Original Pancake House: Smothered Chicken Sandwich

I didn't plan on going here, since I wasn't in the mood for pancakes or eggs, and hey, what else do they serve? Fortunately, they have a lunch menu with sandwiches and salads and such. I chose the Smothered Chicken Sandwich. Grilled chicken breast topped with bell pepper, sauteed onion, Bacon and Cheddar Cheese and served on a Kaiser roll. The benefit of it being a breakfast place is that I could get hash browns instead of french fries with it.

The sandwich was very good. there were three thick slices of bacon on it, hanging a little bit off the side, as well as the bell peppers and onions. The cheddar cheese was melted over the vegetables. Also a plus, the sandwich wasn't greasy. The hashbrowns were also excellent. Lots of shredded potatoes fried to a golden brown crisp on the top and bottom. They even brought me hot sauce with the catsup. As a bonus, this was one of the cheapest sandwiches on the menu.

The wrap up? I will no longer avoid this place. The do have good options if you don't want pancakes. There are many locations across the country, but only two Original pancake houses in my area, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, MD and 12224 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD. I went to the bethesda one which is at Bethesda Place Plaza.

Norkys Rotisserie Chicken: Norkys chicken breast sandwich

Norkey's is a new rotisserie chicken restaurant on Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda. I had the Chicken Breast Sandwich. It is a pretty simple sandwich, chunks of rotisserie chicken on a baguette with lettuce and onions (and Mayo, but I didn't get that) My first impression was that it was larger than I expected. It was pretty tasty, chicken with a lightly charred taste that helped the flavor. The chicken chunks were a good size and moist. It was pretty reasonably priced for what you get too. The only negative was that the onions should have been separated better, I'd occassionally get a bite with too much onion in it. It also came with a small side of spicy mayonaise sauce. I tried it, but the spiciness overwhelmed the light flavor of the chicken.

This was my first trip to Norkies chicken, but probably won't be my last. The location isn't the best, and it is more geared towards carry-out than eating there, so keep that in mind. They also deliver (limited area, minimum order, blah blah). Another note, the sides you can get with the rotisserie chicken are pretty much all starches, fries, rice, and potatoes, stuff like that. It is located 7812 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD. They also have online ordering options, but I haven't tried that.

South Beach Livng: Savory Pork

One of Kraft's South Beach living microwave meals. Chunks of pork, onions, and celery in a savory sauce with pecans. The pork was nice and firm, the chunks neither too large or too small. The pork depended on the sauce for flavor, not having much of its own. Suprisingly, the celery retained some of it's own flavor, usually you don't see that. The sauce was thin and lightly flavored, but this wasn't a bad thing, it went well with the other flavors in the dish. The pecans were more of a garnish, but added a nice bit of crunch now and then. They were a welcome addition. The Vegetables are green beans with yellow bell peppers. The green beans were decent, the yellow peppers were, as is often the case, mushy. Some of the sauce from the meat side spilled over and livened up the vegetables quite a bit.

The dish is split into two sections, the smaller one was filled to the brim with the meat, the larger one was less than half full with the vegetables. I have to wonder if this was deliberate or if the just mixed something up. I think this tv dinner ended up being ok, certainly not a standout, but not bad either. (230 calories, 9g fat; 13g carbs; 22g protein; 28% sodium)

South Beach Living: Kung Pao Chicken

One of Kraft's South Beach Living brand of microwave meals. Diced meat chicken, red peppers and peanuts in kung pao sauce with a side of broccoli, water chestnuts and Yellow peppers. The vegetable side is mostly broccoli with a a decent number of slices of water chestnuts and small squares of yellow bell pepper. The broccoli was firm, not too overcooked, but not crunchy either. For some reason, many of the flowers were removed from the stems, it didn't affect the taste, but was unexpected. The water chestnuts added some nice crunch, there was no sauce on the vegetables.

The chicken was diced, not cut in strips like the box said, but that is probably for the better, as I didn't need a knife it had a decent texture but not much flavor. Once piece of chicken I got had a piece of bone in it. The box says it is mildly spiced and they aren't kidding, there isn't a whole lot of flavor to the sauce except some bites would be a tiny bit hot. The peanuts add crunch, but again, not much to the flavor, and the red bell pepper bits add color only.

Overall, I'd say they have quality control issues (for both the broccoli and the chicken). The tv dinner was bland, certainly not the rich flavor I would expect in Kung Pao Chicken. (250 calories; 9g fat; 14g carbs; 25g protein; 26% sodium)

Thimian Thai: Chicken Pad Ka Pow

This is a pretty new Thai restaurant in downtown Bethesda. I went there for lunch and had chicken Pad Kapow, thin strips of chicken stir-fried with thin strips of red and green peppers, onions, and basil, all in a brown sauce. This dish is somewhat spicy. The peppers and onions were perfectly cooked, still with some crunch to them. The chicken was also good. The sauce was really, really, good. Just enough heat to really let you know it was there, but nowhere close to overwhelming it. It was also very flavorful and really soaked into the rice. The yellow walls of the restaurant don't add to the atmosphere, but the food was excellent and I plan on going back there.

Thimian Thai is located at 7525 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD. Directly across the street from the Clark Building. Restaurants in the location prior to this one include Gator Alley and Uncle Jed's Roadhouse.

Rice Paddies Grill: Chicken w/ Ginger Sauce

This is a small restaurant, where you walk up to the counter to order. There is seating but a most people going there seem to take out. There is a big window into the kitchen where you can watch them make the food. Since they cook everything when you order it, it can take a while when they are busy.

I got the Chicken with Ginger sauce, chunks of chicken stir fried with onions and green and red peppers (and is gluten free). It also came with a side salad and steamed rice. I think the chicken had been grilled before it was stir-fried and that added a nice taste to it. The sauce was smooth and the ginger didn't overwhelm the dish. There was plenty of everything and I briefly considered not finishing it. At first I thought it was a little on the high side, given that it wasn't really a sit-down restaurant, but, the taste, plus the quantity, plus the side salad changed my mind. I think the price was perfectly acceptable given what you get. I liked it and will probably head back another time, the lemon grass chicken looks appealing.

Rice Paddies Grill is located at 4706 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. It is next to a Starbucks.

Lean Cuisine: Deep Dish margharita pizza

Part of Stouffer's Lean Cusine casual eating classics menu. A single serving pizza with chunky tomatoes, garlic, basil, and tomato sauce with extra virgin olive oil. Pizza usually has lots of cheese, thus, lots of fat. Doing pizza the low-fat way is tough. If you look at the picture on the box, the pizza shows lots of cheese. That is deceptive, there isn't very much cheese on the pizza, and what cheese there was, wasn't evenly spread out. There is lots of crust (it is deep dish afterall) a reasonable amount of tomato sauce and diced tomatos, aand a little bit of cheese. The box said to put it in for 2:30 to 3:30, but for an extra crispy crust, put it in for an extra 30 seconds. I like crispy, so I cooked it for 3:30, which ended up drying the crust out (but it was crispy) I probably should have cooked it a little less. (lesson learned). The pizza itself was decent, you wouldn't confuse it for pizza parlor pizza, or even pizza delivery, it still has lots of calories for what you get, with a 25% coming from fat. If you really crave pizza, this could fit the bill, but I wouldn't make it part of my regular menu. (320 calories; 9g fat; 48g carbs; 14g protein; 23% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Mauna Loa: Maui Onion and Garlic Macadamias

Macadamia nuts coated with a garlic and onion seasoning. I like macadamia nuts, however, they have a fairly subtle flavor that is easily overwhelmed by whatever they are paired with. Garlic and onion can both be strong, so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to taste the Macadamias at all. Suprisingly, they the garlic and onion doesn't quite overwhelm the macadamia taste. I can't decide if I like them or not, but I do know that I like the unflavored macadamia nuts better. If you really like garlic or just want to try something unique, then give these a shot, otherwise, I would stay with normal macadamia nuts. (200 calories; 4g carb; 2g protein; 7% sodium; per quarter cup serving [28g])

Lean Cuisine: Grilled chicken caesar

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine cafe classics bowl. Grilled white meat chicken with broccoli and garlic flavored radiatore pasta in a parmesan-ceasar sauce. Different than most because it comes in a bowl, not a tray, but it cooks like any other tv dinner. The chicken is good, tender and very chickeny. The sauce complements but doesn't overpower it. The pasta was right to the edge of overcooked, but wasn't. Again, the light sauce goes well with it. Broccoli came out crisp, not overdone or soggy. All the part came together well. Overall, a nice microwave meal. (240 calories; 7g fat; 25g carbs; 18g protein 29% sodium)

Glad Corn: A-Maizing Corn Snack (original flavor)

It isn't often you find a snack that is simple (only three ingredients) but still has a unique and interesting flavor. It is even less often that you like that flavor. This snack fits the bill. It is partially popped corn kernels that have been cooked in oil. That isn't the most flattering description, I know, but it really tastes good. I'm not the type of person that picks through the unpopped popcorn at the bottom of the bowl either. I also don't care for corn-nuts. Each bite is salty and crunchy without being too hard. The only real downside is the corn shells can get caught in your teeth, much like popcorn. Glad Corn makes other flaovors too but I haven't tried them yet. (140 calories; 6g fat; 2g protein; 19g carbs; 7% sodium; per 1 ounce [one third cup] serving)

Snyder's: Jalapeno Cheddar Pretzel Sandwiches

Thin cicular pumpernickel pretzels with Jalapeno Cheddar cheese spread, By Snyder's of Hanover. The pretzels are great, the thin strands of pretzel are crisp, without being hard. the pumpernickel is a nice change from your normal pretzel. If they sold these pretzel wafers on their own I would probably get them. The cheese spread is about hte same as what you get in any snack, nothing distinctive, but pretyt good. There is just the slightest bit if spiciness, I would prefer more. Overall, good, because of the pretzel, it would be better if it were a bit spicier. (140 calories; 7g fat; 17g carbs; 3g protien; 8% sodium; per 1 ounce, or eight sandwiches)

Eating Right: Chicken with creamy mushroom sauce

Eating Right is Safeway's house brand of healthier food. This microwave meal has white meat chicken and pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce and bits of red bell pepper mixed in. There wasn't enough chicken in the dish, and although it had a good flavor, I found it every so slightly tough. The noodles game out good, not overcooked or stuck together. The sauce was a bit thin and didn't have much flavor and the mushrooms tasted like standard canned mushrooms. Mix all this together and you get a bland and forgettable entree, though not one with any glaring problems. Not a tv dinner I would get again. (290 calories; 7g fat; 36g carbs; 21g protein; 18% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Smart Ones: Angel Hair marinara

One of Weight Watcher's Smart Ones "classic favorites" microwave meals. Lots of thin angel hair pasta with tomato sauce (or as they call it delicious marinara sauce, emphasis theirs) with spinach and yellow and green zucchini. Cooking went smoothly, you have to stir it part way through. The chunks of squash are good-sized and athough more would be nice, there was a minimally sufficient number of them. As is often the case with tv dinners, the squash was overcooked. Not totally mushy, but nowhere near crisp. There is lots of pasta, it is nice and thin, and didn't come out overcooked or hopelessly stuck together. The tomato sauce was good, it had good tomato flavor and wasn't acidic tasting like you sometimes find. Overall the separate elements went well together and the dish was better than just the sum of its parts. It only has 4 weight watchers points which is suprising given the amount of pasta it has in it. (230 calories; 4g fat; 40g carbs; 9g protein; 27% sodium; 4 weight watchers points)

Diet Pepsi Jazz: Caramel Cream

I don't really care for diet sodas, however, I don't care for the the empty calories of regular soda, so I am willing to try diets in hope that I find ones that taste good and don't have an aftertaste. My first drink of Diet Pepsi Caramel Cream left me with two impressions 1: its pepsi; 2: with a different aftertaste. The caramel flavor doesn't really come through as you are drinking it, but afterwards, you can taste it. It is very light and not unplesant. The good part is that it covers up the usual diet drink taste. I can't say that I am a huge fan of it, but given the choice between regular diet pepsi and this flavor, I would choose this one every time. (0 calories; 0g fat; 0g carbs; 0g protein; 2% sodium)

Selling a car to CarMax

I have now sold two cars to Carmax and both times the experience was favorable. It takes longer than I expected to sell the car (and buying a car always takes me longer than I expect too, I wonder why my expectaions are so far off). They also always seem to ask for documentation that I don't have with me and I have to go home and get it. I think the documentation they need varies from state to state, so I won't list it here.

The first time I got an estimate, but didn't sell my car immediately. It took about an hour for me to get through the line and get the estimate. I then had to get a replacement title (the one I had still listed a leinholder) Actually selling it took another hour and a half or two hours. They had to do a re-inspection to make sure I hadn't damaged it in the intervening day, then officially buy it, then I had to wait around some more while the made out a bank draft (like a check, but subtely different) In the end, they offered a little more than I expected. When I bought my new car, they had asked if I wanted to trade in, and when I said I was going to get an estimate at carmax, they told me that carmax usually could beat their offers.

The second time, there was again missing paper work, but I didn't bother with getting an estimate first, since that didn't seem to save me much time. When everything was in order it again took a couple of hours to get through everything, and they again offered more than I was expecting.

Aside from the time it takes, and never seeming to have the right documentation, selling a car to carmax is fairly easy, and I would recommend doing that instead of trading it in when you buy a new car. I haven't bought a car from them, so I can't tell you if the prices are fair or how long it takes. Also note, that if you sell them your car, you need an alternate way to get home.

Mini Oreo: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Like regular Oreos, only smaller. crisp chocolate cookies with creamy white filling. The smaller size gives a different taste to the cookie. There is much more cookie and less filling. Wether or not this is a good thing depends on your perspective. If you liek the cookie part, this is a great thing. If double-stuff oreos are your bag, then these are not for you. I also think they are less fun, there isn't much point to taking them apart and eating the filling first. Personally, I like the filling, so I am going to stick to the full-sized oreos.

Smart Ones: Tuna Noodle Gratin

One of Weight Watchers' Smart Ones classic favorites microwave meals. Chunks of albacore tuna and linguini in a creamy sauce topped with toasted breadcrumbs. The thick layer of breadcrumbs may have been toasted to start with, but by the time the microwave is done with them, they are soggy. The sauce is creamy and pleasant. It would be better if it were just the slightest bit thicker. The chunks of tuna are small, hardly chunks, but firm and tuna-like. There are peas and celery slices mixed in. You can taste the pepper, which keeps the dish from being too mild. The salt content is a bit high at 33% of the recommended daily value. This TV dinner met met my expectations. It isn't outstanding, but it is pretty good, and a nice change of pace from the standard chicken and beef microwave entrees. (250 calories; 4.5g fat; 37g carbs; 14g protein; 33% sodium; 5 weight watchers points)

Smart Ones: Broccoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes

One of Weight Watchers Smart Ones Classic Favorites microwave meals. Roasted russet potatoes topped with broccoli and cheddar cheese sauce. There was a lot of cheese sauce, which is good. Cheese sauce will cover up minor problems. The sauce was good, cheesy and not to thick or too thin. It sticks to the potatoes and brocolli just enough. The potatoes were a bit dry, but the cheese sauce takes care of that. The brocoli was good, a little bit crispy, not soggy at all. I was disappointed though that the picture show the brocoli being mostly tops, but mine was almost entirely stems. The entree comes pretty well mixed together and it is pretty good overall. One thing to note, it isn't vegetarian. Even though there are no chunks meat, it is made with chicken and beef stock. (220 calories; 6g fat; 34g carbs; 9g protein; 20% sodium, 4 weight watchers points)

No Pudge: Fudge Brownie Mix

No Pudge makes a fat-free brownie mix that you just add yogurt to and cook. The brownies come out a little bit cake-like, more-so than most brownies, but still more brownie than cake. They are also delicious, you wouldn't guess they have no fat in them. They are rich, chocolatey and a little chewy. You have to be careful not to confuse fat-free with low calorie. These have just as many calories as normal brownies. Each serving is a 2x2.66 inch square and has 120 calories. Of course, if you don't use fat-free yogurt the end result will have some fat. (120 calories; 0g fat; 28g carbs; 2g protein; 8% sodium)

California Tortilla: Tacos

California Tortilla is a small chain of restaurants in Maryland specializing in burritos. They have many non-traditional burritos as well as salads and tacos. One selling point is that they have at least 30 different hot sauces you can put on your food. I tried the tacos, I ordered one chicken and one beef taco. A warm flour tortilla filled with Monterey jack cheese, lettuce and fresh salsa, and of course, the meat of your choice. The beef taco was ground beef with taco seasonings. It was reasonable but not outstanding. The same can be said for the chicken. Overall they are decent tacos, but they were lacking the spark that would make them unique.