Malawry

I didn't eat anything particularly outstanding during my recent sojourn to Stowe, but I didn't eat anything terrible either. I agree with Amytraverso about Harvest--they sell lots of goodies including crisp-crusted in-house baguettes and the full line of D'artagnan pates for lunching in front of a warm fire. We breakfasted in the Main Dining Room at the Green Mountain Inn on Main Street every morning (where we stayed)--the cold buffet is only about $8 and features a bonanza of baked goods, all produced in-house. The honey oatmeal bread is especially wonderful, plus there's some strudels, muffins, coffee cake, and other delicacies along with fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt and cold cereal. The hot food (add another $5 or so) is sitting on a steam table and not as special, I didn't think it was worth the extra expense. We liked the Whip restaurant okay, also in the Green Mountain Inn, for dinner. We had an appropriately sweet-salty corn chowder there, plus decent sandwiches and a great duck-brie quesadilla. (They also have the honey oatmeal bread at the Whip. This stuff is really worth a visit.) One night, we had dinner at a Thai place on the Mountain Road--I think it's called Red Basil. Not too bad for Thai food in Vermont. I really liked the crabmeat soup, which had a mysteriously-spiced broth and plenty of crab along with tofu and slivered asparagus. The grilled beef salad was also refreshing, spicy-sweet with lemongrass and chile flavors. They serve sushi, but we didn't take a chance on it. Swisspot on Main Street was wonderful--who doesn't want fondue after a long day of tramping about in the cold? I supped on the classic emmenthaler-gruyere fondue with a plate of fruit and vegetables ($7 supplement--cheese fondues only come with bread). Red grapes, potatoes, assorted apples, carrots, broccoli, and stale French bread dunked in cheese make a great dinner while watching the snow fall outside. The restaurant looks like the inside of an old-fashioned Swiss living room--think red gingham curtains and cuckoo clocks, not IKEA. My husband enjoyed a griddle-crisped crepe filled with imported ham and poked at my fondue. There are also Asian-style shabu-shabu type broth fondues and of course hot oil fondues available as well, plus a short list of more typical restaurant entrees.

Got a copy of Zengo's RW menu today: Choice of Appetizer: Rock Shrimp Ceviche ~ tomatillo / yuzu / red onion / mango Calamari ~ wok sautéed / Chinese eggplant / chipotle~miso Arepas de Pollo ~ chipotle-togarashi pulled chicken / avocado / crema fresca Choice of Entrée Pan Roasted Red Snapper ~ chile pasilla steamed rice / shiso / curry-scallion broth Chipotle~Soy Glazed Short Ribs ~ purple potatoes / chile mulatto-chinese mustard jus Rice Stick Noodles ~ chicken / sweet & spicy tamarind / straw mushrooms / peanuts Choice of Dessert Churros con Chocolate ~ chai tea chocolate sauce / meringue Coconut Tapioca with Tropical Fruit ~ blood orange sorbet / shortbread cookie / dried pineapple-sesame tuile Man, a lunch of arepas, short ribs and churros sounds like just what the doctor ordered in this blustery December. It appears the same dishes are on offer at both lunch and dinner.

Thanks for the tips, Shalmanese. I've been reading your thread with no small degree of awe--you're really doing a great job, and in some ways I wish I had the time to do these sorts of things with the students I'll be teaching. Assuming all goes well with my class, I will be returning to teach it again in the fall, and will try to build in a visit to the local farmer's market and some other cool stuff. Right now I don't know the sorts of students I'll get or even what my teaching facility looks like (I'll be visiting before my first class, don't worry). One thing at a time. I'm known for providing running commentary as I cook with all sorts of tidbits like your garlic one, how to season properly, etc. Palate is almost impossible to teach, it just takes experience. If my students come away from this class with a grasp of how to use salt properly, that alone will be a pretty big triumph IMO.

Thanks for asking about my class. Yes, it is moving forward, and the first session will start around the last week of January. I went with a proposal strikingly similar to what I posted here, which I tweaked slightly based on subsequent comments, and my proposal was eagerly embraced by the program coordinator--so all systems are go. I plan to spend a little time in the first class talking to the students and figuring out what they really WANT from the class. If they agree with Mrsadm that this stuff is too above their level, and they don't know things like "add two eggs" means crack them out of their shells, then I'll make adjustments. The bread and pastry stuff is at the end specifically because I don't think it's a big deal if we don't get to those subjects (here come the rotten tomatoes thrown by pastry chefs everywhere). I figure there are other classes by people more qualified than I am to teach those things, and most people who take my class will probably be looking for dinner ideas rather than dessert. But who knows. I will post updates to this thread after my class starts, or as I'm gearing up to begin it in any case.

I do not see Firefly on the list from OpenTable, nor are they on the official RW website. (Wabeck has told me before that he was planning to stop offering the RW deal, so this doesn't surprise me.) Also, in RWs past Firefly only offered the RW deal at lunchtime. You can eat 3 courses at Firefly for under $25 anytime you like without waiting for RW--so, Redglass, you may want to stop by during the daytime even if you're on a tight budget sometime.

Shame on me--I'm an alum of Appalachian State University and I totally forgot about Mast! The Candy Barrel section of the store has some real old-fashioned favorites.

See's markets between early November and Christmas Eve in kiosks in malls across the nation. Many of the malls in the DC area have See's kiosks. You have to get there while they're still around, and the kiosks do not sell chocolates by the piece like actual California See's shops do, but the fact is they are sold here. Cracker Barrel stores carry a lot of old-fashioned regional snackies, including the Goo Goo Cluster of my North Carolina youth. I bet the Hometown Favorites website has some of these types of items as well.

Turkey-sausage gumbo over rice Hot cocoa for dessert.

I worked in the deli-bakery of a supermarket for a summer when I was in college. The item nobody knew how to find: trash bags. I'd get asked at least 4 times every shift where they were. I regard grocery shopping as a sort of game: how do I get in and out of the store in the most efficient manner possible? Back when I lived in downtown DC and carried my groceries by hand, I brought a backpack that I packed myself for my heavier groceries--so I started grouping groceries on the conveyor belt when I checked out to make that easier. Now it's a habit, except it's cold items together rather than heavy ones. I moved over the summer and learned my local markets within just a couple of weeks, so I never have to spend more than 30 minutes in them for a major shopping trip. Wegman's is another story. I can spend hours in a store that carries that much merchandise and is so pleasant to shop.

OpenTable has a list of restaurants that use their service up and running: Click here This year's dates are January 9-15. More complete list of participating restaurants usually shows up sooner or later: Right here

I had dinner at Lightfoot in the bar last night. Their bar menu has undergone some changes since the last time I ate there--there are new sandwiches and salads available, and some of the old favorites like tuna with watercress are gone. I had a cup of the creamy-spicy tomato soup, which was excellent as always, and "Chef Ingrid's Favorite Sandwich," a sort of Reuben with crab and Smithfield ham and 1000 island dressing grilled on marble rye. It came with slaw, pickles and fries. I wish there had been actual kraut on the sandwich because it was sooooo rich and salty, it needed something tart to break it up--the pickles helped but weren't enough to handle it. I was only able to finish half my sandwich--my spouse scarfed the other half late at night with gusto. Next time I'll get the flank steak salad off the bar menu instead. BTW, Lightfoot serves their bar menu continuously during the day. I arrived at 5:20--the main dining room does not open for dinner till 5:30. I could have ordered off the main menu if I'd waited 10 minutes, but the bar menu appealed to me more. The bar was super-busy the whole time I was there, and the dining room was filling up--there were no reservations available. Just a heads-up if you're thinking of going on a Saturday night in December...go early and eat in the bar, or reserve well in advance.

This one looks cool--I kinda like the idea of a triangular mold for the chocolate terrine. Do baked meat pates cook as evenly in a triangular mold as they do in the classic rectangular shape? Do I need to make adjustments to a savory recipe to get them to come out right in a stainless steel mold? I don't know why I didn't think of JB Prince. I've ordered from them before...

I had a year-old batch get moldy around the edges once when I went to saute some cabbage with it. I wiped off the squirrely parts and dug out about 1/4" of fat to discard, and then I used the rest. What I didn't use that day, I pitched. (It helped that I was making duck breasts for dinner that night, so I had a whole duck and was planning to render the fat from the skin of the new bird anyway.) No harm, no fowl.

You may find this recent thread of interest. I hope you document what you end up doing here in detail, if possible. I'm very interested to see how it goes.

I'd rather not have to double or triple my recipe to get it to fit in a loaf pan and make nice-sized slices, though that is my stopgap measure if nothing else pans out.

I've backed myself into making a terrine for a party I'm catering. It's a chocolate terrine, not a pate-type dish, but I like pates quite a lot and wouldn't mind making some. Of course, I don't actually own a terrine mold, and I was shocked to discover how much the enameled sort cost when I did a little web searching. What types of molds do you use for your terrines? Is there a good cheat I can use if I can't find a mold at a decent price? (The chocolate terrine is pressed, but not cooked, once it's in the mold.) Any ideas where to pick up a nice enameled terrine mold for under $80?

Total is a big favorite of mine. I like to use it to make tzatziki sometimes. There's actually a Total tzatziki on the market which I have not yet sampled--the kind I make I eat by the spoonful and I guess it's hard for me to picture the company's version as even better than that. The sort prepackaged with honey is also incredible--the honey has an almost spicy flavor to it, perfect mixed with the yogurt for breakfast or dessert. Ooh.

Yeah, Mark, you've really changed you appearance since I last saw you in June. Fortunately, your palate has not been affected by the apparent shifts in your body and face... I really love the Bill of Rights coffee mug featured in On the Fridge today, and am thinking of ordering one for my father-in-law, who is an ornery liberal coffee addict. I admit, I love the random stuff the Food section covers in On the Fridge, and I'm glad the section didn't change much with the relaunch.

What are the cigar bars anyway? The only one I can think of is Ozio, where I think I spent the most singularly unpleasant bar evening of my life. (I really dislike cigar smoke, I should have just taken a raincheck, but I really wanted to see the people who were going there...) How do smokers feel about dining al fresco? It seems like they may come to dominate the patios of some restaurants in warmer months. (I can see the haze over 17th Street NW already...) Do restaurants with outdoor seating always permit smoking? I haven't really paid attention to that question, since I generally prefer dining indoors.

Considering that all but 1 member of the city council voted for the legislation, I don't think the mayor's opinion is going to make a huge impact...though people do change their minds, and at least 2 members of the city council clearly had major reservations.

I wonder what this will mean for the municipalities and counties surrounding DC that have already imposed smoking bans...

Dude, that mango kulfi: was it molded in a Dixie cup? Some of his plating is quite beautiful. I love the presentation of the papaya pudding.

I make veal stock specifically to turn it into demi. I use the demi almost exclusively for sauces--though I do use it to punch up the liquid in braised dishes or sometimes water it back down if I'm low on stock. It's at least a three-day process when I make it. Day 1, roast bones and veg. Day 2, cook the stock for at least 12 hours and strain. Day 3, reduce. I only do it about once a year, I make a 5gal stockpot of the stock which makes about 4 deli cups of demi--and I don't go through demi all that fast.

bump I'll be visiting Stowe right around Christmas. Where should I be eating while there? Also, Christmas day recommendations welcome--we're not Christian and are not compelled by a special Christmas dinner as a result. At home we normally eat Asian food on Christmas day--is there any interesting ethnic food we can check out in Stowe on the holiday proper?

Chappie wins for creativity.