hjshorter

Thank you Behemoth, for bumping this up. I've always passed up this cut because I don't know how to cook it. Now I do.

Is it Nectar's? Let's call it Hooligan's instead. I've heard good things about that place. Was that really a point worth making?

I forgot. I was mesmerised by the Serrano.

Ian and I took a field trip to Wegman's this morning, so finally I know what the fuss is all about. It's a lovely place, but at 60 miles round trip I really don't see myself driving there all that often. Ian had a slice of pizza and seemed to enjoy it, I had a cup of coffee (not very good) and some green curry chicken from the hot food bar. The curry was not bad for a steam table. A few impressions: The produce looked terrific, except for some slightly squishy peppers. They had Picholine olives at the olive bar. Ian went crazy over the olives; I had to pull his hand away before he could snag a few. The fresh hummus bar is a nice touch. The meat looked good, but no slab bacon. Nice looking deli with serrano ham available. The most beautiful pastries I've ever seen in a grocery store. I wish I had bought something now. The breads looked decent and we took home of a loaf of the rosemary bread we tasted. The prices of the regular groceries did not seem out of line with what we pay at Giant or Safeway. Boy I wish they would open in Mo Co.

Except I've had overcooked steak at BdC, not once but twice. And undercooked, soggy frites. Not a good meal.

I was once at a wine tasting where Morbier was served. You could see everyone eying their neighbor, wondering if the other person had forgotten the deodorant that morning. For some reason Raclette always seems the stinkiest to me It's delicious melted and served with thinly shaved dried beef and tiny boiled potatoes.

That's my favorite Whole Foods euphemism.

This is the Giant closest to my new house, and I agree that it's much better than the rest. Don't know if I'd call it exemplery though. They still sell wilted herbs.

Eh. I can get that at home.

This was actually common practice in the U.S. when I was a child, at least at some elementary schools in the midwest. Not only serving food, but receiving trays back into the kitchen and loading the dishwasher. The duties were rotated, and it was considered a bit of a perk, as you got to leave classes a few minutes earlier than the other kids. I recall wearing aprons and hairnets or caps. The food was just as bad, unfortunately. My junior high did this (circa 1977-79). Students helped in the kitchen, served the meals and cleaned up the cafeteria afterward. It was a coveted job because you got lunch for free, and the food was really good. I remember one favorite entree was spring rolls. The dinner rolls were made in house and freshly baked right before lunch, so the whole cafeteria smelled wonderful.

Great article Monica, congratulations. I am now craving Indian food.

Heather, I expect you to share!!! I could probably even be talked into buying you lunch at Giuseppe's. You're on! Do you know how to make jam?

Nectar, if they have a pre-theater seating. BTW, they construction situation around the KC is abominable right now. You should park at the KC early, then walk to Nectar and back in plenty of time for the show, or take Metro in which case Nectar is on the way.

Strawberries, tomatoes, raspberries (our new house has a stand in the side yard!), tender little lettuces, peaches, and blueberries.

Thank you for the huge laugh. I needed it this morning!

Gabriel has a new chef, has anyone been? Their brunch was super, I lived down the street and went quite a bit. And Ted, I agree about Blacks. We like it (and it's sister place Addie's) quite a lot. Edit to say: good advice, but we have small children. We aren't regulars anywhere interesting.

Nullo, check out this thread. Taco night at the Shorters: ground beef with onions, garlic, oregano, chili powder and red wine refried pintos (not homemade) with green chiles lime crema diced avocado diced tomatos scallions shredded queso flour and corn tortillas, brushed with oil and warmed in a skillet Watermelon for dessert.

Every Whole Foods/Fresh Fields that we've been to has been more than happy to cut things to order for us. They have even let me open packages if I want to inspect more closely. Does D&D have crottin? I've been craving some funky goat cheese. Babka, I have found Cowgirl creamery cheeses at Whole Foods in Gaithersburg, of all places.

Chris, great pics, and that is an awesome shirt!

The Glover Park Bread & Circus (now Whole Foods) used to have excellent cheese. Maybe Jenkins visited while it was still under the old management? Edit: Scott and I assumed that the good selection and knowledgable staff were due to the proximity to the French Chancery on R St. And of course this was before D&D opened.

Is there a store in this town that doesn't? Everything I've bought from Dean and Deluca has been overripe to the point of making me nauseous just smelling it, and Whole Foods, as you pointed out, doesn't have a clue either. I used to have some luck at the Bethesda Sutton Place, but no longer.

The Mom's Guide to Meal Makeovers, subtitled "Improving the Way your family eats, one meal at a time." There seems to be a convenience food backlash - a good thing IMO. And Jamie's Kitchen.

That's precisely what I was thinking when I read Ted's account.

They are hard to find around here too. The regular markets never have them. Even the specialty places don't have them regularly, and there's no independent butcher near me. Today I stopped by a local "gourmet" market for some ribeyes and bought the hangars just because they were available. I prefer most steaks seared then finished in the oven, but hangar has enough fat and flavor to stand up to charcoal grilling.

Hangar Steaks on the grill. I love hangar, nice unctuous beefy flavor. Sauteed wild mushrooms and onions on the side. Steamed asparagus. Baguette with cultured, salted butter from the Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. Great butter, it was almost like cheese. A nice Cote du Rhone for the grownups and milk for the kids. Blueberry pie with whipped cream.