JPW

AMEN to that sister! I still haven't hazarded a burger since the one I tried at Holy Cross! Chewing on soggy cardboard with a sprinkiling of salt is about as well as I can describe it. Or, Don is welcome to come out here to Rockville to join me in our company cafeteria. One hint - it is run by Marriott. That should tell you all you need to know.

Yet a third for CC Liquors. Picked up a case of Spaten there last week. One caveat - they don't have a list to guide you that is readily apparent. The wine selection is modest, but there are some interesting possibilities there.

Mrs JPW brought up the exact same point (Peanut did after all wake up). I guess that they were disqualifying tapas bars, I can't recall whether they even listed Jaleo in the index of restaurants that they covered. Perhaps one of the group of ruffians headed your way tonight will bring a copy along. Damn, I have to get a job in the city so I can blow Peanut's college fund on eGullet Bacchanalia!

So there I was this morning at Oh-dark-thirty sucking down a cup of coffee hoping to get up and out without waking Peanut. It was about 1.5 hours before the Post typically arrives, so I needed something to read (at that hour nothing is on TV execept for the replay of Lou Dobbs on CNN). I picked-up our local gossip and houses-you'll-never-be-able-to-afford rag - Washingtonian. There was an article on the DC explosion of "small plates" places. And whom, you might ask, did they give credit to for being the Neil Armstrong of small plates? Our very own John W. for his work at Topaz. Nice PR! PS - JUptown, they mentioned one of your faves, Bardeo, so you better get used to the crowds. PPS - After meeting with my team and starting off our work this morning I logged on (still about 2 hours before sane people go to work) and who else was here but Rock-sy Music. Dude, do you ever sleep?

Or perhaps the children's book...

Seen for the first time the other day -- Low Carb Pizza That's just so wrong on so many levels.

In addition to the cleanliness of the things on the table when I first sit down, I notice the cleanliness of the busboy who comes to fill the water glass and of my waitor. Waitors - no perfume or cologne, be freshly bathed, shave, comb your hair, make sure your clothes are clean and ironed, and please do not introduce yourself by saying "Hi, I'm Joe and I'll be your waitor tonight". I'm not here to be your friend or network with you.

How about Tupper's Hop Pocket instead? A great hopperific ale It's brewed by Old Dominion in Ashburn (well that's almost DC)

I drove past on Sunday. They are still in the dry-wall phase of construction, but I did spy some "packaged for shipping" chairs and tables that looked like they had just arrived. I, too, will keep my eyes open.

Ask and ye shall receive.... Ignore the man in the corner

But Don, I thought you were subsidizing this adventure, you know as a business write-off.

I'm in. Not quite sure about Mrs JPW or Peanut. Or maybe I'll stay at home with Peanut and send Mrs JPW. Or we'll both stay at home and send Peanut. In any case, interest is high in my household.

Mrs JPW helped with this one. I'm still new at the whole digital camera thing.

Right now? Larb!

Perhaps partially. IMO, Sam has gone downhill since it started going national. Same thing with Pete's (which is a real disappointment because I loved it when I first tried it in '93). THe larger issue, though is the airport "pubs". It would not surprise me to find out that the smegma in their lines is as old as the beer is. Dirty lines=bad beer.

Tom, On a indirect food matter. Are you getting hit by the hotel employee strike?

As a proud poppa of a post-natal Peanut, I find this article's theme strikes home. There is definitely information overload. Paranoia runs through almost all of the women I know who have recently been pregnant. The worst example comes from the No. 1 pregnancy book "What to Expect When You're Expecting". Doctors, deathly afraid of lawsuits, make the most restrictive recommendations. OB-GYNs have amongst the highest malpractice premiums and are more cautious than your average General Practician. Without commenting on the alcohol thing, this hearkening back to the past strikes me as forgetting something very key - the shit that the Industrial Revolution has pumped into our environment. People didn't worry about eating tuna in the past because there wasn't the amount of mercury in the waters. People didn't worry about fruit and veggies because there were almost no pesticides or soil pollution. Please get off of your high horses, pregnancy is an extremely personal matter. Just as many have decried strangers looking askance at pregnant women having a sip of wine, I get the same feeling of noseyness and disdain from those here who have talked about pregnant women avoiding things. Look in the mirror before you put fingers to keyboard. If you think I'm misreading things than I apologize in advance.

Playing some hookie at work and did some quick googling. At the lower end of ovens, the top temp appeared to be about 500. The highest that I saw was for a Wolf, where the top setting was for 550. They had a mid-setting of 450 and a low broil setting for 350.

Did a quick search on their web-site. They say the stainless interior cookware is overnsafe to 500 degrees, which should not be a problem for broiling unless you have a blast furnace for an oven.

I hesitated to suggest this because price point might be a little high for the requested range. Plus, I think that the kids would find more to enjoy at Sergio's

Rocks got this one exactly correct. Don't know how Sergio's had slipped my mind. Perfect for the family, exact right price range. Just warn them that the kitchen closes very early (9:30PM).

A lot depends on price range that you are looking for and their tastes. For SS, the best bet would be one of the less objectionable chains -- Austin Grill. Or you might try talking to one of the innumerable ethnic restaurants, the Latin places are probably your best bet (they seem a little more interested in marketing and generally have someone who speaks English well). Some favorites - el Golfo, el Gavilan, mi Rancho, Cubano. Other good ethnic places that might be worth a shot - Roger Miller (Cameroonian), Thai Derm, My Le (Vietnamese), Addis Ababa (Ethiopian- they have a beautiful new roof deck). As a warning, the amount of English spoken at the two Asian places is very limited. Anything above ethnic/chain on the price scale and you'll have to send them into the district.

I use a couple of no-name heavy duty 1/4 and 1/2 sheet cookie sheets that I picked up at my local hardware store. Haven't had any problems yet. I have gone through quite a number of cheap sheets that do that distinctive "whomp" as the two opposing corners pop-up. For a while I used it as a temperature gauge for the oven - it happened at about 350.

Received the following very nice e-mail from the eponymous Jackie this morning in response to some questions I had e-mailed her. A sampling of potential menu items can be found on their web site Jackie's [side bar - not a huge fan of the web site design] I am so excited to have something like this that I'll be able to walk to. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for the friendly and welcoming email--I have to say it is amazing the type of reception we are experiencing in Silver Spring. Everyone is so happy we are here and it is really gratifiying. Yes, we will be open soon. It looks like it will be in the first week of October. It's has been difficult to pinpoint due to the nature of construction on our building (everything is new from the inside out--a truly major renovation). ... Our wine list is a work in progress. In Montgomery County, there are certain routines and surcharges that make this a little challenging. Our aim is to offer a great selection of affordable wines, with the bulk of them between $18.00-40.00; to offer a good range by the glass; and to offer a small but select reserve list that will probaly range from about 50.00-120.00. We are dedicated to finding excellent, affordable wines that marry well with our food. This is key in our selections. At the moment, we have wines from France, California/Oregon, Portugal, Spain and New Zealand. For the bar, we will be offering 6 beers on tap (Guiness, of course, as well as others) in addition to a selection of bottled beer; and will concentrate on a few specialty drinks that my partner, Patrick, is dreaming up. He's a master bartender, and spends many of his waking hours concocting magical cocktails and martinis (!). He is obsessed at the moment with foam toppings (like a white chocolate martini)... As far as general comments about the restaurant, we are trying to create something very special here. I'm a native Washingtonian (grew up Wheaton, Bethesda and DC), and have always loved Silver Spring. Having had my business here for a number of years, I've been watching it's transformation with great interest. We are trying to contribute something that will not only enhance Silver Spring, but the metro area at large. We are combining the cuisine of a renowned chef (Ann Cashion won the James Beard Award this year, a very important accomplishment for a chef) with an inventive, smashing space. The interior of this old garage has been turned into a jewel box (talk about "garage chic"!). We are hoping to be a neighborhood fixture for the residents of Silver Spring and the workforce here, but also to be a destination for those living in DC and Bethesda and elsewhere. We intend to provide a fine dining experience in a stylish but casual setting. But most of all, it's about the food: the best seasonal ingredients, mainly from local farms, in an updated American Heritage menu. All in all, we want to be the best restaurant in the whole area! How's that for ambitious? ... Thanks again for your interest, and we very much look forward to seeing you and your friends at Jackie's. I will add you to my email list for updates on our opening. Regards, Jackie Higgins Jackie's Restaurant