Endless Simmer - A Food Blog

A semi-regular feature where gansie gets to pretend she knows as much about dining as the Washington Post food critic.

Does anyone really want the waiter to keep pouring their wine?: To me, that’s as intrusive as the (short-lived) fad for waiters to put the napkins on diners’ laps as soon as they sit down.

Tom Sietsema: To each his own. Some people like to have their wine poured for them throughout a meal, others don’t. If people feel strongly about the subject, they should let their server know at the start.

BTW: I’ve had my napkin placed on my lap twice this week. And it’s only Wednesday! In other words, the “trend” is hardly “short-lived.”

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After debuting the fabulous pickletini here on Endless Simmer, I thought I’d introduce you all to my other favorite mixed drink—Blueberi Stoli and Soda. I had my first Blueberi Stoli and Soda at the Wonderland Ballroom here in my favorite neighborhood in DC, Columbia Heights. And who suggested this drink to me? Why, the lovely Vi who recently posted It Tastes Like a Rainbow, Part II.

More after the jump…

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- Out: Grilling hot dogs. In: Roasting a whole pig. [Men’s Health]

- Out: New York bagels. In: Gourmet bagels imported from Montreal. [Best Bites]

- Out: Solving the world’s hunger problems. In: Eating half the world’s food supply in one sitting. [Daily Mail]

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Editor’s Note: As gansie and I were both M.I.A. for a couple of days there, we’ve of course been bugging our friends for some recipe posts. Loyal ESer Maidelitala came through and then some. Here’s her latest fully-veggie meal plan.

byline: Maidelitala

Recently I had a dinner at my new digs JUST for LADIES: A much needed, and barely-belated fête to welcome two new additions from dear old Macalester to town. Unfortunately the date I picked for the ladies’ dinner conflicted with the premier of this season’s Project Runway, excluding a troop of women friends, and reducing our numbers to a mere gaggle of eight (and not the veritable multitude who I might have otherwise mustered…what? I’m not bragging, I just know a lot of AMAZING women in the District). WELL, apologies to the PR premier crowd, because our dinner was frackin’ fabuloso.

Despite a heart-wrenching snafu with mole-roasted cauliflower (I couldn’t force down more than a bite, so I tossed it before the invitees arrived and were forced to endure my shame), and with spirited contributions from the guests–including a mouth-watering and apropos mango salsa–I executed a tasty, stuff-yourself-into-a-food-coma spread for the ladies.

I served a summery dish of red cabbage and roasted cashew salad, homemade spicy hummus, and a flavorful fresh tofu and vegetable curry over steamed brown rice (the curry was a last minute stand-in for the mess of a mole-roasted cauliflower). As ya’ll will no doubt note, the meal was wholly vegetarian and lactose-free, and by all accounts delicious. Devoted Project Runway fan Gansie even missed the PR premier to sample the goodies. Anyway, the contents of our conversations over copious amounts of wine (provided by some of the guests) is not for public consumption, but the recipes (and amazing photos courtesy of the harrowing efforts of my girl Elenora) are available below for your perusal.

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Ham and cheese on white

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On Rooms’ birthday, we’d like to thank her for her culinary point of view (to sound like the douches from The Next Food Network Star) : science! She’s taught us about the albumin protein of an egg, the relationship between fennel and flatulence and the lives of crabs, no, not that crab.

Happy Birthday, Rooms!

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Gansie recently got her hands on a copy of Padma Lakshmi’s cookbook Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, which of course I promptly stole. As has been mentioned countless times on ES, while this pretty face may not be a trained chef, girl really can cook. The book is a healthy 250 pages of recipes ranging from simplistic snacks (grilled cheese toastie with portobello and bacon) to complex crap I can’t even imagine making, like Moroccan b’stella. Of course, there are also ample photos of Padma salaciously chowing down on a fried chicken drumstick and the like.

While I’m not gonna do a full cookbook-through on this one for ya’ll, I am trying a few of the most enticing recipes, from appetizer through dessert course, so here’s my first attempt.

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The Endless Simmer world was introduced to the Capital Cooking world this week, leading to comments such as those from Yvo:

So… is she naked under an apron, or is that a dress meant to look like an apron?

…and Brian to profess his undying love:

i think i love her. i don’t care what you think of me.

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BS and photog Brian teamed up to bring us another celebrity shot that didn’t include a face. At least this time it wasn’t just their feet. Attempting to guess the secret celebrity’s identity, Brenna said:

It’s Sway, the mtv reporter, i’m 100% positive!

That was my guess, too, especially since he’s from Oakland. But according to Brian that is incorrect. So keep those guesses coming in.

more after the jump:

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When I tell my ES readers that all will be revealed Monday, I generally mean it, just not this time. So I got a little lazy, sue me. It’s the summer anyways.

Ok, I admit this wasn’t the most revealing mystery food ever. The picture was taken close enough so as to resemble either cat food or wet peanut brittle. The reality? When 80p is cooking, think fish. In this case, salmon.

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