ScotteeM

Edited to remove accidental duplicate post.

To kick off our week of dining out (my vacation), last Sunday we tried Bistro L'hermitage, technically in Woodbridge, but close enough to Occoquan to be considered part of that area. Halfway through our brunch we were already talking about a return visit. The restaurant is beautiful, and very much what I think of as a French country bistro (in my imagination, at least). We were greeted graciously, and service throughout the meal was attentive and professional. I ordered the hanger steak, medium rare, and egg, sunny side up. Both were perfectly cooked and delicious. The mixed greens salad was coated with a delicious vinaigrette, and the fried potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft inside, tasting like . . . potatoes. I loved every bite of everything on my plate. WW thoroughly enjoyed his grilled chicken Reuben with warm potato salad. The potato salad was lightly dressed with a mustard vinaigrette, and the taste I got was a perfect balance of acid and potatoes. I couldn't taste his sandwich, but he declared it wonderful. The menu is filled with tempting offerings, and if all of the cooking is as careful and skillful as it was at our brunch, this is going to be one of our favorites--and we only have to cross the Occoquan to get there!

Because of the emphasis on gluten free offerings, I'm eager to check it out.

As part of our week of dining out while we’re off from work at the end of the year, we chose dinner at The Oval Room last night. At 6:00 we were the only diners in the restaurant, but by the time we left at 9:00 the place was about half full. From our table at the back of the room, we commanded a view of the whole room, which is a beautiful, softly lit and intimate space. Our server, Ed, took great care of us and looked out for the potential pitfalls on the menu for my gluten sensitivity. He explained every dish in detail (important to me with dietary restrictions) and carefully told us what wine we were drinking with each course. The service, overall, was extremely attentive, almost to the point of intrusive, but I found it very reassuring. We decided to enjoy the tasting menu, after Ed got assurance from the chef that minor to moderate alterations to accommodate my wheat gluten sensitivity would be possible. The amuse, a slice of pristine Hamachi topped with EVOO and cilantro micro-greens was accompanied by an herb-infused chicken broth that complimented the fish and was extremely complex and flavorful on its own. It was everything an amuse should be: light, balanced, flavorful, a suggestion of the courses ahead, and stimulating to the appetite. The first course was a play on pastrami on rye, featuring thinly sliced Kampachi that was seasoned with a pastrami-like “cure”. Resting on the beautiful slices were Romaine micro-greens and Japanese mustard ice cream. Dots of tomato jam lay alongside the slices, and the dish was dusted with powdered caraway. The regular version also featured tiny croutons of rye bread. Loading a bit of Kampachi, some greens, a drop of tomato jam and a smidge of the ice cream on the fork indeed did evoke a pastrami sandwich. Delicious, well-balanced, and fun! The wine paired with the dish was a Valkenburg Gewurtztraminer, adding a restrained flavor of spicy sweetness that emphasized the flavors on the plate. Second course was “sausage and egg.” A 45-minute (sous vide) egg was sprinkled with fine crumbles of chorizo sausage and black olive (and bread crumbs for the “normal” version), and was napped at table with “liquid Cheddar cheese.” The perfectly cooked egg yielded liquid gold yolk that mixed well with all the components. Fresh farm eggs are one of my favorite foods, and this one did not disappoint. A Zonin Prosecco added a freshness and lightness to the intense concentration of flavors in the bowl. A perfect disk of Artisanal Cut Hudson Valley foie gras terrine provided the centerpiece of the third course, resting on a toast round (no toast for gluten-free me), the top caramelized like a creme brulee. It was dusted with spiced cookie crumbs (not on mine) and a pool of cranberry gelee and smoked balsamic vinegar for sweet and acid components. I had packed just the right rice-flour crackers in my purse that simulated the texture of the toast for me. The classic pairing of Ch. d’Arche Sauternes was a great counterbalance to the buttery richness of the foie and the acid of the cranberry and vinegar sauce. The menu diverged completely for the two of us on the fourth course. My husband enjoyed the potato gnocchi topped with shaved black truffle, grated parmesan cheese, and parmesan broth, paired with a glass of Trefethen Chardonnay. My fourth course was their popular beet salad: red, gold, and peppermint-striped beets under grated fresh horseradish, arugula micro-greens, and an ice-wine vinaigrette, surrounded by passionfruit sorbet. Taken as a whole, the horseradish provided a kick that elevated the other components to new heights. The Sauvignon Blanc (the name of which I cannot confirm but wrote down as “long board”) provided a perfect foil for the sweet-hot and earthy beet salad. Although I was jealous of my husband’s gnocchi and truffles, my salad was a treat and a revelation. Our paths converged on the fish course: Crispy-skin striped bass over smoky stewed peppers and a basil-infused reduction of the stewing liquid. The bass was perfectly cooked, the skin crispy and flavorful and the meat moist and creamy. Stewed with a bit of bacon to provide the smokiness, the peppers balanced the fish. So often the flavor of bacon overpowers everything else on a plate. (For example, my long-standing rule at Kinkeads is never order any dish that includes applewood smoked bacon, because I can’t taste anything else.} Glasses of Babcock Pinot Noir provided an earthiness that complimented the dish. Next was roasted veal chop, sliced and set atop coconut jasmine rice and steamed baby bok choi, dressed at table with a sweet green curry and coconut sauce. This was a lovely dish, the veal was moist and tender, and still slightly pink inside. The rice and curry elevated the veal’s delicate flavor, rather than burying it under a heavy sauce. Domaine Garand Cabernet Franc balanced the acid of the dish and provided a compatible background element. We parted ways again at dessert. Bill had the cinnamon donuts with cafe au lait creme, paired with Madeira. He had reservations about the dish before he tasted it, but once started he couldn’t seem to get enough of it. My bowl of pomegranate sorbet with fresh macerated strawberries and blueberries was refreshing and satisfying. The Jorge Ordonez Moscatel worked with the fruit flavors, without overpowering or competing with them. We both concluded that this was the best meal we've eaten this year so far (we have a few more destinations on our reservations list this week), and one of the single best in memory. There was not a single mis-step, no over-salted or under-seasoned dish, no over- or under-cooked elements, among the ten dishes we had between us. In fact, there were many revelations, many moments of joy, many fun surprises in this dinner. We're already looking forward to our next visit. Chef Conte is certainly an asset to the local dining scene, and his food is very much worth a special trip.

Our coffee this morning was Sierra Madre Reserve from Equal Exchange (after we pitched the Kona blend beans that were re-gifted to us--stale. ). With it we had spaghetti a la carbonara (Tinkyada brown rice pasta, farm eggs, and bacon).

I think the title of Tom's blog about the finale, Bait-n-Switch, explains a lot. He felt that the editing of the finale episode did not reflect exactly what went down in terms of the dishes themselves and the deliberations. It's an interesting read.

Head cheese!!! Head cheese!!! Head cheese!!! It's on the Lickety Split menu, and it is delicious!

I'd read about the shortage on line, so I was surprised to see a large display of canned pumpkin at the Springfield Whole Foods on Sunday afternoon. (I have a few cans of organic pumpkin pie filling in my pantry that I bought by mistake a few months ago, if anyone wants them.)

Today the lobsters were $4.99/lb at H-Mart in Annandale, and they had plenty. They also had decent-looking corn on the cob at $0.20/ear.

I stopped by the H-Mart in Annandale this afternoon, and they had Vita Coco coconut water for $0.99 per 11 oz box. They had plain as well as 3 flavors. According to the sign, the sale runs through Dec. 3.

According to the blurb on Open Table, Blue Duck Tavern is offering a buffet on Thanksgiving Day from 10:30 to 3:30, for $85/pp. I'm sure it's going to be great, but a little early to count as dinner for me. I wish they were offering a real Thanksgiving dinner!

Mr. Scotteem is on his way to Laos and Cambodia for a couple of weeks of R&R. Does anyone have any recent (past couple of years) experiences, good or bad, with any dining establishments in those parts? Thanks!

I ventured out to Harris-Teeter in Annandale this past weekend, where I found Betty Crocker's new GF mixes: chocolate chip cookie, brownie, yellow cake and chocolate cake. I tried the cookie mix, and while it was a lot sweeter than I expected, it was tasty and even my non-gluten-sensitive spouse and friends liked them. It makes more of a crisp cookie, which is fine with me. I've also found recipes on line for flourless peanutbutter cookies, but haven't tried those yet. I'm not much of a baker and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but it's nice to have cookies or brownies occasionally.

Cmmp, I hope you'll report back how things went with your friends. I've been eating gluten-free for 10 months now. While I have not yet tried the GF bread at Restaurant Eve, I know it's available with a day's notice. Many of their dishes are already gluten-free, and the kitchen is willing to make some accommodations (one day at lunch I had sweetbreads without the dusting of flour, for example). If you order coffee, remind them not to put the biscotti on the saucer. We had a lovely and safe dinner at Vidalia for our anniversary. Just this last Sunday we had a delightful and safe dinner at Dino. Dean and his kitchen staff have re-worked the wild boar sauce so that IT is GF, and they will serve that and any of their other GF sauces over polenta on request--and the polenta was delicious! Blue Duck Tavern has been very accommodating on recent visits, where the chef marked up a menu for me with what was "safe" (OK, he missed one or two obvious dishes, but I was alert for that). All of Jose Andres's restaurants have special printed menus for special diets, including GF. At Zaytinya they served me slices of cucumber for the hummus and baba ganouj spreads. Chipotle is safe, as long as you avoid the flour tortillas. I enjoyed the GF pizza and beer at Rustico recently. A word of caution, though: their menu states that they can make any dish GF. But what that means is they remove unsafe foods from the orders, so for example, the pan-roasted chicken breast with corn cous-cous, fried green tomatoes and goat cheese would become pan-roasted chicken breast with goat cheese. At least, that's how our server explained it. But the pizza and beer were good enough to let me feel a little bit "normal." I haven't tried much Thai food recently, so cannot comment there. Vietnamese is hit or miss, IME. I've done better at Present than Four Sisters, where many of my former favorite dishes are loaded with soy sauce. I had a very nice meal at Palena recently, until we got to dessert, which seemed to be "required" as part of the prix fixe menu (I would have happily eaten a salad instead). All of their desserts--at least the night we were there--seemed to have wheat. I wound up with a cheese plate with no bread or crackers (now I take my own crackers with me to restaurants). I had a nice meal at Passionfish, except that the grilled baby octopus was garnished with what seemed to be bits of toasted pita, which was not mentioned on the menu and not caught by our server. Ray's the Steaks was also very accommodating on a recent dinner, serving the Devilishly Good Eggs sans toast points. Our server was excellent at pointing out the hazards (no creamed spinach for me), and many of the dishes were safe without alteration. I hope this helps. I've been meaning to write these dinners up, but my chronic fatigue makes frequent posting pretty difficult these days. But what I've found out is that restaurants want their patrons to enjoy their food, and many are very willing to accommodate sensitivities.

Goya offers coconut water both ways: with and without added sugar. I buy the latter at Giant in my neighborhood, and I do think it's an acceptable alternative to the more expensive Zico. Zico can be found at Wegmans for a little less than the price at WF. Wegmans also has the Goya products. I can't remember if I found the sans Azucar type at El Grande, but I have not seen it at H-Mart, ever. Coconut water does contain a fair amount of potassium, as well as other electrolytes. It makes a great alternative to sugar-loaded sports drinks for hydration, and decades ago was used as IV fluid for hydration, being sterile straight out of the coconut. I know there are other health benefits, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.

Pat, I'm with you--I hate to make a fuss. I have sent food back recently that was inedible, to me. Once recently was at Bangkok 54. I used to eat there somewhat frequently and always ordered the pork belly, which I loved. Earlier this summer I returned after a long hiatus, ordered what I thought was the same pork belly dish, and it was so hot with chili peppers that I couldn't eat it--and it was NOT marked with their "hot" symbol. On the other hand, with my gluten sensitivity, it can be a safety issue for me. If a dish I order without gluten-containing components (such as toast points) arrives at table containing the problem ingredient, I have to send it back, as happened recently at RTS. It was a simple mistake, as a server (not the waiter who took my order) brought out the Devilishly Good Eggs with the toast. My waiter was right on her heels as I was asking her to take it back, and whisked it away saying "No bread." It was replaced with the correct order immediately. By and large, restaurant staff want to please their patrons, so that they will return and will recommend their establishments. If something isn't truly pleasing, most of them want to make it right, IME. I think it is important to be polite and reasonable, and not necessarily as much of a fuss as I might fear.

This is great news for Fabio, and for the Four Seasons. I only regret that he decided to stay in the Big Apple instead of returning to DC as many of us hoped he would do.

I'm not a fan of Montreal seasoning. Good beef doesn't need that much stuff on it. I find it overwhelming. And, I had a most wonderful dinner at RTS tonight. It washed away all the stress of this week.

Mark, Thanks for writing about this book. I'll put it on my list.

Steve, In addition to knowing specific ingredients to avoid when you have an allergy or sensitivity, you also have to consider the potential for cross-contamination. Most fried foods should be avoided, for example, because fish and shellfish are probably fried in the same oil as other foods. I'd be concerned also about cross-contamination from seafood-containing dishes being prepared or cooked in the same work areas or grills/woks/steamers as non-seafood dishes. Further, I read on line that fish and shellfish proteins can become aeresolized, so avoiding exposure to cooking or grilling areas where seafood is used is also important. IOW, no restaurants with tableside cooking. I should say that I am not allergic to seafood, but you have my sympathies. I have gluten sensitivity, so I know first-hand that navigating a restaurant menu can be tricky for anyone with a food allergy or sensitivity.

Today Wegmans had 1- to 1.5-lb lobsters for $6.99/lb, and 2-lbs+ for $8.99/lb.

Thanks, Chef, I stand corrected, and have corrected my post. And thanks a million times over for such a fabulous meal!

Mr. Scotteem and I celebrated our 34th anniversary Saturday night at Vidalia. That it was still RW there was a delightful bonus! I had mentioned my gluten-free restriction in the notes section of the Open Table reservation form, and our server was well-prepared and well-informed as far as guiding me safely through the menu (I had also studied the sample menus on line so that I could be prepared to ask questions and get clarifications, something I recommend anyone with a diet restriction do). Five courses for $45.09--what a deal! I started with the red waddle pork jowl rillettes with pickled okra, radishes, and creole mustard, sans country bread. I'm sure the country bread was far superior to the black rice flour GF bread I brought with me, but not worth the conseqences. The rillettes were fabulous! Mr. Scotteem enjoyed the cobia tartare with watermelon, key lime gelee and puffed rice. Next we both had the grilled octopus with avocado, red rubin, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and smoked chili vinaigrette. It was much better than the grilled octopus we'd had for lunch the previous weekend at Las Tapas in Alexandria, and we both agreed that we could eat several more plates of it in succession without tiring of it. Nice grilled flavor, tender meat with just a little resistance, and perfect accompaniments. Mr's next course was potato-crusted Alaskan halibut with ??? gnudi and pine needle bordelaise. He was enchanted by that fish! I enjoyed the shrimp and grits, which were superlative, with shrimp chorizo and heirloom onions--truly delicious! Fourth course for Mr. was roast lamb loin (?) with okra (smoked/grilled?) and fig moutarda, which he pronounced perfectly cooked. Also perfect was my Red Waddle braised pork jowl, with crayfish, okra, guanciale and etouffee. It was nice to be able to enjoy the etouffee, which was made with rice, rather than the flour roux I was expecting.(the server double-checked before taking my order). We're not dessert lovers, and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, which was fine because Mr.'s Cream soda parfait with cherry compote and star anise cruller and my Meyer lemon goat cheese Bavarian with blackberries and candied black olives were the perfect amounts and just the right level of sweetness. I loved the candied olives, imparting a salty/sweet flavor and slightly crunch texture, and I barely missed the olive oil genoise that was omitted for me, though I'm sure it's delicious, too. The sommelier steered us to a lovely white wine (I don't know what it was) that matched well with our first 3 courses. I wish I had taken notes as well as pictures, but I was too busy enjoying the meal. Thanks, Chef RJ and staff, for a really memorable dinner! Edited to correct fish and etouffee ingredients!

Hear! Hear! Many happy returns of the day, Don!

Anybody know what "The Big Daddy" is on the menu? Anybody tried it?