Here’s a cell phone photo of The National playing “Lemonworld” at the Electric Factory:

I’d also recommend National Mechanics in Philly. Nice space, good bar food, and a respectable selection of beer.

More potentially-related posts:

1. Linkwad.
2. Standing in the sea.
3. Interlude Inter…food?

A meal at Next will represent a great value. Depending on the menu AND what day and time you are dining, food will be $40 to $75 for the entire prix fixe menu. Wine and beverage pairings will begin at a $25 supplement. Next’s goal is to serve 4-star food at 3-star prices.

Tickets?

Yes. Instead of reservations our bookings will be made more like a theater or a sporting event. Your tickets will be fully inclusive of all charges, including service. Ticket price will depend on which seating you buy – Saturday at 8 PM will be more expensive than Wednesday at 9:30 PM. This will allow us to offer an amazing experience at a very reasonable price. We will also offer an annual subscription to all four menus at a discount with preferred seating.

If they keep to their Fall 2010 opening date, I know what I’ll be going during my annual Chicago trip.

HT: Kottke via @MattYglesias

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2. Is “whoring for a good cause” ok?
3. Simple ingredients, naturally prepared.

1. the $225, 29-course “Tour” at Alinea
2. Hot Doug’s Fuck, they are closed the entire time I’ll be there.
3. New Glarus Fat Squirrel
4. Chicago-style pizza
5. anything at Kuma’s
6. Italian beef

More potentially-related posts:

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2. After a bad day…
3. Next in line.

I should note that these are largely unedited user comments, not an original list by Elizabeth Large, the restaurant critic; as such, they are a bit of a mixed bag. I would also like to note that this was originally an actual list, but they decided to turn it into a slideshow. It’s pretty, but this post took me a lot longer to finish.

1. Have a jumbo lump crab cake from Faidley’s on a Saltine.
   Yessir. I think this was Steve’s favorite part of his visit.
2. Pick steamed hard shells at Mr. Bill’s Terrace Inn in Essex.
3. Eat Bertha’s mussels.
   Or you could go to places that aren’t coasting on their reputation. But that’s just me.
4. Drink a Natty Boh.
   Just one. Then you should drink something else.
5. Snack on a Berger’s cookie.
6. Put marshmallow on your snowball.
   Snowball=snow cone, shaved ice, Italian ice.
7. Split Maryland beaten biscuits and put some thin slices of ham in them.
   I have never done this, but now I want to.
8. Serve sauerkraut with your turkey.
   Half-Polock Steve thought this sounded good. I thought it sounded appalling.
9. Get a chicken box (fried wings, western fries, dinner roll) from a Baltimore City public market.
   It wasn’t from a market. But it was from New York Fried Chicken. Close enough.
10. Maybe the chicken box should be from Tyrone’s?
11. Lake trout. And for those of us who watched “The Wire,” have a grape soda with it.
12. Breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe down in Fells Point.
    The only downside to this place is its size: it’s about the size of a shoebox, and the wait for two can be up to an hour, which kind of sucks if it’s raining. Also, there’s a bread factory nearby, so you’re tormented with delicious baked goods while you wait. But their food is tremendous, and they get hash browns right–golden and crunchy outside, creamy potato goodness inside.
13. Corned beef on rye at Attman’s.
    Yes. Yes. Yes. Attman’s is a shoebox of a deli downtown. They have boxing gloves (including a pair signed by Ali) and fifty ninety-four years‘ worth of photos on the wall.
14. Chiapparelli’s house salad.
15. Knock back a goblet of Resurrection Ale at Brewer’s Art.
    They also sell big 24oz. bottles in some liquor stores.
16. Take a Sunday morning stroll through the JFX Farmer’s Market.
    The only time you want to be under a Baltimore City overpass.
17. Thrasher’s french fries from the boardwalk in Ocean City.
    With malt vinegar.
18. Have a Black Eyed Susan at the Preakness.
19. Chow down on a pit beef sandwich at Boog’s during an O’s game.
20. Shop for shoes and chocolate at Ma Petit Shoe in Hampden.
    They don’t have much in the way of dude-shoe selection.
21. Have a soft crab sandwich on white bread.
22. Eat a box of Rheb’s buttercreams. Not at one sitting, of course … on the other hand, why not?
23. Order a Tio Pepe sangria (red). It contains fruit, so it counts as food!
24. Polish sausage from one of the two Ostrowski shops.
25. German sausage from Binkert’s
26. Fisher’s popcorn downy ocean, hon!
    “Downy”=”down at the,” while “hon” is an either charmingly or annoying kitschy.
27. Sunday brunch on the terrace at Ambassador Dining Room, an atypical setting for an Indian restaurant.
28. Get peach cake from Woodlea Bakery.
29. Eat the pumpkin appetizer at the Helmand.
    Eat everything at the Helmand. My current working theory is that we invaded Afghanistan to learn their culinary secrets.
30. Eat a Wockenfuss caramel apple! Mmmmm.
31. Thin crust pizza! Iggies and Joe Squared.
    Both solid, and both have some adventurous menu items.
32. Savory muffins at Red Canoe in Lauraville.
33. Try some of the special flavors from Taharka Bros. (formerly Sylvan Beach) ice cream and Pitango Gelato.
    I’ve only been to Pitango Gelato. Very tasty.
34. Make fun of the hipsters at Golden West and Rocket to Venus in Hampden.
    Rocket to Venus has Resurrection on tap and some good food, and Golden West has tater tots and huevos rancheros all day. Avoid their hash browns–they don’t execute like Blue Moon does.
35. Have a special occasion dinner at Charleston. Ask Chef Cindy Wolf to fix what she thinks is best that night.
    One of my friends went there for her anniversary. She spent $230 with a 50% “friends of the chef” discount. So that’s probably not in my immediate future.
    Update (24 March 2010): Totally forgot about this list. My girlfriend took me to Charleston for my birthday back in December. One of the three best meals of my life, although I think I also gained ten pounds while I was in the restaurant.
36. Change your mind about vegan/vegetarian food at Liquid Earth.
    I would, except it’s right across the street from Blue Moon.
37. Try the charcuterie at Clementine.
    I actually didn’t try the charcuterie, but I have been to Clementine. Generally good, but some weird decisions–I recall an unappetizing wad of mint pine nut pistachio pesto with my duck breast.
38. Macaroni and cheese with bittersweet chocolate from Jack’s Bistro.
39. Throw in a shrimp salad from Kibby’s and/or Mary Mervis.
40. Smith Island Cake, but only from Sugarbakers.
41. Gorge yourself on the Monday night all-you-can-eat at Vaccaro’s.
    I haven’t been to any of the nicer Italian restaurants in Little Italy–I’m not entirely sure why. I do, however, wholeheartedly recommend Isabella’s, a tiny sandwich-and-pizza joint on High St. (I would have words with their web designer, though).
42. Discuss a bottle of wine with Tony Foreman at Cinghiale.
    Barf.
43. Eat roasted vegetables at Donna’s … wearing black.
    The waitstaff at this local chain wears all black. I guess that was a joke or something.
44. Veal Chop at Da Mimmo.
45. Bookmaker salad at Sabatino’s.
    The guy I bought Clara from would not shut up about this stupid salad. I guess it’s a big-ass salad with cold cuts and peperoncinis and whatnot on it.
46. Get a crab cake and a lemon/peppermint stick at the Flower Mart. Isn’t a fabulous crab cake, but even an average crab cake in Baltimore is better than anywhere else!
47. Order any sandwich at Trinacria. But no calling ahead to order like I do. You must wait in line for the full effect.
    This is one of my favorite shops. From the outside, it looks like the kind of place you get murdered inside. Inside, it’s full of Italian goodness–sauces, olive oil, wine, cookies, and yes, sandwiches.
48. Order the popcorn and deviled eggs at Woodberry Kitchen. Before your appetizers, not in lieu of.
    Woodberry Kitchen has excellent food, and it’s organic, local, sustainable, etc., etc. The restaurant has a great look, too.
49. Have lunch on the patio at Sanders Corner overlooking the Loch Raven Reservoir.
50. Head to Carroll County for the best cream of crab soup at Smokey’s BBQ on Liberty Road.
51. Stop at DiPasquale’s in Highlandtown for their Italian and meatball subs.
52. Fried chicken livers from the Lexington Market.
    Except for raw seafood, I think just about everything in Lexington Market is fried. I wouldn’t be surprised if they deep-fry the mops.
53. Bagel with lox and cream cheese or apricot spread from Greg’s.
54. Sit at the bar at Cinghiale and order anything. Talk to Rob about wine when Tony isn’t in town.
    Stop it.
55. Tamales from the food truck on Broadway.
56. Coddies on a cracker from a rowhouse bar.
57. Wander aisles of exotic produce – lychees! jackfruit! Indian eggplant! – at H Mart or Lotte Plaza in Catonsville. Eat some yummy bi bim bap or udon soup at the food court and then pick up a beautiful fresh whole fish for dinner before you head home.
58. Go to a bull/oyster roast or crab/shrimp feast at any number of Baltimore venues as long as you go to at least one at a V.F.W. hall, American Legion, Steelworkers Hall, fire hall, state park, etc.
59. Prime rib at the Prime Rib.
60. Greenberg Potato Skins from Prime Rib.
61. How about the fried green pepper rings at Gunnings!
62. You have to get a Popular Mozzarella Pie from Matthew’s Pizza!
    Or you could get a Four Seasons (olives, artichokes, prosciuttini, and anchovies, substituting sausage for the anchovies because anchovies suck).
63. A baloney-wrapped hot dog from Attman’s.
64. Pit beef from anywhere without a door.
65. Late night dinner at the Bel-Loc Diner.
66. Eat a “Tour of Samos” at Samos in Greektown (Greek salad, tzatziki and pita, kalamari, spinach pie, chicken souvlaki, dolmades, lamb chops, garlic shrimp, gyro, roasted potatoes).
    I have not eaten all of those things at once. I think I would die. But it is a great little Greek place, and it’s BYOB.
67. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding at Ale Mary’s
    They also have Resurrection on draught and serve tater tots.
68. Eat anything on the menu at Andy Nelson’s.
    Arguably the best barbecue joint in Baltimore. Rib racks the size of a sheet of plywood, delicious sauces, and excellent corn bread. Shitty potato wedges.
69. Gravy fries.
    The NYer ran a piece about poutine, and my reaction through reading the whole thing was: Gross.
70. Chicken salad from Graul’s Market!
    Not really down with [meat] salad.
71. Old-fashioned Maryland stuffed ham.
    Knowing Maryland, it’s stuffed with scrapple.
72. OTTERBEIN’S COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thank you, sugar fiend.
73. Raw beef and onion sandwich with raw yellow onion and salt and pepper on fresh rye bread (or pumpernickel).
    Erm.
74. Buy a crepe at Sofi’s and enjoy it while watching a movie at the Charles.
75. Naron candy.
76. Polish dog with “the works” at Polock Johnny’s.
    Can’t go wrong with a Polish sausage topped with a chunky red salsa-type sauce.
77. Italian cold cut sub at Pastore’s in Towson.
78. WOCKENFUSS CANDIES!!!!!!!!!!
79. Order the chocolate-chili bread pudding at the Blue Agave.
80. Have a picnic at Fort McHenry.
    Haven’t eaten anything there, but it is a very pleasant place.
81. Any sandwich from Eddie’s in Roland Park.
82. String bean rolls at Cafe Zen.
83. Garlic fries at Brewer’s Art.
    More accurately, shoestring garlic rosemary fries.
84. Oysters and beer at Cross Street Market!
85. Coffee from Zeke’s.
86. Smoked platter from Neopol at Belvedere.
87. Go to the Wine Market on a Monday night and enjoy a neighborhood discount (extended to all diners).
    I did not know they did a discount on Mondays. That’s pretty cool.
88. Have an ice cream that contains vegetables at Dominion Ice Cream. [Ed.'s note: Now relocated to Hampden.]
89. Have Old Bay on things other than seafood. For instance, corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw.
    If you haven’t had Utz’s crab chips (off-brand Old Bay on a super-thin potato chip), you have not had every molecule of water sucked out of your body. But you still can’t stop eating them.
90. Margarita in a hubcap from Nacho Mama’s.
    Nacho Mama’s is the worst.
91. Take the Clipper City brewery tour.
92. Have a Black Eyed Susan cupcake at Charm City Cupcakes. It’s one of my favorite things about Baltimore!
93. Get fruit and veggies from an a-rab.
    Not what you’d immediately guess.
94. Sip ‘n Bite.
    Capital-d diner in Canton. Unexceptional, except for the fact that they’re open 24 hours and are located relatively near bars.
95. Sip a Bloody Mary with an Old Bay rimmer. I only see this done at Baltimore restaurants.
96. Enjoy a meal at Salt.
97. Eat the Berger cookie pie at Dangerously Delicious Pies in Federal Hill. A new tradition built on the old.
98. Mary Sue Easter Eggs.
99. Eat sushi in Towson.
    Seriously, how did this make the cut?
100. Wiener schnitzel, red cabbage, and more at Eichenkranz in Highlandtown. The last traditional German food in the city.

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Also, Ezra Klein’s revelation that even Potbelly’s vegetarian sandwich has 550 calories and 60% of your day’s saturated fat (thanks to the three kinds of cheese they put on it) was quickly followed by his Cheesecake Factory roundup. Takeaways:

• Michael Ruhlman thinks the Cheesecake Factory does, in fact, rock.
• You should never, ever, ever order mashed potatoes there (bottom of this image from Calorie Lab).
• The CF’s miso-glazed salmon weighs in at 1,673 calories, 500 more than their chicken piccata and across-the-board worse for you than their shrimp scampi, though it doesn’t come close to the 2134-calorie, 81-grams-of-saturated-fat monstrosity that is the pasta carbonara. As Ezra notes, both miso and salmon are pretty low-fat, so I’m curious as to where all that gut-busting comes from.
  

This is a pretty compelling reason to require nutrition information on restaurant menus (and though I’m no great fan of Cosi, they’re one of the few chains that does so).

Update: Caroline just linked me to this fascinating look at fast-food hamburgers (PDF). Just so you know, the average fast-food burger is 12.1% meat. I’ll let you find out what the other 87.9% is on your own.

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Bo ssäm is Ssäm Bar’s most famous dish—a whole pork butt, plus kimchi and a dozen oysters, designed to be eaten wrapped in Bibb lettuce. It serves eight or nine, costs two hundred dollars, and usually requires ordering several days in advance. – NYer

Momofuku Ssäm Bar is outstanding (though I did not have the bo ssäm). More on New York and Mono to follow.

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Smoked Gouda mac and cheese
Serves two if you’re hungry, takes maybe 20-25min total

Boil up some water and cook whatever pasta you like (I used about half a 16oz box of shells). I assume you don’t need detailed instructions for this. While you’re waiting, grate about 6-7oz smoked gouda, or a little more if you snack on it like I did.

Melt about 1.5 tablespoons butter over low-medium heat. Whisk in 1 tablespoon flour. When combined, add about 1/2 cup milk and keep whisking away. Throw in some salt and pepper–I think I ended up with a little over 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and maybe 1/8 teaspoon pepper, but you can always season to taste later. Add the cheese bit by bit while stirring, then mix with the pasta when fully combined.

Also, if anyone has suggestions for other ways to improve the recipe, I want to hear them.

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Turns out I'm Nostradamus.

Sometime over the weekend, someone (or ones) broke into the office and jacked the safe up but good. In a remarkable stroke of luck, however, it turns out there wasn’t anything valuable in there: $37 worth of petty cash and the licenses for Microsoft Office. Update: Since there might be criminals reading this blog on the Interwebs, I’ve been directed to remove some details. Anyway, the bottom line is that there are plenty of better targets in the building. Or next door at the car dealership.

(Side note: maybe my expectations were set too high by unrealistic heist movies with catchy soundtracks, but I expected a more intricate and admirable scheme.)

To soothe my shattered nerves after this heinous crime, I went to Isabella’s for lunch, which I highly recommend if you’re ever in Little Italy and feel like insanely tasty sandwiches.

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The rest of the restaurant was pretty lively, although a little gray early–apparently 7:30 is still early-bird o’clock in DC. And the food was pretty good. Their mussels were flavorful, although a few were sandy. I had roast squab, which was meaty, rich, and served with (homemade?) waffley potato chips. Very tasty.

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For all its organic New American trappings, the food isn’t too fussy. The goat cheese, basil and tomato flatbread was delicious–pillowy and charred the way only an ungodly-hot oven can produce. A cheese plate with aged gouda featured honey mustard and a caraway-seed bread, which was very tasty, but I’d recommend trying one of the others–goat cheese with peaches and vin cotto or aged cheddar with candied almonds. I ordered one of the specials, lamb chops with porcini mushrooms over polenta, and it was just about perfect: very balanced, with a thin layer of deliciously crisp fat protecting the succulent meat. The Girlfriend’s beef tenderloin came with squash and these little fried mashed potato things, which were both unusual and very good: fluffy potatoes surrounded by golden bread crumbs. No room for dessert, but I saw several go past (including to the table next to us), and they looked heart-stopping.

City Paper proclaimed Woodberry Kitchen “Best New Restaurant” in last week’s Best of Baltimore 08 issue, declaring it “Hands down the most anticipated restaurant opening,” and that’s accurate–at 8pm on a Monday night, it was pretty busy. But although I enthusiastically endorse the concept of good, local organic food, I’m not sure that Woodberry quite lives up to the hype. Maybe I should’ve tried the fried pepper rings with sweet corn relish or the tea-smoked pork belly (I did think long and hard about that one), but I didn’t have anything transcendental. If I didn’t know that my lamb was organically raised, then killed Anton Chigurh-style twenty miles away… Still, the food is very good, and I’d definitely encourage you to go, which is probably the real test. So that’s that.

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