This is a post-dated entry to let the casual passer-by know that:

• Yes, it's an active journal, but I post rarely and publicly even more seldom.
• On what I do leave public (mostly reviews that I think might be of general interest), I am happy to have random commenters.
• I go back and forth on making the whole thing public, though there's so much more ( Read more... )

Readercon had a problem with an attendee. I consider their reaction to the problem (http://readercon.livejournal.com/21805.html et seq) to be a related but new problem of their own making, and I'm somewhat cranky about it all ( Read more... )

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To quote the web page, "CAFÉ PRESSE is your French Bar-Café on Capitol Hill!" (That's Capitol Hill in Seattle, by the university.) http://www.cafepresseseattle.com/Read more... )

We stopped here on the way to Wiscon. It was awesome. (It's sort of like what White Castle would want to be if White Castle didn't suck.) If you're in the area and are inclined towards burgers or friend vegetables, I highly recommend it; the menu (on the web site) conveys their essential character quite well ( Read more... )

The Greyhound/Peter Pan bus conglomerate has launched a new service called Boltbus. (See www.boltbus.com.) I rode it last week. Here's a brief review ( Read more... )

I don't post enough that it would be at all likely to be noticable, but I was consciously participating in the content embargo or boycott or whatever it was. As the new corporate overlords are apparently scanning journal content for mention of it, I'm posting mention of this publicly as well. (Usually I post public reviews and the occasional ( Read more... )

Like somebody on Chowhound said, you get what you pay for here, and it isn't cheap.

Unfortunately, mostly what you're paying for is location, trendiness, superb service, top-grade fru-organic ingredients, and utterly delightful decor. What they actually manage to do with the ingredients seems hit-or-miss at best.

If, for you, it's all about a ( Read more... )

Portland has a restaurant called Duckfat that I like a great deal. As the name might suggest, much of their menu has some association with duck fat. It's down at the ass end of Middle St ( Read more... )

Ritual Coffee Roasters: in a place (San Francisco) that already has a coffee nerd culture, they're at the top of the heap for nerdy coffee pedantry and attitude. They also have decent hours and do, indeed, make a superb cup. The best baristi look like famous tennis players.

Ninth Street Espresso: in a place (New York) that doesn't have squat for ( Read more... )