sparkycom

I want to say a huge thank-you to Pat for organizing our fab picnic! So good to see pals with shared experiences from 8+ years to now, a few of whom I keep up with in person, on DR, FB, Twitter and (gasp) LinkedIn. Note to LoveHockey: I lived in Nainamo for 2.5 years and could not tolerate the treacle-y sweetness of Nanaimo bars that I sampled throughout Vancouver Island. I tried yours and now I get it. You tempered the chocolate to provide a good snap, stayed light on the coconut and the pastry creme filling and that made all of the difference for me. Nice work.

Caesar dip with anchovies & parm sounds so good! And thanks for the deviled egg support. I'll bring those, one cooler w/ ice, an empty cooler or two & some wine. Pat, anything else?

I'll be there, still undecided on what to bring. (Maybe more deviled eggs? Can you have too many?) I will bring a cooler of ice as well.

Pains me to say it, don't stop believin'. (Thirty-one years later, I still do not like this song.)

Lyon Hall closing at 3; Liberty Tavern will stay open.

Whitlows on Wilson-will open at 11:00 am, half-priced burgers all day.

http://on.fb.me/Rnz4a7 Frying chicken, almost done!

Decided to check out Fuego on Tues. night. We started with the Fundido (Chihuahua & Oaxaca Cheeses) + fresh corn tortillas ($9). It comes in a small skillet, super-hot from the heat, nicely spiced with assorted peppers. My husband got the Carne Asada ($23), steak topped with a small salad of nopalitos & onions. I love lengua tacos & rellenos, went for the Rellenos ($16), one stuffed with beef picadillo and one with cheese. Other dining companions got the Carnitas ($17), Beer-Marinated Mussels ($13 as an appetizer, not sure what the cost was as an entree), our two teenagers got the House Salad as main course ($8) and Chicken Tacos ($7). Overall, everything was very tasty and the service was good. Major complaint: the noise factor. I was shocked at how I could not hear my friends across the table and how they could not hear me. Maybe it's my hearing, age, whatever. Minor complaint: my picadillo relleno was too sweet for my taste and I spent a good deal of the night coveting my pal's carnitas. ( I think I have been spoiled by the DR member who brought Cuban picadillo to the picnic one year. He/she struck a great balance with that dish that I still think about.) In all, Fuego is getting a lot of things right. I have not addressed the noise factor with the management, but, perhaps I should.

Banco, I can bring a chafing dish for you.

I'm in, thinking about bringing coffee-chipotle brisket and maybe gougeres.

Can't decide if I want to buy one or try to build my own.... http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670610/nomiku-redesigning-sous-vide-cooking-for-the-home

Happy to find a violet gelato with chocolate bits at the Clarendon location. I do like the Choward violet chewing gum (somewhat difficult to find outside of NYC) and this was a cool reminder of that flavor. It was lightly flavored and not cloying. Couldn't help but wonder what a scoop would taste like topped with a bit of limoncello.

This won't help for today, but, Livin' the Pie Life is a regular vendor at the Clarendon Farmer's Market on Wednesdays (3:00-7:00) at the Clarendon Metro. You can also order online. Delicious fillings & crust! http://www.livinthepielife.com/Home.html

Great advice, thanks!

I had to toss everything three days ago. For the 6th time in two years in Arlington. For the record, I'm now in the market for a generator. Advice appreciated.