wayne keyser's Profile
best place to buy fish in NoVa
And yet, years ago, I asked a staffer on one of the boats if the shrimp were fresh. He replied "yes" even as, just behind him, I noticed another worker using a hose to thaw out another frozen block of shrimp.
Moving to Pentagon City-a summary, please
You might want to wander over to 23rd Street - it's lined with restaurants. There are more across Rte 1 mostly in the underground mall (I think). The Kabob Palace at the intersection of 23rd and Rte 1 is good, though very crowded at lunch. If you can stand "ordinary" Indian, there's a buffet a few block down Eads Street from Kabob Palace, and I enjoy it.
My mouth is on fire! Memorable spicy food moments. [moved from Not About Food]
LONG time ago, both of these, early-mid 1970s:
My then-girlfriend was curious about a local (to her, not to me) Chinese restaurant. Her exact words: "Order it hot, I dare ya!". So I did. "Hot" was not common at all in those days. It was delicious! The next day I am awakened by a phone call: "D*** you, Wayne Keyser! That stuff's as hot coming out as it was going in!" I'm sorry for the character flaw this shows, but I was breaking into laughter on and off for the rest of the day.
Even before that, I was out working with a friend from high school, lunching at a Chinese restaurant. He very politely suggested that I try something. Rube that I was then, I was shocked: why would anyone want HOT and SOUR soup? Wasn't brave enough to try it. Those were the days when menus would "talk around" potentially hot-button names, offering "tasty and pungent soup", for instance.
Status of China Bistro (aka "Mama's Dumplings") in Rockville?
Really, they needed it. One of the few times I went (it's a LONG way from home, but what dumplings!) I asked to be directed to the bathroom ... through the kitchen, back to the farthest corner, into the single facility, and hope the huge crack in the building wall didn't give way before I had washed my hands and returned to my seat.
Calorie Labeling Tricks Rant
One of my pet peeves for a long time, and especially now.
Dealing with unwanted guests circa 1558
Golly, I was certainly under a misapprehension - I thought the way to deal with unwanted guests back then involved swords and a dubgeon.
Help make my family love beets!
Very similar - I cut raw beets into bite-size pieces (really, a wide range of sizes) and drop the pieces into a boiling mixture of half white vinegar and half water, plus a good shot of sugar and a pinch of salt. Take off the heat immediately, and serve chilled. These keep for weeks, they are ready almost immediately, they "crunch" real good, and they are seriously yummy pickles.
pizza for a crowd in South Arlington?
Ledo's may be less, but it is thin-thin-thin crust (which I love). Others may be expecting something thicker.
sushi grade fish in northern va??
Buy tuna at HT only after careful inspection/consideration. I've had very aged pieces of it, that I was too dumb to question.
Restaurateurs please think - Example: I won't be eating at Pork Barrel in Alexandria
I would give you an answer, but I'm not going to bother going back to find out what happens. If I wanted to sit out in the middle of the floor, blocking everyone else, I might think differently, but I didn't think anything they offered on the menu would be worth that embarrassment (or being that much of an annoyance to others).
I know I'm being grumpy and a bit particular - At TemptAsian the food is, IMO, totally worth being an annoyance, and the staff has (as seen above) totally taken care of the issue.
PS - Was it Yelp where I read an even grumpier review about the staff here? Totally not my experience, as far as it went - I got a genuine welcome and friendly smile from everyone when I ventured in. I'm sure they'd do their utmost to accommodate me. But I looked around, and really truly didn't see even a single regular chair - it was between "booth" and "way high".
Kitchen Nightmares/HON Episode [split from Home Cooking]
I dunno, but I thought that next we might see worse behavior by an owner. I go to numerous places whose signs say "XYZ Restaurant", and one of them might trademark "Restaurant" and start serving cease-and-desist letters to others using that word.
Restaurateurs please think - Example: I won't be eating at Pork Barrel in Alexandria
Let me add that we "crips" need to be flexible as well ... I go to Tempt Asian and feel like it's so cramped that my "parked beside my chair" walker is in the way, and indeed it is. But the friendly staff always asks, then spirits it away behind the scenes somewhere, then brings it back when needed. They thought of it, not me. And I'm grateful (and we're all regulars there).
Total absurdity
Simple - the inspector closes them down, and SUDDENLY they get serious about following the rules and they do an emergency cleanup. Then the inspector lets them open, after which they get slipshod again.
Where to Find Dried, Non-Candied, Ginger Root in Metro D.C.
Any Asian store will have good fresh ginger, and almost any non-Asian grocery will have ginger roots that have sat in the bin so long they're almost entirely dried out (just feel how light they are).
I'm being a little sarcastic, but the keeping of old stock is so widespread that this might in fact be a useful idea.
Restaurateurs please think - Example: I won't be eating at Pork Barrel in Alexandria
What kind of overbearing tyrant have I given the impression that I am?
If my wife or kids want to go, I certainly have no problem with that at all - but, given their culinary preferences they will almost certainly go to their already-favorite places (wife to ABI or Jerusalem or Athens or Cheesetique, boys to Hong Kong Palace or Tempt Asian or fast-food).
My intention in this post was to try to convey the message that failing to provide for the widest range of your customers costs you (restaurateur) not just a few handicapped customers, but also their usual dining companions. Don't write us handicapped old fat guys off as worthless, either. If we came, my companions wouldn't be ordering a tiny appetizer while I slowly gum my mush - I LOVES me some barbecue and so do all of us! So I'd go if I had any place to sit, and I'd try to convince them to come along with me, but without me they're given to frequent their own favorites.
Restaurateurs please think - Example: I won't be eating at Pork Barrel in Alexandria
I really REALLY wanted to try it. There's even a door right off its (rear-situated) parking lot! And the staff are so nice!!!
But I went in and, sadly, went right out.
There's not a seat I can sit in. I'm old, and use a walker, and I can't get into a booth or sit on a high bar chair/stool ... and that's all the seating there is. So I won't be eating there, and neither will my family.
I've noticed this trend elsewhere. For instance, Lost Dog has only a very few tiny tables, mostly booths and stools. There are other examples.
Don't forget us fat, weak old folks!
Green Olive Buffet & Grill
"Mixed bag" is a great description for this and many other Asian buffets. Each of them has some items well worth enjoying (well ... except one in Woodbridge which has no redeeming features at all) and other items you really should avoid.
Since I'm not an oyster fan, at Green Olive I've enjoyed one or two unusual items like the (increasingly popular) shrimp with coconut sauce, and dumplings with wrappers that look sort of like tapioca balls. I'm particularly fond of the seafood salad.
Warning! That rich dark-hued sauce in a bowl near the back grill? Not hoisin ... it's A-1 Sauce (why?)
Baltimore - onion rings?
I'm not from Baltimore, but I can tell you that the onion rings served by Popeye's are wonderful and exactly as you described.
Supermarkets: New lines of generics at Shoppers & Giant
Anyone have an opinion about the new lines of house-label offerings at Giant and Shoppers? Giant has these "please don't buy me" yellow/orange labels, and Shoppers has "Essential Everyday" generic products.
I am pleased with most stores' house label vegetables and detergents and the like, but from my memory (for instance) Giant's pasta sauce was, IMO, awful. But it's a new day and my weekly bill is going up, and I said "Oh, it's just $1.25" and tried Shoppers' new "Essential Everyday" pasta sauce, and I love it! Of course it's not a "gourmet" item, it's a perfect Prego clone, but for everyday, I love Prego and this is about 1/3 the price.
Any rerports on other house-label items? Both stores seem to be rolling out these new items both at the same time.
Bahm Mi Bread (?) MD or DC
I was under the impression that Huong Binh uses Catania Bakery rolls (BTW, I agree that Huong Binh is wonderful)
I think "Banh Mi DC Sandwich" out Rte 50 bakes their own
Bahm Mi Bread (?) MD or DC
IMO the best bread, used by many banh mi places, comes from Catania Bakery in DC. I believe they're wholesale only (so call and ask) but in DC you can buy their excellent loaves and baguettes at "old-school" Italian market A. Litteri (you'll have to brave the wholesale market district up near Gallaudet http://www.litteris.com but it's really worth it ... you'll end up buying many more things)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/a-litteri-washington
Limited hours of operation - Tue-Wed. 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM - Thurs-Fri. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Sat 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM - Closed Sun and Mon
lookin' for fried crab claws in DC/VA/MD
I've seen similar things at some local Chinese buffets, but they have all had a sort of "fake" aspect to them that makes me think they're a ball of surimi molded at the end of a claw and breaded/fried.
Restaurant Websites - At this point they should pretty much be mandatory [moved from General Topics]
Mandatory? IMO, yes indeed - except for one thing.
Most of the sites I've seen are miserably designed. All I want are directions and a menu, and I guess other diners wouldn't mind some photos.
If the owners hire a web designer, he/she thinks that to earn his pay, he has to design the h*ll out of it: awful flash landing pages, and other atrocious pages, and often the essential information is missing. If the owner ever looks at it, he'll see outdated information and non-functional links, but he's shackled to the paid designer and updates cost money.
If the owners design it themselves, there's still a tendency to make stupid mistakes (despite many web host's do-it-yourself design tools) and after a 12-hour-plus day, who has the energy?
Best Banh Xeo, Banh Cuon in NoVa?
Nope - it's takeout only, about 4 doors down from the corner - really nice people
http://www.huongbinh.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/huong-binh-bakery-and-deli-falls-church
Best Banh Xeo, Banh Cuon in NoVa?
I know take-out is not what you asked about, but many (not all) days, Huong Binh bakery/deli in Eden Center has fresh-made ones by the pound, for an excellent low price.
What is the Proper Way to Order in a Chinese restaurant to receive a spicy dish?
There are no guarentees in life, but "ma la" works fairly well for me.
Restaurants that won't let you 'have it your way"
"I understand when a chef refuses to cook beef or pork because it is against her religion or other beliefs. "
On the other hand, such a chef wouldn't be employed very long at a steakhouse.
