Gastro888

Ugh, don't even bother going. The one in Tenleytown smelled horrible and the one in Gaithersburg serves mediocre food. Donde esta Anita's?

Yeah, but talk to us when you've passed 25 and then we'll see. (just joking!) Look, it seems like every time you see one of these consumer reports on Chinese food, they're always bashing it. Our culture's been around for oh, 5000+ years and we didn't start getting obese until Western food was introduced in our diet. Hey, it's "dim sum" - touch your heart - not pound it to death by consuming elephant-sized quantities of dumplings.

I'd rather have pork fat than hydrogenated oils and whatnot any day! Pork fat...the secret to beautiful Chinese skin. ::LOL::

To answer origamicrane's question about seeing a fat person in HK, yes I've seen one before and they weren't a housewife over the age of 40. But they were wee lil' ones... The average size of a HK girl OR guy is like a 2. Last time I was there a few years ago as a solid size 8, I was considered fat. (Oh, the joys of my people...::rolls eyes::) Part of the reason why HK people are so slender is genes, part of it is the walking, the other part is diet including portion size. (I'm sure there are other reasons why HK people don't like curves on a woman but that's another thread.) I'd rather eat platefuls of har gow than a box of frozen Lean Cuisine.

If you have time on Saturday, go to the Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Street Festival) near the Federal Triangle Metro station. They'll have street food - tako yaki (octopus pancakes) , yakisoba, sushi, etc. I've never been - this year will be my first time - but I hear it's great fun. For brunch in Dupont I've been to Alero's (Tex-Mex) and it's good but I prefer Teaism for Sunday brunch. They have these gig-normous French Toasts on weekends only that looks soooo good. Never had them as I stick to my usual Salty Oat Cooky, Salmon Bento and Genmai cha selection. (Ok, I'm guilty - I change up my dessert selections...their desserts are very very very good.) Edited to add: Get the chocolate torte with green tea ice cream if you go to Teaism. You won't be disappointed. You can find the menu here.

Yeah, I also read the part about when he decided he wanted to become a chef... I like Maria's Bakery and Cafe on Rockville Pike. Yeah, it's Chinese and it's informal but it's the best we've got in the area for a HK "chachanteng". A cup of HK style milk tea and some pineapple buns does the soul good after a horrid day at work. They also do a great Chinese chicken curry with spaghetti. The curry has roasted potatoes and lightly fried dark meat pieces along with onions in a yellow curry sauce and comes with a plate of rice spaghetti noodles. Oh and they make the best crinkle cut fries. Dip 'em in the curry sauce and it's smashing. I know. Chinese. Crinkle cut fries. Odd but good!

Eggs & ginger! Lots of ginger must be used. But it must be finely shredded - whisper thin. None of this julienne business. (Who the hell does that to ginger anyways?! I digress...) We make it puply but watery - not thickened with cornstarch. It's great comfort food. My pops does it with white sugar. I wonder what it would taste like with cane sugar. Hmmm. Some ground beef or pork tastes great as well but this is one of the very few dishes this meat eatin' girl will take without any meat.

Momo Taro makes great sushi. They have a $1 special on Monday nights only. Cuban Corner is nice (if a lil' heavy).

If you're ever up the in Rockville area, get some pan fried dumpling/buns from prepared foods area of Kam San market. They sell 'em pretty cheap and they're soooooo tasty when they're fresh (best bet is on a weekend morning or weekday lunch if you're working in the area). It's kinda like a hybrid "xiao long bao"/dumpling/bao thing - thicker dough than what a typical potsticker is but not as thick as a bao. The bottoms are nice and crisp and the tops are sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions. Oh, they do a great "been dan" (rice box) there. 3 items plus a large portion of rice for under 5 bucks. Man, I wish I worked nearby...

Ray's the Steaks My first dinner at Ray's was delightful! Here's what my friend and I ordered. Crab bisque Blackened Scallops Hanger steak, medium rare (me) Cajun rib eye, medium well (my friend) (on the side: 'Taters 'n spinach) Mushrooms Key lime Chocolate mousse Hot chocolate (Yippy, we got the hot chocolate!) The spiced cashews were a nice little treat - I had to stop myself from eating too much! The bread was good - great for sopping up the last of the soup. I must confess, I did strong arm her into ordering the crab bisque mainly 'cause I wanted to try some. She wanted to get the salad instead. (I'm sure he does salads well but C'MON! A salad?!) The scallops were divine. I want to go back and just have the soup and scallops for dinner one of these days. I really liked how my steak was done - it was a bit more on the rare of medium rare which was perfect for me. That hanger steak was juicy as heck, I tell you what. My friend's rib eye was flavorful and good - not great only because it was medium well. That's no fault of Ray's just me and my taste buds! The creamed spinach was sooo good! I liked how it wasn't overly creamy or too oily like some places. I could actually taste the spinach. 'Taters were yummy! My friend and I both commented on how lean the steaks were. Is corn fed beef more lean? That's great for those who like lean beef - I will ask our server the next time I go if I can get a piece that's a wee bit marbled (does he do requests?). Oh and the hanger steak leftovers tasted great the next day. Desserts were perfect - just the right portion size. The key lime was nice and tart and the chocolate mousse satisfied my cocco jones. My only thing with the desserts is that I'd like to have the key lime with more of that meringue (I think that's what it was) on the side - the small dollop wasn't enough for me. (Perhaps I'm a wee bit greedy.) The surprise of the night was that my friend's dessert was on the house because "the steak was overcooked". We were plesantly surprised at this extra bit of customer service. (FYI our server was great!) That was a nice touch! It's nice to enjoy a great steak in a casual setting without all the stuffiness associated with traditional steakhouses. I'd definitely go again. Edited b/c I can't spell to save my life...::sighs::

You must go to the Amish market for breakfast. They also have very good milk. As for Pepino's, the pasta dishes there are kinda fair to middlin'.

I heard Woo Lake Oak is pretty decent - that's near Crystal City. Honestly, if she just came back from South Korea I'd do the drive to Annadale. It's worth it!

Oh the chicken's special alright. I just love the burger and am hard-pressed to try something else. When I went for Saturday brunch, I did the burger AND the blini 'cause I couldn't NOT have the burger. Yes, it is that good and I only obsess a weeeee bit about the burger.

The burger is divine. Heaven on a plate. The salad's great as well but something about the world's perfect burger makes a girl's heart go pitter patter.

Annadale! Go to Sorak Garden in Annadale - it's very good. I like Il Mee Buffet but I've heard that it's Westernized (too much sugar used in cooking).

Pepino's is OK but if she gets a chance, tell her to go across 29 to the Amish farmer's market to get some milk, pretzels and other delicious things. They have the best breakfast in the area, IMHO. I love their pancakes. FYI, Kim's Hunan next to Pepino's makes decent potstickers.

Try using colored tape to ID what knives are yours if you can't find an engraver. One chef I know uses blue electric tape on the handle.

Thanks, bilrus! I'll reserve a flatiron for my friend, then. She would normally get a filet and I think she'd appreciate a nice butcher's cut instead. She doesn't like gristle or fat on her steak or "organy" things(opposite of me). I think I'll dive in with a ribeye. Hopefully I can burn off the calories the next day dragon boating on the river! (Ok, very un-foodie of me to say that but it is getting warmer...)::grin::

Oooh, interesting note about the flatiron, bilrus. So what exactly is the difference between the hanger and the flatiron? They're both butcher cuts with more flavor but then what? My friend recommended the rib eye for the tasty marbling...::sighs with happiness:: Blackened scallops are already on my radar as is the key lime pie. My steak's gonna be nekkid with some onions and mushrooms on the side. I wonder if I'll be blessed with a cup of hot chocolate? Then again, it's spring - not really hot chocolate season.

24 hours 'til my first Ray's experience! Woo hoo! I can't wait. Hopefully I can snag a hanger steak for my friend - it's her birthday dinner and I think she'd like it. It's better than the filet, no?

Silly question but for a good zha leung, should the yau zha gwai still be crisp?

And you wonder why 1 in 5 people is Chinese... I'll leave the reasoning to y'all imagination. (Laksa, I should've attached the quote.)

Dude, Pan, I've had the chicken leg from that cart. It WAS tasty but holy moly Ah Sook oversalted that leg. I felt like I was eating a tasty salt lick. I would say it's an egg based batter with curry powder. I'm telling you, that jar of curry powder holds the secret to goooood fried wings.

And you wonder why 1 out of every 5 people is Chinese...

What I used to do in my parents' carryout was take chicken wings, dust it with some flour, yellow curry powder (forgot the brand name...has the Taj Mahal on it) salt, white peper and sesame oil. Knock 'em a bit in the pot and then deep fry the babies for some wing heaven. Funny, I associated battered fried chicken with Western style not Chinese.