weinoo

Yes.

Those look pretty cool. I'm wondering if there are any other kitchen tasks they could be used for?

I don't think it tastes better - I like Skippy.

Yes to Ayada. Quite excellent.

Any of the red-cooked dishes; I particularly like red-cooked pork (using shoulder).

Drunken chicken is served cold. Which is a perfect Make ahead dish!

Don't forget dishes like cold-poached chicken with a nice spicy dipping sauce.

Ancient Chinese secret .

I could quote numerous sources from Chinese cookbooks which basically state that there should be dishes that are prepared in a variety of ways, including dishes which take well to reheating. But I'll just quote Fuschia Dunlop, from Land of Plenty: And perhaps Irene Kuo, from The Key to Chinese Cooking:

I totally disagree as far as braised dishes are concerned. The same with cold appetizer dishes like pickled things.

I know you said nothing on the bone, but I can't imagine a pile of chicken wings (perhaps red braised or braised with soy, black beans, etc.) would sit untouched. As for ribs, my favorites are the ones braised (steamed), once again, with black beans...pai gwat.

You see, even a semi-local can like me can learn something from Busboy. (Birch & Barley is still our fave.)

Or spices that are dusty and from another era and hung over the stove. Knives not kept properly in a block or on a strip.

Yes indeedy, in a recent piece in the Sunday NY Times magazine section, Mark Bittman wrote the above line. It appears this sentence has been removed from the online version of the article... I just clicked the link and it's right there - page 2, 3rd to last paragraph.

We have had one stir-fried dish that was actually pretty decent; not at all gloppy like these sometimes play out. It was shredded pork with sliced dried tofu and shredded hot peppers - it was actually quite spicy and not too dumbed down. Haven't tried any of the soups; the dumplings, which a friend insists on ordering every time we go, are horrendous.

Wow. Sounds pretty amazing. What's with the Danes and the use of wood, straw and twigs? I am particularly interested in how you eat the quail egg dish. Do you spoon the soft-cooked egg out of its nest? And for comparison's sake, what does a meal like yours cost?

Do you know what they get for it? Kinda hard to navigate their web site.

The way I read it is that he feels there are any number of chefs who would not be able to cook him a decent meal.

Let's see - he cooks with Ferran Adria, Jean Georges, Mario Batali, and a host of others... I think he knows what the term chef means. As do I.

Not according to Bittman, as is the premise of my first post. Yes, I think that defines the term as Bittman would have us understand it.

Who else but the minimalist himself. would make the following statement... Yes indeedy, in a recent piece in the Sunday NY Times magazine section, Mark Bittman wrote the above line. Now, I know quite a few chefs; most of them don't necessarily cook in their restaurants, but they can surely cook. And the chefs he's lucky enough to work with, for instance Ferran, Jean Georges, et.al. can all definitely cook. So about whom must Mr. Bittman be referring? Anyone willing to make any guesses?

Good call on Mitsitam, which I had no idea was the name of the cafe in that museum. Great place for a group, as there are so many different stations to order from.

Yea? I'm not so sure about that. I mean, sure, I suppose milk in a box tastes better than canned milk. But it's still horrible. And while some Pomi tomato products in aseptic packaging tastes better than some brands of canned tomatoes, there are plenty of brands of canned tomatoes that taste 100 times better than Pomi. The only other stuff I'd consider edible that's typically packaged in aseptic boxes is juice, and as a general rule I can't stomach juice that I don't extract from the fruit myself. I have to go along with Sam on this. We buy the milk, only because it comes in 1 cup sizes, and that way we're not throwing out 3 cups of milk when the quart goes sour before we use it up. Pomi tomatoes are convenient, but many brands of cans are so much better - though let't not forget that Pomi packs pretty much salt-free, which isn't always the case with canned tomatoes. I do like, and keep, some of the high-end stocks - once again, I love the 1 cup sizes.

Should be great. Maybe you can find out what part of the duck goes in that sandwich?!

I defer to Busboy's knowledge about the DC scene, except don't go to Cafe Atlantico for drinks; it's closed and is now America Eats, Jose Andreas' new American tavern. Go there, if you can get in and can stand the throngs. I haven't tried yet, but will very soon, I hope. I do indeed like Johnny's Half Shell, and they host a terrific happy hour in the bar...lots of great, inexpensive snacks. As far as other Jose restaurants, Jaleo is still good and still fun and still a zoo, as is Zaytinya, but former Zaytinya chef and Top Chef Master loser Mike Isabella's Graffiato is up and running and looks like it could be a winner. Avoid either of Top Chef loser Spike's joints, unless you like insipid pizza or lousy burgers. Personally, we find Birch & Barley to be one of our favorite places; best bread basket in the city and the rest of the food is great too. If you're a beer lover, just upstairs is Church Key, with perhaps the best beer selection and beer service in town and food from the B & B kitchen; it's first come, first served and often a scrum for the tables with literally nary a wait list in sight, but all that beer is available downstairs in the restaurant as well. Palena in Cleveland Park, especially the front room Palena Cafe, is casual and tasty and might be a good stop after a late visit to the zoo. People seem to love the concept of Medium Rare, right across the street. Steak, salad and fries (and pretty much nothing else on the menu) for $20, with seconds too! But, we were there recently and don't see a real reason to return. For a fine steak, there's Ray's the Classics, but that will involve more than walking, though quite Metro accessible. Estadio has some pretty fine tapas and nice cocktails; Proof, their higher-end place downtown, also offers great cocktails, a fine wine list and excellent food. DC has no shortage of excellent cocktail joints; The Gibson, Columbia Room, PS7s, Passenger, Bourbon are all as good as it gets; for cocktails in a different setting, though, the Tabard Inn on N Street is a step back in time. Food can be pretty decent too. Don't understand the rush to Legal Seafoods, especially if you've been before. I guess if someone is jonesing for chain seafood restaurant sameness though, you could do worse.