end of batch - I have to go do house things

I'd given everyone the choice between Peter Chang, the
celebrity chef restaurant, and Sichuan Jin River, the
authentic greasy spicy joint tarred with the same
Szechwan brush, and everyone said, oh, your choice,
so I chose the one with the better food and better
parking lot. We had dropped off a bunch of stuff at
the Goodwill and regrouped there, finding it being
fairly straightforward (unless you turn the wrong way
and go down Viers Mill).

A big daunting menu, and I asked people for their
suggestions, but nobody offered any, and I was as
often deputed to decide for everyone.

We got three appies, three mains, and noodles and rice.

For drinks, we asked for a bottle of red wine (you
get two wine choices, listed in the Beer section,
red or white). This came as Sutter Home Merlot, which
although you may shudder at the name, was not too bad,
reminding me of the products of that brand before they
discovered White Zinfandel. Not too sweet, not too acid,
pretty soft, good balance, good with food. $15 a bottle,
for one that retails at $5 to 7, not extortionate.

I stuck with Kirin, $4.50, much more profit margin.

Smoked duck was kind of salty, smoked probably in
tea leaves, not the camphor that is the high-class
version but pretty tasty nonetheless. It was a
breast half and a drumstick; there might have been
thigh meat as well, but if so it was all gone by
the time I got it. Somebody mentioned the resemblance
to ham, which was true but in a good way.

Dan dan noodles were less meaty and less spicy than
I have encountered elsewhere; also less salty. It
was pretty heavy on the Szechwan pepper, though.
None of the dishes, come to think of it, was as
hot, nor as greasy, as I'd prefer, but I didn't ask
for hot oil, which is my usual response to that
situation.

Xiao long bao disappointed me; though the flavor
was spot on, despite the wrappers not being the
most delicate I've tasted, most if not all had
leaked out their precious broth, so the point
was kind of lost.

Crispy salty shrimp (their name for salt & pepper shrimp)
filled the bill nicely, pretty decent-size shell-on but
sadly heads-off, fried at just short of my favored
temperature, so though they were tender, the shells were
less crispy than I'd prefer. Ample salt, adequate number
of hot pepper slices.

I asked for stir-fried liver and kidneys with red bell
peppers and celery, because everyone at table liked
liver and were game to eat kidneys. This was a most
pleasant dish, a little on the salty side; I'd have
preferred more heat and less salt, but this went really
well with rice, not that I eat much rice these days.

Pork with lotus root and pickled peppers was what you'd
expect, if you expected lotus root. The pickled peppers
were somewhat hot, good, and the serving large, good.

For finishers, we had the northern groovy noodles, because
the name was intriguing. Turns out to be a big pot of
pasta such as you'd get from a Penn Dutch bag, swimming
in a thickish broth with pork and shrimp (maybe a dozen
again good-size shrimp, this time shell-free). The waiter
tried to warn me that the dish was "creamy," by which he
seems to have meant liquidy, and tried to steer me toward
one of the Taiwanese rice noodle dishes. The name was
puzzling - but it all came to me in the middle of the
night. Northern means wheat noodles, which makes sense.
Groovy is a misprint for gravy. It was satisfying and
hearty and not a bad deal but nothing spectacular, and
I should have asked for some hot stuff to liven it up.

The cost was higher than I'm used to for Chinese food
but pretty reasonable for a good meal, especially in the
inflationary Washington area.
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.DOCSPLACE.ORG (1:123/140)

On 06-20-18 10:01, Michael Loo <=-
spoke to All about 899 dinner w/ Gail & Dale <=-

For drinks, we asked for a bottle of red wine (you
get two wine choices, listed in the Beer section,
red or white). This came as Sutter Home Merlot, which
although you may shudder at the name, was not too bad,

I have previously had Merlot and had decided that it was the one variety
of red wine that I did not like. BUT, I did like this bottle. Maybe I
just don't like more expensive Merlot :-}}

OK -- just eliminate the second ingredient :-}}

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Coq Au Vin Rouge
Categories: Chicken, French, Stove top, Chickenst
Yield: 4 servings

1/4 lb Thick bacon
1 pk Boneless, skinless chicken
-breasts (about 1 lb)
1 pk Boneless, skinless chicken
-thighs (about 1 lb)
2 tb Olive oil
2 tb Butter
1/2 ts Salt
1/8 ts Freshly ground pepper
1/4 c Cognac
3 c Red wine (Burgandy, Merlot,
-etc )
1 cn (10 3/4 oz) undiluted beef
-consomme'
2 tb Tomato paste
2 Cloves garlic, minced or
-pressed
1/4 ts Dried thyme leaves
1/4 ts Dried rosemary
1 Bay leaf
1 pk (10 oz) frozen pearl onions
-(thawed)
1/2 lb Small fresh mushrooms
2 tb Cornstarch

Slice bacon strips crosswise into 1/4-wide pieces. Place in 4- or
5-qt dutch oven on top of stove and saute' until very lightly browned
and bottom of pan is coated with fat.

Cut chicken into 1" by 2" pieces (breasts can be cut into 4-6 pieces
each, thighs into about 4 pieces each -- I use kitchen shears for
this).

Add chicken and 1 Tbs of the olive oil to casserole. Brown chicken
well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour cognac over chicken and
cook for about 2 minutes. (You can flame cognac before adding to pot,
if you like -- cook until flames die.)

In a small bowl, mix wine, consomme', and tomato paste. Add to pot.
Stir in garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for
30 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.

Meanwhile, brown onions in 1 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet. Push
onions to one side of pan. Add 1 Tbs of the butter to pan. Add
mushrooms and brown well.

Remove chicken from casserole. Strain juices into bowl, discarding
the herbs. Place juices back into casserole and boil until reduced by
half.

Mix cornstarch with remaining 1 Tbs butter (softened). Whisk
cornstarch mixture into boiling juices and cook until thickened.

Return chicken to pot with thickened juices. Stir in onions and
mushrooms.

Simmer a few minutes to blend flavors.

Pour everything into a covered casserole dish (I use Corning Ware
French White, the 2-quart size). Serve now, OR refrigerate until an
hour before serving time, then reheat at 300 degrees (covered) for 1
hour. Serves 4.

From the files of Earl Shelsby

MMMMM


... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 01:56:06, 21 Jun 2018
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