schulju

Is it too early to stand in line??

Heading to Deep Creek MD for the long MLK weekend has been an annual event for us the last few years. Generally, we bring our resident chef with us, but he's got other committments this year. Does anyone have a favorite bar or restaurant in or around McHenry that they think we should check out?

I grew up in Philadelphia in the 70's, which means, by definition, that I'm a devotee of Tiki. The Polynesian craze was ubiquitous in Philly and South Jersey in those days and you didn't need to travel far to find a tropical drink served in a theme mug with a parasol. While the kitsch was part of the fun, I also have fond memories of the food. Lots of little morsels for this little girl to munch on! Nothing made me happier than the huge (I mean HUGE) Pu pu platter that was always the star of our family dinners at the Pub Tiki on Walnut Street in Philly. Everything served on wooden skewers on the requisite mother-of-pearl lined shells. I've not indulged in Pu pu since a trip a few years ago to the Love Shack in Redhook on St. Thomas. Rum and fire, what could be more fun?? Sadly, Tiki fell out of favor many years ago. A trip home to Philly for the holidays had me reminiscing about Tiki and craving a decent Pu pu platter. Not to offend the more serious eaters on this board, but does anyone want to admit to having a favorite Pu pu? Is there anywhere in town to find a hibachi of joy?

Darn it! Returning from Florida on a plane that lands much to late to attend. I wish you all a "piggy" good time!

Has anyone been lately?

I'm a "no beans" kind of girl, but do add large pieces of onion and green pepper to my chili. I don't saute the veggies, I just add them in when the meat is almost done browning. I like having something other than meat to bite down on.

I usually buy tenderloin, but this small 2.7lb roast was on sale and I've never made one before. Does anyone have any ideas?

I make this all the time, it tastes like spring to me! Since hubby's not a fan of goat cheese, I mix it half and half with boursin, add the orange and almond slices and dress with a honey shallot vinagrette. It's now an "expected" dish at family outings.

Is Taylor ham different from Taylor Pork Roll? I grew up on Pork Roll and it's generally listed as an available side on the breakfast menus of Philly diners/counters right next to the scrapple.

Thanks for posting the pictures, everything looked delicious! Will need to make a trek to Radius Pizza soon.

Mmmmmm, I love egg tarts. My favorite part of dim sum growing up. What are the portuguese-style like?

And while we're all confessing our secret love of Chick-Fil-A, can we take a moment to confess our devotion to those new "hand spun" shakes?? OMG, they are really rich and at least seem to have had a distant relationship with a cow somewhere along the way. A sandwhich, sans pickle, on a wheat bun and a chocolate shake, that's the way I Chick-Fil-A!

We had a very enjoyable meal at Franklin's this weekend. I really enjoyed their mini lamb "burgers". (I'm afraid to use the "s" term since Don's post on Monday , so glad I read his definition AFTER I had eaten them.) My salad of spring mix, melon, goat cheese and almonds was well dressed with a zippy shallot vinaigrette. Hubby's bourbon glazed pork chop was perfectly cooked. The chop was served with a small amount of mashed potatoes and some green beans. Hubby was still hungry after having had the chop...but he's a fairly big eater. The rest of our party had a perfectly cooked rare hamburger and a fish special I didn't catch, but was gobbled up so it must have been good. As designated driver, I stuck with the rootbeer (a little flat, I thought), everyone else seemed to enjoy their beer selections. All in all a nice, reasonably priced dinner.

Ah RJ, you had me at the cobia. I seriously love this fish, and rarely see it on menus this far north. I also appreciate that you've extended your RW menu; I was unable to get a reservation this weekend but am so looking forward to the dinner we've planned next weekend. I hope the cobia lasts that long!

I think Lydia forgot a Mexican place that came and went from this spot as well. I just noticed the new signage last week and was much excited by the promise of a "dumpling bar". Alas, disappointment was in the wind for me. A friend and I visited for lunch last Wednesday. When we arrived at Noon, we were met with an apology by the owner that he had just sent his server on an errand. We didn't understand why someone would send their only lunchtime server out on an errand at Noon, but once we were seated we understood it wouldn't be an issue. We were the only table! My friend ordered chicken teriyaki and I ordered the chicken dumplings and a bbq chicken satay. From order to delivery took about 25 minutes. Not great for a weekday lunch, and we were STILL the only people in the restaurant. We were a little put off by the frequent sounds of the microwave..we could hear it ding, hear the door being opened and closed...multiple times. The food was artfully presented, both chicken dishes came with rice (cold), the teriyaki chicken came with steamed vegetables (soggy and cold) and the satay came with a pickled salad of cucumber and onions. Actually, that salad was the best thing on the plate. Both chickens had that odd texture that comes from being pre-cooked and previously frozen. The dumplings were okay, similar to the kind you can buy for yourself at any store these days. None of the sauces on any of the plates had any real flavor. The dipping sauce for the dumplings wasn't much more than soy sauce with a little vinegar. Owning the building may keep them in business, but I would be happier if it was the quality of the food that kept them around.

Count me in as interested!

If you live in Montgomery County you can try Farm at Home in Poolsville. Check them out at Farmathome.com

I awoke the other day with a craving for fried clams. For the life of me I can't conceive of a place in Mont County that would have anything decent. Does anyone have any ideas?

Now how many other James Beard Award winning chefs do you know who would happily drink beer, watch a game and cook a pig in your back yard? Vidalia was my first DC "fine dining" experience when I moved here years ago, the place I choose for many client dinners and the restaurant where my husband and I had our first date. Quality and service never dissapoint and it's obviously a top-down philosophy. R.J. for President..wait a minute, that would mean he wouldn't be in the kitchen at Vidalia anymore. Foget I said that!

This was distributed by the Washingtonian today and I thought I'd copy it here in case anyone was interested.... Modeled on the popular semiannual Restaurant Week, Kids’ Restaurant Week will serve up sophisticated but kid-friendly creations priced according to your child’s age. Eight-year-olds will eat for $8, nine-year-olds for $9, up to age 11. Parents can also score prix-fixe menus for a price still to be determined (don’t worry, your age won’t factor in). The list of restaurants includes Art and Soul and Juniper at the Fairmont Hotel. Destination DC communications director Rebecca Pawlowski says a total of 20 restaurants are expected to take part. The event is being organized by Destination DC in conjunction with Cookie and Gourmet magazines, which launched the program last year in Chicago. Also of note was a comment from our friends at Dino.. Dino is also holding a Kid’s Pasta & Polenta cooking class on Sunday, June 14th to kick off the week. Cost is $25. Sign up by calling the restaurant at 202.686.2966.

I had the pleasure of being escorted to lunch here last week. Upon arrival a few minutes past Noon on a Tuesday, I was struck by two things. First, the restaurant itself is large, but quite lovely. Second, the restaurant was empty save for our table of 6 and maybe three other parties of two. Service was very attentive (after all, they didn't have much else to do). We got a double order of their "sampler" appetizer for the table. It included a single skewer their Ichiban: bites of fresh fish in a soy-ginger marinade, skewered, chargrilled and served with ancho chili mayonnaise; a single large crab cake; and several grilled jumbo shrimp. This plate was really beautiful and everything on the plate was fantastic. Probably the best crab cake I've had in a long time. All jumbo lump and no filler, I'm not sure what kept it together on the plate! I would seriously consider ordering this appetizer as an entree on my next trip to Monterey Bay. I ordered a shashimi styled ahi tuna as an entree. While the tuna was served very rare, which I loved, the particular piece was very stringy and had a lot of connective tissue that I couldn't even cut through. I frankly didn't know that tuna had connective tissue, but there it was on my plate. Quite disappointing. The rest of the party had an array of fish and salads. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals, but also agreed that the appetizer was probably the best dish on the table. All in all, probably the best fish house in the area right now, at least until Michael Landrum opens his new emporium.

(Please move this post if I missed the category) I searched the site but was unable to find a topic on this Tysons Corner restaurant. I have been invited to a gathering there next week and was wondering what they did really well.

A much better bet is the "sampler" plate. You get cookies, cream puffs, small eclairs and small cannoli. It's a little bit of everything without the sleepless night! It's a must stop on my way to see my Dad in Phila. He loves cannoli and they have the best cream around here.

One word applies to both the parable and the review...."Ewwww"

Congratulations Chef! Will be in to visit soon!