I second that Asheville is a great hidden gem - a great weekend getaway from the heat and humidity of the low country south. The food options are pretty diverse, The Admiral (http://theadmiralnc.com/) is my favorite of the few restaurants I've been lucky enough to visit. I would definitely eat there again.

My college cafeteria used to serve a "Fiesta Chicken Lasagna," and it was delicious (disclaimer: delicious in the way that Taco Bell is delicious, not the way caviar and pate is, so targeted right at a college student's palette).

It was basically a chicken burrito, but in lasagna form - shredded chicken, sour cream, salsa, black olives, onions, lasagna noodles.

Stranded Yankee -

Good to see an old thread revived, as someone who's been eating subway for years (out of necessity, not desire, as it was the only place even relatively close to work), it was good to reminisce a little.

My fav is a chipotle chicken and cheese, with red onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes, then toasted, then more tomatoes, spinach, and banana peppers. Messy, but delicious.

I love Chipotle, but rarely have an opportunity to go there, so I don't have a "regular" order. I did just watch the Supertaster's review of the hidden menu "Quesarrito" (Burrito with with a quesidilla as the wrap) - Ingenious! I would call this the Mexican equivalent of stuffed crust pizza, and I can't wait to try it (I'm not a calorie counter like a lot of the posters here, although I probably should be ...)

I was surprised the first time I walked into the food section of Sam's Club. I had assumed that inexpensive, economy sized foods also meant cheap, poor quality, low taste. Right now I limit myself to a few staples and some fresh produce each trip, as I am very limited in storage space, but I hope to be moving soon, and with a basement (and hopefully basement 2nd fridge) hope to be able to do more shopping there.

The things I do currently buy are the spring-mix lettuce, bananas (about 2/3 the price of the grocery store, and sold by weight), and boxes of mangos (pre-sliced, 10 to a box, for about 6.99 - my vice).

My wife and I did most of the shopping for our wedding reception and rehearsal dinner there, drinks, plastic plates/utensils, deserts, breads, etc, and we saved a lot on all of it (we also bought way too much, I am still drinking cokes that I bought for our wedding).

I've seen Shad Roe advertised at the Annapolis Seafood Market's roadside sign on Forest Drive in Annapolis recently (http://www.aircrabusa.com/index.aspx). Not sure if you are looking inside the DC limits or not, as this might be a bit out of your way.

I've never had Shad Roe, how is it best prepared/cooked/eaten etc? Sounds like there are a few fans ...

Review of Caliente Grill, 907 Bay Ridge Drive, Annapolis
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calient...

I walked into this restaurant expecting a take out burrito type restaurant, and was mildly surprised to see a full bar in the back (no beer taps that I could discern), with about nine 4-person tables for a sit down meal. The tables were about half full, which I attribute to the recent grand opening. There were three T.V.s playing a soccer game on Fox Deportes with the sound on, which made the classical music also playing on the speakers placed throughout the room difficult to hear.

As soon as I sat down I was given a menu with sparse offerings, the typical chips and salsa appetizer, and was offered a beer. They carry the typical blue collar domestic and imported Mexican beers - Budweiser, Miller, Corona, Modelo, and Dos Equis to name a few. They also called out "made to order soft and hard Mexican drinks" on their menu, highlighting their Margarita, which I ordered. After a halting discussion in Spanish (you definitely want to bone up on your Spanish before dining here), I determined that they did not in fact serve Margaritas. Beer was $2.50 for domestic bottles and $3.50 for imported.

The salsa was not very good - probably the cheapest brand that can be bought in large quantities at Sam's Club, and the chips matched in quality. The menu options consisted of steak, chicken, and shrimp tacos, fajitas, tamales, mexican ribs, roasted chicken, and several other options. Prices ranged from $10-$15.

I ordered the steak and chicken fajitas, which came with refried beans, yellow rice, and pico de gallo. All tasted like they also came from Sam's Club. The meat, though not of great quality, was well seasoned and cooked very well. The portion, while smaller than you typically see, was still adequate.

The shining star of the meal were the two home made corn tortillas that came with the fajitas. They were just the right size to fit in your hand, and thicker than what you would find in the grocery store. Their thickness worked to their advantage - crunchy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, with a nice char like they had been placed over an open flame for a few seconds.

My overall impression is that this is a family owned and run establishment, and most of their startup money went to overhead of renting the space, outfitting the kitchen, and purchasing the plates, equipment, etc. that is necessary to run a restaurant without much left over to stock the fridge. While the chef is probably a very good cook in the comfort of his own kitchen, he probably has not had the practice and experience to master the commercial kitchen and the supply lines to go with it. I think that given time, the quality coming out of the kitchen will vastly improve, I just hope that they continue to get enough business to stay open long enough to get to the top of the learning curve.

The Smoke House is definitely a good option, one of a small handful of places in the immediate neighborhood for fine(er than takeout) dinning (and I know other parts of Annapolis are very close by). Been there a couple of times, place is always packed. I agree that it isn't the best BBQ around, but sometimes convenience does win out. One time I was convinced to try the brisket - I say convinced because I've never met a brisket I liked until this one, and it was delicious - it made me an instant brisket convert. One thing I will say is that they featured Full Sail Brewery beers, which I hadn't seen before. Very good beer. Noticed that Bay Ridge liquors next door has started carrying them.

As a 'hound whose favorite vegetable is tomatoes, I second your thoughts on use of out of season vegetables. I love tomatoes in all forms, and am often (successfully) tempted by dishes in restaurants that have raw tomatoes in them. I usually end up disappointed ...

Haven't had a chance to go there yet, but the fridge is starting to get empty, and with my SO out of town that usually means eating out. Taqueria Juquilita, across from Bay Ridge Liquors, is my go-to Mexican in the area, but I've also been meaning to try the food truck farther up Forest (in the California Tanning parking lot?) as well.

Does anyone know anything about the new restaurant that just opened on Bay Ridge next to the Little Caesars? I'm looking for something quick and easy for dinner tonight and saw that it was open, so maybe I'll go check it out. Just hoping that someone else might know something about it whether it's worth my time or not that spot has been very hit or miss lately.

K-man -

Glad to see you're a fellow supertaster fan. I used to live in your neck of the woods and got lots of great tips on where to dine - I think at one point you recommended Goma Tei as a good ramen place, it has since become one of my favorite restaurants, just wish it didn't take a 12 hour flight to eat there!

Mr. BT

While Burdicks does have good chocolates and very good gourmet hot chocolate, I wouldn't recommend stopping there while on a road trip because the amount of time you'll spend on the detour isn't worth it.

This sounds like a great venue for the Supertaster to delve into ... Wish I didn't just reveal my great get-rich-quick-by-doing-fun-stuff-and-quit-my-boring-day-job idea!

DrTomG -

Which BBQ sauce did you prefer? Were they vinegar based, tomato based, or a combination of the two (I assume that the honey mustard had no tomatoes in it).

I understand (through other forums) that you are an amateur BBQ sauce Alchemist and have gained some local repute. How would you rate these sauces against your own?

Mr. Big Time

As a bachelor I had the Sharper Image 4-in-1 Stainless Steel Grill - http://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/p.... I normally wouldn't buy kitchen tools from the Sharper Image (got this one as a gift), but it turned out to be pretty good. I have since donated this respectable multi-tasker to someone who will put it to better use (read: younger sister in med school), but occasionally wish I still had it around. I wasn't a waffle fan until a I got this and one day found a box of sweet potato waffle mix in the grocery store - delicious!

It has two waffle plates (top and bottom), two "ridged" plates for George Forman style cooking and panini making, and one flat plate for griddling. It can unfold to lie completely flat or close on itself.

When using it as a panini press, it can't support infinitely big sandwiches like a panini pan with separate press as I quickly found out (my paninis tend to start at the 8-10 inch range until pressed to 1-2 inches), and squeezing it down would cause some of the ingredients to slide out the side (note: placing the sandwich as far from the hinge as possible results in the least amount of sliding), but it is probably adequate for most normal appetites.

The temperature controls on this are fairly refined and useful.

Clean up is pretty simple - the plates are removable and dishwasher safe.

The one recommendation I would give to Sharper Image is to give two flat griddle plates instead of just one.

Mr. BT

Thanks for the responses everyone. My first impression of the area is that there is little in the way of good eats, but it sounds like there might be a few options worth making regular visits to. I'll investigate and let everyone know what I find.

Mr. BT

Are there any good restaurants, and more importantly, and good "hole in the wall" type places in the 16th Street Heights / Brightwood / Brightwood Park area? I'm thinking roughly from Emerson St north to Military Rd/Missouri Ave, 16th St east to Georgia Ave.

New to the area and ready to explore!

NCARA -

Thanks for the great recommendations. Only a couple of weeks until I head there, I am looking forward to some great meals. The meal that stuck with me the most the last time I was in the Caribbean (Nassau) was a simple breakfast of grits and sardines. Easy, local, and a wonderful flavor profile. Hopefully I can add some more this time, and I definitely look forward being able to provide some recommendations to the next ChowHounder that travels there.

Thats interesting, I haven't considered sangria. Could be made pretty easily, and the alcohol infused fruit will be more fun to eat than the fruit salad I'm planning on serving.

I will also be drinking beer with my BBQ!

Thanks for the replies. I was informed by my better half that I was being too stingy with my $10 price range, so if price wasn't an issue, what are everyone's recommendations?

Mr. BT

Hi -

I am hosting a semi-formal wedding rehearsal dinner with a BBQ theme - pulled pork, pulled chicken, and several sides. I will be serving a couple of types of beer as well as several non-alcoholic drinks. Several attendees prefer wine over beer. Does anyone have any suggestions on wines that go well with BBQ? I hope to not exceed ~ $10/bottle.

Thanks.
Mr. BT.

For the young chefs on a budget, I feel compelled to direct you to my favorite chef, Alton Brown (of the Good Eats era, not Iron Chef America era). On his show he constantly touted the benefits of multi-tasking tools/utensils, and wouldn't stock his tv show kitchen (which I believe was his actual kitchen) with anything that didn't serve at least two separate purposes.

Mr. BT

My personal motto is "If you're not making a giant mess, you're not cooking a delicious meal!" Also, I usually have a fairly hungry dog hanging around the kitchen ready to cleanup any shrapnel that makes it to the floor. I usually use my sanktou knife for transferring from cutting board to pan, however if I'm feeling feisty I'll dig out the dough cutter (is that the proper term?) from the utility drawer. Most of dough cutters I've seen have a handle that sticks out from the blade on both sides, making it difficult to "sweep" the blade along the board, however this one (which popped up when I googled dough cutter to see if that was the right name) is flush, and I bet that it works pretty well: https://www.google.com/products/catal...

Mr. BT

So I just got a BGE, and am ready to start the experience! What should I cook first in order to familiarize myself with the BGE? More importantly, do I need to do anything to "temper" the egg? I see on their website that they recommend breaking in the seal the first couple of times by keeping the temperature low, is there anything else I need to be doing?

Mr. BT

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to keep looking. My SO doesn't want a trip full of activities, however I do want to plan ahead for a few good meals.

Hi -

Myself and the future Mrs. BigTime will be honeymooning on Virgin Gorda in October. What are the must eats? Also, any recommendations and places to visit are much appreciated.

Thanks,
Mr. BT

I'm talking about chowhound.com t-shirts, etc to use as Christmas gifts. I can't find any on the site, so I assume they don't sell them, but maybe they should.

The slow cooker is my best friend for these types of things:

Slow cooker pulled pork - get a good quality rub, put it on a boston butt, and use a couple of drops of liquid smoke, and put it in the slow cooker on low all day. I like mine wet, and have messed around with different sauces to also cook in the slow cooker, but haven't found anything better than what comes out of the bottle yet.

I wouldn't really classify this one as "home made" but its simple and takes almost no active time:
Get one of those bags of assorted dried beans (or mix and match your own), and soak them over night. In the morning, strain, transfer to the slow cooker with a couple of cans of tomatos (add a can or two of the diced w/ green chilies for some spice) and cook on low all day.

Both of these keep really well during the week, and take very little time to make.

What does everyone think?