ktmoomau

Well it looks like I will be getting my clam pizza over the weekend... Ah one must be careful what they put online Will report back!

You are probably about 5 blocks from Cafe Mozart which is nice for a pretty day. Cowgirl creamery is also an option if you can walk a little bit. Breadline is a bit of a walk too. Anyone know where the On the Fly cart in that area is? Also you could check out the Penn Quarter market and get some gelato if you took a late lunch. Does PS7 serve at lunch? If you could get their bar menu at lunch time that would be a big perk.

I was recently talking to someone who said there was a big difference between the iodine allergy and other seafood allergies. And that in the past they thought it was all an allergy to iodine, but that is not the case now. Have they isolated exactly what you are allergic to? I would venture to bet the iodine allergy plays a role in my aunt being able to eat fish sauce and dried shrimp and etc.

They now have really good sweet potato french fries too, not soggy at all.

A bit off topic (sorry), but Joe if you are ever in Davis, WV go to Siriani's Pizza. I think you would like it. They put a lot of thought and work into the dough. I think I am glad I grew up without a real idea of what pizza should be because I appreciate more pizza. I want to try the clam pizza here really badly. Glad to hear it isn't too salty- I worried it would be I am not a huge salt person.

I got a combo rice cooker slow cooker that does pretty well except I have to add more water than suggested for basmati and sometimes it is still a little undercooked, so perhaps not the krups combo if you are making complicated rice dishes. But it does good sushi rice and brown rice and jasmine rice.

If you have a grill a beer can and a chicken can make some lovely food. For the vodka you could make a vodka sauce? I have been trying to recreate the bourbon chocolate cake at Blue Duck for a friend when she comes to visit as she loves bourbon. If you have rum if you had some creme de banana you could make bananas foster?

Thanks so much all- will freeze tonight for the suggested future uses, this is making me hungry to get home and use the rest of my chicken! With fall coming it makes the bounties of Summer seem all that much better.

My family has a family reunion, and at this reunion we have an auction of goods we make, the profit goes to scholarships for the family. At this auction I acquired two farm raised grain fed chickens, cleaned with the neck on. I made a really fantastic roast chicken with one (I have another and real butter, fresh homemade mozzarella and grass fed beef and homemade sausages too I lucked out) of the chickens. I smeared it with olive oil and thyme then drizzled half a lemon stuffed the rest in the cavity with sage and thyme. During the cooking I basted it with some real butter. Afterwards I picked the bones and pulled off the chicken to reuse the rest of this week in various ways. I should have thrown the carcus and some stuff in a pot and made stock (and then made chicken and dumplins), but it was too late at night. So I strained the au jus into a container. Any ideas on how best to use it? I thought about making it into a sauce for pasta, I have about a cup. But am thinking there might be a tastier use?

Hagerstown; Wisp; Oakland; Deep Creek; Frostburg; Davis (WV) As I am from Deep Creek and go back up to visit often I thought I would post a short quick update with some info: On the drive up and back there are a couple places we will sometimes stop for quick, good what my Husband calls general purpose food. Not gourmet just good. The first is the AC&T gas station right by the outlets in Hagerstown. Now the gas station has been there long before the outlets were there, although it upgraded nicely. The place has some great fried chicken, potato wedges, green beans and mac and cheese. There is also the Park and Dine in Hancock which has great homemade country desserts. I like their chicken fried steak and prime rib, the meatloaf is good too. Weavers is also good, and has a bakery too. In LaVale we often stop at DiAtri's for a sub, my brother loves the chicken parmesaen sub, I like the cold subs or salads because their homemade italian and greek dressings are good, they also have some good stick to your ribs american italian food. In Garrett County- this is not a culinary hot spot by any means. The growing season is incredibly short, the roads are not pleasant and restaurants generally don't do great for some reason. What it is missing are good casual spots like Canoe on the Run, which is right by Wisp and has very good soup, sandwiches and salad. My sister and her husband used to run the Silver Tree a greek/italian restaurant that was great and dearly missed. Also McClives used to be great and now is a condo complex. It is hard for people to make as much profit as just selling the places. My other sister and her husband bought the point view inn with the intention of turning it into a boutique hotel and spa, but the county wouldn't re-route a rather dangerous intersection (at their expense) to give them enough room to build so it is now closed. Red Run reopens with new owners every now and then, I haven't been lately. I should try it soon though. Things I think are of interest: Sugar and Spice Bakery- this is a little amish shop run by the peachy sisters. They used to just have a cheese and reupholstering shop, but their baked goods were so popular they expanded. Their doughnuts when fresh are wonderful, the pumpkin rolls are good, sticky buns, whoopie pies and they have good bread too. They have some really good stuff. Get N Go chicken salad. On 219 just past Oakland on the way to Lock Lynn not the lake is a little convienence store called Get N Go they have homemade breads, really good chicken salad and some other good hot specials from time to time, but we normally go and just get a big tub of chicken salad. There is a new little Mexican restaurant called El Canelo in Oakland (near the Denny's) that has some pretty good things that we have been stopping at lately. Hubby and I have had a few good meals there, including some specials. I can't remember exactly what we have eaten though now. Brenda's Pizzeria is pretty good. She is a native Booklyner who now resides in the area, I don't love love the sauce on the pizza, but there are good toppings. And I am not a NY Pizza person so I am probably not the best judge, but they make the dough fresh daily and get good ingredients. I also like a lot of the pastas. The Mountain State Brewing Company is new and I have had two flatbread pizzas there I really liked the mushroom and then a supreme, but this place has promise it is out near the Wisp on Sang Run Road. If I were going out to eat there next weekend it's where I would gamble on. If you don't mind a bit of a drive, a drive to Davis, WV for a stop at Sirriani's Pizza or Mutley's for steak is worthwhile. Santa Fe Grille is awful, Pine Lodge is mediocre- especially given the price, Cornish is the best of the nicer restaurants for me, but it isn't what we would get down here in DC. Another place to check out is the Deer Park Inn, it has funny hours, but the food is good. We haven't been back to the BBQ place since it first opened, but it had promise we will try it again. Lakeside creamery has good homemade ice cream. If you like greasy diner fare- in the back of Englander's downtown there is a sode fountain/grill that has been there for years. It survived the close of the pharmacy that occupied that building before the antiques. If you are out of towner they will give you a menu, but there is stuff not on the menu you can get. The best thing to get are buckwheat cakes and sausage which is what they are known for. They also make good milkshakes. As for grocery shopping- when we are staying at the Lake we normally go to Arrowhead, it is just a market, but they have a good prepared section, which is nice when vacationing. The other options are only Walmart, Foodland (which unless you are a local I wouldn't advise going to or the Foodland Fresh at the lake which is ok, but won't have much other than basic groceries. As a note there are a couple events in the area worth investigating- the Autumn Glory Festival which rates big among fall festivals, there is a oktoberfest where they shut down part of the street (which is a national highway) for people to drink on and a polka band plays it is interesting and fun, the state fiddle and banjo contest is held, they have all sorts of antiques, a big parade Saturday and Saturday the Volunteer fire fighters make great italian sausage sandwiches. Also if you like boardwalk style fries the Rotary Club has a trailer and makes really good boarwalk fries. Also worth a note is the Amish Harvest Sale, an auction the amish community has to raise money for their school and other things. The produce, baked goods and other things for sale are wonderful, they have great homemade concessions and it really is a fun experience. Anyway hope this is helpful.

I did like fries with whiz... will take note. I did have a DiNic's roast pork that I can easily get on board with.

So I met a group of friends on Barracks Row on Friday night. Friday night was an extremely nice evening not being cold or hot or humid. We decided as the wait times for inside and out varied by about 10 minutes we would wait for out. We went over to Matchbox for beer and cocktails (btw yes the buzzer still works over there, which is great). I had the ginger cocktail, which is a bit sweet, but I figured that and don't mind a sweet cocktail now and then as I have a huge sweet tooth. Our buzzer went off and we headed over to Cava. We started with bottles of Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc, as white non-chardonnay was requested. Out came pita which was pretty good, but nowhere near Zaytinya, Lebanese Taverna or Me Janna pita. I really like my pita like a good french baguette a little crisp on the outside but soft and tender within. The pita came with a spicy red pepper tapenade, olive oil and olives, which was refilled gratis upon request, a nice touch. We then had the tough decision about ordering. Going to a new tapas place it is always difficult to judge the amount of food to order, so we thought about two dishes per person, with a couple of us extra hungry people ordering four, or three. Our waiter very nicely told us when to stop and said I think that will be enough, if I am wrong you can order more and I will get it out to you quickly. I appreciate the honesty as the advice turned out to be right on. The list of things I sampled: Calamari- the sauce was unexpectedly spicy in a very good way, the squid was not over battered, but had a nice coating, I really enjoyed this version. Not amazingly different in any way, but very good, and a crowd pleaser after a drink or two. Hummus- good, not as good as Lebanese Taverna Market or Tarbouch (they have very creamy hummus with a good tang that not a lot of other hummus can top for me), but this one came close. Sauteed Squash- good flavor, but a tad bit undercooked for me, I like mine a bit more cooked, especially with larger squash as the skin is a bit firmer. Sparraggia- we had two orders of this and it was great. I loved the lemon with the feta with perfectly grilled asparagus, not to crisp, but held it's shape and flavor. Really a nice choice for a veggie- if you wanted something a bit healthier than we were going for without the feta it would be a great healthy veggie side. Lollipop Filet- this was excellent, the filet was cooked about medium, but not on the hard medium side, the shrimp had great flavor not over or undercooked, it had a ncie mix of tomato and feta. Pork Souvlaki- nice grilled pork, still tender, but the grill flavor was really nice. Filet Souvlaki- also very good, simple grilled steak that tasted very nice, still very tender. Opa Opa shrimp- I don't think we actually ordered this, if we did we couldn't remember but the server insisted it was ours so we ate it and it was good. I was happy with so much shrimp that it all was cooked well and seasoned nicely. Grilled Scallops- These were a highlight, nicely cooked with a good balance of acid. Last but not least comes the short ribs, which are a high end version of chili cheese fries for me. Braised short rib with cinnamon and burgundy, fries, feta all piled up. This was the perfect I have had a cocktail and a good bit of wine last dish for me. All in all it was a nice evening, we will definitely go back as we were happy with the food. A good bit of dishes had feta, but that could have been our ordering, and we could have requested without but it was very nice feta, not dry at all. The outside seating is really nice here. It was fun with a group as we got to try so much. The boys ended with Ouzo which us ladies declined.

I also wanted to add Central to the list- they make very good cocktails. Although when in DC I am normally preferential to Gina at PS7, but it is a much better experience when you can talk to her and have a more intimate experience which is hard sometimes because especially during happy hour the bar gets slammed. If you are willing to venture into VA Liberty Taven and Eventide both have very good cocktails too. I say this as PX is also in VA. (Thanks yes VA... going back to work after a long long weekend is so hard)

So a few weeks ago I decided to make a trifle at the last minute for a party I was having that day. Nevermind that none of my friends probably even know what trifle is or that the night before my gas was shut off because we had a gas leak on our fireplace shut off valve, and that my stove is a very nice gas stove or that the stove in the common room of our building that we had for the party is complete crap has a knob for oven temperature and there isn't even a light to tell you if it is up to temperature. Or that I could have bought a nice pound cake or etc and just made the filling as I had gone to the store the previous day, oh no I was going to make a lavender pound cake that I adapted from Martha's baking book then do the trifle then refridge in time for the party and that it was at the same time I was making pulled pork. Everything was a go had put all the ingredients everything, and I just felt that the cake was too sweet- so dumb me obviously had been out too late the night before and should have baked for the party earlier, not last minute, decided to put some lemon juice in it for zest. Lemon juice- I am an idiot! So OF COURSE the cake did not set as it should and in fact made a mess in the stupid common room oven, and since it is a cheap oven it doesn't self-clean and I had to clean it too. Thank goodness we live near Randolph Pastries and Hubby is a Saint. The next weekend when we had gas again, determined not to be an idiot I made the cake and put fresh peaches in it for the needed zest, and made a nice icing and it was lovely for a friends going away party. Not a trifle, but very good.

I like your opinions too... But on the board slowness- Chow hasn't slowed up very much, but maybe a little, I haven't seem some of the normal posters I like on there, as much recently, but there are new people. It could be perhaps because many people aren't dining out as often, or not at places they think are worth posting about. For instance I went to Vapiano the other night because it was close and it had been so long since I had been, I forgot it wasn't great- I was reminded though. But people probably already know this, so probably not worthwhile to post. I don't think you go there expecting stellar food? And last week was RW so God knows I didn't want to get in the middle of that mess. I know I am not eating at as many high end places- not because of the economy more for my new car, but... Maybe with all the hiring the Federal Government needs to do we will have people with good incomes and plenty of time to eat

My Aunt has an iodine allergy which prevents her from eating salt water fish or shellfish, but she has eaten at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants quite successfully. She is just careful and explains to the servers the importance of this. I am not sure if fish sauce or dried shrimp have iodine in them though... You could also get the shot and go for a seafood blowout, if they can give you the shot she could get. But generally I would play it very safe, trips to the emergency room from dinner aren't fun.

Thanks for the info, definitely places I will add to the list.

Joe, Question: The chef that ran Deluxe had a tiny whole in the wall seafood joint called Catch. He was going to move it to a bigger space, and I hoped it would far well as it was the best meal by far that we had in Wilmington. Do you know if it is still there, still good? I am crossing my fingers. Hubby's grandparents live in the outskirts of Wilmington so I like to keep a pulse on what is going on- we will probably head down that way soon. A quick Chow search would probably work better, but I figured I would ask.

While I have had many good things, on a recent weekend brunch I had a really terrible lobster roll, so I would avoid it. That trout is very good though, and of course the bbq duck sandwich.

Minibar uses that method a good bit. Also Cafe Atlantico has on their non-dim sum brunch menu a sous vide egg benedict and I love the texture of that egg- I wish all poached eggs were poached in this way.

I really liked Rick Bayless and Hubert Keller. I am glad that Rick Bayless won, though. Coming from a family of teachers and librarians they really earned my respect when they had so much respect and interest in the sous chef challenge. I was really dissappointed by Michael Chiarello in that episode. I just think everyone deserves a bit of respect, even the young chefs on Top Chef have a lot of culinary skill and knowledge and I respect people who are willing to learn from anyone. What really impressed me was how much fun Rick Bayless had with every challenge. He seems to be rather reserved and polite, but a person who truly loves life and doing what they do and that was so nice. On regular Top Chef- Mike Isabella really rubbed me the wrong way too. I probably won't stop eating at the restaurant, but it hasn't hastened a return. I don't think he was sarcastic, I think he said something stupid, which he would have not said had he had time to think about what he was saying before it was displayed on national television. I don't think he should be burned at the stake or apologize publicly or anything I think the fallout itself will teach him a lesson. I do think the chefs are under a lot of pressure, and editing doesn't help, but no excuse he said it, it didn't appear sarcastic- he will deal with it. On a positive note, I am excited for both Brian and Michael Voltaggio. Having eaten at Volt and at Hemisphere in the Greenbrier when Michael Voltaggio was there I know they both have a lot of talent.

Yes, we have friends that LOVE beer. They make their own beer, they have a beer club, and they are our favorite people to double date with. So I really appreciate places with good beer AND wine lists. You wouldn't expect that there, except knowing that Marcel's has a really nice wine list. And the wine list isn't as pricey as many places, they keep it pretty reasonable which is really nice. I think you are right it is very good for what it is. It's one of those nice to have nearby kind of places (it isn't nearby to me, but if it was I would go way too often). What they found so neat was how many of the real beer glasses they stock for all the beers.

The real question is do you work hourly? If you are salaried go. If you are hourly could you make enough in those hours missed to go for dinner some night?

I eat at the Ballston location from time to time because it is near the house and I can meet friends with dogs there. I do like their on tap root beer- not as good as Lost Dog, but close. And I like that they give it to you in a frosted mug. I do like their red beans and rice and their mac and cheese (tastes a lot like velveeta shells and cheese in a good way, a bit better but in the same thick creamy cheese way). Their greens normally are pretty good too, although I had them once when they were way too salty. I dislike very much their BBQ chicken mainly because the sauce is terrible- way too tangy. Their ribs are so-so. I have had much better, but I will eat them and they are better than RH&B, but they are pretty fatty and again the sauce just isn't great. Their pulled pork to me is dry and therefore requires their sauce to be good to resurrect it a bit, but then again... I am not sure what they use for the pulled pork- maybe it just sits too long, but it is very dry. I think if they worked on improving their sauce they could improve a good number of things, but it is normally decently busy so what do I know!

Had a very nice dinner they other night with some beer loving friends. As I don't prefer beer I ordered a glass of Domaine de la Villaudiere, J.M. Reverdy, Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, France. I know this place has wonderful beer and in the past they have given me some small tastes to help me find something I would like, but really I prefer wine, so I was pleased to order something that I really liked, it was so light without being to fruity, tart or oaky which was nice because it was so hot and I wanted something refreshing. For entree I had the mussels and fries with the tomatoes in a rocca, basil and butter sauce. The mussels were plump and flavorful, I like the full tomatoes and it was the perfect time to order them as they were beautifully ripe. The fries were good, but I like dipping their very good bread in the sauce more than the fries. The fried I like in the curry mayonnaise. Hubby had the rabbit which must have been great because he polished it off astonishingly quick. For dessert I had the gateau of chocolate which had a layer of crispy chocolate almost cookie bits (like very good smaller cocoa pebbles) rich mousse and chocolate sauce, so decadent. It was so good I couldn't stop eating it even though I was so overwhelmingly full. I also had a bite of the belgian waffle which was very moist and soft, it had a wonderful texture, and Hubby's pear tarte which I liked almost as much as my cake, it was a lovely tarte, not to thick, the pears were excellent they were soft enough that it was easy to eat, but had great flavor. Another good meal here.