DC in DC's Profile
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace - 14th St. NW
Went for lunch this weekend. Requested fried oysters, which are not on the menu (at least, at lunch), and husband had oysters gumbo. My fried oysters were very good (not lifechanging, but quite delicious). Gumbo was pronounced adequate. Service was cheerful but verrrrrrrrry slow. We waited about 1/2 hour for our food - and the place was only about 1/4 full when we arrived - though it was packed by the time we left. Verdict: we'd return if we were in the neighborhood and the wait wasn't long, but it's unlikely we'd go out of our way for it.
Unwelcome surprise in my eggs
Ewww!
But maybe the next time I want to torture my in-laws?
Unwelcome surprise in my eggs
A-ha! So one is supposed to boil or deep-fry it, I see now.
And though the info I see on the Internet describes balut as duck eggs, I guess chicken eggs must be a variant.
And not so great for putting in cakes, however. ;)
Unwelcome surprise in my eggs
Yuck! I cracked an egg for a cake recipe this morning and found inside ... you guessed it ... a little chicken fetus.
After I recovered, I figured this was a one-in-a-million anomaly, so out of curiosity I cracked three more from the same batch. Each one was the same.
I've never, ever encountered this before. Because I bought the eggs at a store whose clientele is largely Asian, I searched the web to see if this is some kind of delicacy in other cultures. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the egg-fertilization process and the love life of chickens and roosters, but no word on whether this is some kind of unique special thing, or even whether it's okay to eat eggs in this state. Personally, I found it completely disgusting but now I'm a bit intellectually curious.
Anybody got light to shed on this phenomenon? Meantime, I think I need gross-out counseling.
Thai//Vietnamese/Asian Grocery in DC or Arlington
The store I mentioned is walking distance from the Rockville Metro stop. Depending on where you live, though, the Metro ticket might cost even more than the bubbles themselves! (But probably cheaper than mail-delivery fees unless you're ordering by the barrelful.)
What homemade edible thing do you most commonly gift?
Sounds fantastic. How long does it keep?
1 Year Anniversay in DC
Some recommendations:
Obelisk
Blue Duck Tavern
Komi (more on the adventurous side)
Oval Room
All either within walking distance or a short cab ride away.
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Komi
1509 17th St NW Ste 1, Washington, DC 20036
Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Thai//Vietnamese/Asian Grocery in DC or Arlington
I've bought tapioca balls at the Asian grocery that's in the same parking lot as Bob's Noodle in Rockville. Forgetting its name but it's right there on Rockville Pike.
D.C. restaurant recommendation
Bistro du Coin is terrible. Mediocre food, indifferent service (at best - negligent or rude at worst), really loud and annoying. You can do far better. Right in Woodley Park: New Heights is very good. A 15-minute walk north is Cleveland Park, in which you'll find the wonderful Indique, Palena, Ardeo, and Dino, and several others (but those are the best). A 10-minute cab ride the other direction is the sublime Blue Duck Tavern.
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Palena
3529 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
New Heights Restaurant
2317 Calvert St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
Indique
3512 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
BBQ--looking for the best
I'm not an expert by any stretch, but Dixie Bones on Route 1 in Woodbridge is by far the best I've found in the area.
L.A. foodies need to know: Proof? Corduroy?
We don't dress very trendily here - beware. Consider adding Blue Duck Tavern to your list.
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Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Galileo III - Don't Go There
The only way anybody should allow him to be attached to any future restaurant is if they lock him into a kitchen alone with absolutely no way to conduct business - no wallet, no credit cards, no pen for signing contracts, no access to a phone or computer. Nada. Just a few pots and pans and ingredients. This latest venture was just an embarrassment.
anomalously excellent food in mexico city airport
Hi, hounds:
I've been waiting for months to try Tacanon. Last week I passed through the DF airport and even printed these directions for help in finding it. But oh no! The terminal 1 renovation seems to have swept away all restaurants except one or two terrible-looking carry-outs. We looked absolutely everywhere and couldn't find any of the landmarks mentioned by the directions. Can anyone confirm our (sad) experience? Boo hoo.
The best romantic dinner in the Mission
A strong second for Saison. Incredible ambience without being overwrought.
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Saison
2124 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA 94110
Restaurant tourist traps
How about responding, with feigned delight and surprise, "Oh - great! So I guess they got that health-department issue cleared up and reopened?"
Restaurant tourist traps
Another classic technique is to ask a taxi driver where he eats.
Or if you want something classier, ask where he takes his wife for her birthday.
Office Holiday Party
Here's a creative alternative: rather than lunch, close the office early and have afternoon tea at Teaism in Penn Quarter. The staff will set aside a portion of the downstairs area just for your group and provide a variety of tea and food options that are really yummy and festive. I think it can meet your price range. I've arranged small parties here and they're always big hits.
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Teaism
2009 R St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Where can I find Dragon fruit in DC area?
The delis in Eden Center in Falls Church (our favorite is Huong Que) sell dragonfruit.
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Eden Center
Falls Church, VA, USA, Falls Church, VA
Bad Restaurant Names
I have a childhood memory from San Jose, CA of a Vietnamese restaurant downtown called Duc Phuc.
Bad Restaurant Names
There's a disgusting bar in Ocean City, Maryland called the Bottle and Cork. Everyone calls it the Cork & Screw.
Is We, the Pizza closed afternoons this week?
Thank you, Steve. Given the uncertainty on this question, plus the restaurant's weak air-conditioning, we decided to take a pass. Will return when it's a bit cooler.
Is We, the Pizza closed afternoons this week?
Does anyone know if We, the Pizza is still closed from 3-6 each day this week? The phone number they give on the website is the entrance to a voice-mail maze of hell (grrr!), and no one ever answers or returns a call. Anyone happen to know? Thanks in advance.
Restaurants Everyone Loves Except You
Kinkeads. Expensive and really bland, mediocre food.
There. I said it.
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Kinkead's Restaurant
2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006-1812
Restaurants Everyone Loves Except You
I love the food at Oyamel, but the noise and clueless/shabby service are serious, serious drawbacks. In this economy? Feh.
We, the Pizza = awesome
Persistently unimpressed with almost all pizza by the slice (bland, greasy, questionable provenance and age), I tried We, the Pizza with some skepticism. Boy, was I wrong.
The slices I tried were super-fresh, the ingredients good quality, and they toast it up to order, so when it arrived on my plate it tasted extremely fresh. Fantastic crust: not thin, but not greasy or doughy either; it's puffy and the bottom has a nice sharp crunch to it. Ingredients on the three flavors I tried (the white pizza, the mushroom, and the salami) were really good. Logically, the salami was the oiliest of the three, but the white and mushroom slices were not greasy at all, and the little puffs of ricotta cheese on the white pizza were super creamy. (When I return, I'll be making a beeline for the white pizza.)
And, oh my God, the homemade sodas There are 10 or so flavors, they're custom-mixed with soda water and have really good, strong, bold flavor. Had the sour cherry and DH had the pineapple-cilantro. Now, just plotting a quick return to try the others.
I'll be back. Very soon. Like, today.
Chowhounds on Capitol Hill
I'm a lobbyist and frequently arrange briefings in the Capitol building. Here's a weird fact about the catering company that has the contract for the Hill: if you ask for pitchers of tap water instead of bottled water (which I tried recently), the company charges you $100 for a "wait person" to - what? - pour the water. It's a complete boondoggle, and I suspect this may be part of the explanation for the figure above. And to be clear: this isn't the lawmakers...it's the crappy catering company.
anomalously excellent food in mexico city airport
babar ganesh, manybears and danebaxter: I'm headed off to Mexico next week, and will have a 2-hour layover in DF airport between 8 and 10 a.m. Any idea if Tacanon is open that early? I've been dying to try it since first reading this thread....
