jm chen

With a new British one-pot cookbook (they're always calling for rocket or capiscum or other added flavour) I've been in a cooking renaissance lately. So it's a well-timed thread! Sunday: pot of chicken stew with leeks, carrots, onion, garlic, and tarragon. Chicken simmered on the bone with veggies in chicken stock and apple juice, cooled for defatting and bone removal, then reassembled and heated through with a little sour cream and brown mustard. Mmmmmm. Monday: Sausage and penne, red wine sauce. Yesterday: Lentil soup with the leftover sausage, I'd intended to box it up for lunches the rest of the week but just kept going back to the pot for another helping. One lonely serving remains, which I will probably have tonight.

Certainly true, and I didn't mean to imply that they were. Apparently San Francisco, in particular, has quite a few female chefs of interest. But my underlying point still applies -- even where it's more balanced, it's still pretty unbalanced.

You just did, and the idiot appreciates it.

I've only been to Le Galois, but found it disappointing. Not enough choice and whatever I did end up choosing was smothered in sauce. Enjoy your visit!

Heck of a thread, GG, and heck of an article that started it all. I had heard the arguments about women not being suited to long hours, heavy lifting, etc., but I'd certainly never heard that our taste buds aren't up to the task. By the way, I've finally managed to fix the link in the first post, for those interested. Oops. Still kinda new to this particular program.

Some more discussion of the dearth of female chefs in big-name restaurants -- wish I'd seen the Post article before I wrote it, so I could have thrown in a few stats to underline my point! Name-checks eGullet, Tom Sietsema, Ray's the Steaks, Corduroy, and the only three female chefs I could name in DC without prompting my memory with web-surfing. Of course now I feel bad for having left out Jamie Leeds and Gillian Clark. Anyway, take a gander: Over a Hot Stove

Article today on Intrepid Media about the apparent lack of women as head chefs in big-name restaurants, and why this is bad news but not as bad as we might think. Just my opinion, of course -- feel free to weigh in. Click here for "Over A Hot Stove".

I've had two excellent meals at I Ricchi in the past six months. The best dish I remember was a rabbit papardelle; the least interesting was a sampler of three roasted/stuffed meats that all ended up tasting pretty similar. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the pastas. There was also a dessert, I don't remember the name because I'd never heard it before -- it was kind of a cross between a tart custard and a cheesecake, very smooth and white and served with a lime and raspberry.... ooh, my mouth is watering just thinking of it. The ribollita was nice but mine had a smoky taste to it, like something had burned on the bottom of the pot. I know it's one of their signature dishes but I didn't think it was worth wasting stomach room on. Enjoy and let us know how it goes! [edited to reflect that I just looked at the menu online and the good one was PAPPARDELLE SUL CONIGLIO, the bad one was ARISTA, TACCHINO E VITELLA ARROSTO AGLI AROMI, and I just remembered that I really enjoyed the delightful, lively FILETTO ALLA ZINGARA.]

I have sampled quite a few of the Tazos and enjoyed them all; but the one I'm completely addicted to is the Passion. No caffeine, lovely hibiscus flavor, not quite sweet. I gave up coffee for Lent so I went through several boxes of the stuff.

Shockingly, not a word about Ray's this week. However, last week there was the following mention that I sort of assumed was about Ray's due to the "taking a beating in this forum" line:

The Harvest Apple Torte at Starbucks is really overpriced at something like $3.25, but it is also really delicious. I had some kind of sandwich at Borders that I liked... I think it was just a bunch of cheese on a sundried tomato roll. Of course, I'd eat a rubber tire if you put enough cheese on it, so, grain of salt.

The food in Charleston is incredible! Best wishes for a wonderful honeymoon. We had excellent meals at S.N.O.B. (Slightly North of Broad), Anson (get their signature deep fried fish), and... hmmm... Magnolia's? Didn't do much in the way of get-yer-hands-dirty local stuff. We had read good things about Jestine's but our host recommended against it. Your mileage may vary. As for places to stay we thought the Hayne House was wonderful. If you're splurging, though, there's nothing quite as upscale as Wentworth Mansion -- I think rooms start at $400/night or something equally breathtaking. Then again, you won't get the incredible cheddar grits casserole or homemade biscuits with fig jam that you'd be eating at Hayne House...

Tom Sietsema mentioned on his chat today that his best meal of the week was takeout from City Lights, but I think he meant it mostly as a comment that his other meals have been subpar. That said, I like City Lights better than Meiwah. Have them make the hunan chicken spicy. It's delicious.

Another vote here for La Fourchette, but be warned that the menu is almost all omelettes, other egg dishes, and crepes. (I only notice this because I don't like eggs.) Coffee's good, bread is dry, atmosphere is French, price is right. I always enjoy Ardeo brunch -- went there for Easter, and although we were sad to be stuck with a $29 prix fixe instead of just picking and choosing from the menu, everything was absolutely delicious. The bread pudding with candied walnut ice cream and dried cherries was insane, and a huge portion, besides.