Malawry

I've had a request for turkey burgers, which I have never made. I've gotten some good flavoring type ideas from posts here but I'd like to know what kind of ground turkey is best. I've never bought it and I don't have a meat grinder and so will not be able to grind my own. Also I will be cooking them on the stovetop, and I don't have a grill pan. What's the best way to cook them? Should I sear them, cook them over slow low heat, or what?

Chomp a potle with the best of them. Do not confuse with the fake potle.

There is no way humans could possibly consume all the kudzu in NC. Not even if they were limited to the kudzu found along I-40.

STEAK. NY strip, with a great crunchy crust from a high-heat sear in butter, nothing more to it than some S&P. Buttered broccoli Stilton cheese for dessert.

I have to say, I think Pithiviers, and Jacques Torres' adulation thereof, is highly overrated. But hey, I'm not that fond of frangipane for some reason. If you like it then maybe you'll love pithiviers. If you've never made puff pastry from scratch you really should try it, you'll learn a lot from the experience and if you use good butter it will taste way better than the Pepperidge Farm stuff from the freezer section.

Tonight: The last of the spaghetti squash, tossed with a garlic-cream sauce and topped with seared shrimp and sauteed mushrooms. With the addition of parsley it was a beautiful plate. Salad Last night: Chicken parmigiana Salad

Wa! I'll survive though...ya'll have fun. I hope your kitchen renovation doesn't follow the same schedule as the ones the Perlows, and later Vengroff, suffered. That kitchen needs some renovation fer shure, though, yeah boy. Though all that counter space sure would be helpful for setting out pasta dough...

You have to be a smartass to live here. Edemuth wins the advantage because she drives a sexier car, though. Varm, it's up to you...I'd love to meet Phlawless myself but you know I'll be back in NC to say hi some other time if I don't come down for the pasta feast. Erin will be attending a conference that weekend which is why it works for me...I have other plans every other weekend in Feb.

I guess I deserved it for that one.

Gee, I was expecting something more along the lines of "thank you..." Don't worry, like Varmint and Dr. Mrs. Varmint, Malawry and her esteemed partner do not observe Valentine's Day most years.

If it's Valentine's weekend, I can go. Otherwise, probably not. Against my better judgment, Mr. Dente, you are welcome to a ride if it is indeed V-day weekend.

Last night: Spaghetti squash with lots of garlic and EVOO, chicken, and parm-regg. Tasty but too bland-looking on the plate. Tonight: Another pork chop, with a mustard-enriched soubise A big-ass salad with blue cheese dressing. Mmmmm.

A few seared shrimp with a chili-spiked mayo dipping sauce. A fat pork chop with a mustardy pan sauce finished with cream. Broccoli with a little lemon juice and butter

I just had dinner at Parkway on Sunday night. They had half-sours, bread-and-butter pickles, Claussen-type Kosher dills, and I think the crappy Mt. Olive type pickles on the pickle bar. Also kraut, some kind of red cabbage salad, carrot salad, pickled tomatoes, and a few other things. I had a lovely dinner of pickled things and an authentic reuben, washed down with Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda. I second the nomination of the Parkway Egg Cream (I've purchased Fox's U-Bet there before) but something about a dairy beverage doesn't seem to go well with a reuben. I adore Parkway, yes. However I'm not sure they would fulfuill Vengroff's diner desires...or anybody else's. They're a semi-Jewish-style deli with a few diner type foods on the menu. Not a diner.

V-day weekend is probably the best candidate in Feb. for me. Mmm...beef cheeks.

I dig Parkway. I have breakfast there with my folks whenever they're in town. Sometimes I go there for a reuben sammich at dinnertime. They have a wonderful pickle bar at lunch and dinner which is FREE.

Finally got around to my annual latke fete last night. With homemade applesauce, sour cream. A big salad. Glass of grapefruit juice to cut the fat.

I might be up for it, depending. I made a chard and ricotta ravioli a few weeks ago that was awesome.

The hot cider comes with the Wit spiced rum in it. It's got a terrific, sweet-bitter flavor to it, and has an almost bourbon-y undertone. Nice against the hot apple-y sweetness. Dogfish was one of few places open in the downtown area, and their sandwich-heavy lunch menu meant they were pretty packed. As we approached, I told Woody and Bruce that our goal was to be seated as far from the door as possible. Unfortunately, the only table available to us was right by the door. They really need to do something about that cold-air blast whenever people walk in the door...I ordered the cider specifically to keep me warm as people passed in and out of the restaurant. BTW Woody and Bruce are total gentlemen and a blast to talk shop with. I enjoyed our conversation and was quite charmed by the polite manner you guys carry. I hope you come to DC sometime so I can return your hospitality. And Woody, I especially hope to see you write more as you investigate what dining exists in and around Rehoboth. We could use a scout!

I've picked up a takeout menu from them. They're called Adega. Mostly sandwiches and soups, nothing fancy. I am almost always there in the morning before they open, or else in a hurry to get some Baja Fresh fish tacos and get the hell out of there, so I haven't investigated the wines and such. Being in what Mark Slater called "monkey county," though, I wouldn't be too optimistic. The food might be nice though, if I ever get around to trying it.

I thought it was really cool that for his first column, he covered a spot in overlooked PG County. There's a few places in College Park that Sietsema has written about recently (Lupo's, which is really only special because of its location, and Mandalay, which is the sort of ethnic restaurant everybody should have in their backyard), but other than that there's very little written out there about restaurants in this area. (Partly because there aren't many worth writing about!) I live less than a mile from the PG county line and would cross that line more often to check out any worthwhile places if I knew about them. It sounds better than fighting traffic and parking in Bethesda or downtown.

There is a certain chef who has been talking about opening a restaurant in downtown Silver Spring for some time now. The restaurant will tentatively be called Acorn and would represent the first new full-service fine-dining restaurant not associated with a chain since Silver Spring started redevelopment. If it ever gets off the ground, I'll be first in line there. But right now, there's no there there.

I'm still holding out for the yet-nebulous Acorn to select a final location and start building out already. From talking to the chef I get the idea it could be our own little Komi right near where I live. If so I will be there at least once a week...I'm a woman dying to have a regular joint near home.

I wasn't too impressed with Mexicali. I'd just go to Minh's but we had Thai food last night so something Asian of any stripe is probably out. Edit: Minh's not Ming's. D'oh!

I miss Brett. I sometimes read his column in the Times-Picayune online even though I have never visited New Orleans. I emailed with him a little bit some time ago, and he seems like a genuine, nice, accessible guy. I still mourn his departure from the CityPaper. Bill, you oughta get out more. *gentle tease*