DTBarton

I haven't been there in a couple of years, but there is a very good bagel place in north Miami on Biscayne Blvd. I don't remember the name, but it is very close to the Jockey Club http://www.thejockeyclubmiami.com/ where we used to visit. The bagel place is about a quarter mile south of the Jockey Club on the west side of Biscayne blvd. Jockey Club is at 11111 Biscayne Blvd.

Try this and it might change your mind about chocolate and orange: http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/shop_cluizel_60orange.html As for the worst candy ever, my grandmother used to like a hard candy called horehound, it was indescribably vile.

With all the better cuts available for roasting, braising, etc. at comparable prices, I find eye of round to be not worth the trouble. Only way I've had it and liked it was thin sliced raw to drop in pho.

A little diced pancetta browned with the butter and sage is a nice variation.

Update on Dotson's barbecue. A few days ago, I went to Dotson's for the first time in a couple years and they are no more. This surprised me as they had been an institution in that Glen Burnie neighborhood for many years. They had a cook shack across the street from the restaurant and it appeared to have burned down at some point.

We have very good luck with the Minestrone di Romagna recipe in Marcella Hazan's "Classic Italian Cookbook". Gradual layering of vegetables and beans. She lists the parmesan crusts as "optional". I think not, they're essential. Make it about 2 days ahead of time.

I've been going to Dotson's barbecue in Glen Burnie, MD for many years. They can be a bit inconsistent, but the ribs and chicken are usually very good. Variety of sides. Located at 7317 E. Furnace Branch Road in Glen Burnie.

A friend of my mother's made a baked rice that we use a lot, it's easy and delicious. Gets a bit of pleasant chewiness from the pan toasting and oven cooking. Pur a little oil in a saute pan. Add long grain white rice and toast for a couple minutes, stirring frequently. Add diced onions to taste and saute briefly. Add a good shot of dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the rice mixture to a greased Pyrex or Corningware dish. Add the appropriate amount of beef broth for cooking the rice. Sprinkle a little more thyme on top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

We've become pretty good at declaring "Freezer Week" periodically, say 3 - 4 times a year. Saves a bunch on groceries that week and keeps the freezer stock turned over for the most part.

Simple, but rub a good steak with butter and/or olive oil and give it a healthy coating of a bit of salt and a heavy shot of fresh ground pepper. Pan sear in a hot pan.

I really like the white stone ground grits from Carolina Plantation. http://www.carolinaplantationrice.com/ As a bonus, order some rice as well. The Carolina Gold rice is superb for risotto.

Looks like you're booked, but I've had two excellent meals in DC recently. One was at Oyamel http://www.oyamel.com/. I saw some are down on Andres but our meal was interesting and creative. The other good chow was at Granville Moore's http://www.granvillemoores.com/ Great mussels, best frites I've had in years, lots of good Belgian beer.

My standard use for the leftover turkey is to make Brunswick stew with turkey replacing the usual chicken. Use the carcass for stock and add onions, celery, corn, lima beans, tomatoes and a couple bay leaves. Simmer for a while and add in chopped turkey meat. Let sit for a day or two. I find the turkey adds a bigger flavor than the chicken version has. I serve it with country ham biscuits for a southern Thanksgiving redo.

My favorite bagel shop in Annapolis has a couple of very conspicuous signs at the counter that say "Do not use cell phones while ordering!" and it works, at least when I've been in there.

I've only been once, for my birthday a couple years ago. We found the food and service to be excellent, as it should be for the price. One thing I liked was that they happily replaced the sauce that came with the wife's beef with a different one when she said she didn't like it, no snotty attitude, the customer was right. The beef was fabulous, but the sauce was odd and very smoky. Too much smoked meat in the base and it kind of tasted like a mediocre barbecue sauce. I had a wild mushroom demi glace on my veal and they brought her a bowl of that.

Here's a link to a story in this week's Washington Post food section about a blind taste test on eggs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/06/01/ST2010060101402.html

Split the thighs for stuffing. Rub down with pesto or Italian herbs and olive oil and saute in a little bit of olive oil on both sides until about half cooked. Stuff each thigh with a slice of manchego cheese. Wrap each thigh with a thin slice of serrano ham (prosciutto will also work). Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until thighs are done. Enjoy.

I know some of these are mentioned in the thread, but in downtown Annapolis I think Joss and Aqua Terra are still good bets, as is O'Leary's in Eastport. For a great view of the Severn river and the Naval Academy, try the Severn Inn at the north end of the Naval Academy bridge over the Severn. Les Folies on Riva road near Parole is good also. Further down Riva road you can sit by the South river and eat crabs at Mike's Crab House. And, finally, some props for my favorite hometown place, Saigon Palace in Edgewater (about 10 minutes south of Annapolis). http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g41124-d666818-Reviews-Saigon_Palace-Edgewater_Maryland.html

I second the semolina flour recommendation. I really like the flavor and texture I get with it better than white flour. Hard to control the "yellowness" of the eggs you can get, but you can always add an extra yolk or two for color.

Short review of Eleven Madison Park from this week's Washington post food section: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032503460.html

Can't go wrong for cheap eats at Ess-a-Bagel all day. Great bagels and a huge choice of stuff to put on them. http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/

In our local stores and hispanic markets there is a wide variety of chorizo available from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. They vary widely from pretty good to really bad and from very hot (spicy) to not so hot. The brands change a lot, so it's hard to get a bead on one you like. I've found them to be so unreliable that I usually don't try and serve it as sausage by itself, I mostly use a little bit to flavor other things like stuffed pepper or tamale filling, or melted cheese dips. You do have to saute it pretty well to get the grease factor down.

The Washington Post recipe I used also added club soda and I believe it contributed to a very nice, light texture.

The Washington Post had a good Matzoh ball article with several recipes in last week's food section. I made the "classic Matzoh balls" last night and they were very good. I couldn't find any commercial schmaltz at local stores, so I just saved the fat and juices from roasting 4 chicken leg quarters and that worked fine. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/03/23/ST2010032301648.html

I agree that the cut of meat must have been the difference. I had another question. I make beef Wellington from time to time and have had good luck with it. Is the effort to do the sous vide step really worth it? I just sear the meat, let it cool, then spread on some pate and wrap it up and bake it.