MTPeter

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

The same way I know there are still canals in Venice.  I went to the Merrifield Tippy's a few years ago - the original locations will never change until/unless they're sold.

BTW, when Burrito Brothers first opened, it was really good (Falls Church and Georgetown locations were my haunts; I went to the ones at Capitol Hill and South Dupont only a couple of times (a Super Spinach Burrito with whole pinto beans and green hot sauce (and cilantro) was a personal favorite - they used Jack cheese, and steamed the tortillas in a press). They were giant burritos, and other than the cheese, they were vegan.

This wretched-looking place is not the Burrito Brothers of yore. Anything (including Primanti Bros) that just throws french fries into something for additional calories/heft needs to go back to whatever famine-stricken region they came from (this is a joke; not an immigration statement) - we don't have a starvation issue in the 21st century; we have a processed-food/obesity issue.

Everyone should have some del taco "del scorcho" packets on hand. Excellent for homemade breakfast burritos. 

The California Burrito (burrito with french fries) is a regional speciality, from San Diego. Done well or even passably and it is a delightful experience.  This style of burrito has spread widely now - in Idaho it is something of a contentious issue as they are famous for their taters, and so you'll see an "Idaho burrito" which is actually a "California burrito" rebranded.  But they are definitely best south of Oceanside. 

Burrito Brothers on capitol hill, to my surprise, is improved from when I first moved here 15 years ago. It is a lot cleaner and the food is fresher. Don't judge by the website. Is it good? Well it is... passable and improved. But not a destination.

Burritos are excellent and I love them. I've found no memorable burritos in the DMV. Go west when the urge strikes, they travel well so you can bring one home. A tip from my very thorough secondary TSA security screening - even if you are pre-check make sure to remove a hot burrito from your bag. 

The Passenger opened shortly after I moved back into the city proper from a few miserable years in suburban exile where the closest thing to a cocktail was the Greenbelt Marriott or (shudder) TGI Friday's.  I was so happy to find a non-pretentious bar serving excellently made drinks at a reasonable price. We were good friends for quite a while,  and although we've drifted apart in recent years, this is a spot I will truly miss.

Tom and Derek, I pour out a little liquor for the Passenger's closing.  -it was a hell of a great spot - thank you.

 how to store the shipment?  Just put the box, contents and all, in the fridge?

You definitely want to open the box and repackage in your fridge. I'm sure they'll include instructions - but mussels need to breathe  and you want to make sure the little fellows don't freeze.  I usually transfer to a large bowl and cover lightly with a damp paper towel.

For my daily grind (mostly Chemex) I love and also recommend the Baratza Encore burr grinder. You can buy it from Stumptown as well ...

http://buy.stumptowncoffee.com/baratza-encore-burr-grinder.html

Very reasonably priced and does a great job for anything in the drip, press, pour over family.

For espresso I also have a Rancilio Rocky, which I like but is prone to jamming.

The 11th Annual t r a n s f o r m e r Silent Auction & Benefit Party

Saturday, November 22, 2014, 8-11pm

Featuring over 150 artworks by locally, nationally, and internationally based emerging & established artists

Savories, sweets, and drinks provided by several of Washington DC's finest restaurants.

A great opportunity to pick up some art & support local artists . [I'm one of 'em]

 untitled #10 from 19 Hot Biscuits getting prepped for auction.

Last night was a beefeater with 4 olives .

I favor  rinsing the ice with vermouth:

ice + glass + vermouth. stir, pour out liquid.  Vermouth is toothy enough that just the right amount will stick to the ice and mix well when the gin hits it.

At home  I stick the finished drink in the freezer for a couple of minutes to get it colder. Temperature not vermouth is what vexes me most in DC .

Passenger will make you happy if you like Martinis or even if you don't . Am going to miss that bar.

Open and awesome. I love this place. Very friendly - has a great vibe going.  Not my top choice for just hanging out (that would be coffee bar's chill patio) but good, consistent coffee and espresso & super convenient. (right next to Trader Joes). You should go (and over to coffee bar as well, esp while weather remains tolerable).

I really wish Bestworld would get its act together.  I've given up after one too many run ins with moldy produce and , to Tweaked's year ago post - I'd stay far away from anything requiring refrigeration - coolers are regularly too hot.   The market next to the 7-11 is a better bet for produce and spices etc.

Bestworld Supermarket

3178 Mt. Pleasant St. NW

Closed Sept. 23 because of a failure to minimize insects, rodents and other pests. Reopened Friday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-maryland-and-virginia-health-code-violations/2014/09/29/743f98b2-471f-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html

A word of caution regarding the croque madame, which at Le Diplomate is served open faced (no top bread - egg directly on ham). That lack of top bread made for a very unenjoyable sandwich, as did the ham which was tired and tough.

A small lamentation, a gnat in a world full of larger disappointments, but if you like a good croque, don't bother with this one. Ending with positivity:  The fries were good and so were the drinks and I appreciated the manager who gave us free coffee and pastries after the busser dropped dishes down my back.

An amazing painting and worth a field trip to see in person.  Online, you can look at the work with a  "deep zoom" - you can see all the way down to the brush strokes.

Click the zoom button:

"Green Wheat Fields: Auvers"

And you can also download a high resolution image for free.

Today they are knocking down Rick's Drive-in in Pasadena. Rick's was the originator of the spuderito, which I suppose you would describe as a french fry burrito , which as a description is sort of like saying a diamond is a compressed piece of black coal. that is, it's a really amazing food item far greater and more  wonderful than the sum of its ingredients.

The food (including Spuderito) lives on Bobby's Place (opened by a former employee) but I will really miss Rick's the original.... It  was a wonderful and humble and enjoyably distinctly southern california experience. Very sad to see such a fine shack get the business end of the wrecking ball...

Duke's Grocery on 17th St, between P & Q

I've only been once but I had an amazing steak sandwich at Duke's Grocery. Definitely worth checking out.

Tynan has reduced the size of their coffees from 20oz to 16oz. Insert frowny  face here (oh I can!):  .  Strange decision - for regular house coffee 16oz just doesn't do it for me / never a big fan of Tynan anyway and now less so...

I was a regular at the old location. Liked it. New location : I'll say only that in a lifetime of eating tacos, these were the first I ever returned for a refund. Offended me in their badness. Skip it and go over to Chilango.

My friend Jim wrote a long and poetic essay on the topic of "best tacos in LA" in which he articulated, for me, the central questions pertaining to taco evaluation: Did it taste good? Did you eat another one?

Yes to both at Tacos Chilango. This is a solid place- good tacos, well crafted and tasty. Definitely worth a stop by when you are nearby. Not a destination trip, but I'm glad to have it.

I am so glad to have Beau Thai in Mt Pleasant - reliable food and a nice environment. However, this does seem to be my summer for getting whacked on the head with cocktails - watch those drink prices at Beau Thai. I was charged something around $15.00 each for two drinks, one was a Johnny Walker black neat and my date had a house cocktail (nothing special really). 2 noodle bowls ($10 each), 1 appetizer ($5.00), my date's drink (?) and my Johnnie Walker totaled $55.00 before tip. Yeeeowch ! 

What's going on at Stoney's these days? I haven't been in a while but usually have a good experience - good staff, great grilled cheese. I stopped in for b/lunch on Saturday and it was a total disaster , service was miserable and the food terrible. When your friend has to send an omelet back because it isn't cooked, you know you are in trouble. I had the super grilled cheese which had one half-melted piece of cheese, unripe tomatoes, and the "butter" or whatever they cook the bread in was pretty funky - tasted like sure-fine margarine (you know that chemically spread taste).

I don't like to post negative things but I am really puzzled- it seems to have gone way down hill. Has there been a change in management or ownership? Every other spot on P was packed for brunch, Stoney's was pretty dead - so I guess the word is out?

Bummed!

I use my stick blender all the time. Easy to clean and for the bachelor, good for small quantities of whatever I'm up to - I have the little chopping pot attachment and can knock out a single serve gazpacho pdq.

It's awesome for mayonnaise- the trick is to use the smallest (diameter) mixing chamber you can - you should just barely be able to get the head of the thing in there... The bowl it came with is huge and I sent a few recipes up to the ceiling before I figured that out.

It seemed to me he was objecting to the gin, not the bubbles, but I do agree with you.

True! To clarify I really like Beefeater. It makes a great eye opening martini. It is far too overwhelming for a French 75, and a French 75 I prefer with Champagne...

I like Hank's in Dupont - had a very fine dinner out on the patio Friday night. Hard to beat that - reliable, good service. I will pass on the cocktails however.

Before Hanks had a terrific $14.00 Paloma at BlackJack. Expensive but worth it - quality all throughout. Compare to what turned out to be a $13.00 or so French 75 that I had at Hank's while waiting for our table. Made with Beefeater and what looked like a pretty anonymous proseco. Just foul. Rail gin at premium prices, that's just bad manners Wanted to say something but always tricky on a 2nd date getting snooty about the gin...

Hello Anna,

If the original materials are delicate and irreplaceable I would not recommend taking them to a copy shop. You are less likely to get a good result and the material may be damaged. Instead I would recommend you take them to a professional photo lab to have them digitized and then printed. This will be more accurate and will also allow you to experiment with the printing, make additional copies in the future etc, without damaging the originals. For digitization you could have the materials photographed digitally or scanned on a flatbed scanner. I haven't used them personally in a while but Dodge Chrome has locations in Silver Spring & Palisades and I imagine they could do this for you. Good luck!

Any recent visits to Resto? I'm staying in that general area and it sounds promising. Not sure if would be good for a solo diner - I'm most interested in getting some good mussels / belgian. If there are other current recommendations for worthwhile Belgian I'd be interested - particularly in the more tavern vein like Granville Moore's (here) or Eulogy Tavern (Philly). Thanks as always!

I can't speak to authenticity but if you've been out too late at the Boat Bar the night before, Mocha Bagels in Cobble Hill is a lifesaver. Tasty bagels and to my Californian delight, no snobbery about cream cheese- they've got all types and flavors.

Cool!

You should certainly add Flying Fish Coffee & Tea in Mt Pleasant. Great coffee, great people, one of my favorite places to drink coffee in DC, along with Original Filter in Dupont. The staff of Flying Fish are epic - super friendly & laid back.

Flying Fish is currently using a tasty bean from Counter Culture for espresso - highly recommended.

7-11 pizza. Hey...I've never been asked if I want fresh slices? Do they actually exist?

Well, not fresh but they will prepare a new pie on request. The new style pizza at 7-11 is surprisingly edible and it is only one dollar or thereabouts. I definitely would not put it on the worst pizza list - it's not going to inspire any love songs but it's better than you might think.