Recently, I wrote an ode to Breger cookies on this blog. I am now proud (and just a little smug) to report a berger sighting in Roanoke, Va, over 5 hours from the Berger Source, Baltimore. The Berger sighting was in a little specialty store miles from the West Virginia border called Tinnell’s Finer Foods. When the storeowner was asked to explain the Berger presence, he said he has a relative in Baltimore who introduced him to the cookie, and he has been importing them ever since!
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12Dec
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11Dec
Saturday I crossed final hurdle (aside from actually getting accepted) between me and grad school. I took the GREs. It was a horrendous experience, and left me wound up enough to rival most springs. I needed a stress relief. And being a Baltimorean, there is only one stress relief that would do the trick. I needed to whack crabs.
Baltimore is justifiably famous for its crabs, though the pollution in the Chesapeake Bay means they are now imported from further up north. Nonetheless, crab cakes, crab-shaped hats, and shirts saying “Got Crabs?” (a rather fun slogan, as Baltimore was once the STD capital of the US) can be found in plenty in the touristy areas. Hence, it was little surprise that Saturday night found me at Obrycki’s, a pleasant joint near the waterfront. There presumably are things to order at Obrycki’s other then crabs. However, the only evidence is the menu since every table in site boasts only the world’s finest crustacean.
You order a pound or so. They show up, whole and ready to be smashed. You spend the next hour smashing and crushing and sucking your way through a bucket full, while the crab debris piles up on the table. This is a tasty meal, though not amazingly so. It is a loud meal. But what it mostly is, is a fun meal. You sit around crunching crab bits and scrambling to get out the last bit of meat, while bone and bits go everywhere. By the end of the night I was feeling relaxed and zen. And not the least bit crabby.
Please note: while crab restaurants are fun, I do not recommend you go there on a date, as: 1. you tend to not be a pleasantest good night kiss at the end due to scent and breath 2. Your enthusiasm in smashing the crab may lead your date to worry about your anger management problems, and 3. if the site of you trying to suck the last bit of meat out a crab claw does not turn your date off, the site of them doing this will certainly make you consider other options. -
10Dec
We’re several weeks into launch now and can’t resist tooting our own horn. This is some of the (often biased) feedback we’ve seen about DCFUD so far:
“At once strongly written and freely editorial, the host of contributors write with humor, ease and plenty of images to supplement the goings-on. Its interest is clear: F -
10Dec
Last night was quite an eating extravaganza at the R.J. household last night. The collision of two previously planned events – the preperation of jerk chicken for consumption by myself and two neighbors and a small Hannukah gathering with some of the DCFÜD crew – ended up on the same night.
So much cooking took place that a load of dishes had to be done in the middle.
This dish requires surprisingly little effort, assuming you plan ahead.
Jerk sauce can be purchased at most supermarkets, with superior variety available at specialty stores or upscale markets. I used Walkerswood, which is hot enough to rip your head off. Reactions to the finished product ranged from “ooh, this is tasty,” to “WATER! [gasp] where’s the water?” There was a lot of involuntary salivating and eye-watering among the uninitiated. So keep that in mind.
Anyway, get your chicken (I used breasts, you can use whatever you like) into a pan covered in jerk sauce about two days before you plan on eating it. Cover it up and forget about it until 15 minutes before you want to serve it.
On the day of the meal, get some rice cooking (your choice — you could make traditional dirty rice, but I’ve only got two hands) and prepare your fruit by peeling two green plantains and chopping into 3/4 inch sections. Plop them into a pan with hot oil and fry until brown on both sides. Let the fried plantains dry out on a paper towel as you drop the chicken on the grill until cooked through. When you’re done with the chicken, the rice should be ready as well.
Chop up the chicken, throw the plantains and rice into bowls and serve family style. A heartier (and spicier) meal you will not find.
In retrospect, the Jerk & Jew event worked well. When you think about it, there are similarities between the two cultures: Jamaica is a place known for its music and beaches that has a surprising amount of violence, while Israel is a place known for violence with surprisingly good beaches and music.
Makes you think… -
10Dec
Judaism is a great excuse to eat high-calorie food. It -
09Dec
I cannot resist pointing everyone to Teresa Nielsen Hayden’s latest recipe post. I think that this punch should not, under any circumstances, be brewed anytime in the next two weeks and brought to a large new years party somewhere in downtown DC. Under no circumstances at all.
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09Dec
I didn’t have internet at my apartment until this week, so I was relying on wifi hotspots to do my not work-friendly net surfing. The Health Bar is the most convenient to my place, so there I found myself for two weekend brunches.
Saturday.
I came in, it was crowded, and so I sat down at the only free table, which was designed for four. I felt kind of bad, but well, I was hungry, in email withdrawal, and possibly still drunk from the previousnightmorning revelry. I ordered coffee “Now.” and an omelet “Soon.” The coffee came out quick and hot, but been-in-the-thermos-an-hour hot, not fresh hot. Close enough, but it comes with milk and I had to ask special for, gasp, real cream. As I’m settling in to the coffee and email, two other people sat down with me at my oversized table, and were friendly, which is a nice change from usual around here.
My omelet – with smoked fontina, portabellas, and turkey sausage – was a bit oily and flavorless (I even specified that yes, I wanted whole, real eggs, not nonfat egg substitute), except for the sausage which was good -
08Dec
This evening I had the experience of being served merlot at a supposedly reputable restaurant in glasses which were emblazoned with the name of the establishment and partitioned with actual white line markings for the half-glass and full-glass levels. Am I alone in my shock and outrage at this tackiness?
The overall atmosphere at Sette Osteria (Connecticut Ave. and R St.) was reasonably pleasant, and although I did not order a meal, my companions seemed to enjoy their entrees. Nonetheless, I can’t seem to get past the “Sette” logo wine glasses with their volume indicators. They might as well have served my wine in a branded one-pint Pyrex measuring cup. What am I missing here? I am eagerly awaiting your responses, hoping someone will enlighten me as to when this became desirable. Thank you. -
08Dec
You
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07Dec
Did you know that there is a radio show devoted entirely to suds, brewski and cold ones? Depending on the power of your radio (I suggest using your car stereo), you can catch Beer Radio on Baltimore’s 105.7 FM from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Quoth the Sun:
“The show includes interviews with brewers, old beer jingles, reports on fishing and football, and news segments (typical report: “North Carolina is thinking of raising its beer tax by 30 cents.”)
There is also occasional political talk, viewed through a frosty mug, of course, such as a recent discussion of which potential Democratic candidates in 2008 would be best to have a beer with. Hillary Rodham Clinton did not fare so well. John Edwards did slightly better.”What about Ted Kennedy, or is he more of a hard alcohol guy?
