The Restaurant Refugee

Five Favorite Things That Always Go Together

1. Grits and Gravy
2. Champagne and any day that ends with the letter “Y”
3. Blue lights and basements
4. Marvin and Tammy
5. A group of really cool bloggers and booze… copious amounts of booze

Five Things every Gent Should Have in His Wardrobe

1. A tuxedo that is pressed and ready to go at a moments notice
2. At least one great blazer that works with jeans, tailored trousers, and everything in between the two
3. At least one bespoke item – you will never look better
4. A stack of cotton handkerchiefs pressed into daily service in your back pocket
5. A cashmere sweater she can wear in the morning (be aware that she will look better in it than you ever have or will)

Five Favorite Quintessentially Cool and Cheap Dates

1. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
2. Very tasty and mostly authentic Jamaican food from Negril followed by relatively cheap beer at the Quarry House
3. Blueberry pancakes from Eastern Market (more for history than taste) and surfing for bargains at the flea market on Sundays
4. Any new or closing exhibit at any museum
5. Drum circle Sundays in Meridian Hill Park followed by Amsterdam Fallafel and a couple of beers at The Reef

Five Items on the Thanksgiving Day Menu I am preparing for a client – yes, I am a chef for hire; no, this menu is not traditional by request of the client

1. Day boat scallop ceviché with an arugula salad and a smoked bacon vinaigrette
2. Roasted garlic and potato bisque with homemade lamb sausage
3. Confit of Turducken (roulettes of turkey breast stuffed with chicken breast stuffed with duck thigh and confited in duck fat) with truffled French fries and spinach, mushroom and goat cheese purses
4. Selection of cheese from Cowgirl Creamery with truffled honey, wild berry compote, almond slivers, and toast points
5. Carrot Cake made by this fantastic lady

Five Favorite Baby Making Songs – not that I ever expect to use them for that purpose

1. Angel – Marvin Gaye (I know you all don’t click the musical links but, seriously, click this one.  Listen to this song.)
2. How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore – Joshua Redman’s insanely good cover of the iconic Prince Torch song
3. Maxwell’s entire first album but most especially the 6^th track, Til the Cops Come Knockin’
4. Lover’s Rock – Sade
5. Windmills Of Your Mind – Sting singing on the Thomas Crowne Affair Soundtrack

Five favorite things that have happened since the election

1. Watching the energy of a nation spill into the streets
2. Seeing newspaper covers from all around the world displayed in front of the Newseum declaring Barack Obama the 44^th President of the US
3. Seeing all of the Impeach Barack websites proving the point that so many people, bloggers, columnists, and others made about the myopic blindness of those predisposed against an Obama presidency
4. Having recaptured the respect of the world
5. My suit jackets are lighter because I stopped carrying my pocket copy of the Constitution everywhere for protection

Five Favorite things about the James Bond Franchise – in honor of the new Bond flick, Quantum Solace

1. Daniel Craig is the best James Bond since Sean Connery
2. My favorite Bond Girl ever is M
3. Though I dig BMW’s, so glad that Bond went back to driving Aston Martin’s in Casino Royale
4. Speaking of Casino Royale… so glad the owners of the franchise finally decided to make a GOOD movie that just happened to have a chase scene and a fight or two
5. Who doesn’t love saying Pussy Galore

 Five Bonus Thoughts

1. Favorite thing I overheard in a bar recently:

Bar Patron #1: Now that the election’s over, admit it – you would have sex with Sarah Palin wouldn’t you.

Bar Patron #2: Of course I would, I like the dirty librarian thing.  Wouldn’t you?

Bar Patron #1: Yeah, but only anal

1. I wish I didn’t care that the posts of which I am most proud have received some of the fewest comments.
2. Did no one catch the acronym joke from the last I Got Five on it Friday or was it just not funny?
3. Something you should know about reading my little slice of the interwebs: Italics = fiction writing
4. I am a man of leisure unburdened with the hazards of working for a living
5. By the by, this is my 100th post – yay me.