ol_ironstomach

Exactly. But...but...them walnut hulls is reserved for Boxer-primed brass! I think the real trick is to season with pig [lard], by using the item as often as possible. Seasoning with vegetable shortening is okay in a pinch. Vegetable oil tends to polymerize too thickly. Avoid corn oil entirely, unless you like a sticky mess. My favorite egg-frying pan is a little old cast-iron number that a friend's mom picked up at a garage sale in Frederick County, where they still abound. I don't know how much sizzling pork fat it's seen, but clearly even more than I've been able to eat so far (and I've been known to host all-bacon extravaganzas). Also, between one good raging hot cast iron skillet and the oven broiler, it's steak-time all year round, even when I'm too lazy to fire up the TEC infrared. Cast iron...don't equip home without it.

Well, that's a bit like Joan Rivers to write a car review, but here goes nuthin'... Caveat: I'm a lightweight, and find that I usually have to add a splash of water (Brita-filtered, from my home well) to delay the anaesthetic effects of whisky. The Peat Monster is surprisingly light in color, sort of a brass or light honey. Big smoky nose that wafts out of the sifter on its own; each sip has what I would call a faint tangerine note, and very moderate iodine. With a splash of water, the weird thing is that the initial smoke clears quickly, making the long peaty finish a bit...thin? I dunno how to describe it. I love the Caol Ila from which this blend gets its smoke, but as a dedicated Lagavulin drinker I'm not sure I would call this one a "monster", at least not compared to an oily Islay.

Tasted over the past several months: Jacques Torres typifies a good boutique chocolatier these days. Most of the pieces are actually somewhat dull-looking, and the flavors are good but somewhat conservative, but I think the one runaway winner of his is the wicked hot chocolate powder, which is spiced with chilis and studded with chips. Fresh from his boutique in Brooklyn on a cold windy day, a cup of this theobroma is smooth and drinks with an almost criminal richness. Even more experimental in the spice department is Vosges, whose pieces generally fall into three categories: their standard pieces (including the curry+coconut Naga truffle that put them on the map), their Mexican chocolate pieces (the cinnamon compels you), and their rotating regional selection, which is currently focused on Australian ingredients like wattle pollen. Unafraid to use a liberal hand with the spices, Vosges are some of my favorites. Also worth noting - the best caramel toffee ever. It's unreasonably expensive though, so I'd suggest visiting a Vosges store and snacking liberally at the sample display Digressing from fine chocolates for just a moment, in the novel-wrapper department, the Theobroma chocolate company of Sitka, Alaska, sells a US Coast Guard-themed milk chocolate bar as a fundraiser for their local USCG auxiliary. They also mold a few novelty shapes, particularly a Tlingit blanket pattern and typical Alaskan fish - salmon and halibut. Still a big fan of the ephemere sauce from Seattle's Dilettante chocolatier...I bring a bottle back every time I visit. Warm the plastic bottle for just a few seconds in the microwave to liquefy it, shake vigorously, and squeeze over ice cream. Local favorite Kingsbury show a lot of handmade character, but didn't particularly stand out to me. Sorry, guys. Finally, big props to Jason Andelman's superb Artisan Confections, which are some of the most beautiful pieces I have seen anywhere. His sugar-printed designs are marvelously whimsical (love the audio signal on the mint...but shouldn't it be an EKG?) and really pop out, even if some of the flavor combos weren't winners with the +1. But the truffles, and especially the metallic-lustered ones, are knock-outs. I'm heading back to Periwinkle for more.

Since I only ever read the City Paper for the Straight Dope and the comix, this has been a getting-to-know-Kliman phase, but I like what I percieve to be a new frankness in the Washingtonian's reviews. Perhaps it's only a change of tone that echoes the ubiquitous foodie blog, but the Washingtonian's food section is exciting reading once again. How much influence does Kliman have over things beyond the restaurant reviews? Not to be a suck-up, but I'm really enjoying Rocks' wine columns, and would still do so if they'd been published under a pseudonym. I'm decidedly not wine-savvy, so what captures my interest is that same gentle education in each column that I've always enjoyed in Ben Giliberti's writing...much better than rambling on using that oblique terminology which makes wine seem like an insiders-only club. There's one thing I wish they'd do away with, and that's the absurd use of a used napkin as a service test. People, from the time a diner unfolds a napkin in their lap under the table, to the time they return it to the table and depart, it's a personal hygiene object. Why do you think etiquette is to leave it on the seat while you're temporarily away? It's so other diners don't have to look at it. You wouldn't refold a used snot-rag and place it on display, nor should you do so with a dinner napkin. Good service would leave it where it lies. Superior service would quietly remove it and place a fresh napkin at the setting, just as one would do with silverware. This isn't rocket science, people. Oops, but I digress. The new food line-up at Washingtonian makes me want to renew my subscription religiously, which hasn't always been the case.

Grabbed an early dinner at Picante, the Real Taco on our way back from DeBaggio Herbs a few days ago, after not having been for nearly a year. This was an infrequent favorite when I worked in Fairfax, and a frequent one when that employer moved out to Ashburn...just a few minutes down to their location at Rts 28 and 50. It's still a good, inexpensive Mexican restaurant, with a menu that avoids the usual chain Tex-Mex favorites in favor of more authentic flavors, particularly a liberal use of fruits in the various sauces. One thing that characterizes Picante is their adherence to Mexican cheeses, particularly Chihuahua cheese, where the big chains substitute bland jack cheese. The queso fundido con chorizo is a particular favorite of mine, which drips liberally with the spicy red oil of the chorizo when mashed with a fork and spread onto a corn tortilla. It's not a low-cal dish, and I was almost horrified to discover that the portion size has nearly doubled in the past several years. It's now really too much for even two people to eat. Similarly, the previously generous tacos have grown to ridiculous size...but the meat is better than ever. I had a combination of the taco adobo de puerco with the chicken mole enchilada and the pork now comes in small succulent chunks, whereas before it was sliced into tiny pieces which often came up a bit on the dry side. This is also where I came to love the pineapple and achiote seasoning of tacos al pastor, even if they don't use an autodoner system to roast it. The mole is still my favorite dish here, dark and rich over pieces of chicken breast. My +1 had the chile relleno, which incorporates apples into the sauce and stuffing, bringing a bit of sweetness. Again, the use of Chihuahua cheese was a vast improvement over the jack cheese commonly found in other rellenos. With the resurgence of good Mexican cuisine elsewhere in the area, it's not surprising that Picante hasn't made the Cheap Eats list in a while, but it's still worth a look if you need a bite near Chantilly (along with Thai Basil, elsewhere in the same strip mall).

This reminds me...where can one find kati rolls in this town? It's Indian street food, sort of a slim south Asian burrito if you will, but wrapped in paratha, not in naan. I chowed down on a few at The Kati Roll Company during my last visit to Manhattan, and loved them, particularly the unda aloo masala.

I'm cracking open the Compass Box "Peat Monster" tonight. And Jake's posting has reopened my interest in that bottle of Bulleit sitting on the shelf.

Oh Bill. Bill, Bill, Bill. A friend of mine who is working on his Piled higher & Deeper shared an observation with me last summer. He said "Dave, I'm teaching undergrads today for whom 'The Star Wars films' refers to episodes 1, 2, and 3." And then he made the howl of ultimate suffering. Heh heh. My apologies; I'm not knocking your preference for Classic. It's just that, since you said regular Coke, I thought of the thousands of people who, like me, went around raiding distributors' warehouses for those last few precious cans of Old Coke some 20 years ago, and who still relish a good sugary Coke whenever travelling overseas Especially accompanied by those deep-fried apple pies that McD's still sells in England.

Not really; I haven't been back recently, and it would be unfair to revisit the sins of old on them in detail. They were obviously unprepared for the crush brought on by rave reviews from both Monica B. and Tom S., and consequently our party, already seated, endured an evening of "service" that almost defies imagination. However, one does not stay in business for long if one operates that way, so it seems unlikely that you would have a repeat of our experience. Regardless of what happened in the front of the house, I will say that at the time, the appetizers were pretty good, but our entrees were quite mediocre. Perhaps the lunch buffet is better than dinner, but I certainly wouldn't have chosen them over Udupi Palace or Woodlands (Langley Park) for veggie Indian.

Well, I for one had a distracting weekend and didn't notice this event until after the original Monday noon deadline had expired. But happy day, there is one fewer spot available now I gather that this event supports the training activities behind the society's primary fundraising events - marathons and the like - so I'm looking at it as a sort of force multiplier. It'll be fun. And there's a personal reason too; my dad's a survivor of primary brain lymphoma, two-and-a-half years so far.

Arguably one would be better off with the very average food at Chicken Out, or the baked goods from Vie de France...at least you'd avoid that feeling of just having paid a premium for your average food. There's only one dish in the Village that's truly worth a detour IMHO, and that's the crabcake sandwich lunch platter from River Falls Seafood. Yes, the fishmonger serves up a lovely heap of lump backfin on a roll with lettuce, tomato and some tartar sauce. Of course, nowadays one first has to negotiate a parking lot gauntlet of land yachts piloted by people with more money and attitude than brains or skill, but them's the breaks. p.s. Feh.

The cake is indeed a sucrose bomb. Perhaps a Bomb, even, all lovely and pink with little decorative nonpareils. Although I found it the cake itself to be somewhat dry last week. The breads, now baked in-house, continue to improve, even if they're not quite yet to the level of what they were using when Furstenberg was actively lording over Breadline. Still I wish I knew how Eve gets such a nice crust out of a conventional oven. Porcupine and I will be grabbing lunch at the bar a bit after 1 pm today. Because the lickety-split lunch is soooo compelling...

It's much the same at the Lancaster County Farmer's Market in Germantown (Great Seneca Hwy & Wisteria Rd), although the names are different. I shopped at Burtonsville fairly regularly when I lived in Laurel, and at Germantown occasionally now that I'm back in MoCo. At both, I find the beef is too lean and lacking in marbling, but the pork products are pretty good if not really any better than you can get at Whole Paycheck. The large sausage links with apple are really nice, as are the bockwurst. I'm not a fan of the loose sausage nor the sage links, which tend to run a bit too sweet and light on savory. The dairy counters are worth a stop, both for Amish roll butter (LCFM carries Minerva dairy) and good milk in glass jars (LCFM carries Trickling Springs Creamery...try the unhomogenized Creamline). Finally, a plug for Pennsylvania-style whole milk chocolate milk, which I've seen described as chocolate-flavored 80-wt gear oil. Practically goes directly from your stomach to your arteries. Mmmmm.

Yeah, I couldn't stand it staring back at me, like Oscar-the-Grouch's Hare Krishna alter ego.That's why I had to eat those damn haunting googly eyes first. I mean olives...those olives.

"By Grabthar's hammer...what a savings."It's sold retail within the bottler's territory (a 40 mile radius of Dublin). That's why I'm holding off until October, when my car club holds its national meeting in nearby DFW. Then...I'm gonna stuff the trunk full.

Credited to John Lea and William Perrins, who began commercial production 28 August 1837.While made from whole anchovies, "Worcestershire in various stages of aging sits in 35 6,000 gallon fir vats" for up to two years, according to Poundstone's Big Secrets. Arguably it's closer to garum than to tinned anchovy. This is all nitpicking about authenticity. There are probably only a handful of people alive today who might have tasted the original salad by Cardini's hands. And as food historians know, it's all guesswork as to how ingredients and methods have subtly changed over the years. Worcestershire might not taste today as it did in the time of the original salad. I personally have nothing against boquerones or anchovies, having been known to partake from time to time... October 2005, Siena, Italy

...or a beer without rice, right? One may prefer the salad dressing with anchovies (and why not? you like what you like!), but it's no more an authentic Caesar salad than Budweiser can be called an authentic Pilsner from Budvar.Mrs. Child had extensively researched the topic at one point, and in the end it came down to an conversation she had with Caesar Cardini's daughter, who stated in no uncertain terms that the original recipe did not use anchovies...only Worcestershire sauce.

I'd been wondering why there was an SL hardtop perched over the entrance vestibule.

Almost a point of honor, it seemed, to not leave a delectable morsel behind, knowing that its reheated self could never regain the same greatness it had in the Now. I of course had the advantage of possessing the Amazing Expanding Asian Stomach, but the valiant and creditable efforts of my tablemates showed that they too had true commitment.

Criminy, I'll bet you could make some interesting-tasting french fries in that fryolator grease afterwards, too.

The 2006 vintage of kosher-for-Passover Coke is on the shelves at Giant (naturally, a few days after the end of their $.99 sale). Let the games begin. For the uninitiated, this is the only US-market version of Coke made entirely with real sugar instead of corn syrup, and it's only available for a couple of weeks at those stores that care to stock it. Look for the yellow cap 2-liter bottles with the special markings. Experience says that it noticeably loses fizz and flavor around August, so keep that in mind if you're stocking up on a crate or two. Now if only I could get Dublin Dr. Pepper around here...

Good grief, I hadn't thought about Gino's in years. IIRC there was one in Bladensburg in the early 70s, from whence the folks would pick up those striped buckets of KFC. I don't know where you folks found the time to eat outside of the high school. Even with a prohibition on running through the halls of WCHS, it was possible to speedwalk from class to the cafeteria, eat lunch, and speedwalk back to the math lab in five minutes flat, ensuring a quality lunchtime spent on the school computers.

The Galleria website says it seats 400 theatre style, or 750 standing at maximum capacity, so it seems reasonable to assume a combination of both will still fit in the single atrium.

Perhaps the latter; the pastry shell sort of led away from its clam-casinoness. The fried clam itself was very nicely executed IMHO. Not having heard the name of the dish, at first I thought it was a small fried oyster - it was so moist within.

I'm not sure I'd give up anything, but the Superbar was the roadtrip fast food of choice. Reasons #38 and #39 that Chesapeake House is the rest stop of choice: - Popeye's fried apple pies - make-a-souvenir-penny, Frank Zappa edition