porcupine

Choirgirl21, the fish and chips we loved so much was Sveitagrill Míu - Mia's Country Grill - Local Fish & Chips near Skogafoss in Skogar (see screenshot).

I second Tweaked's recommendation of Bergsson Mathus. You can sort-of put together a picnic from Ostabúðin (Skólavörðustígur 8, 101 Reykjavík). Get a piece of the hot-smoked goose, it's fantastic. And bring back a piece for me. (joking. mostly.) We also really loved Sandholt bakery. But it was two years ago that we were there.

I think you'll be near the famous greenhouse that grows so many tomatoes. It was mildly interesting with a decent cafe for lunch. I would have liked it more if I could have gotten an in-depth tour of the physical plant, but it is amusing to see how they grow warm-weather crops.

Honestly, go for what's fresh and simple, particularly fish and lamb.

And be sure to post here after.     Góða ferð!

Last night was my first attempt at feijoada, served with rice, collards, farofa, and orange segments. Not bad, but I need to assemble a larger variety of smoked/cured/dried meats before trying again.

20 hours ago, Finatic said:

I live in Virginia just outside of DC.  Liquor is significantly cheaper in DC than Virginia.  Virginia has state run liquor stores.  Virginia ATF agents have been known to sit in unmarked cars at DC liquor stores looking for VA license plates, then following them across the bridge.

17 hours ago, Simul Parikh said:

Yeah - what can they actually do to you?

§ 4.1-311. Limitations on transporting lawfully purchased alcoholic beverages; penalty.

A. The transportation of alcoholic beverages lawfully purchased in the Commonwealth in excess of the following limits is prohibited except in accordance with Board regulations:

1. Wine and beer, no limitation.

2. Alcoholic beverages other than wine and beer, three gallons, provided that not more than one gallon thereof shall be in containers holding less than one-fifth of a gallon. If any part of the alcoholic beverages being transported is held in metric-sized containers, the three-gallon limitation shall be construed to be 12 liters, and not more than 4 liters thereof shall be in containers smaller than 750 milliliters.

B. The transportation of alcoholic beverages lawfully purchased outside the Commonwealth, within, into or through the Commonwealth, in quantities in excess of one gallon or four liters if any part of the alcohol being transported is held in metric-sized containers, is prohibited except in accordance with Board regulations adopted pursuant to this section.

C. Any person transporting alcoholic beverages in violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Code 1950, § 4-72; 1974, c. 460, § 4-72.1; 1975, c. 480; 1978, c. 436; 1993, c. 866."  https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter3/section4.1-311/

"§ 18.2-11. Punishment for conviction of misdemeanor.

The authorized punishments for conviction of a misdemeanor are:

(a) For Class 1 misdemeanors, confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both."  https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter1/section18.2-11/

Goat curry (used a recipe from 660 Indian Curries for braised lamb shanks); masoor dal (red lentils) with tomato and lime; carrot and peas in a sauce thickened with besan (toasted chickpea flour); saffron butter rice. 

Pães de queijo to start.

Set the timer on the rice cooker to 1850. Went to dish everything out, looked at the cooker, realized it was still set to EST. 

OOPS.

So dinner was a little delayed.

Does anyone here remember ShoeBox Oven and her pães de queijo? Well, I had some tapioca flour on hand and decided to try baking some. Ends up they are very easy to make, lend themselves to many variations, and the dough, portioned out, freezes and bakes beautifully.  They taste best when about 5 minutes out of the oven.

I think my freezer will never again be without them.

^Here's another tip: the early bird gets the worm. Stay on East Coast time, or something like it; the advantage is you'll get to your first trailhead before everyone else does, which means you'll be able to find parking. Also lines tend to form around 10am at the west entrance (north entrance less so, or so I was told), though we were there at the busiest time of year (spring break).

Don't know how much hiking you like to do but for shorter hikes we particularly enjoyed 49 Palms Oasis and Pine City. We tried to do the newish Maze loop but it was closed for a search and rescue. Not for the first time, either. Take good maps.

Julian

Pie. If you like pie, if you like road-tripping, make a detour to the little alpine resort town of Julian and get (apple) pie at any one of half a dozen pie shops. How Much Apple Pie Can You Handle?

Between Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and 29 Palms, there are a few restaurants serving decent food, but only one place worth making time for: La Copine. Limited hours, so plan ahead. This was the culinary highlight of the trip. To be fair, I heard good things about 29 Palms Inn, but never got there to try it for myself. Also, Country Kitchen serves a good diner breakfast; the specials board lists a bunch of Cambodian dishes which I would have loved to try, but we never got back to town from the park in time (they close at 3).

Joshua Tree Coffee Roasters has a nice operation going, but the beans are seriously over-roasted. I found even their lightest roast hard to swallow. YMMV and all that. Bless them for being there and trying. The only drinkable coffee I had in five days was the La Colombe served at La Copine.

As others have noted, bring snacks, lunch, and plenty of water with you into the park. Lots of nice spots for a picnic lunch. The hiking is great.

Mr. P and I spent a little time in San Diego recently. Recommendations: Juniper and Ivy for dinner, Extraordinary Deserts for anything, Herb and Eatery for breakfast, Devil's Dozen Donut Shop for when you just give up and decide to eat your way across the city, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters for your nth cup, City Taco in North Park for delicious and creative tacos, Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream for an ice cream flight (single small scoops in mini waffle cones), Wow Wow Waffle because wtf you're so over the top at this point, why not keep going? Craft and Commerce for nosh at any time. And the Saturday farmers market in Little Italy is outstanding. Is San Diego underrated as a food town or do we just not talk about it enough here?

If style is important look at m0851. Frankly idkh anyone can carry a daypack without a hip belt, but whatever.

I did just go through this exercise, but with different goals. I bought a Deuter 28L bag, and just got back from a week of day hiking in the desert with it. Makes 20 pounds feel like 5. I love it.

19 hours ago, thistle said:

True, but if you’re not making homemade, add some heat. & I always have jarred mayo, Hellman’s olive oil (nice plastic jar you can turn upside down to get out the last stuff). I’d like to see who only makes homemade mayo these days.

C'est moi. And I love mixing it with sambal oelek.

We have a lot of info on Lisbon in the Portugal thread, but has anyone been to the Azores (Açores)? Interested in hearing any tales and recommendations, with the caveat that he doesn't drink and I can drink at most a glass of wine or a beer every two or three days, so I won't be going on a vinho verde binge.

Map

Nothing like last-minute planning... I'm attending a meeting in the Keswick neighborhood today. Mr. P is going to drop me off, then go hang out somewhere, then we'll meet for lunch. Question is, where? We go to Artifact and Woodberry Kitchen every few months, so something other than these would be good. Open to any price/cuisine.

Also, where can he go to spend an hour while I'm in the meeting? He might go to the Walters, but would be happy someplace where he can get on the internet for awhile. Would Belvedere Square work?

Many thanks,

8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Did you know this off the top of your head?! If so, that's remarkable.

I did.

^https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2013/8/28/whats-the-difference-between-a-flat-white-and-cortado-august-2013

12 hours ago, Poivrot Farci said:

I don’t know exactly when the superstitious avoidance of nitrates became fashionable, but it probably has to do with faulty causation/correlation of cancer rates among those who eat cured meats.

The 1970s. Ralph Nader.

^Interesting. Last time I had a cortado at Grace Street (about 2 weeks ago), the barista actively sought my feedback; he was aiming for a particular taste profile. I thought he nailed it, with a slight sweetness on a pleasantly bitter brew. Possibly he hadn't gotten it right when you were there. Or you had a different barista. Or we have different tastes (I find BB very good but not exceptional). There are so many variables that go into an espresso drink, it's easy to go wrong.

FWIW I was texting a friend a few days ago about cortados. The only places I've tried that make good ones correctly, consistently, are GS, Filter (Dupont location only), and The Wydown. If you try those or know of other places, report back, please! 

Yeah... apologies, Don, the last four posts should be moved to the Grace Street Coffee thread. And then this one should be deleted.

20 hours ago, funkyfood said:

Not to derail the thread, but I had a pretty underwhelming experience at Grace Street Coffee too.

Bummer. 

9 hours ago, jondagle said:

I recently went to the new-ish "Grace Street Coffee" south of the canal. I had a cortado which was among the worst I've ever had. Terribly bright, with no sweetness. They seem to be serious about coffee but I couldn't recommend it based on my visit. Baked n Wired or BB would be a much better choice. 

Interesting. I don't doubt what you say, but Grace Street is my favorite coffee shop, largely because it's one of only three I know of that consistently produces an excellent cortado (my espresso beverage of choice, and one easily messed up). The other two are Filter (Dupont location) and The Wydown. There are so many variables involved in producing an espresso drink that even a great shop bombs once in awhile.

"Lay is transitive; it requires that the verb have an object; there has to be a thing or person being placed: Lay it down. Lie, on the other hand, is intransitive. It's for something or someone moving on their own or something that's already in position..."  --Merriam-Webster

"...the distinction is simple: Lay needs an object—something being laid—while lie cannot have an object."  --grammarist.com

"lay = put someone or something down

This is a transitive verb, meaning that it’s followed by a direct object (the person or thing affected by the verb).

lie (1) = be in a horizontal position on a surface.

This is an intransitive verb, so it’s not used with an object"  --oxforddictionaries.com

"The verb lay means ‘to put something down carefully in a flat position’. It must have an object... Lie is a verb which means ‘to be in or put yourself into a flat position’"  --- cambridge dictionary

It's a bit far, but there's Little Red Barn in Jefferson.  Much better ice cream and larger space but no food selection at Rocky Point Creamery.

20 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Every *suitcase* should also (and many are beginning to). I agree about nightstand lamps, too.

er, don't be too quick to jump on that bandwagon...Some Airlines to Start Banning Smart Luggage This Month

Once a year or so I make a dish from Frank Ruta that the Washington Post published many years ago: cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out the insides, coat in oil, roast upside down until tender, turn right side up, add salt, pepper, butter, and an egg to each half, return to oven and bake until egg sets. There's a hot pepper in there somewhere, too, and some shaved pecorino Romano, and sage. The actual recipe was a bit more nuanced than that, iirc, but this is basically it.

Despite having sworn off writing about restaurants, I have to write about Garrison. I was there for brunch and it was nearly empty, and I really don't want to see this place close due to lack of business. Granted it's a bad time of year, and the weather's making things worse, but still the waiter said that Saturday brunch hasn't been drawing a lot of customers.

Please go. Pleasepleaseplease.  We go every three months or so, and would go more often if we lived anywhere nearby.  I have been impressed by and enjoyed every dish we've ordered. They're conceptually interesting and very well executed, the ingredients impeccable.

And for those who like Scandinavian foods, there's always something Danish on the menu. (The chef's wife is Danish. Or maybe it's the owner's wife. Somebody's wife.) Today it was a smørrebrød of mushrooms in madeira cream on house-baked Danish rye, as well as æbleskiver.

Don't let this excellent restaurant die.

No connections to Garrison in any way,