ladycakeapril

You can fend fennel and non-fennel Italian sausage at an amazing little Italian deli in the Triangle section of Wheaton called Marchones. They also make fresh Zeppoli pastries for St. Joseph's day, which is coming up mid-March. Ah, my little New England heart warms to them! I have never seen them before outside my native Rhode Island, which is crawling with Italian immigrants....

What is it supposed to be, exactly?

Hopefully it will. It is being opened by the people who brought you Tel Aviv Cafe in Bethesda 11 years ago when it was really good. They hired a chef-Dennis Friedman-who trained under Michel Richard, Daniel Boulud, etc., and learned Asian-French fusion in Hawaii. They expect to open in October sometime.

The bathrooms are not yet renovated at TQH, and the burgers ARE righteous. Stick to the bar food and beer. They are supposed to have live music sometimes, too.

I have flashbacks from Stop & Shop, too, only the one in North Kingstown circa 1979! We also had an Almac's nearby, if you remember that Rhode Island wonder... I think Giant is actually worse, and I only go when I am desperate.

I, for one, will miss the expert way the La Colline waiters bone the fish at your table. Service like that is hard to come by in this city.

MMM. Me getting hungry. Got any leftovers?

Love Upstream. Just stumbled on it -- thanks for the other tips!

Dear Gang, I am looking for butchers, bakers, cheese purveyors and fishmongers, particularly in the southern Montgomery County area, who know the difference between quality and crap. I know there are a couple of Kosher butchers still in practice at Shalom in Wheaton, but there must be other beauties out there where only the in-the-know go. Of particular interest would be small non-chains but if you love Balducci's or Rodman's, let me know. Thanks!

I have never tasted the difference in fresh v. frozen lemongrass stalks. Just throw that expensive little package in a zipper freezer bag and take out the stalks to cut them up as you need them. Good luck and let us know how it goes-

I think the 9th and P Giant is doing a good thing for the neighborhood, it just may be time to revamp it, hire more checkers, and redirect the folks exposing themselves in the parking lot everyday.

Anybody checked out the NEW Giant at Tivoli theater in Columbia Heights? It's new, clean, well-lit, did I mention new and clean They actually stock things like creme freche and more than 3 kinds of smoked meats, a great selection of Asian and Mexican ingredients, and a respectable amount of organic/all natural foods. They have fresh-looking fruits, veggies, and seafood and it is HUGE. The reason it may be nice so far is that it is surrounded by construction and a little hard to see from the street, but it's worth the search because the people who work there are nice. Now, the deli needs help -- who is buying Watergate Salad in bulk, if at all? Does anyone remember this? If you grew up on Cool-Whip, you do. But it's a start, and a major improvement over the "crack Giant" at 9th and P where I am usually forced to go after work for "a few things." That place is OK inside and not too bad if you don't need anything remotely gourmet and you have half and hour or more to spend in line, but I usually leave pretty steamed.

This has happened to me more than once at Whole Foods in DC, but I just call or bring my receipt in the next time I go, and they have always given me a refund--even days later--no questions asked. Bummer, though.

For my first post, I had to dish about a DIVE BAR I've just discovered: The Wonderland Ballroom at 11th and Kenyon in Columbia Heights (?). It's gross, smoky, and the bartender is bored with you as soon as you walk in. The jukebox is SLAMMIN and there's a long bar decorated with auto kitch from the last century. There are old car seat benches and a refreshingly mixed crowd. It's hipster meets hood. The night we went, we saw live music advertised upstairs in an impossibly small space, and they looked to be setting up some sort of outside patio, although its very residential there, so I am wondering how they will pull it off. Anybody know how long its been there and what the deal is?