hannnah

Lee Ho Fook in Soho didn't have beef chow mein on the menu. That's just wrong.

I think spillage is pretty likely given that a lot of the attendees will be jet-lagged. Okay, so a case of red and a case of white (if it's too much we can schlep it along to the next stop on the trip). Now, what should I buy?

Shouldn't it be Bat Tartare?

I'm in DC, but the wine will most likely be purchased either in Knoxville or Atlanta; if there's something fabulous we can only get in Atlanta, we'll wait until we get there. Also, is there a semi-reliable guideline for how much to buy? We're expecting about 70 people at the event, but there'll be beer available as well.

A question that fits in the spirit of this thread, budget-wise... I'm helping to organize a corporate-type reception the first week of November, for which the hosts (of whom I am one) are providing the wine. I need at least one red and one white, maybe 2 of each. Since it's a bunch of Americans hosting a bunch of international visitors, it would be nice if we could show off decent domestic wines. Here's the kicker, however; two of our guests are Aussie winery owners, so despite the fact that we're limited in budget, we need to provide something that tastes good. Any and all suggestions welcomed!

The recipes that have been passed down to me from my mom's side of the family? They weren't my grandmother's. Mom's often said how grateful she was that Miss Annie was willing to take the time to share her recipes and her skill rather than just shooing her out of the kitchen. I'd have to ask to be certain, but I'm pretty sure Miss Annie never had to work weekends and holidays; both my grandparents would have been home on weekends, and the whole extended family went to my great grandparents' for holidays. (This may be a subject for another thread, but did anyone else's family all buy the same dish pattern so they didn't have to worry about losing them at family gatherings, or was my mother's family just strange?)

Looks promising. I hope the noticeable lack of moules on the lunch menu is just a website goof, though.

Dropped in last night for a bowl of pumpkin soup, and got an impromptu history lesson for free. The soup is just as fantastic as everyone's said, and the asiago bread is perfect for getting those last few soup molecules out of the bowl.

Finally, after a couple of attempts stymied by lack of parking and major Federal holidays, I got to go to Palena and try the burger and fries. It was worth the wait, and it's just as well that I don't live or work any closer - those fried dauphinoise potato things are stunning, and I could quite happily eat them every day. Thanks to Derek for the spot-on recommendations and the fruity rum concoction.

Washington Post Food Section Digest, September 29, 2004 Suddenly, It's a Guy Thing: Prior to the low-carb diet boom, men were much less likely to admit being on a diet. Now, apparently it's okay because they're eating meat. Despite that, there are noticeable differences between the way men and women diet - and each can learn from the other. Cooking with Wine: So, is the wine you add to a saute actually releasing water-insoluble flavors into your food, or just adding some wine flavor? A proper scientific test settles the argument. Warm Up the Salad: Vegetables usually served raw or cold, such as radishes, cucumbers, arugula, and avocado, can also be good when served warm. Sample recipes include simple salad vegetable saute, braised red radishes, lettuce and pea saute, arugula custards, and hot stuffed avocado. Dinner in 25 Minutes: Spiced Lamb and Cashew Kebabs. 17 weeks with minutes, 10 without. Made with Fun: A promo for Food Network's "Cook with Your Kids" programming. Quoted: Various musings on mushrooms. To Do: More church food festivals; Taste of Bethesda. Shopping Cart: Good Health Olive Oil Potato Chips. Crunchy, salty, potato-y and remarkably grease-free. Jewish Foodways: GWU's Judaic Studies program hosts a conference on American Jewish Foodways, 1654-2004. Today's Tip: How to deal with sprouted garlic. Search Engine Recipes: Stumped for what to cook? Put in some ingredients and Google up some dinner. Cook Like the Inn Crowd: A review of Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine, with sample recipes for Rosti Potatoes with Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs, and Lemon and Black Pepper Risotto. The Merits of Meritage: Ben Giliberti discusses what Meritage wines are and suggests a couple of examples. The Weekly Dish: IndeBleu and its swinging couches. Market Watch - Pluots: Half-plum, half-apricot, available now. Tea With a View: Experience high tea at Cafe MoZU in the Mandarin Oriental.

If you're looking for stuff to do pre-dinner, don't forget the National Book Festival, on the Mall from 10am-5pm Saturday (Oct. 9). This year's food-related authors are Roland Mesnier, ex-White House pastry chef, and Patrick O'Connell from Inn at Little Washington - they're on at 1:00pm and 2:30pm respectively to talk about their new books and answer audience questions. Details on them and the non-food-related authors are online at www.loc.gov/bookfest. (yeah, I know it's a plug for work, but it's an ON-TOPIC plug for work. So there.) Edit: dates are good. correct dates are even better.

I wouldn't expect the program to be perky. I can't vouch for the other guests and their expectations. And I like the q&a aspect of the Press Club event a lot better.

Yeah, but the Les Halles event is Christmas-themed. Which means that, despite anyone's best efforts, it will be filled with Perky Holiday People expecting a Perky Holiday Thing. Amusing as it might be to watch, I'd rather deal with the much less perky Press Club crowd.

The neighborhood's not bad exactly, but it gets really, really deserted and kind of creepy after about 6pm once all the L'Enfant Plaza crowd goes home. I'm sure if you're driving yourself in and out it's fine, but I wouldn't walk the 5 blocks from the Metro to the hotel if it weren't light out.

Wow. That is one hell of a sandwich for $5 - and now I know where to go when I get that occasional "need roast pork NOW" craving. And if it'd been a little cooler, that chickpea soup looked and smelled awfully good as well. Maybe next time.

Judging from the press release I found off Google, yes - the other branches might be named something else, but the release sure makes it sound like concept-in-a-box. And the spelling isn't any better in the release - "hob-knob"? Phooey.

Grill looks good barring unforeseen disaster at work.

My parents absolutely LOVED Zaytinya when they were up a few weeks ago. Granted, they're fans of traditional Greek food, but they really got into the small plates/getting to try a bunch of dishes concept, and they chose and enjoyed quite a few things I wouldn't necessarily have thought they'd like. My dad's usually not all that vocal about preferences one way or the other, but his comment as we were leaving was "we *have* to come here again." They also liked 2941, but that might be a little far to travel from downtown.

Washington Post Food Section Digest, September 22, 2004 Ins and Outs of Sandwich City: Apparently sandwich places are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the restaurant industry - and if you're going to succeed as a sandwich place, you have to have at least one turkey sandwich on the menu. Six local variations on the turkey sandwich are reviewed here: from Subway, Quiznos, Potbelly, Cosi, Corner Bakery, and Panera. An accompanying article discusses things you can do to jazz up sandwiches at home. The New Focus On Native American Cooking: The varied menu at the Mitsitam Cafe in the new National Museum of the American Indian are just one example of the attempts to preserve and pass on Native American cuisine - including cookbooks and academic symposia. Fit and Frugal: One of the most common arguments against getting people to try a more nutritious diet is that it's more expensive - but it's actually not. The ongoing series has suggestions for minimizing expense while getting good, healthy foods into your diet. For the Native Palate: A review of Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions, by Fernando and Marlene Divina. This book's release coincides with the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall - as well as recipes, it includes essays and memoirs from Native American writers, commentaries on the origins and history of the various dishes, and a thorough reference section including glossaries and bibliographies. A sample recipe for quinoa salad is included. On the Label: Light Tuna: Canned light tuna, which is generally yellowfin, bluefin, or skipjack tuna, tends to contain significantly less mercury than the canned white or albacore. Book Report: Cooksmart Chicken, Pasta, Wok, Chocolate, Low-Fat or Vegetarian. Half shopping-list, half recipe flashcards, they're portable enough to take along to the store. To Do: Book signing and wine tasting with John Shields at Best Cellars; Johnny Appleseed Festival at the Mount Pleasant farmers' market; Middle Eastern bazaar at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church on Alaska Ave.; wine dinners at Taberna del Alabardero and the Four Seasons. Dinner in 20 Minutes: Chicken and Avocado Salad. The minutes continue on their roll - 16 weeks with, 10 without. Today's Tip: To keep overstuffed subs from overspilling, excavate some of the bread before filling. Ingredient - Quinoa: This staple food of the Incas isn't actually a grain - it's the seeds of a leafy plant. The Strata's Winning Ways: Another staff favorite - the sausage, Gruyere, and onion strata (egg casserole). Market Watch - Lemon Verbena: Put this tasty herb in vegetables, teas, or desserts before it gets too cold. Pork With a Distinguished Past: Hemp's Meats in Jefferson, Maryland has been providing bacony goodness, beef, and yummy bits like sweetbreads to locals and Civil War reenactors alike since 1849. The Case for Ribera: Michael Franz visited the Ribera del Duero region of Spain, and liked what he saw (and drank). Tom's chat transcript: Someone thinks it's bad to say negative things about restaurants; Tom's take on the James Beard Foundation controversy; many recommendations for spiffy sandwiches; why servers don't always check the back of credit cards; recommendations in Burgundy and British Columbia; Per Se was "grand." Grapevine chat transcript: More Spanish wine recommendations; what to drink if you like Asti Spumante but want something "classier"; Canadian ice wines.

Well, there are actually a couple of supermarket beef programs that are holding their producers and feeders to a stringent set of requirements - they're not certifiable as organic in that they're not asking that all the feed the cattle are fed be organic, but they're asking the producers to keep to an all-vegetable diet, and in some cases limiting what types of feed are used, as well as requiring that no implants or antibiotics be used. The most widely available of these is probably Laura's Lean - most of the major supermarket chains in my area carry their products. I haven't tried their sirloins or ribeyes, but the less expensive cuts and ground beef are good. The other program that markets pretty widely is Coleman Natural Meats, who also do lamb. I've generally seen them in organic markets like Whole Foods, but they also seem to have a significant presence in regular supermarkets in other areas of the country. Both the steaks and the lamb are good quality. There's a lot of information on both these websites regarding their standards on feed, animal welfare, testing for pathogens, etc. Depending on where you are, you might also be able to find local producers who are using similar or more stringent standards in feeding and processing.

What Pollan doesn't explain in the article, probably because it weakens the point he was trying to make about feedlots, is if you feed them too much of any single thing, you get the same effect. I've seen cattle bloat themselves on grass, cornstalks (without the grain), green pears, green apples, new growth of grass, and chocolate chip cookies - it's certainly not specific to feedlot rations. It's comparable to a human eating too much of one thing at one time, even if it's a comparatively healthy thing like fruit - it'll most likely give you a tummyache. Large scale feedlot operators feed pure-grain hot rations because they pack on the maximum amount of pounds in the minimum amount of time, and damn the consequences. A small producer has a lot more flexibility to adapt the diet to add more or less roughage as the cattle need it - and trust me, it's easy to tell when they need it. Eat beef, or don't - it's your choice. But don't write off the entire industry based on the practices of the big feedlots - there are thousands of producers out there doing it right, without full time antibiotics, without hormone implants, and without high-density confinement practices, who still deserve the support. And don't write off the industry on the basis of one article that doesn't tell the whole story.

I'm sorry, that's just not true. Cattle can digest corn just fine; on average they digest between 80-90 percent of the dry matter in corn (this citation says 88%), as opposed to grass, which depending on the variety runs 40-60 percent digestible dry matter. Grass-fed beef tastes like it does because they're not getting as much nutrition, and thus aren't building up the same amount of intramuscular fat. Cattle in feedlots get sick because of the conditions in which they're kept, not because they're being fed grain - this seems to be a fairly commonly held misconception. If you have happy healthy free range cattle, you'll have happy healthy good-tasting beef - and they'll taste even better if they're finished on grain rather than grass. If you don't mind, could you post the author/title of the article you're referencing?

All 4 dates are open for us at this point - weekends are a little easier.

In for two, but it depends on the date.

FlyI also has a 2-for-1 sale on at the moment, if people want to team up on reservations - it's at http://www.flyi.com/companion.