jcc

I just bought the attachment as well. Any advice? First and foremost, I need to know where to get hog casings locally (Arlington). Any suggestions?

Thanks

Worse, it doesn't tell you which way you're supposed to turn! If you take a right, you'll be thrust into Rosslyn with no Wendy's to be found. So where is it?

If you take a right onto lee hwy and then a right on Veitch and a Left onto Clarendon Blvd, you'll see the Wendy's at N. Courthouse Rd and Wilson/Clarendon Blvds.

Avoid it.

What is the purist's opinion of the Quarterdeck in Arlington? Personally, I've had pretty good experiences there - but, as a caveat, I have to be pretty sauced to pick crabs so I'm not sure that my opinion has much credibility.

I've looked at Target, as well as a few latin grocery stores, but haven't had any luck. Any help would be appreciated!

Have you tried El Chaparral? It's across Wilson Blvd. from the Whole Foods in Clarendon. They have a decent selection of cast-aluminum regional cookware. - I'd call first though.

One place the guy this morning mentioned was some Swedish market with great fish in Arlington. Does anyone know more about that? Wilson Blvd. at 10th Street or thereabouts?

Looks like it's done - at least the retail component. Walked over there yesterday because I noticed the "Live Crab and Lobster" sign a few days ago. The hours-of-operation sign indicated it should have been open but the door was locked and all the coolers were empty.

Thankfully I was able to get on the orange line up to L'Enfant and let Captain White save the day (@ Maine Ave.).

I need to work on my marinade.

Nothing better for that than a bone-in, skin-on shoulder. Brined, then roasted in the oven. - The Dean and DeLuca cookbook has a pretty good recipe if I recall correctly. That being said, where can I get a shoulder as decribed above in the city? Preferrably metro-accessible - don't own a car.

The more formal Robuchon is now considered by most to be Vegas' best restaurant but, believe it or not, it may be double your budget.

It is - I read through the eGullet posts on Mansion/L'Atelier and they've certainly caught my attention. My question would be about L'Atelier:

Can my wife and I enjoy a special meal here with some semblance of privacy? Does everyone just sit along a counter? Whereas typically I would try this place just on the merits of the food, I am really looking for a balance of food and atmosphere for this particular meal.

The wife and I are embarking on a trip after Memorial Day including stops in Las Vegas, Sedona, Scottsdale and Santa Fe. I've been doing some research and have some ideas but would like some further guidance from like-minded individuals:

Vegas:

We're here for two nights, one of which I would like a fine dining ($400) range experience and the other just a decent meal at a reasonable price. I'm also open to recommendations for lunch (good cocktails are a plus). I'd like to keep on the strip as it's my wife's first time in Vegas. For the nice meal I think I have it narrowed down to Picasso or Alex - which wins on atmosphere?

Sedona:

Coming back from a Pink Jeep tour at sunset and staying at The Matterhorn, we'd like a good place for a meal and a few drinks that's open pretty late - close to the hotel.

Scottsdale:

We will be staying at the Phoenician for one night. I'd prefer to venture out into Scottsdale for a meal and am leaning towards the Roaring Fork. Any thoughts?

Santa Fe:

Two nights here staying on the Plaza. Am thinking about the Anasazi Restaurant and the Coyote Cantina. Any other thougts?

We're not opposed to wandering off the beaten path for hidden gems - however since so much of our trip will be composed of traveling from one destination to another we would like to keep travel time once we've arrived at a minimum.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Whitlow's on Wilson has a Bloody Mary Bar. My favorite is at Ragtime in Courthouse Sat/Sun - pickled green beans and a ton of other terrific fixings.

Enjoied a meal at Ray's this past Wednesday. When we inquired about the Bistro special the waitress looked at us like we belonged next door - no matter. The "Blue Devil" may just be my favorite preperation of steak ever (diablo marinate + blue cheese sauce topping = unbeatable).

I've had some luck with Todd English's Butternut Squash Tortelli. It's pretty rich, but a lot of fun to make if you have some time to invest over an evening.

This is my wife's favorite dish at Olives.

My family, etc. are gone, so I thought I'd cook up a Jamaican Easter .  I'm testing a jerk chicken, with green onion/cilantro rice,  mixing a black eyed pea salad. . .or maybe scratch the rice and fry up some plantains. 

And a dark and stormy.

From the Bon Appetit this month? It's a great issue - and the Jerk Chicken recipe is excellent!

Summer's almost here... can anybody recommend a good place to pick up a pair of julep cups? I purchased some from Land's End last year but they blistered after staying in my freezer all winter

I'm probably going with pewter... don't think sterling is in the budget.

Words fail me.  Make sure you have a good shrink lined up for them in a few years

I'm always surprised at how many kids are running around the place... not so much the Chinatown one - but stop by the one out in Fairfax on a Saturday afternoon and it's like a little league game.

<focus>

I enjoy the wings. Breaded. All-Drums. Three-Mile-Island (any hotter and they're too saucy). Good curly fries too.

In a dinner for two - my rule of thumb is that the tip for wine should never exceed the cost of the meal it was enjoyed with.

$100 in food = tipping 20% on any wine up to $500

$50 in food = tipping 20% on any wine up to $250

It might seem generous to some - but it's always seems to feel proper at the time.

I'll second Chadwicks and toss in two others that haven't been mentioned:

Bistro Francais - The fries that come with the Chicken at Brunch are excellent

Whitlow's on Wilson - This might be a personal preference, but they're different - and different is good sometimes. The best way I can think of to describe it is double-fried with some sort of breading?

Dined at Tallula last night. Terrific meal all-around but the Braised Veal Cheeks app deserves special attention. Served atop creamy whipped parsnips and melt-in-your-mouth tender I would say that this possibly is the best dish I've had anywhere lately. Well done.

Earl's was pretty slammed during lunch today. The place really isn't laid out to handle a crowd - there's no room for any sort of substantial queue.

Operational critisisms aside, I had a delicous roast beef sandwich and some tasty freshly cut fries. I'll be going back frequently once the buzz dies down.

Well... I certainly am not advocating it, but apparently you could purchase a few Rachael Ray shirts emblazoned with such unforgettable phrases as YUM-O.

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.

Liar. Unless he means "out of season" in the context of summertime being a more fashionable time to consume these bivalves - East Coast soft-shell clams are harvested year-round.

* Grew up summers in Wellfleet

Old Ebbitt has one bottle of Overholt out--

So does Harry's Tap Room in Clarendon.

Boo.

Come on, real weather enthusiasts get their info from CapitalWeather.com

I'll be ducking it out in Ragtime, as usual. I suppose if I wanted a fireplace I could trek up to Four Courts.

At the Baja Bean in Staunton, VA over the holiday they had:

North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner

Lancaster Winter Warmer Ale

Clipper City Winter Storm "Category 5" Ale

All on tap... If I could find any of these around here I'd be a happy camper (esp. the Scrimshaw).

Hopefully today's mention in the WP blog won't pack the place.

I'm pretty sure the comment surrounding the stove (being gas not wood-burning)is accurate... I hope they know what sort of insectae they've invited into their bar by having all that wood out there drying out My wife noticed a few ants running around.

This place is great and is sure to become a popular place to dodge tourists very soon. Wish they took amex.

I was thinking the same thing.

The Mrs. and I will be there after work. Look for the disproportionally short/tall couple