onocoffee's Profile
DF Restaurants like Casa de Toño?
Haven't been there in awhile but La Buena Tierra sounds like it could be a good fit for you.
Frozen Custard
Don't want to step on anyone's toes but...
Overrun really has nothing to do with the classification of Ice Cream. Technically speaking, Ice Cream is anything over ten percent butterfat. Ice Milk is anything under ten percent butterfat.
The main differentiation between Ice Cream and Frozen Custard (besides the use of eggs) is the standard practice of Frozen Custard having a minimum 20% butterfat, as demonstrated by those stalwarts of Frozen Custard such as Kopp's, Ted Drewes, Leon's, Culver's and many others.
Overrun comes into play with the manufacture of the product. Batch freezers can churn product with over 100% overrun - meaning that if you place one gallon of product in the batch freezer (by volume), it will produce two gallons (or more) of finished product (by volume). Overrun is the incorporation of air into the mixture for greater yield, lightness and mouthfeel. An easy comparison is to take a pint of Edy's and compare it to Haagen Dazs.
Even if you took a premium ice cream, like Haagen Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, then compared it to something like Kopp's, the difference is also quite dramatic. The Kopp's is thicker and creamier because of the product contents.
Also, because of the higher butterfat content, specialized Frozen Custard batch freezers have been developed. One of the more famous brands is the Ross line - which was acquired not too long ago by Stoelting, a company considered amongst many operators to make the "Rolls Royce" of the soft serve ice cream freezers.
Good Corn Baltimore
Just had some really nice white corn from One Straw Farm this past week that I picked up at the Tuesday market at Kenilworth in Towson.
Where can I find Orange Crush with Sugar Cane (Mexican Orange Crush) in the DC area?
I don't recall if they even sell Orange Crush in Mexico. But their own brand is called Jarritos and there's a Mandarin flavor that's quite popular and available in the US at the local Latino Market.
One night in Baltimore - Cinghiale Osteria, Bluegrass Tavern, Jack's Bistro, Pazo or Woodberry Kitchen?
Cinghiale - haven't been there personally since they first opened but have recently heard good things.
Bluegrass - good joint serving nicely done southern specialties in a warm environment.
Jacks - the city's "sous vide" restaurant with interesting takes on steak, mac n cheese and guiness marinated burgers.
Pazo - went there a couple of months ago and found the food to be "meh". If tapas are your interest, Centro in Fed Hill is the better choice.
Woodberry - I go there all the time. Good food, rustic cuisine, nice setting.
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Cinghiale
822 Lancaster Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Centro
4838 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Pazo Restaurant
1425 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Three coffee places, London
Surprisingly, since my last visit to London two and a half years ago, things have greatly improved with coffee there. Many in the coffee industry will be in London this week for the Caffe Culture trade show and World Barista Championship - of which, the owner of Profrock Coffee, Gwilym Davies, is the current World Barista Champion.
Here's a link to some of the finest London coffee places:
http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com/2010-london-coffee-map.html
Good breakfast, coffee spots, wine bars near St. Dominique in the 7th
I stay on Rue Amelie and enjoy the almond croissants from the purple patisserie on Rue Grenelle, just around the corner from Rue Cler. Really quite good, as are the baguettes from the aforementioned Stephane Secco. Coffee is a little more difficult as I think the only place worth visiting is Solunas Cafe in le Marais, but the locally owned chain Columbus Cafe has a location on Rue St. Dominique in the neighborhood.
Brussels Frites near Train?
Heading to Amsterdam next weekend from London via EuroStar then Thalys. Will have an hour or so in Brussels between trains - any great frites places within walking distance of the train station (Bruxelles Midi)? Can also consider taxi ride if it's not too far and does not jeopardize our trip.
Thanks!
Honey Pig in Ellicott City, any early reports?
Went to Honey Pig last night and it was jammed. The line was out the door and the wait about 30 minutes. HP will be open 24 hours.
We had the spicy pork belly, bulgogi, galbi and brisket. Not bad but the flavors were on the lighter side and the side dishes were a bit wanting and not very plentiful. Comparing the food to Shin Chon, it falls a bit short. I think the food is tastier and more plentiful at Shin Chon.
But how many Korean places play modern American pop in a funky setting? Only Honey Pig. A great place for late night dining but not really the definition of Korean cuisine.
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Shin Chon
8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD
Sam's Kid
We went there the week the Baltimore Sun review came out and ended up there on a night that caught the restaurant off-guard. The food was pretty decent, but nothing outstanding and we haven't had the yearning to return since.
The really odd thing about the evening wasn't just the sloooow service but the fact that the owner was too busy canoodling with regulars hanging out at the bar, allegedly cooking in the kitchen and/or hanging out to be bothered to either run the food, greet us at the table or bus the tables.
We arrived around 8pm and there were only a couple of tables besides ourselves, however, about 80% of the remaining tables still had the serviceware remnants of the diners before us. Meaning the tables were stacked with dirty plates, glasses and silverware that no one bothered to bus and clean.
Admittedly, they were caught off-guard by the review and the resulting business, and while the only bartender/waitress on staff that night was busy running around like a chicken with her head cut off, the owner couldn't be bothered. The owner would bring the food to the bar and have the bartender/waitress run the plates to the tables. Never mind that the girl was already in the weeds, the owner was above actually serving food or clearing tables.
Which Burr Coffee Grinder Would You Recommend?
For home use, the Baratza really is the best deal. Bodum makes a burr grinder that's also pretty good for about $60. And Cuisinart has a grinder for $50 at most outlets (or $30 at my local Costco).
I've used pretty much all of them and used to have the Cuisinart as my home grinder, then I brought home a Bunn G1 commercial grinder, then when that went off to work, I started using the Baratza Virtuoso. Truly the Baratza is worth the money. The Cuisinart is very afforable but those burrs tend to crush the beans rather than slice them. The Baratza has conical burrs which give a more consistent (and therefore better brewed coffee) grind and is worth the stretch of your funds. You can expect the Baratza to last you the rest of your adult life.
inexpensive 240V induction cooktop?
The Cooktek is by no means "inexpensive" but if you check with a restaurant supply distributor, you might find that the cooktek's price drops a bit. If you buy from the manufacturer, they will charge you MSRP, but the distributor typically gives a sizable discount.
If you do go with CookTek, I doubt you will regret it. They are tops in quality and performance.
Induction stove, need griddle
I haven't used that particular pan, but I use cast iron (lodge, creuset and staub) on my induction burners (CookTek, Vollrath and Waring) all the time.
seek espresso repair for industrial machine at home in Balitmore
Call Bruce White of Perfect Brew Services in Baltimore: 845-656-8552
Anyone been to Dogwood since it reopened?
zebcook-
Saw your group cavorting in the window last night. Looked like you were having a good time.
Because of Zebcook's group, we ended up downstairs and had a nice time. Some of the aforementioned house made chips, the Winter Salad, the bleu cheese burger, maryland crab soup and the house made irish brown bread with sweet butter. Really enjoyable evening.
Help: What's the Right Countertop?
Over the years, I've used the gamut from formica to corian to concrete to stainless to wood and granite, but if you're looking for an authentic country feel, I think wood is the way to go. Wood looks great, though it can mar due to use - but that's part of the authentic look, isn't it?
Strange Rice Cooker Question
You've already been told that a bowl is not the best idea for your cereal, and since you want to minimize cleanup - have you given any thought to those plastic liners that are used in hotel pans? I think they make a consumer version but you should be able to source these hotel pan liners at any restaurant supply house.
It will take the boiling temperature of the rice cooker (or at least I surmise that it would) since the food is usually cooked and held in hotel pans. I've seen them touted that you can bake mac-n-cheese in them with lickety-split cleanup.
Of course, that brings the additional expense of the liners and the additional waste generation per day.
But really, if you're getting a new Zoji, most of them now have contoured baskets with a non-stick coating. I use my 12cup Zoji quite frequently and clean up is super easy because of the non-stick interior.
Volt, Table 21: A Return Visit
I would say that a comparison between Table 21 and Trotter's is a bit off since the approaches of both are quite different. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be between Alinea and Table 21 with similar approaches and similar number of courses. Or even Minibar in DC. Though I think T21 is quite dissimilar to all of them.
Immersion soup-cooler thing
Yes, really you can use anything. Those San Jamars are nice but even the smallest ones are pretty large for the home kitchen.
I presume you buy bottled water or soda in plastic bottles - just clean and rinse them thoroughly, fill 3/4 with water and freeze. When needed, just plunge them into your stockpot!
Chocolate tempering machines for home use...
Have you asked the folks at Quincaillerie Dante, or similar foodservice suppliers? They should be able to direct you.
where to get inexpensive frozen lobster
I'm guessing that any supermarket should have some kind of lobster in their frozen aisles. Or try an Asian market.
Volt, Table 21: A Return Visit
Maybe I'm not as sensitive as you but I agree that the partition between the two separate bathrooms isn't floor-to-ceiling. But does that put me off? Or does that lessen my privacy while using the facilities? I did not think so. Nor did I feel somehow invaded because of it.
While I didn't think the setup was meant to be "jolting," I did think that the interior design of the bathroom was incongruent with the rest of the space. The dining rooms tended towards a richer, luxurious environment and the bathrooms went towards ultra-modern.
Volt, Table 21: A Return Visit
Transgendered bathrooms? Are you sure you were at Volt? I've been there twice and there are two bathrooms separate for men and women.
Went to Table 21 this past August and really enjoyed it. Was wondering if they still have the very succulent beef tenderloin - and if it is still being plated on a very large plate? The beef I had was so tasty but took so long to plate such a huge plate (the depth of the table) that the corn puree started to develop a skin under the heat lamps. Hope that's been rectified.
Colombia - Ibague Recommendations?
Heading to Ibague tomorrow for a week. Looking for great places to eat.
Thanks!
Any place like Mini Bar?
I'd like to interject that merely because Table 21 and minibar use "the same" techniques, they are still vastly different. Yes, they both use industrial chemicals, hydrocolloids, sous vide, vacuum compression, liquid nitrogen and spherification, but that fact alone does not imply that they are similar or equal experiences - much in the same way that using boiling, frying, saute and roasting implies equal experiences from different restaurants and different chefs.
And I'm sorry JoeH, but your post doesn't read very lucid.
Cake Love: Opinions?
From practical experience though, I've found that buttercream lasts perfectly well at a stable room temperature and that there is no real need for refrigerating the cupcake - unless you're planning on holding the cupcake for up to ten days.
But for $3.50 a cupcake, I would expect that they would bake them fresh everyday... wouldn't you?
Cake Love: Opinions?
A friend was recently (yesterday) telling me that Cakelove's own staff was telling them that they hold their cakes refrigerated for up to ten days.
I haven't had a Cakelove cupcake since they opened the Baltimore location nearly two years ago - and there's a reason for that. $3.50 for something that wasn't fully cooked. And I thought Magnolia was overrated.
Glarus Chocolatiere
Been eating Glarus Chocolates for many years now - it was easy since their facility was close to my old shop. Really nice chocolates and really great people.
