mjhals's Profile
Help! Quick question about cooking Peter Luger porterhouses
Hotynoodle- thanks so much, just what I needed! I'm not yet sure what type of oven it is- going to a friends apartment. I'm assuming electric. PL recommended 140 for rare, but you're right, I think I'll take at least one out around 125 for the folks that prefer a true rare (me), and leave the second a bit longer for the med-rare crowd (hubby).
great guide lines/times for the cook time- I really appreciate it!
Just finished the creamed spinach, which turned out amazing- so we've got that going for us so far! I'll let you know how the rest goes!
Help! Quick question about cooking Peter Luger porterhouses
I have two Peter Luger porterhouses I'm making for a dinner party tonight, and I need help with the estimated cooking time. I plan on following the cooking suggestions they include; which is to pre-heat the broiler for 1/2 hour (yikes!)' and then cook to desired doneness (we're aiming for rare at 140 degrees). But the instructions don't give an estimate for about how long this should take, and I'd like a rough estimate just for planning purposes. I will have an instant-read thermometer, but I'd like a good starting est., so that I'm not poking my hand under a hot broiler every few minutes, not to mention poking lots of unecessary holes in the meat.
FYI- the steaks are at least two inches thick, about two lbs each. Also, should I flip them through in the middle? The instructions don't say to, so I wasn't planning on it, unless instructed otherwise.
Thanks in advance for the help!
lamb shanks...roasted or braised?
Cast my vote for a braise as well. It's funny, I prepared lamb shanks two weeks ago, and pork shoulder this weekend- and I found the pork shoulder to be WAY fattier. In both cases though I made the meals a day in advance of serving, chilled them in the fridge, skimmed the fat and reheated before serving. I had maybe 1 cup of fat for the lamb and over 2 cups for the pork (probably more). And in both instances, I think the flavor improves with sitting overnight.
Near Union Station?
My vote is for Bistro Bis, if OP is willing to go a little higher on the price point. I'd suggest eating at the bar; they have a limited, but well-thought out bar menu, which would keep the price down. Plus, it can be a great DC scene AND they have the best steak tartare around.
Where to eat with one foodie and one vegetarian in Nova/DC
We recently had an amazing experience at Liberty Tavern- it was during restaurant week and they had the whole menu available. I think they may have extended RW, so it might still be going on. My husband had the gnocchi as his entree and it was amazing, and IIRC, I think it was vegetarian. I had a burrata app that was also excellent, and vegetarian. So my vote on this is for Liberty Tavern, I think it'd be perfect.
add-ons for a salad with lemon and dijon and garlicy, slightly sweet vinaigrette?
Crumbled goat cheese and/or hearts of palm-especially with the avocado.
Charging for cakes
Wow, if you feel so strongly (servers compared to slaves, really?), why in the world would you let them know it's your birthday and risk the painful singing? I hate it too, but there's a very easy solution- DON'T mention your birthday.
Trader Joes in Clarendon?
I think I need to get out more. My friend just told me TJ's opened today across from the Clarendon metro. Can anyone confirm? I live at Courthouse and haven't noticed a thing, how embarrassing.
"Continental breakfast" for Thanksgiving morning
That sounds like a great idea, and very inspiring- I hope to have something similar on hand for my visiting in-laws. As for a second bread item- what about pumpkin bread or similar tea loaf (like cranberry-orange, lemon-poppyseed, etc)?
I'd also suggest a plate of cold cuts and/or a bowl of hardboiled eggs, just to give some protein/savory options to round things out.
Sounds like a great idea- I hope to see other suggestions too!
last minute questions
I think those choices are excellent (save Founding Farmers- I had a bad service experience the only time I went there, so I never went back. Maybe consider some other nearby options like Ris, Blue Duck tavern (expensive), or Vidalia?).
You might want to check to make sure Tackle Box has re-opened, I know they had a fire this summer and were in the process of re-opening, just not sure if it's happened yet. Not a lot of other great options in Georgetown proper (although I like Bodega for tapas, you might be overloaded after Jaleo). You might want to consider a bit of a walk over the Key Bridge into Rosslyn for a Ray's Hellburger.
I love Liberty Tavern, it's one of my favorites in the metro area. You really can't go wrong and they change their menu seasonally, but they always have excellent home-made pastas with interesting seasonal accompaniements. They also always have roast chicken with mashed potatoes on the menu (the sauces/sides may vary a bit), and even though it's super-simple, the quality and preparation are excellent. I guess it's the opposite of adventurous, but it's great anyway!
-----
Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006
The Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
Vidalia
1990 M Street, Washington, DC 20036
Oya - menu recommendations?
They usually have a salmon dish on the menu with the sides changing for the seasons- I've gotten it twice and have been pleased both times. They actually serve it at the requested temp, which is important for me for salmon. The sushi to me has never looked that special. And I've never been at lunch, so I'm not sure if they have a similar deal then- but at dinner they have a three course price fixe for about 30, which a variety of choices (usually includes the salmon when I've been there).
Angry man not only stiffs on tip but steals tip jar.
Don't you think the waitress kind of lost the moral high-ground when she outed the wrong person? No one (without damn good cause) should get stiffed on the tip, but neither should anyone be publicly smeared for doing so- when it's the wrong guy!
I mean why are we talking about the "karma helper of social media" when some innocent guy got drug into this?
Arlington Area Eats?
I live right by Courthouse, so here are some quick suggestions:
Minh's on Wilson for great Vietnamese. I like their bun dishes and their escargot- which is not at all like traditional French, buttery escargot, it's more like loosely packed sausage. Which sounds bad when I write it, but it's really good! I've heard their pho isn't the best, so if you're looking for pho specifically, I'd head down Wilson to Pho 79.
In the same strip mall as Pho 79 is Ray's Hellburger, which should DEFINITELY be on your list, especially if you're wandering looking for lunch (just try to hit it either before or after the "normal" lunch rush as it gets busy). They have a bunch of fun toppings (foie gras, bone marrow), but if you're a traditionalist, I'd start with just the basics to enjoy the quality of the beef.
In addition to the burger place, "Ray" has a great steakhouse nearer to the Courthouse area- Ray's the Steaks on Clarendon. Great "bistro special" for about $30, for a first course (soup or salad- get the crab bisque, please!), hanger steak or salmon, then choice of dessert (best chocolate mousse in town).
Sawatdee is great for Thai- with a nice atmosphere- a step above your usual hole-in-the-wall mom and pops (not that there's anything wrong with that!) I like their yellow curry with roti.
Other suggestions for lunch- I like Earl's sandwich, especially their roast beef and cheddar on sourdough- most authentic sourdough I've had on this coast. I'm also a big fan of Fireworks pizza, especially their "soprano," with lots of mushrooms, onions and sausage.
Two other good choices for dinner are Liberty Tavern and Lyon Hall (same owners, I believe). Both are closer to Clarendon than Courthouse, but an easy walk. Liberty Tavern has a well-edited menu of classic American dishes (roasted chicken, good pasta dishes, roasted fish/meats), and Lyon Hall focus on Alsatian cuisine- I always love their salmon dish and the accompaniements change with the season.
Have fun!
-----
Minh's
2500 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
The Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
Sawatdee
2250 Clarendon Blvd Ste H, Arlington, VA 22201
3 days in DC... A little help
Hi djs- for an alternate suggestion in Georgetown, I'd recommend Bodega, a tapas place right on M street. I've never had a problem walking in after a movie, without reservations, and it's a sit-down place, but casual. I love the food (great tortilla espanol, short rib stuffed piquillo peppers, and their bread and olive oil is tremendous- and I'm not a big "bread person"), and the sangria is great too. I've never had a miss there; I think it's a good option for the heart of Georgetown where otherwise you can run into some real touristy duds.
For a fun place on Tuesday, I'd recommend Brasserie Beck for awesome food and a nice range of prices (I can make a meal of their mussels and frites and keep the total down, but they can also have some pricey specials). Fun, bustling atmosphere (I'd recommend a reservation). Alternatively, if you don't hit Bodega, I'd recommend Jaleo- Jose Andres' original tapas place. Since it's small plates you can keep the total down, although I always end up ordering a ton and then it gets pricey. Worth it though!
Have fun, you've got some great choices.
-----
Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
Mexican Suggestions for Northern Virginia
Since you're willing to drive- the suggestions provided so far are probably your best bets (I don't like to drive so have never been, fyi). But I just thought I'd throw out a suggestion in case anyone else is looking for more metro-accessible Mexican in NOVA.
I'm a fan of Guajillo in Rosslyn (right next to Ray's Hell Burgers). The food is excellent with high-quality ingredients, well-prepared. It's different from the SoCal Mexican I was used to growing up and I don't think it's Tex-Mex, so it's a little hard for me to define. For example, they have a seafood dish (scallops and shrimp, I believe- all very fresh) with a cream/tequila sauce (mariscos borachos maybe?), and they have an excellent skirt steak too, great flavor. And even though not traditional, I LOVE their sangria.
Anyway, just thought I'd cast my vote for Guajillo as a metro-accessible contender. In fact I think I'll head back this week, it's been awhile!
-----
Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209
Carded in our Mid 50s!
Agreed about the military being strict about alcohol, and you're right, there is absolutely no alcohol permitted in our CENTCOM (Middle East) theaters. There's a General Order (GO #1) prohibiting alcohol, sex, porn and civilian clothes in theater.
But you generally won't get court-martialed for a violation, instead you're looking at what's called "non-judicial" punishment- essentially an Article 15 or a reprimand. Still, it's enough to ruin a career and cost some fines and hard labor.
It's not an easy 15 months, and I personally think the general public at times loses sight of the sacrifices our military makes.
Carded in our Mid 50s!
In my experience (stationed over in Germany for 3 years), that's not entirely accurate because it depends on the definition of "drinking and driving." I know of MANY U.S. Servicemembers who were pulled over by the German polizei, administered a breathalyzer and blew around around a .05 - .08, and who just received an "infraction" or ticket from the German authorities but were then more severely punished by the U.S. military. Generally speaking, it takes a higher BAC for German officials to consider it "drinking and driving."
Less Fattening Pesto Sauce?
I do the same as katecm, but use frozen green peas instead of artichoke hearts. Just boil until thawed and bright green, then strain and dump right into the food processor with the basil. Sometimes I include the parmesan and nuts (again, sometimes the traditional pine nuts, but I've also had success with walnuts and pistacchios), other times it's just peas and basil. Depending on what consistency you're looking for, I thin kmine with chicken broth or water from the peas.
It's by no means authentic pesto, obviously, but I love the texture and the mild, sweet flavor of the peas paired with the bright flavor of the basil. I usually make a big batch and then freeze it to use again in the depths of winter for a quick hit of summer.
Looking for quick tips for this weekend in the French Quarter
You guys are great! Thanks so much! We are having and amazing time here. Just a quick check in, I'll add a full report when we're done. Last night was a total success. We started early at Acme with a half dozen fresh oysters and a half grilled. By far the best oysters I've ever had. I had no idea oysters could be so HUGE and juicy and succulent. Great start. From there we headed to Mr. B's (I'd called for a reservation, good thing too because it was packed by 6 and they were turning people away) and hubby had the bbq'd shrimp. So good, really an amazing dish, and wonderful with the bread (I'm embarrassed we went through 2 loaves!) One small caveat- it's not a big serving for the price- $26, but as we were sampling dishes at various spots, it was perfect for our purposes.
From there we went to Carousel bar, and that was quite an experience. Such a wonderful, classic bar. I had an Americano and hubby had a brandy punch as his "dessert". Great cocktails, and even though I'm not one for hard alcohol, I really liked the Americano, great spicy notes. From there we had to walk it off a bit and went down Bourbon to Frenchman street. Our intent was to stop at 3 Muses as rec'd on a thread, but it was packed so we went next door to a bar called Maison, I think? Just had drinks there (a rum punch for me- good, but SO sweet!, I could only drink a few sips), but they had a great live band that was a lot of fun.
So it was perfect night! Today we've hit Cafe du Monde (for the record- I am NOT a fan, the beignets were great, as reported, but the service and just overall system there was terrible, almost more than I could handle. We stuck it out, but I was uncomfortable almost the entire time). Followed by lunch at Bayona. This was amazing- I love their Saturday "light lunch" option- I wish more places portioned their meals like this! I had the best piece of salmon I've probably ever had in my life. I bought the cookbook and am looking forward to trying out some recipes. Service here was amazing! So friendly and conscientious. Just a note- we reserved on Opentable and noted we'd like to sit in the courtyard- a request that was granted with no problem.
Thanks all! On to more eating- Restaurant August tonight, then CP tomorrow. Love the tip on Napoleon House, we'll try to swing by there tomorrow night.
-----
Napoleon House Bar & Cafe
500 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Restaurant August
301 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Looking for quick tips for this weekend in the French Quarter
Good morning New Orleans board- our trip to NO is approaching this weekend, and I'm pretty excited! Have been quietly searching this board for months for recs, and as a result we have lunch reservations on Sat. at Bayona, dinner on Sat. at August, and Sun. brunch at Commander's Palace. What I'm looking for now are suggestions for kind of a bar-crawl/sampling (with no reservations needed) for Fri. night- I kept that night open to just go with the flow, but I'd like some tips so I can spot a chowish spot vs. a tourist trap.
Some parameters: we're staying at the Ritz in the French Quarter, so we'd like to take off on foot from there and explore the FQ. Ideally, I'd like to hit a couple of spots in search of things like; the best fresh oysters, best bbq shriimp, ettoufee, gumbo, jambalya, beignets, etc. In addition to restaurants, we'd also like to mix in some bars to try some "classic" NO drinks (I'm a little fuzzy here on what that might be- more of a wine drinker- so rum punch?, sazerac?, etc). Basically, when I step foot out from of my hotel, anything I place I should look out for? We'll walk quite a bit, so farther away is fine.
No price/budget limits (although since the rest of the trip is pretty upscale, I'd like to try some more casual offerings on Fri), but I'm not a big fan of crowded/touristy/college bars. Thanks so much in advance- this board has already been great for planning purposes.
-----
Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Fructose is toxic - your thoughts?
From my experience- walking absolutely works. I've gotten into the best shape/weight of my life by walking. I now walk for my commute (including at lunch), and it's made an incredible difference in my shape. Chowser is right- the key is to find something you like. I love it, so I can commit to about 4 miles a day.
I'm in MUCH better shape now than I was when running every day and training for a half-marathon (from 135/140 lbs to 125). Oh, but I also strength train, and I definitely attribute some of the success (especially muscle tone) to that as well. But the combo of both, for me, has been as effective as a more intense type of exercise.
Snickers Peanut Butter (Squared)
alka- sorry it's taken me so long to report back, but trust me, jelly bellies/beans have been on my mind. They seem to always be on my mind. Anyway, I've been keeping an eye out at WF in Clarendon for the jelly beans and they seem to be gone! I know there are certain things that aren't always stocked (the homemade marshmallows always seem to come and go), but the jelly beans have just disappeared. I haven't seen them since I posted, and I've returned several times throughout the week.
I did, however, just see a bag at Trader Joes (looked seasonal for Easter), with lots of tropical flavors in the mix. I didn't pick up a bag since I dislike mixes, but they're probably a better price than WFs, especially if they have a post-Easter discount. Good luck on the jelly bean hunt my friend.
Snickers Peanut Butter (Squared)
alka- where in our area (NOVA/DC) do you go for your jelly belly fix? This is a little embarrassing, but I have my favorite purveyors (yes, I eat A LOT of jelly bellies). The best place, in my experience, is the little candy/dried fruit joint on the top (or 3rd?) floor of the Ballston mall. Their prices are relatively cheap for jelly bellies and they seem to have pretty high turnover (maybe due to me...) so they seem consistently "fresher". My other option is the candy shop at the shops at Georgetown, but they're more expensive and usually stale(ish).
Ok, since I'm apparently all-in on the jelly bean tips today- you might also try Whole Foods for some of the fruit flavored jelly beans. I saw containers in the bakery/treat area and tried the pomegranite (great texture, good flavor, just not sure if it was true "pomegranite"), but I think they may have mango as well, and some others.
Crap. Now I want jelly bellies.
I have almond paste!
I made a bakewell tart several weeks ago that I thought was really good. The filling called for about 8 oz almond paste, spread over a thin layer of strawberry jam in a tart. I loved it, it was really light tasting with good almond flavor slightly cut by the brightness of the jam. I don't have the recipe here, but I can copy it when I get home if you like. It's from Nick Maglieri's book "Bake!"
What are you baking these days? Part XVI/16 3/19/11 [old]
I just made it last night, with the called for amount of sugar, and yup- it's sweet. I love it! I can't wait to see if it gets sweeter. I have a serious sweet-tooth, so that's a definite selling point for me.
What are you baking these days? Part XVI/16 3/19/11 [old]
Oh wow. This was great. Really, really great. I wanted to drink the batter by the cupful. I actually probably would have, but hubby was right there watching me, thank god. This recipe turned out perfectly- it even smelled amazing (I did use about 1/4 a vanilla bean, and that was just right, imo). I think I had to bake it slightly longer than the last 35 min the recipe called for, but not by much.
I served it with strawberry compote and whipped cream- hubby's favorite combo- I'm definitely in the mood for summer now! Hubby votes this as his new favorite experiment (but he ALWAYS says that!), but I tend to agree. This will certainly be in my rotation now as a go-to dessert for company/hostess gift. Super easy to make too, and the clean-up was easy. I'm a believer!
What are you baking these days? Part XVI/16 3/19/11 [old]
Whew, I think I've finally been to gym enough to counteract the effect of those brownies last week, and I'm ready to have another dessert in the house. This pound cake looks great, and I think I have all the ingredients (thanks for the tips, I have a vanilla bean to sub for the paste, have to look into that some time though...) Will let you know how my version turns out tonight!
Dinner and drinks in DC with the parents
Thirded. I just went back on Saturday, and was reminded how good BB is. The food was outstanding! I had the sweet bread/risotto appetizer and it was really superb quality. Hubby had the sunchoke soup with chicken confit (a special), and it was great as well. I don't usually order my own dessert- but I couldn't resist since they had my favorite (a bread pudding) on the menu. Totally worth the calories, the vanilla sauce alone was enough to make it a winner in my book. Great service as well. After Saturday, they jumped back up to the very top of my DC go-to list.
Dessert??
I just had an amazing bread pudding at Brasserie Beck last night. I don't usually think of them first when I think of "dessert places", but there were a TON of interesting options on Saturday night, to include a few specials that sounded great. Other memorable desserts I've had off-hand have been the sticky toffee pudding at Againn (about a year ago, so not sure if they still have it), and I'm always a fan of Rays the Steaks chocolate mousse (they have white, dark and milk- milk is the best IMO, with a hint of caramel taste). As a bonus- the entrees are great at these places as well.
-----
Brasserie Beck
1101 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
