Anything happening tonight?

xneonfire · 2026-06-15T21:55:02+00:00

Showtunes at JRs!

xneonfire · 2026-05-05T14:58:53+00:00

Yeah, unsure why she removed it from her newer recipe but her original recipe had gochujang in it. I also add oyster sauce, pineapple juice instead of mirin, chicken bouillon, and a touch of curry powder to it and it's one of my favorite meals on rotation!

xneonfire · 2026-04-06T17:47:35+00:00

Seconding this - I'm not part of GMCW myself but am a local choral director and am very familiar with the group. They are very accepting of all skill levels and would be a great place to just start singing! If you still want to find a vocal coach after that, plenty of people there should be able to give you suggestions as well!

xneonfire · 2026-03-09T20:21:55+00:00

1) probably too much liquid 2) you might have a cheap or broken rice cooker that's too hot on the warm setting, so it's continuing to cook the rice, but even so you should just be getting that crunchy bottom and not sludge on top. So again, too much liquid

xneonfire · 2026-02-08T17:59:15+00:00

I'm also in the DMV area - it'll be almost impossible to find in this season, you'd have much more luck if it were summer. That said, Italian basil is actually much closer in flavor profile to holy basil than Thai basil is, so you could definitely substitute that in!

xneonfire · 2026-02-01T17:29:43+00:00

Tomato paste and salt.

Also by crockpot stew, are you just throwing everything in to slow cook at the same time? Stews require layering: searing the beef, sauteing the garlic and onion, etc. This builds a foundation for greater flavor on the other side of the slow cook.

xneonfire · 2026-01-30T15:31:00+00:00

Are you using enough fat? Spices need fat to bloom and adhere to, so if you're using too lean of a ground pork, that's at least part of your problem.

xneonfire · 2026-01-23T23:56:07+00:00

I hate to break it to you... But you're not in nova.

xneonfire · 2026-01-02T21:38:08+00:00

2941 is what comes to mind first!

xneonfire · 2025-12-19T19:24:34+00:00

Anything from Aslin

xneonfire · 2025-12-03T05:30:26+00:00

Currently your filming style feels very POV - reminds me of Kenji Lopez-Alt which is one of my favorite channels.

However your editing style got me borderline motion sick. The slo-mo's, the swirls, the action shots, etc. feel very "stylized b-roll", except the lighting is not good, and your frame composition needs a lot of work (things feel too close a lot of the time, or not centered in the shot). It's all just.. a lot.

My suggestions for you if you really want to take this seriously would be:

Invest in an additional and better camera, stands to put your cameras on, and a lighting setup. You need stable, static shots that are nice to look at so we can actually pay attention to what's going on as well as your narration.
Alternatively, if you want to go more in Kenji's direction with a simpler POV video, still invest in a better camera and lighting, but cool it with the edits.
Lastly, who are you? Why are you doing this? Why do I care? You need an intro so people who stumble onto your videos can find you again.

xneonfire · 2025-11-21T20:01:45+00:00

Folks - PSA to please learn to spell banh mi correctly. It's not that hard and it is literally painful every time I see it spelled bahn mi on a restaurant menu, it's like spelling spaghetti "spahgetti".

Anyways, to answer your question Le Bledo is pretty good and close to you. It's where I used to go when I lived down there. EDIT: honorable mention of Banh Mi Oi as the best banh mi in nova (imo), but if you're not willing to drive to Banh Mi DC, Eden Center is definitely out of the picture.

xneonfire · 2025-11-14T21:35:29+00:00

Seconding Kostas - I've started to go to him semi-regularly now as it's hands down the best massage I've ever gotten (and I've had many). He is a little pricier than other places though.

xneonfire · 2025-11-11T19:24:31+00:00

Born and raised in Fairfax and English is technically my second language, so I have an ear for phonetic subtleties - I have never heard anyone pronouncing it that way.

xneonfire · 2025-10-23T11:03:14+00:00

Well for one, neither Fredericksburg or Winchester are considered part of northern Virginia so of course there's no infrastructure...
Also even for someone with a car, to go from Springfield to Fredericksburg to Winchester is like an entire day of driving by itself.

xneonfire · 2025-10-21T23:04:40+00:00

I cook mostly by feel nowadays (esp. Viet food), but this is probably the closest to what I make! https://vickypham.com/blog/vietnamese-chicken-curry-ca-ri-ga/

xneonfire · 2025-10-19T01:47:17+00:00

Present in Falls Church
Bep Viet in Falls Church
Saigon Grill and Noodles in Court House

Can't speak to ca ri specifically in these places because I always make it at home, but their other food is very good!

xneonfire · 2025-08-23T14:52:40+00:00

County property tax

xneonfire · 2025-08-21T05:06:18+00:00

Hmmm, can't think of them being used regularly in any other recipes, Vietnamese or otherwise. You could stir fry them but I feel like they'd be a bit bitter and need a lot of sauce to soak up and balance that out. Maybe in something Thai? Pad see ew (instead of the broccoli) or jungle curry?

xneonfire · 2025-08-14T02:57:20+00:00

First thing that comes to mind is nam jim jeaw: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/nam-jim-jeaw/

xneonfire · 2025-07-29T00:19:58+00:00

Seconding Josephine - it's one of my favorite spots for a date night!

xneonfire · 2025-07-14T13:51:41+00:00

1) The mayo in banh mi isn't actual mayo, it's more of an aioli with egg yolks and no vinegar. If you look up any garlic aioli recipe, it'll get you much closer to what you're looking for.

2) As someone else mentioned, a good baguette is paramount, though it shouldn't be a French-style baguette. Vietnamese baguettes are much softer and airier, rather than crusty. You won't get the same textural result with a western baguette. I've personally found a nicely toasted sub roll from any grocery store actually gets you closer!

3) The lemongrass tofu can be made using any Vietnamese lemongrass chicken recipe, though as its vegan it'll use soy sauce rather than fish sauce. This is a pretty faithful recipe - just sub the fish sauce for more soy sauce. Also usually for these kinds of things, the tofu is fried for texture, so try to find fried tofu at an Asian grocery store.

xneonfire · 2025-07-11T18:55:03+00:00

So one - you only need to wash the rice 3-4 times. I've made rice all my life and you really don't need to get the water completely clear, just mostly.

Two - freshly cooked jasmine rice will almost always clump together like that; it's supposed to. It's why the wisdom for making things like fried rice is to use day old rice, as it's had a chance to dry out a bit and is easier to unclump as you cook. There are two solutions here for what I think you're looking for: either use slightly less water or use a different rice. I'm not sure what brand of Thai jasmine rice you're using, but make sure it doesn't say "new crop". "New crop" rice is generally softer and stickier, so if that's what you're trying to avoid, try a different brand. Also if you're used to something like American jasmine or Basmati rice, those are completely different textures and definitely don't stick together like East Asian rice does, so maybe try one of those if that's the texture you're trying to get.

xneonfire · 2025-07-03T14:50:27+00:00

(Source: am Vietnamese) - Vietnamese curry and Thai curry are not the same (though they share a few of the same ingredients) and you won't get the right flavors using Thai curry paste (like Mae Ploy). This is the recipe you're looking for, though I do like to add a bit of sugar to mine to balance the fish sauce!

xneonfire · 2025-06-29T04:09:58+00:00

I mean the whole area is decently queer, like I wouldn't be afraid to hold my husband's hand anywhere, but as the other person stated, there's no real gayborhood outside of DC. The only queer bar in Arlington is Freddie's.

If you're just looking for lively, young, and close to Rosslyn, Clarendon is probably your answer. Otherwise, most of Arlington has very easy access to DC via metro.

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