I met George Clover during my temporary assignment to the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs. We didn’t work closely together on any issue that I can recall, but we intersected in many policy meetings, and I always admired George’s thoughtfulness and ability to speak without an accent. George is now General Counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. We met at Sala Thai at 4828 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda’s restaurant-rich Woodmont Triangle. Sala Thai has been around forever, or so it seems. We both ordered lunch specials ($20), some flavorful spring rolls, an entree ..read more

On this trip, as on every trip, we stayed at the wonderful Marriott Crystal Shores, our favorite of the 31 Marriott Vacation Club and Ritz Clubs at which we’ve stayed. Among its features is, among a host of child-oriented activities, is a “Kids’ Adventure Camp” one night per week. The kids who sign up are entertained by counselors from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, including looking for shells on the beach, games, crafts, and pizza. That offers parents and grandparents an opportunity to have dinner out or, looked at another way, allows kids to have an evening out without being bothered by a bunch of (oc ..read more

I’m so excited! Myra is back in Lusby! We discovered New Orleans by Myra, a food truck that parks at 11735 Truemann Thursday or Friday-Saturday) (see their Facebook page for latest dates). It’s just north of the shopping center with Patuxent Liquors and Barrel 9. Oh, yeah, and the Giant. Myra’s has a menu founded on two solid foundations. They really – and I mean really — know how to fry food in a way that leaves it greaseless and delicious. Second, they have a remoulade that would be the envy of New Orleans. After my first stop at Myra’s, we all became regulars. My first post highlighted the ..read more

My Washington area pastrami research continues. I was free from my Principal Deputy Nanny duties and decided try Brooklyn’s Deli, which is not to be confused with the Brooklyn Deli and Cafe on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Brooklyn’s Deli is at 1089 Seven Locks Road in the Potomac Woods Plaza off the Montrose exit of I-270 — part of the larger development that has a Harris Teeter and that also includes Attman’s Deli in another section. A number of people had lauded the pastrami at Brooklyn’s Deli, so off I went and found it in a shopping crescent that embraced a large common outdoor seating ..read more

Moab is the gateway to massive red rock formations in the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which feature mesas and buttes carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. The art also features Native American rock art, and dinosaur tracks can be found at sites like Bull Canyon Overlook and Copper Ridge. It’s a truly magical area to visit, so naturally Senior Correspondent Darryl Morin and his family, less Nathaniel who is on duty with the United States Air Force overseas, went to Moab. Darryl asked me for restaurant advice, and for once I was stuck. Nothing had impressed me when I was there brie ..read more

Most of my posts are about food, but I also like to highlight interesting hotels and resorts, as you can see by clicking the “Hotels” waaaay down on the right. This hotel in particular was a fun experience. I’ve mentioned that we stayed at the Lexington Hotel at 48th and Lexington during our recent weekend trip to New York to see the opera and a play, and to go to museums and eat good food. The Lexington is an old hotel at which Marilyn Monroe and other famous people stayed back in the day. It’s part of the Marriott/Bonvoy Autograph Collection, which usually consists of older hotels (although ..read more

On our first full day at the fantastic Marriott Crystal Shores in Marco Island, we went to Everglades City, the gateway to the Everglades National Park, for the boat tour of the 10,000 mangrove islands. It’s a grand tour, with opportunities to see lots of wildlife, including frolicking dolphins, and to learn a lot about the history of the area. One aspect of the history of the area is that many of the islands were created by the indigenous people, not through dredging but by dumping their oyster and other shells in certain areas for a couple of thousand years. The shells compacted and created ..read more

The Heights is a new food court at 5406 Wisconsin Avenue, not far from my home. I previously have reported on the outstanding Cuban sandwich at Saoco in the Heights, and since then I’ve eaten there two more times with my Old Guys monthly lunch group. I’d hoped that everyone would order something different, but everyone keeps ordering Saoco’s Cubano rather than try one of the other options. I can’t say that I blame them. Their Cubano is the best I’ve had in the area, and one that can stand up to a whole lot of Florida places. Marc Rosenbaum, who was raised in Tampa and can be to Cubanos somewha ..read more

The quality of various Jewish-style delis is a source of strong feelings. I ran into this when I asked for advice on where to eat during a tightly scheduled visit to New York. I chose a great spot, one of only 20 certified kosher delis in the entire city, but I actually felt the need to justify my selection in this report. The controversy rages across the nation, notably in South Florida, where a string of delis run from Miami north through the Palm Beaches. Despite many visits to the area, I’ve been slack in reporting on delis there. I usually eat seafood in Florida as a counterweight to my g ..read more

I made one more bagel test before Nancy and I left New York. As we were walking south on Lexington — I think we went as far as 20th before wending our way back to the Lexington Hotel — we passed a Zucker’s that was doing a land office business. I say “a Zucker’s” because it’s a small chain with 7 or 8 links. We went to the one sorta near Grand Central Station at 370 Lexington Avenue, at 41st Street, just south of the Chrysler Building — the one we’d passed on our walk. I went in, looked around, went up to the counter, and ordered a toasted poppy seed bagel with the Schmear of the Month — roa ..read more