Barbara

Just got one of those myself. Thanks for the explanation, Jacques. File this under "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished."

I think you may be on to something. I've spent my adulthood being somewhat dismayed by what the Washington Post called El Paso's "mindless boosterism." I have always wondered why, if DC is such a culinary wasteland, so many talented chefs come here. Further, I can't tell you how many tourists I've run into who are only interested in eating at the chains. I hate, hate, hate having to give directions to the McDonalds in Adams Morgan when asked by tourists. There are so many other, better, choices right around the place. And, on another tack, there seems to be a need here for the "power" place, where the food comes in a far second to being seen at an optimal time. I would not give up Tom Power or Michael Landrum in order to get Thomas Keller. I would never be able to afford to eat at a restaurant like Per Se more than once I my life. I can look forward to Corduroy or RTS at least for special occasions, if not more often.

A significant number of people have already informed Jacques that he can't come without bringing that smoked pork butt. He may, one day, decide that this is one of the inner circles of the Inferno. Too bad. His butt rocks

I made a Vidalia Onion Soup--a neighbor sent me the recipe--with one of my favorite salads: Endive with bacon, blue cheese and lemon. I pureed the soup in the Cuisinart, but will run the leftovers through the blender before straining it. I'm planning on cooking some shell fish in it on Friday.

Not to mention there doesn't seem to be enough liquid. I always wind up using more than 3 1/2 cups of liquid for 2 cups of rice. My eyes bugged out at the amount of butter and cheese, as well.

I have to concur, however reluctantly, that Clyde's is indeed kid-friendly. Nothing much exciting about the food, however you can find some acceptable stuff.

I think that's exactly it. I went into Cakelove some time ago, just to see what all the fuss was about. I walked out emptyhanded. Nothing struck my fancy. I LUV, LUV, LUV Warren Brown's story and so wanted to find Nirvana, but no dice. I wish him well and am very happy he chose U Street; but . . . you HAVE to deliver the goods.

I don't have access to all of that. I'm thinkin' Pepperidge Farm "Italian" bread with Hellmann's mayo and whatever bacon is on sale at the Safeway and tomatoes from the farmers' market. (I buy a bag of basil every week at the farmers' market all during the summer--some of it goes bad before I can use it, but not often. I just think it adds such a wondeful flavor.)

Just call Gillian Clark at a time when she is not cooking, and ask her if she can accomodate you. The worst she can say is "No" and that never killed anybody.

I'm eating a gin and tonic right this minute. However, for lunch I made a Bacon, Tomato, and BASIL sandwich. Does anybody else substitute basil for lettuce?

I believe, but won't bet the rent on this, that modern pig farming has pretty much eliminated the problem of trichinosis. I mean, when is the last time you heard of anybody getting this? Like you though, I am a little wary of underdone pork--unless I cook it that way myself. Go figure. If the safety factor is truly not an issue, then there should be no reason to ever be presented with "shoe leather" pork. On the other hand, I can't abide undercooked poultry and that includes duck.

I'm thinkin' this defines "guilty pleasure." What's the point of suffering if you can't entertain your pals with it?

All the men seemed to have sent a memo around to each other saying to wear a blue-striped cotton shirt. Since Jacques was shanghaied at the bar, he didn't get this memo and was wearing a pink seersucker shirt. Three of the women wore dresses (!) and one wore slacks. One gentleman wore a jacket, but no tie. Ferhat looked FABULOUS. I think the chef sent out the spring rolls because he knows that we can be bought off CHEAP.

I'm addicted to the Waiterrant.net blog but I thought he was indulging in a little "literary license." Not that I minded, it's such a good read. After reading this thread I'm convinced no invention is necessary. How do you keep from bitch-slapping these people? No jury in the world would convict you of anything.

If anybody who hasn't joined a DR outing and is concerned about going to a restaurant with a bunch of strangers, let me just add that I have never run into anybody at one of these events who behaved badly in any way. Not only do these folks know and care about good food and drink, they all have nice manners and the ability to converse in ways appropriate for a group like this. It is so refreshing and always extremely pleasant. Do yourself a favor and go to something with the DR crowd. After a weekend of stuffing our faces, I'm going to have to come up with something lighter and less-caloric for dinner tonight. Craig has been making noises about a beet and goat cheese salad. H-m-m-m.

I just had one of those "Oh, wait a minute" moments after reading this post. My second-grade teacher in Sausalito, California, in the late 1950s did the same thing. I don't know if she used cream or what, but shaken something turned into butter and we all got to try a bit of it on a cracker. Of course, during those years, everybody thought margarine was much better than butter Lord have mercy, that brought back memories. And, oh by the way Hillvalley, California had the best public schools in the country back then. I was very forturnate.

At the risk of dating myself , I am AMAZED at the what's happened to U Street. There is a Heritage Trail there that all of you might take the time to check out. (It isn't food related, per se, but it couldn't hurt for more people to know about the history of the area you are visiting--and be humbled.)

I will be very happy to meet you. Craig and I will be there with bells on.

Please report as soon as you can. Those of us who are going there on Saturday want to hear from EVERYBODY.

As good as yours?

One of my neighbors, who is really having to watch her budget these days, was invited to go to Happy Hour at Cafe Milano on Friday. One martini, one glass of Pinot Grigio and an order of fried oysters (if I am remembering the appetizer correctly) came to $40. My friend thanked her friend for the drink and promptly got a cab home. She also hated the atmosphere.

OK, I voted for Todd. What's my prize?

I've discovered that cooking the fruit makes all the difference in the world. It brings out the pectin and just makes the texture more to my liking. Obviously, you wouldn't cook grapefruit juice but, then, I don't like grapefruit.

After reading "jim chen"'s post, I have to sympathize. The bar itself at Firefly is probably too small for our gatherings. The last time Craig and I went for HH, we stood around waiting for the non-Rockwellian to vacate the premises. It really is nice to sit at the bar and talk to John about lots of stuff, but it isn't conducive (sp?) for new folk who don't know any of us and don't know the drill. However, there is a rather expansive section of couches, etc., which would do nicely. We went to an event there a couple of months ago and lots of us were crammed into one section of the "lounge." It was lots of fun and made conversation far easier. I got the impression that the people tending to the "bar" patrons knew what they were doing. I suppose what I am suggesting is this: If we want to be welcoming to new folk, we are going to have to consider how best to go about this. There are undoubtedly people here who wonder why they should have this added burden. On the other hand, I can't imagine that any of the people I have met through this site are really interested in making new people have to jump through some pretty stiff hoops to join our merry band. There is, after all, the "shyness" factor. Being married to one of the really "shy" people of this world, I am maybe more attuned to the problem. How can I say this without sounding preachy? Here goes: this website is a direct result of eGullet pulling the plug on the "On the Whim" thread. Was it just to make it easier for those of us who already knew each other to get together? Or, was it to make it easier to new people to the area who are interested in good food and drink to find compatible companions? I'm just sayin'

Tom Seitsema points out in his online chats that he finds mistakes on his checks pretty often. At one restaurant where we were undercharged for a dish, Craig thought that by pointing this out to the waiter, we were jeopardizing his job. The problem was compounded by the fact that the sales tax was severely undercharged, so I pointed out both to the waiter. It seems to me that if you are going to carefully go over the tab, and you should, then it makes sense to always point out mistakes whether they are in your favor or not. Because we have this forum, it is easy to point out "criminal" prices and alert the rest of us. That seems fair to me.