Blondie

I think it's a worthy quest. I'm in.

SuzanneF seems to have said it all. I'd just like to add my thanks to Dumpling for organizing, and to Elyse for bringing the pie. I could only manage a taste after all that food, but it was every bit as good as reported. I think the Varmints have an inkling now of what they've gotten themselves into now, and I hope they're not too freaked out

I'm 90% sure I can make it

Or go on a weekday afternoon when you can easily get a table.

Good, so you see it as a publicity stunt too FWIW I think Clinton is still quite popular in the UK, but I'm sure someone will correct me if that has changed.

My point was that this hardly seems to be a newsworthy item. There doesn't even seem to be any proof that it was Clinton's people that made the call. What seems clear is that a phone conversation between a prospective diner and an employee of the restaurant ended up in the newspaper, and it's unlikely the prospective diner called the Daily Mirror to complain.

I'll bring an acoustic guitar and djembe (West African hand drum). I can't play either of them very well, but anyone's welcome to use them.

Are you trying to say that you believe this is a legitimate news story that was dug up by an intrepid reporter? Or maybe that Clinton's person called the Daily Mirror (where MSN appears to have lifted the story from)?

Why would they need publicity if they are booked through 2004? Why else would the "unnamed staffer" run and call the Daily Mirror after Clinton's people called?

Sounds like Fifteen is milking this for the publicity value.

I stopped in last night and had a delightful time. My pre-amuse was brown sugar panna cotta topped with an organic grape. The amuse was a cucumber poached in white pepper syrup with orange-watermelon granita. I chose the warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce. Petit fours were a tiny orange-chocolate chip cookie and coconut-covered marshmallow and a bite-size tart topped with a honeyed pecan. Everything was top notch, including the service. As others have already pointed out, Chika and Donna are very friendly and the space itself is lovely. Highly recommended

Thank you for a very interesting Q&A I spent many summers in Point Clear as a child, and several years in Mobile when I was older. Many of my favorite food memories revolve around seafood and fish: oysters, crawfish, shrimp right from the shrimp boats down in Bayou La Batre, the Jubilee. Do you have any favorite soul food dishes that use seafood? I know you live in NY now, but do you know what the food and dining scene is like in Mobile these days?

She's a comedian. A very talented one at that. I assumed it was a joke.

The milk chocolate version just doesn't do it for me, but they seem more widely available than the plain chocolate. It's probably just as well...

The Nerds are still around? I remember seeing them at least 10 years ago at some LBI bar. They were fun

Off the top of my head, what about magnets or velcro?

Glass mosaic tiles (3/4" x 3/4") might be a good solution. If the backsplash is 3/4" thick you can use a whole tile right on that edge, but they're easily cut if it's narrower. The tiles have a slight bevel so they should meet cleanly at the edge. They come in 12" x 12" sheets to make it easier to install on the field of the backsplash. You can get solid colors, or a random pattern of several related colors. The range of available colors is impressive, and with a little bit of time and creativity you could easily do a stripe, checkerboard, etc. I have ordered from Mosaic Tile Arts with no problems. Bisazza has the nicest tiles, but I wouldn't recommend paying up for them in this situation. You'll probably need to spend some time prepping the surface of the formica before you tile. Maybe some sanding and roughing up to give it a key.

I bought plain white stoneware at Ikea at least 10 years ago. No texture. I’ve been a bit rough on it, moving 4 or 5 times, and not one piece has chipped or broken. The Ikea website shows a set of white porcelain with a ring motif called, coincidentally, BLOND. It's a variation on the line Keller designed with more rings. It’s so cheap it’s practically disposable, but looks quite nice. Perfectly acceptable for casual entertaining, and I'd even use it for more formal occasions. Once I get settled into my new place I'm going to get some for myself.

I think this wins for most revolting use of condiments.

I don't know anything about the battery-powered lights but the one you linked to looks like it would probably be ok. For 10 bucks it's worth a try. You might want to check how far up the bottom of your wall cabinet is recessed from the bottom edge of the frame. This light is 1 3/8" deep, so if the recess is less than that you may see the bottom edge of the light.

Personally I would choose wood over painted cabinetry in most cases (unless it's knotty pine which I can't stand). It's worth asking for a quote, but I don't think bleaching would give as dramatic a change as seems to be warranted in this case. Fat Guy is right about the undercabinet lighting.

It looks like maple to me.

What fresco said. Other pertinent factors are the type of wood and existing finish as well as the actual cabinet style. A simple shaker door with no beading or moldings will be much easier for the amateur to prep and paint. Prepping the cabinets properly will make a big difference in the results. Another consideration is the type of look you want when finished. You might not get that prisitine white look with repainted cabinets, but a multi-step process like a glaze or intentionally distressed finish would give you a margin for error (and would be a more interesting look). It wouldn't hurt to get a few estimates from painters and to ask them some questions about prep work and types of paint, then if you decide to proceed on your own you'll be better prepared.

Food Fight: Granny Killed in Fight over Rice

The thing I disliked most about this series, and this episode particularly, was insulting our intelligence with those lame excuses for story lines. I can't believe that was the best they could come up with. The producers really need to take the blame for this mess. There was entirely too much time devoted to the massively insecure blonde bartender and the new waitress who wasn’t smart enough to not wear heels to work. Gideon reappeared without explanation. Was he hosting? Is everyone screwing in the bathrooms at Rocco’s? Pete, whose obvious desperation to be on camera is unparalleled, finally puts in a hard days work, but still can’t seem to follow orders. Didn’t someone (John?) tell him to dress like the other guys (i.e. not in a t-shirt) so he doesn’t sweat all over the clean dishes? The obnoxious 10-year old and the table full of women just made me cringe. The cheesy “rehabilitation” of Laurent (portrayed as the villain of the series) by showing him flying a kite with his kid was a bit much. It almost made me miss the nasty Brazilian chick who couldn't be nice to the customers "because it's not me".