I'm not Maelstrom... but I lived in Beijing for four years until this summer, around the corner from both Xiao Wang Fu and Xihe Yaju. I've never eaten the duck at Xihe Yaju, so cannot comment upon it at all -- in fact, though I've had many, many meals at Xihe Yaju, I didn't even know they served duck! On the other hand, Xiao Wang Fu IS well known for duck -- **but there are two locations and I cannot vouch for the one in Ritan Park.** The other branch, on Guanghua Lu, has a fruit wood-burning oven and you can see them roasting the ducks when you walk into the restaurant. Their duck is quite good -- you will see a fair amount of expats here, but locals also come here, primarily for the duck. This is a very casual, family-friendly kind of place -- no bells or whistles and their jiachangcai is pretty good, too. Xihe Yaju is a bit more expensive than XWF, and the decor is nicer. Dadong is quite, quite fancy and much more expensive than XHYJ or XWF -- I ate there once, years ago when I first arrived in Beijing but the meal was not very memorable (but that could have been due to jet lag). Of course, my favorite duck is from Made In China, but the atmosphere there is quite sanitized. I don't think you'd be disappointed with either Dadong or Xiao Wang Fu.... but I'm also butting in here, and perhaps Maelstrom has another opinion!

Thanks for the great report! Xiao Wang Fu is actually in Ritan Park, no? I prefer the other location on Guanghua Lu -- it always felt more old school and the prices are cheaper, too (or at least they used to be!)

Dino changed chefs recently, so perhaps this is leading to the disparity in reports. I have gone from liking a few dishes at Dino, to finding the food bad. My most recent visit featured: 1. Beet and watercress salad -- about 1/2 lb of tangled watercress (v. dififcult to eat) and four beet slices. 2. Lamb ragu with tube pasta -- terrible, terrible terrible. The pasta was hard in some places, soggy in others, like the dish had been sitting under the heat lamp for three hours. 3. Molten chocolate cake -- fine. Best part of the meal. But, I do not choose restaurants based on dessert. In other visits, I have also had: insanely salty Tuscan beans -- seriously, like a salt lick, crab pasta -- oily and again with that soggy/hard pasta problem (are they not cooking the pasta to order??). Dino may have been good once, but every time I drive by there, I think "Blech."

I was also thinking about this -- Tre wanted to use Stephen's veal, too. Would he have won if he had? Seems to me that the competition was kind of decided on what was available. Tre backed down immediately when Tiffani claimed the osso bucco -- but what if he hadn't? It might have been more interesting if both of them had used the veal for their last course.

I think you make a really good point, Mrs. T. But aside from all the butter and cream Ina uses, there is also the salt. I watched Ina shake a blizzard of salt over some parsnips yesterday and felt my heart constrict. She even said: "Use A LOT of salt!" In fact, I don't find the butter or cream she uses to be off-putting, just the salt.

I made the brownies over Thanksgiving. You really, really cannot taste the spinach. Or the carrot. Not a single person could identify the "secret" ingredients! The texture was a bit chewy and not cakey -- probably because the brownies are made without butter and egg yolks (good for the heart conscious). I'm looking forward to trying more recipes!

I'm surprised to see all the comments about the fries. I ate there Sunday and the fries were some of the best I've EVER had -- burn-your-fingertips hot, crisp exterior and floury on the inside.

I won't elaborate too much on our meal as it repeats what others tried. I liked the salmon rillettes -- tasty, but not special. Hubs had six oysters, which were great. And both had the fish burger, which we both loved.

No dessert, half carafe of white. Our entire meal was about $75 (before tip) which I found quite surprsingly reasonable.

Open Table (www.opentable.com) is a great resource for planning events like this. You can do a search of their database based on date, price and special features (like private rooms). It has saved me a number of times!

I'm so happy you were able to try the Yunnan Provincial gov't restaurant -- one of my favorites!!! Next time, check out the Sichuan Provincial gov't restaurant (aka Chuan Ban) for great Sichuan food -- better than South Beauty and Baguo Buyi.

By the way the "very spicy fish" sounds like shui zhu yu.

I limit my salt and it was hard at first. I kept reading that it would get better -- and scoffing. The truth is, it has gotten better and I have pretty much gotten used to it. I add salt extremely sparingly and cook with a lot of fresh herbs and chili. Loads of garlic, ginger, and onions. I cook with no-salt canned goods -- tomatoes, beans, etc. -- a TON of sodium sneaks in this way. Sometimes I add 1/4 tsp of salt to an enormous pot of stew or soup, which is a good dash of sodium, but at least I know EXACTLY how much I am putting in -- it is that 1/4 tsp ONLY and no more. I try to use as many fresh ingredients as possible -- i.e. not open any cans or use any frozen foods.

A few of life-saving no sodium products to look for:
--No-salt cottage cheese--- delicious!
--Terra brand no-salt BBQ flavored potato chips -- I challenge you to tell the difference.
--Total FAGE nonfat yogurt -- fantastic on so many things... my latest craze is to dollop it on a sweet potato.
---Frozen edamame -- my favorite healthy snack.

Check out the Moosewood low-fat favorites cookbook for healthy recipes. You say many of the foods you normally consume contain a lot of sodium -- what foods are these? Let us know and maybe we can provide alternatives.

UPDATE: I made the pineapple pie using Nice's recipe and canned pineapple chunks in juice. It was fairly easy, but the filling looked too thin, so I added 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. flour to it before putting it in the crust. I used that high-fat butter for the crust and all I can say is WOW -- flaky!! Can't wait to dig into this pie. Unfortunately, will have to wait until tomorrow.

NEW QUESTION: How best to transport the pie for a 4-hour car ride?

Thank you. I also looked on Jane & Michael Stern's roadfood website, but to no avail, alas. I'm thinking we might just pack some sandwiches and do the drive without stopping.

I love the hot dog for kielbasa story, though!

Hi Hounds,
The hubs and I will be driving from Washington, D.C. to State College tomorrow to visit his grandparents, who are in a nursing home there. Any suggestions on places to eat along the way? Looking at Google maps, our route takes us along I-70. We'll probably break for lunch mid-way around the MD/PA border.

Thanks!!

Not sure if this has too many "weird" things in it, but Lidia's spaghetti and meatballs are my favorite. If anything, you could modify this recipe using things your kid will eat. Or use it just for technique (I think flouring and browning the meatballs is an important step.)

http://recipes.lidiasitaly.com/Produc...

Oh, I didn't know about that website "Recipes from Nice," but I now love it! Thank you for the introduction. I may just try Nice's recipe... Actually I might make two pineapple pies. One of them from Nice's recipe, the other from Epicurious -- just to cover all my bases.

He is of Eastern European/Jewish descent, born and raised in Long Island, NY. I've asked him about the pie, but he is an 87-year-old! His response was something like "It was pie with pineapple in it." He is not a foodie, lol.

Hi hounds,

I come to you for help. Going to visit my husband's grandfather next week -- hs is 87 and a HUGE fan of pineapple pie. Apparently, it is his favorite food in the world. Does anyone have a recipe for this ambrosia? I've looked up a few on-line, but I'm not sure if it's a double-crusted version with canned pineapple, sugar and cornstarch (and that's about it -- sounds disgusting but if that's what he's expecting...) or Epicurious also has a version with custard, coconut and macadamia nuts. Is there another classic recipe? Can anyone help?

What would an 87-year-old-man expect from a pineapple pie???

Thanks!

Seven of us ate here last night, all former expats from China (assorted Beijing & Shanghai). I thought the food was just okay... but if this is the best the area has to offer for Chinese food then I am a little blue. The food was spicy, but not the spectacular fiery-numbing combo that I'm used to. Here's what we had (we ordered in Chinese so dish names may not accurately reflect menu translation) -
-Wontons in red oil - the highlight of the meal
-Scallion pancake - imo, too doughy. Others enjoyed.
-Assorted pickles - salty, sour and spicy. Very good. Odd assortment of veg (broccoli stems. ?)
-Cumin lamb - nothing like the cumin lamb in China. Good flavor, but just different.
-Yuxiang pork - okay, but disappointing. Lacked depth of flavor.
-Mapo doufu - okay, but needed more chili and huajiao.
-Chicken dish - I've never eaten anything like this in China, but it was tasty. Stir-fried chunks of chicken with peppers and onions.
-Stir-fried bittermelon - yum!

I think HK Palace is good, but I'm not sure I'd make a special trip over there again. Maybe for the wontons. The food is tasty but it's just different from what I was expecting. On the plus side, it was rather cheap. In any case, the search continues for authentic Chinese eats. Next stop: A&J.

I'm not the OP but used to live in BJ. Yunnan Provincial Government restaurant is great; South Silk Beauty is more posh but not as delish.

I hear their opening party is on Oct 24 so perhaps open to the public after that? Oct 25 would make sense.

It ain't Bourdain, but Gail Simmons's blog is posted on the bravo website. Also Rocco gives a bit of insight into his sous chef period with Hung.

I was embarassed to post this, but then I saw the Sriracha and peanut butter toast suggestion -- sounds delish, but how can you get weirder than that? So, here goes: I like Sriracha in my oatmeal, with grated cheese. Or sometimes a slice of chopped up processed cheese stirred in until everything is melty. I don't think I've ever admitted this combo to anyone, not even my husband.

This is also the first time we've heard Dale's story -- eg that he lost his job, was out of work, dumped, and afraid he'd lost his inner chef. And no one's harping on that. Double standard. And Collichio states this week in his blog that Hung won the FCI challenge simply because his dish was better -- nothing to do with Casey's food not being "french enough." End of story.

Bourdain's blog is FINALLY posted and it is hilarious as usual. It also addresses a lot of the Hung topics we've been discussing here. Check it out!

No, my heart was sinking there too.

I totally agree with you Kenito!!!! I think the judges have totally stereotyped Hung. I was moved by Hung's stories of escaping from Vietnam as a child. I think a lot of Hung's arrogance probably comes from having to struggle to assimilate in a country, where, let's face it, people are not always very kind to those who look or sound different. It's a defense mechanism. To be honest, I don't think Casey's dishes have more "soul" than Hung's. Collicchio seemed to suggest that Hung's dishes lacked "soul" because he wasn't using Vietnamese flavors... But why should Hung have to turn to Vietnam to give his food soul? Hasn't he had more experiences than being born in Vietnam to shape his life and palate?

Oh, I thought nanxiang was terrible. I would never go back there. A real Chinese tourist trap. Jia Jia Tang Bao has been much lauded on these boards and it is very good.

Thanks for the suggestions. Sticky Fingers isn't going to work -- I'm all for vegan but turning 40 is challenging enough. I've left a message for BakeShop and will report back. Heller's could work in a pinch -- the hubs is fond of vanilla cake and chocolate frosting.

Hi DC Hounds,
I'm in search of a delicious birthday cake for my husband's 40th. Ordinarily I'd bake my own but we've not fully moved into our new place. Cake should serve about 13 -- hubs likes chocolate, or carrot, but must be moist. (Firehook will not cut it, I'm afraid.) We live in Cleveland Park but I'm happy to travel to pick it up. Thanks for the suggestions.

Nice report! I think you mean "gu" lou dong Dajie. Too bad you missed the Jiumen Xiaochi food court and other of my faves in Beijing. Also have never loved Fish Nation or Vineyard. But sounds like you had a fun trip!