curiouskitkatt

HipCityVeg Dupont Circle Grand Opening

WHAT: Festive grand opening party for the expanding plant-based fast casual brand’s second DC location in Dupont Circle.

• Free lunch for the first 100 people in line. 

• Free sweet potato fries all day. 

• Giveaways and samples all weekend.

• Meet HCV founder Nicole Marquis. 

• HipCityVeg pedicabs will transport customers back to their offices or to Dupont Circle for picnic lunches (5 block radius).

WHEN: Wednesday July 24, 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free samples and giveaways to continue throughout the weekend. 

WHERE: HipCityVeg Dupont Circle, 1300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC., 202-318-6010.

DETAILS: HipCityVeg’s 2nd DC location will be the first in DC to feature the new Banana Whip Topping Bar and Golden Nugget deals. It will also be the headquarters for HipCityVeg’s expanded catering operation. 

Another location recently opened a month ago in Ardmore, Pa.

Chaat and Chai: Chaat and Chai is a fast-casual Indian street food concept from Chef/Owner Anney Thomas. Originally located in South Philadelphia, Thomas immediately impressed lovers of global cuisine with a fresh interpretation of hard-to-find South Indian street food upon opening in 2015. In its first year, Chaat & Chai won Philadelphia Magazine’s coveted “Best of Philly” for Best Indian Restaurant and Craig LaBan, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s acclaimed food critic, named the Kerala beef short rib parotta one of the 12 best dishes of 2016. Now at The Bourse, Anney hopes to take advantage of a much-expanded kitchen to serve reimagined Indian fare such as Parotta Rolls, Grilled Tikka Sticks, Chaats and traditionally brewed Chai. www.chaatandchai.com

Chocodiem: Named one of the 10 best chocolatiers in North America by the Institute of Culinary Education, Chocodiem offers hand-crafted, artisanal Belgian chocolate confections along with a range of French macaroons, truffles, chocolate gelato, frozen hot chocolate varieties and more. In addition to their award-wining grab-n-go sweet treats, Chocodiem will boast a bar menu featuring Belgian chocolate and wine pairings as well as a cocktail menu with chocolate themed concoctions 

Both of the above vendors have closed. This marks the closure of 3 stalls to close since the launch of the food hall. I wonder if perhaps these businesses were too progressive for that tourist -driven sector of Philly. Thoughts?

Lakeith Stanfield to Star in Kwame Onwuachi’s ‘Notes From a Young Black Chef’ Adaptation for A24 (EXCLUSIVE), Variety.com

On 10/29/2018 at 12:02 PM, curiouskitkatt said:

Dining at Blue Moon Cafe

Closed,  December 2018.

On 7/13/2019 at 4:46 PM, DonRocks said:

In other news ... 😮

No stranger to these checkpoints. Officers are camped at specific points all throughout the city of Lancaster on the weekend. I usually plan on crashing a friend's house or take advantage of ride share on either Uber or Lyft. Makes for an expensive evening bobbing in & out of several places, but not as pricey as getting a ticket or worse losing your DL. 

I was driving through Hagerstown, and stumbled upon a  strip mall BBQ joint called Lt Col  Big Jim's BBQ.   It was delish. Its a no frills BBQ spot that serves just BBQ, and a substantial variety of sides.  I had the Rib Sandwich , mac & cheese and cole slaw.(7.99 + 2 sides and a drink for an upcharge of  $2.99). It was so good, I wished I would have ordered some to take home with me. If there is one type of food that is lacking in my life, BBQ tops that list. I would love to take stateside road trip and try as many BBQ spots as possible.  Are there any other noteworthy BBQ places in this part of Maryland?

New Whiskey Rebellion Trail to start in Pittsburgh, post-gazette.com

Whiskey Rebellion Trail

Its not beer, nor wine, but I thought the coverage of whiskey to be noteworthy. The creation of the trail is an effort to promote tourism in the state of Pennsylvania and  what better way then through spirits. 

On 7/2/2019 at 10:16 PM, mongo jones said:

a very specific question about a place a little further away: does anyone know if the grilled pork/chicken skewers at thip khao are done with a spicy marinade or if the spicy sauce comes on the side? i'm hoping the latter because then we could very happily eat there as a family. coming from the twin cities area, i'm very interested to see what a hip lao restaurant is like. there's a large hmong and laotian population here but no restaurant comparable to thip khao. 

I asked Chef Seng. She graciously answered.

Cooking Class & Lunch at BLT Steak, it's quite a bit ahead on the calendar, but I thought I would plant the seed.

Take a seat at our chef's table on Saturday, September 7, for a special demonstration you don't want to miss, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the BLT Steak kitchen and a three-course lunch paired with selections from our cellar.

58 minutes ago, weezy said:

There was a shout-out to donrockwell.com in today's online chat. https://live.washingtonpost.com/ask-tom-0710.html

Great catch by the way @weezy ! 

When I initially read the post on the Live Chat, I was hoping Tom Siesetma would give this valuable forum a shout out. Reading further down, I am so happy he did. 

Every member that post,  builds this forum into something that is incredibly resourceful. My only wish is that I could attract more locals that are  in other areas such as Baltimore & the greater Philadelphia area,  to post more often. 

44 minutes ago, weezy said:

There was a shout-out to donrockwell.com in today's online chat. https://live.washingtonpost.com/ask-tom-0710.html

Influencer. I cringe.

51 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Yes. Do you put yours in the oven?

nope, right on the stovetop. 

Reheating slices in a cast iron skillet

The best hack I have learned to reheat pizza is by using a cast iron skillet.

On 1/25/2014 at 5:28 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

I got to thinking....does Washington have an iconic food place, not a 3-star (necessarily) but a place that defines the city, where locals eat all the time but tourists also flock to, where the food is honest and the place has been around long enough to be passed down from generation to generation.

Like Katz's Deli in New York, or Swan Oyster Depot in S.F., or the No Name Restaurant in Boston. Definitely NOT Pat's or Geno's in Philly because most locals avoid them, but perhaps Tony Luke's. Or like Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat one of those.

Two questions, more or less....

Name the landmark restaurants or food joints that define American cities. Does L.A. have one (Pink's?) or Chicago (Geno's?) or Boise or Des Moines or wherever?

And then name the place that defines Washington DC....

I'm guessing it's Ben's Chili Bowl in DC, with Old Ebbitt Grill in second place....but am I missing one or more...?

This has the makings of an ultimate food road trip.

If you find yourself traveling into Harrisburg on any given day, may I suggest starting here. 

This is the most comprehensive list of food and beverage events that I have found for the area. 

55 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Lititz is the gem of Lancaster County. 

I could not agree more. Every time I venture into Lititz, I find it more charming then the last. 

3 hours ago, pjnewman said:

Is anyone interested in attending a DR picnic this summer? I checked the Carderock website and it appears that there are still a few weekend days available. Post any interest and I would be happy to reserve (and pay for) the site.

Paul

Thank you for taking the lead on this, @pjnewman, and grateful for your generosity. I am interested, and am happy to offer a lift to anyone on my side of beltway.  As many of your know, I no longer reside in the DMV ,  but have so much  love for the area and it's inhabitants. I missed the one last near, but if the date of this one works out for me, I will certainly make it. 

I was surprised to come across this listing in Washingtonian,

Lititz, Pennsylvania 

How to improve on a choreographed-to-music fireworks extravaganza? Light up a creek flowing below the pyrotechnics with 5,000-plus candles. This Lancaster County borough’s “Fairyland of Candles”—borrowed from a Moravian Christmas tradition—has been a staple of Independence Day here since 1843. Arrive July 3 for the 6:30 pm parade, live entertainment, and dance party in Lititz Springs Park. Stay for the July 4 celebration, with concerts, a parade of infants and tots, and the Queen of the Candles Pageant.

Distance from DC: Three hours; lititz4thofjuly.com.
Distance from Philadelphia: Two hours

It's a bit of a haul, but Lititz is a charming getaway from the District. There are two wonderful places I  may suggest checking in for the long holiday weekend. General Sutter Inn is at the top of my rec's conveniently located on Main St Lititz. The other would be Hotel Rock Lititz. The latter is a short drive away from downtown Lititz, but provides a lively place to stay.  As far as food and bev rec's , one should not miss visiting restaurant and taproom at Rooster St Butcher, and afterwards walk down the street to try Stoll & Wolfe Distillery. PA is infamous for their factory tours, and Julius Sturgis Pretzel  does not disappoint. This place is known to be the first commercial pretzel bakery in America.   Main St Lititz is dotted with several locally operated businesses ranging from book stores, tea shop, sweets shop, candy stores, as well as vintage stops. There is something for just about everyone to enjoy while visiting Lititz.

7 hours ago, curls said:

It has probably been over a decade since I compared The Canopy to Pioneer but at that time I definitely thought that The Canopy had a far superior product. I had the pit beef at The Canopy a few months ago and it was great. May have to give both of them another try and see if Pioneer has improved... but this time of year, if I'm heading to Maryland, I'm going for steamed blue crabs.

In your opinion, what about Canopy made it superior to Pioneer? I sincerely want to know, not a challenge. 

My pit beef quest was sparked by a conversation on Facebook. Outside of Chaps Pit Beef, there aren’t that many that pop up on a web search. It seems that Chaps dominates the listings for pit beef. So this made be curious about how different other places prepared said beef, and to want to seek out other spots. 

The beef at Pioneer is sliced to order as well, and peaking into the kitchen I saw rounds of beef on the grill.  The attendant actually sliced a piece for me to try just like they do at the deli counter at the grocery store. I am careful not to say it’s the best, but for what have I tried so far, it ranks as my favorite. On my next visit I want to try the french fries, and possibly the pit Turkey. 

I’m always up for for a healthy debate on the nuance of pit beef. 😌

21 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said:

After leaving Pioneer, I actually headed to Ellicot City for dessert at Shila. By coincidence, I drove by Canopy thinking maybe I should pop in for comparison, but passed on it. I will venture over again , & follow your instructions. Ill follow up with my feedback. 

I wanted to visit Canopy while the taste of Pioneer was fresh on my palate, and I have to conclude I prefer Pioneer. The taste of the beef is just beefier to me. I’d be curious to know your take on it. 

Opening Celebration at Mt Vernon Markerplace!  

Mark your calendars for July 12th, and come out and support small business owners in Baltimore. I can not say enough good things about Fishnet, and of course seeing ol’ friends is just icing on the cake. 

Delish, 

kat

28 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I want you to try Canopy again, Ellicott City location, make *sure* to ask for it "as rare as they'll serve it." Get a Large with barbecue sauce (get an extra tub before you go) and horseradish, and a Large Fries - if you don't think it's the best pit beef sandwich you've ever eaten, I'll buy your meal.

I'll try Pioneer for sure, but unless it's some sort of Wagyu, hand-massaged beef, I don't see how it's possible to be better than Canopy's (that said, I do agree that Canopy's rolls aren't very toothsome) - I've been here no less than twenty times, and with maybe 1-2 exceptions (when I didn't get a rare slicing, which infuriated me because I forgot to ask - and that time I also ordered a Pit Ham which just wasn't that good), nothing has ever come close - and the fries are consistently addictive, the oil never (almost never?) being old, at least not that I can remember - they do a great job here considering I saw a *used condom* in the parking lot once.

After leaving Pioneer, I actually headed to Ellicot City for dessert at Shila. By coincidence, I drove by Canopy thinking maybe I should pop in for comparison, but passed on it. I will venture over again , & follow your instructions. Ill follow up with my feedback. 

Pit Beef: Baltimore's Answer to Barbecue, Bill Addison for eater.com, 2017

Add another option for pit beef! 

Pioneer Pit Beef, hands down, is the juiciest pit beef Ive had to date. Its in an obscure location in Catonsville, next to a liquor store , with two picnic tables . Cash only,but there is an ATM machine next door in case you don’t carry cash on the regular.  Hours are Monday thru Saturday, 11-5. Would go again, 10/10. Worth the detour from Chaps, or Canopy.