comestibles

On 3/3/2023 at 2:19 PM, saf said:

Thanks folks!

Anything in MD?

New Fortune, on weekends

I've found nothing on the internet that the Rockville branch is closed, but their phone is disconnected, and nobody has written anything about it lately. Anyone?

The place is not closed. Ownership changed hands in January and the place was closed for several months for remodeling. The name changed to Balkan Grill & European Grocery from its former Lezzet and the phone number changed also. It is now (301) 444-4430.

I wonder how many will be there during the day? The Yellow Cart is still sitting in front of my building and obviously not there.

At ~12:20p there were about 16-17 trucks. The Lobster truck was 50 minutes late in arriving. Lines look to average a 20 minute to 1 hour wait with District Taco and Lobster Truck having the longest lines.

@The Doctor "Yes, if someone goes tonight, please report back. I was thinking of stopping in tomorrow, but I wonder how they plan to sustain their operation for so long a time when they're usually out for only a few hours a day."

I asked the Lobster Guy if he was staying all day and would he have enough food. He said yes; he has about 240 lbs of lobster and is prepared. I imagine the other trucks are similarly prepared.

Anyone actually eaten here?

I've eaten there a handful of times, but not within the past year. I've had their tibs and siga wot platters, lunch portions - pretty tasty fare. Not a destination spot, but if you're in the area and want a quick, satisfying, light meal, this place hits the spot.

Just curious...has anyone tried buying Pei Mei's books from Chinasprout? They appear to be based in NYC at least, but I'm also curious which edition they're selling.

I bought a copy of Volume I many years ago but not from Chinasprout. I purchased it locally. The cover picture is different from the one shown in the link and my copy has 400 pages vs the 362 pages stated in the link. I didn't know that there were different editions.

I started off trying to go to Toan. the new pho place in Cloverly but it was dark with no hours sign on a Thursday afternoon at 12:05pm. I hope they either overslept or are closed Thursday as I have heard good about it. Anyone know?

I passed by Toan yesterday too around 1:30p and noticed the same thing; but I found out that they had an emergency that morning and was closed til later that evening.

Current special flavor is pumpkin pecan. Next up is eggnog, with a promise that it'll be spicy.

Eggnog is out. I don't know about spicy, but it's very, very rummy. Only a few more weeks for the pumpkin pecan.

I could have sworn that Royal Mile used to have haggis on the menu, but it doesn't show on the website menu.

Anybody else go? What were your favorites?

Stopped by yesterday for some lunch after my gym class up the street. This 'Taste' was larger than I can remember in years past. Had some tasty treats at Jaleo (chicken paella w/mushrooms, asparagus, red pepper?), Hanaro (a skewer of chicken tempura), Morton's (steak slider)[sliders were big this year]; Divino Lounge (Argentine paella w/chicken, sausage, duck, +some other meat); Honest tea. The two best value treats were at stands run by Black Finn Restaurant (classic slider - small cheeseburger, pot roast slider - a nice scoop of tender pot roast in a savory gravy topped w/horseradish sauce) @ 1 ticket each; Ruth's Chris Steak House (small plate of rare tenderloin w/scoop of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes) @ 3 tickets.

The entertainment was better than I can remember, especially those acts on the Dance Stage. A really fun time at this 20th Anniversay Event.

Now, this was a place I had spotted on a drive back from College Park, MD - the home not only of the Terps, but of Ikea as well. Located in a parking lot at the intersection of New Hampshire and E-W Highway, or Routes 410 and 650 in Takoma Park, it's easy to miss, but keep your eyes open and there she is...

Yes, La Preferida, womanned by two lovely ladies from El Salvador, was no doubt the find of the day. Since pupusas originally hailed from El Salvador, we ordered two pupusas revueltas, stuffed with pork, cheese and refried beans, along with two tacos de lengua, or tongue tacos. So we come full circle, as these two Jewish kids from Long Island are tongue lovers from way back - though I think my mom used to cook her calve's tongue in the de-flavorizer, and certainly didn't serve it on a taco, she started a life-long love of mine for one of the great organ meats.

And we watched as one of the ladies took a handful of masa and shaped and stuffed the pupusas delicately and with purpose. Onto the griddle to cook, Danny and I waited patiently for this not-so-fast food. It was worth the wait, as we drove away to find a shady spot (on Elm Street, no less) where we could enjoy the food. The pupusas were great, a little greasy, a little crispy around the edges, and meltingly tender. Like a great pizza, the cheese, pork and dough come together in each bite, even going so far as to burn the roof of my mouth.

And the tacos. Oooh, the tacos. Bursting with perfectly stewed tongue, topped with freshly chopped tomatoes, avocado slices, shredded queso fresco and served with a piece of lime and a bit of a green chili salsa hot enough to melt the floorboards of my Camry, these were better than any tacos I've had on the east coast. Though I don't think tacos are native to El Sal, these ladies sure know how to cook 'em. And I know I'll be stopping at this place as often as I can on my trips into and out of the district. Take a gander at these:

Per Weinoo's review, I checked out La Preferida today. I ordered the same items he did because I, too, love tacos de lengua and pupusas. The pupusas were OK, but the curtido was dryish with no taste of vinegar and absolutely no heat; the red sauce accompaniment was tasteless. Irene's pupusas are much better.

The tacos, however, were terrific. You get about 3-4 fajita-size strips of lengua, instead of the usual 1-2 tbs of diced lengua. The corn tortilla underpinning was a little unusual. This version was made fresh with what seems to be the same masa mix as the pupusas, so that when you picked it up, the bottom split in half and it was a real struggle to hold the taco together as you ate it. Nevertheless, these are the best tacos I've ever had and waaaay better than those at El Charrito Caminante.

I wanted to try the tamales too, since there were two kinds I had never seen before, but they did not have any tamales today. I'll have to return sometime to check those out. The truck serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open from 8a to 11p seven days a week.

Thanks for the pointer, Weinoo.

EPIC FAIL on a baguette from them last night.

Picked one up in the afternoon intending it for dinner, but while prepping dinner, I tore off the end, and after a few bites of the end (and a sample from the middle) tossed the baguette. Not crusty on the outside, overwhelmed with far more than a dusting of flour on the crust, and tasteless and doughy in the middle.

Without exaggeration, the "artisan" baguettes from Giant are better. One more chance, since others seem to like this place, but they're not on my happy list right now.

Anyone else tried the store recently, or their stand at the Bethesda Farmers Market, that can say whether I got a bad loaf or whether their baguettes just aren't good?

I went to their store a month ago at lunchtime for a sandwich. Got a pan bagnat and a baguette to go. The sandwich was on a stale 1/2 baguette. I attributed this to maybe a lack of customers and the 1/2 baguette was just lying around? The counter girl had told me that usually the place gets lots of lunch time carryout sandwich business from the Parklawn people down the street, but she didn't know what happened that day. Anyway, later on at dinner time, I tried the baguette, It was hard on the outside and dryish on the inside; VERY hard to pull apart or bite through - stale?? You could have used it to play cricket. And this from a French bakery!

Fair enough, I'll lessen my ire towards him and turn it towards vegetarians who demand to know how vegetarian friendly a steak house is.

Vegetarians don't necessarily seek out steakhouses. They may be a spouse or dining companion of a carnivore and merely want to know what their menu options are, if any.

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Also, as to comestibles' questions:

You can still edit posts. The button is next to "Reply" and "Multiquote" in the bottom right.

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Thanks. I see it now in my first post in the New Invision. But earlier I was exploring the new engine and did not and do not see that option for posts made pre-Invision 3.0.0.

Where is the edit function? Also, is the 'friends system' supposed to imitate Facebook or My Space? The 'personal conversations' feature seems similar to Yahoo and Gmail. UGH!!!

Thanks to Dean for organizing yesterday's 'burn' dinner. I enjoyed the way the spiciness of the dishes ebbed and flowed during the meal. I especially liked the crispy tofu skin and the complexity of flavors/textures in the pig intestine and liver/kidney dishes. All in all – a memorable meal.

For fans of Moti's Falafel Stand in the KosherMart, the place is now closed. Stopped by for a sharwarma today and was notified that the Stand is closed forever starting today.

DanielK said:

There's a report on Chowhound that Pampangueña Cafe closed recently. Haven't been able to verify.

I thought I heard that too, but I called them this morning to ask about their menu and someone answered the phone.

I awoke the other day with a craving for fried clams. For the life of me I can't conceive of a place in Mont County that would have anything decent.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Crisfield's has fried Cherrystones.

Sounds good. Where is it?

It is located at 18068 Ga. Ave, a couple of doors down from Mannequin Pis. Correction: It is take-out/delivery only, no eat-in. It is closed on Mondays.

So, I have a new job in Olney. Any good lunch/dinner options that haven't already been mentioned?

You could grab a couple of saltenas or empanadas for lunch from El Antojito. They serve platters too (including Silpancho), but I haven't tried them. They do carryout mostly with one or two tables for eating in. It's a small Bolivian mom & pop place.

Lunch here was not too bad. $4.99 for a falafel with (apparently) house-made pita. The falafel were huge and nicely fried, perhaps a bit gummy in the center due to the size but flavorful. The toppings "bar" had 4-5 toppings, but no evidence of tahini that I could find. They also do shawarma, and based on this visit I'll be back to give that a shot.

The falafel is not bad if made fresh. The lamb/turkey shawarma is pretty good, if a bit greasy. The tahini is that cream-colored stuff in the squirt bottle.

Yes, if there's room.

Have the much-anticipated Indian mangoes turned up in any local markets? If no sightings, rumors? Leads?

I just got a couple at Patel Brothers in Rockville. They are not Alphonsos; they are Kesars and rather small, about the size of Ataulfos. Probably available at other Indian markets.

Dear Server at Crystal City Jaleo,

I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, but I wasn't much inclined to after about three minutes into our interactions last evening.

After greeting my two girlfriends and I and asking if we had experienced tapas before, you patiently explained how tapas work...even after we had told you that we'd been to Jaleo numerous times. But then when taking our order of two tapas dishes each per your guidelines, and I ordered the bacon-wrapped dates and the patatas bravas, there was really no need to look me dead in the eye, raise your eyebrows and say, "Well! We're not watching our weight tonight, are we?"

............

And finally, when my friend says right off the bat that she is an Arena Stage staff member and politely presents her discount card and business card, there's really no need to give her a hard time about using it, joking how it will affect your tip. It's your attitude that is affecting your tip, buddy. Do you not appreciate the extra business that Arena Stage has brought to your establishment by making a temporary home in Crystal City?

Luckily, the food was delicious and it was convenient to run off to the show after we got the check. But next time? We'll be down the street at McCormick's, where the food isn't revolutionary, but the service is friendly...or at the very least, not rude!

I hope you at least stiffed that waiter!

Yesterday I hit Pho 75 on 355 in Rockville for lunch, thus completing my head-to-head taste test of Pho Nam on Shady Grove Road vs. Pho 75. While Pho Nam was not bad at all, the flavor of the pho at Pho 75 is more refined; "smoother" tasting, if you will. The various flavors seem to meld better with each other, as if it's been simmering all day vs. just a couple of hours. Service was quicker, too.

My comparison test also revealed that the unpleasant reaction I experienced soon after my last few visits to Pho Nam must be due to something in their recipe, and not some kind of allergy to pho itself. It almost felt like my blood pressure was being raised; sort of like hot flashes. I would not describe it as distressful, but it was quite unpleasant and lasted for at least an hour or two after eating at Pho Nam. Thankfully, I did not have the same reaction after eating at Pho 75. Does this happen to anyone else after eating pho? It's a very strange feeling...

One last thing - I ordered the Vietnamese coffee at Pho 75, and was utterly perplexed by the presentation: the tall glass filled with ice with a spoon in it and the small drip coffee maker placed on top of the coffee mug, slowly dripping the coffee onto the off-white sugary/syrupy glob at the bottom of the mug. I ended up dumping the whole thing into the glass with ice. I was able to stir it after letting some of the ice melt and it was tasty, but I ended up making a terrible mess. So I'll look like less of an abject fool next time, can anyone enlighten me as to the correct way to assemble this beverage?

I do not recall having your reaction to pho at Pho Nam. I generally don't care for their broth though because it tastes "sweet". Not sugar sweet, or sweet as in having simmered beef/pork/chicken bones for a long time - but artificially "sweet".

Vietnamese ice coffee - you stir the condensed milk (sugary glob at bottom) in the coffee and pour it over the ice in the tall glass. You can stir again if you wish. I usually get the "hot" coffee. They just give me an empty glass and a pot of hot water with the coffee. I stir the condensed milk/coffee and pour it into the empty glass and add more of the hot water to the glass to the desired consistency.