qwertyy

Here's a question:

I've always wondered this but am especially curious with Frankenstorm bearing down: is there any reason, aside from energy conservation, to NOT put your freezer on the coldest possible setting?

The Columbia Heights Giant was a veritable pleasure at 9:30 tonight. (Note: "pleasure" is meant to relate to a normal day at the Giant, not/not to relate to "pleasure.") The aisles were stocked, there were no crowds, and the employees were really pleasant with people who commiserated with them about what a crappy day they'd had and what a crappy weekend was to come (honestly, how much must it suck to work at a grocery store when a crazy storm is coming). It's closed now but it may be that "pleasant" toward closing tomorrow night and the next night.

But just in case I'm wrong, bring a helmet.

And may God grant you the wisdom not to ...

I'm going to go to the RRB farmers market this afternoon for produce, but in a perfect storm of pantry depletion, I need staples too--pasta, peanut butter, lentils. And with no car, living a half block from the Giant... well, a lady's just got to hope that the wind is at her back.

Well, Capital Weather Gang is now saying hurricane Sandy may be like the 'perfect storm'-1 part hurricane, 1 part Nor'easter, 1 part blizzard potentially

Also, full moon, so the high tides could really screw the coast.

Incidentally, why do these things always descend when I have no food in the house? I intended to go to the store just about every evening this week, but things kept coming up. Last night I could have gone, but an epic bad day at work drove me straight home to my last bottle of wine (!!!!!). God grant me the serenity to go to the Giant...

Holy shit. I just realized how much you all mean to me.

I met Mrs. B and Waitman exactly once--maybe a half decade ago at the goodbye dinner for San Marco. I don't remember much about that night (it WAS a DR dinner), but what's mattered more is the years since, when I've gotten to know them through their posts here--Mrs. B's circumspect, funny, honest, personal posts that were so well complemented Waitman's unvarnished and untimid opinions. What a pair.

I value them and everyone on this site so much. I might not recognize a single one of you if I ran into you on the street, but this is a community, a Fraternity of Good People that I see as friends.

Cheers to you, Waitman and Mrs. B. You mean more to me than you know.

This is topping-driven pizza, with an inoffensive crust. The same process commended above for the "well-browned cheese" improves the sausage, basil, olives, anchovies, etc. from their form as ingredients -- for some reason, a lot of chefs seem to like serving nearly-raw pizza toppings to showcase the quality of those ingredients. That's fine. But proper pizza can be so much better, and Luigi's often gets it right.

YES. It's been a while, but I remember the best part about that pizza being the cheese and Italian sausage. It's nothing fancy, but it's solid. I need to head back there soon...

After starting with the surprisingly good Margarita on Tap ($5, try it if you don't believe me).

I did and I do. Good stuff.

What was not good stuff was the carne asada tacos, so tough I could barely bite through them, a problem compounded by the grilled green onion, which were strangely tough as well and slid right out like a wet noodle. They tasted great, but I don't think I'd order them again.

Incidentally, have their tacos gotten smaller or did I just never notice? I'd gotten three for $7 at Taqueria DF a couple of days before, so the difference was pretty stark--El Chucho's are itty bitty.

Hear, hear. That's one of the things I like so much about keg wine. At an increasing number of restaurants around San Francisco, you can get a decent carafe for about $15 out of a keg--always fresh, never corked. That trend can't get here soon enough.

Speaking of wine kegs... Looks like The Coupe is getting on board.

Nitrogen Bottle Systems & Wine In Kegs

We’ve invested in Napa Technology Wine Stations to preserve our by the glass options and ensure the quality of each pour. Be sure to check out our wines on tap too. Kegs do a great job of letting fresh, expressive wines show themselves while minimizing the carbon footprint of our consumption.

It’s the wave of the future, or at least should be.

Two words: Family Meal.

The cost of buying a car might push that meal check slightly above $25 a head.

Let me just add another dimension to this discussion and suggest that the $50 menu be accompanied by a $10 half-liter of drinkable wine.

Ahh those French: 3 courses and 25 cl of wine at lunch for 12 euros.

Hear, hear. That's one of the things I like so much about keg wine. At an increasing number of restaurants around San Francisco, you can get a decent carafe for about $15 out of a keg--always fresh, never corked. That trend can't get here soon enough.

I agree, which is why I think that places like Pasta Mia and Lauriol Plaza are so popular--a full meal at an actual, sit-down, non-fast food restaurant for about $50 for two. Sure, you can spend the same amount at a better restaurant, but that often takes restraint (Jaleo) or some insider knowledge (El Tamarindo). It's actually kind of hard to spend that much at Mia and Lauriol just because the portions are so damn big. Assuming reasonable consumption of chianti or margaritas,* if you end up spending more than $50 for two, you're going to have enough leftovers for a second meal.**

*But honestly, in the history of Lauriol Plaza, has that ever happened?

**Incidentally, Olive Garden's Dinner Today/Dinner Tomorrow promotion is one of the more interesting, and I think creative, restaurant deals I've seen--widely attractive to a large swath of people nowadays. Say what you will about their food*** their PR department is outstanding.

***I have an inexplicable love for their salad and breadsticks. I haven't had them in about 15 years, but I remember them fondly. Don't judge me.

Chunks of uniekaas robusto aged gouda

Castelvetrano olives

Toasted seven-grain bread with butter and salt

Leftover white wine with a really long name from my dinner party last weekend

This past weekend I had a little get together (a small gathering of Anthropologists) and decided to try to cook as many dishes as possible.

That's enough to make me want to become an anthropologist!

Weirdly, not uncommon. (Read the comments too.)

The beans vex me. They vex me so. The first time they were amazing; the second time they tasted like someone had spilled a bottle of vinegar on them; the third time, amazing again; the fourth time vinegar again, plus something else not so good. What the hell? Seems to me that we've got two chefs making two different recipes, and it makes me sad because I've clearly got a 50-50 chance of getting a ramekin of yuck, and those odds just aren't fair.

Oh KBC beans. Why you gotta do me like you do?

Fifth time was NOT the charm. In fact, in the spectrum of extremes I've experienced--which runs from Perfect Amount of Vinegar to Holy Cats Who Spilled the Vinegar in the Beans--it was exactly in the middle. Just a little too vinegary to be good.

I think they see me coming and do this on purpose.

On the bright side, if you're wolfing down a whole delectable pastrami sandwich along with half your brother's johnny cakes, you probably don't need to eat your whole side of beans.

Hey Tom, About a month ago, I attended a dinnertime work event at which no dinner was served. Afterwards, I was very hungry, and I wanted something quick and inexpensive, but not fast food. Since I was near Cleveland Park, the Palena bar came to mind. I thought the well-reputed burger there was about $10. I got there, checked the paper menu posted outside the front door, and the burger was listed at $12. OK, a bit more than I planned, but doable. So I sat at the bar, got the menu, and the burger was listed there as $14. I brought this to the bartender's attention, and he said that the menu outside hadn't been updated in weeks or months, and that the price listed on the indoor menu is what I'd pay. I told him I didn't want to make a big stink, but that I'd like to talk to a manager about the discrepancy. The manager came over, I explained the situation, and said I'd like the burger at the price on the outdoor menu. She said no, and asked if I'd like to order something instead. I again explained that the restaurant had made an understandable and easily corrected error, and that the wise customer service move would be to honor the $12 outdoor price. She said that Palena constantly updates its menu, and that's why the menu was possibly out of date. I reiterated what the bartender said, that the menu was updated only every few weeks or months, and that frankly, if the menu was updated as often as she suggested, there would actually be less and not more chance of an error like what I'd stumbled on. Proving the definition of insanity (repeating the same action but expecting a different result), I just kept saying "Your outdoor menu is the face you show the outside world. Doesn't it make sense to honor that advertised price, and generate a positive customer service experience, than to stick to your guns over $2!" After disbelievingly repeating this argument a couple more times, I said in passing that I couldn't believe that a restaurant with such excellent reputation would have such sh*tty customer service." The manager then lost it, saying that we'd been having a civil discussion until I let loose and brought profanity into the picture. She said that she'd be leaning towards making a one-time exception for me, but after my profanity, she just didn't know. Eventually, she relented, and I got the $12 burger. So, my questions: 1.) Shouldn't they immediately have just honored the $12 price? 2. ) What is their responsibility to keep that outdoor menu (printed on paper, not calligraphied 2.) Really, I can't say "sh*tty" to an urban restaurant manager during a disagreement??? 3.) Finally, how does one tip after this kind of incident? The bartender was emotionless but not rude. The manager was inexcusable. But I hated to tip 0% or 5% instead of my usual 20% because it would only confirm their assumption that I am a cheapskate angling for what they thought I didn't deserve. Hopefully, before this story is published in the chat, maybe you, a friend, or a colleague can go by Palena and re-create my experience: check the outside menu (computer printed on easy-to-fix plain paper, in a glass box, facing Connecticut Avenue), check the indoor menu, raise the discrepancy with management, and see what happens? Thanks for the help! Josh

I generally think that a restaurant should not post a menu outside unless it's accurate. On the other hand, I can't identify with someone arguing over $2 for a burger, especially if that person then says the customer service is "shitty." This isn't a customer service issue per se - the restaurant is simply charging what's on its inside menu. I'm not sure that a restaurant is "bound" by its outside menu? Were there fine prints not mentioned? Why was the manager inexcusable?

I was surprised that so many of Tom's chatters came out for the writer. The way he tells it (for some reason I'm pretty sure it's a he), he pushed back ten or more times. Dude. It's two bucks. Ask about it once, maybe twice, and if you don't like the answer, leave and tell them why. Reading his diatribe, I was half expecting him to move on to waterboarding if the manager hadn't capitulated.

Incidentally, after making that much of a stink, I was amazed that he actually stayed and ate. Palena should have agreed that they made a mistake and charged him the $12 from the get-go, but their staff should get a freaking medal for providing him with "not rude" service after that. Sounds like pretty non-shitty customer service to me.

One down, ten to go! My boys!!!

The coupe is a cocktail glass style, I see the rooster is standing on one in their logo.

And add in the rooster and you've got a play on words! THANK YOU. Someone tell Merriam-Webster.

The Coupe, from the owner of Tryst, The Diner, and Open City, opened for business in Columbia Heights yesterday.

This is far from the most important aspect of a new restaurant in a great dining neighborhood, but I haven't been there yet so it's all I got: why is it spelled "coupe"? That's a two-door car. But they've got a bird theme, so wouldn't it be "coop"? Is it seriously possible that they mis-spelled it? Please help. This is irritating me to an unreasonable degree. I even looked up both spellings in the dictionary to make sure my vocabulary hadn't blown a fuse. (I am a nerd. An obsessive nerd.)

Some pics of our remodel, which took about a year and was finished about six months ago. We're very happy with the result. I'd be happy to answer questions about anything.

I have no questions. Just envy. WOW, you lucky, lucky person.

I loved Minibar when I went... gosh, is it 10 years ago? It was transcendental--I was with the right people, we got the right wine pairing, we were forward enough to ask the chef anything we wanted. It was awesome, made me rethink the way I percieve food and broadened my perspective immeasurably. I don't think I would have appreciated Arzak (or Cyrus or Per Se or, heck, Cashion's or Zaytinya or El Chucho or anything else) as much had I not had that slap to my culinary outlook. It was like dinner theater for food nerds. It cost half a month's rent at the time, but damn it was worth it.

But I'm not necessarily sure I'd go again.

Good luck, and please share the answer that works for you when you find it.

Day one: fail

The desire to go to the store had disappeared by the end of the work day, so inspiration was reduced to butt + bar stool + beer + dry, tasteless takeout chicken sandwich.

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone, and the understanding!

I splurged on a Vitamix a couple of months ago; I still love it, but smooth is no longer quite the revelation. And I'm cooking for one, so I don't have the pressure of preparing daily family dinners, but I also don't HAVE to cook for anyone.

But I have been coveting Ottolenghi's Plenty for a few days now so, since I usually cook veggie at home, that could give me a boost (when it arrives in a week...). In the meantime, maybe if I could find something labor-intensive to cook this weekend that turns out great, that might do it. I love spending a day in the kitchen, but it just sucks when the result ends up, well, sucking and sapping inspiration.

Day two: try again!

Thank you so much! This looks like a huge help! His other week is going to be in Siem Reap, and I'm sure we can find recommendations for that leg of the trip on this blog as well!

At Angkor, get noodle soup from the side of the road for lunch. Seriously, it's delicious, cooked hot enough to kill any yuckies, and costs a dollar. No need to schlep around with food from Siem Reap, or pay a mint for a hot dog at the tourist centers.

At some point this summer, I got burned out in the kitchen. Cold-cut sandwiches and frozen dinners for weeks. Last night I dredged a soup of rotten farmers' market nectarines, green beans, cucumbers, and others from my produce drawers. Not coincidentally, I've been feeling tired and rundown.

How do I get my mojo back? I'm going to stop at Whole Foods after work and try to cook up this lemon lentil soup this weekend. So, I could buy out the produce department, pick up anything that looks good. But I'm not sure it wouldn't rot in my fridge just like the last batch as I lazily order delivery again.

How do I get back in the game?

FWIW, Roberto's Timpano is the single best dish that I have had in any restaurant anywhere in the last year or more. I'd actually put this-in its own way-on par with his "Duck Stew." A Great Dish that in two hours of sitting at the end of the bar watching every dish prepared, only two other people ordered. Under the radar? Probably. I'm also guessing that it is an exceptionately time consuming dish to make. Another outstanding dish is his version of soft shell crab. Remarkable that so many tend to order the same things.

Timpano. Go. Truly, a Great Dish.

Better than Fiola's veal chop?

To the Washington Nationals who have brought post-season play to the city for the first time since 1933.

To our boys of summer--woohooooooo!!!!