jerf's Profile
Crabs and Jewish Food
I know there's a difference between "Jewish type food" and kosher food, but if you're in the market for kosher, I highly recommend Pita Plus in College Park. They serve a mixture of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, and everything I've had there is top notch and comes in large portions. You should definitely try the lafa bread.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/pita-plus,1136645.html
Korean Dumplings
That definitely sounds hopeful. Thanks! Is the sign spelled out in the English alphabet? Do you remember what part of Annandale the restaurant was in?
Korean Dumplings
My friend Jennifer just spent some time up in NYC where she found a restaurant on Korea Way in Manhattan that specialized in mandu - Korean dumplings. She says that they served several types of mandu, and one particularly pleasing version was filled with kimchi.
Does anybody know if we have an area restaurant that serves kimchi mandu, or has any particularly interesting selection of different types of mandu on the menu?
The Wikipedia page on mandu says: "The selection of mandu varieties is much more diverse in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, with each region having its own distinct types of mandu. On the other hand, mandu in the southern part of the Korean peninsula lack variety in general. "
I've only ever had the one basic type that seems to have a filling largely made of pork and scallions.
thanks!
Healthy Ethnic/Spicy Cookbooks for Simpletons
Howdy there. I'm trying to create better eating habits for myself, and part of that entails actually cooking for myself once in a while. I love spicy food, especially South American, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Caribbean, some Mediterranean.
Sadly, I don't have much experience in the kitchen and I don't have much outside of the most basic tools - pots, a pan, a cast-iron skillet, a slow cooker and an immersion blender. I am, however, cooking with gas.
Can anybody recommend any good healthy & easy-to-make cookbooks that focus on interesting ethnic cuisine - especially SPICY food?
Thanks!
A blind date in Centreville
My colleague has a blind date with a man tomorrow night in Centreville, and she's looking for a decent restaurant with a bar where they can meet up.
If she likes the guy, she wants to be able to ask him to stick around for dinner. If he's a dud, she's going to end the evening after a couple drinks. She wants enough people to be around that there will be witnesses if she's placed in danger, yet not so many that they have to yell at each other to be heard.
The prices can be anywhere from cheap to moderate. Atmosphere should be relaxed and friendly. Dress casual.
Any suggestions?
Good eats around Fountain Hills, AZ?
My mom just moved to Fountain Hills, about 30 minutes north-east of Phoenix, and she's looking for recommendations on good places to eat thereabouts. She loves French food, Vietnamese, Chinese, and good ol' American. We've heard of a nice French restaurant somewhere in the Hills, and maybe a patisserie as well, but we haven't been to either one just yet.
She just moved there from Washington, D.C. and she's been a bit spoiled by the number of great cheap Asian restaurants back there, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that there will be some gems out here too.
Looking across all price ranges, but the crazy $$$ will have to be for special occasions. If there are any must-visit places in Scottsdale, let us know.
Thanks in advance.
Wasabi Peanuts at Central
I have not yet been to Central, so I don't know if these are the same thing, but Virginia Peanuts have a wonderful product that they call Yin & Yang Peanuts. They are these green wasabi nuts (with that hard shell) mixed with honey roasted peanuts. It's a lovely combination of spicy and sweet. Highly recommended. I used to get them at Wegman's.
Yin & Yang: http://www.smithfieldhams.com/product/209/14
Just Wasabi: http://www.smithfieldhams.com/product/106/14
Tuesday Dinner Near Alexandria
A friend of mine is visiting from Florida, and I'm taking him out on Tuesday evening. He's open to going out to a nice place, or a hole-in-the-wall with outstanding food.
He describes himself as a meat 'n' potatoes or seafood type-of-guy that likes South American or Spanish as opposed to Tex-Mex or Latin.
Is there anything along these lines near Alexandria or Arlington that you folks would recommend?
Sourdough or Dutch Crunch Bread in DC?
A friend of mine who is moving here from California recently complained to me that he can't find any good Sourdough or Dutch Crunch bread on the east coast. I found another thread on this board mentioning Baltimore's Atwater's Bakery, who sell sourdough at some local farmer's markets, but I'm looking for any other suggestions.
Thanks!
Sushi-Zen in Arlington - Any good?
Thanks for your response! We saw the lasagna on the menu (or maybe it was a lasagna-roll?), but we didn't order it.
I don't know about you, but I go out for sushi when I want something light and fresh - two ideas that I don't associate with lasagna. ha!
Sushi-Zen in Arlington - Any good?
Thanks for your response! We ended up going by on Friday night, and the place happened to be packed. We spoke to one of the owners at the end of our meal, and she seemed perplexed about the sudden rush.
We will definitely be going back. We even got one of their 'frequent diner' cards, which gives you $10 back if you spend $200. Only a 5% discount, but I'll take it.
Sushi-Zen in Arlington - Any good?
Thanks for your response! We ended up going and had a great time. Definitely head and shoulders above my OLD neighborhood sushi spot.
Neither of us are sushi gourmands, but we enjoyed the futomaki roll. The salad was a little different from what we've had before because of that creamy dressing, which was okay, but I think I prefer the regular carrot/ginger stuff you find everywhere else.
Sushi-Zen in Arlington - Any good?
A friend and I are planning on sushi tonight, and we're on a budget and don't want to battle with crowds just to sit down.
She wanted to try someplace new, and suggested Sushi-Zen on North Harrison Street. I did a quick search on the board and didn't see them mentioned.
Has anybody tried it?
Holiday Meal For Mom After Sunday Matinee
My mom and I will be visiting from DC for a pre-Christmas Trip to see Wicked this coming Sunday. The show is at 51st and Broadway, and we were hoping to get a nice meal afterwards. Nothing too exotic, probably in the price range of $30-$50 per person with a little wiggle room (alcohol not included).
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Advice to a first time Ray's the Stakes'er?
I went to RTS with my mom for one of our birthdays last year, and we both had a great time. We're comfortable with the fine dining as well as the 'hole-in-the-wall' experience, and the quality of the food far outweighed any perceived weaknesses in the RTS dining experience. I hope y'all have a great time.
Clarendon area Indian Recommendations?
My mom's office is going to throw a luncheon for a colleague that is moving back to India, and they wanted to find a nearby restaurant to cater.
Washingtonian gives a nod to the Dehli Club, which I've never tried. http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/1139.html
Thanks.
First time to Yechon - Suggestions?
Hey! I'm sorry that I missed your original post. I'm not an authority on Korean food, but I do love what I've had at Yechon. If you decide to go back, and you like spicy foods, I would highly recommend the Go Choo Jap Chae (clear noodles with beef & peppers - VERY spicy), and the Kimchi Sam Gyup Dal Duruchiki (kimchi with tofu and sliced pork).
So good. My mouth is watering right now.
But a word of warning. When I went to the restaurant on Saturday, without asking us first, the waiter had the kitchen tone down our dishes so that they weren't as spicy. The Jap Chae wasn't spicy at all. This was a tremendous bummer.
Good Cuban Sandwich in DC?
Wow. I am definitely not an expert on the Cuban sandwich, but I've had it at the Caribbean Grill a few times in the last 5 years. I don't know if it is the best example of the sandwich in the area, but I didn't have an experience like yours at all. I thought it was fine, and I would go back.
Chowlunch at Hong Kong Palace, a report
Wouldn't that be "Fortune" - in the building that used to be a Fuddruckers?
Georgia Brown's vs. Louisiana Express
There are a ton of really nice Ethiopian places in the DC area. A lot of their food is stew-ish and comes out ladled onto a platter covered with a kind of bread called 'injera'. http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-injera.html
If you decide to try it, I recommend getting a sampler platter with as many different items as you care to try. I'm a meat eater, but I think they have really fantastic vegetarian dishes.
Taro Duck anywhere?
Sorry for the off-topic response, but what about the Peking Duck at Duck Chang's keeps you coming back? My mom refuses to eat the dish anywhere but Peking Gourmet Inn, and I'm trying to broaden her horizons.
DC Area Sushi with Genuine Wasabi?
After reading about the qualities and scarcity of real wasabi in The Sushi FAQ, I've become interested to know if there's any place around DC where I can go try the real deal.
http://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-items/sushi-items-wasabi.htm
Quoted from the FAQ: Due to a high demand and limited supply, what is often served with your sushi is a mix of American horseradish, mustard and coloring, which the Japanese call seiyō wasabi (“western wasabi”). This is because real wasabi can be hard to find or very expensive outside Japan (up to $100/lb). Wasabi is also sometimes powdered and reconstituted with water, and while this is sometimes served as well, the volatile compounds that make wasabi so unique are lost when the rhizome is powdered, so what you end up is an inferior product (which too is often mixed with American horseradish).
Economical Italian in D.C. for Big Group
My friend Jamie's Italian family is coming to visit from Ohio this weekend, and she's looking for a decent place to take them all on Saturday night. Her sister Sherry is running a marathon on Sunday, and only wants pasta.
I've seen suggestions in other threads for Dino and Sette Osteria, but I don't know price ranges. Sherry hates Buca di Beppo, and they're considering Maggiano's in Chevy Chase. Personally, I would like to recommend someplace non-chain over Maggiano's.
Since it's a family outing and they're not wealthy, nobody is looking to break the bank but I think they want to enjoy a step up from generic.
Any suggestions?
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Palena Cafe and Locanda popped up as interesting options from Washingtonian.com. Has anyone tried these places? I'm especially interested in Locanda on Capitol Hill.
Authentic Chinese Cuisine?
There's an interesting Op-Ed in today's New York Times called Eating Beyond Sichuan: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/opinion/15zagat.html . It begs the question of when authentic Chinese cuisine will come to America and the local restaurants can break out of the same-old-routine.
I live in Arlington, and there have been a few restaurants around that seem to cater heavily to Chinese customers... Mark's Duck House, Hope Key (RIP), another place out on Rt 50 at the end of a little strip mall whose name escapes me right now... Formosa Cafe (RIP) in Crystal City...
All of these places had/have dishes on their menus that I didn't normally see in typical Chinese restaurants OR they prepared the usual dishes in interesting and unusual ways.
I always associated these places with the idea of being a little more authentic, although I've never actually been to China or read any books on the subject.
Are there any places in the DC/Baltimore area that you guys believe to be closer to the real deal? How about just places that have their own spin on the tired old dishes? How about hold-in-the-wall places that seem to be run by families with grandma in the kitchen? Formosa Cafe was very much like that, and I felt like I was getting to eat those people's home cooking.
