cjsadler

I do have one pet peeve as a solo diner at a table, if it's in the bar area

My pet peeve too. I'd say the only times I've had problems or bad service when dining solo were when sitting at a bar area table. But I find it to be a bad area for dining at many places, even if you aren't solo: whoever is supposed to be serving you ignores these tables (often it's the bartender, who is too busy to get over there), drunks and douchebags milling about, tables are too small if you're having a full meal, tables jammed too close (Proof comes to mind for those last two), etc...

Virginia Market (at 18th and Florida) has a great selection (and you can hit d'Vinos across the street too).

The pretzel bread with beer butter is fantastic (a $3 charge). You *must* order this. I could have eaten an entire loaf myself. Good beer list and good service, but the food went downhill from there: a pot pie very heavy on parsnips and gluey white sauce, a fairly bland pork rack dish, mediocre flatbreads (slightly better than the ones at, say Birch & Barley, though). This was a couple of weeks ago, not too long after they opened, so they might have still been getting their act together.

By coincidence, I've used Ivan too (a friend recommended him to me about a year or so ago). I agree with everything Leigh says. Ivan made some difficult fixes to my floorboards for a very reasonable price. I've also seen the excellent work he's done at my friend's place. A very professional guy.

Chris Sadler

Just got this book, inspired by the discussion here. Looks great. One immediate question, for anyone who's done the black pepper tofu: Surely "11 tbsp butter" is a typo and should be "1," right?, in a Chinese-ish tofu recipe to serve 4? I know I should trust my instincts, but then again maybe 11 tablespoons of butter plus hot pepper would be a revelation for me ...

Yep, it actually is 11. Maybe not something to eat every night, but the unlikely combination of butter and soy sauce really is a revelation. I believe I only used about a stick, though, which seemed to be enough.

Try the Black Pepper Tofu-- it's excellent.

Yeah, where is everyone?

Also out of town, otherwise I'd be there.

I'm in.

I am still trying to figure out how it could possibly make it taste better. Chicken I can understand, cherry pits, not so much.

Sour cherry pits are sold as a spice. Chowhound recommends making a cherry pit ice cream. So there are cultures that think they add flavor.

I know this is two years old and was off-topic to begin with, but I recently found out the answer to this from that ice cream article in the Post last week. Cherry pits are where most almond extract comes from (I had no idea). Smashed some pits open for steeping in the recipe for the sour cherry ice cream base and yeah, there you go, smells like almond extract. I imagine some of the extract gets out during cooking in a clafouti.

Back on topic: the homemade cottage cheese with beets dish at Buck's might not sound like much, but is very good.

I cannot really see how competitive businesses (and there are few industries as cutthroat as the alcoholic beverage industry) can act in concert around a single issue.

I'm guessing the problem is with how much of a "competitive business" the messed up three-tier alcohol distribution system actually is. I'm not up on the laws and the way things work (I'd be interested in hearing more from someone more knowledgeable), but know that wholesalers do quite a bit of lobbying to keep the current status quo in place (and thus other forms of competition out).

Optimal Wit, on the other hand, continues to impress and grow on me with each tasting. This is looking to be my beer of Summer '11. They just nailed it, not too in-your-face estery, not cloying, quite crisp and they left room for some hop characteristics to show through. For me this is approaching Celis White territory, a previously untouchable benchmark for American wit beers. I just wish it was still around for an A/B comparison; taste memory on that one is fading

I agree. I thought Optimal Wit was outstanding, and I don't even like Witbiers all that much!

Cook's Illustrated has partnered with Jon Rimmerman of Garagiste . Weekly, they'll be sending an email with a wine description and an offer to buy from CI's online store. They say they'll focus on smaller wineries that aren't distributed nationwide. The first offer (today's) is a 2006 Mirable Syrah Sicilia IGT for $15 with free shipping on a case. Shipping is about $9 for one bottle, $14 for 2, etc. The newsletter includes tasting notes and info about the winery.

Admittedly, I'm a skeptic and probably a cynic, but should I trust that CI isn't just offering this service to small wineries regardless of how good the wines are? Wouldn't any small winery looking for customers jump at the chance to get free advertising if they promise to sell their product at "x" price point?

CI does get pretty aggressive with their marketing (I find it annoying at times). However, the Garagiste guy does seem legit-- I've heard good things about him before. Maybe Jake knows more.

the somewhat accurate assessment of a less than fully pronounced beef flavor

A while back, I tried making my own Shake Shack grind (see article here) and it was a seriously beefy burger. So I was pretty surprised when I tried SS here the other day-- not much beef flavor (somewhat bland, I thought). Did they purposely make the mix milder for DC? Anyone here had SS in both NYC and DC?

Gin-slinging hottie Derek Brown suggests that tipping needs to go.

So does this mean the Passenger has moved to a "service charge included" system?

I guess you need to add me to the list too, but I have enjoyed meals at his restaurants. I don't see it as bitter, but rather the current state of affairs. Is Minibar so much better now then when it originally opened almost 10 years ago? Was there a time requirement for this award?

Or Peter Pastan's nomination for Obelisk this year... shouldn't he have won 20 years ago? Why decide to nominate him this year in particular?* The Beard Awards always seem random.

*For the record, I like Obelisk a lot and think it's too far under the radar here.

Againn? Anyone been there lately? And, I really dislike the pizza there, but does the Dupont Paradiso have the strong beer selection I seen to recall being touted? And is the new Ardeo/Bardeo anything more than a warmed over version of the reasonably pleasant corporate-ish joint than the old places were?

I'm guessing Againn is still a total mob scene on a Friday night.

As thetrain mentioned, you'll likely be waiting a very long time for a table at Paradiso on a Friday.

I thought some of the dishes at the revamped Ardeo/Bardeo were quite good (I'd never been to the "old" Ardeo/Bardeo). It's worth checking out, you can probably get a rez, and the tables towards the back would likely give you enough quiet to catch up with your friend (was there on a weekday, though, so it was not very crowded/noisy).

I'm in.

Great event! (except for the weather) Firefly won with a fennel sausage topped with bacon chili. I voted for Liberty Tavern's short-rib half-smoke.

Red Apron had a pretty interesting stack of three different sausages on a toothpick (one of the sausages was pickled). My other favorites came from PS7 and the Source.

Some interesting news.

Picked up a six-pack of cans of the "Public" Pale Ale at a local liquor store last night. Guy at the counter said it just came in and has been selling like crazy. Haven't tried it yet. Price was $11.

Okay - I have 2.5 heads of onions and 1 green pepper I don't know what to do with. I am thinking about making French Onion soup to bring to an Easter dinner, but am not well-versed in which beef stock to use from off-the-shelf, since I am not willing to make my own.

You can always go old school rustic French and just use water to make the soup. Makes a really good soup if you slowly caramelize the onions and all you need to add is salt and possibly some thyme.

Michel Richard has a recipe for miso stock that he uses in his French Onion soup (in "Happy in the Kitchen"). It works well. I don't see the recipe online and I forget exactly what else is in it, but maybe just add some white miso in with the water for some extra backbone.

Here is the website.

That odd slideshow of Fabio T. on the phone is cracking me up.

Made my first visit to the new Rockville Pike location today. It's a really nice store with some great features -- the bulk foods are what I'm most excited about: a very large and wide assortment of foods available in bulk. And while many of these kinds of foods are available in bulk elsewhere, the sheer number and variety available at this store was impressive.

The extensive bulk/"cooking" section is pretty cool. Had some things you rarely see, like tarbais beans. Some photos in the slideshow here.

For at least the past 6 months, possibly longer, the classes location in Bethesda has been under heavy renovation. There are no signs up there. So, I am not even sure the Bethesda location is simply gone forever, or just closed while they renovate heavily (and if the latter, when they plan to reopen and offer classes there again).

The Bethesda location is supposed to reopen for classes in April. The last time I walked by that didn't seem likely to me, but that's the latest I've heard.

This place was around for quite a while. Does anyone know when they opened? I remember going there with my mother when I was a kid, but didn't know it was still there until I went to Trummer's recently.