MelGold

My friends & I had to settle on a table at Guajillo instead of an amazing steak since one member of our party had late plans to meet up with friends and I couldn't manage to swing by early enough to put our names down on the list. Seeing MissyMel and CF through the front window was better than dessert though - just wish I wasn't blocking the aisle so I could have stayed & chatted a bit longer (and gotten a spoonful of milk chocolate mousse before hitting the road ).

Joan Hisaoka has passed away...an amazing woman who did amazing things for the DC dining scene.

Good luck!

Congratulations! Single gents, take notes.

Chewing the Fat Nice interview, FE!

Today was a great day for soup. Lunch was pho (large #17) at Pho 99 in the clocktower shopping center in Herndon. Stopped into EatBar to see friends around dinnertime & enjoyed a warm cup of tomato soup, an EatBar Salad and a solitary risotto fritter along with a nice glass of verdejo.

Last two nights were take out in Herndon as I was working late on a new biz pitch: Wednesday - TurCuisine in the Worldgate Center...Turkish & Med food. Hummus was good. I had a chicken breast with rice and pita. It was serviceable, but anything would have tasted good at that point. It came with a nice little side salad with a really tasty vinaigrette. Thursday - really bad Pad Thai. I wish I knew where they ordered from as I tend to try to avoid over-cooked shrimp at all costs.

Have you watched an episode of Top Chef lately? Gail's favorite description of almost everything she puts in her mouth...wait for it..."tasty." Write away!

Are you doing the Luray Tri in August? I swam in the relay there last year...great course. My friend, who does a ton of triathlons did a write up on her blog from last year's triathlon (http://katiedavison....luray-fest.html) and mentions going to Uncle Buck's a couple of times (42 East Main Street - 540.743.2323). There's a full list here: http://www.ganderisl...estaurants.html Good luck!

It's been there for at least a year. I've been wanting to go, but never think about it unless I'm driving by...thanks for the write up!

I love popping someone's cherry at RTS. The look on my friend's face as he devoured his hanger steak was well worth the calories I should not have consumed last night.

Good to know I didn't know about either of those yesterday. My aunt gave me a free cone on Facebook, so it was healthier.

This is great, woman! Keep up the great work.

I'm a definite maybe - still working out big life changes in May. Will be bringing something in a bottle to consume in a cup as well as a food item of some sort (not pork seeing as that category is well covered).

Thank god B&J never opened a location out in the boonies of the Dulles Tech corridor (and if there is one nearby, don't tell me where!).

Last night was EatBar for a kick ass big burger, corn dogs, figs and some fries (no, I didn't eat all that by myself) paired with a glass of garancha and a pint of Eggenberg. Great to see some old friends and catch up over some off-the-diet, pre-Passover food.

Bardeo - we had the tuna tartare (yummy), sea bass with couscous (best of the lot), potato gnocchi (wouldn't have it again), and a charcuterie (ok)...pear upside down cake with caramel sauce for dessert (alright)...great wine (friend had the white wine flight & I had 1/2 glasses of the Nessa Albarino and a gruner veltliner). Bill was pretty decent for the amount of food & wine - somewhere around the $100 mark with tax & tip. I'd never been and probably won't be running back for more, but wouldn't complain if someone suggested it for dinner again.

Last night for girls' night: Brie & crackers Chicken Diablo (honey-mustard-curry glazed chicken) Big spinach salad rolls Boxed chocolate chip cookie brownies with Haagen Daaz vanilla (from the one girl in the group that doesn't "cook") One bottle of Guner Veltiner & 2 bottles of Linden Claret (2003 & 2004 vintages)

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popcorn

YUM...do you have a recipe for that, Zora? (wait...is it really 8:41?! - shit, need to eat something).

If their soup had been anything close to a Power soup, they probably would have won the challenge. Shoulda, woulda, coulda...move on.

As mentioned above, the owner of the new Fairfax location of Robeks is offering a special coupon to DR.com folks for a free small 12 oz smoothie the day of his grand opening this coming Saturday, April 12th. The grand opening festivities are happening at the store from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, but this coupon is good all day Saturday. "Legal Stuff": Please limit to one coupon per family...it's only valid at the new Robeks on Lee Highway...feel free to email it along to friends so they can try it out for themselves. You must present this coupon at time of purchase. Enjoy!

Brunch at Whitlow's this morning with a friend. I really enjoyed my spinach & mushroom omelet with home fries & bacon. Nothing overwhelmingly amazing, but a nice tasty meal for $7.95. My friend had the lox & bagel plate which looked okay...boring toasted bagel, decent amount of lox, but the tomatoes were SAD. I'm really looking forward to summer produce!

Hi, all. A friend of mine is opening his very own Robeks (fruit smoothies & heathly eats) on Fairfax Boulevard up near the Route 50 split at Lee Highway & Main Street (exact address: 10940-C Fairfax Boulevard). The grand opening is Saturday, April 12th from 11 am to 3 pm, so if you're in the neighborhood, you should come out. They're going to be passing out free 12 oz samples of Strawnana Berry and Mahalo Mango smoothies, as well as tastings of their various wraps and vegan-friendly cookies. There will also be giveaways, a DJ and fun activities for kids of all ages! I'll be posting a special coupon on this thread next week for a free smoothie of your choice for that day - just in case you can't make it before the deadline. Check back here for more details soon.