I wrote a positive review for Bazin's on Church in 2009. Last night we have decided to back with 3 other young and hip friends for a nice dinner. The experience was very very disappointing for couple of reasons:

Reason 1: We made reservations for 8:30PM, but we were not seated until 9:10PM. This is a sign of overbooking and mismanagement of reservations.

We recently had a lot of fun setting the Guinness World Record for the Longest Shish Kebab. The event took place on October 3rd, 2010 in downtown DC during the Turkish Festival. I Am Modern was our media sponsor. The total lenght of the cooked meat was 18 Feet 7 5/8 inches. Here is a brief video from the event. Enjoy!

Who knew that we would be talking about foods as a style? ’09 saw a true explosion of innovative and creative ways to make you stop by the restaurant and the grocery shelf. Ethnic cuisines, locally sourced foods, smaller plates and servings, and casual comfort foods were all the rage.

Experimentation nation, umami, and food with benefits are just three of the top 10 trends to watch in 2010, according to the experts at The Food Channel® (foodchannel.com). The website released its top 10 for ’10 today based on research conducted in conjunction with CultureWaves  and the International Food Futurists®.

When it comes to food, some believe… everything. There is a slow moving food trend in the county where more and more people looking for better health, longevity and freedom from illnesses are turning to, raw foodism. Raw foodism is the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and organic foods in one’s diet. It also means no processed ingredients like sugar, meat, dairy, or preservatives. It is believed that raw foodism encourages weight loss, prevents sickness and provides the foodies with more energy. It all sounds good to me, but there must be a catch. It probably tastes like raw food.

We are a family who likes to stay active whether it is exercising or eating. When we exercise as a family, nothing beats the effectiveness of biking. It is truly a sport made for families. Yesterday, we decided to go out to W&OD bike trail around the Ashburn area.

When we bike long distances (meaning more than 5 miles), our 7 year old son gets too tired and cannot keep up. So we ask him to sit in the bike trailer with his 2.5 year old sister. All together with the trailer, they weigh over 100lbs. I usually don't have a hard time pulling them during our bike rides. But yesterday, was the first time in 2009 when we decided to take a long ride. All started out fine. 8:30AM in the morning, not too hot, slight breeze in my face. Not too strong to hinder my ride, but just enough to gently cool me down.

Mile 2, 3, and 4 --- a good mix of hills and straightaways. We got to W&OD from Claiborne Parkway. Joined the trail and rode to what used to be a bike shop in downtown Ashburn. The bike store is now a furniture shop and the friendly owner is gone. We decided to head back home and looked forward to the next 5 miles.

I am getting tired at this point. These kids keep drinking water and I think they at least gained 40lbs in the last hour. I stop to drink some water as well. I look up the road and it seems all up hill. Why is that? Why does it always feel like I am biking up hill with the wind blowing in my face--- both ways? Where is the tail wind?

Ladies you can be proud. In 1914, Fettuccine Alfredo was created for a pregnant lady. Who knew? Today, I had a business lunch at the New York location of this old Italian establishment with 3 British businessman who tasted the Fettuccine Alfredo for the first time. They loved it, so did I.

The story goes that in 1914 Alfredo's wife was pregnant and she had lost her appetite (not my wife). Alfredo went to his kitchen and mixed egg noodles with parmigiano cheese and butter to create Fettuccine Alfredo that even his wife could not resist. The rest is story. Alfredo's now exists in 4 locations including Rome, New York, Las Vegas and Orlando.

Cut, David Burke, SushiSamba, Enoteca San Marco and Jasmine Restaurants

Las Vegas may have started out as a desert gambling destination but over the decades, it has successfully turned into the capital of all things excess. Big casinos, bigger hotels, gigantic shopping malls, enormous shows and yes, a fantastic locale for foodies in search for the perfect delicacy.

Alright, first things first. Wolfgang Puck dominates the restaurant scene in Vegas. This Austrian born chef does not need an introduction. He became famous for his thin crusted pizzas at Spago and cooking for the Oscars.

When in Tribeca, New York make sure to visit ;Ecco The Italian Saloon http://eccorestaurantny.com for great Italian & http://kg-ny.com (Blaue Gans) German food.

I am the last glass standing. The last of my family, tough as a nail, and I won't give up anytime soon. I came to this house with 7 other of my identical siblings. I served this family well. Coke, water, ice tea, and juice. I have been between their lips for more than I care to remember.
My life was great. I enjoyed being housed in the same cabinet with my siblings. Then one day our life was turned upside down. The evil witch of the east, Fahriye, arrived to our houselhold. She came in to this house posing as a housekeeper/helper. Over a span of few months, she started to apply tremendous pressure on all of us. One by one, my siblings started to crack under the pressure. She would break my siblings during the day, and when nobody was around snuck their broken bodies out to the garbage wrapped in plastic bags.

If you are reading this letter, it probably means that she finally got to me as well. I have asked the few remaining coffee cups to release this blog after I "disappear." Farewell nice family. Goodbye world.

P.S. I am the blue glass in the picture. Remember me fondly.

According to an industry study  Condiment sales grew just 3% in current prices during 2002-2007, reaching nearly $5 billion..." I think a big majority of that $5billion sits in our refrigerator. On Sunday I realized how crowded our refrigerator was while trying to fit a carton of milk. When I looked at the items in our refrigerator, I realized the culprit was all of the bottles and jars of condiments we had purchased during the last 12 months. To set the ground rules, I researched to see what food items were categorized as condiments. According to the industry they are "pickles/relish/olives, ethnic sauces, mustard/ketchup and meat sauces." I have counted the number of condiments in my refrigerator and it was a total of 23 items. I did not follow the strict industry categorization and I have added "Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar", "Ginger Chutney", "Ginger Paste" (Can anyone tell me how we can use it?), and "Pomegranate Syrup"