Text 27187, 107 rader
Skriven 2012-07-14 13:32:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: tale of 2dinners2 960
=============================
After the previous dinner, I had a case of the trots, which
actually has been off and on since Billy's last week (we
are now sharing a bathroom, as there are several stairs to
his own, and a pain to get to for him, especially when he's
in a hurry). I hadn't known what the visiting nurse later said,
that C. diff and some of the other bad intestinal bugs are
not deterred by hand disinfectant, and the only preventive is
lots of soap and hot water. We both had been relying heavily
on hand disinfectant.

I inquired to Annie about his condition and whether I'd
caught it. Shortly after, received this back from Billy.
See if you can figure it out. Clue: it is lucid and germane
to the question.

Subject: Falaiglr [FG)

Was not the cossisant and colorert as used too described yyour
conncosidrerarin,

BI

--

I'd made my plans with Benita - meet at 6, have a good long
leisurely meal, and then back home. She e-mailed saying that
she had errands to run (uh oh) and could be at Friendship
Heights at around 7:30. Fine with me, the Indian place I go
to when in Washington is right upstairs from the station.

I puttered around, making $3000 in plane and hotel
reservations (I do this in batches for necessaries, then the
leisure ones get filled in), and was ready to head off, when
Jonathan asked if I had plans for dinner. Grr, I told you
yesterday, and further, I gave you the choice of which night
to take, explicitly saying that I had plans to see someone
else, and you had first pick.

Ressies at Indique Heights for 7:45, as I figured Benita
would be late, which she was but only by 5 minutes.

She appears to be doing pretty well. I told her about the
echo picnic, which is around the same time as the Airliners
convention, otherwise she would be interested.

We chatted about, the past, present, and future, more or
less in that orderly fashion, with the footnote that we've
known each other for over 40 years!

As this place offers small plates and large plates, she
abrogated responsibility. So I ordered two small plates,
a meat large plate (quite costly), and two vegetarian
large plates.

First came calamari, which was very nice, in a mild but
very good-tasting tomato curry; about 3 oz, sided with
about 2 oz of yellow rice (bland, but soaked up the juice
nicely). Not worth $8. Benita reminded me "you're in the
big city now."

Our other small plate was shrimp varuval, the reality of
which was slightly less than its menu description, because
what came out was approximately, no, exactly shrimp fra
diavolo but with that same yellow rice instead of pasta.
It too tasted quite good, and there were 5 decent-size
shrimp, so it was more like a decent deal at the same price.

The lamb shank ($22) is the most expensive main course.
It is a smallish shank, about the same size as what you
get two of for lunch in less civilized places. This comes
in a bhuna, a spicy chunked tomato stew, so you get enough
stuff to flavor your rice. Quite good as well.

To vary things I ordered two vegetable dishes that I remember
fondly from the lunch buffet.

Spinach and corn was a big disappointment. At the lunch I
recalled a spicy puree that I would always go back for
seconds of; this, at dinner, was an almost black, dusty-tasting
sludgy-textured paste, kind of unappetizing and bland, studded
with dried-out corn kernels that tasted as though they had had
their day in the sun years before. I admit that the corn is
always dried-out, and it may actually normally be that way,
parched or dried or something and reconstituted. $12.

My absolute favorite Indian vegetable, even more favored than
eggplant or okra - dal makhani, black lentils stewed with tomato
and a bit of cream. On the lunch this is just heavenly. Tonight
it was just good, the balance skewed toward the cream and away
from the tomato (good in the context of the whole meal, not so
good in the closer context of the dish), and rather underseasoned
($8, but I could have gotten it for free if I'd ordered more
cleverly, as all the main courses come with a little cup of it,
but I wanted a big cup, but two little cups make a big cup, don't
they; when ordered separately, no little cups come, and,
something that I should have queried, no extra rice, either).

I should have asked for my usual dish of hot spice, only as
noted before, my digestion was in a slightly delicate place
and perhaps should not have been challenged by an Indian meal
at all.

Again, a moderately satisfying and slightly over moderately
expensive meal; seeing Benita made it worth it, though.
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