Bolivia in SoCo

Well, if you didn't make it out Saturday morning for the Turkey Day parade, you missed a good one. While it was a bit cold, it was worth the temperatures. And I think Kefa Cafe was out on the Avenue as well selling some hot joe.

But I have one question - with all the Bolivian groups that were part of the parade, how can we not have one Bolivian restaurant in downtown? Please, I want to know.

I mean, did you see all of them. Some were really great. Most of the groups were kids, but two or three had some adults. And there seemed to be a mix of outfits too. There were ones like the pictures here, and there were others that had a more indigenous look. Unfortunately by that time our camera battery had died so we were only able to shoot the flashier outfits.

But back to the food. Now I know almost nothing about Bolivian cuisine, but I am intrigued. According to the reliable world wide web, one popular item in the country are humitas, little balls of corn dough, stuffed with cheese and then wrapped in a corn or banana leaf before being steamed. That sounds good.

Another popular dish that folks will know are empanadas, but also the fritanga, a dish of greasy fried pork. I think they may already sell this one at Tastee Diner. Quinua, a grain you may have tried is also big in Bolivia since it does well at high altitudes. It looks like they add it to a soup with chicken, onions, pork or other ingredients. That would have been nice Saturday morning with those 30 degree temps.

Now I am not holding my breath for a Bolivian place, it's unlikely to come and even if it did, could they do enough business to survive? But it was fun watching all their dance troupes on Saturday morning with all the other participants - the Irish garage, boy and girl scouts, the HS marching bands, the Mustang club, the dog trainers, Mrs - not Ms. - DC and a bunch I'm missing. If you bailed due to the temps, do yourself a favor and head out next year. You can end with a nice brunch at Nicaro like my wife and I did.

That was a nice way to watch the parade, sitting in warmth, sipping on a bloody mary and chowing down on beignets. MMMM.

Taste of Silver Spring??

OK, my euphoria is starting to dissipate. While I am still excited to have a Democrat moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, I can now start to think about things other than politics - and what better than food.

However, I really don't like having to write a post about this topic. I would much rather write about a real taste of SS not this Chamber-produced product. While many other parts of the metro area have events highlighting local restaurants, we are stuck with - at least for now - this event put on by the Greater SS Chamber of Commerce.

The event is not an outdoor, weekend event, but is an indoor (taking place at Discovery HQs) gathering and on a Wed evening. But that's not the worst, if you want to attend, get your checkbook out and plan to write a check for $50! Unless you are a member of the Chamber - which I am sure most of my SoCo readers are - then it's only $40. One other item worth noting, it appears the only restaurants that are eligible to participate may be ones that are members of the Chamber. I'm not 100% sure on this, and I really hope it's not the case. But the Chamber's web site does hype their "member" restaurants.

C'mon. This is completely bogus. The entry fee does get you a beer or wine and all the tastes you want - but what if you just wanted to stop by and try a few things and didn't want to spend a C note for you and your significant other? Can't we have an event where you simply hit the tables in which you're interested and not feel compelled to gorge yourself to make up for the money you're spending? I would feel better if some of the money was going to a worthwhile local charity, but there is no mention of this on the Chamber's web site.

Anyway, the event is Wednesday evening, November 19 at Discovery. And note, if you want to attend you need to make reservations by Nov. 12 by calling the Chamber (301-565-3777). The participating "member" restaurants include: Across the Street Cafe, Asian Bistro, Blair Mansion Inn, Caribou Coffee, Dish Catering, Eggspectation, Ghar-E-Kabab, Gifford's Ice Cream & Candy Co., Kirsten's Cafe, La Prima Catering, Lebanese Taverna Cafe, McGinty's Public House, Moorenko's Ice Cream Cafe, My Kitchen, Nicaro, Noodles & Company, Olazzo, Party Rescue Team, redDog Cafe, Romano's Macaroni Grill, Silver Spring Thai Flavor, York Castle Tropical Ice Cream and Whole Foods Market.

There are some winners here, I really like Nicaro, Ghar-E-Kabab, and Olazzo, but what is Party Rescue Team? Is this a restaurant? And I consider Whole Foods a grocery store. Also, La Prima closed its doors, right? Why are they still participating?

I think for 2009, we need a real Taste - maybe on a Saturday in October? A nice fall day where folks can stroll around and try a few more non-chain places. We need Thai Derm, Mandalay, Jackies, Lotus Cafe, La Bamba and a few others there. Could it be that hard to pull off? And if anyone does attend this event, please let me know how it went. Thanks.