Al Dente

Sazerac Rye and bitters seem to be the key ingredients.

Palena has em. Good too.

Went by Trusty's after the Nat's game last night and enjoyed the place. They make a tasty burger. At least it seems so when you're having it as a late night snack after a dinner of beer and peanuts. Word of advice on Nat's games-- don't ever bother sitting in a Skybox at RFK. It's a long walk and elevator ride to get a damn beer, and the only perk is free peanuts and chips. I'm glad we were given free tickets. They ain't worth the $82.50 ticket price by a looooong shot.

I've really enjoyed Mas Tapas on Monticello Rd a number of times. It's trying to be a little too hip for its own good with the music a little too loud and the funky interior, but the tapas were excellent. They have outdoor seating too!

How is Trusty's? I rode by it a couple of days ago. The location seems to be a bit of a gamble.

I swear, Bob Ollinger, got blasted with a shotgun by Billy the Kid! Poor Ol' Bob I'm also supposed to be related to Robert Fulton. So, let's review: Bob Ollinger, Robert Burns, and Robert Fulton. Basically I'm related to any famous guy named Robert. Robert Redford is my brother. Sorry to go off topic, but I'm finishing up the dregs of a number of liquor bottles for the sake of making space in my apartment. This Hendrick's gin is a killer.

Perhaps someone needs to make some haggis for a DR dinner. I tried it once in my semi-native Scotland-- supposedly, I'm a descendent of Robert Burns himself-- and I'm not anxious to try it again. The taste wasn't so bad, it was just the smell from cooking it that makes one gag. It was fookin awful. Maybe if it was made in one place and served in another I'd like it.

Many merchants use gift cards rather than paper certificates, and they make out like bandits on them. While it's true that eventually the money gets handed over to the state at the time of expiration, many merchants will charge a "non-use" fee each month after a certain amount of time if the card is not used. This might only be a buck or two a month, but it really adds up as it virtually goes straight to the bottom line. I've read estimates that merchants can make 10-15% of the average value of all outstanding card balances free and clear.

Back in my bachelor days I took a week-long vacation with a bunch of friends every summer in Pawleys. We had an awesome house there, but dining out was usually a bust. As for Myrtle Beach, well, let's just say that Myrtle Beach makes Ocean City MD look like the French Riviera.

I wonder if the employees manning the deep fryers go into high alert-- SIETSEMA IS HERE!

Done burnt down.

Finally, we'll have a MEGA British Pub. Perhaps it'll be located in a former Home Depot or something. Union Jack's, a Mega-British Pub

Good luck Andrew. Sorry to see you go. We'll always have Let Phet Thoke (Green Tea Leaf Salad) $5.99 Best Regards, Mike

where'd everyone go?

Got an email from Schneider's with their specials-- has anyone had tried this stuff?

I tried the cask ale as well-- a creamy stout. It was truly delicious with a perfect caramel flavor. One of the best beers I've had in a long time. Plates of nachos for $3 weren't bad either. Then again, you can't go wrong with melted cheese.

Does this mean you're going?

Here is the previously mentioned gigantic salad.

Nope, sorry. You'll just have to put up with me.

I'm gonna try to show up. Maybe. Perhaps. Where is it? I know vaguely, but not exactly.

I dig a good dive, but yesterday was a bit much. I was walking down Pennsylvania Ave toward 8th St SE and saw that Thai Roma (wtf is that anyway?) joint with a bar called Conrad's attached to it. I've walked by a million times and had never been in, so I stopped in for a beer. Yikes, is that place a dump! Only two other people sitting at the bar-- some dude who was obviously off his ass (at 5:30pm), and some haggard looking old broad reading the paper and occasionally mentioning to the bartender that she hadn't had an orgasm since the Eisenhower administration. The beer was pretty good though.

Giant salad night here at Chez Dente. photo would be here if I could figure out how to post the damn thing Some lupini beans in harissa sauce, haricot vert with evoo and sea salt, baby plum tomatoes with evoo and balsamic, crunchy sprouts, olives, emmenthaler, another cheese the name of which I forget, mache with orange bell peppers, onions, and a tahini dressing.

Well, my sincere congrats to Todd, and I look forward to what I'm sure will be inevitable improvements in the Top 100 selections and so forth, but, eh... whoop-de-doo. We were certainly whipped into a bit of a frenzy, no?

I had a seat at the bar about a year ago and ordered a decent grilled lamb chop dish. I don't remember many details other than that it seemed to be decent quality if a bit overpriced. I do, however, recall a surly pr*ck of a bartender who begrudgingly served me.

Never having had "gourmet" garlic before, it was nearly a revelation trying Solitude's garlic after I roasted a couple of varieties. I need to get over to Dupont to pick up some more.