=Mark

St. Louis is a surprisingly good foodie town! Check out Riddles Penultimate Cafe & Wine Bar, Duffs, Big Sky Cafe, and Arcelias. Also, Blue Water Grill, Mai Lee Vietnamese Restaurant, House of India (across the street from Mai Lee), Babalu's, King & I Thai and Balaban's Bistro 201. Is Bar Italia still open? I understand they moved then were bought by another establishment...

What's a DB Burger?

I've ben visiting the area on and off for over 2o years and agree that the shine has definately come off Georgetown. I understand the residents and businesses lobbied hard for there NOT to be a Metro stop as they felt that it would introduce an "unseemly" element into the neighborhood. As a result, there is no way to get there without a 20 minute minumum search for a parking space and subsequent parking ticket because you could not decipher the 4 paragraph parking signs (Parking only for earth colored vehicles with automatic transmissions on even numbered days in months that contain an "R" during the first and third phases of the moon...). As a result most of the folks frequenting the area are locals, panhandlers and bucket boys. The municipal income of the area seems to be fines for code violations by businesses and parking tickets. As a result any decent businesses have relocated elsewhere. It may be somewhat contrived, but in my opinion the type of atmosphere with shops, galleries and small ethnic restaurants you are seeking is more likely found in Old Town Alexandria

The obvious solution here: Attend and/or host an eGullet Potluck...

Photos! Photos!

Sounds like you've had some rude morning after awakenings in your day. Feel like a new man?

Here's the datas on the salsas. Most folks liked the red chile salsa or the Mango salsa. Everyone agreed that the Jose Madrid Salsa lived up to it's rating of "Stupid Hot" Jose Madrid Salsa Spanish Verde XX Hot (Stupid Hot) Tomatillos, Chiles (New Mexico), Green Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Onions, Water, Cilantro, Garlic, Vinegar, Spices, Green Chiles, Habanero Peppers, Salt Salsa Borracho The El Paso Chile Company Heat not rated Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Roasted New Mexico Green Chiles, Fresh Onion, Corn, New Mexican Red Chile Puree, TEQUILA NACIONAL Silver, Roasted Green Jalapeños, Fresh Garlic, Mexican Lime Juice, Chipotle Puree, Spices, Salt Zuni Salsa Verde Green Salsa Mild Tomatillos, Onions, Jalapeños, Cilantro, Garlic, Salt, Red Wine Vinegar Green Chile Salsa Garduno’s Chile Packing Company Medium Fresh Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Roasted Green Chile, Fresh Roasted Jalapeños, Fresh Onions, Fresh Roasted Garlic, Water, Spices, Modified Starch Roasted Red Chile Salsa Coyote Cocina Clear Cutting Heat (?) Fresh Red Chile, Red Bell Pepper, Apple Cider, Tomatoes, Onions, Vinegar, Red Jalapeños, Garlic, Sea Salt, Spices Mohave Mango Salsa Goldwater’s Taste of the Southwest Mild Mangos, Pineapple, Water, Fresh Onions, Tomatoes, Red Bell Peppers, Brown Sugar, Jalapeños, Evaporated Cane Juice, Distilled Vinegar, Sea Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Spices

I can do chips. Might get Blue and White corn, with red salsa it can get downright patriotic...

Um, lifes expectations have changed. I can actually make this. Is it too late? I can still do Salsas. Will November forgive me?

My son is coming out that weekend to look at colleges, so it looks at this point I'll not be able to make it. There is a chance schedules could change, they already have a couple times. November is not being good to me as far as eGullet events...

As I said, I can't make it, but I'm sure there will be other times. Am headed off to the land of no electricity today, catch you folks in a week...

Agreed. That's why I chose not to go into fire control in any detail. Add to that the fact that building codes in many cities prohibit more than a proscribed amount of woodsmoke from being discharged into the air. Is making it difficult for a lot of start up joints to find new venues.

There is no real mystique to BBQ, just patience and a basic understanding of the process as it relates to the item being cooked. The first major accomplishment is not to overdo the smoke (Well, actually the first accomplishment is fire control, but we'll stick to basics as if even electric or gas ignited pits are included... ), Many folks want to see clouds of wafting white smoke, but this will result in bitter creosote deposits. You want a nearly invisible bluish tinged whisp of smoke from a clean burning piece of wood. (Hence the term "blue smoke") Next you want to maintain a steady temp for the proper time, generally about 225f to 250f. Avoid opening the pit to "check" the process as you will lose heat. Finally, you want to be able to determine when the meat is done. Again, there is no mystique, but this is the area that takes the most practice and attention. For the most part FG is right in stating that the popular "falling off the bone" statement means to most BBQ enthusiasts that the meat is overcooked. This applies to ribs, brisket, poultry and most other meats. The main exception is the big hunks 'O pork used to make pulled pork. They are usually the hams, shoulders and picnics, but the best overall in terms of lean, fat and connective tissue seems to be the bone in pork butt, or Boston Butt. As it is slow cooked the fat renders out and the collagen breaks down into gelatin, both of which contribute to self basting and a tender, fall apart product. One can determine when a butt is done by inserting a fork and twisting it. Once it is done and allowed to rest for a half hour to 45 min. have at it with gloves or a couple forks, shredding it and removing any remaining bits of bone, fat or gristle. As far as woods, it is true that there are generally not as many subtle variations as often claimed, but there is a spectrum of intensities as to the strenth of the smoke produced. This can affect the maximum times that some woods can be used before the food becomed unpleasantly oversmoked. Maples, citrus woods and grapevine produce a lighter smoke, Fruit woods like cherry, apple and pear are middle of the road, and nut woods like hickory and pecan have heavier flavors. Note that all these woods can have the intensity of the smoke reduced as the proportion of burning coal to unburned wood increases. By the time the wood is completely turned into coals, the amount of time spent on the pit can be exceedingly long as is required for very large or tough pieces. This is where Mesquite wood appears. It is generally so strong that it cannot be used effectively unless completely burned down to coals. This is how the 6 to 14 hour mesquite smoked brisket is achieved. Once these factors are understood, it does not take more than 2 or 3 sessions before the amateur BBQer is producing BBQ better than 95% of the commercial joints out there. Notice I have not even talked about sauces or rubs. To start out it is best to avoid either until you get a handle on smoking the meat itself.

That's the same week as the Indian dinner. Won't be able to do that due to the conference we're hosting.

Well, any day but that one... I'll be cooking on a wood stove in the mountains of West Virginia...

chopjwu12, have you considered hosting an eGullet event at Nicholas?

I'm game. Any day is fine.

Do you not eat when planning conferences? A dinner break is always good. Will bring you back at your desk all restored.

As far as the super hot sauces I prefer Mild to Wild's Backdraft Hotsauce. Jim Campbell grows and processes his own chiles and is one of few growers licenced to grow Red Savina Habaneros, the hottest! This sauce really packs a wollop, but does not have the "singed cat hair" aftertaste that many of the extract based sauces have.

Ack! Putting together a major conference that week. Oh well, just wait till the next one...

Not really, Red Bank is a 5 minute drive for me, so pretty much any new establishment is notable. Have not actually been in the Internet Cafe as I don't figure the food at a place that mainly caters to net geeks with no home access is likely questionable... Besides there are like 70 food establishments in town to choose from...

Sorry I took so long to get to this, I was in Arizona for the last week. If you are interested in live jazz you might look into Downtown Cafe at the intersection of Broad St. and Front St. (It's accross the street from the Internet Cafe). They have live jazz & blues pretty much every night.

There's a contingent on the ChileHeads list that swear by bananas to knock down the heat...

My Shrimp and Pesto Ravioli with sauteed shitakes and shallots and sherry cream sauce, even though it lacks culinary relevance...

What bothers me about Sogno is that they nickel and dime you to death with sides and starch being sold a la carte. $5 for a potato with a $25 entree? You'd think for $25 they could drop a potato on the plate. $4 for sauteed spinach? Ill bet they charge you for tap water and ice at 25 cents a cube...