ktmoomau

That is so sad, the wings are my favorite thing to order there, and you are right when done well they rock! We normally go to the Chinatown location. I don't know if location plays a factor though as I haven't been to any others, but am excited to take my Mom to Annapolis one.

I am in +1 for Hubby. Is the date set in stone now? What time do we think this might happen? (Need to arrange after work care for the dog... I know we are silly)

In with Hubby and after people saw last events pictures may have a few more! But now I am really going to have to think about what I want to bring...

This has been my experience, exactly. Although it may help that although I look young (not to be egotistical, just generally do), I normally always dress nicely (this is what happens when you have to wear a suit or nice clothes to work everyday) and so does my husband. But we love talking about wine and learning about wine and I think once people see your interest they are excited to talk with you.

I must say I really like living in Arlington as it is pretty easy to get to Alexandria (30 min in traffic), anywhere in DC (you have to know the right routes to get to the right places), Annapolis (1 hr max), and even get to parts of Fairfax and beyond relatively quickly, just avoid Tysons north of 123/Intl drive intersection and anywhere that necessitates the use of 66. I am a half block from metro so I can decide which is the best option, but metro makes going to most of DC a snap as it is normally as quick as taking the car. I really appreciate it's location as making us able to see a lot of friends and be really social. But I would like to get to Montgomery County's ethnic joints more often. For me it isn't just that there is traffic, my SIL lives in Grosvenor and I go to her place now and then just leave around traffic. I think for me it is more that I am unfamiliar with where the places are, what I should order and that paired with the fact that I can find decent examples of similar food nearby I just don't do it. I will say though more group dinners in that area would bring me out though, if they were a little later in the evening so that I could go. I would love to cross the river for you guys. But I feel like sometimes my husband and I buck the trend. My brother lives in Dupont and it is really hard to even get him out of his little area of Dupont/14th &U/Columbia Heights. And he drives right by my house to go home from work!! I have wonderful friends on Capitol Hill who will come to Virginia if metro friendly as they don't drive in a heartbeat, but friends from Maryland that you have to use dynamite to get them out. For me now the dog limits our week night adventures, but we can still manage it if we can plan it out by at least a week. What I really lament is how long it takes me to get to Baltimore. It takes hours, even on weekends. I never get to see my Baltimore friends and explore Baltimore which is a shame because I love Baltimore.

It might be easier to have an active board if it was a bit more organized. I often don't know what has threads already and what doesn't and they may help participants find places to review, or know that they need to start a new topic. If I was more computer savvy I would offer to do this, but alas, I have very little technical skill of any merit. I also don't know Baltimore neighborhoods that well, although I am ok with suburbs. I know a lot of active Baltimoreans on the chowhound board that get frustrated they don't have their own board if only we could get them to take over, they would have their own board!

That was my first reaction too, and I loved their "nothing spectacular" quote at VA wines. Also can I note that I have been eating out in the DC area, high and low end restaurants, since I turned about 20 with boyfriends, and now husband and am still under 30 and have never received poor service due to my age. I think it is all about your attitude. If you treat people with respect they tend to return the favor. I have had stellar service at many many places in the area and really loathe when people whine that they got treated badly because they are young. It is more likely that are rude, snotty or expect preferential treatment to others in my opinion.

And let's not forget their Annapolis location now too.

Hubby and I have been battling with Montezuma from our weekend trip in Mexico. We are finally to the stage where we are hungry and might be able to have some real food. This leads to problem 1, that I have no energy to cook, which leads to problem 2, that most of the food in our house is fresh so if you want to eat something you have to cook, which leads to problem 3, I am likely to go without food if I have to move very far, due to lack of energy and no food in house that we are able to just eat, which leads to problem 4, Hubby will eat anything so I am likely to starve alone. Luckily we have a few options within a block or two from the house and Hubby said he would walk with me because by the time delivery would get here I wouldn't be hungry. So got take out from Big Buns. I didn't want a burger, which is odd because normally when sick I crave beef (this is what happens when raised on a beef farm) so I got mahi mahi in a bowl with lettuce, sprouts, roasted red peppers, roasted mushrooms and corn salsa. The mahi mahi is a really good option here. Also you don't really need the bun as you can make a really good salad/dish out of the free toppings (or the extras, but I normally stick with free toppings). I ordered a side of sauce that I didn't even use because between the fish and toppings it was really good as is. They put a blackening seasoning on the fish, but it isn't spicy really at all, but adds nice flavor. And they do a good job of not overcooking it. Hubby and I eat here a good bit because it is so close and dog friendly. And they always have good sweet potato fries, although sometimes I request a well done batch. My dog loves the fries. Their burgers are good too, but I almost like the mahi more. Dog agrees with me, but is an equal opportunity eater when it comes to proteins. I am not as big of a fan on the chicken, it is a little dull compared to the flavors of the burger or mahi, but in general I am not as into chicken unless done really well. (Although there is an awesome chicken sandwich at Punk's that I love) Their regular fries are good too, but not as good as the sweet potato, that might be because it is so hard to find really good sweet potato fries that I go for that when I go. The service is always fast and if you are a regular they have a little punch card to get a free sandwich or bowl after so many outings. I had a taste of vanilla shake tonight that hubby got and it was pretty good, not as good as the shake at Potbelly, but perhaps the chocolate malt would be...

Went again. I had the Thai salad with steak. Hubby had the steak sandwich. Big portion with nicely grilled, but not overcooked steak. I stole all his mushrooms and onions and added them to my salad. I really liked the salad although it had way too much dressing. It was great dressing, but way too much. So you may ask that they go light or put it on the side. Hubby had mac and cheese which was ok. But he said not even close to as good as the potato salad.

Well we might need a new category for this: Guanajuato! About 3 hours south of Mexico city is the state and city of Guanajuato. A Unesco World Heritage Sight due to the fact that it was one of the oldest areas colonized by the Spanish and they still have over 30 historic buildings. Really a beautiful city. Looks a lot like buildings from Florence or Madrid were plopped down into a very old Mexican city. Casa Valadez was a great breakfast spot, with out of this world bread and salsas. I highly recommend huevos rancheros. But really you can't go wrong on their breakfast menu. I wish we could have had another meal here, as well. Website here. They also have nutritional information. We also ate at the Hotel Santa Fe and both had enchiladas mineras a regional specialty. Chicken thigh over cheese enchiladas with a sauce with tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. A tiny bit bland, but very good with the chile sauce that was on the table. We stayed at El Camino Real and it was a really nice hotel with a great bar and nice breakfast buffet that had some traditional Mexican items and some continental items. I really recommend this hotel although it isn't in the center of town. We also found a couple great bakeries and wandering through the central market is a must they have food stall of all kinds, just be careful there about unpeeled foods, such as some salsas. It is a town that is used to tourists, but prudence is best when it comes to drinking bottled water and such. We also ate at a restaurant up on the Northern Edge of town overlooking the town, perhaps Casa de Valencia. The view was great, but food not so great, but it was a group event so may not have been their regular offerings. Just don't get steak. Mine was raw, I don't mean rare I mean raw, and not very good. Cauliflower soup was very good though. The town is known for its mines of silver and gold, pottery, leather goods and candies. Oh and frog souvenirs as the name Guanajuato means hill of frogs. You can find pictures from my trip here.

Had a really good meal at Pappadeaux in the Houston airport. It was recommended to us by multiple people, and did not disappoint. Hubby had tuna and I had mahi mahi with dirty rice and shrimp and crab. It was a nice sit down meal while we had a decent size layover. I think it is probably the best thing in that airport. IAH

Oh and as a note I generally report both good and bad at most places I go, even just little spots around our hood. However, I had a really awful experience at a place that is a somewhat recent open, but did not post as I think it would be very hurtful. I wrote them an email to which I haven't gotten a response, which is kind of dismaying as to their ability to respond to customer complaints and I didn't have time to talk to someone then as I had a dog on leash. I am giving them one pass as they are new, any other experiences at that place will be reported though as they have been warned about what happened in my situation.

I trust certain people. People I know, either personally or through an online relationship AND whose opinion I trust. But those people are posting less and less and the general masses are taking over. That is why you see me post a lot less there, and much more here. Although I too like Daniel see it as a pay it forward to people from other boards who have been helpful, that's why I answer more tourist threads than any other, except perhaps people moving to my area.

I don't normally ever get comps... but I am a small beans blogger, I do it more as a writing project for me and for my friends who really wanted me to do it. The only comps I have ever gotten were- a free salad at Liberty Tavern and a bottle of wine. The bottle of wine was after a birthday party which they were so great for that I wrote in during the Washington Post food chat, the next time they saw me they gave it to me with a happy birthday note. They deserved everything I said. The salad was another day. But I am not sure whether I got that because I am a regular (which I am) or because I say good things about them on my blog, on here and elsewhere, which I do because they generally tend to deserve it salad or not. But I had a meal I wasn't really fond of recently and I wrote about that too. Mark also gave my husband and I a couple tartare deviled eggs at Ray's and small cups of crab bisque. Again is this because I write, I doubt it. Is it because we patronize the restaurants a good bit and really love Mark and his recommendations and conversations- probably. Does it effect my judgment on Ray's? No, I love that place, but for reasons entirely different. Of course I don't go to big paid dinners- I am not on that list. But I think you just have to take everything you read with a grain of salt. And trust people who tend to have taste similar to yours. I think some people are more professional than others, but that happens all over the place even with paid critics. Maybe not the Post, or Washingtonian for the most part, but with a lot of other publications. Go to an airline lounge and read the magazines and their food guides for different cities, even written by their critics and you quickly realize print is just as bad as digital.

I am not sure if you know that there is a Lavender farm in Warrenton, VA called: Seven Oaks Lavender Farm, website here: http://www.sevenoakslavenderfarm.com/ They have all sorts of Lavender products. I know they were at the Farmer's Market by Blacksalt on Sunday of Mother's Day and are probably at one or another of the markets regularly. I am a big lavender fiend and really like their products. It may do for those times you don't want to make a trip to Pennsylvania.

That is just ridiculous. If they don't want signs up they could politely go in to the business and say something about the regulation. I think they should allow signs there as it is out of the way.

Hey Wendy, Can I ask how the seating/crowds are going now? I used to try to come by and it was always too packed to get a seat without a very long wait. I hope of course this is still the case for your business just wondering when the best times to stop by are, especially because Hubby's work schedule makes it hard to come by at non-rush hour times, but I would really like to bring him by. Thanks.

While they wait 45 minutes for a sub...

In some defense... Ray's uses locally raised beef for their meat as I recall. And generally on the East Coast, especially in this area, that means that the cows are not raised in large stockyards, but on farms in pastures, they generally eat grass, hay and some grain in the winter when there isn't adequate grass. Now if all beef was raised that way we couldn't meet the current demand for beef and prices would sky rocket, but I don't think you can blame Ray's for stockyards as they support local farmers that tend to have much much better practices. And although farm waste does pollute the rivers, streams and oceans around us, in this area it is more from chicken farms and dairy farms, whose cows tend to do a lot more damage to streams. And unfortunately a lot of groups like Trout Unlimited have offered to help cattle and dairy farmers and set up ways to protect the stream while allowing cattle access to water, some won't let them help, and there is not near enough education or help like this available to small farmers who would like those services.

I am sure Dino probably has one. Trummer's on Main probably does too. I would contact them and ask.

Not as sure about the blueberry bread pudding, perhaps if it was warm it would be better. It tasted a bit like a soggy muffin...

Went to Rustico last night. I tried to call to make a reservation for 7:00 pm and they told me that they didn't take reservations for that time, but that we could call ahead. They also didn't let me know (and perhaps they didn't know judging from words from our server) is that a big group of 60 was taking over the bar area, which made the wait for tables REALLY long. Despite this we found a booth at the bar after some jossling and got drinks. Everyone but me ordered what seemed to be interesting beers that they enjoyed. I got a gin and tonic, my usual. Service was very good despite the swamped and I mean swamped bar. I ordered the spinach salad and mushroom pizza with chickpea crust. The server quickly asked if I was allergic to wheat (I am sure the salad would have been edited accordingly had I said yes), which I thought was very thorough, although I am not allergic, just avoiding it. Started with the spinach salad which was very good with grilled ham, blue cheese, spinach and onion strings. I really liked this dish. I thought about ordering it with those mussels which looked very good, but I was craving pizza. The mushroom pizza was interesting. The chickpea crust was actually very good, not as good as real pizza crust, but good. The thing I was unsure about was the mushroom cream. I liked the mushrooms, goat cheese and spinach, but the mushroom cream just didn't add anything for me, especially with the crust being chickpea. My friend got hers with bacon which looked like a good addition, I should have done that, although again I don't know how that would have mixed with the cream sauce. I think if I continue to have to get the chickpea crust that tomato sauce pizzas might be better with it. Anyway I can't wait for the Ballston location to open as there is a lot on the menu I wouldn't mind exploring.

Some Nordstrom's (and maybe a Lord & Taylor or two) still have cafes, but I don't think it is the vibe you are looking for. The Chocolate bar in the Bloomingdales off 5th Avenue uses the old marble counters and lunch station and is pretty cool.

Northside Social had a very boring meal not well prepared and it was just sandwiches, but not impressive at all. On that same note Lyon Hall (and my last trip to Liberty Tavern wasn't as good as normal, but that was about a month ago now I think). Had a dinner at Siroc that was awful, Hubby's entree was better, but not exciting in any way and dessert wasn't even good, same with Zentan just boring nothing that really wowed me. A pizza from Pupatella (which they are new so should get some slack). Last time I went to Taqueria Poblano which is normally a place I really like it didn't seem as good either. Sonoma too, although this could be because they took my favorite seafood dishes off the menu and I just haven't found anything I like quite as much yet (the cheese are charcuterie are still good). Those are the more recent I can think of, it is just a trend I have been noticing that over the past months I have been eating more mediocre food (mostly at middle to high end places, but some not) than I had been in the past. I am trying to think of other places, but we eat so much and have been traveling so much I can't remember the others right now. One of the most interesting meals I had lately was the Volt gazpacho dippin dots at the baseball game. It just seems that there is a lot of boring or mediocre going on. But you are right, I have noticed it more with more fine dining. There have also been a lot of safe menus out there. But I just wanted to see if anyone else had encountered this. Maybe I am just having a spell of bad luck or ordering wrong. I guess I should say that it's not that things have become absolutely awful, just I have been wowed less and less lately or have eaten fewer things that were very interesting or well put together recently. And that is something I felt like I encountered more often in the past.