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silentbob

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Everything posted by silentbob

  1. silentbob
    Sounds like a new store is opening in Gaithersburg/Rockville (Travilah Square) either late this year or early next year, thus leading to the recent closure of Michael's Noodles and most likely other places soon too. And apparently the TJ's near Lakeforest Mall is closing on the same day that this new one opens, so basically a move across town of sorts. Selfishly, this is a great development because what was a 15-minute trip is now only 4 for us.
  2. silentbob
    We're so lucky to live where there are three major airports -- all within 30-40 minutes depending on where you live and the time of day -- and most folks aren't captive to any carrier, either domestically or internationally. I was 1K on UA for many years and almost never bother with them anymore. Thrilled that my mileage balance with them is down to triple-digits.
  3. silentbob
    Strawman IMO. No one is saying that a >$200/pp meal should be available for <$50. But is it to unreasonable to think that one could obtain a comparable level of quality for, say, $100 to $150? Or a $100/pp meal for $40 to $60? Because I too have been able to accomplish that in Tokyo (with great exchange rate, and eating at lunch), San Sebastian, Portland, Toronto (go strong USD!), and most recently Lisbon. Or in cities with corkage-friendly policies.
  4. silentbob
    My parents ate here last weekend with their friends (all Chinese American in their 60s and older) and thought the dim sum was on par with Silver Fountain, Oriental East, et al. So there's a good chance we'll be headed here soon. Website says that the former owners of Eat First run this place.
  5. silentbob
    This x 10000000000. We were in Lisbon for four nights last week and ate here three days in a row. Restaurant-quality food without having to worry about our young kids being loud and squirmy because there are so many other people there. Most dishes at the Henrique Sa Pessoa and Alexandre Silva stalls were just over $10 and I would've gladly paid twice as much for many of them, including the black bass tartare, the braised pork cheeks, and squid ink risotto with seared scallops. At peak times, you have to wait up to 20 or 30 minutes for your food to be sent out but that's because everything is being cooked to order. The pasteis de nata in Belem were indeed great, though I would've been fine staying closer to town and had the ones at Manteigaria which were about 95 percent as good and much less crowded.
  6. silentbob
    We spent two nights here last week. A bit too cold and rainy for my tastes, but such a good public transportation system. And for those who are into it, tons of great Third Wave coffee options (Concierge, The Barn, Father Carpenter, to name a few). The reuben we had at Mogg was, as some have claimed, on par with what you'd find at the NYC delis. I liked that the meat wasn't as over-the-top smoky or fatty (i.e., better-controlled flavors) as what you'd find at Stachowski's but also recognize that some prefer their pastrami the latter way. Also bummed that we didn't have as much doner kebab as I had hoped, with some of the more critically-acclaimed places located a bit out of the way. One spur-of-the-moment trip that we were glad to take was to the Fassbender & Rausch chocolate factory store, with their "irregular" selection heavily discounted by around 30 or 40 percent. Basically truffles that weren't perfectly shaped but still tasted the same. It was conveniently located only a 15-minute subway ride from the Westin. Unfortunately, we learned that the factory store is closing on April 15 though I assume the flagshop location will continue to run as always. Also, for those who are into seeing animals, Berlin's zoo blows away what we have in DC. Everything is so much more accessible, and the indoor houses are way better designed.
  7. silentbob
    We went here a few years ago and loved it too. Our recent trip to Bali included two <24-hour layovers in SIN, so not much time to explore especially with two young kids in tow. The chicken rice at Pin Xiang in the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre was maybe a step below Tian Tian but nonetheless still good, plus they offer the option of roasted chicken in addition to the regular version. The Old Airport Road Hawker Centre was only a few stops on the MRT from our hotel so we ended up going there. The wonton noddles at Hua Kee Hougang were not as sublime as I recalled from our prior trip. The giant prawn noodles at the Albert Street stall lived up to the hype though, especially the broth. So full of umami. The stall that makes soursop and other fruit juices is still there and great. Also, many of the more well-regarded stalls that we had targeted are unfortunately closed on Mondays (when we were there). Something to remember for next time.
  8. silentbob
    We went a few times after they opened last summer. The burgers are indeed good. That said, they've badly screwed up take-out orders for some of my family members on multiple occasions, so dining in may be the better move.
  9. silentbob
    Interestingly, the ribs are now down to $16 though I have no idea if the portion size is smaller than before. Either way, still as great as everyone says. The dan dan noodles had bean sprouts, a somewhat unpleasant surprise. However non-traditional, I enjoy A&J's spicy peanut sauce version better. Dumplings were fine. Tasty filling. I think China Bistro's are better overall. Skin is less doughy and heavy there. P.S. I found the staff quite friendly and responsive.
  10. silentbob
    We stopped by recently and they do sell Counter Culture beans. The roast dates were much earlier than hoped, but better than nothing I suppose.
  11. silentbob
    The airline is free to offer increasing amounts of compensation until enough people step forward to accept being bumped. United could have offered more, but chose not to. They created this situation and had the means to fix the problem, but opted instead to enforce its legal rights in a customer-unfriendly way IMO. And the optics of their subsequent PR efforts have made the matter worse. As some have quoted in the blog comments, this would almost never happen in any other industry (I mean, would a hotel or restaurant ever boot a customer in this way in remotely similar circumstances?) but is somehow tacitly accepted with airlines.
  12. silentbob
    We just spent 10 days in Bali (erin79 had a work conference, I was "on vacation" with our kids), not many opportunities to dine out but we did do this one night, went to Made Bagus a few doors down from Rome and got one of the 350,000 rupiah (around $30 after tax) set meals that included a grilled red snapper, prawns, clams, squid satay, vegetables, rice, and two drinks. Nothing earth-shattering but everything was tasty, especially the sauces that came with the seafood. Great view of the sunset from beach-side. And thanks for the warning about smoke -- we chose our clothes appropriately!
  13. silentbob
    Sorry to bump a super-old thread but I didn't know if a new one was necessary -- anyone know why Dover Sole is only $6.99 at Whole Foods this week? My impression is that it was a luxury ingredient. What am I missing? Is this a good buy?
  14. silentbob
    Pride Mountain. Perhaps not intimate, but the views are gorgeous and it's a great place to have picnics. Plus they were super-accommodating when we brought our then-5 month-old son on the tour.
  15. silentbob
    Not mentioned in this article (but is in others), is an allegation from the opposing coach that Ball's teammates kept intentionally fouling in the second half to prevent the other team from running out the clock (even though Ball's team was well ahead). Thus artificially creating more possessions for Ball to have scoring chances.
  16. silentbob
    Did you by any chance notice if Barking Mad sells coffee beans? If they do, is it Counter Culture as well?
  17. silentbob
    Yikes, I completely missed that the first time around. Sure seems worrisome!
  18. silentbob
    My dining companions confirmed that it was a lemon. And surprisingly, our plate of sprouts and Thai basil with the Bun Bo Hue did not come with any lime.
  19. silentbob
    I made a big pot of makhani sauce the other day -- thank goodness for the packaged powder mixes, they make things so much quicker -- and added some peas. Split the batch into two portions. One half got mixed with shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco. The other half got mixed with paneer (also from Costco) fried on the griddle. And of course we've continued to have strawberry or mango lassis made in the Vitamix. So tasty and convenient!
  20. silentbob
    Yes -- salt and pepper mix with a wedge of lemon.
  21. silentbob
    Of the five dishes we ordered, the Bun Bo Hue was actually the most disappointing. The noodles were chewy in a good way and the meat wasn't too overdone, but wow the broth completely underwhelmed. Spicy with no depth or richness whatsoever. So, so watery. Ugh. On the bright side, everything else was a hit. The Cha Gio may have spent a few seconds too many in the fryer but our son still loved them. The quail was worth the effort to dig out every tiny morsel of meat. The Bun Thit Nuong was actually a quite refreshing palate cleanser on bites with less pork. The big winner, perhaps somewhat surprising, was the caramelized fish in hot pot. We ordered it mostly because our son will eat anything with fish, but everyone ended up trying some and fighting over who would get the leftovers.
  22. silentbob
    Banh Ta/Little Viet Garden wasn't selling sandwiches when we stopped by around 6 pm yesterday, and we had promised to buy some for our babysitter so this was the nearest option in a pinch. We also got one for ourselves -- the #5, shredded steam pork and pork skin -- and it was fine. In fairness, we didn't eat it until this afternoon. A bit meager on the fillings, which had the right sweet/sour flavor profile at least.
  23. silentbob
    Now back at Whole Foods! I've seen them at both the Kentlands (Seville oranges and original) and Pentagon City (rosemary/thyme) locations in the past week.
  24. silentbob
    The one in Annandale would be much closer, but that sounds about right!
  25. silentbob
    Please do! My parents live nearby and haven't been yet but are intrigued -- they mentioned that dry hot pot ("gan guo") has been a trendy thing at certain restaurants in China recently.
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