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Comfort Dishes, Guilty Pleasures, and Old Favorites


DaveBVI

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Winter is now here, and the body craves savory, rich, guilty foods. With no thought of fashion, frolic, or frenzy, what do you crave when you just want to eat good food. I'm looking for maybe things off the gastronomic path, maybe in some hole in the wall. This is partially inspiered by Tom Seitsema, who on a chat a few years back copped to eating Popeye's Chicken from near the office. In no particular order, here are some of my fav's:

1) Cuban Sandwich at Shelly's Back Room--
2) Hash Browns at Steak 'n' Eggs
3) Chicken Fried Steak & Jalepeno Gravy at Cantina Marina
4) Chili at the Old Ebbit Grill
5) Crab/Cream Cheese Dip at Pusser's Landing in Annapolis
6) Bisquits from Popeyes
7) Fuschwaida (spelled poorly) at Ceiba
8) Beef Brisket at Capital Q
9) Duck Confit with Pears (?) at origional Jaleo

Full disclaaimer, yes, of course I have friends working at all these places, but I seem to have friends working everywhere now......so....
What are your favorites???

"and in the morning, I'm makin
Waffles" ---Donkey

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A few of my favorites...

--Beef stew and/or picante de pollo at La Bamba in Silver Spring. (La Bamba is not a "great" restaurant, but when I finally leave the metro area, it will be the one I miss the most. For reasons I can't quite fathom, I just love the place. An nothing on the menu costs over ten dollars.)

--Jerk chicken from Negril. (Not coincidentally, just around the corner from La Bamba.)

--Popeye's spicy chicken and biscuits. (Add me to the list!)

--Butter chicken and garlic naan from Heritage India.

--Any of the saltados from Samantha's.

--The Granny Smith apple pie from Silver Diner. (We often buy an entire pie and take it home.)

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This is as good a place as any to mention the fried chicken (and various other things like the green beans and peach cobbler, but mostly the chicken) at the Golden Corral in Largo Town Center. We hit the buffet there on a whim before one of the preseason 'Skins games, and have been back every home game since. It might be a chain buffet, but that's some excellent fried chicken - crispy, nicely seasoned crust and skin, and fantastically moist meat. And they have it on the breakfast buffet - so you can in fact answer the ultimate question of which came first, the chicken or the eggs. Answer: It's whichever you get in line for first. :lol:

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Popeyes' biscuits, well done.

Duck confit at Cafe Atlantico - at brunch. Comes with passion fruit glaze. So rich, so fatty, so flavorful.

Sweet potato fries at skanky Luna Grill and Diner on Conn. just south of Dupont Circle. With sour cream dip.

Unagi in any form.

Duck raviolis at Tosca.

All PowerBowls of soup at Corduroy.

Now, if only I could find a place with a really good pecan pie and really good blueberry pancakes, I'd be over in a jiffy.

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Unagi in any form.

I am such an unagi addict that I buy the pre-cooked fillets at the Korean grocery stores and keep a steady supply in my freezer. My husband thinks I'm a little odd but you never know when you'll want to pop some in the toaster oven to have with a little bowl of rice.

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Chicken wings from Philly Pizza and Cheesesteak, on 9th and O. Oooh, they're (t)(n)asty. With "homemade" blue cheese dressing -- I sauce only with premium Kraft dressing and Pirates Cove pre-crumbled blue (not bleu). And a little bottle of Frank's on one side for a vegetable, and a stale baguette on the other, for fiber.

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Today's lunch -- pho -- what could be more comfort food than a big bowl of soup?

What I had this weekend when I was feeling a little under the weather -- a recipe I got from Emeril -- smothered pork chops with sausage and potato.

Osso buco.

BAM!

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If I'm cooking:

a big pot of chicken curry that has slowly bubbled away all afternoon on the stove.

my world famous roast pork tender loin served over cheesy polenta with a rosemary wine reduction all topped with caramalized onions...party in the mouth

lamb shanks braised in wine

If I'm not cooking:

rich bowl of pho

mixed cheese and pork papusa with a side on plantains and a pork tamale from Tortilla Cafe and Grill (across the street from Eastern Market)

open turkey sandwich with gravy, stuffing, and mac and cheese.

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Just had a good homemade comfort meal ... Veal chops (pinch salt :-) so juicy, aspargus (drop or three of butter), and I can't believe no one has mentioned MASHED POTATOES! (yukon gold; we had no milk but plenty of sour cream and butter throw on some white pepper) Perfect comfort food!

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A slew of ingredients heartily mixed with Hellman's mayonnaise. Tuna or maybe eggs, onion, celery, pickled something, spices and peppers (so often best on perfectly toasted rye).

BLT, if the tomato is good.

Full fat cheese finger-pressed onto a piece of just torn baguette.

Too many fries from a steel mixing bowl (dipped in more than catsup).

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My house.  :lol:  

Seriously, none of the German restaurants around here (that would be what, three places?) do good sauerbraten.  Why is that?

It is rather time consuming. Maybe JPW will chime in with an opinion about how Bavarian Chef does it (although it's more a Rhenish dish than a Bavarian one). In the meantime, PM me your recipe! Please!

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Alton Brown did a Sauerbraten in his vinegar episode. It seems like a process, but not a huge deal overall. Just a lot of waiting while the beef pickles. I'd like to try it out! The episode is fairly recent, so they may still be showing it in reruns.

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egg creams

brownies still warm from the oven (some ice cream on top couldn't hurt)

slice of good NY pizza (no need to debate the merits of who does what well, this is what comforts me and I don't feel guilty about it :lol: )

chicken or eggplant parmigiana

teriyaki glazed grilled chicken, string beans, and a baked potato (thanks mom)

scrambled eggs, bacon, and deep fried home fries

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My house.   :lol:   

Seriously, none of the German restaurants around here (that would be what, three places?) do good sauerbraten.  Why is that?

I agree. In my crock pot is the best place to get it from.

Now, if only I could find a place with a really good pecan pie and really good blueberry pancakes, I'd be over in a jiffy.

....love the "bluebucks" at Market lunch at Eastern Market

My craving go toward Polish food:

Stuffed Cabbage with mash potatoes and cukes in sour cream dressing - or-

Kielbasa braised in the crock with beer, saurkraut and pierogies browned in butter and onions, topped with sour cream.

Edited by monavano
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It is rather time consuming. Maybe JPW will chime in with an opinion about how Bavarian Chef does it (although it's more a Rhenish dish than a Bavarian one). In the meantime, PM me your recipe! Please!

Never tried it. Sorry. :lol:

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A hot fudge sundae, or pretty much any ice cream from Max's in Glover Park. Yes, I eat ice cream in cold weather too. :lol:

Last night after trying, and failing, to fill up at the Zengo event, we went to Zaytinya where I had their chicken, tomatoes and orzo dish. The barman tried to dissuade me, telling me it looks like a frozen Lean Cuisine might, but I stuck to my guns. He wasn't off about its appearance, but damn if it didn't taste just right!!

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Ramen from Temari Cafe

Eggs over easy with an obscene amount of butter

Homemade chocolate chip cookies dunked in orange-scented whipped cream

Bread stuffing with mushroom gravy

And my longtime guilty pleasure... leftover elbow macaroni or spaghetti sauteed in butter, with a little ketchup for color and a lot of salt & pepper just because. Mmm.

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Godiva used to have this ice cream called Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle. Chocolate ice cream base, dark as night, with bits of toasted hazelnut in dark chocolate glaze and chunks of darkest choco known to man. Incredibly creamy and dreamy, two thousand calories a spoonful, all from fat.

Unfortunately, it got discontinued, and it was a major tragedy of my life, right there with the death of Anna Karenina.

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Godiva used to have this ice cream called Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle.  Chocolate ice cream base, dark as night, with bits of toasted hazelnut in dark chocolate glaze and chunks of darkest choco known to man.  Incredibly creamy and dreamy, two thousand calories a spoonful, all from fat.

Unfortunately, it got discontinued, and it was a major tragedy of my life, right there with the death of Anna Karenina.

Haagen Das used to make a Hazelnut Gelato that was DA BOMB!!! I absolutely loved that stuff. Not making it anymore, apparently. My waistline thanks them for the discontinuation. :lol:

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Ditto (the positive and the negative!) for Ben & Jerry's "Festivus" and Haagen Dazs' "Carrot Cake Confusion*."

[*If any other brand makes a carrot cake ice cream, don't tell me, cuz I don't wanna have to go in for that "willpower" business. Hasn't worked for me so far.]

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Pho from Pho 75 with tendons and tripe a bit of beef too, I put the hoisin sauce and chili sauce on the spoon (half and half) and using chopsticks dip the noodles and meat/parts into the hot/sweet mixture, after there is only broth left, I spin what's left of the spoon mix into the soup, add the bean sprouts, eat them and then pick up the bowl and pull it to my face and swallow every last beefy/chili/herbal drop of broth...I know this is healthy, but I love a greasy bacon cheeseburger too with cheese fries, or soul food at Oohh's and Aahh's...

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Haagen Das used to make a Hazelnut Gelato that was DA BOMB!!!  I absolutely loved that stuff.  Not making it anymore, apparently.  My waistline thanks them for the discontinuation. :P

close enough but not as good as Haagen D `German Choco`, I can have couple containers of `Dove-unconditional chocolate` . makes me feel good and lazy :lol:

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I think that the only thing the now defunct Arbor (18th and Belmont) had going for it was its combo brunch: one slice of french toast, one scrambled egg, one egg benedict, two bacon, two sausage, small scoop of home fries, small scoop of fruit salad. For someone who could read a menu for hours and not make a decision (hi!), it was a dream on a, er, groggy Sunday morning.

Oh, I also go running to beer-battered onion rings and Cheetos (not together).

Edited by Connave
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[color=blue

Not in any specific order:

Foie gras

polenta with porcini mushrooms

Whole roasted chicken with root veg.

Shrimp risotto

Linguine w/garlic,chilies and butter

Duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes

Duck,Goose,poussin,quail

DBL Whopper w/cheese

Favorite cooking method: Braising :lol:

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