dcdavidm

Now that I have been transplanted to Portland, we've been able to try a lot of the restaurants others have cited here, and you all are spot on. Among our favorites:

Ken's Artisan Bakery (breads, pastries, and especially their Monday night-only pizza)

Bunk Sandwiches (but also try Bunk Bar, which has most of the Bunk sandwich menu, plus a fine selection of beers)

Simpatico Dining Hall (never been disappointed, and always had interesting table mates, including from DC)

Beaker and Flask (creative drinks; we let the bartender decide what to serve us)

Happy Hours at places that do not skimp on the quality of food and drink (such as 21 Hoyt, Serrato, Clyde Common, Bar Mingo, Elephants)

Red Onion (authentic Thai, especially if you order off the special menu)

Wildwood (still good after many years)

Por Que No Taqueria (funky and friendly)

Olympic Provisions (for house-made charcouterie and anything porky; took an afternoon pork butchering class there and went home with 10 pounds of the most sublime peach-fed pork I have ever tasted)

Andina (a bit too trendy for our tastes, but good Peruvian-style food and drink)

The food cart scene is addicting (we’ve especially become fans of Koi Fusion)

Tabla (ethereal house-made pasta)

Local small-batch roasted coffees (Coava: a bit too ritualistic, but great roasts; Courier Coffee; Ristretto)

Still searching for a good Indian restaurant.

Other local treats are the beers, of course, and a growing distillery scene (an hour spent tasting at Clear Creek, the first to make a name for itself, is an hour well spent)

Most of our outings have been on the West Side where we live, and we need to expand our horizons more to the East Side. So many places; so little time.

y = 9

z = 5

On Monday nights, y + z = 7

Lemmata

1. It was Monday night

2. During the course of the meal, diner ordered, among other things, f(x) = 3y + z

3. Diner did not mention Monday-night special at any point during ordering

4. Server was experienced, with intimate knowledge of the restaurant

When the bill arrives, f(x) should = ?

16?

Not quite your definition, but we formed an "ad hoc" communal table last week at Masala Art. Place was crowded. Two other couples and we were waiting in the bar area for two-tops to open up. The host said it would be awhile, but that he had a six-top in the front window area that would be free soon and that we could have it if we were willing to share. None of the couples knew each other, but we agreed to give it try; it worked out great. Engaging dining companions and easy conversationalists. Server handled it well. Fun experience. (Great food, too, of course.)

NYTimes-Bittman-Sullivan no-knead bread, augmented with some whole wheat flour and flax seeds. Actually gave it a minute or two of kneading before forming loaf, though. Nice loaf.

At DanielK's suggestion, I made a pilgrimage during our late summer vacation last year to Buffalo's Anchor Bar, the birthplace of Buffalo wings. Which were excellent, as you might hope, although the rest of their menu fell somewhere between forgettable and awful. Real Buffalo wings aren't complicated; the problem is that a whole lot of other chicken wing preparations get passed off as Buffalo wings, and now most of the country is confused about what a real Buffalo wing is supposed to be like. They're meaty. They're just deep-fried, then tossed in the sauce. Not battered, ultra-crispy, flabby, herbed, nor broiled. You just fry the things and sauce 'em.

wings at the Anchor Bar, Buffalo. 25 Aug 2009

Having said that, I don't have any local recommendations for you. I used to enjoy the ones at BWB (aka Buffalo Wings and Beer), but that was before I had the pleasure of having wings prepared by Buffalo expats, not to mention the post-race wing parties the track workers hold at Watkins Glen under the grandstands.

Next time you go to Buffalo, try the wings at Duff's (corner of Sheridan Drive and Millersport Highway, in suburban Amherst NY). Many Buffalonians believe them superior to Anchor Bar, which some say has jumped the shark. We have tried both often; Anchor has the history and atmosphere; Duff's has better sauce (and is closer to home).

Oh how I love Sun Tzu! We are going to brunch at Black Salt on the 10th and hope that the fish counter is filled with trout, bluefish, tilefish, etc. How is the new fishmonger?

We met the new fishmonger tonight--MJ Gimber--who introduced himself as we were leaving Happy Hour and picking up some fish for the weekend. Personable young man; told us he comes from the wholesale seafood business in NYC. Fish counter was splendidly stocked, including with some varieties of fish I had not seen there often and some at very attractive prices. He also was informative in offering cooking and serving suggestions. Looks like it will still be my favorite fish market.

Sadly, time, teenagers and weather conspired against us exploring a new pizza place...when you're standing in the pouring rain with two hungry kids you go with what you know so, Arturo's being closed until 3, we ended up at Lombardi's. Still not a bad pie though, ingrate that I am, I hate the renovation and think the pizza tasted better when you felt as though you were in dark, grim little hellhole. Nonetheless, our guest, who had never been to New York before, was pleased to eating in America's Oldest Pizzeria. And I was pretty pleased myself.

We will plan better next time.

We did hit Prosperity Dumpling, on Eldridge Street. Props to Weinoo, whose blog tipped Mrs. B off. Stupidly cheap and ridiculously good.

Those in search of inexpensive lodgings in New York might consider the Chelsea Inn. Four flights of stairs to a room too small to do anything in but sleep or have sex -- and, if you're in New York what the hell are you doing in your room, other than those sorts of things, anyway? -- and a shared bathroom. But a friendly desk, two clean rooms for $330, and a comfy bed. For those interested in food, it is on the same block as Michelin 1-star/NYT 3-star BLT Fish and the (apparently) well-regarded Aldea, which makes an excellent sea urchin on toast and a mackerel crudo with mustard seeds and almond cream that may be either brilliant or horrible, but went down well about 11:30 last night. Right next door to the Chelsea Inn is what might be, based on their locations (W. 17th Street, E. 20th, Hudson, West Broadway) the hippest Belgian mini-chain on earth, Petite Abeille. Yes, they have waffles, Tintin in French or English for your reading pleasure, and a boatload of very serious Belgian beer. You could do worse than crash at the Chelsea Inn and repair to the Petite Abeille to plot your gastronomic and cultural assault on Gotham over a couple of lambics.

And, if this is the sort of thing you get into, hitting the Bauhaus exhibition (confession: I never knew their album covers were actual Bauhaus graphics) at MoMA one day and Kandinsky at the Guggenheim next (or later the same day) is a pretty astounding lesson in Modernism.

And now, I think I'll wind down from the drive back with a loaf of Balthazar bread bought this morning and the cheeses we picked up from Artisanal -- a damn fine bistro -- last night.

Thanks for the hint on the Chelsea "Inn." We often stay at an even more rustic Chelsea "Lodge" on 20th Street. Sounds similar -- narrow flights of stairs to smallish rooms and a shared bath. One of our favorite breakfast excursions is just to walk down the street to La Bergamote Patisserie at the corner of 20th and 9th Avenue.

Not sure if there is another thread somewhere about this place but I couldnt find it so thought I'd offer my two cents.

The premise is simple: order pizzas or salads online or via phone, pick up, follow cooking instructions, and eat about 15 min later. The execution wasn't quite that smooth in my lone experience. I chalk most of it up to growing pains as the place gets up & running though, I'd expect it to get better over time. The menu includes probably 10 pre-conceived pizza options as well as a build your own option with a list of 45 potential ingredients.

We ordered 3 pizzas from their favorites menu: The Miesian - their version of Margherita with Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil, and mozzarella, The Spinach Pie - spinach, feta, black olives, sundried tomatoes, and a plain cheese. Advised to pick up in 35 min, ended up being close to an hour after some miscommunication. Cooking instructions easy to follow - heat in oven on parchment cutouts provided and they're ready in 15 min.

Pizzas were good overall, a solid option in the carryout universe though not to be confused with any of the better pizza options we're fortunate to have in the area. Crusts are relatively thin and crisp up nicely. Topppings are well portioned.

Service could improve, as I mentioned, though I'm sure it will. Also, I didn't do a dollar for dollar comparison vs. competitors but it didn't seem like these pies were priced at a relative discount to account for the fact that I had cook them at home. Maybe they weren't intended to be, but I think we paid close to $50 for two large and one medium, which was more than I would have guessed I'd pay.

We'll go back. It's in the neighborhood and, though the pizza won't blow you away, it's a good carryout option.

Get on their email list for coupons and also look for coupons mailed around the neighborhood. We usually receive a few coupons a month for $4-5 off on a large pizza, which brings the cost down quite a bit. Service at the Spring Valley location is often iffy; seems like they get overwhelmed at times. I found that if I am promised a pizza in 20 minutes, arrive on schedule, but have to wait a lot longer, I can express my disappointment and they will often throw in a free salad or cookie; one recent long delay resulted in a free pint of ice cream. On the other hand, they can be very accommodating: in a hurry tonight, I dumbly called the new Chevy Chase store instead of Spring Valley (I had been used to looking for the 202 area code on their website and did not realize there were now two DC stores). Of course, Spring Valley had no order for me to pick up, but they nonetheless hustled one in under 10 minutes and I went home happy.

Stopped by this afternoon to say goodbye to Scott Weinstein (and to pick up a few marvelous scallops for dinner tonight). Hope he returns to the DC food scene sometime soon...

This is one -- happily, not in the DC area -- that certainly does not!

Kids Not Welcome

Revisited some favorites and a new one in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. Frontera Grill was as good as expected, but showing the effects of Chef Bayless’s media exposure with long lines and wait times, even on Thursday evening. Our seviche and queso fundido classico appetizers were excellent, especially the latter, which nicely balanced the cheese and the savory. Mains included poc chuc de puerco (orange-marinated, grill-seared pork with a killer habanero salsa that staff insisted on constantly warning me about whenever they passed the table) and a chicken enchilada with a deeply flavored mole sauce. After-dinner entertainment was watching through the window of the building down the street where Chef Bayless was directing a soft opening of a new venture, the XOCO café of Mexican street food (opens September 8).

We hadn’t been to Green Zebra for several years, but were not disappointed in its high-end vegetarian menu. Our variety of small plates included an elegant, creamy, melt-in-your mouth burrata with candied olive, lemon, fava beans, and tempura squash blossom; roasted beet salad with goat cheese croquettes, artichoke, and preserved lemon; poached egg with smoked potato puree that, had it not been vegetarian, you would have believed was laced with bacon; warm braised artichoke and bread salad with a paprika tomato sauce; heirloom tomato tortellini in a parmesan fennel broth; and a lobster mushroom crepe. I’ll definitely have to try to recreate the poached egg and smoked potato dish!

Went back to Avec, where we had a roasted eggplant crostini garnished with smoked corn kernels; a magnificently flavored and textured presentation of dates stuffed with chorizo in a piquillo pepper-tomato sauce; turkey and guanciale meatballs with an amatriciana sauce; and pan-fried lake trout with lemon aioli that reminded me of how good fresh Great Lakes fish were back in the pre-pollution 1950s. Happily, we also had delightful dining partners at the communal table. Having been there before, we arrived around 5:00 and were seated right away; by the time we left the line at the door was several dozen people deep.

Our new try was Salpicon, which had Mexican flavors that were not quite as exacting as Frontera, but was absent the attendant hassle. Appetizers of squash blossoms filled with goat cheese and jalapenos rellenos were excellent, with the jalapeno edging out because of the intensely flavored black bean sauce that came with it. Main dished included a perfectly cooked “tinga poblana” (pork tenderloin with chorizo and potatoes and a roasted tomato-chipotle sauce) and chiles rellenos (the pork-stuffed chile was A-plus; the cheese stuffed chile was marred by a heavy hand with the salt). Salpicon’s tequila menu is overwhelming for a novice like me, but would please aficionados, no doubt.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (from Blacksalt; delicious)

Arctic Char, simply sauteed per Scott Weinstein's instructions.

Steamed broccoli with lemon, olive oil, and a pinch of peperoncino.

Fresh red raspberries.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay.

Incredibly noisy night critters providing the background music.

Hurray for Bayless. That said, I'd swoon over any of the dishes the three chefs prepared in the finale.

You know the thing I mean. It's a flat plastic cylinder, about a foot and a half in diameter, with a raised rim. Often with beer logos.

We're using metal pizza pans but I'd rather have the plastic thingies, easier to clean.

Come on, you know what I'm talking about.

Uh, we just call them "beer trays." Alas, wouldn't know where to buy them; inherited mine. Home brewing store? Restaurant supply store?

I'll be in Vancouver later this month with side trips to Whistler, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain and Seattle.

My Vancuver list includes Vij, Kirin (Dim Sum), Fuel, Bishop, Goyza King and Joe Fortes. I saw the Sushi article in the WaPo travel section and have a few places in mind. I've never been on their SkyTrain public tranist and a new line opens August 17th. The possiblity of easy transit opens up Richmond and several other dining options.

Any favorites or additions to this list or suggestions for the CA side trips?

We thought Joe Fortes was overrated last time we were there; no better than a McCormick and Schmick or a Clydes rather than something uniquely Vancouveran. Bishop is reliable but may be showing its age. Loved Chambar (if you like mussels and Belgian beer). Vij is terrific. Always have enjoyed Raincity Grill. We're jealous of your trip; please report back!

Recent meals include...

(SNIP)

And you?

Roasted heirloom tomato soup and Georgia white shrimp with linguine at Dinos; plump, fresh oysters and house-made potato chips at Black Salt; most-perfectly cooked lobster ever, with tagliatelle at White Barn Inn (Kennebunk, Maine); lobster bolognese at quirky Big Fish Grill (Kennebunkport, Maine); traditional, purist lobster roll at Cape Porpoise Pier (Porpoise Point, Maine); Brazilian picanha cut at Ray's the Steaks. Nice summer so far...

Holy shit, I KNOW! I've only whipped whites to peaks by hand ONCE, and I felt like my fucking arm was going to fall off!!

That was very impressive.

I'm just a Hubert Keller fan all around, I love his show on PBS. My wife and I, though, have just been floored by Anita. Has anyone ever been to her place?

Yep; we first went to Anissa in 2000 when spouse was working in NYC and been back several times. Wonderful food, creatively and delicately prepared. (Sorry to hear about the fire.). Also tried her, alas, now closed, Bar-Q venture last year. Thought it was terrific, but also noticed an absence of customers. She is one impressive lady.

Well you guys basically confirmed what I already knew, I had hit all of the reputable wineries on my last trip up there two years ago. On my first day, I revisited Standing Stone and Shalestone, and then in a moment of poor judgement joined some friends at Penguin Bay since they were the only winery still open. I only bought one bottle at Shalestone this time, I meant to go back and buy some of their pinot b/c I didn't want it sitting in my car all weekend, but I never managed too. I did go back to Standing Stone to retaste and left w/6 bottles. I think there are some really solid, food friendly wines for really good prices at SS.

Day 2 I hit the west side - started at Lakewood, meh except for a dry reisling I liked enough to buy one bottle of. Then I revisited Miles and Fox Run - Miles wasn't as good as I remembered and Fox Run disappointed again (I forgot I had been there until I walked in). The highlight though was a newer winery called Red Tail (just before Fox Run). Really good wines across the board and an excellent dry riesling. I really liked this place and the staff was incredibly friendly (and they're dog friendly) - I HIGHLY recommend it.

Last day I did stop at Hazlitt, I was curious as I had read some good things elsewhere. Really disliked their wines except for the dry riesling, but it was the same price as the Red Tail and didn't compare. Then we went to Damiani, which I had really enjoyed last time. They were offering a wine and chocolate pairing which was interesting. Dry chardonnay w/a sesame chocolate (I left with some of the chocolate), pinot w/ a smoked almond and dried cherry choc (I tasted both pinots, the cheaper one was terrible, the more expensive one was quite good), a pistachio and ginger chocolate with either merlot or cab (merlot is suggested pairing, i thoguht it was much better w/the cab) and finally a meritage infused truffle with the meritage. Really good, but I'd rather have my dark chocolate with port, that's just me though. I also tasted their dry rose and left with 2 bottles of that. Finally, Atwater was a pleasant surprise. I liked their wines across the board, especially a brut champagne, which came home with me. Oh, I did go to Lamoreaux Landing again - same impression as last time, wines are all okay - I liked the red oak riesling the best.

Oh, I almost forgot the reason for my follow-up post - the distillery. It's open - they have 2 vodkas (one is infused with berries), a gin, a whiskey of some sort, I think corn (sorry, not a whiskey drinker) and 2 fruit liquors, a cassis and a blueberry. I really liked the cassis liquer - so much that I bought a bottle despite having a whole bottle of creme de cassis at home. I'm not a very good judge of hard alcohol on its own so I don't really know what to report on the vodkas I tasted except that I found the berry infused one quite pleasant mixed with a little tonic (they pour you shots, but will add a little tonic for you if you'd like - I tasted everything both ways). You get to taste 3 of they're offerings for the fee ($2 I think). Staff is very friendly, I didn't have this experience but other people reported them pouring full shots for them.

Well there's my report on the distillery plus the totally unsolicited report on teh wineries I visited. Thanks for the feedback!

...and, thank YOU for the report; I'm looking forward to the distillery visit next time through.

Does anyone have any favorites? I was there 2 years ago, spent 2 days visiting wineries along Seneca Lake and then spent a day at the wine festival so I've tasted a bunch, but it's been a while. I'll be on the East side of Seneca lake again so wineries on that side are ideal, but west side of either Cayuga or Seneca are possibilities. I did a little searching online and sadly the "new" places that popped up are on the north end of the west side, which might be a stretch for me to get to. Also headed up there with my dog for a greyhound event so many, but not all wineries are letting dogs in. Anyway, thought you might have some suggestions. Wineries that I enjoyed last time that allow dogs and that therefore I will definitely be stopping at are Standing Stone, Shalestone, and Damiani. I hear there's a new distillery that's letting us brings dogs so I'll be checking that out too.

Thanks!

We travel through the area several times a year on the way to see family. I'll echo many of the suggestions -- Lamoreaux Landing (gorgeous facility; decent whites); Shalestone (for the few decent reds in the area and to talk with the quirky owner); Standing Stone; Red Newt (some worthwile; some overpriced); Damiani (decent). Yes; skip Hazlit; mediocre all around. Wagner is too touristy. I look forward to your telling us of the distillery. We stopped by two weeks ago and it was still "opening soon," but a press piece says it just opened on the 21st. It looks really attractive. Above all, though, please make the time to go to Hermann Wiemer and to Konstantin Frank; they are the best in the region by a long shot. Frank (which is still open despite a fire in one of its tasting rooms earlier this year) also has the friendliest people and the most generous pours I have ever had at a tasting.

Hector; Lodi; Ovid; Geneva

2009 report: Stonecat just keeps getting better and better - excellent local produce and dairy, good concepts well-executed, laid-back vibe. I want to move to Watkins Glen so that I can be a regular there, like twice a week or so. I think that it really is my favorite restaurant ever. Dano's hasn't changed a bit; it's still good; Glen Mountain Market, Jerlando's, and Mr. Chicken are same as they ever were. Mmmm, spicy wings. [and for the five or so people who read this thread and know me: a** kicked again; this year I lost fourth gear during practice and had to put in another transmission. I don't know why WGI hates me so much when I love it so much...]

Old habits are hard to break. Perhaps we are in a rut. We did a Batali-Colicchio-Flay circuit last weekend.

Lupa was as good as ever. My spaghettini with diced baby calamari tasted of the sea. Spouse's pollo diavola was perfectly tender and appropriately spicy.

Babbo still impresses with the depth of flavors. A marinated shrimp with fennel appetizer special was a keeper. My two-minute calamari and her pappardelle with pork ragu were perfect. A saffron scented panna cotta for desert was something I could eat every day. On the plus side, we were happily seated at the same table on the first floor when we first tried Babbo eight years ago, watching every dish go by; on the minus side, except for the occasional specials, the menu is getting a bit tired.

Our first visit to Craftbar was enjoyable. A bit noisy, but enough space between tables to be tolerable. We are fans of small plates and ordered several. Sublimely braised pork shoulder; sausage stuffed sage leaves; pecorino stuffed risotto balls; asparagus with pecorino cheese; and fava bean and pancetta salad all were delicious.

Overall, my thumbs up go Mesa for its Sunday brunch. Flay may be overexposed, but his knack for melding intense southwest flavors, exciting textures and colors, and perfect presentations still brings a smile to my face.

Just don't ever try to unsubscribe from the email; they are incapable of removing your address from their list. I've been trying for months now, including calling the registration number and asking to have my address removed, and have finally just resorted to filtering the address so I don't see the emails any more.

Yeah; and isn't it just great that instead of sending the email to you as a bcc addressee, they post the entire mailing list in the "To:" line. A spammers delight! I can't wait to see all the useless email I get now.

Happened to be in Providence over the weekend, so tried Bob and Timmy's (number 5 on the GQ list). Decent thin crust; quality vegetables (especially the fresh mushrooms) but totally ruined by the covering of grated cheese that had the mouthfeel of sand. If only one experience is a measure, #5 was no better than the pizzas served in thousands of shops across the country.

A gorgeous 50-50 dry martini accompanied by pickled asparagus and carrots; a bacon, lettuce, and tomato cocktail that went down too easy; a tropical carrot cocktail, and chocolate mojito for dessert. Well, maybe not right now, but a few hours ago. Derek Brown and Todd Thrasher gave a presentation at the Smithsonian this evening on "Pairing Food with Cocktails." They are an engaging duo on the lecture circuit, and the drinks they prepared for 160 people were excellent. I could live on the BLT cocktail: bacon vodka, tomato water, and lettuce water ice cubes. All told, an educational, enlightening, and fun evening.

Well, I think it's season for soft shell crabs. I would appreciate a heads up for any good sources for these. Thanks in advance.

Soup

Black Salt has had some nice plump ones the past several weeks. The ones I had were sourced to Georgia, if I recall correctly.