OldSchool's Profile
Wine shops in the Albany, NY area with good selection of NY wines
I'm planning to be in the Albany area this summer and would like to buy a nice selection of Finger Lakes and other NY wines. I'd appreciate recommendations for wine shops with knowledgeable staff. thanks for your help.
Where can I buy bucatini in DC?
I expect Litteri's would carry it.
A. Litteri, Inc.
517-519 Morse Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
(202) 544-0184 Store
New Bangladeshi place in Arlington
Do they have seafood on their menu? I'm thinking that because Bengali food is known for its seafood dishes, they might do a better job on those than on what appeared to be the common North Indian dishes you ordered.
Anywhere I can find British style bacon and sausage?
This place might be what you're looking for. Looks like they import the sausages and other products.
http://www.thebritishpantry.us/
BBQ Pork Shoulder on my Weber
Thank you for your response. What do you use the drippings for?
I subsequently did an 8# pork butt that took 23 hours. That was a little too old school, even for me!
My pecan pie did not set up properly.
Can't overcooking the pie also result in a more liquid filling? I haven't made the ATK recipe; I use the one on the back of the Karo syrup bottle (but use double the weight of pecans). That recipe says to pull the pie when the filling is something like 200 degrees. Since I began using the instant-read to measure doneness, I've not had an under/overcooked pecan pie.
pizza problem
Here is a technique developed by J. Kenji Alt that I have used with very good results. Details are on the web. Essentially,
Heat a cast iron pan till very hot. Lay the pizza crust in the pan. Put on a thin layer of sauce/cheese/toppings. Put under broiler until cheese is bubbling and you have sufficient char on the crust. Then back to the stovetop to cook the bottom till done. Whole cooking process takes me 5-8 minutes.
Classic Cocktail Book?
I like a book by David Wondrich called, "Esquire Drinks". It's not exhaustive but there are lots of classic cocktail recipes and he's a pretty funny writer. He's written some other books that you might find of interest.
What kind of citrus tree??
I'm quite sure it is a hedgeapple
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgeapple
I don't believe the fruits are edible.
Solid Korean BBQ, nice atmosphere?
"Vit Goel" on Twinbrook Pkwy (Rockville) for good tofu soups but they also have decent galbi and bulgogi. Pleasant atmosphere. "Hwa Gae Jang Tuh" on Veirs Mill Rd., north of Twinbrook Pkwy (Rockville) for the std. stuff. I thought it was quite good, also pleasant atmosphere and it's near a Shilla bakery.
You may also consider the little fast food places in the Korean mkts (Korean Korner- Rockville, HMart-Wheaton, Lotte-Silver Spring). Kind of hectic but the food is good. There's a restaurant next to Korean Korner that I've never tried.
I've only tried Woomi Garden's lunch buffet and I thought it was good.
Are Ghost Peppers Actually Used in Indian Cooking?
I was in Assam in July and know that ghost peppers are used in pickles. The season was ending when we were there and we were staying with relatives so we didn't go to any restaurants. However, I believe they are also used in curries and other preparations.
I'm not surprised that the peppers are used in Bengali/Bangladeshi cuisine; many Bengalis went to Assam to work in the tea gardens. I believe these peppers are are native to northeast India so I wouldn't expect them to be known in Bangalore or Hydrabad, both of which are in the far south of the country.
I found it interesting that these pepper plants can grow 5 ft. high. Eggplants grow surprisingly tall too.
I don't think bhut jolokias are used in US restos for two reasons: it's too hot for most palates and the flavor is different from the chilis Indian chefs use. They have a fruity flavor reminiscent of habaneros.
Seven Seas - Rockville
Sorry for hijacking this thread but I live close to Tony Lin's and have wondered about the food there. Wondering hasn't led to dining as we pretty much stick to a rotation of Joe's, A&J, New Kam Fong, and that dim sum place in Gaithersburg.
What would you recommend @ Tony Lin's? thanks
Need help with my steak!
I saw one of the Cook's Illustrated shows and what they did was to put a mix of baking soda (for drying) and salt (for seasoning) on the meat and put it in the freezer for 30 min. Then they cooked it on high heat.
In their magazine they've reported that as you cook beef, certain enzymes act to tenderize it until the meat reaches a temp of something like 125. So, if you can keep the temp below that for a while, you'll have a more tender steak. That seems consistent with the advice royalpresence was given.
Currently, my procedure is to bake the steak in a low oven until it reaches a temp of 95, then a quick sear on both sides in a cast iron pan till a temp of about 130, then rest it for 10 min. I've been happy with the results.
CI also wrote that there is a range of quality within the "Choice" grade. Look for a steak with the most marbling.
Good luck.
Ethiopian with basket tables?
Addis Ababa in Silver Spring has traditional tables. i enjoyed the food too.
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Addis Ababa Restaurant
8233 Fenton St, Silver Spring, MD 20910
FRESH BREADFRUIT
I saw these last week at the HMart in Gaithersburg (Lost Knife Rd.).
2 Hour Turkey???
I have and found that the meat was not as tender as when I cook at around 325 with a blast of high heat near the end to brown the skin. There are two techniques I've used to get a faster cooking, yet tender turkey:
1. Cook on a Weber kettle grill. I think the shape of the grill has something to do with it. The kettle temp stays in the 300-350 range.
2. A Julia Child technique- Remove the legs and butterfly the body. Cook on a big sheet pan @ 325.
In all cases with cooking meat, I let it rest so the juices redistribute throughout the meat.
BBQ Pork Shoulder on my Weber
Hi Woodburner,
thank you very much for explaining this technique. I did a 6.5# pork butt on my Weber 22.5 kettle and the results were terrific. Great bark, moist, smoky meat. Dressed with sauce I bought from Wilber's Barbeque in Goldsboro, it was a real winner.
I was amazed at how stable the the temperature was. Maybe because outside temps were in the 70s, the kettle stayed at around 225 for 8 hours. Not surprisingly, I wanted to do it "old school" so I did all the cooking on the Weber. It took about 17 hours and I ended up preparing a little over two fuses or slightly over 100 Kingsford briquettes.
My question for you is why the fuse only goes 3/4 of the way around instead of all the way around. Is it because the kettle temp would end up too high?
thanks for your help.
What would you buy with $100 on Amazon?
I recommend a Thermapen instant read thermometer. It's supposed to be the best on the mkt. I don't have one yet but I do use my cheap instant read for a variety of apps (pies, breads, meats, fish, beer making, canning). I think a good thermometer is a key to success for many dishes.
BBQ--looking for the best
I highly recommend Dale's on the west side of Indian Head Hwy about 5 mi. north of Indian Head, Md. The ribs are smoky, moist, simply seasoned, and are carefully cut (they don't hack the ribs in such a way that you risk your cheek being impaled by a shard of bone). The sauce is nothing special but I don't think you need it anyway. A friend and I have tried most of the well regarded barbeque places in southern Md and we have found Dale's to be reliably excellent.
Fish Tacos?
I was at Tortacos in Gaithersburg a few days ago and the son of the owner said they are now serving fish tacos. I didn't try one since I was hankering for the carne asada and al pastor. I am sure they will be very good since everything else I've had there has been excellent. Not an upscale place though. Maybe Baja Fresh-like but smaller and calmer. You order @ the counter and take the food to your table.
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Tortacos
9629 Lost Knife Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
NYC to Delhi - In search of delicious dinners, fab lunches and lots of snacks in between!
My wife is from Delhi, so we might have been going to less well-known areas than you. We used auto rickshaws, black and yellow cabs, but mainly "radio" A/C taxis (the white cabs; you call the company, tell them where you want to go or how long you need the driver and negotiate a price). It was rare that we didn't need to provide directions to our destination. We would also frequently find that the A/C in the "A/C" taxis didn't work so we would have to argue the fare down. That was a pain but easier for us since my wife speaks Hindi.
I think the reason why a detailed map is a worthwhile investment is because they are not commonly used there. I found that w/o a map, it was the blind leading the blind, particularly if one was straying from the common tourist destinations.
Where can I buy Muscadine grapes near Nova?
Muscadines are a southern grape. I know they are very common in NC. I have only seen them in the DC metro area being sold in front of people's houses in southern Maryland. I think your best bet would be to try a farmer's market.
I recently ate a grape called "Jupiter", which has a very nice, muscat aroma. You might want to give these a try. Probably also only available at a farmer's market.
NYC to Delhi - In search of delicious dinners, fab lunches and lots of snacks in between!
I just got back from Delhi after a one month stay. Ate at a lot of mid-priced restaurants. Here are my suggestions:
1. Saravanna Bhavan- agree w/ tex.s.toast that this place is great.
2. Al Kauser- intersection of SP Marg and Kautilya Marg in Chanakyapuri as well as a couple of other places. Known for kakori kebabs. It's an unusual varierty of kebab, just melts in your mouth. The burrah kebab is very good too. Take out only
3. Jammu and Kashmir House- also on Kautilya Marg and is run by the state of Kashmir. Authentic and good. Limited menu
3. Goa Niwas- Chanakyapuri. This is a state house run by the Goan government and is primarily for government business. However, the restaurant is open to all. Food was delicious and authentic. Seafood was fresh and pork dishes were terrific.
4. Food Chowk in the DLF Mall in Saket- You might give me the fisheye for recommending a food court. However, this is not like the food courts here. This is a separate structure in a gigantic mall complex. Under this roof are branches of some of the best known restaurants in Delhi. Karims is here, as are Nizam's, Moti Mahal, and Nathu Sweets. There is this tandoori restaurant near the restrooms which had incredible Peshawari-style barbequed chicken legs. There are restaurants serving food from different parts of India (Goa, Maharastra, Rajastan, Hyderabad, etc.). The way it works is you give your money to the cashier and get a card with that amount on it. You then go to the different stalls, order your food, and they swipe the card to deduct the price of the food. If you have a balance after you're done, you go to the cashier and cash in the card. You'll miss the ambience of say, Karim's in Old Delhi, but you'll get to sample hygienically prepared food from many different well-regarded restaurants.
My last comment is not food related, just general advice if you're in Delhi. The city is so crowded and there are so many vehicles, that it can take a lot longer than one expects to reach a destination. That's another reason why this Food Chowk can be a good option. While this may not apply to you, the other thing I would suggest if you're going to use taxis to get around is to invest in a detailed map of Delhi (I used the one published by Eicher).
Most cab drivers only know how to get to a few locations, CP, India Gate, the 5 star hotels, the airport. If you're going someplace different, they'll wander around clueless until they get lost and will then ask directions of people on the road. There's a 100% chance that those people will respond with directions but only a 40% chance that those directions will be right. A map will help you guide the driver.
Of the 20 or so cab drivers we used, there was only one that really knew where he was going. A real professional, he had more than 30 yrs experience driving in Delhi, his cab was clean, he was clean, the A/C worked, and he could even tell us what sites we were passing. .
Cinchona bark powder?
On the Post website, the recipe for Todd Thrasher's tonic water states that La Cuisine in Alexandria can special-order this powder. Maybe they have some in stock. Ph. is 703-836-4435.
Need seafood (or any) recs for Ocean City, Maryland
I have been going to OC for 25 years and am regularly disappointed by the quality of the food, esp. seafood. There are some threads on this board about OC recommendations; I would pay particular attn to those comments by Joe H.
We've found two good seafood places: Captain's Galley in West OC (good crabcakes, view of water, may have been one of Joe's recommendations) and BJ's on the Water in OC. CG is more laid back.
Quick Taco report - TECC & La Placita
Thank you for reporting on Tortacos. After eating tacos in Tucson, I was eager to eat them here. I went to Taqueria La Placita several times and enjoyed the food but the ride from Rockville to Riverdale was too long for me to become a frequent visitor.
I went to Tortacos yesterday and had the carnitas, al pastor, and asada. All delicious. The al pastor was particularly flavorful and I enjoyed the crusty bits. The space was attractive and clean.
I spoke to the son. They've been plowing their money back into the business and haven't been able to do much advertising, so have been relying on word of mouth. If you live in MoCo, I certainly think this is a place worth visiting.
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Taqueria La Placita
5020 Edmonston Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20781
Tortacos
9629 Lost Knife Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
recipe for hajapuri (spelling??)
Nigella Lawson has a recipe in her book, Feast.
http://www.mrmenu.net/discus/messages/61313/50932.html?1159867278
I've made it and thought it was very good. It was thicker than the one shown in your picture. It has butter, though. I suppose you could replace the butter with a lesser amt. of shortening.
Butter Burgers!!! (?)
Cooks Illustrated did a recipe on this. It calls for grinding sirloin tips, freezing in a layer till very firm, drizzling melted butter on top so butter forms little globules, making into patties, searing on both sides, then baking in 300 degree oven till done. I haven't tried it yet.
English breakfast in DC
The Irish Inn at Glen Echo advertises a "Traditional Irish Breakfast" on its Weekend Brunch Menu. I don't know if there's a big difference between the Irish and English versions but it appears to include the items your friend wants. It's a pretty place, too.
http://www.irishinnglenecho.com/
Home Beer Brewing--good or bad idea?
I bought my kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It's a good, basic setup. However, I've supplemented it over time. In particular, I bought a hydrometer, a mini auto siphon, and an instant read thermometer (when you do all grain batches, you need to monitor the temp and an instant read lets you do that w/o letting too much heat out of the steeping vessel).
I live close to a couple of home brew shops, so I probably could have come up with my own kit for less $.
If you do start brewing, I suggest you read Palmer's online beer brewing guide. Lots of good info. Brooklyn Brew's instructions were decent but I liked Palmer's more detailed instruction. I have also gotten good advice by looking through http://www.homebrewtalk.com/
Good luck
