ktmoomau

Stuart's Draft (near Staunton and Waynesboro) Had a nice little diversion from Charlottesville over to Stuart's Draft to go to the Mennonite greenhouse on Saturday and then made a detour to the Cheese Shop in Stuart's Draft, the one that isn't in the main part of town but down the road. The one in town is more like a sandwich deli, the one out of town is their market. Growing up with an Amish Nanny I have always had an affinity for the bulk markets in small Amish and Mennonite communities. This one had a great selection of grains and flours, baking supplies, cereals, and had chips and snacks for amazingly cheap prices. They also had a nice cheese shop- not like cowgirl creamery or whole foods, but some good stuff and a great deli meat selection with fresh roasted turkey breast, tuscan style fresh roasted turkey breast, pastrami and etc. They also had a lot of boars head deli meats. Wide selection of candies and dried fruit. But what surprised me the most was the very good selection of gluten free items. It was very well stocked for that. Had sandwiches with the turkey when we got home that were quite tasty.

Everything seemed to have stayed the same, but managed to go down further in quality. I would avoid it like a sickly office co-worker.

I was just thinking I should have gone there for lunch today! Next week then it is!

Love it!

When I was a hostess you get so tired of saying the same exact phrase all the time and would try to change it up, but it was always hard and I would go back to my stand fretting over having just saying something stupid like you guys to a bunch of women or something. I know that dinner out is a much bigger deal to some people than to me in terms of service because I eat out fairly frequently, and try to be fairly easy going, but I think people need to realize sometimes things just blurt out and you go back kicking yourself for saying them. You don't want to sound like a robot. I am perfectly fine with hon, you's, you, young lady, ma'am, you guys, ladies, miss, just so long as it isn't offensive. And it all depends if you have a thick Southern drawl and you say "You folks" or "Y'all" I will totally be fine with it. I mean really it's just a greeting not the end of my life...

Yes!

I certainly may be wrong in this, but they sort of share spaces and it appeared that Frontera Grill's menu was served at the bar. Unless there is another bar somewhere else we didn't see.

Last week, or was it now two weeks ago, with the government shutdown looming our friend who worked on the hill was stuck at work late and not at happy hour with us. She could more easily text us from work to tell us her status. I guess in the olden days we would have just had to assume where she was and what we should do to respond, or she would have called the bar who would have tried to find us. But after a bit she finally said she might be free in 30 minutes so we took the car and headed over to Capitol Hill to meet her for dinner instead, after all she had just had a long night at work. I think texting all this was probably less intrusive to the people around us than phones ringing, getting out of our small table to talk on the phone and come back. All good no one disturbed and successful use of cell phone to make someone's night just a little better. And since her cell phone number is not a DC number, could not have used a pay phone, and trying to call her office = not fun. When I was 16 I was trapped in Denver due to a plane cancellation and at the time cell phones worked in a state only. Pittsburgh being the closest airport to Western Maryland my parents were on the road and across the border before we could reach them and let me tell you they were upset when their baby girl did not get off the airplane as scheduled. Hours later we finally connected, my Mother was bawling her eyes out at that point. I would rather have the convenience and annoyance of a cell phone rather than not.

I loathe the Ballston Harris Teeter. I go when we are buying some produce and want real coke (so no WF). But it is so expensive and the selection is so lame sometimes I just go to Whole Foods and Giant, but then Hubby complains about going to two stores (then we end up going all the way out to Wegman's which takes the same if not more time). But the produce is generally better than Giant. But trying to get in and out of the parking lot, then in and out of the store, and actually get the items you want is so phenomenally hard. And their gluten free selections are pitiful. And their prepared food section is also pitiful. And it just seems to cost so much for what you get.

Check the Charlottesville thread, there is one I am sure of it... I have posted tons and tons on it. But Maya is great. I really like Hamilton's too. In Roanoke, there is some good stuff downtown. I forget names, will go back and look for them. But right around the outdoor market are a couple good places.

I put my phone on the table only if there is someone else joining my party who hasn't come yet, or if my Mother is on her way to meet me ANYWHERE because bless her heart she could get lost in a paper bag. But that is because I just generally cannot hear my phone in noisy places and am normally the person called for the I'm lost or where do I park, or I am running late calls (why am I this person?). I don't mean it to be rude, but if one of my dear friends is meeting me in the city and hopelessly lost and I don't pick up the phone say hold on walk outside and guide them in they are way less likely to do it again. I normally tell this to any other companions there with me, an excuse me I am going to keep this out in case so and so calls. I also sometimes use my phone for taking pictures or calculating something. And on occasion to look up a debated subject. If it is a work time lunch I almost always need to check for any emergency work emails real quick. The you need to file something in such and such court for me by this time or a we just received an emergency motion or etc. And when I am alone and dining or at a bar you will almost always find me playing Tap Zoo, Scrabble or reading on my iphone or ipad. I don't hide it, I am alone and keeping myself occupied, much like with a book or newspaper. But other than some of the above few exceptions I generally agree that dinner is to be spent with your dinner companions whether at home or out, dinner is sacred. Although I did have a lunch last week where we were exhausted and hanging out and I had out of town guests here for work that needed to check emails and asked if it was alright so then we all pulled out phones for a few minutes. But then we were done and devoted ourselves to a nice lunch conversing with one another. And if you have kids, I would totally understand keeping your phone on the table in case of an emergency, or putting it on vibrate in your pocket (I often times have no pockets and won't hear it in my purse). But I think that is reasonable, especially with younger children.

Had great delivery from Minh's the other night. I was very allergy hazed and just wanted some good noodle soup. So I got the rice noodle with pork, crab and something else... It came with the noodles and meat separate from the hot broth and then a separate bag of sprouts and cilantro and jalapeno, which was so nice so it wasn't over cooked or soggy. It also came with a little container of Sirracha. It hit the spot perfectly and was a huge portion, I added the noodles in so they wouldn't get gross and warmed it up the next day too. And it was nice to have all the add in options. Also had some spring rolls which were good, theirs are huge though the coating was disintegrating, but that was prob the delivery. Hubby had a noodle and grilled pork salad that had some really tasty grilled pork on it.

Went with the hubby last night to use a living social coupon. There are a lot of misses on the menu, but if you choose carefully you can end up with some good things. I really like the XO edamame. That to me is ridiculously addictive. I could come for a happy hour drink and just that. I also really liked the duck tacos on was it a radish wrapper, it seemed a little large for radish, but don't know what else it would be. With curry apple slaw, that I want to try to make myself. This was very good. Hubby enjoyed the empenadas. The lettuce wraps were good, I liked the flavors in that a lot. The arepas were complete misses, too salty, I think from the use of soy in the pulled pork and the flavors didn't work at all. Had the torched "sushi" roll as hubby and I had this great horseradish and roast beef "nigri" out in SF, but this wasn't that good. I have liked the angry zengo in the past. The horrible arepas made me really crave a trip to la carenquena.

So after a couple other trys... their pit beef seems to be one of the better options. I also like their sausage and collard green mix that they do when they have their wild game menu, I wish that was a full time item. Was there for the Doorways fundraiser and they were cooking a whole pig. Unfortunately the part that I got was more like eating pork chop sandwich rather than pulled pork, but it was ok. And all for charity, so that was nice. I continue to like their coleslaw which isn't very mayonnaise-y. Their fries were way over salty the last time I had them I couldn't eat very many. I continue to think that their sides are better than their meats. The greens, red beans and rice, coleslaw, cornbread, etc. are all good. I had their ribs again and didn't add sauce and they were better, but still not great, but I find the sausages and pit beef and non-bbq items seem to hit it off more with me. And I love their draft root beer. I also love the outside patio and dog friendliness which is why I end up there more often than not.

If you haven't tried the doughnuts at Lyon Hall and you really like doughnuts you should, especially if they have the butterscotch one, which IMHO is the best doughnut ever.

Oh man, I will likely be there, perhaps with others, even though it is Mexican night at my condo and I am on the social committee

FYI It's free scoop day today. The line at the Old Town location is currently very very small you can get in and out in about a minute or two. And potato chips are coated in chocolate as little balls in the late night snack ice cream and it is very good.

You can take the Barrack's Road exit and in the Barrack's Road shopping center is Hot Cakes which has good pastries. If you didn't mind a bagel instead, there is a Bodo's Bagels right off 29 before you hit the city too. I really like Bodo's bagels.

So I worked across from this place for about two years and never went. Now friends are insisting, bless their hearts. Anyone ever been? Hoping I can convince to wander somewhere else... Don't know how possible this will be.

Really? I am intrigued. I hope it is good, that would be very convenient.

Wow, you are brave. I couldn't have done it.

I once had a giant caterpillar stare up at me from the wilted lettuce salad my grandad made. I couldn't eat another bite of it. My Mother understood, my Uncle poo poo'ed my immediate lack of appetite. It was a big one though. I know fresh produce is grown from the ground were lots of things have access to it, I mean I garden myself, but the thought of this big guy popping in my mouth just grossed me out.

I was just looking at the recent menu and a lot of things looked exceptionally good to me, will have to try to get here again soon.

A lot of those building are also older and need renovating, closer into Farragut they just took down and rebuilt or refaced a ton of those buildings so things should be going back in those, I know my doctors office is on K in that area is probably moving soon so they can town down their building and re-do it. I used to work at 17th and I and the amount of tear down and rebuild all around was just crazy, although the recession probably slowed a lot of those projects. The recession actually hitting lawyers probably didn't help all those places either, like Smith and Wollensky's.

Perfect guys! Thank you. I am going to try this out tonight.