Lola007

But I'm trying to make a great omelette so that I can MAKE some friends! Let me know Lola007 if you give any lessons in charm, I am sadly lacking.

Although I hear what Mark Slater is saying, perhaps along the lines that the french omelette is a national dish with a certain amount of pride involved (much like a burger or chili here in the States), I don't intend to get sentimental, romantic, or snobby about it. Surely Surely Surely there is someone closer than Paris who can transform 3 eggs, salt/pepper, and a tablespoon of butter into a textbook (i.e. not necessarily champion) omelette.

...Are crepes really that much more feasible?

Now I get it. It's very charming that you want to make the perfect classic French omelette. I will ask around...I am a champion on the eating side, but probably not the best technician when it comes to cooking something like this. And crêpes are easier, in my opinion.

In the meantime, have you considered cooking classes/lessons? L'academie de Cuisine in Bethesda may have something for you. I see that they're having a class on "hearty fall crêpes" coming up. http://www.lacademie.com/

P.S. Also check out local "Meet-up" groups.

Looking for a decent place to have pre-theatre dinner near the Warner Theatre. Since we can't have a lingering evening, we're not really interested in $100 pp dinner...Any suggestions? We like almost everything except sushi..It can be casual or more formal - as long as we can get in by 6 and out by 7:40

Thanks for the help!

I think Tosca's pre-theater menu ($35/pp, available 5:30-7:00 pm) fits the bill:

http://www.toscadc.com/menu-tasting.shtml

Tosca is at 11th & F St., and the food is consistently excellent.

EDIT: Another good option would be Cafe du Parc at 14th and Penn.

I have a request that's very similar on the top line -- red line Saturday lunch -- but with a few other particulars: casual, less expensive, and with low- to no-carb options. Normally I would hit Pizzeria Paradiso with this group but with one out of our four lunchers on the South Beach diet, pizza is not the way to go.

Somewhere between Tenleytown and Farragut North is best. Van Ness would be perfect location-wise but I'm pretty sure there's still not much there to choose from, with the possible exception of Acacia.

Suggestions?

Casual, not too expensive, w/ low-to no-carb options. I'm thinking Middle Eastern with good veggie options--Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park (hummus, babba ghannouj, eggplant dishes, etc.), or for super-casual, Fresh Med in Cleveland Park. Indian might work too (Indian Ocean in Van Ness or maybe Indique Heights in Cleveland Park ). There's also Sweetgreen and Chop't in Dupont Circle (ultra-casual for salads and frozen yogurt). All of these places are near metro.

On this site, I'm fairly confident that the info will be available somewhere where we can find it. I'm afraid that based on observations and firsthand experience, I can't say the same thing about Chowhound where they are so anal (*sigh*) about staying on topic (and especially about keeping discussions to specific georgraphic areas) that they actually delete posts and info that, while helpful and relevant, in their opinion, don't fit neatly or strictly into the confines of a specified topic.

Precisely the reason that I got fed up with Chowhound and stopped posting there. I almost never look at it anymore.

It's too bad. Once DanielK, Dean, some other people, and I got into a discussion on CH's DC board about corned beef sandwiches, and the importance of eating corned beef on fresh rye bread (I think the thread was technically supposed to be about NY-style delis in the area). The conversation extended to NYC-style delis outside of the DC area (NYC, south Florida, etc.), bread, etc. IMHO, criteria was unevenly applied to maintaining some posts in the thread, while others were deleted (and not even moved, which I found highly inconsiderate--btw, I have no problem if anyone deletes this post here! ). Finally, I think they got rid of the bread comments; someone even joked about wonder bread, which was pretty funny, and that was deleted as well. Certainly (and you probably know better than I do), moderating a board is no easy task, but on some of the CH boards, there are a ton of inconsistencies and an overly narrow view of things on the part of the mods.

Back on topic, Let me say something about chili. LOL, I hardly ever cook it. My preference is for simple, slightly spicy with cumin. In the area, I've had Hard Times', Clydes', Potbelly's and Giant's chili. All are decent IMHO. What I usually do with Giant's chili is to add some white pepper and some times a little red pepper to make it a bit more spicy.

Live chat with Mike I. at WaPo today at 1:15

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/10/29/DI2009102902002.html

Thanks for posting the link, monavano. I even submitted a couple of questions, one of which was answered.

Here are some of Mike Isabella's comments from the chat that I found interesting:

1) on being portrayed as “cocky and sexist":

Mike Isabella: Cocky? I can deal with that. Sexist? Not one bit. Not oooone bit.

2) on the Laurine vs. Jen going home controvery (RW episode):

Mike Isabella: I think they both had very poor performances. Jen crumbled. She couldn't execute, wasn't set up. She brought the rest of the line down. She brought Kevin down, expo down. It is what it is. Was Laurine the right one to go home? I don't know about that. I'm not going to say who should or shouldn't go home.

3) on the producers' portrayal of the Voltaggio brothers’ sibling rivalry:

Washington, D.C.: How much is the Michael/Bryan rivalry played up by producers? Did this go on when the camera's weren't rolling?

Mike Isabella: It was played up by producers. They're brothers. They love each other. There's some rivalry, but of course they're going to produce it because it's marketable

4) on the actual length of the contest:

Olney, Md.: How long is the actual contest? A few weeks? A month? I'm curious.

Mike Isabella: Six weeks

5) on the judges:

Stone Ridge, Va.: Who would you rather have dinner with - Padma or Tom?

Mike Isabella: Tom without a doubt. Tom's a chef. We relate. Padma --- pbbbbtt -- I wouldn't go out to dinner if she was buying. Just joking!

Washington, D.C.: Is Toby really as mean as they make him out to be?

Mike Isabella: I don't know. He wasn't there a lot and when he was there I wasn't in the loser circle. The harshest judge there is Padma. It's her demeanor as a person. It's who she is! It's TV. She's harsh and rude. I don't agree with certain things that they say, but that's not my decision

6) on Robin (just a few of his comments):

Washington, D.C.: You mean to tell me Robin is still there? That woman could not cook her way out of a paper bag.

Mike Isabella: That's totally true. She can't cook.

Washington, D.C.: Did you like doing the challenges in pairs? I felt that some chefs were able to slide to the next round based on their partner's work. Especially when the chefs were teamed up w/ the Voltaggio bros.

Mike Isabella: Yeah, I don't like team challenges at all. I'd rather it be individual challenges every single time. It was fun sometimes with the groups, but definitely people skated along aka Robin.

Take a close look at the closing credits where they state that the production team has a say in the judge's decisions. In this season we actually have 4 or 5 really solid chefs and not a head case among them. They see the need for a "wild card" in there presumably to keep viewers' interest. I guess Robin is going to piss of the other contestants more than keeping Mike I around (see the preview for next week). If she makes it past next week you know the fix is in.

Ted, I hear what your saying and suspect the same. I don't know if you're on Chowhound, but there was a tumultuous discussion there recently (the Restaurant Wars thread) in which someone raised this very point (I believe he is a dr.com user too), and most of the hounds (seemingly long-time users) jumped all over him. And some guy who's friends with the show's producers also jumped all over me when I suggested (as many others have) that the judges have had certain people they want to keep around and some that they decided they oouldn't send home at various times [e.g., the decision to send Laurine vs. Jen home in the RW episode]). It was ugly to say the least. We shall see what happens in the next episode...Who knows--maybe if the consensus (or even focus groups) show that Michael V. is getting too obnoxious for words, he might be next (I hope not!).

surprised no-one has weighed in on Mike I's departure yet - again while there's little doubt he can cook rings around Robin, he's also an arrogant jerk so it was deliciously ironic that he had to pack his knives before she did

I am hoping that Robin is next though - if she lasts much longer it will be a travesty.

Jen seems to be really struggling

Brian V needs to step up his game a little, I haven't tallied all the wins but get the impression Kevin and Mike V are more consistently impressing the judges

There's a lot I could say about Mike I's being sent home, but I think his "exit interview" speaks volumes:

http://video.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/second-to-worst-dish

And it is hard to believe that Robin is still around. Jen seems to lack stamina for this kind of competition. Some viewers have said that it's because she's been sick, but given her comments and perhaps how the show's producers portray her, I'd say her lack of self-confidence and self-doubt mean that she's beating herself. It's a shame.

And I agree with you that Kevin and Mike V. are impressing the judges more than Bryan V. In fact, my impression of Tom Colicchio's blog is that he's practically handing the competition to Kevin. He's knocking the V. brothers' techniques even though he does give Mike V. some credit for taking a risk with his latest dish.

http://video.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/tom-colicchio/if-you-can-mock-a-leek-you-can-eat-a-leek-william-shakespeare-henry-v

I am a huge Pepin fan and have seen both his classic and rustic techniques on The Complete Pepin video. It is in that sequence where he claims that he would judge a chef by how she makes an omelette, above all other dishes. I have come close to his style of omelette making (Julia's looks like a good one, but completely different). But I can't always close the omelette at the end, and forget about stuffing it -- a complete mess. Mine is generally smooth, but always has several pleats.

I will say that Williams-Sonoma generally has deals on 8 inch non-stick omelette pans right about now: they are bundled with a 10 inch pan and the cost savings are tremendous. I like to use a small rubber spatula instead of a fork so that I don't scratch up the pan.

Still, I'd like to try a professionally done omelette. For awhile, I made the Aviation cocktail at home and thought I was doing ok. Then Justin Guthrie made it for me and it was clear that my recipe was just way off. There's no substitution for the live professional experience.

I admire your enthusiasm and interest. I've had classic French omelettes many, many times, and only on a few occasions have they been prepared by pro chefs. Most of the time, I've had them prepared at home by some very good cooks--French and Belgian (although I think there is something to be said for being a detail-oriented scientist, economist/engineer who can pull this off! Maybe I've had something similar to the live professional experience you refer to. I honestly haven't paid that much attention to the process, but the end result has been great).

You mentioned stuffing the omelette. In my experience, most of the time, the classic French omelettes I've had haven't had been stuffed; some have had some light fillings (some mushrooms, cheese, spinach, etc.). The omelettes I've had have been incredibly light and I would say less done on the inside compared to the way most American or Western omelettes are cooked.

I guess my point is that if you have a French friend who is a good cook, he/she might be able to give you some pointers. IMHO, you don't hae to be Jacques Pepin to make such an omelette.

I like a good hot buttered rum now and then. In a big mug that you've first warmed with boiling water, put the following: a thick half-slice of lemon studded with three cloves, a cinnamon stick, a star anise, a heaping teaspoon of dark brown ("old fashioned") sugar. Pour in a bit of boiling water and muddle. Add a shot (or more) of dark rum, like Myer's. Fill with more hot water. Float a pat of butter on top and sprinkle with nutmeg.

.

I love hot buttered rum. The Tabard Inn makes a great hot buttered rum with everything you mentioned except instead of lemon, they use a slice of orange. I also don't think their version includes star anise. Not sure about the dark brown sugar either but the basic recipe is the same.

It's kind of a gray area as to whether this discussion should be in Restaurants and Dining (which would optimally be about restaurants that serve chili) or in the Chili thread in Shopping and Cooking (which would optimally be about making chili at home). There isn't a Chile thread in the Intrepid Traveler forum yet, otherwise I'd link to that, too.

I was thinking the same thing! It seems that this thread started out as a discussion of restaurants where you could find good chili and then veered off into a discussion of what good chili is. I would guess that some of the posts about what constitutes good chili could be moved to the chili thread under "Shopping and Cooking".

P.S. On this site, I'm fairly confident that the info will be available somewhere where we can find it. I'm afraid that based on observations and firsthand experience, I can't say the same thing about Chowhound where they are so anal (*sigh*) about staying on topic (and especially about keeping discussions to specific georgraphic areas) that they actually delete posts and info that, while helpful and relevant, in their opinion, don't fit neatly or strictly into the confines of a specified topic.

Get's the First Bite treatment.

Thanks for posting the link, Tweaked. Interesting back story. I'm so glad Acacia didn't stick to its original plan. I like having a casual wine bar/small plates place in the neighborhood althogh a few of my neighbors seem to think it's pricey for what it is. I think it's OK for a light bite. And that reminds me, I still need to try the Turkish meatballs.

a crumbly salty oat cookie from Teaism that I'm dunking in a cup of freshly brewed ginger tea

Well, there are seven left and the last episode has three contestants. I would guess there won't be a show on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what that adds up to in terms of when it will be (maybe it's even over before T-giving?).

The Natalie Portman episode is tonight, and anybody with even a casual knowledge of Natalie Portman likely knows what the challenge will be.

Thanks. I've been kind of involved in a big discussion about the last episode, so by next week I meant this week! And yes, re: Natalie Portman, I understand it's likely to be a vegetarian or vegan focused challenge. Should be interesting!

Does anyone know when the last episode of this season's Top Chef will be shown? Next week's episode, which was shot at Craftsteak, Tom Colicchio's Las Vegas restaurant, will feature Natalie Portman as a guest client. And on November 11, Nigella Lawson will be a guest judge in an episode that will have the chefs creating "a perfect breakfast in bed".

Can't wait until the finale.

On a rainy day like today, I am unsure why, but a good belgian waffle was what I wanted for comfort food this morning. After bundling up gelittleman*, we set off to split the usual Brussels Waffle with whipped cream & fruit compote. I really liked all their pumpkin specials: pumpkin soup; pumpkin liege waffle; and a third one that just escaped me. They also have great looking jack-o-stones and other graveyard chocolate pieces for sale. I also couldn't resist their waffle cookies, which are buttery and crispy - hit the spot on the comfort level.

I need to remember to visit more often here...

I appreciated this report, goodeats. I've yet to visit Locolat and really need to go. I used to live in Belgium, so I'm always on the lookout for a good Liège waffle.

For burgers/late-night fare, in Adams Morgan, Bourbon, the Diner, and the Black Squirrel would be good bets (although I've had mixed xperiences at the Diner and hesitate to recommend it unless someone is starving!). I haven't been in a while, but have had some very goood burgers at the Black Squirrel and have satisfied my cravins for tater tots more than once at Bourbon.

Logan Tavern (Logan Circle) and Hudson Restaurant & Lounge (in the Dupont Circle/Farragut area) both have late night menus.

And about Cashion's Eat Place, I haven't been, but have heard great things about its late-night menu too.

P.S. Not for burgers, but if you have a craving for kabobs, Moby Dick's Dupont location is open until 3 or 4 am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Has anyone been to WW yet? First impressions?

A few people mentioned wanting a recipe for the Suppli, so I'll throw that up here too. It's pretty much just a Mario Batali recipe that I modified to exclude the meat and mushroom filling that he uses.

Mario Batali's Version

I'm sorry I missed your suppli! Your preview pic was great, and the recipe excluding the meat and mushrooms is very similar to my former Italian teacher's. Kudos to you for making suppli.

I was at the upper Georgetown Whole Foods over the weekend (this is the WF where I never seem to be able to find anything I'm actually looking for, but always find something I'm not looking for, if you know what I mean!) and came upon some delicious fleur de sel caramels that were inconspicuously displayed in the wine section. The sea salt in these caramels is hand harvested in Guerande, France. To me, the taste is buttery and sweet with a hint of saltiness. Just what I needed--one more sweet-salty addiction (to add to Trader Joe's sea salt brownie bites).

A few years back, I had Thanksgiving dinner at 1789, and it was excellent. I don't know if they're doing it this year or not. Tabard Inn's menu ($65/p.p.) looks good. I also saw that Blue Duck Tavern is having Thanksgiving dinner and am always glad to recommend it; at the same time, the $85/p.p. price is a bit steep.

Being a beginner to Korean food myself , I'd suggest that you check your spicy tolerance before you order Soon Doo Boo (spicy Tofu soup). It comes in three heat ranges, spicy, spicier and nuclear. You might also want to try Duk Mandu Guk (soup with mandu and thinly sliced rice cakes and rice noodles). You had Mandu Guk which in the Duk Mandu Guk form is one of my favorites. You should try Duk Mandu Guk at Yechon if you'd like the definitive version. You might also try the soolantang at Gamasot for another soup that is extremely satisfying. Most Korean places don't serve sushi (with a couple of exceptions) as they generally specialize in one or maybe two specific foods. A food crawl through Annandale with someone who's familiar with Korean food is the best way to learn. I'd suggest Grover, but she's out of town until November (only one more week to go 'til she's home..hooray!) but Dean can do a pretty good job for a mee-guk.

Thanks. Actually, regarding the spicy tofu soup, our waitress at Arisu told us that they offer two options-spicy and mild (although I suppose you could ask for it extra spicy as they seem to be very accomodating). Also, I mentioned sushi because Arisu serves it, and as I said, they made a point of telling us about their plans to open a sushi bar on the lower level of the restaurant. I'll make it to Annandale eventually, most likely with a Korean client of mine. For now, I'm happy to try out places closer to home. Based on my Korean client's recommendation, I'll likely visit Mandu in the near future if we don't go back to Arisu first! I do appreciate your recommendations, and also found Dean's input on another thread about Korean cuisine quite helpful. Anyway, my main intention here was to report on my visit to Arisu. I hope DonRockwellers will give it a try!

Last Friday I had lunch at Arisu, a charming, down-to-earth Korean restaurant located next to Bistrot Lepic in upper Georgetown. Apparently, Arisu has been in business for 10 months now. The menu has mostly Korean dishes, but also some Japanese ones as well (ramen, tempura, sushi; in fact, our waitress mentioned that they have plans to open a sushi bar in the downstairs space at some point.). Note that the main dining room is upstairs, there's nothing on the main level, and the bathrooms are in the basement.

Let me preface this review by saying that I'm a virtual novice when it comes to Korean food although I've had Korean barbecue a number of times. At Arisu. I had the Ssam (thin strips of marinated ribeye beef topped with radish) as an appetizer and the mandu dumpling soup. The soup was delicious! (I remembered reading a post by Dean Gold about how well some Korean restaurants do soup, and I would venture to guess that Arisu is one of them.) The dumplings were made of chicken and veggies, and the broth was extremely flavorful with noodles, scallions, and mushrooms. The small soup was quite filling (I don't think I could have made it even halfway through the entree, larger size), and the price was really reasonable ($5.95). Our waitress said it is a healthy soup and takes more than three hours to prepare. My friend and I were also thinking of getting a tofu dish, but were unsure of which one to order. Next time I may try the spicy tofu soup. Service was very friendly and gracious. The atmosphere is comfortable and attractive, with simple wooden tables, banquette seating and comfy pillows. cushions lining the bench seating, and deep red walls. And as I said before, prices are reasonable (most lunch entrees are $9-$15 and appetizers average $6). Arisu would be good for a date or place to catch up with a friend (the ambiance is somewhat Zen; not completely quiet, but much quieter than other nearby lunch spots. I look forward to having another meal at Arisu soon. Im already craving its mandu soup!

P.S. I dont think Arisu has a website. Heres the address & tel:

1734 Wisconsin Ave NW

(between N R St & N S St)

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 333-8822

Let's not forget that DC is 2.5 times the size of Manhattan, 1/3 the population, and almost no late-night scene. I think a late-night grocery store would fail miserably in DC right now.

True, but that doesn't make some of us want a late-night grocery store catering to singles (and people who work late hours) any less the same way as you (and I) would like to have a great NY-style deli (a la Flakowitz)...

Yes, but it's even more amazing how none of the stores in DC caters to singles.

You are so right. I think that's one of the reasons I find myself in those Manhattan markets so late at night--first of all, because places are OPEN past 9:00 or 10:00 pm and second, because of the range of products that you don't often see in DC, and three because of exactly what you said--because it's possible to get good quality food in single-size portions if one so desires. It's 2 a.m., and I would be happy to be at one of those markets or bodegas now!

Cooking for one is a challenge. Someone could make a fortune with a grocery store designed for singles.

I completely agree. About grocery stores designed for singles, whenever I visit NYC, I often find myself grocery shopping (really just picking up stuff for breakfast the next day and admiring the great selection of product, even in small stores) after midnight or late at night. It's amazing how many of those small markets, bodegas, and even decent-sized grocery stores in Manhattan cater to singles.