Sthitch

I almost don't mind the stupid restaurant selections- I'm OK with the fact that most people don't give as much thought to restaurant choices as folks like us do. 

But come on!!- best coffee?  STARBUCKS?  Wake up people!!! This is like having McDonald's for best hamburgers.  Or, even better, best romantic restaurant.  I guess if the majority of the voting city loves burnt coffee or coffee flavored slurpees, then maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.  I'm hurt that my java joint of choice- the Java Shack at Wilson and N. Franklin in Arlington (ahem, just past the Mr. Tire- ahem- you should go!) didn't even make the list.  Great coffee, locally owned by a great guy named Dale.  Sad.

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.

What do you use for your constant temperature source?  Pan, circulating water bath, steam oven?

Note:  This thread should probably be moved to the cooking section.

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.

I find "the buzz" and "openings" sections of The List to be useful in helping keep track of what's going on around town.  Now if DR would only tell us what the big news is, I'd feel fulfilled!

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 have to say that I found THIS site by following the link from Chowhounds to Kliman's article.

I was deeply troubled by the post that I think Joe was responding to in his Last Post.  His last post was extremely eloquent , well-written, and well-reasoned.  The Flame that occurred on the Chowhounds site, to which I think he was responding, was not.

I actually entered a response to something on that thread, and I see that my post was also deleted.  Yet the original, offending post remains.

Oh well.  I have to say that I'm glad I am here, and I am very glad that Joe H is here, too.

I'm looking forward to fruitful and positive (not necessarily always complimentary) discourse.

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.

The Wegman's in Sterling (and probably the closer in one in Fairfax) carry d'Artangan duck products including skin-on boneless breasts.

I wouldn't be surprised if Whole Foods carried them too.

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.

Who is Patrick Lynch?

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?

My only verrrrrry minor quibble is the bread service.  The bread is just blah and the butter, though thankfully warm and spreadable, is unsalted and just too bland for my tastes.

So glad I finally made it to this gem!

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.

to dunk the whole-wheat crust after you've gobbled the goods.

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?

My wife decided to choose the Prime Rib to begrudgingly acknowledge another birthday. She loves big red slabs of meat and the pomp and circumstance of the restaurant.

We arrived, and they shuttled us to the middle side of the room. The seating was fine, except for the view of the young woman next to us who appeared to have learned table manners from Attila the Hun, but I cannot blame the restaurant for such things. The room is Playboy Club 1968 (I have seen pictures). Black and gold everywhere, but the bunnies are replaced with men in tuxedos. We both ordered the same thing. The crab cakes for an appetizer and the prime rib for the entrée.

I have yet to have a better crab cake than what the Prime Rib puts out. They are half the size of what you would get at G&M, but have four times the flavor packed into the smaller cake. The crab is pure lump, with a fresh crab flavor. It almost seems as if they hold the entire thing together with the restaurant’s tartar sauce. The only issue I have with these cakes is that when I am done with them, I am salivating for another.

The prime rib was cooked to exacting order. My wife got an end cut that was medium (she likes the extra crust), and mine was rare. And when it landed at the table, I wanted to let out a Fred Flintstone like “Yabba Dabba Do” these things were so large. They serve and entire bone, cut not on the bone, but midway between them, so everyone gets a piece of meat that should serve two large men, or a medium sized village in Sierra Lorne. The meat is so tender that you can cut it with your fork. They do not over season the crust at the prime rib, instead allowing the meat to show in its purest form. The jus provided just enough seasoning to not require a dash of salt for the monstrous slabs of meat. We had a side of mashed potatoes. They were creamy, yet pleasantly chunky at the same time.

We followed up dinner with a slice of cheese cake topped with strawberry coolie and with fresh strawberries on the side. The cake was nicely cooked, creamy, with not a sign of grittiness. The strawberries were fresh and sweet. Nice way to end the meal.

The Prime Rib is not a restaurant that I would recommend for those seeking an inexpensive meal. But I believe for the quality and quantity of the food, it is a value.

Braised Beef Cheeks (for some of us) and Grilled buffalo (for some): No offense to the chef but by the time the plates came...we were sooooo FULL that I think we all took a bite and left it.  Yes, the beef cheeks were falling off and good...but a little too sweet...probably a personal preference...i like my meat raw and untainted!

Hmm yum, raw beef cheeks, almost as sounds almost appetizing as a boiled shoe, and just as tender.

On Saturday, we went to celebrate my wife's well, 29th birthday (she would killing me if I admitted to how many times we have celebrate this same birthday). It was a spectacular meal, with only a few blemishes. Everyone had a different dish for appetizers and the entrée.

Appetizer:

Soft Shell Crabs: Perfectly sautéed on a bed of greens with a lovely vinaigrette. The softies were still wonderfully tender and cooked to perfection.

Snapper Bisque: The first taste was a bit over-powering, but soon showed itself to be a wonderful representation of the fish, with no residual fattiness.

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese: Perfectly cooked sweet beets served with a goat cheese sauce. The goat cheese and beets was a perfect match.

Micro-Green Salad: A salad of impeccably fresh mix of greens. These fetal greens were simply dressed and provided a great start to a meal.

Entrée:

Wagyu Sirloin with Rutabaga Pave: The sirloin was cooked flawlessly and served with a simple jus, with a side of a rutabaga pave that was able to change my mind from being a rutabaga hater.

Lamb Loin with Goat Cheese Ravioli: I am not sure where to start with this dish. The lamb was beautifully cooked, and simply dressed, however, the ravioli was so impressive that it is hard to remember mush else about this dish. They were delectably cooked with a mild goat cheese filling

Braised Beef Cheeks: Yes they were a bit sweet, but it helped to balanced out the gelatinous meat. I just wish that the beans it was served with were a little more done, I found that they were a bit too toothsome. This dish and the sirloin also had perfectly cooked wax beans served with it. It is so rare that a restaurant serves these verts.

Roasted Baby Chicken: The only part of this dish that I was able to try was one of the small legs. Good God, this little bit of meat was not on par with Palena's wonderful chicken, it lapped it. The meat was as tender, but packed with even more flavor. When the chicken was served it was topped with a friend something. I call it a something because no one at the table could quite figure out what it was. We were split on it being either potato or plantain. I believe that it was add to the dish for textural purposes, and not for flavor, well at least I am hopping that is why it was served with it.

Desert: These were a bit hit or miss

Trio of Ice Cream (Vanilla, Raspberry, and Lemon) - The vanilla, and raspberry were not flavored as well as I had hoped that they would be. The vanilla did not have much flavors of this delectable bean, and the raspberry was a bit too bitter. The lemon was a true stand out. Even though I did not like the flavor of two of the ice cream, the texture of all of them was impeccable.

Chocolate Torte with Caramelized Banana and Vanilla Ice Cream - The bittersweet chocolate torte was rich and matched perfectly with the bananas. Like with the previously desert, the vanilla ice cream was unremarkable.

Crème Brulee - The custard was well cooked and had a very nice texture. The vanilla shone through, unlike the ice cream.