Bragging About the Rhubarb

It's not often I brag about my plants but the rhubarb is one I am proud of growing. I had ordered a small rhubarb root a couple of years ago and just threw it in the ground in the middle of the yard not really sure of what I was doing but having some vague idea that it would grow okay without too much attention. My favorite plants are those that don't require too much attention all the time as who needs gardening to be a chore? The only exception is roses for which I am compelled to prune and fertilize and deadhead and feed and water and adjust the soil near them or whatever as they are just plain needy plants --  and I do love their flowers. But back to the rhubarb, each summer it grows bigger and bigger with lovely thick stems that I can pick and cook and put into desserts. I've made sure it got some water if there was a heat spell and if I'm adding plant food to anything else (like those greedy roses) I'd throw some near the rhubarb too.  This summer I've made Rhubarb Betty, Rhubarb Crumble and also put diced rhubarb in a meat dish and rhubarb puree in muffins.  My favorite way to cook them is to slice them up and let them cook slowly in a crock pot with some lemon juice, butter and water and hey presto, an hour or so later, there's dessert!   I recently discovered that the leaves are noxious with oxalic acid so you can't eat that part of the plant. There's nothing like growing your own food in the back yard!

We Want Our Park Back! Obamaville Has Gotta Go!

Trash bins at OccupyDC site

Rat hole at OccupyDC Site

It's not clear why this is misspelt

I don't know why the mainstream media makes so much of the squatters who call themselves OccupyDC as if they are heroes fighting for liberty or something. I just don't get a clear sense of what they are for, or what they are against.  I wandered past their tent village at McPherson Square a couple of times and snapped a few photos to try and get a sense of what they are about.  They were either all absent or maybe sleeping. It was about noon time and a few came out of tents scratching their heads and looking like they were just waking up.  During my meander, at least two people on the street nearby talked to me about how the tent people have ruined the grass and plantings in this park. McPherson Square was re-lawned and repaired last year for about $300K of "stimulus" money (which means we still owe the money!).  Today, of course, there's no grass due to the tents. And it looks like some of the plants have disappeared. It's clear the rats are having a feast of it. I saw at least one large rat skipping along merrily among the tents and then dive into his rat-hole when I got nearer. He'd bypassed the rat trap quite effectively on his way back from the the food tent.  I heard some news yesterday via another blog that the food tent had been closed down due to the rat problem.  Apparently, there's some legal case going on with the squatters and the National Park Service who has jurisdiction over the square and on January 17 there could be legal action taken by the feds in regard to the "camping" going on. INMHO, it's time to shut this Obamaville down.

Back at Harry's Again

Looking out onto E St NW

No, I don't add ketchup to my martini

It seems we end up at Harry's Bar & Restaurant about once every few months on our Friday evening dates so last Friday found us there again. Noisy with rock and roll tapes, decorated with 80's ceiling fans and fake Tiffany lampshades,  and a general air of slight disrepair, nevertheless the service is pretty good and the food comes fast. Usually, we are on our way to the movies and because it's on several bus routes Harry's is easy to get to and near what we want to do. I had a veggie burger which I'd never ordered before with a martini which you know I've ordered before and hubster had chicken salad and a lager beer. All around us were tourist families who stay at the Hotel Harrington which is surely the nastiest cheapiest hotel downtown DC and is the building with Harry's on its ground floor.  There's also a few other couples of varying ages and lots of groups of noisy 20 or 30 somethings. Because it was so unexpectedly cold they didn't have the tables set up outside even though they have outdoor heat lamps for when it's not that cold. .Maybe it's the odd collection of pictures on the walls, or the half a dozen TV screens blasting sports and news, or maybe it's the talkative bartenders, but we find ourselves here several times a year.

Chinese Dragon In the Neighborhood

Apparently the owner of the Chinese Dragon take-away food store on the corner of Rhode Island and First Street in our neighborhood got some money from the city government's facade improvement program (that is, from us taxpayers) to improve his store front. Previously, this was just block letters and there was not a little dragon logo over the store windows. I think the front wall was also repainted yellow and the windows have also been washed too so the whole effect is to make this place look a lot smarter. You would never know it but this food establishment was the scene of some drug related shootings back when we had a serious crack cocaine problem in the 'hood. I think someone was even killed right in front of this place, shot to death on the sidewalk. Back then, this corner was a thriving drug market, thanks to the Washington Post for putting the corner on a map of drug dealing locations they routinely printed (to help suburbanites find inner city drug markets).  Today, however, the neighboring store is a more up-market grocery and wine store than what used to be there -- a liquor store -- and the Chinese Dragon has also gotten fixed up.  I've never bought anything to eat from here as I don't "eat on the street" nor have I thought to go in and see what that's there but maybe I should try it.  Does a cleaned up facade mean the food might be more appealing? Some people think so as two people have given positive reviews of this Chinese Dragon here on Yelp.

Martini and Tomato Cheddar Soup and Dirty Menu & Place Mats at Finn & Porter downtown restaurant

Well, the food and service were pretty good and friendly but the dirty menu (splats of lettuce and some dried up sauce) and the place mats were stained with dried up old food somewhat detracted from what could have been a super lunch experience downtown. Well, it was Sunday and maybe they hadn't got to these chores?  Plus I had a very well mixed martini so I didn't complain too much other than to point out the menu problem to the nice and friendly waitress who took it away immediately saying "sorry." The tomato cheddar soup was hot and not too spicy, and the crispy pita bread and hummus was fresh enough so it's not the food that's the problem at the place, but the cleanliness. Oh, did I forget to say too that some of the knives in the place settings looked a bit grimy?. Fortunately, I didn't have to cut up anything but it certainly made me check the spoon before dipping it. I'm glad to give thanks for the means to eat out but really I do expect more hygienic practices.

Regal Cinema Lucky Strike

We went out on a date downtown recently and didn't have time for dinner out before the movie. We went to Gallery Place where there are lots of stores, restaurants and a movie theater that has first run shows.There's even a Lucky Strike bowling alley right next to the Regal Cinemas in case we get a yen to knock down pins one night. But this time, we quickly got some badly cooked savory crepes (cold and the mushrooms were a little off!) at a stand in the alley where the guy cooks them right in front of you, and then we went to the movies where we saw the follow up movie to "Wall Street" starring Michael Douglas.  This was "Money Never Sleeps" which somehow never seemed to be as exciting as it should have been.  But we had a good time anyway as there's nothing like going out on a date when you're married and hanging out doing things together even if the food and the movie are not perfect.

Beer Til 2 A.M. at San Antonio Grill

View of the bar

For dinner we went out to the local Tex-Mex restaurant called San Antonio Grill as it was one of the boy's birthdays. Although the food was pretty good, and their small margarita does the trick, the service was really slow. It took over 35 minutes to get the special of the night -  a BLT! -- and nachos with black beans. We went through two bowls of hot tomato salsa and chips while waiting! However, the wait was likely because one of our party ordered lobster and steak so we all had to wait for that!  I did complain to the waitress a little but she said it was because they only had one cook that night.  Also, by the time we were finishing up dinner, about 9:30 pm, it looked like the restaurant was closing up. Waiters were scurrying around removing tables and chairs and stacking them in an adjoining room. A little annoyed as it seemed like they were shutting up the shop, I asked the waitress what was going on. She said it was Monday Night College Night and the place would soon become standing room only for the $3 margaritas and $2 beers they serve until 2 a.m. So that's why the chairs and tables were being removed. We also asked where all the pictures we usually see on the walls had gone. She said they take them down as the students get kind of crazy and will take anything that isn't nailed down!  We left soon after this and the manager apologized as we left, presumably for the late food and the furniture disturbance.  We just couldn't figure out why anyone would go out drinking on a Monday night and surmised it was recovery for the students from the first day of the week. Unbelievable! And how badly behaved, taking pictures off the walls!

Good Eats on DC Streets

Today I saw my friend John chatting with the nice guy who sells the best burritos and expresso coffee at the corner of 17th and K Street so of course I had to snap it with the miracle of a cell phone camera. After a quick hug I was on my through Farragut Square and saw the pink Sweet Bites van with cupcakes for sale. I noticed on twitter later that they announced they were running out of some of the cupcakes! Then on my way to the bank I saw a brand new food truck on the sidewalk, where they sell Thai food and it must be good as people were happy to wait in line for it. Then of course I saw the DC Slices van again which, at 9:30 am had the door closed as they were cooking up some amazing pizzas. Just a few hours later, with a line15 minutes long, I was sorry to rush by and miss grabbing a slice for lunch. One of these days, though, I'll get a pizza slice there so I'd better watch their twitter for when they arrive!  What bounty is brought to us and surrounds us! I think their Twitters are @DCSlices and @Sweetbitestruck.

Dragon Food

The Chinese Dragon carry-out at the corner of First and Rhode Island is closed most of the day. It only seems to open in the afternoon and evening for those who want to eat on the street. I've never bought a single thing from them as I don't have a clue what the food really is about.  This particular street food store got a bad name for itself during the crack-headed 90s because there was at least one shooting either inside the doorway or on the sidewalk out front every season. Somehow the place was associated with the drug dealing that used to occur 24/7 at the corner. There always seemed to be some sort of incident going down in front of the Dragon and in front of what used to be a liquor store on the right side. There were a number of local dealers who stood around and used the payphone that was out front. So the neighborhood activists signed a petition to have the payphone removed as a way to break up their business. Now the dealers use throwaway cell phones and seem to have other ways to meet their customers. Both the carryout and liquor store had counters with huge sheets of thick plexiglass in front of the cashiers to repel bullets and stick-ups, a feature that caused consternation when younger suburbanites started moving back into the neighborhood more recently.  The liquor store next door was bought out by an enterprising Ethiopian family who turned it into a more upmarket coffee shop, grocery, cafe and wine store -- with WiFi access!! -- and now it seems to be a going concern. It is certainly a lot sheeker store than what was there before. I wonder if the Dragon will go the way of the liquor store?