brr

apparently, its also coming to DC, to the new Natl Assoc of Realtors building on New Jersey Ave.... not sure what to make of this really....I think I went to the orig in Chicago and do not recall being overly impressed

mmm, love that cheese - now that you mention it on Sunday I also partook of some Montenebro and Firefly farms cheese (the aged one that shaped a little like a pyramid)

I was in a wedding this weekend so food choices were beyond my control Fri night rehearsal dinner was at The Chart House in Alexandria - expectations were low but the set menu featured some really good crab cakes, lots of lump crab and there were two great red wines doing the rounds, one of which was Sterling Reserve Cab Wedding reception was at the Cedar Knoll Inn, overlooking the Potomac, the food was ok, barely (I had beef tenderloin), although the general attitude at Cedar Knoll Inn seems to be, "we have a nice view, what more do you want?" On Sunday we ate with the in-laws, and feasted on pancit (filipino noodle dish), popeye's chicken (yum!), and another filipino dish that featured head on shrimp, eggplant, spinach, and butternut squash in a coconut milk sauce (one of my all time fave dishes) Then when we got home, we discovered the neighbors had cooked a group dinner so we concluded the weekend w/ mariniated grilled shrimp and scallops, cous, cous, mango salso and grilled portabella's stuffed w/ goat cheese and topped w/ a corn and tomatoes and cilantro - yum on reflection, maybe it wasn't such a bad food weekend after all!

perfect warm weather, picnic music this is good too and this

well, it depends - in the Bistro, you're right, no way in the tasting room, combine 2 9 course tasting menus w/ a couple of cocktails, water, and a nice bottle of wine and a decent tip and you could easily be around $400, no?

nope, didn't try the corn dogs, although you're right - they do sound good! Burgers were huge - throw corn dogs into the mix and I would have been like the guy in the Monty Python flick!

yes, when I finally got around to having an In n Out Burger for the first time last year I was a little underwhelmed - good but not the life changing experience some had painted it to be on the very same trip though I did find the best burger I have ever eaten....at a roadside diner somewhere in Napa: Taylor's Refresher --- [The above link is now broken. For the benefit of readers across the country: In 2010, Taylor's Refresher morphed into Gott's Roadside, resulting in a contentious family feud - details can be found here, and for those pining away for the Taylor's of yesteryear, here's a remnant of their old menu.] --- Dining near Deer Park and Meadowood Napa Valley (JLK)

good lord! I'm not averse to spending big bucks on a meal but you could have 2 meals at the Lab, Maestro or Eve for that kind of money - were you ordering particularly expensive wine?

yes they did - I was able to special request it about 10 days after Paddys day and it was delicious, served w/ foie gras - you could try asking for it i advnace the next time you go to Eve Being an Irish boy I love black (and white) pudding - breakfast isn't really breakfast without it another source for black pudding is www.foodireland.com - they will next day ship it to you in a cooler bag

I've always been partial to the softies at Bucks - lightly battered and oh so tasty