MBK

Looks like there is one opening in Dupont Circle in the spot where the hardware/bike shop and flower shop was (P and 20th or 21st)

They've been open a few weeks. Last weekend they were handing out samples of something they were calling a madeleine - but it wasn't. I got a baguette and wound up using it to make croutons. I, like Slater, am not likely to return.

Just wanted to let everyone know about the special little window that is open here in our 2 shops, in georgeown & bethesda. it is that special time of year when the PA strawberries are in their last week and the VA blackberries, blueberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, purple raspberries and opal basil are in their first couple of weeks, giving us an amazing variety of sweet, acidic, bursting fruit to spin up in our shop. it will only be like this for the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend, and then the strawberries retreat back to the ground until next May. In both georgetown and bethesda we will have the following in our freezer case everyday, just to make the most of this alignment of fruit: STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM, STRAWBERRY TARRAGON, BLACKBERRIES AND CREAM, RED RASPBERRY, BLACK RASPBERRY, PURPLE RASPBERRY, BLUEBERRY LEMON THYME & LEMON OPAL BASIL. Everything is a sorbetto except for the 2 that say "AND CREAM". If you have come by in the past or maybe you have never come by at all, do yourself & your stomach a favor and come by this week or weekend, just to try these fruits that i mention, they are really special.

I have to say, I have tried the strawberries and cream, strawberry tarragon, and blueberry lemon thyme, and ... WHOA. Y'all need to go try this stuff. Right now.

That's all...

So, imagine my surprise when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Michael Landrum on MSNBC at about 11 o'clock this morning! A couple of minutes later, my colleague shouted, "hey, that's the Ray's guy on MSNBC!" Yep.

So, of course, he was chatting about Hell Burger, and the Obama visit. The talking head tried to get him to spill his secret recipe - he demurred. And when he started to opine on the good that the Obamas are doing for small businesses in the DC area, leading by example, etc. - the anchor wrapped up the interview.

Nice job, Michael.

That's all...

Looking for a good Sunday brunch spot in NYC - preferably Union Square or Chelsea. Anyone have recs?

Hmm. This guy wanted me to be a Fearless Critic and I passed, after meeting him and skimming his Houston guide. I sort of thought it would turn out like this...

Stopped by Red Velvet Cupcakery last night for the first time... it was around 9:45 or so, and the guy working there was clearly ready to go home - despite the sign that said they were open til 11. The cupcakes were in complete disarray, with no signs that indicated what they were, and when I asked him what the flavors were, he asked me just to point to the one that looked most interesting to me, and he would tell me what that was. In the amount of time it took him to debate with me about whether or not he could or should tell me what flavors of cupcakes were available, he could've just ... um ... told me.

I probably should've left at that point but I convinced him to do his job, and after he described the flavors available I chose a devil's food cupcake. The cake itself was tasty, but the frosting was sickeningly sweet. And it was significantly smaller than the cupcakes available at some other cupcake spots in town.

Between the attitude, super-sweet frosting, and teeny-tinyness of the dessert, I was pretty disappointed. Should've just gotten Tangysweet instead.

speaking as a cajun, this statement isn't quite accurate. while it's not uncommon to see the 2 mixed, most people eat their gumbo with rice.

I'm a Cajun too... guess it varies from town to town, family to family.

As far as I'm concerned, though, it's far tastier with potato salad!

Had the crawfish etouffee and the seafood gumbo. Both were served with a scoop of decent potato salad and some toasted bread.

I've never been to this restaurant, nor have I even heard of it, but I'll tell you this - if they served the gumbo with potato salad, they *do* know what they're talking about - at least a little. Cajuns (generally speaking, those from the area around Lafayette, in the southwestern part of the state) always eat their gumbo with potato salad. New Orleanians eat theirs with white rice.

ETA: My point, which may be lost in the back-and-forth below, was merely that I give this restaurant credit for knowing that potato salad is an appropriate Cajun accompaniment to gumbo. This is more than the average Louisiana-style restaurant located outside of Louisiana would know. They've done at least a touch of research.

Wow, this reads like an episode of Endless Feast on PBS. I'm thinking that any leftover lamb would be delicious in leftover borscht-if there are any leftovers, that is

Did you get the rhubarb at Dupont? I only looked in Del Ray on Sat, and no one had it

I *did* see rhubarb at Dupont yesterday, although that's not where ours was from - a friend was responsible for the rhubarb tart, and I'm not sure where she got her ingredients.

Cheese and smoked fish plate, with homemade bialys (yum!)

Borscht

Braised lamb shoulder with white wine, carrots, and onions

Mushroom risotto

Roasted asparagus

Dark chocolate torte

Rhubarb meringue tart

A great afternoon in the kitchen, to follow a cold and rainy morning at the market!

Agreed. Both the pit beef and the pork sandwiches were "meh" ... but the chocolate-raspberry-fudge brownie shake was pretty darn tasty.

I have bad news - this juice bar has closed, to make room for Mint Spa to have a Pilates studio. Which is too bad, I was looking forward to trying one of these smoothies Don raves about. Oh well.

Could there possibly have been half-eaten remnants of this cake perched at the back of several vendors' stalls yesterday morning? If so, it looked quite tasty!

Um, yes. And it was SOOOOOOO good.

So I'm headed to Nandos for the first time on Thursday...what should I know about the heat levels? I like spicy, but I also want to be able to taste the chicken and the flavor and not be gasping for some milk. I was leaning toward getting "Hot," but am open to advice.

Happy birthday, lackadaisi!

Is this possible?

I'm heading to London in February and if we can snag a table we are going to check him out. Any advice on which of his places won't require a kidney donation or somesuch?

Many thanks..

I've got a date with Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper, and a bottle of bubbly from Ace Beverage. It doesn't get any better than that.

Christmas eve dinner:

Crabcakes

Beet/goat cheese salad

Seared duck breast w/ fig gastrique, walnut infused cauliflower puree

Seared venison w/ mushroom bordelaise, roasted turnips, shallots, and sweet potatoes

Tenderloins of beef basquaise, roasted butternut squash with sage

Molten chocolate cakes, coffee creme anglaise, vanilla ice cream

Christmas morning breakfast:

French toast w/ spiced pear compote

Christmas day Chanukah dinner:

Olives and cheeses

Traditional latkes

Halibut and rockfish ceviche

Seared sesame crusted tuna, cucumber/daikon salad with sesame/soy/wasabi sauce

Spinach, pear, and caramelized walnut salad with mustard vinaigrette

Lemon squares

Mandelbrot

I think I may be taking today off.

That was you!?! For the rest of us you were the highlight. Between not knowing how to light a menorah and putting sour cream in the latkes batter, we had to leave early and get Hell Burgers to recover. And frankly, if I was a religious Jew I would have been offended by some of the recipes.

And for the record, not all the single woman wore makeup and had their hair done.

Sorry we missed you, hill and Mel. Catharine jumped at the chance to turn apples, didn't she (And no, we weren't made up either...)

Hi Rachael

So we were talking the other day about missing Paris - but here's a question I didn't ask you: If you could put together a perfect day (or few days) in Paris, what would it include? (I'm assuming this is food-related enough, since I am sure at least part of your answer will have to do with markets, food shops, or restaurants!)

I have a feeling we'll see every single Jewish woman who likes to cook there...with make-up on, hair done.

I'm not so sure about never-before-seen skills, but I already have my ticket...so excited!

Depending on the date for the January Vietnamese dinner, I might be in. And I love Catharine's idea about Hong Kong Palace as well. Unfortunately, making it to early dinners in the 'burbs is always a day-of decision for me, due to work, but count me as a "hopefully yes" for both.

Again, I understand that crowds are going to be nutty. My questions were, 1) Are there any good bars in Penn Quarter for 20 people?

There will be no good bars in Penn Quarter (or much of DC) for 20 people, that weekend.