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ScotteeM

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  1. ScotteeM
    This story just keeps growing! Now Sami Bouzaglo is in deportation hearings. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/amys-baking-owner-deportation-sami-bouzaglo_n_3321990.html
  2. ScotteeM
    Not sure if this got buried, or if I need to think of a hint.
  3. ScotteeM
    There are some very good suggestions above! As for granola, make sure it does say "gluten free" on the label. Cross contamination is a clear and present danger, especially with oatmeal. Bob's Red Mill makes a gluten-free muesli that is very good, but I find it goes best with dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt). Beware prepared foods, particularly from Whole Foods. I've had a cross-contamination reaction from potato salad and egg salad from Whole Foods. Mixed nuts and some trail mixes (check labels) are great for snacking. Canned fish is usually a safe bet. I use Glutino crackers to accompany them. HTH, and please do let us know what you end up doing! And, above all, enjoy your family's visit! Corn chips and salsa or guacamole should be safe--again, check labels, but most corn chips are gluten-free. If I think of anything else, I'll post again.
  4. ScotteeM
    I had this on my smartphone for a while, and ultimately deleted it because I rarely used it. Most of the listings are for the large chains that offer a "gluten-free" menu. Users can recommend local restaurants to be added. I found it difficult to use on my little phone with limited memory. I usually plan my outings so that I know where I will be eating ahead of time, but in a crunch it might be helpful. YMMV
  5. ScotteeM
    Where did I dine?
  6. ScotteeM
    There's also Mount Everest Restaurant in Parkville, MD (Route 1 just off the Baltimore Beltway). I started a topic for it here.
  7. ScotteeM
    My BIL and adult nieces are visiting from Denver next week (5/9-5/11) and they're staying at the Hay-Adams. They're looking for dinners nearby, preferably with a nice view of major landmarks and historical atmosphere. BIL said, "Something like Elway's" (in Denver). I checked the Elway's menu here: http://www.elways.com/Menu/Dinner I think they tried and failed to get a reservation at Old Ebbitt Grill. Anyone know how Lafayette--the restaurant in the Hay-Adams--is? I'm thinking about Oval Room or Equinox as an option for one night. Any and all suggestions welcome!
  8. ScotteeM
    The only posole we have tried has been Fuego's, and both Mr. S and I really have enjoyed it. I'd love to make it at home, but I'm overwhelmed trying to find the right recipe for it. I'm hoping someone can steer me to a good recipe or two--preferably for the slow cooker. Thanks!
  9. ScotteeM
    This thread prompted me to remember a dinner a few years ago at a prominent restaurant near the White House, where a diner ordered a Sazerac. The server went to the bar and confabbed with the bartender for a while, before returning to inform the diner that the bartender didn't know what a Sazerac was and couldn't find it on Google. Really?
  10. ScotteeM
    We had a lovely lunch today at Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church--our first visit of many (we hope). Our server was very well-informed about gluten intolerance and was able to list the dishes on the menu that are gluten-free, and pledged to make sure my food would be "safe." He certainly delivered! There are so many great choices on the menu that I can't wait to go back.
  11. ScotteeM
    We lunched here for the first time today. I had been hesitant because of my gluten intolerance, but our server was extremely well-versed in safe options for me. I loved the Italian Salad, with lots of ingredients that could have been on a pizza. The salad was lightly dressed, and everything was cut small enough to eat with a fork! (one of my pet peeves about restaurant salads) Mr. ScotteeM really loved his pepperoni and garlic pizza. It looked so delicious that it took all of my willpower not to sneak a taste of the crust. I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu!
  12. ScotteeM
    After driving past the Bailey's Crossroads location once a week for several months, I stopped in today at about 1 to get a late take-out lunch. The grilled chicken (leg quarter) had nice flavor, but had a deflated appearance and was greasy, suggesting to me that it had been sitting under/on heat for a while. The black beans and rice were pretty bland, but not terrible. The corn tortillas were . . . corn tortillas. At less than $7 it was a reasonable lunch option, and was gluten-free. I think I'll try some of the other chicken places I pass on that weekly run, for comparison and to find something a little better.
  13. ScotteeM
    This article came across my Facebook newsfeed this morning, regarding Mackey and his labor practices. I know what my sister has told me about her brief employment at a Whole Foods in Pennsylvania. Based on this information, I am re-thinking my own shopping habits. I'm still figuring out where to obtain some of the products I regularly purchase at WF, and as I succeed in that endeavor, I will greatly reduce the amount of money I spend therem.
  14. ScotteeM
    I believe that the wifi there is Old Town-wide. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
  15. ScotteeM
    This is great! I would add: Try eating with that lovely, trendy flatware before setting your tables with it. Twice recently I've been faced with forks and knives with handles so awkward that I had difficulty cutting my food and getting it to my mouth.
  16. ScotteeM
    I have to weigh in on the sound level. First I have to say that I am a long-time fan of Fabio Trabocchi and really do love his food! But I have developed a neurological disorder which translates sudden loud noises into physical pain. Some examples are plates or steel pots banging together or sudden loud laughter. We've been to Fiola about 4 or 5 times since it opened. That is much less frequently than we used to dine at Maestro. We try to dine early on Saturday evenings (5:30 or 6:00), in part to avoid the busier, noisier times at restaurants like this. But one evening we had a much longer than expected dinner there, in the main dining room, and were still there at 7:30 and 8:00, when the restaurant was quite "energetic." I had to leave the room at least 3 times that evening to get away from the noise, which overwhelmed me and, frankly, ruined my dinner. The surfaces in the dining room are hard. The tables are extremely close together, and relatively small. When the dining room is full, it is very loud. We have found that if we arrive at 5:30, have a table in the bar area, and are gone by 7:00, we can enjoy the evening. To do that on a Saturday, we have had to make special arrangements with Maria, because those times have been blocked out on Open Table and not even a phone call to make a reservation could get us a table at 5:30 or 6:00 on a Saturday evening. We're probably better off just walking in at 5:30 to be seated in the bar. Because the food is so good, we keep trying.
  17. ScotteeM
    The restaurants in Jose Andres' empire offer a vegan menu. I once had dinner at Zaytinya with 2 omnivores, a vegan, and a young lady who dislikes everything, and I am gluten-intolerant. Several of us had special menus and were very happy. One of the party . . . wasn't.
  18. ScotteeM
    My husband and I had lunch here yesterday. We liked it enough to want to go back for dinner. Husband's burger was tasty and fresh, but cooked well past the medium-rare he requested. He didn't send it back. The fries were crispy, and served with a chipotle mayo as well as ketchup. My steak salad was huge, and the flavors were good, but the steak was so thin and the salad itself so cold that by the time it was served the steak itself was cold--not what I expected. The FOH staff were all very friendly and well-intended. But, considering there was a hostess and two servers for a total of 10 diners, service was glacially slow. I didn't have a watch, but we sat for a very long time after ordering before our food was served. There were many times when no FOH staff were actually in the FOH, and when the other server (not ours) walked past my nearly empty water glass with a full pitcher of water to pour for her tables, I was a little taken aback. Also, the whiffs of cologne that hit me every time any of the staff walked past my table were a little disconcerting. I'll chalk these nit-picky issues up to the restaurant still being pretty new. I'm looking forward to dinner, and since this place is 3.3 miles from my house, I really want it to succeed!
  19. ScotteeM
    I concur with all of the suggestions above. Dino is a haven for the gluten-sensitive, and I'm sure they can easily accommodate soy and dairy sensitivities. I've always had wonderful and "safe" meals at Bibiana as well. Choices by Shawn specifically accommodates gluten sensitivity but it would be worth a call to ask about soy and dairy. I've had some great safe meals at Blue Duck Tavern, and at Ray's the Steaks and Ray's to the Third, as well. And a recent dinner at Brasserie Beck was a success as well, for this gluten-avoider. I'd imagine that it is hard to find prepared foods that are "safe." I've stopped trying Whole Foods prepared foods because even foods that don't contain any wheat or gluten ingredients have a great potential to be cross-contaminated. And they seem to use either soy oil or canola oil in EVERYTHING. I think you're very smart to call ahead when you're planning to dine out. That really helps give a restaurant a fighting chance at accommodating your needs.
  20. ScotteeM
    http://www.ricostacosmoya2.com/ <-- Link to Fairfax restaurant https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ricos-Tacos-Moya-II/143947402411098 <-- Link to Facebook page for Fairfax restaurant HTH
  21. ScotteeM
    I have no problem with the price. Their $65 for 3 courses is about the same as if the three courses were ordered separately. My issue is about choice. And that's what I have always associated with the Bistro. Why must I have a sweet dessert if I don't want it? Not to mention that, as I am gluten-intolerant, my choice of desserts is limited to ice cream and sorbet. I want to be clear: I have loved Restaurant Eve for years. I used to be a somewhat regular at the bar on Thursdays for the Lickety Split lunch. I've enjoyed several dinners in the Bistro, but not in several years. Because I consider it a special place, I selected it for my birthday dinner. I know that the food would be fabulous, and would be matched by fabulous service. But then to be forced to have ice cream or sorbet (or perhaps cheese) when I might prefer to purchase another appetizer, or maybe a side, really rubs me the wrong way. I guess I'm saying that I want to go there for the savory, not the sweet.
  22. ScotteeM
    As would I. In my mind, this seems to eliminate much of the difference between the Bistro and the Tasting Room. I love the latter, but no longer have the stamina for that many courses. I was looking forward to ordering 3 appetizers for the two of us, and then an entree each. Much as I love their food, I don't want to feel coerced into dessert or cheese (at least, I hope that cheese would be an alternative to dessert).
  23. ScotteeM
    I was just perusing the website and sample menus in anticipation of a belated birthday dinner next Saturday night in the Bistro, when I came across this statement: ** Friday and Saturday evenings - Bistro: Please expect a prix-fixe three course menu with choices for $65 per person exclusively. Does this mean that there is no a la carte menu option in the Bistro on Saturday nights? i'm trying to decide how I feel about that. Although I know the food is splendid, I kind of like having the option to share an extra appetizer on the front end, in lieu of a sweet dessert at the end (I'm not a real sweets fiend). Edited to add: I just looked at the verbiage about attire, and now I don't think I have anything suitable to wear to the Bistro. I don't dress up as a rule, but I've found that my style of dress (clean chino slacks and a blouse) has been fine for lots of nice restaurants downtown. It doesn't sound as if that will fit the bill in the Bistro, however. I've been looking forward to this dinner for a long time, and now I'm having cold feet.
  24. ScotteeM
    I've found them occasionally (maybe seasonally) at Wegmans in Fairfax.
  25. ScotteeM
    I love the hay-smoked sweetbreads at Bibiana. I order them almost every time I eat there. They're always hay-smoked, but the accompaniments on the plate change with the seasons. I've also had good sweetbreads at Restaurant Eve as part of the Lickety-Split menu in the bar, but I don't think they offer them regularly--maybe someone else knows.
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