The new Rick Sandoval place, it opened in May of 2008. I went during the first week and thought it was clearly the best Mexican place around. Sandoval places don’t stay great for long, so now is the time to go.

[ Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide: La Sandia ]

I don't know Rick Sandoval from a hole in the wall, but I know Mexican food that I like. I've lamented the decline in quality and service at Tia Queta for a while now, but I must say that La Sandia is better than I ever remember Tia Queta being. I got the Chicken Mole Enchiladas:

Yaty got the Shrimp Fajitas:

She wasn't so impressed, she liked it but prefers the Fajitas as Guapo's and the fresh grilled jalapeño that comes with them. Of course if this is contemporary south Mexican fare, I would expect the fajitas to be less than stellar. The guacamole and the tomatillo sauce that accompanied her fajitas were quite good though.

And why does everything in the commercial have crappy canned olives on it?

Considered the crossroads of the Far East, Malaysia assimilated cultures and cuisines from China, India, Thailand and the Middle East. Peanut Satay, Malaysia's signature dish, delicately blends exotic spices, coconut milk, tamarind and fruit and crunchy peanuts into a robust sauce for Hokkien noodles.

[ Amazon.com: Ka-Me Noodle Box, Peanut Satay ]

Not sure how authentic these are, but I do love Hokkien noodles and peanuts, so as far as I'm concerned it's authentically yummy!

The founders of Ben & Jerry's endorsed Barack Obama on Monday, and lent his Vermont campaign two "ObamaMobiles" that will tour the state and give away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream.

[ Ben & Jerry's founders endorse Obama - Yahoo! News ]

This is what is wrong with the press, there are dozens of stories across the Internets about this publicity stunt. As far as I can tell not one mentions what the flavor is. Nor do any mention if this is a one-up publicity flavor or if it is going to be available nation-wide. No story mentions the availability, or the ObamaMobile routes, or existence of the flavor outside Vermont, or even why cherries would be for change.

I like cherries. I like Chery Garcia. I like premium ice cream with cherries. Blah blah blah Obama, what about the real story here, it's all about the Cherries! Next time, press, ask what is in the frick'n ice cream already.

Cherry Mash consists of a soft cherry flavored center containing real maraschino cherries covered in a mixture of chopped roasted peanuts and chocolate coating.

[ Cherry Mash: America's favorite cherry flavored candy bar ]

If you watched Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, you saw him eat this treat and actually like it. So when I saw it for sale at the C.J. Olson Cherry's fruit stand, I knew I had to grab a few. What I didn't know, since I wasn't paying attention, is that it's not a cherry flavored center surrounded by chocolate, but surrounded by peanuts and chocolate. I just may have found a new favorite candy bar (though more of a lump than bar). And living no where near Kansas City, MO I will have to figure out how to secure a steady supply of these cherry-peanut-chocolate treats.

Yum.

As recent as ten years ago, these old men made their ice cream from scratch, hand-churning the stuff and peppering the "everything"... with chopped-up bits of atap chee (palm fruit), the chewy "flesh from the young seeds of the mangrove plant Nypa fruticans" that had been soaked in rose syrup. These days, the ice cream is likely to be supplied by commercial ice cream makers Wall's, Magnolia, or King's. If the food gods are smiling on you though, you may just chance upon a vendor who still adds chopped-up bits of atap chee to his "everything." Go ahead and ask, "Uncle, is there atap chee in there?"

[ Serious Eats ]

I don't care much for my ice cream in wonder bread (although that's Yaty's serving suggestion of choice), but I can't get enough Palm Fruit (aka Palm Nut aka Atap Chee [Singapore] aka Kaong [Philippines] aka Buah Atap [Indonesia]) and drenched in rose syrup? Yum-o! Apparently this is a significant ingredient in some people's Halo-Halo [Philippines] which reminds me a ton of Bingsoo [Korea] and even a bit of Es Buah [Indonesia].

Lunchies!, originally uploaded by cafechimp.

French Onion Soup, Corned Beef, Turkey, and Swiss pressed sandwich, Salt & Pepper chips, and Coca-Cola.

Taking a little bit of inspiration from Panera Bread and their Pick Two Combo, I whipped up a café lunch today. The French Onion is courtesy Pacific Natural Foods, though I did sauté the onion that went in it. A couple of tiny toasts on top and some Gruyère cheese and voilà! The pressed sandwich is on Rosemary Boule and pressed up in my Faux Foreman. Accompanied with Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips and a Coca-Cola and we're talking one yum-o sammy!

Taco Bell [will] introduce... a breakfast menu in the next couple of years.

[ Yum looks to boost U.S. sales using rival's methods - Yahoo! News ]

Yes, I know, you either hate the Bell or love it, and I for one love it. And no I don't want to hear that you think some other Mexican/Tex-Mex/Tejano place is better, I eat at all of them. From Taco Bell on the low end up to Frontera Grill (I hope, some day) on the high end. But breakfast? I usually like a bagel or croissant. I've tried breakfast burritos, but they aren't so easy to come by. But some Taco Bell breakfast? That'd be hard to avoid...

It's no secret. I like to eat out. You get different food all the time, everyone can get whatever they want, there is no prep or clean up. Eating out is great! But expensive... And doesn't always work well with babies... And gets really expensive with kids...

I know how to cook, but can't get motivated. Not sure why, I used to cook quite a bit, but now I'm just to lazy or demotivated to do it. I did previously get gifted a "private chef" where a chef-lady came to my apartment and cooked a bunch of food which was promptly frozen and then I had yummy food over the next few weeks. I liked the idea, but that has got to be pretty expensive.

Then I noticed a couple places around town:

• Dream Dinners
• Let's Dish

The basic idea is that they prep the food for you, put it in a restaurant style work center, you rotate around the stations (one for each recipe) and in 2 hours you can make 12 meals with 6 servings each for a lot less than eating out, and even decent value compared to a super market since they purchase in bulk and you only use what you need. After assembling the meals, you pack them up with instructions, take them home and over the next few weeks you prepare them to the directions and eat 'em.

There is a thread on "My Money Blog" that seems to have quite a few people happy with the concept, and Dream Dinners in particular (the largest chain of these this concept that I have found), plus they mention a few other chains that aren't convenient to me.

So, anyone tried this? Thinking about it? Just the thought of no clean up is enough to get me excited.

In a bottle. With carbonation. Really.

Reed's Spiced Apple Brew uses 8 grams of fresh ginger root, the finest tart German apple juice, and such apple pie spices as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Spiced Apple Brew is 50% apple juice and sweetened with fruit juice and fructose.

[ REED'S Ginger Brews ]

Korean Air has 22 special needs meals plus 2 or 3 choices for the standard meal and 2 or 3 for the first class passengers. That includes 6 types of vegetarian meals (one is listed under Hindu).

We prepare a selection of special meals, catering to a wide variety of tastes as well as ethnic, religious and dietary needs. Special meals will be available in the flights with meal service only. Orders for special meals should be made at the Korean Air reservation center at least 24 hours before your scheduled flight.

[ Welcome to Korean Air ]

Frequent lunch companions of mine will know that I've been sour on Cosi for quite a while now. My big complaints?

• Only one kind of bread
• Only about a dozen sandwich choices
• The coffee isn't so good

What's changed?

Two kinds of bread! They've added a kind of whole wheat bread that I found quite yummy today.

Much bigger menu! More sandwiches, some are "melts", pizza and individual casseroles in the evenings, and for a limited time? The "Cosi Lobster Roll", mmmm yummy.

And still the same coffee. But 2 out of 3 ain't bad, eh?

I saw an advert for this last night:

The Pancake Puffs™ pan is made from durable, non-stick cast iron which evenly distributes heat over each of the 7 Pancake Puffs™ wells for golden-perfect puffs every time. Simply pour your favorite batter into the wells of the pan, add your filling, turn and enjoy! Each Pancake Puffs™ pan comes complete with the Quick & Easy Recipe Book to get you started making some of the most delicious pancake puff treats you have ever tasted.

[ Pancake Puff ]

But you can't fool me, that's a Takoyaki pan! I assume that marketing an Octopus Dumpling pan to a western market requires a bit of a change in product claims. I can't find one reference to "Octopus Pancake Puffs" on the Pancake Puff website. In the commercial, and I'm assuming the video on the site, they flip the little cakes exactly how the Japanese flip their Takoyaki at a Takoyaki joint, so I'm sure they know exactly what their selling here.

Tyler Florence is a genius. Witness his Ultimate Steak Sandwich:

Gruyère bechamel:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups grated Gruyère
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Arugula mayonnaise:

• 1 bunch baby arugula
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Steak sandwich:

• 12 soft hoagie rolls
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound rib-eye, finely sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

[ The Ultimate Steak Sandwich Recipe: Recipes: Food Network ]

And yet no where to be seen on the Applebee's new menu. Personally I've never been a fan of Applebee's, and even less so with the new acquisition, but the Tyler Florence thing did peak my interest, unfortunately what Applebee's has allowed him to style for them leaves much to be desired. If you were smart, Applebee's, you'd get him to give you some of his "Tyler's Ultimate" recipes for your menu.

Oh, wait that's October 9th, today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Ice cream sandwiches are handheld desserts consisting of a slice of ice cream (usually vanilla), with a small layer of a soft cake-like pastry (usually chocolate) on the top and bottom.

[ Ice cream sandwich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

And it looks like this:

Or this:

But not this:

'cause that's just weird... (Sorry Sweetie) Unless that roll is like Hawaiian bread...

Where can I get good Chinese food? Which restaurants serve Sunday brunch? Any decent barbecue places?

[ washingtonpost.com: What's on the Menu in Montgomery and Frederick ]

Nothing in here that I don't know now, but this would have helped six moths ago. Though Tastee and Parkway have been favorites from waaaay back.

Props to my lovely wife.

I got lunch bento with salmon, Yaty got bento with tofu. Zaza just looked on and drooled. Here's a run down of my bento:

1. Sushi Rice (in a star) - perfect
2. Daikon with nutty sauce and cooled deep fried fish cake - this was the chef selection for the day, and yummy
3. 1/2 Cali roll - very nice, though I like mine spicy
4. Traditional ginger dressed salad - very nice, good greens
5. Salmon and veggies - perfect

All in all a nice lunch, waitress was super nice too - though Uzbeki and not Nihonjin. Iman will be quite pleased the next time she makes honor roll, cause we'll be going to Sushi Damo!

Not necessarily so good for the wallet, and some may argue that eating out isn't the healthiest either. I don't have the ability to cook all the variety that I can eat, and even what I can cook the professionals do better, but if there weren't good restaurants around I guess I'd eat at home. For some reason I was under the impression that the restaurants near me just weren't all that, not like where I previously lived in Alexandria. I think Grossberg has dispelled that rumor, and with a quick listing out of "regular spots" (which doesn't include the few expensive spots or good recommended places that we just don't frequent - nor does it include Taco Bell or Potbelly) I now see the reason we're tempted so often.

[ live.com Maps ]

We still miss Yamazato and Sakulthai, and we still haven't decided on which of the great Indian places need to be on this list (except Bombay Bistro, they're on the list for sure), but if you have any suggestions, shout them out. (And yes I've done the Cuban Corner and the Jamaican place next to it. The first didn't impress, the second is way too fattening)

I remember G$'s first day at Doceus very well. Typical of our style then, lunch the first day was on the company, and it was previous to the Georgia Browns fiasco which limited the lunch selection to "the list". Due to my many years of love with Greek food, I kind of forgot that it wasn't something that everyone knew about, but I think all parties enjoyed the meal. A few years later, however, and Mykonos closed. Or did they?

….and that's how the first Mykonos opened in Washington DC in April 1990, a few years later Mykonos Grill in Rockville was established.

[ Mykonos Grill > Our History ]

Hot Dog, I live in Rockville now! And more than that, the food is better than I remember. I think I've found yet another favorite, which is odd to find in a city known for having a crappy food scene.

KIND Fruit + Nut is available in ten flavors: Nut Delight, Macadamia & Apricot, Fruits & Nuts in Yogurt, Almond & Coconut, Sesame & Peanuts, Almond & Apricot, Almonds & Apricots in Yogurt, Walnut & Date, Banana & Oatbran, Fruit & Nut Delight.

[ Peace Works ]

I get mine at the Whole Foods. They're right by the checkout. I first picked up a couple for the birthing of Zahra, because it was a tip from the hospital that many new fathers forget to eat, and faint. I figured that a quick snack bar would put and end to that, and these looked yummy. And they are. However the package mentions that they have some social agenda. Just to make sure it wasn't some crazy social agenda, I finally did the research, so I could enjoy my new favorite snack bar without worrying that I was causing ill in the world.

5% of the profits from KIND go to OneVoice, a Peaceworks Foundation initiative, that fosters moderate consensus.

[ KIND Fruit & Nut Bars ]

OneVoice? Never heard of them. But it appears that they may actually be a good organization. Here's the little video they put together to explain their mission:

So PeaceWorks makes products to raise money for their foundation whose primary beneficiary is the OneVoice movement that hopes to change the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from a Jew v. Muslim or Israel v. Palestine or Left v. Right or Them v. Us to a Everyone v. The Crazy Extremists conflict. Good luck there, if it works it will be a great example for the other hotspots of the world to follow.

And that certainly sounds like a good cause. So I get to enjoy my snack bars and perhaps even help the world in a tiny tiny fashion.

two mac-and-cheese-covered hot dogs served atop a bed of fries

[ Manly Meals on Maxim ]

That is just friggin' genius!

I love the new featured item, Steak Grilled Taquitos:

Please make this a permanent addition to the menu!

And that problem is Grocery Stores. How many do you visit on a weekly basis, here's my list:

• Giant - close by, self checkout, has basic traditional American products
• Safeway - sometimes we're in that neighborhood, much like Giant but more Organic selections
• Whole Foods - lots of Organic cruelty free type stuff, and great cheese selection
• Trader Joe's - just has things no one else seems to carry
• Kam Sam - Chinese Grocery right around the corner for basic Asian products
• Asian Market - Farther away but with better Indonesian selection
• Grand Mart - Korean supermarket way up in Gaithertucky, but really great produce
• Shah & Patel - Indopak groceries that no one else carries
• Lezzet - Turkish dry goods, only they have the super awesome sour cherry juice that I'm growing to love
• Rockville Gourmet Halal Meat Market - super butcher even if you aren't Islamic in your leanings

And those are just the regular spots, then sometimes we'll stop into a specialty market like

• Yekta - Persian grocery
• The Italian Store - just found out they carry Illy pods

Where do you shop?

I loves me some Indian food, but it can be expensive to eat out all of the time. My latest food find is well on it's way to fixing that for me. Sure I could get cookbooks, and learn how to make Indian food, but then who work all of my jobs for me? Enter easy-prep, mostly ready to eat, Indian cuisine from Deep:

Deep Foods is one of the leading manufacturers of Indian foods. Since 1977, it has been tantalizing the taste buds of Indian food lovers. Using authentic recipes, Deep Foods offers delicious snacks, frozen meals, ice creams and other specialities. These delicious, all- natural products are prepared to satisfy the most dedicated culinary aficionados of Indian cuisine.

[ Deep Foods ]

I've tried their Naan, Samosas, and Mutter Paneer and all are tops. They are rather affordable, and soooo many varieties are available at my local hindimart Shah & Patel Grocery, but if there isn't a Hindustani Purveyor of Fine Goods near you, you can get this stuff online as well.

My quest has come to an end, but a delicious end indeed. There are a few crepe places around town, but finally there is one near me, and they make the honest to goodness real deal.

Crêpes á Go Go
514 Main Street
Gaithersburg MD, 20878

Sure it says Gaithersburg, but for those in the area you'd know it as the Kentlands. Just around the corner from Five Guys.

Noticed a "Mexican" place in Rockville with a weird name and had to check it out. Googled it and found out it wasn't a fancy sit down place, it was fast food and a chain. A burrito joint! Those who know me well, know I have a fondness for burritos, so I had to check it out.

In 1995, Anthony Miller opened the first Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant in Denver with partner Robert Hauser.

With one-of-a-kind offerings like Qdoba Signature Burritos, Qdoba won over customers and critics alike. Denver's Gabby Gourmet restaurant critic named Qdoba one of the top 15 inexpensive restaurants in Colorado. And both the Denver Post and Westword named Qdoba "Best Burrito."

Obviously, it was an idea whose time had come. Fast, fresh Mexican flavors that were anything but old-fashioned refried beans and Spanish rice, prepared right in front of the patrons with only the freshest ingredients.

In just a few years, we've grown to include over 300 Qdoba Mexican Grills from coast to coast. And plenty more are on the way.

[ Qdoba Mexican Grill :: Fresh Burritos, Tacos, Nachos, and Salads Made to Order ]

The rice is almost exactly like Chipotle rice, so someone is borrowing from someone. Qdoba founded in 1995, when was Chipotle?

"When I created Chipotle in 1993, I had a very simple idea: Offer a simple menu of great food prepared fresh each day, using many of the same cooking techniques as gourmet restaurants. Then serve the food quickly, in a cool atmosphere. It was food that I wanted, and thought others would like too. We've never strayed from that original idea. The critics raved and customers began lining up at my tiny burrito joint. Since then, we've opened a few more."

[ Chipotle ]

Doesn't bode well, but perhaps Qdoba just came up with similar rice, or Chipotle had different rice at the start. Perhaps it doesn't even matter much. What's important is how do they taste? Chipotle is awesome. I love them bunches. However Qdoba may have an edge. They have a mole chicken, their steak is yummier, their hottest sauce is hotter and tastier, their red sauce is smoky. I'm giving the win to Qdoba. Seems like a burrito war is in the works.

In 2003, Qdoba was acquired by Jack in the Box Inc., a publicly traded (NYSE: JBX) restaurant company headquartered in San Diego. In addition to Qdoba, Jack in the Box Inc. operates and franchises more than 1,900 Jack in the Box® restaurants, the nation's first major drive-thru hamburger chain. The company also operates its own proprietary brand of convenience store called Quick Stuff®. Qdoba Mexican Grill operates separately from Jack in the Box restaurants.

[ Qdoba ]

Oh man is a burrito war in the works, lets do the math (roughly in order of my preference):

Qdoba - (Jack in the Box)
Chipotle - (McDonald's)
Moe's Southwest - (Raving Brands)
California Tortilla
Baja Fresh - Wendy's
Taco Bell - (Yum! FKA Pepsico)

Am I missing any other national type chains that just haven't hit the DC area yet? Or I just haven't tried? My list contains all chains with at least 75 outlets, so Burrito Bros and Well Dressed Burrito aren't eligible for the war...

Please note, Nate, that this is for the Taco Bell burrito and not for Taco Bell as king of 4th meal.

Ever since I saw Super Size Me, I have pretty much sworn off all "fast food" (really just McDonalds, Burger Thing, and Wendy's). I've always disliked Burger King, so no big woop. Wendy's? Questionable quality these days, so that was easy. McDonalds? That was mostly because Iman loves McDonalds, so I have little problem avoiding them. That could change, however. One thing that I have always found acceptable is the McD's breakfast, and now:

McDonald's Corp. may soon offer its breakfast menu all day long as a new restaurant layout will make it easier to prepare a wide variety of foods at once, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

[ Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.com ]

The thought of a mid day Bacon-Egg-And-Cheese-Hold-The-Bacon sandwich is just too tempting...

Props to slashfood.

Note: Yes that means I still am all over Taco Bell. It's one of those things that you either love or hate...

Canned haw is our advantaged product, and canned haw is incredible canned product. Our Canned haw gets widely recognition by Chinese people. Haw is a specially Chinese fruit. We select best quality fresh haw then processed canned haw. Because fresh haw tasted will be little tart, but as the canned haw , the syrup in the canned will add more sweet, so it will be suite for eating after dinner. If you like sweet and tart same time, please enjoy our canned haw .

[ Canned haw|china canned fruit manufacturer ]

My recent contribution to the candy cam included chinese preserved fruit, and for a limited time that included a special treat (while supplies last). Today Cory found the special treat and it turned out to be Haw. Haw? Fruit of the Hawthorn tree? One site mentions that it is a cousin to the crab apple, but that's not helping much. Why am I blogging this? Because the site above has some great Chingrish.

Karen's favorite Chinese place:

There are two ways to experience an authentic Szechuan Chinese restaurant. One is to hop on an airplane and fly to China, the other is to go to Joes Noodle House in Rockville.

[ Joes Noodle House ]

Should be the site of Sunday dinner. Hope it's not all too spicy, Iman does need to eat too.

Good news for me:

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.

[ BBC NEWS | Health | Tea 'healthier' drink than water ]

I'm not a big fan of water, and lately I've been on a big iced tea kick, especially iced green tea when I can get it.

Sorry, Spork.

Almost 2 years later, and I've finally eaten at Amina Thai (first Halal Thai restaurant in the DC area).

I got some mussels, shrimp, and squid in lemongrass and chili peppers dish, Yaty just got a super spicy shrimp in lime juice salad. Both quite yummy.

Since 1985 Super Dickmann's has been the biggest among the chocolate foam kisses.

Who doesn't know the slogan "Man, they are Dickmann"? Under this motto Super Dickmann's from Storck quickly became Germany's most popular chocolate foam kiss.

[ Storck - Part of Your World - Super Dickmann's ]

Not the oddest candy around, though:

• Oddly Named Candy on Candy Addict
• Stupid Candy on Stupid.com (note: site will cause seizures)

And if Japanese candy is still your thing, head over to the Japan Candy Blog, or just Candy Blog in general for all sorts of candy goodness.

And let us not forget the Candy Cam, which is how I got on this digression in the first place.

Damn, the Japanese are lucky! For the Nintendo DS Lite's Touch Generation line, they have something called the Cooking Navigator. Not a video game, but an instructional program. A chef inside barks instructions at you so that you can cook by hearing

[ Nintendo DS Lite could make you an Iron Chef - Slashfood ]

Seems like a great idea, but I wonder how tunable it is to experience, skill level, etc. Does it only do a set number of recipes? What about food aversions, allergies, and the like? Is it WiFi enabled?

spent the day picking lemons and pruning back the lone lemon tree in my friend cyrano's backyard. we picked over 500 lemons--something like 8 milk crates of citrus.

[ meet me at the corner of third and fairfax.: lemony thicket. ]

Apparently after picking that may lemons, you can then make lovely delicacies like this:

 

Props to Slash Food.

Working from home today, and this is what the "wall" of my "home office" looks like.

'course if it were raining, I think I wouldn't be right next to the railing...

Update: New View

Some truck drove down my block hitting power lines all the way. Big bang, bright light, and no cable. Thus no Internet. So I've relocated to the Panera, I figured I'd try their new pizza-thing. Pizza-thing only available after 4^pm. Crap. Got salad. Also not so impressive. Green tea is pre-sweetened? Crazy. Something about this Panera just doesn't make much sense to me...

 

And our favorite Phở place, Saigon Citi, has a second location on Beauregard, just off of Duke St., where the Pizza Hut used to be. Same menu, same taste. It goes without saying, we're super happy about that.

And, they have a full menu, not just Phở, so if you are in the mood for Bún, or the best lemonade, or super Vietnamese drip pot coffee with flan, or whatever, they've got you covered.

Cone Pizza!
Originally uploaded by superlocal.

I'm not sure if pizza in a cone is strange, but what toppings! Hawaiian, Hot Spicy Chicken, Bulgogi, and something I can't read in the bottom right... Oh, and of course Supreme Cone!

The inaugural Fiesta Asia event will take place on May 6, 2006 and is free and open to the public. This kick-off event will feature an exciting array of attractions including an open market filled with an assortment of Asian merchandise, live performances, Pan-Asian cuisine, interactive displays, Manga design competition, and much more. The May 6th event precedes a month-long series of activities in venues located in DC metro area.

[ Fiesta Asia - 2006 National Asian Heritage Festival - Washington, DC ]

Ali went last year and said it was pretty cool.

Update: Then Yaty pointed out that Today was the 6th, not tomorrow as Ali claimed... Perhaps next year.

Why is it that Coca-Cola can sport this many coffee-in-a-can drinks in Japan, but they best they can do state-side is Blak? Sure, I haven't tried Blak yet, but I've heard rumors that it's arond $2 a bottle, and that there is cola in it....
Update: Perhaps I spoke too soon. Nate snagged some from a gas station at around $1.50 for an 8oz bottle. It is sweet, and I think would make a lovely after dinner desert drink. At 45 calories, that's a dessert that fits in anyone's diet.

But yummy:

Smoked Chicken Chile Relleno– Poblano pepper stuffed with smoked chicken, chopped pecans, apricots, Jack cheese and raisins, with green chile mole, roasted tomato cream, Tejas rice and black beans. 9.95

[ Welcome to Z'tejas! ]

Spring in DC has arrived!

The 2006 festival marks the 94th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. Come and enjoy the spirit of the season.

[ Official Website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC ]

This year I hope to see some of it.

Too cool.

Why do I feel like the US gets cheated when it comes to KitKats? And Pocky too, for that matter. We export our junk food, and Nestlé brings their junk food here. Why not more Japanese junk food?

Of course, even if we did get tons of it, this has very limited appeal since we don't celebrate the Cherry Blossoms in the US like it is in Japan. Even here in DC where we do celebrate our gift from Japan, it's mostly about cross cultural exchanges, and not the big deal that it is over there.

Yesterday morning when I finally woke up I had a craving for something out of the ordinary. I dialed up restaurants on the VW GPS Navi computer to look for something new and exciting. I didn't find that, so much as a place I'd been before, but hadn't been to in quite a while: Taqueria Poblano in Del Ray. Yaty and I were both enjoying the Chicken Tacos al Carbon when we spied a shop across the street named Cheesetique.

I have long admired the plethora of cheese shops in Philadelphia's Main Line neighborhoods and West Chester. Why could I never find such lovely shops in DC? Perhaps I just lived in the wrong suburb, or my habits kept me from the good cheese shops. Sure, I could find good cheeses at Whole Foods or Wegmans, but there is something about a shop that is dedicated to cheese , like a bakery is to bread, or a cafe to coffee.

Envious I need no longer be, Cheesetique is simply lovely. Their selection may not be as broad as the super-trendy-super-markets, but they certainly know their cheese well at Cheesetique. They carry some meats too, and I picked up some prosciutto for the first time in forever, duck prosciutto that is. I had heard that some places were trying Italian preservation methods on non-pig critters and now I will get to sample one.

Del Ray has moved upscale, and seems to continue along that trend. Perhaps sad for the residents who can no longer afford to live in a town preserved by a degree of negligence, but it appears that the new inhabitants are quite happy to preserve what makes Del Ray such a lovely place to live or visit.

I only know one Kanji character. I think you should learn it too:

It's pronounced cha, it means tea. The Chinese character looks basically the same.

French beverage company Pernod Ricard SA agreed to sell Dunkin' Brands to Thomas H. Lee Partners, the Carlyle Group and Bain Capital four days after bidding closed in an auction for the U.S. fast food company - owner of the Dunkin' Donuts chain, Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlors and Togo's sandwich stores.

[ Forbes ]

Interesting, but how does that affect me?

Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle, with $35 billion under management, is the largest of the three successful joint bidders.

Ah. But still, what does that mean? More Dunkin' Donuts? Better Dunkin' Donuts? I've made no secret of my preference of Dunkin' over Krispy Kreme. KK may have the best yeast raised, glased doughnut around, but DD makes up for that in sheer variety.

I've felt for years that DD has seemed to go a bit downhill (at least in the DC area), and certainly the number of locations has shrunk (as apposed to the KK mini-factories). I hope this helps turn around DD as a brand. As for the other 2 major holdings of DD? Baskin Robins and Togos? I'm more of a Ben & Jerry's or Häagen-Dazs kind of guy, and I've never eaten at Togos...

No indeed, finally a good Thai restaurant just around the corner from me.

Sakulthai Restaurant
408 south vandorn st.
alexandria, va 22304

[ sakulthai ]

For those who know the neighborhood, this is the spot where Thai Hut used to be. The menu had this enticing item:

10. Crispy Duckroll *** Must Try ***
Crispy duck, scallions wrapped with roti skin served with chef's special sauce.

So I had to try it, right? Incredible. On top of that I had the standard Tom Ka Gai and the Ka Prow Beef (28. Chicken Galanga (Tom Kah Kai) and 37. Fiery Basil respectively) and both were rather good. The Ka Prow was sufficiently spicey, and the Tom Ka was the best I've had in a long time.

In a city with as much Thai as DC has, Sakulthai does good enough with the standards, and offers enough specialties of their own, and in a much more pleasant atmosphere than Thai Hut ever seemed to have.

For some reason I thought Rachael Ray came from a foodie family. Not only is that far from the truth, but when she "hit it" she bought the cabin she was living in. Not some fancy swank mansion, but a cabin in the Adirondacks. Now how cool is that?

Ms. Ray and her mom drove nine hours south in a snowstorm, and she nailed the "Today" show appearance. The next day, she said, the Food Network signed her to a $360,000 contract to teach America what she had been teaching the folks upstate. The first thing she did was to reupholster the old family furniture in the cabin. Then she bought the place.

[ Being Rachael Ray: How Cool Is That? - New York Times ]

And they have all of my favorites!

Our variety of Asian foods includes Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other select Asian foods, as well as an open Sushi bar

[ Singapore Bistro Washington DC Sushi and Asian Cuisine and Bar ]

Bakso too!

Some country singer girl wants you to know:

Free Vintage T-Shirt from Hershey

[ HERSHEY'S Vintage ]

I'm partial to the Reese's T-Shirt. Wonder if it wears better when frozen...

...for crabs.

Obrycki's is located on land that was part of the original William Fell estate, in the area known as historic Fells Point. The corner building at 1729 East Pratt Street was built in 1851 and the adjoining building was built the following year.

[ Obrycki's - Steamed Crabs and Crab Cakes our Specialty ]

I've never been to Obrycki's, but I've heard through the family grapevine that there is no better place in B'more for steamed hard shell blue crabs. And, of course, there is no place in the world that could possibly make better crabs than Baltimore... TravelLady disagree, however. TravelLady also points out the surprise that Bohager's does crabs (though they might be closed), and I think that is quite the surprise. I see that Ocean Pride is in Lutherville, near my Aunt's place, so perhaps I should head for there instead...

Update: Done

I've finally eaten at the 24 hour restaurant on Little River Turnpike that has been calling to me. The name is displayed, along with an illustration of a little man in a big hat drinking soup from a bowl, but it's in Korean so I never knew the name of the place. 정선달 apparently means Jung Sun Dal, though I don't know what that means.

Not only is the sign in Korean, but practically everything inside is in Korean too. And, as far as I can tell, no one working in the place speaks any English. The menu, printed on the place-mats, does have rough translations of most of the menu, and Yaty decided to go with the "vegetables, beef, egg, and rice" because she couldn't tell which items was Bibim Bap. To her surprise the waitress said just that, so I ordered the same. Only $6.95 a bowl, and it comes with a big bowl of miso soup too, what a bargain.

The place seems to be "homestyle Korean" and does have a bit more pork on the menu than I care for, but the waitress does understand "no pork" so it's all good. I'm not sure what to rate it, as it's only the 3rd Korean restaurant I've ever eaten at in my life, and I'm still not sure I understand Korean food.

Perhaps a lofty name, perhaps a lofty ideal:

We hope that in taking this journey, through the taste of Nirvana, your soul, and stomach, will be alleviated from the pressures of daily life.

[Nirvana ]

Yummy buffet, though

Wikipedia.

Contrary to popular belief, Coca-Cola Zero is not a new product. The same blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium along with the Coca-Cola Classic formula has been available for quite some time in many European countries which were never exposed to New Coke. Commonly called Coca-Cola Light or Coca Light in Europe, the Coca-Cola Zero formula is identical that used in foreign countries.

[ Coca-Cola Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

And, apparently, Nate's drink of choice.

And when in Annandale, do as the Koreans do. In this case Bingsoo!

Shilla Bakery
7039 Little River Turnpike, Annandale

[ SuperPages.com ]

What is Bingsoo? 빙수, as it is written in Korean, is shaved ice with fruit and ice cream. The options are so many, as the one we selected had shaved ice with tapioca cubes, strawberry ice cream, strawberry syrup, and condensed milk. Shilla has about 5 flavors, so once we've tried all of them, we'll have to go looking for other places that serve this tasty treat.

Ice Berry in Seoul is apparently well known for their Bingsoo, but their website only confuses me. Looks like burgermania? has Bingsoo too...

PSA Courtesy Dari:

Don't miss the premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Monday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT!

[ Travel Channel :: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ]

If you didn't see his FoodTV show, catch at least one episode. If you did see his FoodTV show, I'm guessing that you are TiVoing this right now...

Visited the US Botanical Gardens today, Yaty read this and thought of Tom:

Join us for an exploration of tropical fruit botany. We will get to taste and experience some of the more unusual fruits of the world. Would you like to try a lychee? Will you be brave enough to sample the durian? A short tour of the USBG’s tropical fruit plants will be included in the workshop.

[ Longing for Longans and Loquats ]

Sounds yummy to me, and only $5!

Want to make authentic Indonesian food in your home? Do as the Indonesians do and use spice packets:

Bamboe available flavors include gule, kare, opor, rawon, nasi goreng, semoer, rendang, soto madura, soto ayam, ayam goreng, bumbu bali, bumbu rujak, sup, sayur lodeh.

[ Instant Sauces ]

Well, some Indonesians still make their own, the old fashion way, but many use these convenient "bumbu" packets. With these, a rice cooker, and a little time you can have an authentic Indonesian feast in your home.

Update: Indofoods also has a selection of bumbu.

If you are near a Wegmans, you must try them out.

Wegmans currently operates stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia

[ Wegmans Store Locator ]

Picture a Whole Foods crossed with an Albertson's and a Harris Teeter with just a touch of Reading Market. I picked up some items that I've been looking for, for a long time:

• Minute Maid Light Mango Tropical
• Minute Maid Light Guava Citrus
• Tom Kha Soup in a Can

Plus they had so much more. Unfortunately I was only near the Wegmans because I had to go to Ashburn where our co-lo facility is. Now that I know it's destination worth visiting, I can plan for big grocery shopping next time.

However their Asian selections did leave a bit to be desired, so I still need a trip to Grand Market on a regular basis...

My favorite pizza in the city delivers to my office:

[ Famous Luigi's Menu (202)331-7574 ]

Washington Post must read my page:

Crepes -- slender pancakes stuffed with fillings savory or sweet -- seemed perfect for a brunch. I could devise a menu that catered to different tastes, and my event would highlight the best aspect of the Gallic specialty: making and filling them.

[ Savory and Sweet Crepes ]

The Post also has some fine recipes, for those so inclined. The print edition also had a list of local places to savor tasty crepes:

• Cafe Bonaparte - 1522 Wisconsin Ave. NW - (202)333-8830
• La Creperie - 1201 S. Joyce St., Arlington - (703)415-0560
• L'Enfant - 2000 18th St. NW - (202)319-1800
• Original Pancake House - who cares? skip this one...
• Le Chat Noir - 4907 Wisconsin Ave. NW - (202)244-2044
• Couscous Cafe - 1195 20th St. NW - (202)689-1233

And the Couscous Cafe looks walkable from Doceus...

Of all of the culture shocks that one must deal with when traveling, the biggest one that still continues to shock me is what people eat for breakfast. Of course I don't mean shock like I'm appalled, but shock like you just can't believe it. When I travel internationally, though, I'm a big café breakfast kind of guy. I like anything that smacks of a French influence, it's where I gravitate for my first meal of the day.

Little did I know that all of America was squarely headed toward the coffee and something else quick for breakfast when we were all manipulated into changing our habits:

Bernays used his Uncle Sigmund Freud's ideas to help convince the public, among other things, that bacon and eggs was the true all-American breakfast.

[ NPR : Freud's Nephew and the Origins of Public Relations ]

Absolutely fascinating story. I love food. I love history that all relates to each other. I love the fact that Freud's nephew's name sounds like Bearnaise. Maybe I should think of going back to school to become a Nutritional Anthropologist (but I hate homework).

Until Henri can convince his Mom to make crepes for the whole company, I continue my quest for crepes, real crepes, and ones that are close enough to actually get to taste. Today's creperie is in Baltimore, which means I'll have to wait until my next trip to the aquarium, but so far it gets great ratings from everyone who's been there:

Blink and you'll miss Sofi's Crepes, wedged between the two entertainment venues on North Charles Street. It's a carryout by default; the place is only big enough to house a small counter ordering area about the size of the front seat of a Chevette.

[ AOL CityGuide: Baltimore - Restaurants, Dining, Pizza, Burgers & Chinese - Sofi's Crepes - Overview ]

My phone's camera leaves a bit to be desired, as you can tell from this super-crisp photo I took at the market:

Mocha Coffee Jelly? It says something about putting it on creme cheese on crackers or something. Seems they will put anything in Jelly these days. I wonder how much caffeine it has.

Here's what you should have done, if the taquitos.net guys hadn't already done it:

Taquitos.net is the most comprehensive snack food site on the Interweb, featuring independent reviews of more than 2000 snacks. In addition to snack reviews, Taquitos.net has information on Krispy Kreme doughnuts, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk, snack mascots and more.

[ FAQ about Taquitos.net ]

Mmmm yummy. And with RSS, do you hear that Nintendo? RSS!

Perhaps this is why:

[ Muffin Films ]

They get you all excited about the depths of Irish cuisine:

Irish cuisine covers a lot more than basic meat and potatoes. It's hearty yet refined, and utilizes indigenous ingredients for a truly fresh taste.

[ Food Network: St. Patrick's Day ]

So how many ways can one cook bacon, potatoes, and cabbage? (And how many of those can be cooked without the bacon?)

A while back the "Desert Moon Café" on King St. (near Atlantis) closed. No big loss, their food tended to be dry and bland. Apparently about 3 months ago, in the same spot, a new Mexican restaurant opened up:

A short trip from the Zoclo through narrow winding streets, past mission churches sinking with the city on foundations built long ago upon an ancient lakebed, will bring you into the Calle Tacuba, the site of the longest running restaurant in the city--Café de Tacuba-- founded in 1912. It is here that the idea for Tacuba Cantina was born.

[ Tacuba - History ]

OK, their marketing copy is a bit over the top. And they only have one location, yet already have a guy in charge of franchising. Very audacious goals, I think. However, I do think it's one tasty place. I've only been once (today), and it was serendipitous, but the #5 combo was rather good. I got an order of chips too, and I can vouch for their salsa (even if the chips are a bit odd, they're actually chili dusted tostadas). And drinkers will be even happier, their selection of Tequila must be the biggest in the DC area.

Their website doesn't mention it, but they have 2 other menus too. A rapido lunch menu, and a brunch menu. If you have never had a Mexican brunch, I highly recommend it. Huevos Rancheros is a great way to start a weekend. Their brunch is available 11-3 Saturday and Sunday.

T. R. Reid and Bob Sacha h