Gastro888

Go to Teaism in Dupont Circle (Asian fusion teahouse) for afternoon tea/snack. It's not highbrow but it's a nice cozy place to gather your thoughts. Try the chocolate torte and green tea ice cream dessert. It.is.divine.

Don't use sugar! Cantonese white sauces don't use sugar. Northern Chinese cuisine uses sugar in their sauces - alot of Chinese carryout places are run by Northern Chinese nowadays (instead of just mostly Cantonese) and so the typical Moo Goo Gai Pan of say 10 years ago has changed.

Saveur is a FANTASTIC restaurant. I ate there during the last RW and the food was divine. (Don't order the salmon though - my friend ordered it and it was good but rather plain) The shrimp cocktail is well done there and I had the shrimp and scallops with risotto. It's a cute little place. Just don't go there when it's packed - we went for an early dinner and as the night went on and more diners came, the noise level became unbearable b/c there's no carpet or drapes to absorb sound.

I prefer the colored ones (hand over the green ones, buddy!) and I'll eat the white ones last. I hate it when you go to places and they have the shrimp chips already pre-fried and dump them on top of the Cantonese Fried Chicken instead of making them fresh. Next time you order this dish, try taking a shrimp chip, placing a chicken skin on top of it and sprinkle it with the "wah yem" (the salt that comes with it). Oooh. Heaven!

Drove by the PC last Thursday around 2pm. No line, no crowds. I guess the only time to go is during off-hours. It's great they have a branch up in Montgomery County!

Bacon fat rules. God, I want some cracklins now.

I soak my morels ever so briefly in salted water. Ain't eatin' a worm unless there's money involved.

So far I have not found it in the US. I had it in Taiping, Malaysia. It was so good. Honestly, I think you have to go back there to get good kueh. It's hard to get the stuff to make it here. I wonder if Cali/West Coast areas have better kueh? (They're closer to Asia, they have a warmer climate, larger population, etc...) Sago pockets, eh? Interesting.

Kasugai gummies...oh man. What do they put in those things to make them taste soooo delish? I can eat a whole bag of the muscat ones in one sitting. They're divine.

The farmer's market in Dupon Circle on Sundays and Arlington on Saturdays will have a vendor that sells morels in the springtime. Last time I bought some they were about 17 bucks for a small pint. Sometimes you'd get a small pint full of small morels or a couple of big honkin' ones. They were of better quality than the ones at Balducci's and Whole Paychecks.

I strain my porcini soaking liquid through a coffee fliter. Gets all the grit out.

Oh, yeah, those are the "dai bow" at Mei Lah Wah. Big buns! Never had those before - I just stick to the baked roast pork buns. You're so lucky you have the option of going to Chinatown for lunch. I'd kill to be able to do that.

It could be. That place IS a relic. You know it's run by the old school Cantonese 'cause everything is as old as dirt and nothing's been remodeled. I am not crazy abotu steamed buns. Bake mine w/ a glaze, hunny, 'cuz that's the bomb!

A man after my own heart! I forgot to mention that at Mei Lai Wah, they have hai gaow and sui mai for sale as well. You might want to hit them up for those nuggets of heaven. I also like Singapore Cafe for their Malaysian food and Big Wong's for their perserved egg and lean pork congee. And while you're at Fay Da, please drink some hot milk tea for me...nothing like a cup of HK style hot milk tea on a cold day. Dang, I swear, you guys are really making me want to hop in my car and drive up there to get my grub on!!!

Did it have palm sugar inside? Maybe it's a variation of onde onde? You're making me want to make a drive up to NYC, man...kueh rules.

Honestly, I don't know if XO cafe is associated w/ XO Kitchen. Anything else I'd recommend there? Hmmm. Their food's pretty decent. The congee (jook) is not bad. I had the "teng jai jook" (err..let me get back on the English translation on that for you) and it was decent. I would stick with the soup dishes there. The Malaysian jerky house is delish. Also, pop into one of the prepared food joints along that street as well. Get some roasted chicken w/ scallions on it. Good stuff. FYI for anyone who's going to buy prepared foods in Chinatown - if you're buying a whole chicken or duck, make sure it's hanging with the head attached. I bought a soya sauce chicken for $5 bucks at one of those places and it turned out to have no head attached. This means they used "regular" chicken instead of the "Chinese" chickens which usually have more flavor. (OK, I'm very biased when it comes to my chicken, so this could be a childhood thang, but hey, if it ain't broke, why fix it?) *grin*

I went to Vidalia 2 years ago during RW. OK, that's not recent but eh, it's something. It was nice - the service could've been better. Actually, the service was rather snotty. I was surprised but perhaps my girlfriends and I were treated poorly b/c we were a tableful of young women? There are other theories here as well but I digress. The food was good and I'm going again this RW. My friend ordered the shrimp and grits and they were fantastic. I had a fried chicken dish which was good but not stellar. The last time it was reviewed by Tom he mentioned the bread basket had popovers. Oooh.

I haen't had good decaf and it's probably 'cause the first and only time I tried decaf was from Charbucks and it gave me a raging headache. I tried the decaf 'cause I wanted to sleep at night. Fat chance! Since then, I just stick w/ the leaded

XO Cafe - udon noodle soup. Not Chinese but very good soup. Oooh and at Fay Da bakery, get the Japanese Cheesecake - the best cake in Chinatown. Mei Lah Wah for the roast pork buns. Nothing like an crabby old Chinese man selling you roast pork buns.

Best Chinese meal? Hong Kong "dai pai dong". Forget the fancy restaurants. This Toisanese loves some hawker stands. I remember in 1994, the 1st time I went to HK, I had the BEST "yao jah gway" (fried culler) ever. Oh, and the wonton noodle soups. To.Die.For. I guess since I grew up in the DC area where there are no good Cantonese restaurants, HK glimmers like a pearl in my mind.

Cool beans! I figured out the symbolism of the sweet yuan but I don't know what exactly the ritual is for the bride the night prior to the wedding. It's sad that for us American-born Chinese these traditions are slipping away because no one's keeping a record of them. (Hmm...Being Cantonese for Dummies...nice title for a book! ). I never knew until I stumbled upon egullet that yuan were made according to what phase the moon was in. I just thought my mom made yuan randomly (Shameful! I bring dishonor to the family name!) As for our Toisanese family, my mom's only made the savory yuan. Lobok, lap cheung, cilantro, dried shrimp, tung goo, and slices of pork. Oh yeah, and scallions, too. We use a dip of soy and black pepper. Ever notice that yuan are never as good the next day?

Ikura rules!!! I love how the pieces burst in your mouth! Woo hoo!

Miso soup is fantastic! I never knew you could put bacon in it. Wow. Oh, I wonder how Chinese style roast pork would taste in it. Can I just say one thing? I sooo dislike watery miso soup. You know, the kind you find in those suspect sushi places here in the US? Lord, watery miso soup - it's as bad as drinking dishwater.

Had dinner last night at Huong Viet w/ my friends. I had the grilled prok with rice crepe. Stellar. The meat was well-prepared and had lots of flavor. Good fatty bits to the pork as well. The limeade soda was tasty and my friend's pho gai was very good! Surprising considering it's not a pho joint and pho gai is usually an afterthought at most places. I love Eden Center.

Listerine breath strips. Hands down, the best mints I've ever had. Effective and fits in your evening bag. Fantastic!