WLDC Posts Roundup

Between the new job, juggling the blogs, editing photos, helping my friends' band with their social media and trying to maintain some sort of a life, I haven't had much time to write (or sleep for that matter). Can I blame any of the lack of posts on the earthquake in DC (everyone else is blaming something on that earthquake...)? So to whet your appetite for what's to come on Bon Appetit Foodie, here's a quick roundup of what I've been writing on We Love DC lately. I'll be back with a more legit post soon, but in the meantime check out the following pieces.

This round of Capital Chefs links has some awesome recipes from a spicy grilled chicken to tomato jam to mussels and frites. Roll up your sleeves, read about the chefs and then get ready to make their dishes.

• Quanta Robinson of Black's Bar and Kitchen, Part 1 and Part 2
• Nick Stefanelli of Bibiana, Part 1 and Part 2
• Jaime Montes de Oca of Zentan, Part 1 and Part 2
• Haidar Karoum of Proof and Estadio, Part 1 and Part 2
• Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe, Part 1 and Part 2
• Amy Brandwein of Casa Nonna, Part 1 and Part 2

In old news:

• Dan Giusti leaves 1789 for Noma of Denmark (after eating at 1789 the other night I was reminded that I will indeed miss Dan's food and snark)
• New Chefs de Cuisine at DC Coast and Michel
• New Chef at Ripple
• Basil Thyme Food Truck Hits the Streets
• Rogue 24 opened (don't even get me started on that place and it's contract hullabaloo...)
• Unfortunate fire at Hook/Tacklebox in Georgetown, which I believe is still closed

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Slow Food Dinner at Clyde's Willow Creek Farm

As much as I'm a city girl, there's a big part of me that hopes to have a small farm somewhere when I'm 45 and married with kids. Maybe it's all that time I spent in West Virginia during the summer when I was growing up. Maybe it's because there's something incredibly rewarding about growing vegetables and getting to eat them right when they're picked. So when I got invited to a Slow Food dinner at Clyde's Willow Creek Farm, I jumped at the chance to get to some open space with a vegetable patch.

Below is a slideshow of the photos I took, and my editor at We Love DC, Katie, also took some beautiful pictures. I'll go ahead and admit that I was very caught up talking with two beekeepers, Patrick and Diane Standiford, and so I didn't take very many pictures of the actual dinner. Chestnut Hill Apiaries supplies honey for the Clyde's Restaurant Group, and the Standifords kindly gave me a small jar of honey that is fantastically sweet and light. They really were a lot of fun to talk to and I got to learn more about raising bees and cultivating honey.



Slow Food, which sponsored the meal at Clyde's, is an organization committed to creating a world in which everyone can access food that is "good for them, good for those who grow it and god for the planet." Their three principles are good, clean and fair. In other words, food should be fresh and flavorful, shouldn't harm the environment, animals or our health and it should be a fair price for consumers with fair working conditions for farmers. There are plenty of issues surrounding how food ought to be produced and what we should be consuming. Slow Food has a bunch of interesting initiatives and ideas that you should check out.

Thanks to Clyde's and Slow Food for hosting such a scenic and delicious dinner!

Disclosure: As I was invited as a media guest, my dinner was complimentary.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Checking out Spilled Milk Catering

Problem: your boss just tasked you with finding a reliable, affordable and delicious caterer for an event that is sure to knock the socks off of your client. You know pigs in a blanket are probably not acceptable, but don't even know where to begin searching for a caterer in DC. Solution: Hire Spilled Milk Catering.



A while ago, I attended a tasting party for Spilled Milk Catering, a local catering company started by Amit Gulati and Raj Bhattacharya. The pair is not only humorous and down to earth, but their food is delicious, creative and fun.

What started out as a fun side project for a few guys who liked to cook, ultimately became a successful business. Co-owner Amit told me how he used to juggle his corporate job during the week, while building up his kitchen experience by working nights and weekends at Nage Bistro. What's obvious from talking to Amit and Raj and from trying their food is that they're passionate about cooking, and that they've made the right career move.



Some of the highlights that stood out for me were the wonton cones with spicy tuna, the mac and cheese lollipops with tangy mustard sauce (pictured above), and the curried crab on watermelon skewers with mint and cilantro salad. Also the braised pork tostadas with avocado crema and spicy red cabbage slaw, along with the mini sliders and mini lobster rolls (pictured below) were a hit in my book. The great part about their food is that they offer a range of options with twists on casual classics, such as the sliders, to elegant small bites, such as the watermelon skewers and Indian-spiced lamb lollipops with mint and cumin yogurt. Their desserts, made by Jenna Huntsberger of Modern Domestic, are also fantastic. Definitely opt for the mini goat cheese ice cream sandwiches with gingerbread and the blueberry and lemon cheesecake squares.



So before you get yourself in a tizzy over the next baby shower, wedding or office party that needs food, look to Spilled Milk Catering. Whether it's a crowd of 50 or 500, Spilled Milk has got you covered.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Dinner Bell: August Food Events and Specials

You're staring at those cans of tuna on your pantry shelf along with a freezer full of boring TV dinners, when it hits you that maybe it's time to get out of the house and let someone else awaken your palate. I wrote about this over at We Love DC a few days ago, but here's a cross post about where you can take advantage of dining out in DC.

Food Specials: 

If you're craving cold beer, hot crabs smothered in Old Bay seasoning and a wooden mallet (you have had a rough week after all, couldn't hurt to crack a few crabs), head to Bar Pilar. For $60 you get a dinner for two consisting of 10 steamed crabs and two side dishes. I'm a fan of Justin Bittner's potato salad as well as their roasted potatoes with aioli. While it's not included with the crab dinner, definitely get the slow-roasted pork shoulder on toasted, crusty bread. Slow roasted pork. Carmelized outer coating. Need I say more?

While Café Saint-Ex is undergoing a kitchen expansion, you can still head to 14th street for their "pop-up patio picnics" featuring burgers, sausages, classic picnic sides of potato salad and grilled vegetables, as well as "poptails," aka boozy cocktail popsicles. The kitchen's expansion is said to be completed in four weeks.

You're tired of the Georgetown scene in the summertime, clogged with tourists waiting to shove cupcakes they've seen on TV in their faces. Frankly, I don't blame you. But here are two reasons why you should check out G-town this month:

1. "Dog Days of Summer" at Bourbon Steak - Pay homage to some local DC food and order a Red Apron Butchery hot dog and a DC Brau American pale ale for $7. The dogs aren't on the menu, so consider yourself in the know now, you hip city-dweller, you.

2. 1789 Summer Special - One of my favorite restaurants in the city. Think it's just reserved for a special night out or when Obama feels like taking a foreign dignitary out for dinner? Think again. From now until September 15 on Sundays through Thursdays, you can get a three-course dinner for $40. You can request a coupon online or mention the deal to your server.

Food Events:

Pig out literally at Bourbon Steak's second annual pig roast on August 14 from 12-3 PM. Chill on the restaurant's patio while you eat homemade bratwursts, sausages, carnitas and more. The restaurant will have a taco stand and their pastry chef Brenton Balika is carrying the pork theme through dessert with ice creams and pies with "pork-filled garnishes." Tickets are $35 for just food or $50 for food and drinks, and you can order them by calling 202-944-2026. They'll have you wee-ing and wah-ing all the way home.

Oyamel is hosting its 4th annual squash blossom festival until August 14. Don't miss their light summer squash soup with corn, tomatoes, squash blossoms and mexican cream, as well as their squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese. And if you're looking for an unusual cocktail, try their "Maria Bruja" which is a blend of zucchini, avocado juice, milagro blanco and mezcal served with a squash blossom chip in a salt-rimmed glass.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Food Truck: Basil Thyme

Since I started working in Alexandria, there's been a widening gap in my life, a void that just can't be filled with the lunch options in suburban shopping malls. That void: the lack of food trucks in my weekly routine. But before I started this new job (largely why the blog has been silent these last few weeks), I got the chance to check out Basil Thyme, a food truck that started rolling around DC in mid-June.

Lasagna "Linda"

The idea behind the truck is simply fresh pasta and Italian dishes made from scratch. Brian Farrell, a co-owner of the truck, worked in IT for 12 years before he decided to scrap the desk for a food truck with chef Malik Umar. The first dish I tried was the classic "Linda" lasagna with seasoned beef. Fat slabs of soft lasagna noodles with tender meat and ricotta layered in between. The marinara sauce on and in the lasagna was flavorful and could easily go toe to toe with sauce made by an Italian grandmother. The melted cheese on top and the shaved, salty parmesan rounded out the classic dish. The other lasagna I tried was the pasquale--with salami, pancetta, pepperoni and prosciutto (holy cured meats!). The pasquale was a little salty only because of all the meat, but it was a pleasant amount of saltiness that went well with the cheese and tomato sauce. If you're looking for a little something more than the garden variety pasta dish, go for the pasquale.

Lasagna Pasquale

Basil Thyme is a welcome addition to the food truck scene and its Italian dishes are flavorful and classic. In other words, they walk the talk. Plus, for $10 you get a filling lunch of a pasta dish, small salad with a nice vinaigrette, a drink and a cannoli or other dessert. Check 'em out wherever they're rolling next on the streets of DC.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.