Joe H

Honestly there are many things that I have obsessively and carefully prepared but hamburgers have never been a particular obsession. I've bought chuck steak and ground it myself then lightly patted it for about a 1/2 lb burger, cooking it over hot coals. I'll toast the buns on a grill or even the top on part of the burger on the coals with the bottom on aluminum foil set on the coals. My real obsession is risotto, specifically gorgonzola dolce with toasted pistachio. I put a post on Chowhound about a year ago that, I believe, generated about 150 responses. http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general11/...ages/30466.html is the link. Since this was posted there have een about 20 or 25 people who have actually made it-CORRECTLY-and every one agreed with the title. I also should apologize because I am extremely specific and inflexible in my instructions. But for a reason: not a single thing should be changed. Not a brand, not an amount (there's 1/2 lb of pleugra or the best butter you can get, 4/5 lb of gorgonzola dolce, 2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of grated (by yourself) reggiano, violane nano arborio and so forth. When I first gave the recipe to friends most of them tried to change something and then complained that it never turned out the way I make it. I make it fattening. 6,200 calories worth and I'm serious. But don't change a thing. I promise this is the absolute best you will ever taste.

Nothing unusual. Just on a Weber.

Holly, I would argue long into the night and through several bottles of wine that when McDonald's went to frozen the lines shortened. Perhaps they were still there but not "out to the golden arches" as they once were. I suppose someone else would say that they "needed" to come out with a Big Mac and a fish sandwich because had they not then the lines would have shortened even more than they did. Still, In 'n Out has not changed in 55 years and, I believe, has the highest per square foot volume of any fast food restaurant in America. I also agree with you about cooking fresh along with the limited menu. Mostly, I believe that people no longer know what a hamburger is suppose to taste like. Whether McDonald's, Wendy's or BK-no one really judges them against what they COULD taste like. In 1956 McDonald's was not known for making a good hamburger. Great fries, a good shake and a cheap hamburger. But not a good one. Today, with everything else having changed I believe the same 1956 McDonald's hamburger would probably taste delicious because of what everything else tastes like. I mention the Charcoal Pit because their 1/2 pound hamburger is one of the best in America. NOT the 1/4 pound but the 1/2 pound where the juice spurts out in your mouth at the first bite. It's incredible. But they weren't able to duplicate it in their other locations. One time I had it on a Monday and 24 hours later was in Fort Worth at Kincaid's Grocery eating their half pound burger. The Charcoal Pit-for me-was better.

I have a photograph somewhere of one of the walls of the McDonald's museum in Downey where they detail the making of their fries along with specific photographs for almost every step! I've also thought that one day I would steal this, open a place serving EXACTLY the same food McDonald's did 40 years ago and laugh loudly as I consumed every wonderful calorie that I could!

Is a "memorable conventional" meal a meal that had delicious tastes as I described or rather one that was spectacularly unique which is my impression? I also have the impression that he is a bit more "conservative" (for lack of a better word) this year than previous. I am not being critical because I chose not to go; rather I am just wondering exactly how delicious his food really is. It's really a matter of adjusting my expectations. I have had extraordinarily imaginative food that was truly delicious at Le Calandre near Padua. Without question the most unusual, even unique that I've ever experienced in Italy. Three or four years ago when the young chef was still exploring and searching he had a lot of misses. Today he's nailed it. Michelin recognized this with three stars this year although Gambero Rosso seems to view him with a different perspective. I'm wondering if Adria who seems to be even more "radical"-perhaps much more so achieves both: wildly imaginative and incredibly delicious? And what percentage of courses would realize this? By the way, Maestro near Washington, D. C. is very similar to Le Calandre.

1970 was too late. While sometimes I hate being older this is one of the few times when age allows me to remember "early" McDonald's. I've been to a number of Steak 'n Shakes which are all over a substantial portion of the U. S. Plus Savuer listed them in their top 100 this past year. I agree with you that they represent an improvement over McD & most others but honestly Steak 'n Shake is light years behind In 'n Out Burger in taste, store volume and "mysticism." You cannot believe how good a double double or a four X four animal style can be. Plus In 'n Out, as Holly noted McD's early success, has limited menu items: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries and shakes. Soft drinks and that's it. Nothing else. They peel fresh potatoes, dry them in T towels, serve Heinz ketchup cold, use ice cream for shakes, fresh meat, real cheese-by far the best fast food chain in America. Zagat even gives them a 23 for food! Steak 'n Shake is good but you just cannot believe HOW good In 'n Out Burger is. Holly, have you ever had a 1/2 pound burger at the Charcoal Pit on 202 in Wilmington? Only this, the original location.

Unless you find yourself in Spokane one day you have no idea what you missed. All of my friends and myself were so mad at McDonald's for doing away with their old, fresh french fries that we boycotted them for months. Even when we went back we spent more time talking about what they used to be than what we were regretfully eating. If anyone reading this is anywhere near Spokane, Washington in the next few weeks please stop at Dick's Drive In, order several bags of french fries and, please, report back here on what you think of them. The three hundred mile drive from Seattle is just a short hop for what are the best that ever were. And I say this with all due respect to Brussels, arguably the city with the only serious competitors.

Does anyone on this board beside myself remember what McDonald's really used to taste like? Once again I am really surprised at the response or the absence thereof. I suppose Red Barn, Golden Point, AutoBurger, Fat Boy, Ameche's and others were before most of this board's time. Sorry. I thought a few of you went further back. Perhaps having actually eaten the food rather than reading about it. But there is a point here, a very real point: this is why Dick's in Spokane and In 'n Out are so successful. Most people have no idea how a real hamburger and french fries should taste. In the '50's and early '60's EVERY fast food place had decent fresh food even Burger Chef, Hot Shoppes, JR, Geno's and Merrill's. Today almost nobody prepares food this way. Frozen potatoes, frozen hamburger, shakes from a mix, super sizing this: all homoginized, flavorless bulk that many born after the late '60's might think is good. Even Wendy's is good if you add enough toppings. But how many people ever tasted a Wendy's burger in Columbus in the early '70's? They were legitimately good, then. Just as McDonald's fries were the world's best. Prior to '66 or '67. Anyway, I think I've just dated this board.

An absolutely outstanding post. Thank you for taking the time to write it. My wife and I cancelled a reservation at El Bulli for their second Saturday of operation in April(!). We will go but probably next year. If I can ask a question: I realize that El Bulli is an extraordinary experience representing tastes and sensations that are adventurous as they are also spectacular and imaginative. I also realize that so many hours at the table are unlike a similar number of hours anywhere else. But is this good food? Is some of this food that you sit and look at appreciately then bend over and inhale, almost moaning in anticipation of what it must taste like, finally slowly tasting it for the first time? Not just for that which is unusual but rather for the taste? I had a roasted diver scallop with its roe on Friday night at Washington's Laboratorio that was incredible: depth and complexity of flavor, the texture-I even bent over and inhaled the open shell for five or six seconds before my first taste. But the taste may have been the best shellfish that I have ever had in my life. Were there any courses like this? How many? Roberto Donna who owns and cooks at Laboratorio has been to El Bulli twice. He described his experiences as extraordinary. Delicious? He hesitated and said that he preferred extraordinary. Thanks again.

This is a great thread. Some of what I'm about to mention has been posted by me before but there was never any response. Either on here or on Chowhound. There is not a McDonald's on the face of the earth that has their original french fries. The last time these were served was in the original Des Plaines store but this was stopped in its last two or three years of operation. Still, they were available there up until about 1980. The McDonald's museum in Downey, CA has numerous photographs along with the recipe for these. The McDonald's next to it is original and, I believe, #3 or #4. I also believe it is the only surviving McDonald's with the original Golden Arches. There IS ONE PLACE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH WHERE YOU CAN STILL GET THE ORIGINAL McDONALD'S FRENCH FRIES: Dick's Drive In in Spokane, Washington. This is NOT related to the Seattle based chain but an independent featured in USA Today about eight or ten years ago as the second highest grossing independent fast food restaurant in America behind the Varsity in Atlanta. I stopped there one day when driving by (like the Downey McDonald's this still looks the way it did when it opened in the late '50's) and at the window ordered a double cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake. The shake used frozen custard, chocolate syrup and milk and tasted remarkably familiar. The french fries were unbelievable-a memory that I thought I would never experience again. They WERE McDonald's original fries. The cheeseburger was good but not the same as the original. Anyway, I had to find out anything I could about this drive in that served McDonald's original fries and what seemed to be their original shakes. I met the owner who then was about 80 years old. His story was incredible: he had tried to buy a McDonald's franchise in the late '50's and for whatever reason was turned down. He travelled to southern California and took a job working in a McDonald's there and after three or four weeks returned to Spokane and eventually opened his own drive in which for whatever reason was called "Panda.". Serving two parts of what McDonald's use to advertise as "Forty Five Cents For A Three Course Meal." (hamburger, fries and shake). He prepared his hamburger differently using cheese whiz instead of a slice of cheese because he said he liked it better. Somewhere in time he chaned the name of Panda to Dick's. The potatoes were stored in a dark room in a cinderblock building behind the restaurant for two weeks. Then they were peeled, blanched and hung in a basket on a wall overnight. Then they were fried in a mixture of 70% animal fat (I took notes). Dick's has two walk up windows. Over the years I have now been there three times. Each time has been around lunchtime. Each time there have been as many as 75 or more people clustered or lined up around the windows, waiting to order or waiting for their food. Three or four blocks down the street is a "real" McDonald's. On my first two trips (I live outside of Washington, D. C.) I intentonally drove by the McDonald's to compare its business. Neither time were there more than five or six cars in the parking lot while Dick's-up the street-had a line almost a block long waiting to turn into its lot. Once upon a time McDonald's had good food. In the fall of 1966 or 1967 they started an advertising campaign to try and convince people that their new frozen fries were an improvement. Although their growth was unprecedented, for me, that day began their sacrifice of good food for profit. Dick's Drive In in Spokane, Washington and In 'n Out Burger are proof that if you still do things the same way that you started out the line will never go away. They are the BEST french fries on earth. Dick's even still has "dunk cups" which, like the original McDonald's, they serve cold ketchup in.

http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...ages/19279.html is the link to a post that I made on another board about Laboratorio last night. (Vengroff suggested that I post this on here.) I also realize that Obelisk is superb-my wife and I have celebrated two anniversaries there while it has been recognized as one of the 50 Best in America. Still it is different from both Maestro and Laboratorio and I feel cannot be compared. For what it is there is real excellence and a true credit to D. C. along with Tosca. But Maestro and Laboratorio are on the world stage and can be compared to the best in Italy. Obelisk is national. Are you certain about Roberto not winning the national award? Perhaps I am wrong but I thought he had. If it was the regional then at some point he and Fabio will probably compete for it which, again, is a real credit to this city.

I suppose we all have opinions and I have never been accused of being shy about mine. For whatever it's worth I have been to Le Calandre and Dal Pescatore (both Michelin three stars), Aimo e Nadia and Il Desco (two stars) about 20 with a single star and many with no star that were exceptional-all in Italy. In the U. S. I've been to Il Mulino, Babbo, Valentino, Locanda Veneta and too many more to count. There are two restaurants in the Washington, D. C. area that are equal to any that I have been to anywhere on earth: Maestro at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson's Corner and Roberto Donna's Laboratorio which is a restaurant within a restaurant at his Galileo on 21st Street, Northwest. They are totally different in style with Maestro directly comparable to Le Calandre and Laboratorio having elements of Guido and many others while offering one of the most unique experiences of any restaurant in the world. Maestro is spectacular, innovative with jaw dropping presentations and extraordinarily imaginative combinations of tastes, textures and even temperatures. Laboratorio in a sense is more traditional yet is every bit as extraordinary offering twelve intensely flavored, incredibly delicious courses that change each night in an environment where approximately 25 diners interact with one of the world's great and most enthusiastic chefs who genuinely loves food and loves to cook; he does so literally in front of you with three assistants helping him. Diners even stand around sharing in his "laboratory" just as you would in a good friend's kitchen while dishes are assembled. Roberto Donna is a James Beard Award winner (national chef of the year) and Maestro is nominated (and WILL win) for best new restaurant of the year. Next year I will be shocked if it is not nominated for and also win national best restaurant of the year. It's Michelin starred chef is only one year older than Le Calandre's. I would go so far as to say that putting these two restaurants back to back on a weekend would equal any two anywhere in the world. Unfortunately both have enormous reputations and up to two month waits for Friday and Saturday night.

Despite 20 to 25 visits to Kinkead's overthe past ten years and earlier visits to 21 Federal both here on L Street and New England I have never had an entree at lunch. I also believe there are some dishes that he has which are extraordinarily good by Washington standards and excellent even by Boston standards. Basics such as whole bellied fried clams, lobster rolls, clam chowder are exemplery and the equal of what you will find in Essex, Kittery and Portland. The atmosphere is certainly lacking-sitting at a nondescript booth upstairs is not like Woodman's or the Clam Box. If you're going to dinner there, for me, it's a real negative; at times it's actually been a reason NOT to go. He made up for this at Tyson's with Colvin Run but that is also a very real problem. It is the Tyson's restaurant which seems to have attracted his interest and creative efforts, at least for the past several years. And the strongest of those are not on the level of what he originaly accomplished downtown. Colvin Run is a very good suburban restaurant. But it is not on the level of the D. C. restaurant. My real problem with Pennsylvania Avenue is what I consider the arrogance of his staff. Two seatings and little flexibility for a good time (7:30, 8:00) regardless of how many weeks in advance or how many in the party. They are insistent about 6:00 and 6:30 and 9: and 9:30. They are going for 300 or so meals a night and are going to make that no matter what. Having said all this much of what he serves at dinner is excellent, some even outstanding. Ten years ago pepita crusted salmon was an outstanding dish. Having had it five or six times over the years it doesn't taste the same as the first time yet it's still excellent and still draws raves from those who have never had it before. He has some Pan Asian treatments of several stews and fish entrees that are just absolutely delicious as well as being truly creative. Dishes such as these reinforce his James Beard Award (s). He also has several entrees which, over the years, I have regarded as truly disappointing. In fact you could go to Kinkead's, not knowing what to order and leave shaking your head. Combine this with the plain, "dull" dining rooms and the insistence on early and late meals and I suspect that quite a few people would never go back. But if you're seated in the central dining room upstairs in front of the kitchen, are guided correctly through the menu I think this is only a step or two below Le Bernardin for taste. There is no one dish that he does that I would call a "great dish" on the level of the New York restaurant's best. For that matter several years ago we had dinner at Kinkead's 48 hours after returning from Paris where we had been to Ducasse, Astor and Violon d'Ingris. Of course Kinkead's didn't match the best of these. Of course. But it wasn't as big of a step down as I might have otherwise thought for some of what he serves. I also understand that he has slipped a bit since Colvin Run opened. Your comments are reason enough to justify a new visit and see if the strengths are still there.

Respectfully to the other recommendations for a special anniversary if ambience and atmosphere is a priority over food I would seriously consider L'Auberge Chez Francois which I feel is superior overall (certainly for ambience) to Auberge Provencial. This is as romantic as any restaurant can be in the D. C. area and has been voted the most popular in the area for 17 out of the last 20 years by Washingtonian. If food is a priority I would consider in order, Maestro at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson's Corner requesting one of the tables in front of the open kitchen, Citronelle and Laboratorio (NOT-repeat NOT Galileo). I am not a fan of the Inn at Little Washington. At $149 prix fixe for Saturday day night ($300 suppliment for one of two "Chef's Tables" which brings the prix fixe for four to $224 per person plus wine that has a 200 to 400% markup) with rooms that range from $500 to 800 including half of them in a building one block down the street I find this to be priced in the range of a three star in Paris. Unfortunately while it's food is very, very good it is not in league with the prices asked. When you factor in wine "The Inn" on a weekend is a $500 + experience and if you have one of the Chef's Tables you are looking at a realistic $700 per couple. Of course if you are willing to celebrate your big meal on a weeknight the price will come down to $350 to 400. I think 1789 is very, very good. It is a D. C.tradition. But, honestly, L'auberge Chez Francois is more special, more romantic and more charming. Alternativey, for a swanky evening consider the Prime Rib on K Street which is D. C.'s other celebratory restaurant. Black leather banquettes, chrome, leopard prints, floral displays and a required coat and tie for men. For Maestro on a Saturday reserve at least 5 or 6 weeks in advance. L'auberge, I believe, is two weeks to the day and books up within hours for weekends. Citronelle should have availability several days in advance as should the Prime Rib and Citronelle.

Excellent comment. Wegman's stores in Rochester and Buffalo, while large, are NOT the enormous ones found in farther out suburban environments or in smaller cities and towns. I suspect that Wegman's will be mostly limited to "outside the beltway," which would be consistent with the sites they have announced they are trying to build in.

You are right, Steve. They will have an impact. A dramatic impact even in Reston which is 15 minutes away. Harris Teeter, Fresh Fields, Sutton Place, Trader Joe's, a large Giant-all of these are within a couple of miles of each other. They'll also all give up a few points or more to Wegman's when it opens. I don't believe Wegman's will be as diverse as you suggest but I should note that I haven't seen their Princeton store. Wilkes Barre is the largest I have seen which, when it opened, was their largest at 125,000 square feet (I was told that by an assistant manager). Comparing that store to, say, Erie or Williamsport the goods on the shelf really were about the same with some local considerations. The real differences were a larger food court, more features like a cheese counter or a larger one which some of the others did not have. I can see another 10,000 square feet adding a wood fired oven, a few more counters in the food court, a sit down restaurant and so forth. As much as I look forward to their coming I actually hope that their inventory does leave room for a Sutton Place or Fresh Fields. They may not and while this is good for one stop shopping it could ultimately be painful. Especially judging from all of the Mom and Pop stores, medium size grocery stores, etc. that their enormous category killers/super regional food centers have impacted in other cities. I had forgotten about much of this and now remember Corning, NY and several stores that I drove by which were hurt badly by Wegman's. Other towns and cities, too. You are right. It will be interesting to see just how diverse their groceries are that they stock on shelves, brands of cheese they carry, etc. While I don't expect to find that which I have to search for now, if they do have them, well, that's both good and bad. Good because they truly are a one stop-for myself and most others. Bad, because they are going to hurt stores even miles away. Still, despite my ambivalent feelings, I really look forward to their entrance into this market. They will force others to step their own stores up to attempt to hold onto some market share. I fear that this may not be enough. In older stores like Corning and Williamsport Wegman's is still the best that that has come to these towns. They haven't changed over the ten or so years they've been there. Nor do I believe have they dramatically raised their prices in a market where their share is so disproportionately large. Anyway, it will be interesting to see just what opens in Sterling.

Thanks, Ellen. When you think about it having coal burn in the oven, near the pizza, is consistent with wood burning in the oven similarly close. Still, Pepe's is the only coal oven pizzaria where I have actually focused on this. I'm fortunate to have been in a number of these (I've gone out of my way to try to find as many as I can actually) but Pepe's oven is different from the other "pizza" ovens. Interestingly your really excellent photos of Pepe's oven shows the inscription "Middleby, Boston, Massachusetts." Damned if Middleby doesn't still make pizza ovens!!!! But not coal ovens. http://www.middleby.com/pdf/mm/4103.pdf is the website for what now is known as "Middleby Marshall" who claim that they have been around for 100 years. In an age of hyperbole I'm surprised that they don't claim Pepe's as a credit! Thanks for the wonderful photos.

About the suburbs: one of the former owners of the French Market is now a butcher at Sutton Place in McLean. The cheese counter at Fresh Fields in Vienna is superior to the cheese counter of any other Fresh Fields in the D. C. area. Dean and DeLuca is still the best of any however.

The Wegman's store on Route 28 and Waxpool Road will be 135,000 square feet which is equal to their largest store anywhere. The WalMart has been levelled and the new store (approximately the size of a large Costco) will rise in its place. I have been in at least 12 larger Wegman's from Erie, PA to Allentown, to Corning, NY to Williamsport to Wilkes Barre, etc. I also have something of an obsession going into grocery stores out of town as well as in other countries including hyperstores such as Carrefours in France. Wegman's is the best supermarket chain on earth. Period. Perhaps only Larry's Market in Seattle and Byerly's in Minneapolis can begin to compare but they still fall short. And are much smaller. Having said all this some cautions: Wegman's has an incredibly diverse inventory. Still, if you are going to buy arborio such as what you would find at Sutton Place (i.e. Carneroli, Violane Nano) you will only find "generic" arborio at Wegman's. Not Carneroli nor Violane Nano. The cheese shop is extraordinary. But it will not take the place of dean and DeLuca. Nor will you find eppousse such as you will at Sutton Place and some of the Fresh Fields. Gorgonzola dolce will not be the same brand that Sutton Place carries. Wegman's is inferior. Their bread is excellent. But it will not make you forget Bread Line or the above mentioned Marvelous Market. Still, Wegman's carries items not yet introduced to the D. C. area such as Zweigle's red hots and white hots which, arguably, are the best hot dogs in America. There will be a wood burning oven pizzaria which, for Allentown, is incredible. For D. C. it is merely another wood burning oven. Still, there are no other supermarkets that have this. There will be a food court with very good food. A real butcher shop. Not on, say, the level of Wagshal's or the old French Market in Georgetown but still a very good bucher shop similar to Fresh Fields. The real point of all this is that you will have an absolutely enormous store dedicated almost exclusively to groceries, carry out and dine in which will have more things in one place than any other store has ever done in the D. C. area. The overall ambience will be similar to some of the very best Harris Teeter's except twice, perhaps three times the size. But don't expect Wegman's to take the place of stores that many of us still go out of our way for specialty foods. They'll have a lot. But there will still be a place for others.

If you are going to Verona you will not be that far from Le Calandre which just received its third Michelin star. It is in Rubano probably 45 minutes away.

There are many people, myself included, who feel that the Inn at Little Washington at $149 prix fixe for Friday and Saturday plus a $300 suppliment per table for one of the two kitchen tables (that's $224 prix fixe for a party of four) is one of the most overrated restaurants on the face of the earth. Also consider that the rooms which range from $450 to 800 with most in the 550-600 range include half of them which are one block down the street in a different building. Additionally the wine list has an average markup of 250 to 300% with just a handful of bottles under $100. At the risk of sounding overly negative I have had three meals there over the past 20 years including my wife's 50th birthday which was the most recent. When I think of similarly priced experiences in Paris there is just no comparison. When I compare two and three stars in Spain (El Raco de can Fabes), Germany (Im Schiffschen), Italy (Dal Pescatore, Le Calandre, Guido among others) the Inn just falls short. In fact I sincerely believe that it is not even the best overall restaurant in the Washington, D. C. area. This title is held by Maestro at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson's Corner. Further, kitchen table for kitchen table, Michel Richard at Citronelle and Roberto Donna in his Laboratorio can put The Inn to shame. This was once a great restaurant. Now, for a $500 weekend meal for two, the standards are a bit more exacting.

Second the o[pinion for the Michlin starred Bitone. It's chef/owner is exuberant and a real ambassador for his restaurant and the city. Also, Battebecco is another Michelin starred restaurant just off of the square whre Via Independenza dead ends. Not quite as upscale, even a bit more casual it is still excellent. Superb risotto, made correctly. Also don't forget to explore Bologna's market. It is one of the best in the world. I've actually walked into a cheese shop there, handed the man behind the counter twenty Euros and asked for (and had) a taste of every cheese in the store. Later I found an enoteca for balance!

The link supplied above is an excellent link. Angelina's was retired to the Baltimore Hall of Fame for both best crab cake and best crab imperial (which may be better).http://www.crabcake.com/ is Angelina's link. This includes their recipe. Respectfully but Ruth's recipe is not for a Maryland crab cake. It may be absolutely delicious but it is as different as what I might eat in Seattle. I've had crab cakes at the Dahlia Lounge but thought their's were truly distant from what is served in several Maryland seafood houses. (With all respect to the owner's Maryland heritage.) There are at least six places that have great crab cakes: Angelina's, Jerry's Seafood in Lanham, MD ($32.00 crab bomb), Stoney's in Broome Island, MD (30 miles south of D. C. beltway; arguably one of the most atmospheric and best crab houses-you sit at tables on a floating barge), G & S in Linthicum, Captain Galley's in Crisfield and Ocean City and the Narrows Restaurant in Kent Narrows. There are many other places that are a step below this including the Prime Ribs in both D. C. and Baltimore, Bo Brooks, Obrycki's, etc. ANY RESTAURANT THAT CLAIMS TO HAVE GREAT CRAB CAKES MUST CHARGE A SMALL FORTUNE FOR THEM. There are no exceptions to this. Lump crab meat which is what this is all about costs a lot. If they don't charge for it then there's not much of in the crab cake-or crab imperial. The best crab house title is often awarded to Jimmy Cantler's Riverside Inn just outside of Annapolis. It is partially outdoors and sits adjacent to a marina where you cracks crabs steamed with Old Bay (this is the ideal-Stony's is like this also as is the Crab Claw in St. Michael's). Often they'll have Jumbos which are becoming increasingly hard to find as well as incredibly expensive. Both they and Stony's use Maryland blue crabs in season as do a number of Baltimore crab houses. At Cantler's there is NOTHING else that is exemplery including surprisingly mediocre crab imperial, cream of crab soup, etc. But most people go there only to eat crabs and drink beer. Stoney's has seriously good sides along with great crab cakes (noted above) and very good cream of crab soup and cole slaw. Good pie, too. There are many other locally famous places including Robertson's in Pope's Creek. In season Maryland blue crabs hot out of the pot are incredible, succulent, sweet, one of the best tastes you will ever experience. They are totally different from Dungeness or Alaskan King Crab. Cracking crabs for many is an acquired taste but the taste of what you are working for is the best of all.

There is only one meal in Atlantic City to compliment a Springsteen concert: the above mentioned White House which the Philadelphia Inquirer once voted a better cheesesteak than any in Philly. This is an institution and the only restaurant that the Beatles ate at in 1964 on their first American tour, it shipped over a hundred subs to the set of Cleopatra in Rome for Elizabeth Taylor forty years ago and actually caters the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in Vegas. Zagat gives it the highest food rating of all in Atlantic City along with the lowest rating for ambience. The New York Times once said their bread (which comes from the Atlantic City Bakery and Rando's (see my post on the New England board about pizza and ovens) was as good as any french bread in America. That was a few years ago but still their rolls are incredible for the substhey make. Why the White House? They have the best cold cut sub and cheesesteaks on earth. The line moves fast and is worth the wait. Order a White House Special which is double cheese and double meat. Or a cheesesteak but make certain you have grilled onions. Their hot peppers are really more sweet than hot and add to the subs. Then Springsteen. A great meal for a great concert.

The coal burns IN the oven about two feet to the left of where the pies bake. It is the same surface that they rest on. I confirmed this by just calling Pepe's, 203-865-5762. The flecks of black on the crust are probably grains of semolina flour. I was wrong in my statement that the flecks included bits of coal dust but I am certain that there is some kind of "influence" on the flavor from the presence of the coal on the same baking surface. I do not know if this is true for Sally's. At Pepe's I focused several years ago on the burning coal while standing at the register because I thought it was so unusual. At Sally's what has stood out is the spreading of tomatoes and the large amount of olive oil that was squirted on the pies.