Where Do I Get Stuff?

[Robin Shuster]

Busboy asked me the other day if I knew where to find Galangal. I saw some at the P Street Whole Foods last week....

[hjshorter]

Busboy asked me the other day if I knew where to find Galangal.  I saw some at the P Street Whole Foods last week....

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It's always available at the Thai Market on Thayer in Silver Spring, and I see it occasionally at Whole Foods.

[lperry]

When I was in Salt Lake City for a conference I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant and had a fantastic noodle dish. The noodles were square and about the size of won ton wrappers, but they were made from rice flour. I have had no luck at Super H. Any ideas where I can find them?

Thanks-

Linda

[jm chen]

Anybody seen La Baleine sea salt (the blue canister with the whale on it) in DC stores lately? I can find it for about $3.50 online... but then I'd have to pay something like $7-10 for shipping, which makes it a good deal more expensive than necessary.

I'll check when I'm at the Safeway tonight but if I don't find it there, anyone seen it around? Has to be Metro-accessible, I'm carless.

[Busboy]

Anybody seen La Baleine sea salt (the blue canister with the whale on it) in DC stores lately? I can find it for about $3.50 online... but then I'd have to pay something like $7-10 for shipping, which makes it a good deal more expensive than necessary.

I'll check when I'm at the Safeway tonight but if I don't find it there, anyone seen it around? Has to be Metro-accessible, I'm carless.

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We used to pick it up at Whole Foods but I can't recall seeing it lately -- though I haven't been looking for it. Sometimes it was at the meat counter and sometimes with the rest of the salt.

[hannnah]

I'm reasonably sure I've seen it in Giant as well, but it's been a while since I looked.

[lperry]

Has anyone seen tamarillos in the stores? (tree tomato/tomate de arbol/Cyphomandra betacea)

Thanks-

Linda

[jm chen]

I found the sea salt right there in the salt section in Safeway. Guess I needn't have worried. Thanks!

[fimbul]

Has anyone seen tamarillos in the stores? (tree tomato/tomate de arbol/Cyphomandra betacea)

Thanks-

Linda

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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.

[Busboy]

Just found out that the Glover Park Whole Foods has restructured -- ie, eliminated -- its by-the-scoop servings of grains, legumes, dried fruits and so on, and in the course of doing so, got rid of the flagelot offerings.

Need to know if anybody's seen

A store to buy a flagelot bean?

Gonna cook me some Thomes Keller

Leg o' lamb, for a couple of fellers

Now, I can make me some agneau jus

And I confit garlic, like nobody's business

But all that won't mean a thing

'less the lamb's served on the proper beans

So, now there's no place I won't go

To get me a flagelot

-- "Line Cook's Blues" by Hanque Williams

[Malawry]

I bet Dean and DeLuca and Balducci's have your number, Hanqie Panquie.

Also call the TPSS Co-op and ask if they carry what you're looking for, if you're willing to brave MoCo. The Takoma Park location has a much larger selection of dry goods, so check there first.

[jm chen]

I don't know if they've got the flagelot specifically, but the not-too-far-up-the-road Tenleytown Whole Foods still had by-the-scoop offerings as of Monday night, so that would be the first place I'd call.

[lperry]

Anyone seen rocoto peppers? I'm still searching for tamarillos too.

Thanks-

Linda

[Pontormo]

Sorry, I can't help there, though I wonder if you've tried Best Way in Mount Pleasant.

MY Question: Has anyone seen montasio lately?

It's an Italian cheese from Friuli-Venezia Giula, this month's region in a cooking thread of the Italian forum. Dean & DeLuca USED to carry it. Same with Tenley Town & P St. Whole Foods. Georgetown's WF had it last week but sold out. The manager seems to have REALLY needed coffee and grumbled to the team member on the phone with me that no one buys it and he didn't intend to order it again.

Are there any other good sources for cheese around here?

P.S. Thanks to another post above, I was inspired to call Balducci's.

"Sorry, Madahme, we stopped carrying that cheese a long time ago."

Edited March 4, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[Pontormo]

Just found out that the Glover Park Whole Foods has restructured -- ie, eliminated -- its by-the-scoop servings of grains, legumes, dried fruits and so on, and in the course of doing so, got rid of the flagelot offerings.

Need to know if anybody's seen

A store to buy a flagelot bean?

Gonna cook me some Thomes Keller

Leg o' lamb, for a couple of fellers

Now, I can make me some agneau jus

And I confit garlic, like nobody's business

But all that won't mean a thing

'less the lamb's served on the proper beans

So, now there's no place I won't go

To get me a flagelot

-- "Line Cook's Blues" by Hanque Williams

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Cute.

I bought some BEAUTIFUL little pale green ones at Rodman's a month or so ago, but they were on sale. I hope that doesn't mean the inventory was being cleared. They were in boxes.

Still haven't cooked them.

[lperry]

Are there any other good sources for cheese around here?

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Did you try cheesetique?

[Pontormo]

Thanks for the suggestion! There isn't any now, but the owner will be back tomorrow and return my phone call. I have heard good things about this place from other cheesemongers in town and should check it out.

Apparently, it is hard for distributors to get aged montasio; it tends to be imported when it is young and soft and blah. Over time as it hardens, it develops depth and is great for making frico as documented here. (Over in the Italian forum, members are cooking the foods of Friuli-Venezia Giulia during March, so I was hoping to get some soon.)

I realize this is off-topic, since I am plugging something I think you ought to want to get rather than answering a question.

If there is anything reading this who's sick of eating the same old bowl of Cheerios/oatmeal for breakfast every day, I urge you to go to Whole Foods at Tenleytown where Kevin, the head of the cheese department, was kind enough to order Crescenza, a Lombard cheese that he doesn't normally carry. I am afraid it won't sell because people don't know what they're missing.

Crescenza is a very, very soft, runny cheese, somewhere between the consistency of yogurt and Brie. It's milky, shiny white, slightly sour and you can tell the cows at the dairy ate grass studded with herbs. Put thick slices of Ciabatta in the toaster. Pour yourself a cup of good strong coffee. Then dip your butter knife into the little plastic tub of cheese and spread it over the darkened, perforated surface of your bread. My, oh my!

[Malawry]

Pontormo, I am wondering if Litteri's might carry some of these amazing-sounding Italian cheeses you are seeking.

[Pontormo]

Rochelle: Your recommendation helped.

While A. Litteri did not have montasio, I found their telephone number via this article.

The owner of Cornucopia in Betheseda said I was two hours too late in calling since a restaurant just wiped out his supply and he places orders at noon. He promises to have it next week and reassures me that it's a regular item.

Edited March 7, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[mrbigjas]

pontormo, did you try calvert woodley? last time i was in DC they had a pretty decent cheese selection. i doubt they'd have older montasio, but at least for the basic younger ones they might...

[Pontormo]

Hey, what are you doing outside of Italy?

Actually, the guy at Cornucopia (see above) was so, so nice, I feel obligated to wait until his new shipment comes, though Kevin and Hathor are making such tempting frico in the Friuli thread.

Calvert Woodley is strong on French wines and has a rather meager selection of Italian; I suspect their selection of cheeses (there's a WHOLE lot of Brie going on) would follow suit. Since I hadn't even thought of them, thanks for the reminder.

[mrbigjas]

Hey, what are you doing outside of Italy?

i read the italian board because it's great. i read the philadelphia board because i live here. i read the DC board because i'm down there probably half a dozen times a year to see family... ok i admit it, i read the whole site...

Actually, the guy at Cornucopia (see above) was so, so nice, I feel obligated to wait until his new shipment comes, though Kevin and Hathor are making such tempting frico in the Friuli thread.

Calvert Woodley is strong on French wines and has a rather meager selection of Italian; I suspect their selection of cheeses (there's a WHOLE lot of Brie going on) would follow suit.  Since I hadn't even thought of them, thanks for the reminder.

i'm gonna check out cornucopia next time i'm down there, thanks.

now, to bring it back to where to get stuff: does anyone know where might have a good whiskey selection? specifically i'm looking for rittenhouse rye while i'm down there. the NW connecticut/wisconsin run of calvert woodley, circle, chevy chase liquors, and ... whatsitcalled, the fancy old place at wisconsin and mckinley... didn't pan out for me. neither did two places down past dupont circle that i randomly wandered into.

who carries good whiskey selections? and i don't mean just the cheap rye above. i mean scotch, and various irishes, and whatnot.

thanks.

[Busboy]

I would also check Arrow Wine in Arlington -- they have an excellent selection of cheeses, and their cheese guy is very dedicated. The C-W operation is more high-grade grocery store in attitude and approach, than a real cheese shop, whereas Aldo at Arrow is a dedicated cheese dude.

Aldo used to work at Dean and DeLuca, which does a pretty good job, as well.

For good Whisky check "The Wine Specialist" which, despite its name, seems dedicated to fine distilled spirits as well. They are on New Hampshire and M and worth a call.

[finecognac]

Busboy asked me the other day if I knew where to find Galangal.  I saw some at the P Street Whole Foods last week....

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I saw fresh galangal in wegsman.

[Rebo]

Busboy asked me the other day if I knew where to find Galangal.  I saw some at the P Street Whole Foods last week....

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I saw fresh galangal in wegsman.

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I've also seen it at Grand Mart in Alexandria - probably cheaper, too.