Robin Shuster
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Posts posted by Robin Shuster
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Anyone know where I can buy cardoons?
I don't offhand, but this is a great idea!
You could ask Galileo where they would source it.
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I am very fond of Two Amy's Pizzas. Bagels. It is hard to find good bagels anywhere here or NYC. There are good Chinese restos here -- and over the years I have had good Chinese meals in DC, but not at Meiwah.
[Robin Shuster,Dec 15 2005, 07:00 PM]Three proud generations of New York!
I suspected as much. All New Yorkers consider it their birthright to trash DC's bagels, pizza and Chinese.
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Three proud generations of New York! I am temporarily living just one block away while our house is being renovated... so I will have to try it again.
I've always found the whole menu quite passable if you stick to standards -- a pretty goo mu shoo for example -- and find the crispy whole fish quite tasty.
You're not from New York, are you?
Busboy, I have never managed to find a good dish at Meiwah. What are all those insiders eating there?
robin
(SNIP) On the other hand, will you get better Chinese at Meiwah, which is full of "insiders" eating at a reasonable price, or Full Key, than you will get Latin at Lauriol? Absolutely. Better Thai at Sala Thai, Thaiphoon or Rice than bacon and eggs at The Diner. Yes.
And, to Foodgeek's observations, I add that Straights of Malaysia -- opposite Lauriol Plaza -- is well regarded, and that Pho 75 (on Connecticut Avenue, near the Uptown Theater) can run with some of the better places out in Fairfax (though Viet Royale, in Eden Center, is my favorite).
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Busboy, I have never managed to find a good dish at Meiwah. What are all those insiders eating there?
robin
(SNIP) On the other hand, will you get better Chinese at Meiwah, which is full of "insiders" eating at a reasonable price, or Full Key, than you will get Latin at Lauriol? Absolutely. Better Thai at Sala Thai, Thaiphoon or Rice than bacon and eggs at The Diner. Yes.
And, to Foodgeek's observations, I add that Straights of Malaysia -- opposite Lauriol Plaza -- is well regarded, and that Pho 75 (on Connecticut Avenue, near the Uptown Theater) can run with some of the better places out in Fairfax (though Viet Royale, in Eden Center, is my favorite).
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I would like to see more on the farmers markets -- what's really in season locally and how to cook, first of the market, last chance to get tomatoes, interviews with farmers, articles about how the drought is affecting what is available (ie tomatoes have a concentrated flavour and no tomato blight.... but the greens and salad seeds are not coming up) and more on the politics of food and agriculture.
I was glad to see the sous-vide article, but it should have been there a year ago.
I hated the new tasting panel. I much prefer to have two wine guys whose tastes I know than a bunch of Dips or philosophers of physics prattling on.
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se Bonaparte now sells at Farmers' Markets including Rose Park and Foggy Bottom on Wednesdays in DC and Chevy Chase on Saturday Mornings.
Finding a reliable supply of good bread is always a challenge. Places come and go, bakers change, and obviously it is a demanding day in day out job to keep up a high quality supply.My two current favorites are the bread from Bonaparte bakery in Savage Mill and the pain de campagne at the local Whole Foods. Bonaparte used to be sold at a caterers shop in my home town of Edgewater but they went out of the retail business and now I only get it on occasional trips out route 32 towards Columbia. The Annapolis Whole Foods pain de campagne is made in very large loaves. They cut you off a hunk and charge by the pound.
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Going to Budapest for 6 days and I'll be wandering around the city by myself during the day while my philosopher husband talks about quantum computers to other philosophers of science.
I run a farmers market in Washington DC and want to see local farmers markets in Budapest, excellent bakeries for great bread and pastry shops for Hungarian dessert I once tasted in Montreal in a Hungarian pastry shop == it was called Dobos, I believe, a chocolate dream plus other specialty food shops or kiosks or markets or stalls.
And yes, good places to eat (NOT Gundel, not downtown tourist traps).
Would also be interested in advice about going to the wine areas -- how far away by train?
And places that any Hungarian out there thinks I should definitely not miss. (Including getting on a bus/tram/train and going to a nearby town.)
Thanks.
Robin
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I just hope that the advertisers don't have a heavy hand at the Washingtonian. It seems to me that you don't hire Todd Kliman unless you want him to redo the Dining and Food section completely, but that said, the business side may weigh in heavily after a while.....
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I will be hanging onto my ibook to get all the details, Malawry.
We discussed logistics a little more this afternoon. We agreed to use the same chicken: small-to-medium Bell & Evans chickens from Whole Paycheck. I will be brining mine in a salt-water solution and then drying it in the fridge overnight before bringing it to the Busboys' for final touches and roasting. I plan to rub it inside and out with an herb butter (no garlic, just butter salt and herbs) and stuff it lightly with some herbs and a couple lemon slices. This is my usual technique.Picking up on Robin's suggestion (sorry you can't make it!), we're doing three chickens total. I'm handling the brined bird, Busboy is using the Zuni method of salting but not brining overnight, and then I think Mrs. Busboy is making the Busboy Family Classic chicken which is not salted until just before cooking. I do not know what other ingredients the Busboys will be using in their chickens, but we agreed that one of them (the Zuni one) would be garlic-free--and I expect to see similar flavorings. (Right, Busboy?)
I'm happy to settle on the fresh herbs. I always use thyme, sometimes with parsley in the herb butter and sometimes with rosemary in the cavity.
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Wish I could be there, but I will be watching closely from my computer in France.
Meanwhile, some suggestions for ingredients: Fresh chickens from Cibola (Falls Church), and for the ice cream: milk or cream from Blue HIghlands at Dupont or Arlington or Takoma Park, Grass Fed eggs from Cibola at Mt Pleasant or Dupont.
I had making Zuni Cafe chickens all winter with Cibola chickens and they are very flavorful. I will be very interested in the results of the brining vs salting cookoff. Maybe you need to compare 3 chickens: brined, salted overnight and Stephanie"s.
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We ate at Golden Szechuan tonight for the first time and had very good food: very sweet, very fresh steamed butterflied Alaskan shrimp (candy striped pink and white) with garlic and scallions over rice noodles. Mapo dofu with beef, strangely, but very custardy and perfectly sauteed-steamed pea shoots with garlic. All very well prepared.
I like Golden Szechuan as well, but the last few times I was there it wasn't up to par, hence the reason that I'll now drive to Richmond.I've been meaning to organize a Szechuan night just haven't gotten it together with all the other events, also wanted to do some off menu tasting before this. Also somehow this seems like a good winter event, I'm leaning towards Oct. or Nov. unless someone else beats me to it, I'm happy to do this at either Golden Szechuan or Ba Guo Bu Yi, don't think I can afford the new place ...
If anyone is trying the Hainanese place at the foot of Main, let me know - I can bop down there for a lunch or meet up with a willing crowd for dinner.
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Try Waterpenny and Potomac Vegetable Farms. They have very good quality veg and they also sell at Takoma Park on Sundays so you can talk to Rachel or Hiu there. They may also know of any newer farmers who have open shares.
40-987-8567
waterpenny@freewwweb.com
Also:
Potomac Vegetable Farms
Hiu Newcomb
9627 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22182
Finally, try these http://www.vabf.org/csa.php
Robin
I know this has been discussed somewhere before, but I could not find a thread. Anyway, I was thinking of signing up for a CSA this year. Overall I remember that folks have been please with the service and was wondering if anyone has any specific information about Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA. -
A New Zealand ex chef (now professor of philosophy) gave me his recipe for Nettle soup over the weekend. He said to first sweat nettles in a large fryng pan until soft, then remove the softened nettles from the pan and chop them into pieces. Add the chopped nettles to a pot, with salt, pepper, chicken stock, a little white wine and simmer until very soft. Puree and finish with a bit of cream.
He also said that sauteed nettles were delicious as a vegetable and great with cheese.
But what to do with nettles? They're coming up all over my yard. Some great ideas would be very much appreciated. I know they're supposed to be delicious, but have never had the nerve to try them.
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I bought tiny carrots thinner than pencils with baby turnips from Tree and Leaf yesterday at Mt Pleasant. Stewed them with green onion and butter from South Mountain Creamery a little bit of water, covered, and then finished with chopped tarragon from Truckpatch.
Anybody have a particularly good strawberry and rubarb recipes? Both are in season.
I am proposing a thread on the seasonal produce of our local farmers markets -- and what we are doing with it. I think this is different enough from the existing thread on farmers markets to justify its own.For instance, Asparagus and Nettles are in season right now -- and I have been cooking asparagus 3 or 4 times a week. I think my favourite is roasted asparagus, just tossed in olive oil and roasted on a sheet in a 400 degree oven until tender.
But what to do with the tougher butt ends of two pounds of asparagus? I cut them into 1/4 inch rounds and sautee them in olive oil with local green onions, a clove of chopped garlic and chopped nettles (USE GLOVES). Salt. Then I add water or chicken stock and cook until all are soft, puree with an immersion blender for 4-5 minutes Serve with a swirl of olive oil and grated parmesan or pecorino. (Those 4-5 minutes with the immersion blender are key to the success of this)
All the veggie producers have asparagus right now, but I have only seen nettles at Wheatland at Mount Pleasant and Dupont Circle.
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Try using the green parts in a garlic/green onion pesto.
I also like using the green of garlic, green onion and leeks chopped and sauteed in olive oil with chopped fennel stalks, add water and cook until soft, puree for soup. Which is what we had for dinner tonight.
My basket today contained spring oinons and garlic. Aside from using these the same way you would regular onions or garlic, what else can I do? What about the green parts?Tomorrow night my asparagus (and some fresh ricotta) from the Arlington Market is going to serve a higher purpose as part of Asparagus and Ricotta Ravioli from the Babbo cookbook.
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I am proposing a thread on the seasonal produce of our local farmers markets -- and what we are doing with it. I think this is different enough from the existing thread on farmers markets to justify its own.
For instance, Asparagus and Nettles are in season right now -- and I have been cooking asparagus 3 or 4 times a week. I think my favourite is roasted asparagus, just tossed in olive oil and roasted on a sheet in a 400 degree oven until tender.
But what to do with the tougher butt ends of two pounds of asparagus? I cut them into 1/4 inch rounds and sautee them in olive oil with local green onions, a clove of chopped garlic and chopped nettles (USE GLOVES). Salt. Then I add water or chicken stock and cook until all are soft, puree with an immersion blender for 4-5 minutes Serve with a swirl of olive oil and grated parmesan or pecorino. (Those 4-5 minutes with the immersion blender are key to the success of this)
All the veggie producers have asparagus right now, but I have only seen nettles at Wheatland at Mount Pleasant and Dupont Circle.
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I am so glad you started this thread, Charles.
BTW, Toigo comes to Mount Pleasant as well when they are fully staffed with their stranded Czech workers who have not made it past the consular officer this year.
I like talking to farmers. Despite the fact that I am, at best, bleary-eyed and undercaffinated most weekend mornings, and that it's been damn near thirty years since my brief turn in the Ag trade, I inevitably find myself in conversation with the people on the other side of the folding table at the markets. And, while the conversations tend to begin with food, they tend to go off in any which direction after a while -- the rising cost of bribery caused by the dollar's decline; the relative benefits of the "Chinese bus" vs. the "Jewish bus" between Washington and NYC; market gossip; why there aren't any peas today (pickers hate picking them)....Not surprisingly, these folks are charming, fun, and know their stuff when it comes to dinner. I'm hoping to translate some of that into this thread: some combination of humor and wisdom, plus any encouragement I can generate for folks to get out and support our local farmers.
And, I'm hoping that some of you will pitch in, too. There's a lot of markets in the DC area, a lot of people that you know better than I. Get a camera. Find out why they chose a life that involves getting up so damn early every morning. Tell us about their products, and how to cook them. Talk about philosophy and history. Or whatever. People who choose to spend their lives bringing food grown with passion and extraordiary care into our back yards usually have something interesting to say. Let's make sure they get heard.
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You should tell them that you would prefer yougurt that is less sweet and not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or any other kind of corn syrup or dextrose which it is now.
They need to hear that from the customers because they are contemplating a change in the recipe.
So, do call and tell them or leave a note with your empty bottles.
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I would say it is about 80 percent the same as Kuna-. They wanted to make a clean break away from the Kuna menu, but the customers kept asking for old faves, so it is not much different than it was-- with higher prices.
I went to Tom's review of Opera (formerly Kuna) to see if Opera is open on Sunday nights. I remembered that Kuna was not. Although the review says "Sunday 6-9 pm" I figured I should call and sure enough, the outgoing voice mail says that they are closed Sunday. The voice mail also makes reference to "Opera, formerly Kuna" and "Italian farmhouse cuisine."I also saw an interesting user review dated March 17 saying that the old Kuna menu is back/coming back. Is anyone able to verify that (by a recent visit)?
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Great -- We should all go because they won't stay open if there are no customers! That area can be pretty quiet on Saturdays.
Do you have the url for the blog?
I just saw on the Breadline blog that they will now be open for lunch on Saturdays from 11am - 3pm. Hooray! -
No, it wasn't Samurai. They could not get in there, but I will find out when he returns tomorrow --because he was very impressed with the freshness of the fish.
Robin
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Thanks everyone for your recos. My father in law had his surgery two days ago (it was postponed by the hospital). It went very well.
Jeff went to Relish last night and emailed : We just came back from Relish It was OK, but nothing to recommend. I had a duck and goat cheese rissoto and Julian had a pork chop.
But he found a very good sushi place near the hotel the night before but does not remember the name. i will try to get it from him and post it.
Robin
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Did anyone mention Zaytinya yet? Although he would not want to skip the desserts there!
And for lunch, Breadline.
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I've never escaped Cashion's for less than $60. And I'm not sure about the parking situation - can anyone comment?
While most of the entrees or in the mid twneties, there are always one or two for 20 or under and some appetizers in the 9 or 10 dollar range. They don' t eat dessert. So I think Cashion
just makes his budget.
I might even subscribe myself.
Where Do I Get Stuff?
in DC & DelMarVa: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Busboy asked me the other day if I knew where to find Galangal. I saw some at the P Street Whole Foods last week....