Taste

ARLINGTON, Texas - Chris Davis was on the roster of two Texas Rangers teams that eventually went to the World Series. He didn't make the postseason cut in 2010 and was traded to the Orioles halfway through 2011. On Friday, he'll play the first big league postseason game of his career in Arlington, but he'll be on the visitor's side. "It's good to be back," said Davis, who still lives in Dallas and returned to Rangers Ballpark earlier this season with the Orioles. "I think it helped playing here in August to get all the emotions out, coming back to a place that I was here for a while.

With about a month to go before Election Day, I know it won't be long before the commercials get even more ominous. Any day now, I'm sure I'll see one that starts, in that scary-movie-trailer voice, "In a world in which …" I can even provide the rest of the ad copy: For the vote-yes-on-Question-7 set: "In a world in which gambling isn't expanded in Maryland, unemployment will rise to new heights and those out of work will sink to new lows....

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles have spent many hours this week preparing for the Ravens' no-huddle offense. But they only have to go as far as their own practice field to face one in person. The defense has been getting familiar with the no-huddle since offseason workouts and training camp, as the offense has been simulating that approach. So the Ravens' fast-paced philosophy isn't exactly shocking. “The good thing is that [we've been working on that],” defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said Thursday.

Martha Socolar from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for a pasta salad with turkey that she said was printed on a box of Mueller's shell pasta in the mid-1990s. She said the recipe was on the box for a long time, but she never copied it down. Sue Housel from Eldersburg shared a recipe for a mandarin turkey pasta salad that she cut from a box of Mueller's shells many years ago that she hoped might be the one that Socolar was in search of. Even if this is not the exact recipe that Socolar remembers, it is one that she and her family are likely to enjoy.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, A Taste of Heaven will be held at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, noon to 3 p.m., to benefit Carroll County Food Sunday. Several churches will prepare food and bring cookbooks for sale. The price of admission is a nonperishable canned food item for Carroll County Food Sunday. The Ben Reiff Trio will provide music. The event will be held in St. Paul's Fellowship Hall, at 13 Bond St., Westminster. Call Ruth Grey for details, at 410-751-6442.

Tom Rowe, like many in Baltimore, woke up conflicted on Friday. When he opened his closet but got no answers, he took to Twitter. "Purple or orange?" he typed. "I'm torn. " With the Ravens kicking off their season Monday and the Orioles on a jaw-dropping winning streak that many believe could lead to postseason competition, Baltimore's fans find themselves in the happiest of conundrums, torn between the tradition that is Purple Friday and the sudden chance - pushed this week by the city's mayor - to give Orange Friday a whirl.

I believe it was Samuel Johnson who said that puns are the lowest form of humor. The Sun seems to relish puns. The headline concerning the death of two girls when a train derailed in Ellicott City ("Derailed lives," Aug. 22) was the most tasteless pun yet. Shame on you! Betty Hoatson, Butler

PABU has recently introduced 'Satori,' a tasting menu designed specifically to give diners a foothold into the restaurant's izakaya-style dining. "With such an extensive menu, we really wanted to offer first-time visitors an easy way to taste signature items from every section so they can explore and discover what they like best," said PABU executive chef Jonah Kim. "The idea is to highlight some of our favorites ... so when diners return they have a base from which to be even more adventurous.

Beyond the verdant crops flourishing in this summer's 100-degree heat and regular rainstorms, a guesthouse from long ago sits near the northeastern edge of the 236-acre property that is home to the Shrine of St. Anthony in western Ellicott City. Carriages once traversed this portion of the scenic land - now bisected by L-shaped Folly Quarter Road and leased out as farmland to the University of Maryland by the Conventual Franciscan Friars - to deliver guests to lively summertime parties at the estate known as Folly Quarter.

Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia presents monthly tasting dinners, often featuring pairings of micro breweries. But the Aug. 22 dinner features fresh and pickled vegetables, jams, compotes, and even pollen from Howard County farms. The dinners are held in the pub's Seven Sisters private dining room for about 40 guests, and the five-course dinners feature a guest speaker from the featured brewery or winery or another field expert. The main course is stout-braised beef short rib with cheddar mac & cheese and a green bean and bacon salad.