ScotteeM

I have more experience feeding dogs home-prepared meals than cats, but it's not that difficult, and probably much healthier than commercial diets, because you have control over the quality of the ingredients, and most commercial pet foods are not made from top-quality raw ingredients (to learn more, read Foods Pets Die For by Ann Martin). Cats are obligate carnivores, and don't need a lot of carbs and certainly not much if any grains. I recommend a visit to PetSage on Dove Street in Alexandria. The owner and her senior staff are very well-informed about pet foods, carrying carefully selected brands of dry, canned, freeze-dried, and frozen foods for dogs and cats. They also have a good selection of books on home-prepared diets. I buy my cat's food there--he's 18 years old and unfortunately addicted to kibble, so I feed him the grain-free brand, Evo, by Natura Pet Foods. Preparing pet food at home is not as difficult as some people (vets and pet food manufacturers, mainly) make it out to be. One does not have to have every meal exactly balanced (any more than we do for ourselves), but maintain a balance over time. My own experience, and that of many of my fellow dog trainers and clients over the years, is that animals often gain more weight on so-called "lite" foods. I've had no trouble maintaining my dogs' weights on a more natural diet, and my cat, who is lame from a spinal injury and doesn't get much exercise these days, does fine with free access to his Evo dry food. Some really good books on the topic are Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, by Richard Pitcairn, and The New Natural Cat, by Anitra Frazier. Those are two that my boss recommends. I also recommend The Ultimate Diet: Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats, by Kymythy Schultze.

Cafe Right Angle, in the ground floor of the Dewberry building at 8401 Arlington Boulevard (1 traffic light west of the Beltway) has good breakfasts, including bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. They do scramble their eggs, from what I can tell peeking through the opening between the kitchen and the counter. I've not yet had anything bad from that place, and the staff are very nice. Their carry out food is packaged to travel well, too (fries wrapped in paper, instead of styrofoam!). I've had decent bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches from the Dominion Deli, in the Yorktowne Shopping Center. I have only gotten delivery from there, so I've not observed their cooking. I think their's are actually scrambled, too, however. Although a large part of their business is delivery, they don't seem to know how to pack food to travel. Their omlettes are extremely greasy, as I recall. I haven't really tried any of the other breakfast offerings in Merrifield--it's all I can do to make it to work close to on time most mornings. It remains, IMO, a culinarily deprived area.

Beware the pitfall of the salad! Salad dressings, in particular commercial dressings, have an amazing amount of fat in them, often from processed vegetable oils. If you're ordering a salad in a restaurant, ask for the dressing on the side. Instead of pouring it over the salad, dip your fork in it before spearing each bite. You'll get the flavor of the dressing, but leave about half the fat and calories in the little cup (that's a tip I learned in Weight Watchers, BTW, and it works for me). If the restaurant offers oil and vinegar as an option, just sprinkle a little of each on the salad yourself. At home, make your own vinaigrette with olive oil, and use sparingly. Substitute spices and fresh herbs in the salad to enhance the flavor. ETA: This does not apply to the wonderful salads in Restaurant Eve's Bistro. They have a light hand with dressing, and the dressings are house-made and healthy-tasting, IMO.

I'll second the wine pairing. There is enough variety in the offerings on the tasting menu that I don't think one bottle, or even two, would work with everything. Also, if you and your dining partner(s) order different pastas and mains, the wine pairings will reflect that--much better than sticking with one bottle.

Thanks for reminding me! No Nasty Bits here, either. But his show on India last night was entertaining.

True that!

Well, things vary by neighborhood, I guess. The Giants around me are not nearly as good as the Safeways in terms of produce. I stopped in to a local Giant today to pick up some garlic, and found none, and actually found the produce department wanting for variety. As for Harris Teeter, I've never understood the appeal. It's just another supermarket chain. Soggy veggies (from the misters) and mediocre to poor fish and meats--not my thing. Also, the second story in some of them aggravates my vertigo, so I don't go upstairs.

I don't think so, and it would be healthier than what KFC is switching to.

What did you eat? Details, please!

Had dinner at the Chart House on someone else's dime last year. The view of the river, from where we sat, was blocked by a paddle-wheel boat being prepared for a wedding reception--not the most fun to watch. The food tasted pretty blah and mass-produced. There are other places in the same price-point that are much better. But folks sure wait in line for a table there! While we're on the subject, my parents are going to be in town for the Scottish Walk, the first weekend in December. They'll be staying somewhere in or around Old Town. I've already lined up a table in Eve's Bistro for Saturday night, but I'm trying to decide where to take them Friday night. I'd love to take them for a drink at the PX, but I don't know if any of us want to get that dressed up. I was thinking about trying Eamonn's for lunch on Saturday, if it's not too crowded and if my dad's dietary restrictions (low sodium) will not be violated.

Hear! Hear! Best wishes for a long and happy life together!

Maestro had white truffles when we were there on 10/21, the day after Rocks was there (he had them, too). They were wonderful!

Barbara and I are of similar vintages. I only went visited houses where I knew the residents, but I knew everyone in our neighborhood, so that didn't limit my take. I loved home-made treats, and I remember my mother carefully filling treat bags with all kinds of unwrapped goodies.

I love Harney & Sons for loose teas and tisanes, as well as tea bags. I've always gotten raves from people who receive their products as gifts from me, as well. Some of them are even starting to drop hints now.

I'm having problems at times with the site. Sometimes it works the way it's supposed to, and sometimes when I try to pull up "View New Posts" or click on the yellow square next to a thread to view the unread posts, I get nothing. At those times, all I can do is click on the last page of the topic and scroll down. I don't know if it's the site or my computer. If it were my computer, wouldn't it misbehave all the time? I don't seem to have this problem on the rare occasion when I'm looking at the site at work.

I got some flatiron steaks at WF in Springfield, and marinated all day in a commercial marinade (Wegmans Zesty Savory), and pan-seared them to medium rare. We didn't like them. We're both big fans of steak and beef, and love cuts like skirt and hanger steak. But these had a real gaminess to them. I didn't finish mine. Is this typical of the cut? Or did I get an off-package? I want to know whether to try again or not. I got some flatiron steaks at WF in Springfield, and marinated all day in a commercial marinade (Wegmans Zesty Savory), and pan-seared them to medium rare. We didn't like them. We're both big fans of steak and beef, and love cuts like skirt and hanger steak. But these had a real gaminess to them. I didn't finish mine. Is this typical of the cut? Or did I get an off-package? I want to know whether to try again or not.

Based on my senior high school hygiene class, which was some three-plus decades ago, therefore challenging my memory, I think it should be mr&mrsrockwell.com. Of course, my hygiene teacher at Girls' High might have been wrong about that.

Thanks for sharing that, Heather! As an Onion subscriber, I really appreciate their satires, and this one didn't disappoint.

Indeed, there is. Nice photo of the fish & chips.

Congratulations, Squids! The best is yet to come! (I just celebrated 31 in September)

I just received my copy from Amazon.com, and I am so excited! I've tasted recipes from this book in Chef Trabocchi's classes, and I've made some of them at home. I'm looking forward to exploring the cuisine of his home in more detail now.

Make that a me, too! I hadn't read Fisher's original column, but in reading it now (before I read Michael's response, to be fair) I found it offensive in his apparent complicity with the underlying theme of prejudice expressed both in code and outright by the old-time resident he interviewed for the column. In addition to his restaurants and his writing, I admire the way I have observed Michael Landrum treating his staff--with respect. [edited to remove triple-spacing that I swear I didn't put in to begin with! ]

It was only bagged spinach. I had a lovely bunch of fresh spinach (not bagged) from WF last night. By the way, it seems they have identified the source of the contamination as a cattle farm about a mile from the spinach fields from whence came the contaminated spinach.

Things could get ugly. . . . But probably not. We can distract folks with chili and pig. BTW, I have been mis-attributed as contributing "sauces for pork." It aint' me, Babe!

Check your sniffer, Danny--that's not fear so much as apathy. As for me, I read the reviews, and if I agree with them, fine, and if I don't, I don't. They're information, but not the be-all and end-all. I'm not afraid to disagree with Sietsema, or anyone else for that matter. I just choose my battles. In the case of RTC, I thought that it was a terrific review, especially considering the place had barely been open 2-3 months when it was reviewed. I didn't disagree with much that was said, although I was puzzled by the "3-star lunch" comment at the end. I'm one of those Virginians who has now crossed the river 3 times to dine at RTC, and look forward to future trips. I don't have a problem with the half-stars he uses. It is his system, and he could use any symbols he wants. It's a quick reference, not an exact rating.