Crab Rechad and Bouillabaisse

If you've lived in Bombay on the Western railway line, and like Goan/Malabari cuisine, chances are you've been to Soul Fry in Pali Hill. Soul Fry used to be one of our regular haunts when we lived in Bandra, and I'm extremely partial to their spicy Crab Rechad, a Goan crab dish, and their equally spicy Bloody Mary's. A couple of weeks ago Moosh and I went on a seafood buying frenzy at our local Giant and ended up with our take on Crab Rechad (see below)....





...and Bouillabaisse (see above). While Bouillabaisse is often defined as a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille, it is essentially a hearty seafood stew that can be found in coastal communities all over the world. Take equal parts seafood, vegetables, broth, add herbs and spices, hey presto you've got some of the best tasting seafood stew around.

Komi

Komi
1509 17th St NW
Washington D.C., DC 20036-6262
Tel: (202) 332-9200

Did you know that two of DC's greatest restaurants were literally side by side? Tucked away in a nondescript Dupont Circle neighborhood, you'll find two restaurants - one with a sign and one without. The restaurant with the sign is Sushi Taro, purveyor of some of the best sushi in DC, while the one without is Komi, arguably DC's finest restaurant.

I'd heard of Komi from a friend and managed to snag a reservation for my wife's birthday (getting a reservation at Komi is like Cafe Atlantico's Minibar - you have to call a month in advance). Its prixe fixed with no set menu - the menu changes with whatever is in season and fresh. Our meal started with a succession of seafood appetizers (9 in total) starting with caviar and each dish better than the last one. We had two mains - a spaghetti as primi and a grilled lamb as secondi. The lamb was probably the best I've ever had outside of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. And to wrap it all up, there were 5 desserts. As with dining at the table of all great chefs, Chef Johnny Monis makes the diner keel over in submission with amazing tastes and textures.

Verdict: A must visit. The best food I've had in DC.

While you're not allowed to take pictures of the food, I did manage to sneak a couple in before I was politely told to refrain from taking any further pictures.

C'était un Rendezvous (1976)

The greatest chase scene ever shot!

Clash of the Titans revisited

Clash of the Titans was a tour by thrash bands that began in 1990 with a European leg featuring Megadeth, Slayer, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies. There was a second leg in 1991 in the United States and Canada with a slightly different lineup, this time with headliners Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, and supporting act Alice in Chains. I missed the original Clash of the Titans tour but got to see the reunion tour this summer at Baltimore. Anthrax opening for Megadeth who opened for the almighty Slayer. Heavy metal nirvana if there ever was one.

Scott Ian shredding


Anthrax in full tilt with Caught in a Mosh


Megadeth kicked off with Holy Wars


Guitar god Dave Mustaine


Kerry King lays down Slayer's monster riffs

Au Pied de Cochon

Au Pied de Cochon

536 Duluth Est
Montréal (Québec)
H2L 1A9

I first stumbled upon Au Pied de Cochon aka PDC after watching Anthony Bourdain's mind blowing visit to chef Martin Picard's temple to all things duck and pig. The restaurant is one of Montreal's most famous restaurants and is my all time favorite place to eat. Here's the a clip from the episode of No Reservations that visited PDC:



The PDC menu is a veritable dream come true for carnivores and members of the international hoof and snout mafia. My favorites include the foie gras poutine, the duck in a can, the eponymous Pied de Cochon, and of course the dish that send me to ecstasy every time - pig's head.

Here are some pictures from a recent visit.

A small salad of multi-colored tomatoes to start

Duck in a can

Au Pied de Cochon

Pig's head for 2

That's 24 carat gold on the snout of the pig's head - yup, if you eat this you are so money that you'll actually shit gold the next day

To sum up, if you're ever in Montreal, the one thing you must do is eat at PDC. There used to be an old joke amongst tour guides 'once you've seen Florence you can die', I'd actually change that to once you've eaten at PDC, you can die.

Howard County rules! + Kevin's Lotus BBQ

Howard County, Maryland has some of the best driving roads in the DC area. While Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland have similar twisty and long sweeping roads, Howard County has a clear advantage over both - no dealing with Virginia cops on a power trip or with Montgomery County speed cameras. Any road in Howard County that has the word "Mill" in it is guaranteed to have some excellent winding roads. Here's a picture of us after a hard drive cooling off:




Kevin M. holds an annual Lotus BBQ at his home in Maryland where other exotics/interesting cars are also invited. This was our first time at the BBQ and we met one of the most unassuming supercar owners - Jennifer M. was there with her daughter in her Ford GT. I love the Gulf livery on that car. Jennifer let Lashdeep and I take it for a spin. That car absolutely hauls - definitely one to think of adding to a long term collection. Better start saving even more pennies :-)

Song Que

Song Que
Eden Center
6769 Wilson Blvd
Falls Church, VA 22044
Tel:(703) 536-7900

If you want Bahn Mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwiches) in the Washington DC area, Song Que is the place to go. Their cold cuts bahn mi is outstanding as is their grilled pork bahn mi. Apart from bahn mi, they have a vast selection of pre-made deli meals that just need to be nuked as well as what some call the bubble tea in the mid-atlantic. Definitely a must visit restaurant.

Gratuitous food pics.

Cold cuts (#1 on the menu) and grilled pork (#8) bahn mi with mango bubble tea



Grilled beef (#9) bahn mi with mango bubble tea

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
1 5th Ave (between 8th St & Washington), New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Tel: (212) 995-9559
www.ottopizzeria.com


We went to Otto's with high hopes after reading all the positive reviews but came away sadly disappointed. The food was good but the service and attitude was terrible, so I'll break this review into 2 sections:

Group Size: 5 adults (walk in)

Food Review: We ordered the Carni Platter, Heirloom Caprese, Roasted Beets & Saba, and Summer Squash & Pecorino as starters, all of which were very good. The Carni Platter has head cheese (hard to find on most menus, one of my favorites) and was a standout. For the main course we ordered the Panne Frattau, Margherita D.O.P., and Vongole, all of which were very good. To round off, we tried the icecream with 3 flavors - Olive Oil, Coconut and Peppermint Chocolate Chip. Dessert was a bit of a let down as the much hyped olive oil icecream wasn't all that.

Service Review: While the food at Otto's was good, the whole meal was soured by the service and attitude. When taking our main course orders the waiter made it point to tell us that the chef takes an order from a table just once, which we thought was odd but didn't give much thought into. We initially ordered 2 pizzas as we didn't know how big they would be. In the end, it turns out that we needed to order a 3rd pizza, so we placed an order for another pizza. Boy did that turn out to be a huge problem for the restaurant. The waiter told us that the chef would not take the second order. We couldn't believe our ears - a restaurant that refuses to serve food! After sending the waiter back to the chef TWICE to convince the chef to take our order, the chef finally agreed to make our 3rd pizza. We still don't know what to make of their attitude. As a marketing ploy (ala Seinfeld's Soup Nazi) it might seem innovative, but all it does is leave customers with a sour taste over the dining experience.

Final Verdict: Good food, but appalling attitude and service. Save your money and go elsewhere. If this restaurant continues to refuse its customers food, it deserves to go out of business.

Rockonomics - An Indicator of Socio-Economic Development

Guest post by fellow music lover and economic whiz kid Debashish Bose. This post was written after a recent article in the Mint on the development of an indie rock music scene in India and how the upcoming bands are trying to support themselves:
http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/26203912/Rockonomics.html

Debashish:
In my opinion the development of a rock music industry is inherently tied to the growth and evolution of a nation and hence is something I would track very closely if I were to be a longer term investor in any nation. The disclaimer is that I am possibly heavily biased being a bit of a hard rock / heavy metal fanatic and having played in amateur bands before.

Much like trying to "follow the money" when it comes to investing, I will try and go through the process which leads to the formation of a band and the development of the eco-system to attempt to articulate the same.

The roots always lie in it being a middle class movement and the reasons for the same are:

• Whether one considers what might be emerging now in India or what happened in the western world in the 60s, Rock music almost always is and will be a relatively more acquired taste given that it is not the simplest form of music out there. It takes a while for the ear to appreciate it and that cannot come without a certain degree of
  education and evolution of the mental process.
• The musical instruments required to play the same are neither cheap nor something which can be done without a significant degree of training and practice. Also as one goes into the essential accessories like effects pedals, mixers, quality amplifiers etc, the availability and affordability of the same is not easy in India, (though significantly better than 15 years back!)

Now lets delve a little deeper into the social aspects of the same:

• The music is inherently disruptive compared to the prevalent popular music of the time. Think - the change which the likes Elvis and Little Richard presented, or what the Beatles came up with, or further what the sounds of Black Sabbath & Led Zeppelin brought out as compared to the Beatles. In the Indian context, the big names to define the movement has not happened yet, however the texture of the music is in stark contrast to what is popular music ie bollywood music. This is an extremely important phenomenon since disruptive change is only likely to occur when society is at an inflection point in its developmental process.
• Rock music is possibly one of the most honest forms of music in terms of an expression of a heavy dose of realism in its lyrical content and the channelling of animalistic aggression through a musical process. This is in complete contrast to popular music of its time. Bollywood music for eg presents a sugar-coated, escapist veneer which is perfectly suited to forget the harshness of life in the real world. However for realism to become popular, there needs to be a certain degree of comfort with the realities of life, which in turn is nothing but a pure function of a certain amount of affluence seeping
  through society.

Which in turn brings us to the context of forming a band:

• A rock band is almost guaranteed to go through a period of intense struggle surviving on just about nothing or a day job until commercial success can be achieved. While the musicians may well be renegades influenced by idealism, the reality of the situation will no doubt hit sooner or later. Going back however to the first part which I mentioned that the movement is inherantly rooted in the middle class, what is interesting to see is how greater numbers slowly start emerging wanting to form a career in the field. This is inherently linked to a belief that an audience maybe developing for their music and that the musicians themselves are somewhat comfortable with what other future possibilities hold for them should their musical career fizzle out...ie a degree of comfort in being able to take career risks.
• A rock band is just like any entreprenuerial start up venture which is initiated with a strong idealistic framework and with the hopes of bootstrapping its way to success. This starts with the fact that there are 3-5 individuals brought together by an idea and then needing to execute on all parts of the process themselves ie the creative aspect - composition, song writing, playing; the business aspect - arranging gigs, haggling with club owners, procuring equipment, logistics etc. and the management aspect - managing egos & "creative differences". Entrepreneurship combined with middle class roots is exacly what you are looking in a developing economy.

And next we move on the development of the eco-system, which ofcourse starts first with the audience. While a big name, mainstream Western band is almost guranteed a sellout show in India given the complete lack of access to them in the past and hence the consequent pent up demand, its quite another thing for home grown bands to think about the possibility of an audience for their original music. The fact that this belief seems to be growing is a direct
reflection of an evolution of tastes in the broader consumer segment for something disruptively different from the norm and the elements of acquired taste which I initially mentioned - almost exactly the same aspects which you would look for to define emerging consumerism. A whole industry is slowly starting to develop around it which includes the record labels, the rock clubs which host live acts, the musical equipment manufacturers, the merchandising industry etc.

Again all this is still at a very nascent stage but I will insert a quote here from the article I cited initially to sum up what am attempting to describe in this rambling text:
"Tambe remembers attending an OML-organized "unconference" in November. "One British music producer speaking there said that the vibe and energy in Indian rock right now is very similar to Britain in the late 1960s, around the time the pub bands became international superstars," he says. "Something's about to happen. The indie music scene is going to explode. We're just turning the corner."

Happy reading!

The most epic monologue of all time

From “V for Vendetta”:

“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.”



Enough said.

Planting a Flag in the Ground

Moosh often calls the heavy metal fans at the gigs I go to my "tribe". The concept of metal fans as a tribe is not new, and the visual identifiers of the tribe are pretty obvious - long hair, black clothes, tattoos, piercings etc. For this tribe, heavy metal t-shirts are the equivalent of planting a flag in the ground - it says, this is what I listen to, its great if you like it, and if you don't, I really don't care. I have my fair share of heavy metal band t-shirts, and while Iron Maiden and Slayer t-shirts are the most common at concerts, I've been surprised by the two that garner the most attention.

Cro-Mags: This t-shirt gathers the most attention, with people at concerts and also in every day life coming upto me and talking to me about the Cro-Mags and how much they love old school New York hardcore.



D-Low Memorial Show: The D-Low festival is an annual metalcore concert in Phoenix, AZ held in the memory of Dana Wells, Soulfly and ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera's stepson. Not many metal fans even know about this show, yet everytime I wear this t-shirt to a show, people come up to me and talk to me about how much they love Soulfly/Sepultura.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Manifesto Commercial

This ad really caught my attention - something to do with the beat/tempo of the background music and the "emotional" message. Definitely well off the beaten course for a car commercial.

Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa is another one of my go to foods when I can't make up my mind what I want to eat. Moosh whipped up this magic over the long weekend:

The ingredients:


Add the curry and its ready to eat!

The Inn at Little Washington

The Inn At Little Washington
309 Middle St
Washington, VA 22747
Tel: (540) 675-3800
www.theinnatlittlewashington.com

We'd heard about The Inn at Little Washington ever since we moved to the DC area but had never tried it. Moosh and I went there for our anniversary dinner last week. All in all I would say its worth a visit once. The food was good, but not really out of this world, and definitely not aligned with the prices they charged (this was the most expensive meal we've ever head). Service on the other hand was excellent, and they went the extra mile to customize our desserts.

Chili Garlic Lobster

Singapore style Chili Garlic Crabs are probably one of my favorite dishes. Moosh and I and tried to buy crabs last weekend, but the recent gulf oil spill means that they are no where to be found in local groceries. No matter, we ended up buying a few lobsters and Moosh whipped up some amazing Chili Garlic Lobster!

Goodness in the pan:


Ready to eat!

How to pick a watermelon

I love watermelon in the summer months. We usually buy them from our neighborhood supermarket (usually Giant, but also from Trader Joe's and H-Mart) for the princely sum of $3.99 per watermelon. Here's my 3-step way to get the best watermelon on sale:

1. Look for a melon that is nice looking, meaning free of dents, bruises, cuts, etc. Check under the melon - if it has a yellow or light bottom, it should be ripe.

2. Tap the watermelon for signs of hollowness. If it sounds hollow, its ripe. Not hollow, unripe.

3. Look for a heavy melon. Watermelons are made up of mostly water, so an ideal melon should be heavy for its size.

Get these three simple steps right and you're on your way to sweet watermelon goodness (pardon the blurry cellphone pic):

Dick in the box - Ikea instructions