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JoyS

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Everything posted by JoyS

  1. The enchiladas at Cielo Rojo in Takoma Park are really good, and they could potentially do this for her. However, don't think they have cerdo/pork ones on their current menu, but could potentially accommodate that with a carnitas filling instead (they have carnitas tacos on their menu). Their chicken, cheese and mushroom enchiladas are quite tasty with verde or mole sauce (I haven't tried the rojo). And they make homemade tortillas for the enchiladas, including grinding their own corn for the masa.
  2. Had a very tasty meal from Mandalay in Silver Spring last week. Food was as good as it has ever been there. I popped in to pick it up, rather than give a delivery service more money. The manager (who has been there forever, but unfortunately I don't know his name) said they now are using a service called Clover for ordering and paying one (so I don't have to do a credit card swipe upon arrival). Have also ordered from Vaca in Bethesda twice on Friday/Saturday evenings, and wow, they remain slammed. Had an hour+ wait for a pickup one evening, and at least a 1.5 hour wait when I ordered via Postmates. Glad they remain busy. Pizza was good as always.
  3. Estadio is still a place for tasty dinner...even with a new restaurant popping up every other week around town. Popped in between Xmas and New Years and old favorites like the pork belly-pickled shisito bocadillo and smoked duck-foie gras montadito were as good as ever. Wild mushroom tortilla toast and perfectly cooked sherry-glazed halibut were memorable small plates. Drinks good. Service good. Will be back soon.
  4. Popped into the Bethesda location a few times in the past month or so...and the baguettes (all flavors) still are very good, however, I'm rather disappointed with their eclairs. Tried one of the coffee eclairs and the first bite tasted stale and dry. Mentioned this to the employee and she gladly handed me another. Second one was also dry on the first bite, so she just comped me the price of the eclair. I broke the eclair in two for more investigation...and the pastry creme inside was still frozen in the middle. Ick. The employee told me the eclairs come to the Bethesda location frozen. This is the third or fourth time I've had this eclair experience there, and I have finally learned my lesson. Perhaps the Rockville location has fresh options. Until then, I'm still in search of a great eclair!
  5. Been meaning to post this for a while, but if you are around in the evenings, best to stop by Krumpe's Do-Nuts (yes, they spell it that way) for hot donuts. The place is hidden in an alley (I believe Do-Nut Alley) and only open 7pm-2am. Place has been around for decades (my parents have been going there for at least 40 years). Quite a novelty to eat fresh donuts in an alley! Also not far from Hagerstown is some great beer at Cushwa Brewing in Williamsport. Not sure how long they've been in their business park location (maybe 2 years?), but they have some great stuff. They often have a local food truck on the weekends (and some local packed snacks all the time). Note to visitors: don't bring growlers cuz they won't fill them. They only do crowlers so they can assure freshness of their beer.
  6. Hello! Anyone been to Quebec City area lately with some good recs (especially for a place that may be open for Christmas dinner)? Cheers!
  7. I can attest that the schwarma fries (with, I believe, homemade ketchup) are delicious, and they go super well with the Turkish Coffee tehina shake (with halvah crumbles on top!) from Goldies. Had both about three weeks ago and they made for a perfect lunch. I assume the fry spices contains a bunch of turmeric, as they were very golden in color. Next time I try the falafel! Dizengoff is also worth a stop, as the hummus toppings and homemade pita bread are delicious. I was a tad disappointed in the "fun flavors" of Federal Donuts (I tried lemon-something and salted caramel, I believe). They were just so, so overly sweet. Next time I'll get something simple like honey. Besides a Solomonov place (where Zahav remains one of my favorites places to eat in the whole country), I had a very tasty cheesesteak from Cosmi's Deli in East Passyunk (south of the Italian Market). They even have a choice of regular or seeded rolls. Anyway, one steak even made it back down I95 and was still good reheated in the oven a few hours later.
  8. The new-ish Meleket Ethiopian restaurant has a sizable bar and often has music on Saturday nights. It is next door to the now-closed Armands. The owner and servers at Meleket are very friendly and you can get a tasty sambusa (get the lentil one!) with your beer. Tim Carman wrote up the place a few months ago https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/restaurants/meleket-is-a-sweet-taste-of-eritrean-cooking/2017/11/27/61887e1c-cfc2-11e7-81bc-c55a220c8cbe_story.html?utm_term=.dd555b128ddb
  9. To add onto the anchovy stories, you are in for a treat if you hit Two Amys when they have fried anchovy bones on the menu. They are the perfect beer snack - salty, fried and crunchy. I was told several months ago fried anchovy night is on Tuesdays, as Tuesday is the day they break down the little fish. Order early though because they once ran out of them by 7:30 one Tuesday when I was there.
  10. Popped in last evening for some ice cream. All of the covers on the ice cream bins in the display say York Castle on them and they have their traditional flavors like lucuma, grapenut, mango, Guiness and more. I had the coconut and it seemed to taste a bit different than before (I remember specs of coconut in the ice cream and there wasn't last night), but I could have been misremembering. The flavor was not overly sweet (good in my book!) and texture was light and creamy without being overly heavy (sometimes you just don't need the overly high butterfat ice cream taste and feel). I'm glad it has returned to my neighborhood.
  11. Was at 8407 about 2-3 weeks ago (and once again had the perfectly cooked pork belly appetizer) and didn't notice any differences in the menu, but this just popped up on their Twitter/Facebook feed. Yet another new chef for the place?
  12. Could be worth a call to Schneiders of Capitol Hill. I've had them deliver non-keg stuff many times for parties. Perhaps they supply kegs as well.
  13. Pineapple gingerbread upside down cake.
  14. Popped in here last night inspired by Todd Kliman's notes on the place. Turns out the people running/cooking Thai Taste used to be (maybe still are) involved with the Thai grocery store in downtown Silver Spring (they recognized my husband from being a grocery store lunchtime regular). Pad Ped Pla Dook (was also on the menu at the grocery store) -- stir-fried mix of catfish (choice of filet or with bones), red chili paste, peppers, Thai eggplant and tons of lightly fried basil scattered on top. Pretty spicy (a good thing), tasty fish and not greasy at all. I was happy to see them use Thai eggplant as most places use the Chinese version. Massaman curry with beef -- coming highly recommended from the server when we asked what to order, the beef was extremely tender and the sauce with spices, coconut milk and tamarind was delicious. I kept spooning more and more on top my rice. No alcohol (maybe an issue with the location as Mi La Cay & Nava didn't have it either), but the Thai-iced coffee was good. And as mentioned above, the menu is big and includes a lot of what they label as "street food," so there is a lot to work through in coming visits. As a Ruan Thai frequenter, I'm stopping here on my next trips for Thai.
  15. Saw this week the Silver Spring Whole Foods had 00 flour for $2.99/1kg bag (must have been a new item there, as I'm in that aisle about every other week). It was the Anna brand, not Caputo. I haven't tried this brand, but I know A Litteri has sometimes carried it alongside the Caputo. I picked up a bag and plan to give it a try soon.
  16. Had a few small plates at the bar on Thursday evening with my favorite being the outstanding pork belly with peach barbecue sauce. It was some of the best pork belly I've had in a while -- perfectly moist, really tender (when so often it can be chewy), and good fat rendering that melted in your mouth. House-smoked salmon was also quite excellent.
  17. We (husband, me, and help from friends) built a wood oven using the cob method this past summer. Going the cob route seemed easier with less masonry skills to us, not to mention seemed a quicker route to pizzas. While not as pretty as a fully brick version, it has a rustic charm and holds heat well. We started with laying a cement foundation, then a cinder block oven base for wood storage, added a brick facade (to hide cinder block) and then laid a concrete hearth slab. On top of that was the fire brick floor of the oven and then the cob dome. In all, it was about 30 sessions of work. Thus far we've made pizza, chicken wings, roasted whole fish (very tasty), roasted meat and vegetables, Turkish pizza (lachmacun), s'mores, bread and a fan-favorite: Two Amys-esque roasted olives (with orange peel and rosemary).
  18. I've bought the 00 Caputo and A Litteri and Vace in Bethesda and results have been good. (FWIW, Vace is slightly cheaper.) Sur La Table in Chevy Chase carries the King Arthur version of 00 flour, but I haven't given it a try. If anyone has tried, I'd love to know the results/comparison with the Caputo brand.
  19. A&H Gourmet and Seafood in Bethesda (the semi-hidden but neat Spanish market) had them several weeks ago when I was last there.
  20. A vendor at the Takoma Park farmers market had them last Sunday. I forget the name of the vendor (wasn't Toigo but another vendor with fruit, etc).
  21. The Takoma location is indeed closed, as of about 2-3 weeks ago. As with King Farm, their muffin/pastry selection was rather lame. It was a rare occasion to get well-made espresso drink at that location or former Silver Spring spot. Of all their beans, Roastmasters Blend is pretty good (not bitter, silky texture) when made at home on grind-and-brew Capresso machine.
  22. I hadn't been to Taylor's since they changed from the Sarcone's bread, so I stopped in for a Market Street (pork, red peppers, arugula, fresh mozz). While my pork was very juicy, the bread got very soggy on my 5 minute trek back to work. The sesame crust/outside of the bread was intact, but the rest of the bread totally collapsed from the pork juices. I even skipped getting the oil on it, so I fear what would have happened to the bread then. Aside from the bread , the sandwich was pretty darn good. I hope they find a bread source here in DC that really can replicate more of a Sarcone/Philly hoagie roll that has the chew and can hold up under some juicey fillings.
  23. Popped into the bar at Ray's last evening (with service at the bar great as usual). Seems the creamed spinach and mashed potatoes (versus the apparently short-lived broccoli and baked potato) are back as side dishes to the bar menu items (and I believe all the regular-menu items). Also, the bar menu had additional sandwiches (and perhaps a few other things, like a crab cake sandwich) for a while, but the menu is now closer to a regular Ray's menu. The Hell burger is still there, of course, with a turkey burger and a portobello burger to round out the sandwich options. Hangar steak and NY Strip were well-cooked and tasty as always. I wish I would have been in the mood for ribs, as house smoked BBQ ribs was a special last night.
  24. My husband and I popped into Pacci's last night and there was a nice crowd (and only a 2 minute wait for seats at their bar). Had the "la saporita" (white) and "la verace" (red) pizzas. To compare it with Two Amys (as a benchmark, and I had been there this week), I found Pacci's crust to be less airy and a bit chewier. Both had the similar (and typical Two Amys) "soft" center. The white pizza had smoked provolone (very yum), broccoli rabe (yum) and sausage. While the sausage wasn't greasy, it lacked flavor -- no fennel, no red pepper, no noticeable herbs -- so that was less than good for my tastes. I don't love bland sausage. The red pizza was tomato sauce, mozz, basil and olive oil. Very tasty. I second Xcanuck's thoughts on the tomato sauce. The salad was not as good as the pizzas. Our octopus and arugula salad unfortunately had to be sent back. The octopus was so incredibly chewy that it literally would not "break down" in my mouth (sorry if TMI). The server quickly took it off our bill. Service was slow and new but I understood what I was getting into going to a new place in town. As a Silver Springer, I hope it succeeds. The pizza definitely warrants a return trip. However, I think I'll wait a while to return for service (and octopus) issues to be a little smoother.
  25. I drove past last evening and this morning, and it seems everything is still set up in the place (tables set with silverware/napkins, registers, etc) but it was not operational last eve during happy hour/dinner. There does not appear to be any type of sign on the door either announcing closure/changes.
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