The new Safeway was also grandfathered, sort of. The Safeway in White Oak was its grandfathered outpost, and Safeway was able to transfer the license to Olney. Good for me, since it is now my closest Safeway. Also,the competition between the new Safeway and the new Harris-Teeter is something fierce, so that they each have some crazy cheap specials.

I had to laugh at that. As I child, I well remember going to all-you-can-eat restaurants with my mother, who would stuff her pocketbook with whatever she could grab. Graffiti in Rockvile was a fave.

On topic, I went to this place just once (business dinner), and quite enjoyed it. Once I figured out I needed to be more selective on the meats (and to ask the staff questions about it), I got into a gluttonous rhythm. Also, the salad bar was very good.

While I appreciate tone of your post (these sorts of discussions can get pretty shrill), I strongly disagree with your characterization of labor unions. Like any other institution, unions are run by people, so some are governed better than others. At their heart, however, they are democratic institutions formed for the sole purpose of supporting the rights of workers. It is precisely because I do believe in the free market that I believe that a strong labor movement that gives a collective voice to workers is necessary to offset the overwhelming bargaining advantage of employers. Is it simply coincidence that the decline of the labor movement in the U.S. happens to coincide with the increasing economic stratification of our society? I don't think so. And the people who work at Wal-Mart have as much right to buy stuff as anyone else. And if we are to remain a free, prosperous and democratic society, those folks at Wal-Mart need to be able to buy the goods and services that the rest of us produce.

Enough of my rant--turning back to the matter at hand, what's impressive about Costco is that they can remain price competitive with Sam's Club (i.e., Wal-Mart club) while still treating their employees like human beings. Pretty remarkable.

I do want to correct one misapprehension. When I was talking about warranties, I wasn't referring to extended warranties that you buy. I was talking about the warranty Costco adds on its own. When I bought my television, it came with a two year manufacturer warranty plus an additional one-year Costco warranty at no extra cost.

I have really tried to mirror the civil and respectful tone of your post. If I have failed, please accept my apology.

Funny, but I've never had a satisfactory experience at the Bethesda location, but Tower Oaks has always been reliable. Nor was I disappointed tonight. Very pleasant experience over all.

Unique is right. We are the only county in the US with county-run liquor stores. Add to that the county monopoly on beer and wine distribution, and you have something that only occurs once in the multiverse (at least in the known universe).

That's a shame, particularly since we are going tonight. For us, it is in lieu of the Bethesda Clyde's, which always seems to disappoint.

I had a braised pork dish, the name of which I cannot quite remember. I asked for something very traditionally Cuban. While it didn't blow me away, it was pretty good.

First night, without my aunt, we ate at Havana. A very pleasant experience, in large part because we were treated so graciously by the management and staff. The second night, we went to a Chinese Restaurant--The Singing Bamboo, if I remember correctly. Turns out it is one of my aunt's favorites. It was perfectly fine chinese, if a little timid on the spice. Maybe not the culinary experience of a lifetime, but a memorable family experience. Among other things, I learned for the first time that my grandparents (who died more than 30 years ago) had run a restaurant on Madison Avenue in Manhattan for over 20 years! You'd think someone would have mentioned it to me before!

As for the asparagus, never twice.

Always appreciate a sense of humor. Reminds me of the day Arthur Treacher died. I went into an A.T.'s Fish and Chips to see how they would mark the day. Arthur Treacher? Who's that?

Thanks for the tips. Not sure these are under my control at this point, however.

These sound like great suggestions. Unfortunately, the choice may be wrested from my hands. I'll let you know--thanks.

I'm headed to West Palm Beach to visit with the elderly relatives this weekend. I'm thinking Havana for the first night, but need something for Saturday. We could probably go as far South as Pompano Beach (mind you, my knowledge of the geography is severly limited). My aunt has suggested Red Lobster. Please help! Good seafood would be nice. I saw a rec for Cafe Maxx, but that may be a little pricey for this group. Thanks!

I wooed my (now) wife with a long-cooked stroganoff some 30 years ago. It used chuck, lots of mushrooms, and yogurt instead of sour cream.

"Walk" really is the operative word. I will have just made the 12-hour car schlep, and will be in no shape for much beyond a pizza and a beer. I do remember back in the 70s folks complaining that Unos and Dues weren't what they used to be. I still think I am leaning in that direction, although I could be dissuaded yet.

OK, now I'm leaning towards Uno or Due. I hadn't mentioned that it would be a Sunday night and we might be arriving a little late, but checking the Due website, I see it is open until 1:30. Man, this sure ain't DC!

Sorry to delve into such a controversial subject, but I am looking for some advice. As a college student in the 70's, I was introduced to Chicago-style deep dish pizza at such places as Gino's East, Medici, Dues, etc. After having been raised on DC-style pizza (yes, there is such a thing), and the occasional NY slice, it was a revelation. Next month, I will be dropping my offspring off at school and will be spending one night near the NWU downtown campus (not far, it seems, from the Superior Street GE location). Having had only a single Chicago pie in the last 30+ years, I don't want to miss this opportunity to both feed my nostalgia and to introduce the lil' COTOB to the wonders of one of these artery-clogging masterpieces. With only one night, where should I go and what should we get? I have perused some of the old threads here, but the landscape changes so quickly. Although I am now inclined to do GE, I am a little concerned that its proliferation of locations may have cheapened the brand. Thoughts and suggestions appreciated.

Not sure the folks at BK are exactly rocket scientists either. The penultimate time I was there (maybe 15 years ago), I ordered a sandwich with the sauce on the side. It came with sauce on the side, as well as a huge, thick smear of it in the sandwich. When I complained, I was told by the counter guy who never actually looked me in the eye "there is sauce on the side."

Perhaps using the word "everything" was hyperbole. All I know is that the last time I was there, I got a grilled chicken sandwich that was slathered in mayo. I had to get a (plastic) knife to scrape off as much as I could--three napkins full. My father got a fish sandwich that was slathered in some sort of mayo-based sauce (which I assume was tarter sauce). In both cases, mayo was oozing out the sides. It was disgusting. The sad thing is that the chicken sandwich was otherwise not too bad.

I am dubious of the Amish Market. Ever since I noticed that their short ribs were identical to the ones at Sams Club (an unusual cut), I have suspected that they do not source and butcher their meat. If you have evidence to the contrary, I would love to be proven wrong.

So what is the fate of the "retro" McDonalds, like the one down in Woodbridge, VA I drive past from time-to-time. It is built to look like the McDs of my youth, with actual golden arches and picnic tables outside.

My father is a fan of McDonalds. It's one of the few things I can get him to reliably eat. I just wish they didn't slather everything with so much mayo.

I figured this must be in the wind, based upon the fact that GE hasn't even been playing in prime time. Bummer.

Hah! Of course, you are correct--I was focussing on the whitefish.

I'm not in the area, but I note that two grocery stores are reputed to carry lines of Kosher food (this is from the Chabad of Knoxville website -- http://www.chabadknoxville.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/81242/jewish/Kosher-Food.htm):

Food City- Centre at Deane Hill
284 Morrell Road
Knoxville, TN 37919
865.769.4350

Kroger - Knox Plaza
4918 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37919
865.584.0201

The following store delivers to Knoxville several times throughout the year, please call for the delivery schedule.

Quality Kosher Emporium
2153 Braicliff Road, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30329
Call for delivery schedule
Steve Gilmer - 800.305.6328

[End of quote

That seems like the place to start. Any place that features Kosher food can probably special order for you, even if they don't carry it in stock. Yesterday, I was in my Costco and saw that they had a nice bunch of smoked fishes (both whitefish and salmon). You don't have any Costcos down there, but maybe your local Sam's Club can get it for you. Finally, there is a plethura of on-line sources for smoked whitefish. Zabar's is an obvious, if expensive, choice (www.zabars.com).

Sounds great! I think it depends on how tired we are after our 8 hour drive. Thanks for your counsel!

Kind of an old topic, but thought I would throw in my two cents. I recall when I was a kid, my mother would occasionally splurge and get porterhouse steaks. I thought they had a disgusting off-flavor and smell, sort of livery. They were frozen steaks from a cheap place that specialized in frozen meats and other foods that used to have an outpost near us (I am blanking on the name). Disgusting, I thought. The next time I experienced a similar flavor was when I had some free-range chickens from a local farm. Didn't like them at all. But I don't think it was the free range part, or that the beef was grass fed. Recently, I visited Buenos Aires, and had lots of grass-fed beef. It tasted a lot like the beef I am used to, albeit a little chewier. So I'm not sure what produces the off-flavor (and smell). Maybe poor storage?

Looks like we might have a slight change of plans, and will be spending the night in Dandridge. I see a place called SMOKY'S STEAK & BBQ mentioned a few times on this board in Dandridge--much as I would love to try the vinegar pie up at the Clinch Mountain Lookout Restaurant (which I think is the place shallots was talking about before). That leaves a couple of questions. 1) Should we go to Smoky's? My wife isn't much for BBQ (although I am), but it looks like they have a pretty decent non-BBQ selection. Assuming we go, 2) what should we get, both in terms of smoked meat and non-BBQ entres?

I did find a recipe for vinegar pie that purports to be from the Lookout, so one of these days I will have to try it (sort of a lemon cream pie, substituting vinegar for lemon juice).

OK, love the cinderblock and singlewide references. I also think this sounds lovely. Assuming our trip isn't cancelled, we will have to look for this place. Thanks!

I had no idea there was a (potentially ironic) historical and cultural reference.

I think it is fair to say that KN is at least as much a ripoff of Restaurant Makeover as KI is of KN. Futhermore, the premise of KI seems closer to that of RM, with a separate design team, limited time and a limited budget. I also think you are mistaken about editing down the show--my recollection is that the first couple of seasons--the only ones to be aired on U.S. TV (they were, I believe, produced by Food Network Canada)--were originally 1/2 hour. The later shows, which have never aired in the U.S. (as far as I know, at any rate) are an hour.

If what you are saying is that the U.S. Ramsey show is a typically, overhyped unwatchable Fox piece of dreck, I agree. No question the BBC version is better.