demandalicious

Tonight? He hit me with the double whammy, somehow ensnaring me in a hug and going for a kiss on both cheeks.

This would be awesome if it were the really hot college student guy who used to deliver pizza for Albertos on Saturday nights. Somehow, I don't think that it is...what a shame! He was so cute that it made the 60 mins+ wait for our girls night in pizza almost bearable.

My advice to you: keep up the "give me my f*ing food, and don't touch me" body language. If that doesn't work, you may have to start carrying out your order.

It actually took me awhile to buy a bottle of olive oil because of the high fat content, though it is the monounsaturated fat which is good for you. Of course, very light hand on everything... but what do you suggest using instead?

I respectfully suggest that you ditch the diet coke and low fat cheese product for stuff that you can pronouce...like butter, olive oil, and as jonathan suggests, a little bit of natural fat. It's good for you. At least better for you than processed crapola that many people trying to eat "low fat" gravitate towards.

If you really want the most bang for your buck, eliminate empty calories (I'm talking about snacks and ALCOHOL!) from your diet and keep the real food. Since I've given up liquor, I feel good about ordering dessert and I lost 5 pounds in about 2 weeks**.

**I also lost my sense of humor, some awesome dance moves, and my will to live.

Oh, and a healthy pint of good beer is about 200 calories.

Yet another reason to bring sober back in 2007.

I stopped eating at David Greggory when myself and 2 colleagues fell ill after eating lunch there (we all had a seared tuna salad special). When I called to let them know that 3 people who ate the same thing were sick, and that they should strongly consider pulling the special from the menu for the rest of the day, the person on the other end of the line asked me "are you the person who called earlier?". I wasn't. That was definitely the wrong thing to say and I haven't been back since.

If this Haute Dawgs place is going to be anything like Hot Doug's, I will be a very happy girl, indeed.

Sarastoa; Venice

We're headed down to Ft Myers Beach for a couple days post-Xmas for an event. Any tips on the area? We are staying on Estero Blvd on the southern end of the island itself. Walking to places would be a good option, but I have no knowledge of that part of FLA at all. Is there a food "scene" down there, or are we confined to chaindom?

Starting tomorrow, I will be sunning my bunz in that area as well (Venice to be exact).

I've always enjoyed the crows nest - http://www.crowsnest-venice.com/

My grandmother likes cafe baci in Sarasota.

When you said "stick blenders", i thought that you were talking about one of these.

That said, I use my hand blender for blending soup, making whipped cream and chasing crackheads out of the alley behind my apartment.

The Bush twins were the same way. Never thought they were anything special but seeing them in person definitely changed my mind.

Does Cafe Deluxe serve Jager shots?

I think I might whim Restaurant Kolumbia today instead of tomorrow.

I hope that they have recovered from our little holiday HH last night. I am not sure that I have!

It's Official!

But jeez, you should be eating your veggies anyways!

I was going to say the same thing. Cut them up, store with a bit of iced water in some tupperware and pack them in your lunches. No waste and they're a healthy alternative to fatty, carby sandwich accoutrements.

If someone is feeling like they really need to sit down, pregnant or not, elderly, sick, or just plain exhausted from working on their feet all day in a day care center, they should speak up about it. A restaurant can't be expected to know how someone is feeling unless they speak up.

If someone is that tired - from working all day, being knocked up, hungover, sore from last night's breakdancing contest, or whatever - then they should either:

1. make a reservation (esp. if the restaurant in question is known to be busy & it's a Thurs-Sat night)

2. go home, rest their feet and order delivery

3. go home, and make someone bring them food and rub their feet**

**Clearly, this is the best option.

Seriously, is the "powdered egg white" a Health Code thing

Probably.

A date and I had a very nice dinner at Acadiana's bar last night. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've read very mixed things about it. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised!

Our cocktails were excellent - the clear standout was something that I wouldn't normally try: The Ramos Fizz. The mixture of gin, powdered egg whites, powdered sugar, and cream sounded kind of freaky on the menu but was suprisingly refreshing and light. The bloody mary is also wonderful - very spicy and garnished with pickled okra.

As for the meal, the charbroiled oysters are out of control and I don't even like oysters. Garlicy, buttery, cheesy goodness. My entree was the blackened tuna with spoonbread and creamed spinach. The spoonbread was super rich and crazy delicious, and my tuna was perfectly cooked...however, the seasoning didn't pack as much punch as I was hoping for. It wasn't a bad dish, it was just missing a certain je ne sais quoi - which seems to be a common theme. On the other hand, the veal grillades & grits that my date had were comfort food taken to the next level and I will definitely be returning to order them for myself.

The bar staff was attentive, knowledgeable and a lot of fun to shoot the you know what with. They were especially helpful when it came time for us to pick out a bottle of wine (Rudy Schultz Syrah) and also when it was time to roll my overstuffed body out of the restaurant on to New York Avenue. Overall, it was a good experience and I'll definitely be back to rustle up some of that delicious veal.

SHAR-COOTER-REE is crazy delicious.

Is a last minute res at Komi even possible?

The oracle has spoken.

I hosted a last minute dinner party for my "family of friends"...I am still full:

*1 kosher turkey named Pauline - brined overnight and rubbed down liberally with a sage, bacon and butter concoction.

*Cranberry/orange chutney.

*The best stuffing that I've ever made.

*Marshed pertaters.

*Gravy.

*Green Bean Casserole with baby bellas and fried shallots.

*Corn pudding.

*Collard Greens.

*Macaroni and Cheese.

*Various beverages.

*A few cigarettes.

*Pumpkin pie, blueberry pie (from Whole Paycheck...both were disappointing).

*Fresh whipped cream.

*Lactaid.

*Tums.

*Advil.

*Extreme giggling.

*A Dance-off.

*12 hours of sleep.

I've never had to struggle with significant weightloss, so maybe I am speaking off the cuff here...but I have seen a very a close friend of mine have great success with Body for Life and more recently, participating in a marathon through Team in Training. He did Weight Watchers for years and lost roughly 100 pounds, but his body didn't really change until he adopted a regular fitness routine. It's all about exercise. You might hate it at first, but chances are strong that you will see results and the good things (smaller waist) will start to outweigh the bad (treadmill-haterading), and vanity will take over.

Good luck.

1. Blogging about your place of employment is risky, especially when you disparage your customers, boss, coworkers, or investors.

Not only is it risky, but it's the only rule in blogging: Don't blog about your work unless you want to risk losing your job! End of story. It's doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where Restaurant Gal works, so she kinda shat (is that a word) the bed in terms of keeping her identity and the identity of her employer a secret.

Posting on a messageboard is different.

Cut out snacks and join a gym. Exercise is KEY.

Plus, dried fruit is relatively healthy.

As well as being full of fiber. (it keeps things moving, if you know what I mean).

A diet high in protein and fiber is the best way to go. None of this lowcarb malarky either. Eat 6 small meals a day and you'll shrink considerably. It's more of a lifestyle choice than a strict diet.

They don't play by the "rules" in NYC. They take on restuarants before they even open.

That has been done in this forum.

That said, I'm not sure that I get the whole Gordon Ramsey schtick. Is his cooking *that* spectacular or is his draw the fact that he has that surly celebrity thing going for him. Does he yell at his staff, creating an ambiance similar to that in an episode of Jerry Springer? If the latter is the case, then it's something that I would criticize the sheep who flock to the "12 exclusive tables" for, rather than criticizing the reservation policy.

I am not sure if anything gets dumber than this:

Stop talking shit about my car.

As with almost any restaurant, there are things that Mr. Chen's does very well, and things that should be avoided. The aforementioned dumplings are not so good. The spring rolls, however, are fantastic. So are the peking duck rolls. The hot and sour soup is the best that I've had in DC.

When I order entrees, I keep it simple: chicken with mixed veggies or chicken with garlic sauce is killer - especially when you ask them to make it extra spicy (something that I've found is necessary if you like your food to pack any heat whatsoever). Moo Shoo pork is also good at Mr. Chen's...not too saucy! Anything on the vegetarian menu is great - I often go for the steamed mixed veggies with garlic sauce on the side which probably sounds boring but it's so fresh and delicious (and healthy!). The homestyle tufo is off the hook!

Who cares if they're certified organic? I challenge anyone to show me better chinese delivery in DC.

Don't be a scaredy-Cat. The food at el gato negro is good.

I will be outside stalking Anthony Bourdain.