Saycheese

Had dim sum at China Garden on Sunday for the first time in many years. It was very good. In fact, I was checking it out in order to plan a group outing in a few months for about 30-40 people. I need to pick a brunch/dim sum place that is metro accessible. However, when I called to make a reservation, I was told that it's first come first served, and that the only way they would accommodate us if our entire group showed up at the same time. That just ain't gonna happen -- There is no way a group of 30-40 people is going to show up "on time." Maybe they are used to accommodating bus tours. I'm going to try again and see if I can speak with someone else, but if anyone has had an experience going there for dim sum with a group, I'd love to hear about it.

I saw a few sets of shad roe at Whole Foods in Arlington last week for $12.99 per set. Over the weekend, it was marked down to $10.99 per set, but it didn't look so good.

My husband and I had a late dinner here on Saturday night. One of the things I love, in a perverse way, is by-passing the hoards of youngsters lined up in the cold outside the door waiting to get into Churchkey. If you have a reservation, you go right up to the bouncer and he checks your name on a clipboard and lets you in. There's nothing like getting past the imaginary red velvet ropes as if you were the elite going to some swanky club. This was our second time dining at Birch and Barley and both visits have been wonderful. The bread board is terrific all by itself -- warm pretzel rools, calamata rolls, and something like raisin pecan bread, all fresh, soft and toasty warm from the oven, and served with soft butter and mustard for the pretzel rolls. I had to start with the crispy duck egg with frisee and pork belly as an appetizer. It sounded so intringuing -- they take a soft boiled duck egg, and after removing the shell, they roll it in fine bread crumbs and deep fry it. The concept was great, but unfortunately, the yolk was a little too firm and didn't run over the frisee when the egg was broken into. The pork belly (3 nice pieces) was wonderful. My husband had the arctic char tartare, which was very good also. It was seasoned with an asian style dressing -- probably soy sauce, a little sesame oil, ginger. The main courses were port glazed fig flatbread with gorgonzola cheese and cavatelli with lambs neck. Both were delicious. The first time we ate there, we had the brat burger, which was so outstanding that it was difficult not to order it again. Everything we have tried so far has been very well prepared; all the textures, flavors, and seasonings have been perfect. We have been very impressed by the high quality and value of the menu. The wine list, somewhat surprisingly, given the focus on beer, also offers some good choices. We had a 2005 Nuits St. Georges from Michel Gros that seemed very reasonably priced.

About a week ago, my husband just went to The Ravenous Pig, based primarily on an earlier posting on Don.Rockwell.com, and had a very enjoyable meal. I've never heard him say one good thing about dining in the Orlando area, until now.

I love Lost Dog/Gourmet Pizza Deli, with locations in North and South Arlington (North is the original one -- it's on Washington Blvd. near Patrick Henry Drive; the South location is on Columbia Pike near Fillmore, almost directly across the street from the Cinema & Drafthouse). I like the bready, chewy crust -- it has a nice yeasty flavor, and I prefer my crust slightly thicker and chewier than thin style pizza. The sauce and toppings are great -- they have really tasty bacon and sausage. My only quibble is that they count anchovies as a double topping.

In September, I dined at Eleven at 1150 Smallman Street, and was really impressed by the quality of the ingredients and the cooking. The restaurant is the 11th restaurant opened in Pgh. by a group called "Big Burrito," which made me very skeptical when I checked it out beforehand on their website. But, the atmosphere was very tasteful -- modern, clean lines, but warmed by the use of wood, and by comfy chairs and a big fireplace near the hostess stand. Somewhat incongruously, there were also lots of big screen tvs in the bar areas, but the dining and bars areas were separated by enough space so that the dining experience was very comfortable. The menu emphasizes fresh and mostly local ingredients, with some slight suggestions of an asian influence. The server was extremely accommodating and careful to explain the ingredients in several dishes for one guest who could not eat any gluten products. The cooking and presentation was very high quality. I can't recall at this point what we ate, but all of it was delicious and well executed. It was nothing at all like any other restaurant experience I have had in Pittsburgh. The funniest thing was that I was in town for a trial, and every single out-of-town attorney involved in the case was there for dinner on the same night, so it must be the go-to place downtown for attorneys who like to eat well.

Has anyone been to Antico Forno in the North End recently, or can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced ($20-$30 entrees) Italian or seafood restaurant, with some local color, for a group of about 6-8 convention attendees? Any thoughts on B&G Oyster or Neptune Oyster House? Thanks very much.

I just tried XO Taste the other night for take out. We had the "Good Deal" chow foon, which had shrimp, pork and curry, and also the BBQ sampler with duck, roast pig, and chicken. Everything was excellent. Another amazing thing about XO Taste is that they are open until 2:00 am on weekdays and 3:00 am on weekends, which was convenient, since it was after 10 on a weeknight and very little is open right around there. The menu is very extensive. Can't wait to go back.

I have seen these products recently at Cowgirl Creamery on F Street between 9th & 10th, but haven't tried them.

I tried the Spy Cafe food cart today, and it is an awesome deal! It was located on the corner of 9th and F, on the Portrait Gallery side of the street across from Zola and the Spy Museum. They have a variety of sliders at lunch time, including lamb meatball, roast beef with grilled onions, pulled pork BBQ, and regular mini-burgers. And get this -- 2 sliders are only $4 (the lamb meatball ones are a bit more -- $7 for two). You can mix and match, so today I got 1 roast beef and 1 pulled pork. I misunderstood the pricing when I ordered, and thought they were $4 EACH, so imagine my glee to find out they were 2 for $4. The person staffing the cart (there was only 1) heated up the roast beef on the griddle, toasted both sides of the buns, and added various condiments to the sliders -- grilled onions and a warm cheesy sauce to the roast beef, and cole slaw on the BBQ. For an extra $1.50 you can get chips or a soda or bottled water. They also have desserts, including cupcakes. They have breakfast sandwiches in the morning, and they are open from around 8:00 or 8:30 to about 6:00, although they start closing down around 5:30. Both sliders were delicious. The BBQ had a bit of spiciness, and both the BBQ and the cole slaw were moist but not too liquid, so it didn't make a mess. The roast beef was also delicious, and the combination of the grilled onions and the sauce were wonderful. The buns were really perfect too, since they held together, but were neither too firm nor too soft. I don't know how crowded it gets at the peak of lunch hour, since I went at 2:00 and there was no line.

I also am turned off by the new look. I still read posts, but I find it harder to tell when there is new content. It has been a while since there was a chat with a local chef, and I liked those a lot. I also used to look forward to Don's "Lettres de mon moulin" postings.

I have a cheapo Reynolds Handy-Vac -- available for about $8.99 at your local grocery store (batteries included). The bags (quart and gallon sizes) are not too expensive. It seems to work great and it's fun to use -- there is something really cool about watching the air get sucked out of the ziploc bag and the bag shrinking around the food. I have frozen fruit, leftover bread, meat, vegetables. It also helps to keep things like cut up onions or shallots fresh in the refrigerator for quite a long time.

I want to comment on how nice it was of Michael to promote some of his competitors' burgers, rather than just directing people to Ray's The Classic's for Hell-Burgers. I had one at the bar at Ray's The Classics the Thursday before July 4, and it was perfectly cooked -- pink in the middle, juicy, flavorful. Plus we we were able to be seated right away, and the food was served very promptly. Plus, they serve wine. Plus, the bartender was friendly and attentive. Plus, the AFI Silver Theater is right across the street. (They sometimes show Jacques Tati movies). The only negative is that RTC doesn't offer the full gamut of cheese options. PS "RTC" = Ray's the Classics and Ray's the Catch -- it's a litle confusing. Maybe RTCL and RTCA?

Funny you should ask -- I actually had a cup of chili, because I thought it would be the least offensive thing on the menu. I considered trying the gumbo first. The server said the owners really think their gumbo is great, but when I asked what kinds of meats were in it, she said "catfish." Sorry, in my opinion, gumbo has to have andouille, at least, if not tasso as well, and shrimp. The chili was perfectly okay, and it didn't kill me to eat it. Our table had a variety of dishes -- blackened chicken sandwich, nachos, veggie burger, BBQ sandwich. There was absolutely nothing served that would make me willingly return, except perhaps the $3.50 beer special of the day. But there's not much to choose from in that neck of the woods, and it was cold and rainy, and we were soaked. PS the picture must be the gumbo, because of the rice. The chili had lots of beans and some cheese on top, and every little apparent meat.

This Saturday, a group of us will be down by the waterfront and will need a place to go for lunch where we don't have to be dressed up -- in fact, we're likely to be sweaty and perhaps even slightly dissheveled. We will be close to Cantina Marina, and I had heard decent things about this place when it first opened, but nothing in recent years. So, any opinions one way or the other?

I was in the bar at PS7s last night from 6:30 to 9:00. It was probably much more crowded than usual even for RW because there were two large groups of attorneys having a joint happy hour there. So, don't be deterred. My husband and I considered staying there for dinner after the happy hour, but after 2.5 hours of non-stop noise, I really wanted a change of scenery.

Last night, the bartender at Central told me they have wine doggy bags too.

I heard that Proof restaurant is offering doggy bags for wine, in compliance with DC's recent "merlot to go" law. One unfinished bottle of wine per person. Are any other DC restaurants doing this yet? This has to be good for restaurateurs, since customers may be more likely to buy a nicer bottle of wine if they can take the unfinished portions home, rather than feel compelled to drink the whole bottle or leave it behind.

I'm looking for recommendations for restaurants in Paris serving Christmas Eve dinner and/or Christmas day dinner. Fancy schmancy is not required, good food (great ingredients, fresh, seasonal, either modern and creative or traditional and homey, cooked perfectly) is required. Location is not terribly important. We're aiming to stay in the 4th, 6th or 7th, most likely. Any other suggestions for things to do/see during Christmas week would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Has the Annandale location of Super H Mart opened? Would anyone have any comments on how it compares to the Fairfax store?

What about Tosca -- elegant, half portions of pasta available. This was one of our special event family restaurants.

My kid went through a taco phase, during which I took a rectangular tupperware container and divided it into 3 compartments with artistically folded tin foil. Ground beef cooked with taco seasoning went into one compartment, shredded lettuce went into another, and diced tomato went into the third. Shredded cheddar cheese went into a snack size ziploc bag, and salsa and sour cream went into little plastic cups with lids (recycled from take out meals). Taco shells went into a separate ziploc bag. She also went through a much simpler phase of wanting prosciutto-wrapped melon day after day. Sandwiches were never an option.

I use a recipe from the cookbook, Bittersweet, that is unbelievably easy and quick. Instead of butter, it uses cream. Just off the top of my head, the ingredients are just flour, baking powder, salt, cream, and chocolate chunks or whatever you want for the flavoring. You mix the dry ingredients together, add the cream, add the chocolate chunks, stir to combine, knead briefly. Pat out and cut into pieces and bake. A recipe that tells you to freeze the butter and then grate it sounds unduly complicated.

A belated thank you to Dean & Kay for their open invitation to join them at Honey Pig. This should become a regular event. The food was really good and having more people really makes it easier to try a variety of dishes. It was a great, low key (and low cost) opportunity to meet some other people from this group. Going on the later side had the advantage of the place not being overwhelmingly loud. Although it was completely full when we arrived, the crowd thinned out a little bit within about half an hour. Or maybe it was the soju and the pork belly that induced a state of tranquility that made the noise go away. Whatever, it was a great time!

I was just there over July 4 weekend, and stayed at the Westin at Dawn Beach. We did not do anything fancy, food-wise, but tried several "local" places. There are lots of bakeries with good croissants all over the island. We went to a different one every day -- Carl & Sons in Philipsburg had what we thought were the best croissants and meat pies. There was a good one in Orleans as well, with good sandwiches, including crab salad, in addition to standard ones like ham & cheese -- all on baguettes. I can't remember the name -- it is in a little strip of shops/restaurants right at the main intersection where you would turn right to go towards Grand Case from Oyster Pond, and it's the only bakery there. Finally, in Grand Case itself, there was a nice french market with cheeses and charcuterie, bread, pastries, etc. We tried Le Fregate in Oyster Pond/Dawn Beach for breakfast one day, but the proprietor was really rude -- we were the only people in the restaurant and the proprietor kept us waiting for about 15 minutes while she placedher wine order with her wholesaler. We left and went across the street to a little market where they were much nicer and had fresh croissants. For home-style creole food, Yvette's in Orleans was fabulous -- we had a whole snapper creole style and conch salad. It was very inexpensive and delicious. We also tried a local-style restaurant on Front Street in Philipsburg, the name of which I can't remember. It was down an alley, and across from a church, near the McDonald's. It was okay, nothing special, so would not recommend it. I wanted to try one of the lolos in Grand Case, but ran out of time. There are lots of fruit stands along the roadside. We got some really delicious mangos and passion fruit.