legant

I've been working from home a lot more recently. Lunch usually consists of ramen noodles (I don't know why I've suddenly developed a craving for the stuff), english muffin with cheese or PB&J, or apples & cheese. All very quick, minimal effort foods. For the work-at-home crew: what's in your lunchbox?

Went to the Sunday brunch. My favorites: Pasta e Fagioli and pork and brocolli rabe. I'm not a fan of fried eggs (runny yolks -- eeww!) or eggs that are cooked by the dish but Bebo's fried eggs and spaghetti carbonara have changed my mind. Both were quite good. With the recently implemented DC smoking ban* and several great meals (Eamonn's, Talulla, that Vietnamese restaurant with the caramel fish, walking distance from the Clarendon metro -- my first DR.com $20 Tuesday -- and now Bebo) I might just make Northern Virginia a regular hangout. Might. *Not all VA restaurants allow smoking but, given that it's a tobacco state, my odds of smoking at the bar are pretty good.

I would be a tad cautious. Morgan's family/SO sold the restaurant years ago. The new owners kept the name but the quality of food and the atmosphere quickly deteriorate. Word on the street at that time was they closed because of "criminal" activity although insurance coverage might have been an issue. I left the neighborhood right before the subway opened, after enduring years of Metro construction. The demographics of the neighborhood have changed since Metro arrived so I can't really talk about the current state of affairs. If they are proclaiming themselves "family owned" I would ask whose family.

Cod poached in a spicy coconut sauce (from Best Ever Indian) and Basmati rice I wouldn’t say it was the “Best Ever Indian,” but anything with coconut milk gets points with me. The combination of coconut milk and tamarind resulted in a sweet-sour curry. Could have used more chiles, but had originally planned on halving the recipe. Used kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), rather than fenugreek seeds. Didn’t particularly care for the cod; it didn’t seem “cooked” and was rather bland. Next time I'll probably try this with eggplant. Seconds were the curry sauce over the rice. Dinner was salvaged. Two questions: Would I have gotten more “flavor” from the cod if I had browned/sautéed it prior to adding it to the curry? And, can coconut milk be frozen?

Speaking of Zengo... Have you ever requested a recipe from a restaurant? I've sent two e-mail requests for the short ribs recipe featured at the winter 2006 Restaurant Week. Is there a trick to getting restaurants to share? Or, do I have to go through Gourmet or Bon Appeit?

Dude. Any who choose to use this word do so at their own risk. Q: Is that a feminist rant brewing on the horizon? A: A gale warning is in effect. Those in the vicinity should take precautionary actions to ensure their safety.

I use bacon as a base for most bean dishes. I cook the bacon. Remove the cooked bacon then saute the veggies (onions, celery or whatever) in the remaining fat. Add the cooked bacon to the finished dish (or the last few minutes of cooking). The bacon fat flavors the veggies and the cooked bacon adds a certain depth to the dish.

A souffle w/ smoked gouda, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and shallots. I was slightly disappointed with this effort. The inside wasn't as set as I would like -- too moist. However, after sitting for a while, it did firm up. Wonder if it was too much cheese. Or, the ratio of yolks to whites (1:1). Or, too much filling. However, it was wonderful today for breakfast.

Pig Foot. It was a legend back in the day, in the Woodbridge area. By the time I was of age, it had closed. Rumored to have good southern cuisine (until Gillian Clark, a contradiction in terms) and fine music. Now it would be called dive bar. But a damn fine dive bar at that!

Lentilles du Puy with garlic and onions Baked herb-crusted cod (The lentils were over-salted; the cod, under-salted. Oh well. Should've had the wine with the meal.) Green beans almondine

Laaaaaame doesn't even begin to describe it! First y'all complain because we're too exclusive. Then, when we invite the whole of Upper Northwest, you don't want to play in our sandbox! That's okay. I'm going to the LAME DUCKs event @ San Marco instead. synaesthesia: wanna crash their party? Or, does your lavish meal include duck? TMB - Upper Northwest will be rescheduled at a later date and time.

Why oh why do I wait till the last minute??!! I'm thinking -- hard -- on cooking a duck. synaesthesia pointed me in the direction of several asian markets that sell duck at ~ $3.00/lbs. So I'll rent a car and scour the suburbs in an 11th-hour effort to prepare a solo holiday dinner. Will probably add zoramargolis's polenta cakes and brussel sprouts. One question though about cooking the duck. I found a duck recipe that calls for BBQing the duck. I like the idea of slow cooking. How can I adapt the recipe for the oven? Cook at 250 for the same amount of time?

Landmark restaurant to become drug store

Did I scoop DR on this one?

Which means it's not open Sundays or evenings after 8 p.m.

Any update on the opening?

Wouldn't they "warp"? When using muffin tins, I fill the empties with water or beans to prevent the pans from warping. (I dunno; it made sense at the time my mother told me.)

Upper Northwest Gathering Wednesday 12/27, 7p, Uptown Cathay (5018 Connecticut Ave NW, Btwn Fessenden St NW & Everett St NW) Anyone in Upper Northwest (including, but not limited to: Van Ness, Cleveland Park, Tenley Town, Chevy Chase, Woodley Park) who wants to join is always welcome! So far: legant hillvalley JLK synaesthesia NCPinDC DCinDC eating out (Updated 17 December)

Who has a butcher that does this? Although I'm on speaking terms with the guys at the Safeway, they gave me such an exasperated look when I asked them to bone a leg of lamb that I won't bother. In fact, are butchers still in existence? Aren't they on the endangered species list?

Tylenol Cold with a Canadian Club chaser

The halibut is marinated in a glaze of Guinness, honey, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt.

From someone who's had beer only twice in her life: what's the difference between "stout" and "lager"? I have a halibut recipe that calls for (Guinness) stout; can I substitute a (Sam Adams) lager? Or should I wait for the next BYOB party to score the Guinness?

Pancetta questions here: when buying pancetta how thickly/thinly do you have it sliced? My first experiment with pancetta produced a lot less oil than I had anticipated and very few edible bits. In recipes that call for pancetta, are they (impicitly) suggesting using the largest slices possible? Can you buy pancetta is a roll/log that you can then cut yourself?

Hmpf! Who needs a ride or can provide a ride from the Rockville metro to Bob's? I'll coordinate.

Or, the alternative: