Smokey's Profile
Ronda, Spain, recs
YEARS later and going through some old papers I found the address for La Pasticceria:
c/Las Tiendas, 25
Telefono 952187513
I never eat _______ out because nobody makes it right but me.
Ditto(2) brownies. The only place I'll buy them it from Zingermans. Otherwise, mine are the only ones I want.
Make me a muffin -- a Chowhound Challenge
However, I'm confident if she were back *I* would be the winner. I was merely awaiting my award (I'll take the monument, not the medal, thanks!).
I miss Mrs. Smith.
can I freeze paneer?
I'm interested in making a recipe from the Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything Veg. It's basically an Indian tomato base (makhani) topped with blanched spinach, cooked chickpeas and paneer and then baked for roughly 25min (if I had the page number I would give it, but I don't).
However, it's going to make far more food than I want and I would love to freeze a couple of servings for later consumption. I'm going to be making the paneer myself. Will the texture be ok after the freezer (ok doesn't mean "identical to immediately after cooking", it means, reasonably edible)? Will it be safe to eat (there won't be any preservatives or anything, after all)?
I think I'm overthinking this, but would love some input from other hounds. The recipe doesn't say anything like "freezes well" and I don't recall seeing anything about freezing paneer in my Indian cookbooks.
Thanks, hounds!
Please share your favorite chocolate cake recipe!
Add me to the chorus of people who agree about CI's cooking vs baking recipes.
Your tried and true Cook's illustrated Best recipes.
Finally tried these a few weeks ago--they're rich and wonderful.
Your tried and true Cook's illustrated Best recipes.
GREAT caramel sauce--my go-to recipe that always gets raves. Hate their hot fudge though; it's a dud in my book.
Hungerford Drive's new "York Castle" IS The ORIGINAL GIFFORD'S ICE CREAM. (Proof)
How was the banana, Marty? I LOVE banana ice cream and it's extremely hard to find any banana ice cream worth the time spent eating it or money spent buying it.
good places to eat in Rockville?
>Compared to what I am used to in the Iselin/Edison area in NJ and to what I experience in India, the spiciness and some of the sharp edges were tuned down a little
Remember, Rockville doesn't have the S. Asian population that Edison, NJ and India do. I'm glad you liked it in spite of this; I think it's pretty good.
Sorry you ended up at Raku. That definitely isn't Montgomery County's finest, but that's generally a problem with restaurants in Bethesda.
good places to eat in Rockville?
Thanks for your great reviews/reports on the restaurants we've suggested!
good places to eat in Rockville?
Totally forgot about Viet Goel--good reminder. It's funny you should come back with a "good not great" on Bobby's Crabcakes. I decided to repost to this thread because I realized I had forgotten to mention it.
I would veto Dining with doc's recs for Benjarong (as a broad statement, I haven't had a lot of good Thai in the DC area--more specifically, Benjarong is simply eh compared to good Thai) and Austin Grill (incredibly mediocre Tex Mex--again, as a broad statement, not a cuisine that the DC area does well). I've never been to Thai Pavillion, but haven't read good things about it on the boards here. I went to Pizza Pomodoro about a year ago and thought it was fine--nothing to write home about and incredibly mediocre service. Went to Sichuan Palace last night and really liked it. I had a GREAT Sichuan soft tofu, far better than the last time I ordered it at Joe's Noodle House.
Best Wine Store for Excellent Buying Advice/Guidance?
I know it's too late to help you, and I know I'm going to get slammed for recommending a place in MoCo, but I've got fantastic advice from the folks at finewine.com in Gaithersburg. They've never given me any attitude or holier-than-thou about my total lack of wine knowledge and have made some recommendations of bottles to go with specific meals that have been perfect.
good places to eat in Rockville?
A&J, just north of you on the Pike, west side of the street, lower level of a strip mall. Great Northern Chinese dim sum and CHEAP. Sichuan Village in Rockville Town Center has gotten some good postings--I haven't been. Spice Xing in Rockville Town Center has great Indian food. Not dirt cheap, but certainly reasonably priced and a nice atmosphere. I'm not as big a fan of Joe's after a take out meal that was WAY subpar.
I've heard good things about Gilly's fine beer/wine store (just next door to Urban BBQ), but haven't been.
Penzey's smoked paprika = pimenton?
I've never had traditional pimenton, so take my rec with a grain of salt, but, have you ever tried Penzey's Aleppo Pepper? It's struck me as something that might map to pimenton. It's good, even if it doesn't!
Mousseline Buttercream - Neoclassic Buttercream
I think professionals use some kind of flavor concentrate. You don't have a lot of room to add liquid to a buttercream, so it needs to be pretty concentrated to add sufficient flavor. It's the reason why (I was told) you use lemon oil instead of lemon juice to make a lemon buttercream. You would have to add so much juice to make it taste lemony that it would totally throw off the balance of water to, well, non-water!
I think the freeze dried strawberries sounds like the best bet. I have the feeling that jam would be too sweet and insufficiently concentrated (my word for this post, apparently!).
Dinner at Spice Xing in Rockville
Went there for dinner on Friday night. Similar to what you described, it wasn't very crowded, although the square was teeming with people. I think a lot of the people are on the young side (15-25y), and I just don't think Spice Xing (or really, any restaurant) is what they're after. It's a shame, because it's fantastic.
No apps. Ordered a side of the chana masala (not listed on the menu, comes on the side with the samosa and is really good with great spicing, if a smidge salty). It is rave-worthy. Dal Makhni was good. For the second time, ordered the Portugese shrimp dish (Balchao Shrimp) and LOVED it again. The Paneer makhni was good, but not great. Too sweet (IMHO). However, I imagine it suits others just fine. The flavors in the food are complex and nuanced. We spent a $40/person inc tip--we had a couple of EtOH drinks and we tipped 25% because our waiter was really good.
It really is a fantastic restaurant.
-----
Spice Xing
100-B Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD 20850
Oatmeal Cookies
There's a really yummy epicurious recipe for something called Diane's Five Spice Oatmeal Raisin cookies (or something approximating that). I love it, although I usually cut back on the sugar as I find them too sweet. IIRC, the 5 spices are cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and, and, can't remember. Anyway, in other words, they're kind of non-traditional spices, but I love the taste of them.
Dim Sum in Rosslyn
Daniel--Is this still your opinion on Oriental East? I'm going there on Saturday (tried to talk the group into New Fortune, but there was no shifting things) and am curious about it.
Best Brunch or Dim Sum on Sunday in Rockville or Bethesda?
I agree with Daniel K. Love New Fortune dim sum
HELP!?! New to Silver Spring/Aspen Hill/Rockville/Wheaton with nothing to eat!
One place that i haven't heard mentioned is A&J on 355. In the Sunshine Square mall, north of Joe's Noodle House and south of Edmonston, west side of the street. Dim sum, but not the kind with carts rolling around, more like small plates. Yummy Dan Dan noodles, lots of other great dishes.
I actually prefer it to Joe's. The last time I ordered out from Joe's (
HELP!?! New to Silver Spring/Aspen Hill/Rockville/Wheaton with nothing to eat!
>If I had to pick one old favorite to you, It would be El Mariachi in the Ritchie center in Rockville.
I'll admit, it's been a while since Iate there (few years?) but I was sort of underwhelmed by the place. To each their own.
HELP!?! New to Silver Spring/Aspen Hill/Rockville/Wheaton with nothing to eat!
>I am not a fan of WooMi or Yet Gol's food these days.
When you say Yet Gol, are you referring to LightHouse Tofu? I think it's been about 8 months since I've been, but the last time I went I thought it was pretty good. Has it gone downhill?
Looking for authentic Thai food
Whoah. I had heard bad things about the food. Sounds like the service doesn't help the place either. What a disappointment.
Sichuan Pavilion: a new find in Rockville
Wow, thanks Dean. I saw this restaurant recently when at the Rockville Library and felt sort of depressed, as I assumed it was just another mediocre place. SpiceXing and now this as well? Town Center is looking better.
What's in Baltimore, that you wish was in DC?
The farmer's market underneath the expressway. good produce, some good prepared foods, good prices, no attitude.
Help me, Ronda (and Carmona,Cordoba,Granada)
Oh, I wish I did! If you asked at your hotel (although I fear this is too late of a response), I think there is a reasonable chance they would know of it. Ronda is not very large! Good luck, and do post if you find it and what you think of it.
Ronda, Spain, recs
Oh, I wish I did! If you asked at your hotel (although I fear this is too late of a response), I think there is a reasonable chance they would know of it. Ronda is not very large! Good luck, and do post if you find it and what you think of it.
July COTM: (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) DESSERTS
There's a recipe for a triple ginger bar type thing that is WONDERFUL if you like ginger. I think it includes candied, fresh and powdered (maybe no fresh?) and is great. I've gotten rave reviews when I have made it.
July COTM (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone): PASTA, NOODLES & DUMPLINGS and SAVORY TARTS, PIES, TURNOVERS & PIZZAS
Roasted Red Pepper Tart (sorry, don't know page of recipe, cookbook not in front of me). I've made this many times and always get really good reviews of it. The only negative is the olive oil crust she recommends. I've tried that multiple times as well, and have NEVER had it turn out successfully.
July COTM (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone): VEGETABLE STEWS & STIR FRIES, GRATINS, CASSEROLES, EGGS & CHEESE
This sounds totally goofy, but I think her hard-boiled egg recipe is perfect. When I follow her directions to a T, mine always come out perfectly.
