lovehockey

How about Thursday?

Here's what I'd do: Make the cake one or two days early, using foil or plastic wrap to cover. Make the icing the evening before or the the morning of, with storage in the fridge. Ice the cupcakes that morning, and store them in the fridge until 30 minutes before the start of the shower. Looking at the recipes, I'd show up at the shower with a gift, even though I don't know the mom

Two years ago I visited the National Harbor location with another person. Last year I visited the Gallery Place spot on my own to kill time several hours before a hockey game (my nic rings true!!!). The former was busy so we had to wait at the bar before we were seated, but otherwise things went well and we enjoyed the food. The latter? I probably should have sat at a table instead of the bar because I probably would have received better service; I wasn't drinking anything other than Diet Coke but I'm a great tipper if you treat me well. The National Harbor location isn't bad value-wise given that other places lean more expensive, but if I need to waste time before another hockey game it won't be at the Gallery Place location. Yes, this is an old review, but I'm a new member

If I visit a restaurant and it find that it's warm and I can see the bottles of red wine out in the open, I'll go with a white. That doesn't necessarily mean the white will be cool enough.

Thanks for this this post! Pad See Ew and Lad Na are two of my comfort dishes, and the former was one of the dishes I ordered from Thai Nakorn when I introduced my mom to Thai food (it was mild, mild, mild because she can't have spice, and she loved it). Here comes my silly question: When I make a noodle dish at home I have a terrible time getting dried noodles "limp" enough when I soak them in water, even if I let them soak for an hour. Should I just forget those and visit the refrigerated case at the Bangkok 54 Market instead, or is there some trick with dried noodles I don't know about?

Schneider's of Capitol Hill may have it too.

Today I drove by Le Refuge and they have a banner proclaiming their 29th anniversary.

When I first saw this wonderful contraption at a Noodles and Company I first found it confusing, but have since learned to love it. Since Noodles and Company lets you fill your own beverage cup I assume that they don't mind refills, because that's what pretty much everyone does. From what I see of this thread places that would be OK with no-charge refills predominate (and we all know they're still making money). I personally like a Diet Coke/Caffeine Free Diet Coke* combination. *Because when it's Caffeine Free Diet Coke, you're drinking it for the fizz and the flavor.

Visited here last weekend; it's a place we go to in Old Town every few months. The menu doesn't change much, but they have a special or two every night. In addition to various appetizers and some salads they have steak frites and a salmon dish for anyone who doesn't want a crepe. The kitchen is consistent, though, and we haven't had a bad meal there. They have a lot of tables packed into small front and back spaces, though, so if it's busy expect to be a bit cramped.

This is based on a conversation with Don, and covers the Beltway/Route 1 interchange to Fort Belvoir. It's a combination of places I've been and others I know about: Beltway interchange to the WalMart in the 7900 block (intersection with Sherwood Hall Lane): To Be Thai: Really close to where I live. Slogan is "healthy Thai cuisine." It's been hit-or-miss in terms of quality but if I need Thai in a hurry and don't want to go to Thai Royal in Old Town this does the trick Euro Restaurant and Bistro: It's nearby, but I've never been because the motel attached to it has a so-so reputation. They seem to be making a go of it, though. La Mexicana: Love, love, love the fish tacos and if I spend $30 I can eat for 3-4 days. But expect to wait for 20-30 minutes if you do carryout. Zero ambiance. Cosmopolitan Grill: On the list of places to visit. Peking Duck: Sister restaurant of Duck Chang. Reliable Chinese and they also serve Peking duck. The wine list is Sutter Home and the like plus plum wine, but they can do cocktails too based on the liquors they have on the shelf. They have a Sunday buffet from 11:30-3:30. Big Panda: Chinese. You can eat in but it's a mainly carryout place. I'd get takeout from Peking Duck instead, but the latter is closed on Monday while the former is open 7 days a week. There is a chicken place along this strip that Cathal Armstrong loves, but I can' remember which one. Off of Route 1 along Beacon Hill Road (which turns into Belle View Blvd) is the Belle View Shopping Center. Dishes of India is the only Indian place for miles that I know of after My Karma in Lorton switched to Mexican. Does the job for an Indian fix. WalMart to Fort Belvoir. It's a bit of a wasteland. But there are some places here and there: Taco Lucas: Near the SO's place and if I need a papusa and basic Mexican-Salvadoran I'll go here. It's cheap, and if I keep to the standards it works. Thai Herbs: If I don't cook Thai and we need to visit a Thai place, it's nearby. If you want it spicy they'll give it to you spicy. Wine selection is minimal, but they also have a Thai-related cocktail list They advertise lunch specials. Kimchi House: See that thread, but it's reliable Korean with slow service. El Paso: Went a couple years ago after discovering I needed to have surgery and wanted comfort food. Did the job at a decent price. Thai Nakorn: I introduced my mom to Thai here and when I asked for mild, mild, mild they delivered. My mom was thrilled. I've never had anything spicy from there at this point. But I like to support them if I want takeout.

Yes, with peanuts. Got the recipe from a Fairfax County Adult Education Thai cooking class; it was 3 weeks long and I got 3 curry and 3 noodle recipes out of it. The class is being held again in March and you don't need to be a Fairfax County resident to attend. Got the Sauvignon Blanc from UnWined Belle View.

Chicken Mus-Sa-Mun (Yellow) Curry Rice Sauvignon Blanc Brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert; I want it and he'll go along

Escoffier, you can probably tell that it's been a while (read: years) since I've been in a Korean restaurant so I had forgotten about the pacing in terms of food coming to the table. But that being said, the service was slow because they had one person taking care of tables and carry-out orders. She was very friendly, though. I included the bit about the panchan because a poster above had said 5 dishes and I wanted to mention that we received 6. And perhaps I'm not quite used to having stuff show up for free. Since I'm in the area it's nice to have it as an option, both for takeout and sit-down. It's a good value.

Went there for dinner tonight. It's a good spot if you live in the area and don't feel like going to Annandale; the location is on a strip of Route 1 that has only a few other restaurants, including Pema (Italian) and Thai Herbs. But it's near Fort Belvoir so it certainly benefits from the proximity. An order of 6 dumplings, two entrees (bulgogi and bi bim bap), and a bottle of Korean lager came to $33 before tip. Six panchan are gratis. As mentioned by others above, service is slow and pacing can be off (we hadn't finished our dumplings before the panchan and entrees came). I'd probably put this in the rotation as a takeout option.

Just saw this thread and I would love to give it a try for the pretty-much-in-laws in the future. Two questions: it possible to specify likes/dislikes, and is it possible to just get one crate? As an explanation, the PMIL visit a couple times a year and my job is to get wine for each visit. I try to expand their palates beyond their usual preferences and this may be the perfect way to experiment beyond visiting my go-to wine stores.

I've read this thread from a different perspective: as a not-quite regular but recognizable and liked patron of a restaurant. If I sit at the bar and order a glass of wine the glass will be refilled regularly until I either put my hand over the glass or just pick it up and hold it so it cannot be refilled. No, I don't get charged for every pour but it's up to me to call it quits.

This is intriguing, and I must also offer thanks for the link to Food and Wine because now I'm exploring the website for new recipes to try. But the link you provide, SeanMike, has a tag of "Using mediocre wine for cooking." I'm curious as to the definition of "mediocre wine." Would it just be something I buy but find out I don't like, or could I get away with going to the grocery store and buying whatever is on sale for, let's say, $5? Because if it's the latter whatever I didn't put in a pot of pasta would probably be a slightly decent addition to an afternoon of ironing and football (iron a shirt, sip some wine, repeat until the ironing is done).

Speaking of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, I was at Eastern Market on Tuesday to pick up the T'giving bird from Market Poultry. I wandered over to Market Lunch for some French Toast and found out that they will be on the show; the employees told me that filming had already happened but they weren't sure of an air date. I'm not surprised; Market Lunch is a place that's perfect for DDD. At least weekdays are generally quiet!

I originally had "unhealthiness" spelled "unheathiness". But now I may want to join the asylum!

Aw, man. Sorry to hear about Ray. What a wonderful man, who was so friendly and welcoming. Freshly-ground Parmesan from his cheese stand is worth every penny.

*Blushes* And after seeing my comments in a block quote I had to go back to correct a spelling error I hope to heaven Ben's doesn't go on DDD. The lines are long enough! DDD has made Guy what he is today, no question. There are a number of copycat shows on various networks in evidence of that fact. He has loyalists who will stick with him thick or thin and the ratings on the Food Network are great. However, it's obvious that the NYT's criticism stung. If he didn't care about the NYT reviewer's flogging he wouldn't have been on the Today Show defending his reputation. His show is wonderful for the mom-and-pop places around the nation but he's a brand now and wants to protect his image.

We wandered down a very quiet Loudoun Street Mall looking at menus and ended up at Brewbakers. I was quietly rooting for Violino (Italian) but it was Birthday Boy's choice since he had been eating out for two weeks at that point and he liked the variety of items on the menu. He had the pan-seared pork loins, which he liked. I had the Chicken Everything Rigatoni, which was too salty but a good size, so he got some leftovers out of it. The entrees came with side salads and really good rolls, which was nice. It wasn't busy so service was prompt, although the table of 4 people next to us that came later was having problems with the server coming back several times to clarify orders. I have to remember that yes, I'm not in the DC area when a good-sized margarita was only $5.81 on the bill. Afterwards he had a cappuccino at Espresso Bar and Cafe, which he enjoyed. We also played chess. I am a lousy chess player. Birthday Boy dined at Thai Winchester the other day and said that the food wasn't much different from the Thai restaurant we occasionally visit on Route 1 in Alexandria, Thai Herbs. Others in his group raved about it, though. --- 50/50 Taphouse (alexandria1)

Having watched Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives plenty of times (heck, I believe that the Food Network should be renamed the DDD and Some Other Food Network), my impression is that this restaurant is designed to attract the throngs of people who are devoted to the show. Furthermore, the menu in all of its unhealthiness is designed to reflect what can be found at a cross-section of the restaurants that he visits, which are usually heavy on things like burgers, fried items, fish dishes, and the like. Therefore, his fans can feel like they're getting the DDD experience food-wise in a 500-seat restaurant that's owned by the guy (pardon the pun) who hosts their favorite show, even if they don't live near nor have sought out the places that have been on DDD. My parents love the show and I bet that if they ever made it to NYC they'd be paying a visit. This is just my theory. But this is also the first time he's ever received criticism for anything he does by someone as influential as the NYT restaurant critic, so it's no wonder he's doing major damage control. It'll be interesting to see the changes that are made, beyond taking cocktails off the menu. He'll probably be hanging out in NYC a lot more than he thought, especially in the next month or so.

Hello! I be going there this weekend. I've seen Don's Dining in Winchester suggestions (particularly One Block West) but just wanted to get comments from the peanut gallery on a nice sit-down place. Must work for a non-seafood eater. Thanks!

Waitman, my condolences and prayers.