stickmoon

Last year I went to First Down in Arlington VA (4213 N. Fairfax Dr) quite a bit to watch football. The nachos suck and the wings are adequate. What kept me going back was the efficient set up of the hi-def televisions, and that prior to the games they labeled each tv with what game would be on so you can pick your spot accordingly. Also the regular attendees were generally friendly, and the new ownership is really trying hard to create a welcoming environment to sit down for the game. They play the sound for the redskins games. They really ought to work on those nachos, though.

Slightly off-topic, but does of anyone know of a donrockwell-esque website for dining in San Francisco? I have recently moved out to the West coast and cannot find any equivalent forum.

I did not find an equivalent forum when I was researching the San Francisco restaurant scene, but I regularly followed the SF Chowhound forum and there were some very knowledgeable writers there. There were also some "pinned" posts written by the moderators that I found really helpful.

So, three months after returning to the area after a few years living in DC, one of the things I've learned is to lower my expectations when I walk into restaurants. DC really did spoil me. But one refuge here in the Pioneer Valley is The Dirty Truth, a nondescript looking beer bar located on Main St. in downtown Northampton. A local guy opened this place about four years ago, and it quickly became a hit among the mid-twenty to mid-forty set. They have 40 beers on tap - with craft brew favorites from Victory, Avery, Bear Republic, Rogue, Founders, among others, and some obscure Belgians (or at least obscure to me). The owner spends a lot of time training the staff and has been known to take his staff overseas on beer-finding missions. They are a well trained staff.

The bar is long and made of beautiful dark wood. There's probably 40-50 seats at the bar, and then 10-15 communal tables, each of which seats 8-10 comfortably. In a region where people tend to keep to themselves, this is an oasis of friendliness - since patrons are often forced to sit at the same table with strangers. The walls are a deep, lush red with local artists work on the walls. Indie rock fills the air.

And the food. The food is several steps up from traditional pub fare. Last night I had a Bahn Mi sandwich made with duck confit and freshly cut, twice-fried fries for 13 bucks. The duck confit was a bit chewier than I've had at other places (in DC), but the sandwich had that lovely contrast of flavors and textures that mark a really tasty Bahn Mi. You can also get it with lamb or seitan (welcome to Northampton!). The fries are great - and they're served with homemade mayo. I also really like the housemade veggie burger, which is dense and nutty, served on brioche with hummus and standard fixins. And the mac and cheese is legendary around these parts.

If you're in town and looking for a beer and some elevated pub grub, this is a great choice. And give me a buzz, I'd be happy to join you.

It does annoy me and I've always just said no. I don't know anything about the charities they support and it bothers me that the whole implication is that I should just trust WFM's supposedly good intentions. On the other hand, when I go to Petsmart I usually do give a few bucks when they ask if I want to donate to animal shelters. So maybe it's just a matter of preference.

I have found that most restaurants in DC are vegetarian-friendly...meaning there are often a few veggie appetizers and one vegetarian entree on the printed menu. Is there a particular neighborhood, price range, or style of cuisine you are looking for, or just "veggie-friendly and relatively quiet"? I personally am a sucker for the gnocchi at Proof, which is always vegetarian, although it is not a quiet restaurant.

Heirloom tomato gazpacho with poached shrimp and a corn, cucumber, red onion, and basil relish. Thank you, summer.

Awesome: Eric Ripert outright calls Angelo's assisting Amanda in tonight's episode a "conspiracy."

I dunno, I think calling it a conspiracy is hyperbole. Any chef at this stage in the game should know that the tuna would turn grey. It seemed like they sent her home for execution and I was surprised that nobody seemed to have a problem with the concept of serving tuna tartare at a baseball game. But then again, they also gave her a pass when she braised chicken in sherry and served it as a school lunch...

mussels with pancetta, shallot, garlic, white wine

toasted slices of french country wheat bread

Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc.

Other than getting carded occasionally, I can't recall a case where I got bad service because I drank from the fountain of youth.

+1, and I don't mind at all when I get carded. At this point I've reached the age when it feels like an unambiguous compliment.

Kenny-what's a shafing dish?

Tiffany-you go girl!

Angelo-I'm going to hell for saying this, but I love to watch your soul get crushed just a little each time you don't win a challenge

Amanda-you made dry beef stew and mashed potatoes. France called and they want their dignity back, and the guy who gives out Michelin stars said you're not allowed to say "boof" again. Ever.

Alex-yes, "cheeks" have a certain cache nowadays and if you can't keep your lies straight, don't tell them.

Kelly-I really wanted to taste that carpaccio, and thank you for giving a nod to VA beef.

Haha, thanks for the laugh!

Just noticed that Bravo put up "extended judges table" video clips from each episode this season.

That pizza looks and sounds fantastic!

I don't know anything, obviously, but my guess is that Alex didn't steal the pea puree and that is why they edited the show to make it seem like he did. I know, it sounds crazy, but I cannot imagine that the producers know that he stole the pea puree and let him go on and win the challenge, they will do some crazy things, but that seems like too much. My guess is that they just wanted to make something out of really nothing, for ratings purposes, so they made a decision to not show Alex making a pea puree.

Either way, it is stupid all the way around.

Sure, but the lasting impression was that Chef Tom & Co were duped. I think it would have been much better television if Tom had dramatically asked Alex to account for the pea puree, or had at least questioned how Ed lost his food. They seemed completely unaware. Sigh...I hate to say it, but this season kinda blows.

I was really disappointed that the producers didn't step in and alert the judges that Alex probably stole the pea puree.

Breakfast at La Bombonera is great...get a cafe con leche if you go...its made with a big, beautiful, antique cafe con leche maker (there must be a name for it, but alas, I don't know it). I had dinner at The Parrot Club, right in Old San Juan...I enjoyed it...live music, hoppin' bar atmosphere...I don't remember the food, but I remember the mojitos were really, really good

I stop by Antonio's Pizza about twice a week for a quick lunch. Pizza by the slice is a beautiful thing, especially from Antonio's, which has won the local prize for best pizza every year since the early 90's. A well-known fixture in downtown Amherst - their pies can be topped with a huge variety of ingredients that piiza purists would probably consider obscene. Case in point: the "black bean and avocado" pie...it's got a mashed black bean base and is topped with slices of avocado, chopped fresh tomato and crumbly feta cheese. It's actually pretty good. The crust is nothing to get excited about, but it is a suitable vehicle for the toppings that the shop is known for. I've never had their most popular slice, known as "chicken bacon ranch" which has...wait for it...chopped chicken breast, bacon, and a swirl of ranch dressing on it. They also have various styles of "quesadilla slices" which have tortilla chips and sour cream on them. Not for me. The sicilian slices, however, are much more traditional, and actually remind me of the slices I used to get at New Park Pizza in Queens, NY.

Finally, according to Colicchio's blog, Kenny's dish really was that bad, despite the appearance that the other chef's might have been ganging up on him for strategic reasons.

Yeah Kenny made a classic Top Chef mistake there. Tom Colicchio and co. rarely go for duos or trios or whateveros...he nearly always chides the chefs for making two or three reasonably good dishes with a tenuous connection instead of just making one great dish.

Given how the season has gone, I expected the chefs to manipulate the vote more than they did...seemed to me like the judges agreed (at least mostly) with the chefs recommendations. Although I noticed that Angelo was the first person to comment on Kenny's dish suggest that Kenny should go up for elimination, and that does set a tone and directs the conversation...I think he did that intentionally. On the one hand, Angelo gets on my nerves with all the strategery. On the other hand, it's a competition and he wants to win. On the third hand, he seems like a good enough chef that he could win on the strength of his dishes alone.

Mussels with fennel, leek, garlic, white wine and a dollop of grain mustard.

Baguette, toasted.

The Butcher Block in Alexandria sometimes has legs of duck confit. They may be able to help you out.

1600 King Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 894-5253

The French Chef is on. Ms. Child at her best: the lighting is horrible, she drops the spoon and most of the dried spaghetti made it into the pot. The perfect soother.

Last week she taught me how to take the wishbone out of a chicken...thank you Julia!

Haymarket Cafe opened in downtown Northampton in 1999 and has since become a fixture in this quaint New England college town. The cafe's thin storefront gives way once inside to a bigger-than-expected space...the walls are filled with old faded paintings hanging in rather ornate frames, antique mirrors, and other unusual wall art. A lot of artsy-fartsy people, graduate students and "subversive" locals hang out here, typically hunched over their mac computers. You won't find too many Smithees in their J. Crew sun-dresses chillin' out here...this place is a bit too, I dunno, un-Starbucks for them.

The main floor sells fair trade coffee and has a juice bar and a smoothie bar. Honestly I've never really liked their coffee because it tastes pretty muddy, but the juice cocktails and smoothies are generally very good and the price is right ($4.25).

Downstairs is a fully vegetarian restaurant that serves a variety of sandwiches, salads and some rice dishes such as Indonesian Gado-Gado with baked marinated tempeh and a Greek artichoke stew. I usually stick to the more conventional items, which I do recommend for lunch. I've been here a bunch of times and my visit a few days ago was standard: I got a house salad and half sandwich of hummus, avocado, tomato, cucumber and greens on house-baked foccacia (this combo was an uber-affordable 6.50). The sandwich was good, about what you'd expect...fresh ingredients, lemony hummus, the bread was soft and fresh baked but could have used a bit more salt for my taste. The salad had fairly standard ingredients and came with a lemon-tahini dressing...greens were fresh, but it was overdressed and got soggy by the end.

I think Firefly would be a good choice.

So far, I'm not seeing anyone really shine just yet.

Tom Colicchio agrees.

New ideas welcome.

I like to halve them and scoop out the cottony insides, then stuff them with a corn/tomato/feta/basil salsa and bake them.

[Does this hold true for everyone? In that case, ]

I was only told once that I could order off the Tallula menu, and it seemed like something they did not normally do.