Choirgirl21

Yes, the other 2 dishes were fine although some of the cauliflower in the aloo ghobi was undercooked because the pieces were larger than others, but nothing was outstanding and the chicken was a total disappointment, because of the dried out meat, the overly oily sauce and the small quantity of chicken swimming in the oil slick. Overall, it just wasn't anything close to a $40 meal. As for chicken drying out quickly, I've had the chicken tikka masala in the buffet many many times and have never found the chicken dry so I think it's pretty safe to say this was a problem with the kitchen. I did notice that the chicken had holes in it from being skewered and seemed to be small pieces of white meat chicken. I've never noticed that with the buffet chicken and if I recall correctly, remember the chicken in the buffet being pieces of dark meat chicken. Perhaps they feel that the white meat is an "upgrade" for the dinner orders, when really precooking small pieces of white meat chicken in some manner ahead of time (tandoori maybe?) and then putting it in the sauce results in much drier meat than dark meat pieces that have been braised in the sauce. This is pure speculation on my part, but I'm pretty sure my memory is correct on the differences in the meat between the buffet and the entree.

I realized I forgot to post after my trip last year. I did go to Suzanne based on the above recommendation and we really enjoyed our meal. It is perhaps trying a bit too hard to be a fine dining experience, but our dishes were outstanding and we enjoyed a lovely Heart & Hands pinot while we were there. We also had an outstanding group meal at Stonecat (8 of us in total) keeping it again as my favorite restaurant in the area. Unfortunately this year our dining experiences weren't as rewarding. We went back to Red Newt on Friday evening to learn that since our visit 2 years ago, the chef had left and the owner was now in the kitchen again. The story we were sold was that they had decided to return to their roots and revert to a bistro style menu. Instead of the previous menu that offered many small and large plates of outstanding and beautiful food, we were presented with a small menu containing a few small plates, about 3 large plates (a pasta, a gnocchi, and a pork chop), and grilled cheese with a few options for filling additions. They also offer a tasting of their "favorite" menu items along with small pours of 4 wines for $25. The tasting plate, which one person had, included a square of grilled cheese, a shot glass of tomato soup, a bit of one local cheese, a bit of a pork pate, a small black bean cake with some sort of riesling sauce and a small portion of kale salad. Grilled cheese got ordered by quite a few people and reports were that they and the tomato soup were good, if basic. The gnocchi, which I ordered was another popular item. Both the gnocchi and the cream sauce it was served in were surprisingly light and I really enjoyed it. The ground sausage promised in the menu description was sparse, but there was also kale that had been added at the end and was just wilted that was nice. Carrots and sliced fennel were a nice addition, but chunks were often too large and too raw so some of those got pushed aside. The other disappointment was that their by the glass wine list now includes only their own wines. I was able to find a dry riesling (the 2012 reserve at $11/glass) that I enjoyed once the server and I got it straightened out that she had poured me and my friend the wrong wine (she started to tell me how riesling had a fruity component that makes it taste sweet when I asked her how they could call what she had poured a dry riesling, but when I pushed her on whether the wine contained residual sugar she realized she had made a mistake and poured us one of the barely semi-dry rieslings accidentally). The cabernet franc wasn't as enjoyable, with an odd effervescence when first poured. On our previous visit we also sat on the deck, enjoying the beautiful view and weather. This year we were unfortunately seated inside (I don't recall if they just moved tables outside for us last time, but this time we only saw round 4 tops so we didn't ask to be put outside like we would have liked as we were a party of 8). The inside is in need of a total redo. There is old dark carpeting, plain tables with no tablecloths, no decorations to be seen, and it's dark. It's a real disappointment when you can see what you could be enjoying if you were outside. Service was also much less attentive than I would have liked, but I can hardly blame our server as some in our party weren't exactly quiet about their disappointment when they saw the menu changes. Overall, some of us were more disappointed than others, partially because we had quite different expectations. I would probably go back there for a snack or light meal only if I knew I would be able to sit outside, but I think they have some work to do before becoming a destination restaurant again. Stonecat held its own disappointments for us as well this year. The biggest was that after we had been left to peruse our menu for quite some time and had already had a cheese plate delivered we were told that they were out of 3 entree items, including one of the 3 specials, as well as a dessert ice cream. With such a small menu already, those 3 menu items, which many of us had already decided to order were really missed. To the kitchen's credit, when they heard that 2 of the vegetarians had been planning to order the mushroom risotto again this year, they created an impromptu alternative, a thai dish with lots of fresh vegetables and tofu that at least smelled amazing, but by then, I think the damage was already done. I had been planning to order the duck confit and sausage dish, but that was also one of the dishes that was gone. There wasn't much that appealed on the remaining list and not wanting to spend $30 on a ribeye that I could potentially cook at home, I went for the scallop special despite my hesitation about the mixed berry sauce. I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce was more savory than sweet, but the berry flavor was very strong and not my style. The accompanying barley/spelt/pecan mixture and grilled squash were frankly boring accompaniments. Having seen the ribeyes that a few friends ordered come out cooked perfectly I wish I had just ordered one. The field greens salad with added chevre I had beforehand however was delicious. I think there's a ceiling on how good a salad can be, but Stonecat pushes the limits with theirs. The ricotta pie served with a berry sauce that I had for dessert was also delicious. Their wine by the glass list still has a nice selection and they continue to have interesting cocktails, some that deliver on taste better than others, but I recommend avoiding the Hector late harvest chardonnay if they happen to have it when you go. We also had some slight services issues and of course were told we couldn't sit on the deck because we were a large party (8 again) who would "ruin the flow" outside. It's understandable I guess, but it was torture to sit inside for the second night in a row seeing the fine weather and sunset view we could be enjoying. I've been to Stonecat enough times to know I will go back again, but unfortunately some in my party were turned off enough this time that they've decided they won't. It's a shame, especially since last year we were the party buying the kitchen a 6-pack because we were enjoying ourselves so much. Other meals included Seneca Harbor Station (after 2 meals here, it's just really not worth it, even for the dog-friendly deck or views), lunch at 2 Goats (the roast beef sandwich is still worth a trip, but this year I found the meat drier and a little less generous than usual), and lunch at a new spot, FLX Wienery. If you are in the area, GO! It's not too far up on the west side of Seneca, offering smoked hot dogs and white hots, housemade sausages, and burgers with various fun toppings. If you're having trouble deciding, there are also recommended topping combos that you can order with one or 2 meats. I went with one of those, "The Kraut" with the smoked hot dog and a housemade brat. When I placed my order and the girl asked me if it was going to be a problem that my order would take a few extra minutes because the chef was making the brats fresh at the moment I knew I was in the right place. We finished placing our order and sat to watch him stuffed the brats. The hot dog and brat arrived, both topped with stone ground mustard, fresh kraut, fried onions, and fresh herbs. The fried onions alone were outstanding and deserving of being ordered as their own side and the combination was nice with the brat. The smoked dog was so good that I mostly ate it alone with a bit of mustard and ketchup and did indeed eat those onions as a side. The poutine was also phenomenal. Thin cut fries that were perfectly crispy topped iwth an outstanding creamy gravy, cheese curds that appeared to have been grated to give them a finer texture, and fresh herbs that brightened an otherwise heavy dish. Even though the focus here is on the meat, I think it's worth going to have the poutine alone. If you are there, you MUST, and I do mean, MUST indulge in a milkshake as well. They often have a special or two featuring local berries (we had a taste of the blueberry as they were already out of the black raspberries when we arrived), but my friend opted for the bacon brown sugar and despite being ready to bust, we couldn't stop drinking it. The girl who took our order also mentioned her favorite, the salted caramel pretzel and I still remain a little sad that I didn't just go ahead and order it. When you're done, head up the road just a bit to Starkey's Lookout and take in the gorgeous view from their deck while trying a sample of their beers. I really enjoyed their belgian amber, the IPA, and surprisingly the pilsner, which had a hoppy quality and a citrusy brightness that I really enjoyed (prior to this I had never had a pilsner I enjoyed). The scotch ale and porter were also nice options. Avoid the tangerine wit unless alcoholic tang is your thing. I can also second Porcupine's comment about the coffee program at Glen Mtn Market. It's been my go to place for years because the coffee served with breakfast at the Seneca Lodge is basically water, but this year I noticed an improvement, even without knowing why. The biggest perk for me (pun intended, heh) was a macchiato on the menu that is actually a real macchiatto. They also make a delicious Americano with the proper ratio of water. While I didn't partake this year, if pastry is your thing, they always have a large selection of pastries as big as your head, including some vegan and gluten free options.

I ordered carryout for dinner for the first time earlier this week (until now, I have only gone to Curry Leaf for the lunch buffet) and unfortunately I have to report that I was disappointed overall. The chicken tikka masala was a giant oil slick and yet, the chicken itself was dry and sparse. I don't have any complaints about the aloo ghobi except that I asked if it was possible to make it with only cauliflower since I'm trying to cut back on the starch a bit and he said he would check, but then didn't and I got the regular thing. Not a big deal, but figured I'd mention it. The aloo tikki chaat appetizer was a first for me, 3 small potato cakes filled with a lentil and pea mixture and served in a chickpea curry. I really enjoyed this, but was disappointed to find that they had neglected to include one of the sauces, the mint chutney, which is imo the best one (the others that are included are the tamarind sauce and the raita). Overall, I was just unimpressed with the quality and quantity given how much I spent (almost $40 including a $3 tip). I think Curry Leaf is unfortunately going to remain a lunch buffet staple for me only.

In my neck of the woods, I love when I kind find wines I enjoy at the Total Wine in Laurel, MD but I realize that may not be realistic for a small distributor. In which case, I'd love to be able to find your wines at I.M. Wine in Fulton, MD. Perfect Pour in Columbia, MD might also be a nice option. And yes please on a DR tasting. I don't have the space to host it or I would offer. Maybe a DC (or MD ) restaurant would be kind enough to lend us a private room knowing that we'd likely patronize the restaurant afterward?

I only discovered Number 1 Sons a few weeks ago when they joined the Greenbelt Farmers Market. Count me in as a huge fan. I sit and eat their acapulco kraut by the bowlful and now I'm doing the same with my just acquired kimchi cukes. I love everything they make and I love that its good for me since it's all fermented. So happy to have this gem at my market.

Hi Alex, thank you for participating in this chat. Reading the list of criteria in Don's first post sounds like a dream come true. Those are essentially what I am always looking for and, at least in suburban MD have a tough time finding so I look forward to checking out your portfolio and seeing if any of your wines are carried in my area. A question regarding the oak aging - you said that you don't believe new oak has a place in wine, yet you mention that the traditional ways of wine-making are the way to go. Doesn't traditional wine-making have a history of using both new and used oak barrels? If nothing else, something has to go into those barrels to make them used in the first place, no? I do understand the desire to not have the presence of the oak overpower the inherent characteristics of the wine; just hoping you can expand a bit more on this topic. Jen

Don, I haven't been for some time now so I don't have any suggestions except to stop into One Line Coffee if you happen to pass it by and by yourself some beans. I am finishing up the dregs of a few packages of other beans over here and then I will finally be able to place an order with them (I wasn't allowing myself to order more until I used up what I have)!

I'll forgive you for this comment since we haven't had a meal together so you couldn't know with certainty that I can put down food like a champ. Have you been to Facci? That's another good option in that area next time you're considering meeting up with them. And you're welcome.

After my trip to Italy in April, Aperol and Campari spritzes are now a common occurrence here when the weather is nice enough to sit on my deck pre-dinner. Absolutely love them. By the way, when I went into Total Wine to pick up more Aperol and Campari I noticed Luxardo Aperitivo next to them. Has anyone had it? I'm wondering how it compares - it sounds a little more similar to Aperol by the description although one review I read mentioned it was even a bit sweeter than Aperol, but this one says it's a nice compromise between the two. Mostly wondering if it offers anything the other 2 don't, or what you might put it in except a spritz? Luxardo Aperitivo

Well I'm not Pool Boy, but I've been many times. I like the food there a lot. The menu doesn't change much, but in some ways I suppose that's good as my favorites never let me down. Some of those include the ceviche, tuna tartare, pan-seared scallops, asparagus, and fried oysters. The filet and the lamb chops are also always delicious and a lot of the sides like the potatoes bravas, potato gratin, and spinach are solid. They also have a decent wine list. It's hard to keep track of their wine program. Several years ago they had an excellent sommelier in Julie Dalton, but she left to work with Terry Thiese in NYC and then landed at Wit & Wisdom in Baltimore. The last I heard (which may have been as much as a year ago), a server who has been there for a long time took over managing the wine list. He's not a sommelier but was often a part of our blind wine tasting groups so I think her influence remains to a small extent. Like the food menu, the wine list doesn't seem to change much, but I can always find wines that I enjoy. If you are thinking about prices in terms of MD suburbs, one would probably consider it pricey. If you think of it in terms of Maple Lawn, you wouldn't. I actually consider the portion sizes good to generous depending on what you order given that they're intended to be tapas, but prices are listed on the online menu so you can easily decide that for yourself. Typically if I go with a friend, we'll order 4 tapas between us, or if we're feeling feisty we might order 5. Decor is also nice and service friendly. All in all I'm a big fan of Ranazul. I'd go more often if not for the price point when you make a full meal out of it, including wines. I hope that's helpful.

I second this request. Also, what time of day is he there? I see a vet specialist in that vicinity and would be happy to incorporate a stop for bbq into my next trip.

BelGioioso has been available in my crappy Giant for years. I don't think it's anything special. Unless I'm confusing it with another product that has a very similar label.

Is there really no thread on Royal Taj restaurant here yet? I know HowChow has written about it in his blog, but I couldn't find a thread here. I was just introduced to Royal Taj recently when I headed there with a few friends for a weeknight dinner. The design itself is surprisingly upscale for an Indian restaurant, but the real draws are the excellent food and the incredible service. We started with complimentary chutneys served with something crispy to eat them on (papadum I think?). They were your typical chutneys - an onion & tomato one that had a nice bit of heat, the cilantro sauce, and the tamarind sauce - all delicious. After that, we shared the alu gobi, chicken tikka masala, and chicken korma, as well as their traditional naan and a naan that I can't recall the name for with coconut and an anise flavor (the only thing I didn't care for in our meal, but I am not partial to anise). I thought the food was exceptional, some of the best Indian food I have had across the board. But the kicker was really the service, incredibly attentive and they actually brought us a few items complimentary - the traditional naan and then, after we had passed on dessert, someone overheard me mention to the friend who had joined us who was new to Indian cuisine that she really should try gulab jamun and moments later, 4 dishes, each with 1 gulab jamun ball appeared at our table. I am definitely eager to go back and am even hoping to slip away for a long lunch some day when I am working from home to try their lunch buffet. Would love to hear what others' experiences have been here.

With the opening of Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel, MD I am getting the opportunity to try some of the Baltimore area food trucks. Last night I had the bbq brisket from Bistro Lunch Box and it was excellent. It had a really nice spicy kick to it and a lot of flavor in general. A minor nitpick, there were some fatty bits (the meat was pulled, not sliced) and I did find one bone in the meat, but I had the last order of the night and so he just piled a punch in a container for me so that may be the explanation for that. Certainly delicious enough that I will make a point to try more of their food. My previous visit gave me the opportunity to try T&J Waffles. I really enjoyed the bacon, egg & cheese waffle and felt they had a very good tomato soup. The grilled cheese w/bacon that I got to go with the latter was good as well, but I think I prefer a larger filling to waffle ratio than you got with the grilled cheese. I also wouldn't have minded even more crispiness to the waffle itself.

I don't notice a particularly strong flavor in the heavy cream fwiw. It tastes a little different, but then I would expect grass fed anything to. And here's another example of why I find SMC to be a bit of a mixed bag. I ordered mozzarella in addition to the muenster this time thinking it's time to start doing some tomatoes, basil & mozzarella now that tomatoes are showing up at my market and what do I get? A package of BelGioioso. Now that I look more closely, it's in the item description, but I didn't bother to look at the description, I just put the item in my cart because it never crossed my mind that the cheese wouldn't be theirs. Still grateful overall to have them available to me, but you definitely need to read product descriptions carefully.

Oh my god, I have done it: I had to clean the pan out and put fresh butter in at one point because it was getting too black, but otherwise it was easy to pull off and the result is freaking delicious. I did end up searing off the breast on my gas grill before dipping in flour & egg because I'm a perfectionist. Yes

They were labeled as being from somewhere in S.A. I believe. I'm thrilled to have found them, but now of course I'm experimenting again on execution day, which makes me nervous. But no, I am NOT going to make another test batch before then.

Hogo maybe, but Passenger? Although I realize that's still speculation at this point. Between the chef change at District Kitchen, Palena and Pabu closing and now this I have really become aware that I need to make more of an effort to get to places in a timely fashion instead of expecting them to always be around. Except that that's incredibly difficult when you don't have time for a social life.

So I went to Whole Foods at lunch to do the bulk of the remainder of my shopping for Saturday and guess what kind of pears they had?! Pat, I have to thank you because I didn't even realize they had specified a type of pear in the email because of how Google translated the message so had you not gotten curious, I wouldn't have the correct pears in my possession.

Yep. I happen to be working my way up to being a dog trainer (in my spare time ) and I have seen some really poorly socialized (and with poor genetics) puppies that have come from Amish farmers. In theory at least the animals raised by the Amish have access to pasture and don't live in feedlots and thus have better levels of omegas, etc. than CAFO meat would although the last time I asked the meat at the Laurel meat market was finished on corn. Huge digression. Pool Boy, thanks for the feedback, but I really am set with the SMC chickens. I did check Wegman's as well and they didn't have skin on. I want to test the recipe out anyway so I'm going to pick up 2 bone in breasts from Whole Foods today since I have to go there anyway and get a little extra practice deboning the breasts. I'm pretty adept at breaking down chickens, but I rarely remove the bones (why would you, at least in most cases? ).

Yes and no. They offer a lot of local and "artisan" products that are not their own. And I don't find what I enjoy is necessarily consistent across a category. I really like their muenster and dill havarti for instance, but dislike their swiss (boring), or see my comments about beef cuts above (more to do with how they cut them, I find their ribeyes are far too thin for my taste). Joe, I only really know Trickling Springs well and I believe they're quite similar in terms of the dairy (specifically milk/cream/etc) products that they offer, how they raise their animals, glass bottles, etc. Hopefully someone else can answer your question better in terms of other products - I don't really buy yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, etc. so haven't compared.

Agree with what Pat has said. I order from them primarily for the convenience of having farm fresh eggs (of which I eat a lot) delivered directly to my door, as well as high quality grass fed heavy cream (which I find keeps quite well in the glass bottles if it's kept very cold). I also happen to like their bacon quite a bit, and their breakfast sausage is decent as well. Some cuts of beef I prefer over others, but they're a good source for a few cuts that my farmers market vendor doesn't always have in stock - skirt, flank, hangar or flat iron (they also have an incredible price on liver if that's your thing, my dogs appreciate it ). Some things I find have ingredients I don't care for, or are over-sweetened (their lemonade for instance), other things I quite enjoy (the beet & cabbage kraut for instance). Certainly for convenience and overall quality of the product this is a really nice option for a lot of people, especially through the winter when many of the farmers markets are closed. And thank you Don, I'm happy to see SMC get their own thread. I hadn't thought to do it myself.

Thanks! I actually have a banana on my shopping list as well for just that reason, I just had to make do with what I found last night because it was the only day I had time to experiment. I did look at the pear & gorgonzola recipe that Joe posted (I think it was that one) as well as one I found for an apple & taleggio risotto and it looks like my best bet, in addition to trying to find the best pears and get them good and ripe is to add them to the risotto about 5 minutes before I anticipate it being finished. Who knew I would ever need to know so much about pears.

I live in Laurel, MD, but I've already pretty much exhausted the local options that meet my criteria for meat that comes from happy chickens so I ordered the chickens I plan to break down. I did check with Whole Foods, but my store only does bone in. Porcupine, I thought that as well regarding the nuttiness, but the chicken is cooked at 500 degrees so I didn't think there could be user error in terms of whether the butter browned! However, I didn't consider that more butter is added at the end, maybe that's where they went wrong. But yes, any piece of chicken cooked in a pound of butter is destined to be pretty freaking delicious I think.

Experiment completed: I had to settle on what I could find in terms of pears at Wegman's, but luckily I was able to find some ripe ones. I picked up a Bosc (I think it was a Bosc, it was green, could have been a Barlett I suppose) and a Red pear. They had both stracchino and tallegio so I was good to go there. My obbservations in case anyone is curious: -I diced the pear pretty finely, but it did not really break down. Think I need to add it earlier in the cooking process if I want that to happen. -The tallegio melted into the risotto much more nicely. The stracchino got stringy and while it did eventually melt, it left the risotto with a thicker consistency. -I found, somewhat surprisingly that I had a stronger preference for a particular pear than I did a cheese. The red pear was noticeably sweeter than the bosc and I strongly preferred that in the risotto. I initially really preferred the taleggio, but as I kept eating I found they were closer than I thought. Still the taleggio gets the edge, both for consistency and because with the tallegio I can clearly taste both the cheese and the pear. I think the stracchino overpowers the pear a little although with every additional bite of the stracchino version I became less certain. -I wonder if I shouldn't have used chicken stock. I'm thinking of diluting the stock about 50/50 when I make the real thing. Any thoughts on this? The flavors are pretty delicate so I'm wondering if the pear especially would come through better without as much stock. -I have no idea if any of these taste like what I had in Rome. -There is a good possibility I'm going to be sick from eating so much risotto. ETA: I know my risotto is a little stiffer than it should be. I cooked the risotto in one pan, then had to get it in 4 separate dishes to add the pear and cheese and mix them and with the time that took, more liquid got absorbed. The consistency of the rice was perfect though, I think. I am a fan of carneroli rice.