Desperate for topics?

I miss Elizabeth Large

Are we ever going to get a real dedicated food blogger? No offense Laura

Hello? Morality Police? We've got one of you posing as a Food & Dining writer. Can you please pick her up and return her to the convent?

#10 does kinda frost me a little. Tony hasn't cooked in 10 years, cut the guy a break.

And; there's no possible way that he's the only one working with this kind of habit.

I know a very talented chef who was quite proud of the fact that she graduated from culinary school after spending each day either stoned or tripping on LSD.

As for the Java Divas, I've been there once. I see no more exploitation there than us sheep who get our wallets exploited at $tarbucks for overpriced joe.

Good food should stand on it's own merits, and not on someone's opinion of the cook or aspersions on their character.

@ Laura:

With all due respect... If you like none of the places you wrote about, the solution is simple... Don't go... Prepare your coffee @ home or go to the nearest major chain coffee with bad human rights practices. Don't like sushi, don't eat it... It seems you get offended by women trying to make a living...I'd suggest you try to work at any of these places, so that your enjy and jealousy can be put into good energy... You sound like a looser... Sorry...

What's next a blog from Schmuck complaining about NFL cheer leaders distracting him from the game? Some of the uniforms worn in stadiums across the country make these girls look like the Amish. Okay not quite like the Amish but you get my point. Sex sells.

This concept has been around the Seattle area for several years now and it is not uncommon for the employees to expose more for a tip. There have been numerous arrests.

I will say I don't find this nearly as offensive as the men who sit at Orioles games shirtless. That should be against the law.

A little nasty, huh, for no good reason.

As much as like titillation; the exposed thong thing, I find pretty disgusting. Some of them even while in the company of their children.

Thanks for the laugh!

Sex sells, we know this. Its actually a pretty genius idea combining the two and has proven to be largely successful. It makes the whole dining experience more light hearted and less serious. I think there is just a tad bit of insecurity and unnecessary scrutiny over an idea that is just meant to make people happy. I say bring on the skimpy outfits and coffee if thats what makes someone smile. How they spend their hard earned money is their business, if you arent comfortable with it, go to Starbucks? Thats why there are options, no one is twisting your arm to go to these places. This blog has really gotten away from the normal dining topics I enjoyed, and this weeks is making me question if its even worth checking out anymore.

I'm pretty sure most of the comments on this are the same, bitter person. Aside from that, I was sort of put off by the whole bikini barista thing too, only when I saw how young the girls looked. Ick. The regulars kind of sound like dirty old men...to each his own though, I guess!

Why is "With all due respect..." always a prelude to a kidney punch?

It always tickles me when I see drooling nincompartypoops misspell insults, as in, "You sound like a looser... Sorry..."

Also, the fake apology can be omitted. I'm not feeling it. Sorry...

Here is today's key to enjoy life: Stay far away from bilious bummers like EnjoyLife.

Also, I plan to be looser.

I agree with all the negative comments.

Jeez, it's not even Monday. Folks sure are grumpy today.

Terrier Girl, the "Truth" doesn't hurt, but sure feels "Unconfortable"... xD

Haha!

I'm really having a hard time understanding why this annoys you so much. My feeling is "who cares?" There are plenty of other options in town when it comes to finding decent coffee, or as another respondent suggested, just make your own gourmet cup of joe at home.

Was just recently out in Oregon where one of the numerous gourmet coffee chains had nothing but young, blond, women working for them, who were all overtly chatty and flirty. It seemed pretty clear to me that this was no coincidence, and that this kind of service was viewed as a selling point. Shrug. I could have gone elsewhere (talk about a region where there are countless options for good coffee), but the coffee was good, the location was convenient, and I thought the whole thing a laugh.

In the heirarchy of things I find annoying, I have to confess this is pretty far down on my list. You really think this is something so annoying that you need to blog about it?

I don't know, if you want sex with your food, maybe stay home?

Or go ahead and get ripped off for subpar sustenance.

Perfect captcha: tackiest innovations

Too call someone who likes to look at college aged girls in revealing outfits a pedophile is absurd. You sound like a bitter house frau.

I would like to address 'belly dancing in morrocan restaurants'.....many dancers who dance in mid-east restaurants are not only respectable artists, but are very aware and sensitive to their audiences.....often in family style restaurants.....it's not MEN who 'stuff' money in costumes.....it's their wives, children etc. who tip in safe, appropriate places (shoulder straps, gauntlets, hip points), primarily because traditional tipping (throwing money in the air) is dangerous (slipping hazard) and inconvenient. Also, it is SOP to bring ladies and children up to dance, so to rope middle-eastern/oriental dancers in the same blog as Scores is insulting, and shows a lack of understanding both of the art, and the restaurants they're in....Mayhap the writer should sample the many mid-east and Indian restaurants that offer this in the area....she'd be quite pleased, I'm sure, at the respect the dancers have for their audiences, and vice versa

For the record, bellydancing is culturally appropriate, family friendly dinner entertainment so long as the owner of the restaurant hires a professional performer (one who has gone through the years of training required to perform professionally, not a 6-week YouTube wonder). Tipping in the costume is culturally correct, so long as it is done tastefully (in the side of the hip, not the front or back of the belt). Of course you could just give a tip to the dancer by hand. Most professional dancers do not go around begging for tips, but accept them graciously as a compliment for the show. In fact, we tend to ignore the customers who are obviously ignoring us - we figure they want to be left alone. If you have any issue with seeing a dancer while eating dinner, then you could come to the restaurant before or after the show. Most shows are 20 minutes or less and are at an advertised scheduled time, so it is not difficult to time your dinner so as to miss the show. But most customers want the dinner entertainment, hence the dancers.

Now if you want something just a little more exciting, you could go to a nightclub bellydance show. With a professional bellydancer, it still could pass as family -friendly, but just a little more sexy. These shows are usually later at night, with hookah and alcohol and some food, and targeted more to nightclub clientele rather than the family dinner customers.

And if you want something for adults only, then go to a stripper club. But I guarantee you won't find any professional bellydancers there!

No. 11: Enjoying a treat from the carts outside Camden Yards when Larry Flynt's stripper mobile rolls by. http://bit.ly/dircFV

What kid wouldn't enjoy a side of pole dancing with his ice cream?

A compromise.

Also, I like iced coffee during the summer months.

Back in the day, this blog used to self police and rude commenters were not tolerated.

Bummer that this has apparently changed.

Jason: maybe she meant to call them perverts. What's the difference? Either way they're using the excuse of buying a cup of coffee to stare creepily at someone they couldn't possibly have. My word for that is "pathetic."

While I don't think LV needs any assistance defending herself.... Ruta and Nimeera... did you two even bother to read all of Number 5? LV acknowledged that she really doesn't have anything against belly dancing (probably for exactly the reasons you provided), except under very limited and specific circumstances.

Maybe it's just a West Coast kind of thing, but unfortunately I have also experienced the kind of unpleasant nonsense she's referring to (many years ago in Santa Cruz). Maybe it just wasn't a very reputable restaurant (I remember nothing about the food, just the unexpected belly dancing performance at the conclusion of the meal), but I still remember how after the show, the dancer went around the room, providing a brief performance in front of every male in the room. In fact, she wouldnt' move on to the next customer until they'd stuffed a couple of bills in her outfit. Uhhhh!!!!

Perhaps unfairly, but to this day I'm leary of dining at Moroccon restaurants (even though I adore the cuisine), and if I go I always try to make sure I will not be there during a belly dancing performance!

Sex and food are bound intimately - sensual pleasures that also fulfill basic biologic needs.

Evolution had a pretty creative day when it decided to attach "pleasure" to things that keep us alive and keep the species propagating. If the selfish gene had figured out a way to make paying taxes a sumptuous delight, there'd be no tea party.

Not unlike food; however, our society is far too easily amused by cheap thrills, rather than true quality.

Sex in this country is a little like fast food. Sure, it might be a great once in a while treat, but hardly fulfills in the long-haul, and leaves you wanting for more.

One wonders if we can draw parallels with the attention paid lately to the way the French or Italians approach food. You're gonna have a lifetime to enjoy it, so why spoil your appetite now?

Two words for everyone: lighten up!

I'm old and filthy as well, but pardon me, but college girls I find to be a little past their prime. Sorry.

KGM80, you're absolutely right. Anyone who finds another human being desirable is a pervert.

to anonymous: yes, we DID read it carefully.....and I'm sorry you had a bad experience......No, it's not a 'west coast' thing, or any regional thing....THAT is an example of what Nimeera mentioned as a poorly trained, unprofessional dancer, and/or, less than savory restaurant managment.....Professionals don't hover over patrons until they tip (poor form, under any circumstance), nor do they specificly target the men(ladies and kids are MUCH more enthusiastic and fun)...AND as she mentioned, if someone isn't interested in the show, they go about their merry way and leave that patron be...I'm sorry you and the blogger encountered less than stellar examples of the art, but in this area, the majority respect boundaries, enjoy entire families, and for the most part enrich the cultural experience for those who enjoy it, and leave be those that don't.....and you DO exercise your right to NOT take part, which is not dine when a dancer is present, which is fair...

Good job Laura. Thanks for coming up with inventive ideas for this column.

Where did all the humorless goobers come from?

It is unfortunate that both the author and the anonymous poster above experienced a less than professional bellydance performance. However, it is important to note the difference between a professional bellydancer and a non-professional. Professional performers adhere to standards of behavior, especially in a family dinner environment. Otherwise they don’t stay employed for very long – the owners are most interested in keeping their clientele happy, which usually includes families with children of all ages.

In addition, restaurants that provide bellydance entertainment (and the performers themselves) are very localized entities, not part of a national chain. The author of this article “Blogs about the Region’s Restaurants”. A restaurant in California is not anywhere near the DC-Baltimore Metropolitan Region. It would be much more appropriate to include bellydancers on this list if the author had been referring to a poor experience recently in a local restaurant, not one many years ago in California.

There are many fabulous family-friendly restaurants around Baltimore and DC that provide bellydance entertainment. I would encourage anyone who has not had the experience to go to one and see for themselves. Talk to the dancer after the show and tell her what you liked and didn't like. And if don’t like one show, then try another. There are many restaurants (and dancers) to visit.

Oh, wait.... this was supposed to be humor??? Oh, in that case, it REALLY sucked.

Not funny AND moralistic? A very bad combination.

Enjoy "Bikini Barista" the music video cheers!

www.youtube.com/quickietheband

Enjoy "Bikini Barista" the music video cheers!

www.youtube.com/quickietheband

You are a huge phony, Warthog/Anon. The only time you show up is to slag on the blog owner. You did it many times to Elizabeth.

All I can say is that I've been to Hooters twice - once with my wife and once when my (female) boss took our group out for lunch. The view is good, but the 'sex' aspect is overplayed by those who do not work or eat there.

Regarding Scores (#6 above), I thought that's why they called it a strip steak.

Shadow Puppet - I only post as Warthog on this and several other boards and blogs.

I expect that the Anonymous posts following mine on this thread are all the same person, but whoever that person is, it isn't me. Take it up with that person.

@Sir Loin, there's a steakhouse in San Diego called the Gaslamp Strip Club, and the women keep their clothes on! Talk about false advertising, but I admit it was a good place to get a bite to eat. :)

(As I recall, it was one of those "grill your own meat" places.... Somehow that sounds dirty in the present context.)

TERI MAA KI CHUT