DC

on the dual principles that (a) writing and editing can be done more or less anywhere, even speeding down the i-95 in the chinatown bus, and (b) rare events should be taken advantage of, i took off for DC last night to meet FS for dinner and general conviviality. he's on the east coast to present a poster about enzymes to bigwigs who don't understand anything and/or don't give a shit, which sounds sort of like what i do, except for the part about bigwigs. 1.5 hours of trying to correct my horrible writing left me half-blind, and the NYT saturday (byron walden) more or less finished me off. made it through the top half of the grid ok, and had some decent progress in the SE corner, but then i was left staring at 50 across ('Mechanical trade') for a good 10 minutes with TI***RT**, and the only thing i could come up with was TINKERTOY -- patently wrong. that was pretty much the end for me. (answer: TIT FOR TAT. won't be forgetting that one in a hurry.)

got in to DC late, and the only promising place nearby that had tables was vidalia, where i had garganelli pasta with rabbit livers, prime rib au jus (cioppolini onions, pommes noisettes), and an olive-oil panna cotta topped somewhat unimaginatively with strawberries. (also, a tripartite amusee bouche, which i only mention because i felt like typing that). we both sort of agreed afterwards that it was a tad too hoity-toity, and that at the end of the day there's a lot to be said for Simple Food Cooked Well. the selection of scotch was also a little disappointing (no talisker?). the only thing i can say i was madly in love with was the cornbread and apple butter. it's funny how i keep going to places where the bread is my favorite thing -- cf warm cheese bread at fogo de chao.

the catching-up was, as always, excellent.