Busboy

I relate this apocryphal anecdote in the hopes of getting some confirmation and, perhaps answering seawakim's question. I recall reading of two American diplomats arriving in Israel (?) and eating dinner at somebody's home. Being diplomats, they, of course, cleaned their plates, only to have the hostess serve a second helping. After finishing that, they were manfully making their way through a third helping when a local, realizing what was happening, let them in on the relevant local custom. It seems that one signalled that one had eaten their fill by leaving a morsel on the plate. Otherwise, the hostess (it seemed important to the story that this was a family-style, mom-run meal, not a formal banquet) asssumed that you were still hungry and ladled out a second helping. More generally, I can't recall being nearly as irritated by ideosynchratic "manners" as by the lack of manners, generally. Even then, I'm pretty happy with anyone capable of decent conversation and picking up their share of the tab though, as a waiter, I disliked people who used the wrong fork, as I had to re-mark the table.

I'll vote for you. I already have a tuxedo. Can I have opera pumps instead?

Pepin's memoirs have more than a whif of profiteering about them, and lack the artistry of other memoirs. On the other hand, his contribution to the culinary education of America is almost unrivaled -- Reichle couldn't carry his chef's knife -- and he has more than earned the right to earn a few kopeks from his old drinking stories. If I didn't fear it was going to be a mob scene (and if I weren't ditching the kids tomorrow for an rGullet roundup), I'd be there in second. Al has the right idea -- ambush him at dinner.

Good luck. Make reservations immediately. And then reconsider cooking -- the fact that restaurants know that children are coming doesn't make it any easier on you, and every restaurant gets a bit factory-like on MDay. Other tips: eat early, before the staff get surly, the reservations back up and they run out of their most popular dishes. I don't know Blacks, but a place that is open roomy is key; even when they are crowded, you don't feel as scrunched. This is not a day to try someplace new. And, is their anything weird you can consider? Maybe not vegetarian Indian but, say, a steakhouse (we had a very nice MDay at the Palm one year, too butch for most mom's, but my MIL took it right in stride). Finally, have you considered feeding her champagne and fruit, until she falls asleep, and then telling her you missed the reservation?

Politics.... ZING! "The supper was like most others of its kind in Paris. At first everyone was silent; then followed a few confused murmurs, and afterwards several insipid jokes passed and repassed, with false reports, false reasonings, a little politics, and a great deal of scandal. The conversation then turned upon the new productions in literature." --Candide

"Close your eyes and think of England." (Just not the food) I think sometimes you have to just say -- to yourself, your husband, your server - "this sucks" and cut your psychic losses. Either wash it back with lots of wine or push it aside and plan on peanut butter when you get home. As long as you're faking it with the food, you can't truly enjoy the conversation, the wine, the night air or whatever. It's triage. With friends, however, you are honor bound to fake it if the food doesn't actively cause vomiting or a rash. Later , on your way home, you can make guilty fun of it with your partner.

You can drink, we won't tell.

babka, let me know if your friend can make a call re: culinary bushwacking plus a heads for the restaurant. hillvalley -- what do you get for a final hard count? Iget 17.

Did we ever line up babka's friend for a "chef's specialties" phone call? should I make another run at it? Do we want to make some sort of reservation? SHould we try to combine all these?

I assume they were cut that way so that the locals could make Salisbury Steak.

I've never know it to be unsalted. Regional differences?

Jim Fixx was the runner. Don't know what this guy ate, but years ago Ray Kroc showed up for lunch at The Sans Souci here in Washington. The Sans Souci was one of those traditional French places, tableside service and so on, made famous during the Kennedy administration as a hangout for the young, internationally sophisto types JFK supposedly brought to town. (Mary Tyler Moore fans may recall that this is where Lou Grant went to hang out with his old buddies, including Gerald Ford, in one episode.) They fought tooth and nail to prevent McDonalds from opening next door and, of course, lost. So, when the main course was set to arrive, the maitre d' wheeled up the service cart and lifted the cover to reveal...two Big Macs. Mr. Kroc allegedly smiled gracefully and asked, instead, for his original order, which was delivered forthwith.

Ah, the Bob Dole Safeway. I used to live in Foggy bottom and shopped there once or twice. But I had a car, and I would drive out to Virginia, or the Social Safeway rather than shop there. Haven't shopped there in years -- since my undergraduate days at GW -- but I will always like the place because one afternoon I turned the corner and saw Julia Child doing a little marketing there.

Let's get through Full Kee, and then start a separate thread. Cross that bridge when we come to it, and all.

Carter Baron you are limited to 4 tix, I believe, so we'd have to have a bunch of line-standers. Also, one drawback to WT, CB or the Zoo to conside is that you can't talk during the performances. Or you shouldn't talk, anyway, so the hanging out aspect is diminished.

Also Sunset Serenades at the Zoo.

As often as we want I'm sorry you can't join us this time, but we will start the peer pressure when our next gathering is planned. We really should do a get together where we can show off our culinary skills, or lack there of. Maybe a picnic at Wolf Trap? You are such a scene-stealing b****! Mrs. B and I were going to propose a picnic in Rock Creek Park at the dinner next week, for late June or July, with the idea that people could show off their cooking, bring their kids, and not have to spend a boatload of money. Wolf Trap would be great, and I'd be interested in exploring it, but there are significant expense and logistical (not to mention musical taste) concerns.

No-no's: Things that call up unappetizing images in your head. The war in Iraq; not mutilated bodies in Iraq. Religion; but not Mel Gibson movies. The need for fiber; not it's inevitable result. Sex, but not Dick Cheney having sex. Q: What did the cannibal kid say when his mom served him boiled clown? A: Moooooom, my food tatses funny.

I'm with HillValley -- I think it's worth a phone call or a visit to see if there are any off-the-menu specials that need to be ordered in advance and picking two or three that can be shared among them that wants 'em. I'll even give it another go when I'm less rushed and less sober (sometimes beer is a communication aid) than I was on my last visit, but if babka's friend can do it for/with us, so much the better. It's fun to follow the maps, but its nice to do a little culinary bushwacking, so to speak, if you have the chance. And who better to share your first bite of jellied ducks web with than your fellow eGulleters? Clarity question: are Al and hj referring to "ordering items off of (from) the menu" while hv and I are considering ordering "off-menu (not listed on the menu) items?"

The Childe Harold on 20th near Q serves late: 1 during the week and 2 on Friday and Saturday. I have fun when I go there, but its not for everyone. It was once best described by a friend as "Darwin's Waiting Room". True, both on the late service and the intriguing quality of the clientel, I believe. I was thinking more of restaurants than bars with food, though, and actually working in a little plug for Firefly, which where I ate the oysters.

OK, I'm going to go through this one more time, and then withdraw from the field. Robyn First, because he has risen to a high level for an important and demanding newspaper, we can in fact assume that Bruni does have a number of proven credentials for the job. He can communicate both with force and nuance. He's inquisitive. He's intelligent. He's not afraid to take on powerful people or interests (ie, the Italian Prime Minister). He's loyal to his employer. Regardless of their food knowledge, no critic will reach a level of excellence without these attributes. Writing, by the way, is important because that's how the critic conveys his ideas. A critic who can't write is of no use. Second, you and I will have to agree to differ on the potential aspect. If I have reason to believe on player/critic will be demonstrably better in a couple of years than an equally available proven professional, I'm playing for the long term. I can handle a steep learning curve if I think the new guy is ultimately going to ride it to a higher level than the other guy. It's a gamble, but it's one I'd take. That's how you stay number one. Third, I've spent hundreds of dollars at restaurants based on the reviews of highly credentialed reviewers, and come away disappointed. Ask me about my recent Michelin 2-star dinner. Criticism is different from calibration. It's inexact, especially when triangulating off the new guy's observations. A pound of pasta is the pound of past to you and to me, but we may both have very different views on its taste. After a year with me ("God help me," I know you're thinking) you'd be able to interpret my criticism -- as you will Bruni's -- with reasonable precision, but no one can ever convey to you perfectly how you will find a meal -- again, regardless of background. Finally, I use the Times reviews to see where to go when in New York City, to keep track of food trends and gossip that eventually trickle down to DC, and to keep up with the food fights that break out among the NY eG crew.

Please add Mrs. Busboy. Thanks.

Cookin is a craft, not an art. It has physical purpose that is inseperable from its aesthetic existence, it is transient, and its message is purely phyisical, rather than intellectual. In addition, Bruni may or may not have gone to the opera regularly. But we can assume that he has eaten regularly, every day, probably with an eye to learning and understanding what he was eating. He begins his new career with a dramatically higher level of understanding than he would if he stumbled into an arts beat. Finally, not to dis any of the wonderful food writers here, or demean the importance of food to cultures at many levels, but the subtlety and understanding demanded from a restaurant critic in his or her Wednesday morning thousand words is dramatically lower than that demanded of a fine arts critic writing at the level demanded by the Times.

My wife and I are flexible. Though I'm getting a craving.

I'm unsure of the exact location of that Safeway -- the whole block has been long torn down and rebuilt, but it was in NW, near Metro Center. It may even have been as far west as 13th St. Weisfeld's was great. I used to pick up meat there for special occasions when I was working on the Hill for my first campaign. Never knew that was called Turtle Park, though. The UnSafeway. I love it.