thistle

Now I feel guilty for not commenting on my meals at Osteria Marzano. I've eaten there a handful of times, at lunch w/ friends, & have always been very happy. I frequently get the meatball panini, I like the space & the service, & would recommend it without hesitation.

I think the title has more words than my review.

Any recent comments or are folks just passing it by? Somehow I have never heard of this place considering it's so close to me. I was just looking at their site and they are pushing the farm to table things like many places. Might have to make a visit as the menu looks good.

I tried Walker's Grille & Osteria Marzano, which is right around the corner, at the same time & vastly preferred Osteria Marzano, so I never returned to Walkers Grille for a follow up visit.

http://theindustreegroup.com/30-innovators-who-revolutionized-the-dc-food-beverage-industry/

Note the mention in the comments.

I'm not sure how f I can make it over there, but congratulations!

I used to work at a garden center & I asked a colleague about this rosemary. She told me that sometimes plants bloom nonstop right before they die, that was 5 years ago & this is the plant- today

I have some kind of mutant rosemary that has been blooming nonstop for about 5 years- it shrinks a bit during the winter, but now it's blooming again. I need to take cuttings of this death- defying plant.

A little crazy, but Nova Scotia is so beautiful, don't let that stop you. I grew up in Sneads Ferry, NC & my grandparents had a farm on Cape Breton Island. The 2 places are very much alike- coastal, rural, isolated & beautiful, w/ great beaches, but nothing much happening- so many young people leave to seek employment, & just folks who can afford to retire there are left.

When I win the lottery, I'm going back to the farm on Boularderie Island.

Marking it on the calendar...I'll be there, w/ bbq (probably) & kombucha-I've just started brewing it, it freaks my kids out & I like how it tastes.

Here's hoping we have a lovely day in June & a record turnout/revival for the picnic.

I had my first hot dog in awhile last night- after party for the Mount Vernon HS mulch sale. These were leftovers, blistered on the grill, & most of the folks there had worked the sale, so they were sunburnt & exhausted. My kid is a sophomore, & she bailed for another activity. I contributed chips & hot dog buns, thoroughly enjoyed my hot dog, tried to share my home brewed kombucha w/ neighbors (they were not interested), had some moonshine & a couple of beers & walked home. Next year, I imagine I'll be working the mulch sale, along w/ my daughter.

Ilaine, if you book the spot, I will come (barring catastrophic events) & bring food- the picnics were my first memories of this site & I don't think we should let that die quietly.

Polly, I hear you on Duke, as a Chapel Hill grad, but as a NC native, I am all for pork bbq.

Who cares about the other teams, I'd plan my meal around a southern structure -bbq, hush puppies, lots of veggie salads

.-.

Where are you going, Don? Are you going to have a garden & a neighborhood restaurant? Best wishes to your son, as he goes off to school, & best wishes to you, as you transition to this next phase...(because I don't think this is an April Fools Day post).

I went to Wegmans in Woodbridge Monday w/ my daughter (since we are anticipating the Kingstowne opening in June)- we came home w/ lots of bits & bobs, but looking at the receipt, the only things that we couldn't get closer are the 3 cases of Cheerwine (& E has a dentist appt next week!) & the Siggi yogurt & Latta kefir (I was curious). We went early, so the prepped food bars weren't set up yet. & there are no beers in swing-top bottles, which a gentleman explained to me as a pissing contest between Miller & Budweiser (I've just started some kombucha & wanted some bottles).

Between Fairwinds & Forge, we are getting some good brewing options down at this end of the county.

I have not been there, but my kids have (only because I am not a breakfast person). I keep thinking about how lucky my kids are, to have grown up here, w/ so many food choices around them- what happens if they move to a food desert? (Horrors, they might have to fix food themselves).

I wish I lived a bit closer- I think Chef Huang's is probably no match for Peter Chang's.

I saw this a few days ago, & it got me to thinking...about what kind of a patron I was, what I expected from a restaurant, what I would post publicly in a review. Definitely on the side of the house, I was a waitress in my youth, & have dealt with all kinds of stuff. Sometimes people just need to step back from their initial reactions & really think about the 'ripples' of their behavior. I still see web reviews as a useful tool to sort out what to try, you can usually tell which reviews are baseless.

What are the odds that we're both here now? My grandmother also lived in Northport most of her life. I don't remember much, since I left when I was young, but for a suburban LI kid, moving to Sneads Ferry (where we lived down a 3 mile dirt road) was like going to the moon. Another similarity, my in-laws live in Athens, GA & 3 of my siblings in law attended school there. My kids usually go down for a summer visit, but I haven't been there in years.

My prepare-for-snow-forget-the-grocery-store method is to get advance takeout or delivery from Thai Nakorn (I know when the snow is coming so I prepare in advance).  Two entrees and an appetizer just for me equals 4-5 meals.  It's reliable.  The non-spicy entrees are going to be just that, and if you really want spice you'll need to emphasize your request.  But I'm glad to support a local

I wanted to go to Thai Nakorn today, but I was overruled by my daughter, so we got takeout from Chef Huang's. I have lots of leftover Hunan shrimp to make into soup tomorrow (there's always a plethora of broccoli).

Dave Martell-http://www.japaneseknifesharpening.com/about.html, if he can't do it, he'll know someone who can. He's a really nice guy, who knows knives backwards & forwards.

This is an interesting thread. I was born in Huntington, NY, lived in Northport & Bohemia, until we moved to Sneads Ferry, NC when I was 9. Then Wilmington, Chapel Hill for school, Fayetteville for a job, & aside from short stints in Columbus, GA & Leavenworth, KS, 4 yrs in Colorado Springs, CO (my husband is in the Army), we've lived in Alexandria for 15 years. I tell my daughter she's that rare Army brat who's fortunate to stay in one place. The one thing I miss about moving is getting rid of stuff you don't need-it tends to accumulate, once you're stationary.

Wegmans in Kingstowne, via the newly constructed Jeff Todd Way, is 10 minutes for me, so I am eagerly awaiting the opening. Despite living on the south end of Rt. 1, I can't complain about grocery choices- within a 5? Mile radius, I have the Ft. Belvoir commissary, Safeway, Bestway, Aldi, Costco, & now, Wegmans- I'm pretty spoiled for choices. Shout out for Alexandria 22309 (whatever you want to call it).

Valentine's Day? I haven't even picked up any chocolates or gifts for my kids (& too late to mail anything to my husband, who will be enjoying a long weekend sampling Belgian beers w/ a friend in Brussels). Maybe you could fit in 1 meal w/ your husband at MV, lunch- Sat or brunch- Sunday, they are going to get slammed this weekend, but the food is usually pretty good.

& I'm not really current on bar dining, but Southside 815 in Old Town has always been good, & if you want to try somewhere spicy & adventurous, somewhere for lunch in Annandale maybe, Le Bledo,To Sok Jip, or Thai Ghang Waan?

Saw my son last weekend for lunch w/ an out of town cousin, & he mentioned going to Kogiya. My cousin (from FL) said they hadn't tried a lot of Korean food, & since they're coming up again in a few months (their son, close to mine in age, just moved up here), I suggested that as dinner next time. It's not something I could eat often (not being a college aged, growing boy), but the whole experience (even going home smelling like K-BBQ) is great w/ a group & a real treat. I've only had bbq at Honey Pig & Kogiya, but both were delicious, & I love barley tea.

Admittedly, I go infrequently & at lunchtime, but I'm trying to figure out how to break it to my friend that they have removed the crab Louis salad from the menu. Maybe it will reappear in the spring.