Bob Wells

1 hour ago, B.A.R. said:

I imagine they replaced "eet" with "eat' to be clever

Hey, it worked for the Beatles. 😎

18 hours ago, WARojas said:

Pardon the late notice but I spotted this forthcoming Asian food hall a few weeks back. Streat Side is claiming three slots (6343-6347) in the Center Ridge strip mall, setting up shop between the pending Coast Guard Exchange store and chain eatery Choong Man Chicken. The owners haven't responded to emails about their plans for the new venture, but their web page promises a 4,000-square foot space that sounds a lot like Annandale's Block: 6 food stalls, a dedicated bar, and a "lively and cozy space."

Cookie, any idea about the weird spelling of "Streat Side"?

2 hours ago, dcs said:

I Found the Best Burger Place in America. And Then I Killed It.  By Kevin Alexander, November 16, 2018, on thrillist.com.

I get the Thrillist emails and read that this morning. Not sure what people expect to happen nowadays when something gets tagged as 'the best whatever' in the US. I also don't get people who wait in line five hours for a burger. I've waited in long lines for a few things, but never five hours and never something as common as a burger. One example: The now departed Uglesich's in New Orleans.

Gotta be some Sly fans in here. 

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

If it's a good movie, I'd like to watch it - I *loved* "A Fish Called Wanda" a few months ago. I'm okay with some of the songs being sanitized, if it's a good movie. "Do the Right Thing" was sanitized, and I loved it.

You should watch it. Many of the performers are gone. But don't expect "Blues," authentic or not. The music in the movie is Rhythm & Blues, and very well done.

BB has really grown on me over the years. The BB Band is really outstanding -- not much in the acting department, but those boys could really play.

19 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I'm a little surprised that nobody commented that within the first 30 seconds of the Fox 5 interview, he mentioned his "fans" - I didn't watch the whole interview, but to me, that screamed, "I'm here for the wrong reason."

This whole notion of "celebrity chefs" has become ridiculous, and needs to be retired. The irony is that this website, yes, this website you're reading right now, was the first one in the world to consistently highlight chefs de cuisine, GMs, sous chefs, sommeliers, etc., i.e., the individuals behind every restaurant, rather than the restaurants themselves (if you don't believe that, go back to 2005 and see for yourselves) - and I've busted my rear end to do it, too. I stand by that philosophy, but only because there's a direct correlation between these individuals and restaurant quality, hence diner enjoyment (this is also why I don't ascribe more than one restaurant to any one chef (exceptions being physically proximal places like Komi and Little Serow, Métier and Kinship, Pineapple and Pearls and Rose's Luxury, etc)).

With that in mind, I look forward to the day when I have my first fan.

Speaking of "celebrity chefs," some of you will find this pathetic/amusing/interesting/not surprising. Anyway, there was once a chef in Boston and New York named Bob Pritsker. He grew up in my neighborhood in RI (he's about 18 years older than me). He and his wife Karen (she ran the front of the house) gained a good bit of notoriety with their French restaurant Dodin-Bouffant in Boston and later NY. Some of you older folks might remember that place. He was unquestionably one of the first celebrity chefs. He was also a lawyer, and might have had an MBA too. Smart guy, unquestionably. He left the cheffing business in the late 80s to do who knows what, but a google search indicates he is quite litigious. It also turned up this:

"72-Year-Old Man Given AR for Passing Buses on the Sidewalk" on thehour.com

Can anyone compare Shouk's new felafel to Yafa Grille's? Been to Shouk once and liked it, and also like Yafa Grille.

Speak of the devil!

"A New, Young Chef Brings the Drama at Mirabelle" by Tom Sietsema on washingtonpost.com

16 hours ago, Mark Slater said:

I had a marvelous lunch there a few weeks ago. Steak Tartare was very good. I had the clam dish, fried belly clams and steamers with cornbread. I really like it, but had trouble finishing it. There service was outstanding and it was nice to see Jenn Knowles. 

Thanks Mark -- I might have to treat myself to the clams. That sounds really good. From the menu: "Cape Cod Duo of Clams 32 Fried Clam Bellies, Steamers, Corn Bread, Trio of Sauces." And it's even pictured on the website! https://mirabelledc.com/menus/

I'm stopping at TJ's on the way home for a few packs of those little pumpkin mousse things -- my kids love em. Where can this airy whippy-dippy garlic stuff be found?

16 hours ago, dracisk said:

I had a pretty good lobster roll in the 401 over the summer (from Cap'n Jack's near East Matunuck State Beach, where I proceeded to consume it). I could have used some kind of light dressing, but this was loads of fresh, sweet lobster meat on a proper New England roll.

I'm not surprised. I know there are good lob rolls in the 401 and the 617/540 (and maybe even the 603😂)but when I go to RI or MA I have so much other stuff to eat that I never get around to the lobster rolls, whereas in the 207 the lob rolls are at the very top of my to-eat list.

On 11/13/2017 at 10:39 AM, astrid said:

Butcher and the Rye is still all around excellent, in my opinion much better than The Cure or Morcilla for everything including charcuterie.  It's not cheap but you get a lot of very high quality food for the price. 

Thanks Astrid. BatR caught my eye on Yelp so it's good to get validation from a Rockwellian.

6 minutes ago, MarkS said:

No way I'm going for a Lobster roll in a Crab cake town.  Kind of like visiting Napa and ordering Virginia wine. I believe mason's is up by Church Circle.

I don't bother with lob rolls outside the 207 and have learned not to bother with crab cakes outside the 301/410.

Looks like our annual family mini-vacation over the holidays will be to the 'Burgh this year. Have never been there, so looking for ideas -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack ideas all welcome! 

20 hours ago, dcs said:

The front page of the Georgetown Bagelry on River Road website says they sell bialys.  I must have been to that location more than 25 times and the original location in Georgetown more than 100 times and never ate one.  (My kids ate A LOT of bagels growing up.  Still do.)  It is near my dentist and I will correct this oversight the next time I get my teeth cleaned.

Your mention of the dentist (I've had only three dental offices in 58 years and been going to the one in Columbia MD since 1989) reminded me that the Bagel Bin in Columbia and Clarksville MD has bialys. My go-to bagel there is the Black Russian, BTW. 

Just checked the websites of my usual suspects. Bagel Buddies in Fair Lakes and Chutzpah Deli near Fair Oaks Mall both claim to have bialys. Tysons Bagel Market, Main Street Bagel Deli (Fairfax), and Ashburn Bagel do not. 

20 minutes ago, DaveO said:

Per their website Heidelberg has lots of different breads and rolls, including bagels.   But bialys---nope.  No mention.

😪

1 hour ago, DaveO said:

  I'll head over to Heidelburg in the next couple of days.  Actually very good bakery--I hardly stop by there anymore.

Hamantaschen year round! And marzipan -- lots of marzipan actually. Good samples too. 

13 minutes ago, pras said:

Go to NY and get them from Kossar's, then drive back here.  They will also ship them.  If you go there, in eyesight is the Pickle Guys.  Before you turn around and head back get smoked fish at Russ and Daughters.  

Pickle Guys is great! And of course Economy Candy around the block.

55 minutes ago, dcs said:

Here is a Look Around the Revamped Kossar's Bialys, by Nick Solares, February 3, 2016, on ny.eater.com.

Mimi Sheraton Tries Kossar's Bialys Post-Renovation, by Robert Sietsema  February 7, 2016, on ny.eater.com.

We grew up eating onion pletzel in RI, where we also had the best rye bread, known as sissel bread (The story I heard was that the Jewish bakers in RI all came from the same town, so they all had this amazing rye bread recipe). There's still one bakery left in RY that makes sissel bread, Rainbow Bakery in Cranston. Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington makes some pretty decent rye breads, and come to think of it, they may even have bialys too. I like that place.

Our alternative name for onion pletzel was not onion disc, because ours were not round, but onion board. There used to be an old-time bakery down in Boca (where the bagels are terrible; my theory is they are soft so the average customer down there can chew them) called Flakowitz that made amazing, huge onion boards, but it's gone to the great bakery boneyard in the sky.

Best bialys? How about any bialys? Wegmans to their credit often has bialys in the bagel section, but to their eternal shame they are usually something like "Jalapeno cheddar" or "asiago." So F those.

Speaking of Kossars, their bialys are certainly good enough (and convenient if you're already over there getting donuts at DP), but if you find yourself in Russ & Daughters on Houston St, their bialys are excellent so you can skip one stop if you're in R&D for fish.

Has anyone seen the NibMor dark chocolate with blueberries lately? Chantilly doesn't seem to have it.

On 7/18/2018 at 4:16 PM, Tweaked said:

Just got back from a week in Maine.  We flew from BWI to Portland, ME on Southwest, a direct flight which only takes about 80 minutes and then another 1 hour or so to Boothbay Harbor.  It's a pretty easy trip really.  I've posted my Portland review in the Portland, ME thread.

Nice report. We stay in BBH every year as part of our camp visiting weekend trip, and always at the Topside Inn, which is an outstanding B&B. I agree that for a great Maine coastal town, BBH is not the best for food. We've found Mine Oyster to be good for oysters, meh for everything else. The Boathouse Bistro, owned by the same people, is also meh. Shannon's Unshelled near the footbridge has superlative lobster rolls. I second the rec for Eventide Specialties; it's a great store.

We had our best meal in town at the Thistle Inn. Cozy tavern with very good food. Heading out of town on 27, Karen's Hideaway is a fun spot for lob rolls and other seafood. Bet's Fish Fry in Boothbay Center has outstanding fish & chips. And of course a few miles up 27 is Wiscasset, home of Red's Eats, which does have amazing lobster rolls and other great offerings, such as the blueberry cake. Across the street from Red's is TREATS, a really good bakery that uses all kinds of seasonal fruits in muffins, scones, bread pudding, etc. 

Another good spot for lobster rolls just outside BBH near the Botanical Gardens is the Trevett Country Store, right by the the very unusual Trevett Swing Bridge (if you're into bridges).

Some good recs but if the visitors are heading to Harper's Ferry, how about some options heading northwest, not east, such as Blue Ridge Grill in Brambleton, Ashburn, and Leesburg. All conveniently located on the way to Harper's Ferry from Dulles.