vengroff

I'm sorry I did not take detailed notes, but here's an overview. I began with Gruner Veltliner, which is my new favorite. I've been buying it wherever I see it. The Gevrey-Chambertin with the veal was perfect. I also had a nice Bordeaux with some cheese, and a peachy dessert wine with the lemon tart. I should have taken notes, especially since I had a pen and paper at the table for other reasons. A agree that the kitchen table looks like a great experience.

This week I had lunch at Michel Richard Citronelle to celebrate reaching a milestone at work. I will be going back next month for a dinner that has been planned for a while, but I thought I'd report on what's going on at lunch first. First of all, the main dining room, despite being one floor below ground level, is light, airy and welcoming. Fruit adorns the tables. The entire kitchen is on display behind a giant glass window on one side of the dining room. Directly behind the glass is the kitchen table, which can be reserved for a special prix-fixe dinner. During the day, it serves as Michel Richard's office. He was at the table in a bright hawaiian shirt through most of the lunch service. On the other side of the dining room is the glass enclosed wine cellar supervised by eGullet's own Mark Sommelier. It is home of what I suspect to be the deepest and broadest collection in town. Most of the big blockbusters are drunk at business dinners during the week, but there are plenty of excellent date wines for the weekenders. Mark also keeps a good selection of large format bottles, ranging up to 6 litres, for large parties. Lunch began with an amuse of crispy cigars filled with a duxelles of meaty wild mushrooms. The first big highlight of the meal was a very clever oyster shooter, layered like a pousse cafe with tomato water, oyster, cucumber puree, and osetra caviar. It was a really brilliant little dish with a perfect finish of fresh tomato and briney oyster. The soup course was a peanut soup. I probably would not have selected it had it not been on the tasting menu, as my expectation was that it would be a little heavy for the warm weather. But it was not. I was very pleasantly surprised by the light gingery Thai-influenced peanut soup poured over wild mushrooms and chopped peanuts. It was really smooth, and remarkably light and refreshing. Potato-crusted salmon was a much more sophisticated version than my recipe. The fish was bright red and perfectly cooked. It was served with thick heads of asparagus, a mushroom sauce, and tiny potato croutons. The mushroom sauce may have been just a tad too strong for the fish, but otherwise I enjoyed it. Veal osso bucco was the savory standout. The tender braised meat with baby carrots and parsnips (I think) was topped with crisp fresh peas, haricot verts, and a carefully peeled roasted cherry tomato. The contrast between the meat and the vegetables was fantastic. Dessert was also exceptional. A deconstructed lemon tart was served with basil sauce and topped with fresh fruit, including an inspired selection of kumquat slices, and cubes of merengue. All in all, a very enjoyable way to spend a lunch hour (or several). Service was attentive and professional, and wine suggestions were spot on. I can't wait to go back for dinner and see what else comes from the kitchen. Everything about Citronelle is on the absolute highest level I have seen in DC, and I haven't even seen the dinner service yet. The only other place I would give similar all around marks is Maestro.

It sounds like those "hot table" ratings heavily weigh the design, ambiance and crowd. That's what the three DC choices you listed absolutely share. Both Zaytinya and Ortanique are also good places to eat. Zola I think is more about the bar than the dining room--although the new chef is supposed to be changing that.

My favorite camping breakfast is pancakes (pre-mix the dry ingredients at home, including dried egg and milk if you are backpacking) topped with stewed dried fruits like apricots, peaches, apples and/or cherries. To drink it's instant coffee with hot chocolate mix added in--both at full strength for a good double jolt.

Nobody mentioned Grillfish. I had never heard of this place until I stumbled across their web site yesterday. According to the site it started in Miami and then expanded to Boston and DC. It looks to me like there is some risk it could be the Chili's of seafood. But they do claim to specialize in grilled fresh fish. Anyone been? Any comments? Worth a try?

One way to do it is experimentally. Caffeine detection is a fairly standard experiment in high school and college Chemistry classes. Here is a link to a PDF lab assignment from Brown University.

Ah, but it's pronounced, SHEEK-alicious. Maybe that'll help. Or not. Sheek-alicious. Aha, Middle Eastern Food. I should have said whenever I read the name. Or was it braised veal cheeks you were thinking of?

Here is a recipe for New Mexico Enchiladas.

Think of a stack of pancakes, but made out of blue corn tortillas instead. Then put chile, cheese, and/or meat between the layers, and a green chile sauce. A New Mexican version of lasagna, perhaps.

When I think of New Mexican food, I think of green chiles as a primary ingredient, not just a spice added to a dish whose primary ingredient is meat or beans. If you order a bowl of chile some places in New Mexico, you get a stew of chile peppers, no meat, no beans. Chile rellenos is another good example. Those stacked enchiladas are great, especially with a fried egg on top.

New Mexico Enchiladas Serves 2 as Main Dish. The following intro is from the usenet version of this recipe: This is the way my grandmother and aunt made enchiladas; I haven't lived in New Mexico myself, but that's where this recipe came from. 1 lb ground beef 1 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp salt (or use more or less to taste) pepper 1 tsp chili powder (to taste) 1 T flour 4 oz tomato sauce 8 oz water 2 corn tortillas 2 eggs vegetable oil 1 c shredded lettuce 1 large tomato, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 5 oz cheddar cheese, grated (1) Sauté the beef over medium heat until it has lost its raw red color, chopping it with the edge of a spoon into small pieces as it cooks. Add the garlic and spices and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and chili powder to taste. Remember that the flavor of chili mellows as it cooks, although it won't get less hot. (2) Add the flour to the meat mixture and stir well. Add the tomato sauce and water. Simmer gently (uncovered) for about 45 minutes, until it has thickened and the flavors are blended. (3) Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, until it sizzles when a bit of tortilla is dropped in. Soften the tortillas briefly in the oil, one at a time, about 5 seconds on a side. (Turn with tongs, being careful not to tear them.) Drain on paper towels. (4) Prepare another small skillet with a small amount of oil in the bottom, enough for frying an egg. (5) Assembling the enchiladas requires you to keep track of several things at once. Start an egg frying for each enchilada. Make sure that the yolk is cooked soft, not hard! Put one tortilla on a dinner plate. Cover it with a medium-thick layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle chopped onion and grated cheese on top. Sprinkle lettuce and chopped tomato around the edge. Top with another tortilla. Cover with more meat sauce, sprinkle more onion and cheese. Now top with the fried egg and serve immediately. NOTES You can also make single-decker enchiladas, for people with small appetitites. Omit the second layer of tortilla, meat, onion and cheese, but don't forget the egg. If you make single-deckers, you will need twice as many tortillas and twice as many eggs, but the same amount of the other ingredients. Original usenet citation: CONTRIBUTOR Vicki O'Day Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA hplabs!oday Path: decwrl!recipes From: karen@silvia.berkeley.edu (Karen Kerschen) Newsgroups: mod.recipes Subject: RECIPE: Enchiladas sabrosas Message-ID: Date: 14 Nov 86 02:12:38 GMT Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM Organization: EECS Dept., Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, Calif., USA Lines: 113 Approved: reid@decwrl.UUCP Copyright © 1986 USENET Community Trust Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the USENET copyright notice and the title of the newsgroup and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the USENET Community Trust or the original contributor. Keywords: Mexican ( RG558 )

I would love to eat freshly caught fish like what you described. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a practical thing for a city dweller like me to do on a regular basis. Maybe I'm wrong. If you can show me a way to reliably catch my own fresh fish for less than $6/lb, including the cost of my time, I'm extremely interested. I guess I'm also at a disadvantage because none of my friends have boats, and I don't have a kid.

Have you tried the Santa Fe Cafe in Arlington? They cook with green chiles. It may be what you are looking for. Red Sage does high-end southwestern, with some New Mexican dishes. But I have not personally been thrilled by it.

Very topical. This brings yet another thread into the mix. Scroll down until you start seeing pictures like this one: Edit: But do serve the skin. It's crisp and delicious.

Think vienna sausages.

There are two completely different species that are sold under the name kingfish. One is a big mackeral and the other is a big whiting. It should be obvious which of the two you are being offered by the darkness and oiliness of the flesh. Dark and oily is the mackeral type, white and sweet is the whiting type.

The selection of whole fish is pretty limited, so don't get your hopes up too high. They almost always have whole farm-raised trout, but they normally only have one or two other species at any given time. The rest is all fillets, although some of them are quite nice. They do get wild Alaskan salmon in season. I agree the meat counter is nice. Also, just because something is not on display doesn't mean they don't have it. I once asked if they ever carried quail, and one of the butchers went in the back and brought out some frozen ones for me. D&D is still the place for cheese and chocolate, though.

Whole Foods at 14th and P St. NW. I as I walked past the fish counter it poked its head up out of the ice and said, "grill me!" I had no choice in the matter.

Halloumi is a mild salty sheep or goat milk cheese from Cyprus. Some halloumis resembles feta, others are more like mozzerella. It is usually shipped in blocks floating in brine, sometimes with mint or other herbs added. Good halloumi has a waxy texture and can be grilled to form a nice crunchy crust before the interior melts too much. This is the traditional way to serve it. It can also be rinsed and then marinated before grilling to add whatever flavor is desired.

Thanks, ollie. I try to go by look and feel more than time, but I'd say it went about 5-7 minutes on each side over medium-hot coals. You can tell it's ready to flip by putting your finger in the body cavity. As soon as it is warm, the bottom side is cooked and it's ready to turn over. This particular fish was just over two pounds and maybe two inches thick at the thickest point. As far as prep, the fishmonger scaled and gutted it and removed the gills. I also asked him to clip off the fins and pack it up with some extra crushed ice. All I did after that was pat it dry, cut four vertical slits on each side and rub it inside and out with olive oil and a little lemon juice. Next time I'm going to try to find a local source for fresh sardines. I'll stuff them with thin slices of softened garlic and then grill for just a minute or two over hot coals.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will definitely try to make it up I-95 to Black Olive and Dmitri's. I might even try to get to that place in Turkey, but only if you can guarantee your Dutch friend will still be there. In the end, we decided to do something closer to home. We found a tiny 48 square foot ultra-exclusive place called Taverna Vengroff. It's so close to home, in fact, that it's my back porch. Dinner for three began with an assortment of Mezze. These included baba ganouche, hummus, grilled Cypriot halloumi, and assorted Greek olives. From there, we moved on to a main course of grilled black sea bass, with asparagus and grilled tomatos. Here's our meal on the grill. This was the first time I've grilled a whole fish without a basket. Instead, I put the fish on a pre-heated and well oiled grill. It worked out pretty well. Sticking was minimal, and I was able to seperate the crispy skin from the grill with a standard fish spatula. The rectangular mini-grids are key for the asparagus. They let you move it all around at once, and prevent it from falling through the wider gaps in the main grill. And here is our meal at the table. It was straight from the grill with just a drizzle of EVOO. And it didn't last long. We served it with an inexpensive dry white from Crete that we picked up at Schneiders.

They do carry some Masi wines, but off hand I don't recall which. I would suggest giving them a call to see if they stock, or can get, the one you want.

Here are a couple of close-ups from the Litteri lunch: Olive salad with crispy carrots and cauliflower: The crusty bread makes the sandwich: Next time I'm going to go for Prosciutto ($1 extra) and fresh mozerrela.

You're right slkinsey--it wasn't continuously open. It may be hard to find many places that made it through prohibition intact. The '21' Club perhaps?

I don't know if Delmonico's is the oldest, but it's been around since the mid 1800's. Many of the menu items currently served have been around for years. It tends to get very mixed reviews from modern diners.