LauraB

Several months ago we moved to the West Springfield/Burke area of Fairfax County. This coming Friday I am scheduled to have shoulder surgery. I am told that I will be out of commission for several weeks, unable to cook, drive, or much of anything else requiring two hands. In preparation, I have been cooking a lot of soups, stews, and chilis this month and freezing them in individual serving sizes. But, my freezer is small and it will only go so far. To supplement, MrB will procure rotisserie chickens from WF and carryout from our favorite kabob place, Flame Kabob. However, MrB will also be travelling for business quite a bit and I'm wondering about delivery options in the area. I looked at GrubHub and didn't see any restaurants I recognized. Can anyone suggest any restaurants that do offer delivery in the area? Or, any that are on GrubHub (or other delivery services) that you would recommend? Thanks!

Garrison had a cassoulet on their specials menu last night. I believe it was duck confit cassoulet. We didn't order it, so I don't know more than that.

Four Sisters?

Agreed. Also, the rigatoni with fennel sausage ragu.

This Black Bean Pumpkin Soup is really good and calls for 1/2 a pound of cooked ham.

The website also says they're located in the heart of the East Village (in the same blurb that says they have a banquet room with capacity for 200). And yet the address given is Backlick Road. Is this an expansion of a NYC restaurant?

The Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville is about a 35-minute drive from Brightwood (according to Google maps). It would seem to meet your needs quite well.

Thank you, Tweaked! That is EXACTLY what I am looking for and the place will be perfect for my dining companion. Sometimes you don't need a chowhound-worthy destination, just a simple solution to a specific situation.

I have not spent any time in restaurants for months due to my need to follow a meal plan for health and weight loss. In a couple of weeks I need to meet someone for lunch in DC prior to a 2:30 appointment at 18th & I, NW. I am looking for a restaurant (doesn't have to be in the immediate vicinity) where I can order a simply grilled/roasted fish fillet or chicken breast accompanied by some green vegetables that have not been drenched in butter. Some places I've thought of are: Ris, Westend Bistro and Woodward Table, all of which are pretty expensive. That's not a problem for me, but might be for my dining companion. Any thoughts?

That's quite a list you have and you'd do well at most of those places. However, given what everyone's been saying about Rob Weland's new restaurant on Barracks Row, Garrison, I'd go there. As an FYI, Fishnook is not happening right now because Fishnet in Shaw has been temporarily closed (since August 2nd). Supposed to reopen in the fall.

This place has apparently closed. Their Yelp page has a banner at the top saying that Yelpers are reporting that this location has closed. Just to verify, I called the number listed on their Yelp page and the woman who answered said, "I'm sorry, but my store has closed."

Many thanks to lovehockey for posting about The Irish Plumber. We needed to have a toilet fixed earlier this week, so I consulted this thread. I called The Irish Plumber at 7:00 am and left a message. I received a return call at 7:30 and a plumber was at our door by 8:45. Toilet was fixed by 9:45. The plumber was friendly and professional and gave me a choice of two options and recommended the less expensive one. I didn't comparison shop, so can't gauge how expensive this repair was compared with other plumbing companies. We paid $260 for a partial rebuild of the toilet. It was well worth it to us and next time I need a plumber, I'll be calling the Irish Plumber!

You might try the Yellow Ribbon Fund. It is an organization based in Bethesda that helps wounded service members and their families. We donated exercise equipment 2 years ago and they placed the equipment with two different families. Call Judy Tart at: 240-223-1180 to inquire.

A couple of blocks south on 8th St, under the bridge, is a public parking lot. We've had good luck finding parking there.

Like lovehockey above, I am also in search of a handyman in Fairfax County (Burke/Springfield area). In my case, I'm hoping to find someone who can do some simple tasks such as installing towel bars and a toilet paper holder and a full-length mirror on the wall. I'm sure we'll have come up with a few other tasks by the time we find someone . Anyone have any suggestions? Or, do I finally have to join Angie's List?

I made this for the first time in Feb 2009. We loved it! I didn't add a protein, but did increase the greens by quite a bit. Didn't feel the need to add the pasta water as it was already plenty moist. I've made it a number of times since, whenever I find really fresh beet greens -- sometimes I sub mustard greens if I can't find beet greens. So glad you enjoyed it!

Here was my thinking: the restaurant is clearly trying to be an upscale place with the white tablecloths and tableware and glassware. Yet, the food/plating didn't quite measure up to that. From her posts, I knew that bookluvingbabe lives in upper Montgomery County, so I thought about what venue(s) would fit the above description in that area, and the Comus Inn came to mind. I googled it on Yelp to see the pictures and sure enough, the plates matched!

The Comus Inn

Haven't seen one of my most favorite spots in DC mentioned above: the FDR Memorial along the Tidal Basin. Truly a hidden gem, hiding in plain sight. It's not grand, like the Jefferson Memorial, but it is thought-provoking, with numerous inspiring quotations from FDR. It also has several wonderful water features -- the whole place creates a kind of meditative environment. I also second the recommendations for: the National Arboretum (especially the Asian Collection and the Conifer section), Arlington Cemetery (a truly beautiful place and emotionally very moving), and the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon (a really well-planned and designed memorial that also invites contemplation).

How about Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown? If MacArthur Blvd is within range, then surely Georgetown would be as well. I had lunch there a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

How about G Sandwich at 14th & W? I've had many mighty fine sandwiches there. The meats are wood-roasted at Kapnos next door. They even have a Cubano, which maybe couldn't best a Cuban sandwich in Miami, but I guarantee you is 100x better than any Cuban sandwich at Clydes.

While we were living in MoCo, I used to buy them from a farmer at the Bethesda Central Farm Market on Sundays -- unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the farm, but the short ribs were great. Since moving into DC two years ago I've bought them from Harvey's at Union Market. Just to be clear, we eat mostly chicken and seafood. It's a fairly rare treat that I cook meat other than poultry, so I don't have that much experience with Harvey's, but have not been disappointed in what I have purchased there.

I have quite a few cookbooks and this may be my very favorite. It's neither a new nor a trendy cookbook. However, everything I've cooked from it has been wonderful. Whenever we have guests over for dinner, this is the book I turn to. The dishes are fabulous without requiring that I spend 3 days in the kitchen. There is a large section in the back of the book devoted to individual herbs: how to grow, harvest, and cook. Really makes me wish I still had an herb garden. Some of my favorite recipes: Grilled Peach Salad (pg 69). Every year I can't wait for the height of peach season to make this salad. It combines the sweetness of grilled peaches with the spicy bite of watercress, arugula and jalapenos. Roasted Ratatouille (pg 141). This uses several fresh herbs, as you might expect. Roasting the vegetables yields a really special taste. Roasted Parsnips with Thyme (pg 145). This dish is wonderful on many levels. It's absolutely delicious and it's very simple to prepare. Even though it's roasted, it almost seems like parsnip fries. We love parsnips, but even people who think they don't like them will like this dish. Herb-Braised Short Ribs of Beef (pg 220). I love short ribs more than anything. They're my signature dish. I've made many different recipes and this is one of my all-time favorites. It's fantastic and very easy to prep. The beef is falling off the bone tender. Pork Tenderloin Crusted with Mediterranean Herbs (pg 222). I've made a LOT of versions of pork tenderloin and this is one of my favorites due to ease of preparation, healthfulness, and delicious taste. The herbs form a really nice crust after being seared. The meat is perfectly cooked in the time designated and it is still really moist. It couldn't be simpler. I have made the Red Pepper and Hazelnut Sauce that Traunfeld suggests to accompany the pork. The sauce on its own is really tasty and quite attractive. I don't feel it's a good accompaniment to the pork. Think it would be better partnered with fish or vegetables. Maple-and-Herb Brined Pork Roast (pg 224). The flavors of the herbs really come through if you follow Traunfeld's suggestion to line the bottom of the roasting pan with rosemary and sage branches. The meat turns out very moist. Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender (pg 229). This is so excellent and could not be more simple. Perfect for any holiday. Depending on my guests, I don't always use the lavender. That does not diminish the taste in any way.

I bought this book last fall and haven't cooked from it enough to know what I think of it. I do love the photographs, however. Talk about food porn! I think they're even better than the photos in his previous two books, which weren't too shabby themselves. I made the Spicy Chickpea and Bulgur Soup (pg 86) about a month ago. I found it to be quite disappointing. The amount of bulgur called for was way too much as it absorbed most of the broth and the dish became more of a 'chickpea and bulgur side dish' than a soup. It was quite spicy on its own from the harissa, but once I added the creamed feta paste the spice level fell to almost nothing. The feta paste was very tasty on its own and made a good spread on toast. I won't be making the soup again, but I would make the paste. A better result was achieved with Sweet and Sour Leeks with Goat's Curd and Currants (pg 123). I had bought some gorgeous leeks from the Dupont Farmers Market and this recipe was appealing and we really enjoyed the dish. I used dried cranberries in place of the currants. The onion dressing provided a really nice tangy/sweet accent. If I make this again I would eliminate the goat cheese -- I really felt that it detracted from our enjoyment of the dish. I'd also cook the leeks longer than the recipe directs.

I made the Shakshuka (pg 87) for dinner awhile ago. As I do with all Ottolenghi recipes, I significantly reduced the amount of oil to about 1/4 cup and that was plenty and the finished dish was not at all oily. I used canned tomatoes as I didn't have any fresh. Except for the time-consuming process of slicing the onions and peppers, it came together very quickly and was very simple. The biggest problem I had was that some of the eggs were overcooked. The saffron was key -- it gave a wonderful flavor to the whole dish.