Darth Tater

I have to say I was disappointed with my visit to Sichuan Pavilion. The crispy fungus with pickled peppers was pretty bland and the dan-dan noodles in need of a spicing up as others gave attested to (and since the service was friendly but lackluster I never received the vinegar or hot chili oil I asked for). The Ma-po tofu was better, but a pale imitation of other versions I have tried elsewhere. I am deeply obliged to those highlighting the double cooked pork as that was absolutely the best dish of the night. None of these dishes rated more than one chili on the menu, but I was nonetheless disappointed with the lack of heat, despite my expressed preference for it. Perhaps I simply caught them on an off night, but I think Joe's will remain my preferred stop for Szechuan in Rockville - specifically for the dry beef.

My wife and I dined at Hudson last night, and it was...underwhelming. The matzoh ball soup was good, and would have been even better served hot. Ditto the gratis parker house rolls, which were barely warm enough to melt butter. I suppose we could have sent stuff back to get reheated, but the timing and heat issue will probably get worked out as the place matures. What was more disappointing was my french onion soup, so cloyingly sweet I only made it halfway through, and the mushroom pizza - specifically the sauce, which was strongly reminiscent of Chef Boyardee. The mushrooms themselves were tasty and plentiful though, and the crust had a satisfyingly crunchyness to it. There are plenty of other menu options, however, and we didn't even try one of the main entrees, so in all likelihood we have not seen the best of what Hudson has to offer. But I think we'll hold off a bit on returning and let the kinks get worked out.

Thanks for the feedback. Not having seen these suggestions since I was away from my computer, I ended up at the Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse anyway. Very much a family oriented place, with lots of kids, but it proved to be ok since everyone left at like 8:30, leaving our party the only ones in the restaurant past 9. Food was...eh. everything was quite salty, lobster was overcooked, nothing worth returning for, especially considering the price.

Title pretty much says it all. I used to enjoy Japan Inn off Wisconsin in Georgetown, but since that closed several years ago I haven't really found a replacement. Any suggestions in the greater DC area? thanks

That recipe from Cook's is my go-to weeknight chicken. The sherry-garlic and vermouth-sage pan sauces are excellent accompaniments. The crispy skin is delicious.

Weather permitting, my fiancee and I are heading up to Baltimore this weekend to watch the Red Sox take on the Orioles. Rather than fight the traffic back to DC after the game on Saturday, I thought we'd try out a restaurant in the broader downtown area. Blue Sea Grill seemed like a good call based on a Baltimore Magazine review I read--anyone tried it, and if so, your thoughts? Any other suggestions would be welcomed, but sadly Charleston is a bit too much for this trip. Thanks

Hmm, maybe I just didn't approach the littlenecks in the right way, if you were so impressed with them. I placed them in a chef's pan with a cup of chardonnay, put the heat on medium, and covered them until they opened. Would there be a better way to cook them for a pasta dish?

Thanks for the tip--I'm familiar with Slavin's but haven't tried Blacksalt before. Unfortunately it looks like the Blacksalt seafood market isn't open on Mondays, and I need to get them tonight for dinner tomorrow. Now I just need to decide if the clams are worth braving 395 commuter traffic...

I am seriously jonesing for some steamed clams, but am at a loss as to where to procure them. The seafood counter guy at the P Street Whole Foods said that they'd stopped carrying them since they didn't sell well, but that they were also out of season. Anyone spotted steamers in the DC area? And are there acceptable alternatives--I tried pastaneck clams, but they didn't blow my socks off.

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure Da Hua closed some time back due to increasing rent prices. Not sure what has moved into that space. Thanks to everyone's suggestions about star anise--I'm heading to Yes! Gourmet tonight after work. One last question--regarding the brine time and air dry time for the chicken. The timing seems kind of awkward since 24 hours is recommended for the brine, and 6-8 hours for drying time--and really the only time to start the brine is in the evenings, meaning that if the chicken went into the brine one evening, it would come out the following evening, but then would likely rest for another 24 hours before being cooked. Which part should I sacrifice: a shorter brine of 12 hours overnight, or the longer air drying time in the fridge? I would imagine that a 36 hour brine would be too long and render the chicken salty. thanks

In trying to gather all the ingredients to make this brine, I have had no luck finding star anise--none at the regular grocery stores or Whole Foods. Is star anise a must-have for the brine, or could I replace it with regular old anise seeds? Or does anyone know where I might be able to pick up some star anise? thanks

So I shouldn't bother with starting the chicken breast side down then? The recipe you reference utilizes relatively low temp cooking, but my understanding is yours and others efforts for the Palena-like crisp skin require much higher heat (at least initially).

Question--how would the cooking times and temps change if one were to do this recipe with a whole chicken? Or is absolutely essential to cut it in half? My primary concern with roasting the chicken whole is that I typically start the chicken out on high heat, breast side down so as not to over cook the tender white meat before the legs are done. Would that ruin the crispy skin we're looking to attain though? Thanks for all your hard work on this project.

Newbie here--just wanted to share the results of some braising I did last night. I followed a 2004 recipe from Cook's Illustrated for a Belgian beer carbonnade, and it was absolutely delicious. Key was the beef--top blade steak, which I had never looked for or used before. Browned the beef in a dutch oven, replaced it with a lot of yellow onions and some other stuff, and eventually added some chicken and beef stock and beer. Then into the oven for 1.5 hours at 300 degrees. And tasty as the dish was, the next time will probably be even better, since I couldn't find a true Belgian beer at the super-Giant this time and had to go with Newcastle.

I actually have been there a couple of times recently. Big fan, with the sole exception of the seafood counter, which has never appeared particularly appetizing. Also don't like their selection of frozen shrimp, but I guess you can't have it all. The place is clean, big, well-lit, and the people are great. Even the check-out lines are a pleasant experience.