hannnah

The mind reels... Think of the names you could come up with for various varieties. Ok, I can't resist... Brhee-haw.

Piffle. It's across the street from Worldcom and AOL - believe me, there's 24-hour demand.

I assume the question was asked to start with because there just ain't that much in the forum about Baltimore. There's one other thread about the IACP conference which has more on the fine dining end, there's one about breakfast, and there are a couple other "visiting Baltimore, where should I eat?" threads, plus there's one waaaay back about crab cakes. The answers are pretty much the same every time - Faidley's, Brewer's Art, Wharf Rat, Little Italy yes, Little Italy no, Inner Harbor tourist trap. We now return you to your previously scheduled discussion about Natty Bo. Personally, I prefer Red White and Blue, but since it was a Pabst product as well it could well be that they're identical.

Cookies in general are my nemesis - I've tried and tried and tried, and I end up with one giant tasteless sheet-pan-sized ball of glop. I could put a single one-inch ball of dough on a full sheet pan and end up with an extremely thin giant cookie, and I still can't figure out why or what I'm doing wrong. There is precisely one cookie recipe I've managed to make successfully, and that one has so much stuff in it that the individual cookies can't possibly melt into the giant cookie glob of doom, since they have an internal structure of rice krispies, mini m&ms, and oatmeal. I'm still having trouble with buttercream as well, but since I've only done that two or three times I'm unwilling to admit defeat as yet.

General consensus, at least for crabcakes, seems to be Faidley's in Lexington Market, but it's only open until 5pm. Most of the stuff around the Inner Harbor is either "fine dining" or chains - Fells Point or Little Italy might be better bets for food. I can't personally speak to anything but the brewpubs, but the Wharf Rat's beers are consistently good, and DeGroen's down in Fells Point brews a tasty Marzen.

Last time I was there, Harrods' food hall did have York ham, so it's worth checking.

Washington Post Food Section Digest, April 7, 2004 Formerly Known as Sutton Place: The new CEO of the Sutton Place group wants to return the grocery chain (which includes Hay Day Markets in Connecticut and Balducci's in New York) to its former glory. They're all going to be called Balducci's. We're already discussing it here in the DC forum. In a related article, Post writers compare Sutton Place/Balducci's prepared dishes with those at the new Wegman's in Sterling. Organic Salmon? Says Who? Regular old farm-raised salmon scares people, but if you call it "organic" it sells better. Problem is, there's no US standard for "organic" seafood - so what are they selling? Easier for Easter: An easy-to-pull-together, spring-influenced Easter menu, including recipes for herb-crusted rack of lamb with fresh mint sauce, glazed baby carrots and sugar snap peas, and lemon curd tart with candied almond topping. The Egg And You: Eggs are chock-full of protein and healthy amino acids. They also contain a relatively high amount of cholesterol. So, do they really cause high cholesterol and heart disease, or are you safe if you eat them in moderation? Dietitian Katherine Tallmadge continues her series of articles on healthy eating. The sidebar lists some of eggs' good qualities. To Do: Get Emeril to BAM your book at Olsson's in Arlington on the 8th; take a food safety course, learn how to cook low-carb meals, attend a wine tasting at Magruder's on Connecticut Avenue. We're Listening, Mom: Results of a Parenting/AOL survey reveal that 36 percent of parents can't remember the last time their children tried a new food and liked it, 27 percent of dads are messier eaters than their kids (at least according to moms), and the same percentage of parents have tried to pull a Sandra Lee and pass off precooked foods as their own. Fortunately, it only works 16 percent of the time. Golly Ghee: Intense buttery goodness in a jar, available at your local grocery store. And, it's lactose, trans-fatty-acid, and salt-free! Dinner in Minutes: Scallop and Citrus Salad. If you read the recipe, it looks like it might take 5 or 10 minutes, maximum - why there are no minutes in the headline I don't know, but I feel cheated. Bring back the minutes! Beyond the Baseball Bag: Mixed wasabi and honey-glazed peanuts. Bright and Snappy: Natural Easter eggs, of the radish variety. Farmers Market Ahead!: Send in your farmers market listings for publication now - deadline is Friday, April 23. True Colors: Who needs all that artificial Easter egg dye, when you've got more than enough color hanging around the kitchen? How to make your very own egg dyes out of cabbage, coffee, and cherry juice. Market Watch - Chervil: No, not gerbil, chervil. This member of the carrot family signals the coming of spring at local farmers' markets, and is good on eggs and salmon. What Your $12 Refund Can Buy: As tax season looms, Michael Franz discusses good wines you can purchase even if Uncle Sam has just lifted all your disposable income. Come With an Empty Tank: Where I grew up, the local gas station served "Pizza, Homemade Chili, and Nightcrawlers." In Charlottesville, you can get blood orange martinis and veal carpaccio at the new Fuel Co. Given a choice, I think I'd go with Charlottesville. The Weekly Dish: Make a reservation at Inn at Little Washington, and expect to be Googled for information they can use to make your evening more special. Exemplary customer service, or stalking? You decide. Transcript of Tom Sietsema's Chat: highlights include tips from Cafe Atlantico's chef Katsuya Fukushima on how to clean your molcajete, silly restaurant names, and lots of personal questions for Tom. Also, Tom knows who the new New York Times restaurant critic is, but he ain't tellin'. Let the speculation continue! Transcript of Michael Franz's Grapevine chat: Australia/New Zealand wines, more bargains, and Michael's pathological hatred of limoncello.

Sandwiches aside, for the past few years, unless you were looking for something really unusual meat-wise (they could get lion and zebra!), there were better sources for pretty much everything else. I know the opening of Harris Teeter across the parking lot really put a dent in the business at the Reston location, since HT had better, cheaper produce and a similar selection of specialty items. Hopefully they'll keep the good stuff and get rid of the irritating, like deciding to rearrange the store back to front at least twice in the last 3 years.

Minerva is neither vegetarian-only nor, in my experience, all that good, although I've only been to the Herndon location. Around Herndon/Sterling/Ashburn, I'd go to either Supper Club of India, in Worldgate, or Banjara in Ashburn. Oh, and while we're fixing titles/subtitles, can we spell "experience" correctly as well?

It was definitely a lot of fun, and good seeing everyone.

I take it QPR is not Queens Park Rangers? I don't think they'd fit on Palena's bar, never mind the bar menu.

Washington Post Food Section Digest, March 31, 2004 When Good Oil Goes Bad: Robert Wolke's biweekly food science column discusses why oils become rancid, and what you can do to stop them. Parsley By the Bunch: It's not just for garnish anymore - parsley can be the basis for salads and soups, as well as a tasty addition to other dishes. The Kid in the Kitchen: A 15-year old food lover dives into the world of the kitchen by apprenticing at Marcel's. Dad's Chopped Liver: Style section reporter and former Reliable Source Annie Groer reminisces about her dad's chopped liver recipe. It may not have schmaltz, but apparently it's still good. Market Watch: Horseradish: It's not a radish, and it's significantly less sinus-searing if cooked - learn more about this pungent root. Whole Grain: Review of Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola. Holy Mole! Review of Chocolate Mayordomo's moles - Negro and Rojo. You Found How Many Mustards in Your Fridge?! Apparently April 4-10 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Week. Who knew? To Do: Panel discussion on the future of DC-area farm markets at GWU/Mt. Vernon College; wine dinner at Breaux Vineyards, and a fundraiser for Brainfood at Anyu. Dinner in 25 Minutes: Parchment-poached Cod with Asparagus. Today's Tip: If you're one of those people who just has to save and reuse resealable plastic bags, try drip-drying them over chopsticks. The Weekly Dish: New Dupont Circle Greek restaurant Mourayo has a Greek-American chef at the helm. Wine - Select Cabernets from Napa: The Baby Boom generation of Napa winemakers has produced a dandy crop of Cabernets - see the tasting notes for the latest offerings. In Celebration of Howard University: A new cookbook includes recipes and history of the university and the community. Tom's weekly chat.

You might also try beer/winemaking suppliers - they'll sometimes have rennet. I know there's one out here, but there's got to be one out in Rockville or Gaithersburg.

I have to admit, I never liked the show - it was a little too Mr. Rogers for me. However, I do own the "Immigrant Ancestors" cookbook mentioned upthread, and I've always had good luck with the recipes. The cheesecake, Guinness beef stew, and tortilla espanola are particular standouts that I keep coming back to, but there are a number of others that have worked out as well.

Bumping this up, to ask if anyone has been to Sushi Say recently? Trying to track down reasonably good sushi out that way for my mum-in-law. She's closeish to the Oriental supermarket in Colindale, but we're hoping to point her at someplace that provides a little more guidance and also has some non-sushi entree options. Thanks.

Yes'm. It's a little light on specific quantities, but I'll make my best guess.

I do precisely the same thing with roast chicken as I do with roast turkey - loosen up the leg and breast skin and rub butter, tarragon, thyme, and a little salt (depending on if the butter is salted or not) underneath, throw some onion along with more tarragon and thyme in the cavity, drop in a 450 oven for 20-30 minutes to get a good healthy brown glow on the skin, then cover with foil, drop the temp to 350 and roast to appropriate internal temp (I think it's 180 for poultry, but I always have to look it up.) I haven't tried using roasted garlic in the rub, but I bet that'd be tasty as well. As far as stuffing/dressing, I come from the dressing-in-separate-pan tradition, so I've never bothered trying to stuff the bird itself. Let me know if you want the dressing recipe as well - it's my grandmother's, and it always turns out fabulously.

Ok, I'm officially in.

Gourmet Digest - April 2004 It's the yearly Passover/Easter edition. The Way We Were: Cream for a Day - Maryland fried chicken with cream gravy. Mmmm, gravy. Letters: Rainbow cookie recipe reminds reader of her childhood; recipes for gouvej, an Armenian vegetable stew, and a caramelized apple omelet. You Asked for It: Rice pudding from Thali in New Canaan, Connecticut; chicken marengo from O'Briens Bistro in Pensacola, Florida; ginger salad dressing from Sekisui of Japan in Memphis, Tennessee; chocolate and pistachio cookies from the Ritz-Carlton, Montreal; Belgian endive salad with mustard dressing from Town in New York. Small Wonders: Jay Cheshes ponders the plethora of tiny New York restaurants with fabulous food: Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar, Chubo, ChikaLicious, and Bar Jamon/Casa Mono. Best In Show: Caroline Bates visits two spiffy new restaurants in LA: Maple Drive and Table 8. Louisiana Love Song: The Sterns visit gems of Cajun cooking, including Middendorf's near Lake Maurepas, Robin's Restaurant in Henderson, Black's Oyster Bar in Abbeville, Boudin King in Jennings, Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge, plus two places they'd never been. The new additions: Brenda's Dine in and Take Out in New Iberia, and D.I.'s Cajun Restaurant in Basile. Several of these have been discussed in the Louisiana forum's Cajun Country thread. Another America: A review of The South American Table, by Maria Baez Kijac. Good Living: Two new restaurants in Paris, Cafe Constant and Cristal Room Baccarat. Put on Your Dancing Shoes: The Inn at Little Washington's chef brigade already does tai chi before service. Now the waitstaff are doing ballet, courtesy of a seminar by Washington Ballet director Septime Weber. Java Nirvana: KitchenAid's new espresso machine will pull shots and steam milk at the same time. Also, a review of tampers. Eating History: Two books by Mark Zanger, The American History Cookbook and The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students, present recipes in their historical context. Tender is the Nut: Green almonds in all their fuzzy glory. Caught in the Web: A review of various food websites, from individual blogs to the collective obsession that is eGullet. Featured are The Radical Chef, Chocolate and Zucchini, Meathenge, The Food Section, Bourrez Votre Visage, and eGullet, which I won't hyperlink because, well, you're already here. eGullet is "too mammoth to be considered a hobbyist blog." Style: Everybody's got their own line of china these days. Kate Spade, Nobu, and artist Karen Kjaelgaard-Larsen have particularly nice ones. There are pictures. Matzo Mania: Seven recipes that take advantage of matzo's good qualities: walnut tweed torte; Moroccan lamb and eggplant matzo pie with spicy tomato sauce; matzo almond brittle; strawberry rhubarb compote with matzo streusel topping; cheese matzo blintzes with asparagus and dill; and turkey breast stuffed with matzo and fennel. Flat Delicious: Pictures from the archives of Streit's Matzos. My Kind of Town: Jonathan Gold summers in Umbria, and lots of folks drop by to cook - like Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. Suave Sauvignon: Sauvignons Blancs from all over the place - France, New Zealand, California, Italy, and Austria. Who's Drinking What: Michael Jordan (no, not that one - this one's the general manager and sommelier at Napa Rose in Anaheim) recommends the Edna Valley Vineyard Paragon 2001 Pinot Noir. Single Malternatives: "Vatted" or "pure" malts (blended Scotches without the added grain alcohol) aren't so bad - apparently Compass Box Eleuthera and Johnnie Walker Green are worth a try. Grand Openings: The sudden appearance of lots of corkscrews that look remarkably like the original Screwpull is no coincidence - the original patent expired in 1999. They review six of the lookalikes. Wine Advice: Pairings for the Russian Easter and Spring Buffet menus. Iceland Cometh: The foods of Iceland - hverabraud (sweet rye bread steamed in a volcanic vent); smoked arctic char; smoked lamb; herring; and brennivin (caraway schnapps). In Thrall of the Wild: Luxury safari and game reserve accommodations in South Africa. A Home in Rome: Roman home cooking - torta di ricotta. Memory and Desire: Easter feasting in the Russian Orthodox tradition. Fourteen recipes for an hours-long feast: pierogies, Russian Easter bread, paskha cheese, herb-stuffed leg of lamb, stuffed veal breast, kielbasa with beet and white horseradish sauces, asparagus with lemon and butter, sauteed mixed mushrooms, sweet-and-sour sauerkraut, watercress salad with pickled quail eggs, prune and caraway ice cream, and poppy seed shortbreads. Getting Sauced: A visit to Vietnam's largest island, Phu Quoc. My Brilliant Buffet: An Indian-inspired buffet menu of chicken tikka, mango and red pepper chutney, mint raita, cumin and orange-glazed carrots, spinach salad with tamarind dressing and pappadam croutons, cilantro coconut rice, and strawberry and cream cake with cardamom syrup. Sounds good - unfortunately, there's no link to the recipes. Food Lover's Guide to Texas Hill Country: Beard nominee Alison Cook of the Houston Chronicle describes the culinary highlights of central Texas's Hill Country. Gourmet has no links, unfortunately, but for more info, check out the Texas Hill Country thread in the Texas forum. Gourmet Every Day: Quick Kitchen - recipes galore, including salmon and dill chowder, turkey and cheddar burgers, tuna in tomato sauce, skirt steak with cilantro garlic sauce, panfried potatoes with lemon, roasted asparagus with feta, bacon and avocado sandwiches (this month's cover picture), and inside-out carrot cake cookies. Five Ingredients: Lemon creme brulee. Low Fat: Fresh Focus - grapefruit coolers, crab cakes with spicy avocado sauce, frisee salad with cucumbers and radishes, and rhubarb frozen yogurt torte. Kitchen Notebook: Torches for creme brulee, roll-cutting carrots, paskha cheese molds, quail eggs, horseradish, and how to bone a turkey breast. The Last Touch: Five recipes show you what to do with parsley besides sprinkling - carrots with gremolata, parsley garlic butter, parsley, cabbage, and mushroom salad, parsley soup, and parsley and sweet onion sandwiches.

See previous thread. I liked it.

We went out there for brunch once - it's a lovely drive, and their brunch was worth the trip. Some standard brunch stuff - made to order omelets, waffles, etc. - along with some nice additions. I was particularly fond of the bean and Smithfield ham soup. I think I'd probably wait a couple of weeks to go until the trees really start blooming - it'll be a much nicer drive for it.

Washington Post Food Section Digest, March 24, 2004 Today's highlights - Flavors of Home: When Salvadorans in the DC area, including Zaytinya's head chef Jorge Chicas, want foods from home, they head to a strip mall in Northern Virginia's Arlandria neighborhood. A list of the stores is included in the sidebar. Buried in Salt - Catalan salt-crust baking. Includes recipes for salt-baked pork loin and whole red snapper. Understanding Omega-3s: What are omega-3 fatty acids, why are they good for you, and in what foods can you find them? Scholarship Alert: The DC chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier are giving away up to $12,000 to qualified women in the area pursuing education in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries. Request applications at lesdamesdc@aol.com. Take Some Time for Tea: Numi teas introduces a new line of beverages - some are good, some are described as "Tang meets Theraflu." Snubbing Carbs? If you're low-carbing and can't spend enough money on steak, you can always try these anti-carb T-shirts from Neiman Marcus. Today's Tip: Cilantro and parsley stems are edible - use 'em! Dinner in 15 Minutes: Shrimp in Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce. To Do: This week's activities include an Armenian Lenten food festival, Easter cookie decorating, gluten-free cooking, and various wine events. Book Review: Good Fat, by Fran McCullough. Which fats are good, which are bad, and how to get more of the good ones into your diet. Shouldn't be that hard - chocolate and coconut are considered good. Example recipes are included. Watercress: What's new in the produce aisle this week. Includes recipes for wilted sesame watercress, and a watercress and walnut salad. Wine - Kosher for Passover: Michael Franz gets over his fear of Kosher wines (bad Mogen David in college! Bad!) and provides a solid list of excellent, very good, and avoid-at-all-costs selections. Redefining Food of the 50s: A review of Laura Shapiro's Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America. What drove the creation of convenience foods? Were they as pervasive as we've been led to believe? Shapiro examines the influences on the domestic landscape after World War II. The Weekly Dish: Chef Jay Comfort is leaving Poste after two years; Thai Coast replaces Donatello's on L Street. Today's live chat transcript with Tom Sietsema. Edit to add a link to Michael Franz's biweekly wine chat.

According to the Post article, they're required to use the entire minibottle, which makes multi-liquor drinks end up really big.

The Washington Post ran an article about minibottles last week - including some significant comments from one of the state's biggest liquor retailers about why he likes them. Interesting stuff.

Put me down as a maybe - I'm waiting for my husband's boss to make a decision (watch me not hold my breath ) so I know whether I have to pick the husband up at the airport Wed. evening or whether I can come have pizza.