rhodegirl

Many thanks, iamthestretch, for reviving this thread. It reminds me to sing the praises of 2 Amy’s for a recent dinner my husband and I enjoyed there. We decided to forego pizza and order antipasti. Since we couldn’t decide among the five choices they had that night, we ordered all of them: chickpea and prosciutto salad; caponata crostini; house-made smoked buffalo mozzarella with eggplant served with roasted red pepper sauce; pork rillettes with baby arugula; rabbit stuffed with escarole and pinenuts, wrapped in pancetta, served with dried fruit compote. We also couldn’t resist ordering the branzino filet with bay leaf, garlic, olives and lemon served with polenta. You know those dinners when each dish you try, you look at each other and say ‘damn this is good’. This was one of those nights. It was like a mini-trip to Italy, with a side visit to France for the pork rillettes. I know people have posted about inconsistencies at 2 Amy’s. We had similar experiences a couple of times last summer, and, in fact, stopped going for a while. But in the past couple of months, they have won us back. We’ve gone four or five times, mostly for pizza, and every time the food has been excellent. The night of the antipasti was the highlight. So if you haven’t been since last summer, I’d recommend giving it another shot. It is an incredibly popular, lively place, so expect to wait for a table. We’ve found it’s best to be Zen about it, order wine as soon as possible and just go with the flow. (Best bet, if at all possible, is to ask for one of the tables in the bar area, which is dubbed ‘Serenity Now’ on the blackboard listing the night’s antipasti selections – remember that episode, Seinfeld fans?*) *please do not answer this completely rhetorical question, not meant in any way to start a non-food related discussion.

Washington area chefs Eric Ziebold (CityZen), Fabio Trabocchi (Maestro), David Guas (DC Coast and Ceiba) and Morou (Signatures) are featured in a story by reporter Neil Irwin in today's Washington Post business section. <In a too-hip-to-be-true loft in Soho last week, waiters wearing all black glided around the room, placing in front of two dozen food and travel journalists pristine plates of roasted loin and braised Elysian Fields Farm lamb shortribs with Belgian endive, dried anjou pear and sweet pepper. The food was prepared by Eric Ziebold, chef at the widely praised new D.C. restaurant CityZen. The point was to convince New York journalists that Washington is a great restaurant town and that their readers need to taste the things D.C. chefs are dishing up.> The full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2005Jan30.html

I haven't read these articles yet, so I'm not commenting on the content. But, as far as I know, Ms. Burros lives at least part-time in Washington.

We had a very good dinner at Blacksalt last night. Most of the dishes we had were excellent, while the two soups we tried… well, as Jon Stewart would say, not so much. No tables were available, so we sat at the bar. We started with a couple of selections from the ‘small plates’ section of the menu: White Anchovy with tomato confit, cornichon, olive oil and brioche. Two plump anchovies, each one sitting on a short stack of the aforementioned ingredients. Delicious combination of sharp, sweet, sour, with a bit of crunch from the cornichon. My husband and I both love anchovies, and agreed this was a version we would definitely order again. Masa Harina Crusted Oyster with sour orange-tupelo honey mojo. I’m told masa harina is a type of corn flour, which is a wonderfully crisp coating for the oysters. This dish is a keeper. The mix of sour orange and honey a good complement to the fried oysters and one that I had not tried before. We also had an order of mussels. Blacksalt offers several versions. I don’t know how often they change, but last night the options were Thai, Moroccan, Spanish, Vietnamese or Addie’s – shallot, garlic, tomato and lemon – which I assume is the version served his restaurant on Rockville Pike. We ordered the Thai version, which includes coconut milk, kaffir lime, green chile and opal basil. The mussels were some of the biggest and most flavorful I’ve had, at least in Washington, and the broth was the kind that inspires you to keep reaching for the bread so as to enjoy every drop. From the menu’s appetizer section, we ordered the fried Ipswich clams, served with madras aioli and romesco. Yes, two orders of fried seafood is probably overkill, but years ago I used to live a few miles from Ipswich and sometimes still dream of the fried clams I had there. So what’s a girl to do when these are on the menu? Besides, the chefs at Blacksalt know how to fry. These are whole belly clams - sweet and juicy, with a crisp cornmeal crust that crunches when you bite into each clam. The curry spiked aioli was an excellent accompaniment and the romesco was so good that when the clams were gone, we used it as a dip for our bread. (The bread, by the way, comes from Marvelous Market for now, but the bartender said eventually the restaurant would make its own.) Then we ordered two soups. The Manila clam and Chinicoteague Oyster Stew with applewood bacon, leeks, Yukon gold potatoes, and oyster cream. This is one of those times when the description sounds better than the dish tastes. At least that was the case last night. The broth was kind of bland – but at the same time it was overpowered by too many herbs strewn about. Somehow the flavor clams and oysters didn't come through the way you would think. The other soup we ordered was a special: Cranberry Bean Soup with Percorino Romano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tuna ‘Bresaola’. This dish unfortunately did not work for me. The tomato-based broth fought with the overly salty strip of dried tuna for domination, and the poor cranberry beans, carrots and olive oil got lost in the shuffle. (Bresaola is an Italian air cured beef, so I’m assuming this was cured tuna), I should have been suspicious when I saw cheese combined with fish in a dish that seemed to be presented as Italian. To end on a high note, we decided to order a few raw oysters for dessert. We tried two kinds, the names of which escape me. One was from Washington State and was very good. The other was from British Columbia – I think the word Creek was involved – and these were outstanding. They were quite large and had almost a buttery flavor to go along with the taste of the sea. They have a good selection of wines by the glass, and they give you the option of ordering a small pour (4 oz) or a regular pour. We opted for the smaller pours since we wanted the chance to try a few different wines throughout the meal. I forgot to write down the names of the wines, of course. Their regular wine list looks intriguing – and they offer quite a number of half bottles. The bartender who served us was friendly and knowledgable and more than willing to talk to us about wine pairings. Overall, I would definitely recommend trying Blacksalt. Based on one lunch and one dinner, my husband and I both would give high ratings to the majority of dishes we tried. I’m not ready to declare it one of the city’s best restaurants. But it is a very welcome addition, especially in an area of the city that could definitely use more good restaurants.

I believe the Post has named Judith Havemann as the new Food Editor. I don't know if it's interim or permanent. Havemann, I believe, is a longtime Post staff writer - I know she was covering welfare reform several years back and did an excellent job on an incredibly complicated issue. She may have worked as an editor at some point as well, not sure. She is a very good reporter and writer - I say this based solely on reading her work over the years. I don't know her personally.

We took my visiting parents to Firefly one night for dinner last week. Both of them have always loved to go out to eat, but recent health problems have unfortunately affected their appetites. Most of the time now, they will each order just a small appetizer for their meal when they go to a restaurant. Well, there must be some kind of magic in that kitchen. My Dad ordered the roasted squash soup with pickled onions and the fried oysters and Mom ordered the roast chicken and frites. They each proceeded to eat every single bite of their meals, plus a couple of tastes of my macaroni and cheese, a mussel or two from my husband's plate, and a glass of wine each. They kept commenting how delicious the food was and how long it had been since they felt like eating that much at a restaurant. My husband and I were thrilled. I was actually a little verklempt seeing how much they enjoyed the dinner. We will be forever grateful to Firefly for that evening. Now I just need to figure out how to ship takeout from Firefly to Providence. Also, for lunch one day recently, my husband and I tried the grilled Gruyere burger with frites and the creamy chicken salad with tarragon aioli, pickled onions and brioche. The burger was juicy, the frites were crisp and the chicken salad was a refreshing twist on a standard. I'm inspired to come up with reasons to be near Firefly at lunchtime on weekdays more often.

Monica, thank you so much for transporting all of us to India. Proof, once again, that you made the right move launching your writing career.

hmmm, if it was duck, so much for my ability to identify ingredients. in any case, i highly recommend this dish!

Looking for a quick trip to Italy without feeling the pain of the incredible shrinking dollar? Go to Palena cafe and order the minestrone with greens and housemade sausage with fennel. Use chunks of bread to absorb every drop of the rich broth, which has a wonderful kick to it and is filled with vegetables, beans and, I believe, bits of pancetta. When you have finished your soup, sit back and sip your wine, as you eagerly anticipate your next course, which is the whole wheat pappardelle with Tuscan ragu. Twirl the tender noodles around your fork, and with your first bite, try to identify the different flavors in the delectable sauce. We’re thinking pork, beef, carrots, onions, maybe wine, perhaps a touch of cinnamon? With the second bite, give up trying to guess and just savor this dish for as long as possible. Ignore Connecticut Avenue and imagine the narrow streets of Siena. (Drinking wine throughout the meal will help with this part. ) Return home happy. Repeat as often as necessary.

My husband and I had lunch today at Blacksalt, and loved everything we ordered. The shrimp bisque, as Joe H mentioned, was exceptional. It is garnished with a bit of parsley oil and little housemade vegetable chips, which sounds odd but works. The oyster po-boy with chipotle remoulade was served with red cabbage and tomato on a perfect roll. The oysters were incredibly fresh and crisp and not a bit greasy. I don't claim to know enough about po-boys to say if this is 'authentic'. I do know it was delicious. My husband had the Thai Style Grilled Squid Salad, with watercress, sweet chile vinaigrette, mint and scallions. Great combination of flavors, and the squid was some of the best we've had in a long time. Last week, we picked up several items at the seafood market to cook at home. The diver scallops were fresh and sweet, the crabcake full of lump crabmeat with a small amount of breadcrumbs to hold it together and the cod, which they special ordered for us, was wonderful. Today, we picked up fresh shrimp and fresh Nantucket bay scallops for New Year's Day dinner. We are thrilled to finally have a source for excellent seafood in this area.

Thank you, Rebel Rose! This is a great thread that I somehow missed in my searching.

Has anyone taken the nine week Wine Captain's Course in Washington DC, offered through the Sommelier Wine and Food Society? We're very interested in learning more about wine, and we're considering taking this course, but we thought we'd ask for feedback from egulleters who are familiar with it. Or if you can recommend another course in the DC area, that would be great, too. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

We went to Firefly on Friday evening, thinking we would have a glass of wine each and split an appetizer. Two hours later, we had enjoyed several glasses of outstanding wine, an order of fried oysters, the roast chicken and frites and the lamb steak with chard and Tillamook chedder macaroni and cheese. I would strongly recommend this approach to happy hour at Firefly.

Yet another scrumptious soup from chef Frank Ruta: Jerusalem artichoke soup, served with crispy sweetbreads, mushroom flan, a dollop of mushroom foam and fried parsley. Other dishes we savored for my husband’s birthday dinner last week: Terrine of foie gras and pheasant. Apples and quince were also involved. A wonderful way to start a celebration. Astoundingly tender venison, served with housemade pancetta, red cabbage and a croquette of potatoes and parsnip. Gnocchi with butternut squash, sage and Castelmagno cheese, served with butter sauce, a dish that Ms. JennyUptown referenced earlier. I’ve come to accept that I cannot resist the gnocchi at Palena, no matter what else I'm ordering. Perhaps I need some sort of twelve-step program, but for now, I see no reason to resist. Wholewheat ravolini stuffed with braised oxtail served with chestnut Bolognese sauce. I don't know if it's still on the menu, but it would be a perfect dish to order on a bone-chilling day such as this. I’m going by memory for the descriptions, so apologies if there are any inaccuracies. Thanks to Carolyn and Kelli for excellent service and wine pairing suggestions.

Check out the Washington Post's weekend section today. In a short roundup of pomegranate cocktails around town, Derek is mentioned. <Former Palena bartender Derek Brown has taken his love of pomegranates to Firefly (1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW; 202-861-1310), where the menu features a cocktail called the PoMo, a Grey Goose cosmopolitan with pomegranate juice replacing the traditional cranberry. It's a subtle change, but an interesting twist on a staple.> Reporter Fritz Hahn also praises the cocktails at Palena and Cafe Atlantico. For the full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...1-2004Dec9.html I haven't tried the PoMo yet, but last weekend we tried two new creations by Derek. Hope I have the correct names. Cardamom Lemon Drop, made with Grey Goose. Gin and Roses, made with Bombay Sapphire, served with a rose petal. Apologies for not remembering the details of all the ingredients - guess I shouldn't have waited a week to post. I do remember they were both delicious.

Thank you, Tonyy13! I'm trying to find out if there are other universities around the country participating in this type of program. It seems like a good way to promote sustainability - not to mention a great way to show college students that fresh fruits and vegetables actually taste good.

I thought I'd share this story about what sounds like a great program at Brown University. It's from today's Providence Journal food section: http://www.projo.com/food/content/projo_20...n24.1bbaf4.html <Harvest crews of students have made weekly farm or orchard visits across the area since August. They've picked produce, from raspberries to eggplants to potatoes. The farmers have been paid for the food and delivered it to university chefs who have been inspired by the bounty of fresh produce and served the dishes in the main dining halls.> I was especially heartened by the comments from the production manager of Brown University Dining Services, who sounds like a strong proponent of the program. I don't know about you, but when I was in college, I'm not sure we ever saw a fresh vegetable served in the dining hall. Does anyone know if other colleges are using this approach? It sounds like this kind of program has a lot of potential. And it seems like a positive way to address a number of issues raised in Eric Schlosser's book, 'Fast Food Nation' and in the NY Times op-ed by chef Dan Barber, both of which are being discussed on other threads. [Host's note: This post was edited at the instructions of the original poster to better conform to the Society's fair use policies.]

My husband and I hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner for a few friends on Saturday night. Smoked Bluefish Pate with Crackers (full disclosure: not homemade, but from Whole Foods) Roast Pork Loin (from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home) (pork rubbed with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper, sear on top of the stove – remove from pan, spread apple slices in one layer in pan, place roast on bed of apples. Roast 50 minutes to 1 hour) Sausage, Potato and Bread Stuffing (Slightly altered version of my great-grandmother’s recipe, which I believe is French-Canadian in origin) Roasted Carrots and Turnips Cranberry Sauce with Dried Apricots and Toasted Pecans Green Beans Sauteed with Red Peppers Green Salad Pumpkin Crème Brulee Apologies for no photos – I’m a a bit of a Luddite compared to most of you, as I don’t own a digital camera yet.

We went to Johnny's last week and had the wood-grilled rockfish with mushroom sauce and sauteed spinach, which was delicious. Also worth trying is the winter squash salad with, (I think) apple cider dressing. Small, tender cubes of (I think) butternut squash on greens, served with several mushroom crostini. Great dish for fall. (though I suppose I should have copied the description from the menu to ensure accuracy - sorry!) I like the casual atmosphere at Johnny's. To me, it has a New England fish house vibe. Please do not ask me to back this statement up with actual facts or examples. It's just the feeling I get when I go there. (Perhaps I'm just pining for New England.) And if you haven't had the oyster po' boy yet, get thee to Johnny's. A rainy Saturday in, say, November might be a good time for it. At the bar. With a beer.

Welcome, Bakezoid! Thank you for your kind words. You and Al_Dente described so well the Palena Cafe phenomenon - go in with the sincere intention of ordering 'just the burger'. Then immediately succumb to the siren song of the rest of the menu. Sounds like you need to plan another trip to DC soon! We feel fortunate to live only a couple of Metro stops away from Palena, so we can go often...probably too often...oh well, life is short, carpe diem and all that. In fact, maybe we'll drop in this weekend - for just a burger, of course

For anyone who, like me, has been pining for Palena’s Roman bread and tomato soup, take heart. Now that it's fall, we can cast aside memories of that summer dish, and raise our spoons for Chef Frank Ruta’s latest soup. It is Spinach and Leek Soup, with Dover sole crusted in Marcona almonds. The spinach is a vibrant green in a broth that has a subtle flavor of leeks and a touch of cream. In the middle of the bowl are two pieces of the perfectly cooked Dover sole, the crust crisp, the fish tender and sweet. As with the bread and tomato soup, the ingredients are few and simple, the flavors pure. If you’re not in the mood for soup, try the delicious house smoked sea trout. It’s served with a caramelized devilled egg, as well as cauliflower mousse, topped with sea trout caviar. There is also a dollop of sauce, made with capers and raisins, if I remember correctly. Then there is the latest version of the gnocchi. I could go on and on about the gnocchi at Palena, and I probably have earlier in this thread. Here’s the thing: I can’t quite believe how consistently excellent it is here. For some reason, several years ago, I began a quest to find outstanding gnocchi. So for several months, whenever I would see gnocchi listed on a menu, I’d order it. Such a quest, I can attest, rapidly descends into an exercise in masochism. There is, it turns out, a surplus of leaden, nearly tasteless gnocchi in this world and I have tasted more than my share. So, as you can imagine, I was pathetically grateful when I first tasted the gnocchi at Palena. I have not looked back since. The latest version is Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with butternut squash, sage and creamy Castelmagno cheese (a type of blue cheese from Italy) served with a butter sauce. One bite will make you roll your eyes with pleasure. Then you will eat the rest of the gnocchi very slowly, so as to make it last as long as possible. Of the main courses from the autumn menu, we have tried two, and can highly recommend both: Wild Col Vert Duck, Two Ways The breast grilled with foie gras and the leg braised with pomegranate and dates. Glazed local salsify, cardoons, and turnips Wild Mediterranean Branzino Cooked en cocotte with fennel blossoms, shrimp, and Gaeta olives, served over crab polenta with a fragrant shellfish broth. And once again, many thanks to Evan and Kelli for outstanding service and excellent wine pairings.

I wasn't sure where to post this, but thought DC area egulleters might be interested: Jacques Pepin is scheduled to be on the Diane Rehm show on WAMU-FM (88.5) today (11/15) at 11 a.m. to talk about his new book, Fast Food My Way Also today, food writer Alan Richman is scheduled to be on the Kojo Nmamdi show on the same station sometime during the show's 1 o'clock hour. Happy listening - and cooking!

Okay, fellow egulleters, what's the best place to go for comfort food in the DC area if, hypothetically, you were deeply despondent today and seriously contemplating a move to Canada? Hypothetically, of course.

I'll echo the praise for the hangar steak and those perfectly cooked scallops. And thanks to Jarad for creating that milkshake for grown-ups.

Dear Chef, Thank you so much for doing this! This past May, we took my parents and a couple of family friends to Tosca for dinner at the chef’s table. It happened to be a night when you were not there. But I wanted you to know that your entire staff did a wonderful job! Everyone – the chefs, the maitre d, the waitstaff - were gracious, professional and enthusiastic. The food was superb, truly one of our best meals ever. Could you talk about how you and your staff decide on which courses to serve for the chef’s table? Also, could you tell us a little more about the Farmland Feast at Tosca to benefit the Fresh Farm Market? I appreciate that you are such a supporter of local farmers!