Chantilly Bob

Do you think they are just trying to run too many restaurants now? They also have two in Bethany, one in Fenwick, and I just read that they have a new Italian restaurant too.

wkl: what is the latest word on Fish On! My wife and I have had nice meals there the past two years.

Gelateria on Hanover Street, with a couple of dozen flavors (haven't been for a while, I presume it's still there). Some of the nearby pastry shops sell a limited selection. I would add Emack and Bolio's, which is a NYC import., But the ice cream is good anyway (!), and I esp. love their smoothies. Don't forget the local chain, Friendly's. I don't think there is one in Boston proper, but they are scattered around the nearby 'burbs. As a kid, their black raspberry and maple walnut flavors were my favorites. ← Right after Fenway Park among things I miss about living in Boston is the ice cream. I was always a big Toscanini's fan. Mandarin Chocolate smothered in hot fudge. Sob. One comment: Emack and Bolio's is most definitely native to Boston. Allegedly the unusual name came from two clients of one of the founders (a lawyer). NYC has enough stuff to claim, don't give it one of Boston's better ice cream parlors too!

Well, I don't mean to be indelicate here, but by any chance, any stretch of the imagination, are they interested in Jewish food? Would they by any chance (not prying you realize ) enjoy a meal of chopped liver, stuffed cabbage, etc. at one of the remaining Jewish places...? ← What's with all this 'ing? LoL! Jewish food is always of interest in my household (read as much or little into that as you will ). Why? Where's good noshin' to be had in Miami? u.e. ← I was just to recommend that you take a drive to the Flakowitz Bakery in West Boca for outstanding babka, onion pletzel, and other gut-busting old world treats but I just googled it to get the address and I have found that it closed earlier this year. Fortunately, you can still get some of their baked goods -- the babka, I'm sure of -- at the Flakowitz Bagel Inn on N. Federal at 20th St in Boca, along with all your favorites, like lox, eggs, and onions. Portions are generous, prices are moderate. Plus you get a bowl of baked goods that could ruin your appetite before your meal arrives. I hope by using the expression "ruin your appetite" my bona fides have been confirmed. N.B. The bagels at Flakowitz are considered good for the area but like almost all bagels in Boca they are made for the dentally-challenged crowd.

Fish On! in Lewes, which we love, has two sister restaurants in Bethany, Northeast Seafood Kitchen and Bluecoast, as well as their newest sibling, Catch 54 in nearby Fenwick. Check the menus at all three and pick the one you like best. If they are as good as Fish On! you'll have a great meal.

Definitely have a meal at the French Hound in Middleburg. It's a cozy bistro with very good food. Also get some homemade marshmallows and other yummy treats at Mello Out. Market Salamander is great. Not cheap but the food is delicious. The barbecue sandwich is a winner. If it's not too hot eat your lunch on the patio. The 1763 Inn in Upperville is supposed to be very nice but we haven't made it there yet. They specialize in German food. A few miles further west on 50 is the Ashby Inn in the little town of Paris VA. Definitely worth looking into as well. One more spot that is over near the IALW is the Thornton River Grille in Sperryville. We enjoyed a very nice lunch there last summer and plan to return this summer -- with young twins we don't get out too often Enjoy your stay in our beautiful area!

Chris: I not only remember -- and actually patronized -- the Silver Top, I remember the Modern Diner at its old location in downtown Pawtucket, where it sat for many years before being rescued. the Silver Top was known for either blueberry muffins or blueberry pancakes -- or maybe both?? Nicky Demou, the proprietor of the Modern Diner, was featured in a documentary called Classic Diners of the Blackstone Valley that the Food Network ran a few years ago. You'd probably like it; it may be possible to get a copy.

I was up in Green Bay this past weekend for the Patriots' beatdown. We had a pretty good meal at Titletown Brewing Company, which is right across Dousman St. from Hinterland and more casual. Can't go wrong with Fried Cheese Curds and the Sausage Trio. Very good craft beers on tap too. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try a butterburger at Krolls. Maybe when the Pats return in 2014. Food at Lambeau Field is good and CHEAP -- the stands are all run for the benefit of local charities, which must keep the prices down. Got a huge brat for $5. Finally, finding a good cup of coffee in GB is not as easy as in most cities. Starbucks has barely made inroads. We found a great local coffee house called Kavarna on Broadway, as well as Jo to Go, which has a couple of locations.

If you're traveling on Friday or Saturday, Sweatman's BBQ in Holly Hill SC should be a must stop -- if they're not on vacation. Otherwise, I'd hit McCabe's or D&H in Manning SC. In Jacksonville FL, you should hit the Blue Boy Sandwich Shop -- possibly the top combination of great food and proximity to I-95. I learned of this place from a Jax native on Chowhound and it is truly a great eatery.

I will be in Portland for a couple hours in a few weeks and would like to check this place out. Those gelati sound great. One question: What is the name of it? And where is it? This post doesn't say and I couldn't figure it out from the thread. Also, I want to grab some Italians. A query on Chowhound turned up Amato's and Anania's. Any other suggestions?

Have you compared that Minerva to the newest one at 50 and 28 in the Chantilly Park Plaza, where you can also find Thai Basil, Picante! The Real Taco, and Rawal Kabob?

You'll be perfectly safe at Eden Center. You can have your throat slit in broad daylight in Georgetown you know. I was at Eden Center a couple days ago, to try the banh mi place Tom Sietsema wrote up last week. The name escapes me but it's stall 17. The lovely owner is quite friendly -- even after I told her I was married and had two kids, she insisted on showing me a picture of her two daughters, both of whom are in dental school. I also nabbed an avocado bubble drink at Song Que (after reading someplace about how surprisingly good that flavor is). And yes indeedy, that was really good on a hot day after two tasty banh mi. I think I'm just going to work my way through their entire bubble drink menu, they all seem worth trying.

Lonnie: Are you sure it just wasn't the RI accents you found annoying?

Thanks -- the 11 clamcakes at Iggy's were definitely over the top. Otherwise I think I paced myself reasonably well. By the time we got to the Rue I was more than happy to get the yogurt bowl with fresh fruit and granola, with a grilled muffin on the side and a glass of OJ. If people have questions about any particular places please ask!

Here's my report on my recent visit to RI -- I'll just go in chronological order, so things will jump from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. After leaving the airport in my rented white Mustang (the better to blend in with Rhode Islanders, I figured), I drove over to Oakland Beach for my first stop at Iggy's. Hunger overcame discretion and I ordered a dozen clamcakes (using the Iggy's on-line coupon). They were made to order -- hot, clammy, and big. So, I am pleased to report that I didn't eat the whole dozen -- I left one in the bag. That was way, way too much food, of course, but I sallied forth, after one stop reaching Sandwich Hut on North Main St, where I ordered my usual, a large Delux grinder (basically an Italian, but Sandwich Hut adds pepperoncini and coarsely chopped pickles). I've been getting the exact same sandwich there for 30 years. Ate just half, saving the rest for breakfast, because my next stop, a few hours later, was The Back Eddy, over in beautiful Westport, Mass. (I highly recommend taking a camera - even a klutz like me was able to take amazing sunset photos.). I got the fried scallops and my friend got the fried clams. Both very generous portions of the freshest seafood, and the fries were really good too. Somehow ordered dessert -- a big bowl of homemade mango sorbet. Very refreshing. My friend got a chocolate cake thing that looked really good. Next morning, after finishing my Sandwich Hut grinder, I went over to the Modern Diner in Pawtucket, where I negotiated the impressive lineup of breakfast entrees on the wall and zeroed in on the custard french toast. In a rare twist, this LOOKS even better than it sounds -- art on a plate, really -- and TASTES even better than it looks. Unfortunately, I will have to test the kitchen's ability to make crispy home fries on my next visit. Modern has very good coffee too. After that I killed some time before meeting my brothers for lunch at Rufful's in Wayland Sq. The place was jumping -- despite the competition from several hipper spots nearby Rufful's still packs 'em in. I could barely eat anything but forced in an egg salad sandwich. My brothers got triple decker sandwiches that came with classic krinkle kut fries. Rufful's is a place for kindler, gentler food. We then made a quick stop at Garrison Confections on Hope St. This is a very classy chocolate shop, but they have things like chocolate-covered Oreos for the little ones too. I got a box of 15 chocolates that I picked myself, mostly fruit fillings. So far we've tried a couple and they are VERY fruity, which I like. I may be placing some on-line orders with these guys. Then after a short break we made the pilgrimage to the legendary Stanley's in Central Falls. Finally got to try a Stanleyburger: a thin patty with pickles and grilled onions. Really good. Also tried the onion rings (not a huge portion, but crisp and nearly grease-free) and the Quebec-style fries (close to poutine, but with shredded mozz instead of cheese curds; bland comfort food). In what struck us as questionable move, Stanley's ,we were told, will be opening a branch in downtown Providence that will be open till the wee hours -- competing directly with Haven Brothers, in other words. In terms of quality Stanley's can certainly hold up but will enough people desert the Brothers to make the move pay off? A few hours after that it was time for the big splurge of the weekend: Al Forno's. No evidence of any downhill slide. Just about everything we tried -- caesar salad, bruschetta, margherita pizza, tagliatelle (outstanding), spicy clam roast, turkey sausages with spaetzle and red cabbage, rhubarb meringue tart, and ultimate cookie finale -- was great. Our only quibble was that the dishes came out too fast, even after we tried to slow things down. Despite that feast, the night couldn't end without a visit to Original New York Systems on Smith St for some weiners. The neighborhood is definitely sketchy at night, but my nephew who lives in NYC had to have his first weiner. Plus we had told him how they are made "up the arm," so he had to see that. As we watched the counterman do his thing I said, "See Ellis, he's an expert, he had to go to weiner school to learn that," and the guy said, "Foah yeahs!" They still charge just $1.16 per weiner, which is a very good price. Next morning after taking care of some family business we headed to Rue De L'Espoir for brunch. Very solid as usual. The baked goods, bacon, and coffee are particularly noteworthy. Then on the way to the airport I stopped at DeFusco's Bakery on Park Ave in Cranston for some pizza strips and spinach pies. Hard to resist eating them all on the plane, but I managed. The pizza strips are now 75 cents each or 2 for $1.29, a far cry from the 8 cents I remember paying as a kid, but they still taste just as good. And thus ended another successful weekend of eating in RI and nearby Mass.