Mie N Yu

Mie N Yu is one of those restaurants that had always intrigued me but, for one reason or another, we had never made it through the front door. That changed this week when Mie N Yu invited us to try (gratis) their new Blind Tiger Menu. The concept of the menu is very cool. Apparently, Blind Tiger is a prohibition-era name for a speakeasy, and Mie N Yu has created this "social underground" menu that is only advertised online. For $25 (cheaper than Restaurant Week!) you get a three course menu. They also offer 50% off on certain bottles of wine.

Stepping inside Mie N Yu is like being transported to a Moroccan bazaar. It is an eye-popping blend of textures and colors, with some private tables hidden behind drapes and one even perched in a bird cage. When a place has such unique decor and is located on such a busy street, there is always a fear that the food won't be good. Further fueling my fear was that Mie N Yu's claim to fame is that it was voted "Best Bathroom" in DC. I was a bit wary that Mie N Yu would be glitz over substance, but went in with an open mind. Could the food match up to the unique bathroom?

We got off to a rough start when the hostess couldn't find our reservation, but a manager jumped to her rescue and led us to our table. I was glad to be seated at a cozy booth because I'm not a fan of dining while sitting on chairs with no backs.

Our very friendly waiter brought us the Blind Tiger menu and the cocktail list. He recommended the White Tiger martini for me (an $12 ginger-infused drink served with candied ginger) and the Smoke & Silk for B (a $17!! blend of cognac and expensive scotch). It is a good thing the drinks are strong because you'd go broke ordering too many of them. To their credit, the drinks were made with top-shelf ingredients and were very tasty. We were served edamame to go with our cocktails. Since the table next to us also received edamame without asking, it appears that edamame is Mie N Yu's version of the free bread basket. Nice touch.

The first course of the Blind Tiger menu features a choice between Zataar Hummus with Ful and Sunomono Blue Crab Salad. To get the full experience, we ordered both items and shared. The hummus was topped with ful (braised Egyptian fava beans). It had a smoky flavor that paired perfectly with the cool hummus. The bread was deliciously doughy (B compared it to 2 Amy's pizza dough - very high praise) and we asked for more bread to scoop up the huge portion of hummus.

The Sunomono Blue Crab Salad wasn't as memorable as the hummus dish. It was a blend of cold soba noodles, cucumber, asian greens, pickled quail egg, and jumbo lump blue crab. The crab was a bit sparse, but maybe that's because B stole most of it. This would be a good appetizer on a hot, humid DC summer day.

We were feeling good after our cocktails and appetizers and happily snacking on the extra bread when we realized that there was a rather large gap between the first and second courses. It gave us time to check out the famous bathroom. I'm glad B went first because he warned me that there was an attendant sitting in the huge unisex bathroom waiting to turn on your sink and pump the soap into your hands. I always find the bathroom attendant exchange to be quite awkward. I'm pretty competent at hand washing and paper towel grabbing, so I never know quite why I need help... and the tip expectation in a restroom setting is just weird. Mostly I was just happy that it isn't my job to sit in the basement of a restaurant and wait for people to finish using the restroom, but I digress.

If you think that took a long time to explain, you should have seen how long we waited for our second course. Let's put it this way: when we parked, we put an hour and a half on the meter. That hour and a half ran out before we got the second course. As B returned from feeding the meter, course number two hit the table. Apparently there was some sort of mixup in the kitchen which led to the (at least) 30 minute gap between courses. The staff (including the manager) was extremely apologetic and we definitely understand that mixups happen. I just hope they are as kind and apologetic to the non-food blogging diners.

Part of course number two was definitely worth the wait. We loved the Beijing Style Laquered Duck with mandarin pancakes, hoisin sauce, scallions, cucumber, and chilis. The duck was tender and the hoisin sauce was just the right salty/sweet blend that I love. One small point off for biting into a bone in the shredded duck.

The Char Masala Lamb Kabobs were not my favorite dish, but I'm not a lamb fan. It was an interesting presentation with the lamb kabob doused in a roasted coriander yogurt sauce served over charred vegetables.

The next dish ranks as one of the most surprising/unique dishes I've ever eaten. It is described on the menu as Pakistani Cinnamon & Ginger Striped Bass (sustainably raised striped bass, greens, and spiced yogurt casserole served with tamarind-scented basmati rice). Seeing cinnamon and ginger, I expected something on the sweet end of the taste spectrum. My eyes almost popped out of my head when I took a bite of fish. It was so tart that I wondered if I was eating a lemon wedge instead of a fish dish. After a few more bites, the complex flavors began to emerge, but my palate was in sour-shock and it was hard to recover. I suppose the yogurt in the dish should be described as tart yogurt instead of spiced yogurt. Prepare to pucker up!

The second dish was Indonesian Scallop "Kare" (seared scallops, yellow coconut curry, "gado gado" salad - green beans, quail eggs, potato, shrimp chips, and peanut dressing). This was another completely unique dish and not your run-of-the-mill coconut curry. It was tangy, spicy, and sweet all at the same time. Very hard to describe but very interesting to eat.

After the 3 course Blind Tiger menu, it was nearing 11pm (which is way past my Tuesday bedtime) and I wasn't sure I could sit still or stay awake long enough for dessert. However, I really wanted something sweet to balance out the tart fish dish, so we ordered the pecan and chocolate croustade. It was served with chocolate gelato from Georgetown's Dolcezza Gelato. The gelato was a smooth, chocolatey dream and the croustade was a flaky pastry basket packed with gooey pecans mixed with a honey bourbon sauce. The waiter also brought out a champagne toast to apologize for the long wait.

I went in worried that Mie N Yu would be most memorable for its restroom, but was pleased that the totally unique dishes and flavors left the biggest impression on me. While I didn't adore every dish, I truly felt transported to another place. It was Tuesday night and I was on M Street in Georgetown, but I felt more like I was in a Moroccan desert. While Mie N Yu isn't an every week sort of place, I think we'll be back when we're looking for a brief escape.

Second Thoughts from B

I know what you're thinking. "They bought you dinner, of course you're going to say you liked it." It is a valid point and I'm not going to say that it doesn't affect our comments. But the fact of the matter is that an hour after the final course was served, we were still talking about the dishes. Love it or hate it, that is worth something for the adventurous eater.

I'll also freely admit that we got a little extra attention on this Tuesday night, which makes me doubly question whatever happened between courses one and two. But other than that, the service was very good, enhanced by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiter.

But let's move on to the things that they couldn't change for "special guests," most notably, the decor. Some might call it gimmicky, but it was done so well that I would instead choose the word magical. It really had a Disney-esque quality to it, which for those who don't know us, is saying something.

But back to the food. Some things, like the hummus and the duck were beautifully done. The drinks were top-notch (although I'm far from expert) and the dessert was a perfect ending to a lovely night. Still, I'll be honest, there were things that we ate that I would not normally order. Believe it or not, my palate does play favorites. But to the great credit of the chef, even those things that were out of my box were well prepared, of good quality, and always very interesting. Going back to the tart and sour fish, it was like Willy Wonka's Everlasting Gobstopper. The more you let it sit on your tongue, the more interesting it got. After the punch of the sour, you felt the heat of the spices, followed by the taste of curry and lemon. I've been fortunate to have tasted a lot of different things in my short time on this Earth but that was a first.

So here's the $100 question: would we go back and pay for a meal at Mie N Yu? (drumroll, please) Absolutely yes, especially for a deal as good as the Blind Tiger menu. In my mind, it is a perfect gathering spot for a group of friends to enjoy each other's company in a completely unique atmosphere, with food and drinks to match.

Wasabi

I have a couple of rules when it comes to sushi: 1) don't buy sushi that is on sale and 2) don't buy sushi that has been sitting out for an undetermined amount of time. I broke both of these rules at Wasabi and lived to write about it.

We ended up at Wasabi (off Farragut Square) thanks to Groupon. For those not familiar with Groupon or the hordes of collective-buying Groupon clone websites, each day you get an email with a local deal and if enough people log on to buy it, the deal is successful and you can print out your Groupon from the website. For Wasabi, Groupon was offering a "pay $15 and get $30" worth of food special and I'm a giant sucker for a good deal.

Upon entering, we learned that Wasabi serves Kaiten-style sushi. Translation: your rolls and nigiri are going to be circling the dining room on a conveyor belt (more on this in a second). They also have a menu that features soups, salads, and a few entrees. We started with the seaweed salad. This was probably the highlight of the meal but not because other things were bad, just that this was the most interesting and flavorful. This salad was almost identical to the seaweed salad that is served with Oya's $10 to-go lunch. I really like both for their interesting texture and briny yet slightly sweet flavor.

B tried Wasabi's Miso which was a slight variation on the "you've had this miso soup a million times" family of miso, the variation coming from additional flavoring with cilantro and jalapeno. Too much cilantro in that bowl for me to get within sniffing distance, but B said he liked it.

Predictably, I ordered udon. This time it was the vegetable udon and the most notable thing about Wasabi's version was the size. I really liked that it was a smaller bowl because normally when you order udon, you get a bowl bigger than your head and it fills you up so much that you can't enjoy sushi. With Wasabi's mini-udon, you don't have to choose between udon and sushi.

The crispy squid comes from the familiar genus "looksbetteronthemenusapien." It was a good concept but fell on its face in the execution. Chewy squid and not a lot of flavor. Also, the funky dipping sauce bowl - the sauce did have tons of flavor - was cute but you couldn't fit the squid in it.

Eagle-eyed readers might be wondering what is up with the colored plates under each of the dishes. Well, Wasabi simplifies their menu by dividing everything into color-coded categories with each color corresponding to a price. Yellow plates are $2.50, orange are $3.00, red are $3.50, blue are $4.00, and purple are $5.00. You stack the used plates on your table and they add them up at the end to determine your bill total. If you're pinching your pennies you could take someone on a date here and tell them they can have anything they want as long as it comes on a yellow plate. I don't recommend that, however, if you'd like to have a second date.

After the soup and salad, we turned our attention to the conveyor belt. First off the line was the salmon and avocado roll with masago. Nothing too memorable here but the fish was surprisingly fresh-tasting. I'm sure Wasabi cycles the rolls off of the belt regularly (which makes me wonder how much food they throw away each day).

Our next victim was the spicy tuna roll with scallions and shichimi chili pepper. This was most memorable for the chili pepper. It was spicy but in a completely different way than a standard spicy tuna roll. I accidentally inhaled some of the chili pepper and cleared up my sinuses for about 2 seconds (it is allergy season in our fair city, after all).

We were feeling satisfied at this point but B added up the plates and realized we hadn't spent the $30 value of our Groupon. Back to the belt we went for the spicy salmon and cream cheese roll. At first I didn't taste any spice and only a big blob of cream cheese, but this one grew on me.

Trying to spend exactly $30 (hey restaurants! don't you just love coupon users?) we went for a purple plate option: the classic rainbow roll. I thought this was the least flavorful of the bunch.

At the end, we ended up with a $4 check and a belly full of sushi. My belly wasn't full of the best sushi I've ever had but my belly also didn't complain. Would I go back? Yes, but only if my friend Mr. Groupon is along for the ride.

Second Thoughts from B

Like the looksbetteronthemenusapien, I felt that our entire Wasabi experience was "better on paper." Let's take a few examples:

Kaiten-style sushi. On paper the conveyor belt is fast and convenient, allows a preview of all items, and enables you to eat only what you have room for. In reality, the sushi is never as fresh and plump as a regular sushi bar, and often compares to the prepackaged stuff at the supermarket.

Curly-ended soup spoons. On paper they are unique, artistic, and hang neatly on the edge of your bowl. In reality, they are hard to hold because they are so small.

Half-moon shaped dipping bowl. On paper it is a nice artistic touch like the aforementioned spoons. In reality, they are not big enough to accommodate most of the squid... er, I mean, looksbetteronthemenusapien.

As we discover more and more sushi spots in the District - and even find a few we like - I'm not too keen to return to Wasabi. But like J, if there's a Groupon involved, I might just change my tune. Afterall, it does make the place look so much better... at least on paper.

Crepe Amour

Sometimes we plan out our dining destinations in advance, other times we stumble upon places because we are seriously hungry and in need of food. This time, we were driving home late one night from Tysons Corner and nothing between Tysons and DC sounded appealing to us. I asked B to drive through Georgetown hoping that we'd find a parking spot and some food. We snagged a spot on M Street in front of Crepe Amour.

Crepe Amour is a new kid on this ever-evolving block. It offers a wide variety of sweet and savory crepe options and serves them early into the morning to cater to the bar crowd.

While I was intrigued by the macaroni and cheese crepe, the cashier recommended the Da Vinci (shredded chicken, basil pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese).

We also ordered the Buffalo Chx (shredded chicken, trademark Georgetown Wing Company hot sauce, provolone cheese).

The crepes were so large and packed full of filling that a knife and fork became a necessity. I thought the wing sauce, while very tasty, completely overpowered the delicate crepe. After a few bites, I could taste nothing but sauce. You'd be better off ordering wings from the Georgetown Wing Company that promises to be opening soon upstairs from Crepe Amour. The Da Vinci had a more restrained flavor that was a better match with the crepe.

I thought Crepe Amour compared favorably to Crepes-a-go-go (see our post here) and Crepeaway (see our post here) and the people watching on M Street (particularly next to Rhino Bar) makes this a fun destination.

Second Thoughts from B

On the plus side, Crepe Amour provided big serving sizes and even bigger flavor. But J already covered that. Instead of repeating her, let me play the role of Debbie Downer.

I liked both meals but neither captured the spirit of a crepe for me. I'm all for the reimagining of traditional foods but I felt that this was less a happy marriage and more of a takeover. Sure the pesto/buffalo chicken were now contained in a crepe but the packaging added little. It wouldn't have been much different if you took an old standard, and by simply changed the shape or color of the plate, gave the dish a new name.

But going back to the beginning, aside from the lack of crepe-ness, I enjoyed the meal and appreciate a relatively cheap and quick dining option in Georgetown. However, if you're looking for a crepe that may remind you of grand old Paris, you may need to look elsewhere.

Little Shop of Horrors at Ford's Theatre

We've already told you about our fondness for Ford's Theatre (see our post here), but we felt that we should add a little something considering our most recent trip. Thanks to a gift certificate from my parents, we were treated to a playing of the horror-comedy musical, "Little Shop of Horrors." Many in my generation will remember the 1986 film... I know I certainly do. But being in elementary school and one who doesn't particularly like horror films, most of my memories are probably nightmares.

Regardless of the gruesome details, which are even more macabre in the musical than the film, I love the music and the quirky characters. But how would it do at Ford's? Prior to the other night, I had a belief that this historic venue would be limited to a certain type of production. This was based on our other Ford's Theatre experiences - the annual A Christmas Carol and a Lincoln-based historical drama called The Heavens are Hung in Black. Not exactly the same type of thing as a man-eating plant from outer space performed through song, dance, and campy humor...

I was pleasantly surprised and am happy to report that they pulled it off! Not only was the live music, singing, dancing, lighting, and especially set design adequate, it was excellent. We had a fantastic time... us and 1,000 of our favorite 8th grade field trippers. (Side note: is there anything more entertaining than watching pubescent boys in ill-fitting suits, clip-on ties, and way too much hair gel try to act cool around girls in too much make-up and frizzy hair?)

Anyway, Little Shop of Horrors ends its production this week, so any recommendation to see it would be a bit silly. But I will say that in the future, I'll keep a more open mind when it comes to the type of production that Ford's can do well, and I'd suggest you do too.

J Says

I don't know whether I liked watching the audience members or the performance more. This is no slight to the performance because it was excellent, but something about a room full of eighth graders just cracks me up. I should've known something was up when I went to the box office the day before the show and they had really good seats available. Apparently it was 8th grade tour group night. Oh well, we were good sports about it and the 8th graders were good audience members.

The only thing I knew about Little Shop of Horrors before the show was that it had something to do with a venus fly trap-looking plant and it had a catchy theme song. I was as shocked as the 7 year old in front of me when the plant started to eat people instead of flies. I might have even talked in my sleep that night about man-eating plants. You'll have to ask B...

Despite the dark tone, I really loved the performance. The singing was top-notch and the sets were impressive. At first, like B said, seeing a musical in Ford's seemed odd, but it definitely worked. I will see a musical before a historical play any day of the week. When does the next one come to town?

Whole Foods Market - Friendship Heights

We were lucky enough to join in on the Blogger Sneak Peek of the new Whole Foods Market in Friendship Heights one day before its public unveiling. This sparkling new store is located just off the Friendship Heights Metro stop making it convenient for all of you Red Liners out there.

If you're like us and are used to shopping at DC's P Street Whole Foods, the first thing you'll notice about Friendship Heights is that it is BIG. Lots of space in the aisles and plenty of room to maneuver.

Immediately upon entering, you'll see the coffee bar that opens at 6:00 a.m. daily for your very early morning coffee and breakfast needs. If you happen to crave gelato and fancy house-made popsicles for breakfast, you're in luck. I'm happy to report that I was able to refrain from breaking into the gelato case... at least on this visit.

We're told the coffee bar will also serve up hearty oatmeal with a variety of toppings. I don't know about you, but I can eat oatmeal every day of the week.

Have a recipe that calls for a hard-to-find nut? They've got you covered with bins and bins of nuts and even a make-your-own nut butter station. Would it be bad form to stick my mouth under the chocolate chip peanut butter machine?

The produce department was fully stocked with beautifully stacked fruit. Jill, our enthusiastic tour guide, explained the Whole Foods "Whole Trade" program that ensures that suppliers meet tough standards regarding working and environmental conditions.
We drooled over the specialty department which featured everything from cheese from around the world to chutney made by a local Virginia family.
Unique to this store is a specialty salt bar where you can fill your own bag with fancy salts that promise to liven up even the most ordinary dish.
Also in the specialty department is a fresh pasta station serving family-owned Severino Pasta. That is Pete Severino telling us about the yummy pasta and sauce combos that will be available.


In the prepared foods section, I was excited to learn that they have implemented a $7.99 flat rate box that you can stuff to the brim (as long as it closes). Gone are the days of spending $15 on the salad bar because you have a fondness for the heavy items such as quinoa (speaking from personal experience here). Woo hoo!

One department that I often overlook is the Whole Body section. After seeing the locally-made soaps and huge variety of natural body products, I'm tempted to start purchasing my bath products here.
Like yogurt? This was the most comprehensive selection of yogurt I have ever seen. Forget that HFCS crap. This is the real deal.
In the meat department we learned about the new Whole Foods meat rating system that grades suppliers on the way that they treat the animals. A "1" means the animals are not kept in crates and a "5" means they live in luxury penthouses with limo service. Or something like that.
In the seafood market we learned how service-oriented this department is. Only cooking for one? Ask the fish monger to cut you a 4 oz piece of fish. They'll cut it any way you want it and every purchase comes with a free marinade. They've also partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute to develop a color coded system to ensure that you know that the seafood you are buying is sustainable.

For me, the highlight of the tour was the bakery section. Not only did we get to taste selections from the bulk candy bar and freshly baked brioche, we got to marvel at the gorgeous cakes and baked goods.
Loved the quote on the sign in the bakery that reads: "Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate."

And the best for last . . . the Friendship Heights store has implemented a "New York style" checkout system where one line feeds into a bunch of registers and computer screens tell you which register is ready for you. If you shop at the Trader Joe's in Foggy Bottom, you've probably realized that this way of checking out is light years better than the individual lines you find at most stores. No more picking the longest line!

Getting to chat with the Whole Foods staff gave me a new appreciation for the company and their commitment to selling high quality food. While Friendship Heights is a bit of a trek for every day grocery needs (which you can read about here), I would love to stop in and visit (and get some chocolate chip peanut butter and popsicles) when we're in the neighborhood.

Second Thoughts from B

If you couldn't tell by now, J drank from the Whole Foods Kool Aid and liked it... the local and organic Kool Aid, that is.

It was like being a kid in a candy, er, grocery store. A really beautiful facility which was smartly presented to us. Still, in the long run, what did I learn? Not much more than what I already knew... Whole Foods serves great products in a great environment. They emphasize local and organic foods along with customer service. And of course, you pay a premium for the pleasure of avoiding Giant. Basically, they are the Nordstrom of grocery stores (that's high praise coming from me).

So will the experience change behavior? Maybe. I'm now far more aware of the services that Whole Foods offers and convinced that the Friendship Heights location is a jewel among their stores. Would I make a point to drive 30 minutes when I have another store within walking distance? Perhaps no. Would I plan a shopping trip to coincide with another venture out to Friendship Heights? Absolutely.

The Preakness at Pimlico

My knowledge of horse racing is pretty much limited to the ill-fated Animal Planet show, Jockeys, so I was rather excited that we were able to go to Pimlico this past Saturday to witness in person the second leg of the Triple Crown - The Preakness Stakes.


A day at the track is more than a single minute-long race. It is a full day event. Of course there are the 12 other races, but what we discovered was that the Preakness is actually two separate events. And I mean separate. You could easily attend one and be blind to the other's existence. There's the horse racing and then there's the party in the infield. Part tailgate, part frat party, and part music festival, despite the recent effort to crack down, the infield lives up to its slogan, "Get your Preak on."

For us, we wanted to get a taste of the infield, but we were ultimately there to see the horses. Since it seemed like you couldn't easily do both (i.e., follow the races from the party), we had to choose between beer bongs or ladies in funny hats. We chose the latter, and there were plenty...

And like horse racing, there has to be a winner. The winner of the prestigious TwoDC Most Outlandish Chapeau Award (or MOCA) goes to... this lady.

I'll wait while you marvel in the majesty of this year's MOCA winner for a second.

OK, ready to move on? Good. The day was perfectly warm and sunny, weather befitting the "sport of kings." We lucked out and were able to get Grandstand Apron tickets the day before, which put us within 20 yards of the track, near the starting gate. Most people don't stay in their seats and instead wander throughout the grandstand, often finding a good place to stand during the races. We often joined the crowds but still found it nice to have a dedicated seat for times in between races.

Knowing little about horse racing, we kept our bets small and relied heavily on the few jockeys we had heard of, as well as an "expert" from the Baltimore Sun. Even if it is only a few dollars, it is worth it to have a horse to cheer for. We both got pretty wrapped up in the drama of it all, and were not shy to scream encouragement down the final stretch if our pick was in contention.

After a full day of build up, the main event began. We abandoned our seats and found a cement stump to stand on (above the crowd) that was closer to the finish. We were able to see our picks up close, the disappointing Kentucky Derby favorite, Lookin at Lucky...

and our long-shot pick (or should we call him a dark horse pick?), Jackson Bend, ridden by our favorite jockey, Mike Smith.

After all the debate and discussion, it was time to race. The tension was awesome leading up to the start. Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness favorite Super Saver (#8) with Calvin Borel got out well with First Dude (#11). The masses were thrilled having that more than a few bets were placed on Super Saver. Much to our excitement, Jackson Bend looked good early, but our pick to win, Lookin at Lucky wasn't in the picture.

But in the end, after much yelling and screaming, our horses got the job done. Again, not big money, but it sure is great to taste the fruits of victory!


J Says

I squealed with excitement when B told me that he had gotten us Preakness tickets. I've always been intrigued by horse racing but fell in love thanks to the aforementioned TV show "Jockeys." The show took an inside look at the jockey colony at Santa Anita (in California - surprised?) and revealed personal stories such as jockey Garrett Gomez winning a hard-fought battle against drug and alcohol addiction to become one of the top jockeys in the U.S. It was a thrill for us to see him win one of the races on Preakness day, especially since we bet on him! I encourage you to log on to Animal Planet's website and watch past episodes. I might or might not have shed a tear when I learned the show had not been renewed for a third season.

Anyway, back to the Preakness. As we drove up to the track I looked wide-eyed at the neighborhood and thought "We're not in Santa Anita anymore." To put it kindly, Pimlico is located in a downtrodden neighborhood and the facility itself could use a bit of maintenance. Translation: the place is a dump. Even the majesty of Preakness day with all the pomp and circumstance could not mask the aging folding chairs and broken bathroom stalls. It was sad to see such an important horse racing landmark look as if it hadn't been updated since Seabiscuit beat War Admiral there in 1938.

It was easy to overlook the facility's condition when you focused on the dazzling display of horse racing on the track. Top jockeys from across the nation competed in 13 exciting races before a mostly well-heeled and mostly well-behaved crowd.

As B said, from most places on the infield, you couldn't tell there were horse races whizzing past. Instead, the view was of beer pong tents and guys peeing on the backs of port-a-potties. If you buy a ticket for the infield, just understand what you're getting for the price of admission. It was fun for us to get to experience the party and then walk back to the grandstands to watch the racing.

Picking the Preakness winner was the cherry on top of a gorgeous day of horse and people watching. Maybe next year TwoDC will hit the road for Kentucky or New York to experience the other jewels in the Triple Crown. Or, just maybe Animal Planet will bring back Jockeys. Please???