LauraB

Threat of thunderstorms sidetracked our plans to grill. Broiled lamb loin chops Sauteed rainbow chard with garlic and EVOO Steamed asparagus

I'm going to be in the San Diego/La Jolla area for a few days in July. I grew up in Los Angeles, so I was weaned on Mexican food. Really hoping to find some good Mexican food in San Diego. I've read the entire thread and haven't seen anything much about good Mexican, especially recently. Anyone have anything to report? Thanks.

Dinner tonight was a slice of toasted Attwater's sunflower/flax bread and a bowl of WF salsa eaten with a spoon while on the phone for *2 hours* with Quickbooks tech support . Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Friday evening, although it was made better by the 2 glasses of "Le Petiot" Sauvignon Blanc (thanks Don!) and the fact that they actually fixed the seemingly intractable problem...at least for today.

Same here. I've stopped buying the organic garlic at WF and now buy regular garlic at (aack) Safeway. I have no idea what's going on, but it's been going on for several months now.

Need your advice: going to be in NYC for a very important birthday -- yes, one of those with a 0 on the end. Want to have one blowout dinner for the celebration. Right now we are vacillating between Per Se and Le Bernardin. However, would really like your input. Also, would love suggestions for a less opulent dinner the second night. Open to all cuisines. Thanks so much!

LOL! Trying to set a (sober) example for my 20-something daughter. Now, if it had been just me and my husband, well....

Roasted whole chicken in tamarind butter: Marinade: coriander seeds, star anise, cinnamon stick, garlic, soy sauce Sauce: unsalted butter, tamarind liquid, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar syrup, cayenne Barley and zucchini

Was in NYC for 2 days a couple of weeks ago. Had 2 phenomenal meals: Candle79: 79th and Lexington Avenue My daughter and I had lunch here following a visit to the Picasso exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art -- a 5 block walk from the museum. This is a vegan restaurant and while neither of us are vegan or even vegetarian, the meal was fantastic. So much so that I contemplated cancelling our dinner reservations and returning here for dinner. The menu changes seasonally, so it may not be useful for me to list what we had. We were there for lunch, so we didn't look at their wine list. I will say that they have perhaps the best list of non-alcoholic drinks I've ever seen. We both had the iced tea which may be the best iced tea I've ever had in a restaurant. The table next to us had a round of their house-made Ginger Ale and while I haven't had a 'soda' in more than a decade, I was seriously tempted by the sight of such a lucious drink -- so ordered one and daughter and I shared it -- WOW! This is nothing like the Canada Dry Ginger Ale you buy at your local grocery store. This was ginger heaven in a glass. Given that it was Spring, I had the soup of the day: Asparagus Soup which was really delicious. As an entree I had the Spring Harvest Paella in a Saffron-Red Pepper Sauce which was tasty, if not the best thing I've ever eaten. My daughter ordered the Burrito which was incredibly good! We did not order dessert because we were too full. Service was way beyond good. Seasonal: 132 West 58th Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues Chose this restaurant because it's Austrian and I spent several years of my youth in Austria. Even if you've never been to Austria, you'd like this restaurant. This was a lovely meal -- we had the seasonal tasting menu and I did not take notes, so can't provide details. I can say that the food, the service, the wine, and the ambiance were all excellent.

I haven't been to Plume, but it seems that the reviews are very mixed. It seems like an iffy proposition. I've been to J&G 3 times and every time it has delivered on every score -- food/wine, service, ambiance. Regarding the view: J&G is on the ground floor of the W Hotel. There is no 'view' as such. However, if you get a window table, you can have a view of the Washington Monument, which at night, when it's lit up, is pretty dramatic. If a view is important, my recommendation would be that you book a pre-dinner reservation at the POV Lounge on the top of the hotel which has the incredible view and have a drink up there before going down to dinner. I think the drinks and apps up there are pretty lousy, but the main purpose in going up there is the view.

Risotto with salmon, white wine, lemon zest, mint, tarragon, parsley, onions, garlic, ricotta salata Steamed asparagus Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler

Rhubarb-strawberry cobbler -- couldn't resist the rhubarb and strawberries at the farmers market yesterday!

Grilled lamb merguez sausages Flageolet beans with tomatoes, green beans, shallots, white wine, parsley, tarragon Cabbage slaw with arugula, persian cucumbers, scallions, parsley, dressed with vinaigrette of olive oil, garlic, crushed fennel seeds, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, capers, shallot, champagne vinegar

Asparagus soup Persian cucumbers marinated in dill vinaigrette Alaskan halibut steaks roasted in tomato-herb sauce

Forgive my ignorance, please explain.

A meal in one dish: Quinoa with moroccan-spiced sweet potato and carrot stew: onion, garlic, sweet paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, saffron, tomatoes, lemon juice, cilantro, mint

Good for your doctor. Not many doctors are well-versed in nutrition. I don't know if your doctor mentioned this, but it's best to eat flaxseed 'ground', not whole. You'll get more benefit from it as it's more easily processed by your body. You can buy ground flaxseed at Whole Foods or natural foods stores like Mom's. Be sure to keep it refrigerated as it can get rancid, just like any other seed. I usually add my ground flaxseed into a protein shake for breakfast, or add it to cooked oatmeal -- I like Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats.

FWIW, today's Groupon is for Bobby's: $10 buys you $20 worth of food and drinks.

I shop at the Whole Foods in the Kentlands in Gaithersburg. I've been really surprised to discover numerous times that items on the shelf had exceeded their sell by date. Usually I discovered this after I had bought it and brought it home. Often, the sell by date had been exceeded by months, not days I am very careful now to inspect the date on the package. So, I guess I'm not surprised that the meat you bought was over-ripe. As it turns out, Whole Foods is not all that.

I assumed they meant Gillian Clark, formerly of Colorado Kitchen and now of The General Store in Silver Spring. She's known for taking no prisoners when it comes to customer requests that don't fit her modus operandi.

Watercress, daikon and avocado salad with miso dressing (miso, olive oil, lemon juice, brown rice syrup, toasted mustard seeds) Moroccan style chickpea soup with roasted red pepper coulis

Bummer! So sorry. I can only imagine what that's like.

Why is EVOO on your banned substances list?

I love my 10" Wusthof as well. When is it that Sur La Table sharpens your Wusthofs for free?

Halibut fillets marinated in fish sauce, sake, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, cilantro, sugar, salt & pepper, then broiled Stir-fried baby bok choy with ginger, rice wine, chicken stock, soy sauce, kuzu, finished with toasted sesame oil Green beans dressed with sauce from bok choy

I agree it does get very loud and crowded in the evenings. That's why we try to go very early and our experiences have been better. Granted, we don't have a toddler in tow, just 2 adults. We especially love the Lamb Kapama and the Spanakopita.