hjshorter

but, hopefully, not the hapless oriental lady he often picks upon mercilessly at his local, Atlanta Bed Bath and Beyond! Huh. "W" never struck me as hapless. I saw parts of the show - ( the chairman's intro, Alton talking to Morimoto before the show, etc.) but didn't end up watching the whole thing. Part of the original's interest, for me, was cultural and there was none of that here. ICJ seems to have more tension; I was absorbed enough to want to see the winner. It's still head and should above that dreadful Shatner version. Holy cow that was awful. I agree with those that think Alton needs a foil - hey, maybe Rooney needs a job!

May 1 is the day we are celebrating my son's birthday with family. Maybe next time you're here. Wherever you go I hope you have a lovely meal.

Jen has and says it is pretty much Clyde's with a different name. Not that that is entirely bad... It has the advantage of being a mile from my house.

I called Normandie Farm and they won't be serving lunch that day - only a "special dinner menu." L'Auberge is booked when we want a reservation. The Tower Oaks Lodge was suggested. It's part of the Clyde's group - anyone been there?

Seen in the Montgomery County edition of The Guide, Thursday April 22: I think someone's been reading egullet.

Tenren has good tea, but I haven't tried their bubble variety. Do people actually like it? I've tried it once and found it revolting, but maybe I'm just not used to chunks in my drinks.

Just got some. They're OK, but Vienna Fingers are better.

I hope everyone is having a good time. The good part is that Ian is home from the hospital, the bad part is that it wasn't early enough to prevent me from having hospital food for dinner. Bleah.

I won't be coming after all. Ian started throwing up yesterday and after a long day was admitted to the hospital for dehydration at 2am. Scott is with him now, but I will be heading over shortly to be with him. We don't know when he's being released. Have a good time, everyone.

Thanks for the suggestion, although I would bet that they are all booked up. It's worth a call. I haven't been to L'Auberge since I was extremely pregnant with my daughter. (I had two glasses of wine with my meal and remember vividly the disapproving looks from the diners around us)

Too bad she doesn't drink! Seriously, thanks for the advice. A steakhouse is a good suggestion. I wonder if the Ritz at Tyson's still has a brunch? Seems to me that we took my dad there 2-3 years ago and had a nice time.

But what about the Aussie Cheese Fries? A veritable mountain of fries, gobs of ooey-gooey Jack and Cheddar, lots o'bacon, served with Ranch dressing for dipping. Enough fat and cholesterol for the whole table for a week, all in one appetizer! What's "Jack and Cheddar" and "Ranch Dressing"? I don't think we have these in Australia. Who dreamed up the faux-Aussie theme anyway? Is there an Australian chain that Outback is modeled after, or did an American exec see Crocodile Dundee too many times?

She's pretty flexible, but spicy food keeps her awake at night. I'm not wild about going out, but I want to cook even less, so here I am. I don't want one of those special occassion food mills - you know, "special" Mother's Day menu, rushed half-assed service, etc. I'm leaning toward calling Black's in Bethesda.

Tuesday: Tuna casserole. Albacore, bechamel made with half and half, chopped dill, macaroni, s & p. Topped with buttered panko and baked until bubbly. By far the best tuna casserole I've ever had. My kids scarfed this in amazing quantities. Steamed broccoli. Ice cream cones.

Both, actually, but more so the manners.

Heh, these days the sitter costs almost as much as the fine dining. Once the kids get a little older we will take them to nicer places. After all, how do you learn to eat in nice places if your parents never take you?

OK, OK, sorry. Never been to Outback. Waiting for an hour or two with toddlers in tow is my idea of torture. No thanks. But I hear they have decent steaks.

Other dine in chain restaurants (and some ethnic restaurants too) because their children are not welcome anywhere else.

Besides the roasted cauliflower, baking falafel in mini muffin tins is one of the best tips I ever pick up from egullet. Same here, absolutely. Thank you Rachel!

Monday: Felafel, baked in mini muffin tins. Meatballs with allspice, minced onion, milk, and fresh bread crumbs, baked. Tomato, cucumber and sweet onions, diced, with EVOO, white vinegar, oregano S&P. Whole milk Greek yogurt (mmmmmm) Whole wheat pita. My favorite part of dinner was watching Emma pretend that the felafel were cupcakes and frost them with plain yogurt. Dessert was cupcakes eaten while sitting in the grass in the backyard.

Wow, Nullo, what a thoughtful post. By the way, not everyone here dines at the high end all the time. I eat at chain restaurants frequently. When you have small children it helps to dine in places that you know will have high chairs, changing tables, and other accomodations for kids.

Off the top of my head you missed INXS, Crowded House and Nick Cave. Hunters and Collectors, and Paul Kelly.

Felafel used to be a nemesis, always winding up as a skillet full of greasy chick pea crumbs, but no longer. I tried Rachel Perlow's baking method tonight and it's perfect. Thank you!

What time are we meeting again? And it's just me - no babysitter.

Slightly different version: Two cannibals are eating a clown. One looks at the other and says "Does this taste funny to you?" [insert rim-shot] I never enjoy discussing politics with my father during a meal - or at any other time for that matter. That and bodily functions are big no-nos at our house. And Busboy, thanks so much for the Dick Cheney example. I will have to watch several hours of children's programming today to get that mental image out of my head.