Barbara

Is that an invite to join you? I can fall out of bed and be at Chloe.

From the Adams Morgan ANC Chairman last month: there are still some issues to iron out. HT can't just be given a pass. After all, they are moving a large retail operation into a very crowded neighborhood with narrow streets. DOT has to change some streets to "one-way" and HT has to make some promises about opening times (they originally wanted to be open 24/7. No way Jose), parking, and some other stuff--none of which should be impossible or a deal-breaker.

Yeah, and Craig mentioned that he could make his zucchini for the next one (and he doesn't usually cook for events--you are in for a treat).

It seems to me that if you are opening a new place and want some "buzz", notifying this crowd (or the forum on eG) makes more sense. (See Sonoma). This makes no sense for this town. A crash and burn in the not too far distant future?

It's hard to imagine a more perfect day. And all the Rockwellian kids were delightful. Maybe they are better fed than most others. Jacques' pulled pork simply rocked. If it weren't for that ventworm cake (worth the price of admission by itself), I would have stuck a flag in it and declared the winner. Thanks to Hillvalley and Jacques and the others who organized this and did so much work. You should do it again

Jacques, I had to buy a roll of yellow "Caution" tape some time ago (1,000 feet) for my little project in AM. I apologize for not bringing you several hundred feet of it for tomorrow's outing. Forgiven???? (This is to inform anyone planning another dr.com outing this year). . . . yellow "caution" tape is to be had for the asking.

I had promised some table "cloths" from the dollar store on Columbia Road, only to discover this afternoon that it had morphed into something else. So, I was obliged to enter into some rather suspicious places and Lo! and Behold! I found some cheap plastic table "cloths" for our gathering tomorrow. I only bought three of the things, but what can you do? I always feel that I need to grab my passport when venturing into Virginia. At least we can pretend to be civilized. BTW, my tiny apartment has been infused with the scent of chocolate. I can only hope that these brownies taste as good as my place smells. You will know when I do.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE WATER. I have reluctantly had to put down Ruth Reichl's latest to wash dishes and make brownies. See y'all tomorrow.

And now, we have no water. I went to my farmers' market this am and found some lovely tomatoes and fresh basil for tomorrow's outing. Clearly, if we don't have water by tomorrow morning, Craig and I are going to have to bow out. It's not that we think you lovely people wouldn't feed us; but without being able to shower, you might make us sit far away . . .

Heather: I, for one, have been thinking about those cookies ever since you mentioned them at Hank''s on Wednesday. Since I seem to have transporation, I will be making the guacamole (Safeway has Hass avocados on sale this week!), along with potato salad and brownies.

I'm still planning on bringing some potato salad--don't know why it was dropped from the list. May skip the guac if we have to truck it on the subway.

We have seemed to have lost our transportation to the picnic (conflicting schedules, etc.), so if any of you are coming through Adams Morgan on your way to Belle Haven and have room for Craig and me and our ice chest, we would appreciate the lift. PM me if you can accomodate us. Thanks, Barbara

If you've been reading the Post on this issue, you would know that a majority of the City Council is for the ban EXCEPT for the one person who chairs the committee dealing with it. She has been sitting on this issue for some time now. The first smoking bans on airplanes were in response to some flight attendants who sued the airlines over health consequences. This more or less jump-started the whole movement to ban smoking in offices and other public buildings. Bars and restaurants seem to be the last bastions where indoor, public-space, smoking is still allowed. As one who has never been able to quit smoking for very long (I am sucking on a nicotine lozenge as I type this), my sympathies lay with the waitrons and bartenders who are trying to quit, while others are smoking around them. That is nearly impossible. The fact that most folks on this site don't smoke make it possible for me attend such events as the Don Rockwell HH at Corduroy. As long as nobody lights up, I'm fine. However, . . .

Aside from the extremely pleasant dr.com company, the lack of wine was a real disappointment (NO! Not for THIS crowd ). Had Mr. Gastreau not already arrived and ordered some oysters at the bar, we might have just adjourned to another place. I also had the pork chop. This is one of the "Meat plus Two" items, which changes daily. It was a very nice double-cut chop, just cooked to remain juicy. I had coleslaw and french fries with, both competent. And, at $16, a good buy. Others ordered the 'mac and cheese" which most seemed to like. Jacques Gastreau nailed the cheese as being smoked Gouda. In checking with the staff, yup, it was--along with some cheddar. On Thursdays, they list a mapled-glazed short rib, which sounds yummy to me. I had the "bucket" of mussels. I would have preferred more garlic in the broth; the biggest problem, however, was that too many of them were delivered unopened (possibly from not being cooked long enough) and some had broken shells. A little more care in dishing this up should take care of that. mdt ordered the popcorn shrimp which came in a metal basket (?) lined with a paper liner which, he pointed out, remained grease free. Always a good sign with fried food. All in all, this could shape up to be nice neighborhood place when you are in the mood for seafood, without busting your budget.

Had my first experience with the grill today. I got there right around noon, there were only about four people in front of me, but nobody I recognized. I bought two of the pork shoulders and brought them home so Craig could have one. While I didn't find any inedible bits in my sandwich, I was nevertheless somewhat underwhelmed. I added some salt and freshly ground pepper because the whole thing seemed awfully bland. But, for $5, this is a very reasonable sandwich. And, it all held up nicely on the bus trip home. Might try the hot dog next time. What I couldn't figure out was: who was cooking lunch for all those people in the restaurant, while Roberto and his crew were making sandwiches?

Craig and I will try to make it to Hank's tonight. Look for us around 6. Barbara

While I have fond memories of the omelette room at the Clydes in Georgetown and the original Old Ebbitts Grill, I have to ditto the previous comments. Having just suffered airline "food" and an IHOP which managed to screw up scrambled eggs and hash browns, Clydes doesn't look so bad. It certainly IS kid-friendly as Peanut's parents will surely learn, without being egregiously horrible. There is a place for such a "chain", but probably not for most of us.

Craig and I went to Firefly last Monday to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and my &^#%@@ birthday. This was the first time we had eaten any food there, after having been to the bar for drinks a couple of times in the past. The weather that evening was just about perfect for the walk to Firefly from Adams Morgan. The dining room was wonderfully soothing and, although the tables were close together where we were, we were able to converse without having to shout at each other. I loved the quietness of the place, eventhough it was mostly full. Must be old age. While I was prepared to order the corn dumplings as an appetizer, I couldn't overlook the mussels. Craig doesn't care much for mussels, so I eat them when we go out whenever I can. So, HE got the dumplings and gave me a couple of bites (that was my birthday present ). The mussels were in contrast to the very garlicky ones at BdC; i.e., no garlic but lovely nonetheless. He ordered the lamb sirloin and I ordered the roast pork with polenta. I have to agree with some others who were a little unhappy with the pork. I think this dish, which was otherwise wonderfully tasty, cries out for BRAISED, not roasted, pork. What should have been fork-tender was too dry. Craig enjoyed the lamb and the mac and cheese. It was also nice to be able to order decent wines by the glass. I had the Reisling and Craig the Cabernet. We didn't have enough room for dessert. As it was, I couldn't finish the pork and took home a doggy bag (and don't they do THAT up right! I reheated it for lunch the next day and it was none the worse for wear). In retrospect, I think the perfect meal for me would have been made up entirely of appetizers: the mussels, the corn dumplings, and a salad would have been just about the right amount of food. I just wish I had the moxie to order a meal that way. An odd note: the service was just splendid, but I think the Junior Varsity was on duty--it WAS Monday, after all. Mrs. Busboy introduced me to Espresso Martinis there a couple of months ago and I had been longing for another one ever since. I ordered one as soon as we sat down, but was told that they don't have them. I looked so sad that the waitress said she would see what could be done. They did bring one, although it was somewhat different from the first one I had there. Nevermind, it was delicious. The funny part came on the check. The cocktail was listed thusly: RAIL VODKA 5.75 MARTINI 1.50 ESPRESSO 2.00 What's up with that ? I don't believe I've ever seen a drink broken down that way before. CONFIDENTIAL TO BILRUS: You asked me on another site if people still gazed at each other over the table after 15 years of marriage and had use for a setting as romantic as Firefly. I responded with a "No Comment." I would like to amend that response this way: Someone once asked the question, "Who would you most like to run into unexpectedly on the street?" My answer to that has always been, "You mean besides Craig?"

Do we have enough grills and coolers, or should I arrange transportation for my Weber grill and ice chest?

While I don't wish to belabor the obvious, it seems to me that if somebody wants to churn some ice cream, but is concerned about the "tempering" of it, the thing to do is to make the ice cream first--before the grills are fired up, etc. That way, it can have close to two hours to be packed and frozen, before we have stuffed ourselves on that dreamy-looking pulled pork and those sausages, et al. Not having been to last year's picnic, I must thank hillvalley for posting those pictures. It shows that presentation matters with this crowd, even in the great outdoors--a fact I particularly appreciate. Thanks for the heads-up! I don't wish to subvert anyone's child. I actually had been wondering about serving dishes, etc. The Dollar Store on Columbia Road often has some plain, plastic table cloths (coverings?) which are always helpful. I'll keep an eye out for them. It beats eating off tables on which birds and other wildlife have doing whatever. Given today's weather, it is surely fun to be thinking about eating good food outside in better weather.

I've seen the prep for soft shell crabs on several TV shows (PBS only, I don't have cable), and my problem is this: I can merrily drop a live lobster or crab into boiling water--Martha Stewart suggests throwing a jigger or two of vodka in the boiling water before dropping the animals in because as she said, "Hey, if YOU were going to boiled, wouldn't YOU like a drink first?"--I just can't bring myself to take a pair of scissors and cutting off the eyes of something live. Can I eat soft shell crabs in a restaurant? Sure can!!! Can I do it myself? Alas, no.

MDT: You are NOT alone. DH and I have decided that the next time friends/family want to eat Ethiopian, we will help with the reservations and give them directions, but will not sit through another uncomfortable, not very good meal at Meskerem. There are simply too many other types of food which we like a whole lot better than to settle for that. So sue me.

Just a heads-up. The Flower Mart at the National Catherdral will be next weekend. The ladies of the church always have a "lobster roll" stand on the Friday of the two-day festival. (I believe they sell crab cakes on Saturday.) I was introduced to this several years ago by my late friend, Carolyn Llorente, in whose name we are redesigning and replanting that traffic triangle by the 7-11 in Adams Morgan. They sell out early, so if anybody here is a foodie/gardener email me if you want have a lobster roll. They cost $6. It helps to carry some paper plates, napkins, and S&P. The Bishop's Garden is usually available to eat in relative quiet among the flowering gardens.

I second Bistro Francais, if you aren't too drunk and have some $$$ left over.

Maybe the owner's Mama's death has had something to do with the drop in quality (or interest)? It happens. I never understood Phyllis Richman's touting of Lauriol Plaza when it was where Rosemary's Thyme is now. Raul Sanchez, one of the co-owners, first started a restaurant on Columbia Road (where Mantis is now), called "La Plaza", which had the best crab-stuffed flounder EVER. That stuff was just delicious. And, it was quite affordable. It was a lovely place, and he took great pains to make it so; however, it was small. Because of Richman, my DH and I went to Lauriol Plaza ONCE. I had the flounder there. It wasn't as good and was much more expensive than at La Plaza. At some point, La Plaza closed and became the first in a succession of restaurants (India 2000????). This is the problem with independently-owned restaurants: decisions are made for reasons other than the quality of the food; e.g., family considerations or just a hard look at the bottom line. (As an example, the "Omega" on Columbia Road. It was the best-known of the Cuban restaurants in Adams Morgan and was family-owned. I heard some things about the second generation. All I know is that there was a "judicious" fire which gutted the place and it didn't re-open. There are NO Cuban restaurants in AM anymore. The space was split up and became a dry cleaners and The Grill from Ipanema.) There is a line in Jamaica Kinkaid's book, "My Garden (Book)," where she states, "When a gardener dies, the garden dies." Let's just wish Michael Landrumm, Frank Ruta, Tom Powers, etc., long and happy lives. And, let's hope the owner of "Straits of Malaya" will be directed to this site. That is, if he actually cares. Barbara