fimbul

Any word on whether they have a liquor license yet? My folks (edisto homeowners and regular "summer folk" since the 1950s) went in June and reported back to me in what could politely be called "faint praise." I went to The Old Post Office a couple times a year every year since I was... er. very young, and I was disheartened to see it go. I'm anxious about its new incarnation.

It's fine dining with a barbecue-like pay-off. You try not to use your fingers. You cannot resist. The goat shoulder. So good. Eat it. Now. Not trusting these Komi kids is failing them. They are damned good at food.

I haven't seen any recently (not that I've been looking), but the Giant in the Shirley Park Shopping Center (at 2901-11 S. Glebe Rd.Arlington, VA 22206) has often had tamarillos in the past. That particular Giant often has a goodly selection of off-the-beaten-path fruits and veg; stuff like tamarind pods, carambolas, nopales, sugar cane stalks, coconuts, persimmons, passion fruit, etc. Despite their small size and craptacular customer service, they're often the first place I look for something I didn't grow up seeing in my local Safeway.

I just noticed this month's Food & Wine listed Eve among its choices for best wine lists. Congratulations, Eve-peoples! (Eve-ites? Eve-ians? Eve-eteers? ...Eve-wegians? )

How funny. After years of avoiding frying my own chicken, I've recently become quite taken with it. Just last night I fried chicken coated in a pecan-flour crust: process 2 cups pecans with 2 cups flour with a little salt; marinate chicken thighs and drums overnight in buttermilk, roll chicken parts in seasoning (salt, black pepper, cayenne), dredge in flour, shallow-fry in peanut oil, um, enlivened shall we say? with a tablespoon of bacon fat for 7 or 8 minutes or so per side over medium-high heat. Let your chicken rest and drain a few minutes in a 200 degree or so oven while you get the rest of the dinner ready (in my case fried green tomatoes, a green salad, steamed chard). It worked pretty well; despite there being a lot of fried on one plate, it tasted light enough and yummy. It's not diet food, but I had this craving, you see. It worked pretty well, but the nuts in the crust bear watching: too high a heat will burn them and darken your chicken past what's appetizing. Credit for the pecan flour, by the way, must go to the Old Post Office Restaurant on Edisto Island in South Carolina, USA. Iirc, they serve theirs crusting semi-boneless quails and boneless bird boobs, so the high-heat issue prolly never bothers them. edit: Had the pecan to flour proportion all wrong. Don't know how you screw up "1:1" but I did it.

'Zackly. When was the last time you really believe Duangrats beat out a number of the other NoVA Thai places in a lower price bracket (Natta Thai in Vienna and Bangkok 54 in on Columbia Pike being my current favorites)? Hell, as I reread what I just typed, when was the last time you thought Duangrats was a cheap eat? I suspect Joe H is right, we *are* perhaps a tad rough on ye olde Washingtonian, as peanut gallerys everywhere are on any purveyor of Top 100 lists, but -- some? many? -- a goodly number of their choices leave me scratching my head (or pumping my fist in rage and defiance). My head-scratchings and fist-pumpings are echoed by enough of my foodie friends and acquaintances to make me suspect the Washingtonian isn't as "in touch" as it would like its customers to think, even if it's not the Anti-Christ we make it out to be in this forum. And, as I believe I've made clear, I think whoever decided to drop Taqueria Poblano is an awful person who likely pulls the legs off puppies and eats babies in his free time. While pooping on the flag.

Anyone else noticed Cheesetique's selling fancypants meats too now? I picked up some gorgeous Muscovy duck breasts last week (They. Were. Awesome.), and ogled lean lamb loins and racks to boot. In addition, I saw a few chickens, and noted that beef parts (short ribs, hanger, and... I dunno) were advertized, if not apparent. I'm pretty much sunk. I either need to get a job, or never darken Cheesetique's door again. I could spend my last dime there and be a happy man.

Eh. We buy the thing every year just to see what made the cut, bitching and moaning all the while about how we ought to know better. This year, though, they dropped Taqueria Poblano Taqueria Poblano from the list, and my SO reacted like they'd shot her dog. I think "that rag" may be banned from our home forevermore. by way of reprisal, we found ourselves at TP last night, downing tacos and margaritas. Take that, Washingtonian, Peddler of Lies!

Grf. I used to love the Evening Star, then it seemed to get a little... inconsistent. Oversalted sauces here, cold plates there, steamed zucchini spiced with cardamom there... My last few trips to the Evening Star, however, were consistently bad though, and the last was bad enough so that it was The Last (after stopping in every couple months regularly for 5 years). I'm afraid I can't even back up my impressions with examples it's been so long (six months? 8?). I remember only undercooked (really nearly raw) green beans, a sauce I thought was just Not a Good Idea, and a server so unpleasant he had us looking for the manager, only to find the manager was the guy lounging on the bar next to us chatting up a waitress. I live only a block or two from the place, and regularly shop at The Daily Planet, but if I want good food, Del Ray has so many great, friendly choices within walking distance (Taqueria Poblano, Fireflies, Bomabay Curry Company) that I'd be a fool to go back.

If you're willing to stray a little far afield, the goofily-named My Organic Market (MOM) on Mt. Vernon in Arlandria (nearly right across trhe street from RT's) had golden beets within the past few days. If you haven't decided entirely to go with monochrome, give MOM a call and see if the beets are still in stock. Either way, good luck!

Good lord. Your knowledge is gross. Ugh.

Are you saying that you would not eat raw milk cheese when pregnant, or that pregnant women, and, by implication, everyone, should lose the ability to eat raw milk cheese? If the latter, I might have to object to your position. As a male with a fairly slim chance of getting pregnant ( ), I'm willing to let any sprog trying to find purchase in my insides take his or her chances as I scarf down my precious, precious reblochon etc. edit: forget *getting* pregnant, I can't even fucking spell it.

I love this thread. It reminds me why I'm quitting my job. One of the problems with working any job where you face the public is answering questions. Whether you wait tables or work tech support, it's just a matter of time before you get just a little... exasperated. Sadly, however, just because you've answered a question eleventy-four MILLION times doesn't mean it's not the first time it ever occured to the poor person asking what cilantro is or where to find his or her "any" key. Just because it's basic common sense to you, doesn't mean the guy at table 7 knows not to adorn his raw oysters with Easy-Cheez or the woman on the phone knows turning the monitor off and on isn't "rebooting". Assuming at any time that you know in what "basic" knowledge consists is just asking to be flummoxed by someone who knows fuck-all about your specialty (but who might be utterly devastated by what you, you poor ignorant sap, dunno about welding/playing the horses/physics/child-rearing). At the same time, it's inevitable that the public-facing-professional will want to scream, at some point or another, "Christ!, you MORON, it's edamame! Eh-Duh-MAH-May! Just PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH!" and storm off. Professionalism, I guess, lies in not doing that. On the other hand, many people going out to dine are perfectly content, I think, to ask for what they want, assuming, of course, they can go out often enough to find out what what-they-want is. If I'm eating out at Chez FancyPants, if I ask a dumb question, as long as I'm not holding the waiter's tie and pulling his face into mine as I ask my question at 1,00 decibels, I expect him to wait until he's back with the other servers before talking about what an ignorant asshat I am, even if I'm sipping from the finger bowl as I ask him what's in this foie gras stuff the cityfolk like so much. My point, I guess, is that the communication break-downs being described in this thread are just that. They're potholes created by differing contexts and knowledge-bases. The pro's job is to steer around them, the public's job is not to put up a fight or throw a fit, but to enjoy the ride with grace. As for crunchy veggies, well, I'll let the kitchen cook for me, and assume what's on my plate represents the chef's idea of What the Meal Ought to Be. If I don't like it, I'll do my best to determine whether it was a mistake, or Creative Differences. If the latter, I'll tell myself it's educational; if the former, well, it's annoying, but hardly the end of the world. edit: typos

I believe many nogent knives have "rat tail" tangs, rather than the full tang with riveted handle. If I'm right about that, it might account for the lighter weight.

If memory serves, yes. Or, you can add a whole sprig of rosemary between dough and meat, and remove the herb with the crust.

I'm in. Assuming I can remember myself. My mind, at best, is cabbage, and my memory is positively goldfishian. Edit: Update. Done! I weighed -and, for a lark, measured- both my 10" Sabatier 69, and my 12" Sabatier Au Carbone. My 10" 69, which is actually 9.75", weighs in at 8oz, about 230 grams. My 12" Au Carbone, really 11.5", comes in at 13oz, roughly 375 grams.

Erm. Those days are over? Just for the record, it's worth noting too that a salt crust is a rather flavorful insulator (as though anyone here might lose sight of that). Nowadays, it's done for taste as much as insulation, much as confit is done for funsies, not just to preserve duck through a long winter. And I believe that, yes, it is claimed that a salt crust will draw out moisture, though I'm not sure that's not one of those bits of cooking lore that's been passed on so often that it's become a "fact" without anyone knowing if there's any truth to it. I suspect that some moisture may be indeed drawn out by the salt, but I doubt that's its primary bennefit.

how do they differ from the amazon.com ones (i think that must be the "au carbone" brand)? ← Sorry, just saw this post today. The Sabatier 69 I have just seems better balanced, less "clunky" and all around better crafted than the au carbone I got from Amazon. I suspect I'm lacking the technical vocabulary to be as descriptive as I like, but I'll try to be more clear. I should note first I'm comparing a 10" Sabatier 69 to a 12" au carbone, so that alone may account for some of the differences I've found. And, as always, tastes differ, so Your Mileage May Vary. That said, the 69 is way better balanced: my 12" is blade heavy, and needs to be held with two fingers on the blade with two, rather than the usual three, fingers on the handle to steady the knife; I can balance the 10" Sabatier 69 on my index finer right at the bolster. Also, the handle is less boxy -- where the au carbone handle is square, tapering to a thinner rounded bit at the bolster, the Sabatier 69 has a more comforable (to me), smaller handle -- there's not such a great disparity between the size of the handle and the girth of the bolster, which feels less awkward in the hand. Folks with bigger hands might disagree, but I'd be surprised. Last, I didn't have to regrind the edge of the Sabatier 69 when I got it; my au carbone arrived with an edge curving down to the bolser, slightly. In other words, it came straight out of the box with that spot near the bolster where the blade doesn't meet the cutting board, which annoyed me no end. Don't get me wrong, I've come to like both knives just fine, but the Sabatier 69 just feels a hell of a lot more fluid in my hand, while the au carbone felt like a square peg in a round hole until I monkeyed with it a bit. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have kept the $40 I paid amazon for the clunker, and paid the laidies at La Cuisine twice that for a sleeker knife. Seeing as how I've gone ahead and broken the au carbone in, though, I'm not so disappointed in it that I'm willing to just fling it on the dust heap. Call me cheap. Or frugal. Or sensible. Hell, call me bloody minded. Now, whether you want to spent ~$100 plus shipping on a knife that feels more "fluid" to some guy on the Internet? That's your call. edit: ME TYPE GUDDER!

Um. I've learned not to scream like a girl when I burn myself. And I've learned to love braisng and braised foods after years of distaining the Brown Foodgroup in favor of rare chops and steaks. And, like a lot of folks, my intake of processed or convenience foods has declined dramatically.

Gawd bless science. I knew it was good for more than just keeping us all stuck to the Earth. Or whatever. Should Belgium get an honorable mention in this thread for Chimay's cheeses? They really are something special, imo. Edit: My space bar? On my keyboard? Sometimes? The bastard sticks.

Mein Gott! Such a decision you force us to make! Er. France, but only because they make Morbier and Reblochon, my first two cheesy loves. Though Taleggio is a recent fave.... Dear gawd. It's just cheese, and I feel like I'm suddenly in the middle of Sophie's Choice.

... I've already wasted, like, 2 whole minutes staring at the keypad on my phone, YOU EVIL MAN. Obsessive? me? Edit: Obsessive, and kinda slow.

You should call them up and ask them to fax you a bistro menu. The special on Monday was a duck magret with seared fois gras on top and mushrooms and sautéed greens on the bottom. It was served sliced and was rosy pink on the inside and well seasoned and browned on the outside. Kind of reminded me of the mourning doves from last September. Very tasty. As for Todd's special drinks, there was nothing available on Monday evening when I was in there. I think the "not" chocolate might be making a guest appearance soon. ← Dear Gawd, Why must it be that I'm never around for these specials on poultry/game? I, who like nothing better than a nicely done bird, be it from a farm or the darkest woods? I've already told you, I'm sorry about the drugs and the women, and, really, all of college. And that squirrel really was an accident; I mean, He ran into Me. I'm pretty sure it was suicide, in fact. *sob* Eve needs a Today's Special hotline. Or, hell, a fimbul-signal that will shine out into the night and summon me from where ever I'm keeping vigil. Alternatively, my house-poor ass needs to haunt Eve more regularly. And not let the f***ing snow force me to cancel my reservations.

Having just (in the past year or two, at the age of 28 or so) learned to use chopsticks, I've found I quite enjoy them when they're available, and I'm geeky and self-conscious enough to have spent some time researching how they're used in different Asian cultures. Likewise, I was quick to pick up on the fact that "Asian" does not mean "eats with chopsticks, so I'm not surprised or upset not to find chopsticks in Thai or Burmese restaurants. Really, if you set the table, I do my best to eat with what you provide me; it seems only fair. As far as manners go, I'm not brash enough to believe I'm ever going to entirely adapt to another cuture's rules of etiquette. Any system of etiquette is complex enough, and, depending where you live, it can be a very fluid ideal. Even in the relatively small area of Mid/South-Eastern US that I know well, "manners" vary greatly. F'rinstance, rules in my home growing up ranged from the pragmatic (Don't stab your sisters with your fork), to the arcane (When you're done eating, place your silverware in the middle of your plate, knife above fork, edge of the knife toward you), to the unimportant (Don't wear hats inside), to the annoying (Don't ever pick your teeth in public), to the just plain weird (If you sing at the table, the Devil will get you -- I mean, what the hell?). I find in other homes, even among those with similar upbringings, any or all of these rules are up for grabs. My knee-jerk reactions to percieved lapses in etiquette aside, I try very hard not to be bothered by differences in what's seen as proper. Welcome to the Melting Pot, kids. Really, I suspect a respectful attitude, a sheepish grin when you screw up, and a willingness to learn will get you far, even if they won't prevent or excuse every gaffe.

For all you cats who want vintage Sabatiers, the folks at a cookery shop near me sell new Sabatiers in both carbon, and stainless, steels, in nearly every size imaginable up to 13 or 14 inches. The brand is not one I find a lot of (Sabatier 69 ring a bell with anyone?), but I'm astounded by the quality of the ones I have. They're far better than the carbon-steel Sabatier I picked up on Amazon.com. That said, my workhorse knives are my 11" F. Dick chef's knife, and my 12 and 10" carbon steel Sabatiers. I assist classes at a local cooking school, so I get to handle (as well as fondle, and sometimes covet) a lot of students' knives as they learn to chop things, and I just don't much care for much besides heavy, European-style knives. *shrug*