Lydia R

Community group purchasing might include internet ordering by those most geographically blessed among us. The Wine Library site will be in today's WSJ wine column - interestingly it's also enthusiastic about web wine shopping. The full article includes an additional eight specialty web sites. Has anyone ordered from sites other than Wine Library?

There's a interesting article in today's NY Times about Fiddlehead Ferns and Ramps (both foraged & as an early cash crop for farmers). A sidebar to the article has a good looking ramps & potato soup recipe (with bacon & cream) NY Times food section

Buy Your Own Vowel?

The downside of cable TV is the commercials for regional food/stores that don't exist locally. Sometimes, like Hardee's, the reality falls short of the expectation. Every now and then, I wonder what Sonic Drive-In is like. I blame the commercials. Imagine my brakepads' surprise when I saw the Sonic signs on the road heading out to the Delaware beaches this weekend. It's at the intersection where you make the left turn to continue on Rt 404 where it joins Rt 13 (business 404). There's already a big McDonalds at the corner. What a tease. The signs are up, but the main building's still underconstruction! Who's been to Sonic and is it worth watching out for next time I head beachward?

The General Assembly made progess this session. Here's an update on an upthread issue relating to small wineries in Friday's Washington Business Journal: Does anyone know the status of the "Merlot to go" bill?

Thought this might be a good topic to update. This week's Wall Street Journal wine column is on food and wine pairings while on vacation - specifically cruising. Y'all might enjoy seeing how the columnists' assistant researches restaurants...

Here's a link to the article with its cartoon map: MoCo Chinatown Map. It's a bit surprising that neither Joe's Noodle House nor the Rockville Metro Station were included, but that's the Post's coverage...

I've been convinced to go to Addie's this weekend. Anyone been recently? Are the upthread comments still current or has Addie's gotten back on track?

From today's eNewsletter: CK is taking RESERVATIONS for Easter Brunch (no dinner being served that day) see seating times below. Also, they'll be closed on Mother's Day. Michael Landrum take note - a "reservations on superspecial days policy" may help conserve fighting strength. Has anyone had the Asparagus, Goat Cheese & Lamb Chop on the spring menu? Is it only on the dinner menu?

With JamesG/PandaH's permission, I'm posting a PDF of his most recent menu translation. It fits on one page and is suitable for use as an order "check list."Did any of Sunday's diners see the manager, Jerry? If not, he may have been our missing key player. Jerry probably expedites the orders in / food out of the kitchen when the tempo rises... James_Glucksman_Translation_040206.pdf

It was unfortunate for the diners and the restaurant. They've been open for about three weeks and are clearly not staffed to run at full capacity. I was at the same table with Lackadaisi and nodded my head when I read her comments.Mr. Yao was alone in the banquet room (after more than an hour got a few water runs from the busman - we never saw Jerry). The banquet room has six-ten tops. Our two tables were seated followed by three more full tables and a half-filled table. The first non-DR 10-top, seated about a 6:45, left without receiving any food and the two other ten-tops were only getting a few dishes by the time we departed. They didn't know how much time we'd invested before getting served and may have been miffed. We were without tea or our first dish for an hour after placing our order. I didn't see the traffic level in the main room, but there was a huge (multiple chafing dish) carryout order on one of the side tables when we arrived, so the kitchen was smokin'. Great group at both of our tables - really the saving grace of the evening. Oh, and the spareribs. We also didn't have JamesG/PandaH to liaison for us. I hadn't realized, until last night, how distracting it is to wonder whether the balance of your order was lost or if the other (more aggressive) table got them by mistake. These service issues are in stark contrast to attentive treatment we received on a ghost-town Thursday 3/16 lunch. I hope they'll get fully staffed and able to handle the demand generated from early press and word-of-mouth.

Perri... I'm having trouble following the dates/places. It looks like we're proposing: HEOTB - Saturday 15 April (in Wheaton) Lucky Three - Saturday 22 April (in Reston) Jesse Wong's Hong Kong - TBD? (Columbia Waterfront) New Fortune - TBD??? (North Rockville/Gaithersburg)

Before anyone shouts "April Fools!" -- I had an early lunch today at Guajillo (next door) and watched RTS take food deliveries at noonish. There was some generalized planning going on in the front window table. I respected your privacy Michael and kept walking... good luck with your new format. No, I don't feel duped - it got me to your place for the first time (and Guajillo was the first time today too).

I've eaten several meals with both PollyG's & DanielK's chowpups (though not at the same time) and use them as my gold standard for assessing kid behavior in restaurants (they're real kids that Gillian Clark would like to see at table in Colorado Kitchen). PollyG's daughter has been an eager participant in some of my most memorable Chowmeals; including last year's Thai Smackdown series. DanielK's (pictured in his avatar) are regulars at the current Dim Sum Sunday series. P.S. Don't bet against the pup, DanielK will clean up...

During the late 70's / early 80's I lived on the same block as Le Gaulois. Great neighborhood block, now it's filled with a big Michael Graves building.An amenity of my building was that its front door was a straight shot across Pennsylvania Ave from Mr. Henry's Washington Circle. No, their food isn't the most vivid thing I remember about the place. Sadly, in today's Washington Post is the obit for Henry Yaffe, the owner of the Mr. Henry's saloons. The obit noted that the "chain" stretched at one time through the Washington area.

The Gold Rush never left you. For those playing at home: a Gold Rush Chicken sandwich is a fried chicken filet topped with bacon, cheese & sweet-honey BBQ sauce.Sometimes a summer drive up to Frederick (where Roy's never died) during the "dark Hardee's days" hit the spot -- warm weather demands Strawberry Shortcakes (and a holster of fries). A 2003 Washington Business Journal article gives a good history of the father and sons behind this resurgence of the Roy Rogers brand. Luckily none were close my high school ... we had Hamburger Hamlet.

About a month ago, WSJ had an article also about restaurants sourcing protein that made me think of Michael Landrum. It began: Michael -- maybe this is how you're planning to spend your hiatus. Looking forward to the "no steak left behind" dinner tonight. Edited to: correct for pre-RTS dinner giddiness

The chart JG mentioned upthread is very interesting and would drive most to their neighborhood newsstand to purchase a copy of the paper. What I found interesting was the number of sushi places that use local fishmongers.Yup, the WSJ is a great paper and it reaches far beyond the assumed boundries of their "Wall Street" beat. In addition to Food/Wine coverage, there are several columns written by my personal hero, Walter Mossberg, a DC-based technology writer (never met, but he's saved me money and my tech-sanity).

So much for lost productivity due to the NCAA games... Edited after winners list was posted: This will be my first time at Ray's!

Thanks for this description. I had a shad & shad roe combination at Suicide Bridge Restaurant (Eastern Shore - on the Choptank River) this Saturday night. The crispy bacon was just the right note against the almost sausage-like quality of the roe. It's on their specials menu and was a bargain at about $16 with two sides and a salad. My +1 got major points for trusting that we could find the restaurant given the rural darkness and missing street signs (no GPS). He was rewarded with rockfish that was perfectly broiled. We drove back the next morning, just to make sure we could find it again and to see the surrounding countryside. Thanks to Joe H, Crackers & JohnB for recommending the restaurant last October -- I hadn't forgotten. Please note the Suicide Bridge is still on winter hours (only open Thursday - Sunday). ETA: links and better narrative structure.

Haile Selassie is to Rastafarians== as == Ol’Blue Eyes is to Pastafarians It's just a neat neighborhood place - hopefully it'll outlast many of the chains moving into downtown Silver Spring. Please note that I only suggested the place - the party organizers made the split checks request.

We get Caipirinhas & spicy apps at Cafe Spice and then softly unfocus on everyone's kids AND the ducks. Big plus, there's a nice lakeside path to stroll a couple of laps before heading home.

I first found Vicino's this summer after being disappointed by a closed-for-lunch Jackie's (below). Until last week I was unaware of their Jazz Cellar and its use as a party/meeting room. They have an almost full-basement decorated as the circa 1955 rumpus room of the neatest jazz-loving Italian-American dad in your neighborhood. It's complete with jazz posters, strung holiday lights and Pastafarian shrines to Ol' Blue Eyes. Compared to the plastic-kitsch of Jackie's, this is genuine kitsch-y kitsch. Last week we had a babyshower in the Jazz Cellar. We didn't get charged for the room and were made to feel welcome (how do you say amuse bouche in Italian?). The easy-going (efficient and unfazed by about 15 separate checks) staff kept the evening rolling. The desserts were a big hit - never made it to cannoli before. I'd suggested the place because we needed something close to work and affordable for the attendees (a mix of professional and clerical/support staff). I was the only one who'd eaten there before, but it’s safe to say they made a gang of new, repeat customers... Funny, don’t hear much about Jackie’s lately.

Ed... I'm open to Cafe Atlantico, but we've also been looking at revisiting New Fortune on Rt 355 just north of Shady Grove Road. Perrik had previously proposed a couple of Sundays in April (I think one was Easter...) Maybe after Saturday (3/18th)'s adventure we can pin a date for New Fortune.

My +1 and I arrived early, tried to hold a large table and saw some carts roll-by before the others arrived (and the really big table in the far corner w/lazy susan emptied). Before folks arrived we saw: broccoli rabe, salt-crusted prawns, abalone shu mai, and spear-sliced peppers stuffed with shrimp and tempura fried -- but they NEVER rolled our way again!! Next time I'll try to sit closer to the kitchen entrance and (although the place was still hopping) maybe eat before 1p. Both the savory and sweet dishes were wonderful and may have taken first place (from New Fortune) in my "best of" dim sum list. We also had the slippery rice crepe with either shrimp or pork (one dish of each), sticky rice steamed in leaf wrap, chive dumplings and really good sharkfin dumplings. Janet, the owner, came over and very nicely explained some of the unique dishes. Another plus, the staff gave us several western-style utensils (including knives) to split the dumplings and sticky yummies into shareable sizes.