DCity Smokehouse was rated the second best barbecue place in the DC region by the Washington Post. I’ve expressed my differences with Post reviews, most notably here. I’d been to DCity twice before, several years ago, and I’d seen no reason to return until I was asked to do a piece for The Smoke Sheet on the best barbecue places in Washington. The article giving … Continue reading DCity Smokehouse, Washington, DC

The Parthenon seems to have been there forever. Actually, it used to be called the Picadilly. Nancy, in her pre-John days, went to the Picadilly New Year’s Eve with English friends Debbie and Jeremy McMullen under the impression that it was an English restaurant. It actually was under Teutonic management which shortly before midnight passed out noisemakers and, promptly after midnight, abruptly retrieved the noisemakers. … Continue reading The Parthenon, Upper Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC

As I mentioned in my post on Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington, I’m supposed to write a piece for The Smoke Sheet on the best barbecue places in the Washington area. That took me back to the Federalist Pig in Hyattsville. There’s also a Federalist Pig in the Adams Morgan section of Washington, which I reviewed here. Suffice it to say that it’s not in … Continue reading The Federalist Pig, Hyattsville, Maryland

I made a special trip to Ruthie’s All Day, one of several trips I made preparatory to doing an article for The Smoke Sheet on the best barbecue places in the Washington area. I’d been there before, and had written it up once when Nancy and I went there for an excellent brunch (see here). I hadn’t been for a while, though, and I wanted … Continue reading Ruthie’s All Day, Arlington, Virginia

After we reluctantly dragged ourselves away from the luxury of Playa Largo, Nancy and I headed on to Key West. The issue of lunch arose, as is its wont, and we discussed where to eat as I drove and listened to Death on the Nile while Nancy read a book. This isn’t the best way to do restaurant research, and we ended up picking the … Continue reading Burdine’s Waterfront Bar and Grill, Marathon, Florida

Nancy and I were looking for a place to have lunch and, by a circuitous route, we hit on Thai Pad. We are both big fans of Thai food. I first encountered it at the Thai Room here in DC. Not the Thai Room that was in the spot now occupied by Comet Ping Pong, but the original location downtown in a space that had … Continue reading Thai Pad, Forest Hills/Van Ness, Washington, DC

Wow! Nancy and I went to Key West via an afternoon flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Now, Ft. Lauderdale is a long drive from Key West, but we chose that route rather than a direct flight so that (a) we could see our good friends Bob Leland and Vicki Doff in Delray on the way back, and (b) so we could save a boatload of money. … Continue reading Sol by the Sea and La Marea at Playa Largo Resort and Spa, Key Largo, Florida

As you drive south from Washington on MD 4 toward Solomons Island, you see a billboard on the right alerting you to the White Sands Marina and Vera’s Restaurant. You should take the right-hand turn and follow the meandering road to its end. There you will find a great place to eat with good food and a million dollar view. Vera and Dr. Effrus Freeman, … Continue reading Vera’s Restaurant at White Sands Marina, Lusby, Maryland

I went to the Nando’s Peri-Peri in Tenleytown with my friend Jon Breul. He and better half Nancy were visiting from Maine for our 30-somethingth annual New Year’s Eve Observed celebration, featuring a big lobster dinner, held this year on December 4. The Breuls are in Maine and Bob Leland and Vicki Doff are in Florida on New Year’s, so we adjust. With the prospect … Continue reading Nando’s Peri-Peri, Tenleytown, Washington, DC