Go for Gin

We go to Lafayette next week and I forgot about this thread; result was I stated another one that I should not have.

Question: Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge? Cafe Vermilionville in Lafayette? The Old Tyme Market for shrimp and/or oyster Po oys in Lafayette: has anyone been?

I haven't been there yet but the Cochon in Lafayette is now open. I'd definitely give it a try.

Cochon in Lafayette

The Capitol Deal

Local 16 - $15 for $30 value, three course meal featuring tomatoes, wine for $16 a bottle, Sunday to Thursday only.

http://www.thecapitoldeal.com/r/3kwujnv5HEE

Calvert House Inn Groupon. $15 for $30. No mention of wine or beer as far as I could tell. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, I went more often while I was going to school at Univ. of MD and remember liking it at the time.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/calvert-house-inn?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu6240058

I usually go to Interstate Barbeque when in Memphis. I'd also recommend the Peabody Hotel for drinks and just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. It's close to Beale Street and there's lots of fun stuff to do around there.

We bought our tomato plants from Wright's on New Hampshire Ave. in Colesville, MD and they have yielded an excellent crop this year. I'm trying to pick up the ones that have fallen to the ground that look half way decent to use for a sauce. Our San Marzano plants have gotten the tallest and are full of tomatoes but seem to be the last that are turning red. Outside of that our garden has probably peaked in the last week or two. Just would like to see more rain than we've been getting.

$25 for $50 of food and drink at Indique or Indique Heights

http://www.bloomspot.com/washington-dc/indique-1/

Lafayette LA wins "Best Small Town for Food" competition by Rand-McNally

http://www.theind.com/news/8709-lafayette-wins-best-small-town-for-food

Should also mention that Donald Link, a 2011 James Beard award winner will be opening a second Cochon in Lafayette near the River Ranch development. When I went to Cochon Butcher in New Orleans recently and had the muffuletta it was hands down the best one I've ever had. Lafayette will add to its list of good restaurants with this addition.

Living Social - $50 to spend on food & drink for $25 at Dino

http://livingsocial.com/deals/71065-50-to-spend-on-food-and-drink?email=Enter+your+email+address...&fte=&preferred_city=1

LaCanela coupon at LivingSocial

$15 for $30 to spend for lunch

$30 for $60 to spend for dinner

http://livingsocial.com/deals/59867-30-or-60-to-spend-on-food-and-drink?msdc_id=230

I stopped going to fast food places years ago since I also get that "less than well feeling". I was never sure if it was just me or if there was actually something wrong with the food. Judging from all the responses here, I think it might be the food!

I've only been here one time since the opening and my overall impression was positive. I especially liked the lobster stew. The portion served was generous and the broth was very buttery and sweet. I also had the whole belly clam platter with fries and found the clams to be excellent although I did add salt and pepper to them after tasing the first one. The blueberry muffin was sweet and moist and I also thought the fries were pretty good. I'm happy to see a place like this opening in this part of Bethesda and hope it has a successful future.

Company Fried Chicken from The Prudhomme Family Cookbook, my personal favorite. The chicken, flour and egg wash are all well seasoned.

Is there a schedule of the live music and are there cover fees for it? If the live music is in the same area where people are eating I can see how it would be hard to have a conversation, so I would have to set my expectations for it. I like the Texas style roots music but I'd like to know the schedule in advance so I could pick & choose.

Another good place for breakfast is The Front Porch Cafe in either Nags Heal (MP 10 /2), Kill Devil Hills (MP 6) and Manteo. The coffee is good along with the croissants, muffins and scones. The service is usually quick if you have other things to do.

Thanks for the reviews! We're flying to N.O. for a day or two before heading over to Lafayette (Cajun Country) to visit family. I hate to say that I haven't been to N.O. in a number of years, we usually drive straight to Lafayette, but the long drive is getting pretty old. We've been to the Mulates in Breaux Bridge and it's a lively place with good food & music, but is sort of for tourists. On a previous trip we enjoyed the Acme Oyster House in Covington and I hope it's still as good as it was. We'll probably be staying in the French Quarter and I'm curious to try a Donald Link restaurant especially after trying a few of his recipes from "Real Cajun". I don't think we'll have much time but we're looking forward to it, we just have to decide on which restaurants to go to. The problem is there's so much to choose from.

I realize dress code needs to be mentioned and taken seriously at a restaurant like this, but I'm not sure why they phrase it in such a way that can make certain people feel uneasy about it.

I had a great meal at the Oval Room the Friday before Valentine’s Day. Everything I ordered was a winner. The sauteed sweetbreads were the best I’ve had in a long time, sort of crunchy on the outside and very tender on the inside. The Grouper was also perfect and had lots of flavor. For dessert I had the chocolate peanut cake with Concord grape sorbet which was recommended by D.R. in the Express paper recently. It was a really good combination of flavors. This restaurant has also become a favorite of mine. The prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food.

I only took a quick look at this issue, but La Canela got a mention. I thought this place was closed, does anyone know for sure?

CakeLove deal at LivingSocial. $20 for $40 to spend.

http://livingsocial.com/deals/11618-50-off-cakelove

I have an All-Purpose Turkey Broth on the stove from Lidia's Family Table cookbook. It includes the meat from turkey wings, carrots, celery, onion, leek, garlic, plum tomato, parsley, black peppercorn, Ditalini pasta, salt and some parmigiano-reggiano rind we picked up from Marchone's in Wheaton. We also fried up some bacon and have olive oil & grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese to add when serving.

Lately I've been especially fond of A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell. I should mention that it is vegetarian recipes only, but the recipes are so delicious I don't miss the meat. The book includes an abundance of beautiful color photos. It's a gorgeous book. Some of my recent favorites are: Greek Spinach and Orzo Soup, Mediterranean Saffron Stew, Acorn Squash and Fava Bean Stew, and Moroccan Red Lentil-Bean Stew -- to give you an idea of the kinds of dishes you'll find.

Wow, all the reviews seem very positive. I've been thinking I should have more vegetarian meals in my diet and this book looks like a good start for that.

With the colder weather here I've been thinking about soups lately. Does anyone have any good cookbook recommendations? I've been using Lidia Bastianich recipes but feel that I need to expand my horizons. Simple and easy to find ingredients would be preferred but I don't mind if it's a little time consuming.

I can't think of very many places in this area where you can get good food and have something of a dance floor at the same time. When I go to south Louisiana you can find these places almost everywhere. It really puts a smile on peoples faces and is a fun atmosphere. The only thing is you have to go in expecting some degree of loudness and warm temperatures.

My husband son and I visited mussel bar before all the reviews came out including Sietema. We were all disappointed. The mussels were small and dry and the frites not very good. I can accept small mussels as long as they are plump. I don't get why this place is all the rage. Sergio in Silver Spring has the best mussels and if they aren't good they will tell you so before you order! The mussels across the street at Mon Ami Gabi are 10 times better than at the mussel bar and their frites are spectacular.

I also like the mussels at Sergio's. The dish is very simple there but so good. At Mussel Bar it's done so many different ways it can be hit or miss.

I agree with you! While I like well prepared food I also enjoy the whole experience of a restaurant. Places like CityZen seem to fill the bill in all categories, but I've also been to places where the food is good, not great, and have appreciated the service and atmosphere so much that I always keep going back.