agm

Just because information is available doesn't mean everybody knows it. I went to G3 when it opened. Twice. Did I know that Donna had been accused of ripping people off? Yes. I also knew that he had claimed that he was trying to make amends, that he claimed no longer to be in control of his business (and theoretically was not in a position to rip people off anymore), and that court proceedings were in progress to hopefully provide restitution to those who were taken advantage of. Now, if I was an avid observer of the restaurant industry, if I read all of the posts on this board, and the articles in the Post, City Paper and elsewhere, if I closely followed the shenanigans of Mr. Donna (some alleged, some proven), I would have known that there was a long history of such behavior; that second chances had stretched to fourth, or fifth, or more; that the financial structure of the new restaurant stank of fraud. I would have known that more people were going to get hurt. But you know what? Despite the pleasure I take in food, I don't really pay too much attention to the industry. I've eaten at a number of wonderful restaurants, and try to keep up with what's out there, but I really don't eat out that often, not counting basic take-out or crappy delivery pizza. I've made a lot of friends through this board, but read only a tiny fraction of the topics. I don't read the Post or City Paper food sections - I did, for a little while, but got bored with it. I don't read food blogs, except when I google a particular recipe or ingredient and find my way there. I'm a big fan of many chefs in this area, but I can count the ones I know - meaning, they would recognize me and know my name - on one hand. I honestly didn't know the full history of Donna's restaurants at the time I went, and saw no reason to avoid giving him my business. Then I learned, and I stopped. Boycott his restaurant. It's the right thing to do. And if you can help make sure that people know the relevant facts and can make informed decisions about where to spend their money, that's fantastic. But please, don't judge other people's choices based on your knowledge.

How did my weekends get so busy? 10/2 or bust ...

Not much info yet, but here's the blurb from the History Channel's website:

I don't know what anyone else thinks, but I think we need more notice next time.

Try Springfield Butcher in - you guessed it - Springfield (http://www.springfieldbutcher.com/), or Let's Meat on the Avenue in Del Ray (http://www.letsmeatontheavenue.com/) I've ordered several pigs from both places, in sizes from 40lbs up to 67.5, dressed weight. Either can probably get you the size you want. Springfield generally wants a full week's notice, Let's Meat 4-5 days. If you want to do it on a rotisserie, you'll want someone to cook and deliver. If they cook on-site they'll be there overnight.

Goooooood fried chicken. The rest of the meal didn't exactly suck, either.

No pig this picnic. Maybe in the fall. Or maybe a goat, instead.

We're not feeling particularly inspired, so unless someone has any great suggestions we'll probably do something basic like pulled pork and mac and cheese. Yes, I know, but better too much Mac and cheese than not enough.

agm & NQD +TBD We're still thinking about what to bring.

Unfortunately, they were not open for lunch today. Monday is a long way away...

How big was the pig (pre-stuffed weight) and how long did it take to cook? A suggestion for "next time": May 22 at Fort Hunt Park? We've done pigs at a few of our past picnics, but never a porchetta.

Why D-1 and not the usual C-2?

Don't forget those deleted dates - they may still count towards members voting, but no longer count towards the total number of votes.

At the old Farah Olivia, a restaurant I loved, Morou used various techniques from molecular gastronomy in ways that did not seem at all gimmicky. Although I noticed the novelty of the technique it seemed to me that the focus was always on the food, not the flash, and that the chemistry set stuff was just an extension of the tools available to him. If chefs have failed to properly incorporate molecular gastronomy into regular cooking, that's a failure on the part of the chefs, not the techniques. It can be done. On a related note, a recent visit to the new Farah Olivia, which makes its home in the private dining room at Kora, was disappointing. The food was good, the cooking solid, but the magic was missing. I had heard similar complaints about the old restaurant on nights when Morou was absent, but had never experienced it. I don't know if he was in the kitchen that night.

One month from today. Delays will NOT be tolerated. Seriously, folks, we're desperate here. The menu. Now if we can just get an opening date for Kitchen on K Street...

Too soon?

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (Or "Never ascribe... by incompetence," depending on which version you're quoting.)

That's a load of crap. There was no problem before their server crashed, but now, suddenly, the site is too busy? Yeah, it's possible, but it's a hell of a coincidence. More likely, something they did while restoring the server went wrong - some configuration setting somewhere.

And where, pray tell, might one find more details about this wondrous event? There's nothing on their website.

That might just be reason enough to move.

One post here in 2009, one in 2010. There is no more fuss. When Brendan Cox was still in the kitchen it got raves and deserved them. I was last there about a year ago, and found it to be OK at best.

I like the picnic idea (early May should be good picnic weather), and I also like Zora's suggestion. Of course, you know my answer for most questions is "a pig roast, of course."

The snack shop in my building recently began carrying "Fresh Ginger, Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost." Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, 100% fresh ginger, and citric acid. The ginger in this stuff settles to the bottom, and it needs a gentle shake to mix it properly. I'd prefer a little less sweet, and little more heat, but it's the real deal. There is also some slight variation between bottles; I can probably get closer to what I'm looking for just by choosing a bottle with more ginger solids (solid being a loose term - I can see chunks but they're barely detectable when drinking). The photo should show the difference between the clear liquid at the top, and the ginger solids below the label.

Yes.

That's fantastic news for those of us stuck in this place. The neighborhood is getting better (Harris Teeter opened this week!) but it has a long way to go to be a truly desirable location. A Gillian Clark restaurant is a huge step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it will be on the outskirts of NOMA, on the opposite side of the train tracks from most of the new construction. For me, a four block walk each way to a sit-down lunch is a significant time commitment, so it will have to be an occasional thing. This will likely be a bigger benefit to residents than to NOMA daytimers.