Malawry

Yes, my personal subscription has been known to cause major hiring and staffing changes at many local and national magazines. I think there's lots of reasons they've hired Todd. I don't think it was a rapid decision on anybody's part.

I wonder if the average age of reader will drop because of this. For example, I'm 30 and I am considering subscribing for, like, the first time ever.

I just got off the phone with Mr. Kliman himself. He plans to continue some of the things he has been doing--critical columns about culture of food such as he writes for the CityPaper. We can expect a new energy, enterprise, wit and humor to Washingtonian.

I have never made it to Urban BBQ, even though it's been on my list for well over a year at this point. I've tried twice in the past month, calling ahead each time, but they've been closed for renovations. According to their outgoing voicemail message, they're adding lots of seating and BEER to the menu. I plan to stop by soon after they reopen, which should hopefully be within a couple of weeks.

Those sound superior to me, Alexw. But then, I'm a butter addict.

My school recipe for pommes fondant calls for cutting them into large tournee with one flat side and then placing them in a shallow pan flat-side-down. Add seasoned chicken stock up to the halfway point. Hit the top with melted butter and s&p, and bake in a moderate oven. Baste the tops with more melted butter every 10 minutes until the taters are tender. They're pretty good, but I'd prefer pommes boulanger or a gratin personally.

Hey, Jackal10, that's what I'm talking about! Chip butties are totally slumming.

I think all your lowbrow dinners are too highbrow. Where's the canned soup, the packets of seasoning, the pathos? I mean, I think my dinner last night was too highbrow to post here, but it's pretty comparable to yours: Thaw a massive frozen chicken boob from Costco Cut into fingers Dredge in flour Pan-fry Eat dipped in sweet chili sauce (I've never pan-fried simply floured chix boob fingers before. They got somewhat dried out. Next time, three-way coating or at least larger fingers. But I ate them anyway.)

Varmint's Pig Picking. Where the men are men, the women are women, and the pigs are nervous!

Dave survived Marlene once before. I suspect he can manage her again. You, on the other hand, I am not so sure about. I'm on pins and needles here--I dunno which I am more looking forward to, the fried chicken smackdown or the pig pickin itself!

What did you get at Johnny's Half Shell that was so bad and overpriced? I find lunch at the popular Firefly to be a leisurely and enjoyable experience. It's not too hard on the wallet, either.

You might be able to swing lunch for $15/person at Zaytinya too, if you order carefully...depends on how much you eat at lunchtime. They can definitely accommodate 12 people and they're very close to the MCI center. You could also try for Matchbox, but given the configuration of their space I'd call before showing up--I'm not 100% certain they can accommodate a party of 12. The pizzas are pretty good and the miniburgers are rightfully legendary. There are plenty of pricier options in your neighborhood--your options expand dramatically if you are willing to go to $20 or $25/person. And there are also plenty of cheaper places that just aren't set up for a party of 12--you're not all that far from sandwich meccas like BreadLine or even CF Folks, but good luck getting a table for two at either, much less reserving a table for 12. Don't overlook Chinatown. A bunch of us ate at Full Kee some time ago, and it's definitelty worth a stop--plus if you call in advance they should be able to hold a big round table for you.

Thanks ya'll for coming and tasting and talking about dem birds. For me personally, it was an eye-opener birdwise. I am a big believer in brining, but now that I have tasted a brined, a salt-cured and a simply salted bird vertically, I understand how good chicken can be each way. It's just important to cook it well--and of course, all three chickens were cooked perfectly. Extra special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Busboy for hosting and for adding those incredible ice creams and the terrific fried stuffed squash blossoms (mmmmm). I also loved Hjshorter's salad with apricots, mint and blue cheese--and Simdelish's unforgettable chocolate dessert (ooh). I hope to get photos up later this week.

Oh yeah, I always have onions, garlic and ginger laying about. Other grains are good too. We don't eat that many grains, and I am most fond of rice, pasta and breads, but plenty of people do like other grains and their pantries represent that.

I don't know what's in the Saveur list, but here are some of my pantry staples minus the pasta and beans: Vinegars: white wine, red wine, apple cider, balsamic, rice wine/Mirin Oils: several EVOOS, canola, peanut, sesame, hot chile Other liquid seasonings: worcestershire, soy sauce, clam juice, Thai fish sauce Rices: arborio or carnaroli, basmati, plain white, plain brown Assorted dried vegetables (chiles, mushrooms) and fruits (raisins, currants, cranberries, cherries) Canned tomato products An ample supply of baking ingredients: sugars, flours, leaveners, flavorings, chocolates Tuna, anchovies Canned coconut milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk Assorted pickles, capers, relishes, jams, honeys That's most of what's currently in my own personal pantry, anyway.

My pullet is happily brining in some salt water even as we speak. It's beefing up to kick ass tomorrow. Ya'll come.

An update on who and what will be there: Simdelish - some kind of chocolate kit kat bar type thing, and MOJITOS Chef Shogun - undecided Rosebud +1 - a special zucchini dish Hjshorter - a salad and some wine Squids - corn on the cob Al Dente (+1?) - undecided JPW +1 - undecided Haggis Man - collard greens You should have received a PM with details by now if you're on this list. Don't forget the $5 fee to cover the chickens. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody Sunday!

We discussed logistics a little more this afternoon. We agreed to use the same chicken: small-to-medium Bell & Evans chickens from Whole Paycheck. I will be brining mine in a salt-water solution and then drying it in the fridge overnight before bringing it to the Busboys' for final touches and roasting. I plan to rub it inside and out with an herb butter (no garlic, just butter salt and herbs) and stuff it lightly with some herbs and a couple lemon slices. This is my usual technique. Picking up on Robin's suggestion (sorry you can't make it!), we're doing three chickens total. I'm handling the brined bird, Busboy is using the Zuni method of salting but not brining overnight, and then I think Mrs. Busboy is making the Busboy Family Classic chicken which is not salted until just before cooking. I do not know what other ingredients the Busboys will be using in their chickens, but we agreed that one of them (the Zuni one) would be garlic-free--and I expect to see similar flavorings. (Right, Busboy?) I'm happy to settle on the fresh herbs. I always use thyme, sometimes with parsley in the herb butter and sometimes with rosemary in the cavity.

According to the official Downtown Silver Spring development website, there are two places now open: Asian Bistro and Thai of Silver Spring. Pho Hiep Hoa and--er--Cakelove are among the restaurants listed as "coming soon."

Upthread. (duck) Er, I mean upstairs. I'm pretty sure this new Thai place is upstairs from the Austin Grill-Eggspectation part of the newish Ellsworth Ave "Downtown Silver Spring" development. I think there's a new pho place there too.

I just returned from 1789 with JPW--probably my only RW meal this time around. The entire menu is offered as part of the special deal, with only three items carrying supplements: the infamous rack of lamb, the filet mignon and the cheese plate. The "rack of pork" (pork chops) is one of the most transcendent pieces of meat you can put in your mouth, like, ever. It's lightly glazed, rich, flavorful stuff. Too bad the Swiss chard alongside is overly smoky and the baked beans taste weird. I ordered the filet specifically because it was a setup I hadn't seen before: a sort of Basque interpretation, topped with a fried egg and served with frites and power-fresh peppers and onions. The peppers were unbelievable--how come I can't make simple sauteed peppers taste like that? The frites actually come from a real potato, like they should, and the steak itself is tender and juicy. I wasn't as impressed with the starters we selected--fried popcorn shrimp (I believe shrimp shouldn't be, er, shrimpy-sized) mixed with a spicy slaw, and a fried soft-shell crab with a nondescript stuffing. The blueberry tart needed its creme fraiche topping to cut its sweetness, but I enjoyed the lime-spiked blueberry sauce and whole blueberries on the plate quite a lot. JPW had the cheese plate, which came with steroidal raspberries and nut bread--I didn't taste the cheeses, but I'm impressed that the bread was toasted. Service is smooth and professional, everything you'd hope for if you're trying for a perfect night. I wasn't as enthralled with sitting in the bar room for dinner as I was with sitting in the bar room for a cocktail--next time, best to request a table in the larger dining room on the ground floor. And ladies, the climb to the bathrooms is rewarded with one of the most nicely-appointed lavatories in recent memory--including chairs by the mirror for primping and feminine, er, supplies for emergencies. It's the details that count.

I've finally ordered a table. It should take about three weeks to come in, I hope. I chose the John Boos SNS-16 table: a maple-top table with stainless steel legs and a shelf underneath, 36" tall, 72" long, 36" wide. It has a 1.75" maple top, and should be stable enough for a lifetime of abuse--plus it's not too bad looking. I would have preferred one with a trestle, but the "breakfast bar" table with the I-beam trestle-type design isn't large enough for my needs. I'll try to get some photos up of the new table in action when it appears. It's shipped knocked-down, but I'm guessing we'll set it up the day it arrives.

I made anything and everything in my dorm kitchen when I was a college student--fresh baked bread, hummus from dried chickpeas, whatever I felt like. It can be done! What cooking equipment do you have? That helps us know what to suggest.

I think we can use the oil for any number of other things once the pups are done cooking. Or we could use the chicken oil. We'll find a way to get a vat of oil hot and ready if you bring dem crab fingers. They look gooooooood.

I have it on good authority that a version of the Chocolate Royale dessert will be appearing at the Pullets at 20 Paces cookoff next weekend. Bavila, have you been to the restaurant yet?