crackers

Reminds me of when I was living with a med student in college. He had a dermatology textbook he would leave lying open on the coffee table with the most God-awful photographs of the grossest skin maladies known to mankind.One day I had been making pizza dough and still had some dried flour caked on my hands. He came into the kitchen. I held out my flour-caked hands and asked for his expert opinion, explaining with utmost innocence that the rash had just suddenly cropped up and itched like the dickens and seemed to be spreading rapidly. But, I assured him that I was very careful when I was making dinner to not let any part of my skin touch the food or food prep surfaces. Oh, the horror on his face. Had the pizza all to myself that evening. I love a good practical joke, as long as I get the pizza. And to bring this back on topic - the injury was pretty bad, but it was only to his ego.

Me too!

The strawberries are ripening at Butler's Orchard. I am planning a family outing on Sunday, June 10 to pick, pick, pick! For anybody who would like to join me, I plan to stop for an early (5:30ish) dinner at nearby Mannequin Pis in Olney afterward. I have heard from a reliable source that this Belgian bistro is as good or better than before. With specials like chilled pea and lobster soup, escargots in croute, wild boar and cranberry sausage (plus other items off the sausage menu), and of course, mussels every which way - a kilo cast iron pot full, plus frites for $17-$19! Let me know if you'd like to come and we can try to coordinate both the strawberry picking and/or dinner. The orchard is about a 20 minute drive from the Shady Grove Metro stop at the end of the Red Line, and the restaurant is about 15 minutes drive from the Rockville Metro stop. Kids are absolutely, positively welcome!!!

Butler's Orchard's strawberry picking started yesterday. $1.89/lb.

Yes, of course, but what was she wearing?

Dear Don, agm and Not Quick Draw are making a whole roast lamb and you haven't signed up yet?!? Wazzamattawidchou? Sincerely, Crackers If you have never wandered into one of our picnics, please do consider making this your first one. We have formed an official Newbie Welcoming Committee, trained everybody appropriately, and are preparing to make this a memorable experience for all of you. The committee currently consists of the following 80.5 people: agm +1 (or +2?) Anna Blume Barbara bbq4me +1 bookluvingbabe +1 (tentative) brettashley cjsadler clayrae crackers +4 Crackpot Gourmet cucas87 DameEdna DanielK +2 Demvtr +2 Drone Escoffier ferment everything +2 Grover Gubeen Heather (+3?) (tentative) hm212 Ilaine (+3?) Jacques Gastreaux +1 Joe H (+1?) jm chen +1 JPW +2 laniloa legant mdt melgold +1 mhberk +1 mktye+1 ol_ironstomach Pat +1 Raisa +5 RissaP Rkduggins Rvanrens +1.5 (+?) Scott Johntson SquidsDC Starfish StephenB synaesthesia thistle +3 Tripewriter tweaked txaggie Walrus Zoramargolis

Diet Coke. 2007.

The veal ragu with fresh fettucini I tried last night was robust, the chef's special veal scallopini just as good as last time I tried it, and the penne puttanesca was also perfectly prepared. The winner for me was the soft shell crab entree: three small softies sauteed and perched on a broccoli rabe and diced tomato base with a light garlic wine sauce, and sprinkled with toasted almond slices. The crabs were each about 3.5", which is the legal minimum for harvesting; fresh, not frozen, and very sweet. At $20, a fine value for these delicatezze granchio blu. We were sitting at a table in the bar area and had attentive service with a genuine smile. Considering we walked in without a reservation on a Saturday evening, they could not have been more accomodating.

Had dinner tonight at one of the tables in the bar at a la Lucia. I was facing up close a small flat screen tv right behind one of my dining companion's shoulders. It was silently screening the TV show "Cops." Close up shots of cops hurling alleged bad guys to the ground, bloodying their noses, subduing them, cuffing them, clubbing them, stunning them. Somehow it wasn't helping me enjoy the sprightly house penne puttanesca. So after making sure nobody else was watching the tv, I asked the bartendress if she wouldn't mind changing the channel. She changed it to VH1. So instead I got to watch rappers (of both genders) prancing around grabbing their crotches. Given the demographic in the room, it would seem that the bartendress would be the only one remotely interested. At least the sound was off and nobody was getting bloodied.

I always decline to tell any retailer my phone number when they ask at the checkout. Just say "no, thank you" and they don't even blink. They have plenty of other ways to get demographic information.

I'll be there, along with some local friends who love Dim Sum Go Go. Dim Sum Go Go is one of my favorite ways to start a NY Chinatown adventure. I will also be making a stop at Shanghai Cafe for an order of soup dumplings at some point. I've never tried Il Laboratorio del Gelato. Too many great (and unusual) sounding flavors to choose from! thai chili chocolate toasted sesame bourbon pecan corbezzolo honey rose petal tarragon with pink pepper cinnamon with red pepper mexican cinnamon basil apple calvados prune armagnac cheddar cheese aromatic bitters avocado cajeta

Cantlers may be pulling in a bushel or two every day around now, but crabs don't really start coming up until mid-June to early July, depending on how soon we get sustained hot (80 degree) weather. Right now, they're still coming up from the Carolinas.Cantler's in on Mill Creek which would require going out onto the Bay; too tricky to navigate in a water taxi. You might look into renting a Boston whaler or something similar to go over.

It was a great night for a ball game! Thanks to Heather, who came up with this idea! Perfect baseball weather - warm, dry with a nice breeze blowing across the cheap ($5) seats in the outfield. We watched the Nat's Shawn Hill pitch a genuine no-hitter through the first five innings, and the Nats went on to shut out Florida 6-0 with 15 hits. Way to win Nats! I managed to snag a prime tailgate parking space. Nine of us shared some very tasty food - including Pat's chicken legs, mac salad and deviled eggs, Jacques spicy wings from Bombay Curry Co., DanielK's cheese assortment from Cowgirl Creamery (that blue? whoa! - no wonder you didn't want to bring it home on the Metro - my van is faily fragrant right now), and hm212's exotic fruits. I brought some Dogfish Head and other iced down brewskis. I believe a couple of cigars were smoked, and there was a hot-dog or five consumed in the park too. Jacques also got to practice his peanut tossing. We need to do this again so Heather, Jake and rkduggins can join us.

Just to humor you, I will confirm it. And neither one of us is ever drinking again.

Tom Sietsema has just reviewed several pre-theater restaurant menus: Bistro d'Oc, Ceiba, 701, Marcel's, and Viridian.

Note: the menu at the bar is not the same thing as the restaurant's three-course tasting menu. The menu at the bar offers two or three choices that are on the restaurant's menu for each course, not the full array. One of the two offerings for dessert is usually the cheese plate.

Weather permitting (i.e. absent any expected rain delay) we have a bunch of people planning to tailgate in Lot 8 before tomorrow evening's game, and then sit en masse somewhere tbd. If the weather still looks iffy, we will make the decision before we head to the stadium, otherwise, 80 degrees and a breeze on a Friday evening sounds great for a baseball game. It's certainly not too late to join us. Post or send a PM if you can tailgate or come just for the game. crackers - beer, chips and dips, papergoods, brownies DanielK - cheese and cheese delivery product rkduggins- sandwich fixins, side salad/slaw, chocolate chip pecan cookies hm212 - something fruitish Pat - beer, pasta salad, deviled eggs Jacques Gastreaux + 1 - tbd Meaghan - tbd

This would be the perfect opportunity to repeat the Do's and Don'ts from previous picnics for the benefit of anyone thinking of coming to our fifth picnic who may not be sure what it is all about: [MrPorcupine - see #1] Cucas87 put together an additional FAQ for the last picnic which is worth taking a look at as well. DO come to the picnic even if you don't cook. Goodies picked up from your favorite bakery/cheese shop/restaurant/wine shop are perfectly fine. An appetite for delicious food and drink is all that is required. DON'T think you have to make something fancy if you are cooking. Keep in mind that your dish may need to sit out at room temperature for at least an hour or two and that it will be eaten in a picnic setting. DO consider other non-food options if you don't want to cook anything. One member brought a soccer set to the last picnic and it was a big hit with the kids. Beverages (adult and otherwise) are also greatly appreciated. DON'T make tons and tons of food. Ten to twelve servings is plenty. Really. There will be a lot of fabulous food to taste and most everyone will only want a bite or two of any one item. DO try to remember to bring appropriate prep and serving utensils for whatever food you bring. DON'T feel you need to present your food in your best crystal, silver and/or china. In fact, if you don't plan on staying all afternoon, disposable serving containers are preferable. DO put your name on any items you are concerned might get lost or left behind (a piece of masking tape with your name written on it with waterproof ink works great for this). DON'T worry about having to cook dinner that night or possibly even the next day – Think about bringing baggies/plastic wrap for those who want to take home leftovers. DO show up on time if you want to partake in some of the more popular food/drink items -- such as the Martian Pigslop from Hell. DON'T even think about not showing up just because you are running late. Come anyway. I suspect we'll be there until they kick us out of the park. DO bring your families. Children of all ages are very welcome. DON'T bring your pets. We have hearty appetites and hot grills and we'd hate to make a drunken mistake. DO come even if your dog ate your lovingly prepared dish in a fit of vengeance because it could not attend the picnic and you have to make a last minute change to what you said you'd be bringing. DON'T eat a large breakfast beforehand. Once again, there will be a lot of food. DO refrain from posting any photographs or videos from the picnic on the internet that include a person's face, unless that person has given you permission to post it. This is a private event and we value and respect everybody's privacy. DON'T worry, be happy!

That sure didn't take long. It seems like only a few months ago you were walking up the aisle. Back on topic - did anyone catch that article a few weeks ago in the NYT about what happens when two alpha cooks try to occupy the same household kitchen? [hint: not a pretty sight.]

I will bring more beer, chips and dips, brownies (or some other chocolate delivery system.)

Do you mean filler (e.g. cracker meal), or binder, or both? Most all crabcakes have some kind of fat/binder - else they fall to pieces. I don't think I've ever heard of using lard in a crabcake though.

Text message from me to daughter: "Dont u dare eat my leftover Mexican food!" Test message from daughter to me: "hahaha too late" eating a deli eggsalad on rye.

We're at 69.5 +/- so far, and there's still a month to go. Anybody have a good tug-of-war rope sitting around [under the bed or something] that they could lend us for the afternoon fun and games? agm +1 (or +2?) Anna Blume Barbara bbq4me +1 cjsadler clayrae crackers +4 cucas87 DameEdna Demvtr +2 Escoffier ferment everything +2 Grover Gubeen Heather +3 hm212 Ilaine (+3?) Jacques Gastreaux jm chen +1 JPW +2 legant Meaghan melgold mhberk +1 mktye+1 MrPorcupine ol_ironstomach Pat +1 Raisa +5 RissaP Rvanrens +1.5 (+?) Scott Johntson Starfish StephenB synaesthesia thistle +3 Tripewriter tweaked txaggie Walrus Zoramargolis

I picked up a quart of small but very fragrant strawberries from a farm stand in the Maryland countryside this morning. The farmer said they were the first ones of the season from his farm near Waldorf. $4.00.

Sietsema is giving it 1/2 star in tomorrow's post. He said on WTOP this morning that it is his first-ever half star rating. The only thing he said on air that he liked was the crab cake appetizer.