Lola007

I am enjoying a caipiroska (lime, sugar, vodka -- the perfect drink for a heatwave.

I found coconut M&Ms last winter at the CVS at 22nd & M Street. The Van Ness CVS also had them briefly, but discontinued them due to a lack of interest. Anyway, I thought they tasted strange--like plastic or something really artificial. I ended up giving away my supply; that's how bad I thought they were. More recently, I've been enjoying the peanut butter M&Ms. Along with milk chocolate M&Ms, they're my favorite.

I've been to Il Canale a couple of times, and it's pretty good. I've had the pizza, gnocchi, proscuitto and melon appetizer, spinach salad, and cannoli. I especialy enjoyed the proscuitto and melon dish and spinach salad. As for the pizza, it was excellent the first time I was there, but the other day, my friend got a white pizza, and the dough was on the chewy side, and not very crisp. Also, I liked the atmosphere better at lunchtime compared with dinner. The place is very noisy on weekends (dinner), but I found lunchtime on the rooptop terrace to be really very pleasant. As for Primi Piati, I haven't been lately, so am not sure how it is these days. Filomena in Georgetown is OK. I also love the gnocchi at Al Tiramisu (in Dupont, not far from Georgetown), but the service there can be an issue.

I checked out the new Georgetown Safeway earlier this evening. The floors are sparkling, there are tons of employees (most who seem to be in training, but all very nice), and the aisles are wide and well organized. But on the whole, I think it's more expensive than the Giant near me. And some things are even cheaper at Whole Foods. I also wasn't impressed with the deli or prepared foods counter. The salads and side dishes looked sad. And the bakery, despite having a lot of different kinds of bread, wasn't impressive either. Supposedly, they have "artisan breads," but the ones I saw weren't fresh. On the positive side, I did find a couple of condiment items like very hot Chinese mustard that I haven't been able to find at Giant or Whole Foods. And blueberries were on sale for $1.99/pint (with your Safeway club card). I estimate that I spent 15-20% more than I would have if I had shopped at Giant. That's what I get for going grocery shopping on an empty stomach!

LMAO. That is too funny. I admire your patience. Let us know how the food is and if there are any new twists and turns with the great Taw.

Yes! A big thanks to leleboo.. I kept wondering if my post had been removed (and if I had been booted from the system) for some unknown reason. Thanks for saving our posts!

Lupa might work. Staff there has been very accomodating of the teens/kids in our group on more than one occasion. I also second the recommendation for DBGB. And although it's not below 14th St; it's on E. 18th), I've been hearing very good things about ABC Kitchen, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s latest restaurant, which features reasonably priced farm-to-table food and great cocktails.

Had a nice light bite at Zorba's last night. It was a perfect evening to sit outside and enjoy the breeze while it lasted. Since I had a big lunch earlier, I wasn't very hungy. So, I got a bowl of Kotόsoupa Avgolémono (Greek chicken soup with veggies, rice, lemon, and egg). I've definitely had better Greek chicken-lemon soup (the best I've had at a restaurant was at Pylos in New York City). Zorba's version is on the watery side and doesn't have enough lemon for my taste; however, it also had a ton of chicken chunks in it, and was really quite filling. Cost: $4.45 plus tax. And the highlight for me was a delicious roll filled with feta. I had tried Zorba's olive rolls before and really liked them, but the feta roll was surprisingly very, very good. My friend got the moussaka, which he said was kind of heavy, but hey, that's the way moussaka is supposed to be. If I had been hungrier, I probably would have ordered a gyro platter. I hadn't been to Zorba's for a while, so last night's dinner was a good reminder that it's still got some of the best cheap eats around, and is a fun place to people watch.

I was raised the same way you were (including the part about eating everything on our plates), and I agree that it's up to parents to teach their kids how to behave in social settings. I also think you make a good point about adults learning to tolerate sharing public space with children (and if kids are well behaved or not running around unsupervised by their parents in a restaurant dining room, I have no problem with that.) What you said reminded me of a review of Cafe Bonaparte that I read on Urbanspoon earlier today. An out-of-towner from Chicago took her two well-behaved daughters (7 and 11) for an early dinner (or really late lunch), and according to her review, the server made a rude comment about the children. Apparently, that motivated the person to join Urbanspoon and post this review: http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/profile/797773/Traveler.html It's too bad.

I think you once referred to 2 Amys as romper room, which I think is a fair description of the atmosphere there. It's too bad. The thing that gets me (and this is not only about what goes on in 2 Amys) is that most parents I've seen are oblivious to the fact that their kids' behavior is disturbing other people, and if they do notice, are afraid to do anything about it. I now only get carry-out from 2Amys, but wish I could actually go there and enjoy a meal. And I really hope Pizzeria Orso doesn't become a haven for shrieking little angels and their adoring parents. So far, I haven't heard anything to that effect. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I wouild skip Italian altogether too, especially becauset the M-I-L can get that at home and may inevitably find that nothing in the DC area compares to what she's used to. Whenever I have picky out-of-town, somewhat difficult to please guests (and sigh, family), I take them to the Blue Duck Tavern (where, on a nice evening, you can sit outside on the lovely patio). Everyone I've taken has really enjoyed the food and the ambiance. Good luck.

I second the recommendation for Volt. Agree that the Converse sneakers are distracting and IMHO out of place as well. But the food and ambiance are great. Definitely would be my preference over stuffy places like the Palm.

Have to wonder what happened there. And where can we good for a good meal in Baltimore's Little Italy these days?

Anna Blume wrote: Cherries from Quaker Valley are good, too. Anna, is Quaker Valley at the Dupont FM? And thanks to everyone who posted about cherry sightings. Much appreciated.

Thank you for posting this although I'm sorry to get confirmation that Sabatino's has gone downhill. I haven't been there is at least 8 years, but had some friends who were visiting Baltimore last summer tell me that the food was atrocious. What a shame. The last time I was there, my little nieces were over the moon with the spaghetti and meatballs, and I recall having some very good gnocchi as well. I wonder which restaurants in Baltimore's Little Italy are good these days...

Morso's Facebook page was updated a little while ago. It says that Morso is closed temporarily, but will re-open shortly. It also mentions that Morso Express is open! No-nonsense, no-drama announcement: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/Morso/215600128443 EDIT: Suspense...from Ed Witt's Twitter page: http://twitter.com/edwitt

Nougatine and Scarpetta are great although time-wise it doesn't look like Scarpetta would be all that feasible. For a non-fancy option, I'd go to Shake Shack.

Have you actually been to Keens? Not knocking Ray's (would never do that, especially here), but Keens is definitely a different kind of experience---very old school New York and in my experience, totally worth it. I've also had consistently excellent food and service there. Anyway, you said fancy, and in the immediate area around Penn Station, the pickings are kind of slim.

Keens Steakhouse on W. 36th comes to mind. It's my favorite steakhouse in NYC and is a short walk from Penn Station.

Belated happy birthday wishes to monavano! Hope you had a wonderful day.

There must be something in the air. I hadn't set foot in a Popeye's for 10+ years until a few days ago. I was doing errands in Tenleytown, and was suddenly very thirsty. I popped into Popeye's for a sweet iced tea (which was OK, but not great). Was hungry too, but I couldn't bring myself to eat anything there. A little while later I passed by Crisp & Juicy where I could have gotten an Inca Kola. The crowd there was even more bizarre than Popeye's--several people slumped over their food, seemingly passed out or taking a nap. A little while later I met a friend at Guapo's where we had a rather disappointing meal. Maybe eating something at Popeye's wouldn't have been that bad after all.

Has anyone found really good sweet cherries at one of the DC farmers' markets? I've found some pretty decent ones at WFM and Giant, but would like to get some at a farmer's market... Thanks.

It seems that the news is spreading. Tom Sietsema tweeted about Ed Witt leaving, but no mention of Morso closing: http://twitter.com/tomsietsema

Cachaca, blue curacao... that drink looks amazing! Calgon, take me away! I haven't made anything with coconut water as sophisticated or attractive as that yet. So far, I've made a kind of pina colada on the rocks with it. It was OK, but not as good as the frozen version.

Mitsitam may very well be your best bet given your requirements. But if you're willing to walk a little farther, you might also consider the National Gallery's Garden Café. It's absolutely lovely, and I've always enjoyed my meals there. Right now, they're offering a special French menu. A friend of mine (who's a vegetarian) went last weekend and raved about it. I believe you can either get the buffet or order a la carte. If you do decide to go there, I'd advise getting there early (11:00-11:30am ish) and calling ahead to see if you can reserve. http://www.nga.gov/dining http://www.nga.gov/pdf/dale-menu.pdf