eunny jang

Ran down to Firefly from my apartment 5 blocks away. Arrived flushed and hot. Sated thirst with pink sparkly stuff. Then had some not-so-pretty but delicious white stuff. Too much of both. Knocked over one of those top-heavy barstools about 2.5 glasses in and looked smashed when I'm actually just a clumsy clod Was appropriately mortified. Interesting conversations all around. Magically-appearing plate of oysters with a killer remoulade. Magically-appearing eGulleteers showing up out of nowhere. Fun fun. Have fun with your parents, and happy birthday in advance!!

Phew! Fun times, people.

I'll hopefully be there a little bit after five thirty

No sweet sweet potatoes, ever. Butter, salt, and pepper. Tabasco sometimes. Blue cheese sometimes. Garlic, chili powder, cumin, ANYTHING but cinnamon and sugar. That said, can someone explain to me the difference between a sweet potato and a yam and the reason why they're mixed up so often? I've read it a million times but it's never "stuck", and I always end up buying the wrong thing at the store, either because they've mislabelled it or because I'm absent minded.

I've never been to Firefly and I'm a wine idiot. But I'd love to stroll down if someone will hold my hand a little.

Now you're just being coy. Spill...

It was an interesting project, but I don't know that I'd do it again, though I suppose with cubes of pho demiglace and appropriate meat in the freezer, one could keep a supply of "instant pho" around. Hmmm. Must think about this. The broth is VERY gelatinous (to be expected, I guess) - the Gladware I chilled the leftovers in is a giant, quivering mass of jelly right now.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the finished broth will need doctoring, certainly with fish sauce (nothing too harsh - something round and rich-tasting) and maybe some sugar, depending on the sweetness of the daikon you used. Be forewarned that your entire home, and the entire floor of your building if you live in an apartment, will smell like pho. Not that that's a bad thing. Edit: no, the brisket's for Sunday's project, which is, like, the diametric opposite of yesterdays.

I never noticed an asian market when I lived in Mt. Pleasant...sounds interesting.

hmmm. 5lbs of neck or shin bones that look good and red inside (makes for lots of scum but I don't think I'd trust a bone that wasn't). Salt, sear (roast if you can't imagine beef stock without doing so). Boil with two gallons of water for a couple hours. Skim compulsively - there will be a disgusting raft of thick, solid foam that forms every ten minutes or so. Add two pounds of oxtail, three or four slices of star anise; a couple inches of ginger, smashed and sliced; two or three whole cloves; a stick of cinnamon; some whole peppercorns; one smallish daikon sliced up, and three onions, quartered. Simmer - not the slow bubble you'd do for clear stock, but a faster one (it doesn't matter if some fat gets amalgamated into the liquid). Cook for four or five or six or seven hours. Skim, strain and degrease. Soak rice noodles till soft, arrange in a bowl with paper-thin slices of brisket (easier if you freeze first), white onion, and scallion. Pour boiling-hot broth over. Watch the brisket cook. Feel totally fulfilled and yet like you just wasted your whole day.

my pho Exactly what I needed. Confidential to you pho naysayer out there, who insisted pho can't properly be made at home: It was awesome. Wish you had been there. Although, in retrospect, it seems kind of silly to sweat over a cauldron of $20 worth of neckbone and oxtail (that's a LOT of neckbones) for eight hours when Pho 75 gives you a giant bowl of something that tastes just as good for $5.75 five minutes after you order it

Pho shizzle A seven-hour stock of beef neckbones, oxtail, onions, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, fish sauce, and daikon for sweetness. Compulsively skimmed and degreased. Rice noodles, paper-thin slices of fat brisket, more onions, scallions; boiling broth ladled over at the last second. Some summer rolls in the background; they look like they were mostly carrot, but they were beatiful and shrimpy and tasty, I swear! Condiments: quick nuoc cham, sweet chile-garlic sauce, quick peanut sauce, hosin sauce. Garnishes: holy basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges. It was really, really good, but I can't see ever making pho at home gain - it seems silly to invest eight hours and $20 worth of meat when Pho 75 down the street dishes up an equally tasty bowl for $5.75.

Yes, yes, yes! Roast squash in 1/2 inch cubes, make the risotto with a really good chicken or veal stock, and stir in the squash along with plenty of fresh sage and cheese. Man, oh man.

Try it by first coating the tuna steak in a runny paste of sesame oil and wasabi powder (taste it first; this stuff packs a punch that isn't softened much by cooking). The seeds will nestle down in the paste and the whole thing will turn into a thick, crunchy crust. Do it with mayonnaise if you're really having trouble.

You guys are awesome. Watch this space for a top-secret field report.

PHO TONIGHT IF IT MEANS I HAVE TO INVADE VIETNAM

The Raven. The Raven. The Raven. Say it with me. The Raven. Close your eyes. The Raven. Breathe deep. The Raven.

oooooh, bourdain! my knickers are all atwist! my smelling salts, someone, please! <gag> cool. i'd go (if obnoxious children are allowed)

Hear, hear. My knowledge of ethnic groceries is Korean-skewed, but you'll find Lottes, Han Ah Rheums, Grand Marts and Super Hs scattered all over the region (I would venture to say that if you're in the city, or Montgomery, Alexandria or Fairfax, a large, clean ethnic super is no more than a 15 min drive away). They vary from incredible (Han Ah Rheum and Lotte) to dingy and a little scary. The produce, meat and fish tends to be good-looking and cheap (almost 100% of the time waaaaay better than Giant or Safeway), with some weird stuff that makes you look twice and wonder how you could use it. Bonus points because, though ostensibly grocery stores, you'll also be able to buy pretty plates and bowls, cooking equipment, cool super-tailered clothing ripped off from Korean designers (watch out though, they rarely have sizes larger than an American 4), teeny tiny electronics from Asia, newspapers, books, jewelry, and you'll be able to rent Korean videos

I didn't get my pho either. Ate some really bad crap at 11pm at Trio instead. The exact opposite of the pho-nomenal dinner I was hoping phor Pho places have to close early. Do you think the ubiquitous ancient couple that seems to do the cooking in all of them are superheroes? The tiny little grandmothers bubbling the stockpots back there get tired early. That said, Pho Tay Ho in Bailey's Crossroads seems to be open till 9, sometimes 10. I wish someone would open an all-night pho joint, preferably next door to my apartment - imagine how packed that would bet at 2am.

Had every intention of making pho and summer rolls (it's cold outside...but hot in my apartment). Bought, literally, ten pounds of neck bones, some oxtail, some paper-thin brisket, etc. etc. Left work early to get everything a-bubble. Got sidetracked and ended up eating three jalepeno poppers and one buffalo wing at 11pm at a dirty bar :angry: Oh well. Tonight!

Ah, now you've inspired/commited ME to have Pho tonight too. Jammed waaay too much junk in my craw last night. Restorative broth and a long relaxed run needed.

Sprinkle it in your bed and roll naked in it. <sigh> As long as we're being decadent, make a saffron aioli with eggs, or without if you're a purist. Either way, make it in a mortar and pestle. Pound a garlic clove to a paste with a little salt as an abrasive. Add an egg yolk (if using) and stir to combine. Add delicious olive oil, a drop at a time, until the emulsion is thick, stable and opaque. Add a pinch of saffron, crumbled and steeped in a few drops of hot water, only once the mayonnaise appears stable. Add more oil if you want; season with a stream of lemon if it needs it. Put it on potatoes, fish, eggs, breakfast cereal...

Top-secret classified project this weekend, codenamed Operation Overkill. I need a whole brisket - untrimmed, fat on, still vacuum wrapped from the slaughterhouse, the whole thing and not just the weenie point or flat you see idling in the display case at the grocery store. Anyone know where such a thing is available? Are there wholesale meat places 'round here? Where do I even begin on this quest? Who do I call? What shady man do I meet in a dark alley? I'm talking about 20 pounds of meat here, folks. Could anything be more important? I know this board is super restaurant-oriented, but I bet someone out there knows...

I have a cast-iron two-burner thing that has grill ridges on one side, a flat griddle on the other. I LOVE this thing - I've had it for just over a year, and it's got a nice, shiny black patina. Eggs slide around on it like they're hydroplaning; pancakes and bacon are no match for it. I love cooking chicken thighs and pork chops on it crusty and hot; something I can't typically do in my non-stick pans. It has wonderful heft, would break your foot if you dropped it. It fits perfectly over my two burners. It retains heat like you wouldn't believe. I love my griddle too