Sthitch

When I really want a good cup of coffee I head to Greenberry's on Wilson. I don't drink coffee all that often (some deleterious effects on my body), so when I get it I try and make it count. The cup of black coffee at Starbucks was acidic, and tasted burnt, nothing pleasant about it, I would rather drink cold espresso at Leopold’s Kafe (which was my experience there). I have to say that the best cup of coffee I have ever had, was at Nectar. That was the place that kept on giving.

There are still many Chateauneuf-du-Papes available for less than $30. In that price range, I particularly like Domaine Bois de Boursan, Paul Autard, and Pegu to name a few. I would have loved to add Vieux Telegraph and Beaucastel to this list, but unless someone knows where to find them in this price range, please let me know. The Spanish are offering some wonderful wines in this range. My favorite Spanish red at this time is Prima, it hits at the bottom of this range. I would also recommend Muga Reserve if you can find it, it costs about $30 a bottle, and worth every penny. While it is just outside of the $30 top end, I should mention that one of the best Champagnes that you can find for less than $70 is Delamotte NV, I just picked up a six pack for $31 a bottle, and would have gotten more, but it was the last six bottles. I am sure that I will come up with more as I think about it.

I had my third Starbucks ever last week, I hope I do not have to go through that ever again. It was the worst cup of joe I have had since college. I would have had no complaints if Dunkin Donuts had made the list, it always surprises me how good and consistant their coffee is.

Bangkok 54 number 10 for Thai food with such luminaries as Thaiphoon in front of it???? I am also happy to read that the top sushi restaurant has a full chinese menu, and that Cafe Asia ahead of Sushi-Ko and Kaz for sushi.

My oven has a warming burner, well not really a burner since it is a flat top, but it allows me to keep the water at the proper temperature. When I cook a steak this way, I put the package into water and bring it to 125-130 degrees. I let it cook at least 30 minutes, but it could stay that way all day, since it will never get more than the temperature of the water. I remove it, pat it dry, season it, and then take it to my grill where I have a cast iron pan glowing. Put it on the grill for about 30 seconds per side, and it it perfect. I have tried it once with a duck breast, and it came out better than cooking it stove top. I have found that it is important to make sure that the meat is cold when you do this. Next I am going to try and artichoke.

Mark, Can you share any pointers on how to get a probe into the bag without it losing air? Someone at the Squires BB (Robertparker.com) suggested using close cell weather striping. Is this what is used at Citronelle?

The finish the duck in a pan after the meat has been cooked sous vide. I have cooked like this recently, it works very well with steak. Once the meat is cooked, dry it and put it on a glowing pan to get a nice crust.

Since someone morphed this into a dinning in Orlando thread, I will add my 2 cents, and 52 will not be mentioned. I used to be forced to visit Plasticland several times a year, and the only saving grace was a decent meal. If you find yourself stranded in this souless place, I would recommend sticking with big hunks of beef. Charly's and Vito's offer some very nice beef. The portions are over the top even for a steak house. The cakes that are offered as part of the dessert selections are easily eight layers tall. I once split one at a table for four, and we could not finish it. But the best steak to be had in that city is at Del Frisco's. This is the original location and not owned by the same group that owns the chain (Del Frisco's is the best chain restaurant I have ever been to). The meat is crusted with salt, and served on a very hot platter. The meat is cooked less than you order it, but this is because it continues to cook on the platter. This is no cheap steak cooked in butter (Ruth's), but aged prime meat that is dream enducing. Outside of beef, not much stands out in my memory of Orlando, and I am happy to say, I do not have to go back anytime soon.

I am split between my earlier guess: I think that after seeing the success of Tom Power's Corduroy at a dour, out of the way hotel, Michel Richard is packing-up from the Latham, and moving it to the Day's Inn in Lanham. and Ray's turns into a mini burger stand.

Since he gave no hints, and does not allow us to post our random and uninformed speculation, I will do it here. I think that after seeing the success of Tom Power's Corduroy at a dour, out of the way hotel, Michel Richard is packing-up from the Latham, and moving it to the Day's Inn in Lanham.

I hate them. I was given a pair for a birthday present. I used them for about a month, now I have put them back in the box. The glasses show off finger prints, and make the wine look murky, I also do not like the wide flat bottom of the glasses. I have switched over to Tritan Titanium glasses. They are far more resilent than either Reidel or Spiegelau, and if I do not feel like hand washing them, they are dishwasher safe.

My wife and I went tonight. We will be going back. We started with a round of Red Stripe, and a basket of the coconut fried shrimp. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, with only a dusting a the coconut scented cracker meal. My wife decided to go with the nights special (every Monday night is Fish and Chips night). She was greeted with two plump pieces of white fish, with just a thin layer of breading. I was under-salted, but otherwise quite good. I decided to give the crab cake sandwich a try. This was the only miss of the night. There was too much filler (I believe it was cracker meal), and not enough crab flavor, or seasoning. It was edible, but I don't think that I would order it again. The only other thing that I was disappointed by are the fries. They were generic crinkle cut frozen fries. I hope that as time goes by they improve the fries. We finished with another round of Red Stripe and a piece of key lime pie. The pie is frozen, and packed full of lime flavor. I agree that it was not as Tart as Ray's version, but since it is easier to get a table at Clare and Don's it will more than offer a fix.

The only place I could even think to mention (outside of a deli) would have been Red Heifer, but according to last week's City Paper, it has closed.

So does Clare and Don's Beach Shack have hush puppies? I am in a constant search for even a decent hush puppy.

I had my response to that same post deleted, and left chowhound that day, and have not been back since. I find that the discourse here much better than the ananoumous posts at the other site.

I do mean the Jicama, my wife likes it, I can't stand the stuff. But I would be happy to eat around it. The main issue I have with it in the basket is that it makes the chips that it touches soggy, and very unpleasent.

The only thing other than the raw crap in the chip basket that I have not liked is the duck taco. The meat was tough and not flavorful, half of the meat fell out when I took my first bite, and the toppings did not do much to enhance it. On the other hand, I agree about the Taco el Pastor, and the fish taco being quite good. The fish taco being my favorite and the Pastor being my wife's. I would also avoid the shrimp taco, it is edible, but not the best thing on the menu.

I made a d'Artanagan duck breast last night. I picked up from the Wegman's in Fairfax. This was a Jenna Jameson sized breast, and was more than enough for my wife and I. Simply pan seared and served with a peach/apple salsa. I have also had luck finding them at Balducci's.

I do believe that he was talking about Patrick OConnell and Reinhardt Lynch.

I do hope that Joe jumps in here. I know and like Joe, I think that most people misunderstand his passion, and how he views food. I have not always agreed with his reviews, or views, but I respect that he has taken the time to share his opinion in a far more dignified manner than most posters on the other boards. I read the article and remember some of the events described, the idea that he “schmoozes” any more than other people on this or other boards is disingenuous, he just writes and talks about it more. Nor do I see anything wrong with it, I have many friends who do it, and I enjoy the benefits of their hard obsequious work. The one quibble I would make with the article is that it makes it seems that Joe only cares about those restaurants that have or should have Michelin stars. Granted he does profess a love for them, but I have had countless conversations with him about BBQ joints and Pizza shops, none of which are likely to be bestowed with any honors by the tire company. Now Joe, does this get me another invite for some of your great risotto?

You can always salt your own butter. The only time I have found salted butter at a restaurant in the least bit appealing was at Nectar, where they sprinkled the lovely stuff with sea salt.

The idea of a whole wheat crust sounds absolutely disgusting. And to add honey to it sounds even worse, do they have sugar shackers on the table so that you can sprinkle the pizza if it is not sweet enough.

I have had very good cheese courses at 2941, Marcel's and Saveur. I have not been in a whilte, but in the past Saveur has had a very nice cheese "cart" (more like a table).

If I could only shop at one store it would be Wide World on Wisconsin. The staff, is as knowledgable as you can find, the selection is light on California wines, but one of the best Bordeaux, Rhone, Aussie, Champange, Spanish selections in country. The free Saturday tastings are all done out of glasses, no plastic. Also, the wines that are tasted can range in price from the low teens to over $100. Also unlike Pearson's, CW, or Schneiders it is an easy store to browse, with a low pressure friendly staff. I could go one, but I am drinking a free bottle of '04 Amon Ra that was left over from last Saturday's tasting.

This past week I enjoyed a bottle of 95 Grande Dame Rose. It was hands down the best rose I have ever had, and one of the best Champagnes. You can read a review of it here?