lizzie

Several different stands sell pickles at the Bethesda Market (sunday mornings). I know I saw garlic dills, but not sure about half sours.

Public Service Message: be VERY careful if resorting to candles if the power goes out. We lost our house and everything in it a few years ago from a candle fire. On April Fool's Day. Would not want any of you to go through that. Now my question - why do people buy vegetables when storms threaten? Really - they want to eat all the broccoli that Harris Teeter has to offer?

the current gnocchi dish is an all time favorite for me.

My family likes Pho Cyclo in the little shopping area on Gallows and Route 50.

My Indonesian/Dutch mother-in-law made an incredible chicken stew in coconut milk and added peeled hard cooked eggs while it simmered. We always fought over how many eggs each person got.

Last saturday morning, also at the Harrison St. location, I ordered a venti iced Kenya coffee Clover brew. On learning this was the first time I had ordered this, the barista exclaimed, "this will change your life." It was definitely better than a regular iced coffee, but not sure my life has changed in any meaningful way.

Groupon today: $15 for $30 cheese and meat at Arrowine and $20 for $40 at Comet Ping Pong

Perry's in Adams Morgan is hiring a full time office manager (schedule is Mon-Fri and hours are generally 9am-5pm not including special events). Responsibilities include, but aren't limited to: managing food/supply orders and deliveries, reconciling accounting, maintaining files, handling reservations and private party requests, updating website and other social media (Facebook, Twitter). Qualified candidates with at least 1 year office experience should submit their resume (including the 3 most recent positions held and why you are interested in leaving your current position with details: company/job/location/responsibilities/dates held) and 3 references of direct supervisors to perrysRESTAURANT@gmail.com. PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR WALK-IN RESUME, EMAILED SUBMISSIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED ONLY.

Four Sisters in Merrifield is also an option.

We had lunch at Ba Bay recently and were not impressed. It was just ok. I had the spring roll which included sausage, egg and jicama and was lightly fried, and the noodle dish with rock shrimp, lemongrass and coconut among the ingredients; very few shrimp. Nothing was bad, just not special for the prices (the noodle dish was $12 or $13 at lunch and the autumn roll $9). We also had a few people who do not eat pork or shellfish, and I think there was only one entree (wings) and the pho that did not include these. Almost everything on the starter and entree menus, and the specials, had pork.

We are missing American Flatbread in Clarendon and may trek out to the Ashburn location this weekend. Any recent highlights?

Perry's has a Passover menu, by Mark Furstenberg. http://www.perrysadamsmorgan.com/2011/03/passover-menu-by-chef-mark-furstenberg/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Asian Spice on H St is an option as it likely will not be a hub of St Patrick's Day celebration.

I have been playing around with a lot of different pound cake and pound cake-like recipes and curious of others favorites. I love that these are generally not fussy to make and a simple glaze, if any used, is a perfect icing. I made the lemon pound cake from the Barefoot Contessa Parties book this weekend and everyone loved it - so much lemon flavor. I love tart and this was perfectly tart. It was a bit more crumbly than I expected - the recipe called for baking it 45 minutes to an hour so I guessed at just over 45 minutes when the toothpick seemed clean. I also have been trying different nutella cakes, from random web sites. One did not have enough flavor and the second one, with a thick ribbon of nutella, was even too much for my daughter whose veins run thick with the stuff. Any favorites among the don rockwell crowd?

Late dinner at Four Sisters last night and place was nearly full at 9pm. This continues to be one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants. The quail appetizer was so good - I had never had that on prior visits. And while every place serves the crispy rolls, these are less greasy than most. The grilled lemongrass chicken over vermicelli is one of my favorites and here the chicken is great, although someone at our table thought it a bit sweet. We also had a shrimp and vegetable stir fry and the orange beef. All were quite good although I think some of the more traditional noodle and rice dishes remain my favorites (and especially the soup but I usually only order that at lunch, for some reason.)

Thai Curry is one of the Groupon specials today (http://www.groupon.com/deals/thai-curry-arlington?c=dnb&p=5). It replaced Bangkok Siam in the Buckingham shopping area, and has been totally renovated - so much nicer than before. Full disclosure in that I am friends with the owner, but I have enjoyed many of the dishes I have had here. A few dishes that you do not see on every other Thai menu as they are trying to emphasize a more "street food" approach, but we still usually order the standard curries and noodle dishes. I do love the Larb Balls, a nice change from regular larb gai although you have to forget all the extra calories that likely come with the frying part of the dish. The owners also have Kanlaya and Asian Spice.

I liked Himalayan Kitchen, near the university. Indian and Nepali, inexpensive. Most of menu is Indian fare, but we tried several of the Himalayan dishes, and liked the chicken and vegetable momos. We trekked to Red Iguana, which several people along the detour walking route said was not worth the effort. But, we found it satisfying. Our waitress offered a small plate with samples of all the different moles. I think we ended ordering four. I particularly liked the pumpkin one,which may have been a special. We had sushi one night, at Naked Fish, mostly because it was on the same street as our hotel. Nothing exceptional or special but better than we expected. I relied on the travel guide on designspongeonline.com for some of the restaurant recs and shopping ideas. I have found this site to offer interesting options in a number of cities.

Signs up on windows and paper down. Arlnow.com reports a mid-January opening, but it looks far from ready. Anyone know anything more about this, other than it is a bar with "great food, great times"?

Spent a few days in new Orleans earlier this week. We had a very nice brunch at Sylvain, 625 Chartres St., near the Marriott and some very cool art galleries. I had a fried egg over grits with a shredded pork cake type of thing. Very rich, but delicious. The shaved brussel sprouts salad is a new favorite that i will try to replicate at home - a bit tart, with apple and cheese (if I recall correctly). I found this place quite nice and not at all touristy restaurant despite the address. Sit in the courtyard if weather permits. Unfortunately you all cannot share what was our best meal - I was visiting shrimpers in Dulac, La who cooked shrimp just off the boat including a simple but awesome "shrimp and gravy" and also fresh boudin sausage. So good. I love my job at times.

We will be in Prague for a few days before Christmas. Any recent recommendations are welcome.

Not a cookbook, but this recent list from Saveur includes a few that we have liked (pumpkin black bean and white bean provencal): http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Fall-Soups

Saturday, November 20 from 9:00 -1:00 at the 14th and U farmers' market: http://www.moderndomestic.com/2010/11/bake-sale-for-the-dc-state-fair-nov-20-9-1/ Bid on the perfect thanksgiving dessert, especially if serving a turducken:http://www.moderndomestic.com/2010/11/get-your-very-own-cherpumple-at-the-dc-state-fair-bake-sale/

Perry’s wants to make your Thanksgiving less tense and more leisurely. Allow us, if you please, to prepare all or part of your Thanksgiving feast. We are offering main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Order a la carte. Orders should be sent through Sunday, November 21st, to 202.234.6218 or emailed to hello@perrysadamsmorgan.com. We accept payment when you order and ask you to pick up your orders on Wednesday, November 24th between 8 am and 5 pm. First courses Oyster Stew -Plump oysters with a little potato and onion in a rich fish stock and a bit of cream. We’ll give it to you in a little kit. You’ll heat the soup, pour in the oysters, top with butter, and chopped chives. Everything except the butter. $21 quart (Serves 4) Butternut Squash Soup - Pureed local butternut topped with bacon scented breadcrumbs. $16 quart (Serves 4) Main course Roasted turkey - hormone-free turkey, $8 pound. Side dishes Gravy - natural, thick and rich with giblets $7 pint/$12 quart Braised Path Valley greens with ham hock $10 pint/$18 quart Brussel sprouts – roasted, sprinkled with chopped pecans $7 pint/$12 quart Mashed potatoes - rich with cream, $6 pint/$11 quart Sweet potato with marshmallow - $7 pint/$12 quart Stuffing – local mushrooms, leeks, celery and shallots $6 pint/$10 quart Cranberry sauce - Lightly sweetened, flavored with orange. $8 pint/$14 quart Desserts (9’’ pie) Pumpkin pie - You must have this, a rich pumpkin pie in our flaky pie crust. $12 Apple pie - Tart apples flavored with a little cinnamon and clove. $15 Pecan pie - Very rich but not as sweet as others you have tasted. $16 Bread (From Baguette Republic) Baguettes $3 Double baguettes (twice as thick) $5.75 Country bread (mixed grains) 3 lbs $11.50

If you are interested in eating at home but do not want to cook, Perry’s wants to make your Thanksgiving less tense and more leisurely and is offering meals to go. We are offering main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Order a la carte. Orders should be sent through Sunday, November 21st, to 202.234.6218 or emailed to hello@perrysadamsmorgan.com. We accept payment when you order and ask you to pick up your orders on Wednesday, November 24th between 8 am and 5 pm. First courses Oyster Stew -Plump oysters with a little potato and onion in a rich fish stock and a bit of cream. We’ll give it to you in a little kit. You’ll heat the soup, pour in the oysters, top with butter, and chopped chives. Everything except the butter. $21 quart (Serves 4) Butternut Squash Soup - Pureed local butternut topped with bacon scented breadcrumbs. $16 quart (Serves 4) Main course Roasted turkey - hormone-free turkey, $8 pound. Side dishes Gravy - natural, thick and rich with giblets $7 pint/$12 quart Braised Path Valley greens with ham hock $10 pint/$18 quart Brussel sprouts – roasted, sprinkled with chopped pecans $7 pint/$12 quart Mashed potatoes - rich with cream, $6 pint/$11 quart Sweet potato with marshmallow - $7 pint/$12 quart Stuffing – local mushrooms, leeks, celery and shallots $6 pint/$10 quart Cranberry sauce - Lightly sweetened, flavored with orange. $8 pint/$14 quart Desserts (9’’ pie) Pumpkin pie - You must have this, a rich pumpkin pie in our flaky pie crust. $12 Apple pie - Tart apples flavored with a little cinnamon and clove. $15 Pecan pie - Very rich but not as sweet as others you have tasted. $16 Bread (From Baguette Republic) Baguettes $3 Double baguettes (twice as thick) $5.75 Country bread (mixed grains) 3 lbs $11.50

A friend is hoping to find a company that will make a kitchen table w/ a corian top(to match her counters) and wood (maple) base. Has anyone had a custom table made locally?