Chicken Fingers

Denise Whiting will be watching Friday night's "Kitchen Nightmares" episode featuring her restaurant in the cozy confines of Cafe Hon - in the attached Hon Bar, to be specific. Cafe Hon is bringing in a big-screen TV for the viewing, which is open to the public but booked solid, Whiting says. Whiting said she hasn't seen the show yet but has seen the promos for the episode that have been running on the local Fox affiliate. "I'm really grateful to Gordon Ramsay and his team for dealing with everyone here so graciously.

Denise Whiting will be watching Friday night's "Kitchen Nightmares" episode featuring her restaurant in the cozy confines of Cafe Hon - in the attached Hon Bar, to be specific. Cafe Hon is bringing in a big-screen TV for the viewing, which is open to the public but booked solid, Whiting says. Whiting said she hasn't seen the show yet but has seen the promos for the episode that have been running on the local Fox affiliate. "I'm really grateful to Gordon Ramsay and his team for dealing with everyone here so graciously.

* ITEM: Antioch Farms Chicken Breast* SERVINGS: one* COST: $1.19* PREPARATION TIME: About 7 minutes using microwave method or 35 minutes in conventional oven.* REVIEW: Ever order chicken cordon bleu at a burger joint? That's what these precooked, boneless chicken breasts reminded me of. To their credit, these are sold individually, so each member of your family can have a favorite flavor (chicken cordon bleu, chicken Kiev, chicken stuffed with brown and wild rice). While they're not suitable for your next dinner party, they are an upscale alternative to chicken fingers.

The Sun's recent article concerning skybox tickets used by MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakebrings to light the arrogance of the mayor ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box," Feb. 9). I am confused as to the services her family provides to the city that would make them eligible to receive such a lucrative gift, a gift she bestows on them on a regular basis. Your article never mentioned the cost to taxpayers to provide food for her guests. I would assume the mayor doesn't make enough money to feed her family herself.

Offensive lineman Samuel Gutekunst is a native of Lustadt, Germany, and is playing with the Ravens as part of the International Development Practice Squad Program. He plays for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. Have you been to the United States before? I've been here twice for NFL Europe training camp in Tampa Bay. I like it much better here than Tampa because Tampa's very dirty. What's your favorite part about Baltimore or Maryland? So far, I haven't seen very much, just the Ravens' facilities, really.

The Sun's recent article concerning skybox tickets used by MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakebrings to light the arrogance of the mayor ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box," Feb. 9). I am confused as to the services her family provides to the city that would make them eligible to receive such a lucrative gift, a gift she bestows on them on a regular basis. Your article never mentioned the cost to taxpayers to provide food for her guests. I would assume the mayor doesn't make enough money to feed her family herself.

Healthy in a Hurry By Jim Romanoff Betty Crocker Win at Weight Loss By Dr. James Hill and Susan J. Crockett John Wiley and Sons / 2006 / $24.95 Obesity in America is no longer a problem just for adults. Statistics show nearly a third of all American children are overweight or at risk of becoming so. This book from two children's nutrition experts contains tips and strategies, along with 140 kid-friendly recipes designed to help the whole family eat more healthfully. Each recipe comes with estimated prep time and nutritional analysis.

If we are what we eat, then America might be a nation of chickens. On average, consumers say they eat chicken five times in a two-week period, according to a 2006 National Chicken Council survey. Other research finds that fried chicken has been the fastest-growing fast-food menu item over the past decade. No doubt it's popular, but fried chicken is far from healthful. A five-piece order of McDonald's Chicken Selects contains 630 calories and 33 grams of fat. A more nutritious alternative is "un-frying" breaded chicken in the oven, but it can be tricky to find a method and recipe that mimics fried chicken.

There aren't many restaurant choices in Glenelg, but that's not the reason you would choose M.D.'s Country Pub. The tasty and extensive food selections make this an easy selection for a relaxed meal. Owner Michael Duffy established M.D.'s in 1990 and oversees the daily operation. Duffy says the restaurant's motto, "Fine Dining in a Casual Atmosphere," aptly describes the restaurant. At the end of a small strip mall, M.D.'s large oak entry door sets the stage for the pub's interior. The restaurant opens into a bar that incorporates several televisions, Keno and video games.

The treat for the 12 privileged students from Elkridge's Deep Run Elementary School was a stretch limo ride to a restaurant, with cloth napkins, fancy french fries and cake for dessert - while all their friends had to stay at school and do work. Ha! But there were a couple of tricks for these dozen costumed kiddies to endure, too. Chew with your mouth closed. No shoveling food. Don't say the food is yucky. Use your napkin, not your shirt. Stay IN YOUR SEAT. "If we can't get out of our seats, we can't even go to the bathroom," giggled Deep Run Elementary School soldier and second-grader Ann Marley.

To get good and scared on Halloween night, a parent doesn't have to look far. There's the fear of a wayward Jujube getting lodged in your preteen's braces, the terror of running out of candy and leaving your neighbors on the front stoop to survey your messy house through the storm door and the horror of your kids hauling home pounds of cavity-inducing confections that everyone at home finds impossible to resist. But what really scares many parents on Halloween is something entirely prosaic and yet altogether necessary: dinner.

If we are what we eat, then America might be a nation of chickens. On average, consumers say they eat chicken five times in a two-week period, according to a 2006 National Chicken Council survey. Other research finds that fried chicken has been the fastest-growing fast-food menu item over the past decade. No doubt it's popular, but fried chicken is far from healthful. A five-piece order of McDonald's Chicken Selects contains 630 calories and 33 grams of fat. A more nutritious alternative is "un-frying" breaded chicken in the oven, but it can be tricky to find a method and recipe that mimics fried chicken.

Combine sports and good food, and how can you help but hit a home run? That's what a couple of well-known Baltimore restaurateurs are hoping they've done with a new place that's just opened. Former Bohager's owner Damian Bohager and Tony Guarino, former owner of Dooby's and Crazy Lil's, have joined forces in a restaurant consulting business. Their latest project? The Playbook, a sports bar and restaurant at German Hill Road and Dundalk Avenue, between Boston and O'Donnell streets, just east of Interstate 95. The Playbook is owned by George Divel and his aunt and uncle, Donna and Will Matricciani.

Offensive lineman Samuel Gutekunst is a native of Lustadt, Germany, and is playing with the Ravens as part of the International Development Practice Squad Program. He plays for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. Have you been to the United States before? I've been here twice for NFL Europe training camp in Tampa Bay. I like it much better here than Tampa because Tampa's very dirty. What's your favorite part about Baltimore or Maryland? So far, I haven't seen very much, just the Ravens' facilities, really.

Healthy in a Hurry By Jim Romanoff Betty Crocker Win at Weight Loss By Dr. James Hill and Susan J. Crockett John Wiley and Sons / 2006 / $24.95 Obesity in America is no longer a problem just for adults. Statistics show nearly a third of all American children are overweight or at risk of becoming so. This book from two children's nutrition experts contains tips and strategies, along with 140 kid-friendly recipes designed to help the whole family eat more healthfully. Each recipe comes with estimated prep time and nutritional analysis.

Jalapeno poppers, chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks are the currency of American bar food, and that's no exception at Backfinz, a Locust Point bar and restaurant with a platoon of regulars. Backfinz is a worthy destination for anyone who needs a taste of lively city living. On an April evening that felt like summer, the neighborhood was hopping with a Little League game, stoop-sitting and rush-hour traffic. The bar was busy with customers having a beer after work, smoking, playing with their cell phones and a rather risque video game.

Jalapeno poppers, chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks are the currency of American bar food, and that's no exception at Backfinz, a Locust Point bar and restaurant with a platoon of regulars. Backfinz is a worthy destination for anyone who needs a taste of lively city living. On an April evening that felt like summer, the neighborhood was hopping with a Little League game, stoop-sitting and rush-hour traffic. The bar was busy with customers having a beer after work, smoking, playing with their cell phones and a rather risque video game.

The yeti has been sighted - and on York Road, no less. The Nepali version of the abominable snowman is now lending his name to a new, unassuming but promising carryout restaurant just south of Northern Parkway. Yeti has been open a couple of months, replacing a Mediterranean restaurant. Its menu bridges the gap between your basic American carryout fare - pizzas, subs and sandwiches - and Indian cuisine. (The owners of Yeti are Nepali, but they characterize that portion of their menu as Indian.

The yeti has been sighted - and on York Road, no less. The Nepali version of the abominable snowman is now lending his name to a new, unassuming but promising carryout restaurant just south of Northern Parkway. Yeti has been open a couple of months, replacing a Mediterranean restaurant. Its menu bridges the gap between your basic American carryout fare - pizzas, subs and sandwiches - and Indian cuisine. (The owners of Yeti are Nepali, but they characterize that portion of their menu as Indian.

The best line in My Big Fat Greek Wedding comes when it's revealed that the groom-to-be doesn't eat meat. "What do you mean, you don't eat no meat? ... That's OK. I'll make lamb," says Aunt Voula. Somehow that line came back to me as I ventured into the Meat Rack in Catonsville - kind of a poor man's version of the Prime Rib. The Meat Rack occupies a little red wooden building behind the Tastee Zone ice-cream stand not far outside the Beltway on Edmondson Avenue. A sign beckons with "Home Cooking at its Finest," and the aroma of roasting flesh fills the air in the somewhat cramped parking lot. But I'm a carnivore and I like that smell.