phlox

Oh man, those Take 5 bars are amazing - the perfect PMS food.

I went here for the first time last night with my parents for my birthday. The real standouts were the buttermilk polenta that came with my lamb and the dessert that my father had, which was a pumpkin creme brulee with some kind of cranberry compote thing on top. Normally I don't like it when people dick around with creme brulee, but that was incredible - he had to guard his plate from me! The squash soup with nutmeg cream was also great - I could have just had that and the pepper-walnut bread and been perfectly happy. I am putting a moratorium on record-buying so I can take my girlfriend there for her birthday. She'll go apeshit.

Bleh - not a Godiva fan, and that's saying something, as I generally prefer Belgian-style chocolate.

Do the French women have eating disorders like we do here in America? ←

Ugh. Totally ridiculous comparison...

As everyone has already said, vintage Bourdain - just got my copy today. Hats off to the man who saved me from the evil clutches of vegetarianism!

God those two are funny...if our dear Mr. Bourdain weren't so happily attached, I'd think about switching teams.

I just had a really delicious sandwich at this funky coffee shop near my university: avocado, fried egg, hot sauce, and sprouts on grilled flatbread with some yogurt type sauce along with it. Fab for my hangover.

Yeah, my girlfriend LOVES pickles, so mine usually get eaten. I like the crust and the nut-filled, crispy, top part of pecan pie, but that glop in the middle just seems like snot to me. For this reason I make a pecan and brown sugar topping for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Best of both worlds.

Mass-produced mayonnaise, like Hellman's or similar. The mere thought of it makes me gag. Homemade is fine. Same with salad dressing. Ranch out of a bottle I find revolting, but I make my own creamy dressings with chevre (I have no idea if this is something you're supposed to do but I think it tastes great) or creme fraiche. Canned tuna. Fresh tuna is one of my favorite things, but canned it just tastes and smells like cat food to me. Pickles. I like pickled ginger, but not pickled cucumbers. Fresh ones are fab, but I hatehatehate pickles. Pickle juice on my sandwich from a too-close pickle encounter makes me somewhat unhappy, but I try to deal with it so as not to be a complete ass. Any canned vegetable, especially peas. Refried beans. Also, baked beans - the cloying sweetness is just revolting. Any kind of overly sugared, cheaply made dessert. Except: cool whip and jello on occasion, and jello instant pudding when I've had dental work done. Potato bread. ICK. Pecan pie - what the hell is that sugar sludge? ack! Penn Pilsner - it's the new PBR in my city, fast becoming the uber-cheap hipster beer of choice. Look, if you're going to make a shitty beer, make one that doesn't assert itself, like Pabst. PBR tastes like nothing, and for 75 cents, that's fine. Macaroni and cheese from a box. My roommate loves it. SO WRONG. I like most veggies, but can't get into lima beans. Damn, I'm a picky little bitch, aren't I?

The Whole Foods in my city does this too. However, don't ask to take advantage of this policy IN the checkout line. The other day, I was behind this little old lady who asked to sample a jar of soy nut butter. The cashier actually called one of the guys from grocery over for a spoon and they both stood there and watched her try it. She rejected it, of course. Why did we all have to wait in line for her to do that? You're supposed to decide what you want to buy BEFORE you get in line. I guess that lady is special. Grrr.

Richmond is a fun city - there are some good thrift stores there too. I'm suprised no one has mentioned the soft white cheese and chocolate on a baguette sandwich. It's the best cure for the 4pm blood sugar drop.

The word 'latte' already implies the presence of milk, since that's what the freaking word means; it's not like people are going to be confused and think it's a goat milk smoothie, so the 'moo' is not only potentially offensive and dumb, but redundant as well. That said, one of my favorite summer treats is a mint Oreo Blizzard. I've tried other flavors, but none compare to that one. I get really upset when I encounter a Dairy Queen that doesn't stock mint syrup.

I used to work in a coffeehouse, (the 61C for any Pittsburghers out there) and we made simple syrup for iced drinks. It's so easy to do and makes the drink so much better, I don't know why more places don't do it. The main problem I see in iced espresso drinks is too little ice and too much milk. I don't want vaguely flavored milk, I want an iced latte! Argh!