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Ericandblueboy

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  1. Ericandblueboy
    I was going to suck some ventworm nuts for Mother's Day but Rosa Mexicana is booked all day long. Incidentally, McCormick is also booked but I never thought to eat there. So we decided to go with Bond 45. Any recs? What are Roman style chopped chicken liver (how's it different from Dean's mama's chopped chicken liver)?
  2. Ericandblueboy
    Don't know the name but wasn't there a store that had a lot of throw pillows where Lululemon is now? Also, close to B&N was an eclectic furniture store with lots of unique stuff. We also liked the tableware store that's close to the defunct Levante's.
  3. Ericandblueboy
    Who won? Any description of the various pigs?
  4. Ericandblueboy
    In retrospect, they had to be frozen. I don't see a chain sending people out to pick out the freshest frog legs
  5. Ericandblueboy
    One of my favorite restaurants in Vienna (Plaka Grill) only does counter service, but they give you a number and they bring the food out. How much am I supposed to tip?
  6. Ericandblueboy
    They got frog legs? Had to try them and it's been awhile since we've been to Bethesda so that's where to went for lunch today. The chips are great here, crispy and light, but a little greasy. We ordered a combo platter with crispy beef taco, chicken tamale, a beef enchilada and a chicken enchilada. We also ordered a grilled combo platter - frog legs and costillas (pork ribs). The frog legs were grilled until tough, other than the smokiness from the grill, have no flavor. To address that deficiency, we were given a side of garlic butter. Instead of using butter, I stripped the frog leg meat and stuffed them into a flour tortilla and topped the whole thing liberally with their delicious guacamole. The costillas tastes okay (I don't like BBQ and don't normally eat BBQ, this was for my wife), a little on the dry side. The best part of the combo platter was the chicken tamale, nice flavor, moist and even the green sauce was good. I never got a bite of the taco. The chicken enchilada was a little dry, the beef enchilada fairly greasy...all in all fairly decent Tex-Mex. Unfortunately we couldn't find our favorite stores (unique furniture and accessory stores) so there's really no reason to go back to Bethesda.
  7. Ericandblueboy
    1. Baby Eel (look carefully and you'll see the eyes) 2. Shabu Shabu of King Crab - it's wild to see the chef shear the crab leg vertically with his knife. Strangely enough, when the crab is cooked without shell and not overly long, it ends up with lobster-like texture. 3. Aforementioned lightly seared chicken sashimi (I believe it is against health code to serve raw chicken) and some flavorful tough chicken skewer 4. Grilled bamboo shoots 5. Octopus head and legs (I'm still not digging octopus ) 6. Lightly grilled fatty tuna (you have to ask for it to be grilled) and sea urchin (they had two kinds that day, CA and Maine).
  8. Ericandblueboy
    1. 6 trays of fresh seafood to pick from 2. Abalone (I had to try it, personally not a big fan and I think these guys died in vain) 3. Hamachi and White Salmon 4. Horse Mackereal 5. Scallop
  9. Ericandblueboy
    Pics of the omakase at the Sushi Bar. 1. A kirin draft, sake, and the house make plum wine (reminiscent of the sour plum juice I grew up drinking in Taiwan) 2. Their specialty appetizer of sea urchin on top of tofu-life substance (it's the 3rd time I've had it but I still can't tell what that is for sure) 3. Sweet shrimp tempura with sticky rice (the shrimp tastes similar to a shrimp chip - very nice) 4. I forget what that fish was. 5. Massive oyster cut into 2 pieces, there is a piece of scallop stuffed in as well 6. Pupu plate (from front to back) - tender conch, egg with mystery substance, fish roe, bamboo shoots, kumquat, lotus root, and innards of some fish (they called it milk of ?).
  10. Ericandblueboy
    Since Susur Lee got 19.5 stars in the elmination challenge, getting the highest score by far in the history of TC Masters, I have to go eat at Zentan and then bitch about how much it sucks.
  11. Ericandblueboy
    why's you gotta steal the Mexicans' thunder?
  12. Ericandblueboy
    This has me scurrying over to Chi Cha's website. I only knew of Chi Cha as a club, not a food destination. After perusing its menu, I'm very disappointed. I should just get off my ass and go to Limena or Canela. Bitching about a 10% tip doesn't mean 20% is now expected in DC in all cases. I smell a rat....a giant rice field rat, all chopped up, tail, entrails and all, and stir-fried with lemongrass.
  13. Ericandblueboy
    Last night's season opener has Andrew going to bumfuck Thailand, aka, Isan. In the entire episode, I don't think he ate a single thing that I would want to try - okay, maybe the grilled field rat looks edible. But dung beatlles, mole rats, bovine bile, etc.? Someone's else's recap with photos
  14. Ericandblueboy
    I know I can't be objective so I avoid putting myself in a situation where I would know restaurant owners/chefs. From what I've read online, i.e., Chowhound and here, I don't believe most people can be objective. You really think after getting free apps and trading backslaps with the chef or owner, you're gonna blast his food? I sometimes don't post about a restaurant because I have nothing good to say but omitting a material fact is no different than making up a favorable review. I believe it's a small minority who have ethical obligations who can know their subject and attempt to remain unbiased. That's just my point of view.
  15. Ericandblueboy
    Or Chicken and Dumplings. I seem to recall getting this at a smorgasboard.
  16. Ericandblueboy
    The fish - after I chopped it up. Things to bring - break knife and cutting board (to divvy up sammiches), a knife to cut other things, and paper towels. Next time I'll probably ask people to bring their own bowl for noodle soup sampling. I thank the other participants for indulging me and Van for leading the way. For others who want to do this, a small group is best. The Crab House is a good place to meet up and quench your thirst. We picked up food along the way and then ate at Song Que, where they have tables in the back. If you find a place that serves adult beverages and have tables...please advise!
  17. Ericandblueboy
    Started out at the Crab House with a conch salad (never been a fan of conch although this one was at least tender), soft shell crabs (a little dense on the breading I think - not pictured since we devoured them immediately) and grill clams (nice fat juicy clams grilled to perfection). Oh and a couple of pitchers of cold Heineken. We then went into an inner corridor where there are two take-out places across the hallway from one another - along with several bars populated by men. We got a fried whole fish (the picture is of it chopped up - it was cold by the time we got to it so not the best way to have fish) and Kmango got us a tub of little fishes (Chinese people eat these dried). We also picked up some fried tofu, I believe there were actually 3 kinds (plain, ginger & mushroom?) I personally prefer my fried tofu stinky. We hit two banh mi joints and ordered 6 fish sausage sandwiches at the first place (by accident) and then a combo, a shredded pork & skin, and a pate sandwich (the fish sandwiches at Banh Mi So #1, the others at Song Que - the bread at #1 is longer and fresher tasting). Finally we picked up some spring rolls (50 cents a piece), sausage pastry, rice crepe, and rice cakes. There is so much left to sample that we have to go again...and again.
  18. Ericandblueboy
    What do you folks thing about Marcel as the best food in the metro area, with Ristorante Bonaroti in Vienna second? Is OT's rating system susceptible to ballot stuffing?
  19. Ericandblueboy
    You're right that bloggers can be objective but that doesn't make Marc's statement false. In fact, I think he's right about 99% of the time. Most people do cozy up for special treatment, and once they received special treatment, they can hardly maintain objectivity. When you say completely false, you're saying it can never be the case. That's blatantly untrue. There are plenty of restaurant owners/chefs/managers that post on here and their restaurants probably don't get as much criticism because they're members of this "circle." I love the fact that I can post a request and some chef will actually reply but I hardly think I'm going to be capable of being completely objective when someone's doing me a favor.
  20. Ericandblueboy
    I don't believe there's a false dichotomy. I think Marc assumes too much. Just because someone is a professional critic, it doesn't mean that critic is knowledgeable about every kind of food. But when it comes to a pro and a amateur on the same subject, I think the pro would generally be more knowledgeable. In this case, the subject can't just be food in general, it has to be broken down. Just like there are people who study European history vs Asian history.
  21. Ericandblueboy
    I think you should make La Perla an offer that they can't refuse, know what I mean? Convert that into Ray's G-town so yuppies in G'town can get something decent to eat without having to schlep across town or across the river.
  22. Ericandblueboy
    Maybe we can do a DR.com Food Wars. Blindfold five people and have them taste two different steaks, with each restaurant picking one of the judges. I'd be interested to see whether the superfans can tell one steak from another.
  23. Ericandblueboy
    I've had this dish at several Thai restaurants (Thai Square and Sakulthai) and Nava's version actually has more pork. Other restaurants use pretty much all pork rind. The use of deep fried pork (with rinds) distinguishes this dish from a Chinese dish of stir-fried Chinese broccoli and sliced pork in black bean sauce (tasty dish if you can find it at an authentic Chinese restaurant). My wife was grossed out by the pork but she happily ate the broccoli. I did eat the pork and should go have my cholesterol checked. As for whether this is how it should be - I'll let someone more knowledgeable answer.
  24. Ericandblueboy
    I have no idea why my wife picked a photographer way out in the boonies but it gives me an opportunity to eat in Wheaton on the way home. Today we went to Nava Thai for a late lunch. The dining room here is spectacular compared to Ruan Thai. Service was so-so. Our waitress forgot my Singha. On the other hand, the only waitress at Ruan Thai did not forget anything. Anyway, we ordered: Hot Bean Thread Salad - Shrimp, chicken, veggies, and bean thread, tossed in chili lime sauce. Twice Cooked Duck Salad - Deep fried duck, then tossed w/ veggies in a chili lime sauce. Both dishes were rather spicy and sour. That flavor profile isn't my cup o' tea but at least the ingredients were cooked properly. Floating Market Noodle Soup - after sniffling through the last rendition, I asked for it medium spicy - which translates to not spicy at all. The good news is that I can actually taste the food! Love the pork rind in the soup. The beef was tender but the meatballs are the same old store bought tasting bo vien. Pla Pad Kaprow - Stir fried lightly battered fillet Tilapia w/ chili garlic & holy basil. Best dish of the day. The pungent basil flavor goes really well with the slightly spicy fried fish. Crispy Pork w/ Chinese Broccoli - gotta eat some greens, and this was the most tempting since there's mo' pork rinds!
  25. Ericandblueboy
    The Jalepeno Cheetos are themselves that color. If you're asking how Frito Lay get that color into Cheetos, I dunno.
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