Sthitch

David, Where I saw it was his descriptions of truffles that he makes, not on one of his shows. This question was asked for more than one reason, the first because it sound interesting, and a demi sec might actually give a nice honey flavor to the truffle, and also to figure out how to best add any wine to the chocolate for flavor.

Joe your stew was quite delectable; your unique garlic bread really added a nice quality to it. You even got my wife to eat bivalves for the first time in a dozen years. After that dinner, it will be worth while to take her to Black Salt so that she can try some more variations on those shelled delights. Hopefully, the next crab cake I have there will be better than that all-filler abomination that I had at our lunch.

David, Thanks, but Torres specifically says that he puts Tattingers in his truffles, so he is talking about the bubbly stuff.

My newest hobby is making various types of chocolates (something my employees love), so I was looking through Jacques Torres web site looking for some new ideas and saw that he advertises Champagne truffles made with real Champagne. I am curious how one would get the Champagne into the ganache. Would it displace some or all of the cream? Should it be reduced? Or mixed in after the ganache has been made? I would love any advice I can get on accomplishing this.

My favorite non-Champagne Blanc-de-Blanc is Syn from Australia. I have had nothing but raves when I have served it. As for Cava, I like 1+1=3, a true bargin. Otherwise I drink Champagne.

I am not sure if it is still as good as it used to be, but there is a place off of Research Drive in Rockville called the Research Cafe that made great Italian subs that were put into the oven before serving. I still have a shirt with a stain from the grease running out of one of them. They also made a mean meatball sub.

I have to second Marchone's. They add just enough oil and vinegar to make it a great sub. I cannot get past ordering pizza at the Italian Store to actually try anything else. Maybe I will have to go for lunch and dinner and have both.

My wife is the Panatone maker in the family, but I can add a little. This year she used the paper molds, and will never go back to the metal molds. She soaks her fruit in Grappa.

I have also had great luck with the dough from 'Baking with Julia', and find that it is quite forgiving (to me, not to my Kitchen Aid). I will have to try Gisslen's dough, and more importantly the fillings.

I feel the same way about their Butter Chicken.

Joe, I want my Crab cake! But I guess that is what I get for leaving early. The crab cake that I had was mostly filler, and was relatively absent of flavor. I think that I found two pieces of lump crab in the entire cake. I have to second Joe's comments about the apps, the calamari was perfect, and I loved the Ponzu dipping sauce, but it tasted like Kikkoman Ponzu with a few sliced scallions. That is really not as much a complaint as an observation, I personally love the stuff. The mussels were on the small and firm, and tasted impeccably fresh. They were a real treat. I noticed yesterday that they had live bay scallops still in the shell available in the retail case. I have not seen these anywhere else around here. The other fish in the case looked quite interesting.

If you find yourself near Alexandria looking for Indian, I would recommend the Bombay Curry Club on Mt. Vernon. It is a small hole in the wall, not much in the way of atmosphere, but the food is quite good.

No, a different place. The Family Fish House had several branches in the area. The last one I remember was in the 1776 plaza on the second level (above where the pool hall is now), there was also one in Columbia. There is still a Chesapeake Bay Seafood House on Rt. 7 near Columbia Pike. Interesting that they always enticed people to visit by offering king crab legs. I don't think I ever head of king crabs in the Chesapeake.

Joe, How was Busch's? My parent's used to go there when I was young, but since "I did not like seafood" (actually I did not like overcooked seafood, and still don't) they never took me. By the time I could actually find a reason to make the trip it had closed to make way for a gas station/convience store. Also, any thoughts on the '70's chain the Family Fish House? My only memory were really good hush puppies.

Candy, I decided to wing it yesterday, and threw together a cup of cream with a pound of white chocolate, 1 tbsp of rose water and 1 tbsp of grappa, and about a cup of pistachio paste. The ganache is soft, but has an amazing exotic flavor. I used it for both truffles, and to fill milk chocolate candies (I had some tempered milk chocolate left and needed something to do with it).

Sandy, It is my understanding that the Census actually chooses the names of an area by the city with the most influence on the population patterns. While the city of Washington is smaller than Baltimore the majority of the regions population is centered around Washington. In all other regions the larger city plays this role.

Joe, Great post. I join you in one of those who "crossed the river." I find myself walking around DC quite often and feel safer at night walking the streets in DC than I have felt walking through Paris during the day. I think that the people who have the idea of Washington being a violent and dirty city are basing that on what they see on TV. The news does not show Penn Quarter after dark, but does show Barry Farms, the West End only makes it on the news when there is a protest at the World Bank, I think that all of this leads to a suburban perception of DC being a bad place.

This sounds great. How much pistachio paste do you add to the cream?

The three best places I have found for Single Malts are (in no order): Schneiders Calvert Woodley Central

Where would one find acetate? I have been looking at various culinary stores, but have not found any yet.

With offering all of these wonderful places to eat, it seems that the point of a first date is being missed. The point should not be to impress your date with the restaurant you can find, but with your company. If the date were ultimately a success, and years from now you sat back and talked about the first date, I doubt you will remember what you ate. I would save the incredibly romantic room for your first anniversary. The first date should be about getting to know one another and to decide if there should be a second date. So you might want to look for somewhere that is quiet, and conducive to conversation. Most of the places mentioned (and the three I previously mention included) are not the best for talking to your new interest. I am quite hard of hearing so the ability to have an easy conversation is something that I notice. The one place that I have found that provides a consistently comfortable room for a conversation is Simply Fish in Arlington. I have found that the food is good and they have a number of low fat selections. If you are not familiar with it, you choose the fish, how it is cooked and how it is dressed. While my first experience there was not the best, subsequent visits have proven to be quite enjoyable.

Will you be selling some of the harder to find fish? I would be willing to drive from Arlington if I could find something different from what all of the other fish mongers sell.

I would not disagree with any of the suggestions given by Don, but would also add Lebanese Taverna for closeness to where your date lives, not sure if it is low fat though. Also Crystal Thai, and Mark's Duck House might be good choices if you want something Asian.

I have a Wustof serrated bread knife that I have used for about 8 years, and with no sign of dulling. It comes in handy with both the curstiest bread, and citrus fruit.

Mashed cauliflower is one of my favorite foods. I'll have to try your method, Sthitch. I usually steam my cauliflower till really soft. I then mash it with some butter, cream cheese or sour cream and some salt. It is a great substitute for mashed potatoes... ← I will have to try some cream cheese or sour cream the next time, the tang should be great. I like to use the chicken stock to give it just a little more flavor.