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Lola007

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Posts posted by Lola007

    M & Ms

    in Shopping and Cooking

    Posted

    SHE FOUND COCONUT M & Ms? I have looked at every CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Target, and grocery store in several states for months. I thought they were a dream.

    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.

    Italian near Georgetown or Foggy Bottom

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    I haven't been, but Il Canale seems to get mostly good reviews.

    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.

    Safeway

    in Shopping and Cooking

    Posted

    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! :)

    Thai X-ing, Owner Taw Vigsittaboot's Thai on 5th Street and Florida Avenue in LeDroit Park, and 9th and V Street in Shaw

    in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    So I was looking over the take-out menu and IDed some things we would order. I just placed this call about 10 minutes ago, and here's how it went:

    ME: Hi I'd like to place an order for carry-out tomorrow.

    TAW: Carry-out tomorrow? OK, how many people will it be?

    ME: For carryout? Two.

    TAW: Two for carryout. So what were you thinking?

    ME: Well, I'd like to order the #9, the Nam Tok and then I was leaning towards --

    TAW: okay

    ME: -- leaning towards a curry, maybe the Pumpkin curry --

    TAW: okay, sounds like you don't have any menu restrictions? You eat meat? Well I can do A curry, but then I'll do a noodle and then a vegetable? Would you like a Mango sticky rice for dessert?

    ME: uh, I guess?

    TAW: Ok good. What time will you pick up?

    ME: let's see you open at 5:00?

    TAW: . . . 5:30 . . . or 6:00.

    ME: ok 6.

    TAW: Okay, see you tomorrow.

    ME: Ok sounds good. Uh, do I have to bring anything special or do anything?

    TAW: What are you talking about, this is just carry-out!

    ME: Right.

    EDIT: figured it would be a good idea to know how much to pay, so I called back 45 minutes later to ask. Got the Voicemail, which says the following:

    Fri and Saturday: $40 price fixe menu served by candlelight

    Sunday: $30 price fixe vegan/veggie menu served by candlelight

    Mon thru Thur: Chef Choice only

    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.

    Dining in New York City

    in New York City Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    The Challenge: Lunch or dinner for 14 people, mixture of adults and teenagers/children (youngest is 11), below 14th Street. Other than Otto, what would work for a group this size? TIA.

    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.

    Zorba's Cafe, Connecticut Ave. in Dupont Circle

    in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    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'll Have the Screaming Toddler, Please

    in News and Media

    Posted

    Some of my best memories of childhood involve the "special" occasions when our family would go out to try different restaurants, and wherever it was, we were expected to be quiet, stay seated and eat all our food (for the sake of starving children in Africa). If we had started screaming, we would have been yanked out of our seats and taken outside or to the bathroom immediately. The same is true for our kid (except for the guilt trip about eating everything on the plate). Because pizza places are usually the most kid-friendly, we have frequented them more than others, and pizza is one of his favorite foods. He knows 2 Amy's, Pete's and Radius by name, and he is well-behaved because we're so paranoid about pissing off other diners. Teaching children to behave in social settings is a duty, as is adults learning to tolerate sharing public space with children. And by the way, on our recent trip to "we're not kid-friendly" Marvin, the noise was from all the adults, not our kid.

    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'll Have the Screaming Toddler, Please

    in News and Media

    Posted

    It's my experience that many parents treat all pizza joints like they're Chuck E. Cheeses. (e.g., 2 Amys, Pie-Tanza). I suspect once Orso becomes more well known, it too would become a mad house (although the pricing may be a deterrent to hooligan parents).

    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.

    Dinner for Monster-in-Law

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    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.

    Saturday Lunch

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    I realize you're looking south, but have you already ruled out Volt in Frederick? On Saturdays they have a 3-course lunch in the main dining room and a 5-course lunch in the chef's private dining room. It's a pretty drive on the weekends.

    For the most part it lives up to the hype, although I still find the Converse "Chuck Taylor" sneakers distracting.

    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.

    Sabatino's, S. High and Fawn Streets, Little Italy

    in Baltimore and Annapolis Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    Went to Sabotino's this past Sunday and I can't understand what happen to this traditional Itailan restaurant. This was the best food in little Italy 20 yrs ago and had a great spot, now the food taste like leftovers. I took my Mother there for her birthday (she has been going there for the past 20 yrs) and she was so dissapointed. I am writing this so that somehow the owners will see this and get it back to where it was before. My family had a lot of great meals and memoirs here and we want it to get back on track, the only thing that was good was the service and the Garlic bread, the food tasted like Olive Garden.

    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...

    Dining Near New York's Penn Station

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    Assuming you got out at 5, you could take the train up and eat at Nougatine at Jean Georges, and make it back to Penn Station by 8pm. If you got out at 6 it could be too close for comfort, though. Alternatively, and this is kind of a hike, you could try and get down to Scarpetta.

    And for lowbrow, you can walk across the street from Penn Station into a Brother Jimmy's.

    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.

    Dining Near New York's Penn Station

    in Help Needed

    Posted

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

    I can't justify spending that much on a steak when I can get better food and service at half the price at Ray's. :)

    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.

    Dining Near New York's Penn Station

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    Looks for fancy-shmancy dining near Penn Station that can feed me dinner between the end of my executive power meeting at 5 or 6 and my train leaving for DC at 8 on Wednesday, June 15th...

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

    Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, an Enormous Atlanta-Based Franchise Acquired by AFC Enterprises in 1993

    in Washington DC Restaurants and Dining

    Posted

    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.

    Lunch Near US Botanical Gardens

    in Help Needed

    Posted

    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

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