1000yregg

I could probably bring the parents to see if there are any secret Chinese clientele items as well. Upon peeking at the menu- looks promising- a lot of Sichuan style food- mala fish, 3 cup chicken (w/basil). Looks like some interesting tofu dishes. They even have my favorite- the sea cucumber! Definitely worth checking out considering Szechuan house in Lutherville is the only place me and the folks go to locally.

at Planet Hollywood, Commander's Palace at Mandalay Bay, Burger Bar, rm seafood-downstairs i think Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse is across the strip from the Monte Carlo

I went to Burger Bros., a new burger place in Towson on Alleghany. They use fresh, not frozen ground beef as well as fresh potatoes for their fries. One plus was that their patties were nice and even thickness throughout rather than thick balls like at Five Guys. They also had nice buns, no sesame seeds, decent crust. The fries were done boardwalk style, but I also liked their onion rings as well. They also offer a portabella burger as well as a turkey burger which I'll have to try next time. pics

I went over to Luca's Cafe in Locust Point over the weekend. It was opened by the folks who run Matthew's Pizza along Patterson Park. It's more of a neighborhood Italian place instead of a pizza joint. They serve pizza, but not the puffy crust ones from Matthew's - more like flatbreads with various toppings. We started with the Fruit Field salad- with mesclun, tomatoes, grapes, craisins. For entrees, my date had the Mediterranean pizza with calamata tampenade, goat cheese, feta & mozzarella- nice crust. I had the special- black bass cooked tuscan style. I ate it whole, head and all. It had a nice tomato/pepper broth with portabella. For dessert- the best part- we had fried dough with powdered sugar and honey. A nice neighborhood place to check out if in the area- not expensive, low key.

Went to Woodberry Kitchen this weekend- great place, great food. Their philosophy is local/organic cuisine of the Chesapeake region. The menu had a lot of seafood- oysters, crabcakes, fish, and was mixed with small plates and larger entrees. The specials menu was just as long as the regular menu. I look forward to trying it again. The Clipper Mill renovation is really nice, and the restaurant has a great atmosphere. What we ordered: local popcorn with sea salt & butter- nice, simple stinging nettles soup- a wild plant made in a nice green soup- had a flavor like uncooked spinach vegetables & dumplings- included fresh asparagus & bok choy- light, tasty braised lamb shoulder with orange rhubarb compote & bread pudding- well prepared- delicious chocolate pudding for dessert pics

Best Gay Bar That's Not a Gay Bar

As I recall, the place is known in town as more of a singles/pickup joint, particularly for the city's gay community, rather than as a place for a good meal.

I took my mom to Petit Louis for Mother's day- oddly enough, this was my first visit as well, and I was very satisfied. We shared the foie gras and escargot appetizers- both of which were made classically well. For entrees, mom got seared scallops in buerre blanc with asparagus and a really nice asparagus flan. The last item reminded me of tofu. I got the classic steak frites- which was great. Here are pics.

here are pics from Hill Country BBQ of what we ate

I went last night to Hill Country BBQ on 26th st (between 5th and 6th ave). It was delicious. Interesting layout- everyone gets a food ticket and you go to either the meat station or the sides station to pickup your own food. The meat station is priced by the pound and served on butcher paper. We got the 1/2 lb of Moist Beef Brisket and 1 lb of pork ribs. The Brisket was spectacular- it completely fell apart when you ate it. The ribs were dry- with a nice smokey and peppery flavor. For sides, we ordered the Campfire baked beans (with burnt ends) which were great. The Longhorn mac & cheese was good- really creamy. My cousin liked the Shoepeg white corn pudding which also had a nice peppery finish. They were offering a tequila milkshake, but didn't get to try it- the brisket was too darn delicious. The place was casual- a lot of families and large groups, and it looks like they get country acts playing there at night downstairs- this night it looked like they were showing Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid blu-ray.

I think it's American Kobe. I tried a bite of this burger when a friend of mine ordered it. It's good- not worth the price, but good. A shame grinding up the Kobe. I actually like the lamb burger here when i had it years back.

It's called. . .wait for it. . the Chinatown Cafe- it's ok- some so-so dim sum. My dad showed me where Sun Yat-Sen stayed one day. He and his brother used to hang around that area when he just moved to the US in the late 60's. A new Chinatown would be cool, but because of the crappy city schools, all the Chinese moved out of the city years back. Chinese run sushi places like Matsuri do better in the city I think.

That's a menu for large parties or catered group events. Lousy use of English. I wouldn't generalize about 7-11's in Japan, but the large number I've been to in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, and heck, even Hong Kong and Taipei were all in decent enough condition, better than most places in the US. Besides, as I recall, they only had a few hot snacks, most items were prepackaged and packaged in the Japanese method. Also, no soda fountains- only items in cans/bottles.

I would not jump so quickly to dis on Denny's in Japan- the menu there is definitely catered to a Japanese taste and it is leaps and bounds better than US Denny's. Check out their website. Heck in Asia, 7-11 is a stop you can't avoid- great drinks and onigiri for day trips. Despite the "brand", these chains have a much more different philosophy (and management companies) than the US counterparts.

The Glen Burnie branch takes credit cards and has a little dining room, so you don't have to eat in your car or on the picnic table out back at the Ellicott City branch. I have not been to the Catonsville branch.

I was up in NYC this weekend- stayed mostly in Brooklyn and Queens. Prices are up for sure- some places have bagels at $1 each. A friend of mine with a restaurant said food deliveries are adding fuel surcharges and essentials like bread and oil are really jumping in price. I went back to Red Hook sandwich shop DeFonte's - a hangout for cab drivers as no train stops are near there- had some awesome sandwiches- omelet with peppers and turkey, fried eggplant, mozzarella, & peppers. pics My friends and I went to Queens for some amazing ethnic food. We went to Unidentified Flying Chickens, a Korean fried chicken place- the chicken is double fried- making the skin really crispy- the best is the soy-ginger flavor, but I also liked the mustard and the spicy wings as well. A few blocks away, I finally got to try the legendary Sriprapai Thai restaurant- wow- so cheap- 5 people- $50- I loved the Drunken noodle. My cousin's favorite was the crispy watercress salad- deep fried watercress and seafood with a spicy dressing. We also had the green curry with fishcake and eggplants. I loved their "chicken rice" - which basically was a bowl of rice infused in chicken broth. more pics Addendum: More Queens items- went to Flushing to a place called Best North Dumpling Shop, and had delicious, fresh, cheap dumplings- we got the lamb, pork & fennel, and seafood & leek. They were really nice, juicy and tasty. dumpling pics

The key to eating here is to order most items off the Country Side Taste Menu. One of my favs is the Wuu Geng Niou Naan- delicious beef, slow cooked with tendon, daikon and tofu. I love their sea bass when they have it- it's so nice and fatty. My parents sometimes get the duck carcass, too when they eat here. It's the Chinese connection. . . pics

I'd recommend eating off strip, but Payard in Caesar's has a great breakfast. Off strip- i'd recommend Bonito Michoacan for Mexican, Archi's Thai Kitchen, Hawaiian Hale, and Ichiza Sake house. All are a cab's ride west of the strip.

Went to Born in Vienna, VA for lunch- they served us Rambutans, Longans, and Mangosteens. I loved the Mangosteens- they were delicious- looks like a garlic bulb, but tastes like a cross between and orange and a lychee. It was my first time trying Longans as well- enjoyed these as well. Pics

So my dad turned 70 recently, and my aunt and uncle wanted to take everyone out to eat near Cockeysville. I was left with research and although I pushed for the Orchard Market, we ended up going to Bluestone in Timonium. It is a real suburban style restaurant with a large bar filled with middle aged singles on Friday night. They specialize in seafood, and all in all, it wasn't that bad. We started with a few appetizers: the flash fried calamari- not bad, it came with a sweet "thai" dipping sauce that was like sweet and sour, but the calamari was good with nice breading a dozen oysters- CT bluepoints- good- with cocktail sauce Bluestone salad- good in that it had large pieces of brown sugar coated bacon- i could have just eaten the bacon For entrees: I had the Rockfish special with a nice saffron beurre blanc- fish was delicious- cooked well. Other people in our group had the scallops, crabcakes, and chilean sea bass (tubefish). All were prepared nicely- crabcakes were good sized, not quite jumbo, but definitely lump. Scallops were pretty good sized as well. For dessert, we had strawberry short stacks- a mashed up pile of strawberries, marscapone cheese cream, and shortbread. I don't think it's worth a drive from DC, but if you're in the area, it's not a bad place to try out.

Went here this morning, and it looks like they added a nice fish taco to the menu. It's a grilled tilapia seasoned with some old bay served with a nice fresh pico de gallo. I quit enjoyed it.

I, too, went to Cork Wine Bar before the Raveonettes show this weekend. Here are some pictures. I enjoyed the Rosemary Chicken Liver Brushetta- and that shallot marmalade- nice. I loved the Sunchokes - as a parsnip fan, it hit the spot. I had the Red-Wine Braised Lamb which was really nice- perfectly cooked I liked the pomegranate in it. Also tried the Duck Confit which was good. For dessert- the Grapefruit Financier was light and delicious, as was the Goat Cheesecake. I need to go back to try that rabbit- maybe tonight before the Boredoms. . .

awesome- loved that crab cake article. welcome henry hong!

the founder of my guilty pleasure fast food chain has joined the colonel. http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03...in_germany.html

The city council just approved a trans fat ban for 2009. First cigarettes, now trans fat. What's happening to B'more?