jennc

I signed up this season with Great Country Farms. We were members in 2006, but didn't join last year b/c I was quite pregnant at the time. I love that they deliver to our door. Here's our box from last week: The strawberries were eaten pretty quickly. The kale was turned into a kale and chorizo pizza, and we grilled the asparagus. I still have the onions in the fridge, we are thinking of making Chinese onion pancakes with them.

We were there on Sunday, managed to get in at 6 before the crowds built up. It's always fun to bring a newbie--with us with an out-of-town guest who we've been regaling with Tales of the Steak, but until last night, had never managed to eat at RTS. He loved it and now wants to come down once a month just for dinner. I won't gush about the food--much has been posted here and elsewhere. What I will say is that there's PUMPKIN PIE on the menu! I was psyched--it's my favorite pie, so I had to have a slice all to my self (the hubs and our guest shared key lime). It's delish--the texture is more like sweet potato pie than a regular custard-y pumpkin pie. The spices are just right, not overpowering, and I love the crust. It's the same crust as the key lime--sandy (in a good way!) and moist, it stands up to the pumpkin well. Not sure how long it will be on the menu, but order it next time you're there.

At Arts on the Avenue this Saturday, I picked up some prussians at the stand and at Cheestique, picked up some pao de queijos and the cutest cupcake--it was topped with cotton candy! I had planned to take a picture, to capture its cuteness, but started eating it before I even walked out of Cheestique. It was delish--the white/yellow (vanilla, I assume) cake was moist and not overly sweet, which makes it a perfect pairing with the cotton candy. I heated up the paos and the prussians and served it to hungry houseguests for breakfast the next morning and they were so tasty. I especially liked the chevre pao de queijos. Now I just have to get up earlier on Saturdays and make it to the farmers market early!

Hmmm...zhong zhi's aren't technically a new year's food (it's for Dragon Boat Festival in May), but I did see them recently at Great Wall supermarket in Fairfax/Vienna (off of Gallows Road, near Lee Highway). Great Wall also has new year's rice cakes, candy, and "lucky oranges" (oranges with the green stem and leaves) the last time I was there.

I'm fairly sure (based my own Northern Chinese/Southern Chinese background) that you'll find all styles of hot pots all over China. In the north, it tends to be presented in this donut-shaped bowl with a big tower and often flavored with sour cabbage (I think this pot is more of a Mongolian style pot) and I've had Szechuan ones where the soup base is bright chili-red in a regular heated communal pot. I have almost never seen this served in restaurants in the States, or at least not on the East Coast. I guess it tends to be such a homey thing that restaurants don't bother to do it. In Taiwan at least, the restaurants that do serve it tend to be buffet style (one pot on the table, huge bar of raw food and sauce fixing's). BTW--the sauce in a can with a fat chef is addictive. It's sha cha jiang and I think some brands will translate it as "Chinese Barbecue Sauce."

That Woo Lae Oak is really not worth it. It is pricier than most other Korean restaurants in the Alexandria/Arlington area, and the service is really unfriendly. Many of my Korean friends who live in the area refuse to go there. Personally on my first and only visit, my bee bim bap was very average and the pa-jun dishes were very skimpy. I also heard (I live in one of the apartment buildings that neighbor it) that they will be moving out to Tyson's soon. Hee Been is so much better. I've only been to Grapeseed once, but I really, really enjoyed it and have been meaning to go back. Our server was very helpful in pairing wines with our dishes, and I love that you can order a taste of wine. It's a tiny little space with an open kitchen though, so if it's a quiet atmosphere you are looking for, you probably won't get it there.

I was just on the phone making reservations for Minibar, and they told me that there is an opening at the 6pm seating tonight for 2 people. If anyone is interested, you may want to give them a call ASAP.

My suggestion is banh mi, either at one of the many bakeries in the Eden Center (I've tried the one next to Four Sisters and the one next door), or go out a little bit farther on 50 West to hit DC Banh Mi (it's in the plaza that Pho 75 is in). IIRC, the combo (sandwich and a can of soda) was $3.00. I like the sandwiches at DC Banh Mi because they use a thinner, longer baguette. The combo sandwich is good, and I like the grilled pork, too. The downside is that they have no where to sit--last time hubby and I ate in the car.