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Note: with very, very few exceptions even the "fresh" tuna you get has been frozen, most notably on the boat that caught it. Even the priciest cuts of toro begin their retail life as hunks of nitrogen flash-frozen carcasses on the auction floor at Tsukiji. The question to ask is whether the frozen tuna you are being sold has been thawed in order to process it for sale. If so then the thawing/re-freezing is doing damage. If it has been processed from frozen product then there should be no difference whether it has been thawed in the display case of your local market or in the fridge at home.

I recall having the same reaction following my reading; the big takeaway for me was that there is an ideal way of going about eating in harmony with the natural order of things and a realistic way. Unfortunately both require resources (financial being only one component) that are outside the grasp of the average American. I was left hoping for something resembling suggestions for how to lower those barriers. I think the reader's view of the food world and ecology in general will really color their reaction to this book. During the first half I had some thoughts to Heather's (but maybe a bit more charitable ). By the end of the book I had come around to what I hope he was getting at. I had to keep reminding myself that the target audience for this book was not me. Anybody who has already thought hard about the impact of their food choices is not going to find much new here, just maybe some new details to chew on. The dangling carrot for me was that he seemed to be dancing around the outskirts of something resembling an answer to the problem of "eating locally" in a sustainable way for a large population. In the end there is no good answer, so maybe that is what is infuriating to some. But maybe that's just the hard truth. The real audience for this book is an American population that does not think about their food choices or doesn't care where their calories come from. For them this is pretty powerful stuff, and anecdotally this rings true. I've had recent conversations with people I know who have read either this or Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (I have not tackled that one, yet) and they've asked me about local farmers markets, joining a CSA with them, etc. That's pretty powerful stuff. Even if these books don't hold the answer they are a big stepping off point for change on a personal level at least. Is pointing out the flaws in this country's supply chain and then pointing out the (expensive) alternatives elistist? Yeah, probably, but here it's been done in a less condescending way than the veggie/vegan/PETA literature that normally plies the same waters.

Another salvo fired in the great Bebo vs. the media war ....

I noticed it walking by a couple weeks ago (maybe it was closer to a month), but we didn't think it was opening any time soon judging from a peek in the window. I totally missed the Chinese part of the equation! It looked strictly Peruvian from what I could tell.

Oh, man, okanomiyaki! We've made it a couple times, but with packaged batter I picked up at Daruma. One day I want to get all of the raw ingredients and do it myself, though. We usually wing it, and I never get the filling proportions right; mine tend to be a bit doughy. I do find that letting the batter rest on the counter for a bit really helps. The final product tends to taste starchy if I don't. Thanks for posting all of these pictures! A good dish of cold soba is what I've been really craving for lunch these past few weeks. I tried Mos Burger in Tokyo just because I wanted to see what Japanese fast food was all about. The shrimp burger was really good, and so was the green tea shake. Miles above burger joints here. We were obsessed with the chip flavors over there, especially the Pringles. French consomme! Grilled shrimp and black pepper! There were these fancy gelatin desserts we kept seeing everywhere, especially in the food halls of the big department stores in Tokyo. Do you know what they are called? I kept getting different answers, but it was likely due to a language barrier. Here's what some of of fancier ones looked like: I'm guessing they were meant as gifts since many were packaged in boxes as such.

Isn't summertime the worst season for mussels quality-wise? I thought they varied in size like oysters: plump in the winter, not so much in the hot months. Could very well be a supply issue.

Looks like I was sadly not far off!! The fact it's Derrick makes me feel much better about that though. There's an approximately 13% chance that this place will open as described (or at all) after the ANC digs their claws in. Wonder how much flood insurance costs in D.C.? They'll go through 2 or 3 a year, whether by accident or 2 AM rum-fueled mischeviousness.

We're headed to Viridian to celebrate a birthday tonight. Any recent experiences, good or bad? They still have the Spring menu listed on the website, but I don't know how accurate that is. Thanks.

This is a joke, right? I mean, it's Derek and all, but I can't shake the vision of a row of giant alcoholic Slurpee machines behind the bar and waitresses in plastic coconut bikini tops. Daytona Beach? Sure. D.C.? Hmmm .... Oh wait, this is Adams Morgan. The place would make a killing Seriously, any more details? I'm imagining they're playing for something towards the high end of the hipster irony scale. Whether or not that is worse than the real thing is all in the execution.

Don, I should have known better than to do battle with you. Your army of straw men is quite impressive Look, it's obvious that he or she with the best restaurant industry knowledge wins in any dining experience. What I and others are arguing is that this should not be a barrier to entry. I think we all want Bebo and Comet to be great, all the time, but that's just not the case right now is it? Places should rightfully be criticized if the chef's physical presence in the kitchen is a determinant of good food quality (note I said good, not transcedent). On my one and only visit to Comet chef was not in the kitchen, and I liked my soft shell pizza just fine for what it was (I'm still in the 2 Amy's camp, though), so I'm merely responding to the criticisms of consistency posted by others. In the case of Bebo I have stayed far away; the potential hassle doesn't seem worth the effort to visit Crystal City. Sure, label me a D.C. dining wimp, but my entertainment dollars are stretched thin enough as it is. Using the information from folks on this board and others I'm crossing it off the list. In other words, I'm following your sarcastic advice:

I have a problem with this, a problem compounded by the lively discussion of Bebo's faultless off-menu pizza. Well, not a problem with the statement of fact but a problem with the implication that the diner should accept less simply because a big name chef is not behind the pass line (Heather, I don't know if that's what you were getting at or not, but don't stop me now, I'm on a roll ...). Step back from the food-bloggin', insider-dishin', snark-slingin' mindset that necessarily inhabits a board like DR, a world where most restaurant visits are preceded by an online investigation of what the kitchen is doing particularly well that week (or what special off menu items should be requested). 99% of the dining public could give a shit about who is cooking their food. When they do give a shit it's because they see the chef's name in lights outside and wrongly assume that their food is in for some special attention from you-know-who. It's the job of a properly run restaurant to make that distinction a moot point. I don't care if Carole Greenwood is firing my pizza; I care that the rest of the BOH has been trained well enough to duplicate the experience. Forgive the bluntness, but isn't this Kitchen Management 101? I don't mean to pick on Greenwood in particular (really, I don't), but I share the sentiment expressed in the Bebo thread that having insider's knowledge should not be a prerequisite for a good dining experience.

Seating question for those who have been: how large is the bar area at Comet? We may go for dinner tonight and have a small group meet us later for drinks before moving on. Presuming there may not be room for them to join us as we finish up at a table, is there standing around space where they could grab a drink? Is the back ping pong area meant for this anyway?

Yea for Pret! I'm guessing that some of the sandwiches won't make the trip across the pond. I remember liking the crayfish and rocket.

I swear that I remember Lucky Bar having some early openings for live Tour coverage much like they do for the World Cup. I know that they show the taped replays later on in the day.

It was the first thing that struck me about the review, especially with him all but saying outright that he allowed them to settle in before running a review. At the very least this will give more ammo to the "Tom has it in the bag for X and Y!" conspiracy theorists that pop up in his chats. It seems he's already seen as a Greenwood apologist anyway, so this won't help.

As a born-and-raised Baltimoron I have a confession to make: I don't really like Berger cookies. I think I liked them enough as a kid, but recently I've found myself turning them down. Too sweet for my current tastes I guess, and there's something about the texture of the fudge-y topping that makes me think I'm eating spackle, even with fresh ones. I know this is blasphemous to some, but there it is.

Ahem, two blocks. One does not count the block one starts from when calculating blocks traveled. IMHO city blocks are calculated by street crossings. It's a technicality, but I don't count Yuma in this instance since the most direct route does not actually cross that street. However, I'll concede that point pending confirmation that the address numbering supports Yuma as a block divider on the east side of Conn Ave. Let's hope we can put this important matter to rest and go on discussing the other thrilling developments at Coat of Arms. Any new window signage today?

He missed Trusty's at the Potomac Ave stop, one of the best divey places for a beer pre- or post-game beer.

I confess complete ignorance of all things Long Island. We are spending a few days next week on Shelter Island with the family. Dinners are mostly taken care of, but where can we go for some lunches while we explore the area (Shelter Island itself and probably East Hampton one day)? We're planning on taking bikes with us; any recommendations for North Fork wineries to visit as a break on a long ride?

Oh, OK, two blocks. Can you walk from one to the other in about 3-4 minutes? Yup. I have no time for your geographical pedantics

Perhaps they were trying to air out the stench of failure. On the surface this location should be a good one for a restaurant, maybe just not an upscale BBQ joint or another Indian place (not that Delhi Dhaba is all that, but two in one block may be overkill). I don't buy that it is because of UDC; people attending school there need good, cheap non-fast food places to eat, too. With the residential density of that stretch of Conn Ave north of Van Ness you would figure that somebody would be able to piece something worthwhile together that could make a convenient alternative to the Cleveland Park restaurant nexus.

** from Tom, although the first 3/4 of the review reads much better than that. But no mention of the michelada menu! That's a glaring oversight in my book; it's not as if you often see them around here at all, not to mention in such variety, and it is definitely worth a blurb.

Dark and Stormy with a couple good squeezes of lime 2nd the Kolsch recommendation; I wish there was a good local one left (RIP BBC ). Another in the beer category is 3 Floyds Gumballhead, my new favorite summer beer, but I haven't seen it this year and have heard rumblings that 3F is having distribution problems. Limoncello over ice + splash of soda water. A bit of crushed mint for a little extra zing makes it a Limoncellojito

Tokyo I would second the zaru soba recommendation. We were there about the same time last year; trust me, with the heat you'll appreciate a cold lunch! If you need a reliable spot for a quick, cheap meal you honestly can't go wrong with the food halls in the basement of the big department stores. It looks like your hotel is close to Ginza; the big ones there are Wako and Mitsukoshi I think. The spaces are huge and there is a seemingly endless variety of set lunches, bento boxes, salads, and quick entrees. It's a great place if you don't speak the language as well since you can just browse the different stalls and point to what looks good.

What kind of sandwiches? Are we talking strictly deli fare? The Greek Deli has some great gyro/souvlaki/tuna/egg salad/falafel, etc on pitas, and we've gotten lunch platters from them on a number of occasions. Not sure of their delivery radius, though (19th and M).