LauraB

Stopped by Dolcezza in Bethesda yesterday afternoon and gourged on gelato. Started out with 2 scoops and they were so good, I had to go back for 2 more flavors. The 3 standout flavors were: Thai Coconut, White Peach Prosecco, and Lime. Honestly, if we didn't have a movie to get to, I probably would have gone back for 2 more scoops! At $4.75 for 2 small scoops, it's definitely expensive, but the quality is outstanding.

A friend is in town and we're meeting for lunch tomorrow. I had hoped to do brunch at Woodberry Kitchen with him, but I have to work on Sunday and they are only open for dinner on Saturday so I am in need of other suggestions. My fall back is Miss Shirley's, but I was there recently. There are no real requirements or restraints - we both appreciate fine dining and casual food, attention to local ingredients is a plus but not a requirement in this case, cost as long as it's not at the highest end is probably not a major factor, any ethnic cuisine is fine as well as American, it just has to be in Baltimore or along the 95 corridor b/w Baltimore and DC.

I love Baltimore and have been to a good number of places there, but for some reason I'm drawing a blank today.

Thanks!

We had a good brunch experience at Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art a couple of months back. They serve an extensive brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 - 3:00. The menu includes the usual brunch foods along with more lunch type items: soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, entrees. The food was good and the atmosphere was nice and they do have a really lovely outdoor seating area if the weather permits.

In spite of the record-breaking temperatures over the weekend, we enjoyed a very nice stay at the Ashby Inn. Dinner at the Inn was definitely one of the highlights of our little getaway.

Your review is very timely as my husband and I are staying at the Inn for 2 nights in mid-August. It's been a stressful month here and we were looking for a getaway where we could do nothing but read, sleep and eat with a really good restaurant onsite. The Ashby Inn fit the bill and your report confirms that the food will be good. Thank you!

We have an executive membership, and with our AmEx, get a rebate that at least covers the membership fee. We buy soooooo much more than food there.

It also helps that we have a 17cf freezer in our basement

What she said.

We also have an executive membership and every July we receive a check that covers our membership cost and more (provided that we've bought the requisite amount during the year.)

We make as few visits as possible to Costco and actually buy very little food there, mainly many bags of frozen berries and cartons of fresh fruit for my husband who eats 4 pieces of fruit every evening. (I prefer my fruit to be organic and from my local farmers market and I consume it at a slower pace.) We have a chest freezer in our garage where we store the bags of frozen berries and lots of meat from various sources. This freezer is the best investment we ever made. We can take advantage of sales and just store it in the freezer.

Mainly, we buy all of our paper goods and cleaning supplies from Costco: paper towels, Kleenex, toilet paper, printer paper etc.; cartons of Seltzer water; dish washer and laundry detergents, trash bags. Having a garage in which to store all of this helps. We know we are saving money over buying it at our local grocery store. If we didn't have this storage space, we probably wouldn't be shopping at Costco.

Old Ebbitt Express has free cookbook exchanges - drop one off, pick one up. The selection is here and there, but maybe, just maybe, one day that might end up there for you to pick up?

Available on AbeBooks.

Thank you both! With a fridge full of fresh, local produce, and many more farmers markets visits anticipated in the next few months, I am inspired to look into this.

Tonight: Summer squash stuffed with feta, sweet corn, spring onion (summer onion?), salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Romaine salad with feta dressing

The squash recipe was adapted from Marian Morash's Victory Garden Cookbook. I'll give it another plug here because I know a lot of people don't know about it. Morash is the wife of an avid gardener (understatement alert), was a restaurant chef, then executive chef for one of Julia Child's shows alongside Sara Moulton, then she went on to the Victory Garden series. This cookbook is AMAZING for vegetable ideas. It has basic preparations for each vegetable, then multiple French treatments (crêpes, timbales, soufflés, quiches, tartes with alternating layers of veg and whipped eggs), then more American fare (quick breads, veg cakes, pancakes, anything with loads of cheese), but all the sections are geared toward the person who has a lot of produce to consider. It is an absolute lifesaver for someone who, hypothetically speaking, lives in a two person family, yet finds herself in possession of ten summer squash, a dozen ears of corn, five or six pounds of tomatoes, seven huge onions...

I love the Victory Garden cookbook! It used to be my go-to source for vegetable ideas. I cannot believe that, in a moment of insanity, during a downsizing, I gave it away along with dozens of other cookbooks. It's the only one I'd really like to have back. (Well, maybe also the Vegetarian Epicure, although I at least had the good sense to photocopy my favorite recipes from that book.)

I've been told of a place called Shamrocks in Thurmont, MD,

Whatever you do, do not stop here. It may be packed, but trust me, it's not packed with people who care about good food.

I used to buy fish (especially salmon) from Vital Choice. The quality of the fish was superb; however, the price was ridiculously expensive, with shipping. After awhile I just couldn't justify it. Now I buy most of my seafood from River Falls Seafood in Potomac or BlackSalt on MacArthur Blvd in the Palisades.

Today's Living Social deal is for Againn: $25 for a $50 coupon. Looks like it's only for the DC location and not Rockville as well, but can't tell for sure.

Grilled wild-caught sockeye salmon

Sliced cucumbers tossed with asian-flavored vinaigrette and chopped mint and basil

Baby romaine, arugula and fresh herbs dressed with shallot vinaigrette

Ah many thanks....finally poked around the interwebs myself and found that the place has moved to the parking deck lot behind adjacent to Jaleo. I'll have to check it out.

Sunday mornings it is on the parking deck from 9:00 - 1:00. Thursday afternoons (3-7) it is in the pedestrian area between Elm Street and Bethesda Ave -- where Redwood is.

Do they still do the Thursday afternoon time slop over in Bethesda Row? Been meaning to swing down there this season and have yet to. TIA

Yes, from 3:00 to 7:00.

With apologies to Monty Python, Gourmet appears not to be dead yet. Gourmet Live coming later this year to an iPad near you.

I'm waiting for the 2nd generation of the iPad -- when they've worked out more of the bugs and added more features, but this news makes me even more eager to buy it.

It's been awhile since I was last in Bar Harbor, but I still remember the breakfasts we had at Cafe This Way. The omelets I had there were the best I've ever had in my life, with the exception of France. I especially recommend 'The Green Eggs and Sam' and 'The Ann.' This is truly a hidden gem -- it's on Mt. Desert St., but not facing the street, it's tucked behind other buildings. It's worth seeking out! Of all the meals I've eaten in Bar Harbor, the breakfasts at Cafe This Way are the only ones I remember!

Here's the hours from the website, or go to the Arlington Courthouse market on Sat morn. , or Dupont on Sun. morn. You never know what you might find. Why, just this morning, i purchased a ribeye (the only one) from Courthouse.

So they're still selling at Dupont and Courthouse markets? I was under the impression that they had stopped selling at farmers markets since opening at the Westover Market.

It's a long trek from Rockville, but I'd like to pay a visit to EcoFriendly at the Westover Market. Can anyone tell me if the butcher shop is open all of the hours of the Market (M-Sat 8-10, Sun 10-10), or does it have limited hours? I'd not like to drive all that way only to find EcoFriendly closed.

Grilled pork tenderloin marinated in olive oil, lime juice, dijon mustard, fresh ginger, soy sauce, garlic

Served with an onion marmalade (red onions, olive oil, jalapenos, honey, red wine vinegar)

Black beans with celery, scallions and cilantro, dressed with cilantro-lime vinaigrette

Sauteed rainbow chard with garlic and shallots

From wikipedia:

Thank you, Daniel. I will be sure to avoid escolar.

Grilled lamb merguez sausages from Meatcrafters (between the rain drops)

Roasted cauliflower and onions: marinated in toasted and crushed coriander and cumin seeds, olive oil, red wine vinegar, curry powder, Hungarian hot paprika, served with chopped cilantro

Steamed asparagus

Recently I had a fantastic meal at Sushi Sono, and have one question about the amazing "white tuna."

Is it Escolar or is it Albacore?

I feel certain Chef King knows the difference if anyone does, and so I wonder -- which is it?

On-line guides say these two fish are often confused, and with the gastro consequences of Escolar it seems important to ask.

The taste is amazing, but the after effects can be brutal if it is Escolar.

How is a diner to know the difference?

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the problem with Escolar?

Last night:

Grilled boneless chicken breasts marinated in yogurt and EVOO, spiced with salt, lemon juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, served with sauce of yogurt, EVOO, minced mint and shallots – surprisingly moist!

Grilled red and yellow peppers

Steamed spinach

Tonight:

Grilled jumbo prawns in marinade of EVOO, ground sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, cilantro, hot red pepper flakes, black pepper, drizzled with lime juice… Delicious!

Sauteed beet greens and shallots

Green beans dressed with lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley

(I wish I could take pictures like monavano)

Recipe from The Spice Merchant's Daughter: Basil Chicken

Small cubes of boneless chicken breast stir-fried in a wok with: peanut oil, garlic, shallots, jalapenos, yellow peppers, soy sauce, fish sauce, basil, white pepper (not all at the same time

Served over Jasmine rice

Wow, this was simple, quick and so delicious!

Grilled lamb merguez sausages from Meatcrafters (God, I love these!)

Grilled portobello mushrooms

Grilled asparagus

Sauteed kale with garlic

Cod fillets baked under a tomato sauce with white onion, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, oregano, chopped green olives, capers

Served with a salad of baby greens, basil, dill, radishes, cucumbers, red peppers, dressed with WF Organic Italian dressing.

I never, ever use 'bottled' dressing -- I've been making my own dressing for at least 20 years. A couple of weeks ago I was at an event where they used the WF 365 Italian Dressing and I was really impressed. So I bought a bottle and have been using it. It's really quite good and has only a few of those objectionable ingredients like 'gum'. I imagine once it's empty I will return to making my own dressing (EVOO, lemon juice, mashed garlic, salt and pepper). In the meantime, it's nice not to have to make fresh dressing every night.

Grilled boneless, butterflied pork chops dressed with sauce: olive oil, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped cilantro

Grilled tomatoes

Sauteed green chard

Steamed sugar snap peas