dgreen

Unfortunately, Bombay Club says we'd have to go with the prix fixe menu, which was either $55, $65, or $75 for a large group. Casa Luca also wants a group that large to go the private room route with a minimum food and drink purchase. Woodward Table looks like the winner for now. Any thoughts on Zaytinya for something like this?

Duck fat fries? I'm in! One more qualification, though: We're going to dinner, not lunch. Lunch menu looks perfect price-wise since it has several sandwiches, but dinner menu looks a bit on the pricey side and not many choices under $20. And I guess I should add another qualification: some vegetarian/vegan dishes need to be available (which is probably true for just about any group of 20+ people now).

The first week of February, I'm looking for a place within walking distance of Metro Center (1/2 mile max) for a group of about 20-30 people. A couple weeks ago, the group went to Old Ebbitt Grill and everyone seemed to enjoy that. But now it's my turn to pick a place and, of course, I want to set the bar higher . I'd like to stick to the Old Ebbitt Grill price point. I'm looking to present about 3 choices to a small group of people to help decide. While I'm guessing safe cuisine will win out, I'd like to present at least one place that could be different for most people. I considered making Rasika a suggestion, but it's about 3/4th a mile from our building so a bit too far. A focus on handling large groups would be ideal. Thanks for any suggestions.

Second location opening soon on Trinity Parkway in Centreville.

Went for lunch the other day for my first visit. I really liked it. I'm just so tired of every other burger place anywhere near me that this is likely going to be my burger go-to until something else comes up. Not sure if they do this every month, but they let their customers vote for the next burger of the month. I voted for the nacho burger. This month is, of course, a thanksgiving burger (turkey burger with stuffing and a cranberry-jalepeno jam, I think).

Did you attend the MLS Cup the following year at RFK?

Spun off from other threads. How did you become a fan of your favorite teams (or an individual in the case of golf, tennis, etc.)? Why do you like who you like? And maybe an add-on question: How likely are you to drop one team and move on to another team? My fandom began with the Redskins. I was 7 years old and watching SB XVII with my family. My dad's a Dolphins fan and my Mom rooted for the Redskins after they moved the DC area about 8 years earlier. So, being a 7 year old, I said something stupid like, "I'm going to root for whoever has the ball." However, I couldn't fight it. I have some vague memories of Miami scoring some touchdowns, especially the kick-off return for a TD, and I don't recall any feeling of excitement. Of course, my one clearest memory from the game was Riggo busting free on 4th down and scoring the go ahead TD. I remember being excited about that. It moved me. I've never looked back or had any hesitation is which team I love. It's almost as if it was in me already and I just needed this game, and that moment, to make me realize it. The following year, I remember being the only one left in the room watching the Redskins get ripped by the Raiders in SB XVIII. I remember fighting back tears so nobody would see me cry when they came back to the room to get an update. I remember the blocked punt, the INT returned for a TD, missing an XP in the early 3rd quarter after our only TD, and of course the Marcus Allen TD run. To this day, when that Allen TD run is on TV, I change the channel. But, really, I'm over it. As for the Caps, Nats, and Bullets/Wizards, it's more that I just really like sports and my hometown. No single moments I can tie things back to...because those teams just don't have those moments at the level of the Redskins. I started following the Caps a few years after the Redskins, didn't get into the Bullets too much until the late 80s, and of course the Nats as an adult (I never cared about the Orioles). If I were to move to another city, I think I could eventually switch teams in hockey, baseball, and basketball. I assume it would take a while and I'd fight it, but I think it would eventually happen. But I doubt I'd ever switch off the Redskins. Those championships in those formative years probably have too strong of a hold on me.

I agree. I haven't done too much of watching games in restaurants/bars with random people, but they've been fun the few times I've done that. I tend to just want to watch at home by myself so I can just sit and sulk in my recliner as yet another season slips away, but misery really does love company. However, I do question your plan of finding a team to root for. In my experience, that's just not how it works but I'm sure there are multiple paths to fandom. Which gives me an idea for a new thread, which I'll start: How did you become a fan of your favorite teams?

Interesting. Not that I have a plethora of experience, but I consider NFL to be the best, with NHL second. Honestly, I've been completely bored at the handful of Wizards games I've attended and I haven't found Nats games to be nearly as enjoyable either. And I'm a fan of all four sports and all four local teams, so I don't think that's the determining factor, although I'll admit that my fandom for the Redskins far exceeds the Caps which exceeds the Nats and Wizards. Crowd excitement is big to me. While I'm an introvert, I LOVE being surrounded by people (as long as I'm not required to interact with them) and feeling the energy of the crowd. (I also LOVE being downtown for the 4th of July fireworks for the same reason.) For me, the NFL excels in the aspect of anticipation. You can just feel the crowd excitement ticking up with each first down or good play on defense. String together some good plays and you have that lovely thing called momentum on your side. Other sports have that, too, but I just haven't experienced it in the stadium like I have in the NFL. And the NFL game actually involves the crowd in the outcome. I tend to think things like sports talk radio exaggerate the impact of home field advantage and the 12th man, but it does exist and can have some kind of impact. In fact, at one time, the NFL actually made new rules to penalize the home team if the crowd was being too loud and the offense couldn't hear each other because it is such a factor. Thankfully, they quickly got rid of that nonsense and we're back to causing false starts and delay of games. Maybe if all our local teams could be good at the same time, we could do a nice experiment...but that's not going to happen.

If you want to experience an NFL game, I'd avoid FedEx Field this season. Free tickets are nice, but there's a reason they are free.

I was at school in Arkansas. Even though in Arkansas, I had a couple friends who also liked hockey. One of my friends is from Missouri and a Blues fan. When Gretzky was traded to the Blues, we bought tickets to see them play the Avalanche. Unfortunately, we bought the tickets well in advance and Gretzky ended up being injured and not playing in that game. We did get to see Sakic and Forsberg, but that didn't quite excite the non-hockey fans in the group. Obviously seeing that version of Gretzky wouldn't quite be the height of his career, but I would have at least been able to say I saw him live.

My first ever live sporting event was Lakers @ Bullets in 1985. My dad got us tickets for my birthday that year. I didn't fully realize what I was seeing at the time. Looking back, I wish I had more memories of seeing Magic and Kareem and the rest of that team. I remember knowing what I was seeing; meaning I remember knowing the Lakers were great and the Bullets had little chance in the game. I remember being aware that Magic and Kareem were great players and knew a few others like Worthy and Cooper. But maybe if I REALLY understood what I was watching, then maybe I'd remember a little better? I rooted for the Lakers in the 80s and into the 90s some. My main memory from the game is seeing Manute Bol get the ball at the top of the key and the Lakers leaving him wide open. The crowd yelled, "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" He shot. It was a brick or an air ball or something. It was nowhere close. Then fans yelled, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" I had that Lakers/Bullets game and a Bruins/Caps game (a 1-1 tie) a few years later as a kid but nothing else. My dad likes sports, they just aren't nearly as important to him as they were/are to me so it wasn't a regular part of what we did together. I didn't start attending live events very often until my mid 20s. My kids are spoiled (or tortured, depending on your POV). They go to a Redskins game, sometimes two, every year. They'll grow up being used to attending live sporting events fairly regularly and maybe I can help them know and remember who/what they're seeing.

I've been a Redskins season ticket holder since 2004, so a whole lot of awesomeness there. The highlights have oddly been all against Dallas. In 2005, the Redskins had won a couple games in a row to get to 7-6 and this game began their final three all against division opponents. It was just a dominating performance and a 35-7 win, sealed late in the second half with two TDs in the final 2 minutes (aided by an INT and big return by Marcus Washington). Someone made a great We Are the Champions Youtube video with highlights from that game. It was a fun game and the first big game I ever attended. In 2007, I experienced one of my personal low-lights when the Redskins lost to the Bills after Sean Taylor's death. I'm definitely glad I was there, but that game was a total gut punch. However, the final week of that season, Washington rolled over Dallas to make the playoffs. Dallas rested their starters in the 2nd half, but we didn't care. It felt like destiny reaching the playoffs that season in the cold rain. Fast forward to the final week of 2012 and the Redskins and Cowboys are facing off for the division. Winner wins the division, loser is out of the playoffs. It was a tight game unlike the other two above. The teams went back and forth and we watched our phenom rookie QB, who was clearly limited, guide us to victory. The place erupted when Alfred Morris broke a 32 yard TD to give us a 21-10 lead with only 10 minutes. But, of course, Dallas quickly marched right back down, scored a TD, and got the 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 3. Next Redskins possession was a 3-and-out and I thought, "Ugh, I've seen this organization play out this story way too many times." However, we got a little lucky and Romo pulled a Romo throwing an INT deep in their own territory. The place erupted again and people were hugging each other. Finish it off with another TD with about a minute left and it was essentially over. Division champs and a bright future...or so we thought. The following week was the only NFL playoff game I've attended (I've attended one Caps playoff game...a 1-0 loss of course) and it didn't compare to the week before. It was definitely fun as they got out to a 14-0 lead, but you could just see that game slowly slipping away and the ending was inevitable. But maybe the best was going all the way back to my first Redskins game ever. A week 1 Monday Night Football home opener at RFK against the Cowboys. It was 1993. The Cowboys were coming off a Super Bowl and the Redskins were moving on from Gibbs. Emmitt Smith was holding out, which helped us out a lot. The Redskins dominated and won. (Of course Dallas went on to win the Super Bowl and Washington finished 4-12.) But, it really wasn't about that for me. It was my first game. It was Monday Night Football. It was the Cowboys. It was RFK. It was the atmosphere just walking from Metro to the stadium. Sidewalks were lined with people; people selling things and people performing. I'll never forget the kids playing the buckets as drums with sticks. On the way back to Metro after the game, those kids must have had 3 of those large white buckets full of money. It was just an amazing urban atmosphere that FedEx can't duplicate. I fell in love with the live game experience.

Punting has received such a bad name in today's game. It actually can be an effective way to advance the ball (hidden yards, as Bill Parcells called it). In that particular game, looks like they were just punting on first down a lot. If you aren't confident you will gain yards on 1st through 3rd down, may as well go ahead and advance the ball on 1st by punting when they don't have someone back to return (or maybe eventually both teams put someone back on 1st down?). Win the punting battle, gain field position, give yourself a shot at some decent field position and possible a score. Not sure what shape ball they were using in 1939, but the older, rounder ones were probably much more likely to bounce and roll forward rather than take weird bounces backwards or sideways. On 1st down, you could punt and gain 50 yards and give the other team possession who really has no interest either in running offensive plays. Of course, today - and really for a long time - it's been extremely easy to move the ball so nobody even considers punting before 4th down anymore. We can probably count on one hand the number of punts (quick kicks) have been on a down other than 4th in the last 20 years.

Went with the family Friday night. Overall impressions are definitely a thumbs up and we all discussed that we'll go back. Affordability is big to me right now and ABC Canteen is right on target there. My family of 5 could have got out of there for $30 but we wanted to add on some appetizers and sides and pushed it up to $40. Great value! And, like others have reported, the owner (my assumption) takes the time explain what they do and seems very kind. I got the fish and chips and agree with others here. The right amount of batter and fried lightly golden brown. Fries definitely reminded me of McDonalds but with probably half the salt. Wife ordered a chicken mole tamale and a pork tamale and really enjoyed them both. I've never been a fan of the dough on tamales, so I just tried a bit of the filling and both were really good. We also added some chips to her order and tried all salsas. Chips came out hot, but I can't say that the "hot, hot" salsa was hot. I didn't really detect much heat in any of the salsas. Hushpuppies! Based on the pics above and what I ate, I probably would have called them "white" but there's definitely a hint of yellow and the owner says they use yellow corn meal so I'll now say they're "yellow". The important thing is that they're good. Just the right amount of sweetness and not too cornmealy for my tastes. And you get a lot for the $ which is great when taking out a family on a budget. Just a couple weeks ago, we were in Yorktown, VA, and a side of 2 hushpuppies was $3.50. Here, you get about 8-10 (I didn't count) for $2.50. Maybe the ones in Yorktown would have been significantly bigger, but still. I'm not sure if I'll ever go here and NOT order a side of puppies. Kids ordered off the kids meal. The 8 year old is picky about his mac n cheese and decided to not take any chances and went with the quesadilla. He can also be picky about his quesadillas (apparently Chipotle uses too much cheese, some places the wrong cheese, etc.) but raved about this one. The other two kids (10 and 12) ordered the chicken tenders. The 10 year old said it was really good and the 12 year old said "Eh". The 12 year old probably needs to be ordering from the rest of the menu. I'll steer her towards some tacos next time. I'll stress again here the affordability. Kids meals are either $4.25 or $4.75 and include fries, drink, and a surprise dessert (we got oreos...interesting). Now, the kids meals aren't exactly high quality. The chicken tenders were likely frozen, but I'm ok with that as long as the price matches, which it does. Some places will charge you a few dollars more for a kids meal and serve the same frozen tenders and not include a drink or dessert. So, I consider this a win on the kids meal front. We also added some cheese fries for the kids. Nothing special. Could have used more cheese. Oh, and they have birch beer which is cool. Saw a few other people there who ordered tacos and they looked really good. That's likely what I'll order next time...with a side of hushpuppies.

To me, this is a big problem with the Evolution argument: it's not easy. I have no idea what antibiotic resistance is. Not sure if I've ever even heard the words. I might have, but I slept through a lot of school. And don't worry about explaining it to me because I have no interest. Even if I had some interest, it would likely lead to 100 more questions about things I don't understand nor do I really care to know about. Evolutionists can run down an insanely long list that supports their argument, but it's a long list of things that the vast majority of people don't understand. I'm not saying the vast majority lack the ability to understand (even though that might also be true); just that we don't take the time to really understand because we have other things to do. Creationism, as part of a belief system, has the advantage of being simple: God did it in 6 days because, well, HE'S FREAKING GOD! Yeah, some get into more complex arguments and argue against specific points of evolution and I realize even mentioning "God" can lead to a series of complex questions and discussion. But, creationist are preaching to the choir. They don't need to get into complex details because their audience already accepts the basics. Personally, I'm a fan of trusting experts. The best argument for evolution, for my own personal beliefs, is that about 99% of those who deeply study the subject agree with it. That is basically why I accept evolution. There are sheep on both sides of this debate. Sometimes, being a sheep is more efficient.

Pound for pound, Taco Bamba is up there.

Most of my extended family is in middle TN and I grew up eating white hush puppies when I visited. My 2 minutes of Google research today led me to believe that white is a southern thing and yellow is what the rest of the country does, so a bit surprised to hear your NC roots gave you the yellow experience. I guess that's just how you were raised. You can overcome! I will hopefully find out this week if I approve of ABC's yellow puppies.

Driving through Manassas the other day, I saw a sign outside El Taco (more in the Manassas Park area on 28) that simply read "Saltenas". I've never been there so I can't speak as to whether the place is any good or not. Just mentioning another place that apparently serves Saltenas, albeit a place nowhere near Maryland as requested.

Are the puppies white or yellow? I mean, I'm going to make a visit regardless, but I do crave some nice white puppies. My understanding is that there isn't much, if any, difference between white and yellow corn meal, yet I always prefer the taste of white puppies. Maybe it's psychological or maybe it's just a coincidence that white ones tend to include other ingredients that I prefer.

The owners of Sakoontra are reopening as Sakoon Thai in the Colannade on Union Mill, Clifton. Right next door to Rosemary's Thyme.

In college, the second a professor says that you'll have to write a paper that semester, everyone asks, "How long does the paper have to be?" Most professors would give a range and say something like, "Your paper should be 10-15 pages," and even mention the font size and proper spacing and margins. However, I had a couple professors who gave the correct answer of "However long it needs to be to make your point."

Not sure, but I've wondered the same thing. I hate to be that horrible, unpatriotic person, but I can do without it at EVERY event. I mean, we're bound to have numerous disgraceful performances simply because of the number of times it's performed. I say save it for the big events...of course, many will say those are sometimes the worst performances.

David Winfield. --- Argh, Rovers2000 beat me by a few seconds.

As someone who has always favored football over baseball, I feel cheated as a fan that we didn't get to see him play more football. He really could have gone down as an all-time great in football. My understanding was that he was a good baseball player and, obviously, his athleticism allowed him to have some great moments, but that he wasn't ever really considered a great baseball player. Most people assume he would have been a Pro Football HOF lock had he only played football and had a long enough career. Is it the same for baseball? As you may be able to tell from my avatar, there's the same cheated feeling with Sean Taylor. Taylor was another guy who just had that freakish athletic ability. Not quite on Bo's level, but still off the charts. And, more importantly, I considered Taylor one of "mine" since I'm a huge Redskins fan. It's a great feeling being a fan of a winning team. It's a different great feeling to have a great player on your favorite team.