DameEdna

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is now owned by the Unification Church, if I am not mistaken. The LDS Church has moved to a cozy establishment north of the Beltway. Perhaps you have seen it?

I have found a web-site with some pictures of Mt. Pleasant churches.

"Fossils in the Architecture of Washington, DC" on dcfossils.org

The least theological I could find.

Recognizing the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach!

Agree with many recommendations upthread. Adams Morgan has many places,inexpensive, classic,

with love/hate reviews:

- So's Your Mom (sp?) sandwich, bagel

- Pho 14 - Vietnamese (that is a tough tendon!)

- Super Taco (Tex-Mex ish)

- Madame's Organ (for fried chicken?) It is a legend . Sooner or later, maybe

     years from now, someone will say "You went  to Madame's Organ? Tell us about it."

- Lapis Bistro, fairly new, French and Afghani(!), getting mostly good reviews.

I took the kids to the National Aquarium and we spent the night at the Marriott Waterfront in Harbor East.  At 2:30 a.m., I can hear a bunch of people congregating in the hallway.  I stick my head out and ask them to be quiet but that didn't get anywhere.  They were wearing tuxes/dresses, so I'm guessing it was a wedding (it was Saturday night).  So I called the front desk, and they sent security, but it took a long time to disburse the drunks.  In any case, the damage was done, I was awake and so was my youngest.  I bitched to the front desk in the morning, but since I paid Priceline for the room, they told me I had to take it up with them.  When I got home, I called Priceline, and they told me I can't get a refund unless I got approval from Marriott.  So I got the run-around.  At this point, I don't feel like wasting any more time.  Has anyone gotten a better response from a hotel with regards to other rowdy guests?

I am naturally paranoid, but I think hotels do sometimes save "rooms that are going to have trouble" and sell them on the internet sites. Anticipated parties. Room overlooking construction site. Even room above trash dumpster.

Slightly off topic: something very badly done: sweetbreads. It is enough to make me hit head against table and sob ever so slightly.

For those with nothing better to do on Black Friday, shop a liquor store sale.

(from NBC News)

http://nbc4dc.com/mzbLWOi

"it is difficult to find white truffles, therefore a good year for wine" . Any truth to this?

Happy Birthday to all whose Birthday is August 12. Yes, FB reminded me. have a great day. All of you.

Twice in recent weeks I have heard references to Ossabaw pigs, and the more specific Ossabaw pork. Please don't get interested in finding Ossabaw pork. Ossabaw pigs have survived because they are much too fatty and tasty for modern palates. They are fatty,feral and fierce. Just stick the supermarket product. Thank you.

Thank you , Lovehockey, for the tour. So much to see, so little time.

I arrived stupidly early to wait for the 5:30 opening because I am only in DC a few days and this was a must-do. I never was able to experience Little Serow previously, because my ex had a shellfish allergy, and I was always in DC with her. This is my first return since the split, and I was determined to have the LS experience.

It lived up to the hype. The food was so carefully and artfully prepared. The spare menu descriptions don't even begin to create a picture of the dishes. Each dish was fulfilling on its own...the whole was a symphony of big flavors, textures, colors and temperatures.

WhenI explained to the server why I hadn't come before and why I could enjoy now, she brought me a glass of bubbly. "To the end of your dining restrictions," she said, smiling, as she poured. I felt very, very happy.

Rarely do I see such pain, angst and joy in one short post!

Somewhat off topic, 18th Street is changing. In addition to Meskerem, New Orleans Cafe is closed. A big restaurant space is going to be a bicycle store.                      Ethiopian restaurants, in particular move where the rents are reasonable.

For years, Meskerem was  the first choice for out of town visitors wanting the Ethiopian restaurant experience. Now there are many more choices.

Site was still down when we got back from lunch so I posted it on Facebook.   

Crime is rampant.

Winter picnic?  Dame Edna, you are having your little joke?

Sure, let's start thinking about a spring picnic.  Just the thought of spring right now makes me happy.  If we plan far enough out in advance, people can add it to their calendars.  Nothing can be done about soccer practices, etc., but other discretionary schedule conflicts can be avoided, if desired.

It's probably too soon to put up a vote but suggestions welcomed.

As before, I will be happy to make the reservation.

Really, just trying to cope with winter insanity. Someone said they missed the informality and fun of the picnics. At this point, the when and if of the DRSP (Don  Rockwell Spring Picnic) is just a mirage, a dream , a fantasy. I would like to see someone try to do another Ventworm Cake. That was amazing.

The winter Picnic was great, featuring warm drinks in tankards and a selection of snack foods from Trader Joes. Also, someone cooked beef on the Barbeque. In the snow. Wonderful.

(If the title of this thread was changed, wouldn't mind.)

No one (except me) showed up for Winter picnic, What about Spring? To far?

From Todd Kliman, Washingtonian Online, Tuesday December 24 , 11:00 AM

Speaking of which: I had the most disappointing meal I have ever had at a Peter Chang restaurant recently. It was the Richmond location. Nothing was stellar. Dishes were hot, and sometimes hot and numbing, but they lacked the complexity and depth of his best cooking. Frying was heavy-handed. The ma-po tofu lacked body and punch.

An aberration? The chef not in the kitchen?

I don't think so, I hate to say. I had four dishes, and they appeared to have been simplified to appeal to a mass audience.

There are five restaurants in the Chang empire, now, with the opening, a couple of weeks ago, of a location in Virginia Beach. Finding talent to fill all those kitchens can't be easy, and people are necessarily going to be stretched thin. The menu in Richmond is now the same as the one in Frederick, which, when I ate there earlier this Spring, struck me as a simplified version of the old Richmond menu. My guess is that the restaurants have gone in for a certain standardization, to make things easier on the kitchens. This is a markedly smaller than before, and missing many items that I had come to love. It's a real shame.

What's up with Peter Chang? I don't know. While some chefs over share, with Peter Chang we are left to collect our own observations, and arrive at our own conclusions.

Would a bored patron who is attending the annual family get together enjoy reviewing pictures of dessert possibilities? Would a wine geek enjoy examining the wine list in more detail, while waiting at the airport for the next flight? "Always the same order" person would like having the burger and fries arrive without saying a word. Possibilities are endless.

Dr. Oz had a guest who has written a book on places where some on the oldest people live. One of those places is Sardinia. Here is what I learned:

1) they drink the local wine every day.
2) they drink wine with breakfast.

Dr. Oz says there is some healthful ingredient in the wine. My wife mocks me often for listening to this quack.

Got a bottle of Argiolas Costera 2010. It is tasty. Hints of cherry and licorice. Feeling healthier already.

Cost $11.99 a bottle at Calvert-Woodley. which fits in with another thing my wife mocks me for. My thriftiness.
(But that is not what she calls it)

I'm somewhat heartened that Barbara's meal seemed ok.  A foray soon after opening was such a mess that -- because I've had a drink or three with Hartzer (back in the the day) and he seems like a good guy and -- as I recall -- opened Ray's the Classics -- that I went against type and posted nothing.

i will say that the decor is awful and has not a damn thing to do with Teddy Roosevelt on even the most strained metaphorical level -- unless he was a lady who lunched, in secret -- and, like Barbara, I found the noise somewhat intolerable.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, go ahead and sit across the room -- your voice will echo off all the hard surfaces and I'll hear you anyway."

-Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Given that Alice Roosevelt Longworth lived around the corner at 2009 Mass. Ave., one would expect a bar named in her honor, where a lady could get properly lubricated.

No buffalo on the menu.

No mention of TR coming in last so often in the Nationals Presidents race.

Really, I do hope this place finds some theme and reason to exist. Downtown DC is still suffering from the decline of "big steak" and end of boys club expense account dinners.

To hillvalley , who is off on a great adventure. DC will never be the same.

On 7/14/2013 at 3:25 PM, DonRocks said:

Was anyone in Adams Morgan last night?

I don't think I have *ever* seen that many people out there (probably because of Bastille Day - it was around midnight when I was there).

L'Enfant Restaurant (18th,Vernon, U Street) had many goings-on all day. Food, drink, French maid race. Were you there to be in the French Maid Race? L'Enfant attempts to represent the cuisine of France ... And they could do worse. It would take much effort, but they could.

DR reads widely. Sometimes he expands the boundaries of expression. That having been said, I don't he has included " circle jerk" in his comments. Could be wrong.

Chris Kimball on America's Test Kitchen had a favorite word. When he would taste a completed dish, he would gaze thoughtfully, then say "phenomenal!" So predictable, it was a joke. Someone must have pointed this out, because he now substitutes other words. He still looks sad that his favorite word has been banished.

Don, what date has been chosen for the Spring 2013 picnic?

Was that Chairman Mao's Favorite Braised Pork with Bok Choy? So good!

(And excellent choice for being in Eric Cantor's congressional district).