NILLY - I've spoken to several DCistas, and many of us are willing to chip in for a train ticket to Washington from New York (I haven't even heard from everybody!).

I've checked Amtrak, and the student fare (you are a student, yes?) is about $125 ($148 for non student), and I already have that much in "pledges". If you would like to come to DC, your travel and accommodation can be covered, you've been offered several couches, and even an actual room!!

Commander’s Palace Incredible place for lunch, but dinner can get pricy. You will never have better service ever.

Unless you walk in with two people with heavy Worchester accents, one woman with a heavy New York accent wearing a prominent star of David, and a very tall black man with a heavy New York accent, the last two being very obviously a couple.

Then you have trouble getting seated, even though you made a reservation two weeks before.

NILLY - I've spoken to several DCistas, and many of us are willing to chip in for a train ticket to Washington from New York (I haven't even heard from everybody!).

t makes note in diary to go stand at 30th Street Station with sign saying "Washington D.C."

They were a little pricier and more well known (right?) than K-Paul's which is why I listed the latter. Really those were just some of the ones I would have liked to list. There's Five Happiness for Oriental, Central Grocery also has a damn good muffy, Maspero, Andrea's, Antoine's, Tricou House, Gumbo Shop (really cheap and really good), Mulate's, Margaritaville and of course that's just some of the resturaunts I didn't list.

I'm sorry if you had a bad experience there Lee. I've never heard of it having anything but great service and that's been my experience there too. I'm not sure I would blame the seating trouble on the accents or the race of the couple though- it's not like either of those things are new in NO, or at the Palace.

Five Happiness!

Homesick now.

I love that place! I wish I remembered the name of the ME place we went Friday night- it's kinda new. I remember it being something else the last time I was there.

Did you know they're remodeling the Copland's on Veterans and turning it into some sort of concept restaurant?

No. Huh. We were thinking about going down there because Mel wanted to, glad we didn't now. What kind of concept?

Heh. Mel's cousin wanted to go to Bubba Gump's. There was much mocking.

The waitress at the Elmwood location wasn't entirely sure. There might be a bakery of some sort involved.