dcandohio

We returned from vacation with two free weekdays and decided to try Chupacabra as we wouldn't be able to get over to H steet on a normal work day. It's tiny...about four counter seats inside and picnic tables outside. So I am sure at busy evening times this place is crazy crowded. The music playing inside is ear-splitting, even for the short time it took to order. I had a barbacoa bowl (beans, rice, corn, barbacoa, onion, radish, cilantro) with their habanero salsa. My partner had a bowl with chicken and lamb. I did not taste the chicken, but both the barbacoa and lamb were mighty tasty. The salsa was very plesantly spicy for me, but my partner said it was too spicy. A little mixed with the tomatillo salsa was great, too. The bowls were $8 (i think) and it was more than enough. Neither of us finished ours. We ordered chips, too, which were thin, hot, salty and very crisp...but we just didn't need them given the amount of food in the bowl. I would definitely return here and now I am eager to try the meats on tacos for a more straight forward experience. No alcohol. Be aware that the picnic tables are in a little u-shaped space bween two buildings...walls on three sides, and it gets pretty warm with no breeze. In high summer I hope they put some fans out there.

Many years ago when I was very young and color TV was still pretty new, my Mom sewed bright floral pilllow cases for my sister and me so we could dream in "technicolor." Awesome, right?

i am making turkey stock. I smoked a whole breast Saturday, and had wrapped and frozen the carcass of the whole breast I smoked for Thanksgiving. It's rainy and kind of cool here, so good weather for simmering.

Last night: To my partner, who received her MBA degree yesterday; and to me, who has finally extricated herself from an administrative position in a unit that is being decimated, and is returning to "regular" faculty status with great relief.

I dined at Jean Gorges in Shanghai, on the Bund, a couple of years ago. I don't remember everything we ate, but I do remember that we had a lovely time and that we were very happy with the food. Also, that it was expensive. So, if this is considered "American" in a foreign country, it was wonderful.

I am in Boston. I arrived Thrsday night, expecting some difficulty since our hotel is right on the edge of the bomb investigation site. After a quick dinner, We walked right past the Charlesgate unexploded device site blissfully unaware of what was about to come down mere minutes after we passed. We didn't check any news before going to bed. We woke up, of course, to a city's worst nightmare, a killer on the loose. It was harrowing. I watched the news while on the treadmill in the hotel gym, grateful that my partner was only just across the street at Hynes. We were in contact by text, both reassured that the other was as well as could be expected. I spent time in our hotel's lobby, filled with tourists who were handling the situation with much humor and patience. I was starting to get a bit batty around 11 a.m. - my plan had been to walk along the river - and I asked one of the bellmen if there was anything open nearby. He said, as if it were a normal Friday, "of course! Lots open! It's safe, too...police everywhere." I walked to a convenience store and bought some stuff in case the lockdown dragged on. The police were very friendly and assured me it was OK to go into the open businesses. I returned to my room. I paced. I watched TV. I read news on the internet. I watched the helicopters from my hotel window. My partner's schedule cleared early as many people were unable to get into the city. So we decided to wander down Newberry street toward the Commons. It was extraordinary. Almost no vehicle traffic, very light pedestrian traffic, and police everywhere accepting words of gratitude from everyone who was out. The Commons was in full spring bloom, looking green and inviting and calm. We decided to walk up Beacon Hill toward the North End. Lots of places open in the North End, with everyone united by the news and anxiety and pride in the Bostonian resiliance, A huge steaming plate of pasta con vongole from Antico Forno (a good mid-range place with excellent servers) was comforting and delicious, a solace for an unusual day. We were having a glass of wine at Cantina Italia, at a tiny table in the open bay window facing the street, when news of the capture broke. Everyone began cheering. Drivers were honking horns. Strangers were high-fiving. It was a memorable evening filled with love for this extraordinary city and its people. I love Boston. I always have. But being here, now, is oddly my favorite visit here, ever.

Be strong Boston. You are bigger than this.

Tilapia topped with a quickly cooked "sauce" of tomatoes, basil. roasted red pepper, capers, Kalamata olives, Balsamic vinegar, garlic Sauteed kale with garlic and chilis Lemon and rosemary roasted potatoes

Has anyone seen this? http://www.syscopossible.com/ It's playing nightly in the Central Ohio market.

Ocean Prime?

That corner doesn't seem like the right location for a Joe's Crab Shack, but I could see Joe's Stone Crab there. I can't think of another 5 star chain in the "steak and seafood" category...maybe Pappadeaux's? Don't consider that 5 Star. Ocean Prime? I know the Cameron Mitchell team was in DC last year scoping things out. Flemings?

We happened into Black Fox very early Saturday evening because their windows were open and we wanted to enjoy the last of the warm air. Soon after we ordered drinks, an elderly man entered and sat at the bar. He was stooped, moving slowly, but was elegantly dressed and clearly at ease with being solo. He ordered a drink and asked for a menu. When the giant cheesburger arrived, he dismantled it. He piled the raw onion and tomato on the top bun. He added a generous shake of salt and pepper, and ate this element first. He then ate every french fry, carefully dipping each in ketchup. Finally, he used a knife and fork to eat every bit of the cheesburger and bottom bun. It was both adorable and life-affirming to watch him so clearly enjoying his own experience, displaying courtly manners and gusto at the same time. He then asked for black coffee, which he sipped while he read one of the papers piled at the end of the bar. He paid with cash, and handed the tip to the bartender, looking directly at him while saying, "this is for you." Perhaps he reminded me of my own father, of similar age, less stooped and also slighly less elegant, who has taken to enjoying an occasional solo weekday lunch while my Mom is otherwise occupied. His friends his own age are all deceased and He can't drive at night. I know how much he enjoys a meal "his way," and how sweet he is to servers who treat him as the gentleman he is. So maybe I was overcome with a wave of stupid sentimentality thinking about my Dad, but watching this lovely man practically made me weepy. For this, I will always have a soft spot for the Black Fox. Oh, and the bartender was super friendly and interesting, and the burger looked delicious. This place may be a poser douche parade later at night, but on a warm, breezy early spring evening it was as welcoming as could be.

Bumping this up as we will be in Budapest for two nights in May, and food suggestions would be welcomed.

Stopped in yesterday on a whim. The back patio is very nice and much more quiet than the front patio seating. Red lentil soup is very nice, as described up-thread. The server said they make their own bread, which was really delicious. It is served with dipping oil/zaatar. Pide was large, big enough to share. The service was friendly. This is a pleasant neighborhood spot, a good altermative to the long waits at Ted's Bulletin if you need a quick lunch.

To the OSU Buckeyes, going to the Elite 8!

Charleston (WV State Capitol) - map If you are passing through Charleston to get there, Pies and Pints in the cute downtown area has decent pizza and a good beer selection. I stayed there for one night in January for a wedding but ate only the catered food at the reception. I understand that you need to reserve pretty early for the on-site dining options. YMMV, but I thought the whole place seemed a bit tired.

Crab stuffed portabellas israeli couscous with olives and sun dried tomatoes and a lemon dressing Roasted Asparagus Lots of gossip catching up with an old friend

Geez, I live is godforsaken Southwest and when I call a cab it arrives in 5 or 10 minutes!

Just returned from "home." Brigsten's is still wonderful. Set on a cozy old home on Dante Street, at the bend in the river, it is off the radar of people who don't get out of the downtown area. Pan fried specked trout with a shrimp meuniere sauce and butternut squash/shrimp bisque. OMG. Lovely. Decent crayfish bisque at the Hermes bar at Antione's. Deanie's, an old Bucktown staple, has a spiffed up French Quarter location. Seriously large portions of perfectly fried seafood and a very good gumbo hit the spot. Didn't love John Besh's Borgne. To echo mdt, service was great everywhere we went. Even the bus drivers, made crazy by st. Patrick's festivites that wreaked havoc on bus routes, were helpful and friendly. Servers in restaurants and bars were happy to answer questions and to talk about food and drinks. It's a lot of fun to experience my hometown as a tourist.

What's the hate for metro? In Woodley Park, the metro deposits you just steps from the action. I guess since i don't have a car, And since Iive very close to a metro stop, it's easy for me. Plus, I can have that "extra" drink at the Gin Joint, or I can walk down to Veritas for a last glass of wine, without worrying about the legal consequences of DUI.

To my partner, who completed her graduate program this weekend, and who will receive her Master's degree in May!

Ruffles potato chips dipped in ketchup mixed with some Tobasco sauce.

During the infamous snowpocalypse of 2010 (I think it was 2010) we stupidly decided to walk around the monuments in the snow. After trudging through the blinding snow and bitter cold for a couple of hours, taking some stunninng pictures at the Korea Memorial, we managed to get to Old Ebbitt, which was one of the few places open that Saturday afternoon. It was a welcome respite from the weather, with ever-cheerful Joe who was at the bar facing 15th serving up cocktails and listening to everyone's snow stories. Ever since then, I've had a real fondness for that bar (is that the "back" bar? I think of it as the "side" bar). We were tired and freezing, and it was so nice to sit for a couple of hours over Manhattans. So for that, I cut Old Ebbitt some slack.

Geeking on my New Orleans heritage here... Chasing tails may be the best "Cajun" in the sense that boiled crawfish is definitely more Cajun in origin than much of the food at Bayou or Acadiana. Cajun and Creole/New Orleans cuisines differ. There is overlap now as transportation and communication improved between the city of New Olreans and the bayou cultures to the Southwest of the city. Rice based dishes like jambalaya and boudin (rice sausage as it is in and around Lafayette), crawfish, meat pies...these are Cajun foods. The good old-fashioned crawfish boil became a New Orleans favorite courtesy of our Cajun neighbors who moved to the city for work, bringing their crawfish pots with them. Both Bayou and Acadiana lean Creole more than Cajun. Cajuns wouldn't have eaten red beans and rice (excellent at Bayou) or po-boys. Those are New Orleans foods. So are oysters, crabs, beignets, grillades, turtle soup...New Olreans benefitted from French and Spanish rule when it comes to food. You see classic French influences in sauces (bernaise, bordelaise) and things like bread. Look at Galatoire's menu. Classic old New Orleans. New Orleans also was shaped by settlers and those brought unwillingly from Africa and the Carribean, bringing the fondness for okra, file powder and the gumbo we love. New Orleans also had a lot of Italian and Irish immigrants, and there are still neighborhoods identified by those ethnicities. Italian food is very prevalent in New Orleans. An Italian sausage po-boy is not at all unusual in New Orleans. It's not fusion to us...it's who we are. I am guessing that food historians would credit Paul Prudhomme with fusing Cajun and Creole in the minds and hearts of all of us. He worked at Commander's Palace (trained Emeril) but was born and raised in Bayou Country. When he opened his own restaurant, he brough his Cajun influences to the Creole food he cooked for Commander's. Wow. I hadn't intended to be so long-winded. So, for spending my own money, I'd go to Bayou. It's much more like the casual neighborhood places I grew up with. I like Acadiana, but if I'm going more upscale (as I would identify Acadiana the Cajun/creole category), I don't expect po-boys or fried fish fillets or Zaps potato chips to be served.

I've been to the Dupon location. I liked the mussels and the "Childe Harold" basement vibe of the Dupont restaurant. Interesting beers, too. Complete lack of pretense. I would definitely return to Dupont, and now I'll have to try CP.