jariggs

I had a similar thing happen to me with some towels that I got free in a welcome basket. They were not Williams Sonoma, and I am unsure of the quality/price of them, but I assumed that the manufacturers coated the towels with scotchguard or a similar product as a stain preventer. Maybe that is what is happening to your towels, steverino. Since mine were free and probably cheap to begin with, I didn't care. I requested, and received, some Williams-Sonoma towels for Christmas this year, and I find them to be roughly as absorbent as Saran Wrap. What gives? They're 100% cotton, made in Turkey. (Just background...) I don't launder them with fabric softener... AND THEY DON'T SUCK!!!! Water, literally. help? Steve ←

I agree, and I used to work there. The barrel referred to is a charcoal tandoor oven in which they also cook nice naan among other things. The only caveat I would add is that it can get quite crowded and is a pay-get your tray style place (no waiters).

I second the recommendation for the batter bowl. A former roomate of mine had one and I missed it after I moved out. One of my co-workers passed around the catalog after she hosted a party at her house and I jumped at the chance to buy one. That being said, it was one of the only items I liked in the catalog that I didn't already own. I'm glad I didn't have to attend the party for a variety of reasons.

I've found that cachaca and passion fruit juice make an excellent combo. A little googling turned up: http://www.cookbrazil.com/passionfruitbatida.htm and http://www.savoirfaire.ca/episode_archive/5_recipe_4.1.html The second one has some recipes mixing cachaca and cashews and/or peanuts. Sounds very interesting. Anybody tried something similar? Edited to add: Just re-read the original post; I guess these are all Batida-style drinks. Also -- I'm really dubious about the corn batida in the last link.

If you go to the Helmand, which is great, walk 4-5 blocks north for a beer or two at Brewer's Art. If you like beer, that is. Last time I had it, their food was good too.

National Bohemian (aka. Natty Boh) from Baltimore used to come in stubbies up until the plant was sold and moved out of Maryland (mid-nineties?). We used to call 'em hand grenades in college. Also, I remember a beer named Schmidt's coming in the same bottles, not sure where that was made. The bottles seemed even shorter and stubbier than the red stripe ones. I'll try to find a picture.

I'm interested, definitely.

I'm also a fan of Sparky's--for the atmosphere of course, but they can also brew some really good espresso. Tryst, say what you will about the atmosphere, has great coffee, and excellent cappucino and espresso, though you have to be a fan of the ristretto. When it's not crowded (weekdays) it can be pretty nice and mellow, though the pervasive laptops irk me a bit; on weekends it's not worth it. I work in Georgetown and constantly bemoan the coffee scene there. There are no places I've found to sit down with a real mug or demitasse and all the espressos I've had recently have been overextracted. Murky used to make excellent espresso out of thier closet on Wisconsin, but was forced out by the landlord last year (I try to make it to thier Cap. Hill location when I can). Anybody know of any places I'm missing? Murky has a pretty entertaining website: http://www.murkycoffee.com/shtml/about.shtml

It's true, they go to Ireland for the world championship. I went two years ago for the first time after college (went to St. Mary's College of Md, near there). After they complete each shucking round, they bring the trays of oysters to the waiting mob of oyster lovers crammed against the fence in front of the grandstand. Free oysters! If you don't want to fight for your oysters, you can also buy them raw, scalded or fried as well as a dizzying array of other fried seafood products. It takes place in October--maybe we can get an eGullet contingent down there. I'll start a thread when the time comes. I'm also a fan of Old Ebbitt HH. DIY is a good way to go too if you're careful. -Jason

Too bad about Spinnaker's. There seem to have been quite a few restaurants down there that were damaged or shut down by the hurricane. I don't know of any good caterers in St. Mary's, but I'll be down there more often this summer (my gf's parents bought some land near leonardtown) so if I hear of anyone, I'll let you know. Also, check out/post on http://forums.somd.com/ and the St. Mary's college alumni forums. Congrats on your engagement! The Garden of Remembrance is a beautiful place for a wedding. -Jason

Can anyone comment on the cheese at A. Litteri, in the warehouse district in D.C.? I'm not a cheese expert, but they seem to have a decent selection and they do cut to order and wrap in butcher paper. Being an Italian place, they specialize in Italian cheeses, but I know they have some from other European countries. Last time I checked, the Parm. Regg. was at least $.50 cheaper per pound then at whole foods.

I'm a fan of Limonata. The version by pelligrino is pretty common here in DC, but I've heard that you can get better brands in Italy. Also, ginger beer. Haven't tried Ting, but I'll look for it.

I went to school at St. Mary's and visit occasionally. My knowledge about the general resturant scene is out of date, but here's a few places. Scheible's (map), one of my favorite restaurants is about 20 min south of St. Mary's city. It's a crabhouse type place with views of the water and also a motel and fishing center. A lot of the fish is brought in right there so is really fresh. A fancier place right near there is Spinnakers, though I haven't been there in a while. There's also the Brome-Howard house right near St. Mary's, another fancier place. I've never eaten there, but I've heard pretty good things. Don't know much about Calvert County besides Vera's White Sands, a very interesting experience. It's been too long to give details, but Solomons Island has lots of restaurants some good, some not. Sandgates, in Mechanicsville, is another good crab house but it's out of the way if you go down through Calvert county. As far as non-food activities, check out Calvert Cliffs off Route 4 in Calvert, or if you go as far south as Scheibles and it's still light out, Point Lokout State park. Take a walk around the Campus as well as Historic St. Mary's, it's really beautiful in the spring and should be a beautiful weekend. More info: Spinnakers At Pt Lookout Marina - (301) 872-4340 http://www.bromehowardinn.com/ SANDGATES INN (Map) 27525 N. Sandgates Rd., Mechanicsville (St. Mary's County); call 301-373-5100

My Dad and I use the liquid yeast in (beer) homebrewing, but he always goes to the brew store as it is not near downtown DC where I live (no car). Next time I'll try to accompany him and see what they got and what they recommend. I haven't paid attention to the brand up until now. I searched the usenet postings on google groups and there seems to be no consensus on which type of yeast to use. Ale, bread and champagne (never lager) yeast are all recommended in different recipes, often for the same types of soft drinks. There are many different strains of ale (top-fermenting) yeast, all with different flavor profiles; I think it is just a matter of finding the one with the flavor desired. There is probably less focus on flavor with bread yeast and more focus on CO2 production. Just thinking aloud. We're going to brew beer this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get out there and get some advice and try the soda soon, probably ginger beer. I'll report back. Thanks for the Wyeast link. I also found this. I might order some, it's cheap and easier to make smaller batches with.

I've done ginger beer a few times using plastic seltzer bottles, ginger, lime juice, bread yeast, water cream of tartar and sugar, loosely following this recipe and method. The results have been pretty good--flavorful and mostly carbonated, but having a yeasty flavor, not so crisp and clean as most sodas (commercial or artisan). I've been brewing beer lately with my Dad and have come to realize that the yeast strain used has more influence on flavor than I thought. The recipe recommends bread yeast because it creates lots of CO2 and not much alcohol, but I'd like to try champagne yeast next. Does champagne yeast impart any noticeable flavor? Is there any noticeable alcohol in the end result (not that I'd mind)? -Jason