We are doing a day trip to Front Royal tomorrow, and are looking for good subs or other carry-out food suitable for a picnic. Either in Front Royal proper, or out 66 on the way there from Arlington. Any ideas?

We'd need something where non-meat-eaters could find at least something to pick from.

Good to know, thanks!

Thanks - I checked out the website for Cork, and it says it's a "market" with food ... just want to be sure I understand, is there a sit-down dining room?

Little Serow sounds like an incredible find! I forgot to mention my dining partner does not eat meat (only fish) so it wouldn't work for her, but I am DEFINITELY going to take my dad there sometime.

Getting ready for my twice/year special meal out withOUT the kids ... looking for something in DC (downtown/ capitol hill/ h street) or Alexandria that is dark, or otherwise has an interesting atmosphere! .Need not be super-fancy, more just memorable and different or romantic, and not kid-friendly!

Granville Moore's on H would be the perfect combination of atmosphere and neat neighborhood but they don't really have entree's as far as I can see. Basically I want Granville Moore's vibe but with entrees!

Does Atlas Room fit the bill? Birch and Barley? Cuisine-wise, american, french, belgian, middle eastern, ethiopian would all be good. Flexible about price, really just want that special feeling, anywhere in D.C south of DuPont, or Old Town Alexandria.

Thanks in advance!

Just got back to DC from a week's vacation in Douglas Michigan ... we saw only a few up-to-date rec's on this board so wanted to share our experiences for what they were worth ...

The good: great food, vibe, and beer at Saugatuck Brewing Co. and New Holland Brewing. The waitress at SBC in particular really knew her stuff and recommended their porter, which was just about the refreshingest thing ever after a hot day at the beach. Had the zucchini fritters appetizer which was really memorable, can't remember the entree but it was find. Wish I could go back to New Holland a few more times to try their whiskey cheddar appetizer and other fun looking appetizers that people around us had.

Dessert: Crane's Pie Plate in Fennville was totally worth the 20 minutes or so to drive for the cherry pie. And the fresh cider really does taste different/better than store bought. They re-fill your cider like places in the South do iced tea, gotta love that.

Breakfast: there are so many frou frou options to be had, but we really just kinda loved the Way Point restaurant behind M&M's carryout. Pancakes = homemade, seemed to have a little hint of buckwheat in them, coffee = hot and good, bacon = crispy, fed three of us for about $15, they warmed our syrup before they brought it out, what more can you ask.

What we lacked: despite several attempts we had no luck finding great carry-out. A beach town needs a GREAT sub shop with real Italian meats/cheeses, maybe there is one in Saugatuck but we did not find it.

Places that piqued our curiosity but we ran out of time: the What Not Inn ... looked like a ghost town most of the week, then on Friday seemed to perk up a bit. Same with Mary Olive's in Douglas ... I couldn't tell it was still in business and then on Saturday it was jammed. I get that there are a lot of weekenders but other places were busy every nite (Everyday People Cafe, etc.) Would love to know which of the above are worth checking out.

thanks, those both sound terrific and are new to us. Truly we do not get out much so I didn't mean to cast any aspersion on those neighborhoods!

LW and I don't get out very often without the kids, but when we do, we'd like to stay away from our own kind (isn't that terrible? :)
we need a decent pre-movie dinner near clarendon/courthouse that needn't be too fancy -- in fact casual is preferred -- but that also won't have too many people under 5 years old. Due to babysitter's time constraints, we'll be going out around 5:30, so it'll be tough to avoid a toddler fiesta unless we really put our minds to it.

Any suggestions? all cuisine is fine.
thanks!

They sure are JanPrimus... I LOVED the pizza and greek salad at the Original Buddy's, and it was a very easy straight-shot drive out to Bakers jazz club afterwards.

You know, the food at Bakers looked fine too, although I was too stuffed to try any. Parking lot was safe and attended at both places, so no issues there. Thank you for your suggestions, it was the perfect solo Detroit experience!

thanks, that sounds great. I just realized it is a Friday so I have to go meatless, thus Buddy's will work better than the hungarian pancake. Now I just have to find a place that will serve a hot dog before 10 a.m. Saturday when I have to leave town :)

Sounds like I need find a way to book a return trip.

Thanks y'all. I read some pretty rough reviews of Bakers' food on Yahoo, so was a little nervous about that. The Hungarian pancake sounds terrific, and right up my alley ...

Anything in Ferndale that particularly stands out for a solo diner?

Hi,
I have an unexpected trip to the motor city tomorrow and have one evening free. I will be hitting Bakers Keyboard Lounge on Livernois for some live jazz at 9 pm. Where should I eat a casual dinner beforehand? I need:

1. local flavor, color, and/or history
2. local atmosphere, somewhere that would be fun or at least pleasant when dining alone.
3. location either near Bakers in NW Detroit, OR alternatively somewhat in between Metro airport and Bakers so I don't have to wander around too much.

Prefer NOT fancy ... price not the issue, I'm more interested in exploring local flavor which is usually ethnic or pub food as opposed to high-end grub.

All ethnicities OK, but the food must be great. If there are still any Sanders soda fountains out there, something near by to one would be triple bonus points. (I lived in DET suburbs 20 years ago).

Thanks for your suggestions!!!

I just recently got a bee in my bonnet about trying to stop eating factory farmed meat. I've been buying from framers markets in the area, but can't quite afford it ... the prices seem to be about 4x grocery store prices. I get that I will have to pay quite a bit more, but is there anywhere to get a happy medium on the prices? Would be happy to buy in bulk, share a cow, whatever, but don't know where to look.

So my local farmer's market had only one meat vendor last week - buffalo, which I'm not that wild about, but figured I'd take a chance on some links. They are on the dry, chewy side -- too lean, I suppose -- with spices of black pepper and powdered ginger. They don't really have any sweetness to them. The kids no likey and frankly I'm not too thrilled with them either, but have about 1 1/3 pounds now to get rid of.

So, can anyone recommend a recipe that would complement these peppery flavors, mitigate the dryness issue and get these things the heck out of my freezer? They are definietly entree, not breakfast, material.

To be clear on the mac & cheese, Sugar's version had shredded cheese melted into the macaroni rather than either bechamel cheese sauce or custard. Sugar's is like I remember my best friend's mom made when we went to her house for neck bones and collard greens. I'm guessing this shredded cheese thing is the more authentic soul food version (but what do I know? :) ...
Now i'm really intrigued to find a custard version somewhere to try.

So I was looking for some good carry-out between my house (Capitol hill) and BWI, and landed at Sugar Upscale Soul Food, on West Virginia Ave. NE in the Brookland area. Looks like not many reviews yet ... I am by no means a soul food expert but here are my impressions:

fried chicken "wings" -- Excellent - initially I was concerned that they were just "wings" but I shouldn't have been ... these were not buffalo wings but full size, meaty, and plenty satisfied a full portion fried chicken craving. They had a deliciously herbed homemade crust, with rosemary, thyme and who knows what all, really nice. I was so flustered by seeing just wings that I turned down the offer of sauce; i think this may be the famous DC mambo sauce, sorry to have missed out on a local specialty but maybe next time.

mac and cheese - seemed good, soul food style, I'm more the bechamel mac n cheese type so maybe i'm not the best judge but it was def. homemade.

fried whiting - good, large portion, different homemade herb crust, nice flavor with maybe a hint of celery seed? A bit heavy. Maybe my fault since i ate the chicken first. They also sell fried croaker.

yams - a puree, a little diff than I'm used to, but tasty, my 3 y.o wolfed them down, so this counts as success.

cornbread - had corn kernels and cheese in it, moist, yummy and super fresh.

Lemonade: good.

Sugar is carry out only at the moment, though there is a sign up indicating there will be cafe-style seating at some point in the future. Overall, my impression is positive; everything seemed (to me) homemade, so if you are tired of food that tastes like it just fell of the Sysco truck, this place may be for you. There were some homemade cakes on the counter that looked very tempting. You may want to go on a seltzer water fast after eating here, this is not lo-cal fare but they seem to know a thing about food. A worthwhile stop if you are visiting gallaudet, CUA, the arboretum, or just find yourself around the NY ave. corridor NE.

thanks! this all sounds great. Downtown or close by will be best. Not inclined to drive much.

So, 3 gals, 20 years out of high school, meeting for 2 nights of fun and freedom without kids or spouses, staying in downtown Pittsburgh. Where to eat? Seeking, in order of priority:
1. good food
2. interesting / non-chain
3. somewhat hip
Lay it on us!

Yay! Granville Moore's was absolutely what we neede. Bonus points for it being in a neighborhood that was new to us.
We had a delectable fried risotto balls, mussels mariniere, frites, and dessert. The service was unhurried in the best possible way ... we'll be back there I'm sure.
Thanks!

Spouse and I do not get to eat out much, but tonight we have a babysitter and are just CRAVING some non-kid-friendly ambience. The kind of dark-wood place where the seating is very close-in, the menus are hard to read, and no one would ever bring a toddler.

We need DC or close-in Virginia, ethnic food a plus, let's say $18 or less for entrees. We like most kinds of food (ethiopian, thai, middle eastern, seafood, ....) but since it's kind of a weird request about the ambience, we're flexible.

Thanks for any suggestions!

hi,
my partner and I have a newborn baby and a toddler at home, and have been forced to cut back to the absolute minimum of cooking and are eating off paper plates, till the baby is a couple of months old at least. Partner would be happy with Amy's entrees every meal, but that's not how I roll ... I'd rather have entrees that have absolute dead-simple preparation, coupled with a frozen vegetable. I'm under strict orders to create no nightly dishwashing burden.

For the entrees, I've had good luck with bulk crock-pot meat dishes that freeze ahead, but getting a starch to go with them is too much work each night.

I've seen frozen, cooked brown rice for sale at Trader Joe's and it got me thinking: could I pre-make a giant batch of some grain in the rice cooker on the weekend and parcel it out into bags in the freezer. I stopped myself as soon as I realized that my cooker makes sticky rice (I guess they all do) that becomes totally gross after freezing. The TJ's stuff is more like individual grains (?), and it's yummy, but getting to/through the zoo that is TJ's is also too much for us right now.

So: is there another way to prepare bulk rice that would freeze well? Or better yet, are there other grains I could use the rice cooker for (dead simple again), that would do what I want?

I would also LOVE any suggestions or tips for utterly simple entrees as described above! I'm just about over pot roast by now.
Thanks in advance,
Mary

thanks everyone, great ideas!
For the record, I think the cooking time was OK (well, I reduced it to an hour and 45 minutes). The result was nice poached juicy chicken, and to my susprise the sauce did not curdle. I did a pretty fast simmer.
I will see if I can get Dave's view on this :)

sounds good. but say, is there a difference between broth and stock? I was not aware. I used the boxed kind such as you find at Whole Foods.

you know, I think you're right about the typo. There was an astonishing amount of extra "sauce" in comparison to the 1 lb of pasta called for. The flavor was good, and the baby loved it (god bless him, we are the only meat eaters in our house) so it is well worth tinkering with. thanks!

hi,
I just tried a recipe from a Dave Lieberman "Dinners" cookbook that I got as a gift. The recipe is for chicken thighs over pasta with a creamy sauce. It tasted terrific, but the sauce turned out much thinner than the picture ... it was essentially soup. Can you help me fix this?
To paraphrase the important ingredients from the recipe: you mix 1/4 cup flour in with your sauteed vegetables, then add 1 qt broth, 1 cup wine, 1 cup cream (along with a bunch of other ingredients) and simmer for 2 hours.

What is the best way to make this sauce actually creamy? Things I have considered:

- cut the broth in half (that would make less soup, but would it thicken?)
- add more flour (but wouldn't that give it a flour taste?)
- after cooking, remove chicken, turn up heat, and add something crazy like arrowroot or cornstarch and water mixture until thickened (this seems kind of brute-force but I guess it would work).

Someone here surely understands the chemistry involved, so I won't have to throw darts as to the best method ...

I always fancy a lemonade-based drink for barbecue. I went through a Blue Lagoon phase a while back, and my guests always loved them but I'm sure there other less color-intensive choices... you can make them ahead in a pitcher and pour over ice.

For the Blue Lagoons I substitute Bacardi Limon for the vodka and it went over very well.

it's news to me but I love bourbon and have failed pretty bad to find good cocktail recipes for it, so glad to hear about it.

Google "stone fence" and you will find another pretty nifty drink recipe that will be great for fall....

yes, folks are right ... the small marble one works fine if you use a rapid circular motion after breaking up the spices (pressure aiming outwards as well as down) ... shouldn't have to bend the wrist at all for that.

I heard once that they make pesto with a mortar and pestle in Italy but that turned out weird for me, tho' it works fine for the dry stuff.

All ya'll leaving your house with food on the stove, please stop!!!!
My gf was a firefighter for 5 years and they ran so many calls for people who did not get back in time, food cooked faster than expected, the wind knocked something over ... I could go on, but you get the idea.
It was so frequent the firefighters called it "smells and bells", and the guilty chef was always mortified in addition to the horror of an acrid, food-smoke damaged house. And this was if they were lucky and there *wasn't* an actual fire.
Trust me, not one of these people ever thought it could happen to them.

15 years ago, while holding a student job in a Cambridge, MA cheese store I encountered something I think was called "Ozark Pepper Ham" ... it was a whole ham that sat on a spindle, all day long, on top of the counter at room temperature and we'd cut and sell pieces off of it. It was so tender and melt-in-your mouth buttery delicious that I used to sneak bits of it when no one was looking.

I've never seen it anywhere else, but can't forget it either!

Fast forward 15 years, and my son's baptism is next month and I *finally* have a legitimate reason to order an entire ham.

I found something by that same name at "petit jean meats" [scroll down]

http://www.petitjeanmeats.com/Merchan...

Has anyone tried this ham? Is this the ham that haunts me from 1993? Is it good enough to make people drop their forks and shout, "this is so much better than Honey Baked Ham, we're amazed!"?

The pepper ham I remember was really that good but it's been awhile.
Mary

I have to say I really do like their spice mixes.
My mother in law gave us a whole bunch of them (southwest, "florida seasoned pepper," prime rib rub ... ). I'm normally a hater of mixes but the Florida one had a really lemony tang that was stronger (i.e. better) than any dry purported citrus spice mix I've had.

And I'm tickled by the whole concept of their "red and black" (50% cayenne, 50% black pepper). Maybe it's just the marketing, I dunno.