Barbecue

WASHINGTON - President Obama unexpectedly ducked out of the White House for lunch on Wednesday, heading to a barbecue restaurant near Capitol Hill. The White House said the president was honoring Father's Day by dining with two active-duty military dads and two local barbers involved in a federal program to promote fatherhood. The men ate at Kenny's Smokehouse in northeast Washington, D.C., and chatted about parenting and haircuts as the president looked down at a plate of beef ribs, greens, black-eyed peas and a corn muffin.

Not to be lost in the amazing story of an amazing horse and jockey is the story of Ivan Puhich. He is 85 and no longer "terrible," although tales of his youth that include fists through car windows and other guys ending up in garbage dumpsters hint that the nickname once fit. Trainer Gary Stute says Puhich is an insufferable San Francisco 49ers fan, who once argued with a friend for five hours after a game about a missed block and didn't...

Re "He's delving into history to find gold," May 27 Here is a perfect example of the rich being out of touch. David Badner, a venture capitalist, brags about his Miami condo, sports cars and boats. He buys a defunct gold mine near the quiet community of Jamestown, Colo., and hopes to win over the locals by throwing a barbecue and bringing in "a band, face painters, a clown. " "I'll pay for it - I won't be handing out the paper plates," he says. Really? How typical of the rich and insensitive - buy off the potential hindrance to your endeavors with food and trinkets.

This ultra-modern single-family home in the Atwater Village area is part of a 27-house small-lot development. The three-story, energy-efficient house features floor-to-ceiling windows, a rooftop terrace and loft-like living spaces. Location: 3244 W. Casitas Ave. #9, Los Angeles 90039 Asking price: $1.045 million Year built: 2011 House size: Two bedrooms, 31/2 bathrooms, 2,319 square feet Lot size: 2,228 square feet Features: First-floor patio/garden, roof terrace with built-in barbecue and kitchen, solar panels, dual-pane windows, tankless water heaters, steel construction, two-car garage with dumbwaiter.

Retired professional baseball player Eric Davis and his wife, Sherrie, have listed their home in Calabasas at $2.195 million. The Mediterranean-style house, built in 1994, sits on about half an acre with a swimming pool and spa, barbecue pavilion, half basketball court and stretches of lawn. The 7,239-square-foot home features a marble-floored entry, a wrought-iron staircase, a media room with a wet bar, an office, four bedrooms and six bathrooms. Davis, 49, played for the Dodgers in the early '90s and ended his playing career with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

An L.A. County Superior Court judge on Tuesday rejected a bid to free a man convicted in a 1995 dismemberment murder, questioning the credibility of a key witness who recanted her original testimony in the case. Edward Contreras, now 40, was found guilty along with Scott Taylor of beating, beheading and cutting up a friend, Frederick Walker, with a chain saw and a machete at a backyard barbecue in Santa Clarita and stealing $635 from the victim. Contreras was accused of helping to clean up blood and body parts from the scene and driving his car to a remote area of Bouquet Canyon to dispose of the remains.

Barbecue pork ribs Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus marinating time. Servings: 6 3 pounds pork ribs, spare ribs or baby backs 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1/4 cup rice wine 1/2 to ¾ cup Chinese spare rib sauce, preferably Lee Kum Kee brand 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey 1. In a large baking dish, rub the ribs with the sugar, salt, black...

My Chinese grandmother, Tina, sits to my right at the head of our Christmas dinner table, the matriarch of the family, poised, shoulders up straight and a sincere look on her face. She quietly eats her food, listening to her family as we loudly banter. I'm admiring her, mid-bite into a beautifully golden pork rib. My hands are sticky from the sweet glaze, and I'm busy searching the packed table of food before me for another napkin. "Pass the sweet rice, please," squeals my younger sister Jessica, oblivious to the bliss I'm experiencing.

Patrick Warburton, 47, plays married man manqué Jeff Bingham on the CBS sitcom "Rules of Engagement. " An actor whose many animated films and series include "Bee Movie," he's well known for his 11-episode arc on "Seinfeld" as Elaine's face-painting boyfriend, David Puddy. How did you manage to make a career out of playing the husband/boyfriend from hell? Just a lot of 'tude, I guess. When you refer to boyfriend, you're referring to Puddy, right? Yeah, and the husband is Jeff.

The McRib is coming back . Some say yum. I say argh. Call me a barbecue snob, but McDonald'sMcRib is to barbecue as Hannibal Lecter is to psychiatry. This piece of pork smeared with some abomination of sauce has achieved a cult following for reasons I can't understand. Maybe it's because it appears, then disappears on the fast-food giant's menus. Before I became a real barbecue aficionado, I tried the McRib - it's been around since 1982 - and even then I thought it was wanting, to be kind about it. If you want barbecue, save your money and fly to Kansas City - Kansas or Missouri.