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Are the Dominic's carts still set up in the concourse, or did they go the way of the Nats?

They're still there. They used to have spicy sausage, regular sausage, and hot dogs at the carts. Last night, no dogs, just the two kinds of sausage. Don't know if that was because of the smaller-than-usual crowd for a United game (12,500, but not a regular season game) or a post-Nats cutback. (Pizza stands were closed last night too).

Since the Nats drew an average of 24,000 last year, and DC United drew 20,500, that shouldn't be a big enough difference to justify substantial cutbacks in food.

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Dinner tonight - crappy hot dog at Estadio RFK. Actually, best hot dog ever at RFK, because DC United won 5-0. ;)

That was an awesome game. My voice is still hoarse this morning.

I tried to grab a late lunch (2:40ish) at Pupatella on my way into DC but the cart was closed/locked with no one around. Then I drove to El Charrito Caminante (haven't been in over 5 years), not knowing that it was closed on Tuesdays. So I ended up getting the old standby, a large Capri at The Italian Store.

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Central. Every time I go there I like it less. The frisee salad with bacon and poached egg really hit the spot, but the spinach and goat cheese torte was one of the yuckiest things I've tried in a long, long time, partly because cauliflower was hidden in it, but mostly because the whole thing had that overcooked cabbage aroma, and a wrung-out boiled texture, and the goat cheese was just plain weird and didn't do anything to complement the vegetables. I love Central in concept but not in execution.

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A Grilled Organic Tofu & Vegetables Panini on Ciabatta, with asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and extra avocado at Sunflower, Falls Church - a fantastic sandwich, as good as you'll find at Earl's.

The talented and humble Adam Bernbach's Tuesday Cocktail Session at Bar Pilar, along with mesmerizing skateboard videos:

The trackjacket - Lustau Manzanilla, Ancho-chili infused rum, Golden date syrup, Salt-preserved rampur lime, lime juice, and smoked sea salt.

The first sight - Jim Beam Rye, Caraway-blend syrup, Peychaud bitters, Old fashioned bitters, and grapefruit juice.

Then dinner:

Chicken liver pate with grilled bread,

Housemade pappardelle with Bolognese sauce,

24-hour braised goat with naural reduction sauce, soft polenta,

Sauteed veal kidneys, roasted mushrooms, demi-glace,

Roasted turnips with sea salt and thyme,

Honey glazed baby carrots with herbs and shallots

Judging from perhaps a half-dozen previous meals, Bar Pilar was substantially better last night than I've ever seen it before. If you can't get a seat at Cork, go across the street to Bar Pilar and you will not be disappointed.

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My wife and I had drinks and dessert at Hook last night after seeing "Atonement." I had the Lingonberry Linzertorte and she the chocolate caramel confection whose precise name I cannot recall. I am not a "dessert person" but I wanted to try Heather Chittum's creations because I've heard so many good things about her. They did not disappoint. The desserts were beautifully crafted and presented, and the flavorings used (e.g., the honey caramel sauce with the Torte, infused with some kind of herb) were creative.

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A breakfast sub with fried eggs, sausage patties, and provolone cheese, and an RC Cola at Burger Delite, serving Alexandria since 1962. Similar in scope to Weenie Beenie (right down to the half smokes, scrapple, whiting fish, etc.) but this time around a step up in execution.

The Black Bear Burger with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, a couple squirts of mustard and about ten shakes of Texas Pete, a side order of fries, and two IC Lights at Black Bear Tavern, McHenry, Maryland.

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Burger King..... Double Whopper with tomatoes (well it was pink, round and crunchy so you tell me what it was) onion pickle & mustard. A touch incinerated but a good balance of toppings except for the tomato. THe bun was a bit softer than it sould have been but it was able to absorb all the juices without falling apart (oh yeah, there were no juices!) and a chocolate shake which was plain nasty.

Oh the shame of it all!

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Kabul Kabob in Alexandria last night. The bread was amazing. The beef samosas were very good. The dipping sauces were very good. The lamb kebab was a tad tough, but had good flavor. My husband's lamb stew dish (w/ carrots etc) was better. A tad dingy, even for strip mall standards. They seemed to do more take away than actual eat in dinners.

Tonight, Cafe Altantico.

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I had a sudden desire for salmon diablo, so we went to Ray's the Classics for the bar menu (an amazing, fantastic deal). I always love this, but last night's was particularly tasty - an especially nice piece of fish, I think. It also came with surprise sides of the grapes and sauce that are on the standard grilled salmon at Ray's. Also took home a piece of cheesecake (imported from NY - I think the Carnegie Deli, though I don't quite remember) for tonight.

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Dining during my last couple of weeks in DC:

Fri, 3/7: Dino - burrata and lasagnette

Sat, 3/8: CityZen - wagyu, lobster sausage and soup, skate, rabbit, rouget, and a whole lot of other stuff too

Sun, 3/9: Sala Thai Express in Pentagon City Mall - spicy chicken curry and rice, and two Cakelove cupcakes

Mon, 3/10: Pizza Hut (delivery) - pepperoni, green pepper, and onion hand tossed

Wed, 3/12: East Street Cafe (lunch) - House special ginger beef

Fri, 3/14: A friend's house - Steak Diane, pamersan risotto, and creme brulee

Sat, 3/15: Merkado - skirt steak in mojo and a great cucumber mojito

Sun, 3/16: The Daily Grill, Downtown (brunch) - a burger and onion rings

Mon, 3/17: Woodberry Kitchen (Baltimore) - sizzling shrimp, cast-iron skillet bacon and egg fried rice, beef tenderloin, and an apple and pear dumpling (I really liked this place, which I thought had bold and inspired--if unrefined--cooking)

Tue, 3/18: the source - tandoori arctic char, szechuan steak au poivre, and the cookie plate

Wed, 3/19: Johnny's Half Shell (lunch) - crab and shrimp bisque and fried shrimp po-boy; Logan Tavern (dinner) - iceberg wedge and fried chicken

Thur, 3/20: Stoney's (lunch) - cheesesteak and fries; Thai Tanic (dinner) - kanom jeeb, nua ka ting, and pad thai

Fri, 3/21: Central (lunch) - corned beef sandwich and ice cream; McCormick and Schmick's (which will be my final meal in DC)--less for the food than because when I was waiting for a security clearance after arriving in town in 2003, this is where I worked for my first 10 months (note: I didn't get my clearance <darned speeding tickets in other states that become warrants for one's arrest> and it was probably the best thing that ever happened).

First reservation in Atlanta: Floataway Cafe (an old standby from the owners of Bacchanalia).

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A Roast Turkey Platter with mashed potatoes, green beans, and sauerkraut at the Park-N-Dine in Hancock, Maryland.

Dinner at Vegetate:

Marinated Golden Beets with almond butter, coriander oil, & grilled croustade

Nominally, a Savory Egg Crepe with shaved artisan cheese & micro greens

... in practice, a bad omelette.

And stepping in to save the day, a fantastic dish:

House Made Grilled Seitan with roasted purple potatoes, parsnips, seasonal greens & syrah reduction

I know they're trying to imitate a sirloin with this, and it's a deft visual, but in terms of tactile impression, 90% of all diners would think this was a rock-solid grilled calves liver, the parsnips in particular being eye-opening little frites, and the purple potatoes being sneaky little mushrooms. Lots of people deride "trompe les viandes," but I'm not one of them - a house-made seitan masquerading as a steak? Worth the trip! Get it with the 2005 Avondale Syrah from South Africa.

Then dessert: Gnome Water, The Alchemist, and a Butterscotch Ice-Cream Sandwich at EatBar.

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14th St. crawl.

Italian reds and the amazing wild mushrooms at Cork (got there at 5:30 -- bar was already full. By 6:45 there were no tables and you could hardly move!)

Then a glass of the blue franc and some roasted almonds at Bar Pilar.

Finished up the night with pretty good ropa vieja at Rumbero's. The pisco sour was as good as the ones I've had in Peru, but the fried plantains were leaden, and the service, while nice to look at, was absent minded. Hello! We would like to order more $9 cocktails. PLEASE come take our order!

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14th St. crawl.

Italian reds and the amazing wild mushrooms at Cork (got there at 5:30 -- bar was already full. By 6:45 there were no tables and you could hardly move!)

Then a glass of the blue franc and some roasted almonds at Bar Pilar.

Finished up the night with pretty good ropa vieja at Rumbero's. The pisco sour was as good as the ones I've had in Peru, but the fried plantains were leaden, and the service, while nice to look at, was absent minded. Hello! We would like to order more $9 cocktails. PLEASE come take our order!

Ate at momofuko in NY. Had pork and rice pot with kimchi puree. Good ansd satysfying, but nothing to get overly excited about. Had dinner at WD-50 and was impressed by the techniques. It is a fun place to dine, but floavors are often bland. Bone marrow was broken, but all the proteins were cooked perfectly. We had octous, duck, flat iron beef, turbot and marrow. I would go back as it is a lot of fun. Dinner at Palena, as always, was amazing. We went there Tuesday night and I cant wait to go back.

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Sushi House on Rockville Pike, next door to the Crisp and Juicy. The decor is about as inviting as a junior high school cafeteria, but the sushi was very fresh and the tempura was perfect. The prices are phenomenal! Wish they'd use more vinegar in their sushi rice, though. Next time, might make our own sushi rice and carry out sashimi to make sushi at home.

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Friday Lunch at Levi's Port Cafe near the Navy Museum. Fried catfish (totally ungreasy), greens and mac'n'cheese (great, moist, cheesy). Bob had baked chicken, green beans and the mac. Probably a salty, fatty overload, but pretty satisfying soul food overall.

Friday dinner at Chix. Columbian chicken with noodle and cheese pie for me, Cuban chicken chop for Bob, mango-passion fruit water for both of us. Decent chicken, but I guess I don't get the raves elsewhere for the noodle pie--mushy and bland.

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I went to Granville Moore's last Wednesday before a show at the Rock and Roll Hotel. We had been here once before, and I think it was gotten better. We enjoyed 3 different mussels preparations and 2 large orders of fries. Everything was excellent. Big, plump flavorful mussels and the fries were hot, crispy, and perfectly seasoned. Highly recommended.

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had to go to alexandria last night for other reasons; flipped a coin for dinner and went to the Majestic. A nicely spicy seafood stew, and a four-cheese ravioli were delicious. As was the French 76. The chard was a bit of a disappointment- I guess I've just imprinted on Coppi's chard and ricotta. No room for dessert, sadly. Service was uniformly great- friendly, earnest, and unobtrusive.

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For lunch, a tuna-salad sandwich at Le Matin de Paris. Now open 24 hours on weekends, making it a legitimate alternative to Yechon if you're not up for an extended meal at 2 AM.

Dinner at Mio:

Duo of hamachi, ceviche & grilled chop, lemon sorbet, jalapeno

Beef carpaccio del 'Maestro,' quail eggs, preserved mushrooms

Foie-gras ballotine, honey-huckleberry sauce, corn bread

Pan seared veal sweetbreads, sun-choke, toasted hazelnuts

Cuttlefish stew

Smoked potato gnocchi, young goat ragout, grilled chop, parsley sauce

Duo of roasted lamb rack and leg, smoked potato, thyme roasting jus

Pineapple carpaccio, Butterscotch pot de creme, and Mascarpone nougat

1993 Niellon Batard-Montrachet

2002 Cristom Pinot Noir Jessie Vineyard

And, of course, the most important meal of the day: breakfast.

A large black coffee at Naceur Negra's coffee cart, on H Street between 22nd and 23rd, just off the north side of GWU's Kogan Plaza. If you don't know about this place, you should - he's there Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 6 PM.

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Several people now have asked me whether or not I was kidding when I wrote this.

Nope!

Can you blame them?

While driving through Nevada I stopped off at the Hen House. After the Strip, I took a walk on the wild side with a Cattleman, and then splurged on a Squealer. You only live once...

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Gordon Biersch, because sometimes you have to do things for the sake of a relationship. (This person I was with doesn't like Bobby's because the crabcakes are too spicy.) It wasn't as thoroughly wretched as I expected, but it wasn't good, either.

Or sometimes you do things for sake. Why I continue to read the word "sake" as the drink 'sake' is a question I do not have the answer to now. I will ponder that.

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Eamonn's--the small cod was great as usual, the fries were perfectly cooked and nicely crispy. The batter sausage was a bit off, with a somewhat strange texture (almost chewy) that existed between the outside layer of crispy batter and the inner sausage. It could have been the sausage casing, but I hadn't encountered this before with the batter sausage. The taste was as usual, so it's a minor quibble.

The deep-fried Milky Way is good, but I now know that I am a deep-fried Snickers person.

Unlike most times I've been to Eamonn's, it wasn't very busy last night.

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conference down at the JW Marriott, hadn't thought ahead about lunch, ended up at Blue Point (in the Warner Building) because they could seat us. I think the space hosted a brew pub previously. Had an incredibly disappointing lobster roll - dry, tastless SLICES of what they said was lobster. Was supposed to be in a garlic mayo, didn't taste either garlic or mayo. Good fries, though.

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Lunch at Eamonn's - a large cod, a cod sandwich, a large fries, and a fried Snickers. I'm telling you - these fries dipped in the curry sauce make one of the best potato curries I've ever had. Also, it was nice to see the unfailingly pleasant Clinton Terry (which reminds me that I'm long overdue for a return trip to PX).

Dinner at Ariana Kabob House in Fairfax, which just opened its doors two nights ago. I'll make everyone a deal: If someone goes and gets the Bolawni (a homemade pastry stuffed with potatoes, scallions, leeks, etc., baked in a clay-oven - $4.95), and doesn't like it, I'll send you five bucks in the mail. First person who starts a new thread and can honestly say they didn't like it, gets it.

Ariana does not yet have a beer and wine license - the best way to try it for now might be the $8.95 lunch buffet, served M-F 11-3.

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In the last week:

Proof - Amazing. Went with a largish group, and tried most everything. Favorites: the pate on the charcuterie board, the foie gras, and the gnocchi. Oh wait, and the Tuna. Cannot wait to return. Also ordered far too many bottles of wine to remember exact details.

Stoneys - after a long 12-hr day of volunteering at a breast cancer charity wedding dress sale event (just don't ask), all I could handle was a Stoney's burger. Medium Rare. Delicious.

Chix - Tried the Peruvian chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and rice and beans. Oh, and the fruit water. Loved it all. This is definitely going to become a regular. And, while the chicken is not quite up to my old favorite in VA, it's much closer. Previous comments on the skin were correct, it needs to be a bit crispier. But, must say, the flavor was all there.

On the Fly BBQ cart - Was craving Mac-n-cheese for lunch, but this did not hit the spot. Not very cheesy tasting, and very oily. Would not get again.

Kanlaya - Good thai food. And they deliver to my office. My favorite is the Pad See Ew, which I accidentally had to order again.

Cakelove - For some reason, I decided to try their cupcakes again. I don't know why. They are still dry and tasteless.

St. Ex - Went for brunch. Eggs Benedict were fine, but the potatoes were so oversalted that I literally could not eat them. +1's quiche was good, but the salad was ALL frisee, and he did not care for it. Plus, the coffee was far too bitter. Almost burnt tasting. Will not be returning, and will just head to Bar Pilar next time.

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A great dinner with friends last night at Rasika.

A cucumber basil rickey (a nod to the beautifully warm weather) helped ease me into the menu.

We went family style on the starters -- the standout for me was the water chestnut bezule, they were like spicy pakoras with crisp refreshing centers.

My main was the bison chili roast tenderloin -- very flavorful and tender -- it was more like a braise, sliced like flank steak and served in a ragout with tomatoes, onion and chili peppers. This went well with Kingfisher lager, which helped (along with our shared order of raita) cut the heat.

For dessert, I split gulab jamun with the missus. It was fresh and tasty as the last time, but my favorite still is the cardamom ice cream that comes with it.

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Zola for dinner - lamb meatball sliders - I would go back to get those again. Also had scallops.

Pizzeria Paradiso (Georgetown) for dinner - individual sized marguerita pizza with pepperoni.

Brasserie Beck for brunch - chicken waterzooi (I've never had that dish before so wanted to give it a try). Husband got the waffle with bananas foster. His round waffle came pre-separated into quarters, but oddly, only came with 3 quarters. It looked like another table also got 3 quarters so seemed to be intentional.

Mamma Lucia's (College Park) for lunch - penne with sausage - came with a layer of grease pooling on the bottom of the container.

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Last night we met friends at Fireflies in Del Ray. We split a salad and a meat lover's pizza. The special salad was good but not great, but I think they do a quality pizza. It was particularly good last night. Nice thin crust, cooked perfectly, IMO. I love that I can walk to this place as well. It was packed last night at 6:30 - I've never been asked if I had a reservation there before - but they are starting to have music on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

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Yesterday, a serene and delicious lunch at 2941: excellent take on crab cakes, super delicious and generous Wiener schnitzel, marvelous service, elegant QUIET atmosphere.

Last night, the usual frenetic late night action at Bistrot du Coin. Fava bean and smoked duck soup. Yum.

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Bar Pilar for drinks, love the Viking beer; Cork for a feeding frenzy through the menu, two orders of the steak with brussels, the roma tomatoes are a must, chicken liver didn't wow me, duck was delicious, fries were great, chicken was moist, kale had great texture and flavor, sunchokes were okay, love that goat cheesecake, GM's hospitality was outstanding; Coppi's for cool atmosphere and thin and crunchy pizza, pancetta is thick sliced and fantastic here, on pizza and in salad, zabaglione is now chocolate flavored and I miss the original.

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[Does anyone care if I split some of these posts into individual restaurant threads? There's so much good, solid information in these posts, and I don't want to see it be buried forever in this thread. If anyone doesn't want me to move their posts, would you please PM me and let me know? Otherwise, I won't be moving them all, but I'll be moving some. They're just too good not to be captured for posterity and easy-access. Thank you! Rocks]

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A broken leg and an empty pocketbook have been keeping us at home since mid-February with just a few exceptions -- Dino for the boar, once to Eamonn's, once to Lickety Split, Rasika to celebrate with friends -- but all was not in vain. My parents are coming to town this week, and we will be blowing every penny we've saved by not going out on...going out :) I won't possibly be able to report on all our dining experiences here, but in the spirit of the thread, we'll be eating at Eve for Tripewriter's birthday dinner, followed hopefully by the Px (we've warned the rents that they may want to nap that afternoon!), then unfortunately Mrs. K's Toll House (a special request by my uncle -- who doesn't like anything. Period. So how could we refuse?) for a miniature family reunion, followed by The Majestic for Sunday dinner -- yay!, then Monday it'll be Eamonn's (do you have any idea how hard it has been to stay away from Eamonn's this long in anticipation of our visit with them?!), and dinner at Proof -- parents' treat! Tuesday we're finishing their trip with a bang with a visit to the Mendocino Grille (see above note about Eamonn's). I simply cannot wait. My mouth has been watering for over a month in anticipation of this visit! This must be what it's like to be DonRocks ;)

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Dinner last night at Cork: Tom Brown's molasses-y rum +Velvet Falernum=terrific rum punch. I think I just did the equivalent of admitting I have a wine cooler addiction.Chicken liver pate that I dream about to the extent that today I a) considered buying a can of liver pate in the canned food aisle at whole foods and B considered making Richard's chicken faux gras. Why would I do that when I can go out to get it without seeing the sticks of butter and vats of heavy cream?

Early Sunday evening at Cork was a respite. I've never been when it's quiet.

Lunch at Sticky Fingers: Vegan hot dog. Latte with soy milk. Mint N'Oreo. My first vegan meal ever. And I sat next to a monk.

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Weekend in NYC--

Friday at Kun Jip in NYC: Kalbee, Barley bibimbap and Steamed Pork Belly with Oyster Kimchi

Saturday Lunch: Joe's Shanghai for soup dumplings followed by lots of hot tea to help the drainage down my system so that all that pork fat can make its way down.

Saturday Dinner: Tory's Tottos for awesome small Japanese dishes and robatayaki--and then off to Sakagura for some more. I strongly recommend both places. Sakagura even has a sake sommelier.

Sunday Brunch: Park Avenue Spring--the word was that GW was there. Too many secret service running around the place. Decor was inspiring and the food was above average.

Sunday Dinner: Dimitri's on 3rd and Catherine in Philly for best Mediterranean food ever! (we were there last weekend too).

Whheww....after all this and 4 lbs, back to the grind at work.

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Flew to Chicago this morning. Lunch at Marche, just returned from an early supper at Topolobampo, one of our favorite three restaurants in the country. And Rick Bayless was actually in the kitchen today, not off galavanting for PBS. 8;) Incredible as always.

BTW, stocked up on the Frontera bottled sauces. What was formerly sold as "Roasted Arbol Sauce" is now being labelled simply "Red Pepper Hot Sauce," but the sauce itself is unchanged.

Crofton on Wells tomorrow, Roy's on Friday, MK Saturday, home Sunday to fast for a week... 8;)

-- Larry

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This afternoon, a rich double espresso and dry, mealy Sacher Tort amid all the beautiful people at Leopold's in Cady's Alley, Georgetown. Disappointing since I had fond memories of their pastries from my previous visit a year or so earlier. What's the consensus on the food and desserts here?

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Brunch at Whitlow's this morning with a friend. I really enjoyed my spinach & mushroom omelet with home fries & bacon. Nothing overwhelmingly amazing, but a nice tasty meal for $7.95. My friend had the lox & bagel plate which looked okay...boring toasted bagel, decent amount of lox, but the tomatoes were SAD. I'm really looking forward to summer produce!

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Good night last night.

Got to Cork right at 5pm, first one in the door. Enjoyed the calamari and rock shrimp with a side of the lemony, garlic fries. Washed it all down with a nice white Burgundy, can't remeber the bottle. Friends were very much enjoying a 5 cheese selection, but none for me.

Then off to PX for a My Wife's Manhatten, then moved on to the new "Six Weeks and Counting" mmmm so orange-y. Decided to close with an "(Erik's) Irish Flip" cause, well it's my favorite drink there and possibly anywhere.

Ended the night at The Majestic. Tried a new Malbec/Merlot blend from NZ, 51% malbec, 49% merlot. Very smooth and went quite well with a couple of the steaks, as well as both of the pasta specials (mushroom and 3 cheese ravioli; tagliatelle with cauliflower and some other good stuff). Added a side of the green beans with bacon and carmelized onions and finished with the Swiss Chocolate ice cream.

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