monavano

Busboy, what do you think about recommending Crystal City as an option for condo living?

...which brings me to the leftover mashed sweet potatoes I have. I'm going to add leftover sausage, flour, egg and a little baking powder to make sweet potato pancakes for dinner tonite!

Northern VA is home to an incredible array of ethnic restaurants. There's the Eden Center for Vietnamese in Falls Church, Korea town in Annandale, Bolivian in Arlington, El Salvadoran in Arlandria, Arlington. There are WF stores in Alexandria and Arlington, along with lots of Asian, Hispanic and Mediteranean grocers. Hope that helps. Let me know if there' anything else I can tell you....btw, I like the way you think!

For St. Patrick's Day, I made Guinness and Chocolate Cheesecake. It's in the freezer now so that DH can take it into the office for St. Patty's Day next week!

Stuff I've been making recently: Maple glazed pork loin stuffed with cranberry-buffalo-pork sausage stuffing, with a pomegranite balsamic and maple sauce. Sugar snap peas with lemon zest. Meatball sliders- I have leftover meatballs (from making wedding soup) and got fresh rolls and fresh buffalo mozzarella from the farm market. In preparation for St. Patrick's Day- Guinness and Chocolate Cheesecake (in the freezer now-hubby will take it into the office next week)

Oven roasted is also a good option. I like put them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Salt and pepper and sprinkle parmesan or pecorino. See here..

Recent cooking and baking in the kitchen: "Mediteranean" Stromboli with seasoned ground meat, orzo, spinach, Manchego cheese, kalamata olives and roasted red bell pepper. Irish soda bread with raisins (Spotted Dog)

The EZcube would probably fit your needs. I made my own lightbox with a cardboard box and some cheap clamp lights and 100 watt full spectrum Reveal lights from GE. It's a photo saver in the winter!! Not as good as natural light, but not bad at all...especially because it cost me only about $20!! Good luck. http://www.ezcube.com/ Oh.......download Picasa from Google.

Marinated and pan seared lamb chops with herbed potatoes and parmesan asparagus.

Many restaurants have PR firms. That's where I would start with marketing.

Last night I made Sicilian Chicken with a side a spaghetti. It's been a while since I've eaten hot cherry peppers.....and they're still very hot! Recipe and more pics here.

In Old Town, which is not far from where you're staying , there are many options. Vermillion-Excellent cooking by Anthony Chittum. He cooks local and seasonal. Mid range prices. Hank's Oyster Bar-Great seafood and meat and two specials. Casual and mid range prices. Majestic-American/Seafood/Comfort Food. The table side made Caesar salad is excellent. A La Lucia in N. Old Town for Italian Fontaine Caffe & Creperie- a new bistro for light fare, savory and sweet crepes, nice wine list. Jackson 20- newly opened in the Hotel Monaco- Modern American with a Southern emphasis Hard Times Cafe- an excellent casual place for burgers, wings and of course- CHILI!! There is a wide range of restaurants in the Shirlington town center-also nearby to you. Just about every type of ethnic cuisine. Carlyle is part of a local restaurant group and is a real crowd pleaser-something for everyone and the prices are good. They don't take reservations but have a call ahead policy which I'd urge you to use. Also, right at the Mark Center is Clyde's of Clyde's restaurant group. I've always liked Clydes-they offer specials every now and then which can be really good deals. For example, now they are offering a crab cake special which I feel the need to take advantage of soon! http://www.clydes.com/main/MenusList.cfm?R..._at_Mark_Center

Braised boneless leg of lamb over egg noodles. The braise included a mirepoix, tomato paste, red wine (Malbec), beef broth, bay leaf, oregano, rosemary and ligonberry jam. Served with lemon zest.

I would highly recommen Marcella Hazan's book "Essentials of Classic Italina Cooking". Start with the bolognese

I made some chicken stock this past weekend and thought I'd share some observations. I used all the same ingredients; wings, necks, herbs, spices, vegetables. I put the chicken parts only in cold water and brought to a boil, at which point I skimmed a lot of scum. Then the rest of the ingredients went in and I simmered it all for 4 hours. Drained, strained, and refrigerated until the next day when I removed fat. What I noticed was that it wasn't as gelatinous as the last time I made it. The big difference was that last time, I seasoned and browned the wings before cooking and then made the stock and put the whole kittenkaboodle in the fridge overnight, after simmering. The next day, I skimmed the fat and then heated a tad to remove the solids. The resulting broth was fabulously gelatinous when I let everthing sit overnight. Next time I will go back to this method to retest. My stock this time is very tasty (once salted) and deep golden, but it lacks texture when cooled down. Just thought I'd share and see if anyone has more insight. I know my successful method is not conventional....but it works

Is the food different in the Tasting Room than the Bistro..I thought the big difference was being able to order a la carte rather than a complete dinner?? Thanks ← There's not a whole lot of overlap between the Bistro and the Tasting Room IIRC. Perhaps Busboy didn't pick up on you desire to order a la carte. The food from the bar to the Bistro to the Tasting Room is fantastic. You could be blown away in any setting. Unless all of your party is open to game, organ meats, caviar etc...I would let them have more control over their meal. Chef Armstrong does all of the above with great expertise, but if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. Take a look at the sample menus on Eve's website.

I love Eve and couldn't recommend it more! I'll also throw something out there that you and your guests might enjoy, and it flies under the radar on foodie boards-The Grille at The Morrison House. It fits all of your criteria and while The Grille has a talented chef who focuses on local ingredients/American cuisine, it remains underappreciated. There is a nice bar and lounge area to enjoy before or after, and the English style Inn is just gorgeous. Valet parking as you pull up (or at least the last time I went ) http://www.morrisonhouse.com/mrr-dining/index.html

Kim, wow!- what a great report especially in light of your pneumonia (please feel better soon). I'm so happyyou enjoyed Old Town and Vermillion. Scoops is a really great friendly place- it's my favorite. I've never heard of Mario's in Arlington and I HAVE to try their cheesesteak (OK-steak and cheese ) Love the photos-Thanks!

I'm just curious..do you mean microwaving as a cooking method or reheating? I reheat golabki in the micro and never have any problems with taste etc. (just even heating since my micro is ancient )

Oh sure, and good luck! We're fortunate to have a handful of markets that go year round despite the fact that they're outdoors. NY state would be another matter, however! Another thought is to see if you have any Halal butchers or Kosher butchers who do their own slaughtering. Again...much better than the immense stress of mass butchering.

The bags (standard FoodSaver brand) are both microwave-safe and boilable. I'm looking for quick and easy. Minimal cleanup is a plus tonight! MelissaH ← I'd give boiling them a try (I have the same brand, but haven't cooked in them yet). I wonder if you should still thaw them in cool water first....it wouldn't take long. I'm just not sure...anyone?

Are the bags microwave safe or able to be heated to a boil? If not, I'd prepare them like most things i vacuum seal-thaw in cool water and then place in a 350 degree oven to heat through-maybe 25 minutes. I wish I had some in my freezer. It's time for another batch!!

The best place to start is at your local farmers markets. Establishing a relationship with your local farmers allows you to know how the animals are raised, killed and processed. Many farms allow visitors so we can see how they practice. I often buy meat from Bev Eggelston, a protege of Joel Salatin, who is in VA. Link to Bev's Eco Friendly Farms http://www.ecofriendly.com/ Link to NY farmers markets http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/index.htm

Turkey meatloaf stuffed with sauteed turnip greens and puree of yams and turnips. The meatloaf was a bit dry so I need to re-work this recipe but the puree was good.

Is is just me or has anyone else noticed Rachel Ray's grunting? It's so funny! She's been hands-down the Queen of Onomatopoeia all along but now she's gone from Mm Mm Mm to Grunt Grunt Grunt. Literally. I remember that she mentioned that her beloved dog grunts like that when she cooks but now....she's doing it! And I don't think she's even aware that throughout her show-she's grunting Anyone else notice this?