JLK

Let's say someone (me) wants to get some basic Chinese-American food (say chicken fried rice and maybe some dumplings) delivered. Would Full Kee be my best bet? I have only tried Jackey Cafe and it was awful.

I like Zaytinya for lunch.

Any good spots in or near Kenner?

Time for you to inspire me, laniloa, because I'm sitting here drowning my Hornets-induced sorrows in a bowl of ice cream with hot fudge.

Anyone know who the new chef is?

Popular name

If I had more, I'd be slurping some right now.

A confession: my suffering with a sinus infection self is eating Lipton noodle soup (kept on hand for occasions just like this) with extra egg noodles and lots of black pepper. I really need a boyfriend (who can cook for me when I'm sick, and when I'm not).

Good luck! I'm in a very similar situation with weight creeping up over the last two years, something I tie to my job and its accompanying frequent travel. I'll be keeping an eye on how things go for you, looking for ideas on how to change my situation.

For some reason, I found the idea of The Source intimidating. Didn't know if it'd be my sort of place or not and thus (stupidly) avoided checking it out. Tonight was my "doh!" moment. A friend and I shared the pork belly dumplings and kobe beef sliders. I did not want to share, but I am feeling a little poor these days so I did. Bar service was iffy though friendly. An awkward amount of time passed before we were acknowledged and given menus, and empty glasses and dishes sat around a bit too long. From there, we moseyed on over to Oyamel which I really enjoy. Feeling truly sick with allergies, I ordered a soup I have enjoyed before (chicken, rice, peas, avocado, cilantro, chili) plus one conchinita pibil taco. My friend's chicken enchilada didn't look like I expected, but it tasted good (not as good as the pork taco IMO) and the two bartenders who waited on us were great. By that point, I was stuffed and ready to go home to catch Hornets vs. Spurs (Geaux Hornets!).

I used to get really irritated each time I'd read a post about the UK version being superior to the US version, thinking "well, don't watch the US show then!!" Of course, now that I switched cable providers and have easier access to BBC America, I return chastened. It really is a better program. The American version is so formulaic, so PC. The UK show is cheeky and unsanitized. And it showed Gordon in his skivvies in the "La Riveria" episode which is either a plus or a minus depending on your perspective.

Riche @ Harrah's has closed. I'd say "no great loss" but it's about to be replaced by Ruth's Chris. Disappointing. I am surprised that the powers that be agreed to the switch given that there's already The Besh Steakhouse (not my favorite) in the casino. In other meals...Cochon was excellent. Truly the spot for the pig conniseur, right down to the wall art. The only pig part I didn't see on the menu was the tail (and perhaps that was being saved for the dinner menu!). I selected Cochon for a lunch with two colleagues who have become friends, not realizing that one doesn't eat red meat. She was totally cool about it, ordering fish and even sampling the alligator appetizer my other friend ordered for us to share. I liked the chili garlic aioli that came with it more than the too-chewy tastes-like-chicken alligator, but it was an interesting new taste. Had I been on my own or ready for a larger meal, I would have ordered the hot sausage appetizer, served with grits, roasted peppers and creole cream cheese. Instead, I got a side of grits with our entrees which we all shared. After first considering the beef brisket entrée, I ordered the ham hock with lima bean hoppin john & mustard onion jus ($17). Wow! I'm sure the brisket would have been great too, but having never seen a ham hock outside of my mother's pea soup (much less on a menu), this dish was a treat. I was very glad I ordered it. For dessert, we shared the strawberry cobbler and I have craved it ever since. Biscuits, sweet-but-not-too-sweet fruit and fresh whipped cream - perfection. Our service was truly spectacular. We asked a lot of questions about the menu and our server was informed in a way that showed that she hadn't just memorized its details, but knew its nuances and was passionate about them. After such a good meal at Cochon, dinner with four friends and colleagues at NOLA was quite a letdown, at least for me. The rest of the group isn't too serious about food and didn't complain, but my baby arugula salad looked and tasted a whole lot like spinach and featured just three small pieces of [delicious] bacon and pretty much no dressing. I agree that too many salads arrive overdressed, but this one was pretty much naked. I mentioned to the server that I was pretty sure it was spinach; he addressed it with the kitchen and returned saying "I assure you it's not spinach. My entrée was barbecued pork ribs with mac & cheese and a side of white beans. The offering of two starchy sides struck me as odd, but didn't bother me too much. The fact that the mac & cheese arrived congealed did, and sadly it didn't taste nearly as good as the description. But the ribs were tasty so I focused on them. And what a portion - huge! I only sampled one of our two desserts, the fried apple pie, and it was as delicious as it sounds. All of us thought the service was weird from the moment our server greeted us, shaking my hand (I was the only woman at the table, and the person to make the res). Our main server was a little too personal with us, I thought, and the team serving approach meant that we ended up answering the same questions a more than once such as "Yes, we are drinking bottled still water and would like more." Fortunately this was an expense account meal because I imagine it was close to $100 per person with drinks. Had I been paying out of my own pocket, I would have spoken up more about the less-than great food.

I have had breakfast at the Georgetown location - surprisingly good. What I remember most is quality bacon. Thin, not thick. Perfectly crispy.

Welcome, Martha!

We had our company holiday party after party here. From what I remember, a good time was had by all. I sort of remember a roadhouse type of atmosphere. I do not recall eating anything, but had plenty of cheap beer.

Parking is a snap! [on weekdays between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm when street parking restrictions end; meters require feeding until 10:00 pm.]

Proof, definitely Proof (if you can get a reservation).

And just like that, Palmetto has closed.

Lack of parking is a factor. Not the deciding one, but a factor. What do you order at Italian Pizza Kitchen? I can't imagine getting pizza there when Vace is so close.

Home is now known as Palmetto. Nothing appears to have changed though. Similar menu and the web site [for Home] is still live. Weird. In other meals...I greatly enjoyed dinner at Poggio in Sausalito. When I picked it, I was merely trying to steer my friend (who lives in San Francisco and spends a lot of time in Marin County) away from taking me to a touristy spot with a water view. Water views are nice and all, but I know that views often equal overpriced, undistinguished fare. Plus it was getting dark. Poggio was a complete treat. I really didn't know what to expect. At the "could be bad" end of the spectrum, I noticed the aging crowd and huge dining room. At the "could be good" end, we noticed the bustling crowd and cheerful staff, as well as a menu with lots of appealing choices. We put our name in with the host and was told the wait could be 90 minutes for a table for two. Hmm. We made our way to the far end of the bar, near the door to the kitchen, and were pleased when two bar stools opened up. Deciding to dine there instead of the dining room worked out very well for us. We chatted with various members of the staff as they visited the bar area, as well as our fellow bar diners, all of whom were very welcoming, cheerful locals. By the end of our meal, we felt like part of the crew of regulars. To start, we shared the burrata appetizer with sun dried tomato pesto and grilled bread (not the burrata preparation presently noted online). My friend's entree was the perfectly al dente bucatini alla amatriciana, and mine was the polpettone, a terrific braised meatloaf that I'm going to be trying to replicate for the rest of my life. We passed on dessert, intending to get ice cream at one of the two shops we had seen on our way in. Sadly, both were closed by 9:30. I suspect businesses close later during the summer--Sausalito was a ghost town as we walked to my friend's car.

This arugula salad with wimpies a la Mom with whole grain toast. My mother's wimpies are nothing like real sloppy Joe's. No onions or peppers, etc., but they're familiar and, to me, delicious.

Most definitely. Particularly comfortable to dine at the bar and chat with the staff when they are free. Probably best to arrive on the early side so you don't have to stand around waiting for a seat.

A coworker-friend of mine and I often go to Bourbon for dinner. He orders the grilled chicken breast entree (bo-ring) and I get the grilled cheese and tomato soup (trite). We're so predictable that we usually share the bread pudding for dessert. Ho hum. When he suggested Bourbon last week, I demurred and he countered with Town Hall. My expectations were low, but I went in thinking "at least it's something different." And it was surprisingly enjoyable. It was a quiet night - Monday? Tuesday? I can't recall - and we opted to sit at the bar. Our bartender/server was all that you'd hope for: friendly without being meddlesome, there when you wanted something, knowledgeable about the menu which apparently hasn't changed too much since the last post two years ago. My friend devoured his Boston bibb lettuce salad, and risotto with shrimp. My turkey club with avocado was pretty much perfect. Just the right amount of mayo, quality bacon and turkey that was obviously fresh. For habit's sake, we shared a dessert of bread pudding - this time butterscotch and way better than Bourbon's. Hopefully this means we can have a deeper roster of go-to spots now.

Oy, what a mess--at least as a bar. I did not try the food and from the looks of the empty dining room last night, not many people were either. The space is odd and dominated by the bar, with low ceilings and a weird raised alcove. I can't see this becoming my neighborhood hangout.

After a few heavy-on-the-drinking-light-on-the-eating-happy-hours here with coworkers, I finally got around to having a sitdown meal in the upstairs dining room last night. I was impressed at how well Liberty Tavern managed to balance the two. Downstairs is a loud bar room and lounge with a pretty heavy pickup scene; upstairs, while not sedate, was calmer and more grown up. In short, we had a great, enjoyable meal. I was the only member of our party of four who had sampled anything from the menu so when no one ordered an appetizer, I suggested a pizza Classico. Very successful. For my entree, I enjoyed the hangar steak (ordered medium rare, received a bit closer to medium, like Don's) with a gratin of white beans and guanciale and a large portion of the daily green (escarole? I'm blanking.). My friends had the sea bream, vegetable pot pie and chicken and around the table, everyone was very happy with their choices. I can rarely say no to dessert, particularly when so many choices appealed. The group shared the crullers and the red velvet/devils food cake. The crullers were slightly dry, but when eaten with a spoonful of amaretto brown butter ice cream (which one friend pronounced "weird"), they were great. I enjoy rich foods, but just a bite or two of the cake with its cream cheese frosting was enough for me. Tasty, but RICH. The tab for the four of us (with four glasses of wine, one cocktail and everything described above) was just under $50 per person.