El Pinto, Albuquerque, NM

Thursday night before I left Albuquerque, I went to a place highly recommended by the hotel concierge called El Pinto. El Pinto is a "destination" spot located way out on the far northwest outskirts of town in a building which was actually new restaurant construction from the 1970s, but which was built to resemble (perhaps too much!) an old, grand hacienda. It's a really big place, and kind of reminded me somewhat of Casa Bonita in Tulsa, but on a smaller, more elegant scale.

The food there, though, was rather ordinary, I thought. The best things were the guacamole and the white cheese dip, but I was totally stuffed before my enormous serving of chicken enchildas in blue corn tortillas, rice, and beans arrived. The enchildas were somewhat disappointing, especially since I paid extra for the blue corn tortillas, since they'd over baked them a bit and some of the enchilda was dried out. For dessert, I had a flan, which was good once I could undig it from out of the mountains of sweetened whipped cream.

Harvest Cafe, Albuquerque, NM

Tuesday morning, we woke up to a light dusting of dry snow all over the cars and ground that looked as though someone had taken a sifterful of confectioner's sugar to decorate everything. We had lunch that day at the Pueblo Cultural Center's Harvest Cafe, which serves all kinds of traditional foods. They started us with a huge bowl of really really good but hot guacamole and freshly fried blue and red corn tortilla chips. Had the nice but spicy chicken special for the main course, which was a chicken breast, pepper, and cheesy white sauce, and some bread pudding for dessert. That was the only interesting meal I had until Thursday night before I left, when I went to a place highly recommended by the hotel concierge.

Kettle, Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque was interesting last week. I flew in late Monday night and our flight was delayed in Dallas, so it was about midnight New Mexico time (a/k/a 2 a.m. D.C. time!) before I got to my hotel room. Hadn't eaten since lunch, so I dropped by the Kettle Restaurant across the street from the hotel and had huevos rancheros, and began what would become my litany of poblano and serrano peppers on everything in Albuquerque.

Julia Child's Kitchen, Washington, D.C.

This afternoon, Ryan wanted to go to some museums, so we went to the Smithsonian's Museum of American History to see the presidential exhibits. While we were there, I was excited to see Julia Child's kitchen, which she contributed to the Smithsonian when she moved from Boston to California.

La Tomate, Washington, D.C.

This weekend I had my first houseguest in Washington! My friend Ryan flew down from New Hampshire for a quick weekend getaway from the two feet of snow they've had up there at Dartmouth.



We Metroed up to Dupont Circle and walked up Connecticut Avenue, where we found a charming little Italian restaurant called La Tomate ("the tomato").

La Tomate seems to be a very Italian Italian restaurant; I heard management speaking to the staff in Italian, so when the hostess greeted us, I requested our table for two in Italian, and we got a prime window seat. There were so many fabulous things on the menu, we had a hard time deciding what to order! While we perused the menu, we sipped on a simple, crisp prosecco.

I thought it was funny that Ryan wanted to eat at an Italian place. As it turns out, two food items he doesn't like are tomatoes and mushrooms, and he also doesn't like hot, spicy foods! He tends to have rather bland white trashy food preferences (LOL....he's gonna read this and be mad at me), and what he wanted for dinner was a fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp, but that wasn't on the menu (it's an American invention).

They had a dish with black fettuccine with shrimp, sundried tomatoes, and porcini mushrooms that I thought sounded wonderful, but when I explained to him that the way they make the fettuccine black is they use squid ink, that plus the tomatoes and mushrooms made him shy away. He ended up ordering the spaghetti arrabbiato with lobster, and when I explained to him that the "arrabbiato" means hot and spicy, he had the poor waiter tell the chef not to put peppers in it!

I had a really nice sea bass which was presented on a mound of mashed potatoes surrounded by sauteed spinach, and the fish was topped with a sautee of leeks bonne femme. A half lemon in cheesecloth was also on the plate, but I didn't use it. For starters, Ryan had a salata mista which was a "normal" house salad, but I did notice that his onions had been cooked, and I had the vegetable soup, which was a puree of zuccini, leek, and spinach. The bread basket had an onion foccacia, a slender loaf of soft French-style sourdough, and an interesting thin country loaf of wheat and rye flours, and it was accompanied by a tapenade of ripe black Italian olives. For dessert, Ryan had a very pretty chocolate torte in three thin layers with a white and dark chocolate fondant icing. I had the lemon cake, which was a lemon curd tart dusted with confectioner's sugar and sprinkled with pignoli (pine nuts).

Dish, Washington, D.C.

Had a lovely dinner tonight at Dish, an American cuisine bistro in the River Inn, just a couple of blocks from here. The hostess seated me near the welcoming, warm fireplace and I had a fine view of the restaurant and the hotel lobby. I started with a chestnut soup that was so rich and smooth the texture resembled a caramel sauce, and it had a lovely chestnut sweetness to it. For the main course, I had a medallion of beef chargrilled to a medium rare presented on a bed of fresh creamed spinach and topped with a mound of fine shreds of fried potato.

Dessert was a warm apple and pear tarte with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream that was much more like an apple crisp, with that sweet crunchy topping. The tarte was garnished with a very very thin vertical slice of pear which had been bake-dried to potato chip-crispness. I don't know if I was supposed to eat it or not, but I couldn't resist, and it had a yummy, crunchy, toasted, sweet pear taste. Coffee with cream completed the meal.

Aegean Taverna, Arlington, VA

While I was walking back to the Metro stop from the Market at Clarendon, I passed the Aegean Taverna; it smelled good out on the street, so I went in for dinner. There was a separate bar and a big dining room, with a group of three men entertaining the diners with Greek music played on two guitars and one bouzouki, occasionally singing. Every now and then some diners would get up and attempt to Greek dance. It was nearing closing time, so I kept dinner simple, ordering roast leg of lamb without even consulting the menu.

When the plate arrived, there were three huge slices of lamb with slices of garlic and a nice lamb gravy, and the lamb was *so* good! Sometimes lamb can be a bit strong out of season, but this was nice. It was accompanied by a half roasted potato, a stack of steamed big carrot coins, and a scoop of a stewed vegetable melange which appeared to be green beans, eggplant, onion, tomato, and spices heavy on the oregano. For dessert I chose a wonderful, warm galaktobouriko, which is a citrus (orange??) flavored egg custard baked in a crispy phyllo dough and then covered with a thick sugar syrup.

Inaugural Balls, Washington, D.C./Arlington, VA

Well, I acquiesced to going to the inaugural balls tonight. I went first, of course, to the Phillip Glass symphony world premiere at the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center shuttle takes us back to the Metro stop by my apartment, so I hopped on the Metro and headed to the Convention Center where they were holding the Constitution Ball (Oklahoma and a dozen or so other states are lumped into that). For security reasons, no one was allowed to use the most convenient Metro station there at the Center, so we had to use adjacent area stops and walk through what are usually not nighttime "transition" neighborhoods to get to the Convention Center.

Well, let me tell you, the crowds at the balls were absolutely horrendous. From what I could see peeking in doorways, the people were so packed in they had to squeeze by people just to move around....what little moving around they could do. I definitely didn't want to spend $250 for that, especially since I wasn't feeling inclined to stay long. I loitered a bit, but didn't see anybody I knew, so I left that venue to find another party.

This has to be a unique night for sartorial splendor. I do believe that there was a larger percentage of men in tuxedos tonight riding the Metro than at the last opening night I sang at Tulsa Opera! It was also interesting watching the people who were dressed looking down their noses at the people who obviously weren't going to a ball or party, and the non-formally dressed people looking with suspicion and distrust at the dressed up people. I decided to be mischievous and took off my black cashmere overcoat and wore it resting over my shoulders like an opera cape, my white silk scarf visibly hanging down, and then I looked down my nose at those people in tuxedos wearing parkas and tan raincoats over their formal clothes.

It was interesting to note this year's fashions. Furs are very very big! I especially saw a lot of white furs, and it seemed very popular for the dark minks to have scarlet lining. There were way too many men out there in tuxedos and boots! Did you know that people from Ohio can be just as obnoxious as Texans? I'm not so sure what I think about the whole inaugural party thing. The entire affair reminds me of one great big fraternity formal—except the frat boys are geriatric! There was a lot of bad taste at the Constitution Ball. All I can say is I wish some of those married men would have the guts to give their wives an honest answer when they ask "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?"

The American Indian Inaugural Ball was at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Crystal City down in Arlington, VA, just a short Metro ride away, and it only cost $150. They had lots of people there, but they had the foresight to hold their ball in three different ballrooms in the same hotel, so not only was there walking and breathing room, but there were also seats at tables if one wanted to sit down to eat. It was a typical dance/party, though the Indians were not nearly as obnoxiously "frat rat" as the people at the Constitution Ball or the pre-parties I saw last night.

I only saw four people there I knew, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, the Deputy Bureau Director, the DBD's secretary, and a movie star called Adam Beach. Turns out Adam (a Canadian!!) was the honorary chairman of the ball.

They had several featured entertainers, with a couple of stand-up comedians serving as MCs, and several bands....I didn't have any idea who any of them were, but apparently they are well known.





Each of the ballrooms had several small buffets set up all over the ballroom. Each of the corners had a bar, and I was a little surprised given the ticket price that for liquor, it was a cash bar. Lemonade, water, and soft drinks were self-serve and free, though. The food was ok, but nothing spectacular.

I kept getting drawn to the appetizers table for the most wonderful crab and artichoke dip. I could have stood there and eaten it all night! That table also had steamed asparagus with grilled onions and some grilled vegetables which looked to be heavy on the grilled eggplant. The salad tables had big bowls of Caesar salad with sliced grilled chicken breast available as an add-on, some kind of salad they called a frisee, which appeared to be sauteed cabbage and country ham or bacon, and big bowls of curly endive (frissee!) salad.

The entree tables had cedar-planked salmon and a chef carving barons of beef. The dessert tables had great big trays of slices of fresh fruits and innumerable plates of bite-sized, finger-food desserts, like strawberry mousse in a chocolate cup, white chocolate and dark chocolate fondants in miniature pastries, a bunch of different types of miniature Napoleons, lemon puddings, and cheesecakes, and my favorite, a bunch of assorted miniature fresh fruit tartlets.





Tomorrow is a work day, so I only stayed til 11:30. As people left, they were handed a "goodie bag" with a program and a bunch of little souvenir thingies from several of the Indian casinos nationwide. I'm going to have to sleep in the guest bed tonight, since my bed is covered with towels, sweaters, socks, and other things needing a home. And, that's the ball report tonight from D.C.

Menu: Inaugural Luncheon

The Washington Post reported on the Presidential luncheon menu for tomorrow. They'll be lunching on scalloped crab and lobster (I have the recipe), roasted Missouri quail, chestnuts, brined root vegetables, and steamed lemon pudding surrounded by apple wild cherry compote (have that recipe, too). So far, my invitation has not arrived, no doubt due to snow problems.

Coggins', Washington, D.C.

Stepped out in the snow today to grab lunch, and found an on-campus eatery in one of the GWU buildings called Coggins where I had a very nice bowl of broccoli cheese soup and a "tunacado" sandwich, which was a grilled tuna and guacamole on sourdough. I liked it, but were I to make my own version, I think I'd use avocado slices instead of guacamole. Also had a huge iced coffee.

Latin American Cafeteria, Miami, FL

All the flights at the Miami airport were running late today from the rain, so while I waited for my rebooked flight, I had time for a late lunch. I found a Cuban place in the airport called Latin American Cafeteria and had arroz imperial, fried plantains, and a guava cheesecake. Arroz imperial is sort of a one-pot dish, being mostly yellow rice, along with peas, pimiento, parsley, onion, and big chunks of boned chicken all stewed together and then garnished with a sour cream sauce and more parsley and pimiento. It's good but filling, especially the huge serving the cafeteria lady gave me. It was the same with the big serving of plantain I got. The guava cheesecake was a great big huge slice of tall, New York style cheesecake with a layer of guava preserves on top.

Miccosukkee Gaming Center Restaurant, Miami, FL

For dinner tonight, I went to the Miccosukkee Gaming Center and Resort, out on the western edge of Miami. I won enough to be about $50 ahead of what I brought in, so I decided to celebrate and eat at their restaurant. The restaurant is on an elevated platform in the middle of the gaming area, so it's a little noisy, plus, they have a live pianist playing (or attempting thereof--I wanted to have him put out of his misery!). The waiters are all formally attired with the management in Miccosukkee/Seminole patchwork jackets and they have white cloths on the tables. My waiter was another of those people who seemed to struggle with English, but we managed to get the order straight.

My starter was the Italian wedding soup, which was a quite tasty bowl full of pieces of Italian sausage, vegetables, and lots of little round, barley-sized pasta. Next I had steak and lobster, with a palm sized piece of sirloin, medium rare, and a modest lobster tail with drawn butter, both resting on a large bed of al dente steamed green beans almondine. The plate was garnished with a deep rose sauce I never quite figured out, since it had no real discernable taste. I thought maybe it was a sauce made from lobster roe, but it would have had a lobster taste, so I'm not really sure what it was. For dessert, I ended up with a key lime pie, which actually quite good, largely because it was made with a pie dough crust, rather than graham cracker, and it was a very big piece!

The best part of dinner was the price--they were having a special tonight on the steak and lobster, so my whole dinner was only $13.95!

La Carreta, Miami, FL

Does anyone speak English anymore in Miami? Everywhere I go, whether it's waiters or hotel staff or even sales staff at the malls, it seems the constant conversational language is Spanish, not English. I'm also running in to people at these places who seem to have limited English skills!

I popped over to Calle Ocho in Little Havana to have lunch at the original La Carreta, a popular Cuban restaurant which is now a small local chain. The hostess must have assumed that I was Cuban, so she gave me the Spanish menu. I struggled with it for a while, but I've forgotten too much Spanish these days, and I had to ask my waitress for the English menu. How embarrassing! Nevertheless, it was good to be back at La Carreta. I've always liked Cuban food. It's so interesting, different, and flavorful, and they do it without having to resort to a lot of jalapeno peppers a la Mexican food.

I had deep fried chunks of grouper fish with a special tartar sauce-type sauce which is herbed and has no pickle relish in it, with a large molded serving of yellow rice and a side of fried sweet plantain. The fish was so good! They deep fry quickly and at a higher temperature than what is typically used for fried catfish back home, so the grouper was just cooked, and it was golden without being brown or burned. The dinner came with a big basket of Cuban bread, which consists of slices of loaves of French-style bread which are then fried in oil and pressed.

For dessert I had flan con coco. Flan, of course, is the Spanish version of a French crème caramel, which is usually denser (more egg yolk) than the French version. The "con coco" means "with coconut," and grated fresh coconut preserved in a thick sugar syrup is piled atop the flan. That was followed by a cafe Cubano—Cuban coffee—which is very similar to an espresso, but made with a different bean and a different brewing technique (it is strong, but doesn't have the harshness or bite of many espressos), and which is also always very very sweet.

As you can tell, Cuban food is *not* diet food!

Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL

The UM alumni reception was tonight at the Fontainebleau. They're getting cheap on us.....we used to be fed an actual lunch, instead of a cocktail party. Anyway, I found the hors d'oeuvres service to be interestingly confused. A table in the center of the room was set with large trays of vegetable crudites and assortments of surprisingly unexciting canapes, cheese cubes, plus one baked brie en croute.

Then, waiters circulated, passing difficult to eat items such as beef satay, conch fritters, chicken and vegetable kebabs, and crab cakes. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put these items on the buffet table, and then pass the canapes? Open bar, of course, with the same set up as the other cocktail parties. I let myself indulge a little more tonight and got a bit tipsy. It's not too bad, though, cause so far it appears I am writing coherently! I knew very few people at the reception; none of my classmates were there.

Meat Me K.M.

It would be a bit of an understatement to say that there's a large Jewish presence in Miami Beach. Yarmulkes are everywhere. The big church in Miami Beach isn't actually a church—it's a big Jewish temple. I've heard it said that English is a third language, behind Spanish and Yiddish. I opted to take advantage of the culture by eating today at a rather new restaurant called Meat Me K.M. (K.M. for "kosher Miami").

Meat Me is a small restaurant, very narrow and deep, with only twelve modern tables and sleek paneled walls displaying very modern art. The menu is surprisingly unremarkable--nothing "exotic" about it to make it seem like kosher food is anything really all that different from what we Gentiles normally eat. I started with their chicken soup. I thought maybe it would come with matzo balls, but it was a very traditional chicken soup with a rich broth, bits of potato, carrot, celery, parsley, and garlic, and a chicken wing served in a white quatrefoil bowl.

While I was eating my soup, the waiter brought a plate with three small bowls, each with a different salad. There was a very basic mayonnaise-based cole slaw. Another cabbage salad was made of long shreds of purple cabbage with lots of chopped fresh parsley, all marinated with a bit of salt in an olive oil dressing. And, there was a spicy, garlicky salad made of crinkle-cut carrot coins that packed quite a punch, which, when I asked the waiter what it was, he said "carrot."

Then my main course arrived. Some of the most scrumptious chunks of lamb shish-kebab were impaled on two long, metal, handle-less sword blades and presented atop a large white oval platter. The lamb was delicately spiced and roasted just to juicy perfection. On the platter was a large mound of intentionally-lumpy and very yummy mashed potatoes that were seasoned with chicken fat (remember, this is a kosher place, so butter can't be served with meat on the menu). A small triangular plate filled with a thoroughly sauteed melange of green and yellow squash shreds, onion, and julienned carrot was the side dish du jour. After all this food, I was way too stuffed to even think about dessert!

Wines of the New World, Miami Beach, FL

Masterson Gurr Johns hosts an exclusive, invitation-only wine tasting party, limited to one hundred specifically invited guests. To preserve their privacy, they hold their tastings at the hotel next door, the Eden-Roc (Elizabeth Taylor used to come to this hotel all the time). MGJ is a private international firm based in London and New York which does art consulting and appraisals. Every year, they bring in their expert wine consultant and specialist, Alfredo Saurini, to conduct a series of wine tastings. As we approached the terrace of the tasting site, we were discreetly checked off the invitations list and ushered into the tasting room.

Upon entering, we were handed a flute of a Mionetto Prosecco Brut Spumante, actually an Italian wine (Old World??), but one which we were told was quite popular in Argentina. As we were sipping our prosecco, we were guided to a large round table laden with fruits, cheeses, and pates. These were the good cheeses, too—no cubes of cheddar or swiss!—and included several soft goat cheeses such as herbed chevre, a big wheel of fontina, three different types of French bleus, and several other wheels I couldn't quite identify due to the way they were cut and garnished. There were also at least two different types of pates, including a small plate of pate de fois gras neatly hidden up towards the top of the display. And, of course, there were water crackers and rounds of toast.

In the main tasting room, the tables were set with each seat having a large printed placemat with circles numbered from one to six and a large burgundy-style wine glass in each circle, each filled about one-third to one-half full of each of the featured wines. Each place setting also had a list of the wines with space for tasting notes, a map of each wine region featured, a corkscrew, and MGJ promotional literature, pens, pencils, and mousepad. I might also mention now that as we left the tasting, we were given _Food and Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2005_ book, something which retails in bookstores for $11.95. And now for the wines.

The first wine was a Jacob's Creek Riesling Reserve, from the Barossa Valley area of southeastern Australia. It was actually quite good for a riesling, and not as sweet as most. I was particularly surprised at its pleasantness, since Australia is mostly known for its sturdy red shirazes, and rieslings generally come from the higher, mountainous regions of Europe. I should think this to be a good cocktail and hors d'oevres wine, since it had medium acidity and would be drinkable both by itself or with food. The most amusing thing about this wine is that it comes in a screw-top bottle! More and more fine wines are starting to come with screw-tops, though, since it's considered to be the most superior "corkage," allowing in just the right amount of oxygen to an aging wine without the problems of corks, which can dry out or degrade over time.

Next we moved to the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the Sokol Blosser Evolution #9, a blend of nine different white varietals. This was a much sweeter and fruitier wine, much sweeter than I prefer. Of course, if someone were serving really really spicy foods, such as Thai or Indian dishes, this might be a good foil for the heat. Meanwhile, when I drink wines from Oregons, I think I'll stick to their pinot noirs.

The first red was actually my favorite wine of the night. From Argentina, we had a 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec. Malbecs, of course, are one of the five great grapes from the Bordeaux region of France, and this one has done particularly well in the high, dry wine growing area of Argentina. It was nicely round with hints of plum on the tongue, fairly low tannin, and enough acidity to be able to stand up to foods. It was a little on the oaky side, though, and I think it's a wine approaching its peak right now. It's definitely a "drink now" wine that would be popular with most dinner party crowds.

Tasted side by side with the malbec was Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Carmenere Reserva from the Maipo Valley of Chile. This was my least favorite wine (for some reason, I never like Rothschild wines, even the expensive Chateau Lafite French ones), and it evoked strong opinions, pro and con, from the tasters. The wine has an earthy, almost coffee-like smell to it, and a smoky taste with a hint of what I'd have to call green bell pepper. It is considerably more acidic than the malbec, and the tannins are beginning to be obviously present in this wine. I think perhaps because of the smokiness of this wine, one might pair it up with charbroiled steaks or something.

The final wine came from the Mendocino Valley of northern California. The Fife Petite Syrah 2000 is one of those wines which definitely must be corked well in advance of drinking. The wine expert said that he had corked and poured the petite syrah about an hour before the tasting, and yet two hours later, there were still many unusual smells emanating from the wine and the high tannin content was still mellowing. The limestone soil of Mendocino gives the wine a bit of a chalky feel, so it really should be drunk with some substantial food. It was actually quite a nice wine for what it was, though I do think that it needs to age for several more years before it's ready to drink.

And that was the tasting.

I've been invited to a wine tasting tomorrow night featuring big wines of the Italian Piedmont, but I don't know if I'll get to go or not, since the University of Miami Alumni reception is tomorrow night, and I anticipate running into a few old friends who'll no doubt want to brag about their accomplishments, and I'll hopefully be able to turn their braggadoccio into an invitation to Joe's Stone Crabs. ;-)

Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL

One of the nice things about the Heckerling Institute Conference at the Fontainebleau Hotel is that with proper planning, networking, and contacts, one can get invited to enough private parties and receptions so as not to have to buy too many meals. The Institute provides a substantial complimentary continental breakfast every morning, plus the opening night reception we had last night. The rest of the evenings, various vendors in the exhibit hall host promotional cocktail parties and such for their select clients.

At the big welcoming reception in the exhibit hall the night before last, they had several tables set up with essentially the same things, with cheeses and crudites on the ends and down the sides heavy hors d'oeuvres like beef teriyaki and chicken satay (a/k/a beef and chicken strips on skewers), vegetarian egg rolls, coconut breaded shrimp, spinach spanikopitas, and mini beef empenadas, plus an open bar. I tried the white wine (always best for receptions, since it won't stain your teeth!), but it was nasty, harsh, and sweet, so I switched to the Woodbridge Merlot which is boring but drinkable. They also had beers and hard liquor, and I noticed an awful lot of people drinking doubles and triples.

Every year at the institute, the legal book publishers Thomson/West has a large "private" (it's a pretty open secret) theme party to tie in with the theme they have in their exhibits, and this year it has a football theme. So, last night we were herded outside onto the back "lawn" at the Fontainebleau for a tailgate party, where all the Thomson employees were clad in blue and white football jerseys and a DJ played peppy versions of "elevator"music. Prominently displayed was an autographed shirt from some pro football player named Joe Montana that was to be raffled off later in the evening, and which a lot of the party goers were just orgasming over. As we entered the yard, table after table was covered with pre-made margaritas, and there were more tables scattered all around with "bars" serving wines and beers. Since they weren't doing cocktails and highballs, I really had to search to find the non-alcoholic drinks so I could have my Perrier (I always get re-addicted to Perrier every time I come to this conference, especially now since it comes in nice plastic bottles!).

Near each of the wine/beer stations were tables offerring three different kinds of pizzas. Farther in, on either side of the lawn were big buffets with tossed green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, chicken strips, hamburgers, big hot dogs, steamed buns, spiced french fries, and a large selection of vegetables and condiments. Behind each buffet were two or three charcoal grills being manned by hotel staff, but judging from the size of the party and the speed with which they were cooking food, I think the grills were mostly just for show and that most of the food had been cooked in the hotel kitchen. On the backside of the yard was a big dessert buffet with assorted cookies, brownies, and cakes, and dozens and dozens of two-inch tartlet shells filled with creme patisserie and liberally topped with mixed fresh fruits, then glazed with apricot preserves. Since I had another engagement last night, I refrained from drinking their alcohol and only ate a little bit, mostly just sampling.

Legal Seafood, Washington, D.C.

For dinner tonight, I thought I would try the much-heralded "Legal Seafood" on K Street just north of the hotel a few blocks. I first heard about the place in my Washington DC on $80 a Day book, and then it's on the hotel's list of restaurants in walking distance. It was a bit of a splurge, but the prices were very reasonable for fresh seafood in a full service restaurant.

I began with a cup of New England clam chowder. It was creamy and rich, and had small diced potatoes with the occasional bit of carrot and lots of bits of clam in the stew. My main course was the Boston scrod, which was topped with bread crumbs and baked, accompanied by a red pepper and zuccini rice and steamed heads of broccoli. With dinner, I drank a glass of 2002 Remery pouilly fume, which was nice with the chowder, but didn't quite stand up to the fish. Dessert was a very nice lemon sorbet which was not too sweet and which had a very refreshing "bright" taste to it. They brought a plate with two large hard rolls and a big crock of whipped butter, but I forgot to eat any of the bread or the oyster crackers which came with the chowder.

I definitely want to come back to this restaurant again. They had quite a nice menu with lots and lots of fresh seafood, and the lobsters I saw coming out of the kitchen looked quite yummy.

McDonald's, Arlington, VA

Had a very interesting experience in the Food Court at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City: McDonald's has decided to offer a new Philly cheesesteak sandwich. The idea was intriguing! So, I tried it.

Let me warn you now, they are awful! I think this will be a shorter lived experiment than those nasty McRib sandwiches they tried in Oklahoma.

Magic Gourd, Washington, D.C.

Last night, I had a nice but late dinner at the Magic Gourd, a Chinese restaurant just a couple of blocks down the street from my hotel. I ordered a half crispy duck, and when it arrived, I was presented with a huge plate full of duck pieces resting on a bed of shredded cabbage, with a bowl of white rice on the side and a good sized bowl of deep brown, sweet, moo shoo sauce. For this to have been a "half" of a duck, the duck must have been turkey sized! In the Chinese tradition, the duck had been deep fried, then chopped into pieces with a large cleaver. I wish the Chinese didn't do that....it makes it rather hard to eat the pieces of duck, since there are always pieces and shards of bone to contend with, but the flavor is always so good, it makes the mess and the extra effort worth it. A pitcher of hot Chinese tea as well as orange wedges and a fortune cookie were complimentary additions to the meal. After I finished, the server brought a hot wet washcloth for me to wipe my hands. I may go back here eventually, too--there were several interesting things on the menu, including several Chinese lamb dishes.