Idiomatic Expression

After a very poor experience at Majestic Cafe, my old favorite spot for nice Friday dinners, I am looking for a new favorite. Any suggestions? 2941 Restaurant would be a front runner, but it is a little too pricey.

The past two weekends Katherine and I have managed to break our of our suburban rut, and make it in to the District for a late dinner. Last Friday Katherine and I went in to Adams Morgan to try Amsterdam Falafel. If you are going with a friend, you don’t need two large fries! Both the falafel and the fries were delicious, and this is one of the few truly cheap eats in Adams Morgan. Afterwards I NEEDED some of the nutella crepes and on tap Belgian beer from Chez Antoine. After thirty minutes of searching, we concluded that it was now the late Chez Antoine.

Last night we headed out to Georgetown to Cafe Bonaparte to satiate my craving for crepes. Used to the palty portions at the recently departed Chez Antione I debated ordering two of the savory crepes. Luckily I settled for an order of the Bonaparte Fries as an appetizer instead. The portions here are huge, the ten dollar crepes are entree sized, and almost spoiled my plans for multiple crepes for desert. Somehow Katherine and I managed to force an order of the bannana and nutella crepes, and the crepes suzette into our already distended bellies. Next time I go, I will have to remember to pass up the crispy on the outside soft in the center “European style” fries to save room for dessert.

The only disappointments were the over priced cocktails that we ordered while waiting for a table. The signature drinks were made entirely from low quality bols liquor and had an off taste; and the refusal of the host to transfer our bar tab to the table.

If the bruised tomatoes, wilted lettuce, and spoiled squash at your neighborhood grocery are getting you down, try your local farmers market for fresh produce. The USDA website here is a listing of . You can find a Farmers Market in your state here. They are not quite as nice as the numerous public markets in Vancouver, or even the single large public markets in Seattle and Columbus, but better than nothing. Yes I know about DCs Eastern Market, but it only has a large selection of produce on the weekends as opposed to the every day selection of the other markets listed.

I started listing all of the Farmers Markets in Arlington, Fairfax, and Alexandria, but quickly realized there were just too many to fit here! Check out the list; buy fresh produce, live longer.

For the grammar Nazis in the listening audience, shouldn’t it be Farmers’ Market(s) and not, as the USDA has it, Farmers Market?

Insist on properly calibrated soda dispensers!

And the awaed for best cheese sandwich in the universe goes to… the Flagship Cheese, tomato and basil sandwich from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese!

I couple of my tomatoes finally ripened this weekend! Alton Brown is right, home grown tomatos are much tastier than those available at the grovery store!

The Commonwealth of Virginia has put up a searchable database of Virginia Department of Health restaurant inspections. Although I applaud Virginia for moving forward with making information available to its citizens over the Internet, I am sad that I can no longer eat at the deli in my office complex (Sizzling Express in Fairfax)!

All of these conflicting articles make it very difficult to determine where your average Hot Dog actually comes from. There is only one place to find the REAL answer to this burning question… THE NATIONAL HOT DOG & SAUSAGE COUNCIL . I only use all caps because THE NATIONAL HOT DOG & SAUSAGE COUNCIL insists on doing the same in all of their press releases. THE NATIONAL HOT DOG & SAUSAGE COUNCIL took a brief moment from its usual important work of distributing Certificates of Bravery to injured Italian Sausages and updating the Hot Dog Month Planning Guide to bring you the How Hot Dogs are Made: The Real Story. Strangely, THE NATIONAL HOT DOG & SAUSAGE COUNCIL say that the true story is that hot dogs are made of “specially selected meat trimmings of beef and/or pork — just like the meat you buy in your grocer’s case –” (I am not sure what the — is supposed to represent) there isn’t one mention of lips, a$$holes, or of Advanced Meat Recovery! Perhaps the — signifies that everything between the marks is a lie, because I haven’t seen any lips or a$$holes in my grocer’s case. Come to think of it I don’t know that my grocery has a case, or what he has a case of, if he were to have a case that is.

Anyways, –it just goes to show that the Hot Dog is one of nature’s greatest mysteries or one of the seven wonders of the meat world,– or maybe just a mostly inedible pseudo-food.

Wow, apparently hot dogs don’t come from JUST lips and a$$holes as originally reported, but also from pulverized cow carcass! That is what I get for listening to the raccoons from that yet to be named movie.

Hotdogs are actually made from lips, a$$holes, lungs, intestines, and brains! Who knew those racoons from that movie were right?

Bonus points for anyone that can name the movie!