Flavortown

Againn is doing some cool stuff for St. Patrick's Day: raw bar is turning into a Guinness station; Guinness, Kilkenny, Irish Coffees, and Irish Old Fashioneds $5 a pop, and a bunch of food specials including Guinness braised lamb shank and corned beef and cabbage. I'm planning to get there early (between 5:00 and 5:30) in the hopes of securing a seat at the bar before the masses show up. Anybody in the mood for celebration (or at least lots of food and drink) is more than welcome. Edit: And feel free to shoot a PM my way if you'd like to join so that I can try to stave off the hordes and reserve a few extra seats.

Gave that brew a shot the other night after work -- it was pretty damn delicious.

Thanks for the reply Dave. That's right, I've currently got the stamped Forschner. It's funny, I've read all the reviews about how it's such a great value for the money, but the thing just feels so flimsy... The main reason I've been leaning toward Wusthof is simply trepidation when it comes to caring for Japanese knives, and uncertainty as to exactly how much better they are than their German counterparts. I've spent some time researching Japanese options, but there are so many within each price bracket that it seems almost impossible to decide. Not considering price (since the Wusthof is available for under $80), will an entry level Togiharu really blow the Wusthof away by that much?

Time to dust this thread off and put it to use once more... I'm looking into buying some new knives. I've been working with a Forschner 8 inch Chef's for a while, but it feels too light to me now, and surprisingly too small. I've done some research over the past few days, and have been considering this. I think the Cordon Bleu line has been discontinued, so I've found some pretty good prices online. Also, I'm figuring that since the blade is thinner than other Wusthofs, it'll probably be heavier than the Forschner but light compared to most German knives, which coupled with the lack of a bolster, could be nice. Has anybody used one and got comments? Or other suggestions for a 10 inch Chef's knife that'll come in at under $100?

I had a fried chicken revelation yesterday at work. Chicken and waffles is on Birch & Barley's Sunday, all day brunch menu, and I finally got to try the chicken. It's the best I've ever had: boneless chicken thigh encased within a perfectly crispy exterior that has a nice hit of cayenne (the result of double dredging in well seasoned flour), and super juicy, flavorful meat within, most likely thanks to the long soak in buttermilk. It makes me wish they had straight up fried chicken on the regular menu.

I'd like to thank Dave and Steve as well. Some of the food I got to try this past Friday (my first visit to Eventide) left me underwhelmed, but Steve and his drinks were great: the Oaxacan Pineapple was delicious, as was the Thomas' Jefferson's Tavern Ale that he introduced me to, and I will definitely be back if only for some good conversation over a few more of his creations and brews on offer. Plus I'm still curious to experience Eventide's dining room, so hopefully I'll get on that some time soon. As always, it was also great to put some more names and faces to login names. The company was great, and I'm looking forward to plenty more happy hours in the future (though most likely not the one on 3/19). .

Hmm...maybe Plume then?

I vote for Willow. $5 bar food menu, and I've been curious about the place ever since I met Tracy O'Grady at the DCCK Food Fight.

Birch & Barley is a worthwhile option. I'd suggest Againn as well since it's not all that far, but I imagine the bar scene will be rather hectic, and it may bleed over into the rest of the place.

I have top secret info on where at least one of the challenges will be held. Not allowed to share, but it's gonna be awesome.

I saw the story in today's Examiner. A number of other restaurants were mentioned as well (I think they listed the top 10 offenders), and Toscana Cafe was one. However, I took the story far less seriously when one of the "critical" violations mentioned was handling toasted bread without wearing gloves. Seriously? The bit about desserts being made by somebody with open wounds on their hands, not wearing gloves, was legitimate, but some of these violations are just ridiculous.

I'm probably in as well.

Me too. I've really been wanting to try a number of restaurants out that way (Eventide, Liberty Tavern, and Willow in particular). I'm not sure about this Friday, but definitely at some point.

Mandu is one of my favorite options around Dupont, particularly for moderately priced meals that fall between the normal hours of lunch and dinner. The food (Korean, but not Korean BBQ) is good and inexpensive, the place has a comfortable atmosphere, and the service has been friendly and efficient on all my visits. And it's only a 5 to 10 minute walk from the metro. Menu wise, the best dishes I've tried have been the steamed shrimp dumplings, dolsot bibimbap, and duk bok gi. Alternatively, If you're up for a slightly longer walk (over to Logan Circle), and you have an interest in beer, Churchkey is open from noon on and could fit the bill for an inexpensive meal as well. Plus, from there, walking to the Verizon Center only takes about 15 minutes. Good luck choosing.

I don't think it makes sense to complain about Churchkey's food not being up to snuff, and then to not discuss what about it is off, and instead to express a sentiment to the effect that the food sucking isn't a big deal because of the fantastic beer program. If a restaurant offers a full menu, the food sucking is never forgivable. As such, it would be helpful to go into details regarding the food's flaws (rather than simply dismissing these offerings altogether), this way those who visit will have a more informed opinion when it comes to ordering, rather than making a knee jerk reaction to vague awfulness.

All day brunch begins today, and goes from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. It's listed on the brunch guide, but here's a link to the menu anyway. Few things in life are more enjoyable than the Sausage, Egg and Cheese served on crème fraiche biscuit ($14). Based on the McDonald's classic, but 3 times larger and infinitely better. A folded french omelet instead of microwaved eggs, a five ounce patty of juicy, house-ground breakfast sausage instead of a one ounce hockey puck of mystery meat; and pepper jack instead of barely meltable Kraft singles style cheese, all on a house-made biscuit that's tender and insanely rich thanks to the crème fraiche in the batter. Come, eat, and say hi. If there's a wait, just go upstairs and drink beer until you get a seat -- it'll be like emulating the college students (and plenty of others) who get drunk and turn to Steak 'n Egg and similar diner-like institutions at 4 in the morning for sustenance, except it'll be the middle of the day, with better beer than Natty Light, and awesome food.

Oh man....I wish I didn't have to work. As if those Hush Puppies weren't enough of a draw, actually learning how to cook some stuff would be awesome.

Having had the Pattison Ave. (12', $9.50) today for lunch, as well as Toscana Cafe's rendition of the pork, broccoli rabe, and provolone combo a while back, I have to agree. There are two components that really set Taylor's apart: the bread, and the decision to add crushed red pepper. Taylor's rolls are so vastly superior to the bread Toscana uses -- they actually hold up to what they're meant to carry, even when it is quite juicy like that braised pork. And the crushed red pepper, rather than overwhelming the other ingredients, adds just enough heat to complicate the sandwich's flavor profile a little, keeping you interested and leaving your taste buds with the sort of light tingling that stems from long-term application of low-level spice. But as for the meat, cheese, and broccoli rab themselves, Taylor's sandwich didn't blow Toscana's away. Some bites, where all the flavors were in sync, were amazing: there was enough juice to soften the fantastic bread and to keep the pork moist, and all three of the core components were present. But much of the time, due to how the filling was laid out on the roll, some bites were all broccoli rabe and provolone, and others were just pork. The former showcased the need for a slightly heavier hand with that deliciously salty cheese, and the latter made me think that the pork could have been more flavorful, more tender, and juicier if it was aimed at beating Toscana's; but in the few bites where everything came together, I couldn't have been happier. I guess the moral of the story is that a good sandwich has high quality ingredients, but an awesome one has them laid out just right. Still, I'll definitely be giving them another shot to reach that level soon.

Hopslam ($7) and Batch 9000 ($?) are both on tap at Birch & Barley and Churchkey, so I gave them a try after my shift tonight. The former was surprisingly less hoppy than I expected, and I could see myself drinking it regularly. As for the 9000...it's extremely sweet, and unlike any beer I've had before. Downing just a two ounce tasting pour took effort, and could best be compared to consuming straight syrup. I could never imagine drinking this stuff with food...like the bartender said, "it'd be like taking a bite of chocolate cake between bites of whatever you're eating."

Seriously, a fantastic meal tonight. Those brussel sprouts -- not a mushy one in the bunch, and all nice and browned -- with that delicious curry mayo, were well worth the $5. And the skate, which I was lucky enough to get two tastes of, was truly fantastic - almost certainly cooked in brown butter, and that toasty flavor came right through. House Made Pretzels with sea salt, spicy mustard (happy hour, $5) were were buttery and delicious, and the accompanying mustard (definitely spiked with horseradish) was pleasingly astringent. Ale Battered Fish Fingers with english egg sauce (happy hour, $5) were the best rendition of fried fish since a visit to New Zealand and Australia six years ago (even after sitting for 20 minutes prior to my arrival) and the accompanying creamy sauce was the perfect foil to the crisp, slightly oily, goodness. My entree, Grandmother's Braised Chicken roasted root vegetables, bacon, pork sausage, marjoram, butterball potatoes (19) was rich and comforting on a rainy night, though it might have been more accurately dubbed Grandmother's Pork Stew. A chicken leg and thigh, while fall off the bone tender and delicious, were overshadowed by the slew of lardons and sausage strewn throughout the bowl. The best part, though, was the deeply flavorful juice that all the components were steeped in (and which rendered the roasted carrots particularly fantastic) -- I didn't let a drop get past the the fresh, chewy bread provided with dinner. Dessert too was great (tried out the much lauded Banoffee Pie as well as the Chocolate & Coffee), but like Leigh said, the best part of all was Rachel's company and advice. When I had trouble deciding on a beer, she provided tastes of three, and I eventually went with her favorite of the bunch, and couldn't have been more pleased. Really, go now. I'll definitely be back, especially since it's so dangerously close to both my internship and work.

Bought a bunch of produce at AU's farmers market on Wednesday, and had to use it up... Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Portabella Mushrooms (sprouts, portabellas, yellow onion, garlic, chicken stock, butter, S & P, and balsamic reduction)

I will attempt to keep my post short so as to appear as less of a Radius fanboy than most believe me to be. Top dishes: The rutabaga puree, which had us debating over how many times Chef Wiss had run it through a sieve. The answer? Somehow, just twice. So smooth, without the addition of a drop of cream, this was as masterful a soup as any I've had in DC. The flavor of the rutabaga paired surprisingly well with the honeycrisp apple chutney. The mussels. When I first saw them on the menu, a part of me was disappointed: we'd had them at the last Radius dinner, so they weren't going to be a new experience. But despite having tasted them before, they were a major highlight. Unlike last time, the flavors were perfectly balanced: no cloying sweetness, just the essence of the mussels joined beautifully with jersey tomatoes. The mussels themselves were more plump and flavorful than a recent, overpriced batch I had elsewhere, and the broth, especially after mixing in some of that smoky aioli, is addicting. Despite knowing that pizza and pasta were on their way, I couldn't help dipping and devouring 3 pieces of the grilled ciabatta. The ravioli, which showcased extremely rich lamb meat (if I hadn't been told there was ricotta in the ravioli too, I wouldn't have guessed it), encased in delicious pasta, and dressed with that pesto. Really clean flavors, not mucked up by too much spicing or meddling. The only thing I would liked was a little acidity somewhere to cut through the lamb and keep me coming back for even more (you know, since 4 massive ravioli in the context of a 6 course meal isn't enough...). The winter pizza, for its balance of sweet root vegetables, creamy yet fresh celery root puree, and salty feta, rounded out by the toasted pine nuts. Plus the toppings and crust were in harmony, with just enough cheese present to offer gooey, delicious comfort, without overshadowing the high quality ingredients it surrounded. The creme caramel, which hooked even a non-dessert lover thanks to the maldon sea salt. PS - the crisp chickpeas are an addictive snack, and if people hadn't been grabbing for them as quickly as I, I would have easily consumed an even more unhealthy amount than I did. So...6 out of 7 dishes were tops for me... I fail at brevity. Thanks again to Chef Wiss for putting the effort into cooking all that fantastic food, and to Nicole for taking such good care of us throughout the night (especially for making sure that all of us knew exactly what we were eating, even when we would have liked to just grab at the plates). For the ridiculously low price we paid, and the amount of awesome food we got, I can't think of a better meal, in a more comfortable setting, than what we had tonight. And the killer soundtrack doesn't hurt either. Edit: Terrible iPhone pictures, incoming:

Literally just walked by The Passenger on the way to the metro. Wish I'd seen this before getting on -- coulda gotten myself a dose of the Kraken in preperation for tonight's feast.

Churchkey has started putting out some pretty BA wings. They've got traditional Buffalo available (made with Frank's Red Hot), as well as a jerk spiced variety, and an asian variety (code-named "General Satan's" in the kitchen).

Picked up a 4 pack of Allagash Dubbel at Whole Foods for $8.99 a few weeks back, and was pretty disappointed. I wasn't a big fan of Allagash White when I tried it, and had hoped a darker brew would be more satisfying (I lean toward them anyway), but compared to other Dubbels I've had, this one just lacked complexity, and tasted rather watery to me. For the 50 cents more per bottle, I'd take Ommegang's Abbey Ale any day.