LauraB

Does anyone have any information on this potential Indian grocery that is supposed to open at 17th & Q NW? There was a kickstarter campaign that ended successfully in January and there are several photos on the website that seem to indicate that construction is well underway. I haven't been by that corner in awhile, so haven't seen for myself. If it happens, this would certainly be a great addition to the neighborhood. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/934396646/indian-grocerychaicooking-classesin-dupont-tis-tim

Elizabeth, where did you buy the whole fenugreek seeds, the black mustard seeds and the curry leaves?

Thanks for this! I stopped by this morning and they had 2 blocks--I bought them both--never know when I'll see it again.

Does anyone know if there is anywhere in DC proper where I could find tamarind blocks?

Roberto's 8 comes immediately to mind.

Same with the Whole Foods on P Street. I've seen it there within the last week.

Last night, as a starter course, I made Frank Ruta's Kabocha and Shiitake Soup: http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/kabocha-squash-and-shiitake-soup/11718/.%C2'> It was AWESOME! If it weren't for the high sodium count, I would eat this every day. Instead, it'll have to remain an occasional treat. From my experience, I would recommend not adding the 1 TBS of salt until the soup is finished -- you may discover you don't need it -- the ham hock contributes a lot of salt. Also, it calls for 2 cups of water. I used chicken stock and found that the soup was very thick -- I needed to add 2 additional cups of stock. The main course was sautéed bay scallops with rosemary, capers, and Israeli couscous. (I tried to put a link to the recipe on the WaPo site, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work, neither doing a link or just pasting the url. Anyway, if you go to the WaPo Food page and their Recipe Finder, just type in the name of the recipe and it'll come up. It's more than worth it!)

The Ashby Inn just posted on their FB page that Neal and Star Wavra are leaving the Ashby. There was no mention of where they're going. This is a huge loss -- Neal is a fantastic GM and Sommelier and they are both lovely people. They will be greatly missed. Wishing them well wherever their path takes them.

I agree completely about Ghibellina. It is our favorite restaurant in the 14th Street area and we've tried most of them. It is Ghibellina that we keep coming back to. Their pizza is every bit as good as Pupatella's, whether you eat it in the restaurant or carry it out. The rest of the food offerings are very fine and the service is friendly and the ambience really cozy. I tell everyone about Ghibellina and I'm always surprised at how many people have never heard of it. My only 'complaint' would be that to order carry-out pizza you have to order in person at the bar -- you can't phone in your order.

I agree. While I did not like the older versions of hand dryers, the new generation is light years better. They dry your hands in seconds. My only complaint would be that they're so powerful that it can feel like the skin is being blown right off your hand!

I picked up lunch at G today after not having been there in awhile. This time I tried the roasted cauliflower sandwich and really liked it a lot. The cauliflower was thinly sliced, perfectly roasted and accompanied by romesco and pickled vegetables which added a nice tang. Like many of their sandwiches, it was served on a great sesame seed roll -- I don't know where they get this bread, but I think it's excellent. It stayed nice and crunchy down to the last bite. Another item I really like at G is their house-made potato chips. I rarely eat potato chips but I make an exception for G's because they are so fresh, not real greasy, and have a nice black pepper bite. Usually they have quite a number of bags of them lined up on the sales counter. I have learned, though, to inquire as to whether they have any fresh-made and they've always been happy to put some of the fresh ones in a bag for me.

I have a mortar & pestle and it may be the least used cooking equipment in my kitchen. It's very nice and I know it cost way less than $90. I have several electric mini-grinders, including a German one that I bought in the '80s and it's still going strong(!), that I use for grinding spices, nuts, and almost everything else. They work great and, if the results aren't 'authentic' or as tasty as a mortar-ground ingredient, oh well. I've saved myself a lot of time and elbow grease.

Quite the opposite! I quite enjoyed your posts on your tour through Shaw on Friday. Keep posting!

For those who may not know, Taco Bamba also serves breakfast. They open every morning at 8:30 and the 6 items on the breakfast menu are available all day long. After running an errand in Falls Church, we arrived there this morning shortly after 9:00 and were delighted to find that, unlike on our previous visit, every seat in the place was available. We ordered 3 of the items off the breakfast menu: Sope Chorizo: served with black beans, salsa verde, fried egg and crema. MrB ate this without my assistance and he liked it a lot. But then, he loves anything with chorizo. Chilaquiles: crispy tortillas, black beans, crema, avocado. We split this and we both agreed that it was ok, but we wouldn't order it again. Enchiladas: I really liked these. The crispy tortillas were very light and the dish was quite spicy. It was topped with a fried egg and accompanied by Mexican-style rice and black beans. The rice was good, if nothing exceptional. The black beans I didn't care for. This was a black bean puree and it just lacked any real flavor for me. The other items on the breakfast menu are: Huevos Rancheros, Breakfast Tacos filled with breaded chicken, and Torta Choriqueso with guacamole, pico de gallo and chipotle mayo. While we were there, a handful of other customers came in and all ordered carryout. I inquired as to when they start serving the main menu each day and Fez (sp?) told me that it's somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00. He also said that they were expecting it to be a very busy day after the mention of their Camaron Diabla Taco in the WaPo's article on '40 Dishes Every Washingtonian Must Eat in 2014.' We left with a large carryout container of their wonderful Rojo Pozole. Really looking forward to that.

Well, perhaps they need to change the language on that 'warning.' I saw the 'null vote', but assumed it meant that by clicking on 'View Results' I was not voting. I didn't realize that I was giving up my chance to vote at all.

The same thing just happened to me. I viewed the poll results prior to voting and now I can't vote because I'm being told I've already voted.

As a native of southern California, I am always interested in good Mexican food. And, after Zora's glowing reports about this place I had to give it a try. We drove out from DC yesterday morning and arrived around 11:45. I wish we lived within carryout distance because seating is scarce and this is not the kind of food you want to eat in your car. At 11:45 it was already pretty busy and, after waiting some time we were finally able to secure one seat -- MrB ate standing up. We were located right next to the door and it was really cold. I had left my jacket in the car and I had to retrieve it because it was that cold. It took quite some time to receive our order which we didn't mind because quality food takes its time. I trust Zora's advice about Mexican food, so, as a first visit, I decided to order mostly the things she had recommended to Don upthread. MrB added a chili hot dog (exact name of the dish escapes me and it's not on the online menu). I am not a fan of flour tortillas and I wish I had read through this thread before going so I would have known to request corn tortillas. Next time! What we ordered: Taco Bamba: Skirt Steak, Chorizo, Grilled Guacamole, Chicharrones: MrB ate this and loved it Spicy "˜Shroom Taco: Chipotle Portabella, Grilled Corn, Cotija, Pepitas: I loved it! Pepitas added a nice crunch. Pork Tamal with Green Sauce: To be honest, I've never been a fan of tamales, finding that the ratio of filling to masa leans too heavily to the masa side. I found this to be true of this tamal as well. The pork filling was good, but there was just too little of it relative to the masa. On the plus side, this masa was very light compared with many. Still, it didn't win me over. Refried Beans: when I ordered this I was told there was a choice of pinto or black beans; I chose pinto. At first I was told there were not pintos, then that changed and the order went through. Hmmm. I'm not sure what happened here, but this dish was a major disappointment. It appeared more like a bean dip covered with cheese sprinkles. And, it was cold and flavorless. After one bite each we pushed it aside. Pozole Rojo: Dish of the day! Pozole is one of my favorite dishes and this one was great. Just as Don described it above: just like someone's grandma made this with love. If we had been going directly home after lunch I would have ordered a couple of large containers to carry out. Instead, I just received my order of hominy from Rancho Gordo and I'm inspired to make pozole this week. Bamba Chili Hot Dog: I didn't get a bite of this, but MrB says it was the best hot dog he's had since the one he ate at Gillian Clark's much-missed General Store in Silver Spring. We really enjoyed our experience at Taco Bamba and we're looking forward to returning to try more items on the menu. I do have a couple of suggestions for improvement: having been to Tortacos in Gaithersburg a few times, I feel that their offerings for taco toppings are far superior to those available at Taco Bamba. And, the little plastic cups of radish and lime slices are hidden inside metal containers in a corner with no signage and if you didn't know to look for them, you might not find them -- this place needs an open toppings bar with more offerings. Cilantro, anyone? The salsas are fine, especially the salsa verde, but again, not immediately obvious to the first-timer and not as good as those at Tortacos.

Don, curious about why you predict this. Assuming this nomination refers to the NYC location and not the Barns. We had dinner at Blue Hill in NYC 2 years ago and, while we thoroughly enjoyed our experience there, I can't quite see why the service would be worthy of this award.

A couple of places immediately spring to mind, both in Columbia Heights. El Chucho on 11th Street Pete's Apizza at 14th & Irving

It's hard to go wrong with Red Hen. It's so popular, though, that without a reservation, you'll be waiting a long time -- and it's probably a little late to get one for this weekend. The best and most popular new place in DC is Rose's Luxury on 8th St SE. They don't take reservations, so if you want to avoid a very long wait, it's best to get there before they open and stand in line. I highly recommend Table at 9th & N in Shaw. We had a meal there in early December that was just fantastic. They take reservations through City Eats. Note: they don't do cocktails, only beer and wine. Another place to consider is Iron Gate on N Street across the street from the Tabard Inn. This is the latest member of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. We had an incredible experience there in December. The ambience is absolutely perfect for this polar winter we are having. It can get pricey, but it doesn't have to if you do the bar menu -- really interesting drinks from Jeff Faile, formerly of Fiola.

^ The hint for me was the dish itself. My husband ordered this a couple of weeks ago and I was lucky enough to get a couple of small bites. That tuna and tabbouleh is incredibly delicious. Kind of made me regret my own choice, even though the crabcake I had was excellent as well. The cooking at this place always delights. (Can anyone tell me why I am unable to quote text from previous posts? I used to be able to do this. However, for quite some time, when I click on the quote box, I get a reply box but it doesn't contain the quote.)

Cheezepowder: Rappahannock Oyster Bar at Union Market

Philip Seymour Hoffman. A damn fine actor, gone way too soon.

^ You might try Righteous Cheese at Union Market. It's walking distance from the NoMa station on the red line.

Duke's Grocery on 17th St, between P & Q Red Apron at Union Market