278 replies to this topic

[Minister of Drink]

So...tell me, where can I get some good bufala mozzarella? I live in upper NW DC so something convenient to that location would be awesome.

I know you said something close to upper NW DC... But if you can get to N. Arlington, go to The Italian Store. There you will find amazing buffalo mozzarella, a great selection of Italian wines and lots of other goodies including some of the best pizza outside of NYC!!!

[FunJohnny]

I strikes me that any Mozzarella di Bufala purported to have been made "in house" would be a contradiction?

Good point. Unless your cheese shop is in Wyoming or something.

I don't think the kind of buffalo that they milk in Italy to make Mozzerals di Bufala are the same as the American Bison that you might find in Wyoming. According to the website, they have been milking those units since the 7th century. That sort of precludes the use by the Italians of imported bison.

The "bufala" in question from which the milk is obtained which produces the cheese in this case are water buffalos -- more like an ox than a bison -- much more!

[FunJohnny]

Oh and BTW, Rosengarten in his newsletter, reports there is now a farm in VT that has acquired a small herd of the beasts and is producing Bufala yogurt, which according to Rosengarten, is excellent.

Edited by FunJohnny, 17 May 2004 - 12:45 PM.

[hannnah]

I don't think the kind of buffalo that they milk in Italy to make Mozzerals di Bufala are the same as the American Bison that you might find in Wyoming. According to the website, they have been milking those units since the 7th century. That sort of precludes the use by the Italians of imported bison.

Except that they are in fact Asiatic water buffalo, which aren't native to Italy either (but were imported from Asia around the 7th century). So there's no reason that someone can't have an imported herd of the same animals locally, in which case you'd have your mozzarella di bufala.

This is not to say that there is such a herd, but it's quite possible.

[andiesenji]

A lot of cheese is made in California and much of it is good.

However, when I want an ethnic or specialty cheese I order it from Ideal Cheese Shop in NYC.
http://www.idealcheese.com/tour.htm
They are great to deal with, their cheeses are outstanding and they have been voted the best cheese shop for a reason.

Their regular buffalo mozz is excellent and I order it on a regular basis.

They also carry, when available, the Buratta mozz, which is incredible. Check the site
http://www.idealchee...talog/italy.htm
or give them at call at:800-382-0109 or Fax 212-223-1245 and ask when it will be available.

Try the ricotta salata it is a very interesting cheese with which to cook. Similar to a farmer's cheese but with more tang.

[mighty quinn]

make the trip and got to litteri's.

[Tweaked]

I'm interested in buying some Sake, anyone know where you can buy bottles for home consumption.

Also, are there any good bars to drink Sake around here, there's the two Sake places in Adams Morgan and Woodley, but any place else. I went to this amazing Sake bar in NYC over the weekend, complete grungy basement joint, about 70 different Sakes and amazing Japanese bar food ($3-$5 a plate), herring wrapped in seaweed and marinated in soy, whole smelt with house made mayo, sear bonito with mustard leaves. DC needs places like this...

Decibel

[John W.]

The Wine Enthusiast on M and 21st has a pretty good selection from what i recall. Well-known stuff like Meibo and Onokoroshi. And bottles that e-gullet forum hosts can drop on the street too.

The place in Woodley Park (Sake club?) had a decent amount of labels, nice setting too.

Decibel is awesome, but next time you are in NYC you have to go here.

[hillvalley]

In Bethesda, Daruma sells a good variety of Sake and Tako Grill has a Sake Bar next to the restaurant.

[Tweaked]

The Wine Enthusiast on M and 21st has a pretty good selection from what i recall. Well-known stuff like Meibo and Onokoroshi. And bottles that e-gullet forum hosts can drop on the street too.

The place in Woodley Park (Sake club?) had a decent amount of labels, nice setting too.

Decibel is awesome, but next time you are in NYC you have to go here.

Excellent M and 21st is near my office. Thanks

I really liked Decibel's grungy,edgy, underground feel...sake, great food, and techno at 1am...very cool

[JennyUptown]

The Wine Enthusiast on M and 21st has a pretty good selection from what i recall. Well-known stuff like Meibo and Onokoroshi. And bottles that e-gullet forum hosts can drop on the street too.

The place in Woodley Park (Sake club?)  had a decent amount of labels, nice setting too.

Decibel is awesome, but next time you are in NYC you have to go here.

Excellent M and 21st is near my office. Thanks

I really liked Decibel's grungy,edgy, underground feel...sake, great food, and techno at 1am...very cool

That's a great block...my friend owns a bar near Decibel called Solas. I spent many a drunk evening there (and used the bathroom at Starbucks at the corner of 2nd Ave way more times than I care to remember when the line at Solas was too long).

[raisab]

The place sounds great, (except for one thing)I love cold unfiltered sake.
I will be in NY on the 23rd...about the techno...how loud is it? I don't mean to offend anyone, but I HATE techno music!

[Tweaked]

The place sounds great, (except for one thing)I love cold unfiltered sake.
I will be in NY on the 23rd...about the techno...how loud is it? I don't mean to offend anyone, but I HATE techno music!

I'm offended!

I've only been this one time, so not sure if it is techno all the time, but it was more background noise then pounding in your face. The place is small and a pretty tight space so it has a loud bar atmosphere in general...it's definitely one place where I'm glad they banned cigarette smoking in NYC bars and restaurants, because if they did allow smoking, I'm sure there would be a permanent fog inside!

But you will be able to find cold unfiltered sake there.

[DonRocks]

Also, are there any good bars to drink Sake around here

Do sushi bars count?

If so, Kaz Sushi Bistro has a good selection of sake by the bottle, conveniently grouped according to "type" (elegant, fruity, etc.). They also offer a tasting flight of six different sakes, served on a little paper mat that has been marked to indicate which sake has which type of characteristics. It's a fine sample platter, and a good primer as well.

I'm almost certain Calvert-Woodley and MacArthur would have a good selection of sakes.

And don't ask John W about what happened the last time I walked into the Wine Enthusiast with him and purchased a magnum of sake. (Hint for the curious: I ended up hurling invectives in the bathroom of Baja Fresh.)

Cheers,
Rocks.

[Tweaked]

I did have the house sake served warm at Makoto, which comes in a bamboo server for about $6 a serving, you would get maybe 6-8 shots out of that.

I really enjoyed the Wakataki Sake at Decibel...Wakataki Sake, I think saying sake producer names fast would make a good drinking game.

[FunJohnny]

And don't ask John W about what happened the last time I walked into the Wine Enthusiast with him and purchased a magnum of sake. (Hint for the curious: I ended up hurling invectives in the bathroom of Baja Fresh.)

Cheers,
Rocks.

Do invectives taste as good coming up as they do going down?

[Monica Bhide]

I would like to get a fun cake made for my son's fifth bday (note that does not translate to expensive ) Any suggestions? He is in love with Nemo and loves chocolate and strawberry flavors!

Help!

[mnebergall]

I would check with Shumans Bakery on Washington Street in Alexandria. I was in there the other day buying a cake off the shelf for my kid's 10th and there were several people picking up cakes they had custom ordered. You might call them and see what they are capable of doing for you.

[sara]

I love Cakelove. Those are kid-friendly cakes. Yum! Randolph in Arlington is good too.

[Varmint]

Why don't you just hire Steve Klc? I'm sure he can give you the "Insider's Special."

[JennyUptown]

Steve was talking about this guy.

The photos are amazing (look at the Special Event section for cakes appropriate for a kiddie birthday)...but the prices might be too. Sorry if that's no help.

Edited by JennyUptown, 13 July 2004 - 03:30 PM.

[Monica Bhide]

Why don't you just hire Steve Klc? I'm sure he can give you the "Insider's Special."

dream dream dream

[DonRocks]

And don't ask John W about what happened the last time I walked into the Wine Enthusiast with him and purchased a magnum of sake.  (Hint for the curious:  I ended up hurling invectives in the bathroom of Baja Fresh.)   

Cheers,
Rocks.

Do invectives taste as good coming up as they do going down?

I wish that were the case. It was late, I had been to several places, and was toting around this magnum of sake in a brown paper bag (a magnum is a double-sized bottle). I walked into Baja Fresh and was looking at the menu when, all of a sudden, the bag dropped from my hand and hit the ground. The bottle had broken into several pieces, but had not shattered, and wine was spewing out of it. Furious and seething, I picked up the bag and sprinted for the bathroom because wine was leaking through the bag and pouring all over the floor. I quickly put the bag into the little disposal thing under the paper towel dispenser, all the while screaming expletives like a dockworker who had just dropped something heavy on his foot. I peaked inside the bag, saw that there was still a big hunk of the bottle with some sake left in it, and said, damn it, I was going to at least taste the stuff, so I fished out the jagged piece of bottle and was just about to try and drink from it when I realized that I was on the verge of drinking shards of broken glass. At that point, I wrote it off as a total loss, stormed out of the bathroom cursing mightily, and continued into the night.

[morela]

There's nothing like a Japanese magnum in a Wendy!

[dcfoodie]

I agree with sara. CAKE LOVE. CAKE LOVE. CAKE LOVE.

I was at a party and they had a cake from this place. I probably gained 10 pounds that night and I am not a dessert person.

[Malawry]

I don't think Cake Love does Nemo-themed cakes though.

Plus, they aren't cheap. Whole cakes are in the $50 range IIRC--I called once while trying to figure out how I should price a cake a friend wanted me to make. If we're talking $50+ budget I'd rather try for a small cake from a place like Amernick, personally.

[sweetfreak]

I know that others might cringe at this recommendation, but seeing as the boy is turning five, I am positive that Safeway or Giant would do a Nemo-themed cake. In fact, I have seen a Nemo cake at Safeway.

[khart]

How about Reeves Bakery downtown? They did a giraffe cake for a baby shower I went to recently, and they seemed capable of lots of kinds of decorations.

[laniloa]

I second the Reeves recommendation. We have a rule at work that all work party cakes must come from this place because they are so fabulous. We had a wonderful strawberry cream cake a couple of weeks ago that just screamed summer.

[hjshorter]

How about the Amphora Bakery in Herndon?