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Sundae in the Park

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Everything posted by Sundae in the Park

  1. Sundae in the Park
    Wow, that sounds like something I should be trying verrrrrry soon, like dinner tonight? Or prominently featured in an upcoming $20 Tuesday dinner?
  2. Sundae in the Park
    Heh, I'm picturing myself with a bowl of curried tuna and rice, holding it out to a Hawaiian-beshirted guy and saying, "I don't like it - please take it back." However, it should work for the salmon log. I think I will return it!
  3. Sundae in the Park
    What else do we not like from Trader Joes? Since just about everything looks and sounds good, I'm likely to try whatever strikes my fancy. However, this is not always a good thing. Recently, I tried the salmon spread/pate roll. Approximately 15/16ths of the roll is still in my fridge and I don't think I'll ever get to the rest of it. It wasn't particularly flavorful and the texture was, um...paste-y? Not good. Also, I do not like the prepared tuna curry packets. I thought the idea was excellent, but the smell/taste was overwhelmingly fishy and I couldn't even eat it.
  4. Sundae in the Park
    I've made a preparation similar to your upper rack eggplant and it turns out great. I've also tried something similar to your "eggplant chips," but mine turned out sort of dried and bitter. I did not salt the slices before roasting - was that my mistake? Or did I let them go too long? I'd like to try them again and get them right.
  5. Sundae in the Park
    Thanks, this sounds great! I've got the book on hold at my library and I can't wait to try it out. Pat - that is a massive index of eggplant recipes!! Have you got any particular favorites? I'm especially looking for recipes that have already been tried and can be vouched for by folks I trust...like the Rockwellians!
  6. Sundae in the Park
    With my (ironically, ethnically Chinese) name, I am the cheese of the (lactose-intolerant) people: Cheddar is the most famous, and most widely eaten cheese in the world. Cheddar is a hard natual cheese, with a white to pale yellow colour, although some variants have artifical colours added to give a yellow or orange hue. It is matured for between 9 to 24 months, during which is evolves from a mild, smooth cheese to a strong, tangy, slightly crumbly cheese. Including my middle name, however, I become...French? Camembert - A soft creamy cheese named after the French village in Normandy in which it was created, by a woman named Marie Harel. It has a crumbly, edible rind, and gets softer as it ripens, giving off that familiar smell for which French cheese became infamous. Heh.
  7. Sundae in the Park
    How is the salt and pepper eggplant prepared? I really like the garlic eggplant hot pot. It's cooked with meat (chicken?) accents and scallions in a dark garlic sauce, greasy with chili oil. Yum.
  8. Sundae in the Park
    Hey all, I am a devoted eggplant-eater, but not so much the eggplant-cooker. Anybody have tasty ideas about transforming the humble eggplant into a glorious dish? All recipes and hints are welcome, but I am especially interested in learning how to make a foolproof bangain bharta. I've spent enough $ on that particular dish at our fine Indian eateries that I want to at least have the option of making it at home. I have tried a few times to make it using various recipes (they all seem to be similar), with little success, even after the addition of extra butter. Anybody know how to make it taste like it does in the restaurants??? Thanks!!! Sundae
  9. Sundae in the Park
    Seconded. Rasika is a beautiful restaurant and the service was very good. The palak chaat was amazing - now that is a salad for the winter! I actually ordered the Kingfish curry, but ended up being overpowered by the tangy sauce and eating most of my friend's cod. Different strokes! We also had a delicious lamb rogan josh at out table - the lamb was meltingly tender and the sauce has just enough kick to be mild but interesting. The desserts were surprisingly good; the traditional desserts - the honeyed cheese balls and the shaved carrot, um, pile, were sweetly spicy and better than my "safer" choice of pineapple-ginger sorbet (which was still creamy and nice). The prices are quite gentle for this part of town, the quality of food, and such luxe settings, and I think I'll be back for more sooner than later.
  10. Sundae in the Park
    At Farrah Olivia, our service was prompt and attentive, especially for such a young restaurant, but I either didn't "get" or didn't particularly care for several of the items we ordered. Each of the ingredients in our dishes were fresh, carefully prepared, and beautifully presented, but I didn't enjoy several of the combinations of flavors and textures. I found the juxtaposition of the duck confit and the monkfish "foie gras" to be odd and slightly unpleasant, though fine when eaten separately (I wished for more deconstruction for my choices). The pasta/lobster bite amuse was difficult to eat and not very flavorful. My ($8 upcharged) patagonian toothfish (chilean sea bass are so out they're back in!) had crispy seared skin, but for me, it just didn't gel with the accompanying bean puree/squid ink "black" mustard sauce, though the vegetable (bok choy?) side was very good. It was a similar case for the quail dish. Actually, I liked the parmesan soup, which was extremely rich and well-leavened by the cinnamon swirl. I also got a nice 3-course wine pairing for $15. The desserts were very pretty, but nothing that focused my attention. I'd say go and try it out for yourself. My issues were almost entirely related to my choices, which were, truthfully, inventive, and you may find something that surprises and delights you, which is the whole point of restaurant week. Just read up before you go!
  11. Sundae in the Park
    Oh, oh, I hope when Oyamel reopens they will bring back the mushroom soup from the original opening (I think) menu. It was sooooo good (huge bowl of exotic mushrooms in densely meaty broth), perfect for winter, and such a good value. I miss it.
  12. Sundae in the Park
    When I lived in Arlington (la sigh...) I often went to Tachibana with my family. I didn't eat the raw back then (Hey I was young, um, -er), but I did find the tempura to be exceptionally light and crispy and this is one of the few places around here that has hamachi kama - the grilled yellowtail jaw. It's one of my favorite ways to eat fish!!!!! Part of the fun is to hunt out all the meat. If you're very good, at the end, all you have is translucent bone. If you can't see through it, you missed some meat. Delicious and entertaining!
  13. Sundae in the Park
    Going to Farrah-Olivia tomorrow for dinner. Am I going to be the first? Any field reports? Also looking for the scoop on Rasika (going for Thurday dinner). I did look at the RW menu, which is posted on the web site, but still looking for suggestions.
  14. Sundae in the Park
    I got several boxes Jason's chocolates to give as holiday gifts and the natives have gone restless demanding more. I can understand because I am crazy addicted to the crack caramels!! Looks like I have the perfect repeat present...
  15. Sundae in the Park
    Fish sandwiches at Negril! Try the mango and hot sauces! And the (soft, rich, bursting with rummy goodness) rum cake!! The fruit punch is homemade and has actual fruit in it, but avoid the lemon(crazysugarladen)ade. Sandwiches, desserts, and drinks for 2 for ~$15.
  16. Sundae in the Park
    It's fun bringing people here for the first time. Usually, I have anxiety about bringing friends to new places, but here, besides the fish-n-chip goodness, there are deep fried candy bars. What's to worry about? With every group I try to convert, someone always says, "This is exactly the place we've been looking for!!" For those worried about small portions, in my opinion, there is nothing skimpy about the large chips. They are more than enough for two really hungry, really good feeders.
  17. Sundae in the Park
    I believe we tried the same wine last night, and while I thoroughly enjoyed my champagne, I have to say that the wine was the surprise hit and paired very well with our fish courses.I'd never been to 2941, but last night's romantic and pampering experience certainly made an impression! The ambience, both indoor and outdoor, is stunning, and the service was exquisite. The champagne cart is gorgeous! I covet it! The chef definitely knows his food for the masses. We were bowled over by the fish dishes and the array of breads. My dining companion, a bona fide breadaholic, was in carb heaven. We tried the Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare and Seared Hamachi, which are flawlessly fresh fish pieces accented by avocado, green apple, and pickled chanterelles, as well as the Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass and a red snapper preparation that was doused with lobster bits and a sauce reduction that improbably and deliciously included valhrona chocolate. The snapper was supremely rich, as were the accompanying lobstered potatoes, but the sea bass was surprisingly light for such a heavy fish. The sea bass' coriander-lemon verbena consommé sauce tasted earthy and complex, yet light and almost of springtime, with peppers and jicama providing contrasting flavor and crunch. The chocolate bread had even me (the bread-avoider) licking my fingers and the bacon bread has actual chunks of bacon baked right in...need I say more? Wait, I can - warm butter! It was a lovely evening and my commemorative baguette is almost gone, so I guess we'll just have to go back soon.
  18. Sundae in the Park
    The Marie Rose is my favorite for the sauces that go (really, really) well with both the fish AND the chips. The curry sauce is fantastic on the chips, but I don't really like it on the fish. It's really hard to get away from these two, but I think next time I'll try to work in the Kitty O'Shea. The cinnamon and sugar dusting on the fried candy (I love saying FRIED CANDY!!!) ain't too pretty, but it sure is tasty! Yum, getting hungry again...
  19. Sundae in the Park
    You people and all your pho talk made me hungry! I tried out Pho Thang Long for lunch and agree with jparrot. This place has nice, hefty bowl with lots of meat, noodles, and other fixins and a lovely but light-ish broth, served on the right side of scalding. My favorite is still Arlington's Pho 75, where the first sip of soup nearly explodes on your tongue with flavor, but that could be nostalgia talking, as I still miss all things Arlington and it's also the place where I had my first pho. Viet House on Little River Turnpike/Main street in Fairfax City has solidly good bowl of pho and FWIW, a mostly asian clientele. However; the pho place on Lee Highway in Fairfax (across the street from the K-mart? center), which used to be Pho 29, was not very good - weak, desert-inducing broth. However, it has recently been renamed Pho Today and I may have to swing by and see if management or more has changed...
  20. Sundae in the Park
    In reference to Taberna del Alabardero's RW performance, my one attempt there was not at all impressive. Few choices, uninventively prepared, with disappointing service, and follow-up tales from subsequent RWs have not changed my initial perception. However, I 've heard that the regular service and food are rather extraordinary (which is why I wanted to try it in the first place), and that you can do well to eat tapas at their bar-ish area, especially (price-wise) during the happiest of hours.
  21. Sundae in the Park
    Ah college memories...it seemed like a lot of the girls I knew subsisted on cookie dough, soft serve from the D-hall, and beer. The rest of the food was ignored to try and save calories for the beer and hopefully avoid "dorm butt." (HA!)I HEART microwave-exploded hot dogs! Haven't had one in years, though - I might have to stop by the store for a pack of Hebrew Nationals on the way home...
  22. Sundae in the Park
    I've been a few times and the rather tame sushi that we tend to order has been consistently and beautifully fresh and appealing. Once we have our order in, however, I'm usually making little matchstick girl eyes at the other tables with what must be the Japanese specials, because they don't resemble anything on the regular menu. I need to remember to ask about the specials beforehand!!!!! If anybody in the know happens to go, could you post what specials you've had? It would be helpful to have an idea of what's on the sometimes menu...
  23. Sundae in the Park
    Back in the kitchenless dorm days we would buy packaged cookie dough for the express purpose of eating it raw. Today, licking the bowl is still best part of baking. Dried fish snacks. Makes for rather stinky breath!
  24. Sundae in the Park
    Ah, way to go, eagle eyes. That makes sense - it didn't look like the others. Thanks! I may still have to check it out. Hard to find decent pizza around here...
  25. Sundae in the Park
    Has anybody been to the Fairfax location? It's a tiny strip-mall joint in the Fair City mall (with the Cinema Arts theater) with walk-up ordering and a few seats. It was be nice if their pizza was decent...
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