hillvalley

You need new friends. Yanyu and Meiwah may be our two best spots, the one uptown in Cleveland Park, the other down in Foggy Bottom/Dupont (if you get a chance to subway in from Crystal City). I went to the Peking Gourmet Inn, once, for their signature Peking Duck. Bush 1 liked the place so much (as you hinted) that they installed bulletproof glass in the place glass window for securtity reasons. Marc's Duck House in Arlington is about a 10 min. drive from Crystal City if you have access to a car. Great Peking duck. It is a good bet for New Years. Do Yanyu and Meiwah do New Year's menus? They aren't what come to mind when I think of traditional Chinese cuisine. I know very little about how to celebrate the Chinese New Year. What foods are eaten?

For brunch on New Years I made caviar omlettes. The caviar was from Tennesse, but I don't remember what kind. I think it was sevruga. Anyway, some of the caviar inside the omlette turned from black to red. This has never happened before. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know why? I was impressed with American caviar, but this has made me a bit leary.

I am completely addicted to the stuff. I just discovered it this summer. My favorite is vanilla and mango. Can you get the bubbles at Asian markets?

What about credit cards? I can't imagine the ATM's being closed for 3 days in the US.

There was a MASH episode where Colonel Potter talks about taking a pot of boiling water out to the field and eating corn that hasn't been picked yet. I've always wanted to try it. For me it is proscuitto and parmasean. If it's not from Italy, I won't bother. Eggs that were laid a few days ago (I live in the city so that is as fresh as I can get them) are a close second.

I make a salad with shredded white cabbage, jullienned carotts, peanuts and chopped gari. The dressing is rice wine vinegar, a little bit of soy sauce and some mirin. I don't have any measurements, sorry. It's just a make it up as you go sort of recipe. I also put a few pieces of unpeeled garlic into my chicken broth when I am sick.

Who knew you could get a pastrami sandwich in Japan? That's a riot. Does it come on rye bread with mustard? I have one last question. What food do you miss that you can't get or just isn't the same over there? Thank you again for your blog. I am sorry to see it end, I have learned so much. The pictures were great!

I just returned from a short visit to Bethany. The only meal we ate out was at the Purple Parrot. Unfortunately our meal on New Year's night was not as good as SWoody's. We should have been suspicious when there was only one person to wait on tables and serve as hostess/bartender for the whole restaurant, which was full. Since it was Thursday night the diner menu was available. Of the three main courses we ordered, only the fish and chips are worth mentioning. Actually, they were terrific. The batter was good and the fish were perfectly fried. The french fries has seasoning on them and were also nicely fried. Our other two dishes, the grilled pork chops and open faced turkey sandwich, were a nightmare. The porkchops had good flavor, but were very dry. They were paper thin and grey. The open faced turkey sandwhich looked like it came from a cafeteria. The bread was toasted but so thin it disingrated under the gravy. The turkey was deli meat turkey, not inidivual pieces. They gravy isn't worth mentioning. Both dishes came with mashed potatos that might have been good if they weren't ice cold. I hope our visit was a fluke because the atmosphere was fun and there seemed to be potential in a few dishes.

That's awful, I am so sorry.

When I first got FN a few years ago I was completely addicted. Now it has settled down. One of my "foodie dreams" is to eat an Iron Chef type meal prepared by one of the chefs. Yes, I know Morimoto has a restaurant in Philly, just haven't made it there yet and he probably wouldn't be preparing it anyway. Frankly, he was my least favorite chef. There were many dishes he made that just looked awful. Anyone remember the natto and cola? Ugh.

Princesses Kristin and Helen, thank you for a fabulous blog and answering all of my questions. I have learned so much. We certainly ended our blogging of '03 on a great note, from ronnie through now! I hope everyone has a happy, safe and delicious New Year!

The power of suggestion...I am off to Parkway before I begin my road trip! Cornbeef and pickles, here I come.

Does this mean that there won't be Valentine's day colored M&M's? They are my favorite!!! Going to have to use skittles this year when I teach fractions. Oh well....

How long is the max shelf life for coffee and steamed milk? You see it sitting there sometimes and start to wonder.....

I'm glad I am not the only one!

Thanks! I can hardley wait.....

I had brunch with my sister there the weekend before halloween. It was as crowded as ever. The waiters haven't changed either! They have great combo plates with half a wafle, which is perfect for me and the milkshakes are great. Thick and full of flavor. We got plastic spider rings with our check, which was rediculously low for the amount of food we ordered.

Stomach thing...you don't want to know the details but it has been 25 days since I last ate a normal meal. Tomorrow night it is oysters, caviar, steak and lobster! The meal is almost worth going through the past few weeks.

I just changed my cauliflower dish for tomorrow night.

I am having my first real meal in a month tomorrow night and one of the main courses will be steak. I have been day dreaming of this meal for about two weeks now.

what would you like to know? Last year the Washington Post had an article about them. For the most part they were described as New Years desert cakes. Yet, earlier in this thread they were used in what sounded like a savory dish. Now I am totally confused. What are they made of and how are they used? Glad to hear you had a night out. How did the sleep over go? I love the gumbo and oyster restaurant. Oysters in DC no longer seem expensive compared to 10 for $45! A dozen oysters go for about $18 at a restaurant near the White House (Old Ebbitt). What great splurge though!

I am not much of a coffee drinker, but even I know the coffee doesn't deserve the popularity. I must admitt though that I am a big fan of their Vanilla Creme. It's hot chocolate made with vanilla instead. I often bribe myself with them on cold mornings when I can't get out of bed. I was in London the summers of '99 and '00. It was absolutely disgusting how many Starbucks popped up in one year.

I feel like I am getting two blogs for the price of one! Could either one of you talk a little about mochi?

Wow, that must have been an amazing experience. The food looks absolutely beautiful. Congrats!

Fabulous blog Kris! The natto picture has my mouth watering. Is using a raw egg yolk common in Japanese cooking? Would you mind telling us how you learned to cook Japanese food and if your kids are more familiar with western food than others? What do they think of American food? Thanks! By the way, your cookbook collection is very impressive.