hjshorter

I think we should go back to drinking beer or cider all day, instead of water.

In the same way that a newspaper reporter is accountable?Restaurantgirl is now "appointed." It still doesn't make her tripe worth reading.

Greystone Grill in the new town center would probably do for a business lunch.

For wait staff? Much less.

Emma picked out a basket of tiny okra yesterday from the Truck Patch stand at the Mt. P market, and insisted on paying for it out of her allowance. It is heavenly fried in a light as air cornmeal batter (add egg whites beaten to soft peak), and indeed did not require any trimming.

Nice wine article, John. Vichyssoise with smoked salmon was lovely, but the mackeral, oh! The mackeral! If you claim to like fish, you must try the mackeral. It's beautiful and moist with crispy skin and served with pepitas, purslane, and spaghetti squash. Having grown up in the early 70's during the hippie holdover diet revolution, and been subjected to my mother's numerous Diet for a Small Planet-inspired, tasteless vegetarian flings with spaghetti squash, I was convinced that it was of the devil. John Wabeck convinced me otherwise. I don't remember exactly what I drank, but it sure wasn't Duckhorn Merlot.

You would eat uncertified pizza? It is ridiculous, but makes for good press.

It seems Roberto's tomatoes might not be VPN D.O.C...

I would try the Japanese grocery on Rockville Pike, near the intersection of Wooton Parkway and the Pike. The names escapes me right now, but I will look it up later tonight and post.

Lovely bar dinner tonight. I started with a little tomatopalooza: couscous salad with heirlooms, and chilled tomato soup with parmesan croutons. Main was pork with mustard sauce, green beans, tomato bread pudding, and tempura bacon. Tempura bacon is the work of a sick mind's dark imaginings. Drank a bacony, fruit-forward syrah that wasn't on the menu yet. The wine selection is still a work in process. My new favorite dessert: olive oil cake, pastis anglaise, mint olive oil, almond/pink peppercorn brittle. With a Ricard. Not for the faint of heart, or those who hate licorice.

The baguette flavor is excellent, but mine was marred by pockets of unincorporated flour. Not a fatal flaw, and I'd definitely go back for another. The croissant, pain au chocolat, and couque suisse, however, are not going to erase anyone's dreams of Paris. Unlike Mr. Cranky upthread, I found the interior charming, but then it's designed to appeal to middle-aged housewives with pretensions of sophistication.

I was with you up until the cheese part. Cheese ALWAYS goes next to the mustard, and mayo next to the vegetables. So: bread, mayo, lettuce, tomato, meat, cheese, mustard, bread. (My husband thinks I'm insane about this.) Almost right. Diagonal, then into triangles, with a toothpick in each triangle.

Not talking about Ris et al or the chefs who show up to demo (I suspect all those I mentioned by name of actually shopping). Rather, it seems that it's become hip just to be seen walking through the market (perhaps with photog in tow?). ← It's hip to be seasonal, y'know. Is this going on at any of the VA markets, or just downtown? I've noticed it most at Penn Qtr.Pontormo, that gazpacho story is sad, but IMO, not unexpected.

I noticed that too. Those bags are $1 each at the Silver Spring Whole Foods. I have four defrosting in my fridge right now. Total cost $18. But, they are damned good pork chops, and will be lovely with corn bread and sauteed chard tonight.

You mean there are people who just eat them the way they come? ← I've seen it with my own eyes. How anyone can eat a sandwich that has the tomatoes bunched on one side, or doesn't have the mustard spread all the way to the edge, is beyond me.

I like it. "In which we follow the Lady CT in her quest for genteel sustenance..." Doesn't AAA try to do something similar with their diamond ratings? I never look at such things while traveling in the US, but in France we frequently consulted our little green Michelin book. I didn't question it at the time, but thinking about it now I trusted the impartiality of Michelin far more than that of any US travel guides. No, we don't, but we should. Maybe we should put our heads together and start a publication?

Thank goodness I am not the only one who does this. I also open up and rearrange purchased sandwiches.I cut diagonally if the bread is a squarish sandwich loaf, in half top to bottom if it's a rounder variety, and just slice horizontally if it's a baguette. The kids like their halves cut in half again to make squares or triangles.

Gawd, that was the best okra I've ever had. We soaked it in buttermilk, rolled it in cornmeal and fried it. Delicious with some coarse salt and hot sauce, and not at all slimy.

Aren't most bartenders using purchased mixers? A notable exception here in Washington is Todd Thrasher, the drinks master at Restaurant Eve, who makes all his own juices and elixers, including tonic.

Apparently everyone is back from vacation because Dupont was crazy this morning. I scored tomatoes ("on sale" for $3 a pound ), more Mirai corn, wax and green beans destined for 3 bean salad, and box of beautiful little okra pods from Tree & Leaf. And a couple of ham hocks from Cedarbrook Farms, in the (probably vain) hope that the weather will break enough to make a pot of beans this week.

Many places here in DC offer a cheese plate. For the most part they are uninspired (cheese is hard to keep properly, and has to be special-ordered), but IMO an uninspired cheese plate is a far better choice than an uninspired dessert. (A notable exception is Komi - the best cheese course I've had in the past 2-3 years.)

Tim Carman at the City Paper liked them too.

They have a wide cheese selection, but it's often kept long past its prime. I have learned to smell and taste everything before buying after getting burned a couple of times while in a rush.Mal, completely agree about the Charlotte store.

I went back for more today and tried the frijol (bean), mixta (like an "everything" pupusa), and queso. Every bit as good as yesterday, complete with oozy, crisp cheese.

Lunched here with a friend today: Pupusas (loroco and revueltas) with slaw and salsa see below Tacos Mexicanos (lengua and carne) Little housemade corn tortillas, filled with meat, diced red onion, cilantro, shredded radish, and a fantastic limey green salsa. Delicious, especially the tender and juicy lengua. Ensalada de Chicharonnes Good combo of tomato, red onion, shredded radish, tomato vinaigrette, and pork rinds. Chile Relleno A special. Stuffed with meat, not cheese. Agreeable but bland. Sabor has the best pupusas I've eaten in the Washington area: crisp, thin as a crepe, and tasting of corn. Slaw was just OK, but I was willing to eat the pupusas plain. No atmosphere, and a slight language barrier, both more than made up for by the incredible bargain prices. No liquor license. Fun fact: owned by Jorge Chicas, restaurant director at Zaytinya. Sabor Restaurant 8484 Piney Branch Rd Silver Spring, MD 20901 (301) 565-0054