# What'd you have for dinner tonight? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103 "2005-04-26T01:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/21 "2005-04-26T04:37:37Z")
We ordered in pizza…boring! ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/22 "2005-04-26T04:43:15Z")
I had a bowl of tortilla soup, a chili relleno, and guacamole. Oh, and a Maker’s Mark on the rocks. $23.99, including tip. Never been to this place before, as I’m out of town (as usual), but the food was excellent, so I’ll likely give them another visit at some point during this project. Dessert was the M&M’s and water left for me in my room because I’m a Gold member of the hotel’s frequent quest program. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/23 "2005-04-26T05:33:30Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > Okay, officially back to feeling pitiful. > > **Stranger** : definitely the pinot grigio. Well, don’t feel so pitiful; my best laid plans fell asunder when the grocery didn’t have any fresh salmon, so I ended up at Barney’s for a Hoegaarden and an Arroyo Wrap, listening to the barmaid and waitress talk about astrology. :rolleyes: I was tired and would have skipped it completely, except that my only meal today was breakfast at 06:30 and a banana around noon. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/24 "2005-04-26T06:04:20Z")
Lasagne, lemonade with cherries and a sprig of mint, and three cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![MinniePurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MinniePurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinniePurl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/25 "2005-04-26T07:44:02Z")
Ramen Shrimp Pouch. It’s based on an Alton Brown recipe, but I modified to fit what I had around the house. Goes like this (for one person, I made three of these for three adults and one baby): Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Open ramen pack. Put brick of noodles in center of large square of heavy-duty foil. Throw seasoning packet in drawer. On top of noodles, put: sprinkling of chopped onions, raw thawed tail-on shrimp (however many of the size you’ve got that makes a good portion of meat for one person), chopped broccoli, diced red pepper. On top sprinkle a bit of kosher salt, red pepper flakes and parsley to taste. Fold foil up around brick to form a pouch. Do this carefully-- don’t make a hole, and leave an opening in the top to pour your broth in. In a bowl, combine broth of your choice (I used chicken) with some dashes of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. I use about a cup for each ramen brick. It should cover the noodles, but not cover much of the other stuff. Pour your broth in the pouch and close up, leaving a small hole for steam to escape. Put on a cookie sheet and cook in over for 15 minutes, or until noodles are soft and shrimp is no longer translucent. Original recipe here:[http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD\_9936\_24166,00.html](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_24166,00.html) For dessert, I made Harvest Pumpkin Bars from the _King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion_. I got a bit overzealous with the stand mixer and beat too much air into them-- they were supposed to be like pumpkin brownies, but they are more like cake. Still good though. And I didn’t have crystallized ginger or pecans for the cream cheese frosting, so I substitued almond extract for the vanilla, put ground ginger in, and put chopped almonds on top. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/26 "2005-04-26T13:00:23Z")
Thanks to this thread, my best laid plans went awry. I went home and had dinner, then promptly fell asleep. Ah, the vagaries of old age. (And what will happen when I reach 35?!?!?) **Harimad-Sol** : lemonade with cherries? **Stranger** : your dinner was still better than mine. **Minnie** : you can cook for me anytime! ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/27 "2005-04-26T13:08:17Z")
> [@](#): > > so I ended up at Barney’s for a Hoegaarden and an Arroyo Wrap Stranger, I lived in your neck of the woods a little over 20 years ago. Coming back to Southern California on business next month and the one thing I was worried about was if Barney’s was still around. 🙂 I hope they still have the fish and chips. As far as my dinner went, Mrs, Jammer made her homemade teryaki chicken, steamed rice, and baby peas w/mushrooms and pearl onions. Very tasty. Jammer ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/28 "2005-04-26T14:13:25Z")
Hamburger Helper, Philly Cheesesteak variety. Water to drink. Not terrible, but certainly not as good as what some of ya’ll had. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/29 "2005-04-26T17:36:34Z")
Last night (when the OP asked), I made smoked salmon quiche. We had that and strawberries, then a small brownie and a dollop ice cream each for dessert. Normally we don’t eat that much junk, but damn was it good. Tonight, sweet pepper poriyal and chapatis. Mmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/30 "2005-04-26T18:05:40Z")
Last night I made chile rellenos, fried plantain with sour cream and hot sauce, homemade guacamole and homemade salsa with chips. It was yummy. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/31 "2005-04-26T18:37:47Z")
> [@Jammer](#): > > Stranger, I lived in your neck of the woods a little over 20 years ago. Coming back to Southern California on business next month and the one thing I was worried about was if Barney’s was still around. 🙂 I hope they still have the fish and chips. Still open, though under different management. They’ve a great selection of beer (100+ varieties), and pretty decent sandwiches; best bar food in Pasadena, anyway, if I might risk damning them with faint praise. They still have fish and chips (they’re actually fries, not chips, but thick cut), and people order them frequently, but having not indulged I can’t vouch for their quality. The rest of Old Town has changed considerably though. You can now walk into the 35er without risking life and limb; it’s actually rather tame, though the downstairs is still nicely rustic. Hell, the place has a Pottery Barn, a J. Crew, and an Apple Store right down the street; if that isn’t the epitome of yuppiedom shopping paradise I don’t know what is. [Here’s](http://www.seeing-stars.com/Shop/OldPasadena.shtml) a little blurb that’ll give an idea of what it’s like now. (Warning: it’s a bit heavy on the name dropping–do I care of Twin Palms is owned by Kevin Costner?–but gives the general gist.) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/32 "2005-04-26T18:44:43Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > **Harimad-Sol** : lemonade with cherries? I don’t know why, but that particular restaurant puts cherries in their lemonade. Pretty good, really. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/33 "2005-04-26T19:04:55Z")
Mmm…last night I made a grilled grouper sandwich with sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and mayo on a whole wheat bun. I am on Weight Watchers, so I used lower fat everything (except cheese, that was full fat and worth it), but it was goooood. I also had baked chips and diet cherry Coke. 8 points. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/34 "2005-04-26T19:08:11Z")
> [@Harimad-sol](#): > > I don’t know why, but that particular restaurant puts cherries in their lemonade. Pretty good, really. I’ve had mint in my lemonade before, but not cherries. Real cherries, I assume, and not those maraschino frauds? Might have to try that. > [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > You can now walk into the 35er without risking life and limb; it’s actually rather tame. You say that like it’s a bad thing! ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/35 "2005-04-26T19:10:02Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > I’ve had mint in my lemonade before, but not cherries. Real cherries, I assume, and not those maraschino frauds? Might have to try that. No, they were maraschinos. Real ones would undoubtedly be even better. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/36 "2005-04-26T20:15:22Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > You say that like it’s a bad thing! Well, it just doesn’t have the same ambience. I actually rather like the place, but I wish they’d open up the basement during weeknights. I generally head over to Los Feliz for fun at bars and/or late night dining. [hijack]In general, Old Town is becoming a place for the 10 year to retirement crowd, and I’m getting irritated at the attempts to squeeze out the old businesses that don’t fit in (e.g. Jake’s). When they make Martha Stewart the honorary mayor of Old Town and ban the Doo-Dah parade I’m going to climb the Castle Green tower with my M1 Carbine and wait for the Marines to show up.[/hijack] Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/37 "2005-04-26T21:51:40Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > [hijack]In general, Old Town is becoming a place for the 10 year to retirement crowd, and I’m getting irritated at the attempts to squeeze out the old businesses that don’t fit in (e.g. Jake’s). When they make Martha Stewart the honorary mayor of Old Town and ban the Doo-Dah parade I’m going to climb the Castle Green tower with my M1 Carbine and wait for the Marines to show up.[/hijack] Don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. After all, Martha can’t go far with that ankle bracelet. I suppose I shouldn’t admit I _like_ Old Town? Or at least parts of it . . . ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/38 "2005-04-26T22:10:59Z")
I had (last night) hamburger helper and stale french bread toasted with garlic butter and cheese on top. It wasn’t bad. Tonight we’re having fettucine and red sauce with lots of beef. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/39 "2005-04-26T22:37:47Z")
Last night, a big bowl of raw spinach with crumbled gorgonzola and basalmic vinegar. Tonight’s probably gonna be the same thing because I’m out of food and too lazy to go to the store. I figure I’ll be forced to go get actual food by Thursday unless I break into the canned beans. (I’m obviously on the “don’t like to cook” side) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103/40 "2005-04-26T23:30:45Z")
I’ll chime in with tonight’s menu of grilled chicken breasts marinated in Emeril’s Sesame Asian marinade, teriaki-flavored rice and steamed broccoli. All washed down with some cold Yuengling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatd-you-have-for-dinner-tonight/301103.md?page=3)