Food Truck: Eat Wonky

Poutine: one of Canada's gifts to the world, along with funny accents, hockey and some very funny comedians. So when I heard that a food truck in DC was going to be selling poutine, I hopped at the chance to devour french fries smothered in gravy and topped with cheese.

Eat Wonky is a pretty simple operation--hotdogs, grilled cheese, poutine (aka "wonky fries")--those are your options, essentially. The staff is incredibly pleasant and friendly. The food concept is cool, but the food itself is nothing outrageous.
I tried the hot dog. Standard, street hot dog, not quite as good as the Hebrew National ones sitting in my freezer, not as bad as some of the mystery meat I've probably consumed in my youth from street vendors in NYC. Wonky gives you ketchup and mustard packets rather than having condiment dispensers, so be prepared to not be able to slather your hot dog in mustard as I like to do. The panini-style grilled cheese was a little jazzed up with some spices on the mozzarella, served on a good toasted sub roll; nothing too fancy.

And then there was the poutine or the "wonky fries" with "squeaky" cheese (aka mozzarella, I believe). The fries (pictured left) were good and the cheese was good all gooey and slightly melted on the hot fries. However, the gravy was incredibly salty. So salty that I downed two bottles of water afterwards. The poutine experience was a little bit of a let down and according to my Canadian-in-residence boyfriend, this poutine was kind of on the lower end, like "fast food poutine," as he put it. It looks better than it tastes.

Overall, Eat Wonky is one of those places that I wanted to like really badly, but then was disappointed by. You can follow them on Twitter (@eatwonky) like most food trucks to find their location. I'd be happy to hear from anyone who has a different opinion on their poutine.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

NBC 4's Preview of Capital Food Fight at DC Central Kitchen

I was fortunate enough to be asked to be a judge for a story airing on NBC4 in Washington about DC Central Kitchen's Capital Food Fight. Three of the four competing chefs had half an hour to whip up dishes with the secret ingredient: salmon. My achilles heel in the kitchen is that I am not a fast cook. So if you can cook something delicious and with gourmet flair in 30 minutes, then you have already impressed me. Add to that time crunch a small work space, limited ingredients, and being in a kitchen that's not your own. And yet these talented chefs still proved themselves and created impressive dishes.

Here are some photos from the filming last week:

Three competing chefs lined up and started cooking

NBC4's Jim Handly interviewing Albisu

The chefs at work in DCCK's kitchen

Drewno being interviewed by the NBC4 crew

Drewno preparing salmon

Artley and Drewno at work

Time's up! Chefs put their plates up for the judges

Victor Albisu of BLT Steak made a salmon filet with a delicious and inventive chimichurri. Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe prepared a salmon filet with butternut squash polenta and an apple puree, while Scott Drewno of The Source by Wolfgang Puck made dumplings with a salmon filling and a satisfying soy, mustard and ginger sauce. For the record, the chefs' descriptions were far more detailed than mine.

Artley's Dish

Albisu's Dish

Drewno's Dish

The video has yet to air, but when it does, I'll add the link (provided that they also post it online!). All three dishes were really fantastic, and I can't wait to see what these chefs and the fourth competing chef, Spike Mendelsohn come up with. I'd tell you who won the Capital Food Fight preview, but that would be spoiling it...

Thanks again to William at DCCK for inviting me to this fun preview! I'll be seeing the rest of you foodies at the Capital Food Fight itself...which if you haven't already, go purchase your tickets for Capital Food Fight now before they sell out! And if the tickets are out of your price range, don't forget you can always volunteer at DCCK. It's a rewarding experience and a great way to help fight hunger in DC.

Three competing chefs with DCCK Chief Development Officer, Brian MacNair

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Tacklebox

With my recently gifted groupon, my best friend and I decided to treat ourselves to a seafood dinner at Tacklebox in Georgetown. We were curious to try the lobster rolls since we had just eaten some delicious ones from one of my favorite food trucks, @LobstertruckDC. Sadly, I have to report that Tacklebox didn't even come close.

The restaurant is a no frills kind of place--family-style, wooden picnic tables, dim-lighting (hence my terrible pictures from my phone) and a fisherman's wharf motif. You order at the front, pick up your food on a tray and seat yourself. I don't need the frills or a fancy seafood dinner, but I do still want everything to be delicious even if I'm just cracking steamed crabs on brown paper. I had heard good things about Tacklebox and its sister restaurant, Hook. As an aside, I did get to try some desserts a while back at a Top Chef Desserts viewing party for Heather Chittum, and those were delicious. As for my meal at Tacklebox though, I was disappointed.

The crispy calamari (pictured above) was certainly crispy--to the point that the squid was over-fried, little rubbery bits, some of which were completely dried out. The accompanying sauce had a smoky flavor to it which I was not crazy about. I prefer a simple marinara dipping sauce for calamari. For me, calamari (and most seafood in general) and barbecue flavor just don't go together.

The lobster rolls (pictured left)...well, they left much to be desired. The lobster meat itself was good and the sandwich had a generous amount of it, but there was no dressing or flavoring to really bring the lobster meat to its full potential. Additionally, the roll itself was very thick and dried out. The huge portion of lightly greasy fries with sea salt that came with lobster roll weren't bad.

So there's another meal that I really wanted to enjoy and be able to write a good review about. But alas, the food at Tacklebox was disappointing. Simply put, there are better places for you to get your lobster roll fix in the city; shoot me some "ate mail" if you know of any I should try.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Taylor Gourmet

Living in a city where my fellow residents continually elect the chain restaurant, Potbelly's as the Washingtonian's reader's choice for "best sandwiches," I have almost resigned to the fact that I have left the land of good delicatessens. I don't know that my fellow DC residents would know a good sandwich if it hit them in the face. I'm sorry guys, but Potbelly? Really?

So when I found Taylor Gourmet, I was really hoping it would become my go-to deli, maybe even bring back fond memories of "deli runs" with my guy friends back when I was 17. Alas, Taylor Gourmet was good, but left something to be desired. Maybe the sandwiches just lacked that savory flavor, maybe it just wasn't a real, Italian Jersey deli (they serve "hoagies," which translates to Philly roots), maybe I just had different expectations going in.

The two sandwiches I got to try were the Lombard Avenue hoagie (pictured first) and the Oregon Avenue chicken cutlet sandwich (pictured second). They look amazing, but were just missing...something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The sandwiches tasted good, but they didn't blow me away. I didn't find myself wanting just one more bite when I was done with my sandwich. For starters, some of you know my disdain towards shredded lettuce. I loathe it. I think it rarely has a place in a deli not named Subway. However, it wasn't that bad on the Lombard avenue sandwich, though maybe a fresh, crunchy leaf of romaine would have been nicer. The sopressata and genoa salami were good cuts of meat and not too fatty. The sandwich definitely could have used some more mozzarella. The bread was a good consistency with the crusty outer shell, soft inside and just the right amount chewiness.

The Oregon Avenue sandwich had a very thin chicken cutlet on it with arugula and parmesan. The arugula and parmesan were a good combination; the chicken cutlet needed some more robust seasoning and would have been better if it was thicker and not obscured by the roll it was served on.

Overall, Taylor Gourmet just needed more flavor. Some garlic aioli, balsamic vinegar mayo spread, better seasoned bread crumbs, something extra to bring out all the other flavors of the meats and cheeses. Everything technically seemed on point--the sandwiches looked good, the chicken was cooked well and wasn't dry, the combinations of toppings worked well together--but it just didn't go the extra mile. Is it better than the other delis or sandwich establishments in DC? Yes. Is it unfair for me to draw comparisons between Taylor and delis in New York or New Jersey? Probably, especially considering it's a hoagie place paying homage to Philadelphia. But I was awaiting a mind-blowing sandwich experience and I just didn't get it this time around. Until next time, Taylor Gourmet; maybe we'll meet again soon.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Canning Class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow

Let's be honest for a moment: the real reason why I listen to NPR is for their pieces on food. Yes, I listen to their news coverage and make myself listen to political pieces so I'm a more informed citizen, but it was really their pieces on food that got me hooked. So when I heard a story about a blogger, Mrs. Wheelbarrow, who could can just about any fruit or vegetable, I did a little research and signed up for a class with her.

Canning seems intimidating, probably because I can hear my mother's voice telling me I'm going to give someone botulism if I try to do it myself. But really it's quite simple (and safe). I spent this past Sunday afternoon with Cathy Barrow making canned spiced apples, belle héléne and caramel pear jam with quatre epices. It was a fantastic class. Cathy, you are so gracious and welcoming, and so patient with all of us in the kitchen. She even had a simple salad, cheese plate and hot coffee and tea for all of us--oh and I almost forgot the delicious chocolate chocolate chip cookies! Her passion and genuine enthusiasm for cooking (not just canning) really shone through--something I can relate to and respect greatly.

There's something almost magical about canning: ingredients get mixed together, rich smells fill the kitchen, masses of fruit cook down to manageable amounts, it's all boiled up and then packed into jars, boiled again and from a large, rumbling pot of water, the clinking jars emerge, hot but not quite ready. One by one, they each yield a satisfying "pop," the sound you'd hear from opening a glass bottle, signaling that you have been successful. And then you have a finished product, perfectly preserved and suspended in time, maybe even letting you remember what summer tasted like when you open a jar on a cold winter's weekend.

Julienned pears cooking in the caramel. This smelled heavenly and Christmas-y with the quatre epices.

Belle Héléne (chocolate and pears; left) and Caramel Pear Jam

I like the pure nature of canning. You know exactly what goes into each jar; there are no chemicals with names you cannot pronounce; it's all natural; if something doesn't keep right or goes bad, you'll know when you open the jar later. It's an art that people have been doing for hundreds of years, before we developed complex processes to keep foods for longer than they probably should be kept. It's really pretty simple, too (and Cathy made it a LOT less intimidating!). I like it because it uses ingredients from scratch, and I love the challenge of making anything and everything from scratch (occasionally to my own detriment).

Spiced Apples

All three cans made at Mrs. Wheelbarrow's October 17th Canning Class

There is also a beauty to this art. Cathy told all of us in the class that it's important to think of how things are going to look once you can them. That much was evident as I stared at the full jars of brilliant red cherry bomb peppers with enormous garlic cloves on her counter. And the sriracha sauce made from those peppers was out of this world amazing. If I had that in my apartment, it would probably go on every other dish I made (sriracha on fried eggs, scrambled eggs, noodles, cooked vegetables, the list goes on...). The beauty of canning was also apparent when Cathy gleefully asked us if we wanted to see the pantry where she kept all the jars she had canned. I just stared at all the glass jars holding pickles, jams and fruits and vegetables, deep red crushed tomatoes, golden pints of chicken stock with an ever-so-thin layer of fat at the top. I know, I'm a food nerd, indulge me here.

I learned a lot this past Sunday. Fruit for canning should be a firm variety so it doesn't turn to mush when you cook it. That "pop" of the jar is very important, as is the timing and measurements of ingredients. Canning is not a time to reinvent the wheel--canning recipes are done carefully to balance pH levels and other elements I have no expertise in. Canned goods from home can last for up to a year if unsealed, and a month or more in the refrigerator after you open them. There are three methods of pickling. You can literally pick a "good" can up by the lid, and it won't pop off in your hand, no matter how afraid you are of that happening and the jar falling and shattering in front of you (another sign you did it right). The equipment is not all that expensive, and you will probably save yourself lots of money from all that produce you might have otherwise thrown out. And most of all: I can say with confidence that I could, with a little luck and concentration, can something and it would turn out right.

Thank you again, Cathy, for such a great class and all of your hospitality. You can follow her on Twitter at @mrswheelbarrow.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Food Truck: Fojol Bros.

By now you probably know I love food trucks and will wildly defend their existence in the District. So I finally tried the Fojol Bros. of Merlindia one chilly, drizzly afternoon at work. At first, I was a unsure about how I felt getting food from men and women in silly stick-on mustaches and brightly colored turbans from a van blasting Indian music. I may have rolled my eyes at their kitschy habits, but once I stepped up to the window and was greeted by incredibly friendly people in costumes, I thought, "You know what, stick-on mustaches and all, I kind of don't mind this and maybe even like it."

I opted to go with the two item meal, an affordable and filling choice for only six dollars. First off, I liked that Fojol went with some seasonal eats, including a pumpkin dish, which I'd like to try the next time they're in my part of town. Instead though, I tried the three-lentils dish and the buttered chicken, both served with a sizable portion of basmati rice.

The lentils and the buttered chicken were pretty much the perfect meal I could have eaten on that cold drizzly day. The chicken was just spicy enough to warm me up and get my nose running a little (sorry for that overshare), but not spicy enough to bring tears to the eyes. The lentils had a good curry flavor, cooked just right and the sauce was a good consistency (not too runny, but not too thick). The only thing I wish I would have had with this meal was some plain yogurt. My boyfriend's mother sometimes takes her Indian cooking to a level that is near nuclear for me, and to prevent my tongue from losing all feeling, I like to put some plain yogurt on my Indian food. Don't get me wrong, I l-o-v-e her traditional Northern Indian cooking and I'd like to think I do a pretty good job in handling the spiciness; still a little yogurt goes a long way in cooling off your palate and adding a nice tangy flavor to a dish. A yogurt sauce for this meal from Fojol just would have been a nice extra touch.

If you're craving Indian food during your next lunch hour and looking to try yet another food truck, I'd highly recommend Fojol Brothers. They get bonus points for serving their food with a spork (and a biocompostable one at that!), since it's really the only tool for the job of eating portable Indian fare. You can find them on Twitter, @fojolbros. Their mustacheoed, smiling faces and warm food will put you in a better mood for the rest of the day, and just might leave you humming a bollywood tune.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Zaytinya

It is with good reason that José Andrés is DC's food darling of the moment. The man is an incredible chef, he gives back to his community (see his work and support for DCCK), and I must say his take on Greek/Mediterranean mezze is fantastic. So continue, DC, with your unabashed love for our resident Spaniard. I approve wholeheartedly.

For starters, I am not the biggest fan of small plates (tapas, mezze, dim sum--whatever you would like to call them). They are usually expensive and do not have a lot of food, not entirely conducive to large groups because sharing them results in someone else taking one bite and thus eating half of what you ordered. So you end up ordering about 8 rounds of food before you're full and confronted with a large bill. However, portion sizes aside, I will now move on to describing how incredibly delicious this entire meal at Zaytinya was.

The table started with some hummus, baba ghannouge and tabouleh. The two spreads were flavorful, thankfully not overly garlic, and went nicely with the warm flat bread. Normally, I'm not a big fan of tabouleh, but this particular dish was fantastic. The parsley was fresh and crisp, paired with a good amount of lemon vinegar dressing which cut the potentially overpowering flavor of the parsley. Another dish I'd recommend: the Patates Tiganites Me Yaourti (french fries). Oh yes, you might think, "Why should I order the french fries at a restaurant as fine as Zaytinya?" Because they're delicious and have caper salt, that's why.

Next up I had the sea scallops with the yogurt dill sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce was so phenomenally delicious that had I not been in public, I might have picked up the plate to lick it clean. I kid you not. So I did the next best thing of soaking it up with pita bread. I also tried the halibut with red pepper almond puree. While I didn't notice the almond flavor, the warm reddish-orange pepper puree on the white halibut with the bright green baby arugula made for an excellent presentation. Not to mention the thick piece of fish flaked ever-so easily under the fork. There was also one lamb dish, Hünkãr Beğendi I believe, that while I only had a bite of was so flavorful and tender. I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post, but I was far too busy savoring every single mouthful of food here.

Despite my initial complaints about small plates, after the appetizers and two seafood mezze, I was actually feeling kind of full, but still with room to spare for dessert. I'm sorry to say, but I don't remember the names of the dishes I sampled for dessert. I know one was the ice cream (walnut? I believe. Pictured first) and it had honey, although those little gelatinous honey cubes you can see there were kind of odd and not that tasty. The other was a chocolate cake (pictured second) that I only got to try a smidge of since it wasn't my dessert. Both were quite good, though for me it was the appetizers/entree mezze that really made the meal.

The presentation on each plate certainly stood out for me at Zaytinya. It is thoughtful and it shows. The service was on point as well. The downside? Well, yes, Zaytinya is on the expensive side. And as I said, this can be irksome when you feel like you've eaten nothing but tiny plates and the check is certainly not tiny. But for a celebrating a nice occasion or treating yourself or someone else, it's the right restaurant to go to. The restaurant is the creation of José Andrés, so in other words: it lives up to it's hype and reputation. I would venture to say it is one of the best restaurants that I have been fortunate to have dined in in Washington, DC.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Taste of Georgetown

I was all "elbows out" Saturday afternoon as I tried to make my way through the throngs of people at Taste of Georgetown. But in between juggling the mini map, standing on my tippy-toes to see where I should head to next and quickly eating the tiny plates I purchased, I snapped a few pictures of the food.

Polenta ai Funghi with a sage cream sauce from Ristorante Piccolo
Beef brisket ravioli with a Dolcetto Wine and Crimini Mushroom sauce from Filomena Ristorante (I'll say it here and now, I think brisket is gonna be a trendy food for this autumn/winter) Apricot tart from Patisserie Poupon

Not pictured here, I also ate the lobster bisque with red pepper jam and cornbread crouton from 1789 and the chicken, apples & goat cheese truck-style taco from Farmers & Fishers.

The food that I got to sample was pretty good; however, at events like this one with such a high volume of people all clamoring to try the same dishes, it's hard for chefs and restaurants to really shine. It's a challenge, no doubt, but I don't think Taste of Georgetown did justice to just how good some of these restaurants and chefs are. It was hot out and crowded, everyone is asking the same questions about the same dishes, chefs and cooks are slinging food so fast to keep the lines at bay and I'm guessing most of the food was prepared at the restaurants and then transported to Wisconsin Avenue--essentially you feel like you're on the set of a Top Chef challenge. Kudos to everyone for making it work though! It was a fun afternoon and at least it gives people the opportunity to get to know some restaurants that they might not have been familiar with before.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Curbside Cookoff 2010

Oh the bliss that is all of the good food trucks in one place, at one time at Curbside Cookoff! It was wonderful to see all the food trucks slinging curry, tacos, lobster rolls, cupcakes and more. In the words of my friend Q, "I feel like this is DC finally getting down with itself."

Here are some snapshots from the cookoff. I know I should have taken more, but I was too busy stuffing my face and being in awe of the insane amount of people there (more than 18,500 in two days!).

Crowds stalking out the next truck to visit. Eat Wonky and Sweet Bites in the background.

Takorean: I wanted to try your food so badly! But you guys ran out by the time I got there for round 2.

BBQ Bandidos. I loved the memphis brisket sandwich (see below) with the dijon-y coleslaw!

Texas grilled chicken sandwich from BBQ Bandidos. El Floridano. The one bite I had of a friend's pulled pork sandwich was quite tasty. Curbside Cupcake's tasty German Chocolate cupcake.

And now, my not-so tiny soapbox moment. It was definitely a step in the right direction for the DCRA to help sponsor the "first annual" (and I sincerely hope this becomes an annual thing) Curbside Cookoff. Maybe it's just because I am on the verge of developing an addiction to lobster rolls and curry from a truck, but I get legitimately pissed when I hear buzz about the City Council potentially shutting down these trucks. Perhaps it's cynical, but I don't think the Council cares about the feelings of brick and mortar restaurants squawking about this new competition and I don't think that they're legislating to protect you and I from consuming a poorly cooked piece of chicken that could make your stomach rumble. The City is missing out on tax revenue from these non-brick and mortar establishments, and if the City is missing out on cashing in, then they get up in arms. I think they've got some more important issues to tackle than robbing me of a good burrito.

Some of the legislation is just ridiculous. The whole business about not being able to sell a single item before a line forms? Bogus if you ask me, and pretty arbitrary (ie: a vendor could get in trouble for selling one item to one customer and then having a two minute gap before a line forms with new customers). Edward S. Grandis, executive director of the Dupont Circle Merchants and Professionals Association, was quoted in WCP and stated in a proposal that it's inappropriate to conduct commercial activity at a parking meter. Grandis, at least you're getting a couple dollars in quarters (don't you even get me started on what a ripoff parking is in this city!) from these trucks as opposed to them parking in a two-hour, non-metered zone where they don't necessarily have to have a zone sticker. It amazes me how people can be so short-sighted and can try to crush small businesses in our struggling economy. If someone is making money and being innovative right now, then I say congratulations and more power to them. Let's not make it so damn difficult for them to turn a profit, okay?

As for the new competition for brick and mortar restaurants, I say to you, "Quit whining and step it up." If you are so worried about the new competition, then you had better be on your A-game. I have had better food out of these trucks than in some sit-down places. I have had far better service than some restaurants (Lobster Truck, Sauca, BBQ Bandidos, Fojol Brothers, Curbside Cupcake, Eat Wonky--you guys are beyond friendly and it really brightens my day to see your smiling faces after dealing with a morning full of obnoxious phone calls at work!). At the end of the day, is there really that much of a difference between another restaurant starting up next-door versus a food truck? The food truck might be parked down the block from your restaurant one day, but that competing restaurant next-door could wind up stealing your clients for months to come, if their food and service is better.

I will say that I think it's pretty cool for the restaurants, like Argonaut and Chinatown Coffee, who are taking a positive approach and working with the food trucks for happy hours and such. They both have the same mission--feed the people of DC with good food and make a profit. And isn't it nice to see everyone getting along?

So, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next coming months with the food trucks. May they live long and prosper, I say.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Recipe: T.A.C.O. Salsa

To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I would call this a "recipe"...it's more of a guideline, a suggestion for ingredients to put together for simple salsa. It's a pretty easy recipe to adjust as you go along (ie: maybe you like a stronger lime flavor or more salt). However, this is great on tacos (Tomato, Avocado, Corn, Onion Salsa - hence the name/acronym) or just on tortilla chips at your next gathering whilst watching a football game (J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS, GOOOOOOO JETS!).

Ingredients:

- 2 large tomatoes, diced

- 2 cups of cooked corn (frozen or canned is fine)

- 3 ripe avocados, diced

- 1/2 a red onion, chopped

- Juice from 1 and 1/2 limes

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)

- Freshly ground black pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

1. After cooking the corn (if it's frozen), dice the tomatoes. Peel and dice the avocadoes into bite-size chunks. Chop the red onion.

2. Combine all of the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, lime juice (in addition to flavor, the lime juice prevents the avocadoes from browning), salt and pepper. Add the chopped cilantro, if desired.

3. Mix well and let it marinate for at least one hour or overnight before serving.

*This salsa can be prepared a day in advance of serving.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Condensed for Mediocrity's Sake

I'm always thinking of new things to blog about here, and occasionally grapple with the question, "This meal was absolutely nothing special. Do I write a post about this or not?" Although there really isn't much worth writing about these meals, I figure I can spare you the trouble of sitting through and spending your cash on a mediocre dinner. To save us both even more time, I've condensed two recent dining experiences into one post. Were they terrible? No. Did they dazzle my tastebuds? Nope. Instead they were just kind of...there.

First up, Guapo's:

I love Mexican/Tex-Mex food, and one of my best friends, Jennifer, and I have made it a habit to do margarita research while eating fajitas, chimichangas, enchiladas, nachos and any other fare that ends in "itas," "angas," "adas" or "achos." We consider this to be important research in the field. No, no, don't thank us; it's hard work, but we're willing to do it...for you, of course.

Having heard some good buzz from other friends, I ate at Guapo's up in Tenleytown. While I had good service and the menu has a decent number of options, do not consider yourself deprived if you never eat here. I had a passion fruit margarita, which while fruity and frozen, probably contained little to no alcohol, meaning I paid $10 or so for a tropical slushy. The salsa at the table was flavorful, but I think other places such as Lauriol Plaza or Alero have much better salsa. I ordered the tacos al carbon, soft flour tortillas with chicken or beef and served with the standard rice, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. I ordered beef; I got chicken, and chose to just eat it instead of sending it back. The chicken was just long grilled strips of slightly rubbery chicken breast meat that was mildly seasoned, wrapped in the flour tortillas. No sauce or anything that stood out to make it unique. Just chicken in a tortilla. I didn't get to try any other platters, but if this was any indication of the other items on the menu, I get the impression I'm not missing much. And at the end of it, I mysteriously ended up paying around $30 for one drink and the wrong tacos. I could get a much better and cheaper Tex-Mex dinner elsewhere in the city.

Moving along to Scion in Dupont Circle:

I swear I have a minor conniption every time family or friends come to town and I'm given the task of picking the restaurant. I feel the urge to impress, not break the bank, ensure quality service and an overall memorable dining experience while balancing other people's culinary likes, dislikes and potential allergies (oh and it never hurts for me to pick a place on OpenTable and rack up some more points. Oh that elusive $20 gift card--you're within my grasp!). So when my parents and their friends were in town, I decided to be bold and pick a new place in Dupont Circle.

Scion is decent, and maybe I just hit them at a not so good time. But my overall impression was that it was just another moderately priced, "modern American" cuisine restaurant. The menu says there is a "subtle Asian influence," which I could see were apparent in some dishes and completely nonexistent in others. The service we had was a little slow, although our waiter was very pleasant. I get it was a Sunday evening, but there were about 6 other tables with patrons. As of late, I've had bad luck in DC restaurants on a Sunday. Do Washingtonians just not eat at restaurants on Sundays? Is subpar service just to be expected on a Sunday evening?

I ordered the steak frites, a ribeye steak with garlic-seasoned fries. My steak was tasty and I really like ribeye steaks; however, a steak that is cooked "medium" should mean there is some pink in the steak. Mine was definitely well-done, which took away some of the flavor. The sauce that came with the steak was tasty and slightly peppery. The fries were a little spicy, more than being garlicky. There was a line of ketchup on the plate that just kind of ran into the steak sauce, which was kind of disappointing. Overall, it was decent, but nothing to go on about.

Lastly, I find yet another mediocre pizza place in DC:

I had been told on good authority that Flippin' Pizza was as close as I'd get to my homeland's Jersey-style pies. Cue the incorrect buzzer sound: WRONG. Yes, the pizza tasted alright, but it was so thin and rigid, impossible to fold nicely to cradle it as one may do before eating a slice. It also was swimming in a layer of grease that I chose to soak up with several napkins. No, I'm not a sissy--I can handle some oil on my pizza. But when it looks like the cheese and pepperoni had an oil spill on your pizza and you feel the need to shower immediately after eating, it generally means you just ate some bad pizza.

So that was my "just okay" dining experiences as of late. Send me some Ate Mail if you think I got these restaurants wrong or right, or if you've also had a "just okay" meal in the city. Here's to hoping the next meal is something a little more outstanding!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Pies, Pies, Pies

First off, big thanks to everyone who went and "liked" my video. I don't think I won the contest (looks like the winner was the disgusting granola chicken recipe...barf), but everyone's support meant a lot to me. Special thanks to Eshawn and Garrett for promoting the heck out of it, and to my roomie Kim and other friends for consistently voting everyday! Hopefully I'll be making some more cooking videos on my YouTube channel, so stay tuned for those.

Keeping in the theme of baking and fruit, my most recent culinary feats/projects have been all about pies and tarts. Behold, the blueberry pie and peach tart I most recently made. They were devoured by good friends, thus preventing me from having to eat all of it myself and packing on the pounds from all that pie. Ah, good friends.

Delicious homemade blueberry pie. Yes, that crust is made from scratch and rolled out by yours truly.

Above: Peach tart assembled and prior to baking.

Nothing is quite as delicious as baked peaches.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

DCCK's First Annual Pizza Toss

Tuesday evening I headed down to Capitol South to go to DC Central Kitchen's first annual Pizza Toss. The event was to kick off and promote DCCK's upcoming Capital Food Fight, featuring the battling chefs Victor Albisu, Will Artley, Scott Drewno and a fourth unnamed chef. Below you can see the chefs participating in the actual pizza toss (oh yes, real pizza dough was tossed. Although did you know someone in the world manufactures fake pizza dough for tossing? Go ahead and google that).


I don't think I can quite put into words how great this organization is. At GWU, I volunteered at DCCK with my community service sorority and felt how rewarding it was to contribute to feeding 4,500 people. As CEO Mike Curtin said at the Pizza Toss, DCCK doesn't just feed a person for a day; they provide services and teach people the skills to feed themselves for life and to get back on their feet. As I've said before, their philosophy of not wasting anything, be it talent, money or food, is one I respect. It was nice to see the evening come full circle when Curtin added that Spike Mendelsohn had hired several DCCK graduates at We the Pizza.

So in case you haven't already, go buy your tickets for this year's Capital Food Fight! You'll get to be in the presence of some pretty amazing chefs, both famous locally and across the globe (ahem, Bourdain will be there co-hosting, might I add) and of course, contribute to a worthy cause. Any of you high rollers out there might also be interested in bidding on the dinner for 10 with Eric Ripert, Tom Colicchio and Jose Andres. If you heard about it from my blog and you win, might I suggest that you make me one of the lucky nine to accompany you, or at the very least invite me to be your server for the evening. I promise not to be clumsy or stumble over myself in the presence of such culinary greatness.

As an aside, the pizza at We the Pizza is pretty stellar. I plan on going back and writing up a full review, but the mushroom pie and buffalo chicken pizza (which came close to the awe-inspiring original from New Jersey) are really good. Full of flavor, good toppings and a thin crust--just the way I like my pizza.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.