Heather

KIbbee Nayee, thank you so much for this post. Don, I'm not sure why you doubted the utility of a post like this. More knowledge is always a good thing. I'd love to see more places on the MD side of the river - will you be adding to this? Maybe there should be a Rockepedia section of the board for informational posts like these? (ETA my original post was edited, apparently.) --- [umm, no, it wasn't (until just now). In fact, this is the very first time I've even seen this post.]

Quick dinner after picking the kids up at Dulles: turkey meatballs, rice, peas, ice cream. The kids had skipped lunch on the plane and ate huge amounts. Two hours after dinner they are raiding the kitchen for granola bars and peanut butter sandwiches. Jeez

#3, without a doubt. "When you pretentiously give us a list of ingredients and expect we should Karnak them into a delicious dish in our minds, you just look like you care more about the graphic design of the menu than the content of your plates."

It may suck ventworm nut, but it was open when Range was not. (According to their hostess, Range is "still working on their lunch menu" for apparently everyone except their financial backers. Whatevs) Lemonade was fine. Guacamole was fine; I would even go so far as to pronounce it "good" after applying a few dabs of the accompanying tomatillo salsa. Ceviche sampler was also fine. In addition to being fine, our server was competent and graciously brought both sour cream and a glass of milk after one of us accidentally bit into a habanero garnish. I probably won't go back -- mostly because their prices are kind of appalling -- but it was as good a place as any to while away a couple of hours with a friend on a Sunday afternoon.

It's my 'hood too, and I completely agree. This part of Bethesda has got to have the biggest disparity between income and decent dining options of any commercial area in Montgomery county. The very fact that Hamburger Hamlet continues to hang on proves your point admirably. Thanks for the reminder to get to Wildwood soon.

A neighbor's home cooking: chicken biryani, a spicy Sri Lankan eggplant dish with onions & peppers, tomato & cucumber yogurt salad. Brownies with ice cream for dessert.

Across the street. I tried to go for lunch yesterday, but they were having a problem with their hot water heater and weren't open.

Anchovy paste is my new BFF. I made a disgraceful amount of anchovy butter this week and have been spreading it on my breakfast toast every morning. It's also delicious on steamed vegetables, steaks, and licked off one's fingers.

Steak fajitas, with peppers and onions. I have taken a shine to the Rick Bayless Frontera-branded seasoning sauces found at Whole Foods and other places. Of course the proper foodie thing would be to make my own stuff, but these taste pretty good, and have a high ratio of recognizable ingredients, and make my life easier. Worth a couple of bucks. Served with corn and flour tortillas, grated extra-sharp cheddar, chopped scallions, sour cream, and the made to order guacamole from Whole Foods with extra cilantro. Cucumber salad, dressed with vinegar, a little sugar, and pinch of red pepper flakes. Dinner music: Weezer (the green album)

Jeans with heels and a dressy sweater has been fine in the past. Can't speak to how crowded it might get, though.

This & that: frittata with canadian bacon and cheddar shredded brussels sprouts braised in apple cider cremini mushrooms with thyme and bacon steamed cauliflower sauteed with grape tomatoes milk for everyone Tonight's dinner music (because in my house, what goes in my kids' heads is as important as what goes in their stomachs): Ben Harper, Diamonds On The Inside http://youtu.be/EAnlXD9Gaag

Cornucopia is one of the places I will miss the most once I'm no longer working in Bethesda. It's perfect for an impromptu coffee meeting with coworkers, the sandwiches are quite good, and it's great for an occasional special ingredient purchase that I can build a pantry dinner around (a bit of ricotta salata, olives, canned cherry tomatoes, Italian sausage, specialty pastas, etc.). The owner is a sweetheart, too.

I just received an email from Groupon offering me $5 off my next Groupon purchase. The drain-circling has begun...

I was saying that buying a coupon, and *then* paying full price for a meal, is essentially making a donation to the place. If groupons or coupons are bad for their bottom line, then they shouldn't do them, or shouldn't do them often. Frequent discouting cheapens your brand and trains consumers not to pay full price. These deals are like gift certificates, and smart companies count on a certain percentage to go unredeemed. They are better than gift certs in some ways, because gift certs legally have to stay on the books for a given amount of time before they can be written off as free money. The percentage paid on these deals can, and should be, negotiated with the company that you're working with. Sometimes, it gives former regulars who can't afford to go out as often a way to get in the doors occasionally. I suspect the bad economy created many of that kind of customer.

Split pea soup with kielbasa Walnut boule from Le Pain Quotidien (much better than the baguette) Apple cider