19 October 2008
The Problem With Staying Current...
01 July 2008
The Staycation Begins!
Yesterday we went to Baltimore for the afternoon and checked out Lexington Market and Little Italy. Lexington Market is an old 19th century covered market with tons and tons of food stalls. We had what is ranked as the best crab cake on the east coast at Faidley's, a Natty Boh, and a "ripper" (a polish sausage grilled to the splitting point). Little Italy was, um, little. I think it has seen better days. Definitely does not compare to New York or Boston's Little Italy. We did have some excellent pastries and espresso, though, and checked out a nice little grocery store. We had been curious about it for many years, so now we know!
29 June 2008
Summer in the Midwest
On our first day there, we visited one of my favorite places in Southern Illinois- the Polar Whip. The PW was so named because it was the first restaurant in Illinois to serve soft-serve ice cream (I think in the 1930's). It became famous for its very inexpensive hamburgers. I'm not sure what the price was then, but in the 1970's President Ford commended them as part of his Whip Inflation Now (WIN) program. They have held their hamburger prices so low over the years that even today they sell for just 99 cents for a double cheese. I took great joy in seeing that my double cheese was less expensive than my order of onion rings ($1.25).
None of this would be so impressive if the food wasn't delicious. The burger prices are low because "filler" is added. I suspect it is some form of soy protein. That might not sound ideal, but the effect is to give the burger a nice mellow taste and a wonderful texture that crisps to a golden brown and delicious texture on the griddle. Served with onion, pickle, mustard, and ketchup, it is a tasty all-American treat you can't get anywhere else.
He breads the fish in just salted cornmeal and fries them in canola oil. At S's request, he also fried hush puppies. The amazing aspects of this fish are (asside from the great taste) the fact that he fries it without letting it become oily at all and that it holds its crispness overnight in the fridge. Actually, S's favorite part of the fish dinner is eating leftovers for breakfast the next morning. She enjoys them cold and indulged both Saturday and Sunday morning.
18 June 2008
I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

We live near a waterfront with a fish and seafood market. We decided to pick up a dozen fresh clams and use them for tonight's topping, along with minced shallots, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. We put the raw clams on the raw dough and slid it in the oven. It took about ten minutes for the clams to open up and the dough to get nice and crispy. I was fearful that the liquor from the clams would make the dough soggy, but the bottom got nice and crispy (the top was a bit damp, but not enough to damage the final product). If that weren't enough to make a perfect evening, the weather cooled to about 70 degrees and we ate our pizza on the balcony. We felt just like we were having dinner in Positano!
This has made us resolve to visit the fish market more often this summer. They always have great fish, it is a beautiful 15 or 20 minute walk past a marina, and it feels very good to pick up fresh food for dinner every night. I think S and I will have a lot more salmon, snapper, calamari, and shrimp in our diet this summer.
07 June 2008
The Last Four Months...

In the mean time, the lady senator has finally given it up. I thought she would take it all the way to the convention arguing that she had more popular votes and the super delegates should back her. In the end the pressure seemed to be too much, but not before the Clintons proved once again, it is never about anything other than their own aggrandizement. Not my first prediction to go wrong this election season... I predicted Rudy as the Republican nominee. I did predict Obama as the ultimate Dem nominee, though. As for the future, I think this election will be closer than anyone assumes. Remember, it has been a long time since a presidential landslide. Even Clinton won in 1992 only with a plurality thanks to H Ross Perot siphoning votes from Pappy. The country is evenly split, and very few will contemplate switching between McCain and Obama.
Summer has finally arrived in DC. That will of course happen between February and June. Seersucker and linen season has arrived, as well as the time to pick the summer cocktail of 2008 and enjoy a pitcher of them on the balcony, pictured above. I think I have given the recipe before for FDR's favorite rum swizzle, but it is equal parts oj, lime, and pineapple juice, with some mint and ginger infused simple syrup and as much Goslings Black Seal as you care to add. Best if you crush the ice.
Cheers!
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