Lola007

Nice report, heiney90. Sounds like you had a great time. I really like Taim's falafel. It's better than any falafel I've tried in DC. Am not a fan of Momofuku though. The ramen soup that I had there was worse than even the packaged stuff I used to eat when I was in college. So salty that it was inedible. Friends of mine liked the pork buns, but honestly with all the great restos in NYC, I can't see waiting at Momofuku. The next time I'm up there, I'd like to try Eleven Madison Park (EMP) and Locanda Verde. Am also planning to go to Pylos (Greek), Alta (Spanish), and maybe Aldea (Portuguese) too.

Thanks for the update, Hannah. Sounds like a winner. Anyway, I need an alternative to Bonne Maman.

My latest find at Trader Joes: Sea salt Brownie Petites--rich, chocolate mini-brownies sprinkled with French sea salt. They're almost as good as fleur de sel caramels!

As I wasn't stuffed by the "Taste of Georgetown" event yesterday and had a couple of errands to do in the area, I ended up at Dean & Deluca to get my proscuitto di parma fix and pick up some olives. I got some of my absolute favorite olives--black cerignolas and also one of my new favorites, some amazing lemon-soaked green Sevillana olives. And since I was there, I checked out the wine section. They really do have a wonderful selection of California and Oregon wines. I was in the mood for Pinot Noir, and Chris of D&D's wine department helped me choose a slightly spicy 2006 Pinot from Daedalus Cellars (Willamette Valley, Oregon). I'm enjoying a glass now.

A glass of a slightly spicy 2006 Daedalus Cellars Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon). Thanks to Chris at Dean & Deluca for helping me discover this!

I braved the crowds and checked this out with a friend yesterday. Here are the highlights of our eating experience: HITS - Neyla (Lebanese): The chicken shawarma sliders were juicy, fresh, and well seasoned. It was a good reminder that I need to visit Neyla again soon. - Baked & Wired: The cherry pie was probably the best I've ever had. The crust was somewhat crumbly and delicious, and the cherries were slightly tart. Excellent! - Bourbon Steak: The butterscotch pudding was very good. I was only disappointed that they didn't feature any meat dishes (just some sort of "lettuce cup" and the pudding) - Cafe Bonaparte:We had a couple of sweet crepes--one with nutella and powdered sugar and another one with nutella, fresh bananas, and powdered sugar. Both were delicious, and we were impressed at how quickly Bonaparte's staff worked to keep up with the crowd. MISSES - Agraria's chocolate-covered bacon lollipops were a MAJOR FAIL. After two bites, I had to trash it. The chocolate wasn' t bad, but the bacon tasted like pure fat. - Georgetown Cupcake- Midway through the event, they ran out of cupcakes! They told ticket holderss that they could stop by the shop until 9 pm to get their cupcakes. Around 8:00 pm, the line was a mile long and the people just outside the front door said they had been there for an hour and 15 minutes. I really couldn't stay, so I spoke with the shop's owner who said I could return today. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it today, and I understood that they wouldn't be honoring them later. I had actually never tried Georgetown Cupcake's cupcakes before, so I had been looking forward to it. However, I've also heard that long wait times and at times, shortages are a frequent occurrence. I'll probably give Georgetown Cupcake another try, but with excellent cupcakes in the same area from Baked & Wired and Furin's, I don't see waiting in any long lines. - Bodega: I'm not a fan of Bodega's food in general, so I passed. But my friend tried the paella, which had been prepared in a giant vat. She said the seasoning was pretty good, but the rice was mushy. It did not appeal to me at all. - I also tasted some inedible mini-burgers/sliders (I think, but am not 100% sure that they were from J. Paul's). The burger was slightly charred on the outside, but completely raw on the inside. And there were beef tenderloin sandwiches from Morton's, but after my raw burger experience, I hesitated to eat what appeared to be very rare meat. I didn't make it to the wine-tasting pavilion, which was treated like a separate event. Overall, the Taste of Georgetown was OK, but I wasn't wowed. Some things could be better. In future, I hope they'll have more drink options, accept credit cards for event tickets (they only took cash or checks, and implement measures to ensure that participating restaurants deliver what they promise. Also, it would be nice to have more places to sit and eat. P.S. Not about food, but another highlight was getting to see some nice dogs from the Washington Animal Rescue League. I especially enjoyed meeting "Arlo", an adorable 5-month old pit bull (sweet disposition and friendly to kids, adults, and of course, anyone holding a plate of food!). Hopefully, he'll have a new home soon.

Thanks, Hannah. If it's like a fruit butter, it may work even better for me than a jam as I'm thinking of making up a cheese plate with jellies that I'll pair with Prosecco. Spreading a fruit butter on slices of baguette won't be as messy as a thick jam.

Volt will be offering a special five-course dinner featuring Elk Run wines on October 13. Here's the information I received from Volt:

I'm thinking of stopping by since there will be wine-tasting and some of my favorite restos are participating (Baked & Wired, Bourbon Steak, Dean & Deluca). Did anyone go last year, and was it a mob scene?

I am thoroughly enjoying a glass of my favorite Barbaresco -- 2005 Produttori del Barbaresco!

As I sit here savoring my cherry tootsie roll pop, I got as far as, "avoid snack foods with the 'oh' sound in its name-- ho-ho's, doritos, etc." I get a gold star as I have none of these foods in my house (at the moment). Thanks for posting the link, KMango. Interesting read.

Thanks, Heather! I guess I'll have to eat it then.

a cherry tootsie roll pop! Maybe it's b/c Halloween is almost here, or I'm just being a big kid. P.S. I bought a bag of them. My favorite flavors are cherry, grape, and orange. I have no idea what the bright blue one is--blueberry? (:

I think the truck is at New York and 6th. The company is out of Sandy Springs, Georgia. I also read that they are testing the market, and that they would be there until tonight. Here are some early reports from a couple of highly reliable Chowhounds:

Actually, they would clean up if they were open late nights b/c all the bar-goers get the munchies and pack Julia's Empanadas nearby. Mwahahaha (evil laugh), I hope they do open weekend late nights..that way I won't have to wait so long or deal with obnoxious, wasted people at Julia's when I'm waiting to get my empanada and saltena fix.

Thanks for the link to the Whiskey Exchange, Sthitch. The last time I saw and bought Cherry Marnier was in Amsterdam. I'm down to just a few drops, so this is helpful.

Bueller, Bueller, anyone? My Dell laptop is on its last leg, so I may be getting a netbook sooner, rather than later. If anyone has an HP or other model (not Dell!) that they've had good experiences with, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!

Thank you! Count me among those who dislike the term "foodie." I have yet to find one word that accurately describes my appreciation of good food and certain cuisines. I understand that a lot of people have no problem describing themselves as "foodies," but I can't help feeling that the term is pretentious and narcissistic, especially when it is self ascribed.

Thanks, I guess they're brand new at Penn Quarter. That location isn't listed on Copper Pot's web site (http://www.copperpotfoodco.com/html/findus.html), but is on the Freshfarm market site (http://freshfarmmarkets.org/markets/penn_quarter.html).

Thanks! It would probably be better if I could taste it before buying it b/c mushy doesn't appeal to me. I should say that I'm not a jam expert either, but in addition to flavor, texture/consistency is important to me. P.S. The sauces do look enticing! Good to know! I'm something of a lightweight, so that's helpful info. Thanks everyone! This board is fantastic.

I read about Copper Pot Food Company's delicious sounding jams--especially the peach and Prosecco and strawberry and vanilla bean--some months ago in the Washingtonian. Has anyone tried any of them? I understand you can find them at some local farmers markets. Thanks. http://www.copperpotfoodco.com/html/jams.html

Where did you find the Cherry Marnier? I love it in champagne cocktails. Thanks.

Great idea! I need to go to Dino soon as I'm very curious about the "Mexican argument" drink...

Boynton Beach My parents (the lucky ducks!) go there every week. And I'm convinced that Flakowitz's pastrami, lean corned beef is even better than the big name delis in NYC. I think that Flakowitz has just two locations--the Boynton one that has been written up in the press--and the Boca Raton location. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/restaurants/sfl-sh31pdinepboct31,0,115451.story

Thanks, porcupine. It's too bad that there are no good (or even decent) places for bubble tea in the District (sigh). I quickly read the thread you posted, and that seems to be the consensus. I think a trip to A&J for food (glorious food) and bubble tea is in order, or I might make it to Bubble Tea Cafe.