jacinthe's Profile
I want to make escargots in ramekins. Any suggestions?
Around the holidays, Trader Joes has these amazing hors d'oeuvres - escargots in mini brioches. You could maybe do the same, if you had the time. I'm not sure of all the logistics, whether you'd have to cook the escargots before putting them into the hollowed-out brioche (having never cooked escargots myself before) with the garlic butter and then reheating so the butter melts.. either way, it's a darling presentation.
Desperate for fresh fish place in Wilmington, DE!!!
I've been quite pleased with Captain's Catch, on Kirkwood Highway.
Canale Atwater lately
I was there last night - lovely meal (I always love their brandade), well-paced, and none of the service issues that popped up in a recent thread.
Macque Choux
I made this recipe recently, and it turned out quite well:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/Maque-Choux-and-Shrimp
Favorite Sausages for a cookout
I like the sausages at Huntingon Meats in the Farmer's Market on 3rd/Fairfax. Once, they had a lamb mango sausage that was awesome - have sadly never seen it again.
Economical lobster still to be had in LA?
Saw lobster at Santa Monica Seafood for $9.99/lb this past weekend.
Does one's gender affect food preferences?
The same for when I go to bars with one of my closest male friends, who is far from girly. While I'll drink almost anything, I tend to steer away from drinks that are too sweet. Yet he likes all of his drinks blended and sweet, preferably served inside a hollowed-out pineapple with a paper umbrella. I've been to many a bar where my vodka-soda goes to him, while his pina colada goes to me.
Artichokes for braising lamb shanks
Maybe use baby artichokes instead? Not lamb, but Saveur recently had a recipe for a pasta dish with chicken & baby artichokes. The trimmed baby artichokes are braised with chicken and dried porcini mushrooms. It's a quite lovely and very flavorful dish. You could probably use a similar technique with lamb shanks.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/Fettuccine-with-Artichokes-and-Chicken
Recommendations for outdoor drinking/dining?
I'm looking for a bar/restaurant for a Thursday night where I can celebrate (hopefully!) my dissertation defense - somewhere that has outdoor seating, ideally near the beach, where it would be okay if friends came and went starting from about 5pm, ending late.
Not terribly expensive, with the option for something to eat (not really picky about what kind of food it is, as long as it's on the good side of decent. If Bar Pinxto were outside [or had more outdoor seating], or Lou, I wouldn't be having this dilemma.). For whatever reason, my mind is blanking and I can't come up with anything suitable. I did a board search (for "outdoor", "patio", and "sunset", but didn't really come up with things that were casual enough. I generally do not like the bars/restaurants on Washington near the beach in Venice. Other ideas bandied about were On the Waterfront or the Sidewalk Cafe. Does Casa del Mar have outdoor seating? Oh, and Venice Beach Wines (but I feel like their outdoor patio is covered, and I do want to see the sunset). I did think about going to Malibu Seafood and bringing my own alcohol, but I think the drive would just be too much on a Thursday afternoon/evening for some.
If not near the beach, then somewhere with a nice patio with a nice view. Location can be anywhere between SM/Venice to West Hollywood. I just want to be able to sit back, have a nice glass (bottle) of wine, watch the sunset, and relax with friends.
Thanks in advance!
Zucchini blossoms
Yep, Hollywood has them for $5/pound, both with baby zucchini attached and without.
Most unhealthy thing you have seen or eaten
Poutine with foie gras, from Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal. It was SO worth it...
Miracle Mile sushi?
I like Sushi Eyaki, near Wilshire and Highland. It's not super-expensive... I don't know what qualifies as great, but it's a nice little standby for me. Not fancy, more a neighborhood-y type place. I like Hirozen also.
DineLA at Water Grill [report w pics!]
I was there on Friday dinner for the Dine LA menu, and did not think the portions were small at all. I had the chowder, then the salmon, and the sorbet as dessert. Meal was excellent, and sized perfectly. I think my salmon was approximately the same size as your sturgeon, and I would not want a larger piece of fish, as any more would've gone to waste. As it was, I could barely finish the salmon, as tasty as it was. I also had the waiter pour me two small glasses of wine (there are 3oz pours and 6oz pours - I chose the former) to go with my appetizer and entrée as a sort of makeshift wine pairing. Service was excellent. I'd been wanting to go here for ages, and am glad that I finally made it!
When did you learn "how to cook"?
I think that it was a gradual process for me - I never woke up one morning and said to myself, "Hey, I can cook now!"
I remember being around 8 or so the first time I cooked something by myself - I wanted pan-fried potatoes, my mom was too busy to heed my request, but she said that I could have 'em if I could make 'em. I remember carefully cutting the potatoes into large dice, and making sure that each side was fried evenly. That was probably the most meticulous I ever was in the kitchen. Until I left for college, the Joy of Cooking was the only cookbook I ever looked at, and I'd prepare stuff from there depending on how interesting it sounded.
I first really had to cook for myself in college. Our meal plan was gross, so I went off of it, preferring to walk a mile each way to the supermarket rather than eat the stuff served in the dining halls. That was the era of lots of broccoli stir fries, chicken stir fries, pasta puttanesca, and snickerdoodles. (All recipes were meticulously copied onto index cards from the Joy of Cooking.) Word got around that I could "cook", and there were plenty of guys who would offer to take me out if I'd cook them dinner sometime.
I started experimenting more when I studied abroad in Paris, where I threw my first dinner parties. It was around then that people started actually praising my cooking - not sure if it was actually that good (I vaguely remember making a lot of dishes that consisted of either quinoa or couscous with roasted veggies washed down with a lot of wine), or if people just missed home-cooked meals prepared by others.
It really wasn't until my master's program a couple of years after that, where I ended up becoming friends with someone who really really liked to cook, that I really considered myself as having a modicum of talent in the kitchen. We would spend a lot of evenings making dinners for our friends. No party was a party unless we'd prepared tons of food for it. We would drive all over Boston trying to find good and tasty (and still affordable) food. We even cooked our own graduation dinner for our parents, because, well, that's all we did. Cook and eat (and make mystery death punch, but that's another story.)
Now, it's the same story. My advisor jokes that maybe I won't go into academia, that I'll open up a restaurant instead. My dad says that it would be a worthy back-up plan. (Some days, I definitely ponder about that option more seriously. And then wonder why people keep talking to me about leaving academia.) Food and cooking is my "thing", as my friends say. And I'm fortunate to have a group of friends who love food (and sometimes cooking) just as much as I do.
But as others've said, I'm still learning. And wishing that my dissertation would somehow write itself, so I could cook some more.
DineLA - Gordon Ramsay
A friend and I went there last night for the Dine LA menu. Food was excellent - I got the mushroom velouté to start, followed by the trout and then the panna cotta, while she ordered the rabbit/bacon ballotin, risotto, and the roasted banana parfait. Receiving also the amuse and "predessert" items was a nice touch. There are no complaints about the food - everything was executed very well, and I'd return for the food.
Well, I'd return for the food if the service was better. We found service to be deplorable. I ordered the wine pairing; my friend did not. Yet they kept bringing out the pairings for her, and we had to continually correct them and tell them that it was I who had ordered the pairings, not her. I didn't receive my first pairing until I had finished my appetizer due to their confusion, so they nicely poured me a glass to go with my pre-dessert. After this initial hitch, where my wine came late, they thereafter would pour my pairing (of course, after first mistakenly pouring wine for my friend each and every time) as soon as the plates from the previous course were cleared - but we experienced the same wait between courses as the OP did, except ours were more like 20 minutes. Why was the wine poured so early? So the whites could warm up to room temperature? So I'd finish the red before the course even came? So the bubbles in the moscato d'asti could disappear? In fact, at least 35 minutes passed between the entrée and predessert, and we probably would've waited longer had my friend not flagged a waiter down to tell him we'd been waiting. People who were seated 40 minutes after us still left earlier than we did.
I am not usually a complainer, since I know that there are blips in good service. Last night, however, it was ridiculous and really took away from our enjoyment of the meal itself, which was a pity because the food itself was quite good.
Absinthe
Maison 140 in Beverly Hills has "l'heure verte" - daily absinthe tastings from 5-7 pm (so really, les heures vertes).
Best classic cocktails in LA?
Another vote for Seven Grand, although, in what I think it s a rather tragic move, they've stopped doing their seasonal cocktails and have a "classics" list. If you can remember the names of their former seasonal cocktails, chances are you can get them made for you. Or, you can put your faith in the bartender, if they're not too busy, and get something special made.
THRIFTY ICE CREAM (still kickin' at RITE AID)
Mint and Chip! Last I had it was a year ago, at the location in South Pasadena. Apparently, when I was in kindergarten, I wrote/said that one of my favorite things to do was to get ice cream at Thrifty's. Makes me want to find one to get a scoop.
Hot Chocolate Nazi
Check out this post for what the author terms "real" hot chocolate, a la the kind you get in France. No milk/dairy is actually used (which ought to get rid of the milk-related problems you're having), just chocolate, sugar & water - oh, and a chocolate pot. Mine is from Bodum, which looks more modern than the one pictured, but it does the job just fine.
http://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=205&resolution=high
Lobster at Malibu Seafood
The lobster was good - I last got it over a year ago, so I don't remember details. A friend and I got a large-ish one and shared it. They cooked it for us there, and served it with drawn butter. A picture of the lobster is attached. I always like the clam strips there as well - in fact, it's hard for me to order anything else! (The child's portion, served with fries, is often more than enough for me.)
Fat Fish in West Hollywood *terrible*
I find Fat Fish a good place to go for happy hour. It's cheap(er) then, and sometimes I just want some passable sushi to help the drinks go down. If I want actual good sushi, I go elsewhere. I've never had bad service though. Sometimes it's a bit distracted, but never outright bad.
I Have Been Recruited! (Sgt. Recruiter)
Not the same as the one in Paris - but the name was taken from it.
"Mr. Arroyo, a lifelong civilian and longtime restaurateur, does not own the original Sgt. Recruiter in Paris, but that bar is a favorite of a good friend, and, Mr. Arroyo said, “I get what he likes about it.”"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/fashion/11boite.html?ref=fashion
Crudo Bar - Century City
I was there in May, on one of the last nights that Chef Sugie was there, and found out from the people working there that while they're extending Crudobar indefinitely, Chef Sugie will no longer be physically present and cooking. Not sure if the situation has changed since then, and if he's expected back, but that's what I was told. Glad to know, however, that the food is still good.
Quality tasting menus/prix frie that won't break the bank?
Not sure what your cap is, but Joe's on Abbot Kinney has a prix-fixe menu for around $60 and a tasting menu for around $75.
Driving from Driving from Boston to Middlebury - lunch recommendations?
As the title states, I'm driving from Boston to Middlebury, VT (actually, the wedding is closer to Vergennes, I think), for a friend's wedding in a couple of weekends. I am completely unfamiliar with Vermont - in fact, the only other time I was there was for another friend's wedding in Vermont last winter in Waitsfield. That trip, we were trying to get to and from Boston as quickly as possible. This time, I have a wee bit more time (and am by myself), and inspired by the latest issue of Saveur (the roadtrip issue), I wanted to find places to stop off for a quick but tasty lunch en route to and from (so, for Saturday and Sunday).
I looked at the roadfood.com website, but couldn't tell how old the reviews were (my hunch, rather old). Then I tried googling the restaurants, but there were no recent reviews.
Restaurants they list that appear to be mostly on the way:
Blanche & Bill's Pancake House, Bridgewater Corners, VT
Wasp's Snack Bar, Woodstock, VT
White Cottage, Woodstock, VT
Are they still around? Are they still good? Are there any other recommendations in that vein? I'd even be happy with a place that sells really good sandwiches. Being based in Los Angeles right now, I rarely get the opportunity to find and eat at such types of restaurants, and I really enjoy them.
Thanks in advance!
Lunch recommendations near the Hyatt Regency?
I'm in town for a conference in a couple of weeks that's based at the Hyatt Regency near Union Station, and was looking for lunch recommendations. It's been a couple of years since I've been to DC, and on previous trips, I spent more time around Dupont Circle and Cleveland Park. I used to spend a fair amount of time in DC when I lived on the East Coast, but unfortunately haven't kept that up-to-date on the dining scene. My friend and I, who're coming from LA, are willing to walk up to a mile's radius from the hotel. (I suppose we could take the metro too, but I prefer to be on foot so I can see the city. Unless it will be nastily humid.)
So far, I've made reservations at Jaleo (which is a favorite of mine, and the restaurant I like the best amongst all the José Andrés restaurants) and Central Michael Richard. I was wondering if there were any recommendations for great lunches (perhaps more in the price range of Jaleo), preferably amongst restaurants that've popped up in the last two years. If there's something older that shouldn't be missed, that would be lovely too, but I'd like to try new places. Cuisine is any sort, we're not picky on that front. Hole in the wall places are also very welcome. We need good meals to help us get through the long conference days!
On that note, if there are any nearby coffee shops with tasty baked good/pastries, those recommendations would be very helpful too.
Oh, and a recommendation for casual lunch near Dumbarton Oaks? All I vaguely remember the last time I walked by there was that the only options were around M Street, and those were either too fancy or were chain restaurants, but that might have been because I took the scenic route walking there from Foggy Bottom. I do really like to walk.
Thanks in advance!
Fancy Cocktails
I love Eastern Standard and that they make a (nearly) proper mint julep there.
I second (or third, or whatever) the recommendations for Hungry Cat, Comme Ca, S Bar, and definitely Seven Grand. The only drawback to Comme Ca is that it's painfully crowded, or at least was the couple of times I was there. For a trendy Hollywood bar (with all those trendy Hollywood type), S Bar has surprisingly good drinks. I'm torn between Hungry Cat and Seven Grand as my favorite, though, drinks-wise. You can't go wrong at either place.
(I do have a particular affinity for Seven Grand, though - I ran into a bartender there I used to have a lot at the Bowery, who wouldn't serve me a mint julep there because they didn't have the proper glasses for them nor crushed ice. This problem has definitely been remedied at Seven Grand, though, where their mint julep is like a gigantic marvelous alcoholic snowcone.)
Also downtown is The Edison - the space is interesting, and the couple of drinks I've had there were good. Not a terribly big fan of the crowd, though.
I would probably skip Luna Park - their drinks are nowhere on par with the others (although, they do garnish their drinks with a lot of plastic animals a la East Coast Grill, which is always fun).
