cjsadler

This is a great technique for the use of breasts plus random stuff you've got hanging around. You can pretty much stuff them with whatever you want (sauteed mushrooms and shallots, cheeses, spinach, prosciutto, etc..). It's sometimes easier to roll them up in aluminum foil then twist the ends to keep everything together. Then sear the foil package in a hot pan (don't use oil or butter or anything-- and only use a single layer of foil) rotating to get all sides and then slide the pan into the oven to finish cooking (400 for about 15-20 min). Simple, and the sliced roulades actually look impressive.

Is it BYOB?

Was considering checking out Colorado Kitchen for brunch or burgers/dinner this Sunday. Has anyone been lately? Can anyone confirm that the burger is still available on Sunday nights (it's supposedly available only Fri lunch and Sun night)? And how are the dishes besides the burger? Some hard to believe stories about the place here (read the comments): http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?n...&typeId=2&type= Their website is here: http://www.mmmmbetter.com

Had quite a time trying to make some 'crispy' polenta rounds. I prepared the polenta as I usually would for 'soft' polenta, as this is what the recipe I was working from instructed (roughly half milk/half water, about four cups liquid to 1 cup polenta), then let the polenta cook a bit longer in order to dry it out a little, then poured it into a pan and chilled it overnight. Next day, I cut it into discs and tried sauteeing it. The remaining water in the polenta coming in contact with hot oil was *not* good, to say the least, so I tried putting the polenta under the broiler, which browned it a bit, but also melted the discs into a puddle. So I then tried pan frying it, but the discs didn't stay together. Getting a bit panicked (this was a for a dinner party), I tried grilling the discs. This had about the same outcome as the broiler. I'm assuming the solution is to dry the polenta out further (but won't this make the discs unappetizingly dry?) and/or to dredge them in flour or breadcrumbs or something. Anyone have some advice on making 'hard' polenta? The grilled polenta 'puddles' with mushrooms were pretty good anyway, though.

Admin: An archive of 2001-2003 discussion on Peter Luger Steakhouse may be found here. Can someone tell me what the current Luger prices are for steak and sides? Not having a PL card, I want to make sure we don't end up washing dishes the rest of the night.

Went with a group to Buck's this evening. Very crowded-- we got there at 8 and waited an hour. The only three-course special now offered on Sundays is salad/fish fry/dessert; outside of that, there is the regular menu to order from. All but one of us went with the fish fry, which was seriously underwhelming: a small plate of over-salted mixed greens and a small under-seasoned fried fish filet (mahi-mahi tonight) put in a tapered bowl atop fried potato strings (it was a somewhat odd way of serving fried fish). No remoulade or anything. The chocolate cake was very rich and very good-- the highlight of the meal. The person who didn't order the fish fry had some really good venison sausage, which I tried. The portion of sausage looked just right, but the rest of us were still very hungry after only a few leaves of lettuce and and the small bit of fish. Dug the atmosphere of the place, though, and I might have to go back some time to try the mussels (not on the menu tonight), but judging from tonight, Buck's seems very hit-or-miss.

Something cool that the Princeton store does (or at least used to) is have a chef there everyday during lunch cooking up a dish for free sampling that they then give out the recipe to. I got some really great recipes from the chef there that I still use. Wonder if the DC stores will do something similar.

You can get a savory crepe at Chez Antoine and a delicious Belgian beer to go with it.

I don't think she'll appreciate you callin' it that. Booooo. I've seen Airplane too many times.

Now that I look at mine, I'm not sure what it is. It says 'aluminized steel'. As long as it's heavy gauge, I'm not sure how much it matters. Maybe slkinsey can chime in here.

I had the exact same problems and then made the discovery that a quality sheet pan makes all the difference. I've upgraded all my other cookware, but for some reason never thought much about replacing my crappy sheet pans. Heavy gauge stainless pans will brown your food much more evenly. Everything comes out so nice now-- potatoes, cauliflower.... and I agree that the roasted broccoli is about 80% as good as the cauliflower. Used some garlic infused olive oil on it and it was delicious.

Will be heading up to Babbo (from DC) in a couple of weeks. We were considering getting the traditional tasting menu, though that seems to be against the consensus here for the pasta menu (I just don't know if I'm up for an entire meal of pasta). Am curious about the negative comments on the wines pairings, though. I'm no wine expert, but I've had the two dessert wines that are paired on the traditional tasting menu and thought they were both excellent (Moscato d’Asti and 20-year Graham's Tawny). I'm surprised that the rest of the wines wouldn't be of the same quality level. What about the quartino options? Are they any good?

Butterflying and stuffing a pork loin works fine, but I've found it's darn hard to do with a tenderloin, as it's such a small piece of meat (and pounding it seems to always result in tears for me). I found a better method from a Charlie Trotter book: As someone suggested, cut a deep X into the end with a boning knife. Now get a long handled wooden spoon and push the handle through to create a hole through the tenderloin. Stuff in whatever you want.

How did you make it? I've done it before by adding buttermilk to cream and letting sit out, but I hear this is actually poor imitation of real creme fraiche. How do you make the real thing? A certain culture?

With a special scoop? I can't quite get how to form them as perfectly as restaurants do.

Sampled this while in Philly this past weekend (at Eulogy). Man is this stuff good for the price (found out it's selling here in DC for $5.99 for the large bottle and $8.99 for a six-pack). Will have to try it again before I can really describe it, but it's a nice spiced, darkish brew that reminds me of a mellower abbey-style beer. Complex and interesting.

I remember liking the cupcakes I had when CakeLove first opened. Hadn't been back lately, but stopped by the new Love Cafe (across the street from the original CakeLove store) last night. Nice digs, but man were the pastries we had bad. I had a 'sassy' crunchy foot (a mini-bundt cake with mango, cayenne and supposedly something else I'm forgetting), which was rather dry, pretty much without any discernable flavors and had a very slight hint of cayenne on the end. The cupcakes ($2 each) were also dry and topped with a buttercream icing that was, oh... 98% butter (so rich, I thought it was repulsive). Don't know if the cakes were just sitting out too long, I was there on the wrong night, or what, but you could easily whip up something twice as good as these.

Django pretty much lived up to my expectations. The atmosphere was a treat, as in DC we don't really have cute places in converted row houses. After being seated, we were served an amuse of mascarpone rolled in walnuts. Then we started off with goat cheese gnocchi with porcini mushrooms in a beurre fondue and a lobster salad with noodles and celery root. The gnocchi were excellent-- very light, with the right texture. And porcini mushrooms... well, those are always a good thing. The lobster salad had a lemon vinaigrette and was good, but not really outstanding. For entrees, we had bison loin and a monkfish and shrimp fricasse. The bison loin, ordered by my girlfriend, had an interesting flavor, but was a bit too rare for me for such a thick cut of meat (it was entirely red except for the seared outside). The fricasse had a tomato, herb, and fish stock sauce finished with a good bit of butter that was a little on the overpowering side, but I still enjoyed the dish. Dessert was a candied orange creme brulee napoleon and a chocolate almond terrine. The creme brulee was slightly overcooked (and so were the phyllo layers) and unfortunately served ice cold, but the candied orange flavor was a great idea. The terrine was very rich and chocolate-y, with layers of almond buttercream. The maple-almond ice cream on the side was outrageously good. The total bill, with tax and tip was $106. A great deal-- we brought along a nice bottle of pinot noir. I love the Philly BYOB's (something that doesn't exist in DC either). As we were leaving, we got the added entertainment of the drunk who left the restaurant just before us falling flat on his face in the street (he was ok).

I tried the raved-about hot dog, but I doubt I'd ever order it again considering the other options on the menu. Definitely a quality sausage, which tastes like it has a bit of either nutmeg or mace in it, and as with the hamburger, the good fresh- baked bun makes a big difference. However, I've had many sausages and dogs better than this (not all of them in Chicago).

Am heading to a BYOB in Philly on Friday (Django). Since there's only two of us, in order to have different wines with different courses, I was thinking of getting a couple of half-bottles. We're traveling, so taking 750ml bottles and then bringing what we don't drink home isn't an option. My companion doesn't drink that much, so I think two bottles will be about all we can handle. Any recommendations? I'm looking for half-bottles under $25, probably one white and one red. Am open to any varietals. (Also, if anyone knows of a wine store in DC with a large half-bottle selection...) Thanks.

Am coming up from DC this Friday to go to Django. Anyone been lately? I'm curious what's not to be missed on the menu right now. (And I'll post a report next week)

This looks like a great recipe, which I'm considering making for my girlfriend's birthday. However, I'm stupidly confused about the follow directions: "Cut lemon in half. Juice one half (about 1 1/2 tablespoons); discard rind. Cut the other half into 4 pieces and pick out the seeds. Add the lemon juice and pieces to the food processor; process for 45 seconds. " "Pieces"? I can't imagine you should throw in the entire lemon half, pith and all. Surely it should just be the zest and/or the segments, right?

The staff at Palena is fantastic. I eat in the bar fairly regularly and I'd say it's consistently the warmest and best service I've experienced in DC (Derrick is the man). Don-- what, roughly, are the prices for the different courses on the 'back' prix-fixe menu when ordered in the front room?

After having a look at the dining guide, I think the star system is a failure. With only four stars (and no half-stars given), there just aren't enough gradations. Looking at the index, I'd say at least 65% of the restaurants are given two stars. This kinda renders the star system meaningless, doesn't it? I'm not opposed to a ratings system, though, especially in Sietsema's case, as I often finish one of his reviews unsure of how he really he feels about the place.

Bhasin, Any luck getting the recipe? That Syrian Lamb was incredible.