Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel

I know that a shopping trip after a workout hardly counts as "covering" the eats of Southeast, but there's food, and it's in Southeast, so there. To the gentleman or lady who attempted to hide the last glass six-pack of Schweppes regular tonic water, I have news for you. Those stacks of ginger ale as camouflage were a clever ruse, but ultimately an insufficient defense against my determination to find the simple and essential ingredients for a properly made gin and tonic. I had a fifth sense telling me there was regular Schweppes tonic water to be had this evening at Harris Teeter. Those Canada Dry decoys were artfully strewn across the aisle floor though. Well played. I look forward to our next contest!

There's something melancholy about a single slice of cake. Now, there are exceptions. Campagno's in Monterey, just off the Presidio, serves up custom sandwiches combined with cake slices. But these mammoth wedges from the local Italians exemplify American excess perfected in cake batter. But, the tiny cake slices - forlorn in their individual plastic packaging - at Harris Teeter made me both sad for myself to be buying one, and sad for the cake that had lost its brother and sister cake slices. This cake slice will never know holiday joy. For it, its demise is that of detached anonymity. Already shorn away from its whole hours earlier in some back room, the individual cake slice is destined for an inglorious end.

Given my druthers, I would blog about the fabulous eats at new bars and restaurants in Southeast, but there's a slight tightening in the credit markets, making the opening of new dining establishments particularly difficult. Of course, that didn't stop Mayor Fenty from making the rounds in Las Vegas... Maybe if we're lucky, I'll be able to write about something other than burgers soon. Rumor has it that Gordon Biersch or some such bar is looking to set up around the ballpark. Here's hoping! Otherwise, my next post will have to discuss the pros and cons of fresh fruit vs. pre-packaged/pre-cut.