By new DCist contributor Analiese Bendorf

Ducks and Creeks

Fans of Bethesda's calorie-conscious Rock Creek Restaurant will soon be able to nosh on guilt-free grub at a second location in the District, where owners Tom Williams and Judy Hammerschmidt plan to open Rock Creek at Mazza Gallerie. Tom Sietsema reports in this week's Dish that former 1789 chef, Ris Lacoste, will lend a seasoned hand by interviewing potential chefs for the Mazza location, before turning her attention to her own as-of-yet-unnamed West End restaurant later this year -- a venture that promises to keep West End youngster Blue Duck Tavern on its toes.

Premature Edification

Speaking of youngsters, the Washingtonian recently sat down to a meal at Zaytinya with a group of pre-adolescent food aficionados -- a sample set of the alarmingly sophisticated pint-size foodies that are popping up at a restaurant near you. Plain ole kiddie fare like Kraft Mac n' Cheese just won't cut it for these mini-gourmets; they'll take theirs homemade with real Gruyere and dusted with cornmeal, thank you very much. If 10-year-olds ennuied by calamari leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, you'll want to pop a Valium before reading this week's TomChat, in which one frantic chatter realizes that she has exposed her unborn baby to the cuisine of "all inhabited continents" except Australia, and begs for Tom's help in locating snacks from the Land Down Under. Tom obligingly directs the chatter to the Inn at Easton, where, for a pretty penny, concerned parents-to-be can ensure that their baby will be born with a penchant for bay bugs, kangaroo, and sticky fig pudding. Because everyone knows that toddlers don't already have finicky enough palates, right?

A Question of Taste

In the same discussion, other chatters discuss critters of a different sort, responding to the ongoing rabbit photo fracas generated by a photograph that ran alongside Tom's review of Roberto Donna's nascent Crystal City venture Bebo Trattoria. In the article, Tom describes "bite-size" rabbit pieces marinated and fried in an herbed batter, and served with a pile of gleaming vegetables. The photo in question presumably illustrated said rabbit dish, causing outrage among pet owners, vegetarians, and self-described "rabbit companions" everywhere. Are these people for real? No one's forcing them to actually eat the rabbit (at least not to my knowledge). Should newspapers have to censor relevant photos that some might consider distasteful? My advice to the bunny lovers: stick to Vegetate, and let the rest of us enjoy our meal, or at least our morning paper.

Photo by flickr user mallix.