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Ilaine

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Everything posted by Ilaine

  1. Finally made it to Gypsy Soul. Hope this isn't the last time. At five o clock on a Friday on a holiday weekend, it was empty when we came in, and still almost empty when we left at 6:30. First impressions - I know exposed concrete and steel with an open kitchen is a Thing these days. I can't help wondering what all the places with this decor are going to do when it goes out of style? It's ok but I always feel like I am eating in a food court. In an airport. Waitstaff, truly excellent service all around. Not just the waiter, who was attentive but not intrusive, but the host and the bus staff. Food - the ham sampler was outstanding. My favorite was the lardo, smoky and unctuous. Rhubarb mustard the knockout accompaniment, bright red and brightly flavored. Pickled ramps complex and earthy. In contract, pickled garlic scapes inedible. Garlic scapes seem to remain a challenge to all. The other hams were all flavorful, well sliced, and all the accompaniments first class, but the rhubarb mustard I liked so much I ate it with a spoon. Cornmeal crusted blue catfish a revelation. I've been hoping to encounter blue catfish, it was worth the wait, and something I will keep looking for in the future. This serving was ever so slightly charred, but the fish remained tender and flaky. As others have noted, it's not a muddy taste, just clean white fish. A cornmeal crust is the only way to serve catfish, in my opinion, and this was top of the line. Husband loved his grilled softshell crabs. I thought they were tiny, but he was happy with the threesome on the serving, and ate every drop of the butterbean succotash, scraping the plate, which, considering that he's orthorexic Paleo and turns up his nose at "lectins", is a real compliment. He said that he really appreciated the way the butter from the crab soaked into it. The smothered greens were dreadful. I admit to being a greens purist, all I really want is pork and onion. I keep hoping against hope, but this was a disaster. The glaze tasted like nothing so much as commercial barbecue sauce. Fortunately, our waiter, who had recommended them to us, comped them, and we tipped him accordingly (I hope). Beer list well chosen. I almost wrote well curated, but that's probably pretentious. Anyway we liked our beers. We will be back. I hope.
  2. We are starting to get a mite overwhelmed by our CSA bounty, and I want to save some it via lactofermentation. For the unititated, lactofermentation is a type of pickling which does not use vinegar, but salt. and time, in an anaerobic process. The salt kills the bad buggies that cause decay, and favors the growth of lacto-bacilli, which convert the sugars and starches in the vegetables into lactic acid, This preserves the vegetables for a long time, especially if they are refrigerated. The cultures remain alive even when refrigerated and are widely believed to be beneficial to health, especially gut health. Think sauerkraut (alive, not the boiled or canned stuff) and kimchi. But I am basiclally a novice. I have made several batches of sauerkraut. First batch I had no idea that one needed to provide an anaerobic environment, and it came out NARSTY. Once I learned my lesson, no more problems. Shred cabbage, massage with salt at the proper ratio until it makes brine. Tamp down the salted shredded cabbage, cover with a cabbage leaf, make sure the brine comes well over the surface, put into a Mason jar with a loosish lid, put on something with a rim to catch leaks, "burp" the jar a couple times a day, ferment to taste, refrigerate. But sauerkraut is easy to make. I want to ferment beets, kohlrabi, garlic scapes, green beans. For that, my question to you, dear experts (if any indeed there be) -- what about fermentation locks? If you use a fermentation lock do you also need to weight down the vegetables so that they are completely submerged? If so, with what? Because it all needs to fit under the fermentation lock. Any additional tips welcomed.
  3. Khashmon, re: shrimpcargot, here is the description of the dish cut and pasted from the menu: Shrimpcargot This mouth watering creation includes loads of shrimp sauteed in garlic butter and served on baby Portobello mushroom caps and melted Havarti & horseradish cheese. Ok, one five inch mushroom cap is not baby mushroom caps. Not just a quibble, it's a completely different thing than what was described. May I suggest you either change the menu or change the dish? Re: high choice meat. I was enthralled by this discussion. Who knew that there is such a thing as high choice? Or "real" prime? Truth be told, we really don't go to restaurants much, but when we do, we're looking for something we don't make at home, be it as mundane as kebabs or tamales, or as challenging as Szechuan or Izakaya. Going out for steak is just not something we're likely to do. We probably have steak every other week or so but at home. Other than last week, we haven't been out for steak in years. But I appreciate the offer. I have recommended you to several fellow dwellers in Burke and Springfield.
  4. We have six tomato plants, all heirlooms, which we transplanted mid-May. Every day, I count the green, green tomatoes and gaze with longing, wondering when, oh when, will they ripen? Lots of fruit. Eventually. Peppers doing well but nothing ripe yet. Need to move their earthbox so that they get more sun. Aside from the herbs, which love this weather, the garden surprise of the year is puntarelle, an Italian heading chicory, quite bitter. I don't know anybody who grows it, and I never would have dreamed of it until I had puntarelle salad at Dino's last year. It is really easy to grow. Lush and green. Pest free. Compare and contrast with the collards, which are full of little holes, I assume some kind of beetle, and many yellow leaves. Peas were pathetic, a waste of earthbox space. When I pulled them up I planted two more earthboxes of puntarelle. The seeds are from an Italian seed company, via Merrifield Garden Center. It seems to love the sun and rain.
  5. Cross link and Yellow Ribbon not interested. Found a great organization - free-foundation.org, based in Roanoke, with a donation site in the Richmond Goodwill on Midlothian Turnpike. My younger son lives in Richmond and will be visiting soon, so he can haul the stuff for me. They won't take the bedpans or the surgical boot and shoes so will offer on Freecycle.
  6. Finally tried Montys Wednesday night after 26 hours with no power. I was starving, husband had an upset stomach due to the heat. I feel a bit nervous writing this post knowing that the owner will read it. Positives: clean, spacious, courteous hostess, attentive wait staff. Husband really liked his tuna tartare, with a ceviche like flavor from cilantro, diced peppers, and citrus. We both really liked the asparagus and crab soup, a special, creamy, with quite a lot of crab. Negatives: none, really. Meh: I expected the shrimpcargot to be served in several smallish Portabellos, with tender flesh, that you could practically pop in your mouth. Instead, one big Portobello, not all that tender, that had to be cut up with a knife and fork, and would not stay on the fork. Dry aged ribeye cooked as requested (medium rare), with sauce which I did not request or want, and meat had no discernable marbling. If you are trying to avoid dietary fat, as is probably the norm in Springfield, you'd probably appreciate that. Asparagus nicely peeled and cooked, with nothing discernable as a sauce, not even butter. Again, if you are trying to avoid dietary fat, you'd probably appreciate that. Bread came with hummus, rather than butter. Again, if you are trying to avoid dietary fat, etc. Decent wine selection but $45 or so for a Catena Malbec. I have no idea what a typical corkage fee is, though. We took most of the steak and asparagus home, and I split the portions up for lunch yesterday and today, so had several days to contemplate the lack of fat in the steak and the lack of sauce on the asparagus. Nothing wrong with it. Nothing to make me want to go back, either. We make steak and asparagus regularly, my husband is an excellent cook, so I am probably a tough sell and maybe should have tried something we don't make a lot at home. It really is one of the best places in Springfield, but . . . .
  7. Remoulade from Chef John Folse, via the Gumbo Pages, a wonderful source for all things Louisiana: Chef John Folse's Shrimp Remoulade 1 1/2 cups heavy-duty mayonnaise 1/2 cup Creole mustard 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp hot pepper sauce (Chef Folse likes Louisiana Gold, but Tabasco will do) 1/2 cup finely diced green onions 1/4 cup finely diced celery 2 tbsp minced garlic 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 1/2 tbsp lemon juice salt and cracked black pepper to taste 3 dozen 21-25 count boiled shrimp, peeled and deveined In a mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, whisking well to incorporate the seasonings. Once blended, cover and place in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. A minimum of four hours will be required for flavor to be developed. When ready, remove from refrigerator and adjust seasonings to taste. Place six shrimp on a leaf of romaine or other colored lettuce and spoon a generous serving of remoulade sauce on top of the shrimp. Do not sauce shrimp prior to service, as they will lose their firm texture. Serves 6. What I actually did: 1 1/2 cups Hellmans, three tablespoons Pommery Moutarde de Meaux Royale, three bunches green onions, white and light green only, one stalk celery, half a bunch flat parsley, leaves only, six cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp Tabasco, too much lemon juice, teaspoon horseradish, dash Worcestershire, salt to taste. Grind in food processor using pulsing. In retrospect I would have added less lemon juice, maybe more Worcestershire, maybe ketchup. Many remoulade sauces have ketchup. Wish we finished this off (and the deviled eggs) before the power went out. Dominion not promising restoration before midnight, which will be more than 24 hours without power. I don't trust mayo that long without a really cold fridge.
  8. farmer John, the better the wine, the better the wine vinegar, within reason. Gabriele Rausse, vintner at Monticello, occasionally teaches vinegar making at their annual Heritage Harvest Festival, and shared the most amazing wine vinegar made from Sangiovese wine. If it's tasty, and drinkable, it makes great vinegar. I am partial to wine vinegar made from fruit forward, intense tannic reds. I think he said he smuggled his mother of vinegar from Italy, but maybe he was joking. I do intend to buy a small sideways oak barrel one day, as that's better than glass for making vinegar. Pour the wine in the bunghole on top, decant the vinegar via a spout on the side. But the glass method works. I keep the bottle in a dark cabinet and put a paper towel secured with a rubber band on top to keep out fruit flies. Sandor Katz recommends using 25% raw, live vinegar (e.g. Bragg's apple cider vinegar) to a batch and sealing with wax when done (2-4 weeks) because the acetobacter will eventually turn it into water and carbon dioxide. The less formal method used by Zora and me has led, in my observation, to relatively random results, but usually satisfying.
  9. pjnewman, if you are not feeling well, stay home! I will add a big icechest with ice to my list. Deviled eggs Caprese Shrimp remoulade Beer Decided that it's too hot for wine Speaking of which, whoever puts together the next spring picnic, May, not June. Too darned hot. But at least the rain seems to have moved on See y'all there! Still sleepy, I just poured milk into my husband's tea instead of my coffee.
  10. The soothsayers predict that Sunday will be hot, and possibly rainy, although weather is always subject to change. If so, grilling will be problematic. accordingly, I am revising what we are bringing to devilled eggs, caprese (assuming we can find good tomatoes) and something veg, depending on what's in the CSA bag. Daniel K +3 = cooler of ice water, some beer, and a veggie dish Thistle - random leftover picnic stuff Eric Reid +1 - beer and something good astrid +1 - cherry whiskey Ktmoomau +1 pepperoni rolls and side dish golden ticket PollyG - propane camp stove Ilaine +3 "“ beer, wine, devilled eggs, caprese, and something veg 22209 +1 "“ Thai sticky rice and mango StarStraf +1 squidsdc "“ maybe pjnewman "“ gravlax and ice If it's hot, lots of ice is a Good Thing. We usually have too much ice but too much ice is better than not enough ice.
  11. I would like to donate some things left over from recuperating from foot surgery: walker, crutches, knee crutch, knee roller, sliding shower chair, portable wheelchair ramps, two unused bedpans (just could not "go" in a bedpan), and a variety of walking boots. I already gave the wheelchair to my nephew with muscular dystropy. Fairfax County recommends the Washington Wheelchair Society but that's out of business. Every other place I've tried comes up out of business. I've had some general suggestions but nothing concrete. I could put on Craigslist or Freecycle but would rather donate to an organization which assists persons in need. Any specific suggestion welcomed.
  12. Ok, time to start the list . . . . who's coming and what are you bringing? This is what we have so far . . . . please update status. Daniel K +3 Thistle - random leftover picnic stuff Eric Reid +1 - beer and something good astrid +1 - cherry whiskey Ktmoomau +1 golden ticket PollyG - propane camp stove Ilaine +3 or more - will see if we can fit Weber in SUV, if so, will grill vegetables and burgers We will need water and ice.
  13. We are not Jewish but I wanted to host a seder as a family event because I look for reasons to get the kids over for a family gathering. Actually one of my sons suggested it, after seeing Maxwell House haggadahs at Kroger, and for some reason becoming intrigued. One of my co-workers is Jewish and has collected many different haggadahs. Two years ago I asked him to suggest a haggadah. At the Seder table we sort of stuck to the Maxwell House haggadah but also looked at some of the ones my co-worker had loaned us. It was kind of chaotic. This year I started looking for haggadahs early, and discovered the 30 minute seder, for people with little kids, which was too short, but the same author also has the 60 minute seder, which was perfect for our needs. Download and print out as many as you need. I also discovered some seder cheat sheets, one page each, and passed those around. It went well. We'll do it again, for sure.
  14. Too fatty and tasty for modern palates? You have my full attention.
  15. According to many Chinese cookbooks, the go-to superior broth in Chinese kitchens is a combo of chicken and pork, heavier on the chicken than the pork. Typically the pork is pork ribs, or riblets. Lots of chicken backs, maybe even feet. Nothing wasted in a Chinese kitchen.
  16. My favorite way to get to the Mall for 4th of July is take Metro to Arlington Cemetary, walk across Memorial Bridge, enter Mall at Tidal Basin near Lincoln Memorial. That whole walk is beautiful. You can get right up to the fence nearest the fireworks. BIG problems getting on Metro to get home, but just be patient. We once had a memorably pleasant experience watching the fireworks from the shoulder of 395 pulled off near the Pentagon. Illegal, of course, but many people do it. Another memorably pleasant experience watching the fireworks from a cruise boat on the Potomac, but it was too darned hot and if I ever do it again, I will pay up for an air conditioned boat. Every visitor I have taken to Udvar Hazy was blown away, even the ones not so interested in air and space. The permanent collection at the National Gallery is superb. TWO Vermeers, too many other wonderful things to list. If your visitor likes art, see that one before all others. Natural History, especially the Ocean Hall and the Hall of Human Origins. A visit to the Library of Congress is very impressive. The dome in the Jefferson building is almost as nice as the Capitol, and easier to get into. Some special exhibitions look interesting but no blockbusters at the moment. Every place you are likely to visit already has the special exhibitions planned, and online, so you can decide in advance. I agree that a walk along Great Falls is impressive. I like the Virginia side better. Natural Arburetum has an almost monthly full moon hike but not in July. Blooming will be daylilies and some crape myrtles, but July isn't a big month for flowers. The spectacular azaleas will be done way before that. The columns are beautiful. A day trip to Baltimore's National Harbor is fun, especially a visit to the National Aquarium. If your visitor likes blue crabs, a visit to an authentic crab house can be a special trip. Here's a good list. I really like Cantler's, but Joe H. raves about Suicide Bridge. How about a little trip to the Atlantic shore? Rehobeth, Chincoteague, Virginia Beach?
  17. Ah, Josh, that explains why the other shopper was selecting smaller pods. I was feeling for the presence of beans, she was going for younger, thinner pods. I doubt that the ones I selected will be suitable for cooking the pods, but I will give it a try. Interestingly, when I popped a couple open yesterday, the beans did not have a skin on them. The other shopper gave me a tip for cooking the pods, make sure you remove the string, just like stringing green beans and sugar snap peas.
  18. This article may explain why I have been disappointed in catfish ever since I moved away from Louisiana. I must have grown up eating blue catfish. Anybody seen them for sale around here? Preferably near Fairfax.
  19. Today I bought some fava beans in their pods at Fresh World. As I was selecting mine, I asked the lady standing next to me, who was selecting hers based on what appeared to be different criteria, how she cooked them. She said that she cut them up, pod and all, and put them in lamb soup. In response to another question, she said she is from Palestine. I have never heard of eating them pod and all, and after some googling and wiki-ing, still can't find any support for this. Anyone?
  20. Yes, Atlantic oysters are harvested in estuaries, but the closer to the ocean, the saltier the oyster. Thus, Olde Salts, which are grown in Bogues Bay off the coast of Chincoteague, are quite salty.
  21. We have both a Weber kettle grill and a Texas smoker that can double as a grill, with a big surface. The Weber is charcoal with a propane starter. The Texas smoker also uses charcoal, obviously, and we have a chimney starter. We do not have a truck. We live in Fairfax, Powell Road off Braddock, near the State Police Station. We would be happy to let anybody have the use of them for the picnic. You will need to supply your own charcoal. We have utensils and skewers, including the sword type for kebabs. We also have wood, e.g., cherry, plum, and apple trees that didn't make it, and some grape vines, stored in our garage, that we would not mind letting people use. We're not giving it all away because we have a fire pit and a fireplace, but will share for the picnic. Downside would be transporting them afterwards, I don't know how long they take to cool down.
  22. Yesterday at the Wakefield Farmer's Market a couple of vendors had heirloom tomato plants for sale. So, maybe a farmer's market? We always buy from deBaggio, which is far from MoCo.
  23. Score! Small white turnips with beautiful greens at the Wakefield Farmer's Market. Three bunches for $5. My Chinese step-mother cuts the greens off the turnips, then cuts the turnips into wedges, not dice. She fries bacon, then cooks the turnips in the bacon fat, then throws in the washed greens, cut up, still wet, but no other water, turns down the heat, puts on a lid, cooks until done, then sprinkles crumbled bacon on top. It is delicious. Had leftover gumbo for supper last night. Threw in some shredded chicken. Decided that I liked the clam juice in it, after all. Doubt many people put clam juice in their gumbo but it adds a nice touch.
  24. Somewhat on topic, the DC Alumni Societies of the various Louisiana state universities is putting on their annual crawfish boil. Sunday, May 16, 2015, at Fort Hunt Park. Crawfish, jambalaya, Abita beer, and Louisiana music. The crawfish is trucked up from Louisiana and boiled on site. I can't think of a more Louisiana thing to do. Most people there will have lived in Louisiana, and love to talk about Louisiana. Y'all come!
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