Escoffier

Might be the 23rd (but who's keeping track?). Great, we'll see everyone on the 25th at Lighthouse at 7:00pm. Here's the map If anyone needs further info or directions, PM me and I'll give you my cell number and you can call if you get lost...and Heather, Jim Carroll is one of my favorites, please come and we can chant the lyrics together (I wouldn't call what I do singing by any stretch).

I'm good with this...(of course, I'm always good with good food and company). How about it? Of course, Scott J. is going to be out of town that week...maybe I'll just post the days that aren't good for Grover and me and we'll go from there...we're busy Sept. 21, 26, 27, 29, 30, October 6, 7, 8, 9. and we'll be in Madrid and Paris from November 3 to November 18. (I just realized where all of my "extra" cash goes...most of this is for food...my tightwad relatives are spinning in their graves )

Are you free on the 28th? If we can get the majority of people to agree on the 28th or the 10th, we're good. Just to add to the confusion, the week of Oct 2 would work as well. In your honor Scott, how about $20 Thursday? That's Oct 5 and then we can do Joe's on the 10th (and that works for us as well).

How about a $20 Thursday as in Sept 28? Does that work? Can you make it on the 28th? And I'm with you for Joes. We'll figure out a date for that next. The 10th looks good for Joes if you can switch to the 28th for Lighthouse. Is the 28th do-able?

Hmmmm, he said as he checked his calendar....how about Oct 3? Lighthouse has a section that will seat 18 people (we checked last weekend when we were there)...and Grover can provide a bit of guidance (but no ordering for everyone this time, she's just going to advise...and eat...and play perfect hostess). Maybe Cheesepowder and her +1 can join us as well. Whaddya think? October 3 around 7:00pm? How about Oct 10 for Joes? We can have that great steamed whole fish again. Oct 3 is good for us. The rest of the month is food, food, and more food. Does October 3 work for you?

Grover and I have been floating a Lighthouse tofu blowout. If you spend $20 for dinner there you'll be so full you won't be able to walk out and the food is really good. You missed out on Yechon, are you ready for a new adventure?

and if I could only figure out a way to get those chip wagon chips delivered to Alexandria still hot...

You mean nobody asked for smoked meat or blackforest cake from Schwartz's Hebrew Deli?

I didn't know Binghampton had any thing that sounded that good. You just gave me a reason to stop the next time I'm upstate and headed for Toronto or Ottawa...the only thing that scares me about this is the following: Spiedini or "Mixed Grill" prepared the spiedie way is available at Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. Can I get a review? (is that scary or what?)

What kind of sauce? This isn't a PA deutsch sauce by any chance?

My (Korean) mother-in-law sends us home-made beef jerky. Wonderful when quickly heated over flame from the stove and then served with pine nuts and good Scotch.

Saturday's left over Jambalya (even better the second time), some sliced white peaches, a bit of Maytag bleu cheese and Carr's water crackers (oh, and a cup of Brazil Santos coffee which I'll probably regret later)

I'm partial to pickled beets myself...

Personally, I'd wait until after they've left home and can afford to take you to dinner...

I'll save you a lot of time and trouble. They lose 27-7. Now you can come to the picnic.

From our experiences at Grand Mart, I'd put them more in the Safeway class. The times we've shopped there (the one in Alexandria), the veggies have looked tired, the kimchi is getting old (you can tell when the package balloons) and the meats weren't all that great (YMMV). A new Grand Mart is opening on Backlick Rd where the old Hechinger Plaza was but is going to be a more Spanish oriented store. I'm not sure if it has opened yet but it wasn't open when I was there two weeks ago to go to Gamasot (great Korean food).

The fried chicken is really good but don't overlook the fried trout. Small to non-existent bones, great taste (no Wonder Bread though). I ordered the chicken on my first visit but one of the party ordered the trout. It's been on my favorites list ever since.

not so much to "de-emphasize" the "Korean-ness" but to emphasize that they carry a selection of food for everyone (even mee-guks)...What else would you call a grocery that has Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Spanish and generic (to cover whatever is left over)? maybe the Hall of Nations? Fortunately for us, the people mentioned above eat a diet heavy in veggies and so expect nothing but the best that they can get. Super H does a great job of stocking and selling them. Han Ah Reum is more of a "local" store (like a corner grocery). Han Ah Reum has always carried a wide variety of Asian foods. Super H just expands on the model (but don't go looking for a lot of Spanish food, there's only one aisle and while the staples are always there, the more esoteric articles might be there or not, depending on suppliers I suppose). The only Super H that I know of is in Fairfax so that might pose a problem if you don't have a way/urge to go but if you do and want a guided tour of the store, let Grover know, she does guided tours now and then (and might even be persuaded to tell you how to prepare that squid or make acorn jelly).

and if you happen to have transportation, Super H is better than all of them. Good produce, better price. Anyone who buys Asian Pears anywhere but Super H is wasting way too much money.

I do tend towards limoncello after Italian (especially Dino's limoncello). Seems to soothe the stomach and make that ride on the metro much smoother.

Did you ever eat at Marianna in the winter time? The floor was cold enough to act as the base for a skating rink. Concrete conducts cold very well. The ground gets cold, the floor gets cold...simple physics...that said, after reading the above, I'm going to make time for a visit. Sounds like for a restaurant just opening it's pretty mature.

Short answer...duct tape...learn to love it.

Something I never thought I'd see in one sentence; Pizza Hut, Toxic Hell..er, Taco Bell and terrior...what a concept...

While only presently in the NYC area, Fresh Direct is sure to end up here one day or another. Is DC ready for an online shopping experience that promises: It's food shopping at its best. Order on the web today and get next-day delivery of the best food at the best price, exactly the way you want it, with 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Fresh Direct differs from PeaPod and other e-grocery shopping because "Our food comes directly from farms, dairies and fisheries (not middlemen), so it's several days fresher and a lot less expensive when it gets to your table." How long before this or a similary concept shows up in DC?

But most importantly, have they put a carpet on the floor so your feet won't freeze when Winter comes? And are the tchotchkes no longer hanging from the ceiling? And where did they hang those drapes? There were only 3 windows (okay, maybe 4) to start with...are they hung randomly around the room? Mariana wasn't much of an architectural masterpiece to start with so any improvement will be huge, I just have problems picturing the room any differently than my (slightly distorted?) memory.