MODWOP

We stopped by Myanmar today for lunch - about ten minutes to Noon - only to find lights off, door locked, no sign of activity whatsoever. They're closed on Mondays, but not usually on Fridays. Even more ominous - there were UPS attempted-delivery stickers on the door as if no one had been there for a few days. Any word on what's going on here??

http://www.ballstonvasquare.org/farmers.html The Ballston Farmers' Market is in Wellburn Square, which is at 9th Street and N. Stuart Street across from the Ballston Metro. Much better than last year, but still geared toward the lunch-time and "pret-a-manger" crowd. The coffee roaster is definitely worth checking out.

For brunch, especially for a tired Bachelor Party bunch, you might just want to consider "Eggspectation", with a couple of locations in downtown and the old town. The one at de Maisonneuve and Montagne will probably be your best bet unless you're staying way up the Plateau. Yes, it's a chain, but they don't mess up your basic brunch selections, have a big enough floor plan to deal with your party, and have a large bar selection for hair o'the dog. Reasonable, as well. For dinners, La Sila on Rue St. Denis used to be very reliable Italian with a good wine list and the capacity for groups.....unfortunately haven't been in a few years and I heard they changed hands, so a little investigating might be in order. Also, you may want to try a trio of restaurants owned by the same group - Primadonna, Med Grill, and Sofia, all located on "The Main"/Rue St. Laurent and all on OpenTable.com reservations system, I think. They're presented as trendy/hip, with often something-for-everyone menus (Primadonna is Italian&Sushi!?!) and I KNOW they can handle groups, because some of the Formula One teams have group dinners there during the Canadian Grand Prix in June. Of course, don't know if the "scenery" (beautiful young ladies) is as good when the F1 drivers aren't there!

Venturing into uncharted territory next week and spending several days and a weekend enjoying REAL winter in Stockholm, Sweden. Have any intrepid DonRockwellians sampled the scene and wish to share??

Assolutamente straordinario, si mangia da dio !!!!! (......that's "mmmm, darn tasty" in Italian) What a magnificent evening with charming company; can't wait to see what NotQuickDraw's camera phone captured!

The Bistro Bis Segway rider has written to the Reliable Source chat in the Washington Post Live OnLine: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/conten...6012701279.html I won't excerpt it here, but his post is currently halfway down and is identified as "Las Vegas, Nev., and Washington, D.C.:". He has apparently left his phone number with the Reliable Source ladies.....

OK, well it really can end now thanks to Sietsema. Add the "parsnips" comment to Tom's "waitress on a low-carb diet" = now that's two people who have had a similarly wonky experience. From today's chat: "Mixed Grille, Va.: Tom, have you tried the newish Essential Grille near Tyson's? Any impressions? Also, any idea why restaurants around here often add an "e" to the end of "Grill"? Does it make the food taste better? Mendocino GrillE, Dupont GrillE, Capital GrillE, Oakville GrillE and, of course, The GrillE. (I'd like to buy a vowel - and some parsnips.) Tom Sietsema: I was eager to try the Essential, based on its menu and glowing releases. But WHAT a disappointment! First, there's this really nutty service: Our waitress kept telling everyone in her section she couldn't recommend any dish that featured a starch because "I'm on a low carb diet. Too much information, I know." Our main courses came within two minutes of our appetizers, and when we asked the staff to take the entrees back, they were later returned to us having been thoroughly overcooked in the warming ovens or wherever. The food was a mess. And the place looks like a fast food chain. Ugh.