feel like that may work out to be a better value. I spent approx. $250 for my 1-person share, with deliveries from early June to late October. In the low-producing years, it definitely didn't feel like I got my money's worth.

I think it's really important to support local farmers/growers, so I do choose very carefully which markets I go to. Old Town? - forget it! Del Ray? - every week! The eggs didn't turn out to be as good as I'd hoped and the random weeks when the farmer didn't bring enough, or forgot (!) them, made me decide that it really wasn't worth my while - esp. for about $4/dozen.

That's my 2 cents. I do think the ORIGINAL idea of CSAs - where the shareholders actually went out and worked at the farm - is a good one, but probably near impossible to implement in this day and age of traffic and over-scheduling

Space for 1 more at Corduroy for 1:00 lunch Wednesday with V.H. and me ....

any takers?  PM me by 11:30 a.m. if you're interested.

The 1:00 Corduroy lunch spot is still available....c'mon, surely someone wants to have a great meal at a great price with really good company on this dreary day

PM me by 11:30 if you want to join us....

Space for 1 more at Corduroy for 1:00 lunch Wednesday with V.H. and me ....

any takers? PM me by 11:30 a.m. if you're interested.

And that is what we ate for dinner last night.

All I can say ladies, is great minds....

next on the menu is barley beef soup with scratch beef stock (made it on Sunday, so it falls into the <yummy> leftover category too!)