monkeyrotica's Profile
America Eats
Excellent cocktails, painfully small portions, exhorbitant prices. Unlike most, I think the non-traditional ketchups were a tasty throwback to the days before HFCS glop. It's one of those rare restaurants that you go to when you aren't hungry.
Anywhere in the DC/Bmore area that's like Amsterdam Falafelshop but with Meat?
Have you tried Shawafel on H Street?
http://www.shawafeldc.com/
Also, the last time I was at Al Pacino's in Baltimore, the shawarma was pretty good.
http://www.alpacinopizza.com/
Any new cheap eats discoveries around DC?
Pizzaiole near Fragers Hardware on Pennsylvania does pretty decent carryout/delivery pies and calzones. It's no Seventh Hill or fancy woodfired pizza place, just a decent slice-and-a-coke place of which there are far too few downtown. Also run by a couple of friendly guys.
Any new cheap eats discoveries around DC?
My new cheap eat fave is Jannat Kabob in Kingman Park near RFK Stadium. Tiny corner carryout joint that does pizza, subs, gyros, and kabobs. One of the few places that still does decent gyros on a rotating spit instead of that shrinkwrapped grey bologna nonsense. And unlike some Greek diners that give you a pile of meat on a pita which is impossible to eat with your hands, here you get a footlong lavash flatbread with everything neatly layered inside, so every bite you get meat, lettuce, feta, cucumber, etc. $9 gets you enough for two meals and the guys who run the place are really nice.
What great ethnic chow in DC won't I find in NYC?
Not ethnic per se, but definitely regional, is the local take on barbecue: the pit beef sandwich. Not something you'll find in NYC. If you have access to a car, a trip to Chaps or Pioneer Pit Beef is in order, although the A&W Pit Beef truck in Jessup or Expressway Pit Beef in Odenton are closer to Silver Spring.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/28/dining/how-to-say-barbecue-in-baltimore.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Your Perfect Sandwich
Oh, lord. Maryland Pit Beef is indeed epic. Rare on a kaiser roll with raw onion and horseradish.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/06/maryland-pit-beef-barbecue.html
Morton's, Cap Grille and Ruth's Chris. How do you rank them?
The Palm in DC is just as bad, albeit with more B list political celebrities.
Good food from Gaylord Convention Center area
Pretty much everything at National Harbor is geared towards the expense account demographic, so they don't really care they're blowing $22 on a plate of fried rice. Crossing the bridge into Old Town is your best bet: Eve, Brabo, Vermillion.
Best Mambo (Mumbo) Sauce
While not quite Pappy Parker's, the fried chicken and potato wedges at Royal Farms gets the job done. The Marriott that's going in next to the DC convention center is supposed to have a Hot Shoppes in it. The Mighty Mo will be back, but whether the rest of the menu comes back is anyone's gues.
Wisconsin Food in DC, MD, VA?
No leinenkugel. Good selection of German imports on tap. Food is a bunch of expensive meh, but the pretzels are alright. You go there to drink und vatch fussball.
Pizza stone on a Weber charcoal grill [moved from Home Cooking]
I've used stones on the Weber kettle, WSM, and Kamado. You burn through a ton of fuel to get the right temp. Having two or three charcoal chimneys helps. The Kamado does the best job, but I end up using a combination of a Lodge cast iron pizza pan on the WSM using an elevated rack to get it as close to the dome as possible. I've found that the iron gives a good char to the crust and putting it close to the dome forces a lot of heat down onto the pie. You can also get a good char just by pulling the stone out and cooking directly over the coals before serving. Agree with bagofwater that VWBB is an excellent source for grilled pizza techniques.
Lump charcoal brand
There is some question as to the durability of older Japanese kamados. They weren't built to withstand the higher temperatures ceramic cookers can generate. Most were designed to use binchotan charcoal, which is expensive to import, but burns clean with no residue. I used to use Kamado Extruded Coconut charcoal:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag32.htm
It burns incredibly clean leaving very little residue to choke the smoker. The coconut imparts no flavor of its own, certainly nothing like tar, so any smoke flavor needs to come from wood chunks or pellets. It also burns long and slow and gives rock solid temperatures. When torqued up, it can easily send your cooker up to 800+ degrees. Perfect for searing steaks and doing pizzas. Unfortunately, the stuff is really expensive and is only affordable when you buy in bulk and split with other kamado owners. I have since switched to Royal Oak lump in bulk from Walmart, as well as Wicked Good when I can spare the cash. BGE lump is also good, but more expensive and comparable to Royal Oak lump.
What great ethnic chow in DC won't I find in NYC?
Second Levi's. Deep fried pork chops, collards, Mac and cheese at a fraction of the price at Oohs & Aaahs. Easier to get a seat, too.
Real Buffalo Wings Needed
Second this. If the skin's still pliable, it's not fried crispy enough. Nobody seems to fry them hard enough. I've had good luck cooking wings in a Weber smoker with the water pan removed. They literally fry in their own fat. After about 60-90 minutes, the skin is like a pork rind, and you just toss them with Franks Hot Sauce and butter.
I've also heard good things about J Bell's Wing House near Howard University. Dude's a Buffalo expat which adds an air of legitimacy.
http://jbellfoods.com/
five guys burger sucks
Thrashers is still open in Rehoboth. There's a Five Guys directly across the street. I'll have to do a taste test this summer.
Joe's crab shack - free crab for a year
That's pretty much why I avoid Coldstone Creamery: the singing staff. I can deal with staff singing happy birthday, but to treat employees like trained chimps just rubs me wrong.
Joe's crab shack - free crab for a year
Been twice to Joe's (Florida and Virginia), both were horrible experiences that I wouldn't want to repeat even for free. Eventually, both shops closed, probably a combination of the horrible service and sub-par frozen seafood. The threads are littered with discussions of the horror that is Joe's Crab Shack.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
Thanks for the correction. I just have to wonder why two different businesses on the same block serving the same type of food would choose to have the same name.
What Food Trend are You So Sick Of?
We had a "M'Dawg Haute" place in DC for a while. That folded, too. Another hotdog place does different hotdogs from different regions of the country: slaw dogs, Chicago dogs, halfsmokes, sonoran dogs, jersey rippers. Nothing fancy, like Kobe beef dogs. They seem to be doing pretty well.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
There's Kabob Palace with the yellow awning that's mostly carryout and cab drivers and Kabob Palace with the blue awning that's sitdown and buffet. I've eaten at both: same business, same food, same dinky mall next to the CVS. I skip BOTH and head to Khoinoor Dhaba up the street. They have yet to serve me a plate of underseasoned gristle.
The Ollieburger, 31 years later
The Ollies at 12th and E has changed owners at least twice since 2006 and what they're selling as an Ollieburger in no way resembles the Ollieburgers of old. Plain frozen beef patty with American cheese on a doughy roll with NO Olliesauce. The fries just had a little pepper on them; no spices apart from that. And the building was always a little dingy, but when I went the place was filthy. Utter disappointment.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
I'll have to give the Afghan Restaurant a try. Have you tried Food Corner Kabob House or Karahi Kabob in Springfield? I've found both to be superior to anything I've tried inside the Beltway, including Ravi, which was just a nightmare the last time I went.
Japanese whisky question
I avoided single malts for years before I tried Glenmorangie. I lost track on how much I spent on single malts were either too malty or too peatey or too grassy or too smokey. But the Glenmorangie had a level of complexity and richness that really won me over. And it didn't hurt that I love madeira.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
My money's on all the hotels. The only foreign food certain people are comfortable with is Italian American.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
Good cheap Indian buffet at Kohinoor Dhaba. Not a fan of Kebab Palace any more; the last two kebabs were underseasoned and incredibly gristly. I like the pizzas at Cafe Pizzaiolo. Better than average pies with a pricetag to match.
Joe's Crab Shack Gaithersburg
I ate at Joes in Clearwater in 2006 and again in Sterling shortly after the housing market collapsed. The overall dining and service experience was equally abysmal. Consistency!
Poutine, my cold weather craving
It's a hike from DC, but Mokomandy in Sterling sells poutine. Although, I have no idea why a Korean place that also does Cajun food would sell it. Reviews seem pretty positive.
http://www.mokomandy.com/menu/
Wisconsin Food in DC, MD, VA?
Slightly closer is Mokomandy in Sterling, VA. I've never been, but they serve poutine, although why a Korean restaurant that also serves cajun food decided to serve poutine is a question for a more brilliant mind than mine.
http://www.mokomandy.com/menu/main-menu/
"Poor Man's" $1 Big Mac -- save $$$ at Mickey D's
I stopped ordering Big Macs years ago for this very reason. Apart from the special sauce, the middle bun, the sesame seeds, and the lettuce, you're getting the same burger as the McDouble. I'll spend the extra $2 and build a McGangbang.
http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/mcgangbang.jpg
College Park area food?
Not me. College Park has a frustrating mix of really good/really horrible.
