hillvalley
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Posts posted by hillvalley
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PS - Since it's bound to come out eventually -- Yes, I do admit that when I got everything off possible with a knife and fork, I started pulling the remnants off with my fingers. However, in my own defense -
1)I asked my fellow barflies if they minded before doing so
2) Contrary to what you might hear, I did not pick up the bones and start to suck every last molecule off the carcass
You want the list of people I have seen do this? Without asking first? It's damn impressive.
BTW I do accept bribes of Ruta's chicken to keep my mouth shut or to spill the beans.
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On Christmas, the fights happen before people get drunk. The Busboys blew of Christmas dinner a couple of years ago to -- well, just to prove that we controlled tradition, not the other way around -- and celebrated what is now known in family lore as the Jewish Christmas at Mei Wah in Dupont. It was a mob scene and, though we had reservations and were relatively early, waits were long. Lot of yelling and angry stomping around near the hosts table: "Why did they get seated?" "What, did they pay you off?" "I've been here over an hour. (maybe some of them were a little drunk, after all) I want a table now."
Anyway, I'd reserve soon and go early or late, unless you're at a swanker spot than Mei Wah - which is no dive, by the way. Food was pretty decent, too.
Picture it: Christmas Night, 1998. Fong Lin Restaurant in Bethesda. The joint is packed with hungry nonChristmas type folk. Party of 7 shows up an half an hour early for their 7 o'clock reservation. At 7:10 they are seated. Family of 4, without reservations, who had been waiting an hour and a half and have no table in sight observe situation.
Father of the second family cannot find the maitre de to complain. Instead he approaches father of the first family. Less than adult words are exchanged. Slowly everyone in restaurant turns to watch the building excitement.
Father of second family moves threateningly towards father of first family. Chests are puffed and backs are straightened. Men prepare to defend their territory and fight for the last Hong Kong style wonton until the daughter in the first family loudly bursts into tears and runs out of the restaurant. The entire place goes silent.
You gotta love them holidays
(Hill, if you want to take part in a cross-cultural exchange, you can come to our house this year.)Hehehe, my mental telepathy made it across the park!
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Or you could do what the rest of us who think it's just another Saturday night.
Eat Chinese
Where ever you go make a reservation fast. I have seen grown men with multiple fancy degrees get into fist fights over tables that night.
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I assume the Grill is no more now that it's 11/30...right?
Would somebody find the last time Donna is going to fire up the grill. I have these dreams, shall we call them moist dreams, of going during winter break.
Otherwise one of you regulars is going to have to get some takeaway for me!
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I'm planning a soft re-entry from Thanksgiving at Palena tomorrow (Monday) night.
<cough cough> Happy Birthday
<cough cough>Enjoy your chicken!
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Wow, you people are all on the ball. I usually send out my Christmas cards when I start shopping... on the 23rd or 24th!
I'm looking forward to hearing about the weekend, too!
At least you send out the cards
Susan, I spent the day dealing with "behavior incidents" and fantasizing about your weekend. Good friends, good food, good view, sounds like paradise.
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That reminds me, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets is a sliding measuring spoon.
Also those big sliding measuring cups are handy dandy for measuring honey and stuff. You can buy them as a set with the measuring spoons here from Chef's Catalog
Just ordered my father's present for this year. They're on back order though
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Am I the only one that fully relies on Eastern Market for grocery shopping? I pick up some things (yogurt, triscuits) elsewhere, but Eastern Market fulfills all of my other needs unless I'm doing something really special. Yes, I'm paying a bit more, and I'm a slave to whatever they have available--but not only have I never been disappointed by my take, its fun! I cook a ton, go to the Market every week, and I love it. Let the corporate grocery stores have someone else's market share.
One good grocer, IMHO, is Schneiders in Silver Spring. Yum!
K
Growing up I thought everyone went to Eastern Market to shop. Why buy meat and chicken that has been prewrapped? You mean your poultry guy doesn't know you by name?
Now I make it down there a few times a month. I cook for one so despite the higher prices I end up saving money because I can buy exactly what I need. The fish place can be hit or miss though. I would rather go down to the Maine Market. Same for the produce, although Mr. P next to the bakery has pretty good fresh herbs in the middle of winter.
BTW, anyone notice they changed the direction of the Market Lunch line? I was there a couple of weekends ago and got excited when there was not a line. then I walked in and saw they are now snaked out into the parking lot
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Possible eGullet Outing at Mandalay
Candi-DATE: December 12th
Me thinks a certain forum host has too much time on his hands
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Yep
There was a semi private book signing last night at Les Halles. Afterwards Bourdain had dinner at the bar. Busboy (who along with the Mrs. gets all my love and devotion forever, not that he didn't have it already) and I had the excellent fortune of being invited to join him. We had a good meal and an even better hour of conversation.
His grillbitch, by the way, is great.
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He he he
Add two copies (mine and Busboy's) of Bourdain's Les Halles book to the list
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Made my first stew of the season. I tried to hold out until the weather really got cold but I just couldn't wait any longer
I braised some short ribs in fire roasted tomatoes and a cabernet-sauvignon with lots of shallots and garlic. I am trying to empty out my cabinets in preparation for a move and tonights dinner used up a ton of stuff. Only four more cans of tomatoes to go
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As for my breaking my no posting on the weekend policy. Well, I'm at work!
We were so incredibly well treated last night that words escape me. We were a motley party of 5 (with one joining later).
3 orders of spring rolls, 2 orders of goat cheese, an order of scallops, a round of pumpkin soup and a round of banana ice cream and many glasses of wine.
All I can say is that I think that next week, I might have to go down and start ordering spring rolls and have them keep coming until I can eat no more. Rissa's mom deserves to be sainted for this recipe.
Pumpkin soup like nothing you have ever tried before. Just perfect. The only problem is that now I don't think that I'll ever try to make pumpkin soup at home. I'll inevitably be disappointed.
It was great to meet Ferhat, Rissa, and Chef Tom. Kudos to the bartender (whose name I did not catch) for putting up with us.
I dreamt of the soup last night
Rissa's mother's spring rolls make the world a better place.
JPW, I am sure Peanut would fit on a bar stool. We'll bring a long a mini blender and get her started early on those spring rolls.
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful way to wind down from an exhausting week.
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That's a damn impressive looking stove you've got yourself there. I must say, raw pig tails may be the most phalic looking piece of meat I have seen in a while. The end result though, looks wonderful. Sigh.
What did you do with the leftovers? Find a way to sneak it into the kids lunch?
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Montmarte? Though I wonder how kid friendly they are.
How bout Trattoria Alberto's on Barrack's Row. It's nothing exceptional by any means, but they serve good familiar Italian fare.
Montmartre? You'd probably have to go early to get in with seven, but since the kids are coming maybe that's not such a bad idea anyway.
While I know the suggestion of Montmartre sounds like a good idea to them, neither of these men have children. Stretch will see the error in this idea in about 3-4 months. If it was the summer and you could sit outside, then maybe.
I second the Trattoria Alberto's recommendation. Good, simple Italian food. It was my parent's go to restaurant when I was little. The food won't blow anyone away, but it is close and can handle the kids.
I also second the Old Ebbit suggestion if you can get a reservation. The place gets much calmer when you get further back into the place near the building courtyard.
There is also the El Salvadoran place across the street from Trattoria. Good strong drinks, kid friendly. Go early enough and you may have the place to yourself.
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I just had to bump this discussion back up.
I may have too-much-food-on-the-brain thanks to eGullet, but after watching last night's episode, I could swear the writers of the show just have to be eGullet lurkers/members.
Last night, among many of the food references, Lorelai actually mentioned Sookie brining either a turkey or a chicken in a molasses and salt water mixture. I just about did a spit-take with my decaf when I heard that. "Hey, that's eGullet talking!"
Alright, confess! Which one of you writes for the show?
edited to add: Can we get an eGullet Q & A with the writers? That'd be a hoot.
I had the same thought process
I end up hungry after each episode.
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My milk shake maker is the only gift from my Bat Mitzvah that I still use.
Go buy one. There is nothing better than a chocolate milkshake at 2 am in the middle of July. Or December for that matter.
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That's a shame. Haven't been in sometime. Why go now with Palena down the street? Cafe's just around the same price...
Think we can convince Ruta to open for lunch? Just for the burgers maybe?
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i did not like the sushi at all when i went there. everything else i had was decent.
I went with my mother for lunch last Thursday and am not sure I will go back any time soon. The entire experience, from the service to the meal, was horrid. And yes, we told the server and manager, but more on that later.
We started with the infamous ginger salad. I used to love this salad. The tang of the big slices of ginger balanced with the chopped peanuts is amazing. Not this time. I would call it bland peanut and cabbage salad with a few pieces of ginger thrown in because that is the dish's name. It was bland, limp, disappointing.
Next came the sushi and sashimi. I ordered chirashi, Mom had the sashimi. The fish was just plain old bad. Slimy and limp with a fishy smell. The seaweed that accompanied the sashimi smelled rancid. The wasabi was so bland that you could eat a spoonful and not blink and eye. I am not sure the last time I had sushi that was this awful.
When our server finally came over to check on us we mentioned, very politely I might add, that we were concerned with the freshness of the fish. She could have cared less. There was no apology, no explanation, no attempt to remedy the situation. She shrugged her shoulders and walked off.
On our way out we asked to speak to the manager.
Again we mentioned the low quality of the fish, the bland wasabi and the disappointing ginger salad. Instead of listening to our complaints she started arguing with us. In the front of the house, where every table was full, she proceeded quite rudely to tell us that other customers compliment her fish and we were wrong. Then she went on to imply that there was something wrong with us because we were not satisfied. She did not apologize for the lack of service nor the poor quality of food. Her interaction with us made it clear that the customer's opinion did not count.
It's a shame because I used to love the ginger salad. But it's not worth it anymore and they have lost a customer.
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Four cheese raviolini with vodka tomato sauce and a ton of Parmesan (couldn't taste the vodka
)Sautéed spinach with leeks, garlic, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan
Boyland diet cream soda (a rare treat)
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squashblossom and I were there a number of times last winter, including that rediculously cold few weeks we had in January. The last time I was there was at the end of my blog. She was the farm manager at New Morning Farm at the time and delivered their weekly wood supply for the oven. When we walked in the owner (can't remember his name) yelled ouy "It's the wood woman!"
Their oven fried parsnips are out of this world. The ultimate warm comfort food. I've tried to recreate it at home but have not had any luck.
If only the front half of the dining room didn't get blasted with outside air every time someone comes in.
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Little Nora -- then 8 -- said "Daddy, you should enter." Well, what could I do. I created a menu, told a slightly edited story on myself involving Bernaise Sauce and a Parliament-Funkadelic show and mailed off the application.
Her brilliance began early
Oh My God I Remeber This!!!!! Were you the one who had DC names for all of their dishes?
You lost because of the curls. If you had had the curls.....
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He's right, it's worth crossing the Potomac.
Everyone else is right about the crab ceviche, dragon fruit, oxtail tacos. Don't miss 'em.
Add the squashblossom quesadilla to the list of great dishes.
I had a hibiscus margarita that was excellent. Just a touch of sweetness to bring out the flavor of the flower.
We ended the meal with a pitcher of hot chocolate. It was agreed that this would be perfect after an afternoon of ice skating!
My only complaint is that many of the dishes such as the tacos and oyster ceviche have three servings. It makes sharing a bit hard. At different times in the evening three of us were gushing over the plate in front of us while the fourth sat and watched. It would be a great exercise in diplomacy the next time you are in the middle of major negotiations. You can have the third oxtail taco but I get the money I need for __________.
) and tacos are awesome!!!!
Childhood "Treats"
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Nah, I did the same thing but on Jewish Rye. In fact I spent a summer at sleep away camp where I had one at least once a day, but that is another thread.
Chicken skin, turkey skin, duck skin. If I was really lucky I got the tush of the chicken on Friday nights (I can't remember the Yiddish word for it).
Hoho's. Loved the hoho's. I remember when I realized I was finally old enough to buy them myself. Woo hoo.
My other one was a dip I would make out of sour cream, dill and dijon. It's great for veggies, etc. but I would eat it straight out of the bowl with my finger. yummmm