JennyUptown

Mebbe.

Jaleo is great if you can get there early. They don't accept reservations. Same with Zaytinya. Both are near the red line. Oh, and don't overlook Matchbox (more than pizza) or Ella's (mostly pizza). They're not "upscale" per se, but they are generally good about getting you in and out if you tell them you need to eat and run, and I really like the food and atmosphere.

I wouldn't call it quick though. What day of the week are you talking about?

Imagine how that sounds when you're thirty. ARGH.

Fun! I'm jealous though.

I wish you didn't tell us that. I had my first Vace slice recently and loved it.

I guess we won't be seeing you around RehobOth this summer. Yikes! Woody, I'm with you re: Adriatico. Fortunately, pasta isn't generally on my wish list when looking for good beach eats because Adriatico is crazy-bad and there aren't many other Italian options near the heart of Rehoboth

I wonder if we rent from the same management company (you in Nashville, me in DC) as we seem to have the same kitchen floor, the exact same appliances, all of it!

Back on the black bean soup...I made it according to this recipe with the exception of the canned vs. dried beans. The flavor? Amazing. The consistency? Not so much. Even after 90 minutes of simmering, the consistency was broth-like. Any thoughts on why?

A question...would it be foolhardy to try to make black bean soup with canned beans? The soup would just be for me, not guests or anything. If the answer is "try it," I'd love suggestions as to how to adapt a recipe to accommodate canned beans.

Don't worry - we're not trying to suggest that you stop liking it. We just agree that we think their bagels suck.

I miss Banana-Blueberry-Bran muffins at Grey Dog on Carmine (the bagels aren't bad either).

Where are these good bagels? I think the bagels are horrendous here. And I think everything is gross there.

Maybe we should merge this...?

Joe H is BACK! Where've you been, Joe?

Also, there's the White Bread (a.k.a. Sorry) Safeway near Chevy Chase Circle. They are one and the same.

The under $100 per person comment was the one thing that made me think it *might* just be real. Usually those kinds of jokey posts are punctuated with "by the way, I only want to spend $25 per person."

Even I am not that bad. If I were Tom, I would have just ignored the question.

I think Otello might be what you seek.

I was there not too long ago, and I agree. The prices are up and several of the dishes seem to now be too cluttered-- all sorts of garnishes and sauces. I still like this place, though. The owner and employees are all so nice there. Some friends of mine were running late, so they invited me to the bar and gave me tastes of all the glass wines (which must have been at least 8 wines). I completely agree. But I don't think Kuna is exactly a special occasion restaurant for this crew...

I keep hearing that i Ricchi has slipped, but I LOVE it.

IMHO Kuna has fallen off a LOT lately. Don't get me wrong - I still like it. But the prices went up, the number and quality of selections went down...and it's not in the same league as the other restaurants suggested.

Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing. I'm pretty sure my friend is set on going to Woo Lae Oak. She loved it and part of the reason I'm heading back to NYC this weekend is her birthday. (PS Hi Cornellrob - I'm Arts & Sciences, class of '95)

Thanks, Pan. But I do think this is to be a downtown night.

Bump! OK, who has been to Woo Lae Oak recently? What did you eat? How much did it set you back? It's on my list of possible dining spots (best friend loves it) for this coming weekend's visit to NYC.