Restaurant Review: El Centro D.F.

 

I had been to El Centro D.F. when it first opened for a big media dinner back in the late Spring. While I had loved the dark, stone-encapsulated atmosphere and the open rooftop, I was less than thrilled about the food the first go-around. So when I got a second invitation to check it out, I figured I had nothing to lose. Six months or so later, I have to say the restaurant has greatly improved. 

To start, I ordered the flowery and sweet "lavanda" cocktail. It was refreshing, though I'm big on lavender flavor which I thought the drink could have used a little more of. The El Centro margarita, however, was perfection--the right amount of tart lime to balance the tequila and the salted rim. The margarita was so good I kind of wanted to steal my friend's cocktail for the rest of dinner. Along with cocktails, my friend Tony and I split the grilled skirt steak huaraches, a light corn-based flatbread with steak, mexican cheeses and cilantro. The waitress described it as a sort of twist on steak and cheese. The tender, slightly spicy steak went well with the creamy cheese sauce that really made the dish. 

Steak Huaraches

For dinner, we both swapped some of the chicken zarape and the tacos al pastor. I'm a huge fan of pork shoulder and the spice of the adobo marinade on the pork in the tacos went really well with the sweetness of the pineapple and zing of the white onion. Perhaps a little more grilled pineapple might have enhanced the tacos, but overall they were a highlight of the meal. The textures in the chicken zarape dish really stood out--creamy sauce and silky avocados with the crunch of bacon and tomatoes. Maybe it's the bacon-obsessed food editor in me, but I thought the dish should have had a few more bits of bacon in the sauce to add extra flavor and crunch. The creamy rice and refried beans that came with the chicken zarape rounded out the whole dish. Both the steak huaraches and the chicken zarape dishes did a good job of using cheese or creamy sauces to compliment the spice in the dish.

Even if tequila isn't your liquor of choice, definitely get a small glass to sip as an after-dinner drink. The staff and bartenders can steer you in the right direction if you're not entirely sure of what you're looking for. I tried a smidge of the mezcal reposado illegal which was pleasantly smoky and will warm you from head to toe.

Tacos al pastor

Chicken Zarape

The service was friendly and attentive, and our waitress knew the menu well which scores bonus points in my book. However, as our meal concluded up close to 10 PM, we were brought the check with no mention of dessert. Even though I understand the restaurant was starting to wrap up for the night since they close at 11 PM and frankly, I don't think I could have even fit in dessert, I kind of wanted to compare the tres leches cake from the first time to this second experience. Still, the service was prompt and completely on point throughout the meal.

If you're looking for Mexican food in the city that doesn't fall flat and isn't the tried and tired burrito, El Centro D.F. is a great option. The food is flavorful, savory and filling. And the tequila list is long. Check out dinner in the taqueria or tequileria, or sip cocktails on the enclosed rooftop which is open all year-long.

Disclosure: I was invited to dine at El Centro as a member of the media, and this meal was complimentary.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Thanksgiving 2011 in Pictures

There is nothing quite like being home for the holidays. I have much to be thankful for--a list too long to publish. So in this latest food porn post, here's what my mom, the woman who taught me everything I know in the kitchen, chose to make for Thanksgiving this year. Big thanks go to my mom for making a delicious dinner--there's nothing like mom's cooking.

Of course, knucklehead over here did not bring her good camera home with her. Rather, I used a point and shoot which I'm still getting the hang of (give the girl and SLR and she's fine! But point and shoot still befuddles me? Go figure.). So the full menu included: pumpkin soup with a cider cream and fried sage, turkey roulade, sage and sausage stuffing, carrot ribbons with orange dressing, classic mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, green beans with caramelized shallots, cranberry, pear and ginger chutney, sweet potatoes with an almond streusel, along with a pumpkin pie and frozen pumpkin mousse with pecan toffee topping.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

DC Empanadas Collecting Toys For My Sister's Place Until December 9th

I'm fully aware that I sound like a broken record when it comes to how great I think the food trucks of DC are. So of course, I wanted to help get the word out about a great toy drive that DC Empanadas is doing this year.

DC Empanadas is collecting new toys for the holidays for children at My Sister's Place, a local shelter that serves victims of domestic violence. All you have to do is drop off your new, unwrapped toy to the truck from now until December 9th. Toys should be for children ranging in ages from newborn to 15 years old.

Find out where the truck is roaming on Twitter so you can donate a toy this Christmas season and make a child's holiday a little bit brighter.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Photos from DCCK's 2011 Capital Food Fight

Thursday night I headed to DCCK's 8th annual Capital Food Fight which raised $550,000 for all of their great programs. You can check out photos from the night below. Congratulations to chef Haidar Karoum who won this year's battle!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Dinner Bell: November Food Events in the City

The wind is starting to whip around your shoulders and suddenly venturing out of the house seems like a total chore since it takes you a good half an hour to layer yourself up properly. Lucky for you, there's a plethora of food events that will make going out worth your while. Here's my breakdown:

Saturday, November 5th, 4-8 PM - Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture is hosting its second annual The Vices that Made Virginia. It's quite possibly one of the events I'm looking forward to most--craft cocktails and beer, pies, food from some of the great Neighborhood Restaurant Group chefs, bourbon, oysters, cigars and a photobooth. All on a scenic farm. Need I say more? Tickets are $125 per person and all proceeds go to Arcadia.

Thursday, November 10th, 6 PM - DC Central Kitchen is hosting its 2011 Capital Food Fight. Local chefs, Todd Gray of Equinox/Watershed, Haidar Karoum of Proof/Estadio, Jeff Black of BlackSalt Restaurant Group/Pearl Dive Oyster Bar and Brian McBride of Blue Duck Tavern will compete in an Iron Chef-style competition with multiple cookoff rounds featuring secret ingredients. Plus, you'll see the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Jose Andres and the judge panel Ted Allen, Joan Nathan and Ming Tsai. I'll be live tweeting that night, so be sure to follow me @bonappetitfoodi for updates throughout the competition. Tickets are $200 and proceeds go to DCCK.

Thursday, November 10th, 6:30 PM - Epsilon Sigma Alpha at The George Washington University is my old college sorority and they're hosting their third annual Gobble Fest competition. Get four of your friends together and form a team to compete in a Thanksgiving-themed pie eating contest. It's $25 to join a team and all of the proceeds go to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Saturday, November 12th, 3-5 PM - For my fellow oyster afficionados, BlackSalt Market & Restaurant is hosting an Oyster Tasting to raise money for juvenile diabetes. At the tasting you can sample more than a dozen oyster varieties from North America served on the half-shell, grilled, fried and as oysters rockefeller. Proceeds from the tasting will go towards the restaurant group's $200,000 goal to build a teaching kitchen at the Washington Nationals Diabetes Care Complex at Children's National Medical Center. Tickets are $85 in advance or $95 at the door.

Thursday, November 17th, 7 PM - Think what you want about Martha Stewart, but one thing's for sure: the woman built her own empire and is a good cook. She'll be signing her book, Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations and talking about her inspiration, entertaining at home and the evolution of the American domestic culture at DAR Constitution Hall. Tickets are $35 for general admission. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

November 14th through 27th - José Andrés and Zaytinya will be hosting a Grape Festival honoring the tiny fruit at Zaytinya. Executive chef of the restaurant, Michael Costa, will offer a number of grape-inspired dishes that such as lamb chops with roasted grapes and mushrooms, grape leaves stuffed with butternut squash, rice, pine nuts and tarragon and grape granitas. Of course, there will be wine.

November 7th through 13th - Celebrate Pizzeria Paradiso's 20th birthday with a week of events and specials. Pizzeria Paradiso will also be hosting a trivia contest on their Facebook pages (Georgetown, Old Town, Dupont) with $20 gift certificate prizes given out twice per day. @Eatyourpizza's 2000th Twitter follower will also get three $20 gift certificates to each location. The restaurant's "20 Something Celebration," includes a whole lineup:

• Monday, November 7th – Get one large and one small pizza for $20 on take-out orders only.
• Tuesday, November 8th – Receive a 20th anniversary beer glass when you purchase a beer with your meal. The 8th is the restaurant’s official birthday.
• Wednesday, November 9th – Pay $20 for all you can eat pizza and beer (note: you can eat all the pizza you want, but there’s 2 beer maximum).
• Thursday, November 10th – Pay $20 for a small special pizza and an anniversary beer.
• Friday, November 11th – Your first beer is just 20 cents.
• Saturday, November 12th – Dine in at a location and pay just 20 cents for toppings (note: 3 toppings maximum)
• Sunday, November 13th – Round out the week with “20 Free Pizzas” Family/Kids Day from 1-4 PM. Kids can be part of a make your own pizza demonstration with owner/chef Ruth Gresser and the first 20 kid’s pizzas are free (note: Old Town location only).

Now until November 17th - Help out local charity Food & Friends by purchasing a pie through their 5th annual Thanksgiving pie sale, Slice of Life. For $25, you can purchase a pie and save yourself the trouble of making one for Thanksgiving and help a great cause. Each pie provides a full day of meals for a Food & Friends client who is battling HIV/AIDS, cancer or another life-challenging illness.

Happy eating during the month of November, foodies!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Welcome to DC, Rolls on Rolls Food Truck

If you've been a reader/Twitter friend for a while you know my penchant for food truck lunches. You also probably know that since I started a newish job out in Virginia that I rarely ever get to see my food truck friends anymore and both my tastebuds and stomach have been depressed by this change in diet.

However, my love for food trucks hasn't diminished one bit. You might have seen one of the newer food trucks rolling around DC, Rolls on Rolls. The Indian street food truck had previously been serving the Silver Spring, MD community since Spring 2011 and recently started serving in DC in early October 2011. Their owner, Rachan, answered a few quick questions for me.

BAFoodie: What made you decide to start a food truck? What is your background in the food industry? 
Rachan: I'm a programmer-turned-food-truck-owner. When I started in Silver Spring, I just wanted to bring the delicious flavors of Indian herbs/spices to the vegetarian and meat-eating DC folks. People have liked our food and we've received a warm welcome into the industry.

BAFoodie: What makes Rolls on Rolls different from other food trucks? 
Rachan: We're THE healthy (and super-delicious) Indian food option. All our rolls carry fewer than 500 calories!

BAFoodie: Any dishes on the menu that you want to highlight or new dishes that you will be offering soon? 
Rachan: We have options both for vegetarians and meat eaters. Chicken and chana masala (chickpeas) rolls are extremely popular.

The truck serves street food from New Delhi and Calcutta called kathi rolls that are wraps with different fillings such as paneer, marinated chicken, vegetables or chana masala (aka an Indian chickpeas dish). Then you can pick from toppings such as homemade chutneys, carrots or cabbage. Rolls on Rolls also offers samosas and mango lassis (think of it as a mango shake for those of you not familiar with Indian food). You can find out where the food truck is by following them on Twitter @Rollsonrolls.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.