littlechinagirl

Cool. If we make it, we're the couple with messy blond hair (though he has less of it than I do...) I've been looking for an excuse to go (for food). It's in our backyard. Love the new dragon bar.

Sounds great- do we need a bike? Dinerboy and I might swing by for a burger and wings.

I was there supporting Dinerboy working the dunking booth. Took my parents to Reef for brunch earlier (best grilled cheese, tomato, and bacon EVER), so by the time I was ready to eat some festival food, the only choice left was rice or beans in front of Bukom. Wish I'd made it to the crabcake in time...

Big thanks to Chef, Robin, staff, hillvalley, babka, and everyone else who had a hand in making last night truly wonderful! Only wish we hadn't had to leave just as the luscious, fragrant pork chop was making its appearance (Dinerboy had to be at work at 9:30). It made a wonderful lunch today, however. And I'm forever indebted to Debbie (gnatherobed? sp?) and Sydney for trekking all the way to 18th St. to drop off a huge slice of the pineapple upside-down cake (yum!!) for Dinerboy and me on their way home. What a wicked awesome surprise. You guys are the greatest. (Debbie, I PM'd you this morning, but don't know if it went through- it's not in my "sent" box- so, if you didn't get it- thank you!!!) Looking forward to the next one...

It's unlikely that I'll be able to make it by 7 sharp (my daily commute from Reston to DC takes an hour, on average, and I'll be stuck here until about 6). Is it ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that I be there by 7, or will this just be the start of the mingling half-hour? I'll try my best to leave early, but 66 is always a nightmare, and all it takes is a couple drops of rain to grind it to a screeching halt...

Udupi Palace?

Sorry hillvalley- please make my (+1?) a +1!. Thanks! J and I are looking forward to it.

I believe Soussi in Adams Morgan (18th and Kalorama?) has them upstairs.

Congratulations Sara! (and Liam!)

Count me in! (with a possible +1, though it's hard to drag him away from his station....) It was a hoot meeting you on Sunday! Looking forward to this!

Sounds intoxicating!

And I'll be the blond in a dark brown top and linen pants, accompanied by a thinning-haired blondish (and likely underdressed) guy. We have 7:15 reservations. I'll keep an eye out for you and be sure to say hello! (and you too, WoodleyGrrl) Btw- thanks for the report in the other thread, Sara. And Liam, I'm planning on ordering the 5 course tasting menu- did you enjoy it?

We'll be there, too! (anyone else?)

No more Glut? Did it close? Oh- no, sorry, I just don't live there anymore! It's still there.

Oh- I'm at Todito all the time. Next time I'll be sure to try the pupusa (maybe tonight...). I drove by Francis Carryout last night, when I happened to be in that part of town, but it looked closed. Otherwise, looked the same as it did when I lived there. Man, I miss Glut... good people and that cute little carrot sign...

Update- Thanks for the tips, y'all. Saturday night at GB's began well with a killer peach martini as we waited for the group to arrive. Then came the bread- the cornbread, with it's accompanying honey butter, was actually pretty good; unfortunately, the honey butter could not save the dry, hard biscuits, which tasted like flour hockey pucks. I skipped a starter and went straight to the entree- the fried chicken. It came out as two well fried breasts with gravy, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. The chicken itself was pretty good, but the gravy was rather bland (which was such a disappontment, as I LOVE a good gravy). Bottom line- momma can do better. And at almost $20, I expected a bit better. Mashed potatoes were fine (but could have been improved with some good gravy!) and collards seemed pretty good, but as I always steered clear of them growing up, I'm not a good judge. What is it with people that don't know how to tip? I ended up paying a third of the check (for our party of 7) just so our server would have 20%. And I felt he really deserved more. He was great- kept us in plenty of bread and drinks, food came out quickly, and we never felt rushed. As it was our friend's birthday, I had candles out to put into whatever desert she ordered. He discretely swept them away and reappeared with a sampler platter of five desserts (which we had ordered), all on a long rectangular platter, each with a candle in it. Nice touch, I thought. (edited to add- sorry there's no comment on the wine list- I stuck with peach martinis throughout the meal)

Awesome. I've actually never had a pupusa, despite living a few blocks from Mt. Pleasant. Shame on me. Is there a specific pupuseria you recommend? My neighbor swears by one in Columbia Heights, but I've yet to venture out...

I tried Vidalia a few months ago and loved it (and have pictures I keep meaning to scan) (is it horribly gauche that I took pictures in Vidalia? I'm new to it). The scallop special I ordered was brilliant, but what stands out months later as the highlight of the meal may be the cornbread. Excellent. Hush puppies were good (no more so than those I've eaten all over the Carolinas) and plentiful (as a side order). Still, I can't with a straight face call any restaurant "southern" that doesn't offer sweet tea. Who are they kidding? (am I being obsessive?)

I did! That was encouraging. Is it worth the trip out from DC? Heck, who am I kidding, I'd drive hours for serious fried chicken and sweet tea. Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks, hannnah. Now that you mention it, I vaguely recall reading Phyllis Richman's old review, in which she recommended the frogmore stew. Maybe I'll start fasting now. I'll be sure to report back.

Hey y'all! I love southern food. Get weak in the knees over it. Give me a crispy, juicy piece of fried chicken with milk gravy, mashed potatoes, and cornbread (or a buttermilk biscuit), and I'm in heaven. Oh, and musn't forget the sweet tea. And hush puppies. And my mom is southern (and her family's from the south), so I know what good southern food tastes like. My dear, well-intentioned friend (who regularly frequents Chili's, Olive Garden, and Cheesecake Factory) has been insisting for at least a year that I go to Georgia Brown's. She thinks it's the bees knees (it's her absolute favorite restaurant in the city), and is convinced that, given my love for southern food, this is THE PLACE for me. She's finally managed to plan a dinner there for us on Sat. (for a friend's birthday). She's so excited to show it off to me. A religious egullet lurker and Tom Sietsema reader, Georgia Brown's utter rejection by Tom and absence on this board has not gone unnoticed by me. But since I want badly to be able to like this place for my friend's sake, can anyone steer me to a reliably good dish or two? Anything to avoid? Or am I doomed? Do they even offer sweet tea?

I've had some decent (and cheap!) tacos of this nature at a truck that occasionally sits at the gas station near the new firehouse in Mt. Ranier (sans salsa bar). Right off Rhode Island, about a block from the circle. They offer all of the ingredients you mention, plus radishes. And tongue. This probably isn't much of a help to you, though, given its location and uncertain presence. But if you happen to be passing by, keep an eye out. Try as I may, I cannot force a liking of the double layer unfried corn tortillas. Anyone know where I can get myself a good, crunchy, meaty, cheesy, messy fried corn tortilla taco? (I know it's inauthentic, and I don't give a damn).

Sorry, don't mean to beat a dead horse, but this was the main reason I thought you might be thinking of Jaleo. (It's Palena, not Paleo. Just don't wan't you to look for a place that doesn't exist!) edited to add: never mind, I see from a previous post that you know where it is.

VivreManger- given your reference to the "small plates" at "Paleo", I'm wondering if you could possibly be confusing (or melding) Palena with Jaleo (which offers tapas).

Holly, I recently had a similar experience, though not quite as extreme, in Richmond, VA. After a blissful week-long vacation in the Keys, we stopped in Richmond on the last night of our 20 hr. drive back to DC. Having read about the cute, wonderful box lunches at Sally Bell's Kitchen, I dragged my boyfriend there for our "last vacation meal". My sweet boyfriend, knowing the food freak that I am, posed me in front of the cupcakes and snapped the very last picture on our disposable camera. The woman behind the counter jerked to attention- "Did you just take my picture?!" (Boyfriend)- "Uh, no ma'am, I was just taking a picture of my girlfriend by the cupcakes..." "You can't take my picture! Why did you take my picture?! I didn't give you permission to take my picture!" Boyfriend- "I'm sorry, ma'am, we certainly didn't mean to offend you..." She continues to scold us, her voice booming, her anger boiling, as everyone there whips around and stares... "You can't be taking pictures of me without my permission- You're going to have to give me your camera!" Give her our camera? The one containing picutures of my boyfriend (now fiance) proposing to me on a sunset cruise? The one with pictures of our Keys vacation with old college friends we rarely see anymore? I don't think so. Fortunately for everyone, the owner came out right at that moment to see what the commotion was about. The situation fizzled, and aside from the woman behind the counter muttering about it from that point on, we left without incident. And with our boxed lunches, which, BTW, were slightly disappointing, but maybe that's only because they were out of their famous chicken salad. Just got the pictures developed- there's one of me (and only me) with the delicious cupcakes. It's lovely.