ScotteeM

I went to Myanmar today with a friend. Service was as described. I had the ginger salad and LOVED it! So many flavors working together, just the right amount of each, and a variety of textures, too. I then had the squid with ham and shrimp, and although I asked for it to be "medium" spicy (at the server's prompting), it was a bit much for me. My friend had the squash fritters, which we both loved, and a shrimp dish that I can't remember right now (notes have disappeared from my purse), and she enjoyed it. We cruised past the Great Wall: door closed and plastered with building permits--doesn't seem quite open yet. I'm probably returning to Myanmar tomorrow, because I'm meeting another friend who is a vegetarian, and their menu seems pretty vege-friendly. I'll have to save Peking Village's Chinese menu for another week, but coworkers are intrigued by the idea. ScotteeM

I looked through the Fine Living schedule, and found that the Merkado episode (#409) of Opening Soon will air again this Friday, 8/26, at 3 am EDT. I set my DVR. ScotteeM

I managed to get away from work to attend the lunch that John B organized for today. I'll sum it up in one word. WOW!!!!! The aforementioned beef jerky was one of the 4 appetizers we consumed. I thought it was delicious. So were the salty duck, the smoked fish, and the hot spicy oil chow foon. John B waxes rhapsodic about all the food, including the entrees. I'll just say that I loved everything! The scallops with Chinese squash were exquisite. The Chen Tsang Beef (?) was fun and delicious. The garlic shrimp was wonderful, and the General Tso's duck was unbelievably fabulous. OK, I'm running out of superlatives, and I haven't even mentioned the stir-fried eggplant, which was crisp-fragile like glass on the outside and smooth like a custard inside. As I said before, WOW!!!!! ScotteeM

Leftover crab imperial pan-seared skirt steak steamed (microwaved) corn on the cob leftover mashed potato salad The dogs had raw chicken wings, and they are very happy! ScotteeM

Barbara, I am so sorry for your losses! I hope that Craig does get decent birthday celebration. And please don't keep us in suspense--let us know how the scallops dish turns out, if you do make it. A recipe wouldn't hurt, either. Hang in there, and I hope the next year is better for both of you. ScotteeM

Andrew, I hardly knew ye! Best of luck on your family's relocation! Our loss will be Boston's gain! Sorry I never got to know you in person. ScotteeM

Sounds pretty yummy to me! Thanks, ScotteeM

Sunday night: Grilled pork loin marinated in mojo (sour orange marinade) Yellow rice Grilled corn with lime & cotija cheese Avocado & corn salsa Fava beans sauteed in butter & tarragon ScotteeM

I finally talked Mr. S into lunching at TemptAsian today, and boy was he surprised! He'd never had the scallion pancakes, but when I tried to order them, the server said they were "out of them". I started looking at the menu again and he pointed to Triple Stuffed Tofu as an alternative on the dim sum menu. We ordered that, the Spicy & Sour Baby Wontons, the Tong Po Pork, and the Salt & Pepper Shrimp (from the pages in the back printed in color). The triple-stuffed tofu is not something I would have gravitated to on the menu, but in the end I was glad we got that instead of the pancakes. Much as I love the pancakes, the tofu dim sum was a real revelation. It was a thin layer of tofu wrapped around sticky rice, diced mushrooms, and meat (pork? beef?). The flavors were intricate and deep, and we almost fought over the third piece, finally splitting it down the middle. The baby wontons made our eyes water just a little--we're both wimps when it comes to hot peppers. Again, the richness and depth of texture and flavor we got biting into the wontons was thrilling--and we love those little dried shrimp! The salt & pepper shrimp were in the shell, head on, deep fried in a salt batter with sliced fried garlic and a bed of chili pepper slices on the bottom. It was beautifully presented on a bed of lettuce, and perfect for us because I could skip the peppers and Mr. S could add them to his. The Tong Po Pork was a surprise. I'm sure the menu says it is with pine nuts, but there wasn't a pine nut in sight. It matched the photo earlier in this thread--a beautiful presentation of the terra-cotta-shaded pork belly and sauce in the center of the plate, surrounded by bright green steamed broccoli, and snowy steamed buns around the border. Pork belly is not something that Americans tend to think of as edible, let alone healthy (although we have no problem with bacon). Mr. S was hesitant at first, but I showed him how to cut straight through with the edge of the fork (OK, we're chopstick wimps, too, although we both can handle them), getting some of each layer with a little of the steamed bun. Yummalicious! I'm so excited that I may be able to attend this Tuesday's lunch there--my boss is out of town! I can't wait to try more dishes! I just hope you all won't mind wimpy me tagging along. Mr. S was eyeing all the plates on tables around us, deciding what to have next time. We just beat the lunch rush in at 12:15, and the restaurant filled soon after we were seated. With just about every table filled, I think we were one of only 2 non-Asian groups in the place. A word of caution: When we went, the Grand Mart was very busy, and the parking lot was a little intimidating. We managed to find a space on the periphery, near an exit, so we didn't have to sit for 10 minutes or so waiting to exit the lot. I also dragged Mr. S into Grand Mart, which he found a little claustrophobic, but impressive nonetheless. Funny--I usually do get panicked in places that crowded, but somehow GM doesn't bother me that way. Time for a nap after that lunch! ScotteeM

So you don't poach or weight them? It sounds easy and delicious! ScotteeM

Mr. and I had our first taste of veal sweetbreads nearly 29 years ago, on the occasion of our first anniversary, in a restaurant on South Street in Philly called "Wildflowers." We were hooked. Nearly 2 years later, Bon Appetit published a recipe in their June, 1978, issue for Sweetbreads Financiere. Even with the limited availability of ingredients back then (in Ann Arbor), we tried the recipe and loved it. Twenty-seven years later, my copy of that issue is yellowed and grease-stained. Now that we have access to wild mushrooms (unheard of in 1978-era Ann Arbor), the dish is even more wonderful. And with Wegmans carrying sweetbreads fairly frequently (a good thing, since our previous source had been the French Market in Georgetown, so we went a while without them), we are eating them more frequently. Aside from a couple of recipes in a cookbook from a restaurant in Philly called "The Frog," which are wonderful, we are at a loss to find any other recipes. I want to branch out and try other sauces and cooking methods. Anyone willing to share recipes you might have tucked away for these delicate morsels? ScotteeM

After reading this thread, I picked up a tri-tip at WF in Springfield this week. It weighed about 1.25 lbs. I kept it very simple on the grill, and we loved it. Mr. and I are skirt steak fans, and this is a nice alternative, for variety. I spotted the 3-lb tri-tips at TJs. That would be too much for 2 of us, but maybe would leave us some great fixings for tacos another night. I'll check Wegmans next time I'm out there. ScotteeM

Today I made dinner for my m-i-l, probably the 4th time in 30 years (she thought I couldn't cook and would never let me ). She's been very ill, so I expected her to take a few bites of some of the items I cooked. In fact, she tried every dish, and went back for seconds, and made sure I tucked containers of leftovers into her fridge before we left. Our menu was: Shrimp cocktail Crab Imperial (recipe from O'Donnells, which used to be in Bethesda--I think it's gone now) Pan fried chicken (combo of John Shields recipe and my favorite from Wolftrap Picnic cookbook) Mashed potato salad Corn pudding Green Beans with Smithfield ham & peanuts ScotteeM

Thanks for that tip! At this rate, I'm going to have to negotiate with my boss for a longer lunch break. ScotteeM

This is a very timely report for me. Thank you for posting it! My place of employment moved in June from Springfield (near Dragon Sea Buffet) to Arlington Boulevard 2 blocks east of Gallows Road--right around the corner from Peking Village. I've ordered carry out for lunch a few times from them. I have to confess that, while I appreciate the depth and nuance of well-seasoned food, my body does not tolerate seasonings in the higher Scoville ranges. Some dishes, however, are so good that I can't stop eating them even though I know I should. I'm glad to know there's an alternative to the standard menu. I'd heard that they have very good salty chicken wings, so I ordered those on my first try, along with their cold sesame noodles--neither marked on the menu as hot. Both were rather pronouncedly so, but they were both so good that I ate them anyway. I later tried the wings without the 30 or so diced peppers and they were still very good. The lunch specials on their standard menu are, well, standard, though the ingredients have been noticeably fresh and not overcooked. The soups on the standard menu have been disappointing to me. Next week I'll try to stop in and ask for the yellow menu, and order from that for lunch. And I'll be sure to report back. ScotteeM

I have to say that I found THIS site by following the link from Chowhounds to Kliman's article. I was deeply troubled by the post that I think Joe was responding to in his Last Post. His last post was extremely eloquent , well-written, and well-reasoned. The Flame that occurred on the Chowhounds site, to which I think he was responding, was not. I actually entered a response to something on that thread, and I see that my post was also deleted. Yet the original, offending post remains. Oh well. I have to say that I'm glad I am here, and I am very glad that Joe H is here, too. I'm looking forward to fruitful and positive (not necessarily always complimentary) discourse.

Mr. S and I just had brunch at the North Arlington restaurant. My "Virgin Mary" was very nice, spicy and smoky (chipotles?). I'm not a tee-totaller, just lots to do today in the heat. No Jicama in the basket--just chips. I think I remember having Jicama at the Del Ray branch--maybe it's just there? I was disappointed that the grill wasn't on for brunch, after reading all of the posts in this thread, but I tried the special Mexican Tamales. I haven't had a lot to compare them to, but they were very good, second only to the ones that a coworker makes at home and brings in for lunch sometimes. Mr. S had the Crab Quesadilla, and he said it was very good. The guacamole that came with both platters was delicious, as were the refried beans. I'm not much for their rice, but my husband enjoyed it. I'll have to go back sometime when the grill is on and try the Oaxacan pork and the grilled steak taco. I have had the fish and duck tacos on previous visits, and I enjoyed them. How is their mole? Scottee

I have been spoiled by Slavin as well. I will buy fish at Whole Foods if I can't get to Slavin. I've also gotten amazing mussels at Wegmans in Fairfax. Their fish is mostly cut in 6-oz portions, which just doesn't sit well with me, but the mussels have been great. Scottee (my first post)