LauraB

I used an Italian EVOO that I got at the Italian Store, can't recall the exact brand and I'm not in my kitchen to check. And no, I didn't make the sausages! I'm not quite that ambitious! They are from MeatCrafters. We purchased them at the Bethesda Central Farm Market, but they are also at many other markets. Their website lists all of them. We've tried quite a number of their products and we really like them alot. The Lamb Merguez is our favorite, others we like are: Fresh Kielbasa, Cajun Andouille, and Chicken Basil Bangers.

Arugula with roasted golden beets, baby turnips, and mushrooms, with fresh mozzarella, and pear vinaigrette Grilled lamb merguez sausages

Matt, thanks! Those all look promising. I made a reservation at Colterra (neither Salt nor Radda accept reservations) and we're looking forward to it.

Any recent experiences in Boulder? We're going to be there in a couple of weeks. We're on the waiting list for Frasca and Kitchen is completely booked, so looking for other ideas. Thanks.

I haven't yet been to the Thursday afternoon market (3-7pm) in Bethesda Row, so can't comment on what's available then. Here's the link to the market, hopefully it will have info for you: http://www.bethesdacentralfarmmarket.com/index.html Just to clarify: The Sunday morning market is on Elm Street in an open-air parking lot between Wisconsin and Woodmont. The Thursday afternoon market is in the Bethesda Row pedestrian area where Le Pain Quotidien and Redwood Restaurant are located.

I looked there, but I did not see the Bethesda Central Farm Market listed. There is a Bethesda market listed, but that is not the same as this market.

I couldn't find an entry for these markets, so I've started this thread. If another thread exists, please move this. I just wanted to let everyone know that the Bethesda Central Farm Market is well worth a visit. We have been to the Sunday morning market several times and it just keeps getting better. You can get all of the usual fruit and vegetables from Toigo, Bending Bridge Farm, Red Bud Farm, Twin Springs Farm and others. Jamison has many forms of lamb; MeatCrafters has really delicious sausages (our favorites are the Lamb Merguez, the fresh Kielbasa, the Cajun Andouille, and the Chicken Basil). Atwater's is there with all of their incredible breads (our favorite is the Sunflower Flax). And you can get a personal tutorial and tasting on raw honey from the Naked Bee and olive oils from The Olive Man (sorry, I've forgotten the exact name of his business -- olive oils are delicious!) Also want to mention the Sharpen This booth where you can get your knives sharpened while you shop! We took all of our kitchen knives there this morning and we were very pleased with the results. The price is comparable to what you would pay at Sur La Table ($1.00 per inch), but the results are better, in my opinion. Plus, you get your knives back within an hour, instead of waiting days. They are only there every other week, so their next visit will be Oct. 4th. There are many other vendors that time does not permit me to include. We tend to get there early when the crowds are thinner than they may be later on. Parking is easy in the neighborhood. http://www.bethesdacentralfarmmarket.com/

Where is Heinz's stand located at the Dupont Market?

All of the main ingredients, and many of the minor players, were purchased this morning at the Bethesda Central Farm Market on Elm Street, including the Rainbow Trout. Broiled rainbow trout bathed in butter and thai chili paste, with minced basil, cilantro, lime zest and panko coating Heirloom and cherry tomatoes dressed with EVOO, fleur de sel, pepper, fresh basil leaves and accompanied by Point Reyes blue cheese Sauteed rainbow chard with garlic Corn on the cob with Kerrygold butter A slice of Atwater's sunflower and flax bread -- so delicious and moist, no butter required King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris

My husband and I moved to the DC area in late August of 2007 and since then we have been slowly working our way through the local restaurants. One of the very first restaurants we visited was in early September 2007 to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We chose Obelisk in the Dupont Circle neighborhood because, after an exhausting move, we wanted excellent food, but with a more laid-back, less formal atmosphere. We were ecstatic with our experience that night. Everything we were served was exquisite and, while I didn’t take notes, I still remember the nectarine tart I had for dessert. Despite our wonderful experience there we had not returned because, being new to the area, we wanted to experience as many restaurants as possible. So, we had a rule that we wouldn’t repeat a restaurant until we had been to all of the others in its price/quality category. Last Wednesday we made an exception. We decided to return to Obelisk to celebrate our wedding anniversary again. We made this decision despite the fact that we haven’t yet been to Palena, Corduroy, Inox, or 2941. This speaks to how very much we had enjoyed our first visit to Obelisk and wished to repeat it. I am sad to report that our second visit, at least for me, did not quite measure up to our first. Still wonderful was the service, which is some of the best in any restaurant in the area. The staff is very knowledgeable about both the food and the wine and also very accommodating and friendly. The evening began with the house-cured olives, followed by the bread which was delicious and served with a butter that was room temperature and, therefore, spreadable. Those are the best breadsticks you’re likely to get in a restaurant and the sourdough wheat bread was very good. This was followed by the cheese course: an Italian Burrata dressed with olive oil and pepper. The Burrata itself was extremely delicate, airy and light and also completely tasteless. The olive oil and pepper added the only flavor. Next came the parade of antipasti: • Matsutake mushroom served with pecorino and celery leaf: honestly, the celery leaf was the star here; no other flavors could be detected. • Smoked swordfish belly: this was very well cooked, a tad too fishy for my taste; my husband loved it. • Pork rillettes with onion jam: excellent! • Puff pastry stuffed with arugula, cheese, anchovies, and herbs: this was a real miss; the pastry was overcooked and dry, almost burned, not at all light and fluffy; the stuffing was nothing special. For the Primi course my husband had the Shrimp Soup which he loved and my taste of it confirmed that it was excellent, cooked well and flavorful. Unfortunately, my choice was the Gargati with Polpettine, a pasta dish with small meatballs made of pork and veal, accompanied by a tomato sauce. This dish was a disaster all the way around. The pasta was dense, tough and chewy. The meatballs were dry and tasteless. The sauce was fine but could hardly save the dish. For the Secondi, we both chose the Black Sea Bass with Romesco Sauce and Artichoke stuffed with cheeses and herbs. This dish was excellent. Every component was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. The evening ended on a very high note as both of our desserts were wonderful: my husband had the chocolate raspberry torte with chocolate raspberry ice cream; I had the peach and blackberry crumble with whipped cream. The whipped cream had been directly imported from heaven! To drink we had an Italian Pinot Noir, Grosjean Valle d’Aoste 2006 ($63); this was a lighter red, befitting the season and the food and it was very tasty. Despite our disappointing experience, we will certainly return to Obelisk. However, not before we’ve checked out the remaining restaurants in this category on our list.

I'm a newbie here, and I would be very willing to help organize a picnic in October. Just let me know what I need to do.

I have to admit that I am all for whatever coffehouses can do to discourage campers. As a non-camper myself, it is really discouraging to wander into a coffehouse and find EVERY table and seat occupied by people who are clearly spending the entire day there. If there is nowhere for me to sit, I am not going to buy coffee or anything else at that establishment.

I'm so with you on that!

Hello and thanks for having me! My husband and I moved to MoCo about a year ago after an absence from the DC area of almost 20 years. I've found the dining scene unrecognizable - and vastly improved! Reading the DR board has really helped us get oriented to the new restaurant scene and we've especially enjoyed discovering places like Dino, Nava Thai and Joe's Noodle House, thanks to DR. So I thought it was time to come out of hiding and say hello. I'm not a food or restaurant professional, just someone who worships beautiful, well-prepared food. I've always been an enthusiastic home cook, but recently I have decided to up my game by delving much more deeply into international cuisines in my own kitchen. So I will probably be asking for advice about cookbooks and other tips from the many knowledgeable folks here. Thanks in advance!

Kojo Nnamdi had a show on this today with local experts. The WAMU website has a podcast of the show and links to several good resources.

Thanks for posting about this. Just curious, is any of the produce organic?

We made our first visit to the Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve last week. I have wanted to dine there for quite some time and I fully expected to love it. Sadly, I did not. In fact, I was surprised by how much I did not love it. Let me start with the positives. The ambiance of the restaurant itself is lovely. I adored the look, the feel, and the sound of it -- the soft edges – it was a nice change from the hard-edged look and sound of so many restaurants today. This made me want to love it even more. The service was friendly – perhaps too friendly – we learned a bit more than we really needed to know about our server’s budding career as a writer for the Food Network. The gin and tonics, with house-made tonic, that we had to start the evening were far and away the best version of that drink I’ve ever had. What I didn’t love: (1) Sadly, the food. Price-wise, Eve has placed itself in the same rarified air as CityZen, Komi, and Marcel’s. We have dined at all 3 of these restaurants over the last year and at each of them we more than loved the food. At Komi and CityZen we were blown away by the food. At Eve, we had the 5-course tasting menu and with the various amuses, palate cleansers, etc. we were served at least 9 different plates. Only one of these plates caused us to gush with pleasure – that was a soup that was not one of the 5 menu courses. The server spoke so fast that I couldn’t catch what it was – it seemed to be a tomato soup with a smoky accent. Of the rest of the meal, my husband really enjoyed the Roasted Whitewood Farm Beef Filet and the palate cleanser frozen gazpacho (I did not, which is strange because I love gazpacho – the tomato portion had a strange taste); I enjoyed the Sashimi of Hamachi – very fresh and enhanced by the Yuzu Vinaigrette. Two of the courses (the Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi and the Wild Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Custard) were over-salted and oddly flavored, though I must say that the gnocchi themselves were very delicate and exquisite; the mushroom custard had the consistency and taste of tofu, not a plus. For the cheese course, my husband’s was excellent (Terrine of Gorgonzola) and mine (Crottin de Chavignol) was wrapped in a phyllo dough that rendered the cheese invisible and tasteless and was not helped by the Sauvignon Blanc Gelee. Desserts were NWTC – not worth the calories (Almond Financier – very dry; Praline Crumb Doughnuts – nothing special). The breads were also a disappointment. Served toward the beginning of the meal, they consisted of a basket of 5 small rolls with a plate of Irish Kerry Gold butter (naturally!). When served, the rolls were so hot they could not be touched – obviously fresh from an oven. By the time they cooled enough to be touched, they were hard and difficult to break open and even the butter could not rescue them from nothingness. (These are nothing like the Parker Rolls at CityZen). Finally, we were served a plate of sweets/pastries with the bill. We both agreed that all of these were horrible. Not just ok, but horrible. Batting average: my husband loved 2 and enjoyed 2 of the 9 plates; I loved 1 and enjoyed 1 of the 9 plates. The rest were either bad or forgettable. (2) Wine pairings: I had the 5 wine pairings. At $70 for 5, 2-oz pours, I expected to be served some really delicious wines. Not the case. They may have complimented the food, but none of the wines were exceptional and 3 of them were no better, taste-wise, than a factory wine. The wine pairings I have had at CityZen have been exquisite, for about the same price. I’d recommend that people just order a $70 bottle of wine – you’ll get a better wine and more of it. (3) Service: I said earlier that the service was friendly and that is true. That does not mean that the service was of the professional level one would expect at a restaurant at this price-point. I am comparing the service to that we’ve received at CityZen and Marcel’s. In both places the service was impeccable. It was so finely honed, so professional, it blew you away as much as the food. At Komi the service was also excellent in a more laid-back way, inviting interaction with the server. At Eve, many of the servers seemed inexperienced and seemed to struggle with the menu terms. When dishes were brought to the table they were served in a rather haphazard way across the table rather than from the side, such that I often feared that my wine or water glass would be knocked over. Also, I heard a server at the next table describe a dish in a different way than it had been described to us by our server. Is that fish (sugar toads) from the Chesapeake Bay or from the North Atlantic? The young sommelier (not Todd Thrasher, obviously) really needs to study his pronunciation. As someone who lived many years in Europe, the way he mangled the names and regions of the Italian and French wines was almost painful to me. It was only the next day after I read the names of the wines on the menu we had been given, that I understood exactly what we had been served. (4) Pacing: Slow. It seemed that we waited a very long time between courses. As we did the wine pairing, the wine would be delivered to the table without description and would sit there for 15 minutes before the next course would arrive. Then there would be a wait for the Sommelier to drop by and identify the wine. Twenty minutes could elapse between courses, during which time I have been sitting with nothing to drink and the wine’s temperature has dropped and so has my enthusiasm. Considering that the cost of the meal, with 2 cocktails, 1 wine pairing, bottle of sparkling water, plus tax and tip, was over $400 for 2 – the experience was disappointing at best, unacceptable for us.

Actually, I use that feature a lot. And I, too, find it annoying that it is in small type at the bottom of the page. That being said, I have to say that after the intial shock of the first few days, I am finding the upgrade to be no problem at all. There are some things that I even like better. There is one thing that I've noticed is still a problem. When a post has a quote, the quote box bleeds to the left into the description of the person who posted.

I had exactly the same thought!

I frequently find kaffir lime leaves in the fresh herbs part of the produce section at the Whole Foods in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg. I know I've seen them there in the last couple of weeks. Can't speak for other Whole Foods stores, but it may be worth checking the one closest to you.

I've been shopping at the Common Market for years and I love it. However, I think that most of their prepared foods are not very good. And I can't imagine that they'd appeal to a group of teenagers. I think StorageLady would be much better off with the Costco potato salad for this event.

I agree that we are not at risk of contracting flu from the food itself, but rather from those who've touched it prior to our consuming it. I'm convinced that the bad case of flu that I had last year was a direct result of my then newly-acquired habit of sampling the free food at my local Whole Foods -- you know, the cheese cubes and dips, where people have to shove their hands into the plexiglas globe and it's nearly impossible not to brush your hand against the food, especially for all the little kids who cluster at these things. I hadn't had the flu in at least 15 years prior to that. I avoided all free samples this winter and remained healthy. Though it pains me to do so, in the current situation, I think I'm going to continue that practice.

With 30 attendees, am I correct in assuming that this will be demonstration only, no hands-on participation?

No, I didn't notice, because I dropped my subscription to BA almost a year ago. That was a very painful decision because I had been a long-time subscriber -- I have every issue starting from 1990! BA just became ridiculous and irrelevant to me -- even many of the photos were nauseating. Who wants to look at a half-eaten plate of something?

I like the brunch at Black Market Bistro in Garrett Park...same owners as Black Salt. http://www.blackmarketrestaurant.com/