MelGold

That was Micah - who was South African. Her meatloaf did look horribly unappetizing! Now she can go be with her daughter. I hate when they skip a week...holiday weeks full of specials and reruns are sad.

Hot dog, doritos and a bottle of water with a few peanuts my father made me finish off...fourth row right behind home plate at the Glory game. If you guys haven't come out yet, it's the perfect way to spend a sober summer evening!

I took Vamoose back last night on the 4 PM. Couple of pointers for travelers on the cheap: 1) if you're on a timetable, take Amtrak...it seems to be the only method of transport to & from the City that gets you there close to estimated time; 2) if you're hoping to take the bus so you don't have to make multiple stops along the way, be sure to adjust travel time to include at least three traffic stopages on 95, a 20 minute dinner break at a mad crazy "rest" stop in Delaware, and a 25 minute detour inside the beltway to drop off for passengers in Bethesda if you're going to the Arlington stop; and 3) be sure to stop at Zabars or Fairway on your way down to Penn Station to load up on snacks for the 6 1/2 hour trip home so you aren't stuck with a salad & mega cookie from Sbarro. Next time I'm spending the extra cash & taking the train roundtrip. PS - To make this food related, I had great adventures at Bar Veloce in the East Village (a glass of Tocai and some charcuterie), fresh & affordable sushi at a place on 9th Street, an amazing private tasting of Four Vines wines (the Biker was delicious but Dousi is the hands-down favorite), a breakfast feast of H&H bagels with Nova & shmear from Zabars, and a heaping pastrami sandwich with half-sours at Artie's. Only low-light (which wasn't so bad) was brunch at French Roast on the West Side which was a smoked salmon hash with poached eggs. Eggs were overdone, there was WAY too much salmon and the bread was stale.

I'm actually going to be in NYC this weekend, but will be visiting friends so can't meet up with you guys. If anyone's taking the 8:20 Amtrak up to Penn Station in the morning, let me know...I'll look out for you!

Have you ever had to come up with a place where 28 people could go for a not-too-expensive dinner at the last minute on Cap Hill - oh and you have to be able to eat & run to make the baseball game at RFK? Well if you ever find yourself in such a quandary, look no further than La Lomita. The tiny little restaurant was stuff to its gills with a long table of hungry pro softball players, friends and family, but the margaritas & beer were cold (even if the AC was non-existent) and the food was hot both in temperature and spice. I had an icy margarita on the rocks accompanied by the beef flautas (YUM). Others at the table had tacos, burritos and a quite a few salads. The chicken on the taco salad was reportedly out of the park (these people are as punny as I am at times!). Despite a full house, drinks were refilled at a nice clip, food came out in waves but not with so much time between shifts that people were waiting for the rest to finish, and the check was paid with time to spare to get us all to the park in time for the bottom of the first. It had been a while since I had visited La Lomita. It won't be so long before the next though.

I hope the judges eliminate the first person who offers a foam on their dish just on principle.

I haven't had so much fun in the rain for some time! Favorites of the day food-wise include the lamb (thanks, Joe, for picking some up for us!), the pork butt, the ribs and the brown sugar cookies. And if you missed Tweaked passed hors d'oeuvres, his signature says it all! Thanks to everyone who provided home brew, non-Chardonnay wine, and the shot of creme de menthe that was supposedly hidden in the brownies. I only wish I had a video recorder in the bathroom to capture Peanut's recital of Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious (sp?) as Nutty Buddy tried to get her changed into yet another dry/clean outfit. Priceless...

Congrats to one of my favorite places away from home.

About time!

The ad is funny. The lawsuit is absolutely hilarious!

It wasn't. I used to think it was a huge amount of junk...then I realized there's a reason the theater offers refills on their giant popcorn. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

There is always public transportation. I hopped onto metro last night to get to Etete instead of driving in from the boonies. Took a whole hell of a lot more time to get there, but at least the reward at the end of the day was worth it.

If you factor in at least 2 people consuming this over a period of 3 1/2 hours...figuring that you have to get there early to ensure you aren't sitting in front of a bunch of noisy kids or the people making out the whole time, 30 minutes of previews and then the feature which tonight will run approximately 2 hours & 15 minutes at least. Most people finish an 18 course tasting menu in the same amount of time (and that's a whole lot more calories!)

Even though two huge blockbusters have already set & broken box office records this year, the Summer Blockbuster season officially begins this weekend. I have my tickets in hand for Pirates III - forget whether it's critically acclaimed or not! My staple during the summer season is a bucket of buttered popcorn and a side of Sour Patch Kids with a big icy Coke...no, it's not all for me. What do you eat in the dark while watching the best Hollywood special effects houses have to offer?

It better resemble a potent yet "solid" bloody mary, lady. No molds this time around unless there's some kind of alcohol in there!

My frittata is free & clear

Vermilion's lunch is looking tasty.

I'm not so sure McFadden's qualifies as a dive bar, but since I only go there when I'm dressed in a softball uniform after playing on the Mall it seems to fit. At least once a week during softball season I find myself at McFadden's with the team for a post game pitcher and some grub. McFadden's actually surprised me at the beginning of the season. They have a mighty tasty grilled chicken sandwich that they'll happily sub out the melted cheese for fresh sliced avocado...throw on a couple pieces of bacon and some mayo and I'm one happy catcher! Last night was a big juicy 10 oz burger with mustard & mayo, lettuce & ripe tomatoes, decent pickle slice and a huge mound of tater tots. I paired this heart attack with a 2007 Bud Light in plastic solo cup and happily spent the remainder of the evening watching the Yankees-Red Sox game on the big screen. Nothing sophisticated, but a satisfying way to spend a Monday night with friends!

I'm bringing a pasta frittata with veggies & cheese (vegetarian) and a couple bottles of wine.

The NY Strip is a tasty cut, and there's always the chateaubriand (sp?) for two which is very good (and abundant).

I hate to do this, but can't make lunch this afternoon. Can we reschedule for next week?

About 12:30?

I'm in for Thursday.

I could make it either Thursday or Friday this week. Is this in the same complex as Ethiopian?

If anyone's near the Whole Foods in Fair Lakes today between 11:30 AM & 9 PM, stop by the MaggieMoo's... They're celebrating their "grand opening" with a fundraiser today to raise funds for Fair Oaks Hospital to help them build a playground on the campus.