Phil Mendelson has been an at-large councilmember since 1998.

Favorite Restaurant: American City Diner. LL pointed out this is a political pick; ACD owner Jeffrey Gildenhorn is active in local politics. Replied Mendo, "It's a diner! You don't have an appreciation for diners!"

Power Lunch Locale: M&S Grill, at 13th and F. He gets the blue plate special. For power breakfasts, though, it's Old Ebbitt.

Legislative Agenda: Mendelson is a noted legislator on gustatory issues. He passed legislation to get rid of a $100 fee to have candles in restaurants. And he, for the third time, is about to introduce a bill to require mandatory nutritional labeling on restaurant menus. "You can go to Starbucks and have a day's worth of calories in one drink but you wouldn't know it here."

Romantic Dinner Spot: "The Loose Lips will have to sleuth it out."

Neighborhood Joint: "I don't have time to be hanging out in neighborhood joints!" He went on to namecheck Colonel Brooks' Tavern, Tune Inn, and Georgena's.

Home Cookery: "I make a pretty good catfish. I'm not going to tell the secret ingredients....broil it with some parmesan cheese, nuts, and other secret ingredients."

Family Heirloom: Corn pudding. Again, he's protective: "It's got secret ingredients."

Coffee Preference: Mendelson's an inveterate home-brewer. He brings a silver Thermos of Quartermaine's, half French roast, half decaf house.

Dais Munching: "You will never see me with a Subway sandwich or an Au Bon Pain sandwich, really. Something like a snack---nuts, recently I've been big on granola bars."

Breakfast Politics: "When I worked for Jim Nathanson, he'd tell me about the difference between Dave Clarke and John Wilson['s council breakfasts]...Dave Clarke would serve, really, burnt donuts, and John Wilson had this spread with a cotton tablecloth and a silver platter. Made everyone so fat and happy that the council followed their chairman."

Favorite Breakfast Item: "Everything!" chimes in top aide Jason Shedlock. Says Mendo, "I'm afraid Jason's got that right."

Carrie S. Kohns is chief of staff to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. She has been described to LL as a "definite foodie."

So Hot Right Now: "Sei, on 7th Street. Love the fish-and-chips roll."

Old Standby: "You can't go wrong with BLT [Steak]. That's an old standby. Delicious every time, great service---best steak in town, for sure." She gets the filet---"baseball cut, medium rare." Wedge salad to start. Oh, and the popovers! "That's what keeps you coming back."

Source of Foodie Intel: Kohns isn't a Zagat or Don Rockwell devotee---she's all about word of mouth. "I have lots of friends who are trying new places."

Power Lunch Locale: "The bullpen," referring to the John A. Wilson Building's mayoral office space. "We usually grab a salad from Devon & Blakely (1331 F St. NW). It's a make-your-own place....I don't have a policy of having someone bring my lunch...but if a person is going to Devon & Blakely, I usually write a list on a little Post-It."

Coffee Order: Regular drip, with half-and-half and a little Splenda. Sometimes homebrewed, sometimes not.

Neighborhood Fave: Posto, on 14th Street NW. She and husband Daniel Kohns live nearby. "We're there all the time."

What the Boss Eats: "He's sort of a creature of habit." For breakfast, it's always oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. "Big tea drinker....Herbal tea, not caffeinated." "When he's here and having lunch, it's usually a salad at his desk. I've seen him do Corner Bakery or M&S." And no potato chips. Ever.

Weekend Cookery: "Stuffed chicken breasts....I do like spinach, bacon, and chicken. You can either pound and roll [the chicken] or make a little pocket." And Kohns says she makes a mean pot of collard greens---with smoked turkey sausage. (Communications Director Mafara Hobson holds that smoked ham hocks are a prerequisite.)

Family Heirloom Recipe: The peach stuffing made by mom Carol Fennelly. That's right: "Like stuffing for like Thanksgiving, but with peaches in it."

Marion Barry is Ward 8 councilmember and a former four-term mayor of the District of Columbia.

Favorite Restaurant: "Don't have one." Barry then goes on to name dozens of restaurants, past and present, that he has patronized. "Player's [Lounge, now Georgena's]---that's at the top of that list." There he favors the fish, collard greens, and candied yams. Also rating mentions: Mama Cole's, in Ward 8; Maggiano's; La Tomate; McCormick & Schmick's; Tony & Joe's Seafood; the Four Seasons; and Capitol Grille.

Power Lunch Location: "Old Ebbitt Grill....A good trout parmesan. A good corn chowder soup. They've got good clam chowder there, too.

Ben's Chili Bowl Order: "I used to go for the beef half-smoke, but I stopped that a long time ago. I think they have veggie dogs, turkey dogs."

Guilty Pleasure: Chitlins. "I was in Jamaica, they had these fat pigs in the sewer. I said, Goddamn! Almost never had another chitlin in my life." About a year later, though, he relented. These days, he indulges about twice a year.

Favored Establishment of Yore: Duke Ziebert's, at Connecticut and L. "First, I remember Duke, who was a colorful guy. Always got a story to tell. It was a political hangout place, all the Redskins players, too....Duke was done wrong. The Lerners tripled his rent."

Dietary Advice: "I eat very little beef...Beef is the worst thing for your body. It wreaks havoc on your stomach. It takes three times as much hydrochloric acid to digest it," says Barry, a chemist by training. "All these people says beef is the best thing since sliced bread. That's bullshit." And one other thing: "No liver. I like liver, but it's a repository of all the waste in the body. I figure that stuff is still in there."

Today's Lunch: "Something I didn't like---chicken salad on wheat bread."

Cooking at Home: "At home I eat turkey sausage, grits, and eggs, and I drink two bottles of water." his specialty, though, is salmon. "The thing for me is do the right seasoning. Occasionally I will use cajun seasoning. Let it marinate overnight---garlic powder, sometime Worcestershire sauce. There's other secrets I got I don't tell nobody....Wrap it in aluminum foil. The juices circulate, keep it moist. Ten or 12 minutes at 350 to 400 degrees...The key is not to overcook it or undercook it, unless you're eating salmon tartare."

Tipping Policy: "I tip based on service---no service, no tip....20 percent for excellent service It goes downhill after that." He recalls the last time he ventured to the old Lion d'Or on Connecticut Avenue. "I used to go there all the time. One time I went and the bill musta been a hundred-some dollars, I tipped maybe $5...Two days later, my credit card slip showed up in the Washington Post. I went off!...I went to the owner....I explained that I tip based on service." The owner, he says, offered to comp him several meals. "I said that, 'No, I don't want that. I'm pissed.' The article in the Post said, 'Marion Barry: Cheapskate.'...I'm telling you, I'm not ever coming back here again. And I'm going to tell all my people never to come back here again." Barry pauses. "Four or five months later, he closed. I'm not saying I had anything to do with it, but word gets around."

My good friend, roommate, and I decided to check out Commonwealth, the new restaurant in Columbia Heights, last night, and though many of the menu items were unavailable, we ended up having a pretty good meal. Our server was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu, though it was obvious the kinks with the service haven't been ironed out yet. Thank goodness we weren't in a hurry, and all three of us are pretty patient. The restaurant was out of most of the beers I wanted to try, so I settled on a monkey ale, and it was pretty good. The highlight of my meal, though (besides the company), was the roasted trout with stuffed bread and butter. I was warned that the fish would come with its head and tail still on, but I was up for something new. Boy, was it delicious (and expensive)!

I know Ruth said she'd probably wait until sweater season to sample the entrees, but I'll be headed back to try a new dish.