Tricks of the Trade -

by gansie

Ask Tom, Answer Gansie: Bad, Bad Blogger

NW D.C.: I was out with my wife at a well-known, hard-to-get-into place this past weekend and overheard a conversation at another table. The diner was complaining at their table about the service and indicated that “He is a senior member of a well-known area food blog, and the lack of service will be noted.” Well, the waiter calmed him down and comped the person a full bottle of wine. I checked the blog (will not mention) and sure enough there was an entry, and there was a mention of the lack of service, but no mention of the comped wine. Do the boards hold that much sway over restaurants that they are fearful of bad posts?

Tom Sietsema: It’s a big, bad — but never boring! — world out there in the blogosphere. I think restaurants DO care what is posted about them online. And I think some online scribes are taking advantage of the fact.

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Re bad blogger: Restaurants, like so many other places, rely on reputation. This chat has demonstrated that a bad reputation can devastate a restaurant. For a blogger to take advantage of that is despicable. The blogger in question should be outed. I for one would like to know who is blackmailing restaurants and I’m sure the restaurants would like to know who should no longer be considered a decent blogger.

Tom Sietsema: Ah, that’s a sticky, sticky path! I think it’s up to the monitors of the boards to police their chats and/or discussions. Here at the Post, for instance, reporters have editors — a safety net for which I’m very grateful. I don’t think the same can be said for many amateur food sites.

gansie: I’ve only wanted to do this once. Every other dining experience, good, bad or drunken, I’ve never felt the need to disclose the fact that I am reviewing the place. Clearly by the fact that I write this Ask Tom feature, I closely follow his guidance: never announce your critiquing presence. Even when my friends have wanted to leave little notes saying check fill-in-the-blank publication, I always take the high ground. But, no dining establishment tempted me as much as…

by gansie

Honestly, I Know Nothing

About wine. Seriously, nothing. I do love going to wine tastings, swirling red liquid around in a large glass, sticking my nose in, and inhaling deeply.

I don’t smell sandalwood. I don’t taste notes of raspberry. Tannin, what?

But that’s okay. It still tastes great. And it’s free.

Anyway, here is an article I wrote for Express talking about the ways in which a wine lover can educate oneself. Maybe I should listen to my own directions.

Start Your Wine-ing: D.C. Vino Lessons [Express]

PS…After the jump learn about The Zinfandel Grand Tasting in DC next week.

in Drinks / Personal 4 comments

by gansie

Ask Tom, Answer Gansie: How-To Edition

Through my work with Express, I’ve become a sell-out. I’ll explain. I’m in bed with the PR folks. The PR folks will host a “media dinner” I will then eat for free and in return write a *totally non-biased* review. I swear.

Anyway, at my latest comped meal Angie and I ate our way through a deliciously free meal at Restaurant K by Alison Swope, which I then reviewed.

As you’ll see, we tried the tamales. As Angie is from Texas and has a Honduran mother, she knows her tamales: even knowing the difference between the Tex-Mex and Central American versions. So while she clearly knew what to make of them, I am still sorting my way through the technicalities of the dish. Which made me totally laugh when I saw the following thread during Tom Seitsema’s WaPo chat.

one / tom is sure one hot tamale

Ashburn, Va.: This may sound stupid, but I have never ordered tamales at a restaurant just because I have no idea how to eat them. Do I pick them up, or do I eat with a fork? What do I do with the stuff covering them? (And what IS that? It’s not edible, right?) Do I put sauce on them? Please help end my tamale illiteracy!

Tom Sietsema: Tamales, which involve corn meal dough (typically) wrapped around cheese, vegetables or meat, are bundled in husks, which must be removed before you dig into the steamed filling. I eat tamales with a fork. Sauce is optional.

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Tamales. ..: true story. I’m an adventurous eater. My first time at Red Sage some years ago, I saw tamales on the menu. Having never had them, of course I ordered them. I didn’t know how to eat them so I ate them all. It took me some months before I figured out why the waiter had such a quizzical look on his face when he removed the plate.

Tom Sietsema: Funny!

I’ve admitted in this forum that I, too, ate my first tamale — part of it, anyway — with its husk on. Decades ago, I should add.

gansie: like i said before, i’m not so familiar with the tamale (read the review – i compare the dough to a matzah ball!), although i should be – it’s quite delicious! and i can’t lie, i’ve absolutely tried to eat the husk before. and one more thing, does anyone know where the phrase “hot tamale” came from?

in Veggie 4 comments

by gansie

Yes, We Actually Do Want Fluff

Editors Note: By now, you may have noticed the comments by the former *lurker* miked. It took him a while to come around to the whole blogging thing, even though his woman, Edouble, is an ES contributer. So while miked will talk to me about recipes and now gChat about recipes, maybe one day we can get him on the blogging tip. You can spy on our virtual convo about omelets below. And, Maidelitala, don’t be mad miked stole your omelet thunder.

miked: have you every had a fluffy omelet?
i just made one and Maidelitala made them yesterday morning. i told her she should do a post.
1) separate yolks and whites
2) whip up whites till they get sort of fluffy/bubbly
3) pour fluffy whites into pan
4) pour yolks (if you like them) on top of fluffy whites.
5) put other omelet stuff there
gansie: yum! interesting…i never get that complicated w/ my omelets
miked: it doesn’t really take much longer—as long as you have the yolk-separating skills—you just do it while veggies, etc. are sautéeing.
gansie: and then for the omelet part
do you flip it to cook the other side or just put the filling in the runny-ish center?

in Breakfast / Cheese / Eggs / Recipe / Veggie 9 comments

by 80 Proof

Tricks of the Trade — Jars

If you cook, or know someone that does, you’ve seen it. The face contortions, the grunting, the jar pressed against the stomach in an effort to muster that last bit of torque. I’m of course talking about stubborn jars that just won’t twist open. It happened tonight as Gansie was preparing dinner. Sitting in the living room, it of course was my duty to help out with jar opening. After getting past the inevitable whining that she has to ask a guy to help, she handed me the roasted red peppers. With a wry, knowing smile, I took the jar to show my masculinity. Two minutes later, all that was left of me was a throbbing arm. My dignity had long since departed.

I had to recover. Over the mocking comments from Gansie, I went for the rubber hot pad. This would give much more grip, I reasoned. Try as I might, nothing.

Next up, desperation. The synapses in my brain fired, at most, three times and decided that if I popped a hole in the top of the lid, it would break the suction. After much hammering with a fork and then knife, I was left with a dented aluminum top, but no peppers.

Then it hit me. I remembered what my mom used to do when I was young: slam the side of the lid on the floor. So after a couple of hits on a granite tile, an amazing thing happened. The freaking thing opened up like Tom Cruise on Oprah.

Here’s a pic of the damage to the lid:

I suppose the dent accomplished what I was trying to do with the knife and fork, release the suction.

If you are still reading this (no offense if you checked your email instead), what other tricks of the trade are out there? I’ve also heard that running a jar under hot water works. But I am sure there are tons of tricks that people know of. Comment away…

in Personal / Veggie 6 comments

by gansie

An Onion By Any Other Name

Editors Note: Now that BK has taken a breather from bashing our friend, Alton, he’s now talking smack about vegetables.

Recently, I made pico de gallo and my hands reeked like onion for three days. Which stinks, both literally and psychologically, because it came out really well, but I am discouraged to make it again due to the odor. I tried some pretty aggressive soaps, but to no avail.

So I did a little research on the subject and found that if you rub your hands on stainless steel while running them under water, it would remove the smell. I gave it a shot with my stainless steel spoon rest (sadly, some of my spoons have chronic fatigue.)

Not surprisingly it worked. I loved this new discovery so much that I bought a stainless steel bar made to look like soap from MoMA. It now serves the doubly important role of removing onion and garlic smells from my hands and confusing people at my kitchen sink.

If only during my single days they would have made some sort of stainless steel gum that I could have used after garlic loaded Italian dinners. I may have done better with the ladies.

Pico de Gallo

No particular amounts. Just tomato, onion, cilantro, salt, pepper and white wine vinegar and little bit of diced cucumber to brighten it up.

Photo: 80P / Title: A Rose? Get it?

in Recipe / Veggie 6 comments

by BS

The Secret Club of Matzo

Ho-ho-happy Hanukkah boys and girls. During Last J-New Year, gansie had a few problems putting together that iconic dish, matzo ball soup. So for the greater good of the ES society, I have decided to share this stunning family recipe, in the hopes of creating a better holiday season for all.

After, the jump, a matzo ball soup recipe, straight from my Aunt Helene (via my grandmother). The secret: Club soda. Say Wha? My aunt insists that soaking the balls in club soda, NOT cold water, is the only way to get that perfect, fluffy consistency.

Mazel Tov, and good luck finding some chicken fat at your local grocers.

in Fowl 9 comments