ScotteeM

I got my piece of sablefish at the Whole Foods in Springfield. I don't recall ever seeing it before, and I haven't seen it since. However, Whole Foods does say (at least they used to) that you can request a specific fish and if their purveyors have it, they'll get it for you within a day or two.

I'll vote for Taste of Tandoor. I had lunch there once last summer with a friend, and I enjoyed their food.

What Paula said! I'm sorry--I meant to respond to this post much sooner, but life just got in the way. I buy sweetbreads at Wegmans whenever I can. Watch the dates on the labels though--I've found out of date packages on at least one occasion. I try to buy them often because we love them and to encourage Wegmans to keep carrying them. The sweetbreads I've gotten there have been fairly clean and good-tasting. I don't have a lot to which to compare them, as I haven't bought them from too many other retailers. Mr. S and I used to trek in to Georgetown to the French Market to purchase them, but they were only available "in season" there--that was in the early '80s. I've also gotten them from our local Safeway once or twice, but I haven't seen them there in a very long time.

I had my first Likety Split today! Actually, it was the first time I've ever eaten in the bar. I was wishing that my afternoon commitments would have allowed me one of their wonderful drink concoctions, or even a glass of wine, but it was water and coffee only today. Nevermind, I didn't feel deprived for long. I had the Stinging nettle soup and the salad of the day, which was a perfectly cooked (and generous) piece of Rockfish filet on a beautiful salad of spring greens, pickled hearts of palm and julienned radishes with a champagne vinaigrette. There was also warm, freshly baked bread. I could get used to that sort of lunch! Everything was delicious. The Rockfish was crisp on one side, and wonderfully moist inside, and was set off perfectly by the salad. The portions were satisfying. The service was friendly and pampering--thanks for making me feel so at home, guys! I'm starting to re-think my intention of trying lots of different restaurants on my day off. Maybe I need to try the Lickety Split again, just to make sure I like it.

Raisa's right, Don, you're not responsible for their success or failure. They are!

Happy Birthday, Tripewriter! I think I'm going to try for the Lickety Split lunch tomorrow at Eve. I'll be a block away until 11:30, so I might get there 11:35-11:40, if all goes well.

This sounds interesting. Has a time been established for Sunday, May 7th, yet?

I'm told I have no class, so this would be a special experience! Seriously, I wish I could participate, but it's outside of my radius for a work night, and Mr. S will be in Thailand or in the air flying home then (I'm so confused by the time zones). I know this event will be a huge success.

Yeah, but did they know the rest of the people in the packed restaurant were coming? My take (and I wasn't there last night) is that these folks really weren't anticipating the buzz that follows Chef Chang like a ship's wake. They probably hadn't read the reviews of TemptAsian or China Star, and might not think their little restaurant would ever get the press it has gotten in the past 3 weeks. They've been mentioned in the Post, on the Post's blog, and in the live chats by Tom and Todd. That and the discussion here and on Chowhound and any other similar places is enough to cause a small tidal wave and swamp that restaurant. I wondered this about TemptAsian and I wonder about China Gourmet: Does Chef Chang work 7 days a week? Does he get a day (or two) off? He did at China Star, because they were closed on Mondays. But what about at the 7-day-a-week places?

I used to get burgers and fries from the Springfield location, back before the franchising started. It was always a treat. I understood having to wait 10-15 minutes for mine to be done, because there were usually at least a dozen people waiting ahead of me. Last Thursday, I found myself at the Merrifield franchise. With no one ahead of me, I couldn't understand the 10-15 minutes I had to wait for my little bacon cheeseburger and regular fries to be done. The burger was OK, but not as good as I remember. The "sauteed" mushrooms did not have the appearance of having seen any recent heat source, saute pan or otherwise. The fries were as greasy as I remember, and pretty good. I perceive some slippage, and I was prepared to say how bad my meal was last week, until a friend took me to lunch today at one of those delis one finds in office buildings. Some of those can be quite good, but today's was not. The fries were crisp and freshly fried just for me--good for frozen product. The burger was a grey flat disk, moistened with a dab of mayonnaise (I didn't think to say "no mayo" because I didn't know people put mayo on burgers--my bad). Yech. Now Five Guys seems pretty good, after all.

Mr. S and I were totally duped by this, and spent way to much time on it over the weekend. Best April Fools joke ever played on either one of us! I bow to the Master.

That's what your fork is for--guard the bowl!

I agree! We were all playing nicely in the first place. Best not to change the rules.

I thought it was first-come first-served, too. If there's going to be a lottery, I might want to change my answers. There were things I was interested in, but they'd already been spoken for!

I've gotten fava beans at Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Grand Mart, and maybe Whole Foods--I've certainly seen them at WF. Some ethnic stores also carry frozen shelled favas--they're large beans, and still need to be blanched and peeled.

Joe, I agree with Jonathan. I trust Rocks to not put it up there if it's questionable.

Yep. And that hasn't been my observation during dinners when I've had a view of the kitchen (about every time).

Somehow I had the idea that Kinkead's was a good place to have lunch or brunch on the weekends. I don't know where I got that notion, but I've had it for a long time, and today Mr. S and I arrived at 12:30 for our lunch reservation. The place was nearly deserted. That was probably a good thing, because the 3-person kitchen staff didn't look like they could handle more than a handful of diners. The menu offered 3 appetizers from the dinner menu (at dinner prices), 3 entrees, and 4-5 brunch offerings, as well as the normal raw offerings. We started with a half-dozen oysters, which were plump and sweet and briny, and very fresh. I didn't take notes, but two of the three varieties were Sammish Bay and Battle Point. Next we split the grilled squid appetizer, which is one of my favorites. The plating was a little different than usual--instead of the rings being pressed together, slightly flattened, with evidence of the skewer that held them over the coals, these were wide open, with no skewer holes. The plate was warmer than the squid. Otherwise, it tasted fine, if not as smokey as usual. I chose "Eggs Hussarde" as my main. It was described as poached eggs on grilled steak with chanterelle mushrooms and Bernaise sauce. Sure enough, two poached eggs, coated in a little Bernaise, sat atop two thin slices of overcooked steak (the server didn't ask and I didn't think to specify rare, and it was cooked medium), set on two pieces of toast with slices of tomato between the toast and the steak. Instead of chanterelle mushrooms, the plate was covered in a sauteed mixture of diced eggplant, peppers, onions and zucchini, which completely obliterated the fragile flavor of the Bernaise. I asked the server if the chanterelle mushrooms were in that mixture and he said yes (but they weren't). I didn't send it back, because I wasn't really sure that I was right, and it had taken so long to get our food. But it was not at all up to the standards I'm used to for dinners at Kinkead's. Mr. S had the fish and chips, and pronounced it delicious. The fish was perfectly coated and fried, and the "chips" were crisp and non-greasy. The house-made slaw and tartar sauce were very fresh and tasty. But at $18, it was certainly no bargain. With one beer and one glass of pinot grigio, plus tax and tip, we were out of there for just under $100--kind of breathtaking for Sunday brunch, IMO. I'm sorry I had such a good view of the kitchen today. One of the three people working was behind the line having his own lunch or breakfast, the other was using a large knife to section a lemon or lime in such a way that I expected to see blood spurting any second. And I really hope the gentleman plating and delivering the food had washed his hands before he used them to arrange the food. I watched one plate--a lobster roll (at $25) sit under the lamps for at least 10 minutes before it was delivered to another table.

I admit it: I saw Tom's review yesterday while Mr. S and I were trying to decide where in Old Town to have lunch. It sounded interesting. We gave it a try. The space is lovely at mid-day, very bright and fresh. We were the second customers seated for lunch, and we had a lovely corner table with a view of the whole room. Service was well-meaning, but needs a little more practice and polish. Dishes not yet used (clean) were whisked away, to be replaced moments later by more clean dishes. Food went to the wrong tables. Servers forgot to mention to diners that they were out of the grilled calimari and the Portuguese sardines. Our server had told us that up front, but all around us we heard diners start to order those two dishes, only to have the server say, "Oh, we're out of that." And, after explaining to us that the items on the menu were small plates, meant to be shared, our orders were each brought out as separate courses--my gnocchi and his soup, and then my duck confit and his goat-cheese pizza. I had expected everything at once, and thought we would pass food back and forth and share. But the extra plates for sharing were taken away, and the food was not all plated for sharing. I ordered the gnocchi and the confit, expecting them to arrive together, and they did not. I think that they would have complimented one another. Alone, the gnocchi were light and delicate, but bland. While visible, the sage in the brown butter didn't add as much of its character to the dish as I would have liked. Salt and pepper helped. Mr. S's seafood soup was warming and the fish were fresh and tasty, but he complained that the soup was bland--salt helped that as well. The duck confit was crisp and tender, and the thyme-scented lentils were a wonderful background for it. I tasted Mr. S's "pizza", and while it tasted good, I didn't want to eat more than one bite. It was heavy and filling--I could have ordered more, but he was very full, so we paid our check and strolled on down to the water. I love small plates, and I love inventive food. I may go back eventually and try it again, but there are so many other restaurants left for me to try first.

I'm in for the Fonsecas--I'll take 2 if you want 2, or 1 if you want 3.

Michael, This is good news indeed! I was lamenting that I couldn't make it in before you closed, and I feel like I've been given another chance to enjoy your food for the first time. Best wishes, and I hope to get there very soon!

I've got Sablefish (filet) on the menu at home tonight, and I've found less than a wealth of recipes on line for it. I am hoping to grill it, but I'm open to other methods. I'm also at work all day, so long marinating is out of the question tonight. Thanks in advance!

I've been to all of your choices, and my vote goes to Maestro. I chose to celebrate my 50th birthday elsewhere, and have regretted ever since not having gone to Maestro that night. I celebrated my 52d birthday at Maestro this past year, and loved every bite--talk about an epiphany! The 9-course Tasting Room dinner we had last Saturday came to the same amount we pay for the 7-course Creatione menu at Maestro--with wine pairings, and it's about the same amount of food. The 5-course menu at Maestro would not break the bank, I think, even with wine pairings. They also have a tempting-looking vegetarian-friendly menu, if you're into that sort of thing.

HillValley, I ordered delivery for the third time today. This time, I only had to talk to two people before I ordered. I did get what I asked for, as well this time, which suggests that the order-takers are becoming more comfortable, familiar, conversant with the Chinese menu. Yes, you do need to specify that you are ordering from the Chinese menu. You do have to give the numbers. To complicate the issue, the numbers are repeated in appetizers and entrees, so say at least a little of the English description, and get confirmation from the person taking your order. (Last week I ordered #53: five flavor sesame roasted pancake, and instead received #55: hot and numbing beef roll--fortunately I recognized the error before taking a big bite.) Be patient, and flexible, and realize that there might be errors, but that whatever you get will be tasty. I have not gotten anything from the "regular" menu except when I ordered something for a coworker (General Tso's chicken, pronounced deeeelicious by the recipient). Today I ordered the Golden sand braised spareribs and the #53 pancakes. I shared the latter with coworkers who made faces of ecstasy when they tasted them. I never got a lunch break, so came home and warmed up the ribs. After eating a few I have to conclude that PandaHugga mistranslated the description. It should read "braised spareribs covered in crack." That crumb/sesame seed mixture is amazing!

Apparently, as of 2 days ago, they were using a printout of your translation, PandaHugga, so Tom probably go that one.