divalasvegas

One thing popped out at me about last night's show. Carla decided to depart from the rest of the contestants and make a non-alcoholic cocktail/drink for the event, explaining to some of the guests that she doesn't drink and often ends up drinking water when attending parties or other events. However, early in this episode she's seen raising a glass of champagne along with the other contestants which came in a goodie basket provided by the Louisiana tourist board I think. She wasn't actually seen drinking it though. My question is can someone actually be a top chef and not drink alcoholic beverages at all? In particular I'm thinking that chefs at the top of their game should have some expertise on how to flavor foods with wine or other spirits and especially need to be knowledgeable about how different wines pair with their finished dishes. Just asking since I have no idea. And I too am sorry to see Fabio depart. I think he's very sweet and funny and definitely has talent. The pasta and bread he made looked amazing and at least he got credit for that.

Oh what a night! At first I was peeved about the Final Four becoming the Final Five, but I have to admit what an interesting twist. I always liked Jeff and was glad that he got another bite at the apple. He seemed to be a very decent, stand up guy who always took responsibility for his mistakes and never tried to throw others under the bus to cover his ass. The crayfish pots de creme looked luscious. Hey Stefan, it ain't ovah 'til it's ovah, get it? I actually find his snarkyness kind of amusing but that comment about Hosea's gumbo was totally uncalled for. Ironic since the panel raved about his gumbo while Stefan's fell flat for a lack of soul. But dear CARLA, kudos to you girlfriend! I thought she had bit the dust attempting to feature oysters in one of her dishes since she struggled right up to the end trying to open them. She's got so much heart and I'm really pleasantly surprised to see her in the finals. Whooty the Hell Who woulda thunk it?

← Oh Dear God, I LOVE it when Jacques Pepin talks dirty! I'd join him at that table any time. Thanks Ulterior Epicure. BTW, a shout out and congrats to fellow DC homegirl Carla for making it to the final four and continuing to improve each week. I had honestly thought she'd be gone by now. No idea if she'll be staying or going this week, but I wish her all the best. Quirky and a little hippy-dippy yes, but seems to be an all around nice lady.

You mean the Chicago "pizza style" casserole? It's tasty enough, but it isn't pizza. Is it too late for burning at the stake? ← Great idea! Alas, she has so many food quirks, it's hard to list them all: will eat pie but ONLY apple pie, will drink juice but ONLY cranberry or mango, will eat ice cream but ONLY cookies and cream............. you get the picture. Last night I made a lovely salad: sweet grape tomatoes, radishes, red onion, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper with a five types of salad greens mix. I offered her some (she's eaten food I've prepared before and liked it) but she declined because it had too much "stuff" in it. Even the lettuce mix in a bag from your local grocery is too scary because of those awful shards of carrot. Sorry to go off topic, but I just had to get that off my chest. Come to think of it, burning at the stake may soon be called for.

Hi Charles. Can't wait to see the entire menu. Your plans sound a lot like most folks I've spoken to around here. I really believe it will be a madhouse in DC that day and unfortunately I've heard that a lot of businesses, in particular restaurants and bars, will be adversely affected with the authorities either telling them they have to be closed that day or that there will be limited foot traffic. Either way, a money losing proposition for them. Enjoy your potluck. Gee cassoulet and arugula; I am such a peasant.

I have no idea where Punta Cana is but it sounds wonderful.......... and warm. Please take me with you!

How about this abomination? I'm currently housesharing with a woman who will only eat pizza topped with pineapple AND mushrooms. That's it. I plan to post elsewhere here about her other "interesting" food choices.

As I sit here in northern Virginia contemplating the chaotic logistical Hell On Earth just a few miles away that will occur in my hometown, Washington, DC, on inauguration day and because we, the unwashed masses of northern Virginia have been virtually banned from entering the city that day, I have decided to host an inaugural day party. Actually we’re not exactly banned however there are all sorts of the restrictions on all movement out of northern Virginia into the city. On that day all access via 395/495 (for those that aren’t familiar with this area those are the local highways/interstates in and out of northern Virginia) will be closed except for emergency vehicles, taxis, buses, limos, etc. No one can actually drive from northern Virginia to DC that day. Of course we can use Metro, but several weeks ago locals were already warned by WMATA, our public transportation system, that they expected to be overwhelmed and were panicked about accommodating the millions of visitors. After doing my own informal poll of those here, most are choosing to avoid the city on inauguration day. Given all the craziness expected, I’ve decided to stay home and have a get together for the inaugural. I will probably have only few folks over, but I’m already stressing about the menu. I’ve considered all the usual suspects: fajitas, guacamole, salsa, varous dips and chips, etc., etc., etc. I’m asking for your help in this endeavor; not just food but liquid refreshments as well. Metropolitan-DC locals are you staying home? If so, what’s on your inaugural table? And for everyone else, what are your plans? BTW, my entertainment parameters will be for a casual, help yourself type affair, easy to prepare and hold, not too expensive, but would like something different/unusual from standard party fare and must definitely maximize my time interacting with guests and watching the day’s unfolding events. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Oh well, yes there's that too and her oingy-boingy curly hair!

Being a DC girl, I was initially rooting for Carla but my money is on her to get the boot, and soon. I think her free-spirited, goofy but lovable routine is about to bite the dust. I would have thought that being a caterer would be an advantage in that you are always working under pressure and often thrown curveballs, but not in her case I guess. Perhaps if one is constantly working with a tried and true set menu for their clients, creativity may tend to suffer. Of course I'm sure there are many innovative caterers out there, but I just wonder if what should have been an advantage has actually been a liability for her. What no one has yet mentioned is that how come we keep seeing the same main ingredients? It's always chicken or beef filet or tuna or, for goodness' sake, SCALLOPS, SCALLOPS, SCALLOPS. I really don't want to see them cooking stuff that I've cooked at home. How about some offal or live seafood? I'd love to see them tackle a live octopus like they did on Iron Chef Japan!

← Alas, one of the worst duos of character flaws to be found in a person, yet usually go hand-in-hand: being both cheap AND greedy. Was this the Bernie Madoff family?

Can we at least all agree that those awful, weird tasting, rings of canned black olives should be banned forever?

Hi there MissMeglet. Right now I have fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, and unsweetened fruit juices--just trying to start out the year right, ya know. But I also have a baked ham, roast chicken with vegetables and gravy, and homemade mac and cheese to make up for the fruit, vegetables and juices! Sort of yin/yang as one must always strive for balance in one's life.

A long and impressive read indeed Tri2Cook. But I must insist that you and everyone else here who hasn't had a chance to peruse this entire thread--one of the absolute best on eG--refer to Katherine's very brilliantly written and graphic depiction, posted in August 2003, of some of the most horrific meals imaginable CLICKY. Be afraid, be VERY afraid.

Gee, I thought this forum was about respecting the food choices of others. Why would anyone care if there are those who like Panda Express to the point of belittling their choices? I've never had Panda Express. I might hate their food or love it, but I suspect it might be somewhere in between. Believe me, the Washington DC Metro area has lots of very bad representations of Chinese and/or Chinese American food. Thanks Toliver for this great family success story. Their story is very similar to a very recent local story celebrating the FIFTY YEAR SUCCESS of a restaurant called Ben's Chili Bowl. How many restaurants can say that? Yet there were some who took great glee in bashing the quality of their chili, their half smokes, whatever. I was not one of those people. If you like the food, fine. If you don't and don't/won't let it pass your more sophisticated lips, fine too. But really, absolutely no need to be condescending to those here who don't share your tastes or perhaps don't have the access (because of where they live) or the money to avail themselves of more "authentic" Chinese cuisine.

Never, ever, ever soak the beans as in NEVER. I buy different 15 bean, 18 bean mixes but I've never soaked my beans. Even if I cook a single dried variety of bean, I never soak the beans. That's how I was taught by the MASTER, meaning my mom. Also, I always throw out the "seasoning packet" and season my own pot of beans my way.

Good morning Magus. I'm glad to see an update from you but so very sorry about the sad circumstances; my deepest condolences. You have cast bread upon the waters for the greater good and I know your good intentions and hard work will have you back on top in no time. As for the fries, go with fresh in my humble opinion, for all the reasons you stated. Do you have to have two fryers for the process? Is it possible to blanch fry them in advance and hold them? I'm sure someone here far more knowledgable than me can answer that question. Best of luck to you.

OMG Racheld that's it, That's It, T H A T' S IT!!! That's the one I remember. Actually it sounds way better than the ones I remember (NO VELVEETA or evaporated milk ). Now you've gone and done it since I feel the irresistable urge to make this dish this weekend in addition to the hummus, baba gannoush (sp?), potato salad, Buffalo wings, and bleu cheese dip I was already planning. I'll be totally exhausted but well fed.

Great article; thanks DT Barton. I really like Five Guys, at least the one in the Courthouse area in Arlington, Virginia. I've always gotten hot, juicy burgers and great fries there. However, these new places featured in the Post sound very promising indeed. Like Mayhaw Man said, I'm not inclined to travel too far for a good or even great burger. But lucky me in that I live in Arlington near two of these places: Big Buns Gourmet Grill and Michael Landrum's (owner of Ray's The Steaks) new place, Ray's Butcher Burgers. Back to Five Guys. I recently wrote them that a) I really liked their burgers and fries but b) I had a three suggestions on how to bump up their menus: - Shakes (what's a burger joint without shakes?) - Onion Rings (I like fries but I LOVE well-made onion rings) - Chili (Five Guys sells hot dogs but no chili--HERESY I say! ) In other words, I find their menus too limited and even though I didn't mention it when I wrote them, they really should start offering some additional, higher quality cheeses. What will get me into these new places are location, a menu that goes beyond the Five Guys basics, and being able to order my burger cooked medium if I want. One of the other places the Post mentioned initially sounds wonderful; I mean who could argue with this at Mark Bucher's BGR: The Burger Joint in Bethesda, Maryland: Sounded Heavenly until I read this article posted in a link by a someone posting in the comments section for this article: Mark Bucher's Alleged Shady Background His burgers may be divine but something may be a bit rotten about this guy if he's in the habit of stiffing small business people.

Well, what a small world it is indeed. Yes, it's the one near Courthouse (I currently work at Courthouse Plaza) and I also commute through Ballston everyday. I really wish we had more Mom and Pop places in this area that would stay Mom and Pop, and stay local like in they have in NYC, Philly, and other parts of the country. At least, thanks to a pretty diverse immigrant community, there are still some. Perhaps they need to scale back because of the current economic scene--the price of fuel, ever climbing food costs, and a bad real estate market. Respectfully, your pear-shaped peer in Northern Virginia.

I work near, and have only eaten at, what I believe to be the original Five Guys located in Arlington, Virginia. Perhaps it's because it was the original, I can honestly say that every burger and every order of fries I've ever had has been delicious. The burgers there at least are not grey in any way but hot and juicy and the fries are always served crisp and hot with just the right amount of salt with malt vinegar available as well. Their sodas are just regular fountain sodas you can get anywhere, nothing special. They can be a bit pricey but to compare their burgers with McDonalds is just plain crazy, I mean you get what you pay for. My only criticisms are what they don't have considering that they are a burger joint: - No onion rings - No milk shakes or ice cream floats - They sell hot dogs but don't offer chili as a topping - They need to scale down their "small" order of fries which is a pretty huge serving for one person IMHO Maybe they did expand too quickly, but the original Arlington location still seems to be going strong. Curse you Vicious Wadd I'm having a serious craving for Five Guys right now! I wonder why?

I own these these. I really like them and, yes, I think they look pretty cool. But have I also been duped? I mean who wouldn't like to be able to actually tell someone to add a smidgen of this or a pinch of that and actually be able to quantify it? I didn't buy these from this website but from QVC for a much lower price which no longer sells them. Now, because of this truly controversial and disburbing thread, I feel guilty and foolish and dopey and just plain wrong. So, to quote Quiltguy how do you "measure the measure?" I'm keeping these though 'cause I still think they look pretty damn cool.

Being that I'm a native Washingtonian AND a Redskins fan anything with the Cowboys makes my teeth itch. I'll definitely pass on this one.

Thanks David. I'm especially excited about Louis' Fish Camp being that I'm half South Carolinian (on my mom's side) and having been raised on delicious, cooked-from-scratch Carolina farm girl cooking that sounds like something quite special indeed. And it also sounds like it's probably going to have a lot of "soul" as well. BTW, I'm not adverse to someone else taking me out for one of those $150.00 dinners. Edited to correct grammar.

Hello David. I'm appreciate your insights about high end dining in Vegas and while I also appreciate great food, unless I get real lucky when I hit the town, the chances are that I'm not going to be shelling out $150 for 8 ounces of beef any time soon. What's new on the scene for the budget conscious "gourmet?" Will you also be sharing any experiences with "home grown" mom and pop type establishments? Lotus of Siam has already been mentioned but is there a strong presence of, for want of a better way of saying it, ethnic cuisine represented by recent emigres? Also, are there any good representations of American Indian cuisine?