Mrs. B

Keith Floyd. Dammit.

Who said (and I paraphrase)"Britain no longer cooks [they} just watch it on TV"

The on to the big mistake of the weekend, the Trailer Park Lounge. I mean, we weren't expecting much. A little fun, a little beer, a little decent bar food across the street from the hotel. But no dice. The food was just lousy in a way no restaurant, even one surviving on kitsch and serving mostly burgers and nachos can justify.

The hot dog was okay.

The service at JG was truly laughable. And this is just my own private problem but the head waiter reminded me of Dexter (not the cartoon one).

The "Cucumber" cocktail was very delicious. The FG brulee as mentioned was eye-rollingly good. The tuna ribbons dish was well done but the serving was (way way - as in enough for an entree) too large for my taste. The sweetbreads with peach did not make me swoon but I did like the fruit flavor combined with the richness of the meat. I can't recall my second course, that's either a bad thing about me or perhaps a bad thing about the dish, I guess I should check with Waitman.

All desserts were lovely. Very nice presentation, though I think the snipping of the homemade marshmallows at tableside served with the sweets at the end of the meal was a bit silly.

We also enjoyed a stroll along the High Line and ducked into an oasis near Chelsea who's food I cannot vouch for but who's ambience is noteworthy The Park

Oh and Arturo's? I will be back the piano & bass combo was perfect. The waiter a sweetey pie, the pie just fine.

Sylvia Schur - the creator of my favorite Bloody Mary Mixer Clamato and also my father's favorite recipe for chuck roast. Serious sodium content in both.

Yep.

Yep.

Sorry, I know it's not Don's "fault" but I hate hate hate the upgrade's look and usability.

Will no one raise a glass to Ted?

RIP

..... but if you want to shoot off some firecrackers on the 4th next year, you can get them at Rodman's.

Firecrackers are strictly forbidden by the DC Code. I wish it could be enforced, they try my last nerve. Back on topic. I really enjoyed the Red Derby as well but I did feel a bit old. On the third hand it was fun hanging out with the young'ns for a while.

Their menu includes foot long fish dogs

Oscar Mayer aged 95. Just remarried in 1999.

All weiners at half mast in his honor.

Great deals on Wagyu this week:

Ground Beef $4.99/lb

Beef Patties $4.99/lb

Top Round Steak $9.99/lb

Top Sirloin Steak $9.99/lb

New York Strip $15.99/lb

Boneless Ribeye Steak $15.99/lb

Tenderloin Steak $25.99/lb

I bought a beautiful NY Strip yesterday but have yet to cook it. I've never actually cooked Wagyu myself. Any suggestions? Should I just cook it the same way I would any other steak?

Where'd you get these? Waitman went by the NM Ave. Balducci's on Sunday and they were removing fixtures.

At Mount Pleasant Market

From Rebbie's News Letter

"Painted Hand Farm: humanely raised, grass-fed rose veal and goat meat. Goat shoulder roasts, leg steaks, shanks, chops, ground, veal scaloppini, 100% goat meat breakfast sausage links cased in collagen for people who don't eat pork, hot and sweet Italian veal sausage, traditional German-style Bratwurst (veal and pork). Great prices on eggs! Whole goats available for summer picnics. The goats are 13-15 pounds and are quartered. Order in advance at sandra@paintedhandfarm.com or (414) 423-5663 by Friday afternoons."

Mandals should be verboten from any dining establishment that is not within 500 meters of a beach.

How do you feel about Top-Siders? More appropriate than sandals like these?

[This one-line post is an insipid, choppy piece of nougat that degrades both the substantial talent that Waitman demonstrated in his inspired response, and the annoying perspicacity that you demonstrated in your response to the Ackermann Function Challenge. It's the literary equivalent of wearing a T-shirt among well-dressed diners. Carry on.]

I want to have sex with Cary Grant - he can keep his hat/suit on. Thanks for the great back and forth you guys, I needed it today.

Discussed on Kojo Scroll up to 12:06 segment with additional discussion of Rose Wines later on.

Roses/Pink Wines discussed on Kojo today with Michael Franz & Paul Lukas

The first time I visited Zola Kitchen and Wine Bar, I knew it offered

chance to do a different sort of "wine dinner." The old formula is tired,

and I want to revive it. So what we're doing is delving as deeply as

possible into FLAVORS, and how they combine and synergize. We're doing

three basic preps each of which will have small but telling variations, in

such building-block flavors as acidity, herbs/spices, and sweetness. We'll

have nine wines alongside, themselves arranged from driest to least dry,

from the three segments of my portfolio: Austria, Champagne and Germany.

This way the diner can see, for example, how the addition of more acidity

in the dish makes wine #3 unsuitable but suddenly demands wine #7 - we can

see flavors up-close and in detail, and therefore see wine as just another

in a chain of flavors which undulate in various interesting ways.

This is a first for me, and there's a chance I'm overreaching. But I'm

willing to risk it because we so seldom get to think about these things in

such detail. The idea came from Charlie Trotter's new wine-service book, in

which he wrote that his kitchen will routinely adapt a dish to the wine

being drunk. Lest this appear to be oh-so earnest, if any of you know me,

you know it won't. I hope to see you on Friday evening; we start at 6:30.

Terry

This reminds me a lot of the concept behind Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky's cookbook "The Elements of Taste" published in 2001 in which they separate food into 14 elements: tastes that push (salty, picante & sweet), that pull ( tangy, vinted, bulby, spiced aromatic, floral herbal & funky), tastes that puctuate (sharp/bitter) and tastes platforms (garden, meatey, oceanic and starchy). I have had great success cooking from this book.

Are you familiar with it?

I am intrigued by your new dinner/wine formula and hope I can work things out in order to attend.

Is there a space limitation that might require me to find a scalper?

The one who is actually "foolish" is the one who judges others to be foolish based on their appearance.

I will withhold "judgement" on a person wearing a jeweled crown but unless the diapered person is at a New Year's Eve bash or Halloween Party I think I have every right to judge their attire as foolish based on current standards of behavior. I heard a bit on NPR about a guy that liked to walk around in a superhero costume just because it made him feel good and it made other people feel good too. To each his own.

You know you might just have something with this word judgement. Like wearing shorts and and a tank top to CityZen might just show poor judgement as would wearing a tuxedo to wash your car. You have a right to wear whatever you want okay? I don't judge a person by their clothing but I might judge their judgement. Just don't even think about wearing muddy boots in my house.

PS Spill, you really need to stop triple spacing. When responding a reply put your cursor right behind the close quote thingey ] or directly under, if you put an extra return in you will triple space and piss off Don. Love Mrs. B.

Your disdain is not appealing, and doesn't help your cause.

Disdain towards what exactly?

Ooooow, this is fun!

Can we start a running compilation of relevant cultural references, books, etc?

I elect EM Forster, "Mistrust all enterprises that require new clothes," from Room with a View.

Here is something to counteract all the hipsterisms: click, though "Putting on my top hat..." would do nicely, too.

Nice but I prefer this version when I'm feeling less nostalgic, plus it reminds me of Waitman's dance style.

I'll go where I like; that's not your call. Don't like me not dressing up someplace? *You* don't go there. Or not.

If I don't like the dress code, I won't go there. If the dress code is not strict, I'm sure as hell not worrying about fashion. Fashion is shallow and silly.

I wasn't telling you, I was asking you, politely. Frankly I don't give a damn about "fashion" I do care about appropriate attire.

I really don't care if you are sitting next to me wearing a jeweled crown or a diaper. Either way if it's not appropriate, it's not appropriate and you are the one looking/acting foolish, not I. Although I will add that if you were wearing a marvelous jeweled crown made of the real stuff the other night when I was at Bonnaroo, I might have been a bit distracted if you know what I mean......

Most of my clothing comes from Goodwill & the Salvation Army for whatever that's worth.

QFT.

Treat others with respect and consideration, regardless of how they're dressed.

You want to play dress up? Fine. I don't. Also fine.

Fine then please go to Rays don't go to The Prime Rib, or go to the 9:30 Club don't go to the NSO, go to The Reef don't go to the Round Robin or try the Hawk and Dove instead of PX. I will not treat you with disrespect despite the disprespect you show to those around you and to the owners of the establishments that you would like to "grace" with your presence. I will keep my disdain (go ahead call me a snob) to myself if not my .

Whoa that's impressive! Those turned little mushrooms are adorable. Where'd the recipe come from? I seem to recall something of that nature in one of J. Pepin's earlier books.

There's a word for a person who does not follow a specific code of behavior of an establishment and still expects to be "served."

Disrespectful.

This applies to the restaurant patron who: brow beats a server - disrespectin' the server, wears flip flops with dirty toe-nails (ever) - disrepectin' his dining companions and self or lacks a coat and tie in an establishment with a specific code - disrespectin' the maker of the rules (presumably the owner). I could go on and not just about restaurants but there's really no need to go OT to make my point.

Except this , allow me a bit of a reminiscence... When I was a young girl in Catholic school the dress code included white knee socks. I had a basketball game one day and wore my white tube socks with green strips. The principal (Sr. Jean Elizabeth - she was really quite lovely) had me remove the socks and she cut off the stripes. My parents approved. In retrospect so do I.

You organizational people are the BEST!!!

Thanks for everything.

It's astounding how a perfect day was made even better by sharing it with some of (okay all of) the nicest people in the Universe.

If all works out I will bring some pea shooters.

Since I need to buy fresh English peas on Saturday, tomorrow, I have at least 4 choices of producer-only farmers markets that are accessible to a carless DC resident: Arlington, U & 14th St., H St. & Silver Spring.

Anyone know which might be most promising in my quest?

Rebbie's e-mail from Mt. Pleasant Mkt says Richfield should have them.

I do at least 95% of the time. Baggus are much smaller than a wallet when kept in their pack. They come in extremely handy.

ETA: I actually carry them more for the convenience than the environmental benefits, but they are a great side effect.

\

Indeed. How big is your wallet? I use a money clip and I'm not sure that it would work for this purpose. If I have to re-foled this item into a 4X2 inch item every time I use it I think I would happily pay a tax

If you are going for a walk and you have no pockets are you really going to bring a reusable bag with you every time???????

A purse I can understand (except no, I can't. I can't) why would you go for a walk with a purse!!!!