lperry

^Let's see then, that's more than 100 ways to feed the squirrels! It sounds like it's definitely worth the trip out there, and I really want some nice yellow pear tomatoes and sweet 100s if I can find them. One of our friends is coming over this weekend with a small chainsaw and a chipper/shredder, (I envision many manly activities taking place in the yard), so the plot should be completely cleared and ready Monday. Right now it is edged by some nasty Euonymus shrubs (not the pretty red ones) that are completely out of control, and also shade much of this corner of the yard and prevent air circulation. I've decided they are better off as compost. I ran around a little a few days ago and found some locally and organically grown herb and vegetable plants at Home Depot. I picked up a Rutgers tomato plant and some Italian parsley. Most of my herbs have just gone into the ground after too many years in pots in my deck "garden." I'm hoping they grow with happiness instead of dying from shock.

I've been lax and haven't made it to a farmer's market yet. I'm not sure the ones I go to have even started yet. I have to go to Home Depot anyway, so I will check there. DeBaggio's is a huge trek for me - there's just no good way to get there from here! I've been there a couple of times and it was really good for unusual plants. I bought several of their scented geraniums. I may give them a call. Thanks!

I'd like some advice on where to buy plants. I want to grow a few heirloom variety plants like German stripe tomatoes and moon and stars watermelons, but due to size constraints in the planting area itself, I can only use only one or two plants of each. I went to the plant sale at Green Spring Garden and was somewhat disappointed in the selections available. Most people had herbs, I assume due to their popularity. Is there a good source for heirloom vegetable plants in Alexandria or Arlington? Am I looking too early? Thanks -Linda

We've got 20 game season tickets in 202. There's a little bar set up right by us that had a bartender who made OK drinks. Much better than the "margarita" from Cantina. The seasoned fries from Cantina, in contrast to the drink that shall never be ordered again (why oh why didn't I spot the spinning red frozen crap *before* I asked for it???) were good and fresh, and the popcorn guys right outside our section filled our box straight from the popper. Gotta love that. And it wasn't too salty this game. And, not to forget, WE WON! And winning always makes the food taste better. We gave away our tickets for Tuesday, but we'll be there Thursday for bobblehead night. Oh yeah.

I'm back, and as is typical of most of my trips, I ended up where I did not expect to be. So I had about 16 hours in Rio and a week each in Belém and Manaus. I do have a few food recommendations for each. In Rio, try Mamma Rosa’s in Corcovado. Locals go here for Italian food, and we tried two eggplant dishes on recommendation from several people. The eggplant lasagna and eggplant Siciliana were both excellent. Ah, the eggplant – creamy, silky texture with crispy edges and fantastic flavor. It’s called beringela here. In Belém, the pizza is excellent at Xícara da Silva. The Paraense pizza has jambu, a leaf that has nice flavor and the added bonus of making your mouth a bit numb. It’s almost like a temperature change, as if it is somehow a few degrees cooler in your mouth and things don’t feel quite like they should – hard to describe, but enjoyable and worth experiencing. The Veneto had eggplant and green onions – also delicious. San Gennaro was voted the best Italian in the city for two years. At least that’s what the menu says. Read the descriptions of the food carefully – our Caprese salad was made with lettuce, sun dried tomatoes, and cubes of mozzarella. The rest of the food was quite good. There are lots of restaurants at the Docas area along the edge of the Amazon river, an old loading dock that has been turned into a shopping area, It looks really touristy, but strangely enough, the vast majority of the people there were local. The beer is good at the microbrewery on the end, and rumor has it that there’s a good happy hour there weekdays before 9 where you can eat all the appetizers you want and drink all the alcohol you want for about 17 USD. Na Telha, or “in a tile” is a restaurant that serves food, you guessed it, in a ceramic roofing tile that has been turned upside down and has the ends blocked so the food stays in. The fish is fresh and good here. The appetizers were particularly good. We had pasteles, little fried empanadas, and the fried manioc or macaxeira was perfectly done. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with really good flavor, an indication of very fresh roots. At the Mangal das Garças park, you can see birds, butterflies, a nice view of the city from a lighthouse, and there is a restaurant with a buffet that serves typical local foods. There are other buffets (for some reason I was taken to several), and I don’t usually like buffets, but this food was quite good with selections of fish, chicken, pasta, beef, and potatoes. The salads in particular were nice here. In Manaus, Açai is really good for local dishes made from local ingredients that are very fresh. Fish from the Amazon or Rio Negro, fruits from the forest, and caipirinhas that are really good. We also had some unusual araca-boi fruits that had been given to us by a friend who has a tree, and the kitchen made them into drinks for us. This restaurant is frequented by locals. The local churrasco restaurant chosen by my hosts was Gaúcho, and by 8 at night it was packed with locals. Lots of meat which I am told was very nicely cooked, and a great salad bar plus various other grilled things including fresh cheese on toast and entire pineapples. They also have a selection of infused cachaças which I was also told were quite good. (I'm a cachaça lightweight leaning toward mixed drinks). The caipirinhas were good here as were the juices. Piazzolo is good for Italian in Manaus, and it also has a decent wine list. Wine is expensive in Brazil, and I’m not sure why. In contrast, beer is really inexpensive as is cachaça. I paid an average of $2.00 for a caipirinha, and with a couple of exceptions where some funky-cheap cachaça was used, they were nicely made drinks. Just as an aside, when most people think of Brazil, I think they have a tendency to focus on meat, but I think this is a little unfair. The produce is so fresh and good that the salads are just incredible as are the fruit juices and desserts made from fruit. I think I could live off the fruit there. Cashew fruit, cupuaçu, passionfruit, mango, sour sop, really good bananas and on and on. Then there are the fruits from Amazonian palms like tucumá, pupunha, and açai. Also be sure to try some Brazil nuts while there just to see what they are like really fresh. They are called castanha do Para unless you are in Manaus where they are called castanha da Amazônas (Manaus is in Amazônas state). Then there’s the palmito or heart of palm that is freshly harvested instead of canned. I ate my weight in it. Really fantastic. Nobody who has a choice drinks the water, and a restaurant would go out of business pretty fast if it made people sick, so they wash everything in clean water and use it to make all the drinks as well. Also, if you like fizzy beverages, be sure to drink the guaraná soda. It beats coke for taste and that lovely caffeine kick. Happy traveling! (And please forgive my screw ups with accent marks - I'm still learning!) -Linda

The best laid plans... We were staying at the downtown waterfront which is a bit far from the other areas in Vancouver, so much of what we had was influenced by how much time we had and how close it was to the convention center. For a quick downtown lunch or dinner, we liked Cactus Club Cafe which is a chain, but had good food and the best yam fries I had while there. Perfectly crispy on the outside, creamy and smooth on the inside. They also had a nice kiwi caipirinha that was a really well-balanced drink. Good beer was had at the Steamworks microbrewery, although there was general agreement that one is the limit on the espresso stout. We also went to the Aurora Bistro with a party of eight. They are small with limited seating, and the food was just spot on. Between all of us, I think we had everything on the menu. I particularly liked the shallot tart with camembert, and the duck salad, sablefish, and pork dishes got very good reviews as well. This restaurant is known for supporting sustainable farming and local producers, and the food is excellent.

I just got my copy of the Washington Star Garden book, and it is great! It starts with how to check for what sort of soil you have and how to make it right for planting, and then goes into specifics for growing each type of plant and which varieties are the best for the region. This book is amazing. As an example, for sweet corn, it tells you how to plant the seeds (depth and how far apart), when to plant, how much to plant for how much you want to get out of your garden, how to stagger planting for a continuous supply, the size of the bed best for good pollination and good yield, which varieties work in the DC metro area, how and when to fertilize, which types of fertilizer to use, how to support the stem with extra soil and when to do it, how to deal with typical pests, when to weed, and how to know when you should harvest. And it has chapters on landscaping, trees, shrubs, grasses and ground covers, bulbs, flowers, roses, food plants, herbs, container gardening including indoor plants, shade gardening, and wildflowers. This is so great! Everywhere I've lived before I've had to guess what would work for my exact location. No more guessing. My issue is the 1988 version which is supposed to be "updated" from the others, but never having seen the others, I can't really say what has been updated. But this is really useful. I can't wait to get into the garden!

I just got a recommendation from a gardening friend who has lived here for over thirty years. He told me to buy the Washington Star Garden Book by Youngerman. I picked one up on eBay. Apparently, Youngerman worked for the Evening Star paper and started gardening when everyone was encouraged to plant a Victory garden. He got so good at it that all the columns eventually made their way into a book that outlines all the gardening tips that are perfect for this area. So no adjustments for this zone or that, just which plants work, and where and when they should be planted. I can't wait to get my copy. We are closing on a house this Thursday, and for the first time in many many years, I will have a sunny yard. So if the squirrels don't get them first, there are heirloom tomatoes in my future...

I do remember the pizza - but mostly for the container of mayo on the table. I'll see if I can get my colleagues to go to Antiquarius. Thanks!

Well, it doesn't look good for the Brazil recommendations! I'm heading there in April and will be spending time in Sao Paolo, Belem, and Manaus. I was there in 1991, but I was a starving student and we cooked instead of going out. Anyone? -Linda

Thanks for the link! I had no idea they had such a nice website. They don't list the paprika in their online catalog, but I can always use an excuse to go there. I love their fresh cheeses.

Where are people in Alexandria City buying their smoked paprika? I figure a good bet is the Penzey's in Falls Church, but the traffic and parking issues there drive me nuts. Is there another, closer, car-friendly source? Thanks- Linda

Another vote for smoked gouda. Cheddar, schmeddar.

I've read through the thread and I've read through all the threads linked from the thread. I have an equipment question. What exactly is the ricer everyone is talking about? Is it the garlic-press-on-steroids ricer with the big plunger that smashes the potatoes through tiny holes? I don't understand how that can not compress the potatoes, especially when I have always used it for things like pressing the liquid out of frozen spinach. I have always used a food mill, but various people say this will compress or make the potatoes gluey. I haven't had this happen and I've used it with squash and sweet potatoes too. I honestly thought the ricer would be worse for doing that. I have soft, fluffy gnocchi just about every time. At least I think I do. Have I unwittingly been eating quantities of inferior gnocchi? Where's a physicist when you need one?

Jalapeño jalapeño jalapeño. Macs rock. Back on topic, Rick Bayless has a recipe for salsa negra from Oaxaca that uses chipotles that you toast by quick frying in hot oil, then soak in sugar water and blend with roasted garlic. It uses vast quantities of chipotles and makes a thick paste that keeps for months, and you can put it in anything that needs spicing. I love this stuff enough that there is almost always a jar in my fridge. Stirred into black beans, mixed into cornbread batter, smeared on toast about to receive a poached egg, blendered with mayo and pan-fried mirepoix for a spicy potato salad, etc. etc. etc. I don't care if chipotle has become cliché. (Thank you zoramargolis for the accent trick) I love the stuff.

The ones from Grand Mart have been reliably hot, and it's easy to grow a plant in a pot on your deck, too. If you forget to water it (not that I would ever do such a thing...), and the summer is particularly hot and dry, those babies will make you cry.

Went to Meaza on Columbia Pike. It was my first visit, and the restaurant was recommended by an Ethiopian friend after I told him we had OK food (good but not great) at Skyline Cafe. He told us that it is fasting time now so vegetarian food will be plentiful and good. We got the vegetarian sampler (they were out of sambussas), and it was very good. We particularly liked the lentils spiced with bere bere (hot enough to make your nose run, but not hot enough to make you cry) and the cabbage spiced with a delicious turmeric blend. We walked to the grocery that is attached to the restaurant and found all the spice blends, but they were mysteriously labeled with "Miscellaneous" so I don't know what was in the cabbage, but I am guessing from the color. The injera was the best I have ever had. Soft, thick, wonderfully flavored. I was sorely tempted to buy a big bag of it in the grocery. The bags were still damp from steam, it was so fresh.

Chipotles are smoked chiles from the species Capsicum annuum, if that helps. In contrast, Scotch bonnets and habaneros are members of Capsicum chinense. Mecos and moritas are both made from jalapeno peppers, jalapeno being the varietal name (how did you guys get the tilde in there?), and the names refer to the coloration resulting from different processing methods. Now if I could just remember HOW they were made differently...

Dried chipotles can be called moritas (the red ones) or mecos (the brown ones). I've also heard capones for the ones with no seeds. Apparently it means castrated. I think I've also read other names - it would have been in either Rick Bayless or Diana Kennedy, and neither book is handy since I'm packing for a move. If anyone has one of Bayless' cookbooks, it will be in there. I stockpile at the HEB or Central Market in Texas, but I have seen good ones at Penzey's in Falls Church.

Vij's seems to be on everyone's list. I'll try to make that one. I always have great plans for eating at meetings, and then most nights, I inevitably end up walking with people to the closest restaurant that isn't too crowded. So in the spirit of reality, it is also good to hear that we probably won't get in terrible trouble just rolling the dice.

Thanks! Peaceful is on the short list.

I'll be at a conference in Vancouver for five days at the end of this month, and I was wondering if the recommendations in this thread still stand. I'll be at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on the waterfront during the days. It's my first trip to Vancouver, so if anyone has a must do recommendation, please let me know. Thanks. -Linda

I drove by a few days ago and wondered if the stadium would really be ready by opening day. We have season tickets for half the games, then five games with better seats from our group that splits a full season. A majority of that group wanted to buy parking, so we are saddled with the garage for those games, but for the others, it's good to hear that the Metro is gearing up to be ready. I will be at a conference the weekend of the 29th, so I'll miss the first game in the park. This is a depressing turn of events - we planned to wear our shirts from the last game at RFK. I expect full food reports from my BF and his friend who will (as usual) eat their way through the stadium. I'll tell him that Five Guys might be there.

I didn't deep fry for years for that exact reason, then I was given a deep fryer when a friend moved. At the same time I acquired an Indian cookbook that had pakora recipes in it. I love pakoras. A lot. Crispy on the outside, meltingly tender and steaming inside, spicy, fried puffs of happiness. I needed to deep fry in a bad way. My solution was to set the fryer outside on the deck. It limits your frying to days with good weather, and you have to use a splatter screen to keep various outside stuff from falling in, but that is better than no frying at all. Edited to add that I do the same with onion confit - the crock pot goes outside - because those first few hours are unbearably stinky.

At Central Market stores in Texas, they have this system in place and it seemed to work well the time I was there. The problems arise from the less technologically-minded, or, perhaps, less-hurried folk who head to the checkout with nothing pre-priced. That can make for a bit of a hold up in the line because the checkers aren't trained to price things quickly. Or, at least, my checker wasn't trained to price things quickly.