Sthitch

Are you sure you're thinking of Tosca, or was it the lunch you went to? When I was there last summer for RW, the whole menu was available, but some items had a slight surcharge. You could even choose smaller portions of their pastas as an appetizer, or have a larger portion for the main course. I'll be going back again this time. ← I remember the entire menu being part of Restaurant week. There were one or two items that had a suppliment (foie gras was one of them).

La Cusine in Alexandria does a very good job.

Marcel's. They will not provide hip, but the who the hell cares, the food is some of tbe best in the city.

Wide World is still in the wine storage business, but there is a Packers season ticket type of waiting list to get in. It is full, and no one is leaving.

I believe that the Old Homestead is the second best steakhouse in New York (but by no means I have not been to all of them). I would say that Lugar's Steak is on a different plane, but everything else is better at the Old Homestead.

Wide World of Wines in DC, the owner has been friends with Jonathan Krinn's father since before the fine Chef was born.

A little more than a week ago I attended a 2000 First Growth Bordeaux dinner at 2941. The dinner was held on a Saturday night, and we had an amazing amount of Chef Krinn’s attention. It ranks as one of the best meals I have had anywhere. The dinner started with passed Hors D’Oeuvres and Champagne (1996 Gosset Grande Millesime). There were three different Hors D’Oeuvres; smoked trout on a potato chip, tuna on a crisp, and a crab cake. I had never been much of a fan of smoked trout, and had I known that it was what was being offered I would have missed a wonderful dish. It was neither overly smoky, nor fishy like I find most smoked trout, but meaty with a hint of smoke. The tuna was pure and clean, and the crisp was unobtrusive. The crab cake was on par with some of the best I have ever had. These were small one bite wonders with no filler and filled with an intense crab flavor. Poached Maine Lobster and a Duo of Foie Gras 2001 Rieussec and 2001 Sunduiraut The lobster cooked perfectly and was served with a sauternes reduction. The lobster was rich, and delicate. The foie gras was a torchon and a piece of sautéed lobe. Both were perfectly prepared, and the sautéed lobe was as good if not better than what Nectar had put out (and that is my previous bench mark for great foie). The Torchon was smooth, and rich. The dish was also served with an exotic fruit confit that brought a wonderful foil to the fattiness of the foie. While these wines were not 2000 Bordeaux they did represent some of the best Sauternes released in many years. The Rieussec was a complex wine filled with an abundance of tropical fruits, honey, and spicey with enough acid to provide balance to the botrytis sweetness of the wine. It is better than any Y’Quems I have had in the past. Herb Roasted Australian Kangaroo with Yukon Potato and Bacon Confit 2000 Leoville Barton and 2000 Leoville Las Cases I had never had kangaroo before this dish, and was not sure what to expect. Since it contains almost no far, it was prepared very rare. The meat was rich and tender. I look forward to trying kangaroo again. The bacon confit was not really a bacon, but a pork belly cooked in pork fat. The fat delightfully crispy, and the meat was succulent. The potato was also a confit, that was soft and buttery. These wines are not first growth, but they were spectacular. I thought that the Barton was the better of the two wines. Neither will be ready to drink for many more years (but before any of the first growths). Marinated Roasted Squab and Venison Rack with Morel Custard and Blackberry 2000 Lafite Rothschild and 2000 Margaux Squab is not one of my favorite foods. The only thing I generally find positive about it is that the world has one less pigeon crapping on my car. Chef Krinn’s preparation of Squab was very good. The marinate was red wine based and had a hint of cloves and allspice. The bird was cooked so that the skin crisped up and the meat was still on the rare side. As far as squab goes it was quite lovely. The venison had a delicious slightly gamey taste to it, and was cooked rare. It was served with a cherry and blackberry sauce. The meat and sauce were a perfect complement to one another. The morel custard was packed with bits of morel, and had ample flavor of the fungi in the custard itself. Both of these wines were intense and still quite tight. They had been double decanted with four hours in the decanter. It was obvious that they were both maturing into beautiful wines. The Margaux was delightful, and had as much fruit as the blackberry cherry sauce. The Lafite was good but not as good as it was during a pre-release tasting. Wagyu Beef Tenderloin and Chopped Tartare 2000 Latour and Mouton Rothschild The Wagyu that 2941 uses is from a herd of cattle in Texas that is 100% Wagyu with no crossbreeding with other breeds (most American Wagyu have been bread with Angus). The tenderloin was simply cooked, just a little salt and pepper. It needed nothing more, as it was a rich and beautiful meat. The tartare was a chopped version of the tenderloin with small pieces of roasted bell pepper and a drizzle of mustard oil. The heat that the oil provided spurred debate about where it came from, some thought that it had hot peppers thinking that the roasted bell peppers were Jalapeño. Others thought that it was horseradish. Finally Chef Krinn answered the question. While these two wines are still young and tight, they did exhibit wonderful potential. After four hours of decanting the fruit was starting to show, and surprisingly the Mouton was showing better than any of the other first growth. This is in stark contrast to the way Mouton tasted at pre-release, where it was a disappointment. Quartet of Artisanal Cheeses 2000 Haut Brion and 2000 La Mission Haut Brion The presentation of these cheeses was beautiful. The four cheeses were matched with a matching accompaniment. The cheeses were: Gaperon, Vella Dry Monterey Jack, Tomme de Savoie and Montbiac. I would give more details about what each was accompanied with but I cannot remember. The one exception is that the Jack was served with a “mole” of bitter chocolate, chili peppers, and chopped pumpkin seeds. This was not a sauce, but more of a confection. These wines were very elegant, and like I expected the La Mission Haut Brion was showing better than the Haut Brion. I believe that high level of merlot in these wines makes them a little more accessible sooner than the cab heavy wines. As a bonus when we all retired to the bar to figure out how we were going to get home, one of the other guests purchased a 1963 Fonseca Port. I had never had a port with this kind of age on it. Now I am going to have to seek out more of them. The nose was a wonderful mixture of spicy cedar and chocolate, with hints of licorice. The finish seemed to last forever. One of the other guests decided to be a pain in the ass and eat like a vegetarian (he as scared off by some of the "non-traditional" elements of teh meal). They gracously provided these dishes to him. The two dishes that I remember was an herb risotto that was as good as any risotto I had ever tasted. The other was a mushroom ravioli on a bed of lentels. Apparently most of the mushrooms were porcinis. While he let me try the risotto, he would not give up any of the ravioli.

On Saturday I had Beef Tartare at 2941. It was made with a Waygu tenderloin. Chef Krinn came and told us about the beef that he uses, he also brought a piece of the tenderloin. Apparently the herd that he buys his meet from is a pure breed of Waygu (while others have been bred with Angus), and they only sell to three chefs (Trotter and Boulan being the others). The tenderloin was marbled like a piece of prime strip or ribeye. He mixed the diced meet with roasted green pepper and mustard oil. I am not sure how to best describe this dish. It was clean, simple, and perfect.

I would debate whether there really is a "Maryland Style" crabcake. Everyone has a different way to make them. The one's at G&M and The Prime Rib are filled with huge lumps, but they are very different in style. Joe H. will have to chime in about the Narrows, but I remember him saying that they were made with lump as well. I would agree that the crabcakes at Oceanaire are one of the best in the area, but I still think that The Prime Rib has them beat, but not by much.

Those clams even look like they smell nasty.

And to think of the horror of trying to clean all that white if someone pukes all over one of the tables.

← Wear lots of over priced black and look down your nose at people who dare to wear less expensive black, all the while drink the new hip drink whether you like it or not.

I once had a bone marrow flan at Melrose. I am not sure if it is a regular item on the menu. It was amazing, and much easier to eat than regular marrow.

Thanks for moving this to the top fo the list, lossing Nectar was like getting dumped by your highschool sweetheart, now you brought back all of the painful memories Well just thinking of the foie makes it all better.

Yes, Playtex makes gloves, and they have nothing to do with feminine hygiene. It would have been more accurate for him to say "If they are allergic to latex gloves..." Since all Playtex gloves are latex, but not all latex gloves are Playtex.

I am not sure why I ordered it, as it is not something I usually order. I was happy that I did. Next time we will start with the Lime Shrimp.

I have bought some cheese from Jill, so I know that at least when it comes to formage I can trust her tastes. So my wife and I decided to try Del Meresi tonight. Being a homer for Bombay Curry Company I am quite familiar with its location, so I was not going to hold the drab, nee ugly exterior against them. The room itself is quite odd, but it is a victim of its location. It is wider than it is deep. They did there best to dress-up the place, and it was inviting. But who cares about the way it looks, we were there for the food. We started off ordering the crab-artichoke-bacon dip. What we expected was the normal incepted version that you find at so many restaurants. I expected it to be nothing but cream that tastes of flour with a small piece of bacon, a few strands of crab, and one artichoke heart chopped up, served with warmed crappy bread, you know the type. Oh my, were we surprised. This dip was nothing like we expected. There was a nice crunchy top that hid a cup filled with baby artichokes, and lumps of crab. There was no physical evidence of bacon, but the taste permeated it. This dish has changed my perspective on what artichoke dip can be the same way that Corduroy did to my impression of spring rolls. There are two different ways to order entrees. The first is to have what the chef has prepared, with the sauce and sides that he would match with the dish. The other is to order the type of meat (or a portabella) along with a sauce and two sides. We went with the later. I ordered a pork chop with blueberry compote, and sides of cheese grits, and southern style green beans. The pork was standard fare, nicely cooked, but a bit tough (what I would expect from the “Lean Generation” pork). The compote was nice, a bit too much allspice, and not as thick as I would make it, but matched well with the pork. My first impression of the grits is that they were too cheesy, but I soon became addicted to them, and while I am still full, I grave another dish of them. The green beans were cooked the way I like them, mushy. I know many people like them to have a snap, not me; I like them best when they have been cooked to hell and back. These are the type of green beans my mother never had to get at me to finish. They were flavored with pieces of sausage, and quite tasty. My wife’s order the flat iron steak (medium rare), a blue cheese reduction, caramelized onion mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Her steak was cooked perfectly (if you like it that cooked), and the sauce was a beautiful complement to the meat. Many blue cheese sauces tend to be a bit oily and take on the astringent quality that lesser cheese have, not this one, it was creamy, and had a wonderful smooth taste. Her potatoes were not my favorite dish of the evening, they needed more fat, butter or cream (preferably both). We skipped desert, but the bread pudding perked my ears, maybe next time. The service was lovely. The young lady who waited on us was attentive, and thankfully did not think of us as her new best friends. The two courses and the wine were paced perfectly. They have a very interesting wine by the glass menu. Missing were super market wines, and Trader Joe’s “Two Buck Chuck”. My white Cote’s du Rhone tasted as if the bottle had been opened too long, but the Syrah I had, and the Aussie blend (Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourverde) were quite nice. I did not look at the wine by the bottle list, but if the by the glass selection were any clue, it has to be somewhat appealing. After tonight’s meal we hope to be back soon.

Do they serve beer or wine? All they have listed for beverages are non-alcoholic.

It should kill them, but I suspect that the heat would adversely effect the flavor and longevity of the paprika.

If you cook the steaks sous vide first you do not need to finish them since they are already cooked through. If you do not do this, you will need to finish them in the oven. I like my steaks to be cut fairly thick (I split them with my wife), and find that the salt is best applied with a heavy hand.

I use either an old faijta pan or round cast iron pan, they I keep them in grill most of the time, adds to the heat mass when I am grilling using the grates. The key is to get it as close to the flame as possible, it will never get hot enough if you put it on the grates. I do not use the pan with ridges since I care more about flavor than the pretty marks, plus there is far less contact between the meat and the pan, so you minimize the area that gets the sear.

A cast iron pan heated to a smoking hot level should grill better than most open flame gas grills. The only open grill that would have the same high intensity would be charcoal. You won't get grill marks with the pan, but there will be a nicely burnished surface, if the steaks are lightly coated with oil or clarified butter. Alton did a show on a steak seared on cast iron, and finished it by putting the pan in a very hot oven for a few minutes. It looked like perfecion! ← My favorite way to cook steaks is to start them sous vide (par cook them in a vacuum sealed bag in 125 degree water for about an hour). This ensures that they are cooked perfectly through, when they are almost ready, I turn on the gas grill, and place a cast iron pan right on the drip rails (having removed the grates). When I do this at night, you can see the outside bottom of the pan start to glow. I unseal the meat, quickly dry the surface, smear with grape seed oil, salt, and then throw them in the pan. It takes less than a minute a side to get an amazing crust. Not alot of oil is needed, but some needs to be present to get the best crust. I usually use this method for strips, or a filet roast. I also use a similar method when cooking Waygu, but I do not par cook it. Simply seer, then chill, and slice very fine pieces. It is one of the best versions of carpacio I have ever had.

I like the brunch at the Luna Cafe in Shirlington. They have several different takes on Eggs Benedict. I particularly like the Eggs Cheasapeake which has crab instead of Canadian bacon. I have not been to the one in Dupont.

The oil helps it seal more quickly by transferring the heat more efficiently. I find that the longer it stays in the pan the more of the interior gets cooked.

How are you searing the tuna? I have found that most applications I have found do not get hot enough for a great sear. Lately I have been removing the grill of my gas grill and putting a cast iron pan right on the drip rails and fire it up as hot as it will get. When the pan is almost glowing hot, I put a little grape seed oil on the tuna, and drop it on the pan. It only takes about 15 to 20 seconds to sear perfectly. This helps minimize the amount of tuna that is cooked to get a great sear. I have also done this with charcoal with similar success.