(This post will be interrupted at least 5 times by E looking over my shoulder. I HATE him looking over my shoulder. I will probably get irrationally angry with him. Ironically, I then post what I'm writing ON THE INTERNET, so it isn't like it is private. Sigh - I'll make sense someday)

So, I enjoy eating out. I love going to different places, and I try to write a review for them on various websites. I happen to like DR.com though I am too shy to actually MEET anyone on the website.

(E: "I'm not looking! Unless your website is selling my guys Mirror Mail!" Stupid Final Fantasy-Tyrant bones and stone shot!)



So, first things first:

Tiffin: Langley Park
I woke up this morning with a craving for Indian, and a desire for an all you can eat buffet, luckily almost ubiquitous on the weekends at many Indian places. For the first time in a long time, we do not have a neighborhood Indian place. Even if we didn't like the Indian on 23rd Street, we still had a local Indian place in Crystal City. There is no Indian restaurant in downtown Silver Spring at all. However, there are quite a few in Langley Park, which is just east of Takoma Park, and on the local RideOn routes. We did decide to drive, however, because the MontgomeryCountyMD.gov website was down.

I narrowed our choices down to a few and E chose Tiffin off the list. We drove over there and were seated right away (except for dealing with the Udupi Palace parking lot which was not fun to drive through). Because we were so hungry, we didn't even sit down. We started with their chile chicken off of the buffet which was really nice - very well spiced, and a little greasy from being on a buffet dish, but very good. We had had their daal makhni from a takeout, so it wasn't a surprise but was very good. On the vegetarian side, we skipped past the too-hot okra dish and indulged in the paneer and mushroom dish. The aloo squash was ok, but the squash got lost. On the meat side, they had a goat curry which was spiced well, but I am not good at picking out the bones in a goat curry so I usually don't eat that in bulk. The chicken curry wasn't bad, and the lamb biryani was good until you got to the chunks of lamb which were very dry.

I loved the little pakora pieces that we had as an appetizer and they went really well with the spicy mint sauce. I also really enjoyed the rice pudding - very warm, with nice almond pieces to mix up the texture.

Overall, a very nice buffet for $11 on the weekend.


(E: "'What's that?' 'Oh, its just a restaurant with its own theme music.'" Kate: "And how do you know that its a restaurant? E: "What do you mean? That's where we were this afternoon!" Kate: "You only know that from looking over my shoulder." E: "Oh yeah, that's right.")


Haydees: Mount Pleasant
We were unable to find a mention of this restaurant in the city guide, so when we were looking for the address with only a vague idea of what the name was, we were getting nervous. But we got directions and headed out to our second trip to this neighborhood joint. A friend of ours loved this from his sojourn in Mt. Pleasant and wanted to revisit his old haunt now that he was back in town. It was cheap and delicious for the price. We skipped the chips and salsa since we were late, and I had a pitcher of margaritas (seriously - I might have been responsible for drinking a whole one) and cheese enchiladas. I could go into more detail, but remember? I had a pitcher of margaritas. Even with that, E's and our bill was something like 35, which includes overpayment of tip in a group setting. What made this trip quite ironic - I found another review of the place the internet forgot today after skimming around.

Finally, a classic from the archives:
Rays the Classics: Silver Spring
This was originally posted on DR.com, but since it is my writing, I can reprint if I want to.

(from 10/29/06)
Today we moved from Crystal City to Silver Spring. This was a momentous journey for E and I (me is grammatically correct, but with "E" it sounds strange), signifying the next step into the rest of our lives. If anyone needs a recommendation for movers, by the way, PM me because ours were fantastic.

We managed to move with a minimum of injury, (impressive, since we do little withOUT injury) and spent the balance of the day unpacking. After struggling to hook up the DVD player, we decided to go out to dinner. E had mentioned RTC earlier in the day, but now he felt that he was underdressed with really really bad hat hair, so he didn't think he would enjoy it (not to mention, we were walking in on a Saturday night hoping something was available). Luckily for us, RTC is actually on the way to everything else in downtown from our apartment, so I convinced E to stop in with me and see what might be available.

We got there, and Michael H. was helping out behind the host stand. We asked how likely it was that we could get seated and he told us that there was little chance in the dining room, but if a table opened in the bar, it could be ours. We eyed an empty two-top and started making movements towards it when the couple in front of us mentioned that they would be willing to sit in the bar as well (they must have asked the same question a moment before). I thought this was the end of our night, until Michael L. came around and gave the couple ahead of us the choice of the bar table we saw or the other bar table, on the far side of the front door, looking into the kitchen. They chose the high table, so we took the four-top by the window. We also discussed which Michael was which (since we didn't actually know, having never met either) and whether or not having that discussion was equivalent to being "that guy" who name-drops and fan-boys*.

We started off with the bread and duck schmaltz, which I would have asked for even had I not been encouraged to on this board, because I love the word schmaltz smile.gif. We also got the pickled vegetables, which I only picked at but that E enjoyed. The bread was marvelous, and I do agree with the Washington Post** review that we could eat the bread by itself. Probably an entire loaf in one sitting.

Our waiter was great (Antonio? I think?) and we waited to order wine until we had decided what we wanted. By the time we made it to that point, a great guy (who gave off a sommelier vibe, but I don't know if he was) came over to ask if we had made our drink selections. We ordered a bottle of the 1997 Rioja (unfortunately I couldn't remember anything beyond that) and he seemed very pleased with that. Either he thought we made a good choice, or he was happy to get the bottle off of his hands. We assume the former, since we enjoyed the entire bottle. As the same guy poured our wine, he pointed out that the reds did have a slight chill to them (to touch, really just about cellar temperature, maybe 55-60 degrees? I appreciated that they did it and really thought pointing it out was a nice touch) and poured a tasting into both of our glasses. He also asked if we were following Ray's around, since we pointed out that we had just moved to the neighborhood from Arlington***.

Just before coming out to dinner, we watched "Battle Goat Cheese" on Iron Chef as we unpacked the living room. This was a great goad to our appetites, and definitely influenced our ordering choices. We ordered the figs as the appetizer. E almost cried. They were exactly what we wanted them to be - sweet, slightly salty from the prosciutto, and with a wonderful bite of cheese in the center. The little pile of prosciutto in the center of the dish was a surprise - I don't think I had ever seen a protein garnish before. We could have licked the plate.

Next came our salads - I ordered the waldorf which was great, and E ordered the Caesar. I thought I would win this course until E said, "I hate to do this since there are only two of them, but you HAVE to try this crouton." I wish I knew what they were so I could duplicate them at home - it was such a great touch, not to mention a great crouton!

We had a bit of a delay at this point, which was covered up by wine refills (we actually didn't pour all night - I was amazed, since we were sitting in the bar area) and our discussions, which ranged everywhere from our new apartment to the de-beatification of St. Christopher****. Right as were beginning to notice that we hadn't gotten our food, Michael L. came over and told us that E's dish had been overcooked, so it was re-done. This delay was a huge positive for us - it allowed us to re-gain our appetites before the main course came out. Plus, we have such a wide range of inane topics to talk about that we have barely had a pause in the conversation for the past six years that we have been together.

E ordered the filet with bleu cheese and I ordered the fried chicken. I had a bite without the gravy and my heart melted with happiness. Then I had the gravy and knew that I had made the right choice in ordering. E was making similar noises over the filet, so we exchanged bites. I swear that the filet actually melted in my mouth, and E insisted that the main course was a tie. I have been 4 weeks without smoking, and maximizing tastes like these is in the top ten reasons I chose to quit. Our waiter made a joke about E not liking his dish, since the entire thing was gone rather quickly. I took a little longer because I enjoyed the carrot salad and every last crumb on the plate might have been eaten. We also ordered the spinach, which was at least as great as it was at RTS a few months ago (and that inspired me to start eating spinach again, therefore qualifying as a life-changing experience).

Dessert-cheesecake. I have gushed enough for you to insert your own gushing here. We might have actually licked the plate.

Overall, a great experience, I can't wait to be back (Bar results do come out this Friday - is it presumptuous to make a reservation? would people be there to take it over if we had to cancel? which we won't since we'll be celebrating because passage is going to happen...I'll decide soon enough, but if anyone feels strongly about it let me know. Michael, since I know you read this, thank you so much for opening this place and giving us another reason to love moving to Silver Spring.

*I recently learned about FANBOYS conjunctions, by the way...not that the conjunctions exist but that acronym works...no particular reason to note this except just as a tribute to dork-dom.
**Fair disclosure: I do work for a subsidiary of the Washington Post. Combining my two notes, anyone want to teach SAT?
***In an odd coincidence, we actually used to live on N. Queens Lane, which if any of you know Colonial Village, would share a backyard with RTS if there was no fence. Despite living less than 500 feet away for a year and a half, we never went, usually because it was not in our price range at that time. We went to RTS for our anniversary this year, but that was the first, and thus far only time visiting. So, in a way, we are actually following them around.
****I stand corrected.
*****I’ve just taken so long to write this review that I’ve missed my extra hour of sleep. After such a great meal, it was completely worth it.

-Project Beltway - apparently people do pay attention to what they wear down here.
-Eavesdrop DC - I have always been entertained by quotes out of context.
-a VERY sweet Valentines NPR Story - reminds me of all the nice little things my mom used to do for Advent.
-Plus, an amazing stolen link from the dc sports bog.

So, E and I didn't do Valentines Day this year. The snow didn't help, the fact that I may not have gone into my office, but I still worked all day, and the fact that I spent all day rescheduling SAT classes - all of that doesn't really add up to a romantic Wednesday night. Instead, we went out with two co-workers and split dessert. I still have the bottle of wine I bought for a minor V-Day project, and we'll plan that in some other night.

However, other people did have a fantastic Valentines Day. Top Model (from CityCat's lexicon) apparently had such a good V-Day that I should only hear about it when I'm sitting next to a trash can. CityCat herself had a nice dinner (or at least that is what I think I heard through my migraine). But none of that holds a candle to what the dcfoodies guy did for wife (hi, yes, I'm an online stalker! i read other people's personal blogs!). You can pick up the recipes on his blog. But someone won a city-wide award for making Other People Look Bad on Valentines Day. Or perhaps he should just give classes.

Finally, as it relates to Valentines Day, I finally got around to checking out a website that Wave has been pimping for what feels like years. Scarleteen is an amazingly comprehensive sex ed website, and a remarkably engaging read. Especially coming from a primary education where sex ed was tinged with things even I knew at the time were lies, Scarleteen is remarkably frank and unembarrassed. I wish more thoughtful websites like this existed for any number of different topics (religion is one of them that comes to mind). Go and check it out for yourself.

1. Comics like this one. I love food, I love eating out at new places, but mocking food trends is also an important piece to my love.

2. Kaine Endorsing Obama? I haven't even decided who to like yet!

3. DC FUD posted this forever ago and I never followed through. To do: actually get a group together and email them for help. By the way, did I mention I need a hobby, preferably one that meets new friends?

4. The Nats are hiring their Presidents? How have I missed this! I want to send it out to our teachers :). That is cooler than teaching in Qatar anyway.

5. The hobby I seemed to have found, wedding planning, is ironic since I'm not getting married. But I did join this group and found someone I know - bonus points if you can figure out which one :). I did also finally buy the book to go with the website.

6. Finally, blog-hopping took me here: Why you praise children for their hard work.... I haven't had a chance to read everything in depth, but if I have time to comment, I will.

-This article makes me feel less alone. This is a huge fight that I am gearing myself up for the rest of my life - a commitment to raising and educating my children in a more diverse environment than I grew up in. The commitment that E and I have to raise our children with values of hard work and a balanced worldview about money. There are some great public schools that I cannot see myself now letting my child attend. I went to parochial schools and then a private high school. Even going through those schools, I I didn't see the sense of entitlement that we saw from some people we've met from public school backgrounds in some places around here. This article reminds me what really can change a school - parental engagement in the process and individual quality of each instructor teaching my child(ren). Which yes, do not exist yet.

Tips for Jewish Parents of Interfaith Couples: I especially love Number 6: "Remember that it's not your 'fault.' If your child chooses a partner of a different religion, it's not because you didn't give her a strong Jewish identity or because she's rejecting you." This doesn't exactly make me feel better. Luckily, I think E's parents have come around to me, with any luck.

This crazy website insists that only two jewish souls can merge in the ideal of marriage. I can see the worries of religion when it comes to children. But to worry about it in two consenting adults who are adult enough to talk to each other about their issues and beliefs is absurd. This article from the same site argues another point that I have heard before - that my dating E is taking him away from a nice Jewish girl who is his soulmate. Luckily, we've been together long enough that even if there was any true worry of that, it would have dissipated. And trust me - there never was a worry of that!

I want a site with a little more authority to it for my side of the religious divide, but this one at least makes this post a little more balanced. "What parent would not prefer to see a child sick than dead? There is some hope for the life of a man hanging over a precipice and clinging even to a handful of grass, but there is no hope when his brains are dashed out on the rocks beneath. When persons have fully made up their minds to enter mixed marriage, they are so blinded by their passions and preferences that, if the Church should not tolerate their step, many of them would marry out of the Church, and thus commit mortal sin, and in most cases incur excommunication." And that is in the section about Catholics marrying protestants, let alone what I am going to do.

And finally, at least I don't have to worry about this: Killing and selling women as "ghost brides" (Salon.com).

[Does anyone have a cure for the "waking up at 5am disease? My mother has it too, and I remember her washing the floor. I guess I'll just take advantage of my laptop.]

Abstinence Only - It Isn't Just For Kids Anymore!: I cannot figure out how this particular message is even worth funding, since I can't really figure out what vehicle could be used to distribute it. But issues like this that stigmatize people who choose not to marry for whatever reason really disturb me. There are any number of reasons that couples choose not to marry, and to actually promote this message when any number of unmarried couples could provide love and financial support to a family without the bounds of marriage is ridiculous. I sometimes feel like marrying young and having a family young WITHIN the bounds of marriage is even more irresponsible than the path that I and others have chosen.

I have to worry about something like this? Silk versus real flowers? Jeez, I am not looking forward to this.

This is self-explanatory. Something else to worry about - It has been something percolating in the back of my mind throughout my relationship, but I'm glad that other people feel the same way. The worries do not get easier with marriage, do they?

Maps from Kinko's (!) and other interesting ideas - if only I can get E to read the article without him asking what the Globe made up in this one.

[I sat up and E managed to go diagonal. Great]

Joel Achenbach on the SAT Word Shower Curtain
We all know I already own this shower curtain (though, I paid much less for it) but I think that Joel has a good assessment of the weakness of the defintions. Next on the agenda? SAT Math Concepts Shower Curtain.

You can thank Wave for my return. She sent CityCat and I an e-mail this morning that essentially said, "Even though you're not getting married yet, here are the websites I've been reading about to keep me entertained and help me plan my wedding!" Wave clearly underestimates the obsession that will precede my wedding. But, she has (re)started it.

First, the background. E and I have been dating since the Clinton Administration (or, to look at it another way, we finally reached a decent pitching outing a few months ago at "6 and 1/3rd) and have no immediate plans to marry. We expect marriage to be in our future, but I am most certainly not in much of a hurry.

E is Jewish and was raised in the conservative tradition (I hope that is the right phrasing - I clearly need the Jewish Strunk and Whites before I get married) and I am Catholic. I used to say that I "was raised" Catholic, but during a recent visit to a Unitarian Church, I realized that I wasn't just raised Catholic - I really could not give it up no matter what my differences with the Church were. E is the same way - he doesn't go to synagogue or keep kosher, but would never convert. [The faith of our potential offspring is a discussion for another year, so we'll leave that off the table for now. Unsurprisingly, I've spent a lot of time agonizing over it, but it isn't pertinent to the issue at hand.] All of this makes for an interesting mix when we do decide to get married.

Oh yeah, and a casual conversation a few weeks ago might have brought a lot of these issues to the fore. [Kate: Not paying much attention, looking up numbers for work. E: "Oh, my parent's are doing fine, I just talked to them, what do you want to do for dinner, what do you think about round diamonds?" Needless to say, I did not react well, though E did point out that his pre-engagement to do list included law school graduation (check), bar passage (check), and steady job with enough money for financial independence (check). This does not help the neurotic in me not freak out.]

I am writing this post so I can start my list of things that I will research (uh, be neurotic about) before our wedding.

First: That which has already been settled.

1. We will not be having a jewish wedding or a catholic wedding. We want to incorporate traditions from both sides, but our wedding will not be celebrated exclusively by a rabbi or a priest unless something radically changes before then.
2. We have our secular celebrant identified already. We have not officially asked him, but E hasn't officially asked me either, so I think it would be jumping the gun.
3. There will be breaking of a glass at the wedding (non negotiable from his mother).
4. My mother already was upset by that. However, we told her long enough ago that she should hopefully be over it by the time the wedding happens.
5. The wedding will take place in the DC Metro Area, where we live, again, unless something radically changes.

Next: Why I Feel The Need to Put In So Much Research
1. Come on, I'm me. I'm the girl that will spend 10+ hours writing a self-evaluation for work, 3+ hours researching where to eat dinner, and countless hours planning the trip to Alaska, which was primarily planned out for us as a cruise-tour. I even found internet cafes in Talkeetna, a town we weren't even supposed to stop in.
2. I want to use the wedding process to learn (even) more about my Catholic faith and traditions and the Jewish traditions.
3. We once spent 3+ hours reading about how to prepare for Passover, including how to de-chametz your dishwasher.
4. This discussion happened tonight. Kate: "E, what is a ketubah?" E: "Uh, I can't remember. Can you give me the sentence in which it is used?" Kate: "This won't help, as I'm referencing www.ketubah.com." I then figured out what a ketubah was, but then was distracted by Broken Wedding Glass Mezuzah II with Breaking Glass. E: "Well, I guess less of the 'Living a Jewish Life' class at Hebrew School stuck with me than I thought."


Finally: back to what Wave started. Here is a list of what I have found so far.

1. Offbeatbride.com. I may not have the traditional wedding, I may not have a fully off-beat wedding, but my wedding will fall somewhere in between. I was quite entertained reading the site and can't wait to see the book.
2. Lego Cake Topper. I might love it, and E might too.
3. Indie Bride's Intermarriage forums - because where better can the intermarrying neurotic find other neurotics than message boards!
4. The New Jewish Wedding. Probably one of the 50 of so wedding planning books I will at least think about purchasing before I get married.
5. This is self explanatory.
6. This is also special. I have a feeling I will spend some time mocking wedding blogs, and making rules about things I won't obsess about, like my dresses from Thailand.



[Dias of Ascendance? Why can't you just call it an elevator? E points out that an elevator would need an elevator inspector and living in MontCoMD, we can tell you that takes a WHILE. I sympathize with this woman here, and where I may have worked an additional 50 hours so far this year, at least I haven't put in 90 hours into FFXII. Also, Mete of Dynasty? Give me a break!]

Crossposted at the purple pen
So, Jen referenced this when she was visiting last winter - the 50 Books "project." Since I don't have the energy at 6am to go back and read the etymology of the actual 50 books woman I decided to make up my own rules.

1. Since I read so fast, 50 books from 6/1 to 12/31 should be more than doable.
2. If I have read the book before, I must re-read it in its entirety and it must not be one of my junk books - the whole point of the project is to pull me into new, non-junk books. However, do not be surprised if you see something like The Last Days of Summer sneak on here during the Cruise To Nowhere, when I will need comfort reading.
3. It must be a book that I am completely willing to tell other people that I am reading and share it with the world. That should be an obvious caveat, but since CityCat and I have had discussions about outdoor and indoor bookcases, I feel I need to note it.

So, with the rules in place, let's enter our first contenders.

#1 - Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult was CityCat's and my new obsession a few weeks ago. We started with Vanishing Acts, and when I got my Borders gift cards, I picked up My Sister's Keeper and The Pact. CityCat then decided to attack the used bookshelves of Amazon with a vengeance. Picture Perfect was better than some of hers, not as good as others, but just as compelling to read as all of them. I have lost more sleep over this author than I can count. PP does not have the courtroom drama or the twists that many people associate with some of her other books, but I could not put the book down. If you're looking to warm up to this author, pick up this book and a number of her others, but save My Sister's Keeper until the middle, since I still think it is her best.

#2 - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
So many people recommended this book to me that I actually forgot I had not actually read it. While I do agree that the book should have stayed a book, since we disliked the movie, I was able to juggle all of the characters in the book much more easily since I had seen the movie. Some parts of the story were less compelling in the book, but overall - I was surprised to read it was written by a man. It was an exceptional picture - escapist literature about an escapist sector of society. The end was a little sudden for me, with too quick of a resolution, but probably just because (as the movie) the novel was a little slow.

#3 - The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
This book is the reason that I am up at 6:30 in the morning after driving all night. Picoult newest book is also the reason E's mom made up for the coffeemaker discussion - she brought up Picoult independent of me (unless she was snooping through my bags, but that doesn't seem her style) and lent me the latest novel. Which I started on the drive home and finished once we got here. A different conceit - comic book pages scattered throughout the book, give this book another layer of compelling. Well written characters - though the father character for me could have been developed a little more - I wanted more out of him - and the twist that I figured out too soon - but I like that she writes in her twists in this book and in Plain Truth as afterthoughts, as if to say to the reader: "Yes, I know you are compulsively reading all of my books and therefore you can see the clues I leave you in the story. I will foil you by making it not as big of a deal as you would think!" Finally, there has to be something about Jodi Picoult if she is keeping me up at night, making me go to work on no sleep, and keeping both my boss and my roommate entranced as well.