wisehands

Topolobampo adjoins Frontera Grill. Indeed, one passes through Frontera Grill on the way to being seated at Topolo. The bar is in the Frontera Grill space. You may order from either the Frontera or Topolo menu at the bar.

This is not really an Indian neighborhood, but more of an Indian shopping area. Many of the stores along Devon Avenue east of California have become Indian shops or restaurants, with some being Pakistani. However, most of the residents of the area west of Western Ave. are not Indian. Many of the shoppers patronizing these places come from outside the neighborhood, even from outside Chicago. Many years ago this stretch of Devon Ave. had a number of clothing, shoe, specialty, and small department stores. The advent of shopping malls, along with a move to the suburbs of many of the residents caused many of these sort of businesses to eventually close or move. As a result, many storefronts became vacant and a trickle of Indian shops began taking these spaces. At some point the number of Indian shops reached a critical mass and the area became a magnet for South Asian shoppers with its Indo-Pakistani restaurants, sari shops, electronics stores loaded with PAL videos and 240 volt equipment, etc. The impact of these changes over the past 35 years or so have been more commercial than residential.

Tai seems to be frequently misidentified as red snapper. I think a more accurate meaning for Tai is Red Sea Bream, sometimes also called Madai or "true tai" in Japan. Check out http://www.sustainab...t/the-fish/tai/

I respectfully beg to differ .... somewhat. I've been going to Hollywood East for many years. It does seem the glory days were at Fern Street, but things were still pretty good for a while when they were on University, although the second half of their tenure there showed major slippage. The food at the mall location has been pretty good most of the time, at least as far as what I usually order there goes (e.g., honey walnut shrimp, e fu noodles, steamed ling), but just not consistently at the level it was on Fern and for a while on University. The couple of times I was there for dim sum everyone at my table was satisfied with the quality and variety. They do have their screw-ups . . . e.g., last night had takeout from there and one part of the order was missing. Hate when that happens with takeout ... no real practical remedy.

You can get these Umbrian lentils for $6.99 at: http://www.agferrari...keyword=lentils Also for $10 at http://www.gustiamo....odotto?id=25895 Also at good ol' Amazon.com, but they're much more $$$.

Frankly . . . Pizza! is a mobile, wood-fired brick pizza oven run by Frank Linn, who makes pizzas at the Kensington Farmers Market (Saturdays 8-12) and other spots around the Kensington area (listed on his Twitter feed). It's not a truck, but a stand with a pizza oven on wheels. He uses high-quality, fresh ingredients to produce tasty, artisan-style pizzas. A worthy addition to the ranks of pizzaioli making pizzas in the Neapolitan style in the area, I've had the classic Margherita and the Mushroom (crimini mushrooms, mozzarella, Gruyere, porcini oil), which are both delicious and amongst the best Neapolitan style pizzas in the area. They're also a couple bucks cheaper than similar pizzas in the area, given the mobile set-up, so that's a bit of an added bonus. He usually offers around six or seven selections any given day. The pizzas re-heat nicely in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. For those into the details, the crust has a nice char, the cornichione has a nice crusty bread quality with a pleasing crumb (though sometimes has a bit too much width), the toppings are nicely balanced and good quality. The Margheritas tend not to have much of the drooping/soggy center problem folks often object to with Neapolitan pizza, the Mushroom has a bit if it sits long enough, but I don't have a problem with that. web site: http://www.frankly-pizza.com/

For starters we had the Barbebietola (very good), chestnut soup (very good), and uovo (sounded interesting on menu, perfectly cooked egg, but tasted bland and flavors didn't come together). For mains we had Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia (good, but not as transporting as some have said, which supports previous observations that this dish is prone to inconsistency), Risotto (excellent flavor, but rice was just a bit off al dente), & Grigliata Mista (tasty, with all components equally done properly -- sometimes a risk w/ mixed grills, portion a bit smallish). One dish, Branzino, was botched (preparation was changed from what was on menu, but waiter didn't know/say), but was replaced with another dish as quickly as was possible under the circumstances. Overall, the food was good, but was a bit of a letdown. It was competent Italian food, but not as good as the better Italian places in town. Perhaps my expectations got a bit too elevated based on reviews and buzz about the chef. Service was polished and decor sharp, but was too noisy for me -- we were shouting to be heard by our dining guests (when the staff leans toward the patron's ear in order to be heard, that should be sign to management).

While Eataly is typically described as "Batali-Bastianich's giant Italian warehouse and food court," Eataly was conceived by an Italian businessman named Oscar Farinetti, not Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Farinetti, who also runs the Fontanafredda winery, opened the first Eataly in Turin in 2007. Batali-Bastianich are partners in the USA Eataly, but Farinetti founded it.

Went to Taste of DC around noon Sat. Biggest problem was the system for getting tickets was a fiasco. We waited in a line that was a least a couple hundred people long that snaked down and around Pennsylvania Ave. for at least 30 minutes. It was especially bad for people who paid for tickets online who had no choice but to endure it. I talked to a Taste of DC honcho when I finally got my tix and he didn't even know how bad the line was. OTOH, most of the lines at the food booths ... once you got there ... weren't too bad. The price point for the tickets was too high because pricing in $1.50 increments made some things overpriced ... other stuff was just too pricey. For example, a piece of candy that should be $2 is $3 because it can only be priced at 1.50 or 3, a lobster roll (Luke's) for 5 tix sounds not bad until two bites later you realize you just paid $7.50 for 1/4 of a lobster roll, seafood paella (La Tasca) for 4 tix that turns out to be $6 for two spoons of tepid rice with micro specks of seafood, or 1 tix for a beer sounds great, but in reality it's $1.50 for a one ounce shot. The best bites were: Cajun Experience's crawfish etouffee, Surfside's fish tacos, Feelin' Crabby's crab salad, Sauca's medi veggie, Whoopie Gourmet's whoopie pies, Sprinkle's cupcakes, Edward Marc's chocolates. In the OK category: Luke's Lobster's lobster, crab, and shrimp rolls, Station 4's charred octopus (good ... but $6 for ONE chunk??), Amsterdam's falafel and fries. Doghouse: La Tasca's seafood paella was regrettable. Hero of Taste of DC: the guy who gave me 2 shots of Urquell for 1 tix because it was my last ticket (honest!).

Maybe it's time for someone to mention something besides fried chicken?! My party of 2 started with the crab cake and leek tartare and the burrata and cherry tomatoes with basil. The crab cake was very good. The burrata was top quality, very creamy, better than I've had at several local restaurants, and the cherry tomatoes were peeled, which was a surprise ... and worked well. We also shared an order of gougeres (cheese puffs), which had a nice gruyere like flavor ... the order came with 8 of 'em, so this might be better for a table of 4. Then we had the ahi tuna burger and the mussels, both excellent. Dessert was chocolate mousse, which was excellent, and Michel's chocolate bar, which is spectacular if you like kit kat bars and gianduia flavor (chocolate and hazelnut) ... also found on the haute menu of Citronelle. We were seated at the table nearest the pass, so it was very entertaining getting to check out all the dishes leaving the kitchen ... a very calm kitchen, BTW. Service was very good and the space was comfortable, but the noise level requires raising one's voice. My impression as a first time diner at Central is it offers standard, popular fare made with top quality ingredients and a high level of skill, with little pretension and with costs to match ... pricey, but satisfying.

What a shame, considering sablefish can be so delicious. According to British Columbia Seafood (http://www.bcseafoodonline.com/files/sablefish.html), "When buying sablefish avoid fish with belly burns and soft, dried out flesh. The flesh should be firm and elastic, and the skin bright, supple and not discoloured. The meat colour of unsmoked sablefish should be pearly white while the meat colour of smoked sablefish should be golden-yellow. The larger the fish, the better the texture and flavour of the meat. Nearly all sablefish are harvested live in traps, a method proven to be best in preserving quality and freshness. The use of traps also virtually eliminates any bycatch and avoids juvenile fish. A small portion of the harvest is caught by long-line. Sablefish are brought live into the boat where they are bled, cleaned and frozen on-board within minutes. Experiments have proven that bleeding fish which have been landed live is the most successful method of eliminating bruising and preserving taste and texture. Frozen-at-sea (FAS) sablefish is generally considered superior to fresh."

Well, if he wasn't in the house Sunday evening, then I'd say whoever was in charge of the kitchen then seems to have the chops to keep it going.

Surprised to see that no posts have been made about this popular place for about 18 months! So ... I will, having eaten there this past Sunday. For starters, we had the Autumn Squash-Porcini Mushroom Soup (Squash Ragout, Black Truffle-Pumpkin Seed Emulsion), Dayboat Scallops (Parsnip, Young Spinach, Porcini Jus), and Fried Chesapeake Oysters (Smoked Onion and Apple Slaw, Violet Mustard ... yes, it's purple). We added an order of Kennebec Frites (Parmesan, Truffle Oil, from the bar menu ... with the chef's consent) for the table. For entrees we had rockfish (Shiitake Mushrooms, Charred Red Onion, Black Truffle-Pumpkin Seed), yellowfin tuna (Braised Leeks, Shellfish-Lemongrass Emulsion, Maiitake Mushrooms), and goat cheese gnocchi (Autumn Mushrooms, Roasted Rumba Squash, Sage). All these had very good flavor, were well prepared, and are recommended, as most people should like them. However, if playing the role of being more critical, I'd add that the truffle flavor of both the Squash Soup and the Rockfish was more subtle than I would have liked .... the goat cheese flavor of the gnocchi was not too strong, which is good in my book ... the fries were tasty and had good truffle flavor, but if held up to Belgian level standards, could have been crispier with less burnt bits. The desserts, chai creme brulee and mixed berries were good, but nothing special. While it was a Sunday evening, no noticeable drop in quality noticed. Our party of 3 ate well for about $72/person, incl tax & tip, for 3 courses and a bottle of wine. It's been several years since I've last eaten here, and if my memory and perception stands correct, the food is not quite as "flashy" as it was back then (i.e., I recall several dishes as having unusual flourishes), which is not entirely a bad thing. Also, we sat in the balcony because we wanted to converse easily. Up there, only the two tops have a view of the main floor. The larger tables have a nice view of the outside. Some people might find the upstairs a bit confining, others might find the downstairs too busy and louder.

BTW, the location in Wheaton mentioned in the article is near Ruan Thai (might even be next door).

According to The List foodie site, former Bezu chef Dennis Friedman has bought out Bethesda's Rock Creek restaurant space, and will reopen the restaurant as Newton's Table. The space will undergo a complete makeover and become a contemporary American restaurant with an Asian flair, embracing the farm-to-table movement as much as possible.

Thumbs up on the choco chip cookie dough! The choco croissants are good too.

I used to go to the Wheaton H Mart almost weekly for a couple years, but got fed up with the decline in quality of the produce from fairly good to mediocre ... waayy too many bins with rotting, bruised, or subpar stuff to sift through. Buying seafood, in the long run, was too dicey .... sometimes it was good, but other times not worth it at any price.

I was told the same thing, but TJ's truffle oil has never returned. Guess the cost of fake truffle flavor went up too much (I still liked it though I must admit).

Di Fara gets a lot of praise, but I've yet to make it there. Of the one's I've been to, I like Totonno's and Lombardi's. I'd rate Grimaldi's a notch below those.

Here's a tasty trick I use to reduce the mayo in a tuna salad sandwich: use white bean hummus from Trader Joes! I use 1:1 mix of white bean hummus and mayo in mine.

I've had the American Tuna brand sold at MOM and it is very good.

Been nearly a year since someone posted about Oyamel (seems weird when Oyamel is searched Oyamel is listed at the end of page 2!), so here's an update. Ate there for my first time and really enjoyed it. Seemed as if our party of 6 ordered most of what's on the menu and every order was well received. My highlights were the quesadilla huitlachoche and the pescado alcaparrado (Seared Tilefish with a Tabasco style sauce of capers, almonds, greens and blanco tequila). They were very busy at the time and the staff really hustled without any hitches in service. .

Went for dim sum with some trepidation because the last time I ate there (in Aug.) it seemed to have slipped a bit since the move. Happily to say it was as good as or better than at the old location. Although it was around 1:30 pm on Sat. (BTW, no wait to be seated), they were still bringing out plenty of good choices from the kitchen. Hen hao!

4th visit to Pacci's: this time had the Margherita with peppers, which was quite good. The peppers were nicely done and just the right amount. Still suffers from sogginess in the center, but the flavor is good, so it's a minor flaw IMHO. If the pizza price was about 15% lower I'd be even happier.

Surprised that nobody has ever posted comments about the Tilghman Island Inn and because such fine dining is available in such a small town where one might not expect it, I've started this topic. We dined there a couple nights ago and had a wonderful meal. As everyone enjoyed all their food and the menu changes frequently, I'll give a more general review rather than a blow-by-blow on each dish. I had the Bouillabaisse, Cream of Crab soup, and Diver Scallops. What I found interesting is that the dishes often didn't dutifully follow the classic versions of many of the dishes, but still tasted great. The cream of crab soup was one of the best I've had, a large portion with generous amounts of high quality crab, and was a great value at $6.99. My desert, Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with House Made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Chocolate Ganache was luscious. They also have a nice well-priced wine list. The menu page can be found here. A 5 course tasting menu is $60, entrees average around $25. They also have bar menu specials that frequently feature dining room dishes for around $10-15, which is a great deal (I think these are offered on weekdays).