taylor_blair's Profile
What restaurant are you excited about for DC's restaurant week?
Last week I went to Potenza for RW and oh my GOOODNESS it was HORRIBLE. I should have listened to the critics and just stayed home because Potenza turned out to be only half a step higher than Olive Garden. The only redeeming factor was that the service was wonderful and our waiter was a lovely man, very patient and charming and attentive.
However, the food was baaaad.
As an appetizer, I ordered the calamari stuffed with shrimp. It was rubbery and tasted like one of the processed fish balls that I expect to get in a bowl of noodles at a chinese restaurant (don't get me wrong, I love those processed fish balls, but this was uh...supposed to be calamari stuffed with shrimp....). The bruschetta as an appetizer was the better choice, and the one that my boyfriend wisely chose instead.
The entrees were a better -- I ordered the basil pasta in a seafood stew and he ordered veal with polenta. The veal was nice, but the polenta was at times lemony and other times not. Not consistent at all. The basil pasta was nice and homemade, but the seafood was clearly frozen. The shrimp was rubbery, and there was a distinctive fishy smell. Not appetizing.
Desserts were eh as well. I ordered the italian doughnuts which ended up being hard cinnamon balls of dough. He ordered chocolate mouse which was nothing spectacular either.
All in all, we were seriously disappointed with our meal. Next time, go to the Olive Garden or better yet, crack open a jar of Ragu and reheat some pre-made pasta and make your own "Potenza" experience.
-----
Potenza
1430 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
Zatinya - still good?
i actually just had dinner at zatinya tonight and it was TERRIBLE --- DO NOT GO TO ZATINYA.
1. the host was awful. we had made a reservation for 5 people at 8:45pm. everyone got there at 8:45pm, we informed the host, and he turned around and handed us our buzzer while telling us we still had to wait. 30 minutes roll by and we're still not seated. the organizer of our party goes back to the host and he claims that he never gave us the buzzer or told us to wait any longer and that our table has been ready all along. never apologizes for the misunderstanding, never tries to ameliorate the situation, and seats us at the our table in a huff.
2. the food has indeed significantly decreased in quality. i've been to zatinya multiple times before and have really enjoyed it, but this time the food was greasy and sloppy, and nothing was really fabulous. mediocre at best.
if you need to go for turkish or mediterranean food, just go somewhere else, anywhere else except zatinya. it's not worth it anymore.
Taylor
What does Chestnut Cream cake taste like?
If you're close to any chinese-style grocery store or bakery, you'll most likely be able to find a REAL chestnut cream cake -- i.e., a 2-layer cake (fluffy yellow cake) with a chestnut-pureed creme filling in the middle, some kind of light, not-too-sweet frosting on top with fruit. It's a Chinese specialty and it's not too sweet (b/c we chinese don't like things too too sweet for our desserts :) ) Try it. You'll love it.
Sticky Rice
I also ate at Sticky Rice recently but I had the exact opposite reaction -- I found it to be lackluster -- the food, the ambiance, the food, and...did I mention how mediocre the food was?
Seriously, the sticky balls were disgusting and the special sushi rolls were basically all fried food wrapped up in rice and nori. Go there only if you want to eat something that moderately resembles sushi but is not at all as tasty as real sushi can be. The tater tots were nice, though, even though it was basically frozen tots we paid $11 for.
DC has a other good faux-sushi places or pan-asian joints that may not be as funky/trendy as this one, but these other establishments beat Sticky Rice in the food category, hands-down. Suffice to say that I'm not going back for an encore meal.
Taylor
How is the Japanese food at Temari these days?
I've been recently (in the past 2 months -- does that count?) and it's great. Really, one of the best homestyle Japanese places around. I usually get the traditional ramen (pork broth), but friends got the katsu don and loved that as well.
Casual, family-friendly dinner near MIT Marriott?
I'm going to be in Cambridge for 2 weekday nights and I need recs for a restaurant to grab dinner with my family, which includes 2 kids around ages 2-3.
The problem is that they'll be exhausted from their inter-state drive to MA and they understandably want to stay near their hotel, the MIT/Cambridge Marriott on Broadway, close to the Kendall T.
Emma's would be ideal (pizza = great for kids) but they don't take reservations and sometimes there's a long wait. The Blue Room might be too stuffy..? Got any recommendations?
Thanks all!
Taylor
Considering Miso for the 1st time
Hmm. Are you interested in purchasing miso paste (the refrigerated kind) or powdered miso, the kind that people use to make miso soup that comes in little instant soup packages?
I think the best way to begin your miso adventure is by trying to make real miso soup - with dashi (kind of like a japanese version of soup stock), some tofu, and miso paste. It's simple to make and eases you into the flavor of miso.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/103391
good luck! :)
chinese cookbooks? [Moved from Food Media and News]
if you're interested in cooking cantonese food, the best cook book i've found which stays true to the authentic chinese cooking ingredients/style and has loads of good traditional dishes is _the joy of wokking_ by martin yan. yan's been doing his schtick on PBS for decades now (long before the advent of the food network!) and his sense of humor is great. the food is even better. good luck!
Best Frozen Burritos
yeah, i agree. the trader joe's chicken burritos are a terrific snack (the ones that come w/ chicken and beans). mmmmm.
Bread-baking virgin needs advice
I'm new to bread-baking and a little intimidated. So of course I turn to you wise Chowhounders for advice.
1. Is there a good beginners bread baking cookbook I should reference first? I have The Bread Bible right now (checked out from the library) but it looks complicated.
2. What types of bread should I start out with? I'm more interested in the flat breads like ciabatta, focaccia, etc. and the artisan loaves (like the no-knead Sullivan Street Bakery recipe) than quick breads.
3. Are there basics that I should be aware of - like equipment, utensils, general guidelines like "do not skimp on the rising time!" etc.?
Thanks everyone! :)
Taylor
Good Coffee Shops in Greater DC Area
yeah, murky in DC is really closed for good. check out their website:
www.murkycoffee.com
sadness... :(
Georgetown Bagelry on M Street Closed!!! Where do I get Great NY-style Bagels, now?
Calvert Woodley, the high-end wine store in Van Ness, ships in H&H bagels from NYC pretty regularly. I think they flash-freeze them or something...but you should probably check with the store manager. I've had them often and they're just as good as H&H back home in NYC - boiled and baked to perfection. Calvert Woodley is literally 20 feet away from the Van Ness Metro.
btw - nice to know someone else out there likes salt bagels...!
Asian-Americans- Your Homestyle Dishes?
Oh yeah, ketchup fried rice is a good one.
My mom would do a lot of the fish balls & napa cabbage type-stews. Chop up some napa and start to stir fry it, throw in a can of bamboo shoots, some black mushrooms, and fish balls and let it stew together in a little bit of soy sauce and, of course, some cornstarch for thickness. Mmm, mmm good!
Did anyone else's parents stir fry up iceberg lettuce? My mom would whip that up with some oil and a little bit of sugar. Maybe that's not really an Asian-American dish, but it definitely tasted good.
Panini grill - best bread to use and need recipes
oh man, that sounds so good. i'm going out and getting a loaf of foccacia right now!
Trader Joe's Frozen Fish [Moved from Home Cooking board]
I agree - the salmon patties are terrific and easy but getting those suckers separated from each other is a pain in the neck! Imagine wrestling with frozen salmon hockey-like pucks...egads!
Panini grill - best bread to use and need recipes
My boyfriend is a crazy panini afficionado and here's what I've learned from watching him: It's good to use ciabatta bread but cut the domed top off the loaf (be careful not to cut yourself when you slice the bread horizontally!) before you slice the entire thing. This method allows for even grilling (i.e., your grill can flatten the top of the bread easily instead of lop-sided grilling. Also, fontina cheese is nice to use as it's a bit milder than mozzarella. His favorite is a classic basil, mozzarella (or fontina), tomatoes, with a bit of homemade green pesto.
Great Coffee Shop for drinking, eating, studying
thanks everyone!
this is all very very helpful information. i _have_ ordered from george howell before and he's my favorite coffee roaster (thank you for that suggestion!) by far, but i'm trying to find a local place that i can patronize as well.
i'll try big bear coffee also (that's close to howard university, right?) and definitely make a run out to murky in arlington.
has anyone heard of sidamo's?
thanks everyone!
Underwhelmed with Dino's
I had my first meal at Dino's last week and, perhaps my expectations were too high, but I was solidly underwhelmed with the food. I had the farro tuscan bean salad and the tuscan crepe and my friend ordered the boar, which he also said was just ok. We shared the vanilla gelator with espresso on top -- again, nothing amazing.
Maybe we simply ordered the wrong things? Can anyone explain why Dino's is so great again?
Thanks everyone!
New Trader Joe's items
yeah, definitely a strange combination, but it works! it's not as chewy as say...chocolate-covered raisins or as brittle as chocolate-covered nuts. the bonus: it's supposedly "healthy". :)
kind of a mix of the two...it's only 2.99 or something.
Wegman's??
I need me some help, people.
I just moved down from Boston to Washington, DC and have been disappointed with the grocery stores in this area. Good produce is hard to find. Good prices are even harder. I'm used to shopping at Trader Joe's and Shaw's and sometimes Whole Foods, but the only stores in the district proper are Giant and Safeway, both not spectacular.
A friend mentioned that Wegman's was a decent alternative. I've never been, but was wondering how it compared to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or Shaw's. And what are the good items..and the ones I should stay far, farrrr away from?
Thanks in advance!!
Taylor
New Trader Joe's items
dark chocolate edamame is the newest thing i've seen at TJs and it's pretty darn good.
and as for the peppermint jo-jo's, they're back here in our TJ's (bethesda, MD), so i suspect you'll see them soon at your local store.
Wagamama's preview opening
Hi Ciaobaresta -
I'm sure there are still some good items on the menu, perhaps it just requires some trial-and-error...in any case, the yakitori was really good!
Re: how I got the preview dinner invite, I saw the announcement on The Boston Globe by one of the staff food writers (I forget her name).
:) Taylor
Wagamama's preview opening
I got a preview invite from Wagamama's in Harvard Square and I gotta say that it was pretty disappointing. I know it's a chain restaurant, so my expectations weren't that high, but the food was seriously mediocre (the one in London is far better and a little less pricey for the quality). I had the yaki udon and it was nothing to write home about. Honestly, the Japanese food at Takemura down the block is much, much better and the Japanese kiosks at the Porter Exchange is fabulous -- I'd much rather spend my money there.
I will say, however, that the yakitori was great - good grilling and yummy sauce. Bravo! And the service was decent -- I know they're trying to work out the kinks now (hence, "preview dinner).
Taylor :)
Which Frozen Chinese Dumplings Do you Buy?
I was at TJ's last week in Coolidge Corner and they finally have the old dumpling/gyozas back!
The nice guy at the check-out told me that TJ's only renewed their order for chicken and pork gyoza, not the veggie or shrimp, and in doing so, they inadvertently put the supplier out of business. Ironic, no? The good news is that they reached an agreement with the supplier, and the gyoza is available once again (although only the chicken and pork).
Which snacks to beat pre-dinner munchies/diet sabotage?
Popsicles! Low-calorie, sugar-free ones work. They're easy - no chopping or mixing, just pull it out of the fridge. I prefer the Trader Joe's popsicles which have chunks of real fruit in them - the caribbean fruit ones are especially tasty. Plus, eating popsicles always takes a while, so you can kill time and hydrate simultaneously. :) good luck!
Which snacks to beat pre-dinner munchies/diet sabotage?
i definitely understand. i agree with past replies on drinking a big glass of water or diet carbonated drink or something that fills you up instantly. and then go about your business, opening mail, answering phone messages, etc. whatever you do normally when you return from home that doesn't involve food.
the other thing you can do is have a bowl of fruit salad ready and waitng for you in the fridge when you come home. it's easy to parcel out the fruit and it takes a while to eat while you're doing other stuff. the water in the fruit will fill you up and it's healthy!
good luck! :)
Help me choose a cold cereal!
Does anyone else get their mouth torn up into shreds after eating a bowl of grape nuts?
Burdick's closed for renovations-anything else???
Burdick's is online too!
http://www.burdickchocolate.com/
