He picked me up in his Audi TT (swank) and we whizzed off into the drizzle fo' shizzle. For the next few hours we totally geeked out. Rob is as big into podcasting and tech stuff as I am, bigger perhaps. We talked about all sorts of ways to use the web to bring folks together. There was quite a bit of discussion about dogs, chickens, farming, eco-responsibility, the women in our lives (one a piece, natch), cars, light bulbs, you name it.

We hit a SEVERE traffic jam at about 7:00 and proceeded to go almost nowhere for the next two hours. It was mostly due to the rain and the fact that people in VA are even bigger numbskulls behind the wheel than people from NC. And that's sayin' something. Undaunted we continued our conversation and then we hit Falls Church, where we'd be staying. Thanks to poor visibility and poorer signage, we missed our exit off of 495. The correct street came up soon though and even though it was a bit further north than we wanted to get off it was better than trying to loop back.

A few more wrong turns led us to do what only smart men are capable of, asking for directions. That taken care of we were soon at our Comfort Inn. We were both famished as our last meal consisted of Taco Bell about six hours before. So, we asked the desk clerk for directions to the nearest good restaurant. Rob asked for something ethnic after the man had recommended Bennigan's and McDonalds and so he pointed us to a Kebab Express. Since it was ten o'clock our options were limited so we decided that that sounded good. I opined that I didn't care where we went as long as I didn't have to kill the food first and added that if I did then that wasn't a deal breaker. The kebab place was closed, naturally, but from across the street the word OPEN danced in red and blue neon. That it was flanked in Asian characters didn't bother either of us for a second.

We drove through the gates of the Eden Center and were confronted by a host of signage in a mixture of English and Vietnamese (Englamish?). The only place open was the source of the neon, teh Saigon Garden BBQ. It was a really small place with about seven tables in toto. The tables were castoffs from the Foxwoods casino. The owner, a very friendly man, sat watching Death of a President and the apparent regulars were all eating things that smelled wonderful. The menu was yet again a mix of interesting English combined with Vietnamese (Vietnamglish?). The prices all seemed pretty reasonable so we sat and proceeded to pour over it making our decisions, with help from the owner.

We shared some appetizers, chicken with lemongrass and beef in grape leaves (as She Who Must Not Be Named would say, Yumm-oh!), and both got the hot pot with shaking beef. It was served in a small cast iron dish which caused the rice to form a beautifully brown crust. Judicious use of chili paste and the sour sweet dipping sauce made the already flavorful meal even better. I'm drooling just remembering it. (Pictures? Why no, in spite of the fact that I had both my picture phone and a camera I took none. I'm an idiot.) The meal was topped off with smoothies made from jackfruit (pineapple flavors plus a hint of rose) for me and durian (medicinal, but interesting) for Rob and with pearls of tapioca in the bottom (chewy, with little flavor). The whole meal with tip was thirty-eight bucks. Worth every penny.

Sated we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Check back later for day 2.