cjsadler

Ok, this is easily the best brisket in the area.

Heavenly when quartered length-wise, dipped in light batter and deep-fried.

I used to love ordering this as an appetizer in restaurants when I was a kid. It seemed to be pretty common in the 80's, usually served with a honey-mustard type dipping sauce.

Heading to SA over Labor Day weekend--it'll be my first trip, but my BF spent some time there when he was in the Air Force, and he really loves the area. He is DYING to go to Mi Tierra, since it was one of his old favorites, but otherwise he's letting me take the lead on the restaurant search.

I know we'll find plenty of good Tex-Mex, and probably some BBQ, but can anyone recommend a fine dining experience? I don't want to jinx anything, but there might be a ring appearing on my finger over this trip, and I thought it might be nice to celebrate somewhere a little fancier.

Thanks for the feedback!

Went to only a couple of fine dining places while there a couple of months ago (stuck with BBQ and Tex-Mex joints mostly).

The lunch deal at the Lodge was pretty insane (see MMM's post above). The food was good, and you simply can't beat $16 for three courses. Worth checking out what looks to be an equally good deal for dinner too.

Biga on the Banks seems to have racked up a lot of Beard Awards and high Zagat scores, but to me it was disappointing and overpriced.

I am currently seated in the Jurors' business center and am torn between 701, Cafe Atlantico and Oyamel. The Rasika concept has certain appeal as well. Thanks for all the great food for thought. I can't wait for lunch!

I recently had jury duty and hit Oyamel quite a few times. Usually not a problem to get a seat at the bar, and the lunch sandwiches (which include a caesar salad) are one of the best deals around.

Was watching Iron Chef America "Battle Zucchini" last night, in which Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune beat Bobby Flay. Topic of argument between Michael Ruhlman and the other two judges was whether zucchini actually has any flavor. Earlier that night, we were trying to figure out what to do with some CSA zucchini. Saw this, and had all the ingredients on hand. I thought it was going to end up being the worst thing I'd ever cooked, as zucchini and water are basically the two main ingredients (!). Not only was it edible, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and would even make it again. I'm still not sure whether zucchini has a distinct flavor, but the nice texture it gives this soup will really surprise you.

It sounds like an interesting place. Did you just walk in or did you have a reservation? I'm wondering how easy it is to just walk in, maybe early in the evening. Also, is it more like a restaurant where you're expected to order food or would it be ok just to order cocktails?

We were able to walk in and grab a table at about 9pm on a Saturday. Definitely looks like they get busier as it gets later. They had no problem with us just sitting down to drinks. Food did look pretty good, though: small plates done by Shawn McClain (chef at Green Zebra, Spring, and others).

I'm not much of a cocktail drinker, but I really enjoyed The Drawing Room. The cocktails are prepared tableside, using a rolling bar cart thing. Our bartender was a friendly guy who explained what he was doing and how they had come up with the recipes. He was very knowledgeable about the cocktail scene in the US (we chatted a bit about PX)

Sepia was decent, but we weren't blown away or anything. The flatbreads and the appetizers were disappointing, but my Cod with Saffron Noodles and Boar Sausage was pretty great, as was a huge Berkshire Pork Chop. Our great waiter steered us towards a white Burgundy that was a steal for the price.

Hot Doug's was closed for the weekend-- a crushing disappointment!

The best meal ended up being lunch at the tiny Table 52. Chef Art Smith was Oprah's personal chef. Forget whatever you think about that, though-- this was some fantastic southern cooking. The goat cheese biscuits, brought to each table in a cast iron skillet fresh from the oven, were one of the best things I've had this year. He's supposed to be opening a place here in DC soon.

basically whoops my a$$

It's the Everclear. I'd just stick with all 100 proof vodka next time.

You could try diluting this batch with water, but that's also going to dilute the lemon taste a bit.

Ok I need some help with this recipe for a soft custard

Custard: <LI>10 ounces chicken stock , 6 ounces egg whites , 1½ teaspoon salt, 6 peppercorns

For Custard:

Preheat oven to 300F. Simmer chicken stock for 5 minutes with pepper until infused. Remove from heat and season with salt. Whisk egg whites into the stock and then pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Pour custard into ovenproof ramekins. Place custard in a bain-marie and bake for 17 minutes.

I have attempted this twice now and keep ending up with egg drop soup that will not become custard. Should I let the stock cool down more? Would pouring the stock into the whites to temper them work any better? Should I just fine another recipe?

This seems like a very odd custard recipe to me-- I've never seen one that only calls for egg whites. You definitely need to let the stock cool, but even if you do get this to set up without coagulating, I wonder how good the texture will be.

Oink!

I recently had one of those Bacon Maple Bars from Voodoo Doughnut, pictured in the Pork Week article here. Pretty tasty!

Why do so many restaurants not put their hours of operation on their website?

Example #56: KBQ website.

Missed that brisket (as well as some sauteed cherry thing that Hook was doing which was supposed to be great). My favorite bites were:

Citronelle - Mushroom Duxelle in Brioche

The Source - Tuna Tartare in Tuile

Equinox - Fried Green Tomato with Ham

Now I like yogurt and I know this may sound silly, but don't go if you are expecting old school fro yo, this is not artificial, but real yogurt in soft frozen form. Personally I'll save my yogurt for breakfast and smoothies and stick to ice cream for dessert. So try it for yourself and see, but don't be surprised like me.

This pretty much hits the nail on the head. When we went last week, I think txaggie's quote was "When I want frozen yogurt, I don't actually want frozen yogurt. I want fake ice-cream." I chuckled about that, but I actually liked the frozen yogurt here-- thought it was very refreshing. Only issue for me was that the pomegranate flavor was too mild (if blindfolded, I would have had a hard time telling you I was eating something pomegranate flavored).

Uncle Brutha's is going to be open until the end of the month, so there's still time to go pick up some hot sauce.

I appreciate the difficulty of writing about wine in a way that is accessible to the average WP reader

I agree with you on the WP column. Contrast it with Eric Asimov's wine columns and blog for the New York Times (here's the column today). Interesting that the NYT feels its readers can handle a wine column at this level, but the WP seems to feel they need to bring things down to the level of the 'average' reader (this comment has been made in defense by some of the WP food section staff here on DR). Are we Washingtonians really that much more clueless than New Yorkers?

Yazuzu is out of business. Replaced by a deli.

Tonight it will be to Bo Diddley. RIP.

Hear hear.

Just found out. Hear hear as well.

As I was reading this post, I couldn't help thinking how much better your food looks. So come on, are you guys really going to tease us without some more photos of YOUR glorious dishes? We have the time, we have the disk space, we can wait patiently, I've enjoyed reading this too much for it to end so soon...

Despite your ridiculous flattery, we're gonna have to wrap things up here-- heading into a busy season starting this week (grad school starts up again in the evenings for me, in addition to some other obligations). Maybe sometime we will return with a home cooking blog? In the meantime, we'll try and contribute to the dinner thread.

A lot of new members have never seen this thread - would anyone like to research the establishments listed in the previous paragraph, or maybe chime in with some new ones?

1953 - Mama Ayesha's

Ok, that's all folks! Thanks for reading. Now back to my usual, un-blogworthy routine of going to the gym followed by Chipotle

After lunch, we explored the Nob Hill neighborhood (NW Portland) and had coffee at Vivace, a cool neighborhood crepe and coffee shop (serving our favorite, Stumptown coffee).

Then, we crossed the bridge to get to the Hawthorne neighborhood on the other side of the city. It's sorta like a combination of Haight-Ashbury and the Mission in San Francisco on a much smaller scale. A very eclectic mix of people.

Dinner that night was at Wildwood (also in Nob Hill - NW Portland), and dessert at the Country Cat (in SE Portland).

At Wildwood, we sat at the bar overlooking the kitchen. Amazingly, this place has been around for 14 years. Doesn't seem like it, though, as the rest of the restaurant world has only recently caught up to the local, seasonal approach they've always used.

To start, we had Smoked Salmon Chowder and Ricotta Gnocchi with Braised Rabbit and Bacon. For entrees, Pork with a Green Onion Pancake and Sauteed Greens and the Roasted Chicken with Bacon Spaetzle and Romaine Puree. Both meats were cooked in their tandoor oven. Bacon Spaetzle = great idea.

Before heading to the airport, we stopped at the Country Cat for some coffee and dessert, a butterscotch pudding with baked-to-order cookies. The Country Cat is way off the beaten path (thank you GPS), but has gotten a lot of press. That's partly because of what they are trying to do. The idea is to serve the type of simple food with local ingredients that you'd see at a lot of modern places downtown, but serve the neighborhood as well. So here tattooed, pierced chefs in the open kitchen mix with kids coloring their Country Cat coloring books and retired couples sharing a bottle of wine. Prices are very reasonable (especially the wine list).

Is the author of the piece the same Brian Patterson who taught our DR.com knife skills class at L'Academie?

That's him. He's started doing some MoCo restaurant reviews for the Gazette.

Bezu review.

Oregon Pinot Gris. I just tasted a bunch and realized I'd been missing out. The best are wonderfully acidic, interesting, food-friendly, and usually reasonably priced. Eyrie and Lange are two to look for.

Sorry, still playing catch-up here...

After heading through the Willamette Valley, we stayed with a friend of mine and his family down in Eugene. Nothing too noteworthy food or wine-wise to report. We grilled out on my friend's deck and enjoyed the nice weather.

I was impressed by the local Oregon beer selection at the Bier Stein, though, where my friend took us to for lunch when we arrived. Local Eugene brewery Ninkasi is doing great things. They've recently started bottling, so I hope we'll eventually get their beers out here. Be on the lookout for them.

Recent rains made everything very green out here. This is the view from the butte right next to my friend's house:

The next day brought us back to the heart of Willamette wine country. Since we were down that far, first stop was Benton-Lane in the very southern part of the valley.

Some wonderful Pinot Gris here: crisp and delicious-- I'll definitely be looking for it locally. A nice pinot noir rose too (unfortunately, I think only available at the winery).

Brooks was recommended to me, and was one of the wineries that's only open twice a year: this weekend and Thanksgiving. However, this was the grand opening of a new tasting room that will eventually be open by appointment.

Good pinot noirs and some decent rieslings too. Almost considered splurging on some of the Rastaban Pinot Noir, but quickly thought better of it. Flying with wine these days seems like such a gamble (I always think it's going to gone from my suitcase when I collect it), so I went with some of the still nice Willamette Valley bottling.

Oddly enough, the wine country here is the final resting place of the Spruce Goose, built by Howard Hughes (see 'The Aviator'). The longest wingspan (larger than a football field) and tallest height of any plane ever built... and made out of wood (though not spruce)!

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is also home to Evergreen Vineyards, but the wines still seem like a work in progress. Maybe in a few years...

One final, quick stop at Monk's Gate, a small, new-ish winery that I felt like detouring too. The name comes from the fact that it's next door to a Trappist Monastery. They only do pinot noir. The three vintages thus far were very promising. Wonderful people too, who we spent awhile chatting with.

Dinner that evening was at the Dundee Bistro, which apparently is something of a hangout for winemakers. I'll let Binni post some pictures from that.