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DrXmus

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Everything posted by DrXmus

  1. DrXmus
    Karey has no friends. This may say it all (from her Yelp profile page).
  2. DrXmus
    2012 Goose Island Bourbon County Oak Barrel Stout. Poured like a can of oil. Tasted like a combination of 3 parts malta:1 part bourbon. Very low carbonation. Fascinating aroma and really interesting flavor profile at first, then I just got tired of it. I'm the only one in the house who'll drink it, so part of the 12 oz bottle was trashed. I was sad, but at 15% ABV, I got my fair share of alcohol.
  3. DrXmus
    Thread bump. It turns out we need to replace the Kenmore dishwasher that we were hoping to save from the old kitchen to put in the newly remodeled version. As is often the case during construction, we found that the washer had been leaking some water over time, so we're trashing it. The last discussion on this thread regarding fave brands was in 2008, so I'm re-energizing the thread to ask if anything is new in your thinking or whether the brand you were excited about 5 years ago has burned you enough that you want to blow off some steam here. It seems that Bosch is the hot brand right now but we love, love, love our (expensive) Meile vacuum cleaner we've had for many years. Haven't started looking, yet, but wanted to hear what you all have to say.
  4. DrXmus
    Agreed. I want to know if chicken I'm buying has been in China...ever. Even if it's US chicken that is processed there and returns (this can't be feasible, can it?) I won't trust that some chemical hasn't been applied on their end that will wreak havoc with my physiology.
  5. DrXmus
    Open Road has a soft opening tonight (Friday) and tomorrow. They officially open on the 3rd. I haven't seen anything about opening times for the Italian Market or Trio. Will the Italian Market be to Italian markets like Red Apron Butchery is to yesteryear's butcheries? I'd love to have a stinky, food-odor Italian market near my house, but I have a feeling it'll be subs and prepared salads.
  6. DrXmus
    Packing up the last of the food/utensils/gadgets/etc. because the kitchen will be demolished in the next week or so!! It'll emerge like a butterfly from its cocoon of a shitstorm in 4 months or so (more than the kitchen is being renovated).
  7. DrXmus
    The paper is off the windows at Curry Mantra 3 and the "coming soon" sign is gone. There's still paper on the door, though.
  8. DrXmus
    Celebrated IPA day there tonight. The fried chicken dinner (three piece - airline breast, leg and piece of breast) with sweet potato salad (meh), haricots vert with bacon and mushrooms (good) and cheddar biscuit (very good) is on the menu all week, rather than just a Monday special. The crust is fantastic and the meat is tender and juicy. I think i picked up some lemon in the brine, but I wish the meat were better seasoned. Maybe the brine was a little salt-deficient. I had the lamb bulgogi with kimchi slaw, cilantro and cucumbers. I'm glad I tried it, but I wouldn't get it again. It had a great spicy bite to it and a heavy grill flavor, but the tortilla seemed a little big for the innards. The beers were excellent, as usual. Our server, Bo, was over the top great. He was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. I can't knock him for a single thing during the meal. He even handled my American Homebrewers Association discount card with ease; usually I have to explain what gets discounted.
  9. DrXmus
    My personal opinion is that JJ ranks at the bottom of the chain sub joints, even lower than Quiznos, of which I'm not a fan. The sandwiches are dry (no oil and vinegar?). The bread:meat ratio is too high for me (my preference is a little bread and more "stuff"). It ain't cheap. My wife and I went to the store in Tysons soon after it opened a couple of years ago (?) and I thought I wrote a less-than-flattering review then. I guess I just wrote it in my head. Needless to say, I've never been back.
  10. DrXmus
    My own personal experience with reviews is that the effusive, positive feedback is great to hear and makes me feel great, but it's not actually very helpful to me. I send surveys to my clients after my associates and I see their pet in an appointment. The questions range from "was the parking lot clean" to "did the veterinary assistant handle your pet with care" to "was the doctor receptive to your concerns" and "did the doctor seem engaging or was she aloof". Almost invariably, the responses are positive, but I always wonder if that's the case, then why are there some clients who are unhappy, disappointed, frustrated, etc. Why do any clients leave the practice? If we don't hear the what we can improve, how can we? What do we do? In a restaurant review, why wouldn't it be good for an owner/chef to hear the food was salty or the pasta was overcooked? Why would they not want to hear that a server was poor or inconsiderate or didn't know the menu?
  11. DrXmus
    Alas, not tonight. Soon, though, very soon!
  12. DrXmus
    Trying to convince my unadventurous-eating Italian wife that our 22nd anniversary meal needs to be at Dino's Saturday night. No reservation yet, tho. Farm to table and wine deals sound great.
  13. DrXmus
    I also picked this handle because I thought I wouldn't be posting. Normally I use "Beaker" or "Beakerhead". I have a cranium the same general shape as Beaker, the muppet, and the nickname stuck in college. When I signed up for DR.com it was a spur of the moment decision. IIRC, I thought I was signing up for a username, not necessarily my handle for posting. If I'd known better, I wouldn't have gone with DrXmus as I think it seems pretentious. I guess the name is self-explanatory, but what you may not know is that the Dr. part is a DVM, not an MD or PhD, which are probably first thoughts. And, yes, my last name is Christmus (not -mas). I had/have a huge crush on Peters in The Jerk. I love Kahn as Lily, but always thought she'd break me in half.
  14. DrXmus
    I've been a few times now so I finally have something to say about Red Apron. The first visit was for charcuterie for a small get-together for four of us. I don't know shit from Shinola when it comes to charcuterie except to say I like eating it. The guy who helped me gave me four products to taste and I picked two of them. I told him I had no idea how much to order and he told me to leave guests wanting more so he suggested 1/8lb of each. Both were delicious and the amount was perfect for appetizers. My next trip was for a sandwich to go. I got the Cubano and fries. The fries (fried in beef fat) were tasty and included sprigs of rosemary and cloves of roasted garlic. The salting was adequate, but I like my salt, so others may think the large flakes are perfect. The sandwich included a pineapple spread-y type thing that had quite a spicy bite to it. By the end of the sandwich, I thought it was overpowering. It wasn't bad by any stretch, but I won't be getting it again. Last night SWMBO and I had sandwiches there for dinner. The fries were definitely underseasoned and were more greasy this time. They were mostly small pieces, so I think we got the end of the day's supply. I ate them all, mind you, but I've had better fries, too. I had the Porkstrami sandwich, which I would eat every day if I could. The firm roll held up to the pork jus and the sauerkraut and aoli were perfect for me to prevent an overly dry sandwich (it's a pet peeve). Mrs. DrXmus had the roasted turkey sandwich with "cranberry-apple mostarda". Opposite me, she's a condiment-hater but even she enjoyed the sandwich with the mostarda (compote?) and ricotta schmear. The downside? Two sandwiches, fries and two beers=$38 I love having Red Apron so close. They have a great selection of beers, wines and vermouths, including some I haven't seen anywhere else close by (Byrrh, Cocchi Americano and another I can't think of). I think I'll be there a lot, although my bank account will take a hit.
  15. DrXmus
    I was going to revive the thread a few weeks ago, so thanks for reminding me. There was an article in the Post about Catoctin Creek's rye that said they use rye grain and age for 2 years. When I went on the tour last year, they were using rye flour and aging for 6 months. Time to try the rye again. I thought it was unexciting for the price last year.
  16. DrXmus
    I was in Fairfax near Bon Chon and stopped by. They have a sign that says they'll be open next week. There was a van parked in front from a company that installs POS and there were a couple of guys inside working at a computer station.
  17. DrXmus
    Interesting. I searched the intarwebs for "Simcoe Back in Black" and the first hit is my post on donrockwell.com!! Reminds one to be careful of what one says, doesn't it? You're right that 21st Amendment doesn't include Simcoe in their list of hops, however a site called "letspour.com", which sells beer/wine/spirits/cider/etc. over the 'net, does list it as a dry hop. I have no idea if that page is from last year or if it's even accurate, but it's not unusual for breweries to alter their hop and grain bill a little between runs, although they try to keep flavors as consistent as they can. If you're getting pine in the nose, though, then there's Simcoe there. Centennial and Columbus are awesome hops which give you more of the grapefruit/citrus notes you know and love.
  18. DrXmus
    Wasn't the space purchased a year ago, or so, for a contract brewer? I haven't heard anything else about it. Maybe that fell through.
  19. DrXmus
    Agreed. If nothing else, they needed to steam-clean the floor. Last time I was there I had to wait for 10 minutes and I watched as the servers rounded the counter to deliver food to tables and each of them had a little different way to manage the oil on the floor. Some took tiny steps with no slippage, others walked quickly and "drifted" around the corner with a controlled slide. Fascinating!
  20. DrXmus
    Had a sandwich today (cutlet, red peppers, Gorgonzola) and the bread seemed very different to me. It was actually soft and flexible. Have I been getting stale bread or have they changed bread again? Personally, I preferred this bread to all the other sandwiches I've had at the new Mosaic store.
  21. DrXmus
    Tried to call the Fairfax outpost from about 6-6:30 and my call went straight to voice mail which said the mailbox was full. Anyone know if the place is open? I didn't drive there to order and wait the 45 minutes to take it home. Went to the Vienna Inn instead for my fix.
  22. DrXmus
    In the back of my cobwebby mind I think I remember that it's a brother, not a sister, who owns Sea Pearl. Just to add my 2 cents, I went maybe 5 months ago, but none of us in the group thought we'd go back. Good food but not worth the money. I can spend less for more elsewhere.
  23. DrXmus
    Fascinating show and story but I screamed at the TV the entire time I was watching. I couldn't believe the neurosis and the psychosis Amy had. I couldn't believe that they screamed at their customers like that. I couldn't believe that Sammy damn near hit the young buck who didn't feel like he needed to pay for drinks (and maybe apps?) because the food didn't come for over an hour. I am constantly amazed that when Ramsey says the food sucks ass, they say no one has complained before...but they're calling him because people aren't coming in any more. Watching the show truly is like watching a train wreck and I enjoy it every week (except when I get disgusted that I have likely eaten in a joint with a filthy kitchen).
  24. DrXmus
    I don't know if they've changed the recipe at all from last year, but I really didn't like this beer last summer. I love Black IPAs (BIPAs), Cascadian Dark Ales (CDAs) or whatever the hell they'll be called when the AHA gets around to standardizing the terminology and style guidelines and I brew a really good BIPA to have on tap at almost all times, so I'm not a BIPA newb or anti-hop dude. The Simcoe hops in Back in Black was too much for my palate. I don't mind Simcoe as a bittering hop, but the pine scent and flavor is too overpowering for me in Back in Black. The beer had a good malt backbone and I thought the bitterness was about right for an IPA, but I couldn't get over the feeling that I was drinking Christmas (Christmus?) tree water. I won't buy another sixer, but I'll try it again, probably, if nothing else hits me on the draft list (or if someone gives me a can).
  25. DrXmus
    Not sure if this means La Caraquena has jumped the shark, but they have a Google Offers coupon for a "buy one app and get one free" deal today.
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