legant

DR.com Volunteer Activity DC Central Kitchen Monday, December 24, 2007 9:00 to Noon Participating: legant SrtaJRosa BrettAshley01 + 1 DirtyMartini Kitkatpaddywak Marcus Aurelius Volunteering Guidelines: To work in the kitchen volunteers must wear: * long pants * closed-toed shoes * shirts with sleeves (short sleeves are okay, tank tops are not) * a hat or other head covering (hairnets are provided) * midriff shirts are not allowed A 9:00 a.m. orientation is given for morning meal preparation volunteers. Please arrive by 8:45 a.m. so that we may begin on time. Morning volunteers are welcome to join us for lunch at 12:00 pm Locker space is limited; please try to travel light. DC Central Kitchen is not responsible for the loss of personal property. Location: DC Central Kitchen is located on the ground floor of the Federal City Shelter at 425 Second Street NW. The Federal City Shelter is a three story gray building on the southeast corner of Second and E Streets NW. Please note that the Central Kitchen cannot be entered from Second Street. The entrance to the Central Kitchen is at the back of this building, down the service road off of E Street NW and is marked by a large sign. It looks like a service/delivery entrance. Getting there: Parking is not available at DC Central Kitchen although there is metered street parking and several lots nearby. Visit DCCK's web site for a description of parking options and driving directions. Metrorail: Judiciary Square: Take the Red Line to the Judiciary Square stop. Exit onto Fourth Street NW, and turn around at the top of the escalator. Walk to E Street NW and take a right onto it. Stay on E Street, crossing 3rd St. and 2nd St. Turn right onto the service road, just behind the building. Union Station: Take the Red Line to Union Station. As you exit the metro stop, take a right and proceed downhill toward Massachusetts Ave. Turn Left at the corner of North Capitol St. and Massachusetts Ave. Walk 1 block and turn right onto E St. NW. Walk 2 1/2 blocks west toward 2nd Street NW. Turn left onto the service road off of E St NW between 1st St. NW and 2nd St. NW.

Pat: You just made my day! The only difference between my concoction and the Oakland Press recipe: cooking the puff and the different seasonings. Gawd! Yesterday was a good day! There's hope for me yet!

Salmon pot pie w/ leeks and shitakes Pain au chocolat 2006 Champalou Vouvray Music: Carmen McRae; Sarah: Dedicated To You [Major procrastination mode today: came across a Cook's Country recipe for a salmon-leek pot pie. Unfortunately, my Cook's Illustrated login does not work with Cook's Country. In a fierce effort to clean out the fridge/freezer – I got rid of salmon, a leek, some puff pastry and cream – and avoid doing any actual work, I decided I was going to "wing" it. With help from several, more experienced cooks, I came up with the following: Sautéed sliced leeks and shitakes; added and burned off some white wine. Cubed and seasoned (Old Bay) salmon fillet. Mixed all with a sorta thick Béchamel (because… as I was reminded… the vegetables and fish will release liquid while cooking. Which explained the smoke coming from the oven.). Placed in casserole and topped with puff pastry. Baked for 20m at 425, then 5m at 400. Really quite simple. And… pretty darn tasty at that. Although I'm quite proud of myself , I really do need to thank mktye, cjsadler, and zoramargolis for suggestions and hints.]

Yes... I can identify. It's been one of those weeks.

Covington is the place to go! From my sister (mother of two... who has had more than her share of Chipotle... and surely appreciates date night ) in Cincy: Did you check out OpenTable? Granted, they only list 9 restaurants...

No need to worry: Grover will be there. She's dr.com's "unofficial" Korean food ambassador. She hasn't steered us wrong yet.

With caffeine and nicotine at hand, I've been staring at the computer screen, trying to come up with something- anything- to describe why I had asked Ferment Everything to write the December blog. Was it because of the home brewery? Or, the cooking for a crowd he does so effortlessly? Or, the smoker in his basement? (He smokes pork, people! Minds out of the street!) Or, was I trying to curry favor so I would be invited over for dinner? Yup- all of the above. But take a look at some of his posts. Fer chris'sakes! He makes his own cheese! The man is a Jack-of-All-Trades! Yet, he seems to wing it. So, it comes as no surprise that his blog will focus on "stuff." That's all I know folks: stuff. [However, I am privy to Thursday's entry. And, let's just say, I'm hoping for an invite. FE: call me! 202-456-1414] Ferment Everything will be documenting his cooking and dining and eating experiences today until Friday.

Regarding the original article: Are these legit drinks, specifically the Saratoga. Or, will I be thrown out of the bar by a laughing bartender?

Second article: So what's left for those of us "hovering around 50"? Other epicurean magazines, as described by Editor in Chief: Cooking Light... which is about fear: What can I eat without killing myself? Martha Stewart's Every Day Food... that's not how I want to live my life. Food & Wine... is really about New York chefs and restaurants. Gourmet... a campaign about food for thought.

Second! If you want to make a truly good impression on folks go to Dino. The food has been consistently good and I'm oft greeted... by wait staff, bussers, barkeep... as a distant relative who really should stop by more often. Whether dining with a group or semi-solo at the bar, I couldn't ask for a better dining experience.

Perhaps Station 9?Kitchen Nightmares is on my "must see" list. Unlike HK, I've learned more about what to expect from a restaurant in terms of service, freshness, decor, menu and such.

Congrats, U-bet, on your first post! One question: did you ask about the HH price discrepancies when you paid up? Or, did you just pay the tab?

So... this looks like a "no-go." Perhaps a "Zen" potluck and slumber party would be more appropriate for the DVD release.

[Name tags, folks. We need name tags!] In my book there are two components for a "great" dining experience: good food and good company. Tonight, both were in abundance. Thanks to Gillian & Robin & staff for the former and to Don for the latter. This was truly a "great" evening.

I picked up a sparking rose at the suggestion of the folks at Calvert-Woodley.

James Barber, TV chef (The Urban Peasant) and cookbook author, has died. Okay - the flavors will surely have had sufficient time to meld. Do you adjust the seasonings before or after calling 911? Or, do you wait and offer a bowl to EMS?

What's with the Italians and truffles? December 2007: One of the biggest truffles (1.5kg/3.3lb) found in decades has fetched $330,000 (£165,000)... November 2005: A truffle weighing 1.2kg (2.6lb) has sold for 95,000 euros ($112,000; £64,000) at an international charity auction in Italy. Knick knack paddy whack... give that dog a very big bone

I'm sure I'm gonna regret this, bt add me to that list, under the "no way am I eating that!" column. You can call it carpaccio... or marvel at the high fat content: I just won't eat raw meat. Medium rare is pushing my boundaries.I know: my loss. Yet there is now one extra seat available. Enjoy!

tortellini pasta fagioli w/ spinach* texas toast Raspberry Zazz *Comfort food redefined

Different sort of question... I need to make a vegetarian alternative of a breakfast dish: herbed crepes w/ smoked salmon, chives, cream cheese and radishes. I'm looking for something simple, something else that I can substitute for the smoked salmon to the existing ingredients to make the crepes veggie friendly. I thought about: tart apples, cukes, strawberry preserves. Or, would simply a cream cheese and radish crepe satisfy the veg? Any other suggestions?

Just an update: So far I have two takers (brettashley +1) for December 24 at DCCK; anyone else interested?I have heard from several folks that they would like to participate in some sort of group volunteer activity, but the holiday season is bad timing. I'll investigate future opportunities at DCCK and Program for Homeless Women and post here.

To my best CSA buddy, ScotteeM: Happy Birthday!

Here's a direct link to the group photo. This post directs you to iamthestretch's slideshow of the evening. (You need to be a registered eGullet member to view the slideshow.)

Any interest in a dr.com outing to see this documentary that explores the "principles of Zen Buddhism as they apply to the preparation of food as well as life itself." One week only (starts Friday, December 7) at the E Street Cinema Suggested date and time: Sunday, December 9 @ 4:00-ish. Dinner afterwards. Post here.

Just in case you need an excuse