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FunnyJohn

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  1. FunnyJohn
    Renegade is now open in the former Mr. Days space in Clarendon " “You can’t swing anything in Clarendon and not get nachos,” says Crump, a 25-year industry vet (Eventide, The Ashby Inn & Restaurant) and currently the executive chef at Clarendon Ballroom. “I wanted to get away from that.” His casual menu borrows from a dozen countries and regions, from Vietnam to Egypt to Hawaii. Find curried collard greens with coconut milk, roasted harissa chicken, Filipino spring rolls, Egyptian fava bean falafel. Nothing is more than $10, and many of the dishes Crump learned how to cook from watching his fellow chefs over the years." I asked Pat how he wants his food concept to be described -- avoiding the over worked "Street Food". He said consider it food from in between the Tropics, in other words "equatorial." Anyway Pat is a talented chef and technician -- he can fix almost anything, and he sharpens my knives on his home made grindstone. The food is top quality. He has outfitted the Mr. Days space with a state-of-the-art soundstage and will be having live music there, perhaps as early as this Friday, which, since IOTA closed, will fill a void in Clarendon night life. He has retained the upper deck seating area so it will be a good venue for eating, drinking and listening to local musicians. Please stop by and give it a try.
  2. FunnyJohn
    I've never been to the Palm at Tysons, so if you are literally limiting to NOVA I can't offer a suggestion for a good "steak house". There are loads of places that can do decent steak. But, in DC there are many steak houses, the foremost are Charlie Palmers, Bourbon Steak, or BLT. I am emotionally attached to the Palm in DC -- it was the first Palm to be established outside of NYC, and etc.
  3. FunnyJohn
    All good things must come to an end -- why!!! (Agree with Don about the quote)
  4. FunnyJohn
    No comment except to observe, the end is nigh. Latest development in fake meat
  5. FunnyJohn
    While there is no shortage of lobsters, there may be an impending shortage of the bait -- herring -- preferred by lobster fishermen https://hotair.com/archives/2019/04/01/lobster-wars-may-put-hold/ I'm not sure I agree with the premise here if the least expensive bait becomes unavailable or increases in price that lobstermen will just not fish, instead of substituting whatever the next least expensive bait choice there is. But if true....NOOOOO!
  6. FunnyJohn
    Good read about fraudulent marketing and over-hyped food products: "What seems to be the issue with San Marzano tomatoes is widespread fraud. They command a higher price than regular canned tomatoes, and as with any other premium brand, counterfeits follow. Unlike faux Chanel bags, though, you can buy San Marzanos in legit stores, which is why the sheer number of knockoffs is jaw-dropping. In 2011, Edoardo Ruggiero, the president of Consorzio San Marzano, told the small Italian importing company Gustiamo that at maximum 5 percent of tomatoes sold in the U.S. as San Marzanos are real San Marzanos. So according to the guy who oversees the certification of those tomatoes, at least 95 percent of the so-called San Marzanos in the U.S. are fakes."
  7. FunnyJohn
    Don: Here's an article that explains the City Council's vote from a Libertarian perspective: "With its vote on Tuesday, the D.C. City Council did what elected officials in a representative democracy are supposed to do: act as a check."
  8. FunnyJohn
    Useful Q & A about eating well. I personally adhere to the Julia Child diet: everything in moderation (well mostly ).
  9. FunnyJohn
    I dunno...How do you say Krill in Swedish?
  10. FunnyJohn
    I hesitate to put this up because it might be a little too inspirational, but nevertheless...
  11. FunnyJohn
    Liberty Barbecue, the newest enterprise of the Liberty Tavern/Lyon Hall/Northside Social folks, had its Grand opening last night in Falls Church. Located In the space most recently occupied by Famous Daves on Broad Street. The schedule for the rest of December is unclear, but they say in January they will be serving both lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Full bar with a small but adequate wine list, and, of course, a nice selection of beer. Wi-Fi is also provided. I had a quarter slab of ribs which were very meaty, perfectly cooked, but could have used a touch more smoke. The sauces need some work -- appeared to be commercial rather than house made. They had a band, but I didn't stick around to hear the music (I arrived at 5 when the doors opened, and the music wasn't starting til 9 -- call me a light-weight, but I had to go home). The place is totally concrete so if you're sensitive to noise, better bring ear-plugs. All-in-all this is a welcome addition to central Falls Church, and I expect they will have as much success as their other ventures have enjoyed. Wishing the best of luck in the New Year!
  12. FunnyJohn
    Someone disapproves of communal seating arrangements in restaurants and is not shy about sharing their views : "Communal tables are trash. They are garbage. And there is literally no reason to have them because I have never met one person who likes them and I ask every person I meet about their feelings on restaurant seating arrangements. If you’re a restaurateur, you can totally just trust me on this and not waste any more time or money on market research." Let's discuss...
  13. FunnyJohn
    Let's keep the people of Amatrice in our prayers. You can obtain guanciale sometimes at Arrow Wine from an American producer, La Quercia (I believe based in Iowa) or on the internet. I have obtained Mario Batali's guanciale through Heritage USA, and yes it lasts a long time in the fridge. For carbonara and amatriciana it is the authentic meat ingredient, and it can be used as a substitute for pancetta elsewhere. Here is an interesting story about amatriciana -- the town of Amatrice is where the dish originated from. Here's the purported authentic recipe: Recipe for amatriciana, from the office of the mayor of Amatrice Ingredients (for four people) 500g spaghetti, 125g guanciale (pork jowl) from Amatrice, a spoon of extra virgin olive oil, a drop of dry white wine, six or seven San Marzano tomatoes or 400g of canned peeled tomatoes, some chili, 100g of grated pecorino from Amatrice, salt. Directions Place the oil, chili and guanciale, which you have to cut into small pieces, into an iron pan. It is a sacred tradition to use the soft part of the pork jowl, or else it is not an amatriciana. Only that way will it have a delicacy and sweetness that it unmatched. Sauté these ingredients in a pan. Add the wine. Blanch the whole tomatoes so that you can easily remove the skin, and then quarter them, remove the seeds, and add to the pan. Alternatively, use the canned tomatoes. Season with salt and allow the sauce to cook over the heat for a few minutes. In the meantime, boil salted water and cook the pasta until it is al dente, or still slightly firm. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the grated pecorino. Wait for a few seconds and then add the sauce to the bowl. If you wish, you can add more pecorino after it is served.
  14. FunnyJohn
    Everyone sometimes takes a perverse pleasure in being insulted -- if they know it's coming. That's why Don Rickles has his audience.
  15. FunnyJohn
    Probably a subjective judgment. Maybe "the worst waiter in the United States" is more apt. I guess if my given name was Edsel Ford, I'd have a chip on my shoulder too... "Past steaming woks and chopping blocks and up a narrow, creaky staircase, Edsel Ford Fong -- the world's most insulting waiter -- greeted patrons with a “sit down and shut up!” Routinely, he cussed out his customers, sexually accosted female companions, and unapologetically spilled soup across laps. According to one diner, he was so malicious that he “made the Soup Nazi look like the Dalai Lama.” ' May 26, 2014 - "The Worst Waiter in History" by Zachary Crockett on priceonomics.com As a side note: In 7th grade, the Lady who served as the cafeteria monitor used to blow a whistle and scream at the top of her lungs, "Sit Down and SHUT-UP" when the decibel level rose to a certain point. Her nickname was Frau Bartelmo.
  16. FunnyJohn
    Perhaps this should be cross-posted in the Wine Forum, but I'll let the Administrators decide. Spoiler alert -- it's impossible to find a good pairing for Thin Mints: Thin Mints with 2010 Azienda Agricola La Torre Brunello di MontacinoOur luck had to run out eventually, and this proved to be our first miss, even though the Brunello was everyone's favorite wine on its own. And who doesn't love a good Thin Mint? But together, they were disastrous. Some tasters reacted more strongly than others: "It makes my tastebuds angry," Trimble declared, while Mora said the first bite "sent me into sour convulsions." The overall effect was unpleasantly similar to toothpaste and orange juice.
  17. FunnyJohn
    OK -- Not a big fan of "Buzzfeed" [prefer Clickhole when I need to waste some time], but here are some "vintage recipes" that are the stuff of nightmares: Jul 19, 2007 - "Yes, It's a Liver Sausage Pineapple" on turkeysandwich.wordpress.com Just imagine the horror of expecting something pineapple-flavored and instead getting a mix of liverwurst, mayo, and Worcestershire. IMAGINE.
  18. FunnyJohn
    Try Here
  19. FunnyJohn
    Who's to Judge? BY LAUREN COLLINS "Unlike Michelin, which employs a brigade of full-time inspectors, the 50 Best relies on volunteers, a group of "restaurant-industry experts." The members of the Diners Club World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, as it is called, are divided into twenty-seven regions. Each region has a chairperson, who appoints thirty-six voters (he or she being one of them), of whom roughly a third are chefs and restaurateurs, a third food journalists, and a third "well-travelled gastronomes." Each voter has seven votes, submitted in order of preference for restaurants at which he has eaten in the previous eighteen months. At least three of the votes must go to restaurants outside his region. There are not too many other rules, but voters can't select restaurants in which they have a financial stake, and, with the exception of the regional chairs, they are supposed to remain anonymous. "Given that this list is based on personal experiences it can never be definitive," the 50 Best Web site declares. "But we believe it is an honorable survey of current tastes and a credible indicator of the best places to eat around the globe.' "
  20. FunnyJohn
    I see your point of carrying this a little too far, Don. Case of someone having too much time on their hands. But Caveat Emptor!
  21. FunnyJohn
    Foodies Pwnd: "The Hippest Cafe in Providence was Totally Fake" by Vicky Gan on citylab.com "The satire wasn't exactly subtle. In the days leading up to Lura's grand opening, the restaurant's Facebook page taunted followers with a surreal menu of "home-cut potatoes "¦ wrapped in authentic New York Times newspaper," "cold brew coffee served "¦ over mineralized water rocks," and "10x washed quinoa salad." The quote attributed to Pontus Wikner, "POTS SEIDOOF," is "FOODIES STOP" backwards."
  22. FunnyJohn
    Great. I once ordered the Crack Pie from the NYC Milkbar for Christmas dinner and paid the prohibitive overnight shipping cost (I think $68). If you haven't had it, Crack Pie is aptly named, and now we can just get it as a pick-up item. Yay!
  23. FunnyJohn
    More about this here: "Betty Crocker's Absurd, Gorgeous, Atomic-Age Creations" by Tamar Adler on nytimes.com "It is a dish hard to make sense of: a shimmering vermilion ring of canned tomato sauce, held motionless by gelatin, concealing a coeur caché of canned asparagus and artichoke hearts, the hole at its middle filled to bulging with mayonnaise and sour cream. Called "˜"˜Tangy Tomato Aspic,'' the dish dates from the atomic age, the decades after the bomb was dropped, the war won and a clean, bright American outlook born. It was the age of technocratic make-believe and the early days of the anthropocene. Gastronomically, it was an age that today "” from a perspective admiring of the natural and authentic "” looks shockingly artificial. Nowhere is the era's ethos and aesthetic better represented than in the 1971 Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. On 648 cards, everything I've ever found intriguing about this segment of American culinary life is on display."
  24. FunnyJohn
    Why Yelp reviews are unreliable Bottom line: "When your clientele becomes the type of people looking for problems, it becomes nearly impossible to take care of them. This type of diner stays longer, takes pictures of everything, and is generally more disruptive to service and other guests. It has greatly diminished the pleasure of hospitality, and I hope it dies a swift, permanent death." Read the whole thing. This is not the only recent discussion of Yelp and Yelpers that supports the basic premise that Yelp empowers people who, for whatever reason, derive more pleasure from tearing something or someone down, than being supportive or offering constructive criticism.
  25. FunnyJohn
    You strangely interest me. Whatzup?????
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