JPW

As I am partial to Rhone reds, I'm a big fan of Kacher's. My favorite wine guy at Total Wine in McLean has told me more than once "Take anything with the Kacher name on it. It'll be good". He imports some great wines at my (el cheapo) price point. I don't think I've ever bought anything with his name on it that was a stinker. Edited to add -- However, his web site could use some work. Perhaps I could arrange a trade in services.

Actually Robin, I think that they do a good job of this, especially in the summer. If memory serves me right, they did one on toms and one on apple cider this year among others. I do agree with your other points. It would be very nice to see more on local providers.

Scary. No doubt the place will be packed.... until the next "hot spot" opens and/or bed-lounging is out of style.

Welcome Walrus. Congrats on making it out in under 90 minutes.

Joe's O's Because they named it after me! (Not to mention that it's a lot freakin' cheaper than the national brand!)

Over the last few months I've been lucky enough to sample several of Chef Tom Power's soups. Without fail they have been exquisite. Last night's Parsnip with Tarragon was no exception. Every chef, whether home and professional, has certain items for which they have some innate talent. Nothing to do with technique or recipes, they just "get it". I am swiftly coming to the realization that this chef's particular knack is for soups. Creamy, stock based, whatever - it doesn't matter. The man just makes good soup. Good soup is good for your soul. A happy soul is the secret to inner peace. Oh hell, the man's food just makes me happy. PS- I think the spring rolls are actually getting better if that is possible.

How slow am I today that I just now figured out what "RIA" is?

to add my 2 cents to Wolfert's Things that prevent the stickies 1)make sure oil/fat has time to heat up 2)make sure that you're using enough oil/fat and that it has completely coated the pan 3) make sure that you leave some space between each piece of meat being browned If there's a couple of little stuck-on pieces that look like they'll burn, do a quick scrape with a wooden spatula and remove.

Perhaps the "anonymous" complaints are really just Michael's way of trying to keep the hordes at bay?

It was a star studded kick-off for brunch at Jackie's on Sunday. The preview brunch was run as a benefit for Silver Spring Police and Firefighters. In addition to the local political dignitaries, brunchers were treated to VIP guest Ann Cashion. It was a limited menu, but only in options. I had braised pork in mole, with a fried egg and a lovely rice pilaf. The mole was a perfect brunch sauce with just the right amount of sweetness. The pork was very good, just a little bit dry, as if there hadn't been enough liquid in the braising vessel. The fried egg was a tiny bit overseasoned, but then again I'm very picky about that. I mean, there's salt and pepper on the table for a reason! Back to the food. Mrs JPW had the waffle with chicken fricassee. It was exactly what chicken pot pie endeavors to be. One of the best brunch dishes that I've tasted in quite some time. A real triumph. I'll definitely be back several times for this dish. Peanut had nothing, prefering to sleep (thank god! our last restaurant outing had been less than peaceful ). Sides were some more than passable hash browns and Applewood Farms bacon. Perhaps I haven't been turned Southern enough yet, but I'm not a big fan of this bacon (which is very good). It's just a little too sweet for me, I tend to prefer a deeper smoke flavor with a kick of pepper. What I think will really make this brunch special is that it really isn't just a late breakfast as you can get in so many brunches; nor is it an early lunch. It really is dishes conceived for that specific meal known as brunch. And no, it doesn't come with a slice of cantelope at the end.

Squids, With Jeff Black's name attached to it, I think this place was out the day the sign went up over the door. That said, I haven't made it yet. If we weren't getting 4-8 inches on Saturday, I'd think about lunch this weekend. As it is, this should be enough snow to paralyze DC until Tax Day

edited for fear

Burros article I think in this particular case she is tweaking the restaurant goers more than the restaurants, but the point is valid that she comes accross as very dismissive of the DC restaurant universe.

I don't get it.

I remember seeing this stuff during my honeymoon a couple of years ago. The first words out of my mouth when I saw a bottle -- "Dude, that would make a great bong!"

Don't you have to serve soggy fried ventworm nuts to get one star?

Happy news indeed! Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Let me know if you want some somewhat adequate home cooking brought over, or anything else. We may have to start an eGullet infant play group. I'm sure that Peanut would love to have a new friend. Love to Mrs Stretch and the Little Stretch.

This is how I knew that my wife and I were seen as regulars at our local hole in the wall Thai place. One of her favorite dishes has broccoli. One night the waitress asked if we wanted chinese broccoli instead. Not knowing the difference at the time, we thought, "why not give it a shot?". Huge improvement. Ever since then we've felt like honorary Thais -- getting Chinese broccoli while the rest of the gringos get boring old "regular" broccoli.

Being a cheapskate by nature and nurture, I resisted my wife on this one for ages. Once I relented, it made all the difference in the world. It's not just the time, it's the stress of having that mop of Damocles hanging over your head. Plus, on the day they come, you get to experience that priceless sensation of coming home to a clean house.

Could be tough as it is Restaurant Week. On the plus side, DC is compact enough that you can get to just about any place of interest in the city fairly easily. The obvious answer, although it's probably booked solid by now, is to head across the Key Bridge to Ray's the Steaks. DC also has just about all of the big steakhouse chains (Morton's, Ruth's Chris, etc.) There is very little good pizza in DC. 2 Amy's, Sette Osteria are among the best I've had. I have had miserable experiences at the Georgetown branch of Pizzeria Paradiso, others seem to like it. Caveat comesor. HTH

Last night's show inspired my new sig. Hilarious - laughed from opening to the end credits even with a fussy baby.

Congrats Dougery! If you look at the photo to the left, you will see that I am only a few months ahead of you. (Edit to add - it's tough to see, but we are both asleep. Take it where you can get it!) What's worked for me is --Planning - I do a full weekly menu on Saturday and do all of my grocery shopping that day. The more organized you are the quicker you will be able to make dinner during the week. -- Do time consuming meals on weekends that produce easy to reshape leftovers during the week. - Sunday's roasted chicken leftovers will be tonight's chicken quesadillas. Last week it was a beef stew where the leftover meat and veggies got dumped into a gratin. -- Don't feel guilty about doing takout from the local Thai place every now and then. Everyone deserves an occasional break.

I put my 2 cents worth of opinion on Zaytinya. Middle Eastern restaurants in general are a good source of quality vegetarian dishes. Myself, I tend to prefer eating the baby sheep.

Gatorade and more Gatorade. Followed by the most sweat inducing aerobic activity around - since my knees have told me I can no longer run - I find a hard 20-30 mile bike ride works wonders to sweat out all the poisons.