Malawry

There isn't too much breakfastwise around the Convention Center. A few hotels nearby offer breakfasts but these are standard overpriced Marriott breakfasts, not anything special. If you can get closer to Dupont Circle, see if Tabard Inn is serving breakfast. Also I've been wanting to try breakfast at Melrose for the past year but have never made it there...23rd and M, in the Park Hyatt, and it's supposed to be amazing. I had brunch on a Sunday once at Bistro Bis on the Hill (Hotel George) and really enjoyed it, and I think they serve a more limited menu during the week. (I love starting a day with a warm croissant and a bacon-frisee-poached egg salad.) Your lunch and dinner choices are great. Wow, you must have read everything we wrote for the past year to come up with that list! Have a great visit.

Roasted pork tenderloin Winter fruit compote with dried apricots, raisins, apples and onions Choucroute with some bacon mixed in Steamed green beans Pan-roasted potatoes. For 35.

I suspect I'd rather buy things for the tailgate than make something in advance, personally.

Yes, it can, and I made it that way for many years. However it is not nearly as satisfying as it is with a rich animal-based stock.

Double trouble post.

Some of these are fascinating. I loved the images from the Concorde, Bangkok Air and of course Japan Air Lines.

Welcome, Emily. I've enjoyed your articles in the Post. I thought BreadLine's donuts were too chewy, personally. What are Heller's donuts like?

Huh? No? *claps hands over ears* I probably shouldn't hear this... EDIT: Whaddaya know, 14919 Shady Grove Road.

I've had most of those donuts, except Komi's. I feel the need to offer two honorable mentions in the donut category: 1. Apple fritters from the Woodmoor Shopping Center bakery in Silver Spring, MD (Four Corners area). These are not the big-as-your-hand sort, they are sized like an average donut and have a lovely subtle apple and cinnamon yeasty flavor. Don't bother with the other donuts they sell. 2. Ten Penh normally has a fritter or donut of some sort on their dessert menu. The last time I ate there was about 6 months ago and I ordered coconut donuts with yuzu creme brulee. I got three little beauties dusted generously with toasty coconut and a little black teacup-looking container filled with the creme and topped with a glassy layer of sugar. I remember breaking the surface and eating the topping with a spoon, and then dunking the donuts into the creme before snarfing them. I have heard that the banana fritters that sometimes appear on this menu are especially worthwhile; last winter they came with salty peanut ice cream (droooool). I admit to having a real fondness for the original Krispy Kreme. I'm fortunate that their only DC area store is located way the hell down in Alexandria. Being from North Carolina (like KK donuts are) I have an inherent addiction to the things.

Salad with lemony vinaigrette Catfish cooked en papillote on a bed of leeks, celery and fennel, topped with shallots and lemons. Classic beurre blanc napped on top. Assorted nuts for dessert.

Our current roommate keeps her food on separate shelves in the fridge and freezer, and she has her own cabinet for her dry goods. It keeps things easier. We live in a big old house and not in a New York apartment, and we have a chest freezer, so separating out space is not a huge trial. Our last roommate shared all groceries with us, but she was very good about asking before taking something that looked special and making it her lunch. I guess I've been pretty lucky with roommates and food.

Squared produce would make julienne and brunoise cuts much simpler, Fifi.

Squashblossom, washingtonpost.com normally maintains a list of area farm markets including contact info or websites so your friend can learn more about how to vend. Let us know if he finds any success...I'm not the only farm market junkie around here who'd support this person.

No alcohol, period. Ever. Even if you bring it in. Sorry CJ. I do recommend the burger. Ask for the Maille mustard they keep in the step-in if you object to Heinz's table mustard. (This is sort of the same issue as Matchbox has with not serving mustard at all with their miniburgers. Maybe I'm the one with the problem, being a mustard snob.) I'd be surprised if they took it off the Sunday night menu. They also usually have some kind of cool butterhead lettuce salad on the menu which is worth ordering.

Funny. I had a dream about Bourdain last night. For some reason I steered a group of 8 to the DC location of Les Halles, and he was visiting. He knew one of my friends and came outside to greet us (I guess he was standing in the window like on the cover of KC, and saw us approaching). After he'd said hello to my friend I embraced him lightly and kissed him on the cheek and introduced myself. He was weirded out because he had no idea who I was. But then we went inside and he didn't bother with sending us menus, he sent us little treats and a sampling of whatever he thought was best instead. I remember I really wanted a frisee salad with bacon and a poached egg (preferably duck) but this was the one item he didn't think to send us. Everything tasted great in a homey, bistro-y way. What a weird dream. I have never eaten at the DC Les Halles, or any other Les Halles for that matter. Uh, hope that wasn't TMI.

A tossed salad with lemony vinaigrette Bouillaibaisse, with rouille and aioli. (We hit the aioli especially hard.) A chilled Graves was offered to our guest, but she declined.

As a certified farm market junkie, I'd be willing to schlep to Frederick once and check it out. Meanwhile has he tried for the Takoma (Park, MD) market? (It too has a waiting list, but it's not nearly as long as Dupont's...and it costs less to vend there too). Also there's tons of new markets in places like Mt Pleasant, Adams-Morgan. There's a market in Rockville and one in Silver Spring, both of which would benefit greatly from a new meat vendor. Has he checked out the Courthouse (Arlington, VA) market, which is one of the largest and busiest in the area? There's a lot more than Dupont around...

I don't ever recall this being a big deal either. My husband is a teetotaler, has never drank wine. I am definitely not knowledgeable about wine but I still probably know more than most of the people I dine with. The list always comes to me. If somebody tries to hand it to my husband he simply indicates that I will be choosing the wine. And he handles it himself if somebody tries to give him a taste, again steering them to my end of the table. Not a big problem. And I never have people sneer or act overly attentive because of this...that would be a huge turnoff!

Don't get all excited. The only meats I ordered were chicken breasts, ground beef, and pork tenderloin. (Well, and some whole chickens for stock and for an Indian style dish I want to try on them.) I bet they can all be combined with "Cream of" soups inventively for tasty combinations. I'd rather not say where this sorority is. However my esteemed partner is a doctoral candidate at UMD and agrees "dry campus" policies are not reflected by the conversations he overhears among undergrads.

I once catered an event in a place where there was a boil water advisory due to flooding. Also I had temporarily situated a lot of the food for the event in my home chest freezer, and the same storm that caused the flood caused me to lose power. (This was Isabel, yes.) Fortunately I knew all this going in and gave myself enough time to make ample preparations. As soon as I arrived at the facility I set two stockpots on the stove to boil for cleaning up with, and kept one going all night. Nobody got sick and nobody noticed my last-minute switches with the food. Phew!

Maybe I should get a sign that reads "no loitering" for my pantry.

Sure, I'll try to post occasionally about it. I'll also be writing about it in my LiveJournal, I am sure. I feed the sisters lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday, and lunch only on Friday. I serve my first meal at lunchtime next Thursday. I'm going in Tuesday as my first full day, to finish cleaning and setting up the kitchen, organize things, and receive and put away my first food order. If I'm lucky I'll have time to make stock while I'm doing these things.

These are great ideas. Keep them coming! Actually I plan to survey the sisters and see what they want me to cook for them. Maybe I'll put in a question about "cream of" soups and see what kinds of dishes use them that they'd like to eat.

It's a "dry campus." (covers ears as raucous laughter ensues)

The cans look good. Adding to a real bechamel isn't a bad idea but I don't want to kill the girls with saucy, gloppy food. We'll see how the soups taste. I think a #10 can is the usual "foodservice size" container, a can about 8" in diameter. These are smaller than that. I think two of them would make plenty of a hotel pan of casserole for 34 girls...probably would need only one and a half cans now that I think of it. The mixes are Sysco brand and they're preportioned in large bags. I guess I could make the jello and just put it on the salad bar...I bet most of the girls would enjoy that as an occasional addition. As for the chocolate mousse, I guess I'll have to taste it anyway so I'll probably take your advice before committing to using the whole bag. If it's totally unpalatable, es basura.