hillvalley

It's been years since eG was a part of my life but because of the board that FG created I have created many important friendships, fallen in love, and had countless experiences that make me who I am today. I know I am not the only one. We should all leave such a legacy.

Mal-a few years back I was having the same type of health problems (but not for the same reason ) I pretty much lived off of spirutein for a few months. I'd blend it up with some milk and a banana or jsut drink it straight. They have the powdered version-both in the big ole can but also in individual packets which made eating at work easier. There were also jusice box sized drinks that were already blended. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of using a powdered drink but in the end it tasted better-and I think had more nutritional value-than Ensure. I hope that helps

I haven't been to the one in Va. but the ones in DC and Bethesda aren't great. There is much better Indian around than those two. If you want to do Indian let me know, we should get Monica Bhide involved. What sort of thing are you planning re: the Secret Service? I'm sure it would make for interesting tv, but as a native Washingtonian it doesn't seem like the best way to get any kind of authentic DC experience. I mean would you be accompanying them as they retrieve Official Presidential Snacks a la the Jelly Bellies the SS used to buy for Pres. Reagan? Also, re: MD and VA, it really is all right there via the Metro. You're only a few stops away from downtown DC to Arlington and Alexandria, VA and Rockville, Bethesda, and Silver Spring in MD so no worries. ← DC is in the shape of a diamond with most of the bottom left quadrant missing. Back when it was founded Maryland and Virginia both gave land to create the city. (The missing part of the diamond went back to Va.) Therefor DC is surrounded by Md. and Va. depending on what area of DC you are in. The Capitol is in the middle and the division for the city's 4 quadrants: Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest. The Secret Service thing would be cool-but it's not your standard DC experience. You might have trouble finding an agent who is willing to go in TV since they are not supposed to be recognizable. I agree-Annapolis is part of Baltimore, not DC. Yes, many people commute from out there but that is due to urban sprall and absurd real estate prices here. Annapolis would be a great spot for your second season though, when you hit cities that are smaller.

Should we hit it before or after Komi Let me know when and I am there. Andrew-could you tell us about how you are conducting your research, other than reading eG? Will you be coming to the different cities and trying the restaurants out? How do you decide what's in and what's out? How much do we have to bribe you to make sure our favorites make the cut?

The carryouts I'm talking about aren't the chains-these are independantly owned places where you and I would stand out like a sore thumb If my camera is working I'll do some research this weekend. I think you're right about the Salvadorans or giving Carribean a shot. I'm still rooting for Ooohs and Aaahs though. It would be a good fit for dinner. Chris-a little known slogan of DC is "Your Capital City, Where There is No Such Thing as A Great Breakfast." That being said, my favorite place is a little hole in the wall about three blocks from the Capitol called Jimmy T's. It's another one of those places where you will find Hill staffers and cops sitting next to each other Saturday morning.What about Negrill for Jamaician?

You can stand with one foot in MD and one in DC - they border one another. The mexican neighborhood is about 15 minutes across the state line -- if it was in LAm, it would be well within the city limits; the 'cue runs about an hour or hour-and-a-half by car. The Vietnamese strip mall I spoke of earlier is about 30 minutes outside. As I said, if you are going to be shooting in DC, let us know and we'll see what we can dig up, and maybe introduce you/your producer to some other smart foodies. ← Busyboy-we may have to do a recon mission out to PG county to check whether the mexican neighborhood is worth it. The last time I was there it was pretty bad-even if I was only one of two gringos in the whole place. It didn't live up to the hype. Barracks Row, 8th street between Pennsylvania and I, might be worth a look. Two blocks away is the Navy yard and on the east side of the street is the Marine Barracks, home to the Commendant,his band and a ton of young marines. In three blocks you can find a pretty good cheesesteak for the young marines, somewhat fancy (for that neighborhood anyway) Beligum food, and a couple of bars where you could have a marine on one side of you, a Navy contractor on the other and a Hill staffer behind you. Plus there is the Firehouse Carryout. I don't know if this is a DC thing or you can find them in other inner city neighborhoods, but we have a dearth of "carryouts" where you can get everything from pretty good fried chicken to fried rice to a steak and cheese. For many people the fried rice is as ethnic as their palate gets. You never refer to the different places by their real name, everyone just knows which "carryout" you are referring to based on the neighborhood you are talking about. Have we mentioned Ooooohs and Aaaaaahs yet? Great soul food on U street. The first time I went I listen to another customer tell the cop standing next to him how he got out of getting arrested the night before.

Unfortunately if you are looking for cheap eats recommendations from Embassy staff in DC proper you won't have much luck. "Embassy Row", also known as Massachusetts Ave. between just past Dupont Circle up to the Observatory (where Chaney Lives) where most of the embassis are located does not have any restaurants nearby. Nothing. For the most part in order to find good cheap ethnic eats you have to head to the burbs. Given the real estate prices in DC it's getting harder and harder to find cheap eats, let alone ethnic cheap eats in a lot of areas.

You will probably get beets, their season is just starting. Beets tend to last longer than other summer veggies so your CSA may be holding on to them for future shipments. Also, tomatoes seemed to get a late start this year. The actual local tomato season is just starting to get into full swing. Faboo, the cucumbers you received are called kirbies or pickling cucumbers. They tend to be a little more crisp and less seedy than your average cucumber. They are my favorite "standard" cucumber. Once you get more tomatoes they are great in gazpacho. I've got a CSA question for ya. Do they ask for their plastic containers back? IS there any attempt made to recycle/reuse other containers?

I have larbed and seen the light. I cannot believe that it took me this long. Of course I used snowangel's recipe although I didn't have any kaffir leaves and used picked thai green chilli's instead of red bird chillis. And I added a ton of cilantro It is beautiful but just a touch salty. Next time I will use more lime. Wish I had some lettuce leaves and a camera so I could share. Thank you snowangel.

I got to try the menu this weekend during their pre-opening and was quite pleased with what I found. Highlights included the scamorza (smoked, melted mozzarella), the lasagnette (layers of excellent pasta, creamy meat sauce and melted cheese floating in between), the meat plate and desserts. Two favorites from the dessert menu were the pine nut, honey and thyme tart and the vanilla ice cream topped with aged balsamic vinegar. The wine menu has a number of wines by the glass that are available in 3 and 8 ounce pours which allowed us to try a wider variety than we normally would. I fear that the biggest disappointment I will face is trying to drop in for a bite at the bar and finding it full and overflowing.

Grilled bananas and cream. Take the bananas, slice in half and place in a piece of tin foil. Dot with butter and then sprinkle on brown sugar and cinamon if you have it. Close the foil packet and stick it under the broiler or on the grill for about 5 minute or until everything inside is bubbly. When you serve, drizzle a little cream around the bananas. Make sure to add a splash or four of rum in your packet after the bananas are cooked

Is there any way to get around that law? Some kind of special permit or something? ← Unfortunately no. If it was a smaller event maybe, but the Folklife Festivals take so much work as it is they really don't want to deal with one more issue. Even though it has changed since the begining, pulling off the festival takes an enormous amount of time and effort. Plus, can you imagine the media nightmare if some tourist from middle America got sick off of Omanian food?

Click here to see the infamous ventworm cake.

The fact that Kotobuki, where most sushi is a dollar a piece, was left off shows how much effort they put into the darn thing.

I have a friend who I eat out with a few times a month. We have similar palates and often find layers of flavors and depth that an "average" diner may miss. But we regularly disagree about salt. It's led me to believe that both two people can have excellent palates and still disagree about the amount of salt used in the same dish. I can now tell in one bite when he will find a dish oversalted, even though I think it is the perfect amount. One person's perfection is another's salt mine.