jasonc

I can't speak from personal experience, nor do I have any idea about the quality....BUT I do recall seeing on Rachael's Ray's $40 a day show that the Hotel Washington Sky Terrace does cherries jubilee and/or bananas foster (or flambe, as it says on the foodtv website).  You can't beat the view, even if the food isn't great (most of it isn't) but dessert might be OK. 

Here's the link to that episode:

DC on $40 a day

You might want to call ahead - I just looked at the Sky Terrace dessert menu  and there's no mention of flambe anything.

I bet she giggled and chortled like an idiot.

It's about time La Madeline got the respect it deserves! And how about those Cap Grille Fries??! Amazing. Sometimes I go there and just gorge myself on those fries and rice krispy squares and then I go rent a Michael Bay movie and call it an evening because I'm one of those arrogant foodie hipsters.

If you ask me, it's a good thing that Palena, by former White House chef Frank Ruta is not on this DC foodie's guide. That place gets enough publicity as it is.

Order ice cream in Georgetown

Why?

oh no! but i guess we all saw this coming a mile away.

let me know if you need any help finishing off the wine.

I have a pretty interesting story about Rio Grande.

You see, there was this guy, pretty average in most respects. He was hungry one day and happened to stop into Rio Grande. He ordered a meal and consumed it, it doesn't really matter what it was. It wasn't the best meal he had ever had and it certainly wasn't the worst. It got the job done, though. The waitstaff was quick - not overly fast or anything and not too slow. They were also fairly pleasant. Nothing over the top, just pleasant. The man paid with his credit card and exited the restaurant. Three weeks later he received his credit card bill, which included the purchase at Rio Grande. He then paid his credit card bill, thus completing the transaction.

I did the exact same thing and even started writing the post that way...until I re-read.

So has anyone gone for the deal yet? I feel like it would be awkward to have to bring up that you want half off the bill to your waiter. Maybe I'm just a wimp though.

not as awkward as paying twice as much as you should have to.

"Wizard of Oz" is up there. It's really not a kid's movie at all. Lots of life information packed therein.

Sietsema is right on point here. Many people don't know that Wizard of Oz is actually an allegory on the populist movement. Well, I'll quote my old econ professor here, because he said it better than I can.:

The allegorical meanings start right in the title—Oz is the abbreviation for ounces in which both gold and silver are measured.  Dorothy, the farm girl from Kansas who represents the roots of the Populist movement, is caught in a tornado of industrialization.  When her house lands, it crushes the Wicked Witch of the East—the banks whom farmers detested for having to pay back their loans in more expensive dollars (here’s my mortgage payment sister!).  Banks were seen as a major hurdle toward adopting an inflationary silver standard.  In Baum’s tale, Dorothy takes the magic silver slippers off of the dead witch.  MGM, the sell-out studio that released the movie in the splendors of Technicolor ©, made the silver slippers ruby and hence distorted Baum’s most important message.

Dorothy is then advised to "follow the yellow brick road," i.e. get back on the road to the gold standard, which will take her to the magical wizard who, supposedly, can help her get home.  Along the way she makes three allegiances: (1) the scarecrow without a brain—representing the farmers (of course as it turns out the scarecrow is one of the smartest of the bunch, constantly offering sound advice and saving the day),(2) the tin-man looking for a heart—representing heart-less industry, and (3) the cowardly lion—representing William Jennings Bryan who talked the big talk (such as his "cross of gold" speech) but often backed down on important Populist issues.  [Note:  Dorothy also brings along Toto, her little dog, who represents the Populist’s alliance with the "teetotaler party," who were for the prohibition of alcohol.]

The political coalition is on its way to the Emerald City (Washington D.C., of course) but one last hurdle stands in its way, the Wicked Witch of the West.  This Witch represents the monopolistic Railroads, the main technology opening industrial markets to the West.  Knowing the power of the silver slippers, the Witch will do anything to get them away from Dorothy including sending her evil monkeys after her.  The monkeys likely represent the private police force that railroads sometimes used against farmers.

How does Baum’s story end?  The Wicked Witch of the West is liquidated with a bucket of water and our heroes, with the evil banks and railroads out of the picture, are given a victory party.  Here Dorothy learns that the advice to follow the yellow brick road of the Gold standard was futile—the wizard (political powers that be in Washington) couldn’t help her get home as he was nothing but hot air.  As it turns out, Dorothy had the power to end the farmers suffering all along—she needed only tap the silver slippers together, i.e. adopt the inflationary silver standard, to get home. Baum’s book is full of allegorical references to the late 19th century Populist movement.  Only the most important ones have been addressed here. Get to the library and see how many more you can find!  Incidentally, though McKinley won the election of 1896 and the gold standard was fully restored, the discovery of gold fields in South Africa caused US dollars, which were tied to gold, to lose their purchasing power, and hence accomplished the inflationary goal of the Populists anyway.  Of course this fact has never detracted from my enjoyment of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

I was there a month ago and there was a good deal of garlic. It is embedded in the meat, which is a very good thing.

Frankly, when I was writing this up, I couldn't remember how many beans were supposed to be in the X bean salad, and I really didn't care for it, for that matter.  And I don't go to a barbeque joint for the salad.  I had to pick 2, stretch already picked the barbequed beans.  I thought the barbeque was fine.  I take it you have been there and had a different experience.

No, I've never been. I just wanted to rectify the discrepancy I noticed. Thanks for the review though, I will definitely check it out now.

I had the French fries and the 3-bean salad as the sides.  The fries were great, the salad so-so.

Jack,

Were you disappointed because the menu advertised four kinds of beans, yet you only got three? serviceable indeed!

"rubfully" yours,

Jason

Here is more info and photos:

http://www.buffy.nu/article.php3?id_article=9586

I'm really surprised Bourdain signed off on this given his dislike for celebrity chefs in general. I can't imagine it tracks too closely to the book given that this simply wasn't what the book was about.

Oh, JPW, great minds think alike!

Today was a bleah day for moi and I decided to get some pho therapy.  Granted the best thing to have when you're under the weather is congee but I'll take what I can get!

My coworker and I went to Pho Real in the Briggs Chaney Shopping Center near the Autopark in Silver Spring, MD/Burtonsville.  It's a nice, clean pho joint that also serves spring & summer rolls. 

The summer rolls were good and so was the cafe su da (if a bit on the strong side but hell, we all could use a little oomph every now and again).  As for the pho, it was very good.  We both got the #3 - the toppings were a bit skimpy but I have yet to go to a pho joint where the toppings are overflowing - eh, it is what it is I suppose.  Broth was light and not oily.  Oh and they have REAL Sriracha - not generic Sriracha in the Sriracha bottle.

The best is in Eden Center and the 2nd best if Pho 75 IMHO.  But for a solid bowl of pho, go here.

Pho places in Vietnam supply overflowing toppings. Oh what a life that would be.

Welcome to Restaurant Eve, we use the freshest ingredients that local farms and area markets can provide.  We change our menu often, to provide you, the best of the season. Bon Appetit!

Besides some weird comma action this seems like a great deal!

Make sure children are not in room.

Go to google.  Type in plumper. 

Be prepared to close numerous unwanted ads. 

Wish you hadn't asked......

or download firefox, which automatically blocks pop-ups and has several other benefits.

Hi.  I'm Michael and I'm a Palena-holic.  It's been two days since my last crayfish bisque and roasted chicken.

Pho 75 has the best broth in MD.  The pho joint in Eden Center is THE best in the area - AND they serve pho with the sawtooth herb, a nice touch.  Pho Nguyen is expensive relative to what a pho joint should be.

There is a Pho Real in the Briggs Chaney Shopping Center in Burtonsville, MD.  Prices seem very reasonable - I've never been though.

Got a name for that pho place in the Eden Center? I love me some sawtooth herb.

to be fair, re: five guys, the last time I had one of their burgers was about 10 years ago and it was at one of the original locations. i can't imagine the quality has dropped too much though.

Frank, I'm wondering if you do anything to the meat before grilling, such as adding any seasonings?

Although there may be inconsistency in the various locations, I'd have to say five guys. I almost always have a damn good burger there.

this place pisses me off because sometimes I'll get this amazingly overstuffed burrito that fills me up for hours and sometimes the mean burrito ladies will put barely enough in such that it even resembles a burrito.

If you are gonna put crap in a tortilla, you might as put a lot of crap in a burrito.

For my money, El Polo Rico in Clarendon is the best. You get a quarter of a delicious chicken, huge fries, cole slaw, and green (chopped jalepeno) and white (some mayo concoction) sauces for something around 3.75 plus tax. Not bad if you ask me.

This is my favorite kind of food - simple and undeniably delicious.