Gastro888

Ask if they have roast baby pig instead (phonetic Cantonese-yee gee). Better than roast pig! =)

Moon cakes are the greatest. I could never eat a whole one, though. Mini mooncakes are a great invention. I love lots of egg yolks with my lotus paste moon cakes. I cut the cake into smaller pieces before eating them - even with the mini ones.

In regards to using maltose for a glaze, try using honey for a variation. My father uses honey for his char siu that he sells in his restaurant. There is a difference with the honey glaze - hard to describe the difference, though. I prefer it that way but that may be b/c I grew up on the honey glaze. As for lean vs. fatty pork, my vote goes for fatty pork. It ain't as healthy (and I'm sure my hips don't like it as well) but oh is it tasty. I like the "bun saow bun fay" (1/2 lean, 1/2 fatty) char siu in the restaurants. Mei Lai Wah bakery in NYC's Chinatown uses that type of char siu in their char siu bao. I love finding the fatty bits in there.

Ok, however, getting pho broth on your shirt isn't as bad as getting tomato sauce on it. I'm adept at the whole chopsticks and spoon bit but I also walk into walls on the occassion so I don't know if that means much. Well, we could do an egullet pho outing at Eden Center sometime next weekend. Oh yeah, and that Pho place in Eden Center next to Viet Royal? My co-worker's uncle owns that joint. Funny how small the world is!

Staying home. No traveling for me! (Although I tried finding a cheapy package to Europe for this time but I was too late. Seems like you have to book those at least 2 months in advance...oog) Looking forward to sleeping in and just resting. Ahhhh. Oh yeah and my dad's prime rib with a side of rice. He roasts it with pickling spice on top (I know, it's weird but trust me you just use a wee bit and it's really good). We don't do turkey at our house. We may roast the odd potato but we usually do rice. We may go do dim sum in the morning but that all depends on how we feel. Gah, the crowds may just drive us bonkers. None! We don't invite them over b/c they're all a royal pain in the hineyparts!

Huh, I never thought twice about the name! Eunny, I can relate to your grandmother's habits! My mom has some as well. Funny how we Asians have this image of being refined and polished when we can be hella ghetto sometimes! I don't know what authentic kal bi should taste like - I've only had it at the local MD/VA restaurants. I like Il Mee's kal bi b/c it has nice chewy and fat bits in it. I dislike lean meats...bad for the heart, I know! I didn't know that everything at Il Mee there is overly sweetened. Thanks for the insight!

Sounds like a good idea for a seperate thread....what type of places are good for a first date? Although I think going out to eat pho is akin to going out to eat spaghetti, or an oversized sub on a first date! (it could be verry messy ) ← nice girls don't (pho)ck on the first date. ← I blame it on my Catholic school education. Oops, I did it again...*smirk* Enough with the Britney references....egullet pho outing, anyone?

Sounds like a good idea for a seperate thread....what type of places are good for a first date? Although I think going out to eat pho is akin to going out to eat spaghetti, or an oversized sub on a first date! (it could be verry messy ) ← Pho's not nearly as messy as spaghetti! Granted, if your chopstick skills aren't sharp, you're kinda screwed...

← On an unrelated note, Cibolla's has the best buffalo meat sticks. Very tasty. I'll have to try their bacon, thanks!

I've always wondered about this. Isn't tripe cheaper than dirt? Why are they always so stingy with it? ← I know, right? Maybe too much of it affects the broth/taste? Maybe it's the labor cost of cleaning and preparing it? (Kinda like chittlins?) One thing about pho though - you eat pho, you smell like pho afterwards. One of these days, I'm going to be really bad and eat pho prior to a department meeting...muwahaha! ← this is why i have a designated pho shirt. ← Interesting. I never thought to do that. =) Actually, I thought pho places would be a good (casual) first date place. Think about it - you have something to talk about, it's quick (just in case the date's painful and you want to get out immediately) and guy or girl, your date's picky or high maintenance traits would show once you hit the pho place. But why go out with someone who's not down for a glorious bowl of perfectly prepared pho?

Il Mee Buffet in Annadale, VA on Little River Turnpike is a great place to eat Korean food. They have a good Korean buffet and a variety all you can eat Korean BBQ meats that you can grill at the table. (Well, I do it myself. Normally the waitstaff does it for you and I get funny looks when I ask to do it myself) It's a good place to take someone who familar with Korean food. They have jap chae, duboki, a good selection of panchan and a sweet rice drink to end your meal with. (Sorry I don't know the name!) If you take someone who's not familar with Korean food, be forewarned - there are no labels on anything. There is sushi as well. The sushi isn't the greatest but you're not there for the sushi - you come for the kal bi!!! (Yes, buffets aren't really authentic but this is a great place to get your grub on!)

These are like meatballs, only much more self-referential, right? ← Whoops! I'd edit the post but it's actually funnier this way. I dislike how pho houses split the meatballs before putting it into your pho. Maybe it's to speed up the cooking process but I like a whole meatball in my pho for once, gosh darn it all! (And no, it's not self-referential!) =)

I've always wondered about this. Isn't tripe cheaper than dirt? Why are they always so stingy with it? ← I know, right? Maybe too much of it affects the broth/taste? Maybe it's the labor cost of cleaning and preparing it? (Kinda like chittlins?) One thing about pho though - you eat pho, you smell like pho afterwards. One of these days, I'm going to be really bad and eat pho prior to a department meeting...muwahaha!

My gripe with tripe - there is never enough! My ideal bowl of pho would be the raw rib eye, fat brisket, metaballs, tripe & tendon (lots of tripe and tendon). Yuuuum....

Pho DT in Columbia- This place is a gem in the suburbs! I love it. I had the bun 3 mon there last night. I've had better pho at other places (namely the one in Eden Center 2 doors down from the 4 sister's place), but it's decent pho. Great all around joint! They make the best fruit shakes. Try the #4, the custard apple. (It's actually soursop and not custard apple.) They make the shakes fresh every time. Their shake is better than any soursop shake I've tried Eden Center, I kid you not.

Flavors is fantastic!!!! Their fried whiting is superb. It's perfectly fried and not greasy at all. The fried chicken doesn't have a heavy batter - just flour and seasonings. Personally, I like the fish better than the chicken. The sweet tea is quite nice as well. Oh and they have the best cornbread. I had four pieces in one day...oops.

At the Dupont Circle & Arlington farmer's market, there is bacon sold by PolyFace. My friends and I bought some to make BLTs one day. According to my friend who has family from the South, it tastes like "Carolina country ham" . It's different and worth a try. You could use it in spaghetti carbonara along with pancetta. (Hmm...I know where I'm going this Sunday!) Gotta love the pork products. Woo hoo!

I was born and raised in the DC metro area. I remember when I was a little girl, we'd trek down to Li Ho (It's been so long I barely remember the name...is it still even there?) but no more. It's a shame that our Chinatown is nothing more than an elaborate gate! For Chinese food, we save our stomachs for NYC. DC"s Chinatown is pretty pathetic.

Il Mee Buffet on Little River Turnpike. It's good, not necessarily the best. It's a buffet featuring sushi, all you can eat Korean BBQ, and Korean dishes (ex: jap chae). Yes, I must admit that I am a sucker for a good buffet. Even after reading Tony Bourdain's warning on buffets!

Hello all! My mom was kind enough to make joong last night. Yum! Now eating a joong now in my cube at work. Cantonese style w/ sticky rice, mung beans, lap cheong, fatty pork and salted duck egg yolk. I'm going against the South Beach clique at work. Oh well!

I think it's all a matter of semantics. I would consider anything with a filling stuffed into glutinous rice, wrapped in leaves, bound and boiled a zongzi. Different regions (and different families) have different "traditional" shapes and fillings but it's really "chef's choice". Conceptually, it's the same but they are two different dishes. Noh Mai Gai is a dish for dim sum and not the same as Zong. Noh Mai Gai uses lotus leaves instead of the long bamboo leaves and it's not made for the spring festival. Also, Zong is most often times homemade and Noh Mai Gai is a restaurant dish available year round. Savory Cantonese Zong doesn't usually use soy sauce as an ingredient, but Noh Mai Gai (Sticky Rice Chicken) does. My favorite Zong: sticky rice, mung beans (look dow), lap cheong, fatty pork butt, salted duck egg and dried scallops. I dislike chestnuts and peanuts in mine...the texture is too mealy for me.