movesalot's Profile
last minute trip, please help critique my ideas!
We're planning a last minute trip to New York this weekend (labor day). We'll be staying at the Rtiz Carlton from Friday evening until Monday afternoon. Anything that is a short (ie less than 15 minutes) cab/subway ride away is fine. We will have our toddler with us so unfortunately many of my "dream" NYC restaurants will be unsuitable (well that and we probably couldn't get reservations at this point anyway). We like EVERYTHING and when I say everything I mean it, except my husband isn't that into Korean food. We are into places that favor seasonal/local ingredients but the most important thing is that they provide a unique experience. We are looking for 3 lunches (Sat, Sun, & Mon). All will have to be takeaway or very quick. We are also looking for 3 dinners (at least two will need to be under $100 including 2 glasses of wine). We will need to sit down to eat by 5:00, but even earlier, like 4 or 4:30 would be better if that's possible. One of our main criteria is that our son has a milk allergy . What this comes down to is that we need to eat at places that either have an allergy menu or where the servers know what is in the food they are serving or aren't afraid to check with the chef on the ingredients. This isn't usually a problem at good quality restaurants unless the servers are too snobby to bother. This has unfortunately happened to us a few times. Anyway, we bring some food for him but basically we just need to be able to get him some pasta and red sauce, a coconut milk curry, or chicken/vegetables prepared without butter. He's not really picky, we just need to be able to accomdoate his allergy.
I read on some other posts that you can take children (provided they are well dressed and well behaved) to almost anywhere in New York and not feel uncomfortable? Do you feel this is true?
We'll be at MOMA one day Can we eat with a kid at the Modern/Bar Room for lunch and/or dinner? I know we could do the cafeteria but that wouldn't be my first choice.
We've had some really good dim sum in places like San Fransisco and Richmond BC. Would we want to do dim sum in NYC?
I normally try to do a bit more research than this but we've had no power until this morning due to Hurricane Irene and I want to get this thread started as soon as possible. Here are some possibilities I am looking at:
momofuko
spotted pig
marea
ma peche
halal cart (near moma, 53rd and 6)
Keste
blue ribbon
I see Nobu does carryout on weekdays, I am going to check and see if that is a possibility on labor day
Thanks in advance for your critiques and suggestions!
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Nobu
105 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
recipe for a basic chocolate frosting I can freeze
Thanks for the easy recipe! I definitely was able to freeze and defrost with no problem. The texture was totally fine and the flavor was the same as before freezing. Great success!
Please help me plan a few meals out in DC
Thanks Stave for your helpful comments and the rec for the Jamaican food. I grew up eating (homemade) Jamaican cooking and will have to check out Pimento Grill. Carry out places are perfect for us, as long as we can find a park or somewhere else suitable to sit and eat.
I see 2 Amy's doesn't take reservations... What time would we have to get there on a weekend for lunch or dinner to avoid a long wait?
So... I'm hesistant about the other recommendations for Citronelle, Komi, and Tosca... Would they work with a kid or no? I would say our toddler is pretty average when it comes to dining behavior but I am more sensitive than a lot of people to making sure he doesn't disrupt other diners.
Thanks again!
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Citronelle
3000 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
Komi
1509 17th St NW Ste 1, Washington, DC 20036
Pimento Grill Restaurant
4405 Bowen Rd SE, Washington, DC 20019
Dog-friendly outdoor dining in DC?
I haven't been there myself but Art and Soul has an outside patio with a "doggie menu" and it usually gets good reviews on this board.
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Art and Soul
415 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001
Please help me plan a few meals out in DC
We live about an hour and a half outside of DC and since we’ve moved here we’ve taken a bunch of day trips into the city. Sure we like to spend some time at a museum or hang out on the mall but mostly we come in for the food. Not sure how much longer we’ll be living here but I anticipate getting into the city at least a handful of times and I’d like input on where else we should be sure to eat. We’ll be bringing our toddler with us so that limits us a bit but we are into all types of cuisine: American, French, seafood, sushi, Thai, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Ethiopian, you name it we will eat it! So far we’ve eaten at the following restaurants:
Rasika
Central
Darlington House (for brunch)
Jaleo (Bethesda location)
Oyamel
Zaytinya
Cafe Atlantico (I’m a bit of a Jose Andres groupie, although I was pretty disappointed by Cafe Atlantico the one time we went there. It was just a few days before it closed so maybe everything was just a little off)
We’ve been to some other places too but they weren’t particularly chow-worthy.
We definitely plan to hit Good Eats, Art and Soul & Etete but other than that, I’d love some guidance. What are the not to be missed places we could get away with bringing our toddler? I’m wondering if it is truly worth it to go to some of the standard “kid friendly” recommendations such as Two Amy’s and Matchbox.
Last question, it seems that the general consensus is that it’s not worth eating in Georgetown because there are better eats to be had but I love that area so I’m wondering if we are going to spend a day there, what would be our best bet for lunch?
Thanks!
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Cafe Atlantico
405 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Etete
1942 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Two Amys
3715 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20016
Rasika Restaurant
633 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Darlington House
Washington, DC, Washington, DC
Zaytinya
701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Art and Soul
415 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001
recipe for a basic chocolate frosting I can freeze
Hi there - I love to cook (and eat!) but I almost never bake. However, I need to make cupcakes for about 40 people. I'm looking for a recipe for an easy-to-make chocolate frosting that I can freeze for a couple of days. (Please nothing fancy involving a double broiler. I'd really rather that it come out okay than be the most amazing tasting frosting in the world) Also, the frozen icing has to go on a day-long car trip with me in a cooler. If it starts to defrost a little in the cooler and I put it in the fridge when I get there, will it be ok two days later when I actually ice the cupcakes?
Thanks in advance for your help!
spice shop near a metro stop?
Hi there - We are planning a day trip to DC and are wondering if there are any decent spice shops we could get to easily from the metro? It doesn't necessarily need to be a spice shop specifically, just somehwre we can buy a large variety of bulk spices. We are looking not just for standard stuff like oregano but also a variety of paprikas, curry powders, etc. Looking specifically for inside D.C. (or along the orange line) - don't want to have to trek it out to the burbs on the red line or anything.
Thanks in advance!
Cascade Loop Highway suggestions from Seattle
As you are heading down 20 towards Deception Pass bridge, Deception Cafe will be on your left just a few minutes before you reach the bridge. It's not much to look at and the service is slow but the food is excellent! It's very consistent and I've literally never had anything bad there in all the times I've eaten there. The seafood, grass fed steaks, pasta, veggie burgers, you name it, it's good! They have locally sourced food and wine, as well as ice cream. It's pricier than its appearance may suggest but worth it!
Probably my two favorite places on Whidbey are Fraser's Gourmet Hideaway in Oak Harbor and Prima Bistro in Langley. Frasers has good service & atmosphere and the seafood and other entrees are always good. At Frasers you might enjoy sitting at the bar and watching your meal get prepared. Prima Bistro has outdoor seating & a variety of events throughout the year.
The Knead and Feed in Coupeville is another favorite for baked goods and yummy sandwiches.
Toby's is often recommended on this board but despite multiple attempts to have good mussels there, I've found that they are just OK compared to other places in the area. Every time I get mussels at Toby's the ones on the top of the stack are dried out. I think you can get more competently prepared Penn Cove mussels at Seabolt's in Oak Harbor and Christopher's in Coupeville.
Hope you have a lovely time!
Bellingham restaurants - any great foodie & ambiance recs?
Both Anthony's & the Harborside Bistro are decent, though I wouldn't consider them foodie destinations. Harborside Bistro has better food but it is pricier.
help plan a day in Vancouver complete with Vij's, an izakaya (or two), and raw bar
Thanks much for all your replies. We had a wonderful day in Vancouver. First, we headed to Joe Fortes first since we knew it was definitely open for lunch. We didn't try any of the regular food, but the oysters were fresh & delicious. The only disappointment there was that, although the menu shows dozens of different types of oysters, they only had about 5 or 6 available that day. Even though it's August, I was surpised - I guess I have been spoiled by Elliott's in Seattle. Anyway, we did get to try two types of BC oysters we hadn't eaten before and we enjoyed sitting in the window and watching people go by outside.
Unfortunately, my other half was functioning on several nights of no sleep so he opted out of the mini izakaya crawl. The good news is he decided this before we went to Vij's so we were able to do it up right! We had the portobello mushroom and the paneer with brussel sprouts appetizers. The sauce on the portobello mushrooms was to die for. Of course, we ordered the lamp popsicles, which were easily the best Indian dish either of us has ever eaten. The meat was perfectly cooked and the sauce was indescribable (must have been the fenugreek?) In addition, we had the beef short ribs and rice pudding, which were good, but not exceptional. Also, we loved the lemon-ginger drink. Would not have thought to order that were it not for the recommendation on here so thanks! Anyway, I cannot say enough how much we enjoyed this restaurant! The service was impeccable and Vij came over to our table more than once to check on us. We took home some refrigerated food from the place next door that was just okay and definitely not worth the money... but overall a very fun and delicious dining experience.
Thanks again for your help. Next time we'll definitely hit the izakayas...
help plan a day in Vancouver complete with Vij's, an izakaya (or two), and raw bar
Thanks for the heads up. Ok, so it sounds like oysters late afternoonish, Vij's, then an izakaya or two. Not exactly cohesive, but will be yummy!
So let me revise my questions: What time should we get to Vij's on a Sat evening? Reservations are recommended at the izakayas? What if we are only planning on having a couple of things at each place?
Thanks.
help plan a day in Vancouver complete with Vij's, an izakaya (or two), and raw bar
I've only been to Vancouver once before and I'm looking for a nice place to have oysters on the half shell. It sounds like the places to go are Blue Water Cafe, Joe Fortes, or Rodney's. What would you recommend for the highest quality local oysters? We'd probably prefer somewhere that we can just order from the bar, as we wouldn't be eating a whole meal. As for izakayas, I've enjoyed guu in the past, although a friend took me and I couldn't tell you for the life of myself which location it was. I'm not sure of the timing on all this - We'll be in Vancouver all day but these places seem to be mostly evening places. I have read that it is possible to go to Vij's around 9 and it's not too bad - is this possible on a Sat night or do we need to get there at 5? Could you recommend an izakaya that would be open around lunch time? I'm assuming the atmosphere would be somewhat different but that's ok as long as the food is good!
We'll probably start our day in Stanley park and we'll have a car but I guess we'd like to try to minimize driving all over the place as much as possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
dining in Forks WA
We recently made a trip to the Olympic peninsula where we stayed in Forks and I wanted to throw my two cents in. As others have noted, there are no Chow-worthy destinations in Forks but we found the food at the South North Garden Chinese restaurant very competently prepared. We had egg foo young, homestyle tofu, sweet & sour pork, and pork fried rice, which were good enough to eat as leftovers. This stood in great contrast to our meal at the Forks Coffee Shop. Small town charming, it was not. The food was terrible to the point that I was literally yearning for McDonalds. It reminded me of why McDonalds became so successful in the first place, at least it's consistent and you know what you'll get when you walk in. The Forks Coffee Shop was totally dirty inside and although our server was very friendly she wiped down tables and then handled food without washing her hands in between. The pie was actually pretty decent but overall it is one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. Obviously my thoughts are based on one-time dining experiences but I hope they are helpful to others...
how many cupcake/muffin pans do you own?
Ok, sounds like I can stick with two... at least for now!
how many cupcake/muffin pans do you own?
I know it seems hard to believe but I've never had pans for making muffins/cupcakes until now. I went and bought two that make 12 muffins each, because that's what my mom always had. But now that I'm thinking about it, having 4 wouldn't really take up much more space because they would all stack together. So I'm wondering... how many muffin pans do you own and do you think it is worth it to have more than 2?
Matt's in the Market (SEA)
We ended up going to Matt's in the Market for lunch as all of you recommended & it was perfect for that. It still felt small to me, the service was very friendly, and the food was good. We made a reservation so we didn't have to wait at all and we got a table by the window, which allowed us to watch the goings on in the street below.
We went to Lola for our special dinner out, which a lot of people on this board probably feel isn't the best for a night out, but for us it's just the kind of place we like...
Marysville, WA Area Dining Prospects (within thirty minutes)?
I notice you have two things listed in Bellingham, which is definitely going to be more than a half hour from Marysville... Also it's probably not worth it to head all the way up there since there are other better places down south.
I can vouch for Ka Won - good food, service kind of spotty though.
Willamette Valley wine & food recs?
I suppose this is kind of after the fact but I do like to post a report on our experiences.
1. lunch at Bistro Maison: Service definitely left something to be desired but their "Sandwhich Classic" with rillettes was quite excellent. It is also fun that they bring out hazelnuts and crackers at the end of the meal.
2. Dinner at the Joel Palmer House: We really enjoyed the food here - Heidi's Three Mushroom tart was good, although people who have texture issues with mushrooms would be very overwhelmed. The two desserts that we had, marrionberry bread pudding and chocolate peanut butter tart were delicious but truly the saltiest desserts we had ever eaten. Also, the selection of wines by the glass was pretty good, something we were grateful for after a long day of tasting.
3. Dundee Bistro for lunch: Friendly, efficient service. We liked the pasta carbonara but RAVED about the salad of radicchio, bacon, beets, fennel, and oranges.
4. Tina’s for dinner: While our soup and salads were marginal, the appetizers were truly wonderful. The panfried oysters were perfectly cooked and the salmon spring rolls had an amazing hazelnut sauce that was to die for. Our entrees were well cooked, dessert was good too and our server was very attentive.
We had breakfasts at Youngberg Hill Inn, where we were staying. They were always good and the granola they serve on Sundays is amazing!
We went to far too many wineries to mention although we quite enjoyed Eyrie. Overall, we were quite impressed by all of the dining options here. It was a wonderful trip! Thanks for the recommendations.
Matt's in the Market (SEA)
Hello! I'm considering Matt's for an upcoming special occasion. We've never been there before and it's been highly recommended on this board. Ever since it reopened, however, it seems like there have been more negative reviews, not just on this board but I also read something about it being inconsistent in Seattle magazine. So... I'm wondering.... in your opinion has it gone downhill and is it still worth it to go there for a special occasion?
Willamette Valley wine & food recs?
What advice do you have for this area? We'll probably be staying in McMinnville, but it seems like we'll have to do some driving. Is there anything chow-worthy in McMinnville?
As for restaurants, we are thinking two dinners out, one at Joel Palmer House and one at Tina's. One lunch out, at Dundee Bistro. Are these good choices or would we be really missing out by skipping the Painted Lady? Does anyone know anything about Nick's Italian Cafe?
Any recommendations about wineries? I've tried to do some research on this topic on the wine board but came up short. I know that pinot noirs are big in this area but we are also looking for wineries that have a nice pinot gris.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Good Foodie Spot in Bellingham/Fairhaven???
Ok, so I know it is after the fact but I feel I must defend Nimbus. It is true that this restaurant is expensive and not as good as many foodie destinations in Seattle. That said, the food is really quite good, very creative, and the restaurant has an amazing view over the bay. I really enjoyed a birthday meal there and would go again for a special occasion. Or for their happy hour, which is quite reasonably priced.
Does anyone own a cookbook stand?
I can't access the link to American's Test Kitchen because I'm not a member. Can you tell me which one is top rated?
Sunday lunch in Cleveland
Thanks for the recs. We ended up at the West Side Market Cafe & had a lovely brunch. They don't take reservations for small parties but we didn't have to wait for a table. The atmosphere was casual and our server was not very friendly but the mimosas were fantastic (seriously some of the best I've ever had) & the food was good. Also it definitely had that Cleveland feel to it. Their hashbrowns were good and we enjoyed the different plays off of eggs benedict such as eggs arnold with avocado instead of canadian bacon. Definitely a step above standard chain breakfast places but nothing fancy. Would go again.
Bellingham-Weekend Getaway
Not sure if I'm too late but check out Nimbus in Bellingham. It has a great view (ask for a table facing the water). We did the tasting menu when we were there and loved it! Some of the wine pairings weren't the best but the food was great!
Sunday lunch in Cleveland
I'm looking for a nice place that's open for lunch on Sunday's in downtown Cleveland. Not picky about the type of cuisine - just somewhere with good food and atmosphere. Thanks!
Does anyone own a cookbook stand?
If you have ever used a cookbook stand, what did you think of it?
I checked out the one at Williams and Sonoma and it did not look big enough to hold a large cookbook like The Silver Spoon or How to Cook Everything. I have only seen the Crate and Barrel one long online but it looks like it might be better... Anyone know?
If you have any better recommendations than the ones from Williams and Sonoma and C&B, they would be much appreciated!
Whidbey Island
Nothing against Oak Harbor but I think overall you'd enjoy stopping for lunch in Coupeville more. It's a cute little town with a lot of lunch options, as others have posted!
Whidbey Island
What is Jason's now? When I read that rec I was curious and wanted to check it out but I couldn't find it!
Oahu - 3660 On the Rise & Hau Tree Lanai review
This reply posted in the wrong section. Meant to reply to residenthawaii.
