Escoffier

A lot of the food in Super H supermarket in Fairfax is strange (I almost said foreign) to most American shoppers. My wonderful +1 (Grover here on DR.com) would like to know if up to 5 people would like a guided tour of the foods at Super H and a bit of help in shopping for Korean food and vegetables.

My wonderful +1 and I decided we'd skip our usual trip to Super H and go to Wegmans because a co-worker had told her how wonderful it was and what a marvelous shopping experience...etc, etc, ad infinitum..first, it took 20 minutes to find a parking space within a short cab ride to the door. Secondly, we had to dodge a huge number of flying Loudon valley cart drivers who were obviously getting ready for the Monday morning commute and demolition derby and then we went looking for food we like to eat. Ever try to find tofu in Wegmans? It's in the organic food section...why is it in the organic food section? It's the only tofu they have. Now, I don't know about you, but we're used to being able to select from 5 different types of tofu from 10 different tofu makers. We're not vegans but tofu is very important in our (Asian) diet. Next we went looking for tomato sauce...needless to say, things were placed in totally non-related areas, and the layout of the aisles left a tad to be desired. Maybe Wegmans is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it was the first, last and only time we have gone there.

Springfield Butchers Bland Street Springfield, VA 703 245-0111 great butcher shop, have cut crown roast of pork, crown of lamb (anyone see a pattern here?), special cuts for parties...etc...extremely good but call ahead because on the weekends, even if you get there an hour before they open there is a line waiting.

Jeez, just noticed that neither mine nor my wonderful +1 are on that list....does that mean we can't come?

a man after my own (greedy little gastronomic) heart. Gotta love pajun. A vital ingredient in the upcoming Korean dinner.

I have a question that has bothered me for a while. I know that rice is served with some soups. You add the rice to some of the soups and not for others. How do you know which soup you should add the rice to?

If the duk mandoo guk is good and there is a lot of panchan, I'm happy.

WHEW!!! had me worried that I would have to sing...

Danny, Wanted to thank you for a great dinner and a great pairing of wines. NB has now been added to our list of "must" restaurants. I've been bragging about the food to everyone I know all day.

Here you go... Here's the BMW "noraebong". That's where you do karaoke. I haven't been to one of these yet, but the Koreans are totally serious about them. What's different is that instead of singing in front of a huge audience, you get a private room and just sing with your friends. Oh, and the "BMW" part--that's just shameless copyright violation. (I borrowed this description from someone's blog...) There's one at the shopping center where Il Mee is located. You sure you want to do this? Normally, you don't go until large amounts of soju have been imbibed, inhibitions have been beaten far past submission and each step is an adventure in inner ear control.

Sounds like the perfect candidate to sample the kimchi...I don't think that will present any kind of problem at all (other than having a whole bunch of (female) waitstaff flirting with him...)

ARRRRRRGHHHHH!!!! this is supposed to be an ENJOYABLE dinner...(you wouldn't want to hear me sing unless you have a bunch of pigs you want called)

I'm taking you at your word. It is going to be Feb 21 but we'll move the time back a bit to 7:30 pm. Everyone can show up from 7:00 to whenever, I've never known a Korean restaurant to turn anyone away hungry unless it's 5 minutes after closing time. Negotiations are continuing with two restaurants...one is going to be the lucky winner...the food will be good, plentiful and no one will leave hungry.

Okay, I don't want to be wishy-washy here, but would a weekend be a more easily doable time for everyone? I have no problem with getting to Annandale at any time but there might be people who would prefer a nice long leisurely lunch or early evening dinner on a weekend. So, you tell me...Tuesday or Saturday or Sunday? We can always change arrangments because we have time.

Ok, sorry that you will miss it. We'll see how it goes and if it's good, maybe we can schedule another one at a different restaurant later.

That's fine. We'll do a head count when we get closer and if you can't make it, we'll miss you.

Here's where we are so far. The following are (tenetatively) attending: agm notQuickDraw MelGold rvanrens +1 +.5 mbk porcupine DanielK hillvalley Mr. Shorter but not Mrs. Shorter ( -1 ?) mdt shogun StephenB cucas87 crackers principia tweaked UStreetGuy CrescentFresh goldenticket (?) escoffier grover (the instigator) Tuesday night February 21 is going to be the night. Dinner will start at 8:00 pm. My +1 is negotiating with the two restaurants and will make reservations at the one which gives us the best food at the best price. We have settled on roughly 4 courses which may not seem like much but I guarantee no one will leave hungry.

I only have one word for NB....WOW! My +1 and our dining out friend threw ourselves on the good graces of Danny Boylen for dinner Friday night. I asked for three courses with a complementary wine pairing. Danny took us seriously. When we arrived he told us that in the staff meeting before opening for the evening, he had told everyone of our request and asked them to plan the meal. OHMIGAWD!!! it was wonderful Even though everything was exquisite, there are some standouts...the risotto with squid ink was creamy, flavorful and disappeared quickly; my +1's diver scallops were everything you would want in a scallop, marvelous flavor, tenderness and a great mouth feel. A wonderful dinner and if I may commit a 'heresy' as good as anything we've had at Restaurant Eve.

Keep your calendar open for Tuesday Feb 21. We're aiming for dinner at 8:00 (2000 hours for people on 24 hour clocks). I'll announce the place after tomorrows restaurant negotiations. Look for about 3 to 4 courses and a wide variety of tastes and textures. It's making me hungry already.

On Saturday October 5, 2002, myself, my wife and my friend ate at Ray's for the first time. We were the only people in the restaurant for almost 45 minutes. I had the sirloin with blue cheese crumbles (a fact that I remember after almost 3 years)...haven't been able to get a damn reservation since. Take the day off Michael, take two days...they are well deserved. And one day the three of us will be able to score a reservation and show up again and inhale your wonderful food.

My better half is industriously making mandoo for the Asian New Year. I've been taking pictures of the process. If anyone is interested, I can post them.

Here's where we are up to now. The following are (tenetatively) attending: agm notQuickDraw Scott_Johnston rvanrens +1 +.5 DanielK hillvalley Mr. Shorter but not Mrs. Shorter ( -1 ?) mdt shogun StephenB cucas87 crackers principia tweaked UStreetGuy CrescentFresh goldenticket (?) escoffier grover (the instigator) Tuesday night is going to be the night...next is the restaurant selection and then which specific Tuesday. Anyone have a preference for a specific Tuesday night? Now, for the next two big decisions, what night works best for the majority and which restaurant would you prefer? The choices are: 1. A restaurant that's close to I-495 and easily found and is somewhat small 2. A traditional Korean restaurant that's more hidden but handles large crowds of Korean tour buses every day

but how do you know you wouldn't be one as well until you try? Okay, the Mister is there but not the Mrs...

Okay, I've made a (one) decision. We're going to have a Twenty-dollar Tuesday on Tuesday. I am going to talk to two restaurants today and will post the cost-per-person (including tax, tip, title, registration fee, wheels and tires optional) including tax and tip by Sunday evening. Would you like a representative menu as well?

It's a toss-up between 1 & 2. I think (with the help of Mapquest) that #2 is going to be the winner. A bit difficult to get to but well worth the effort.