Are there really people eating at Applebee's because they're "afraid of being thought to be snobs"? I may be a food snob, but I still love my Del Taco "Del Meat" Burrito, am not above eating at Bertucci's in a pinch, yet I've managed to avoid Applebee's my whole life.

I get really angry at bad Thai and Vietnamese restaurants in DC, but that's just because of the opportunity cost: how dare this place stay in business and trick people into eating such pap when there are so many better options?

Speaking of which: Ruan Thai (Wheaton). This place is highly recommended by Tyler Cowen. It's very good for (1) Wheaton and (2) its price point, which, for dinner if not lunch, is lower than, say, the secret Thai restaurant. What was good: the yum pla korb, the whole fish (though "market price" takes this place out of its budget-range advantage), the baked seafood in yellow sauce. The tom kha kai was special, not being overwhelmed by coconut the way it is at most restaurants or when I make it, and the restaurant has the nice touch of allowing one to order a large bowl and share amongst smaller bowls. Meh: the duck with basil and chili. What surprised me was the claim by every reviewer that this place was unusually spicy; I didn't find this at all. Perhaps we ordered wrong (though everything except the fish had a chili symbol), but the overwhelming taste was sweet, rather than savory; I never felt the fire of the secret Thai restaurant. I'd thus rank Ruan Thai behind the latter, and perhaps even Duangrat's; too, Wheaton is even a bigger travel hassle than Herndon for me, so it's unlikely I'll be back often.

"The burger, which was debuted at the Grizzlies' December 10th sale, consists of a thick and juicy burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. The burger is then placed in between each side of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut." (via Easterbrook)

Alternative post title: "But where's the rich creamery butter?"

I visited a new Indian mom-and-pop in Clarendon; it was still getting the kinks out of service, and the food was bland and uninteresting. Very disappointing, but I don't want to bad-mouth it, because you get the sense that this is the owner's life savings at issue. Maybe it will improve.

I don't have any problem bad-mouthing its nearby Clarendon chain neighbor, Tandoori Nights, which also lacks spice, and doesn't do enough to segregate its non-smoking section from the smoking section. Like most restaurants in Clarendon, the food seems to be served to rationalize being able to serve alcohol.

Slim and I had much more luck going out to Fairfax for Jaipur, buried in the side of a condo tower. I wasn't thrilled with the naan, but we had two unusual chicken dishes, and I look forward to delving further into their menu or having a chance to try the lunch buffet.

Thumbs up also to Abiti (U Street Metro), which may well be the best Ethiopian restaurant I've ever been to; Slim and I ordered three entrees, and each was spectacular. The derek tibs was the best I ever had with a crispness that I don't usually associate with Ethiopian, the berbere in the awaze tibs was very good. Tyler Cowen raves about the shiro, and it's definitely very good, though waterier than I'm used to. They take their time serving, and it's one of those places with baskets instead of tables, but we're definitely going back (still haven't tried the kitfo); it's likely kicked Meskerem out of my rotation permanently.

"What do you want for lunch today?" I asked Slim today, as we decided we were hungry on the way to Trader Joe's. "Chinese," she replied. Don't ask me how we ended up at Mirage Kabob and Sweets (Bailey's Crossroads), but I'm glad we did; excellent hummus and garlic yogurt, and the kebabs were very good, the chicken and ground-beef better than the beef.

(Price of three peppers at Harris Teeter: $8.97. Price at Trader Joe's: $3.59. Worth the extra seven miles of driving.)