Nothing is better than:

 Coconut ice cream, bone in fillets at the Capital Grille, country ham cooked with my recipe, ambrosia, good raw oysters (preferably  Blue Points or Kumamotos), Pat's Philly Cheese Steaks, carbonara at "Abruzzi" behind the Franciscan conventual convent in Rome and next to the final resting place of so many Stuarts, Ben Benson's swordfish in New York, anything at the "Hitching Post" in Casmalia, California, chicken fried steak at "Bob and Edith's" on Columbia Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia.  (Leave your circulatory system at the door.) Do you want to live forever?  pl

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Coconut-Ice-Cream/Detail.aspx

Comments

[mike]

Hitching Post is great. It is too long since I have been there. And Virginia ham is the best. I hope your recipe does not stray too far from tradition.

But cannot agree with on Blue Points. With all that sewage from New York and new Jersey, no way I would eat them at all, let alone raw. For great oysters try Goose Point from Willapa bay Washington next time you are on the west coast. Or closer to home for you, try the ones in Coastal Carolina. Not so big but savory and mouthwatering. We used to purchase them by the bushel basket right off the boat at Snead's Ferry, NC. We ate them raw or sometimes roasted them under wet burlap on a steel plate and burner salvaged from a surplus military field stove. They have the best blue crab there also.

And if you have not tasted Maine quahogs you have missed the treat of a lifetime. And not the little phony ones in the southern New England states that are only good for frying in batter. Get the true down-east quahogs baked, or steamed in wet seaweed, or stuffed Portuguese style, or quahog pie. Best I remember was served raw in a cup of hot milk and a dab of butter like grandma used to serve them when I was a tad.

[walrus]

Florentino Restaurant, Melbourne for anything. Becco Restaurant, Melbourne for roast Duck. Flowerdrum, Melbourne for chinese. Blue Moon Bar and Grill, Madison, Wisc. for hamburgers and beer. Saltwater restaurant for fish, Noosa Heads Queensland. Sushi at the Imperial hotel, Tokyo.

My backyard for roast eye fillet and a Cabernet Sauvignon and salad.

Have to go to lunch now, this is all making me hungry, and it's a holiday here.

[Stephen Hicks]

Colonel Lang,

Many of our fellow Vietnam Vets are suffering not just from the wounds of the enemy, but from habits given them by the military, or the American culture. I see awful examples with expats every day here in Thailand, and when at home in the Bay Area.

Your post is somewhat equivalent to offering a drink to an alcoholic. As one of the sharpest pins in the cushion, you should be able to do better for those of us who are ill with vascular disease.

On a personal note, walk away from each and every one of the foods you mention. Your history shows you have the strength and intelligence to do this. Don't kid yourself - this is your latest war. We all wish you well, and a long life.

[Mark Gaughan]

As Homer Simpson would say, "mmmmmm, Coconut ice cream, bone in fillets at the Capital Grille, country ham cooked with your recipe, ambrosia, good raw oysters (preferably Blue Points or Kumamotos), Pat's Philly Cheese Steaks, carbonara at "Abruzzi" behind the Franciscan conventual convent in Rome and next to the final resting place of so many Stuarts, Ben Benson's swordfish in New York, anything at the "Hitching Post" in Casmalia, California, chicken fried steak at "Bob and Edith's" on Columbia Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia."

No, I don't want to live forever.

[SubKommander Dred]

Pat:
For me, in Arlington, the late night after bar crawling hunger zombies at Marios on Wilson Boulevard is the place to be. I first chowed down on their flaming death back when it was selling for 25 cents a slice. Also, Nam Viet in Clarendon is pretty good too (growing up in Arlington, I got an early start on Vietnamese food). And Jammin Joe's Barbecue down on 29 south towards Warrenton. All fine dining establishments, heartily recommended by SubKommander Dred...
aka
Pete Deer

[The Moar You Know]

"Do you want to live forever?"

Yes, but that's probably not going to happen.

It is worthwhile for those of you who have a familial history of heart disease, or who are over 50, to have a coronary CAT scan done. This can tell you how much plaque is in your arteries, and that in turn will let you know if you need to go on the statin drugs, or worse yet (but a lot better than dying) have angioplasty and stents.

I was sent for such a scan (I'm in my early forties) because of a familial history of heart disease and diabetes, an inverted cholesterol ratio (bad was what the good should be and vice versa) and some unexplained chest pains.

The results were a wholly unexpected and total surprise; I'm in a group that comprises about 20% of the population that does not form arterial plaque. At all.

So get the test. You might get lucky and find out that you can go on that bacon and ice-cream diet you always wanted to try. And you will certainly find out what will be needed to keep you alive and in good condition as long as God intends your stay on the planet to be. You may live for twenty years after having had a heart attack but you might not be doing a whole lot, and what fun would that be?

The chest pains? A result of bad posture. Don't sit hunched over.

[David]

Do I want to life forever ?
No sir, but long enough to sample all the places you have mentioned and then some.

David

[Patrick Lang]

TMOAR

Ah, come on. We left out brothers face down in the rice forty years ago. pl

[McGee]

Pat,

The Pleikartsfoersterhof just outside of Heidelberg for the best veal cordon bleu on the planet. And Bailo's in Buffalo for roast beef on weck to die for....

[Mark Gaughan]

Has anyone ever gone to El Pollo Rico in Arlington? Their roast chicken is the best. It's seasoned with Peruvian spices and just melts in your mouth. It's on Wilson St. near GMU. The place is not fancy, they just have great chicken.

[Mark Gaughan]

Actually, El Pollo Rico is just off Wilson on Kenmore St.

[mo]

Colonel,
Considering the service you served your country, surely what your readers would really want to know is where the best falafel, shish taouk and shawarma can be found?

[Patrick Lang]

mo

For shawarma I would vote for Cafeteria Reem at the 5th circle in Amman or Mata'am al-'a'ilaat on the Via Dolorosa in al-Quds. We used to have great Shish Ta'uk and Shish Samak at Bacchus on Jefferson Place here in Washington but the place closed. The "special" hummus with little bits of grilled lamb was super there as well. Falafel I don't like much. I seem to remember that there was a good Lebanese restaurant in London called "Sultani" or something like that. pl

[curious]

hmm, coconut ice cream.

ok, if you ever feel channeling Marco Polo and traveling to philippine or indonesia, the local know a coconut subspecies call 'kopyor' (ina) or 'macapuno' (tgl.) This subspecies has minor genetic mutation that makes the endosperm meat deliciously soft, instead of rough as in regular coconut. (This is why only young coconut is directly edible/drinkable, btw. The mature one can't be eaten directly. )

Anyway, imagine an ice cream that the coconut is naturally chunky and soft like moist chocolate cake instead of grainy shaving but with complete coconut flavor. That would be their idea of good coconut ice cream. And because this minor mutation trait is not well understood (you can't create new macapuno/kopyor coconut tree) supply is limited. (somebody do genetic scan already! this is worth it. forget the panda, bald eagle and polar bear)

This will alter your understanding what coconut ice cream suppose to be. I tried this few years back. In term of ice cream ecstasy rating, I put it right up there next to when my friend introduced me to almond ice cream with sherry in hot Madrid night.

[Nicollo]

Have you eaten a Wellfleet lately?

[mo]

Ah well, a culinary tour of Lebanons finest next time you're in Beirut, on me!

[Allen Thomson]

> country ham cooked with my recipe

Share it? Please?

[ISL]

As long as one is aiming not to live forever, my favorite is a followup microbrew. I still recall Chermobyl Stout at the Tug Boat Brewing Company, Portland, which was 15%, but tasted alcohol free.

[Old Gun Pilot]

"...Do you want to live forever". Sgt. Maj. Dan Daly was probably not worried about hardening of the arteries when he said that, but after the battle he couldn't have had a better reward for his men than a rack of ribs and a pitcher of cold beer at the Rendezvous in Memphis.

[J]

Nobody's talking about 'Maine lobster' or 'Washington Smoked Salmon'. Tisk, tisk, sooo disappointing. :(

Maine lobsters and Washington's smoked salmon were always a treat bring them home from a hard day's work.

[William R. Cumming]

The three Lebanese Taverna ops in Arlington are not bad!
Personally I like the Deli at Lee Highway and Lorcum Lane.

[greg0]

Almost anything is wonderful if you're really hungry.
Morel mushrooms sauted in butter is a favorite. And it's nearly that time of year for hunting them.

[The Moar You Know]

"Ah, come on. We left our brothers face down in the rice forty years ago. pl"

Colonel: I know this. My father was one of the lucky ones who made it out with hide and hair intact. It's my own selfishness that would like to keep those of you who are left around as long as possible. We still have a lot more to learn from those of you who made it through.

[Maureen Lang]

Pat,

I know your memories must be as fond as mine of you, Dad, & I feasting on the wonderful steaks at The Hitching Post.

A terrific fresh seafood place up in Cambria is The Sea Chest, where I recently celebrated wedding anniversary #35. Fresh Catch of the Day w/oyster appetizer was superb, plus a huge salad straight from the Cambria farmers' market. Great meal, great value for money:

http://www.seachestrestaurant.com/

[lina]

Best coconut ice cream in DC: Thomas Sweet's (P St. at Wisconsin in G-town).

Best falafel in DC: Lebanese Taverna (Conn. Ave near Woodley Park)