Toogs

I am sure that it was more than just the skin that was a problem. I tend to think that Chef Ripert knows a little something about cooking fish. I don't think they were looking at local in exact sense, but more as the inspiration. Just look at all the other dishes, especially those that were praised.

I also think that his was a dish that could have been great a la minute but fails as a catering/steam table dish when the skin sogs. Also I just wanted to say something substantive so perhaps my post survives the nightly cull and now I can talk about Padma's boobs. Well I don't have much to say other than she inspires me to want to have children. Probably only with her though.

Mods, feel free to poop on me for this, but I think it's important to note in this thread that Ren's is open, rather than just have it in the Kilman thread. I have never read him and don't care who he is, but since the "news" that it closed was out, it seems sensible to note that error in this thread.

I'm at Sea-Tac waiting for my flight home after a week of Seattle and the great outdoors. We didn't try a ton of places as we mostly cooked for ourselves at the cabins we rented (although two kinds of salmon, Dungeness, razor clams, halibut cheeks, alder smoked salmon (OK three kinds I guess), oysters, and a couple of Salumi salamis were noteworthy for home dining as well).

The great: Anchovies and Olives is a sort of Italian themed smallish plates for sharing type of place and the menu is loaded with seafood. Our crew tried about half of the menu and the standouts were the hamachi with pickled rhubarb and the bugoli with anchovies and loads of garlic and chilis. Everything we had was good though, and with a couple of bottles of wine and a round of drinks, full bellies were only about 60 bucks per person. The wine list was mostly Italian and we had a rose and a zin that were on the value end and perfectly fine. Maybe deanG can go and tell you about the wine list as I have yet to master the Italians. http://www.ethanstowellrestaurants.com/anchoviesandolives/

Fine: Peso's for brunch. My chicken fried steak with jalapeno gravy was good but a let down as it's their signature brunch dish, and I felt similarly about their house-infused seven pepper vodka bloody mary. I would go back but it fell short of "Best Brunch in Seattle" as it was advertised to the group by someone's friend. http://www.pesoskitchen.com/

Pike Place Market is obviously great with lots of tiny vendors and a small farmers market outside. The fish from the place where they yell and throw it across the room fed us as described above, and was amazing though obviously not cheap. Flavored pastas from one of the vendors there were not a let down even at 10 bucks a pound. We had the garlic and onion, and the jalapeno, some of which is coming home with me in a bag. Some Russian stuffed pastry was the star of our street food adventure, but I can't recall the name. You'll know it when you see it.

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

Le Pichet for charcuterie and French breakfast is worth a mention as well. Great coffee and a wide selection of pastries and charcuterie (tongue sandwich for breakfast anyone?) http://www.lepichetseattle.com/pages/menus.php

All in all a great foodie trip. I think I hiked 60 miles this week and still probably gained weight.

PS: the Full Sail beers, which I believe are from Oregon and have not seen in DC, are all great. Session, their bargain line, was the drink of choice in the cabins at a buck a beer (oddly 11 oz though).

Marathon, for gyros, is great. Cash only, best gyro I have ever had.

The aforementioned Franklin's is the only interesting full restaurant/bar within miles. Miles and miles and miles. And they brew their own beer.

Well I found out today that Udupi is closed.

wtf? Only my favorite Indian place.

Just wanted to see if the Food and Wine Festival this weekend at the National Harbor is worth the admission price. It's the 3rd year, so curious if anyone has any insight on the event in past years!

Thanks!

www.foodandwinenh.com/about.html

I volunteered one year and got to go to the second half of the day for free. It was fun, but I think it's a little overpriced at 69 bucks. Certainly not terrible. It was poorly organized in that the beer tent was not set up to handle the size of the crowd, and that made for a mess on the end of the pier.

Open now.

lol Manny and Olga's

Easily my favorite fast food.

Sounds good. Also it's farther from DC then much of what is stuffed into the Bmore box here. :-)

I keep meaning to try this place. I have walked by where this place supposedly is dozens of times. When I look over to where it is supposed to be I don't see it. granted, I have not walked in to the parking lot to look around for it, but where the heck *is* it exactly? Is there a door or awning that says 'Ren's Ramen'? Argh!

There is ample signage. Just scoot into the parking lot, you can't miss it. It's across from the parking lot entrance to the CVS. You cannot see the signs from either road though.

I dined here last night with this site's newest member, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was woefully ignorant of ramen outside of the bargain college dorm food variety until she suggested this place, so I enthusiastically agreed.

I had the Tonshio, she had the miso I believe. Complaints of too much salt did not show themselves last night. Both brothes were certainly salty, but not offensively so. The fatty pork and the egg were both must haves. I must figure out how to make eggs like that for myself. Gyoza were standard in flavor but nicely crisped on the outside.

Loved it, can't wait to go back.

I was skeptical as I approached. The glassed in taco counter in a gas station felt like a fish bowl. The taco al pastor, barbacoa, and enchilados (2 dollars each) were great. The pork in the al pastor was crispy on the outside with great seasoning. the barbacoa and enchilados are the same meat--a gamy lamb shoulder, but the enchilados is smothered in sauce and cream. My ignorant self knows barbacoa only from Chipotle, where it is stringy, greasy beef. This lamb was delicious. I forgive the two bits of bone I encountered.

Friendly service, and 8 other taco varieties to try before moving onto the tortas. I'll be back, but I will take 95 next time instead of Rt 1, since it's 30 seconds off the 95 exit for 175E.

Thanks for starting this thread, there is no way I would ever have noticed this place on my own.

I think CFA is largely overrated but the spicy chicken breakfast biscuit is perfect.

launches tomorrow

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-cooking_0530gd.ART.State.Edition1.297c27a.html

If you see them at a Farmers' Market, you know for sure that "farmer" isn't sourcing locally.

This was my first Korean BBQ experience, so I can't compare it to other places. That said, Honey Pig was a frakking blast. I am not sure of menu names or numbers or anything, but the stars were a boneless beef rib recommended by the table next to us (I only remember that it was half the price of the rib dish below it on the menu--which we almost ordered), and a beef and squid spicy dish in which they cook the stuff together for a bit, then serve you half of it, chop up the rest, and add rice and veggies and cook until it gets crispy. Nothing disappointed--the pig neck was plain, but good with jalapenos and dipping sauces, the spicy pork belly was the early favorite until the other two came later, and the dumplings and veggie pancake were also tasty. Wash it down with a couple Hites (and it continues to crack me up that the beer choices are nameless, and only end up being Big and Small) and a little too much soju, and it was a fantastic, and affordable night.

I even liked the feel of the place, which someone described as industrial. Too bright, too loud/too techno/too terrible music, things I would normally hate, but it all fit and was tons of fun.

I've been meaning to get back here since the name change, and finally went for lunch today. They have a bunch of lunch specials for 6.95--7 meat options and just as many veg options including a "pick 3" veggies. I went with chicken tibs, and it was excellent. Today it came with gomen (kale) and misir wot (mashed spicy lentils) and injera. I also had a chicken sambusa, which was much more delicate and interesting than I was expecting.

For 7 bucks (ok 8.50 with the sambusa) it was a filling and delicious lunch, and with the veggies it was probably better for me than most of the crap I tend to eat at the midday meal.

They're in the Spring Salad at New Heights right now.

Cooked I hope, but that sounds weird.

This is my go-to pho, but last week I thought the broth was pretty lame.

Thanks. I drove by, the Island Liquors Taco Truck is called Frontera. Don't tell Rick Bayless.

I'm not seeing it, what's the controversy with him?

Looks like Redwood is one of the places in Restaurant Wars. And there's a chance I get to see an old roommate shakily delivering a course or two while trying not to (be caught) stare(ing) at Gail/Padma/Random guest cleavage!

This is the Tacqueria La Poblanita, up close to Jessup....right? I LOVE that truck. Their stuff is quite, quite good. My problem is that they only seem to be there during the day and never at night.

Now that I think about it, I think we are talking about two different places....Island Liquors, huh? Is that right before where northbound and southbound Rt 1 merge back together with no business median?

Yeah, Island is in, well, the island. I went all the way to elkridge looking for other trucks because I remembered you mentioning one.

Whole Foods had some (not quite what you asked I know).

I just got a report on my family's cabin in the middle of fiddlehead country, and they got very little snow and the black flies came in late april (as opposed to mid-late may). so the season might be screwed up.