Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Weird seeing Dea's on here. I grew up in Gresham, and don't think I ever ate there once (it was a jock hangout)! I love fry sauce, and even though Utah likes to claim it as a regional specialty, it's also very Oregonian. Salt Lake City-based Arctic Circle, famous for fry sauce, still thrives in Oregon despite all the Portland branches closing.

I just tried a Riesling from Virginia (Barboursville Vineyards) at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore where they feature many wines from Maryland and Virginia. I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be very dry, tart and summery. Even though I usually prefer a touch of sweetness, it was pretty complementary with the pork loin, fennel and cherries I was eating. It's worth trying some of the lesser-known regions, especially since the wines aren't expensive.

@kathryn Chao Thai does list a crispy watercress salad on one of the many handwritten-on-paper dishes listed along the wall, but they've always been out of it which makes me suspicious.

@clearrants You're right. I'll admit I had confused Little Neck with Great Neck and had lumped it in with Long Island. I think there also used to be a BonChon in that area.

@pickle The Saint Marks branch closed. Now that space is just TKettle.

I, too, took issue with the banh mi article (and a few other things written by Jordan Michelmen whose byline recently started appearing out of the blue--who is this person?) but one can only take T Magazine so seriously. I doubt this would have been published in the dining section.

@Ravenous! Hey, I didn't design that pizza myself--it's #244 on the menu.

@thepitapredator As I suspected, free wine seems to be the way to go at Piola. After glass 7, diners will probably stop caring about the weirdo pizzas.

@ZenKimchi I though the bossam aspect was kind of cool--it sets them apart from the countless Korean fried chicken restaurants in NYC.

Ambitious: I like the saucy style, but it was new to me. The pizza, on the other hand, is definitely an acquired taste.

The beef bowls on the Japanese site definitely look better (I'd like to try the one with kimchi). I thought the mushy vegetables were optional, but I guess you have to specify that you don't want them.

Midtown Jimmi: Maybe I was being too neutral, but the arepa was my favorite item and I can't think of anyplace else in the area where you can get one. I'd recommend it.

@seriousb It's actually kind of demented to take on someone's name like that, but I won't hold it against him.

@Adam Kuban That makes me wonder if they are just inconsistent or if my sense of taste is just dulled. Often I don't find things as spicy as they are supposed to be.

taxigourmet: You're right. I was melding preparing/baking in my mind. They do taste very fresh.