jm chen

Wow. Does Martin's usually have such excellent deals on sausage? 11-oz prepacked sets of four links were 3 for $5 on Saturday. One of my three (chicken sausage with peppers and onions) is already gone; must stop by again during the week.

Christos report: he is not there every day, but today he was there, and MAN is that a good platter. $8 for an outrageous amount of food. A few falafel, superb grilled chicken, mixed greens with some kind of tiny red pasta in dressing, a few lumps of a tapenade-ish sauce, possibly some lentils, and a big thin pita. Upon hearing that it was my first visit, the gentleman behind me in line informed me that I would be back, because the food clearly has crack in it. I'm not so sure he's wrong.

I've now made the roasted banana ice cream, the Aztec "Hot" Chocolate ice cream, and the nectarine sorbet. All are delicious. Both batches of nectarine sorbet totally overflowed the machine, so I wonder if I'm churning too much or if this particular recipe is just a little overgenerous with the quantity. Haven't scooped it from the freezer yet so I don't know what the consistency's going to be like. We'll see. The Aztec hot chocolate is amazing, though. I only used two teaspoons of powdered ancho so it's not in there as a discernable flavor of its own. Though my husband, who served himself an extra scoop, said "The heat builds up if you eat a lot of it."

Sorry, instead of per plate I should have said per person. Just checked and $120 is the figure. When it was $85 I felt I could recommend it more highly, now I'd rather send people to Komi.

I don't speak Greek either, but based on past Komi menus, I suspect it is a whole roasted fish. In the past he's done Bronzini Mi Harti (which was also for 2) so that's my guess. We were extremely happy with the $75 tasting menu... it didn't seem like more courses than last year, exactly, but it felt like plenty of food for the price. I would highly recommend a visit. Especially considering that minibar is now over $100 a plate, I would recommend Komi as the best way to experience something impressive and unique on the DC dining scene.

[bump] New to Philly and I'm definitely finding the carts intriguing, though I haven't actually eaten at any yet. Anyone got favorites in the 19th & Market vicinity? Not sure any of the recs from 2005 still apply. Or do I just look for a long line of hungry-seeming people?

Had an absurdly good meal last night at Mercato. Four of us, and not a bad dish on the table. Started with the mussels/clams and a big plate of antipasti, both were well-received. Pappardelle with pine nuts, orechiette with meatballs, ricotta gnocchi with short rib ragu (!), and "pyramid pasta" with lobster and shrimp, every one more delicious than the next. The "flight of olive oils", two oils and a vinegar for $5, was fun once, but in future I'll stick with the addictive whipped butter. We just moved into the neighborhood and it is going to be dangerous living so close to somewhere this tasty -- not to mention the second outpost of Tria the next block over. Passed up dessert so as to introduce our visitors to Capogiro.

Just acquired this book and an ice cream maker, and so made my very first batch of homemade ice cream: roasted banana. Seems like a popular choice -- I wonder if other people also looked at the rapidly ripening bananas on the kitchen counter and thought, You know, I should do something with these. Absolutely delicious, if a little icier than I'm used to with commercially made products. Served with crepes (also from the book), bittersweet fudge sauce, and Luxardo cherries. My question is: how do you know when to stop churning? I stopped at half an hour, but is there a sign to look for? I have a Cuisinart, the kind with the canister you have to pre-freeze.

In general I would echo Busboy's recommendation for one of the fun bistros, given the Sunday timeline. OpenTable shows openings for two at Cafe du Parc, Marcel's, and if you wanted another romantic option, 1789.

Lia's departure depressed me. I thought it should have been Hung. And it worries me that I'm starting to like Joey, who initially infuriated me to no end. Positive review of the show in general here: Are We Not Entertained By Top Chef?

Luna Grill is very near Farragut North and it's cheap; looks like they've got a fair number of breakfast options from $5-8. If you need lunch on the run in that area there's a Julia's Empanadas there too, on Connecticut Ave. Nowhere to sit inside but they usually have a couple tables on the sidewalk if it's not raining. I usually get whatever their vegetarian empanada is for the day. I think for a savory empanada, dessert empanada (pear w/almond, so good), and drink, it's $6. The bar lunch at Restaurant Kolumbia is a really good deal for $9, definitely try to fit it in. A half-hour stroll or quick hop on the 42 bus will bring you to Adams Morgan, where you can get breakfast at The Diner, standard diner fare. Also, breakfast (bagels, pastries) or sandwiches at a deli called So's Your Mom. Cash only, great people. The Farragut North area is all businesses and office buildings, so if you want to take a quick trip into a DC neighborhood that's more residential and interesting, Adams Morgan is right up the road.

I've done a round-up of my favorites and why, over on Intrepid: The Best Food You Haven't Eaten. They all make me sooooo hungry.

A group of friends and I have been obsessively searching the country for wasabi cashews ever since Trader Joe's discontinued them, to semi-no-avail. The ones from the Dollar Tree stores have that great searing bite to them, and the powder gets all over your hands, just like the originals. They're about the closest you can get. But they don't have the crisp crust effect. Dan-D-Pak manufactures both the Dollar Tree version and the originals, but the originals don't appear to have a US distributor. Might have to try that VA Diner site...

If you still have any dinners left, for a meat and potatoes partner, I'd recommend District Chophouse. Right around 7th and E-ish. Steaks and microbrew. Doesn't win any awards but anything meat-based there is solid work. I know we always say this but I think it's just as appropriate as always: the best food on the Mall is in the museum cafe in the Museum of the American Indian. It's set up with food stations that draw on Native American cuisine from different regions, so if he wants buffalo chili from the Southwest station and you want a quinoa salad and hibiscus juice from the South America station, or planked salmon from the Pacific Northwest station, everybody's happy. A good lunch break from the sightseeing.

I've had the gougeres a couple of times and they have that pate-a-chouxness to me. The short ribs are definitely excellent; when I want something lighter, which I usually do, the crabcake appetizer is large enough to make a meal. Can't beat the faux gras, either, though I don't like the duck rilletes it comes with. If it's part of the charcuterie plate these days that's probably a better bet.

I had a good Sunday brunch at White Dog Cafe but we were staying out in that area, so it was convenient. If you want to hit it, maybe brunch is the way. If not, Sabrina's gets good brunch reviews. As a recent visitor to Philly, I scratched the cheesesteak itch with a visit to Jim's. They say provolone is the way to go there but we thought the traditional wiz was better. Went on a Sunday and stood in a long line, which was actually good because 1) the smell was incredible, and 2) I got to hear what about 40 other people ordered, and made my orders based on theirs. Amada is a don't-miss.

You are much better off going to the Teaism in Penn Quarter for a couple of reasons: one, it is much nearer to the Mall than Dupont Circle is, and two, it is much larger and more comfortable to sit in. The Penn Quarter Teaism has a large downstairs area with lots of tables (and a koi pond!) whereas Dupont is more cramped. If you follow this link it has the address and appears to link to a map. Enjoy your visit!

Really looking forward to hearing more about your trip -- we visited Peru last year and had some delicious meals, along with the gorgeous scenery and breathtaking historical sites. I loved the coca tea so much I bought a box of 1000 teabags at the duty-free on the way back... after asking the staff about 23 times if they were sure it was legal to bring back to the U.S. It is. Or at least if it's not, nobody took it away from me. Can't wait to hear all about the trip!

Two of my favorites have already been mentioned, Matt Bites and Smitten Kitchen, but I didn't see the third -- My Husband Cooks. Gorgeous photos, and a fun he-said-she-said format, with recipes. (And a mini horn-tooting: my site Intrepid Media is not a blog, but my most recent column there, Pursuing the Perfect Bite, is food-related.)

Szechuan peppercorns, and red M&Ms. From wikipedia:

For some reason there seem to be a lot of not-that-great food places in that particular area. Definitely avoid the Uptown Grill. Jandara has good drunken noodles. I heard there is a new cheesesteak place on that corner but can't vouch for it personally. If the local places run out of food and/or you need to stretch your legs, walk on Calvert over the Duke Ellington bridge into Adams Morgan. There's a great little deli, So's Your Mom, about a 10-minute walk away. Cash only.

This is getting away from the food stuff, but you could, for example, leave them to poke around in the jewelry at Beadazzled while you browse books next door at Kramerbooks. Just don't separate and then plan to meet at Comfort One Shoes -- there are three of those on Connecticut just north of the circle. One of the charming oddities of the area. On food: for the love of all that is holy, don't eat at Anna Maria's.

It looks something like one my family picked up years ago in Berea, Kentucky... do tell.

Agreed -- I live in Adams Morgan, and I love it there, but the restaurant scene will not keep you busy for long. (Though I do love San Marco, and the sandwiches at So's Your Mom.) Parking is also scarce and the Metro is not entirely convenient. I'd go with Dupont Circle instead, as a home base. Breakfast or lunch at Teaism, stroll down to Firefly for a cheese plate, poke around at the FreshFarm market on Sunday morning, lots of options in the area. Dupont also has a movie theater, little shops like The Propper Topper, and other places 17-year-olds might like to browse around in when they get tired of eating.

You know, what makes me really sad is if this whole interpersonal childish absurd infighting stupidity hadn't happened, we might have had a final where Sam and Cliff were competing for the title, and THEN we might have seen a show that was truly about who could put together better food. Sigh.