Xochitl10

I went to Thunder Grill once when I was in law school nearby, which is to say 13+ years ago. I don't recall it being terrible, but it clearly wasn't good enough to warrant a return visit.

Tanqueray 10 Aviations Salt-grilled cod Sauteed kale Polenta with aged cheddar Biscuits

It's count vs. non-count nouns. Snow is non-count, so you use "less;" snowflakes are count, so you use "fewer." Rice is like snow; we don't talk about "rices" unless we're talking about different varieties. And this is one of those things that I actually learned as a teacher of English as a foreign language that I previously just did without thinking. Azami (also an EFL teacher) tells me that prescriptively (i.e., the rule), you should use "less" and "fewer" as described above. Descriptively, we use "less" for both count and non-count nouns: "There are fewer cars on 16th Street today" and "There are less cars on 16th Street today." Generally, we don't use "fewer" with non-count nouns.

A colleague and I grabbed lunch for the plane at Homeboy Cafe in LAX Terminal 4 near Gate 40. I had the cobb salad, which was huge and made with good green leaf lettuce, grilled chicken (a smidge salty), bacon, feta, grape tomatoes, red onion, and came with ranch; and a cranberry orange muffin. Both were tasty, but set me back about $15. Google tells me that Homeboy Industries, the parent organization, is a nonprofit that provides job training and other services (including legal services, which makes the former legal services attorney happy) to ex-gang members looking to start over.

Thanks, guys. I didn't make it to El Corral Mexican Grill, but I did get some co-workers to join me at The Salted Pig. They have an extensive beer list, with very knowledgeable staff to help you figure out what you want. I wanted something dark, and was given the options of Deschutes Black Butte Porter (5.20 ABV%) and Green Flash Double Stout (8.8 ABV%). I'd had the Deschutes recently and enjoyed it, so I tried the Green Flash and was very happy. It was smooth and full, but not super chocolatey, which was fine. I'd had a big Mexican lunch at Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino earlier in the day (good cheese enchiladas, really good red chile pork tamale with thin flavorful masa, serviceable beans and rice, iceberg salad doused in a mayo-y dressing that left me cold, but that I ate in the interest of ingesting vegetables), so I didn't really want a big dinner. I coupled the Mac & Cheese (shallot, beer, cheddar) and the brussels sprouts (roasted, kimchi-spiced). Both were delicious; the mac and cheese had a lovely silky sauce, and the sprouts, while not tasting really of kimchi spices at all, came well roasted in a bath of something like Japanese dumpling-dipping sauce -- kind of a vinegary soy sauce. One of my colleagues shared a bite of her gnocchi (fresh ricotta, brown butter, oyster mushroom), which was light and delightful. My other colleauges had the M.S.G. burger (enoki mushroom, slab bacon, gouda) with salad -- no report, but no complaints. I had breakfast one morning and lunch one day at Simple Simon's, a small bakery and bistro near the Mission Inn. My scrambled egg, bacon, cheddar, and tomato on sourdough was a perfect breakfast sandwich. Lunch was their homemade chicken apple sausage sandwich on focaccia with aged gouda, roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato, Dijon, and grilled onions; fresh fruit of the day (orange, red grapes, strawberries) on the side; and a "day and night" cookie. I was less impressed with lunch overall; the sausage didn't shine through on the sammich, and the cookie, which looked for all the world like a black and white, was dry and painted half with white chocolate, half with unremarkable dark. The rest of their pastries looked amazing, though, and a co-worker who had the Susie Salad (romaine, red cabbage, carrots, roasted red peppers, toasted pecans, parmesan, gorgonzola, cucumber, tomato, and grilled chicken) raved about it. The Presidential Lounge at the Mission Inn was the location to satisfy my hotel bar fetish (the "hotel bar" at the Hyatt Place is at the other end of the reservations desk, separated only by the Starbucks case). My bartender, who did not know where the Chesapeake Bay was (?), made a very good Bulleit rye Manhattan and served up a nice, crisp, super-full-of-cheese chicken quesadilla. The drink was much better than the food, and the pre-bar massage at Kelly's Spa in the Mission Inn was the best one I've ever had. My last actual eating destination in Riverside was breakfast at Molinos Coffee, across Mission Inn Avenue from the Mission Inn. Good cappuccino, substandard bagel, friendly staff.

Any suggestions for Riverside? I'm going to be there for work next week (and be warm, the importance of which cannot be overstated), staying at the Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown. --- El Corral Mexican Grill (Mark Dedrick) The Salted Pig (goodeats)

Oatmeal with pumpkin, maple syrup, walnuts and cinnamon

I spent most of my 1:45 layover at DFW yesterday dealing with various unhelpful American Airlines staff, so I didn't have time to sit somewhere and eat. My flights were all in the A terminal, so I grabbed a pulled pork sammich and a side of beans from Salt Lick BBQ (Gate A17) to carry on the plane. Salt Lick gives you a very generous sandwich and both small compartments of a square styrofoam container of your side of choice for ~$13. The beans were nice and savory with some bits of pork in them, and the pulled pork was delicious -- moist and smoky. Perfect with a Sam Adams Boston Lager (my best beer option) and the sunset beside me. DFW

Inspired by a couple of posts earlier this summer about Vongerichten's roasted corn with Manchego, I made it this evening using local corn and jalapenos. Wow, is that some delicious corn. It evoked the calabacitas (zucchini with corn and chile) that my Mexican grandmother used to make, minus the zucchini and with Manchego/jalapeno instead of colby/green chile. So good, especially with a Tanqueray Gimlet and some German sausages from WF.

Snider's in Silver Spring also highlights when they have Maryland apples.

Penne tossed with broiled sockeye salmon and garlic scape/almond pesto

Roast turkey, provolone, and green chile on pumpernickel.

I haven't made a lot of desserts recently -- in fact, in the five years since we returned from Japan, I've been a lot less inclined to do so. I did make grilled peaches for a friend's Fourth of July party last week. Halved a bunch of nice ripe yellow peaches, brushed with a honey/balsamic vinegar/Dominican vanilla extract glaze and continued to glaze after turning each time on the grill. I mixed up some mascarpone with more Dominican vanilla extract and some black pepper, filled the peaches with the mixture, and drizzled on a bit more glaze. Delightful.

Tanqueray Ten Negronis Everything fresh from the Silver Spring market and on the grill: Potatoes brushed with garlic scape butter (the scapes were a gift) Green beans tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper Garden Path sirloin, olive oil, s&p Vanilla ice cream with homemade sour cherry sauce

Pork loin, tofu, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and Chinese eggplant, marinated in soy sauce, sherry, mirin, sesame oil, and grated ginger and grilled Steamed rice Hourenso no karashi-su -- parboiled spinach, chilled and served with a soy sauce/vinegar/Japanese mustard dressing

Thanks, guys. The Queen Vic agreed to show it for us on the patio. We had a great time -- and were super grateful they weren't making contestants do those "American Idol"-type introductory spots when we were in it!

Does anyone know where might be showing the National Spelling Bee finals on ESPN tomorrow night? A couple of us who met at NSB *twenty-five years ago* want to go get some drinks and watch.

Somen (thin wheat noodles eaten cold), served with tsuyu (dashi, soy sauce, and mirin) for dipping Grated ginger and sliced green onion for the tsuyu (dipping sauce) Miso-grilled sweet potatoes Quick cucumber pickles (rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, and a dried togarashi pepper) Steamed catfish, served with yuzu ponzu for dipping Grilled maitake mushrooms and asparagus, steeped in dashi and light soy sauce

Grilled chorizo and chicken breasts rubbed with paprika, cumin, and salt Cannellini beans Kale sauteed with garlic Black pepper focaccia White chocolate-rum raisin ice cream, from Alice Medrich's "Bittersweet"

Grilled pork loin chops, marinated in orange and lime juices, garlic, thyme, olive oil Black beans Steamed rice

A couple of friends and I ended up here for brunch on Sunday after an 8-mile run. I had the shrimp and cheddar polenta, which was delightful -- lovely, creamy polenta, a few slices of crisp andouille sausage, and five perfectly cooked shrimp. Delicious. My friends had the eggs benedict and the omelet, each of which came with a giant mound of delicious-looking fried potatoes. We skipped the bottomless mimosas. Would gladly end another long run here.

When I was a kid, we would travel from New Mexico to Ohio every summer to spend two weeks with my maternal grandparents. That was two weeks out of every year that we got to drink Vernor's ginger ale, which a) actually tasted like ginger; was way more delicious than Canada Dry; and c) was not available in New Mexico. We also had our choice, most nights, of one of my grandmother's special desserts: lemon cake (which was totally the one involving a lemon cake mix and lemon Jello) or fudgy brownies. To this day, I love lemon desserts and chocolate, particularly fudgy brownies. And I can't be bothered with cakey brownies. And now I want a Vernor's and a slice of lemon cake. One of my greatest regrets in life is food-related. My Mexican grandmother made wonderful flour tortillas for my grandfather's meals every day. She'd also make tamales, empanadas, sopa de albondigas (meatball soup), and fideos (vermicelli in a light tomato sauce) at Christmas. I never learned to cook from her, and by the time I was interested, she was no longer able to cook. Some things, like calabacitas (squash and corn) and sopa de albondigas, I've figured out myself or found recipes for, while I leave the tortillas to Azami.

Dinner for four: Tanqueray Aviations Calabrese salami, sliced navel oranges, oil-cured olives, and thinly sliced red onion, drizzled with olive oil, S&P Baked polenta with hot Italian sausage, fresh tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella Arugula/spinach salad with Gorgonzola, walnuts, red pear; red wine vinegar and evoo Trader Joe's rustic pane Haagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream with amaretti Talisker Storm Coffee

I've been there once for lunch. My roasted vegetable sandwich was tasty, but nothing spectacular. One of my co-workers raves about their almond croissants, which is dangerous because Malmaison is literally across the street from my office and I love almond croissants.

Much to my chagrin, I got to do very little actual eating in Charleston last weekend. The highlight was the post-race cocktails and nosh at the Thoroughbred Club in the Charleston Place Hotel. Gorgeous old hotel bar with a great cocktail list. I had the Velvet Vesper -- Tanqueray 10, Tito's Vodka, Cocchi Americano Dry Vermouth, cardamom liqueur, and an orange twist -- which was very smooth and well-balanced. Lamb naan with arugula, black olives, tomato salad, and feta; and pork/shiitake potstickers were delicious; the crabcake over a corn/bacon relish was bland.