Nervous Eater

Luanne- just wanted to say I love the store. Fantastic oils, and was really fired up that you were selling Dario's "profumo del chianti" salt from his butcher shop in Panzano. When I finally decide to take the plunge on a bottle of real aceto balsamico tradizionale, I'll be coming to you.

Last night, I tried my hand at homemade ramen for the first time and, though it was not at all traditional and very much an experiment, it was incredibly satisfying. I started with pork stock that I had made with roasted trotters and standard veg (carrot, celery, onion, leek). I started by charring yellow onion, adding the pork stock, soy, chili paste, white wine and white wine vinegar (out of mirin and rice wine vinegar), bonito flakes, and whole garlic cloves and chunks of peeled ginger. I simmered this and reduced until I was happy with the broth. I did this the day before, and let it cool in the fridge to be reheated for dinner last night. The stock was thick, gelatinous, rich, and deeply flavored; I was very pleased with it, though again not a "traditional" ramen broth. It worked for us.

Along with the broth, I braised some pork cheeks the day before, as well. Braised in soy, white wine, white wine vinegar, brown sugar. Allowed to cool in the braising liquid over night, then glazed under the broiler and sliced to top the ramen.

Along with the pork cheeks, I used fresh ramen noodles from H-Mart, poached polyface eggs, and sliced scallions to top my ramen. I will absolutely be doing this again.

Huge fan of the cider donuts at Apple House. Always worth a drive down 66 on a Sunday in the fall. You can combine it with a stop at the surprisingly large (two barns and numerous outside tables) farmers market in the Plains that runs Sunday mornings/early afternoons throughout Spring/Summer/Fall. Last time I stopped there (can't remember what month) I picked up fresh, never frozen local chickens and fantastic fresh shelling beans. Great BBQ stand there, too, if you haven't filled up on donuts at Apple House.

Locally, has anyone tried the donuts at Pupatella? They are awesome. They're doing them every day now, I believe, and if you want to place an order you can do so with 48 hours notice. Good for if you're having people in town over the weekend.

Signed up recently. I've only gotten one delivery so far (I'm signed up for on-demand, not weekly) but I was very happy with it. Roughly $40 for a (sunstantial) weeks' worth of produce for my girlfriend and I. Plus, you can have Lyon Bakery bread delivered, as well as Border Springs lamb, local dairy, and a broad selection of other stuff too. Free to sign up, as well, so I'd say give it a shot for a week and see if you like it. You don't have to be on a recurring basis with them.

I have some guanciale that needs using so I'll wrap it in that. Thanks for the advice, Zora. Much appreciated!

I'm seeking advice re: tonight's dinner. I bought a rabbit at Union Market over the weekend with the intention of making a ragu for some fresh pappardelle, however I changed my mind yesterday and put it (whole) into a marinade (red wine, grated shallot and garlic, thyme, rosemary, blood orange zest, olive oil, salt and pepper) for tonight. I'm considering spit roasting it in the oven but I've been told that is unwise given how easy it is for rabbit to dry out. It's a small rabbit, around 2.5 pounds, and I plan on keeping a very low oven, turning frequently. Am I tempting fate? Should I just cut into serving pieces and cook in a moist, covered environment?

THANKS in advance!

Totally agree the McLean butcher is a great shop! I also have bought from them and really liked what I've gotten. Big Polyface fan also--Joel Salatin has done a ton to educate and drive change in many positive ways with great products.

I try to support businesses as local as I can. Like most people, I care intensely about quality, value and how and where the food is produced (as best I can learn). From that standpoint, the local farmers' markets and vendors (e.g., Stachowski) usually get prioritized highest on my list. And, of course, reconciling all those objectives (local, quality, value, transparency) is a never-ending challenge, discussed extensively here on DR.com and elsewhere with millions of words.

All said, for eggs (and I'll leave to Don whether this merits a different thread), "the egg man at the Dupont market" is also known as Tom Hubric. He's the real deal in many senses of the word. And, imho, he deserves as much support as he can get. In the interest of better understanding this "egg man" and why his eggs are great and why he's so worth supporting, click here and enter password "Swappers" (without quotes). I found this a bit eye-opening and definitely educational.

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

Thank you for reviving this topic, Don. It reminds me how much I love this butcher shop. Every couple of months, I'll make the trek out to McLean on a Saturday or Sunday to pick up whatever looks good for the week. I've had fantastic hanger steaks, pork cheeks, Polyface chickens, wild salmon, crabcakes, veal bones, quail. They also usually have Polyface eggs, which, for my money, are even better than the egg man at the Dupont market.

If you haven't been to this shop, or you feel McLean is out of the way for you, give it a shot on a weekend afternoon. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

THANK YOU, darkstar! Picking up wings from Stachowski tomorrow morning then immediately going into a brine. We're having these wings, plus an entire leg of Olli prosciutto, plus some other stuff I haven't fully decided on yet. These wings will definitely be a hit.

Count me in as a huge fan of this place. Great addition to the area. I live in Arlington but drive right past mosaic on my way home from work each night, and so I've stopped in twice so far. Mahi Mahi the first time, scallops and salmon the second time. Everything was incredibly fresh (crystal clear eyes on all of the whole fish), reasonably priced, and delicious.

This will be a one-two punch when Red Apron opens next door.

You naughty little urchins chea-ted and went to Two Belles' website!

But it's not Lebanese Taverna Market.

(I would have done the same thing, FWIW.)

Don- District Taco?! I topped off a couple al pastor tacos with that pound cake a few weeks back...

La Cuisine in Old Town has the best selection in the area, by far, in terms of variety. Not only do they have the standard/universal Caputo 00 flour, but they also have Caputo 00 pasta/gnocchi flour, Caputo 00 pastry flour (have used for honey ricotta cake, olive oil cake, etc.), and Caputo 00 Rinzforzato Rosso (High-Gluten) flour, that I use specifically for pizza. It can be a trek if you're coming from MD, but I'd say take a Saturday and make the drive. Lots of cool stuff at that store, plus you can hit some other spots in Old Town as well to make it worth your while (provisions at Butcher's Block, rabbit cheesesteak at La Fromagerie).

Does anyone know if you can purchase raw oysters/clams (to cook at home) from the Rappahannock counter at Union Market?

From what I've seen recently, beef from Roseda (MD), pork from Bev/EcoFriendly, Chicken from Fields of Athenry Farm (if I am recalling correctly). Last week they put up on Facebook that they were going to get in a whole goat, as well. All local stuff.

This shop did close last year after Bruce departed, however they reopened shortly after and are permanently open now. They seem to be doing well and I've had the pleasure of cooking and eating some fantastic meat from their shop. If you're in Arlington, it couldn't be more convenient!

Dean- just reserved via phone for a party of three tomorrow. VERY excited- thanks a ton for doing this!

Let me know how it works out! I still have some in my freezer but my supply is dwindling so I will likely have to reorder in the near future. Just curious- have you ever considered making your own? You can cool and set it in a terrine, cut slices, and fry 'em up. Still haven't tried this but I'm trying to get my hands on a good recipe.

Any leads on goetta? Currently fascinated by this Cincinnati-centric distant cousin to scrapple and haggis.

I am a life-long goetta superfan. Unfortunately, you truly CANNOT buy it outside of Cincinnati (and the IMMEDIATE Ohio and KY suburbs outside). That said, the best goetta is from a butcher shop in Cincinnati's Findlay Market. It's called Eckerlin's Meats and the proprietor makes fresh goetta (one "classic" and one "peppered" with loads of fresh ground black pepper) daily. If all you've ever had is the grocery store "Glier's" mass-produced goetta, this will be a revelation. This past summer, he told me they ship across the country, and from what I remember, prices were very reasonable. Give them a call and see what they have to say:

Eckerlin Meats

Market Location: 72

Phone: (513) 721-5743

Email

Website

Facebook

Twitter Proprietor(s): Bob Lillis

Mailing Address:

1812 Pleasant Street,

Cincinnati, OH 45202

perhaps you missed the part where I typed "doesn't offend me". But it bugs the fuckin' shit outta me when people misunderstand what's clearly written. But no worries, my tongue-in-cheek meets deadpan sense of humor doesn't come across well on the computer page. If it helps, imagine me laughing as I typed that post. Perhaps I should've leaned on the emoticon crutch when I wrote it.

Fair enough. I misread your post as genuine offense, which is what I couldn't wrap my mind around. Meet me at SF and let's share a slice!

Really? I would like to think most people wouldn't be so delicate as to find "Big Ass Chocolate Cake" offensive. Personally I find that sort of Humorous sensibility (at a market, not at Komi) endearing. After work, I want to go somewhere that doesn't take itself so incredibly seriously, while at the same time putting out the caliber of food that SF does. They could bill it as "Big fuckin chocolate cake", and as long as it tastes great, no complaints here. Lighten up.

Also, they no longer sell MrP's favorite item. feh.

What was the favorite item?

Somewhat of a bummer. I've enjoyed Sunday afternoon beers at the Biergarten or Pug followed by Toki for dinner. Hopefully it's not permanent.

Really enjoyed seeing the space, and I urge all of you to contact the managers of Union Market to make Border Springs a permanent vendor. It was awesome to be able to get his lamb, which he confirmed is not available anywhere else (though I thought he was selling through ecofriendly at one point), and business was BOOMING at his stand.

I'm eager to check it out. Seems like it could be similar to the ferry building in sf, albeit on a much smaller scale. Excited for trickling springs, lyon bakery, empanadas and takorean, oyster bar, cheese shop, etc. It should be a nice detour for my trips to Litteri's.

Plus- finally, a retail outpost of Lyon Bakery!

According to their FB page, in 29 days. It will also feature Red Apron charcuterie, an oyster bar, Oh Pickles, Gina C's adult soda shop, Metrocurean's shop, and a bunch of others that I can't recall offhand.

Very nice space, I missed the James Beard dinner there but had fun at the rainy summer picnic event last month (my personal highlife was spicy noodles from the Source).