Andelman

I still don't get the whole cupcake thing. I must be the only one, because from what I have read about Georgetown Cupcake, it sounds like they are overwhelmed with customers. It just seems odd to me that people will wait in line for over an hour for a cupcake. I think people just like to say the word "cupcake", maybe for nostalgic reasons....

Maybe I am just jealous as to how busy these cupcakes places are. I don't know.

We're going to be remodeling a kitchen in a house we're buying, and we're going to be without most appliances for probably about 2-3 months. (It's a full gut and remodel complete with moving electrical, walls, plumbing, etc.). Thus, we're thinking of picking up 1-2 portable induction burners which we'd love to have anyways.

Does anyone have a view on one induction burner versus another?

Get a Sunpentown "Mr Induction". You can probably find one online for about $100-$125. We use them here at the shop and they work very well. Keep in mind, that you have to use a stainless steel pot/pan with induction. Good luck.

J

But yet, still too technical for someone with a pastry background to pull off. Ouch.

Touche.

Nikki, in my opinion, should have gone. In the first season, the judges flipped out when a group of chefs chose to use premade cake mix--what's the difference when Nikki used premade sausage links for her sandwich? It seemed like she just cooked onions and peppers (and a few shrimp) and toasted bread. At least Ryan was trying to cook--but I agree that his food certainly wasn't "tailgater" food and seemed like it really missed the mark.

I agree. I thought she SHOULD have been the one to go home, but her personality didn't bother me as much as Ryan. We all know that she will be gone soon, but seeing the look on Ryan's face as he got booted was good enough for me.

But seriously, cooking premade sausage on a gas grill and adding peppers and onions. Totally weak. Shaggy could have done that....

I was glad to see Ryan go. The dude was a complete knob and seemed a bit too cocky about his cooking skills. He was also a self-proclaimed "metrosexual" that likes to go dancing instead of sports. Give me a break. I think the key to winning this competion is a fine balance between good cooking and knowing what your audience wants. Do you think Chicago Bears fans want a poached pear at a tailgate? Dumb ass.

We are located at 4815 Lee Highway in N. Arlington (right near the intersection of Glebe and Lee Hwy). We are in a small strip with a Domino's, Subway, and Indian grocery store. It can be easy to miss, so if you are coming from DC on Lee Highway and cross Glebe Rd, we are about 2 blocks down on the right side (right next to Subway). Other landmarks include Heidelburg Bakery which is just down the street on the opposite side. We are also across the street from the Cowboy Cafe.

In regards to parking, you can park in the lots on either side of the "strip" (next to Subway, or next to Dominos). Do not worry about the towing signs, ALL of those spots are for our store as well... If the lots are full, you can always find street parking on Columbus St or just around the corner (I don't know the name of the street). It usually is not a problem to find street parking.

I hope all of the info helps, and I look forward to meeting some of you on Saturday.

Jason

Same basic idea as sitting in front of Koji at Sushi Ko. Those drinks are labor intensive and there is exactly one man making them. Adam has confided in me on more than one occasion that this is an extremely arduous mission. In that sense, it's almost a shame to see him become so popular. Of course, I'm also very happy for his success.

I agree, and that is what makes it a good thing. All good things take time. This is the same reason I only go to Murky Coffee (in Arlington) to get my cup of joe. Yes, it takes a bit longer, but it shows in the quality of the beverage. Same thing here, my drink was excellent and obviously made with some thought and care into the whole process. I also liked last nights "meeting of the minds", in that each of the 5 drinks was by a different DC mixologist. Good drinks, good food, good atmosphere, and right down the street from the Black Cat. I dig Bar Pilar.

sigh... would you believe the fantastic Tuesday cocktails are only available at the bar?

even if the bar is full?

and even if the people are just *not* moving off their prized stools ever?

and even if you are standing around the bar, but not seated, you still cannot get them? and even if you are seated at a table, the waitress cannot get them for you?

Are you sure about that? I was seated at the end of the bar last night and saw many people getting drinks that were not seated at the bar. I have to say they were kind of slammed last night (around 9:30), so maybe they were just trying to cut down on the orders. That was my first time there on a Tuesday night, and it was pretty busy....I think that article in the WaPost probably helped add to the the madness.

Hello all. Believe it or not, we have been in our current location on Lee Highway for 2 years, so we are having a little anniversary party/tasting/open house this Saturday. The event will take place for m 11-3 (just like last time). We will be tasting 2 new flavors to our collection (Pineapple-Passion Fruit and Honey-Pine Nut) as well as many others things, including: our Saturday only Bittersweet Brownies, Pecan Buttercrunch, Crispy Hazelnut Bon-Bons, and more...

We are also having a little contest (winner gets a $50 gift certificate) to help us name a new crunchy confection we came up with.

There will be lots of chocolate to taste (all for free!), so please come by if you are in the neighborhood. Please PM or email me if you have any questions or need directions. I look forward to seeing some of you on Saturday.

Thanks,

Jason

Damrak Gin, Fever Tree Tonic, a splash of Wolfberger Litchi Liqueur, and a thin slice of fresh lime. Absolutely delicious on a warm spring evening.

I went to Granville Moore's last Wednesday before a show at the Rock and Roll Hotel. We had been here once before, and I think it was gotten better. We enjoyed 3 different mussels preparations and 2 large orders of fries. Everything was excellent. Big, plump flavorful mussels and the fries were hot, crispy, and perfectly seasoned. Highly recommended.

Thanks for all the great recommendations. As it turns out, my daughter got pretty tired after the zoo and we just ended up going home. Such is life when you have kids...

However, we did make some pretty mean grilled turkey, cheese, and bacon sandwiches when we got home. Oh, we also made oatmeal-butterscotch cookies as well.

Maybe we will try the mac and cheese outing next weekend.

I agree with Sthitch about the Mac and Cheese at Oohs and Aahs. We liked it okay, but it wasnt our favorite. I like the cheese sauce as well. Westend, Central, and Vidalia, hmmmmm. Might be too nice for the 4-year old, no?

I am taking my 4 year old to the National Zoo late this afternoon and we are going to want to eat an early bite to eat. She (being a 4-year old) loves the mac and cheese. Anyone have any suggestions of a good place in DC? I also want to eat, so we are trying to avoid chains, etc...

So far, I think the best we have had was at Mia's (pizza) in Bethesda, but we don't want to trek up there.

Thanks in advance.

Don't look now, but it APPEARS as though Damrak Gin has FINALLY re-appeared in Washington, D.C.

I have some on order for tomorrow - keep your fingers crossed!

Speaking of Damrak Gin (Joe already knows this story..), my house in Arlington got broken into a few weeks ago. The only things that were stolen was a new laptop, a portable DVD player, a brand new carseat (go figure), and an unopen bottle of Damrak Gin that was sitting on my kitchen table. At least the robbers had a taste for fine spirits.....

We tried out Cafe Pizzaiolo (sp?) in Crystal City on Sunday afternoon. We got a NY Style cheese pizza and I thought it was a pretty damn good pie. It had a nice crisp crust and a limited amount of sauce. The gelato wasn't that great, we should have made the trek to Dolcezza instead. They also have lots of kids games, coloring books, etc..., which is nice when the little ones are in tow...

I was in Chicago over the weekend, so...

Fri. Night- A Mano. Got some good charcuterie, 1/2 plates of pasta, and a decent carafe of wine. Oh, gelato too...

Sat. Lunch- Al's #1 Beef I think these Italian beef sandwiches are a bit overrated. I will take a cheesesteak from Jim's (in Philadelphia) or a pork sandwich from DiNics over an Italian Beef any day of the week...

Sat. Dinner- Blackbird This place was great. We enjoyed everything we got and the service was tremendous.

Sun. Brunch- Diner in Lincoln Park with some old friends. Good times.

Sun Dinner- Alinea Pretty amazing experience. By far the most I have ever spent on dinner for 2. Everyone should go to this place at least once, it's a wild ride.

Mon Dinner/Tues Dinner- Tuna Noodle Casserole at home

Thanks for all of the good advice. We were able to get a reservation at Blackbird for Saturday night, soI think we will stick with that. I wanted to try Avec, but we probably don't feel like waiting a long time (in the freezing cold) for a table. We may check out the Violet Hour if time permits. The main reason for our trip is to eat at Alinea, so on Sunday I think we will save our appetite....Thanks again everyone.

J

Where are you staying and how far are you willing to travel?

e are staying around Michigan Ave and Rush St. I guess that is considered "River North" As for lunch on Saturday, we were trying to find a place in Wicker Park/Bucktown, or around Lincoln Park. We are willing to take a cab, so location isn't so important. Thanks.

I need some Chicago help. We are heading there this weekend for a little getaway (just the wife and I). We have reservations at Alinea for Sunday night and plan on swinging by Frontera grill when we arrive late tomorrow night. We are looking for a good suggestion for dinner on Saturday night. Would like to spend around $150 for the 2 of us. Any suggestions? Looking for something creative and good, yet don't want to do any of the "molecular gastronomy" places as we will be doing that on Sunday night. Don't really want to do Asian cuisine as we have that here in DC. We were thinking of trying Avec, but they don't take reservations and I think it is fairly small.

Also, we could use a suggestion for a relatively inexpensive but tasty lunch on Saturday afternoon.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The problem with Guy is that he's more Avril Lavigne than Minor Threat. Not cool.

Excellent line.

I found that article incredibly annoying as well. It just seems odd that a food critic for a major newspaper, whose JOB is to eat and critique food, would not like the concept of the tasting menu. I think we all realize that the point of the tasting menu is to showcase the talents of the chef and we should look at it as the "entertainment" for the evening. I dont' know, the more I read Sietsema's reviews the more I think he is a bit behind the curve in regards to the contemporary dining experience.

We had a great dinner at the bar last night. We originally were trying to go to Cork, but there was like a 1 1/2 hour wait at 9 PM, so we scooted over to Cityzen and snagged 2 seats at the bar. We had great service from the bartender and the food was excellent. We also got this awesome quote:

Me: "They don't serve the parker house rolls at the bar, do they?"

Bartender: "No, unfortunately they do not"

Me: " Yeah, I figured as much, no big deal..."

Bartender: "Yeah, the only people who get served parker house rolls at the bar are like Michel Richard and Don Rockwell."

My wife and I got a good chuckle out of that. Don, can we eat at the bar with you sometime?

Good Article. However, I seriously doubt that Eve's charcuterie plate pulls in $32,000/month. That has to be a typo. (Unless, of course I am reading it wrong...)

I will be happy to see more artisanal food establishments opening up in the area.

My advice, don't bother.

Way back when, my wife and I bought one of these, as we were enticed by the commercial on TV. In the ad, the "Vienetta" made an awesome crackling sound when they sliced into it and it looked delicious. When we found one at the local grocery store, we were quite disappointed. It was kind of a hard block of ice cream and a whipped topping similiar to Cool Whip. It's pretty lame.

Instead, you should take your $5 and go to Dolcezza in Georgetown and get some pistachio gelato. Now that's good eatin'....