hjshorter

It's been since July, so let me see if I can reconstruct our meal...I remember sharing mussles as a starter. I had a lovely little steak with the best frites I've had in Washington. Scott had something delicious, but I was so bowled over by the brussels sprouts with lardons that I can't remember what. I don't remember dessert except that I wasn't disappointed. Not sure if the desserts are made in-house. Aside from the food, I liked the place, very unpretentious with a traditional menu cooked correctly. They have a very good selection of Belgian beer (my favorite style) including beers from De Dolle Brouwers. I didn't order wine but I recall a small but decent wine list. The service was good, attentive yet impersonal - exactly what I look for. And it's less than ten miles from our house.

Reviving this thread... Scott and I ate at Mannequin Pis for my birthday last year and had a charming meal - once we found it. Has anyone else made the trek? If you like Belgian beer it is absolutely worth the trip. We are thinking of going back next month.

OH NO!!! Hats of Meat, For Meat!! That is really funny, especially the base-bull cap made of ground beef with a flank steak visor Maybe I'll make one for the Baltimore get-together in April.

Isn't Herb Bearnaise redundant?

It may be time for a trip to Les Halles.

The best example of a female chef with national stature, and not just a niche appeal, is Julia Child. Almost everyone knows who she is, as opposed to Alice Waters, who is known to foodies but I'm guessing not to a wider audience. Of the list you made, only Martha Stewart achieves Julia's name recognition.

Oh wow! Our perfect early spring dinner: roasted coho salmon tiny boiled potatoes with lemon tarragon vinaigrette steamed asparagus

What a brilliant analogy, and thank you. I was one of those with raised eyebrows when the Three Tenors were cashing in, but I never examined my attitude, or wondered if bringing classical singing to a mass market (well, for PBS) was a good thing for those who may not have been exposed to it, or had been exposed to it and found it intimidating. If it persuaded a few obnoxious divas to adopt a friendlier more down-to-earth persona, then that's a god thing too, right? The mass marketing of upscale food (or at least, more complicated than Stouffers) doesn't affect me in the same way - perhaps because food is universal? I have seen more than a hint of sexism in the vitriol directed at Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart, etc. I wonder how that figures in to the equation?

Whoa. Speaking for "housewives," yes, there is a network for "us." That doesn't mean we don't appreciate getting a nod occasionally. I don't happen to care for Rachel Ray, but as someone who buys prewashed lettuce from time to time, I can appreciate wanting to cook a meal (instead of open a can or box) within certain time constraints. I have no problem with chefs going commercial. Emeril's TV persona may get irritating at times, but if he gets one person a night to expand his horizons then he's doing his job as far as I'm concerned.

I have noticed a similar difference between our local stores and the original WF that we shop at when in Austin. Perhaps it's because they have Central Market to compete with - but the quality at the Austin WF is a markedly different - bread, cheese, baked goods, prepared food, the works.

This is really too bad. I shopped at the Glover Park Bread and Circus (which became Whole Foods) before I moved to the 'burbs a few years ago. It had a fine cheese section and knowledgable folks running it, a decent selection of wine, good produce, and bulk herbs that were worth the trip. I have never heard of Wegmans, but if it pushes WF to clean up their act it will be a good thing. I currently frequent the Rockville and Gaithersburg stores and the need a push. I'm tired of making the trek to Georgetown to Dean & Deluca.

Can't make it for dinner but I'll see you at Lexington Market on the 3rd! Crabcakes!

In case I can't, or don't want to go to the grocery store for a few days. I had a taste of this last year when the sniper thing was going on.

We live near DC, and if we didn't have young kids we would have blown off the Emergency preparedness stuff. But, if something does happen it would be essential to have diapers, water, food, etc., so I went to Costco a couple of weeks ago and stocked up.

I think it is - not more than three hours. I've certainly driven to the farthest reaches of Western Maryland in a couple of hours.

Have you checked out the other links? The gallery of Regrettable Food is, uh, memorable too.

Sounds like he knows how to get your goat. Amazing how early they pick that skill up... I have used a book called Feeding Your Child For Lifelong Health for nutritional information and strategy. It has very common-sense advice on how to avoid making an issue out of mealtime. One thing in it that surprised me was toddler portion sizes - much smaller than I was thinking. Check to see if your library has it. Their recommendation is to have one "plain" food, like bread and butter, available at every meal. Serve the little sweetheart his dinner and eat yours with no comment. If all they want is bread and butter, fine. Eventually, they will move on to other things. Don't know if this will work for you. My 3 1/3 year-old was also born to eat. Her biggest food issue is not wanting to eat the same thing day after day. We'll see if the 10 month old does as well. So far he doesn't miss a meal so we may be in luck.

Resurrecting this topic... Indique got a favorable review today in the Weekend Section of the Post. Has anyone else tried it? Elyhtak, have you been back? With Bombay Bistro less than a mile away we don't need to go driving around for Indian food, but the review is good enough that we may have to give Indique a try. Perhaps on the way home from the Smithsonian kite festival next weekend...

By the same token, I would caution against doing what my parents did - you must finish everything on your plate whether you're hungry or not. To this day I have a hard time determining when I'm full, and if food is put in front of me I will eat whether I'm hungry or not. I struggle with my weight all the time. My 3 1/2 year old is still a little suspicious of sauces, so we appreciate the joys of simple food almost every day. Steamed fresh veggies, fish broiled with salt and pepper, salad (she loves to toss them ), sauteed chicken, fruit, veggies from the farmer's market. Fortunately she loves almost everything we give her, so we have time to work on the more sophisticated stuff. I have no longing for my mom's cooking. It was OK, but she never salted anything. We never had sodas, chips or convenience food, so I have no fuzzy memories of pop tarts or Kraft Mac & Cheese. Jess, how old is he? Can he be bribed?

I think you're right. Aside from his obnoxious TV personality, Emeril can really cook. Scott has eaten at NOLA, his place in the French Quarter. He still raves about the food. Tyler, on the other hand, merely flies around the country showing hopeless losers how to make pie crust and potato salad.

Can anyone tell me if Maryland allows BYO? Here in Montgomery County, home of the stupidest liquor laws on the planet all booze must be purchased from the county distributors. You can imagine the selection we get, and the prices we have to pay. There must be some equally stupid provision that covers bringing wine to a restaurant.

I've never before had the urge to drive to West Virginia for any reason, but this article piqued my curiosity. Give a full report if you decide to make the trek.

Great article - I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm heading for the market today to lay in my stash.

The recipe looks intriguing. Can anyone tell me why vineagr is sometimes added to pie crusts? The Saveur pie crust article was great - I may have to give their lard recipe a try once it's blueberry/cherry season.

Or the light of your life and the fire of your loins? I am very glad I was not consuming a beverage when I read this!