ol_ironstomach

Nice atmosphere, and they make a fine Tom & Jerry among other things. (I still think the creations at Restaurant Eve are closer to perfection though!)

Finished Steven "Fat Guy" Shaw's Turning the Tables: Restaurants From The Inside Out last week. Not surprisingly it was much like his accompanying talk at National Geo last fall, only presented using far more convoluted sentence structure. Ouch. Mostly through Kitchen Confidential, which I hadn't previously read. Oh, the perils of not making enough time to read. But it's an awful fun rant, every page of it so far. I'll put in a plug for a couple of titles which have been around, but which I like and have been leafing through again recently. One is Andrew Dalby's fascinating Dangerous Tastes: The Story Of Spices, which is both a history lesson and spice compendium wrapped up in one. You might not look at your spice rack again without thinking of caravans and wooden ships. The other is Lobscouse & Spotted Dog (Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin novels). I picked this up long before I started reading O'Brian's series because it looked like fun, and one thing led to another - chiefly a need to clear several feet of shelf space for an O'Brian collection. In any case, it's a casually serious attempt to recreate all of the recipes (except boiled birdshit) mentioned in the Napoleonic-era novels, following the series through 1996 or so.

Meanwhile, mooning ruled not a crime in Maryland. (( /|

Hear hear. And if anybody objects, I have two words for you: "Wurzburg Haus".

Too true, although I was amused by the notion of my siblings searching far and wide for a good Ethiopian cookbook. Where does one find tef in the DC area? (as an aside, I took my +1 to dinner at Etete on Friday and we were thoroughly pleased with the unusually spicy doro wat, as well as the gomen. actually I was a bit surprised that she didn't revive her at-least-once-a-week kitfo habit)

Santa's literary contributions this year included: The Silver Spoon - described as the most popular cookbook in Italy for the past 50 years. Copyright dates and spellings indicate that it was translated for the British market this past year, and then released in an American edition. Some Britishisms persist, but the baking recipes have been redacted to use volumetric measurements. A section in back contains recipes from (currently) celebrated Italian chefs around the world. True Tuscan: Flavors and Memories From the Countryside of Tuscany - Cesare Casella's (Beppe, Maremma) latest book. Chapters organized by dinner course. What if I had taken a trip to Ethiopia instead of Tuscany last autumn?!

Hmmm, I think you may be right. My first impressions were based on the retained juicyness and relative lack of browning, but upon carefully examining a package in my fridge it seems to me that the exposed bones do look somewhat roasted. Apologies for contributing non-information. Note to self: I must visit Palena to try this chicken...

The arrival of the January Smithsonian Associate was making me hungry, so here are a few day courses or events coming up in the next couple of months, from a variety of sources, that caught my attention. Obligatory disclaimer: I list these only because they caught my attention; I have no business nor financial interest or connection with any of the classes or their sponsors. Heck, I'm not even going to most of them... Jan 30, "Top Embassy Chefs at the Residence of the Ambassador of Afghanistan". Two hours. Smithsonian footnote states "directions to embassy residence sent separately upon registration". From the blurb, it's unclear why this item is titled chefs-plural; the only chef mentioned is Manhan Arefi, whom I presume is the chef at the embassy. I couldn't find a URL for this, and it's not listed on the normal RA website. Call the Smithsonian at 202 357 3030 for more information, course code 1J0-136. Feb 13, "Cooking Lesson / Le Marche region with Fabio Trabocchi". Three hours. Casa Italiana Language School hosts a six-part series on regional cuisines of Italy. For Feb 13 they've lined up Chef Trabocchi of Maestro. Trabocchi link (Casa Italiana) Feb 18, "The Varied - and Delectable - Viennese Table". Smithsonian is sponsoring an all-day seminar on Austrian cuisine at the Ritz Carlton, featuring Austrian chefs including two from MODUL and Nora Pouillon. Viennese Table link (Smithsonian Associates) Feb 20, "Direct from Vienna: Meet Chef Gottfried Gansterer at Circle Bistro". Smithsonian, self-explanatory. Brendan Cox hosts. Gansterer link (Smithsonian Associates) Mar ??, Beer Hunter Michael Jackson at RFD Jackson link (RFD) Mar 29-Apr 12 (consecutive Wednesdays) "German Rieslings: Coming Into Their Own". Smithsonian Associates. Terry Thiese and Christine Warner host three tastings at the German Embassy. Sessions are titled "Introduction to German Wine", "Regional Distinctions Among German Rieslings" and "The Impact of Terroir (Soil) in German Riesling". Again no URL. Contact Smithsonian at 202 357 3030, course code AJ36.

From the peanut gallery, let me point out that Costco sells a remarkably convenient and inexpensive two-pack of sous vide "roast" duck halves (each with an atrocious packet of "orange sauce" that is easily discarded) that crisps up nicely in the oven. QED.

Alas, there will always be some proportion of the population who believe that acting like a total peckerhead is both a privilege of having - and an integral part of obtaining - a large disposable income. Of course they don't deserve your best game. Besides, you gotta have room to escalate for us genuinely nice diners

Whaddya do with a bunch of eggs and a (slack-induced) lack of fresh fruit but some lemons and limes leftover by the bar? This year's supplemental dessert experiment has turned out to be a lemon curd sandwiched between two sheets of Pavlova meringue. Will let you know how it turns out. And if my sister's in-laws survive the tasting tomorrow.

Be*Po*Ev. Word.

During his Smithsonian talk in October, Steven Shaw mentioned that Rocco DiSpirito was coming out with a book on five minute meals using five ingredients for $5 per portion. I see that it was finally released two weeks ago. Haven't had a chance to examine a copy yet, but it sounds right up your nephew's alley. Rocco's Five Minute Flavor

If it's anything like the one I had two weeks ago, lozenges didn't do diddly for me until about day 5. Then again, the back of my throat looked a bit like the surface of the moon. Gargle frequently with warm saltwater. I had no luck with Cepacol, but cherry-flavored Robitussin drops seemed to work, at least once things had died down to an irritated cough. When your appetite returns, hit up Panjshir II in Vienna for a bowl or two of comforting aush soup. Get well soon!

ye olde Jiffy Mix spoonbread 2 eggs, beaten 1 stick of butter, melted 1 cup sour cream 1 box Jiffy Mix 1 can creamed corn 1 can sweet corn, drained Mix. Bake in greased pan @ 350F for 35-40 mins. Good for folks like me who can barely count to one. For the eggs, I simply count to one twice

Sushi Taro's menu simply states Kobe beef. It seems to satisfy their large percentage of Japanese clientele. It's true that I'm lumping generic Wagyu in with Kobe when it comes to other restaurants, but my objection is not to the quality of the beef, but rather what's been done to it to destroy the marbling for which Wagyu is bred. Considering that these days a large proportion of "real" Kobe beef is American- or Australian-fed purebred Wagyu, which is merely shipped back to Kobe for grain finishing and slaughter so it can be labeled "Kobe", what distinction are you drawing?

Bless ya Don, I finally cracked open a bottle of Pierre Peters the other night and it was both delicious, and a steal at $40. The bubbles were seemingly endless too, and managed to keep pace while I slowly nibbled my way through a couple of fruit tartlets for dinner. Magnifique.

I believe that is how it is served at Sushi Taro in Dupont Circle. A mound of flashed slices, accentuating a texture more like foie gras than anything recognizable as steak...eat this and you'll start casting a disdainful eye on most other Kobe beef preparations in the US, which destroy its incredible mouthfeel and texture. To a great extent, it has already become a marketing gimmick here, a "name" that people associate with luxury but don't know why. Pity.

The Cider Car is the perfect get-off-of-the-cold-sidewalk cocktail...exactly what the doctor ordered. About the only thing wrong with it is that the lemony laurel concoction is even better. I've never had a cocktail before that sipped well through the entire meal, and both of these did. Thrasher is a f*'n mixological genius.

Actually, I'd be satisfied if you cigarette smokers would just put your butts out properly and stop littering the ground with them. It's really something else to walk along a park road in a pine forest out west during a high-fire-danger drought, and see the thousands and thousands of cigarette filters accumulating along the road edge.

I've always thought that requirements intended to improve restaurant air quality should be more direct...why specify a blanket ban, if what you *really* want is to ensure good air for everybody other than the smokers? Especially when the ventilation technology to achieve that already exists? But what exactly is "good air"? Is it totally smoke-free? Personally, I'm rather sensitive to cigar and cigarette smoke, and can't stand environments which are heavy in them. But shisha and pipe smoke bother me far less. What about...candles? I'm not talking about scented candles, but the faint aroma of beeswax and paraffin. What about the smoldering oak sprigs at Alinea, or the other forms of smoke used in avant-garde cuisine? I haven't read the actual text of the Schwartz amendment, but it sounds like it's closer to the best compromise available.

My personal theory is that Maine lobster, being the second tastiest crustacean on the table after my beloved blue crab, commands enough of a premium to justify the constant air-freight. Dungeness...well, let's just say it doesn't do anything for me.

If we lack critical mass, I'd be in favor of a delay...

Keller gets an end title credit as the film's food advisor. Sandler was in the film? How is one supposed to notice such things when Paz Vega is onscreen?

Hunan Garden (Rockville) circa 1980, and specifically for their xiao long bao. Sure, the skins were too thick, but the flavor inside was incredible...still my benchmark. I must have hoovered hundreds of them at mom and dad's expense before their chef moved on in the mid-80s. Dave