Hi Blue,

Since no one else has answered, I will give it a try. I live near downtown Silver Spring so my answers will be confined to that area. If you are looking for reasonable prices, Bethesda is probably not a good idea anyway.

Most the restaurants in Silver Spring are ethnic of one sort or another. For upscale American, there is Mrs K's and Jackies, but those are probably too expensive. (If you are interested in those, Jackies has better food, but Mrs K's has a beautiful old building.)

I suggest you try Sergio's Ristorante Italiano. It's a nice neighborhood Italian restaurant with pleasant atmosphere and reasonable prices. (They are so old school they don't even have a website, but here is a link to a menu http://washingtondc.menupages.com/restaurants/sergios-ristorante/menu) Although it's Italian, I'm sure your MIL could get grilled chicken or fish and ask them to leave off the sauce.

Another possibility would be McGinty's http://www.mcgintyspublichouse.com/si...
It's a pub downstairs, but they have a nice dining room upstairs. I think the food is on the boring side, but maybe that's what you're looking for.

Good luck.

I regularly order beef from KOL and because it is grass-fed, it is very lean. I haven't ordered the brisket specifically, but that's because I don't like brisket. (I know, it's sacrilegious. What can I say? I prefer braised chuck roast or top of rib. And no, top of rib is definitely not the same as brisket.)

I'm making liqueurs this year and plan to include them in my shaloch manot. Hope they come out well. At least they won't go stale and don't need refrigeration.

Since you said dairy is OK, how about some kind of vegetable cheese casserole. I have lots of variations on these using artichoke hearts or broccoli or spinach etc They can be made in advance and are a nice contrast to the original lentil or miso soup mentioned.

How about a ratatouille? That's all vegetables and could be reheated or served at room temperature.

As others mentioned, there are currently only 2 kosher restaurants in D.C. Assuming you won't have a car, you can reach one of the kosher restaurants in Silver Spring by taking the Red line Metro to Wheaton. That is walking distance to Max's http://www.theshalomgroup.com/maxs-cafe-and-catering They have excellent shwarma and fine, but unmemorable deli and other dishes. The atmosphere is very child friendly.

OT, if you are coming on a weekend, be sure to check the Metro schedule in advance. They have been doing track work most every weekend causing very long delays somewhere on the system. http://www.wmata.com/rail/trackwork.cfm

Thanks again. I'm going to audition the Nantucket cranberry pie this Shabbas. It looks really interesting. If that doesn't come out well, I'll probably go with lemon bars. I've got a great recipe for those and it's a good complement to the chocolate pudding cake.

As I mentioned earlier, I know pie is the obvious answer, but I don't have a good recipe for a pareve pie crust. Probably won't try it out for Thanksgiving, but if anyone can recommend a specific pie crust recipe, I'd love to have it to check out later. And remember, I really hate to use hydrogenated stuff like crisco.

Thanks for the replies so far. I guess I should have said that last year I made a mock apple pie. It went over well, but I was looking for something different. Also, I try to avoid fake creme, fake sour creme etc. Soy milk or coconut milk is OK.

In terms of real pies, I have not had a lot of success with pie crusts. I don't like using hydrogenated shortening and can't use butter for a meat meal. Have experimented some with coconut oil and had mixed results. If anyone can recommend a great pareve crust recipe, I'd appreciate it. Fillings are easy.

Hi all. I am, as usual, hosting a large Thanksgiving dinner this year. We will have the usual - roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, green beans, pumpkin muffins... I can't be too creative with the menu or people will squawk.

For dessert I plan to serve a vegan chocolate pudding cake and fresh fruit. I am looking for one more dessert. It should not be chocolate, because of the pudding cake. Also, it obviously must be pareve.. Bonus points if it can be made ahead since I will be going crazy on Thanksgiving day.

What do you suggest?

I've been buying from KOL for years. The main reason I do so is the humane treatment of the animals. I am also concerned about environmental and worker treatment issues.

The chicken tastes pretty much the same for me as Empire.

The beef is definitely leaner because it is grass-fed. This is probably healthier for you. However, it also tends to be tougher, because the animals actually spend their lives walking around a pasture rather than standing in a feedlot. I find beef used for braising - chuck, French roast etc is great. Rib steaks and hamburger are also very good. However, I would not recommend the flank steak or skirt steak - too tough.

Here is something else to consider when selecting an oven - how user friendly is it? I got a new GE gas oven a couple years ago. It has a "Sabbath mode" so you can leave it on a set amount of time at a given temperature as long as you want and then go off. I use this feature on a regular basis, but I still have to look at the direction book every time! (This from a person who is generally very techie oriented.) It involves pressing two buttons at once, waiting, pressing several other buttons in a given order and then waiting to see if the proper symbol appears. Oh, and yoiu can't really be sure what the temperature is as it won't show on the display.

So my advice is to ask to have the Sabbath mode demonstrated so you can see how complicated it is.

You could try Souper Girl. She has vegetarian soups, salads and sides and delivers in that area.
http://www.thesoupergirl.com/

There's also Whole Foods in Silver Spring. They have a lot of prepared foods, but I don't know if they deliver. You could give them a call.
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/si...

Depending on exactly where they live, I'm sure there are neighborhood restaurants that deliver as well.

I will be going to Paris in a couple weeks and would like some chow worthy kosher restaurant recommendations. I did a search of the forum, and found some dairy restaurants and a couple steak places mentioned. Is there any place that has traditional French dishes (minus the bacon, of course) like beef bourguignon and coq au vin? Or perhaps, some place with traditional Sefardi foods, other than the falafel places? I don't need to go to Paris to eat steak or brisket.

Thanks in advance for your help.

How about one of the canned coconut milks? It's much richer tasting than So Delicious. I have a recipe for Puerto Rican rice pudding that uses it and it comes out great.

Related to what skipper said, but simpler. When I make brisket, I cook it partway, take it out of the oven and slice it. Then return to the oven and finish cooking. This way you get nice slices, but can cook it to any degree of doneness (sp?) you like. I cook kosher brisket, but got this advice from my mother, who did not.

If you're willing to go to the suburbs, Mandalay in Silver Spring has good Burmese food. It's sort of a cross between Indian and Thai. It's a table service restaurant, but not fancy. Main courses run $10-15. I recommend getting something with the coconut cream sauce, "Ohnno Hin" style.
Mandalay is a 10 min walk from the Silver Spring Metro stop.
http://mandalayrestaurantcafe.com/

What about Parkway Deli? Haven't had their takeout, but the restaurant is good and it's the type of place you're looking for - Jewish style but not kosher.

Here's a link to their Passover menu.
http://www.theparkwaydeli.com/Menus/P...

Thanks for the input. Just made a reservation at Equinox.

I'm looking for suggestions for a restaurant for an upcoming anniversary dinner. Here is what I'd like

Interesting choices for both vegetarian and meateater.

Romantic atmosphere.

Easily accessible by Metro. We want to have wine with dinner and not have to worry about driving.

Must be able to make a reservation a week or two in advance. The date is coming up. Anyway, I am not one to plan months in advance. (The only exception to this was the two times we went to Inn at Little Washington. Definitely worth it.)

We like most ethnic cuisines except Japanese and Indian.

What do you recommend?

I order beef from KOL regularly. I was not unhappy with the quality of meat at my local kosher butcher, but use KOL because I am concerned about humane treatment of animals, environmental and health issues.

Generally their beef is flavorful but tougher than what you'd buy at a store. That's because grass fed beef is much leaner. I've been very happy with the cuts for braising - pot roast, chuck roast, top of rib roast - because the braising tenderizes it. Also, the rib steaks were great - I guess even a lower fat rib steak has plenty of fat to make it tender. However, when I tried to stir fry the flank steak or skirt steak, they were pretty chewy. I thought it was still OK, but the rest of my family didn't.

tiramisu

A few more thoughts from a Silver Spring resident. Yes, its sad that Pomegranate Bistro closed - definitely the best kosher restaurant in the area. Max's has great shwarma and is even discussed on the nonkosher dc section of chowhound. However, the atmosphere is lousy. It's better at lunch when there aren't so many kids running around. (And I speak as someone whose kids used to run around there.)

One place nobody's mentioned so far is The Kosher Pastry Oven Cafe http://www.thekosherpastryoven.com/home It's a dairy restaurant in Kemp Mill that has outstanding pastry. They serve sandwiches and salads for lunch and a full menu for dinner. It has pleasant atmosphere and good food. It's across the shopping strip from Shaul's Kosher Market if you want to stock up on deli etc.

I don't care for either of the pizza places mentioned below. Also, unless it's changed, Ben Yehuda is the teenager hangout.

In DC, Eli's is fine, but not memorable. There is a new restaurant at the DCJCC with an interesting looking menu but I haven't been there yet. http://www.distriktbistro.com/

Good luck on all your upcoming trips.

The only restaurant I know of in College Park is Ledo's Pizza. It's an institution and has a very different type of pizza - very flaky crust and square. People love it or hate it - you could google for reviews.

If you want to drive or Metro over to Silver Spring (an easy 20 min drive during non-rush hour), there are lots of ethnic restaurants that might be of interest. None are fancy, but the ones below all have table service. All of these have lots of vegetarian entrees on their menus.

Ghar-E-Kabab - Indian and Nepalese
Mandalay - Burmese - sort of a cross between Chinese and Indian
Asian Bistro - standard Chinese plus sushi, have a large section of faux meat dishes
Kao Thai - try the coconut milk curries
Abol - Ethiopian, we like this one and I know they have a veggie sampler plate, but there are several other Ethiopian restaurants in the area

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Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe
930 Bonifant St, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Abol Ethiopian Cuisine
8626 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Ledo Restaurant
4509 Knox Road, College Park, MD 20740

Asian Bistro
8537 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Ghar-E-Kabab
944 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Kao Thai
8650 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

I'm looking for powdered fructose, not liquid, for a recipe (chewy oatmeal cookies that stay soft). Used to buy it at the local grocery, but lately haven't been able to find it. I live in Silver Spring and have tried Giant, Sniders and Whole Foods. Would prefer someplace in southern Montgomery County. Thanks.

Where did you decide to go? How was it? I'm vegetarian and DH isn't. Our anniversary is coming up soon and I'm starting to look at restaurants.

Thanks.

Lotus Cafe in Silver Spring.

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Lotus Cafe
8073 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD

If you want to try something different, I suggest 2 possible restaurants in Silver Spring
Mandalay, a Burmese place and
Taste of Morocco which has really nice atmosphere
Both are walking distance to the Silver Spring Metro which might be nice for your DC friends.
I also agree with the earlier posters that Nava Thai is very good.

It might help if you gave us an idea of price range and ethnicity you are looking for.

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Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe
930 Bonifant St, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Nava Thai Restaurant
11315 Fern St, Silver Spring, MD 20902

Taste of Morocco
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

I live in Silver Spring and am very familiar with the kosher restaurants. The only ones currently in D.C. proper are Eli's, already discussed, which is OK and Maoz which is a falafel chain. There used to be a place at the DC JCC, but it went out of business. The best place in the area by far is Pomegranate Bistro. http://www.pombistro.com/ It's an upscale meat restaurant - you can check out their menu on the website. However, it's in Potomac, so you'd have to take a cab there. (You could take the Metro to Bethesda and get a cab from there so as not to have such a long cab ride.) Another possibility is Max's. It's a casual place with no atmosphere, but they have great shwarma. You could take the Metro to Wheaton and walk a few blocks from there. http://www.theshalomgroup.com/maxs-ca...

Have a great trip.

What kind of food are you looking for? How much do you want to spend?

If you're interested in something ethnic, there are lots of options. Here are a couple that come to mind.

Taste of Morocco - very nice atmosphere and good food. I know they do groups because I went to a Bat Mitzvah dinner there. On weekends, they have a belly dancer.

Mi Rancho - standard Tex-Mex food, but well-done and a very festive atmosphere. I have seen relatively large groups there -especially on the covered patio area.

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MI Rancho MD
8701 Ramsey Ave, Silver Spring, MD

Taste of Morocco
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

My question about cruises was removed for being off topic. Just wanted to thank those you responded for their helpful replies.