DC Deb

Count me in +1 for the 13th.

I was there for lunch last week. I haven't had a chance to post until now. As Porcupine said, the good stuff is on the Chinese menu. The dining room is not very big--maybe 30 seats. If you go on the weekend, be prepared to wait. There is often a line out the door. If possible, weekday lunch is your best bet.

We ate:

soup dumplings (8 to a basket)

scallion pancakes

Shanghai style duck with five-spice sauce glaze

spicy beef noodles--get it with the wide udon like noodles

The dishes were all very good. My favorites were definitely the soup dumplings and the duck.

Sorry, I goofed. I can't make it on Sunday 2/10. It's Chinese New Year and I have plans with family.

This recipe from Saveur July 2012 issue was really good. It became a real favorite for family meal.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Thai-Chicken-Wings

Please add me +1 for the Maryland 2/2 event. Thanks.

I vote no on Highlawn Inn. It is old and musty. I stayed there a few years ago. I booked a king sized room overlooking the "back garden" which turned out to be a gravel parking lot. The king bed was 2 twins pushed together. It was late summer and there was an old noisy window AC unit which barely worked. The breakfast was completely forgettable--IHOP would be better. Don't do it.

I make beef in Guinness every year for St. Patrick's Day.

My favorite way to cook pork shoulder is to use a good spice rub and add 2 bottles of beer (Brooklyn Lager lately). Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven at 350 until fall apart tender. If you are in a hurry, cut up the pork into smaller pieces. Pork cut into "deck of cards" sized pieces only take about 1 1/2 hour.

At Tabard, we are well versed in accommodating guests with allergies (I am AllerTrain certified). Please talk with your server or the manager on duty and they would be happy to review the menu with you. We cook from scratch so it's easy to tell you whether something has soy or dairy.

Have you tried Chutzpah in Fairfax? My sister lives out that way and likes them.

http://chutzpahdeli.com/locations.php?csID=t358e5ukpslt6ip3sltkr8qqf7

My parents went a few weeks ago and really liked their soup dumplings. I will venture out there soon and post about it.

I keep getting "nopermission" when I hit the down arrow/preview button. Is anyone else getting this? I use Mozilla Firefox on a Windows PC.

I don't get out much any more. When I am not cooking and eating at Tabard, I mostly frequent casual places. Some good meals in 2012:

surprise tasting dinner at Corduroy was wonderful--thank you Chef Power

birthday dinner at Palena--dinner was great and the server was so sweet to send me home with extra cookies

new pizza favorite--Pizza CS in Rockville

crispy pork belly with broccoli at Ruan Thai in Wheaton--the portion was huge and tasty

$19.95 lunch special at New Kam Fong in Wheaton--good variety and value

dim sum at Hong Kong Pearl in Seven Corners--as close to Hong Kong as I can find in the area

Happy eating in 2013 everyone!

Wow, some "good" items listed already. In addition, I would not eat any house pets (cat, dog, guinea pig, etc), endangered animals*, rodents, road kill or placenta.

I've had my share of unconventional items--scorpion, bear paw, armadillo, kangaroo, emu, brain, liver, pancreas, marrow...the list continues to grow.

*I am guilty of enjoying shark's fin soup. I do not order it but will eat it if served at a banquet.

This makes me think of TCBY everywhere in the 90's. Ugh.

I agree--I am done with cupcakes and burgers too.

Another good dinner at Pizza CS tonight. I had the Poppi with added anchovies and my sister had the Bianca also with anchovies. We shared a bottle of the Grotta Del Sole Gragnano.

I noticed a sign offering a $10 lunch deal--a full size (Margherita, I think) pizza with drink and a scoop of ice cream. I really need to check that out one day.

Cognac is a common gift in HK--gift boxed Hennessy or Martell. Also, Swarovski crystal figurines are very popular.

My coworkers who have tatoos just like to express themselves. Most of the tatoos have some personal meaning--not necessarily about food. I would personally never get one because I'm wimpy about needles.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope your turkey comes out juicy and your pie delicious. (I had to work yesterday so I bought a Clemnt's pie from Chevy Chase Market.)

I nominate Mama Zuma http://www.rt11.com/product/51/mama-zuma-habanero from Rt 11 Chips.

Miss Chiquita is the only woman of color I can think of.

There aren't too many female mascots. Mrs. Butterworth and Chicken of the Sea mermaid aren't really chicks.

I don't think I have seen The Golden Flame in downtown Silver Spring mentioned. It's one of those places you pass by and wonder about. It makes me think of the old Ferdinand's in Wheaton and the the Flaming Pit in Gaithersburg. I'm imagining old school, dark wood panel and captain's chairs kinda joint.

http://www.goldenflamerestaurant.com/

I was with friends in West Springfield--old neighborhood of single family houses. Maybe 20 kids the whole night. Weird considering it is an area with many young families.

Tabard is open. Come on in!

My mom went to check out the Maxim's closing sale yesterday. It was a total zoo. People were just jamming stuff into their carts like the zombie apocalypse was on the way.... Mom looked at the prices and noticed that they were raised then "reduced" for the sale. She was out of there in less than 5 minutes.

A good sized event at work in the morning. We should be able to make it by 2 or 3. I will bring an appetizer. Maybe a new item I just put on the fall menu.

Maxim's closing would be a real shame. They have great prepared foods and roast meats. GW has little prepared food and it's not good.