Bolivians storm downtown, plus other news

Sorry for the long hiatus. Had to say goodbye to the person who helped nurture my love of food for the first couple decades of my life - my Dad. He was 84. And since I was the youngest and essentially an only child while growing up, I got the benefit of a little better standard of living than my brothers. This meant dinners out pretty much once a week. For the most part they weren't fancy, but my folks did love their seafood, and this for sure rubbed off on me. I'm just thankful that only a month before he was admitted to the hospital, my wife and I visited my folks for a long weekend and we all enjoyed a terrific Italian meal together. It started with mussels, then antipasti and of course pasta. My Dad had a hard time not ordering frutti di mare at any place that offered it. He certainly knew how to enjoy his food. Ciao ciao papa.

OK, on to another topic. Thanksgiving arrives tomorrow, and this past weekend I'm sure most folks know we had the SS Thanksgiving parade. I bet many of you were in attendance. We had a nice day for it - certainly better than last year. Folks lined Georgia Ave to get a glimpse of all the dancers, bands, floats, politicians and some of our four-legged friends. It was a good event.

Similar to last year, the Bolivian dance troupes were out. If you haven't seen them yet, do yourselves a favor and check them out next year. They're great. While I think there were 5 or 6 different groups out this year, we failed to match the number who danced last year. Are they too busy with other parades? Was there a mass exodus of Bolivians from the area? I don't know. But either way, we did get a nice sampling of dancers - men and women and very young and older folks.

I'm not sure what the county might allow, but the parade would be a perfect location for a vendor or two selling snacks to all us parade watchers. If those snacks paired nicely with the participants in the parade so much the better. But even if they didn't, I bet someone could clean up offering hand held treats. The kids most definitely clean up with all the candy that's tossed around. So what about us?

In other news, it looks like we have at least a couple months to go before we get any new dining additions to the 'hood. While Pacci's had hoped to open by mid-November, it looks more like the first part of 2010. Behind them will follow 8407 and Hook & Ladder. I know son of Nicaro, AKA 8407, was hoping to open this fall - but I now hear they still have a few months to go. Maybe Feb? My prediction will be that H&L opens last. While I haven't tried to poke my head in to see the internal progress lately, on my drive by this morning it seems they've got a ways to go.

But I guess that's OK, I'm not going anywhere and neither is my appetite. Have a great Thanksgiving. Safe travels if you're driving and hope you have the opportunity to eat some good locals meats and veggies with your dinner tomorrow. I'm told I'll have an free-range Amish turkey sitting at my table. Maybe sitting is not the right word, but you know what I mean.

Turkey day approaches - Are you prepared?

In just over three weeks, Thanksgiving will be upon us. I'm guessing that many of you cooking dinner for family and friends have given thought to the feast you'll prepare. I myself have been invited to a dinner and only have to think about a side dish (or two). Maybe my aunt's pumpkin roll recipe? But certainly something savory too. Need to figure this one out!

Anyway, I wanted to write a post for those interested in landing a local and sustainable bird that will most certainly be the centerpiece of your dinner. The MD Dept of Agriculture has a nice listing of MD turkey farms. The list is sorted by county and many provide a description of the type of turkeys that are still available.

You'll need to be committed to this since it does not appear that these farms deliver. But you do have some choices in both Montgomery and PG counties.

In addition, if you act before November 8 (this Sunday), South Mountain Creamery - located just north of Fredrick - will deliver a turkey right to your doorstep. Their delivery charge is just $3.75 and the birds are raised on a family farm in Thurmont, MD. The turkeys range in price from $30 for the smallest ones to around $80 for the really big birds.

I haven't ordered from SMC in a while, but those are good folks who run the farm. They have definitely have good quality products. If you do order, you should do yourself a favor and get some egg nog too. We drank a lot of this last holiday season. Tasty!

I know it's more costly to purchase a bird from a local farm, but I feel confident in the short-run (taste) and the long run (your family's health) it will be a wise choice.