Busboy

A tasty irony? or just clueless execs? If you've seen Fast Food Nation, you know that one of the main props the guy uses is a small device that measures the number of steps he takes each day, as he attempts to approximate the exercize habits of the average American (walking being the main form of exercize for most people). Guess what goodie McDonald's slipped into the computer bag/press kit all the accredited Olympic reporters get handed when they register for their credentials? That's right -- a "GO ACTIVE!" footstep-measurer with a McDo's logo on top. Pretty funny.

[Mrs. Busboy here] I would like to take the esteemed Mr. Task to task on one issue... the proximity to the Metro is not the best thing about Palena. The best thing about Palena on last Tuesday night, beyond the extraordinary company was the outstanding food and bevarage service which was extended to us by all of the staff at what I feel is the most inviting, comfortable and elegant spots in the District. Corn Blini, Fried Stuff,Gnocci (I'm not sure about the floating ball thing Mr. Task mentioned before) but yes, they were tasty, Roasted Chicken, Swordfish (my favorite of all, suprising to me because usually it is not), hot dog, (yummy yummy kraut - kudos and I would like to chat with the chef about his recipe for the dog because - well I just would and I make my own too) and numerous well fashioned cocktails. Oh and the desserts!? The lime curd thing is gooood and the napolean is too. However at that point I was probably a little impaired by the espresso cocktail --- oh you mean I had two? Yes they were both tasty (yes both). Derek, will you marry me? Thanks to all the professionals at this fine establishment who made a great 75th birthday celebration for my father possible Hey Mal I'm still not convimced about brining!!

Mrs. Busboy + Mr. Busboy too, please

I was hoping Mark wouldsay to anyone who whined about their posts being promoted to hardcopy status, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!" Now that, "Chef" and "Columnist" have weighed in, this thread may have to be regarded as a classic, like Mouton '45 or Cornell '77.

We like to squeeze a little lemon in, sometimes. And, occasionally, we'll throw in some cream. So shoot me.

I was referring to her original post on the thread, not the quote here. Admitting that race affects perception is constructive, dismissing people's opinions because of race, is not. At any rate, it will be more helpful to parse Chef's various notes and messages over a fine meal at her restaurant, when good food can lead us all to common ground.

How does Chef look bad? Yeah, I think the Chef comes off really well. Certain posters look pretty silly, though I n the original thread she came off as thin-skinned, shrill and quite as eager to stereotype as anyone else on the thread. " a bunch of over-educated white people... a small group of snooty white people attempting to be politically correct foodies... Where DOES all this hostility come from anyway? What offends me are people that have never darkened my door, yet see fit to judge me and my store..." Until DonRocks convened the peace parlay I thought she had hurt her case, even though I agreed with her aboujt the name. Playing the race card sucks whoever's doing it. On the other hand, this is all old news.

A good friend had a Swiss Army Knives she carried everywhere. Not only were the corkscrew and the bottle opener put to good use, but she used the tweezers as a roach clip. Kind of made me want to join the Swiss Army. PS anyone ever seen the New Yorker cartoon of a "French Army Knife?" It's just like the Swiss version, except all the blades are corkscrews.

She's your's until 9/2. But I suspect that once she hits stride with the DCeGGT (DC eG Girl's team) you'll find that, rather than corrupting her, things will go the other way around...when I met her I was a virgin and and a teetotaller.

We're going to have so much fun it would be illegal to report about it afterwards. How do we know it's really you and not Mrs. Busboy? The "Club" needs a secret handshake. My responses are always loaded with typographica erors.

Ms. Busbou and/or I would be very interested. Of course I'm out of the country until next month and I'm not sure she'sallowed to play with eGer's by herself any more, as they are a bad influence in her. Once we get a firm date we'll rsvp for 1 or 2.

We're going to have so much fun it would be illegal to report about it afterwards.

mnebergall - Mrs. Busboy here. I pointed this oversight out to the Mr. He is clearly very tired. The Greeks are running him ragged. I'm sure he'd like to join you near sushi ko

See, I think the girls have it right: eating is allowed at a "boys/girls night out," but drinking should be the focus. And nothing too grown-up either -- no single-malt scotch tastings (you can drink it, but you can't "taste" it); knocking back a few martinis or draft beers is definitely the way to go. Of copurse, I may be terminally immature.

I have not yet been to the Olympic Village, but I hope the food there is better than that at the organizing committee's headquarters cafeteria. Imagine a public school cafeteria, only Greek: steam-table pasta with octopus, mass produced moussaka, pre-frozen mixed vegetables, pressed turkey in depressing gravy. Then there are the sandwiches, with carboard tomato, cheese and American mayo, or unidentifiable cured pork products (actually, those are kind of tasty). A very nasty selection, so I usually limit myself to a Greek salad (note to self: add large capers to next homemade salad) and then -- in the honored Greek tradition -- start lining up dinner once I get back to my desk.

Crashing the training sites is a high priority, but until then I recommend the Sports Illustrated website. I might be able to get you a couple of shots of hunky Greek cops in black cargo pants and tight black t-shirts, accessorized by berets and automatic weapons. My friend Ionnakis is dying to get picked up for a security violation and frisked...

Hi, I live in Athens and go there quite often. It's official name is "Souvlakia Kiffisias" (aka Gourounakia). Unlike other souvlaki places, they offer wide variety of dishes. My favourites are: -kondosouvli (pieces of marinated pork, roasted slowly until tender) -chicken gyros (comes with mustard mayo, the best so far) Both seem to taste better wrapped in pita rather than 'merida' (plate). Ahhh -- those Greek lower case letters threw me off. Too the unitiated, the Greek lower case "d" looks a lot like the lower case "s" (δ, σ), hence my error. Thanks for the help, Nikko. More important, though, I am spend the next month in Exarhia (sp?) and would love to hear your suggestions -- for souvlkaki or fine dining -- in that neighborhood or over with the blue bloods in Kolonaki.

A couple of years ago I lived in Denver, where there were no good Thai restaurants at the time. But, fortunately, work brought me back once a month to DC, where my wife and I had become addicted to Nam Sod, which sounds exactly like the dish you're describing. I was working on an internal television production for my company, which aired each month at noon, Eastern time, and I'd usually try to catch the 4:30 flight back. This left me about three and a half hours to wrap the show, speed into town, feed my jones and get back to the airport in time to turn in the rental car and make my flight. These monthly dashes from Tyson's Corner to Dupont Circle and back to Dulles made me something of a celebrity at Sala Thai. I'd pick up a variety of dishes, but always, always, always between four and six servings of Nam Sod, which we'd load into an empty beer case and I'd stow in the overhead bin during the flight. On day I leveraged my status to get back into the kitchen and get an unsettling little lesson in the fine are of Thai cookery, Nam Sod chapter. First, they mix shredded ginger, pork, chilis and crispy rice into little meatballs. Then, and this seemed to be the key, they stick the meatballs into a plastic container, covered it with foil, and leave it next to the dishwasher for a day or two -- at kitchen temperature, mind you -- to ferment. Then they deep fry the meatballs to get the crunchy outside texture while maintaining a moist and succulent center, before crumbling it a bit and tossing with lime, peanuts and what have you. The results are so good, I still eat the stuff, even after learning how it's made. In fact, I am now desparately craving a batch or two -- though I am sadly out fo their delivery area for the next month or so. I seem to recall Ms. Busboy stumbling across a recipe and pre-packaged spices for this, perhaps she'll stumble across it and post it under my name later today.

Green chili or Colorado "Mexican" food. Enzo's has some of the greatest pizza in America, and is by far my favorite in Denver. It's a thin-crust, New York style and thus a little reserved compared to some other credible spots that have a more effusive style. Just a wonderfull pie. Enzo's End Pizza (303) 355-4700 3424 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO

Hoping to do a little reporting on the State of the Souvlaki from Athens this month, but have been too busy eating with respectable people at respectable places to get down with the low-brow chow so far. On the list: a place near my hotel I spotted last night named "πιτα παν" which -- if my tenuous ability to transliterate Greek had not been mortally wounded by a half-bottle of Macedonian red -- I was able to translate as "Pita Pan" .

Hey -- she told me she was going to be watching educational TV with the kids all night!

On a recent trip to Savoy -- not in Switzerland, but pretty much spitting distance -- my wife and I developed an affection for genepi, a Savoyard digestif flavored with an herb/flower found only in that part of the Alps. Not unlike chartreuse, but a little sweeter and, to my mind, a little tastier after a warm meal on a cold night.

pureed fava beens topped with large capers, chopped red onion, lemon juice and olive oil. Fry up some shallot crisps if you're in the mood, and throw them on. Tomatoe and feta with herbs (your choice, but thyme and oregeno would be nice), lemon or vinager, and olive oil Actually, I've been in Athens for four days and the the preferred side dish to any fish -- shellfish or otherwise -- seems to be more shellfish.

What he said -- especially the part about chilling your mixture first. In the old days, if the stuff din't freeze you could just throw on more ice and rock salt. Now, you only have one chance.... Also, both sugar and alcohol lower the freezing temperature of sorbet, if you had larger-than-usual quantities of either in the recipe, this will slow the freezing. Finally, check your freezer and fridge temps. If you're generally a thrifty individual and keep both sections relatively warm, you might want to crank up the cold the morning of the event.

Great minds think (nearly) alike.