John William G

I don't know if this qualifies as a hint or not: My dish was called Shrimp Acadiana, and Mrs. G's dish was Arctic Char.

Not Black Salt.

Where did we dine? My entrée, and Mrs. G's entrée:

Bingo! Trummer's it was. I thought the hushpuppies were a bit unusual for them, and would make it harder to guess..

No one has identified mine yet. It is a Virginia restaurant, and I am not at a bar. It was a pork dish, with hushpuppies and kale.

No, but from the photos on their web page I can see how you guessed that.

Where did I dine?

I'll raise a glass to that, too.

Maybe my expectations were very low, but I liked it more than I thought I would. It was interesting to see what people would cook when the judges had to evaluate it after only one bite. I’ll watch it at least another time or two. Who knows, it may grow on me.

There is a new, and different, cooking show starting tonight on ABC: “The Taste.” The New York Times thinks it might be worth watching. I have my doubts, but we shall see.

When I lived in NYC everyone told me that NYC had the best bagels because of the water, which apparently was piped down from upstate. Alas I understand that the city no longer gets all of its water from the previous source, so the bagels are no longer as good as they once were.

Mrs. G and I drove to Frederick Sunday and ate at Volt for the first time. We decided to try the three course fixed price brunch. Given that this was our first visit I can't say if Volt is improving or going down hill; but we couldn’t have been more pleased. All of the staff we met were courteous and helpful. The dining room was comfortable and roomy. Most importantly the food itself was unusual and delicious. The brunch menu (and others) is on line at their website. The only complaint we had is that it is a good hour’s drive from our house in Springfield. Given that, we are not likely to eat dinner there, but we will definitely be back for brunch. I posted one photo of the meal here. Here is another of my second course, the French toast d’anjou pear, pecans, bourbon, sweet cream.

Choirgirl21, you've got it. Mrs. G and I had the three course fixed price brunch at Volt today, and that was my desert.

No, not Trummer's. It is a desert, and it is almond cake.

Where did I dine?

My experience earlier this week was a little different. They forgot to bring us water and bread until we asked for them. The butternut squash soup was excellent, and according to my wife the chicken dish she had was very good. My sea bass with basmati-Champagne sauce was only so-so. It didn't have much taste. It wasn't a bad meal but it wasn't up to the levels of previous meals we've had there.

My wife and I used t go there often, but for some reason we haven't been in nearly a year. I'm not one to judge the authenticity of Indian food, but like you I have found it well prepared and enjoyable.

My schedule is now fixed. I'll be there, +1. I'll bring a rice and vegetable salad.

Foreign Policy magazine lists the “The 10 Best McDonald's Meals You Won't Find in the U.S.” For example, The McArabia in Morocco, the Croque McDo in France, and the BigSpicy Paneer Wrap in India.

Well that's depressing.

I'll be there, but since my sister and her husband may be in town that weekend, I don't know yet if I will be +1 or +3. I should know in a couple of weeks.

I'll be out of town on the 21st.

bettyjoan I am very glad to see your post about Cakes & Ale. I'm going to Atlanta in two weeks, and my daughter just told me that she made a reservation for us there. I'll probably try some of the things that you recommended.

So...Will there be a picnic this fall? It would be disappointing not to be able to enjoy some face time & food with fellow Rockwellians.

In my limited experience there are good places to go for restaurant week, and bad ones. For example, we were at Vermillion last night, and ate off of the restaurant week menu. The food was excellent, the service was excellent; I have no complaint whatsoever.