Today, the Washington Post published an article discussing the effect of the economy on area restaurants. It's not a pretty story. Not only do ingredients cost more, but people are eating at home more often than they used to. There's no question that fine dining restaurants are suffering, and that they're adjusting their menus and business strategies to cope.On the flip side, however, the article mentioned that some less expensive restaurants are actually doing well. Personally, I think I'm in the camp of people going out less frequently, but still attending the restaurants that I would ordinarily attend. I'd rather save up for a few nice meals than eat out regularly at places that I don't love. Check out the article if you have a minute, and let us know what you think!
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Wednesday's Washington Post featured a helpful story about how to choose and cook a steak. The piece features 11 tips
from butchers and beef experts. Topics include what to look for in marbling, thickness and grading terminology. Also,
there's talk of how to trim or not trim fat from a steak and what to make of brand names on certain steaks. All in all,
it's a good primer for anyone looking to learn a little more about picking a steak and then getting it on the table.
For years, companies like Starbucks have been asking customers for their name.
Using a name - as opposed to a generic “sir”, “ma’am” or “miss” - gives the
cafe a sense of familiarity, as well as providing a convenient way to match customers with their orders. I find this to
be a good system and would rather have my name called out by a barista than have to match a number on a receipt to my
order or try to explain to an angry looking octogenarian that my caramel macchiato is not the same as her black coffee.
Incidentally, the latter happens quite a lot, since the people who want to fight over drinks are the same people who
hate to give their names to the baristas. Needless paranoia, since your first name is not generally considered to be
classified information. 
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