Tweaked

woo hoo, Happy Birthday to us! I'll be there for drinks, dinner, and the steaming hot sex.

On route to North Carolina I took a short side trip to Buz and Ned's for lunch...always a bonus when you have easy on/off to the I95. I went with the pulled pork sandwich...mighty disappointing. The meat was flavorless...except for what tasted suspiciously like propane. The meat appeared to be pre-sauced. I had to add some hot sauce (bottles of Crystal on the table). It was a generous sandwich, but compared to the pulled pork I enjoy over the weekend in North Carolina, Buz and Ned's version wasn't doing it for me. All in all a nice little place. Perhaps their other bbq options are better?

The menu stays somewhat the same...winners are: Cabbage Soup (if on the menu) Pate mussels Braised oxtail in phyllo dough (wasn't on the menu last time I was there) Hanger Steak Braised Rabbit

I have also thought that a Reading Terminal Market type place in downtown DC would be great. However, I would imagine that a lot of Readings business is weekend traffic and downtown DC on the weekends is basically tourists while many DC office workers have fled to the burbs...despite the increase of population downtown, with real estate prices what they are, would there be enough business for it to be viable. Does anyone have a sense of what Philly's city population is versus burbs and how that effects business at Reading Terminal Market? As for Eastern Market, while the veggie stands inside are average at best, during the spring, summer, and fall, produce vendors outside (esp. on Saturdays) are filled with local produce. Otherwise, I think the meat, fish, and deli vendors are far superior to what you can get at the local supermarkets, esp. in terms of price, quality, knowing the vendor, being in the community etc. etc. For better or for worse, there are plans to redevelop the Florida Ave Market, and it would be cool if it became more of a retail destination than a wholesale destination as it is now. Merely saying this as an observation, but I've also noticed that the demographic of shoppers at Florida Ave Market tends to be more native DC types than transplanted DC types.

I give you the Cap Lounge Honest Abe's Beet Salad Baby Greens, Couscous, Fontina Cheese, Roasted Beets, Orange Segments, Orange Vinaigrette

Now that the Capitol Lounge's newly revamped menu offers a beet salad...trite.

Drop the Father-in-law off at the Capitol Lounge and then the rest of you swing next door to Sonoma.

I posted this over on the News and Media section, but since there is probably going to be great interest...and there is a Jaleo viewing party component...etc. etc. Wash Post is reporting that Jose Andres Iron Chef battle will air April 1. Apparently taking on Bobby Flay. Jose will be hosting a charity viewing party at the Crystal City Jaleo. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgur...ndres.html#more Don: feel free to move this where ever. I know there has been past mention of this but couldn't find the thread.

There's probably a reason why it airs on Sunday mornings. On the flipside, this is the guy (haha) who won the Food Network's Who Wants to be the Next Food Network Star competition...so at least he's giving it a go (for better or for worst)

Wash Post is reporting that Jose Andres Iron Chef battle will air April 1. Apparently taking on Bobby Flay. Jose will be hosting a charity viewing party at the Crystal City Jaleo. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgur...ndres.html#more Don: feel free to move this where ever. I know there has been past mention of this but couldn't find the thread.

yes that is one thing that annoys me about all the FN travel shows, no matter what the host (ie: Rachel Ray) is like "This is the best thing ever." After eating bull testicles, eels, cow brain etc. in Spain, Zimmern drinks some Horchata and basically can't stand it...I believe he calls it revolting

Has anyone been watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, on the Travel Channel? While it tends to lean on the watch me eat bugs and organ meats, he brings a wide eyed school boy enthusiasm with a twist of Three Stooges charm to the show. I particularly enjoy his tours of different city food markets, his journey through the Jemma El Fna in Marrakech looked awesome, and last night's trips through Madrid and Barcelona were fun.

Hangover cure part 2: Grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and sauteed onions. Too bad the Mighty Great Danes of SUNY Albany are getting killed by UVA.

I'll tell you the sausage, home fries, and scrammbled eggs...with a buttermilk biscuit...that I bought at the deli next to my office is certainly helping with my hangover right now...love that grease

I had the same problem with vodka, except I wasn't 7, I was 17, and I didn't have the stomach flu. For years after, the smell of vodka reminded me of puking. It's still my least favorite alcohol.

Has Bobby Flay ever won one of his Throwdowns? All the ones I've seen he has lost!

The food isn't the greatest but maybe Sesto Senso? Only a couple blocks up the road from the Improv...they have an upstairs area that you guys could take over.

Mackey's use to serve good fish and chips, but now they suck...so avoid.

I like Patak's Lime Pickle...available at most fine Indian pickle stores.

There was no overcoming this! made it to the garbage can in the kitchen just in time

Green peas (like Bird's Eye frozen green peas) make me puke. Cauliflower no thanks. The one time I have chittlins was one of those experiences when I popped a piece in my mouth and my body immediately said, No. Otherwise I'm pretty good to go.

I think the best option is to do the veggie sampler, which allows you to try 5 or 6 of the veggie dishes. and then get a meat course or two. People seemed to enjoy the special kitfo, which is best described as the Ethiopian beef tartar, but it looked like you could get served rare, medium, & well. The lamb dishes all looked good. To me Ethiopian is much better experienced when you have multiple little tastes (ie: like you get with the combo) rather than just ordering one dish.

Since they only had Bhatti in stock, I didn't really look at the list hard, but I don't recall seeing it. They had maybe 5 Ethiopian beers on the list...St. George was one. The non-ethiopian beers were your standard list of Becks, Corona, Budweiser, Miller etc. Guiness was the best thing flowing.

Crappy Ethiopian beer which tasted like Bud Light $5.50 (Think it was called Bhatti) Guiness in a bottle $3.50 you do the math otherwise what Crakers said. Etete very much unlike the other Ethopian restaurants that I have tried, which consists of the places in Adams Morgan. The AM places follow the typical ethnic route of making you feel like you are in an ethnic restaurant (not that there is anything wrong with that), while Etete's decor much like a small minimal neighborhood bistro type feel, little tables, artsy chairs, little hightop tables along the wall for two. It was a very enjoyable meal, lovely food (other than the crappy short ribs), and you can't beat the prices (other than the crappy Ethiopain beer). Our table of 12 dominated the restaurant, we were receiving more than our fair share of evil eyes from customers waiting for tables. The other fun aspect was seeing the block in obvious transition, mostly shacky store fronts, yet just down the street was a new looking Italian place, all hard wood floors and tea light candles which wouldn't have looked out of place in Dupont.

most interesting...if I am running on time I'll swing by, if not I'll just head to Etete.