wilewil

Have you tried Bonefish Grill (part of the Outback empire)? I think Legal is OK. I also think Bonefish is at least as good. Both are best when they do fish simply. With both available in my area, I find that I am more often at Bonefish. Some of the local places are even better, especially with the local items like crabs or crabcakes (though the best are more expensive than Legal or Bonefish).

Krystal waffles. They were so good they had to sell the batter to go (in a little cup which made one - from the refr.).

Not fond of Rocklands, Dixie Bones (which I like) is on Occoquan Rd just off Rte1 at the north end of Woodbridge. I also like a really obscure place called BBQ World in Burke, at the corner of Roberts and Burke Center Pkwy. It has a real wood cooker, and if you want to know why more places in urban areas don't just look at the hood system he has. Some of my friends like Willard's in Chantilly near the Expo Center on Willard rd. I think they are not as good as the two above. I (real southerner I guess) am not a huge fan of brisket, and that is what they like at Willards.

Note to AgaCooker re: Lt. General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller was one of the most decorated of all U.S. Marines. During WWII, when he was a colonel, he gave his hard-pressed regiment(they were surrounded by more than a hundred thousand chinese) the following tongue-in-cheek reassurance: "The enemy is in front of us, behind us, to the left of us and to the right of us. They can't escape us this time." The Chinese were on our side in WWII so he shouldn't have been too afraid......... I think the quote may be from Korea.

Tried one at Wegman's destination store near Dulles Airport last nite. Was better than the old version in my opinion, but not "real" coke taste.

I can only think of one case thats common, Stone crab claws.

As to Ming Tsi being "an employee of the network" - I don't think he is currently on any in production show, re-runs maybe. He does have a new show on PBS.

Microwave the good stuff for them. I have found that often the problem is something like "I don't like to see blood". The microwaved meat sure doesn't show any blood!

I think Mc Rib was (is) somehow underwritten by a pork producer's association. I Wonder what they contribute? That must effect the timing of its availability.

The Costco grape/orange/lemon-lime drinks are pretty good, the cola less so. Recently Safeway and Giant in the DC area have had sales where the name brands were under $2 per 12.

There are always "middle class" people in the line at our local Thanksgiving meal for the homeless (indeed some are now in need). But most are the volunteers who cook and serve. Some are always eating throughout the meal with the other people in line. If you want to volunteer for TGiving, do so - but remember there are 364 other days when the same services are needed. Special mention should be made of the Jewish (and increasingly other faiths) people who man the lines on the other big day - Christmas. In our community they make up a very large percent of the volunteers in many areas of service, allowing Christians to be with their families that day while needed services are still being provided.

I am a believer in the saute to brown then in the oven to finish routine. However, I was pleasantly suprised once when I was in a hurry and did the finishing in the microwave. 3 minutes and the usual rest yielded a really good, really moist 3 chicken breasts. I have used that method many times since and usually with good results, if the breasts are particularly large or thick it may take longer. If I have extra time I will still use the oven. but I am not sure it is better.

For Northern Virginia, there are many in the Arlington Coumbia Pike area and a pretty good one is (was, I haven't been by there in a couple of weeks) at the office building across from the car wash in Central Springfield.

I remember, I think, that in the early 60's when I worked at BK the whoppers were square and thicker. They were cooked on a char grill located in the counter. The counter had stools on the customer side. The shake machine was itself a whopper, occupying a separate glass inclosed room at the end of the counter. It had lots of plastic tubes etc. My job was to clean that monster shake room each nite about midnite. In return I got free food all day! College student's dream job. As an aside, the best meals I had there were after midnite when we would sometimes cook steak or chicken from the local grocery on that grill. Even then the fixings were "have it your way".

Obviously not from the south where raw turnips are commonly eaten. Onions and mushrooms are also somewhat common in salads, on sandwiches etc.

My mother used to make use of leftover ham. Coasely grind it with onion and some hot peppers, stir in corn kernals cut from the cob - stuff - bake surrounded and topped with tomato sauce. It was good

In DC, we may someday know that feeling again -

For all the RR bashing, I think they have hamburgers (and roast beef too) which is a cut above the norm for fast food places. And the fixing bar's do it yourself helps too. That said, Wendy's is also an OK burger. Too bad we don't have Krystal or White Castle around this area, that would really disturb some folks. Have $5 burgers gone downhill due to the mad cow-salmonella-e-coli scares? No body wants to do medium anymore, much less rare! (They are not $5 anymore either).

Yeah, Washington/Baltimore and Boston get serious elevations when you consider the entire metro areas as opposed to city center. In the DC area, would you consider such places as Arlington (particularly Clarendon to Rosslyn), Alexandria, Silver Spring, Bethesda etc. suburban? I wouldn't. That said, some of the best ethnic meals in the area are even farther from the "city center" Bailey's Crossroads, Annandale, and Seven Corners come to mind right off. The District is perhaps even more "suburban" than some of the places above in far NW or NE. If you can tell where the Washington area and the Baltimore area divide, you are a better man than I. Commuters pass each other every day.

Royal Street in Alexandria. Fish Market, Wharf too

The very good steak cooked over charcoal by an Army mess cook at Oakland Army Terminal. About half an hour before I got out of the Army.

McRib was "sponsored" by some pork association. It is still available at some locations, particularly in the south where you would think better pork with BBQ sauce can be had. McD of Canada, always more innovative, still serves pizza (and Poutine too in Quebec and the east).

Both Moon Pie and Little Debbie are from the Chattanooga area. Moon Pies are much older. The double version seems to be most common outside the south. Goo Goos are from Nashville and are somewhat less widely available than Moon Pies in my experience. Little Debbie gets the award for broadest coverage, I think.

Both Outback and the above mentioned Lone Star have two things going for them. They serve reasonably good, resonably priced food with resonable variety; and they are very consistent. Outbacks other two main places, Carrabas and Bonefish are also very popular. My experience is that Bonefish is perhaps a little more upscale. Outback is not your best local steakhouse, its not Mortons or Ruth's Chris or The Palm - but is a lot cheaper and more accessable. It ain't Sizzler or Golden Corral either.

Ain't it Wendy's who are into the Baja Fresh - Chipotle is McD.