Al_Dente

May 27, 2003

I had a fava bean dish there Thursday night that was incredible. I must somehow steal the recipe. It was a sort of hummus like thingy-- I believe it had carmelized onions, thyme, but I'm not sure what else?

Any idea on how I can get my hands on this recipe? I suppose I could start experimenting...

May 27, 2003

I forget if it's Tuesday or Wednesday night, but Whitey's over in Arlington makes a mean burger for half price. It's a great little divey neighborhood joint. You gotta love the big "EAT" sign in neon out front.

May 27, 2003

As an unfortunate soul who works just down the street from the AFI, I don't have a lot to recommend. However, I do want to plug the DiMarco Deli across Colesville Rd from that Mecca of culinary delights, Ruby Tuesday. DiMarco's is the real deal with great subs, homemade mozzarella, imported cheeses and meats, homemade pastas and sausages, etc. You can stop in for a sub or a slice, but it isn't really made to be a sit down type joint.

Otherwise, that part of Silver Spring is nothing but chain restaurant hell.

May 16, 2003

The name of the dish is escaping me, but I cooked it for an ex-girlfriend of mine. She loved it and thereafter referred to me as "sweet meat". When she called me that in front of others, I'd look around for the intrigued expressions on their faces.

Al Dente's Sweet Meat

Pork Tenderloin Medallions pounded out to an inch thick

Prosciutto

Fresh Sage

Toothpicks

Sherry or Madeira or whatever sweetish fortified wine you might dig

Slap a sage leaf or two on top of the medallion, cover it with a slice of prosciutto, lace a toothpick through to hold in place. Sear it on both sides, finish in oven if necessary, and deglaze pan with the wine until syrupy.

Voila, sweet meat. Actually, I'm cooking for a woman I've recently met tonight... it worked last time, might as well give it a go...

May 2, 2003

I'd be up for that...

April 29, 2003

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of trying a place that is worth talking about. My hubby and I tried Bombay Curry Company in Alexandria. To be totally honest, I was fully prepared for watered down cuisine and a unhelpful wait staff.
Happy to admit (and somewhat suprised) that I was wrong. This little gem serves up authentic Indian food.. sort of like mom's cooking from 5000 miles away. We tried the buffet and found it to have a lot of variety. The Chicken with black peppercorns was really a delight... spicy and hot, very flavorful. A treat was the Bottlegourd Pudding for dessert.. instead of the usual rice pudding.
A lot of the patrons seem to be regulars and I noticed them chatting with the owner, who was quite gracious
One interesting point, we went with our young son. THe wait staff immediately asked us if he would prefer a kids meal as opposed to the spicy food -- I was curious, so I said yes. He was treated to a plate of colroful vegetables, fries and chicken.. of couse he stole my naan.. I thought this was a nice touch for folks who want to try authentic Indian but are worried their kids might not have an interest in doing so
Prices are really cheap. An office lunch is around 4 bucks. Inexpensive home cooking..
All in all, we would definately try it again, this time for dinner.
BTW the address is
Bombay Curry Company
3110 Mount Vernon Ave.
Calvert Building
Alexandria, VA
703-836-6363
Today I am off to try a lovely Burmese place just outside my office. Will write more after lunch

Told you so...

April 18, 2003

I highly recommend a trip up to Shepherdstown WV. It's only about an hour and a half from DC. I was there last weekend and saw ramps all over the place when hiking around.

While you're out there you can check out Harper's Ferry and Antietam. There is an excellent restaurant in town called the Yellow Brick Bank Building.

It's a funky little town-- you got your rednecks, but also a quirky student population and a lot of older hippy dippy types. They have a small but interesting selection of produce/bread/cheese/herbs at their farmer's market on Sunday mornings-- I bought some tasty kale pesto.

A great place to go when the weather is nice... check it out.

April 15, 2003

The most important thing to remember is that broilers cook with radiant heat. Because of this, the distance from the source of heat to the food makes a huge difference in the final outcome. In fact, radiant heat drops with the square of the distance from the heat source. This means that if you double the distance from the broiler to the food, the amount of heat it is exposed to is cut by a factor of 4. It you triple the distance, the heat is cut to 1/9 of the original amount. So getting all your food a uniform distance from the heat source is critical.
What does this mean in practical terms? If you have a low-end broiler that is a single loop heating element, then you have to be very careful to lay food out in a pattern that matches the loop and align the pan directly under the element. It's not actually the case that most home units are underpowered, the problem is that it is difficult to get large pieces of food a uniform distance from the heat source. If H is your heat source, and F is your food, you get something like this:
------(H)------
(FFFFFFFFFF)
The food directly under H gets nicely crusted, but the edges, which are substantially further away, barely cook. If you put a steak that is 6" wide 3" below a single broiler element, then the edges of the steak will only get half the radiant heat that the center does, even though they are just 1.2" further from the element. Of course, if you very carefully arrange your food in a pattern that matches your heating element, you can do a sort of OK job.
More advanced home units and commercial products have heating elements that are more uniform, like this:
(HHHHHHHHHH)
-(FFFFFFFFFFF)-
This enables all parts of the food to cook uniformly. Raising and lowering the food lets you control how much radiant heat the food gets.

I need some further clarification:

So, if a train leaves Washington at 9am travelling toward NYC at 120 mph, and a train leaves NYC at 10am travelling toward DC at 90 mph, when will my 6 1/2 pound chicken finish roasting at 375 degrees if put in the oven at 6pm?

:raz:

April 10, 2003

Hunan Dynasty on Penn. Ave. probably has the best chinese on the Hill, it's adequate, but not fantastic by any stretch.
If you don't know about the wine selection at Schneider's Liquors on Mass Ave., you should check it out - one of the best wine spots in DC.

Ditto on Schneider's. Knowledgable staff. They often have tastings in the back room-- not just wine but booze too!

April 9, 2003

For a lowbrow chow and brew, head to the Tune Inn on Penn Ave near Eastern Market. Great cheap greasy burgers are the way to go here. Check out the antelope butts over the bathroom doors, and the numerous other mangy looking hunting trophies all over the place. Also, if an older woman is bartending, don't play any Patsy Cline on the jukebox-- she'll unplug it.

There is a Greek restaurant (the name escapes me) a couple of blocks closer to the capitol that makes a mean grilled calamari, but I can't recommend it for much else.

Nothing better than a great spring weekend morning spent at Eastern Market. The cheese shop there is pretty good, and you can often find unusual decent quality cuts of meat. I wouldn't recommend the fish however-- you can get much fresher stuff down at the Washington Harbor near Maine Ave. The baked goods are pretty good too.

April 9, 2003

Bo Nuong Xa

Serves 4 as Main Dish.

This is a killer dish. I've made it 3 or 4 times and it has always knocked people out. It's a lot of prep work (cleaning and chopping veggies), but otherwise fairly easy. I once made it for 18 people-- took me all freakin day.

This is based on a recipe from the Washington Post. You can, if necessary, substitute regular basil for the Thai basil, and I never found "Saw Leaf" so I omitted it. I always use lettuce wraps rather than the rice paper ones. Cook the beef on a good and hot grill or under the broiler. You definitely want a good chargrilled crust on the outside. This dish is also fairly cheap since you don't need a lot of beef and it's mostly veggies. I think when I made it for 18 people, I probably spent just under $100.

For the beef:

1/4 c fish sauce
1 T thick soy sauce
2 T vegetable oil, plus additional for the pan, if using
3 T sugar
2 stalks lemon grass, outer leaves and tough green tops removed, root ends trimmed and stalks finely ground or minced
2 large cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped
1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
Bamboo skewers soaked in water for 20 minutes

For the table salad:

1 c (about 4 ounces) rice vermicelli
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated, or 12 small round or triangle rice papers, soaked*
1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed and thinly sliced
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and julienned or shredded
1 unripe star fruit, thinly sliced

For the rau (traditional herbs)

1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint
1 bunch holy (Thai) basil
1 bunch saw leaf

For the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce:

5 T sugar
3 T water
1/3 c fish sauce
1/2 c lime or lemon juice (about 3 or 4 limes or 2 lemons)
1 large clove garlic, crushed and peeled and then sliced or minced
1 bird's eye or Thai chili pepper, seeded and sliced or minced, or to taste
1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced, rinsed and drained (optional)
1/2 c unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped (optional)

Bo Nuong Xa

(Grilled Lemon Grass Beef Cubes)

(4 to 6 servings)

This is an excellent way to prepare beef. Marinated in lemon grass, fish sauce and sugar, it is robust in flavor, yet relatively light. It is best grilled, which not only crisps the meat but gives it a smoky flavor.

The meat can be served simply with rice, but I like to combine a bit of the grilled beef with some rice vermicelli, wrap it in a bundle in a lettuce leaf or rice paper with the Traditional Herbs (recipe follows), a slice of star fruit and a drizzle of oil and dip in Nuoc Cham (recipe follows).

For the beef: In a medium bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, oil and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the lemon grass, garlic, and beef and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Soak the bamboo skewers.

For the table salad: Place the vermicelli in a dish and cover with lukewarm water. Set aside to soak until pliable, about 20 minutes.

On a large serving platter or several plates, arrange the lettuce or rice papers, cucumber, carrots and star fruit.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drain the vermicelli and, working in batches, place it in a sieve and lower into the boiling water. Using a chopstick, untangle the noodles and boil until tender but still firm, about 3 seconds. Drain and place on the plate with the other ingredients.

Slide 2 to 4 cubes of beef onto each skewer, depending on how long the skewers are, discarding the marinade.

Preheat the grill or broiler or set a lightly oiled grill pan or nonstick skillet over high heat. Grill, broil or sear the beef skewers until well browned on each side and crisp on the edges, about 1 minute per side. Remove the beef from the skewers. Set aside.

For the assembly: Toss the beef cubes with a little from each of the table salad items and Traditional Herbs. Serve on individual plates or in large soup bowls (as is traditional), sprinkle with peanuts, drizzle with oil and Nuoc Cham and toss to combine well.

Note: Rice papers are traditionally used to wrap grilled meats. First, however, they must be soaked in lukewarm water to cover for about 3 minutes and drained on paper towels.

Per serving (including herbs and 1 tablespoon of nuoc cham): 337 calories, 26 gm protein, 24 gm carbohydrates, 14 gm fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 5 gm saturated fat, 450 mg sodium, 4 gm dietary fiber

For the Rau

(Traditional Herbs)

(4 to 6 servings)

Some of these herbs are hard to get unless you live near a Southeast Asian food market. Mint and cilantro, however, are available in most markets. Italian basil is not a substitute for holy, or Thai, basil, because its flavor is much different. This traditional herb garnish is used in soups or served alongside the table salad to complement grilled or fried meats and seafood dishes.

Keeping the stems and leaves intact, clean the cilantro, mint, holy basil and saw leaves thoroughly, drain on paper towels and arrange on a plate in individual piles.

For the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

(Makes about 2 cups)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, water, fish sauce and lime or lemon juice until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the garlic, chili pepper and shallot, if using. Set aside for 30 minutes prior to serving.

Keywords: Main Dish, Amuse, Intermediate, Beef, Vegetables, Vietnamese, Southeast Asian

( RG317 )

April 7, 2003

come to my neighborhood girl. Po-Siam on Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria,is perhaps the most authentic thai in the area.
Get to know the owners Nicky and his wife Ratna ( who prepares most of the sauces ) it will enhance your future ding experiences here. They were among the 'top 40 value for money' restaurants in the metro area by members of consumers checkbook.
While on mount vernon ave, also checkout the following
Rt's
Bombay Curry Company
Fireflies
Evening Star Cafe
Taqueria Poblano
Los Amigos

Whereabouts is Po-Siam? I'm familiar with the neighborhood (Bombay Curry, RT's, and Taqueria Poblano are all great).

Also, Monica, where is Natta Thai?

April 7, 2003

Wish I could have gone. Faidley's crabcakes are the bomb, and always get your peanuts outside the stadium. Also, there is a beer stand on the south end of Eutaw St that serves up some great, albeit expensive, beer. They have DeGroen's Marzen... mmm.

I went to opening day. Sat in the snow in the upperdeck. The storm was so localized that it was snowing like hell in right field, and the sun was shining in left. Go figure.

Anyone up for a repeat trip later in the season? Given the outlook for the O's season, I highly recommend going earlier than later. The turnout gets progressively worse as things become more hopeless.

April 3, 2003

In Catalan cooking raisins are an essential in a number of vegetable dishes , including stirred into sauteed spinach with pine nuts......yum

Yeah, I had this in Barcelona and have been whipping it up ever since. Super tasty and simple.

April 2, 2003

Hormel, baby. Straight from the can. I love the sound that comes out of the can as you extract the chili with a spoon. What would you call that? Chili vacuum suck sound?

March 14, 2003

Don't, don't, don't order anything at Evening Star that wasn't shipped very recently. The storage conditions at Daily Planet Wines are abysmal, and I've had enough cooked bottles that I don't bother anymore. In addition, they pull wines off the store shelves, which means even reds need a decent chill because of the heat in the store (and whites a bit more), yet they push you to order food and bring it far too quickly. Result: you're only halfway through the wine by the time you're done with your mains, and there's a crowd waiting for a seat, and they not-so-subtly push you out. And no cheese available to drink with the remnants of your wine.
Sorry for the rant, but this place baffles me.
Jake

Hmmm. I haven't been there in a few months. Perhaps things have gone downhill.

March 12, 2003

In the Delray section of Alexandria is a great little restaurant called Evening Star. They have an adjoining wine store with a pretty good selection. You can make a purchase at the store and drink it in the restaurant. If I recall correctly it's a $5 corkage.

March 12, 2003

Actually, Band-Aids might be the best word to describe the scent. I've got half the bottle left at home so maybe I'll give it another go tonight and swirl it around more this time. Will report back later; anticipate Smell-O-Vision™ transmission at approximately 9pm EST.

Band Aids. Whew, am I glad to see that someone else has experienced this. I ordered a red at dinner with friends (I don't recall what) and I immediately detected the band aids. Everyone at the table thought I was crazy and went ahead and drank it. I couldn't stomach it. I thought I was going crazy-- seemed odd to recognize such a specific and distinct odor.

March 11, 2003

If I had to throw away every piece of cooking equipment I own except one, I'd keep my LeCreuset. It heats perfectly, has many uses, and cleans easily. Comes with a 99 year warranty, so I plan on leaving it to someone worthy of it in my will.

March 3, 2003

To save $$$ and get more drunk, I usually buy 2 bottles that are each rated a 50.

I find this thread absurd...

March 3, 2003

By all means, run, do not walk, to Faidley's at the Lexington Market in Baltimore and get their premium crab cake. It'll run you about $15, but this baseball sized hunk of lump meat is incredible.

Lexington Market itself is worth a look for all the fresh seafood and produce. Plus, it isn't far from Camden Yards, so a killer crabcake is a great way to begin or end a day up there for a ballgame.

February 21, 2003

If I see any of the following in another restaurant review, I'm gonna explode...

yucky

oowy

bleck

loogyish

icky

February 13, 2003

I, personally, can't think of anything more cromulant.

"There's nary an animal alive that can out run a greased Scotsman"

Did you ever see Willie selling Haggis?

"Get your haggis here, chopped heart and lungs, boiled in a wee sheep's stomach, tastes as good as it sounds, good for what ails ya"

February 13, 2003

Duangrat's and Rabieng in Fall's Church are both very good. As stated above, both are owned by the same people. I can't recall, but I seem to remember one of them being a little more upscale in decor and pricing and the other seemed to have largely the same food but for lower prices. I don't remember which was which though. Both had courteous, knowledgeable, and English speaking Thai staff.

February 5, 2003

You might also try I Ricchi on, I believe, 18th near Dupont. I haven't been there in a while, but I remember pasta that made me stand on the table and sing sing like Pavarotti.

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