The Buckingham Herald Tribblog

Each of the restaurants below will feature a dinner on their designated night that was make with locally grown ingredients.
Sept. 16--Liberty Tavern, 3195 Wilson Blvd.
Sept. 17--Santa Fe Café, 1500 Wilson Blvd.
Sept. 22--Willow Restaurant, 4301 N Fairfax Dr.
Sept. 23--Tallulah Restaurant and EatBar, 2761 Washington Blvd.
Sept. 29--Eventide Restaurant, 3165 Wilson Blvd.
Oct. 6--Restaurant Vero, 5723 Lee Hwy.
Oct. 13--Restaurant 3, 2950 Clarendon Blvd.

To keep your brain as full as your belly, come to our series of film viewings and discussions at Fairlington Community Center (3308 S Stafford St.)
Sept. 30--"The True Cost of Food"
Oct. 7--"The Garden"
Oct. 14--"FRESH"

Local Foods, Local Chefs is sponsored by Arlington County, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Clarendon Alliance, Ballston-Virginia Square Partnership, Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, Crystal City Business Improvement District, Rosslyn Business Improvement District and Slow Food DC.

Support local farms! Support local chefs! Enjoy delicious food! Doing the right thing never tasted so good. For more information call 703-228-6400 or click here.

Labels: eating out, farms, food, restaurant

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 8:06 AM 0 comments

Hi Steve,

I am delighted to say that I feel just a little bit famous today because of you. That was my hideous chicken meatloaf that you were courageous enough to sample and write about. [For the original story, click here. --ST]

I confess that it did look completely awful (or more so than usual). I only remembered the potluck late the night before and I was on the hook for a main dish according to the flyer. Since the only semi-appropriate meal idea I could come up with was the meatloaf using what fixings I had on hand (ground chicken and a box of Stove Top Stuffing), I decided to go ahead and attempt to make my husband’s “starving bachelor” version of meatloaf.
Stove Top...instead of potatoes. (Image: Kraft Foods.)

You mix the meat and the stuffing together with an egg or two and some ketchup, etc. and voila. I wanted it to hurry up and cook and cool since it was already after 11:00 p.m. so I spread it all out in the pan. I knew that it had a bizarre appearance and people would be stumped so I put a sticky label on it to define it.

I’m glad you didn’t find it completely revolting (or were kind enough not to say so). It was a bit dense and dry though. I figured there is some comfort in anonymity at pot lucks!

Thanks for keeping us all informed and entertained.

Allison Kennett

Labels: Barrett, food, pta

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 5:58 PM 0 comments

Last night’s PTA pot luck at K.W. Barrett Elementary School was no different. I’m used to it, so it does not really bother me (I can happily eat anything), except when I have the kids with me. They are good eaters, but some pot luck fare just is not for them.

The KFC and the hot dogs were gone by the time we made our way through the line (and the pizza had not yet arrived—you see what I mean). Still, the curse is not that bad as we had salads and fruits; Hazel ate the pasta with chili (a favorite of hers); Harry dined primarily on fruit, crackers and rice, at least I think he ate the rice. I got salad, fruit and a very nice enchilada, very simple, but good, about the size of Churchill cigar (though I forgot the tomatillo salsa since I was helping my own kids). For a potluck, we ate healthy.

Now a number of us, myself included on the first pass through the line, missed the chicken meatloaf. It was a little off-putting as pot-luck foods can sometimes be; you know I’m right.

These foods are made by someone you don’t know with unknown ingredients. These, I’ve found, are often the family recipes that have made it through generations of cooks who grew up with this food at their own family gatherings, and expect them, like deviled eggs at a church social. Since they're made for gatherings, these foods are often of the "fill the pot with the ingredients and cook it" variety--easy and big. I'm not complaining, but sometimes you look and wonder, "just what's in this 'Noodle Surprise'?" I’m not saying this chicken meatloaf was this; in fact I’m guessing it’s a diet-driven recipe. Still, it was, as I say, a little off-putting.

Not only was this one tan, not really a meatloaf color, it was not cooked in a regular loaf pan, the type for bread, but baked in a jelly-roll pan, like brownies, so the slice came out about the size of a deck of cards.

I was up at the line a second time looking for pizza for Harry (it was gone for the second time), when I snagged the chicken meatloaf since the Churchill cigar enchilada had not been quite enough. Harry got grapes and watermelon.

Those of you who missed out, missed out. It was quite good, tasting much more like meatloaf than I’d expected. You could have had some if you’d risked it. Alas.

The gymnasium was cavernous, cacophonous and chaotic, as you might expect, but the hundreds of people seemed to find one another to sit and eat with, and I got to know a couple parents of my kids’ friends a little more. It was fun. And I’m hoping no one noticed just how many ginger snaps I ate.

I’m sorry I didn’t even think to break out the cell phone to snap a few photos.

Labels: Barrett, food, pta

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 9:16 AM 0 comments