squids

Sounded Heavenly until I read this article posted in a link by a someone posting in the comments section for this article: Mark Bucher's Alleged Shady Background His burgers may be divine but something may be a bit rotten about this guy if he's in the habit of stiffing small business people. ← I feel it is only fair to post the link to the owner's response here disclosure: I don't know the guy, and I've never been to the restaurant. I just am a cynic, especially when it comes to media and the news..

Charles, so sorry to hear this news. Hope you're feeling better soon as I've witnessed how painful it can be. I'm so glad I've seen a few mentions here of watching out for kidney damage. My MIL was diagnosed last year, along with Type 2 diabetes. Not a great combo, and in our research we did find mention of the effect of high purine levels on the kidneys. I'll check my files for any saved info to send you.

ditto. And murphy's law, they always come by when you have a mouthful of food! That would get really annoying every 10 minutes, not to mention the interruption in conversation when not eating.

We were in Ramsey for two nights, and were at a loss as to know where to find something to eat in this unfamiliar territory. Wednesday night we were going to pick up some eats at TJ's and make dinner, but we arrived just a few minutes after 9pm and were turned away at the door. Asked for recommendations for not fast food but not a long sit down dinner at that time of night and the best we got was I think called The Fireside. We stopped and it was not what we were looking for...order a burger or pizza at the counter and bring to your table. Unfortunately for a non-local, it's difficult to see what's on the either side of the road, and figure out how to make a ubie if you do see something on the other side of the highway. We ended up at the Olive Garden as it was next to our hotel and could feed us as they were seating us 10 minutes before their listed "closing" time. Props to the servers for not making us feel as if we were imposing or rushing us to get out the door. While not fine dining, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. So, after a day of shopping at Woodbury Common in NY we were hungry and determined to find something better for Thursday night. We stopped on the way home at Rite-Aid, and saw the blue sign for Greek City. To me, it looked like a neighborhood spot that could have been there for years, like the strip center local places back in suburban MD. Usually OK food, best because of location. I picked up a carry out menu to show my husband to see if he would want to give it a try, and got the OK. Boy am I glad we did! First, the exterior does not indicate at all what is inside...the design outside looks older, but the inside looks new; I thought maybe it had just been a renovation. Later in the dinner I had asked when they had opened, and was told July 1st! Unbelievable, because it certainly was not apparent that the restaurant was that new by the food, the service and the number of people who had "discovered" the place as we did. It did appear as if the owners had opened and operated other establishments, but I did not get a chance to get the scoop on it. The restaurant calls itself "Greek City Family Restaurant: Traditional Greek Dishes and Grilled Fish" The food was fantastic--so many things looked appealing on the menu it was difficult to decide what to order! For appetizers my husband and I shared the Grilled Octopus and Calamari, the Horta (special vegetable, today was dandelion greens) and Greek Fries. We were also going to share the Grilled Branzino for dinner. Well, after having the appetizer, I placed another order for just the Grilled Octopus for my dinner...I don't know why I rarely see this on menus in the DC area, but I will certainly look harder for it after this preparation. Simply grilled, but done perfectly. Octopus retains the grill flavor, unlike squid, and has an almost "meaty" taste. I will remember this meal for a long time. The Greek Fries were exceptional as well--thin, crisp, not oily and topped with Greek Cheese and Oregano. The octopus was served sitting atop field greens drizzled with a wonderful balsamic vinegar. We enjoyed the bread, not quite on par with the bread from the Greek Deli in DC , but definitely worth a second basket to go with the fruity, rich olive oil. My husband also enjoyed his Grilled Branzino, again perfectly prepared. I'm just sorry we won't have an opportunity to try out more of this menu, as we saw some other diners' meals on our way out the door. The clay pot dishes are very appealing, and I saw one diner with the greek fried cheese that looked out of this world. I noted that the restaurant is BYOB--I don't know if this is common in NJ, but it is not allowed in DC. We were out the door for less than $40pp before tax and tip. I would love to find a restaurant like this a "bit" closer to home! Needless to say, I highly recommend checking it out. I commented to the server and the hostess that while the place seems new, it was totally not apparent that they had only been open for three days. From what I read on the 'net, most places would need quite a few weeks to work out the kinks to be at the stage where Greek City was on that night. Maybe we just hit them at at good time, but I will definitely seek them out again when next in the area. -- PS--the bamboo flooring continues from the floor up the entire wall, which I have never seen before. There were geometric panels on the walls, which appeared to me to be acoustic panels. Nice touch.

Why, thank you kindly, Ma'am. Did you see the pieces leading up to this one? Here they are, chronologically: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=94110 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=96274 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=98382 And Maggie and Dave have one more piece that I've submitted for publication here, but I have no idea when it will make an appearance. ← And #4: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1398531 All I can say is WOW. I rarely get to check into this site as much as I would like, and have not read the Daily Gullet due to time constraints. So, when I logged in this morning and saw the title, I was intrigued enough to read. And I'm hooked. Your writing is like a drug, yet it wasn't easy to locate the previous parts of the series. For the benefit of anyone else who may find themselves in the same predicament as I, I've quoted from the 4th installment where you've supplied links to the other three. My FIL was 25th Inf Div, (from Hawaii) and I believe he was in 'Nam '67-'68 (in addition to early 60's, I believe, as an "adviser") I don't know the exact Unit but I believe he was involved with retrieving the wounded and dead soldiers, and I know he was involved somehow with the Tunnels and recon. (Maybe the 66th?) But your writing makes me realize how much more I wish he would speak about his time there. For many years, he would not speak at all about it. And as he gets on in years, I see how important it is that we not wait to ask the questions. Thank you for this; I have thoroughly enjoyed spending most of my day going back and reading all your installments. When is the next, and when does your book come out? (PS tell your agent the back story is addicting and if omitted, would be like the missing secret ingredient in a treasured recipe.) "Please, sir, I want some more." Charles Dickens

including, IMO, the best pralines in the French Quarter. ← Everything I've tried there is top quality. ← Thanks for chiming in--I actually just placed an order there, and they couldn't have been nicer. (and I found out afterwards that my boss also recommends this place--she has 2 daughters that went to school in NOLA--and one of them is still at school and living in NOLA currently.)

Thanks for the response. I have seen a few gift baskets in my web searches that contained the mix or coffee, but hadn't thought to go to the actual website! I must say I am a bit surprised, though, that there haven't been more suggestions. I would think that this would be a good way to support the economy of the area?

Today's Washington Post has an article that lists a few places to order items "in a small effort to help the mom-and-pop foodmakers who are still suffering more than a year after Hurricane Katrina" Mayhaw Man runs a website that showcases some of these vendors. Please post additional links and phone numbers if you have them...I am looking to send mailorder to family, and thought others may be interested in the same. Thanks!

I caught the "After Hours" with Daniel Bouloud on Dinosaur BBQ and it did look enticing I'm glad you have a date for the airing of the show--now I can put it on my calendar to look forward to...can't wait to see what you come up with for DC!

Really? Damnit! I've thrown away several bags of brown sugar once they hardened. ← I had to make cookies this weekend in order to use up some old contents in the cupboard...the brown sugar will also soften if nuked in the microwave a few seconds. My only question, is that once it hardens, isn't it actually losing moisture? Couldn't that then effect the measuring and quantity when used in baking? Not that I bake that often, but I know it is more of an exact science than I prefer to wrestle with that often!

Chris, I'll try to take some photos to send to you this week, at least of my neck of the woods. DC is definitely made up of many different "neighborhoods" with different flavors. Some are more residential than others, some more business, some strictly government, some more entertainment, some just in the revitilization stage...you'll find different types of places in all of these areas. I'm a lowly office worker-bee in the "Golden Triangle Business District" downtown, and carry-out is usually what we get. It's hard to fit "eating out" into a lunch half or even an hour, so, yes, in that manner, carry-out is definitely part of the culture. For my lunches, I to try to keep to a $5-$8 minimum, inc. tax, as most others do. While not the area of the embassies, we do have many Government Relations offices of companies from all over the world located here. The Greek Deli is a destination for many, and also a carry-out. There are tons of the Hot/Cold food bars and sandwich shops, but the small, family run, shops that I mentioned previously have great food and fit right in the budget. These and others like them are the places that don't get "reviewed" but have home-cooked meals that draw the natives. As far as ethnic goes, the Turkish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Indonesian restaurants that we have downtown are better than any that I know of in the burbs...but yes, the Korean, Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants are all better outside of the city. Malaysia Kopityam, is quite good as well, and very authentic, although it has been reviewed in the past as the best Indonesian restaurant in the area. More carry-out I can give you...Naan and Beyond! (and what about that pizza place on P St---Alberto's is it?) (Hill, hoof it over here when you get the chance and try out Rumi...His Dolma are delicate, meatless and yet full of flavor, but call first to make sure he has them, as they take a full day for him to make....don't get the ones from the salad bar, as those are not the same as the ones he sells ala carte. And have you ever been to Cous Cous Cafe?) You too, Busboy, I don't think I've seen you over in my neck of the woods!

I haven't seen many posts about DC, so I'll put my .02 in for the Greek Deli--a carry-out on 19th St. (great food, good value--people line up daily to the street) I'm also a fan of Cous-Cous Cafe on 20th, and a new place just starting out on 20th, used to be a Cafe Cantina (chain) but is trying to get it's new menu/restaurant going, called Rumi. These are all small authentic shops, non-chains, favorites for the "office worker" budget.

Thank you, that's it exactly! I just did a google search and found this site as well. I must clarify my earlier statement....I did find the show quite enjoyable. Our VCR and DVR our both out of commision, so watching later was not an option. I rarely can stay awake two hours for anything in the evenings, no matter how hard I try, so I guess it's not just if I'm in the mood to watch, but I've got to be awake to watch. I do look forward to seeing the new season--now I just have to try to remember when to look out for the "leftovers" special! (in reading this over, I see that I'd be a prime candidate for TIVO- -if I could just convince Mr. Squids....)

I just saw the most recent episode, where he was in Osaka. He used a term several times throughout the show that I had never heard of, and was trying to learn more about--forgive the phonetic spelling, but it sounded like "kwee-der-ay" Can anybody help me out with this? He said it meant "eating to excess" or "eating to ruin?" I find that he makes the places he visits appear very approachable. I like the show, but I also have to be in the mood to watch it. It's running from 9-11pm, and the second hour tonight he's in China. I don't think I'll last past the next commercial though. Two consecutive hours is a bit much in one night for me.

I don't have time to reply in full right now, as I'm bolting out the door to pick up my husband...I will try to write more this evening though. I've been diagnosed in the past few years with several allergies, some of which are items that have been mentioned above. This has been a great learning experience for me. The first thing I said when I was being tested by the allergist was "garlic? you mean people are really allergic to garlic? Please don't let me be!" Well guess what? That was the largest "bump" on my arm! I do know some people find their reactions are different whether the item is in raw form, cooked, or powdered. (I have experienced this as well. I used to be able to tolerate onions, which are also of the lily family, but now I can only eat cooked ones sparingly. Eaten raw I will get itchy hives and stomach issues.) Two things I want to talk about when I sign on later--the fact that there are food sensitivities as well as food allergies. And that one can never predict what type of reaction one may have to a food if allergic. It may be a swollen stomach one day, and an anyphylactic shock the next. I know how much I was unaware when I was diagnosed initially, and just from the responses I've seen so far, many people need to be educated about this issue. Gotta Run....

To me this is has nothing to do with "good food" or "bad service." In response to the title of this thread, what exactly do you mean by "actionable?" Legal, schmegal I say. Having the Chef come out on the floor to publicly mishandle this situation was just uncalled for. And the fact that she has done this same thing year after year, amazes me. Most people grow and change over the years; Ms. Greenwood has not. My money is too valuable to spend at a restaurant that serves attitude as a second course. The cease and desist letter was the icing on the cake. Most people would agree; and I beg to differ that it is not the same as TK, as that situation was handled much differently. The fact that she has repeated this action year after year is just plain sad. I have personally experienced the rudeness of this chef when I went with a colleague to her restaurant when it was on K Street many many years ago. She actually came out of the back to argue with my colleague about how her food was supposed to be eaten and could not be adulterated. There are ways to state one's views, and there are ways not to...needless to say we walked out and had a very nice meal at the Prime Rib instead. Anyone planning a trip to DC, please note that there are are way too many other good chefs in this area that you should experience before subjecting yourself to dining at Ms. Greenwood's restaurant. Want fancy dining? Go to: Citronelle, Maestro, Laboratorio, Marcel's, Palena...neighborhood dining? Komi, Corduroy, Firefly, Notti Bianche, Ray's the Steaks, Montemarte, Dino's, bar at Palena, Colorado Kitchen...far too many to list them all, but all more worthy of your visit.

To play devil's advocate, I need to point out a situation that happened just last week. **Disclaimer: I am guilty as the next guy, as I take two or three Splenda when it's available, if I've forgotten to replenish the stock I carry in my purse, for those occasions when I am at a restaurant or other place that does not carry it. I will not, however, take handfuls of anything.** There is a small sandwich shop at the entrance to my building at work, and last week I was getting coffee and couldn't locate the Splenda, which they used to stock. When I inquired, as I am on a very friendly basis with the owners, I was told that they couldn't afford to keep it stocked, as every few days a worker from Staples next door comes in and takes handfuls (plural) of the Splenda. Another Staples worker will at least buy a bagel or something else small, before she loads up her bag with plastic knives and forks. All in good fun to some, yet it is the bottom line in someone else's pocket.

I organized a dinner for my family this past February at San Vito Ristorante in Herndon. The menu is varied, and I do recall the specials sounded more "adventurous" We were a large party so we had a set menu. The food was good, nothing fancy, but the restaurant was great to work with, is very family friendly and affordable. check out this topic and this one

GE Recall Caveat emptor

Both Smith & Wollensky and Sam & Harry's do a fine burger...a co-worker and I will sometimes splurge and split a burger for carry-out. (They're pretty huge!) I do prefer S&H to S&W, but usually go to S&W because it's less of a walk from my office when I'm short on time for lunch.

Check this website for more info. You'll have to do a search for the recent active threads, and click here for the archive of the 14 previous pages of threads. They are a small company, and usually there is only one distributor in a region. We haven't ordered the range yet, as it will only take maybe a week to 10 days to deliver, and demolition hasn't even started yet...the Monogram sits currently on our living room floor!

Based on our research, we'll be going with the Vent-a-Hood. As far as your "list" of options, definitely check out the Bluestar range. There are so many mftrs out there, and you have to look at what style of cooking you use, and what is most important to you. (Looks? Power? Gas? propane? Electric? etc. etc.) Will you have a seperate wall oven as well? We are just about to sign on the dotted line with our contractor, so we can then place the order for our Bluestar range! We'll be getting the 30" RNB model One of the plusses of the prosumer ranges is that if you get one with an Infrared broiler, usually that heat is hot enough to keep the inside of your oven fairly clean. We had a Viking in our previous house, and not only was the broiler great, we never had to clean the oven. We are going with the Bluestar this time as it is far better than the Viking in many areas, IMHO. DCS was out of our price range, so I didn't even look at them. The only appliance we hadn't decided on yet was the single electric wall oven, to complement our range. We almost bought a last year's model Kenmore Elite, but it sold before we made up our minds. Snooze you lose, right? Well, we went to another Sears store to look at ovens, and they had one that should not have been there, a canceled special order, GE Monogram! They wanted to get it out of their stock so they sold it to us for an insanely cheap price; for less than even a standard, non-prosumer oven. I'm glad to see the positive input in this thread about the GE, since we bought it...albeit with the consideration that it could be returned if we changed our minds. The only hang-up is that it is a small oven--it doesn't fit a regular size baking sheet due to the convection fan. Plus, I don't know nuttin' about the Monogram line. I have heard before about the possible link to DCS, but... If anyone has ever cooked with one of these smaller size ovens and has any input, please let me know. mart242 keep us posted on your choices!

redglass, how long have you lived in this area? I ask because every year at this time, one can make it into work in record time, and activity nearly ceases on the boards! Think of it as the last hurrah before the kids go back to school, and before Congress and the Courts go back in session. Faboo and redglass, keep posting the pics...eye candy for those of us aren't able to get the deliveries ourselves, for one reason or another.

I'm so surprised others have not mentioned the applesauce---this is how I spent every fall, after we'd go to a farm to get fresh apples, mom would boil them and we'd take turns milling them into sauce. (No need to peel the apples, as that's what the mill is for) I think we'd add the candy "red hots" even while the apples were being milled, so the heat would melt them into the puree. Then into freezer bags, to be enjoyed for the rest of the year!

Very true---I didn't mention the protein, since that is usually much easier to recognize and count when calcualting the diabetic diet. i.e.,1oz= 1 meat exchange. When I was learning about diet and exhanges, it was even before the emphasis on the different types of meats (high fat, low fat-----do low fat meats really exist?) While foods will react differently in different people, I have heard that pizza is a very common one that is difficult to manage. Chinese food is another type of food that was emphasized during my pump learning process to be difficult, but not impossible, to manage. Both of those things are not in my diet anyway, due to other food allergies, so I can't really comment. As far as "high-fat" foods, the obvious ones are easy, such as potato chips, Hot Dogs, chinese or any other kind of sausage, microwave popcorn, etc. (Deep fried camembert, heh? sounds delish ) I myself have spikes just when I eat any type of cheese, which is unfortunate, since it is such an easy-protein-rich snack. anzu, if you ever locate that info about times, I'd love to see it! I've recently moved myself so I completely understand I've also never spoken to anyone whose used the Accucheck compact, but it sounds like it might be very convenient, especially for a young child. I tried to change to an Accuchek a year or so ago, since my insurance company is in cahoots with them and will pay more $ for the strips. But for me, I found my readings were more accurate with the Onetouch and the longer memory served my purposes better, so the cost savings did not add up for me. ADA's POD group was instrumental in teaching the schools in my area way back when, on how to deal with diabetes, so it is good to hear you've got a chapter nearby. (I can't seem to get the quotes to work right, sorry! It is difficult typing with a cat who decides to take over one's lap at the most inopportune moments!)