Did we destroy the myth of Maryland fried chicken?

The thought struck me recently that I ask a lot from you, faithful Y&H Nation. Many of you respond in kind, perhaps hoping your words will one day appear in the newsletter (sign up at right!) or blog. And what do I do? I sit on them, as if they’re going to ripen with age.

So this week on the blog is about giving back, about stepping out of the way and letting you, dear reader, have your say.

* Trevor Galligan chimed in about the recent item on Maryland fried chicken:

As someone ignorant to the infamy of “Maryland Fried Chicken”, I, like you, am struggling to understand the lore. So far — I’ve got that it is possibly local chicken, definitely fried, usually coated simply in flour, and sometimes in a cast iron pan. “Skillet fried” has always meant to me cast iron and not submerged. As a Southerner, I am pretty sure that my great great ancestors were frying up local chickens in cast iron pans with nothing more than flour coating as well — though in Tennessee. And I am sure that they were in the despicable state of Alabama, as well as every other state from Maryland to the panhandle of Florida. I think you may have busted the myth.

* Over on Twitter, @angelakim had a request after reviewing the early renovation work at Poste Moderne Brasserie:

@timcarman renovations are looking good, but did you ask Weland to bring back the duck reuben??

(To answer, @angelakim, I didn’t ask, but I have a feeling your request has just been heard.)

* Jake Decker shared his Valentine’s Day experience at Fusion in Petworth following Y&H’s breakdown of his own evenings of love and gluttony:

It took us forever to get there. Had to arrive by bus missed our stop, and walked about 10 blocks. It was pretty amusing to see the number of folks who have claimed their parking spaces by using lawn chairs and odds and ends.

Fusion was ok at best. We had two appetizers, the crispy spinach (which contrary to reports, isn’t as good as Rasika’s and the Sev Puri, which was really dry but a pretty good attempt. She ordered a vegetable molee and I had a chicken dish which isn’t actually on the menu but had green chilis and yogurt. They were both average and not that impressive for the price.

The biggest stand out of the night was the alcohol. I had a vanilla infused bourbon and she had a glass of Malbec and then I had a glass of a varietal from Oregon. Definitely more impressive that the meals itself unfortunately.

The service was fine. I waited tables and bartended for six years, so service is never what I’m most critical about.

The place wasn’t that busy, which unfortunately might be a sign to come. I think Petworth is a great area, but this restaurant is pretty expensive for a transitional place.

* In response to my call for good meals to get us through Snowmageddon, Hilary Nelson wrote in with these thoughts (and recipes):

I’m somewhat ashamed to say that I’ve actually been looking forward to the blizzard(s) as an excuse to cook and bake. So far I’ve made my way through homemade chocolate pudding, rice pudding and banana chocolate chip cookies. With this next round of snow I think there may still be bread pudding and homemade biscuits yet to come…stay tuned 🙂

Look for two other Hilary Nelson recipes soon on the Y&H blog.

* My recent post on the 15 traits that chefs and food writers have in common inspired this response from a local restaurateur, who will go unnamed: “By the way, Number 16: Delusions of grandeur.”

* Finally, a friend who only wants to go by the name “Lou,” asked for a favor following my item about Pete’s Apizza expanding into sort of/kind of Tenleytown:

I’d like to find out what Pete’s Apizza is going to do with their new Tenleytown location, in particular, how are they going to prevent it from becoming another Two Amy’s kid infestation making it wholly unenjoyable for those w/o the rug rats.

I see it happening. Ugh. My stomach turns thinking about it.

So what’s on your mind, Y&H Nation? What questions haven’t you been able to answer? Or what experiences would you like to share? Send all your thoughts, commentary, and questions my way.