Alex

Is Costco a membership store? Can anyone shop there? Costco is membership only, as is Sam's Club. Once, maybe twice a year I'll see a guest pass for Sam's in the newspaper. That'll get you in, but you'll pay a premium over the member's price (I can't remember exactly how much--probably 10% ±5).

As a regular visitor to DC (and a sensible person in general), I would advise you to pay close attention to Busboy's advice. That said, and understanding that your decision is mostly, if not completely, made, you also might want to consider Proof and Vidalia. Here's some recent info about Proof. And here's their website. Here's some recent info about Vidalia. And here's their website.

If you want to be more or less exact about this, you could ask your cow person the actual percentage of milk fat (typically at least 4%), then calculate from there. The percentage may vary according to the season or the cows' feed. (If your cows are grass-fed during warmer weather, you also may notice a grassy undertaste, which some people [e.g., Ms. Alex] may find objectionable in their coffee.) Sorry I can't offer more help than that, as we skim off almost all the cream for our coffee (and cooking, sometimes). The rest we drink or is turned into yogurt.

I also own Frog/Commissary. I must confess that I bought it solely for the Eden Burgers recipe, although I've made a few other recipes from time to time, all good. Here are my major influences (I know--some aren't cookbooks per se): Early on: Fannie Farmer, The NY Times International Cookbook A bit later: The Joy of Cooking, Joyce Chen Cook Book Early middle: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook Late middle: Cook's Illustrated collection, On Food and Cooking, The Best of the Midwest More recently: What To Drink With What You Eat, The Instant Bean/The Brilliant Bean

I choose...bacon. With pancakes. Why? The most interesting taste profle + maximum nostalgia value. Mine are relatively commplex. Dry = KA flour, toasted wheat germ, sometimes unsweetened dessicated coconut, a little plain granola, pinch of salt. Wet = milk, egg, plain yogurt or sour cream. Optional = blueberries in season, banana. Local maple syrup, natch.

Thanks for the input. According to Google Maps, the #81 and #82 buses stop right by Feast and run within a few blocks of her hotel. If she's willing to take the bus, would you recommend she opt for Feast over Voice or T'afia? I would say Feast, Dolce Vita, and Da Marco (depending on how fancy she wants) all over either of those. Catalan is bussable too, and probably my favorite. Another option closer to downtown is Ibiza (not walkable but closer than Reef or T'afia). Honestly, to me, the idea of T'afia is much better than the food. Reef is very good seafood, but to me, not as good as those other places. ETA: Another great option down Westheimer would be Hugo's. Authentic upscale Mexican, probably something you can't get in Michigan and very excellent. Thanks so much. Those all look wonderful. We'll probably review all the menus together later today then make some reservations, provided we don't ruin the keyboard by drooling over it.

Thanks for the input. According to Google Maps, the #81 and #82 buses stop right by Feast and run within a few blocks of her hotel. If she's willing to take the bus, would you recommend she opt for Feast over Voice or T'afia?

Ms. Alex will be in Houston for a conference at the end of the month, staying at either the Doubletree or the Hyatt Regency (right by each other). She'd prefer a dinner place she could walk to, but easy walking distance of a light rail stop would be fine. A short bus ride might be OK, too. Lunch needs to be close to the Hyatt. I've done some research and would greatly appreciate comments about my selections, along with any other suggestions you might have. Thanks. Near downtown Reef Feast t'afia Downtown Voice 17 Yatra Massa's (seems a bit gimmicky and no comparison to Reef, but it's right across the street from the hotel; maybe a good lunch option?) Lunch Treebeards - The Tunnel Artista (Hobby Center) Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen (at the airport, just in case)

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Could you expand on that carbonara comment? I've been using local farm eggs exclusively for the past 10+ years, and my carbonara (Ruth Reichl's recipe) turns out great every time. The eggs are anywhere from a few days to a month or so old.

I used my Penzey's both last night and tonight in a spice mix for savory pancakes: sauteed onion, red bell pepper, and fresh corn added to a simple flour/egg/milk batter in which I whisked in salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and the aforementioned granulated garlic. Tonight they were served unadorned with Sriracha on the side; yesterday they were topped with butter-poached shrimp seasoned with salt, a spritz of lime juice and a quick shake of smoked Spanish paprika.

Yeah, I'd eat that poutine, too. A restaurant here in Grand Rapids, The Green Well, just featured a "Farm to Plate Weekend" menu that included a "GR Poutine": "Lakeview Farms day fresh cheese curds, Michigan maple truffle fries, [local] all day braised pork, local fried egg, Michigan Dijon vinaigrette." Grange Kitchen and Bar The 53 Mile menu

I'm glad you enjoyed Vermillion. Restaurant Eve is closed for lunch on Saturday, so, as Joe Gerard said, do try to get there on Friday for the Lickety Split Lunch in the bar/lounge. They also have a regular lunch menu in the Bistro, but the prices are akin to moderately priced dinner elsewhere (apps 15-21, mains 18-25). I've never been there, but Landini Brothers, on King St. near the river, looks like a good bet for Saturday lunch (~4½ stars average on OpenTable). It's tough to go wrong with a proscuitto and mozzarella panino, with salad, for $9.95. While you're in that part of town, you also can visit the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

Definitely Vermillion Strongly consider the Lickety Split Lounge Lunch Menu at Restaurant Eve. Their Bistro menu for dinner would be ~$65 for three courses, w/o wine, so that may not qualify as "not too expensive." The Majestic, already mentioned, is good, too.

Piccolo Sogno has a lovely patio, an oasis in the middle of their primarily industrial area. A huge picture of it is on their home page.

Hmm. The web site says that information will be posted "soon," but it's only a couple of weeks away, and nothing yet. However, a list of restaurants is here (scroll down to the entry for August 17). There also are a couple of menus on the page. The price ($27) isn't bad. D.C.'s current Restaurant Week is $35.09 for dinner. It might be worth a weekend trip from the west side of the state. Pending more information, I'd probably opt for Roast, Cuisine, and Saltwater or Wolfgang Puck's Grille. How do those sound to you?

Testing was my very first thought when I read your first post, so I'm wondering why you couldn't do that. Have you talked with anyone at the Health Department or UNLV about it?

I use my trusty OXO swivel peeler, then Microplane if I need to go beyond an extremely fine chop. Otherwise, as David Goldfarb mentioned earlier, I slice, smash and slide (which helps to deal with the fibers), then mince.

Kerry Beal, Prasantrin(and her mom), myself and another eGulleter ate here last year during the Heartland Gathering. My sandwich was very good( and huge), but it didnt scream " Chicago" to me( if that makes any sense). I wouldnt seek the cafe out, but if you're in the hood and starving, its a good choice. ← I see you've been laying off the hallucinogens. That's good.

I haven't eaten there in a couple of years, but I'd recommend the Café at Fox & Obel for breakfast or lunch. Has anyone been there more recently?

My goodness, we're cranky today, aren't we? Which other three ingredients would you recommend that The Minimalist use instead? Also remember that the first item on the ingredient list is bacon , which gives him a free pass on almost any other ingredient he chooses to include. Here's the offending recipe.

Black garlic web site, with recipes An article in The Washington Post of Feb 25, 2009 A quick mention by Florence Fabricant in The New York Times of October 7, 2008 An article in Nation's Restaurant News Earthy Delights here in Michigan carries black garlic and is sponsoring a recipe contest.

There's commentary all over the 'net about this, of course. Here's a post by one of my favorite writers, James Fallows. I heartily agree with that "Oh, please." Our president's go-to restaurant in Chicago is Spiaggia. I tend to doubt that Bud Light is his beer of choice, even on a hot summer's day. I like the man a lot (and I apologize if he does indeed drink Bud Light), but this type of political posturing is cringe-inducing. Fallows's suggestion of Sam Adams or Dogfish Head was spot on, in my opinion.

NY Times blog post about The Publican

I'll be back in the metro area for a couple of days next month, and my schedule will finally allow me an opportunity to hit Weekday Cafe for lunch. Has anyone been there recently?