perrik

We're off to Kennywood this spring, and I have no choice but to try a corn dog there (allegedly they do a fine version). I don't really have any childhood memories of eating corn dogs, though... funnel cake was more my scene. Mmmm, funnel cake. Yes, they're still around.

Hmm. Sunday's Post Magazine will include Walter Nicholls's review of the new Tysons branch of Woo Lae Oak. Korean tapas? Duck breast with roasted figs? And Caesar salad? Toto, I don't think we're in Annandale anymore.

A chocolate chip cookie, fresh out of the oven, plus some mandarin orange herbal tea perked up with ground cinnamon. Ah, bliss.

The Brass Duck is gone now. A few years ago, it got demoted to severely limited hours. The hotel now belongs to another chain, and the restaurant reopened a few weeks ago as an Outback.

"About halfway between the DC and Ellicott City/Columbia area" describes where I live. Oh dear. Are you sure you're not willing to drive further south? It's a bit of a wasteland in terms of what you're seeking. There are three places in Burtonsville (Rt 29 and Rt 198 intersection) that might suit. If the diners are willing to be a little adventurous, there's Cuba De Ayer. Old Hickory Grille's focus lies is somewhere between BBQ and New Orleans. I've heard positive reports about the Italian trattoria in the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center, but I've yet to go there (and am blanking on the name... Pepito's?). Laurel is infested with chain restaurants, but Pasta Plus is a hidden (but hardly secret) gem.

The restaurant is on the SE corner of Wilson Blvd and Lynn St, in the same building as WJLA (easy to spot because of the huge scrolling news ticker). According to China Garden's website, there's parking nearby that's free on the weekends. According to Arlington County, the closer garages aren't open on the weekends.Arlington County's list of Rosslyn garages and maps thereof The restaurant is about one block from the Rosslyn Metro, which is how we're planning to get there.

Perhaps it's time to consider our NoVa expeditions. Would anyone be interested in a journey to Rosslyn's China Garden on February 19? We can stick with the usual 1pm start time to accomodate those with Sunday morning obligations (they serve dim sum from 11:30 to 3pm). Edit: Thanks for the tip, rbh. The +1 and I will be in Tysons that morning (thus the choice of dates) and should easily make it to Rosslyn by 1pm to snag a number.

The secret to ordering at Seven Seas... if the dish is something you'd find at the local carryout "Chinese" place, skip it. Get the red menu, order a whole fish and some Manila clams, and you'll be happy.

Chewy, I got. Soft, I need. Just got back from the library with another armful of cookbooks (apologies to everyone else who uses the Fairland branch!), and will launch back into experiments this weekend.

Help! I'm in search of a soft oatmeal cookie recipe. I tried Roland Mesnier's version (from Dessert University), which had excellent flavor but were thin and chewy. I like them like that, but my father (who requested oatmeal cookies in the first place) prefers softer cookies. I tried altering the recipe to use shortening and baking powder instead of butter and baking soda, but that didn't cut down much on the spreading. The recipe from Baker's Manual creates cookies with less spread, but they're still chewier than dad prefers. Does anyone know of a recipe that produces a softer version? I'm tempted to just mix up my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with oatmeal instead of chips. (hey, that could work...)

My last cholesterol reading was 144. I'm going to have the soul rolls next time... and maybe some sausage slathered in the yella sauce.Do we need to have a MontCo BBQ Comparo when the new Rocklands opens?

We had errands to run today along Rockville Pike, so I dragged the +1 to Urban BBQ for our first visit. He had the pulled pork sandwich, I had the pulled chicken. The pork was unusually wet, which made the bottom half of the bun disintegrate quickly. The pork was also a little chewy, so I suspect it sat in the steam pan for a little while too long (we got there just after the lunch rush). The flavor was very good, though, and my husband polished it off despite the collapsing bun. The pulled chicken had no such problems - it was juicy, tender, delicious, and gone very quickly. I had to try all four BBQ sauces available, with the yella edging out the spicy (which might be new - I hadn't seen it mentioned before). Yeah, we'll be back.

I tried that again recently - bleah, hard to believe I ate so much of it as a child. My husband still loves Underwood roast beef spread spread on Triscuits.I loved those Hostess apple pies! They're in the vending machine at my husband's office, so I had one earlier this year. Mmmmm, still tasty in a guilty-pleasure sort of way... (but they pale in comparison to Popeye's hot apple pies) Let us not forget that other Hostess treat, the little chocolate doughnuts (Donettes).

You had the wisdom to have lunch at Joe's, so the fortune was accurate.Wasn't there some talk a few months back about organizing a DR expedition to Joe's?

Another rec for Wheaton's Woomi... my friends almost always order the sushi and Japanese entrees, so I've been trying to sample the rest of the menu on my own. My favorites so far are the spicy squid and the kimchee/pork/rice cake soup. (hey, this would be a nice place for a cheap Rockwellian outing...)

We're fans of Sushi Sono right next door, but have never tried JWHK. Count me in!

The MontCoDimSum Comparo Team concluded its investigations today at Silver Fountain in Aspen Hill. I don't think any of us had been there before, or was even more than dimly aware of its existence. It's a good place to know about. The time of day at which we've been going (1pm) hasn't really been an issue elsewhere, but I suspect it was definitely a factor at Silver Fountain. The kitchen seemed to be winding down, judging by the lack of variety and the infrequency of carts. We really should give SF another shot at an earlier time slot, since what we did get was worthwhile. The dishes offered were mostly Dim Sum's Greatest Hits (sui mei, har gow, cheong fan, sticky rice, etc), but they were all well executed. Service was very good,. However, I felt that the staff had lower expectations for their non-Chinese clientele, and they seemed a little hesitant to offer things like tripe and chicken feet (until they saw how eagerly we grabbed at the latter). We noticed Chinese clientele nearby being brought dim sum straight from the kitchen, although we couldn't really see what they were getting (special dishes, or just fresh offerings of standard items). I think Silver Fountain would be an excellent choice for dim sum novices. The choices aren't overwhelming or too exotic, there's minimal language barrier, the restaurant is attractive, and the prices are low (we spent $12.50 per adult, including tip, for a generous meal). edit: DanielK is right, they were chicken feet. Now I can't remember who serves duck feet and who serves chicken feet...

Okay folks, we have concluded the Montgomery County Dim Sum Comparo. Just because the official comparison is done doesn't mean we're going to stop hitting the MontCo places. It's fair to say that we will make plans to gather at New Fortune and Hollywood East On The Boulevard in the near future. So if you've missed out on the comparo, please join us on future outings! My ranking: #1: Hollywood East On The Boulevard #2: New Fortune #3: Silver Fountain #4: Good Fortune The top two are very close. Silver Fountain is solid but unremarkable. Good Fortune... well, let's just forget about Good Fortune. I missed the Oriental East gathering. Next up: the Northern Virginia Dim Sum Comparo. Some of us on this side of the river are eager to see what the NoVa places have to offer. Any Virginians interested in joining us? I have a list of NoVa places for consideration, gleaned from dim sum threads elsewhere. If you know of other candidates, or if any of these restaurants are unsuitable, please post an update... China Garden 1100 Wilson Boulevard Rosslyn, VA 22209 703-525-5317 http://www.chinagardenva.com Fortune Chinese Seafood Restaurant 6249 Arlington Blvd. Falls Church, VA 22041 703-538-3333 http://www.fortunebanquet.com Fortune (same ownership) 1428 Reston Pkwy. Reston, VA 20194 703-318-8898 http://www.fortunebanquet.com Lucky Three 5900 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041 703-998-8888 Mark's Duck House 6184-A Arlington Blvd. Falls Church, VA 22044 703-532-2125

The restaurant is easy to find - it's in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center (anchored by Giant) at Connecticut and Aspen Hill. If you're inspired by the dim sum to do some cooking of your own, there's a Lotte supermarket nearby.

My husband is Express' tech support guy, and was woken up an hour ago - on his day off - to figure out why the pdf for today's paper isn't available. I'll post a download link whenever he gets it sorted out, so everyone can see Our Noble Leader. Well, bits of him.

I've been reading Roland Mesnier's Dessert University and Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. Eventually I'm going to get pastry cream right, honestly! (still tastes more like paste than pastry, but I'm getting closer) But after a recent cookbook binge, I'm ready for some lighter stuff. Must dig out my favorite make-me-faint-with-hunger book, Calvin Trillin's Tummy Trilogy.

I like my Benriner. It's basic and not overwhelmingly loaded with safety features, but it's great (and priced right) for occasional use. If I needed to use a mandoline more regularly, I'd get the Oxo.

I just received a $50 gift card for REI, and they carry the Dansko professional clogs. That makes my choice easy.

I'm in. But does it really have to be the last meeting? <whimper whimper whine> I want to go back to HEOTB...

Thanks for the suggestions, y'all. Although I'd like to try the Bragard clogs, it's necessary for me to actually try on footwear before buying. Weird feet, you know. (it doesn't help that I've lost a full shoe size since May)