perrik

A bit late to the thread, but I wanted to toss in a rec for Cakes Plus in Laurel (Rt 198 at BW Parkway, same shopping center as Target and Corridor Wine & Spirits). They carry pretty much everything, and make darn good cupcakes for the long drive back home.

Heat a cup of milk, froth it with a wand (less than $20 - mine was $1.99 from IKEA) Pop 2 scoops of espresso-grind dark roast into the Aeropress, fill to a little under level 2, work that vacuum magic. Combine the two and watch your weekly latte budget take a huge nosedive. I love my Aeropress.

Don't forget - Daylight Savings Time ends tonight! Set your clocks back an hour, lest you be unfashionably early for North China...

It's North China on 11/2 and HECOTB on 11/9, right? If so, sign me up for both.

Now that I'm allowed to eat real food again, I'm in.

Funny, I was just thinking it was time for more dim sum... Count me in. (no +1, he's still asleep that early in the day)

Count me in.

EDIT: Let's change the date to avoid conflicting with the official DR event (and maximize potential attendance!). Is Sunday, October 21, good for the interested dim sum diners?

Is the Indian dinner going to be a conflict for anyone else? We can certainly change the date - I hadn't even noticed that the two were scheduled on the same day! (but we can stick with North China on 10/7 and set up a later gathering there if it passes the taste test)

"Our chef, Joe, worked and learned from the top chefs of China in his younger years before deciding to move to the United States with his wife, Jenny. Together, the couple had opened the locally famous Joe抯 Noodle House on Rockville Pike for nearly 15 years." I'm game.

Since this Sunday's gathering is in NoVa, we can head to MD for the next one. How does Sunday *** October 7 *** at Oriental East (Silver Spring) sound? I missed that stop on our initial sweep through the dim sum places. For later in October, well, I still want to give Fortune in Falls Church another chance. (note date change from original post)

I'm craving dumplings too, but that's the afternoon of our departmental crab feast. Would you be interested in going on Saturday? I'd like to hit Lucky Three again. If not, I'm planning to re-start the Dim Sundays in late September.

One of the other untranslated dishes on the order-ahead menu was described as "pork belly deep fried and then steamed for 2 or 3 hours and served with red sauce to taste." Obviously we have to go back.

A few hungry souls gathered at Pacifica Cafe on Sunday to test out the menu. The intrepid LydiaR, having scouted out the menu ahead of time and consulted the restaurant staff, had pre-ordered an untranslated duck dish. We added a few more intriguing selections and here are the results: Appetizer: Shanghai soup dumplings Pacifica Cafe's version of xiao long bao was a success. The wrappers are thin enough to bite through easily, yet thick enough to hold in a rich bit of broth. Entree #1: Stir-fried pork with hot peppers (listed under Traditional Chinese Dishes) We were expecting a spicy, porky dish. We were disappointed. It was chunks of leek stir-fried with tender but bland pork and shreds of firm tofu. I'm not entirely sure we got the right dish, really. Entree #2: Chinese meatball stew (C13 on the menu) This was their version of lion's head - big pork meatballs in a rich broth, with bits of Chinese cabbage and bean thread noodles. Did I mention the rich broth? Someone, and we won't name names (porcupine), requested a bowl and soup spoon so she could savor that broth. Someone had a darned good idea. The proprietor claimed his version was better than the version at Bob's Noodle 66. There are no photos of entree #3, which was a simple dish of sauteed string beans from the regular menu (string beans Szechuan style). Nothing memorable, but vegetables are part of a well-balanced diet. Entree #4: Spinach with fried bean curd (listed under Traditional Chinese Dishes) This was the sleeper hit of the evening. We expected something like thin slices of tofu stir-fried with spinach. What we got were pillowy chunks of battered and fried firm tofu, a bit creamy on the inside and a bit crispy on the outside, atop a bed of sauteed spinach. Even the dedicated carnivores among us called this a Must Order Dish. Entree #5: A large oblong wrapped in lotus leaves... ... which was revealed to be a steamed boneless duck stuffed with, according to LydiaR's translation, sticky rice, two kinds of sausages, three kinds of peanuts, and black mushrooms. This was one of the order-ahead special dishes on the (so far) Chinese-only menu. It wasn't a terribly attractive dish on the plate... ... but hey, it was delicious! We couldn't quite identify the "peanuts" - pine nuts were among the mix, but there was some other kind of nut or seed or something that was very pale beige (lighter than the pine nuts) and about the size of a garlic clove. The boneless duck was huge and very rich, possibly more suited for a party of ten than our party of six. We were all intrigued (and downright covetous) of a dish ordered by a neighboring table. It turned out to be C22, Giant Hot Pot. It was indeed giant, a large stone casserole which held chicken, duck, pork meatballs, various vegetables, and bean thread noodles. I figure four hungry people could share this dish plus maybe a stir-fried vegetable, and leave quite full. Others could perhaps go into better detail about the dishes we tried? I'm too out of practice at this.

Since Don wants us to pipe up on our latest meal, here's a shout-out to Woomi Garden. I had the spicy stir-fried squid (a reliable favorite, with tender squid and lots of onions), my husband had his usual negimaki although he swears that someday he'll actually order a Korean dish at this Korean restaurant. When it comes to panchan, for some reason I always ignore their cabbage kimchi. Instead, I dive right into the cucumber kimchi and polish the whole dish off before our drinks even arrive. Damn, I love cucumber kimchi.

Drat, no dim sum and gelato for me. We're going to be in Virginia Beach that weekend, and I suspect the eatin' will not quite be on par with the NYC schedule...

Last night I found myself grateful for the close quarters in Michael's shrine to the glories of cow. Our server did not mention anything out of the ordinary concerning the night's offerings, but THANK GOODNESS I had overhead another server tell an adjoining table about that night's special - culotte. Yes, the legendary culotte. Damn, that was fine. It was like hanger steak, only more so. I had requested some diablo sauce on the side, but found that I couldn't bear to mask any of that bovine joy. One of these days, we're going to leave enough room for dessert. On each visit we ogle the chocolate mousse, but then our steaks arrive and we forget.

My husband works across the street from TNR, so I've tried their food a few times. Their BBQ pork tastes and smells a bit odd to me - I can't pinpoint why. Too much soy sauce in the marinade? I've found that the friendliness of the service at the carryout counter is directly proportional to how much food I'm ordering. On my last visit I ordered just a wonton soup, and the atmosphere got rather chilly. Still, it's decent Chinese in an area that's seriously lacking in decent Chinese, so I'm willing to cut it some slack.

Is a modicum of English actually spoken? Despite regular journeys to Han Ah Reum my Korean is limited to "thank you" and "octopus". Korean food right by the Glenmont station... suddenly the thought of my commute isn't so hideous anymore.

We were there for a Sunday dim sum back in January, and noticed the quality and variety wasn't quite up to the usual levels. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't "normal". We chalked it up to a one-time blip, but now I'm concerned and am anxiously awaiting Daniel's report.

Ice? Snow? Bah. We drive Subarus. As long as RTS is open, we'll be there for our reservation.

Phbbtt. It's not like RTS is the first (or 364th) restaurant that comes to mind when you're thinking of romantic Valentine's Day destinations! Our reservation has been confirmed, so that evening I'll be whispering sweet nothings to my husband like "pass the spinach with all due haste, my love." Not that he'll be able to hear a damn thing. My husband works across the street from the actual courthouse building, and it's an easy walk from there to the new RTS site. Oh joyous day!

Mr. Perrik and I got married at the Montgomery County courthouse after passing through (and setting off) a metal detector, and then taking a number. The wedding room had a huge picture window which gave us a lovely, detailed view of the ventilation system. Consequently we find the atmosphere at RTS to be quite romantic by comparison. I've left a message on the machine and, "hostess" willing, we shall spend that special evening gazing at exposed pipes, shipping cartons, and whatever the hell that thing is on the ceiling by the entrance. Ah, bliss.

My husband wants to hit RTS again next week, and the only good day on our schedule is Wednesday. Uh oh. So... Ray's The Steaks on Valentine's Day, around 9pm: sheer lunacy or possibly bearable? edit: Ah, just spotted Landrum's message on the VD thread. Message left, fingers crossed.

I cannot get to the restaurant ahead of time this Sunday. If one of you arrives early to Lucky Three, please put our group on the list for an 8-person table. Use the name "Rockwell". Thanks! Now let's hope the snow holds off...