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Weekly highlights:

Pupusa de Queso at La Fondita (Annandale)

Frozen Goat-Cheese Souffle with Almond Dacquoise and Local Plums at Redwood Bar and Lounge

Cucumber Melon Smoothie (fantastic) at Green Organic Juice Bar

Bottle of $20 (twenty-dollar!) 2006 Chinon Rose "Cuvee Marie Justine" at Farrah Olivia

Bahn Cong (fried muffins made with yuca (?) and mung bean) at Huong Viet

Zadie's Dogs (have you tried these yet?) at Del Merei Grille

Sunken Combo Burrito at (the never-changing) Toucan Taco (Laurel)

Olive-Oil Poached Coho Salmon "Sous Vide" with Charred Hungarian Peppers, Preserved Tomatoes, Lime Zest and Tomato Water (accompanied by the perfect side dish) at Vidalia

Salted Chocolate-Covered Caramel (a "last bite of food in your life" candidate) from Artisan Confections

Roasted Lemon-Thyme Chicken at (the surprisingly good) Agraria

Pit Beef Sandwich at Building 5F (in the Montgomery County Fair)

The Jimmy (on a great night) at Comet Ping Pong

Pudina Roti at Haandi

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Friday night: Dinner at Central for my birthday - Started off with the excellently peppery Gin Rickey, spilt the mushroom pearl pasta risotto and chilled ratatouille (I love this app so much), and got the braised beef cheeks as the main. I love Central, but the heavy cooking is becoming almost a cliche. I thought I was literally going to pass out and/or die at the table from the food. We barely made a dent into our apple pan dowdy as a result, though it was delicious.

Sunday mid-day: Woke up with an intense craving for pho, and seeing as Pho Hot was too far to satisfy this, went to the old standby of Pho 75. Got a regular bowl of the eye-round, flank, and soft tendon. Broth seems to have improved since my last visit, but the noodles were a bit too elastic for my tastes, and the servings of tendon were paltry. It would have been better if I had gotten a different bowl and got the tendon on the side as I often do.

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The past week's highlights:

Valentino's Special pizza at Valentino's (the place near Landmark with the Statue of Liberty out front, Annandale)

Grilled Kobe Strip Steak (Grade A7, Four Ounces) at Citronelle

Grilled Organic Tofu and Vegetables Sandwich (always good) at Sunflower

Beef Chimichanga at Guajillo

Gazpacho (the first truly great one I've had all summer) of Brandywine Pink Heirloom Tomatoes with Poached King Salmon, Calamaretti, and Hard-Boiled Egg at - where else? - Palena

Falafel at Mediterranean House of Kabob (White Flint)

The Cure All (standing behind an impregnably full bar) at Restaurant Eve

Battered Fried Cod with Curry Sauce at Eamonn's

Fried Chili-Lemongrass Tofu at Thanh Son Tofu

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Poached Barramundi with Heirloom Tomatoes, Rock Shrimp Tempura, Preserved Lemon, and Taggiasca Olives at CityZen Lounge

Tamale Plate at Teocalli Tamale

Peking Duck (better than ever) at Mark's Duck House

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Fri dinner: Pasha Cafe - Fetta bel lahma (lamb cubes, tomato sauce, and rice on top of bread)

Sat lunch: Jettie's - Nobadeer sandwich (turkey, stuffing, cranberry, and mayo on sourdough bread)

Sat dinner: Asahi - Katsu don (fried pork cutlet with onion and egg, rice)

Sun brunch: Tallula - Eggs benedict (with fried green tomatoes instead of an english muffin)

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Sunday brunch: Cafe Bonaparte's Crepe Cup* and Berry Parfait* split with DS. Son finished the parfait pretty much by himself, allowing me to taste 1 loving spoonful that appears to be homemade yogurt. Unsure why this place isn't much on the radar, since it was quite good.

*Can't remember the exact name, and don't have the brunch menu in front of me, but these words were part of the description.

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Sunday night - dinner at Amada - highlights of black olive caramel with the cheese plate, octopus salad with lardons - loved the presentation at this place, but flavors just weren't bold enough for me and could have used a little more acid in a majority of the dishes...

Mon. lunch - roast pulled pork with broccoli rabe and roasted peppers at DiNic's - delicious, but really could have used grabbing some banana peppers from the counter - what is up with Philly and the lack of acid?

Mon. dinner - Monk's - some super tart raspberry-hinted lambic that wasn't all the fruity, Monk's moules frites, salad nicoise

Tues. lunch - soft pretzel from the Philly Convention Center - the pretzel was close to the worst ever, but the interaction was hilarious. Can I have some cheese for my pretzel? <Confusion strikes> Yeah, I mean you have cheese whiz, can I just have some for my pretzel? (how does this question not come up every week?)

"yo, mama, can she have some cheese for this pretzel?" mama responds yes. "you're lucky. mama must be in a good mood."

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"yo, mama, can she have some cheese for this pretzel?" mama responds yes. "you're lucky. mama must be in a good mood."

Yep, that sounds like Philly.

Man on the street in:

Savannah: "Excuse me, do you have the time?" "Certainly, it's half-past one." "Thank you!"

New York: "Excuse me, do you have the time?" <person brushes on past>

Philly: "Excuse me, do you have the time?" "Yo, whud do I look like, a freakin clock?"

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Curry laksa from Nooshi yesterday for lunch. I got it to go and took it back to my office. Curry laksa is probably a bit too involved a soup for carryout as I had to pour the broth and meats + tofu from one container into the container with the noodles and bean sprouts. Still, I was extremely proud that I successfully managed to avoid spilling or splashing anything onto my work clothes.

Final verdict in the 19th & M curry laksa competition goes to Malaysia Kopitiam's version, with their spicier, thicker curry and better chunks of chicken.

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Was north of Detroit for a visit and the Dream Cruise last weekend.

Kerbys Coney Island for ... well, Coney dogs. And breakfast.

A & W Drive-in, where we got the 70's menu for showing up in old cars. $1.50 Coneys, $1.50 floats, too. Messy but so tasty. I managed to keep it mostly off the Stingray and in my mouth. Sadly, the waitresses were not on rollerskates.

(Not So) Original Pancake House in Birmingham, MI, where I got *custom* pancakes: buckwheat-almond. My sister got the bacon pancakes.

And home-made spaghetti last saturday night.

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Highlights this past week:

Bresaola, Prosciutto San Danielle, and Provolone sub at The Italian Store

Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale (during a top-to-bottom bad meal) at Blue Coast, Bethany Beach, DE

Incredible pork ribs at KBQ

Kaz Sushi Tasting 009 at (the very consistent) Kaz Sushi Bistro, where many key chefs have been in place for five years

Jerked Chicken at (the dreary) PepperPot Cafe, Beltsville

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata (so good we ordered a second one) at Cork Wine Bar

Earth & Ocean at (the distressingly underachieving and expensive) 2941

Jumbo Lump Crabcakes at Hooked

Dim Sum at Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard

Butcher Breakfast at CommonWealth

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The Cowboy Cut at Ray's the Classics Friday night was a knockout, as were the deviled eggs. I would have had a meat course for dessert if they had it-- "I'll have the Porterhouse Pie please".

I've been dining at Joe's Noodle House far too regularly. I know I'm missing out on SOMETHING here in Rockville, just not sure what or where it is.

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fri 9/05--Ray's The Steaks--amid my guests' giant ribeyes and strips I had the hangar, eschewed by the other first timers/out-of towners in my party--but upon receipt of the minuscule bites I parsimoniously passed out for tasting, all acknowledged my genius....while guarding their own (delicious) entrees every bit as stingily. 17 pages of reports on this place, here, leave nothing to be said that hasn't been already, except to say that this is a much warmer place service-wise than one might think reading about it, here and elsewhere.

I've been trying to drag my local connections (Woodley Park and U Street) out to Rosslyn for three years, since I found this board, say five or six visits, and finally success(!) (they loved it, natch), now this will be a tradition...

Sat 9/06--lunch at Pig and Steak, Madison VA. I've heard negatives but our pulled pork was juicy and smoky, hickory predominating, maybe some fruitwood in there? Vinegar sauce very similar to mine at home, brown sauce also nicely tangy & spicy, sort of halfway between memphis and texas. Red sauce meh, mostly ketchup and brown sugar, but who needs it anyhoo?

Dinner at Michael's on the Corner in Charlottesville, decent little tuna steak for a student area, very nice beer list which was why we were there, post game. This may be a rare home win, this year....

Sunday 9/08, late lunch and multiple cocktails at Logan Tavern....great company, adequate food. What did we have, can't remember. Many attractive diners however.

Tuesday 9/09...Ben & Mary's, Warrenton VA...parents reported their last two sorties here showed improvement after a long down period, but my sirloin was abysmal. The ONLY thing to get here is the filet mignon, which they still do well, a lesson I for some reason feel compelled to re-learn every trip home by ordering something else, to my repeated regret. The room itself is depressing, bare walls once adorned with beautiful Marshall Hawkins photos of steeplechases from the 60's...

Wednesday 9/10...perhaps the find of this trip, Swank's on Main Street in downtown Kilmarnock VA. Mr. Landrum himself would not, I think, look down on this NY Strip, cooked EXACTLY to temp, and my wife's lamb chops (ditto) were excellent as well. le tout Kilmarnock seemed to be there in the main bar and dining area though we were alone at the bar/exhibition kitchen thingie, allowing pleasant conversation with chef/part owner Patrick Murphy and sous Nikki..

late Thursday 9/11...regrettable, Nalu in Dewey Beach DE, near our last-minute condo rental, serving faux Hawaiian very late, post-season and midweek, a slight redeeming grace I guess.

Fri 9/12...such a huge late lunch (3:30-5:00) after a beach day, involving several dozen oysters and three half-pound orders of Old Bay shrimp, plus fish tacos, at a beach bar/tiki joint called Zoog's, at the beach end of the main drag, that we had no dinner...

Saturday 9/13...lunch at a quaint little lesbian bar called The Seafood Shack, perfectly adequate grilled mahi served over salad greens, with two ice cold Natty Bohs, served in the can, regrettably made in Milwaukee by the Heilemann folks these days, but still nostalgia-inducing...

for dinner, an old stand by for us, perhaps touristy--but hey, it's a tourist town--Fins on Rehoboth Boulevard, good oysters to start ( Barnstables and a second briny new englander whose name I've forgotten, begins with an N but not Narragansett), rockfish for the girls and a flounder for me, for the mains, great micro brew list and a serviceable Sancerre with the entrees)

Sunday 9/14...very late lunch at Rosemary's Thyme in Dupont, pre-flight. Mediterranean pizza excellent with sweet roasted re peppers an kalamata olives predominating. Efes pilsner from Turkey, a new one on me, daughter's chicken shish quite tasty, wife's pide (sujuk & cheese) what I probably would have had if ten days of shellfish and red meat and craft beer and bourbon hadn't had me a little gout-anxious....if you've ever had an attack and read this so far you'll understand...

and back home to south denver, to a very late an mediocre delivery pizza from a local (at least it's not Pizza Hut) chain, Black Jack....

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Two completely different places on Friday night in Old Towne Alexandria.

Drinks and appetizers in the courtyard at Jackson 20. Great weather and a nice little courtyard, worlds away from the craziness that was going on inside (lots of pretty drunk and very obnoxious patrons at the bar). Cocktails were pricey, but good, appetizers were reasonably priced, but below average. Shrimp corn dogs were gross, cheese fries were acceptable. Didn't drink wine, but the restaurant had a bunch of bottles of wine that were $20, so that is nice to see. Service was very friendly and attentive, especially since we were sitting outside, so I appreciated that. Definitely appreciated the show that we received from some hotel guests who didn't quite do a great job closing the drapes in their room, that made my night and gave me a good story to tell all weekend long. Overall, we didn't order enough food to make a recommendation one way or another, but the atmosphere was lively if you wanted it to be or quiet if you wanted to sit outside (this obviously only works for a few months per year), so a nice addition to Old Towne.

After Jackson 20, we headed to Bastille for dinner. Cute little restaurant and nice outdoor seating, but sitting outside is NOT an option here. It is right across the street from some waste management plant or something, whatever it was, it smelled like ass, not quite sure how the people sitting outside could have handled it. Anyway, inside at the bar was good enough for us. Bottle of wine was nice, good dessert wine list by the glass. Great 3, 4 and 5 course offerings, we chose to split one 3 course menu and get another full price entree. Cromesqui salad was perfectly dressed, salmon was cooked perfectly, but the apple tatin was "off." The veal dish, however, made up for the bad dessert, shank and filet were both wonderful. I was impressed at the size of the dishes as well, they definitely did not try to starve you if you picked the three-course menu. Price was right overall, but could get pricey quickly if you wanted to (the wine list was definitely more pricey than Jackson 20). But, unlike Jackson 20, I can definitively say that I would go back in a heartbeat.

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In Australia, Good Eating. I had the freshest and most flavor-full food ever. Have you been?

Surprised Also Great .....Chinese, Indian, Greek and Italian Restaurants.

Surprise Appearance Chef Gregory Hill (local chef from DC) is now living there, who also cooked for us while we were visiting.

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I'm going to make a quick note here because a certain someone is about a month behind in his promised postings :lol:

We ate at Adour at the end of September -- date night! It was pleasant but really felt...off...to me. I was inspired by hmmboy's post and since then have read more glowing reviews here, and again, our meal wasn't bad, just...ok...so we will probably be back at some point in the future.

We've also eaten at Evening Star Cafe a couple of times since the DR.com dinner there. If you're looking for cold-weather comfort food, look no further! The short ribs we had were excellent -- literally falling off the bone -- and despite what others have declared an excess of creaminess, I love Chef Will's mac and cheese like I love no other. There's just this slight hint of heat to it that I can't resist. Excellent.

We had an excellent meal at Hank's Oyster Bar -- I loved both the lobster roll and the fried calimari rings (so light! not chewy! and the spicy dipping sauce was great with the fries that came with my lobster roll!). I think we've added a new restaurant to our must-return list. I've been thinking about that lobster roll a lot lately...

We were very pleasantly surprised by a meal at the Cafe Promenade at the Mayflower in Dupont Circle. The chef is brand new -- as in 9 days new when we were there this weekend -- and a real charmer :P Plus, his food was outstanding. He sources everything he can locally (which I didn't know restaurant chefs could do!) and then cooks it well. We both loved (and finished!) the signature crab cakes, and we also enjoyed his seared fish (I want to say black cod, but I know for a fact that this is wrong...).

We also had an unusually good meal at Restaurant 3. We keep wanting to love this place -- it's local, it's friendly, the service is good, etc. -- but the menu has stayed the same (as in, identical) since it opened, and its Sysco desserts just make me sad :) BUT, I had the steak there the other week, and it was GREAT! As some of you know, I was a vegetarian for 11 years (Tripewriter blames Chef Armstrong at Eve for converting me :)), and I'm still not really into big pieces of red meat, but I almost finished this steak! If I hadn't promised it to Tripewriter for his lunch the next day, I think even that last slice would have gone... Plus, I've always loved their spinach (yes, me -- loving cooked spinach!) -- it's the cheese and the cream that do me in :)

We stopped by the Bistrot du Coin for the first time recently as well -- Tripewriter just loved it. He said that it just felt really right to him. The only other restaurant I've heard him say that about was Proof, so I'm feeling we'll be back here, too :)

We also ate at Mandu for lunch one day -- what a great spot! We were thinking of maybe organizing a DR.com dinner here, but then saw that one had happened already -- too soon for another? The dumplings were some of the best we'd ever had, and Chef Yessoon and Jesse were both incredibly charming and friendly. We will definitely be back there!

We also have sampled food at Mourayo and La Tomate recently and even got to speak with Chef Stefano at La Tomate -- what a character :) He believes very strongly in what he's doing, though, which is lovely to see -- and very nice to taste :)

We also stopped for a drink at the Odeon Cafe on a weekend afternoon and loved the bar -- a good feel to the space, and a very comfortable place to sit.

Eve welcomed us for dinner at the bar one night (after I forgot to sign the check for the DR.com dinner...I think Tripewriter's going to have to be in charge of paying from now on!!!), and I splurged (SPLURGED!!!) on the white truffle risotto. It was divine. Perfect. Outstanding. If you like truffles, you should try this dish. It was amazing and completely focused on the flavor of the truffles. I followed that with the rockfish, which I think is one of the best dishes I've had this year, anywhere. Happy food! And Ken and Tami took excellent care of us at the bar -- thanks!

I'm sure I'm forgetting something somewhere, but this is a fairly good record of our dining adventures from the end of September until now :)

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We also ate at Mandu for lunch one day -- what a great spot! We were thinking of maybe organizing a DR.com dinner here, but then saw that one had happened already -- too soon for another? The dumplings were some of the best we'd ever had, and Chef Yessoon and Jesse were both incredibly charming and friendly. We will definitely be back there!

Too soon? No, but I don't remember anyone from that dinner planning on rushing back - it was a very mediocre meal.

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Today was my fast food day. I rarely eat fast food except when I'm travelling, and I'm travelling :). Looking back, I realize that today is the first day in 29 days on the road that I've eaten food from a chain fast food restaurant. Breakfast was an Egg McMuffin somewhere in North Texas. That's one fast food item I actually used to like. At some point in history, the eggs seemed to become more like hockey pucks than eggs. I remembered this today, after a bite or two. This Egg McM also had an unfortunate lack of any moisture whatsoever. It was amazingly dry. It did have the calorie count on the wrapper (370), FWIW.

Lunch was large fries from a McDonald's somewhere in Arkansas. The employees were rather slow and seemed not to know what they were doing. As I sat in the car to eat my fries, I discovered that they had been salted close to the point of inedibility.

I wasn't going to eat dinner, since it's raining in the greater eastern Memphis area and all walkable places are fast food. I figured I'd had my fill. I wasn't that hungry but didn't really eat yesterday, so I figured I should get something. No way I was doing McDonald's again. I walked into a KFC across the parking lot from the motel and stared at the menu, having no idea what to get as I never eat at KFC. I knew I wanted cole slaw and ended up with a combo of 3 chicken wings, cole slaw, a biscuit, and a medium soda. The young man asked if I wanted crispy wings. OK. Then he asked if I liked legs. There are only two wings. OK. So I ended up with two legs and two wings. :lol:

The verdict: The cole slaw was pretty good. The biscuit was okay but not something I really liked. It had a lot more moisture than the Egg McMuffin, though. The batter on the chicken was way too thick and crumbly. I think it had also been under the heat lamp a good long while. I pulled most of the coating off and ate the actual chicken, which was better by itself. The half biscuit and remaining wing went into the motel refrigerator, where they may be tomorrow's breakfast or may get thrown into the trash. The soda (no ice) is in the fridge, where it will be flat tomorrow but at least not diluted. I ran out of the diet coke I usually travel with and will need that in the morning.

The end.

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Road food here too:

Likewise. Ham, egg, and cheese biscuit from Biscuitville. Ribs, baked beans, potato salad, hush puppies, sweet potato fries, and more ribs from Tater Bugs. Very tasty milkshake for the drive home, from Aunt Millie's, the nastiest hate-to-love-it small town joint ever. But they do make a good milkshake. Small town: "do you mind waiting a few? The milk's bad. I gotta run down the street and get more."

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Friday: Tiffins- chicken and spinach, matter paneer (they describe that dish as celestial, and boy are they right!) goat biryani. Delicious.

Saturday: a truly wretched sandwich at A bon pain and then after failing to get into Ray's the Classics, Curry Puffs and Pad Si Ew the Thai place at Silver Spring. Not too shabby really but after being spoiled to to the good stuff over up in Wheaton. Cake Love Cupcake for desert. I got preached the room tempeture gospel and I managed to wait until I snuck it into the movie theater to eat it and it wasn't as dry as their usual fare.

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Our kitchen is being renovated, so we're eating out a lot. The past few weekends we've been having pho, as you can see on Biscuit Girl's blog, You Gonna Eat All That?

Sunday was our first trip to Ray's Hell-Burger. Tasty burgers, although my Punisher wasn't as spicy as I expected. Corn and Mac and Cheese are nice sides. I'll have to get up to Ray's the Classics and get one in the bar so I can try it with red wine, and in a more calm setting.

Monday night was Gamasot. If you haven't had the kalbi tang there, go and get it. Tasty beef broth flavored with black pepper, the short rib meat cut off the bone by your server at the table, and a few thin slices of brisket I think. Very nice, soothing soup for the approaching winter. Sollongtang is on as always.

Last night was our first try of the new bar menu at Corduroy. The Faux Ribeye is a shoulder cut that looks like a ribeye and is very tender. Mashed potatoes were good too, although the fingerling potato salad that came with Biscuit Girl's pork chop tasted more interesting to me. And the Fronton by the glass goes well with the piece of bacon, says the Biscuit Girl. (Who knew there was such a thing as a bacon wine?) Kabocha tart is the best pumpkin pie ever.

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Lunch was a meatball sandwich at the Cosi next to Penzeys in Falls Church. I hadn't eaten and needed quick sustenance before going on my way. I haven't been to a Cosi in a long time. I don't believe I've ever eaten at a restaurant in this incarnation of the business. The sandwich was fairly small but was the right amount of food. It did what I needed. The price tag ($9.90 for the sandwich, which comes with a little bag of chips, and iced tea) was rather hefty, though.

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In Australia, Good Eating. I had the freshest and most flavor-full food ever. Have you been?

Surprised Also Great .....Chinese, Indian, Greek and Italian Restaurants.

Surprise Appearance Chef Gregory Hill (local chef from DC) is now living there, who also cooked for us while we were visiting.

I have been looking for Greg and I heard he may be in Australia, Can you tell me where this resteraunt was located?

I'm at spencertime@comcast.net

thanks, james

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Thurs night - James Hoban's - chicken tenders with honey mustard - clearly feeling like a five year old, but wasn't interested in anything on the menu.

Mio - Jack Rose - heavy on the grenadine and very maraschino tasting. Made with lemon, but I definitely prefer it with lime. LAME.

Sun. evening - Cobb Salad at Open City - thick cut applewood smoked bacon, slightly dry grilled chicken but with a nice smokiness. Carrot cake that had been in the fridge too long - hard cream cheese frosting - middling moistness on the cake.

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recently: buck's fishing and camping. chicken breast and waffles were standing up to those at marvin, and a truly ample portion on a slow night. deviled (mustardy?) eggs and chicken liver with pickled carrot are now combined as an appetizer, so you can have a truly chicken dinner. no chicken dessert however. more than anywhere, this place fries right.

this weekend: palena cafe. for two weeks in a row, the fish on the cafe menu has been hitting the spot: swordfish one week, speckled bass the next (or maybe it was striped, it's hard to tell after they remove the skin), and i believe the source had sustainability in mind. maybe they didn't catch them with their hands but at least they baited the hook? spring is coming into view with the consomme: morels and ramps (both also now appearing at the farmers market, morels for $20 a small container and ramps $5 a small bunch). bacon and eggs have made a reappearance, it's pig and pasta, the goose lays the golden egg. it's time for some new desserts, not that i have any trouble finding something i like. hazelnut cake is most reminiscent among the offerings on the menu of ann amernick, assuming the cookie and caramel plate is a given.

sushi ko. tuna jaw with salt is a favorite, but not on the menu last night. so it was the old reliable tuna five ways nigiri. flounder carpaccio with truffle oil is a good way to start, but at $15 it works out to $3 a slice. engawa (fin muscle) nigiri ($6.50 for two pieces) is the more intriguing way to go, light, fatty, chewy and with a few strings to pluck in your mouth. green tea ice cream: sweet laced with grassy bitterness and fun clay in the texture. (what's been going on in rockville put me in the mood for indian cooking, and i really should have gone to heritage across the street, which has been slow on sunday nights, but i know the menu too well and just didn't feel like getting that full, or intoxicated -- a couple of their martinis and you will fall down the stairs on the way out. you're likely to sustain worse injuries if you fall down the really steep stairs at sushi ko, and you are likely to be sent upstairs if you were too lazy to call for a reservation. however, you will at least be halfway lucid after sharing one of their iced bottles of onikoroshi sake ($18). (small gifts: on the way down the hill to the restaurant, a maybe five-year-old girl was kind enough to hand me an inch-long twig. she had several of them to distribute, remarkably uniform. you could tell her mother had some reservations about it. i thanked her, and i have it here with me at my desk. actually, i came in early because i have a lot of work to do, so i had better get started.) on the way back up the hill: clamor is spilling out of the open windows at kitchen and i wonder if their food has improved, though i am unlikely to find out for myself. timing means a lot at surfside: watch out if you are into prime dining time, there is too much activity to deal with, i.e., children climbing the windows, and scouting for a table is a chore.

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I feel like I never get out anymore but I did sneak a late afternoon snack in at 2 Amy's last Sunday. Deviled eggs and fried asparagus very pretty close to perfect. The fava crostini did nothing for me--not sure if I'm a fava person or not.

Palena Cafe on Saturday night was wonderful. The pastas were the things of dreams--we split the tagliatelle, gnocchi and bacon and eggs. I skipped the consomme in favor of the smoked salmon carpaccio--probably a mistake but the rest of the meal was seriously pasta heavy. Dessert--better than in the not so distant past but still a shadow of what it was under Ann...

Ended up doing carryout on Friday due to the weather and a still slightly sick boo. Athens Grill consistently puts a smile on my face in the otherwise barren wasteland that Gaithersburg often is... The lamb shank special is terrific.

Our other go to carry out these days is Biscotti in Derwood. Servicable Italian. Much better than Mamma Lucia and significantly closer to us. The lasagna is a winner there.

I still need to get out more...

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Let's see, this past week (and change) was a busy one, dining-wise...

Last Saturday - Zaytinya - Even though Greek food (and related Mediterranean food) is something I have on a regular basis, I still enjoyed my dinner and company here last weekend. The peinirli was my favorite dish with a super crispy bread and nice balance of sweet/savory.

Wednesday - Restaurant Eve Tasting Room - A few of us went here to see off Mr. Eric D and what more can be said other than OM NOM NOM NOM! The five courses and assorted bites were outstanding, although for me the standouts were the trio of amuse bouche at the outset of the meal, the Irish White Pudding with depuy lentils and hollandaise sauce, and a flan of cheese with a certain type of mushrooms with an unusual name. If someone can recall the name of the cheese and mushrooms in question, I would be very grateful. Additionally, the wine that rocked my world that evening was the burgundy paired with the Polyface beef tenderloin course.

Thursday - 2Amys - Nice little late dinner here. Spicy chickpeas and a great goat cheese w/ fig jam to start and a great pepper and salami pizza.

This past Saturday - Commonwealth - I love this place and its dank decor. Plus the food is great, but it consistently requires an extended nap afterwards. Saturday's dinner was kicked off with Welsh Rarebit, which wasn't really anything special, and the Chicken Pot Pie which had a great flaky crust and huge chunks of tender dark meat chicken. I passed out almost immediately after eating there though.

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Friday - We tried Vermilion for the first time. Appetizers of fried oysters with coleslaw, a really great chicken soup with gnocchi and a butter lettuce salad with a pickled egg. Maybe I should have stopped there. I was pretty disappointed in my choice of entree - the lamb shank. There were no points for presentation at all - it was served with some fettucine - a complete MOUND - with the lambshank plonked on top and completey heating up the pasta beneath and causing it to clump together. I ate a good bit of the pasta and still barely made a dent, the waitress even asked if I wanted to take it home. That would be a no. The whole dish had no nuance to it, the lamb was ok and the pasta was totally forgettable with the 3 or 4 slices of shitake mushroom (they were listed on the menu as part of the dish) drowned in the heap of pasta.

Saturday - My first time at Sei. Definitely pricey as has been well documented. I really enjoyed my Japanese mojito, sweet and sour with a hint of lychee.. The pear sangria was good as well but I preferred the mojito. Also had a sip of the boyfriend's liquid wasabi and it was actually really good, with a bit of heat that hit you at the back of the throat. We ate at the bar and had the fish and chips roll, wings, pork buns and kobe sliders. My faves were the wings and the pork buns (although they can't hold a candle to Momofuku pork buns). Wings had just the right amount of sweet and slight ccrust/crunch - very messy but they give you a wet nap. The fish and chips roll was tasteless to me, despite the addition of the provided wasabi tartar sauce. The tomato jam on the Kobe sliders just about killed them for me - way too sweet.

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A series of quick bites on the hill this weekend...

Friday - a late quick bite at Locanda. The fresh pastas here remain quite good, but the space gets really loud when the restaurant is full.

Saturday - a later dinner visit to Sonoma. I didn't think the menu showed too differently than it would of with or without Barton Seaver's temporary presence, so the highlights were a few cocktails from Justin, including a delicious and well-frothed old school whiskey sour and my introduction to Cynar. He didn't have his full set of tools with him, but he graciously whipped together some pretty impressive stuff for us. Tragically, I think we were the only couple in a packed bar who had any clue of how much cocktail-making talent was behind the bar that night -- their loss was our gain. It was one of those moments when you want to stand on a chair and interrupt conversations to tell everyone in the room to get a clue... Does this happen to others? I've been having these moments a lot recently -- I'm thinking particularly of the clowns who show up at Proof and order shots of grey goose or rail tequila and the outgoing Administration goons who asked Gina for Kahlua shots at PS7s a few months back... Anyway, it sounds like the new place in Glover Park is going to be great with a large bar area and some interesting drink options.

Lunches - take out sandwiches from Taylor Gourmet, which has been doing very good business on my few recent visits. I've stuck mostly to chicken cutlet subs, but have to think this place is filling a huge void for good sandwich options in the DC area. The second half of a footlong seems to survive a night in the fridge quite well and the bread from Sarcone's is great.

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Sushi House on Rockville Pike, next door to the Crisp and Juicy. The decor is about as inviting as a junior high school cafeteria, but the sushi was very fresh and the tempura was perfect. The prices are phenomenal! Wish they'd use more vinegar in their sushi rice, though. Next time, might make our own sushi rice and carry out sashimi to make sushi at home.

Family meal at Sushi House on Sunday. They have a nice assortment of lunch specials. Most ordered Bento boxes, of differing varieties; chicken teriyaki, eel, tempura...all were enjoyed. The tempura did look perfectly fried...nice and light. I wasn't able to sneak a taste, however. :rolleyes: I do think I had the best dish of the day though...it was an appetizer of Seafood Seaweed Salad. Described as "Shrimp, Crab Stick, Red Clam & Flying Fish Roe." There was a generous amount of roe atop the seaweed salad, and the seafood was nicely prepared. The seaweed had a nice sweetness, with a bit of spiciness sneaking up on the end. I also had the special of 2 maki rolls for $6.50. The sushi was fine...nothing to write home about, but certainly serviceable.

We don't usually go out twice in one day, but after a movie and some "computer assistance" for the folks, we were hungry for some spice and ended up for another nice meal at Ruan Thai. Couldn't pass up the Yum Watercress, but also ordered Yum Talay. I hadn't had this before but it is now a definite reorder item for me. Steamed seafood (squid, shrimp, and perfectly cooked scallops) with hot chili and lime juice. Added an order of Larb, and I had a nice meal made up of appetizers. BIL and SIL ordered Haw Mok Talay Paw, described as "baked seafood in red curry sauce" which comes steamed in a foil pouch. Very fragrant and deemed to be another definite reorder for them. Mr. S really enjoyed his Guay Teow Kee Mao--beef sauteed with Thai flat noodles, hot chili sauce and basil leaves. I think I'm addicted to this place...

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The past two weeks have been incredibly busy for me. Between validating huge numbers of new members, and some other time-sensitive projects, I've barely had time to breathe. But even though I haven't written much lately, I've still been making the rounds:

I'll start with two Friday's ago, where I hit Old Glory. While it was an off-night for the Q (details here), I received a genuinely nice, thoughtful letter from Capital Restaurants management about the post, which makes me want to return and give them my business in the future.

I found myself in Fulton on Saturday afternoon, and stopped into Pizza Fresca in Maple Lawn, a surprisingly decent family-run, strip-mall Italian joint where a Supreme Stromboli ($7.45) exceeded expectations. One good thing begat another, as I noticed a sign up saying "no corkage fee for wines brought in from I.M. Wine, which is a wine store next door. While my stromboli was being heated, I stopped in and was shocked at the quality of wines I saw. I met Ian Mendelsohn, the owner, who was recently a sommelier in Las Vegas, and before that spent time at Windows On The World under Andrea Immer. His selection is large, and while tending to the upscale, there are plenty of bottles under $20. A very impressive wine store, and coupled with the free corkage at Pizza Fresco, a one-two combo worth knowing about. Now, if Pizza Fresca would only get rid of the music on their website!

Saturday night was an excellent Rogan Josh at Delhi Club, really one of the most underrated restaurants in Clarendon right now. For curries, breads, and solid, traditional Indian, this has been remarkably consistent over the years. Incidentally, several days before, I had previously contacted Balraj Bhasin and asked him what he thought was good right now, and he said I'd like the Rogan Josh with a simple tandoori roti (he was right). The passionate cook at Delhi Club heralds from Assam, India, and his name is Arup Borah.

Last Sunday, I took mom to Samantha's, a quirky choice for Mother's Day lunch, but a good one - the fish specials (somewhat expensive in the upper teens) reminded me of how good the cooking is here, and Matt loved his chimichanga. Service was as friendly as ever, and there was a fresh flower on each table. Incidentally, I'd love it if people started threads about some of the lesser-known restaurants in that area, the ones on University Blvd or Piney Branch Rd. Maybe you can even reply to some of these notes in the restaurants' own threads?

Sunday night was Present, where I had two more fine courses, one of which was Roosting in Cauiflower Basket ($9.95), a gutsy dish consisting of chopped cauliflower sauteed with chicken liver, gizzard, and heart. This was a hearty, country-style dish that reaffirms what a refreshingly good restaurant Present is (even though I think it's being slightly overrated by the press right now).

At times, even the greatest chefs have off nights, and so it was on Monday at Tallula. My love of Barry Koslow's cuisine is well-documented (click), but maybe because it was game 6 of the Caps-Penguins series, and we were all trying to bop back-and-forth to watch it, a tasting menu was inexplicably off. I'm wiping this night from my memory banks, and assuming it was an erroneous blip in time.

On Tuesday I was waffling between a second visit to Sushi Taro and Mio, and decided on Mio, where Nick Stefanelli has raised this restaurant to its highest level ever. Stefanelli's food (like Frigerio's, and quite frankly, Trabocchi's), is on the heavy side, but if you don't mind that style, you can do very well here. Mio went five-for-six with its dishes Monday night, and would have batted 1.000 had an otherwise superb stuffed-squid dish hadn't been slightly ammoniated. The ever-cordial GM-owner Manuel Iguina recommended a Ribera del Duero that was the least expensive red wine on the menu, and it worked very well throughout the meal. Mio should be on your radar screen by now if it isn't, and I'm looking forward to returning.

After Mio, a late-night dessert at Co Co Sala, the techno-thumping lounge whose atmosphere I detest. Nevertheless, I have still never had a bad dessert here (although I've still not had anything but desserts), and even though they were serving a limited dessert menu, both the housemade gelato and display-case ready-made treats were remarkably good. If you can put up with the noisy, lounge atmosphere, and a genuinely bad selection of wines and liquors at the bar, this remains one of the best places in town for dessert. Have you tried it? If you haven't, you should.

Wednesday evening my young dining companion and I enjoyed dinner at Radius Pizza, now owned by Todd Wiss, which is becoming a good, solid neighborhood restaurant. Pizzas here are good - if not yet at the top tier, they're certainly equal to Luigi's, Kavanaugh's, and Faccia Luna, and the beer selection is excellent. This is a restaurant on the upswing, and I'm almost certain that these pizzas are going to continue to improve once Wiss has some more time to get his footing.

I don't think I've ever had a better risotto than a tasting portion of the lobster risotto made by the great Enzo Fargioni at the chef's table at Teatro Goldoni. Unfortunately, my Lobster Risotto ($38) at the bar on Thursday evening was a failure. The rice was undercooked, and even though I waited five minutes for it to continue cooking in the bowl, it never lost its raw crunch. The sauce was bland, and the lobster was rubbery and tough. I was craning my neck to see if Enzo was in the kitchen, but I think he might have been off that evening. Risotto is a difficult dish to pull of consistently, but at $38 I cannot afford to have any mercy. Regardless, the night was mitigated by fine, friendly service at the bar, and a half-price bottle of Roero Arneis because it was before 8 PM. Please make a note of that: All wines by the bottle at Teatro Goldoni's bar are half-price before 8 PM during the week (and as long as I'm piling on, I'll add that the by-the-glass selections are expensive and bad, so you're better off buying by the bottle here). ETA Since first writing this post this afternoon, I've been reminded that last Thursday was Zoofari, and Enzo was attending that event - I should have remembered this, and as a general rule: Never, ever go to a chef-driven restaurant during Zoofari, Taste of the Nation, etc. It isn't fair to judge a restaurant on a night like this, so take this paragraph with a grain of salt.

Friday evening I had dinner at Rice & Noodles in Franconia - click here for details.

Never order a large at Dominic's, which is my personal guilty-pleasure restaurant, or at least has been for the past thirty years. The ovens are better-suited to the medium, rectangular pans, and a large original was spongey and slightly under-charred, with the toppings not meshing together as they usually do. I reiterate that Dominic's is nothing more than a local pizza joint, but it's a childhood favorite of mine so I'll always like it (even though it really isn't very good), and I can often be seen there, getting one for my mom as carryout.

And curse me for waiting so long to return to Enology, which, on Saturday night, squarely positioned itself in my mind as one of my three favorite wine bars in town (along with Cork and Proof). Chris Cunningham is a masterful presence behind the bar - along with the Two Johns, it's a formidable bartending crew with an excellent wine list, good beers, and well-made cocktails. Perhaps even more importantly, Johnny Nielsen has taken over as chef, and I believe he has finally come into his own here. I've tracked him since Aria, and I don't think he has ever been putting out plates of good. Want to see for yourself? Order the Buffalo Frog Legs ($9). Yes, Buffalo Frog Legs. They're just what you think they are, and I've never seen this dish before, anywhere. And they are awesome! The Herbed Frites ($7) are terrific, and the other plates I saw (but did not try) looked like they're clicking on all cylinders. How much did I like Enology? I'll be back there in the next week, that's how much.

It sounds like all I do is go to restaurants, but the truth is, these days, it seems like all I do is work, with an hour a day for exercise. On Sunday, I was fully two hours late for the Sundays at CityZen picnic, because I just couldn't get my work finished in time. Nevertheless, I made up for it with turbo-charging multiple glasses of wine, crab beignets, shoat, potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, salad, Parker House rolls, apple crumble, oh yes, my friends, I drank and shoveled like I was headed to the electric chair (ScotteeM has pictures up on the thread). Even though I was impossibly late, all the staff working the event made sure I was comfortable and well-fed, and I wish to thank them all for coming in and doing this event on their day off. They were all wonderful - kitchen staff, and front-of-the-house alike. And then I got home at 7 PM and worked for several more hours, sigh ...

Cheers,

Rocks.

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With four out-of-town guests in the past ten days, I wound up eating out almost TOO much. Here are the highlights:

Friday, June 12--Dinner at La Plaza, Capitol Hill--standard issue Salvadorean (pork tacos, crab pupusas, margaritas), but tasty.

Saturday, June 13--Lunch at Bumblefish, Old Town--blah fast-food sushi, but a reasonable price. Evening hors d'oeuvres at home.

Sunday, June 14--Dinner at Granville Moore--Mussels Biere and frites--better than on my last visit, when I had too much grit, but the broth seemed a tad bland. Great beer.

Monday, June 15--Dinner at Jaleo, downtown--Loved the warm green bean salad, but the potato/onion tortilla, stuffed piquillos, and garlic shrimp weren't particularly memorable.

Tuesday, June 16--Drinks and appetizers at 14K--A surprisingly meaty crabcake, but the martini and calamari were just so-so.

Wednesday, June 17--Homemade jambalaya; the best meal of the week, in my opinion--tasso, just-spicy-enough andouille, and plump blue shrimp.

Thursday, June 18--Lunch at 2 Amys: the roasted olives are great; pizzas were good but not revelatory. Big pours of beer. Dinner at Dukem: good special tibs, bland ginger sauced chicken, a mix of veggie dishes, overpriced drinks.

Friday, June 19--Sandwiches from Taylor's Gourmet; damn good.

Saturday, June 20--Breakfast at IHop, Leesburg. Friendly service, customers as cautionary examples.

Sunday, June 21--Dinner at Cava: Better than my last visit, with good spanakopita, lemon meatballs, and pasta bolognese. Chicken souvlaki was just okay.

OK, I'm full.

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Hubby and I have had the kitchen out of commission due to renovations so we have been eating out a good bit lately, I might go in reverse just to remember it all:

Sunday: Lunch at Lost Dog so we could go to the little Hardware store. Had the White Pizza II, which isn't near as good as the white pizza at the Italian store. Way too much cheese (I think even I.S. is a little too cheesy but the garlic is soo good there). Their philly cheesesteak is a much better white pie I wanted to get that one, oh well. We also had the Catahoula with broccoli, chicken, spicy red sauce, tomatoes, mozz and basil. This one was good. I like broccoli on pizza I don't know why. Also had a side salad and italian fries. Salad had way too much feta cheese on it. I never remembered the side salad having cheese, I will now always remember to ask for none. Fries were waffle fries seasoned nicely, but just waffle fries, no big deal. The draft root beer, however, I love. Very smooth, not too sweet or too tangy very nice.

Dinner- Matsutake in Arlington because we didn't want to drive and I was sick of everything else in walking distance. Sat at the sushi bar, stuck with the staples, nothing really a standout, but decent sushi if you live a block or two away and don't feel like getting in the car. The guys at the sushi bar are nice so I tend to sit up there.

Saturday: Lunch at friends in Annapolis. Mmmm crabcakes done right. Dinner at Rock Bottom because after a day of putting all our servers and hard drives in the new media center that arrived, grubby hubby wanted wings. I got a salad after the night befores debauchery.

Friday: Honey Pig- delicious. Had seafood pancake, boiled egg, spicy pork belly, beef ribs, octopus and pork. It was our first time and it was great. We will be back. The spicy octopus on the grill was great my favorite, not chewy just good.

Thursday: Eventide at the bar. The upswinger cocktail was sweet, but a little tart and very good for a girls night. I had another drink that was very good too, but I can't remember the name obviously less memorable. Had the olives and cheese plate to start. A nice portion of cheese, needed more bread, crackers, but that it a small complaint. Nice selection a brie, a blue and hard white that I forget tasted a lot like a softer asiago, but I forget the name. Had the chicago inspired beef sandwich which was juicy, but not too juicy, the meat was cooked to tender perfection, it was a little salty, but balanced with the caramelized onion and side greens. Companion had the skirt steak that looked very good. The bar was packed... I mean packed. But the bartender was nice as can be- when I was slowly sipping the second cocktail he was worried I didn't like it and offered to make me something else. Made sure even though we were at the table not right at the bar we had everything we needed and got drinks. Really for such a crowded busy place the bartenders were excellent.

Wednesday: Went to whole foods by the tile store we had to finalize the tile at. Had coq au vin, mashed potatoes, eggplant roasted in tomatos, wheatberry salad and broccoli. This was nice and comforting as it is the closest we have come to eating at home in a while. After a couple weeks without a kitchen you kind of ache for the type of food you make at home on a normal basis- fresh salads, potatoes, chicken, steamed veggies. Note to anyone out of a kitchen for a while- Wholefoods is a good option.

Tuesday: Mahi Mahi at Big Buns with lettuce, grilled peppers, grilled onions, corn salsa, tomato and pineapple with a little bit of bbq sauce and sweet potato fries. I am always impressed with how crispy they get their sweet potato fries. They are really good. A little salty but good with the spicy aioli they give you. The mahi there is always really juicy, I like the toppings with it, they ensure it will fall apart and I will have to eat it with fork and knife, but that is ok. I like that we have a cheaper burger place that also does chicken and fish nearby, which has beer.

The meals out seem endless, but I can't remember any other highlights at the moment, except the mac and cheese at Grand Cru with wine, two bottles, with friends who made the house being a mess bearable.

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Lots of local, low-key dining this week, w/ kids in tow. Last Thursday (last day of school), lunch at Thai Cafe in Springfield-I had the gai kapow, definitely one to work into a regular rotation. It was excellent.

On Sunday, for Father's Day, we hit the Cosmopolitan Grill (near the Gold's Gym on Rt. 1) for lunch. I have mixed feelings about this one-my husband did several tours in Bosnia, so it was a sentimental choice for him (& he ended up getting the best meal). I had the grilled tilapia salad, fish was topped w/ a ton of chopped garlic (I felt slightly toxic for the rest of the day) & swimming in a little too much butter/oil (which may have been the dressing for the salad). My daughter got the mixed grill (steak, chicken, cevapcici) & carried most of it home, my son's chicken piccata looked like it had been fried too long & was a bit dried out. My husband got the cevapcici (Bosnian sausage) sandwich & 3 of us got the goulash, which was good, but nothing amazing. My favorite part of the meal was the bread & the sour cream/ feta mix that was served with it. Service was excellent, space was very nice, but I guess I've been eating more highly spiced food recently, because it struck me as being a bit bland.

Today, after finally getting the tire on my bike fixed, the kids & I hit Delia's (on Backlick) for lunch. Chicken souvlaki sandwich for me(w/ excellent fries), pizza for DD, & lentil soup & chicken salad sandwich for DS-all delish! The chicken souvlaki sandwich reminded me of my favorite sandwich from college days (Mariakakis-Chapel Hill, NC)-greek grilled cheese, pita w/ provolone, tatziki, lettuce, tomato, marinated cukes.

Tomorrow, I promise I will get up early & run...

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Don't remember the last time I ate this much in one day....

Breakfast-leftover salad from the Bethesda Organic to Go

Lunch-leftover beef enchilada from Las Placitas

Emergency mid afternoon soother-pizza from Moroni Brothers

Dinner under the sunset-Jumbo lump crab cake and french fries from Bobby's

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2AMYS: black raspberry ice cream

Brasserie Beck: black currant clafoutis with fig ice cream

...what? Oh, yeah, we ate other stuff, too. Yellow tomato, fontina, and sausage pizza, roasted beet salad; heirloom tomato salad, mushrooms over spaetzle and baguette, frites. All beside the point. There are some good desserts out there now.

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Oh, yeah, we ate other stuff, too.

No peaches? :rolleyes:

* * *

The best thing about going to Target besides sending your cart up and down the escalator is timing errands after a big breakfast on an early afternoon. That way, I have the will power to order only one slice of pizza at Pete's.

This past Saturday I asked for a wedge of the sausage-wild mushroom. Initially disappointed to see only an itty-bitty bump of sausage poking out of the tip of my reheated serving, and there really wasn't much more sausage under the rest of the cheese. But, it was the best I have ever had at this place and one of the best slices of pizza I've had in town period

I once ordered the New Haven style (clam) and thought it absolutely dreadful, though an Irving Street resident says it's not bad fresh.

If you're just snacking, it's probably a good idea to choose whatever pie has only a wedge or two missing, though age shouldn't matter when it comes to something that's usually good straight out of the fridge at breakfast.

In any respect, I just don't understand the clueless folk ordering slices at 'Sbarro just inside the door at Target when Pete's around the corner.

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