Bon Appetit Foodie

Help Me Cook at the DC Lamb Pro-Am!

2012-02-14T08:25:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was invited to represent We Love DC in a lamb recipe competition. A bunch of local bloggers are competing and the top 4 go on to get paired with a DC chef and cook in the Pro-Am event that will attract around 200 people. I always love a good challenge in the kitchen and would love if you'd head over and cast your vote for "Lamb Ragu by We Love DC." You can vote at: http://dc.fansoflamb.com/pro-am-dc/ and you can read my original post below. Voting ends on February 17th. Thanks for all your support!

Rigatoni with lamb ragu
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie

Any time I cook for a big group of friends or take a stab at concocting my own recipe, I try to remember this tiny little truth: stick to what you know. Of course, I take that with a grain of salt, but the principle remains the same. Hosting a dinner party for eight, especially if you’re aiming to impress a certain member of the crowd, means that it’s probably not the right time to try your hand at that chocolate souffle recipe you’ve never made or even tasted. I’m all for taking risks in the kitchen. But there are times and places when it’s better to do so.

Lamb Ragucourtesy of bonappetitfoodie

So when I started thinking about what the heck I was going to make with leg of lamb, my mind went in about 80 directions at first. I was like a kid who’d consumed an entire box of pixie sticks as I sat wide-eyed laptop in one hand, assorted cookbooks in the other, searching for ideas to get me started. “Mint! YEAH, lamb is often served with mint! But we won’t be doing any of that mint jelly shit. Or wait, no, no. I should TOTALLY try bringing the meat back to its humble beginnings that made it so tasty in the first place by rigging a setup to hay smoke it!” I sound like Kenneth from 30 Rock in that episode when he tries coffee for the first time, muttering and putting a dozen sticky notes on recipe pages. My roommate has learned to ignore me when I get like this. In truth, there will be no hay smoking because I realize that I haven’t smoked anything in my kitchen oven before and now, going on 1:30 AM on a Tuesday, is probably not the time to investigate how to do so.

After the dust from the cookbook shelf settles, and I’ve returned to sanity from whatever manic, excited state I’ve thrown myself into at the prospect of cooking something completely new, we hope for a moment of clarity. That time when I sit back, gaze over my shoulder from the living room into the kitchen and think, “I know what we’re going to do here.” It takes a little while, but once I get into a certain groove in the kitchen with different elements being prepped on the two tiny portions of counter space I have to work with, I’m golden.

After ruining a perfectly lovely cut of meat I decided to practice on, I solicited the advice of two of my friends on what I should make. Both immediately said ragu. And it turns out those two ladies know me (and the food I know how to cook best) better than I realized. Ragu, of course. The best thing I’ve got up my sleeves is my grandmother’s recipe for “Sunday gravy”–a monstrous pot of meatballs and sauce. I can get any friend with an Italian family from the northeast to enjoy it–without even the thought of comparing it to their own family recipe, a point of pride in my book. So why wouldn’tI go for something in the same vein? Stick to what you know, right? I’m confident in my ability to make a tomato-based sauce and creative enough to come up with a little something different on the fly. And so my lamb ragu was born.

Below you’ll find the recipe. Big thanks to Border Springs Farm and Craig Rogers for supplying us with the lamb, and a big thanks to the American Lamb Board for inviting me to participate. I’ll post the link on where you can vote for my recipe in the comments section later today. Get cooking.

Rigatoni with lamb ragucourtesy of bonappetitfoodie

Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
3 lb. boneless leg of lamb
4 carrots peeled and roughly diced
3 celery ribs, roughly diced
1 medium yellow onion, roughly diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes (I use San Marzano)
2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
1 cup of red wine
4 basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning herbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1lb. box of rigatoni

Border Springs leg of lambcourtesy of bonappetitfoodie Start of a mirepoixcourtesy of bonappetitfoodie

Instructions:
1. Peel and roughly chop the carrots, yellow onion and garlic. Clean the celery ribs and roughly chop. Set aside.
2. Add the tomatoes (not including the juice in the can) to a blender and blend until almost smooth. The goal here is not to puree the tomatoes, but to get them to a consistency that’s finer than diced tomatoes.
3. Heat a large pot with enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Season the leg of lamb with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the lamb to the pot and on a medium-high heat sear all sides until it is well browned. Remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.
4. In the same pot, add about a tablespoon of EVOO and the mixture of chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook on medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, onions translucent.
5. Add the red wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste, blended tomatoes and the tomato juice from the cans. Add the basil, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and any extra salt or pepper as desired. Stir to combine all ingredients.
7. Add the leg of lamb back to the pot along with any drippings that accumulated while the meat was resting.
8. Cover the pot and allow the ragu to cook on low heat for approximately 3 to 3 1/2 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally (every 45 minutes or so) and season with extra salt and pepper according to taste.
9. After approximately 2 1/2 hours, remove the leg of lamb from the pot and shred the meat with a fork. The meat should be tender and should shred easily. If it doesn’t, allow the lamb to cook in the sauce more. Return the shredded lamb back to the pot to finish cooking in the ragu.
10. After the ragu has finished cooking, cook rigatoni according to box instructions.
11. Mix the rigatoni with the ragu and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Fiola Da Fabio Trabocchi

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Over the course of one's life, there are maybe a handful of memorable meals. Mostly, they're memorable for the company you shared or for the occasion surrounding the meal, and sometimes these factors can color your perception of the food. Other times meals are memorable simply because the food was so outstanding. That's where Fiola comes in. The dishes speak for themselves here.

Before I get to the food, let me say that the cocktails at Fiola are top-notch. My fellow drinks editor from We Love DC, Jenn Larsen, and I met at the bar for dinner, and while perusing the menu, cocktails were in order. Jeff Faile is the bartender of your dreams--name a flavor and he can make a drink for you, pair it with a dish on the menu and even crack a joke at the end of it all. Alright, I know, Jenn had already befriended him so it's not like he wasn't going to pay attention to a friend at his bar. But Jeff can pretty much whip up any concoction to your liking. The cocktails at Fiola are artistic and thoughtful. The Alexandra, a vodka-based cocktail, strikes a perfect balance between the citrus of the lime and the subtle sweetness of the Rothman Pear liqueur. For something even lighter, I also tried the Jolanda, a drink with "maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, liqueur de violettes and prosecco"--delicious and refreshing.

I'll start out with a bold, sweeping statement: dinner at Fiola was one of the best meals I've had in DC. That's not an exaggeration in the least. When I went, the creamy burrata was served on a bed of arugula and other greens with the lightest citrus-flavored vinaigrette. Normally, I let the burrata take over my taste buds and be the sole focus of the dish. But in this version, the salad was not your typical after-thought or garnish--it was dressed perfectly with a vinaigrette that contrasted the creamy burrata perfectly.

There are two other antipasti that you cannot pass up at Fiola. Do not sign your bill and walk out that door without trying the crab crostino. Thick, hearty and crusty slices of bread carry a dungeness crab dip. It's incredibly rich, creamy and with a little briny flavor of the ocean. To make the dish even richer, it's topped with a slice of a black truffle. I repeat, do not leave Fiola without trying the crab crostino. The other antipasti you can't pass up is the steak tartar. At other restaurants, steak tartar can be a cop out--charge a high price for little, thinly pounded, practically translucent slices of beef. Not the case here. The minced steak tartar at Fiola comes with a parmesan crema, a soft, poached quail egg and little crispy wisps of bacon. I want to say that there were capers in the tartar, but I was too busy enjoying the dish and forgot to ask. The dish's presentation is enough to get any steak-lover's mouth watering--that ruby red beef with the silky, runny egg yolk and the salty parmesan sauce make this dish memorable. The bacon is a nice touch as well.

After all of that, I had to remember that I still had pasta on the way. For this one, I relied on Jeff's advice for which pasta dish to pick. I went with the tortellini of baby lamb, which as Jeff described, "made him giggle" the first time he tried it. The man was right. The tender lamb and salty prosciutto are complimented by the sage flavor in the creamy sauce. If you feel the urge to giggle gleefully after the first bite, you're not alone; go ahead and let that giggle fly. The strips of prosciutto add a salty kick to the plate and a little something extra to round out the flavors of the lamb and the sage.

If you dare to have room for dessert, go with the bomboloni. These sugar-dusted ricotta donuts are airy and sweet, and the ice cream paired with it is like eating the pure essence of cinnamon. Those hot donuts are just the right thing for dessert on a cold night in winter.

Fiola is elegant and creative Italian food that incorporates traditional flavors or pairings, but takes those dishes to the next level. If you've got an occasion where you're aiming to impress your dinner companions but remain in a completely approachable and unpretentious atmosphere, Fiola is the right pick. Stay tuned to We Love DC for my upcoming Capital Chefs feature on chef Fabio Trabocchi. I'll post the link here when it's online. In the meantime, get yourself over to Fiola.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Dim Sum Brunch at The Source

2012-01-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

Duck Bao Bun at The Source

I love a traditional brunch any day. If you're a member of the frequent bruncher crowd, I bet you've trained yourself to skim over a menu, zero in on keywords (hollandaise, poached, bacon) and have your order done and ready to rattle off to a waiter in less than five minutes in an attempt to make sure you and your friends aren't there for another three hour mimosa-induced boozefest like you did last weekend. One can only do so many of those. So in the effort to make brunch a little different and more interesting, I'm telling you right now to head over to The Source by Wolfgang Puck to try their dim sum brunch.

Rabbit Sausage Bao Bun with Mustard Sauce
at The Source

For starters, the dim sum brunch at The Source is a great way to try one of the best (and frankly more expensive) restaurants in the city without burning a substantial hole in your wallet. Five plates are $30 or upgrade to eight plates for $40. For two people, eight plates will leave you very full. Also, remember that The Source only serves its dim sum brunch on Saturdays (wouldn't want you to roll up there on a Sunday only to be disappointed and hungry). Being a huge bloody mary fan, I recommend the District Mary, which ups the ante on the classic one with a spicy, house made half-smoke. So let's break down the dishes, shall we?

If there's one thing you will get your fill of and cannot pass up at The Source, it's the dumplings. You can try to make executive chef Scott Drewno's chicken dumplings or pork potstickers at home, but the real deal at dim sum brunch is going to be better than whatever you whip up in your own kitchen. The crystal chive dumpling and wok fired shrimp dumplings are not to be missed.

For a variation on the Chinese dumpling, try the Indian lamb samosas at brunch. The crispy fried wrapping contrasts with the soft filling of lamb and potatoes and a nice hint of cumin. The classic green chutney paired with the lamb samosas is probably one of the best I've tasted. If you're still in the mood for something a little fried and crispy, go for the lobster and shrimp spring roll. They're packed with chunks of shrimp and lobster meat that soak up the sweet honey-based dipping sauce.

Lobster and Shrimp Spring Roll at The Source

The other dim sum item that I would not pass up are the bao buns. While the menu varies from time to time, if you do see them, try the beef brisket bao buns, duck bao buns or the rabbit sausage with spicy mustard bao bun. While I initially thought the beef brisket bao bun would be my favorite, I have to say the rabbit sausage really stole the show and I never would have guessed it was rabbit until Drewno told us. The spicy mustard sauce with the cool slice of cucumber paired well. On the duck bao buns, that perfectly crispy duck skin was the highlight. And the pillowy buns themselves strike the right balance between soft and chewy.

Beef Brisket Bao Bun at The Source

Should you have room for dessert, the tangerine gelato is thick and creamy, but refreshing. After all the dumplings and bao buns and noodles, the brightly flavored tangerine gelato is a nice way to round out the meal while getting a little sweet fix.

If you're looking for an alternative to the tried and true eggs-meat-and-cheese brunch combination, head over to the dim sum brunch at The Source.

Tangerine Gelato with Candied Orange Zest at The Source

Disclosure: A few of the dishes I sampled at the dim sum brunch were sent out compliments of the chef.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Graffiato

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Pork Belly with Cannelini Beans at Graffiato
Photo by Marissa Bialecki

I'll admit that with this food writing side gig, I can fall prey to acting jaded sometimes. That's not to say I'm not grateful for the opportunity to meet chefs around the city or eat fantastic food. It's just that with all the eating I get to do, it makes it a little harder to leave an impression on me. But Graffiato is one of those restaurants that talks the talk and walks the walk; the food is always incredible and six months after it first opened the place is still relentlessly packed every night of the week.

In the summertime I was all about the sweet corn agnolotti. And in my more recent trips to the restaurant there have been a number of dishes that have left a lasting memory on my palate. In one of my big "gets" for the year over at We Love DC, I scored an interview with Mike Isabella for my Capital Chefs column. It was one of the best interviews I got to do all year. Isabella is a very personable, friendly guy and I don't just think that because we're both from New Jersey and we both put pepperoni in our sauces (I owe that one to my grandma).

One of the best dishes I had at Graffiato was the crispy brussel sprouts with maple, pancetta and egg. The brussel sprouts were soft on the inside, but had nicely carmelized outer edges. The carmelization of the outer leaves along with the sweetness of maple syrup and the saltiness of the pancetta were a fantastic combination. Though I tend to lean in the direction of the meat dishes, this particular dish really stole the show for me. If brussel sprouts aren't your thing (though this dish might convince you otherwise), go with the charred potatoes--a simple dish that finishes off the potatoes with lemon, parsley and parmesan. And if you're a pork fanatic, you'll love Isabella's take on "pork and beans" with a rough cannelini bean puree and pork belly.

Mike Isabella of Graffiato
Photo by Marissa Bialecki

The other favorite was one that I got to try after interviewing Mike: the roasted potato gnocchi with black truffles and wild mushrooms. Hands down, this was probably the best dish I ate in all of 2011. Black truffles could probably make the bottom of your shoe taste good. But this dish didn't rest its laurels on the truffles. The rich buttery sauce with the soft gnocchi along with the crispy truffle flakes on top were in a word, heavenly. So often dishes with trendy ingredients, such as truffles, can be executed poorly or lazily. But the gnocchi were the perfect consistency and this dish was incredibly flavorful and rich.

There are two other dishes I consistently make sure to order when I head to Graffiato: the burrata and a pizza. I've been known to consume mini burratas by myself in one sitting. And those creamy curds that ooze out of the burrata at Graffiato are not to be missed. In the summer, I had a pizza with prosciutto and honey that was an incredible mix of salty and sweet. The Porky's Revenge pizza with sopressata, pepperoni, sausage and stracciatella is perfect for the meat lover. The crust is thin, and the pizza is flavorful but not overly salty from all that cured meat. While the pizza's got more of an artisanal feel that the run of the mill slice in New Jersey, Mike has the thin crust down .

For dessert, the chocolate tart is a great choice, though I will say that I wasn't crazy about the sea salt gelato. The zeppoles, on the other hand, are delicious and far lighter than anything I've eaten on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. They're not too sweet, but they'll satisfy that dessert craving after dinner, if you happen to have room.

If you haven't already been to Graffiato, go and go fast. I'd definitely advise you to make a reservation. If this restaurant is any indication, his Mexican small plates concept in Georgetown, Bandolero, should be just as amazing.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

WLDC Posts Roundup: December 2011

2011-12-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've wrangled up the posts I've done for We Love DC. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm food editor over there now? Exciting stuff!

In closing out 2011, I'm hoping to write a personal roundup post over here of the highlights from this past year in food. But you can check We Love DC for the food team's roundup of our "Best Of" list tomorrow at 11 AM. In the meantime, here's a roundup of links to all my recent(ish) posts over on We Love DC.

Mike Isabella at Graffiato

In my latest Capital Chefs-related posts:

Takashi Ohseki of Cork - Part 1 and Part 2
Todd Gray of Equinox and Watershed - Part 1 and Part 2
Brent Balika of Bourbon Steaks shows me what cheese is all about
Fall 2011 update on where chefs have been moving around. Note: I missed a big one, which was that Will Artley left Evening Star Cafe which is currently undergoing renovations. No word on where Will is headed yet...
Blue Duck Tavern replaced Brian McBride with a new chef, Sebastien Archambault
ZOMG I interviewed Top Chef alum Mike Isabella! And he gave me his pork belly recipe, no biggie.

Crabcake at Merroir

In other food news:

Tune Inn on Capitol Hill reopened
Pizzeria Paradiso celebrated its 20th birthday
Haidar Karoum of Estadio/Proof won DCCK's Capital Food Fight
The most recent restaurant openings and closings around town
Casa Nonna launched its new concept and tasting menu, Tavola 12
Chef changes, expansions and more, I still love Ripple in Cleveland Park
I learned everything I possibly could about Rappahannock River Oysters LLC

Though it's not food-related, it's still an important PSA as we head into new years eve that you should never, under any circumstances, drink and drive. Take a free cab ride (up to $30) from now until new years day from 10 PM til 6 AM.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

How to Shuck an Oyster with Chef Pete Woods of Rappahannock River Oysters

2011-12-15T11:30:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, I took a long drive out to Toppings, VA to check out Rappahannock River Oysters, LLC. I lucked out with a perfectly sunny and mild December day with barely a breeze on the river.
You can read the full feature I wrote about RRO on We Love DC, but it goes without saying that I learned a lot that afternoon, including how to properly (and safely) shuck an oyster. Watch the video below with Merroir's chef, Pete Woods, to learn how to shuck an oyster.

And while it may be too chilly right now to sit out by the marina and enjoy a cold beer and a dozen fresh oysters, definitely get yourself there this Spring and Summer. RRO has some big plans for Merroir, the tasting room that they launched this past July. And the food is incredible--hands down the best fried green tomato I've ever had (and in December, no less!), the crabcakes are outrageously rich and don't contain any breadcrumbs, and Chef Pete knows how to sear the skin on a rockfish to crispy perfection. Oh and get the lambs and clams dish; you'll thank me later. The food at Merroir shows off the freshness of the seafood--it is simple and it is delicious. There are a million places between here and Maine that do the over-fried po boys and cooked-to-death corn on the cob clam bakes, but this is the one place that let's the food itself do the talking with perfectly executed small plates. And don't be fooled by that phrase--Merroir serves hearty portions all from an unassuming outdoor grill station and small kitchen area indoors.

Big thanks to chef Pete and co-owner of RRO, Travis Croxton, for hosting me for the day and eaching me about oysters and aquaculture!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Recipe: White Lasagna with Chicken, Spinach and Bechamel Sauce

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

After a chef friend told me about her craving for white lasagna, it occurred to me that in my 20 something years of existence I had never once attempted to make a lasagna on my own. Oh sure, I had seen relatives master the art of baked ziti, lasagna and every variation of chicken or eggplant parmigiano at family functions. But I realized that it was time that I take on the challenge of preparing a lasagna on my own both to feed a friend's craving and to prove to myself that I was capable.

Below you'll find my recipe for White Lasagna with Chicken, Spinach and a Bechamel Sauce. Sure lasagna, and a lasagna with a bechamel sauce no less, requires some work in the kitchen. But the fat slabs of chicken, cheese and silky spinach sandwiched between fat noodles dripping with bechamel sauce is a pretty good reward for your labor. Feel free to play around with the recipe, and I haven't completely perfected the measurements. If you want a more loaded lasagna, add more chicken, ricotta and spinach--though beware not to overstuff your layers. If you like your lasagna to be oozing with sauce, add more bechamel. And let me know how yours turns out.

Now I also understand that this is a huge amount of lasagna. However, as pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac (the one who prompted me to throw together this recipe) said, "It just feels wrong to make a small lasagna." Share some with friends.

Sorry folks, this sad iPhone picture will have to suffice.

White Lasagna with Chicken, Spinach and Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 bunches of spinaches, washed thoroughly and drained
- 5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 16 oz. containers of fresh ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 1 lb. box of lasagna noodles
- 6 cups of bechamel sauce (I double Mario Batali's recipe for bechamel)

Instructions:
1. In a pan, heat about a tablespoon of EVOO or enough to coat the pan. Add about half of the minced garlic to the pan along with the chicken breasts. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook thoroughly. After the chicken is done, slice it on the diagonal or shred it, depending on your preference for the lasagna. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry the spinach and remove the tough stalks. In a pan with EVOO and the rest of the minced garlic, cook the spinach until it's lightly wilted. This should only take a few minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan as the spinach was cooked in, sautee the finely diced yellow onion until it's translucent and smooth.
4. Make the bechamel sauce according to the Batali recipe or one of your choosing. Add the cooked onions to the bechamel when it's finished.
5. Cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of salted, boiling water according to box instructions (For example, some lasagna noodles instruct you to cook the pasta for half the time you would normally cook pasta so that it doesn't turn to mush when you bake the lasagna). Using tongs, remove and drain the lasagna noodles. Be careful not to pile them on top of one another if you aren't layering them right away--they'll stick together.
6. In the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish, spread a thick layer of bechamel sauce. Then place a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by ricotta, half of a cup of parmesan, chicken, spinach and more bechamel sauce. Repeat this layering two more times.
7. Cover the top of the lasagna with a thick layer of the remaining bechamel sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
8. In a 350 degree oven, bake the lasagna for 40-45 minutes or until bubbling. If the lasagna starts to brown too much on top while it's baking, cover it with foil.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: El Centro D.F.

2011-11-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-11T15:46:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

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.

Autumn Dinner Party: Menu and Photos

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday evening I transformed my tiny apartment kitchen and living room into a seemingly bigger space, and fed seven of my good friends. It was the first time in my history of throwing dinner parties since I was 15 that I managed to get everything cooked and ready to serve on time. By some combination of meticulous overplanning, a lot of Rolling Stones discography and a little magic I created the following fall dinner menu:

Cheese platter with herbed chevre, brie and mild cheddar
Champagne punch (from Epicurious)
Prosciutto-wrapped stuffed pork loin with roasted apples (from the latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Note: I subbed spinach in the stuffing for kale since I despise kale)
Maple-roasted butternut squash with sage (adapted from Barefood Contessa)
Haricot verts with shallots and lemon butter
Mashed potatoes
Pumpkin creme brulees (from the Bon Appetit Desserts cookbook. Special thanks to my friend Mallory for loaning me a kitchen blow torch)
Apple tart with walnut and brown sugar topping (from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. Note: I subbed walnuts for hazelnuts)
Bourbon ice cream (from one of last year's fall issues of Bon Appetit magazine)

Of course, I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to. But my urge to document every memory with photographs did let me snag a few good ones of the food. Overall, it was a great night with delicious food and good friends--a dinner party for the record books.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Giveaway: $20 on Seamless, Online Delivery and Takeout Food Site

2011-10-13T08:11:00.000-04:00

So you want to win $20? Seamless, an online ordering delivery and takeout food site with more than 600 restaurants in DC, is doing their CRAVED Restaurant Awards until October 15th. The CRAVED awards are the first annual restaurant awards program which allows you the chance to honor the Seamless restaurants that bring you food every day. Voting will then begin on October 16th for the restaurants with the most nominations in each category, and the winners will be announced on October 30th.

In addition to honoring the restaurants that are on Seamless, they're allowing me to give away one $20 Seamless gift card to one of you lucky people.

Here's how it works:
1. Go nominate a restaurant before October 15th here.
2. Leave a comment below on my blog post about the restaurant you nominated. It could be anything--why you nominated the restaurant, your favorite thing about their food, etc. Be creative!
3. I'll randomly pick a winner by Monday, October 18th and notify them in the comments section and then by email.

So go forth and nominate and comment!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Book Review: Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

2011-10-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

I cracked open Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones & Butter with a notion that I was going to go down a road of self-reflection, much like the chef interviews I do. I thought there might be humorous anecdotes, moments of inspiration, but instead I found myself snapping the book shut and murmuring to my roommate, "Kim, I feel...depressed. I think this book is making me depressed."

Okay, so maybe "blood" and "bones" in the title should have been the first red flag that this wasn't a book that was going to have me rolling in laughter and courageously marching into my kitchen to cook things. There were enjoyable moments throughout the book, but overall, I found that Hamilton glossed over much of her personal life, hinting at problems here and there, and coloring her biography with a bit of bravado and mystique. Perfectly reasonable, considering that it's her book, but if you're going to write about yourself I think you either have to come to terms with your "issues" or leave 'em at the door completely. I appreciate her tenacity and tough spirit, but at times it just came across as bitter and angry.

Right about when I started reading the book, Hamilton came out saying that she find "foodies" to be a "bummer" and "I'm barely interested in food....I love food but I don't like to talk about it very long." Strangely enough, she wrote an entire book about her relationship and experiences with food! Now I don't like all the stigmas and associations that go with the word "foodie." At the heart of it, I think foodie should just refer to someone who has a passion for food, who wants to understand the cultures and processes behind what makes great food. But the yuppies and hipsters (yupsters?) surrounding my generation who grace the pages of some of my former favorite magazines have ruined this notion. Foodies often refer to skinny people in jeans doing quaint things like "putting up dilly beans" and commenting on the latest food trend that is written about ad nauseam. These people don't actually like real food, they only think they do. They like the aseptic version of food that photographs well. They make me cringe. I'll assume these are the people Hamilton was referring to, nod in agreement if that's what she meant and just move on from the whole thing.

Going back to the book, there were several parts that stuck with me and actually left me with a positive feeling. For one, Hamilton's descriptions are written wonderfully, so much so that you find yourself longing to be a party guest at one of the soiree's her parents used to host or lounging in the Italian sunshine at her ex-husband's family's villa. Her chronic need for organization was something I could both chuckle along with and relate to, along with her desire to plan extravagant dinners in which "potluck" was akin to a dirty word.

There's also something about just losing yourself in the actions of repeating things over and over in the kitchen which Hamilton mentioned. She put it best when she said, "What I have loved about cooking my entire life, especially prep cooking, is the way that it keeps your hands occupied but your mind free to sort everything out. I have never once finished an eight-hour prep shift without something from my life--mundane or profound--sorted out." Those were the parts I could understand and appreciate from the book. The other more angry and confused parts in which she was struggling to find what she wanted in life, I suppose those captured the sentiment well since I found myself getting frustrated and sullen. But I also found parts of the book whiny (ie: you are in an unhappy marriage that you arrived at after being a lesbian, yet you're in a villa in Italy going on and on about the food and produce and gorgeous scenery. Hey, life could be worse).

The other part of her book that stood out in my mind was her short chapter on being a woman in the restaurant industry. I completely agree with her assessment that she'd like to simply be known as a great chef rather than a great female chef. And I agree with her simple advice to "Get in the kitchen; cook well; and the rest will take care of itself." What I like about food is that you can't bullshit it--it either tastes good or it doesn't. Cooking, perhaps, is the great equalizer--you can talk all you want, you can be any age, ethnicity or gender, but your food? It had better taste good. That being said, it's fair to say that being a woman in the food industry does pose a different set of challenges. Hamilton made her job work around her two pregnancies, and my guess is that being the owner of her own restaurant afforded her some freedom with that. Rather than downplay the significance of being a female chef, maybe we ought to be giving women like Hamilton extra applause for cooking great food, raising a family, running a successful business and not letting the whole thing go to pot. Or is the extra praise offensive? I'm not quite sure. Maybe the day that we're not talking about "what it's like to be a woman in the restaurant industry" will be the day when we've finally made it.

Overall, I would recommend reading Blood, Bones & Butter. Sometimes you've got to read something that makes you feel a little unease, that makes you think, that makes you agree with points and disagree with others. Hamilton's command of language certainly does all that and maybe she'll pen another book that will give us more insight into her world and her experience with food.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Small Bites: Where I've been Eating in the District

2011-09-29T10:30:00.061-04:00

Just because I'm not writing up a full review, doesn't mean I haven't been chowing down at some good places around DC. Here are some of the latest places that have made the grade in my book.

Ray's Hell Burger

The Mack. Pardon the poor iPhone picture quality.

Do I even have to say how awesome their burgers are? When I did my battle of the burgers feature last summer, I had yet to try this gem. Sure I had heard all about it, but I was stubborn about going out of my way to Virginia. Put it this way, you haven't had a burger in DC until you've had Ray's. Huge, thick patties, cooked to perfection and seasoned impeccably. They've got a full menu of burgers with different fixings, and you pretty much can't go wrong with any one. Sometimes it's hard to describe something so simple. This is just how burgers should taste. Note: it's cash only, so be prepared when you go.

Pleasant Pops
Rarely would I go out of my way to get frozen juice on a stick, but Pleasant Pops is so much more. When I worked downtown, I went through a phase where I anxiously stalked their truck on Twitter. There was nothing better on a hot summer day than a honey lavender cream popsicle or a sweet tea popsicle. Their pops pack a flavorful punch, so be on the look out for their truck or their booth at your local farmer's market. And they use local, seasonal ingredients which is always a plus in my book. Bonus (depending on how you look at it): the truck gives you the calorie count for their pops.

Oohs & Aahs
This is a no frills, soul food to the max, what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of a place. And that's how it ought to be. My friend Tom and I had been jonesing to try Oohs & Aahs for a few weeks when we found ourselves wandering around after a show at the 9:30 Club, turned to one another and said, "FRIED. CHICKEN." It's a little pricey (food for the two of us was about $40), but the portions are huge and it's the kind of food that sticks to your ribs. Their mac and cheese is creamy and loaded with cheese, while the fried chicken has a crispy coating and juicy on the inside. The sweet potatoes are incredibly sweet, but in a good way. Sure, you can see the gallons of grease in the fryer right in front of you at the counter. But that's the beauty of this place. It's soul food, and though it might not be the best thing for your waistline it will most certainly make you feel a whole lot better about the world.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Mussel Bar

2011-09-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

When I think about mussels, frankly, I can't help but recall Anthony Bourdain's description of the mollusks sitting in a bucket of their own funk and how one little bad guy in the bunch can leave you praying to the porcelain Gods for hours on end. I love mussels, but I also know enough, like Bourdain, not to order them unless I know and trust the place. If you'd ask me where I would choose to eat mussels in the DC area, I'd confidently direct you to Mussel Bar in Bethesda.

Try as I might to will myself to order something else off the menu, I go for the mussels every time I come here. It's in the restaurant's name for pete's sake and it would feel, well, wrong to order something else. Mussel Bar is usually crowded any given night of the week, though both times I went the service was still on point despite all of the full tables. The mussels are plump and fresh with that nice balance of a little bit of brine in between the sweet and creamy flavor. It's nice to just sit back for an hour or so, sip on a cold beer and pull the mussels from their glistening black shells in a bowl of steamy broth.

The standout mussel dish for me was the one with mushrooms, pancetta, parmesan and truffle cream. I consider it a pretty good indication of the food if I want to stick my face in the plate and slurp it down in public, no less. The broth in the dish was creamy with crispy pancetta and soft mushrooms floating about. I gladly dipped a hunk of bread, as well as my fries, in the broth to soak up every last drop. I had tried another mussels dish with chorizo and shrimp, though it was a special so I can't guarantee that you'll see it on the menu the next time you go. Each time the broths have been flavorful and the mussels have been pleasantly fat. I'd also recommend going with the classic dish with shallots, cream and sauvignon blanc.

In addition to great mussels, the restaurant has a pretty extensive beer list to choose from. And the crispy frites sprinkled with salt are the perfect companion to a bowl of mussels.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Last Taste of Summer: Cooking Squash Blossoms

2011-09-20T11:00:00.056-04:00

Every year at this time I'm torn between wanting to cling to the last warm days and fresh produce of summer while leaping ahead into the autumn filled with colder weather, turning leaves, sweaters and boots, and yes, anything and everything cooked with pumpkins or apples. While fall is my favorite season, I couldn't help but look back longingly at some pictures I had taken of squash blossoms. Their brilliant, curled orange tops that faded gently into the bottom of the green blossoms make me yearn for one more hot day at the farmer's markets and an afternoon dip in the pool. They're out of season by now, but in these final days where I'm crossing my fingers for the temperature to creep into the mid-80s, I figured I'd share some of the pictures and the recipe for the stuffed squash blossoms I made back when summer was still in its heyday.

I did two versions: one with ricotta cheese and one with goat cheese. Both are very informal recipes--meaning, the measurements are estimates and you should use your judgement based on your personal tastes (ie: you like a stronger herb flavor, add more herbs to the mixture). Personally, I preferred the ones stuffed with ricotta cheese, but I suggest experimenting with both. Also note that it's important not to overstuff the squash blossoms unless you want to spend your time fishing out fried cheese curds from the pan. The squash blossoms are also pretty delicate, so make sure that when you stuff them you don't rip the flowers. The recipe for the batter is from Bon Appetit Magazine, though I adjusted it a bit because frankly it made enough batter to fry practically everything in my pantry. Instead, my logic was cut the batter recipe in half and then just drink the rest of the beer!

Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Ingredients:
- 10-15 fresh squash blossoms (available at farmer's markets)
- 1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese or 3/4 cup of goat cheese (you can use goat cheese with herbs already in it if you're feeling extra lazy)
- Handful Mixture of fresh herbs, oregano, thyme and parsely, finely chopped
- Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the freshly chopped herbs and cheese (either ricotta or goat cheese).
2. Stuff the blossoms about 3/4 of the way full and twist the tops closed, so that the cheese doesn't leak out when you fry them.
3. Dip the blossoms in the batter and put immediately into a pan of hot vegetable or canola oil.
4. Fry until golden brown and then drain on a plate with paper towels.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt and serve immediately.

See Epicurious for the batter recipe. You can adjust it to about half of your bottled beer (roughly 6 ounces), 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. I used a summer ale when I made the batter. A good quality, light beer will do.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Give to DCCK's/Go Venga Stuff the Bus Tour

2011-09-17T10:00:00.032-04:00

Today marks the start of the two week Go Venga "Stuff the Bus" tour benefiting DC Central Kitchen.

The Go Venga school bus will be making stops throughout the city and you can help them meet the goal of collecting 5,000 pounds of food for DCCK. Some of the suggested items to donate include: canned tomatoes, beans, pasta, granola bars and trail mix and applesauce, though you can donate other items as well. And if you can't donate canned goods or food, you can still donate online. Even just giving $10 will buy a roaster chicken for the Stuff the Bus food drive.

I'm serving as one of the "guest hosts" on the tour and I'll be at one of the bus' first stops this Sunday, September 18th at Clydes in Georgetown from 12-3 PM. Stop by, bring food, come say hello! For a full schedule of the bus' stops, celebrity guests and more information, go to stuffthebus.com.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Behold, The Power of Cheese: Bourbon Steak's Cheese Program

2011-09-14T09:45:00.003-04:00

Last week I wrote a little bit about Bourbon Steak's cheese program over on We Love DC. There are plenty of cooking processes I wish I knew more about and could yammer on about while I cooked blindfolded and with one arm tied behind my back--canning, cheese making, understanding all of the chemistry behind baking--I'm slowly checking some of the things off my list. There was one chef interview I did where the chef made a remark about the pastry chef having an "intimate knowledge of dough" and being able to just touch a batter or pasta dough and immediately know what was missing. I yearn to get to that level with food. So in the meantime, I'm taking cues from the experts and gratefully storing up the tips and nuggets of knowledge chefs in DC have given me over time.

When I met with Brent Balika at Bourbon Steak, he showed me how to make homemade mozzarella, a process that it technically easy enough to do at home but certainly requires special materials (ie: rennet) and patience and background knowledge on cheese. Take a look at the pictures of the cheese wheels in the "cave" at Bourbon Steak and of Brent stretching the fresh mozzarella.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

WLDC Posts Roundup

2011-08-24T09:30:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-11T08:09:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-08T11:00:00.010-04:00

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

2011-08-06T14:12:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

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.

A Day in a Professional Kitchen

2011-07-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

I had written this post a very long time ago, and debated publishing it. I can't begin to claim that I know what it's like to work in a professional kitchen. But I did have the privilege of working in one of the best in DC for a day and wanted to share my experience.

Let's rewind to the end of October 2010: I was consumed by the fact that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. More people were reading my blog, I was doing cooler (at least in my opinion) things with it, but I found myself requesting brochures and applications from culinary schools, daydreaming about being able to chop with such astounding speed and precision without losing a finger, crafting dishes that would melt the hearts and stomaches of even the coldest critics.

So before I decided to throw down 45 grand and nine months to two years of my time, I decided it would be a good idea to try working in a professional kitchen. For the record, I currently work in public relations/communications by day and don't exactly plan on leaving that field soon. But I'd be lying (to myself and to all of you) if I didn't say that food is my passion and I hope to someday let it take center stage in my professional life.

Before I started writing about chefs for We Love DC, I had the fortune of knowing a chef in the DC area who graciously allowed me into his kitchen to work on one of the slower shifts. I was nervous. I wanted to prove myself. I didn't want to bleed, fall or botch any dish or prep work. When we sat down to talk and he asked me if I thought I could see myself "throwing down," it suddenly hit me that I wasn't the only one going out on a limb here. Forget my personal hangups for the moment, he was taking a risk by having me there in the first place. He had no idea if I knew the difference between diced or minced, if I knew how to chiffonade sage properly, if he'd find me curled up in a ball next to the warm oven because I couldn't take the pressure of working in a real kitchen. For that I am very grateful that he decided to take a chance and let me see if being a chef someday was the right fit for me.

I arrived at the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon, tempted by the nice weather to just skip it and let my slight fear take the reins, directing me back to an afternoon of some mundane errands. I asked a man in a suit for the executive chef, as if I had any authority to do so. I made it through the kitchen and in retrospect, I probably looked like a deer in headlights based on the way people were looking at me. Animals can smell fear; humans aren't much different. It's not that I thought I was going to screw up. I knew I could meet the challenge of prep work. It wasn't an audition, it wasn't going to decide my career, but then again it could very well push me in the right direction. Frankly, I felt that it was kind of an honor to be allowed into a chef's kitchen, especially a chef with an incredible reputation. I think chefs have varying degrees of territorialism, and if I were a chef, I might not jump at the opportunity to have someone I barely know (with zero professional kitchen experience) step in to prepare food that I was going to serve with my name and reputation attached to it.

I started with prepping arugula, kale, chanterelle mushrooms. I moved onto pitting plums, drying them to become prunes. I did chiffonade sage and did so properly. I juiced lemons and sliced asian pears with beautiful white, crisp centers. I sliced tiny, white turnips and was incredibly grateful when the sous chef got me a protective glove for the mandolin; yes, he wanted just as much as I did for me not to make an ass of myself. I obediently followed guys back and forth from the walk-in refrigerators. I watched--a lot. And I managed to do it without getting in anyone's way (too much, I hope) and without cutting myself in spite of the slight coffee jitters I had walked in with.

No one was here to hold my hand. If I had a question, I could ask it. But I got the impression that fewer questions were better. When the chef initially asked me if I was up to the challenge, he added, "I'm not just asking because you're a woman." I didn't take offense to it at all. It didn't and shouldn't come as a surprise that the restaurant industry is a world run mostly by men. Other than myself, there was one other woman in the kitchen that day (and yes, she was on the desserts station).

After all the prep, there was an unexpected lull. Hours had already gone by, my problem child of a lower back was starting to act up and I was being told to go eat the staff meal. A quick and mostly silent meal later, every man was at his station. "You ready? You ready to go?" the chef asked around. It was almost like a general rallying the tired troops. These guys worked hard. The chef had told me he hadn't had a single day off in two months. Everyone knew it was going to be a slower night, but the pressure to perform and do it well, really exceptionally well, was certainly still there. So just like that dinner service started, the audience came in, the curtain went up, everyone took their places and the action began.

For the first part, I just watched plating at the cold station. Had it been busier, maybe I would have been allowed to plate something earlier. But I had to learn and I had to get the hang of what each ticket meant. A salad was not just a salad. Individual leaves were strategically placed. If the chef didn't like how the cook plated it, he came over and rearranged it. He had to have eyes in the back of his head, telling everyone what they needed to do, change or fix, what was right or wrong and what was good to go. I could chuckle on the inside when he made a wisecrack, asking someone if he was "fucking blind or was that order up?" That's because my ass wasn't on the line, and I was pretty much expected to be learning, slowly. And thankfully I will never ever be on a grill station, that's for sure.

An hour went by, then an hour and a half. I considered asking to leave (how many times can you watch two guys plate a pear salad?). But I was watching and learning, determined to plate something that would make it to someone's table, determined to put in a full eight hour shift. I got to taste dishes, the leftover portions that were too soggy with dressing or were going to be thrown away if they weren't used that night. I discovered that like being in your own kitchen, you can and should taste something before you serve it to ensure that it's properly seasoned. I did actually plate courses that were consumed by the paying public.

I watched the grill station in awe. Hot pans moving, being stacked up, handled carefully but incredibly quickly with towels or metal tongs. A short, stout man who did not speak English but just grinned at me came to take away the dirty pans, bring back clean ones, all without getting in the way for a split second. He dodged hot pans like a pro, ensured that the line cook had the pots and pans he needed. And it was a small, but gratifying moment, when the line cook had a spare moment, and held out a venison medallion for me to eat since it was left over. "You wanna try it?" I nodded and smiled. Maybe I had been helpful to him afterall.

At the end, I was extremely tired and my back hurt. I returned the white jacket with the restaurant's name embroidered on the sleeve. Who cares if it had snap buttons? It still felt cool wearing it, even though it was baggy on me. I was given the okay by the chef to come back and do another shift again sometime, maybe even on a busier day.

I enjoyed my time in the kitchen. I learned more than I can fit in this post. And somewhat sadly, I discovered that I don't think I'll become a chef anytime soon (not never...just not in the cards at the moment). I have a lot of respect for the men and women who work hard to give you a good meal. I'm sure most patrons of fine dining establishments or any restaurant for that matter aren't thinking about what's going on beyond the kitchen doors. But next time you order so much as a burger, think about who is working hard to make it for you. I'm happy to say that I didn't run away screaming, and that I do want to learn more about proper techniques and cooking terms, even if it's just for my own gratification. I'm the type of person who doesn't back down from a challenge, and I believe I met this one.

Thank you again to my chef friend and to the men (and woman!) who let me into the kitchen that day. I have been humbled.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Recapping the 2011 RAMMY Awards

2011-06-28T13:00:00.001-04:00

Sunday night I attended the 2011 RAMMY awards over at the Marriott in Woodley Park, a wonderful night honoring some of the best in the restaurant business in the city. Below you'll find the list of 2011 winners, and you can read my post about it over at We Love DC.

The 2011 RAMMY award winners:

Duke Zeibart Capital Achievement Award - Chef José Andrés
Chef of the Year - Todd Gray of Equinox
Rising Culinary Star - Kyle Bailey of Birch and Barley
Pastry Chef - Tiffany MacIsaac of Neighborhood Restaurant Group
New Restaurant - Estadio DC
Fine Dining Restaurant - The Source by Wolfgang Puck
Upscale Casual Restaurant - Tabard Inn
Neighborhood Gathering Place - Ted's Bulletin
Restaurant Employee - Ryme Lansari of Cafe Atlantico/Minibar
Restaurant Manager - Hans Olson of Clyde's of Reston
Power Spot - Carmine's
Hottest Bar Scene - Chef Geoff's, Tyson Corner
Wine Program - Taberna Del Alabardero
Beverage/Mixology Program - Founding Farmers
Your Favorite Restaurant - Carmine's
Where Magazine Visitors' Choice Award - Old Ebbitt Grill

As I said in my WLDC post, I (and like many other people in the audience) was surprised by some of the winners in the publicly voted categories. I would argue that the publicly voted categories weren't indicative of the culinary talent that lies in this city. There are plenty of good restaurants that didn't even make the nominees in these categories, and I wish the public votes would have reflected the food this city has to offer.

Aside from that, there were some very deserving winners of the night. Obviously, I'm incredibly proud of my friends Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac of Neighborhood Restaurant Group who took home the Rising Culinary Star and Pastry Chef of the Year awards, respectively. I also thought the winners for Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year (The Source by Wolfgang Puck) and New Restaurant of the Year (Estadio) were spot on. I would have liked to have seen Masa 14 or Bourbon Steak win for Hottest Bar Scene (um, hello? Leonardo DiCaprio along with a slew of other famous names have been spotted at Bourbon Steak).

Some of the funny/personable moments of the night included WaPo's Bonnie Benwick's comment about the audience owing much to the creators of Spanx, WaPo's Joe Yonan's live tweeting from the stage as he presented awards, Todd Gray's stylish Nantucket red pants in a sea of black tuxedos and the owner of Estadio's demand to stop playing the "get off the stage music" because he was going to finish his speech no matter what. It should go without saying that the food and cocktails served were delicious, especially Patricia Jinich's cheesecake.

Thanks to Alejandra Owens of Borderstan and Russell Warnick of Endless Simmer for providing me with entertaining company for the night. With one RAMMY awards ceremony, two after parties and a night of live tweeting under my belt, I'm already looking forward to next year's.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Birch & Barley

2011-06-23T11:30:00.254-04:00

I've eaten here enough to start losing count of how many times I've been. And despite having enjoyed every morsel of food I've had here, I struggled with how to write this review. I love the food here. I'm an unabashed Birch and Barley fan, and for that reason I don't want this review to be perceived as an unbiased rave because I happen to get along with Kyle and Tiffany, their executive chef and executive pastry chef. Full disclosure: I have enjoyed several perks in the past, like getting to try several new dishes on the house. But let's be real: if the food sucked, I'd never go back.

Beer Sampling at Birch and Barley

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get on with a proper restaurant review. This review is somewhat lengthy because I've been so many times that I've tried so much of the menu!

With the arrival of summer, I headed to Birch and Barley looking forward to some substantial menu changes. I tend to be a creature of habit, and while I love the ricotta cavatelli, I was ready to try something new. To kick off the meal, I opted to go with the pisco punch cocktail which was refreshing with the right balance of tart and sweet. It goes without saying B&B is known for their enormous beer selection. I'd go into the beers I had there (I had a "carrot cake" and a "white russian" beer there that were two of the most unusual and cool beers I've ever had), but as a waiter once clued me in: you can try a beer there one time that you love, but it might never be on the menu again. The craft beers come from a variety of small breweries, thus limited quantities, thus jot down the name of a beer and ask your server about it if you really like one.

Shrimp & Chorizo Flatbread

I've had the bread plate and the charcuterie plate a few times before and I got a sneak peek at the charcuterie closet in the restaurant (a foodie's dream come true!). The housemade pretzels with the grainy mustard are phenomenal with a dark brown shell and soft inside. The kalamata olive rolls and the foccacia are also great with melted butter. If you're down with cured meats, go for the butcher's board (um hello, beer and meat? Do I need to say more?). There aren't very many places I'll try something that has pig's head in it, but B&B is one.

Four other appetizers I got to try recently were the fig & prosciutto flatbread, the shrimp & chorizo flatbread, the seared baby sepia with squid ink farfalle and the grilled octopus. For the flatbreads, banish any notion that these are like pizzas. The thick crust is the right amount of chewiness for the toppings. I usually don't go for sweet and savory combinations, but the combination of sweet figs with salty prosciutto and gorgonzola are perfect. The housemade chorizo is just a little spicy. Plus the softer textures of the shrimp, romesco and chorizo went well with the crunch of the toasted almonds on the flatbread. As for the seared baby sepia (aka cuttlefish), it was a good kind of chewy (not in a rubbery way). The black farfalle with the white cuttlefish and dark dandelion greens made for a nice presentation. Lastly for the appetizers, my friends and I tried the grilled octopus. Now I'm not entirely sure how it's prepared, but the octopus has this almost flakey texture, like fish. Forget any notions of rubbery octopus--this cut easily and went so well with the slightly crispy potatoes and fried capers (if you have never had a fried caper, you have not truly lived).

Farfalle and seared sepia

Grilled octopus with fried capers

For dinner I ordered the tempura jumbo soft shell crab, one of my most favorite pieces of seafood. The batter was light and went well with the buckwheat soba that took on the ponzu flavor. For me the ponzu and citrus flavors were great, though another friend remarked that her soft shell crab became overly saturated with ponzu as she worked her way through dinner. I also tried a bite of the prosciutto-wrapped veal--incredibly tender and the prosciutto was nice and crispy on the outside. None of us at the table could quite put our finger on what made the barley slightly sweet in that entree (one person guessed nutmeg); either way, it still tasted great.

Softshell crab with sobu noodles

Veal with barley

Here's one of the things I love about Birch & Barley--there is usually a dish with something in it that I'm not crazy about and ordinarily wouldn't order. Take for example, Kyle's beet risotto that was on the menu a few months ago. I hate beets. Pickled, canned, roasted, candied--I don't care how you make them, I will not enjoy eating them. Goat cheese and beet salad? Been there, done that (probably have wanted to spit it out into my napkin before). And then there was this beet risotto. It was a dish that came out compliments of Kyle, and so I thought, "Here goes nothing. I have to at least try this." Creamy with a subtle and sweet beet flavor, and the brightest, richest beet color. I was sold. Or the kale that had been sauteed to have the right balance between silkiness and the vibrant, fresh crunch of spring. Or Tiffany's peanut butter cheesecake? Again, you say cheesecake, I say I'll pass (with the exception of the manchego cheesecake at Estadio and the key lime cheesecake I had when I interviewed Mallory Staley at 1789). But this peanut buttery confection with the celery vanilla ice cream actually made me start to create positive memories of eating ants on a log back on 5th grade Girl Scout camping trips. What I'm saying is that the dishes at Birch & Barley often get me to think of ingredients in a new way. They make me wiggle out of my comfort zone and make me revise my opinions on foods I usually steer clear of. And that's not something that many chefs can do.

Tiffany MacIsaac's Dessert plate

For dessert, I don't even know where to begin. If I had to sum up Tiffany's desserts in one word, I'd say playful. The cookies and confections plate as well as the ants on a log dessert demonstrate such creativity. Cereal milk sorbet with a pecan joy? Yes, please. Another favorite of mine was the oatmeal cream pie. Take a note from this woman's book, Little Debbie. Also, go for the spiced parsnip cake. I know, parsnip, root vegetable, what is it doing on a dessert menu? But trust me, it works. The panna cotta with flavors of hazelnut and chocolate go so well with the blood orange slices and sorbet. Do not dare go here and not save room for dessert.

Hazelnut panna cotta with blood orange sorbet

So there you have it: my thoughts on Birch & Barley. I like going to a restaurant after having interviewed a chef, not for perks, but because I gain a greater appreciation for where they're coming from and what their thought process is behind their food. I like to learn more about a chef's approach to food, to their craft. I like to find out if they're actually passionate about what they do because I think that shows in their cooking. And if that makes me "biased" about their food, I'm kind of okay with that.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Clara's Cous Cous Salad Recipe

2011-06-17T10:30:00.002-04:00

I'm a big believer in the idea that people come into your life for a reason. When I met my friend Clara a few months back we were both amazed that despite having gone to GWU and Georgetown and roaming around DC for years, we had never crossed paths in the city until we interned together. We quickly realized we both had a passion for cooking and everything food, and so our friendship began over an inner-office happy hour, followed by platters of sushi and conversations about how we both had secret dreams of going to culinary school. Clara, who I hope doesn't get embarrassed by this post, is in a word: worldly. She's my graceful, dual-citizen friend who can switch between languages effortlessly and with such poise that I wonder how on earth I'm running in her social circle.

When I cook for more than four people, I usually stress. I thrive on the adrenaline, but I admit that most of the time I get pretty ridiculous. I get sweaty in my shoebox-sized kitchen with poor ventilation, and I'm usually running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to dress myself, bake, put on makeup and assemble however many courses by the time my friends get here. My kitchen is almost always strewn with pots and plates afterwards. My hair often develops a terrible halo of frizz. I am endlessly asking myself, "Is there enough food?" when I know deep down that I have made enough to feed twice as many people as I'm cooking for.

And then there's Clara. She has yet to really start packing for a month-long adventure across several different time zones and she has ten to fifteen people arriving for dinner on her rooftop in minutes. Did I mention she leaves tomorrow? She's calmly drinking white wine and mixing in the very last ingredients for a cous cous salad that she's decided to "wing it" on. There is not an ounce of stress in her kitchen. And the food is simple and delicious. I think you now see why I admire her.

Here's Clara's recipe for a pearl cous cous salad. It's got summertime written all over it. Bon appetit, foodies, and thank you Clara for letting me post this recipe and reminding me how to be graceful in the kitchen.

Serves approximately 4
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Israeli cous cous (also known as pearl cous cous)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Bunch of fresh asparagus (10-15 stalks), roasted and sliced
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled/cut into cubes
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 scallions, cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Toss the asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in one layer on a baking sheet. At 400 degrees F, roast the asparagus for 20-25 minutes (until tender). After it's cooked and cooled, cut the asparagus into pieces, about an inch-long or so.
2. Over medium heat, put the cous cous in a pot with 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Stir until the cous cous grains are golden brown, for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and water. Stir occasionally and cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the cous cous and the grains are tender. Allow the cous cous to cool before adding the other ingredients.
3. Mix in the tomatoes, asparagus, feta, pine nuts, scallions, EVOO, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Estadio

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Say the word tapas and I'm instantly taken back to a family vacation in Spain, when I was 14. It was a week where late dinners were the norm, jamon was as common as water, and it was okay for the lovely Spaniards to pour me a little sangria at the dinner table in their large plazas. I'm lusting to travel right now, but I settled for dinner at Estadio, which was most recently nominated for a James Beard Award.

My friend Sebastian and I decided to take our chances without reservations, and we lucked out with two seats at the chef's counter which allowed us to eat with our eyes in between courses. I know some people are picky about where they're seated in a restaurant, and I understand there's a time and place for that. But if you have the chance, eat at the chef's counter and watch all the action at Estadio.Think of it as dinner and a show.

We started off with the shrimp with garlic, lemon and parsley. It's such a simple dish, but at Estadio it was executed perfectly. The shrimp were meaty with the right amount of red pepper flakes and the shallow pool of flavor-infused olive oil they were swimming in was quickly sopped up with bread on hand.

After watching about six of the tortilla espanolas be flipped delicately in their individual cast-iron pans, we had to order one. Kind of like a frittata, the tortilla espanola had slightly browned and crisp edges, with a fluffy interior. The bite of the sweet, hot peppers was cut by the eggs and aioli.

Since they were in season at the time I went, I couldn't help but order the grilled ramps (the current menu has grilled scallions) with romesco and sheep's milk cheese. The ramps were much bigger than those I had purchased at the farmer's market, and were a little tough. The romesco, which was hard to tell if it contained tomatoes or not, was flavorful and paired nicely with the grated sheep's milk cheese.

Round three brought the roasted baby chorizos with potato crisps, and the hanger steak with patatas riojanas. These were probably my two favorite dishes of the night. The chorizos were slightly spicy, and had that perfectly crispy skin that encased the filling. The potato crisps were thin enough to be crunchy, but thick enough to be just a little tender and soft on the inside. As for the steak, it was cooked with a nice char on the outside. Steak sandwiched in between potatoes and fried onions--how can you go wrong with that?

Last but not least was the manchego cheesecake for dessert. Now I normally hate cheesecake, because it conjures up memories of eating something that resembled a dense bar of overly sweetened cream cheese. You say cheesecake and I say bleh. But this cheesecake at Estadio was quite possibly the most fantastic cheese confection I have ever tasted. Delicate and fluffy, sweet and cheesy, sprinkled with a sweet pistachio granola--this is not your hunk of mutant Philadelphia cream cheese with a graham cracker crust Aunt Sylvia brought for the third Easter in a row. This is cheesecake of the Spanish Gods. I could have devoured the whole thing by myself.

For two people, five or six plates should be enough and you can always order a few more for a second round after your initial order (read: this is a marathon, not a race). Though word to the wise: get your own dessert. Had I not been dining with a good friend, I might have stabbed him with the fork to get the last morsel of the manchego cheesecake. Tapas are never a gut-busting dinner, and I always feel a little like I paid a lot for not a lot of food. But the tapas at Estadio are extraordinary and completely worth it. In true Spanish form, we got to linger leisurely over our dinner and our server was attentive but never rushed us. Kick back with one of their slushitos or sangrias and savor each plate as though you were sitting in a plaza in Spain.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

WLDC Posts Roundup

2011-06-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday, foodies. It's been a while since I've linked to what I've been writing over at We Love DC. So here's a roundup of some of the timely and interesting stuff I've written for them, in case you didn't already catch it over there. Have a good weekend!

Don't talk smack about DC's restaurants, because we did win two JBF awards, you know. For your sweet tooth cravings, there's a second Buzz bakery. And there's twice the amount of lobstopping, lobster-y goodness rolling around the streets of DC these days. If you also gripe about the lack of good bread in DC, head to Penn Quarter to try PAUL, which has now been open for a little more than a month.

Capital Chefs: Because I like knowing more about the people who cook in this city, and you'll find some new recipes to try out this weekend:

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Dinner at Zentan with Susur Lee

2011-06-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Ages ago I had the fortune to be invited to a not one, but two small media dinners with Susur Lee over at his DC restaurant, Zentan. I was excited to not only have the opportunity to have such a renowned chef prepare our dinner, but also to be able to chat with him about food, cooking and the world of being a chef.

Highlights that I'd suggest ordering the next time you go to Zentan include: the famed Singapore slaw, the beef tartare with avocado and ponzu (below) and the crispy garlic chicken (below). I enjoyed all of the bright flavors in the dishes, and I'm a sucker for anything with ponzu. The slaw is fantastic and fresh, and is even better with slabs of tuna and salmon sashimi.

As for the conversation, it was great to talk about everything from the weirdest thing we've all ever eaten to changes in the DC restaurant scene with Susur. There was a funny moment at the first dinner when Susur started asking all of us about the world of food writing. I've spent so much time interviewing chefs lately and trying to understand that world, that I forgot a chef might be curious about the world of food writing. Thank you to Susur and his executive chef Jaime Montes de Oca, Jr. for making a fabulous dinner and taking the time to talk with all of us.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Judging Lamb Jam 2011

2011-06-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was lucky enough to be one of the judges for the 2011 DC Lamb Jam. And while this post is long overdue, here is the list of winners, as well as a few thoughts on what it was like to judge a food competition for the first time.

People’s Choice: BLT Steak, Chef Victor Albisu
- Braised Lamb Shank with Merguez Paella and Charred Ramp Gremolata

Best in Show: Urbana, Chef John Critchley
- Slow-cooked Lamb Leg with Preserved Lemon, Dried Herbs and Flowers, Rosemary scented Gypsy Peppers and Cipolini Onion

Best Leg: Urbana, Chef John Critchley
- Slow-cooked Lamb Leg with Preserved Lemon, Dried Herbs and Flowers, Rosemary scented Gypsy Peppers and Cipolini Onion

Best Loin: Café Atlantico, Chef Richard Brandenburg
- Pickled strawberries with black olive lamb pistachio crust served with snap peas

Best Shank: Zaytinya, Michael Costa
- Hunkar Begendi- A traditional Turkish dish of Braised Lamb Shanks with Eggplant Kefalograviera Puree

Best Shoulder: Bibiana, Nick Stefanelli
- Border Springs Lamb Shoulder Confit, with Charred Eggplant, Lamb Ravioli and Ramps

Holy lamb, where do I even begin? I realize I'm probably going to sound like a wide-eyed child since this was my first time judging a food competition, and I got to judge some of the best chefs in DC along with the likes of well-known judges like Mike Isabella. Almost twenty lamb dishes in two hours--that is some serious eating. I liked that for this competition, we all judged the dishes blind, meaning that we didn't know who cooked what. Of course, we all had our guesses and some were easier to attribute to a certain chef or restaurant, but I was grateful that the factor of "who knows who" or "who is friends with who" was left out of the judging for this particular event.

I will offer up one not-so-rosy observation about the food world that I noticed from my brief episode as a judge: there is a difference between critiquing and complaining, and some are more inclined to complain than critique. Maybe it's because I'm young and fairly idealistic, maybe it's because I just feel incredibly fortunate to have this side gig that I'm intensely passionate about, but I realized the importance of humility that afternoon. I'm not advocating letting a bad dish slide or not pointing out what could be improved with a dish. I'm just saying there's no need to be a grump when people are literally shoving (mostly) delicious food in your face.

All the judging politics aside, most of the lamb dishes were absolutely delicious. John Critchley's lamb leg dish with preserved lemon, Michael Costa's lamb shank with eggplant puree and Nick Stefanelli's shoulder confit and ravioli were the three that stood out the most for me. The whole thing got my mind jogging on what to make with lamb other than grilled lamb chops. Thanks again to the American Lamb Board for asking me to be a judge!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Medium Rare

2011-06-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a carnivore to the core, and a bit of an indecisive orderer when it comes to picking what to eat. So Medium Rare in Cleveland Park with it's simple, no-fuss, prix fixe menu immediately appealed to me. We could probably go a couple of rounds debating the merits of such a restaurant concept that relies solely on one appetizer and one entree, but let's not even go down that road. The concept, as far as I can tell from what I've read and heard, isn't likely to change, even if it might be nice to have a choice of steak sauces or maybe something other than French fries (though who really wants crummy steamed vegetables? Man up and eat those fatty fries!).

Dinner at Medium Rare is $19.50 for bread, a mixed green salad with a mustard vinaigrette and prime, dry-aged sirloin cap steak with handcut fries. For roughly 20 bucks it's not a bad deal, especially considering the amount of steak they serve. The wine list is also limited, but the cabernet sauvignon I had was smooth and went very well with my steak. I'll admit now that I can't speak to any of their desserts. To start, the bread itself is airy and fluffy on the inside, while the crust is pleasantly crunchy under the soft, salty butter that comes with it. Random sidenote: is it just me or have you all noticed that most restaurants don't serve bread anymore? And why is bread at Medium Rare seemingly in its own dedicated course? With a bread "course," I feel as though I'm getting jipped out of something.

Moving onto salad, the fresh greens consisted mostly of smooth butter lettuce with a light vinaigrette that tasted homemade. Is it anything I'd rave about? Probably not. But it was a tasty salad and a nice primer to the star of the show: steak.

Steak at Medium Rare is ordered as you prefer, and served with a creamy, almost au poivre (but less peppery) sauce. The sauce is certainly flavorful, though the unadulterated, meaty flavor of my steak was somewhat masked by the amount of sauce that I was initially served. The fries are good--crispy, but they bend nicely under the steak sauce on your plate. The one problem I had with the entire entree was how salty it was. Now I can hear certain food writers and maybe some of you huffing a little and saying to yourself, "well, I like salt. My palate likes salt." So do I, my little saline fiends--I have been known to consume entire jars of marinated artichokes or dill pickles in one sitting. But oh my sodium, those fries and the steak sauce were salty! I hate returning home after a meal to guzzle down water due to it being oversalted. Plus, there is a point at which salt starts to mask the actual flavor of the food, and the fries teetered on that edge. Other than that, the steak was cooked medium just as I ordered and the creamy sauce rounded out the pleasingly simple dish.

Would I go to Medium Rare again? Well...that depends. I'm a big fan of the owners' other restaurant, BGR: Burger Joint. Though I did enjoy my dinner at Medium Rare, I also know that I'm capable of making filet au beurre rouge that will bring you to your knees in the comfort of my own kitchen. For an impromptu dinner with friends, Medium Rare is a good, casual and pretty reasonably priced restaurant for when you're in a meat and potatoes kind of mood. Only time will tell if the restaurant will have lasting power in the neighborhood.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Dinner Bell: May and June Food Events in the City

2011-05-20T10:00:00.002-04:00

We'll see if I make "Dinner Bell" into a recurring feature, but for now, let me share some upcoming food events that are on my calendar and might make it to yours. Maybe I'll see some of you there.

Lamb Jam
Where: Ritz Carlton Hotel
When: Sunday, May 22nd at 2-5 pm
What: You've done Cochon. You love a good steak. You are a red-blooded carnivore and you like it that way. So Lamb Jam has probably been on your radar for months now. The first annual Lamb Jam in DC will feature 19 chefs from local restaurants, including 1789, Bibiana, Bourbon Steak, BLT Steak and more. And in a moment of "oh-my-god-I'm-really-on-the-map-now" I will be on the panel of judges. It's the first food event that I get to judge and I'm so excited I'm probably going to start fasting on Saturday. Perhaps there will be a blog post to follow. Tickets are unfortunately sold out, but it might not hurt to give them a ring just to see if there's a waitlist.

DCCK's 2nd Annual Sound Bites
Where: 9:30 Club
When: Sunday, May 22nd at 5 pm
What: Music + food + a good cause = one helluva party. And if here is a gig in town that knows how to throw a good party while raising money for a good cause (and keeping costs low), it's DC Central Kitchen. The 2nd Annual Sound Bites event benefits the organization that feeds 4,500 people in the city each and every day. The five band lineup includes Ra Ra Rasputin, The Pie Tasters, Trouble Funk, DJ lil'e and the Joe Herrera Trio. Plus there will be food from 25 local eateries, including DC Empanadas, Dolcezza, Pete's Apizza, Kushi, Jaleo and PORC Mobile. Tickets are $40.

The Gulf and Its Seafood—One Year Later
Where: Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
When: Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 6:45 p.m.
What: One of the biggest concerns following the BP oil spill was how the wildlife, and particularly seafood, in the region would recover. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will host a panel discussion about the Gulf, the state of seafood and the impact of the spill, as well as what issues still lie ahead for the region. The panel will include Ted Danson (yes, the actor, who knew he was an environmental activist and founding member of Oceana), Mike Voisin of Motivatit Seafood, Inc. and Patrick Riley of Western Seafood Company.
Following the panel discussion, there is a sustainable seafood reception with bites from local chefs including Kyle Bailey of Birch and Barley, Michael Costa of Zaytinya, Scott Drewno of The Source by Wolfgang Puck, Carla Hall and Mike Isabella of Top Chef fame, Barton Seaver and more. Add to the mix 25 wineries and desserts from more local chefs such as Mallory Staley of 1789. Tickets are $80 for members and $95 for general admission.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Post-Competition Taco Haze

2011-05-17T10:00:00.014-04:00

After this past weekend, I need another weekend to recover. While my friend Phil and I didn't win diddly, we did have a blast at The Food Experiment Taco Cookoff this past Sunday. Team Mad Cows did good--we made our mothers proud, fed our friends well, and ate tacos and beer. It goes without saying, but I couldn't have pulled it off without my assistant, Phil. Thanks for reigning me in when I wanted to buy more supplies, prepping 300 tacos with me, and keeping up the laughter the whole time through.

The crowd of competing chefs

Me with our dish before presenting to the judges

Presenting to the judges

Tacos, tacos and more tacos

Just enjoying ourselves by this point...plating taco #256?

Team Mad Cows: Me and Phil

Our beef, corn and black bean salsa with a chimichurri sauce tacos

Big, huge, enormous tortilla-sized thanks goes to my friends who came out to support us: Mark, Alex, Kim, Brittany, Clara, Lord and Mike. You guys were the best beer and taco fetchers and confidence boosters a girl could ask for. Alex especially, thank you for being the designated photographer. And a big thanks to the friends who threw their support in but couldn't quite make it: Sebastian, Rob, Matt, Lauren, Eshawn and Jennifer.

Read more about the Taco Experiment over at: The Food Experiment, Brightest Young Things (if only they hadn't shot the pictures with a fish eye lens) and Metromix. Look ma! We're all over the interwebs!

Congratulations to the winners!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Food Experiment DC Taco Competition on May 15th

2011-05-11T11:30:00.020-04:00

I've been known to roll up my sleeves and throwdown in the kitchen. I don't like backing away from a culinary challenge and so this weekend I'll be taking on a big one. I'm competing, along with my assistant and friend, Phil, in a taco cookoff competition.

I got an email about the Food Experiment a few weeks back, and in a fit of giddy rapture and blind stupidity, I signed up to compete. Nevermind that I have to make enough tastings for 250 to 300 people. Nevermind that this is going to take a lot of time and money. Nevermind that I completely forgot about my high school reunion that weekend, making it impossible for me to get to New York for the weekend (I'm still INCREDIBLY bummed about missing it). As Phil keeps telling me, "Just remember, we get chef's coats. Or maybe we should have just bought ourselves chef coats." What sort of hot taco mess did we get ourselves into?

So my DC readers, this is where I implore you to show up on Sunday, May 15th and support Bon Appetit Foodie (aka our team name: The Mad Cows) in this crazy competition. Maybe we'll win and go on to compete in the All-Star Cookoff in Brooklyn. Maybe we'll just eat tacos and have a good time. Either way, there's sure to be some culinary glory in store for me and Phil. Remember to come say hello and vote for us!

Here are the important deets:

What: Taco Cookoff, Hosted by The Food Experiment
Where: Rock and Roll Hotel
When: May 15th, 12-3 PM
How much: $10 in advance, $15 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will go to Capital Area Food Bank.

Looking forward to seeing you there over some delicious tacos!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Making Homemade Ice Cream

2011-05-09T11:30:00.002-04:00

Back at the beginning of 2011, I made a few resolutions, one of which was to challenge myself in the kitchen more. I'm also kind of a purist in the kitchen; I like to do everything from scratch, if possible. Usually, your efforts and tastebuds are rewarded in the end. So when my birthday rolled around and one of my presents included the ice cream mixer attachment for my KitchenAid, I figured it was time to put on the big girl pants and whip up some homemade frozen confections. With a little help and guidance from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, I discovered that making ice cream from scratch was actually quite easy. You essentially have a base with sugar and cream (and fruit if you choose) that you cook, blend until smooth, run it through a sieve, chill and then churn with the mixer attachment or ice cream maker. And then boom: homemade ice cream with nary a single ingredient in it that you can't pronounce.

For the pear caramel ice cream I made, I started by melting down white sugar and then adding three chopped pears, cooking them until soft.

I added a pint of heavy whipping cream, a pinch of kosher salt and a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I wish I had been able to capture how the cream formed beautiful swirls in the amber caramel.

From there, I put the mixture in a blender and strained it through a sieve to remove any grainy pieces of pear. Running an ice cream base that contains fruit through a sieve helps make it have a smoother texture.

Using the KitchenAid attachment, which I highly recommend investing in (hint: buy it on Amazon for less), I churned the ice cream mixture for 30 minutes. Don't cheat on this step: leave the attachment in the freezer for a full 15 hours, as recommended. And make sure the ice cream mixture itself is thoroughly chilled before churning and don't start digging in until the mixture has had four to six hours chilling and setting in the freezer.

Waiting for the ice cream to set in the freezer is the hardest part of the entire process, I assure you.

And once you freeze it completely, you've got luscious, creamy ice cream. The kind that actually melts when it's left out in room temperature, the kind that has a fluffy looking texture when you scoop it, the kind that just tastes really good. I also made vanilla ice cream that used a custard base. It's only slightly more difficult because you have to temper the egg yolks and stir constantly so that you don't end up with bits of scrambled eggs (really not that difficult, I promise). Lebovitz's book has some fantastic recipes in it with some very interesting flavors like avocado ice cream, black currant tea ice cream and plenty of sorbets. I'll be using the summer and my hungry friends to work my way through the recipes in his book. Get your spoons ready.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Bourbon Steak

2011-05-04T11:00:00.002-04:00

After walking around the kitchen of Bourbon Steak and interviewing their new chef, Adam Sobel, I figured I was due for a visit. That and the fact that my friend Phil is doing this whole "I don't eat carbs" thing, made Bourbon Steak a logical choice for dinner.

Let's get this out in the open and out of the way first. Yes, Bourbon Steak is a very expensive restaurant. I joked on Twitter afterwards about having to eat ramen noodles for the next week, and I kind of wasn't kidding. This is not your average "hotel restaurant" with lukewarm, mediocre food served to guests who are likely to never be in town again. Located in the Four Seasons Hotel, Bourbon Steak has consistently been rated as one of DC's top restaurants by Washingtonian and others. So to splurge on this meal was an easy choice for me, and was completely worth it. And who knows, maybe when you go there, you'll dine with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio who was spotted by another friend there a few weeks earlier.

To start, we ordered the "cheese steak" appetizer which was a beef tartare with aged provolone and potato skins. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, was that the appetizer was a pretty modest portion. Or maybe I'm just a little piglet. The beef was picture perfect and ruby red (though excuse my terribly dim photo of it. The iPhone can only do so much, foodies), and went well with the incredibly thin and crispy potato skins, as well as the little nibbles of baked provolone. I also liked the fact that the dish was a sophisticated and playful twist on what's usually greasy street food. With the sampling of duck fat fries with three different dipping sauces, my favorite being the ketchup with hints of pickle flavor in it, as well as hot rolls with truffle oil and sea salt, the meal was off to a great start.

For dinner, I felt compelled to go with the dry aged new york strip steak. I asked for mine cooked medium and it was textbook--the right amount of pink on the inside and flavorful--this is a steak cows dream of becoming. For sides, Phil and I got the creamed spinach and the truffle mac and cheese. Normally, I'm not a fan of creamed spinach, but this dish was incredibly silky and rich. The truffle mac and cheese was decadent, also incredibly rich and just oozing with hot cheese and that subtle hint of truffle flavor. Just to show how good it was, I got Phil to break his no carbs vow and he actually ate more than one bite of the mac and cheese.

Rounding out the entire meal, we made room for dessert and had a passion fruit panna cotta. After a meal of steak and side dishes laden with heavy cream, the light, fruity panna cotta was a good choice.

Writing this post, I feel full just thinking about it. While I wish I had visited the restaurant while David Varley was there just to see how the menu has changed since Adam's taken the helm, I can tell you that Adam has nailed it. Maybe you'll decide to go here for a special occasion or maybe when you just feel like splurging. Either way I think it's pretty much a guarantee that you will have an incredible meal at Bourbon Steak.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Recipe: Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto with Sauteed Ramps

2011-05-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

My latest food obsession has become ramps. I completely missed out on them at the farmer's market last year, so this year I was determined not to let that happen. Ramps are kind of like a scallion, but taste more like garlic and are a member of the onion family (wrap your mind around that one). They're delicate in flavor and even a little sweet when you cook them.

Below you'll find my recipe for asparagus risotto with ramps. In my first attempt at this, I added the ramps at the beginning and cooked them with the risotto the entire time. But I feel the full flavor of the ramps kind of got lost in the process, so I prefer to top the risotto with sauteed ramps. If you don't feel like going through the effort to make risotto, I have two other suggestions for cooking with ramps:

1. Saute whole ramps in a little butter and salt. Chop a few other ramps and whisk them in with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and ramp mixture over the sauteed ramps and a few poached eggs. Serve with crusty bread. Devour immediately.

2. Allison Sosna of DCCK also suggested that I pickle the ramps in red wine vingar and star anise for 24 hours, and then put those on a burger. I also think just sauteing the whole ramps in butter and putting them on a burger would be divine.

Risotto with Asparagus and Ramps (serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of white arborio rice

- 1 bunch of asparagus (about 20-30 stalks)

- 2 large shallots, roughly chopped

- 3/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 5-6 cups of chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 bunch of fresh ramps, cleaned and left whole (12-15 ramps)
- Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Toss the asparagus spears in extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Lay out in one layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. When it's tender, slice the asparagus spears on an angle into approximately one inch pieces.

2. Roughly chop the shallots.

3.. In a large pot, saute the shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter until they are translucent.
4.. Add the risotto rice and the other 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir for approximately two minutes over medium heat.
(If you want to add white wine, add it before adding the chicken broth. Continuously stir after adding the wine, until most of the liquid has been absorbed before adding the chicken broth)

5. Add the chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring regularly and waiting until most of the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next cup of chicken broth. After adding the first cup of chicken broth, add the roasted asparagus.

6. Once most of the chicken broth has been absorbed, remove from heat.
7. Add the grated parmesan cheese and the cup of cream. Stir to combine. Serve with sauteed ramps on top.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Interview with Chef and Cookbook Author Barton Seaver

2011-04-21T19:13:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I enjoyed hearing Barton Seaver's speech on reclaiming dinner and the importance of sustainable seafood. As a sidenote, the dinner at the event was also delicious (hello bread dipped in anchovy-garlic oil!) and many of the recipes for the dishes featured at the dinner are in Barton's upcoming cookbook, For Cod and Country.

Before I dive into the interview, I had the chance to flip through Barton's cookbook. It seems that most of my friends are intimidated by seafood--they're unsure how to cook it, what to serve it with and it's easier to just order it at a restaurant. Then there are also the poor suckers who have only had frozen fish sticks and think that fish automatically tastes and smells fishy. So I think this is a good cookbook for both of those audiences, as well as the seafood afficionados like myself. It's organized by season (yes, fish have "seasons" for when they're caught), which is very helpful for the home cook. There are a ton of recipes that will push you to try new fish and explore the classic salmons and tunas that we're all familiar with. Plus the cookbook has a wide array of side dishes to pair nicely with seafood. It hits stores on May 3rd, but you can order your advance copy here.

Without further ado, here's my short interview with Barton Seaver:

Marissa: What can consumers do to promote sustainable seafood? What is their role?
Barton: Consumers can really create demand. Stores will carry whatever customers want, so we have to drive stores to carry other seafood. We have to diversify our demand. In the U.S., we eat about 10 species of fish, but the ocean offers so much more. Consumer demand is so narrowly focused. It's our responsibility and opportunity to explore.

We also have to switch to small, but enjoyable portions. We're never going to save the ocean by eating sustainable seafood alone. There should be a balance with vegetables, and it all has to be delicious. Also we have to re-examine our sustainable options, such as canned pink salmon and sardines. These are low-cost solutions that are easily available to everyone.

M: Can you talk a little bit about writing For Cod and Country?B: I really enjoyed the process of writing the book and going from chef to cook. Chef is a managing title. Cooking is about satisfying elemental, fundamental, basic needs. I got to occupy the emotional space of my own kitchen at home. I had never developed "home ec" skills, so I had to learn to plan a week's worth of meals and stock a pantry. Interesting chefs write their narratives as a menu and all of the dishes work together to tell the chef's story. As a cook, it's a much slower narrative. You might only have one dish for dinner, but it's a story that's told night after night. It was a very different way of looking at food.

M: Why did you choose to write the book by seasons?
B: As I was writing the book, I found that the seasonality of seafood is important. Just like other produce, we expect to have whatever we want available whenever we want. Often there are farm-raised fish that are available all year round. But the seasonality is about what's fresh. It's about being nimble as a cook and trying different things based on what's available. We shouldn't be forcing recipes onto a natural system.

Check out the National Geographic links to read more about Barton's work with National Geographic, find information about sustainable seafood, and watch his show, Cook-Wise.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Sustainable Seafood Talk and Dinner with Barton Seaver

2011-04-20T10:30:00.002-04:00

The other week I had the opportunity to go to a sustainable seafood dinner and talk hosted by National Geographic Live, featuring chef, cookbook author and Nat Geo Fellow, Barton Seaver. The whole evening can be summed up by the simple fact that Barton just makes sense; he gets it. His passion goes beyond the basic appreciation for ingredients, and his speech touched on several points that hit home for me. He put into words exactly what I've been thinking and what I've been taught my whole life. And while the case for protecting the inhabitants of our ocean is a pretty obvious one, Barton's argument for sustainable seafood is one that everyone needs to hear.

For the record, dinner was delicious!

There's an idea that food is this powerful force--we need it to survive; it can have such a profound pull and influence on our memory and our behavior. But there's something else. "Food really represents a window into a broad array of cultures and histories. And it's an opportunity to really connect to each other," according to Barton. "It was the fluency of food that allowed me to just insert myself into a community and to find the support networks that I was so desperately in need of."

Like writing, food is a means of communication. I happen to like both, and they've each got their merits. There are so many lessons to be learned when you share a meal with someone else. Not only does it connect us with others, but as Barton said, we explore the world with our forks. "Dinner is my lense of exploration. [...] Everybody speaks delicious." I couldn't have said it better myself.

There are people who view food and this whole "foodie thing" as pretentious, but I don't believe it is, nor should it be. Food is one of the rare things we all commonly enjoy. For that reason alone it's as familiar to everyone as the air we breathe. Unfortunately though, we've gotten into somewhat of a distorted, messed up relationship with our food. There's the obesity issue. There's the fact that we forget where our food comes from and how it ought to be made (hint: it's not in a factory or lab). Excuse me while I get philosophical here, but we've gotten ahead of ourselves and we're at a point where we think we're smarter than nature. We think we can grow and farm genetically modified foods with no consequence; we think it's a good idea to work against the natural seasons; we think it's acceptable to put wacky stuff in our foods to make them last longer and taste better. Simply put, we've gotten out of touch with our food.

"I'm trying to save dinner. Why? Because dinner is in jeopardy. But also because dinner provides a connection, joy, communion, health, jobs, community," Barton says. "Family should be the first ingredient in every meal. But even if we eat alone, we've invited entire communities that have participated in our meal to our tables," he says. "Dinner, I think, is the first way in which we can begin to replicate the bearing that we've lost in our country's agricultural transformation when we took the culture out of agriculture."

There was a memory Barton recounted of going to a farm in the midwest, where he rediscovered the social benefits of living in a farming community. I'm not foolish enough to think we should all go back to some idealized, honest version of farming. I'm also not advocating for some yuppie-ified, Birkenstock-wearing, overly romanticized view of farming. It's hard work, but rewarding. And I agree with Barton that we've lost the culture in agriculture, and that maybe that's partly what got us into this mess of health problems and a distorted view of food.

Continuing on the theme of food and culture, Barton added, "I began to step back and realize that regardless of my efforts I was never going to best a summer ripe tomato simply sliced on a plate. And this led me to dig a little bit deeper into my own practices in the kitchen, to take a step back from the plate and begin to identify with the communities that had brought the ingredients to me. My interest in food communities really led me to focus on the role of fishermen in our society."

And that's where we get to the whole focus of this dinner: sustainable seafood. "I was trying to save the fish so that I could continue to use them. I was coming to this because I wanted to save the seafood, which is also known as dead fish. I had very particular self-interests coming into this," Barton says.

The most startling statistic Barton gave was that 90 percent of our predatory fish are gone and approximately 70 percent of the world's fish population are overfished. Once those fish are gone, they're gone for good, folks. Part of the solution is that we need to take only what we need from the ocean. We also need to educate ourselves, and yes, change our appetites a bit to eat fish that are more plentiful while other species recover. It also wouldn't hurt to put some more vegetables on the plate and maybe scale down our portions of fish a bit, as Barton pointed out. I know that's a tough pill to swallow, since I could probably eat my weight in scallops, but if you want certain seafood to still be around in years to come then we do need to scale back on seafood portions.

Overall, the event was very interesting and I had the opportunity to grab an advance copy of Barton's new cookbook, For Cod and Country. Come back tomorrow to read my interview with Barton about his book, more about sustainable seafood and what you can do as a seafood consumer to be more sustainable.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Updates and Posts Soon

2011-04-15T16:00:00.001-04:00

Oh foodies, I know I've been quiet around here lately. All this week and last I was supposed to be writing up a storm. Actually, rewind that. For the past three weeks I was supposed to be writing up a storm. I've got backlogged and future posts ideas out the wazoo! But I started my new job, had a little cardiac scare (everything's fine! I'm back up to my insane speed of running from place to place and event to event) and then got in a minor fender bender. Needless to say, life has been extremely hectic these past few weeks. I'd be kidding myself if I said things were going to slow down, but at least some bad stuff is behind me.

I promise to write a boat load of fun stuff for you all to read this weekend. In the meantime, head over to We Love DC and check out my last two Capital Chefs posts about Nate Garyantes of Ardeo + Bardeo and Mallory Staley of 1789. Get in the kitchen and make their recipes (I drool just thinking about the scallops schnitzel, and looking back on it I regret letting Dan Giusti steal Mallory's rhubarb shortcake trifle from me when I was at the restaurant) this weekend!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Photo and Food Session with Kristina Hopper (Part 2)

2011-03-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

As I said in yesterday's post, I had such a good time cooking for Kristina and doing a photoshoot with her. Below you'll find pictures she took of the food and of me. The recipe for the main dish I made was a variation of one I learned from chefs Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac. The dessert, a pineapple ricotta pie, came from the Soprano's cookbook. You can read her post about me here.

If you're interested in working with her, Kristina does portrait sessions for families, children, individuals and small businesses. You can contact her to discuss projects at: http://www.kristinahopper.com/about/contact/.

Broccoli rabe and toasted pine nuts. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Pineapple ricotta pie. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Parmigiano Reggiano and sliced garlic, Italian sausage. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Me, cooking dinner. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Farfalle with broccoli rabe, sausage, toasted pine nuts and parmesan. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

There is never too much parmesan. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Marissa Bialecki of Bon Appetit Foodie. Copyright Kristina Hopper.

Thank you, Kristina for taking such beautiful pictures! You made me feel at ease in front of the camera and you're incredibly talented. Also thanks to her boyfriend and assistant for the day, Jeff! Check out more about Kristina and her work at http://www.kristinahopper.com/.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Photo and Food Session with Kristina Hopper (Part 1)

2011-03-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

If you've been reading my posts over at We Love DC, you know that my main column is the Capital Chefs feature. I love getting to know interesting people who are passionate about what they do. So the following is kind of a Capital Photogs profile of Kristina Hopper, a photographer I recently met through my friend Jennifer. For months I eyed Jennifer's headshots with a little envy because the photoshoots looked like so much fun and because Kristina was clearly a pro with lighting. So when the opportunity came to cook for her and to do a little photoshoot, I was thrilled.

I can't rave enough about her work, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves in tomorrow's post. Below you'll find an interview I did with Kristina, along with one of her favorite recipes for Earl Grey Shortbread cookies. If you're interested in working with her, you can contact her at: http://www.kristinahopper.com/about/contact/.

Marissa: What is your favorite thing to photograph?
Kristina: People. An expression or an action captures a tiny story about who that person is what makes them tick. A good photograph lets you into their world just enough to make you want to know more. I have a lot of fun photographing children because they are the easiest to make comfortable in front of the camera. They act like themselves, not knowing who will see the photos and not caring what other people will think of them.

M: How long have you been doing photography and how long have you had your photography business?
K: I've been taking photos ever since my father put a 35mm in my hands when I was a teenager. I started developing it into a business about six years ago and officially began marketing my services two years ago. Building the business is more time consuming than I ever would have imagined but as a "creator" at heart I love every minute of it.

M: What made you want to start doing photography?
K: I see beauty everywhere. In people, places, things... Photography, to me, is the science and art of capturing that beauty in one precious moment of time - in a way that others can recognize it. What the eyes see and what the camera captures can be so different, and aligning them is a huge challenge, and that's what makes photography so fun.

M: Name the piece of photo equipment you just can't live without.
K: A reflector. Only when you understand the nuances of your camera do you understand that the main ingredient of a photograph is light. Manipulating this one ingredient changes the entire recipe of the photograph! A reflector is essential to me in aiding the manipulation.

M: What's your favorite type of food to eat? Favorite restaurant in the city?
K: I love almost all Italian meals but I'm also a sucker for anything spicy, snack food, Indian flavors and pho. You can describe my taste as eclectic.

Currently I'm digging Chef Geoff's for the food. I've had their beignets, parmesan-truffle popcorn and margarita pizza on different visits and wonder if they put some sort of drug in their dishes because they're the best I've ever had. Recently I also made a second visit to the Fish Market in Old Town and everything about the evening was spectacular. Meaty crab legs, stellar friendly service and upbeat atmosphere. Will be making it a regular hang-out for sure.

M: Do you have a recipe you'd like to share?
K: Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies - my favorite dessert to bake, and they make great gifts. They taste almost lemony so they're wonderful for spring!

Recipe courtesy of Claire Robinson

Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Directions
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on size of sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Arcadia's Mobile Market Project

2011-03-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

A little while back I blogged about DC Central Kitchen's idea to start a truck farm. By the way, I'm happy to report that they met their fundraising goal. And now another innovative and mobile idea in need of some funds has come to my attention, this time from Arcadia.

It's called the Mobile Market Project, and the idea is to turn a school bus into a traveling market with fresh produce. The bus will be converted to run on biofuel (aka old cooking oil) and will go around to regions across the city that are "food deserts." They'll sell fresh local fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheeses and humanely-raised meats and will accept SNAP, WIC and FMNP vouchers. Aside from just selling produce, they'll have food and educational resources, such as bringing farmers and chefs to local schools and community centers to keep spreading the word about making healthy food choices. In other words, they've really got the bases covered with this project.

So the way this thing works is they need $15,000 in pledges by April 22, 2011 (yes, that's Earth Day). If they don't meet that goal, you don't get charged and unfortunately, the project will stall. They have nearly $7,000 in pledges and have 28 days to go. Depending on how much you donate, you can get some shwag to show off your support, but really any amount will help this project.

I know this is the second post of mine in a short time advocating that you donate to a particular cause. But really, I don't go about this willy-nilly. There are tons of nonprofits out there that ask for money, and unfortunately not all of them put them to good use. But considering Arcadia is founded by the same people behind Neighborhood Restaurant Group and the project's goals cover so much, I think this is project worthwhile. What a better way to literally invest in your community, DC? Watch their video below and you can donate here.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-03-22T09:00:00.012-04:00

On last Wednesday I happily turned another year older. There have been some personal ups and downs in my life lately, so this birthday was one that I really wanted to be special. It needed to be significant, to set the tone for the next year ahead of me. I'm a sentimental sap when it comes to special occasions.

Me with Tiffany's Hostess Cake

I start a new job in two weeks at a big PR firm, and I couldn't be more excited. It's not a permanent position, so I'm nervous, but it's definitely the right move. I'm busier than ever. I'm interviewing fascinating chefs just about every weekend. Through WLDC and my own blog, I've met some terrific, generous and interesting people. And I'm blessed to have good friends around me in DC. Did I gain a couple of pounds since I started writing for WLDC? Maybe...but this is my birthday post. Calories be damned.

So to celebrate, a close group of friends and I went to Birch & Barley. I know, I know, this is about the 10th post mentioning this restaurant. I can't help it. The food is so fantastic, I can afford to eat there, and it was my food writing at We Love DC that led me here in the first place. Good food, good drinks, good company with a table full of people who I love so much. I have to give a big thanks to Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac. They are so very generous; they are geniuses in the kitchen; and they helped make my birthday dinner one to remember. I ate pig's head terrine (I think it was terrine?) for the first time and it was delicious. The flatbreads were outrageous, the housemade charcuterie, the beers, the pisco cocktail, the cavatelli with roasted pork--all of it was insanely delicious. Don't even get me started on dessert--the "hostess" cake, blood orange sorbet with hazelnut panacotta, the parsnip cake--I can remember taking bites and closing my eyes to just enjoy how good this birthday tasted after I blew out my candles. For once, I didn't overanalyze anything I was eating, I didn't take pictures, I just savored it all. Thank you Kyle and Tiffany for feeding me and my friends that night. I'm lucky to know both of you!

So here's to the next year ahead of me. Enormous thanks to my friends Jennifer, Amy, Kim, Quentin, Dave and Sebastian for spending my birthday with me. This is a great group of people, some who I've known for longer than others, but all of whom have enriched my life and I love dearly. To more great meals and good times ahead of us. Cheers.

Disclosure: My guests and I did receive a few dishes on the house (as well as that birthday cake in the picture) during my birthday dinner at Birch & Barley.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Two Amy's

2011-03-14T11:00:00.071-04:00

I've filled out the pizza brackets on Washingtonian in years past. I've perused reviews and Google maps, plotting where my next pizza excursion would be. I've been the nag on this blog and with friends, the one moaning and groaning about how pizza here, with few exceptions, does not cut it. So I finally made my way over to Two Amy's for their famed Neopolitan pizza.

To be honest, I'll tell you right now I wasn't impressed. Maybe it was all the hype that preceeded Two Amy's, but after eating my pizza I found myself thinking, "Alright, glad we did that once. I don't need to eat pizza here again." The reviews I read are quite frankly dated. So I wonder if it's just that things have changed since the Washington Post went in 2009 and Washingtonian went and reviewed the pizza in 2006. Five years or even two years is a long time, especially in the restaurant business.

The feel and ambience of the restaurant is cozy. It's a neighborhood spot that is packed even on the off-hours. And while I loved the feel of the restaurant--the open counter in front of the kitchen's ovens with cooking surfaces coated lovingly in flour dust as people pulled the pies out of the oven--this delicious scene didn't quite translate to my plate. I'm not saying the pizza was terrible; the toppings and flavors were quite good. But there were a few things that were off about the pies.

Two Amy's Etna Pizza

For starters, the pizza is thin (a good thing!) with thick, bubbly crusts. However, the consistency of the dough meant my friend and I spent half our meal sawing through the chewy base, almost having bits of pizza go flying off our plates as we tried to diligently cut it into slices. Maybe we just needed sharper knives, or maybe a pizza cutter would do the trick. My largest complaint, however, was that the toppings on the super thin crust just slid right off when you went to pick up a piece of the pizza. Toppings that aren't baked into the crust don't make the grade for me. It was a slightly messy late lunch, perhaps the type of food to avoid eating on a first date. Also, thirteen bucks per personal pie is a wee bit pricey.

I had the etna pizza with eggplant confit, olives, capers, oregano and grana. The briny and salty flavors of the olives and capers, along with the smooth eggplant were delicious. The pizza was cheesy enough and the grana (hard Italian cheese) also added a nice salty touch. But again, my pizza's toppings should not almost end up in my lap when I go to lift a piece off the plate. My friend, Sarah, got the margherita pizza which had beautiful slices of mozzarella and sauce sliding right off the pie. Personally, I believe pizza should have a little body--it should be able to be folded without flopping about, letting toppings and what not fall all over the place. Overall, the pizza was certainly flavorful.

For dessert, we tried the cannolis. At first bite, Sarah and I both smiled at one another. At last we had arrived at the best part of the meal! But then came the funny, sour aftertaste which led to both of us frowning and asking each other, "Does that taste weird to you?" The shell of the cannoli was perfect--crispy, light and fried just right. The filling, as I said was tasty at first with the creaminess of the ricotta melting in your mouth. But then there was something off, something sour and almost metallic in the aftertaste. I don't think the filling had spoiled, but if this were The Godfather, I would take the gun and leave the cannolis.

Overall, Two Amy's seems to be one of those restaurants that Washingtonians overhype until they're blue in the face without pausing to think, "Is this really that good?" The service at Two Amy's was average; nothing bad, but nothing spectacular. If you do go, prepare yourself for a crowd. I think I was lucky to get a table without waiting when I went. For my pizza needs, I'll be sticking to my favorite: Pete's Apizza.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Help DCCK Start a Truck Farm

2011-03-09T09:30:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while a truly innovative idea comes along. So when I heard about this spin on urban farming in the form of garden beds in the back of a pickup truck, I thought, "How cool. Why didn't someone think of this before?"

Before I insert my own opinion, let me give you the main facts. DC Central Kitchen, my favorite food-related nonprofit, wants to start a truck farm but they need your help. Their goal is to raise $4,000 by March 18, which will allow them to purchase a used truck, outfit it for gardening and buy other gardening supplies and gas.

The mobile farm will visit after-school agencies that DCCK delivers meals to, will teach kids about gardening and about how to cook with and prepare the foods that they grow in the mobile garden. So these kids will get to learn how to plant fruits and vegetables, harvest them and then get to eat them right on the spot from the truck's garden. Pretty genius after-school activity, huh?

Below you'll find the form to donate or just click here.

Now here's the part about my opinion. I grew up in the 'burbs and was fortunate to have a family that loved growing their own food. There is nothing better than a freshly picked tomato from your own backyard. It's economical, it's healthier. Farming (done right) is so wholesome and American; it's how things ought to be.

Back when I talked with Allison Sosna of DCCK, we lamented how it's unfortunate that most people don't know how to cook. Yes, homecooked meals are often more healthy. But they're also just so...tasty. They are the subject of many of my memories growing up and I feel sad for people that don't grow up with the attitude that you can cook anything and eat better at home.

There's a part of Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw that comes to mind, "But I do think the idea that basic cooking skills are a virtue, that the ability to feed yourself and a few others with proficiency should be taught to every young man and woman as a fundamental skill..." I know, I know, I cut out the crass funny part that makes me laugh, but in this public forum I do a mighty fine job of reigning in the crude Bourdain quotes in (especially when talking about raising money for something geared towards kids!). Anyway, the point is learn to feed yourself! And that is just what DCCK's truck farm will help kids do. They'll learn that farming or cooking isn't pretentious, it isn't terribly difficult and the rewards taste really, really good. So don't forget to donate to DCCK's truck farm by March 18th!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2011-03-08T10:00:00.014-05:00

Ah to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras or Venice for Carnevale just once in my life. THAT would be fun, albeit completely crazy. But since we can't be in the Big Easy or Venezia, here are a few options of things to do in the city that came to my attention today:

Feeling in the spirit of overindulgence in honor of Fat Tuesday? According to a tweet from ThrillistDC, Hot 'N' Juicy Crawfish restaurant up in Woodley Park will have a crawfish eating contest at 6 pm. Sure shellfish might be ruined for you for the next six months, but you'll get $200 if you win.

If eating shellfish ain't your thing, you can "stuff your pie holes" at Dangerously Delicious Pies shop. They're hosting a pie speed eating competition (I believe with their sausage, tomato, fennel pie) with a $20 entry fee. Only six spots are available, so email pieladydc@gmail.com, and I apologize if it's already full. Maybe you can be a spectator and avoid all that pain!

Or just play it low key and get yourself a warm beignet from Bayou Bakery (all the buzz I've heard indicates they're the real deal, though I have yet to try them). Scanning the twitterverse quickly, I found a handful of tweeted specials for Mardi Gras: 51st State in Foggy Bottom will have $8.50 jambalaya, $6 hurricanes and beads (please, keep your tops on, everyone!). Local 16, a favorite haunt of mine will have king cakes, drinks, musics and yes, more beads. Clydes also indicates there's some Mardi Gras fun to be had, but their link was broken when I tried it. Tacklebox in Georgetown will serve more hurricanes and "party favors" (code for beads?).

Whatever you do, fellow Washingtonians, have a safe and happy Fat Tuesday. Happy Mardi Gras!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

WLDC Posts Roundup

2011-03-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

This week truly has flown by. Next week I'll try to squeak out a restaurant review of 2 Amy's, a post about eating dinner at Zentan and chatting with Susur Lee (ah it was so cool!) and maybe something else. Also in the exciting news of Marissa's life, I'm doing a photoshoot with my best friend's coworker, Kristina Hopper. Her pictures are fantastic. Now if only I could figure out what to cook and if I should straighten my hair. I know, I know, big decisions to ponder. Make your case in the comment section, pretty please.

Without further adieu, the roundup of interesting stuff I've been writing over at We Love DC.

In food news...executive chef Wes Morton moves to Art & Soul downtown while Mike Sindoni, former chef de cuisine at Againn, moves up to executive chef. Also Buddha Bar got a new executive chef a little while ago. James Beard Award semifinalists - look at DC rackin' up those nominations!

Help Food & Friends by dining out on March 10th at participating restaurants.

Capital Chefs (aka the cool people in the kitchen that I get to talk to every week) - Tom Marr of Pete's Apizza, my favorite pizza place in DC. And his recipe for carmelized winter squash antipasti. Adam Sobel of Bourbon Steak and his recipe for venison chili that I could eat slathered on anything. Tiffany MacIsaac and Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley and their delicious pasta recipe that I have been craving ever since.

Go eat this: lamb ravioli at Bibiana because Nick Stefanelli knows what he's doing when it comes to lamb. I had never seen an entire animal broken down before my eyes. Little woozy, but it was impressive. Also try the pulled pork sandwich at PORC Mobile. PORC's porc sauce is so good, I want them to bottle it and sell it.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Brunch at Birch & Barley

2011-03-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

I think by now most of you know that I tend to gush and go on and on about food and restaurants that I love. I'm a firm believer in being honest when it comes to writing about food, be it good, bad or ugly. Perhaps I'm late to the party, but my new food obsession, my new favorite restaurant that I just can't shut up about is Birch & Barley.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed executive chef Kyle Bailey and pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac for We Love DC's Capital Chefs feature. I always appreciate when chefs give me their time, and especially the ones that talk freely and are relaxed. There are the chefs I click with, the ones that make me laugh, the ones that teach me something, and Kyle and Tiffany certainly did all of the above.

I have to say I really admire the pair--they work hard, they're passionate, they make all their food from scratch (I believe Kyle said: "We don't open bags. Just cans of whoopass."), they genuinely want to train their staff and make them better. They're not ones to focus on petty competition. They want to help other people in the food industry because they're passionate about what they do and they want to see the food scene in DC grow. And they cook in a restaurant that revolves around beer. What's not to love?

During the interview for We Love DC, they showed me how to make homemade ricotta cavatelli with slow-roasted pork, toasted pine nuts and broccoli rabe. Go ahead, look at the pictures (way better than the unfortunately dark ones from my iPhone in this post!) and start drooling. One bite and I knew I had to come back to try their food.

And so, this past weekend, I made my way to 14th street and had a fantastic brunch at Birch & Barley. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was probably the best brunch I've ever had. I opted for the huevos rancheros with homemade poblano sausages and pupusa. The pupusa actually reminded me a little of these Punjabi breakfast crackers called muthi. The eggs were cooked perfectly, folded onto itself with ripe green silky avocado and melted pepper jack inside. Pair your breakfast with some of the homemade hash browns--little golden rectangles of potato with parsley, thyme and chive. I also enjoyed a muddy blarry (aka bloody mary) and sampled the bloody bull: a bloody mary with beef broth in it. I recommend going with the bloody bull for the extra depth in flavor and saltiness.

However, the real star of brunch was the chicken and waffles. The waffles were slightly crunchy on the outside, fluffy and light on the inside, with a smattering of powdered sugar on top. There was a subtle sweetness, but mainly it was the texture of the waffle that got me hooked. The chicken? Perfect. That's the only word to describe it. Tender, moist (despite my general aversion to that word) chicken coated in a crispy, crunchy breading that started off sweet due to the maple-chicken jus and the buttered pecans, but then had a pleasantly spicy kick afterwards. If I had to fight someone for that chicken and waffles, I would. That's.how.good.it.was. I got to chat for a second with Kyle after brunch and when I brought up the chicken and waffles and how delicious it was, he said, "I know, right!? And I'm not even from the south!" Cracked me up.

And then, just because I was in the mood to be rolled out of brunch like the blueberry girl in Willy Wonka, I tried a couple donut holes. Decadent, thick and they'll hit the spot if you've got some extra room. I especially liked the combo of bacon and toffee.

Phew, I feel full just from writing that post. So if you're wondering where to go for brunch on these increasingly warm spring weekends, head over to Birch & Barley. I recommend making reservations, though the restaurant serves brunch all day on Sunday (it's a win for everyone involved). Enjoy gazing at the beer organ, have yourself a leisurely boozy brunch to the Motown grooves playing and just be thankful that such a place exists, only here in DC.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Roundup: Where I've been Eating

2011-02-18T11:01:00.083-05:00

I know, foodies--I've been a bad, bad blogger. I've been spending all my time writing for We Love DC, it's half-way through February and I have three measly posts to show for it. I swear I'll get this schedule down of working, writing for two blogs, attending media events, searching for other paid gigs and having a life.

Truth is I've actually been eating at a few different places. But with these next three venues, I haven't felt like I got a good enough grasp of the food to write a full-fledged review. These are more like initial impressions, "first looks," as we call them at We Love DC. So here's a roundup of three places I've been chowing down at recently.

1) Meathead Mobile Eatery

Let me start out by saying that I love Sauca. I love 'em so much I could slather most of my food in their sauces (mmmm dill yogurt sauce). So I was kind of disappointed when I tried their new food truck creation, Meathead. I figured I'd go all out and get the meathead sandwich: steak, pork, chicken with cole slaw, caramelized onions, triple cheese sauce and a touch of their other three sauces. The cole slaw was really tasty (this coming from someone who usually hates cole slaw), and the flavors of the sandwich all went together for the most part. But the meat itself was kind of chewy...you know, like the shaved meat you get on gyros that's probably been cooked to the point of no return? Not a fan of chewy meat on my sandwiches. Feel free to leave some feedback about them, especially if you had a different experience.

2) The Italian Store
Yes, I'm talking about the famed Italian Store in Arlington. Before I start, I think I went into this store expecting a revolutionary experience that would change my life (man I do that too often with hyped up restaurants!). I will refrain from going all Jersey on you and barking about how the sandwiches here don't live up to the ones at home. They don't. I am like Marshall in that episode of How I Met Your Mother, where he tries to find that perfect burger he once ate. I'm like Captain Ahab searching for Moby Dick. For me, the perfect sandwich just.doesn't.exist.in.DC. And I've come to terms with this. It exists in two delis in New Jersey, and anything else for me is a cheap imitation at perfection.

So with all my personal sandwich baggage out of the way, I will say that Italian Store does make good subs. I'll ignore the fact that they use shredded lettuce. I think my hangup really is that they make Philly-style hoagies, which I'm not too keen on. There is a difference between Italian delis of Philadelphia origins and those of New Jersey origins. They lack chicken cutlet sandwiches and grilled zucchini (though maybe you could feasibly craft such a sandwich there?).

I also tried their cheese ravioli...somehow I ended up with the "lowfat cheese ravioli," because I didn't see any "regular fat" raviolis. The pasta dough itself had a good consistency and flavor, but the filling was just another average ricotta ravioli filling. Shout in the comments section if there's a different frozen pasta from the Italian Store that I should try.

3) Uptown Deli in Bethesda

There she goes again with the delis and the sandwiches and the delis! I know I'm a broken record. But the food I had at Uptown was quite delicious. It's new, which I think explains why it doesn't quite have the...character that is usually present in those hometown delis. You know, all the chachkies, the signs and stuff. Two items on the menu stood out for me. Firstly, the breakfast sandwich which you can fortunately get on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. It's on a real bagel, it isn't greasy. The egg is cooked just right with the melted cheese on top and the sausage is well-browned. I could certainly see myself getting up early on the weekends, before all of DC and Bethesda are hustling about, grab a paper and one of those sandwiches, do the crossword puzzle and I'd be in a very happy place.

The other sandwich I tried and enjoyed was the foghorn leghorn. Ah, a deli that uses whole pieces of lettuce. The chicken was well seasoned and the melted provolone went well with the chipotle sauce they used. Good bread, too.

So there's a little peak of where I've been eating lately. I've got plenty of places on my list to get to and hopefully I'll make my way to some of them this weekend. Also, check back this weekend for a list of my WLDC roundup posts that might be of interest to you foodies!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Free Coffee in February

2011-02-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

The other week I finally got to go to a TBD happy hour hosted along with SeamlessWeb, an online food ordering website. In honor of SeamlessWeb's DC launch, they've gotten eateries around town to give away free coffee from now until February 27th (you may also have seen the SeamlessWeb truck handing out free coffee last week). Considering I start every morning with a cup of Joe and sometimes pay upwards for $3 for my cup 'o jet fuel, this is a definite win.

Here's a little video/jingle from them about Free Coffee Days. Doesn't seeing all that snow make you feel even better about this week's strangely warm weather?

If you really want to go the extra mile, you can tweet a picture of yourself with your free cup of coffee and get a shot at winning a $100 SeamlessWeb gift card. Cheers to free coffee, my fellow caffiends.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Hook

2011-02-10T10:48:00.003-05:00

After the lackluster experience I had at Tacklebox a few months back, I was looking forward to trying the sister restaurant, Hook, which I had heard better things about and was named one of DC's 100 Very Best Restaurants by the Washingtonian in 2010. Overall, the meal had some high notes and a few low ones as well. Still, if you're looking for a convenient option at an upscale restaurant for seafood in Georgetown, Hook is a good bet.

Mahi Mahi at Hook

With my Groupon in hand and my friend Phil in town, we headed over to Georgetown for a nice seafood dinner. To start, we both had the curried cauliflower and crab bisque which was creamy and had a bit of a spicy kick afterwards. While there were several lumps of fresh crab meat in the soup, I frankly would have liked to see a bit more crab (this is a seafood restaurant after all, right?). But on a frigid winter night, the hot bisque with the slightly spicy curry was just right.

For dinner itself, I ordered the mahi mahi with forbidden rice, spiced mango coulis and watercress. My fish was cooked perfectly, with the crunchy grill marks on top, but a tender, moist flaky inside. And the flavors of the mahi mahi with the particular rice and mango coulis all went well together. I tried a piece of the tuna, perfectly seared and ruby red on the inside (I was tempted to switch plates with my friend when he wasn't looking; I am a sucker for good tuna).

Before I move on to dessert, there are two brief remarks I have to make about Hook. Firstly, the menu online is not up to date, although Hook is hardly the first (and definitely won't be the last) restaurant to be guilty of this. It's annoying to see several dishes listed in online menus, only to arrive at the restaurant and find out they're not serving any of the dishes that had your mouth watering a few hours or days earlier. Hook's menu online had more options than the menu we actually saw at the restaurant. I understand seafood might be trickier when it comes to updating the menu, simply because there's more variability in the market, it depends on what's fresh, what's in season, what was caught. But really, how hard is it to throw an updated PDF online when the menu changes?

Secondly, the service we had at Hook was not great, but it wasn't bad. Our waiter was very friendly, he paid enough attention to us, he asked us how our food was. But there were a few areas in which he fell short, and at a "nice restaurant" in Georgetown, well, I guess I just expect better. He didn't ask us if we wanted drinks before we ordered, and I heard him give a shpiel about different items on the menu to a nearby table with a larger party. My friend Phil and I got no such shpiel. Maybe it's cause we look pretty baby-faced, which often translates to "look out, young people who probably don't know how to tip" in many people's minds, but would it have been so hard to just tell me a little more about the mahi mahi? Or suggest a particular fish on the menu that stood above the rest?

Caution: objects on blog may be smaller than they appear

With room for dessert, I ordered the housemade s'mores, expecting a gooey, carmelized marshmallow and melted chocolate tower of goodness. I was a girl scout growing up; s'mores are near and dear to my heart and there are times where you'll find me making them over the gas stove in my kitchen at 2 am. Instead, dessert can be best summed up with Phil's remark, "Where's the rest of it?"

The four miniature s'mores immediately clashed with the dessert I had envisioned. The chocolate portion was thick, decently sweet, but the graham cracker underneath was brittle and plain. What made dessert even more disappointing was the fact that Hook's pastry chef is Heather Chittum, former contestant on Top Chef Desserts. And when I went to a Top Chef Desserts viewing party at the restaurant some months ago, I had some really great desserts! Dessert definitely missed the mark.

Overall, Hook had fantastic seafood entrees and I applaud the restaurant's commitment to serving sustainable seafood. Was I wowed? Not necessarily, but I did enjoy a solid meal and I love any and all seafood. The restaurant has a lovely, subdued atmosphere, with soft, warm lighting and you don't have to shout across the dinner table to be heard. I would certainly eat at Hook again since the appetizers and entrees were superb, and the restaurant stands above others crowding M street with touristy food traps.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Food Bloggers Brunch at Dino

2011-02-03T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'd like to think I'm not the only person on the planet who wakes up some morning and says, "Gee, I could really eat some meatballs and a hunk of mozzarella before noon." And this past Sunday, that's exactly what I did at the DC food bloggers brunch at Dino.

The food blogger community in DC is a pretty cool one, and even though I have yet to officially meet all the bloggers in person, I feel like I already know half of them through the great internet and Twitter. Thanks to Thrifty DC Cook for setting up the brunch and thanks to Dean from Dino for graciously hosting all of us and allowing us to completely take over the second floor for a few hours.

I apologize in advance for the shoddy photos. In attempting to sleep off the remainder of my cold this past Sunday, I ran out of the house and forgot my nice camera. If only my iPhone had a flash.

Anyway, there were a bunch of highlights from the meal, and if you're looking for brunch in the city with an Italian edge, Dino is the right place.

My favorite picks from brunch:

1) Burrata - Oh what I wouldn't give to have a ball of salted mozzarella from the Italian deli in my hometown. But this comes pretty damn close. The unassuming milky white ball of cheese is so silky smooth, with that slightly "squeaky" exterior that mozzarella's known for. The middle has creamy curds that slowly ooze out when you cut into it. I could eat this cheese every day, even if that meant I would grow to resemble it's blob-like structure. Eating this made me want to return to Rome.

2) Baci Italiana - Scallops with duck liver wrapped in pancetta in a glaze. I repeat, all of that in a thick, syrupy glaze. It was kind of hard to taste each individual part, but the crunchy, salty pancetta stood out with the sweet glaze.

3) Saltimbocca - As I said before, there are occasions where I wake up craving Italian food. I've been caught before eating cold pizza, straight out of the fridge at 7 am when I was in high school. I've also been caught stuffing my face with cold tomato sauce and meatballs from my fridge at 7 am, thinking no one was watching. Picture that for a second. Laugh. Don't judge. I would say that hot meatballs from Dino are probably better on a Sunday morning than cold leftover pizza.

If and when I go to brunch at Dino again, I would probably order something other than the eggs benedict, only because the hollandaise didn't do it for me and it was oddly sort of sweet. Everything else from the meatballs to the mozzarella, I would definitely eat again. And maybe I'd try a nice bellini instead of a peppery bloody mary. All in all, brunch at Dino was delicious, service was attentive and on point for our big group and the company was great. Until next time, food bloggers of DC!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

WLDC Posts Roundup

2011-01-28T12:00:00.007-05:00

Phew, it's been a busy few weeks everyone. All sorts of stuff has been going on in my life (including a disgusting winter cold I can't seem to shake off), and I've got two blog beasts to keep up with now. I admit that I am taking the easy way out here with this post. But frankly, I've been writing some interesting stuff over at We Love DC, and I really like those folks who I'm looking forward to getting to know better.

So here's a little roundup of the interesting, timely posts I've published over there. Check 'em out! And I promise after all the planned eating I'll be doing this weekend, I'll have some fresh reviews for you all!

Food News:

- David Varley of Bourbon Steak Bids Farewell to DC
- Who's Extending Restaurant Week? (for those last minute reservations you might want to make...)
- Galileo III has added an "unusual tasting menu" if you're brave enough to try it

Food Trucks Hits (DC Empanadas) and Misses (Big Cheese Truck)

My premiere Capital Chefs feature on Allison Sosna from DC Central Kitchen. It's divided into part 1 and part 2 (with a meatloaf recipe!).

Capital Chefs will be the main feature I'll be writing over at We Love DC, so if any of you out there have a DC chef you'd love for me to tell you more about, let me know! Can't make any promises, but it's good to know who people want to learn more about.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

On the Road Restaurant Review: Cowfish

2011-01-25T13:00:00.003-05:00

If you told me you had a great restaurant recommendation that was a cross between a burger joint and a sushi place, I'd probably think you were talking about one of those hybrid all-you-can-eat buffets that advertise "Italian/American/Chinese/Japanese/Pizza/Chicken!" (as if pizza and chicken are stand-alone ethnic cuisines). But such a creation exists in Charlotte, North Carolina, and when I visited it over the holidays I had some of the best sushi there. No joke, no gimmicks. Cowfish is a brilliant idea, especially if you're like me and have friends and family who don't eat sushi--try telling those people to come with you and eat chicken teriyaki for the 80th time...

Sushi assortment, california roll and tuna roll

Don't be intimidated by the large menu. Yes, there's a lot to choose from, but it's worth it. I started out with the pork potstickers, which were panfried. While I might have liked them to be a little crispier, they were pretty much gone from our table in 15 seconds, and the ginger soy chili sauce that came with them had a strong, but good, kick to it. If I hadn't been going for sushi that night, I would have tried their crinkle-cut fried pickles (my mouth waters now at the thought).

I got to try several of their sushi rolls. There's always an inherent risk with sushi rolls, that whoever designed the menu got way too carried away mixing and matching sushi, roe, sauces and panko. Often times what might sound good rolled up as maki turns out to be an overstuffed almalgamation of flavors that don't really go together. However, I can honestly say that just about every specialty roll on the menu at Cowfish sounded interesting and tasty. There are a ton of sushi roll options here, but from what I could tell, you really can't go wrong. Some of the rolls I got to try included the classic california roll and a tuna roll with cucumber and avocado, which were both delicious. All the fish was fresh and with clean flavors (I know, I use that description a lot when I describe sushi, but really that's just the best way to put it: fresh and clean!).

Tropical storm roll (front) and spider roll (back)

The two specialty rolls I got to try were the tropical storm roll and the spider roll. The tropical storm roll is pretty much the greatest combination of my favorite: tuna, salmon and yellowtail sashimi draped over the california roll with multi-colored flying fish egg. I challenge you to eat an entire piece without it falling apart. The spider roll was a crunchy bit of heaven--crispy soft shell crab, cucumber and scallions rolled in a light covering of tempura crumbs. I'm a sucker for good soft shell crabs. Bonus: many of these big specialty rolls come with eight pieces.

Recapping this from my apartment in DC, I find myself wishing that some inventive, resourceful person would come up with a restaurant like this in our nation's capital (ahem, we are burger crazy as it is in this town). Maybe it's a creation that's best suited for the mentality often attributed to the south of "go big or go home." But I'd love it if such a restaurant came a little closer to the District! While my stay at home was too short to go back and try the burger side of Cowfish, I get the feeling that the burgers are probably just as good as the sushi. And, the service was incredibly friendly there, from the waitress we had to the owner, Alan, who came by our table and asked how everything was. So if you find yourself down in Charlotte, craving sushi but your friends all want good 'ol American burgers, Cowfish is the perfect place. And if you try the spiked milkshakes, please report back to me immediately.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Bon Appetit Foodie on TBD TV

2011-01-20T10:47:00.001-05:00

I got invited to talk about DC's Winter 2011 Restaurant Week on TBD TV the other day (thank you Nathasha!). It was a lot of fun, and to be perfectly honest, I was definitely a little nervous about being on live television! So, watch it and let me know what you think. For the record, I was unaware the camera was on me in the beginning (what a noob...didn't I minor in journalism AND intern at CNN?) and like I said, I was nervous, hence my frowny face in the beginning. If you ever do TV, smile. A lot. Until your cheeks hurt and you think you look like a buffoon, because then you'll probably look great. Other than that, I was pretty happy with how it went! Here's to making more future (and better) television appearances.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Deals and Helping Food & Friends

2011-01-11T09:35:00.001-05:00

I love saving money. Ask my poor roommate who had to hear me recount the phenomenal deal I got on two dresses from Ann Taylor Loft...three times. I also love helping people and good causes. So when Deals for Deeds came across my desk, I was intrigued. It's like other group buying websites you're probably familiar with, except at Deals for Deeds a portion of the profits goes to a local nonprofit. This week's featured nonprofit is Food & Friends, a great organization that my college community service sorority volunteered with in the past. Food & Friends provides meals and groceries to people in DC who are living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. Their goal for the week is to raise $750, which will feed one of their clients for an entire month.

Of course you can always volunteer with or donate directly to Food & Friends, but if you're looking to save money on a restaurant deal and help a good cause here's what you can get this week:

Monday: Napoleon Bistro and Lounge, $20 for $40 to spend at Napoleon Bistro and Lounge
Tuesday: Hello Cupcake, $19 for 1 dozen cupcakes from Hello Cupcake (42% off)
Wednesday: Nage Restaurant, $20 for $40 to spend at Nage Restaurant
Thursday: Langston Bar and Grille, $25 for $50 to spend at Langston Bar and Grille
Friday: Two Leaves and a Bud, $20 for $30 to spend at TwoLeavesAndABud.com

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Food Truck Review: Dangerously Delicious Pies

2011-01-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

What's up, homeslice? Dangerously Delicious Pies, that's what. And after two slices, one savory and one sweet, I can see why they call their pies "dangerously delicious." I'm almost thankful the pie truck doesn't come around my place of employment for lunch all too often, because then I would turn into the doughy consistency of pie.

The first slice I tried was the SMOG--steak, mushrooms, onions and gruyere. The slice was warmed so that the gruyere melted and the savory smell of the pie intensified. The quartet of savory flavors couldn't have been better. I would have like the onions to melt more in my mouth, but I suppose the crunch of translucent onions went nicely with the slippery slivers of mushrooms. The steak in the slice was actually large hunks of beef. I couldn't decide if I didn't mind the hunks or if I would have prefered smaller cubes or thinner slices of beef in the pie. Either way, with the beef smothered in cheese and surrounded by the onions and mushrooms, my first foray into savory pies was delicious.

For dessert, I sampled the cherry pie which was surprisingly tart. There were only ruby red little marbles, and none of the canned syrupy sweet filling you might find elsewhere. The cherry pie probably would have been good heated as well. Although the tartness wasn't bad, I do think the pie would have been better just a tad sweeter.

As for the key component holding all the pies together: the crust had a good flaky consistency. It was buttery and not too thick or dry.

The Dangerously Delicious Pie truck certainly beats many other trucks in variety. They offer a number of different options in both savory and sweet pies. Be sure to have cash on hand though--they sometimes but not always accept credit cards, according to the one guy I spoke with at the truck.

You can find them at their brick and mortar restaurant down on H St. NE, delivered to your doorstep or track their truck location on Twitter, @dcpietruck.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Huge, Exciting News for Bon Appetit Foodie

2011-01-08T18:21:00.000-05:00

I was too excited to type about my good news. So I vlogged (what a gross sounding word...) about it.

Thanks again to We Love DC for bringing me on board! I'll put links to my content over there once I start posting. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everybody!

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Restaurant Review: Sushi-Ko

2011-01-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

I'm only going to say this once: if you want good sushi in Washington, DC, do not look beyond Sushiko. Do not waste your time and money elsewhere. And don't you even dare trying the sushi from the place that slipped a takeout menu under your door last week that sells Chinese, Japanese and Thai food all under one roof. Get yourself on the next bus, taxi, metro car or whatever you so desire and go to Sushiko in Glover Park or the one in Chevy Chase, MD up by Friendship Heights.

The restaurant has been in Washington, DC for years, applauded by everyone from the Washingtonian to the Washingon Post, and rightfully so. When I told my mom where my best friend and I were going for dinner, she even exclaimed, "I used to go there all the time back in the '80s!" I didn't go to the Glover Park original, but instead went to the newer sister restaurant with the same name in Chevy Chase. It's tucked away from the hectic Wisconsin Avenue so you might have to look a little harder for it, but there's easy parking for those of you who decide to drive up there. Before I get into the food, apologies for the low-grade photos that don't do justice to the food. It was dim and obviously I took the pictures with my phone.

Crunchy shrimp roll

I started with the miso soup, which was well-seasoned, not too salty and with large chunks of tofu floating in the broth. There was silky strips of seaweed that melted in your mouth with the broth and little rings of scallions for extra flavor. Unfortunately, the soup didn't come to the table as piping hot as it should have been, but hey, no one burned a tongue on the miso that night.

For the main event of sushi, I got to try the spicy tuna roll, yellowtail with scallions roll, shrimp nigiri. The tuna was so ruby red, fresh and tender. And unlike other rolls with that artificial, overly spicy seasoning, the tuna at Sushi-Ko was complimented by the spicy seasoning rather than masked by it. The fresh flavor of the tuna still shone through even in this simple maki. The yellowtail maki and shrimp nigiri were also pleasantly meaty.

Soft shell crab maki

The other two crunchy rolls I sampled were the crunchy shrimp roll and the soft shell crab roll. The crunchy shrimp roll (pictured above) had the tempura coated shrimp nestled in the sticky rice and seaweed. The tempura added a very nice crunch and was crispy, but not greasy. The soft shell crab was in a nice light batter with creamy avocado, and a delicious sauce underneath. I think my friend Jennifer and I could have licked the plate clean from the sauce, it was that good.

To round out the meal, I had the homemade green tea ice cream. I've had my share of watery, icey green tea ice cream, but this was creamy and flavorful, slightly sweet. The perfect and light way to round off a meal of sushi.

Overall, the flavors and fish at Sushiko were pure, clean and fresh. The seafood was meaty, no mushy, mealy tuna or yellowtail that's been chopped up or mashed so much into the maki that it was unrecognizable as some other restaurants have done. On top of the great food, the decor at the Chevy Chase location is sleek, with dark wood, making it a nice place to go for a special occasion or a night out with friends. The service was pleasantly paced--our waiter let us linger over our meal and left a decent amount of time in between courses. Hands down, Sushiko is the best sushi in this city.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

Book Review: Bruni's "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater"

2011-01-04T11:41:00.000-05:00

I went a long time without knowing who Frank Bruni was, to be perfectly honest. I wasn't writing about restaurants and food for the majority of the time he was the New York Times critic. And for a good part of his tenure, I was still in high school; so can you really blame me for not knowing the man? Fast forward to senior year of college, one of my roommates, Lauren, had worked at the Letterman Show and had gotten a free copy of Bruni's book. She devoured it and thought I might love the book too.

On a personal level, I instantly got wrapped up in Bruni's description of his larger-than-life Italian family. Growing up in New Jersey, a great number of my family members seem to think they're Italian, even though none of them actually are. So the stories of his grandmother, mother and aunts making meatballs and manicotti (pronounced "man-ih-GOT" where I'm from), were familiar and comforting to me.

Moreover, Bruni's love of food really started with his family, something that is often common among chefs, cooks and foodies alike. It was from those roots that he grew to appreciate and even struggle with his relationship with food. While I'll get to his relationship with food later, the descriptions of his relationships with his family members are endearing and often candid. They're humorous and obviously full of love. His description of his mother compulsively feeding people was one I had to chuckle at: "Food was how she showed people the amount of time she was willing to spare for them, the sorts of sacrifices she was willing to make for them. But while it was part courtesy, it was also part boast. She wanted to demonstrate what she could pull off." Now there's a woman I understand. If you know me on a personal level and have ever come over to my house to eat, you'll know that I always insist on you bringing "nothing but yourself, maybe a bottle of wine." What I'm really saying is a) I like you enough to dedicate my time and energy to cooking for you and b) I'm a good cook, so please, let me show off my culinary prowess for one evening. if. you. wouldn't. mind.

Following Bruni's early history with food in the context of his family, he delves into his tumultuous relationship with food. For example, Bruni comedically mentions his "baby bulimia" early in the book. As a toddler, when he was denied more food, he'd throw everything up that he had just eaten, and so this foreshadowed his later struggle with bulimia as an adult. I give Bruni a lot of credit for writing so candidly about his eating disorder, and even more credit for not making it sound like an awful Lifetime movie. He showed admirable strength in finally defeating his bulimia and struggling with and defeating his weight problems to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Following his time as a political reporter, White House correspondent and The New York Times' Rome bureau chief, Bruni unexpectedly became the food critic. The stories of maintaining a low profile, dressing up in disguises for particular restaurants, the politics between the Times and particular restaurants and chefs, all give incredible insight into the profession of a food critic, and specifically Bruni's career as one. Yes, food critics have an incredibly fortunate career, but there is actually hard work that goes into it. Of course, all the while Bruni still chronicles his struggles with diet and exercise, and reveals how he managed not to go over the deep end while he was the Times' food critic, eating multiple dinners sometimes in one evening in some of the world's finest restaurants. I'm not sure many people could restrain themselves from stuffing themselves silly at a job like that where you get to try everything on the menu and someone else foots the bill. One comical story was during a piece Bruni did on "Transfatamerica" and his road trip across the U.S. eating at fast food restaurants. His "taste and trash" method of eating only a bite or two of a burger, a sandwich, fries and then throwing the junk food away was both funny and very smart for such an undertaking.

The combination of Bruni's superb, witty and descriptive writing style with his ability to create an engaging narrative make this book a great and quick read. I found myself laughing at his jokes and jabs at his family and friends, and even crying when he described the passing of his grandmother and mother. It's a book you won't want to put down, as you read more about Bruni's interesting personal life and career as a food critic. Bruni is perhaps proof that you don't always need fancy culinary training to know good food; some people are just born to be full-time eaters.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.

@Bonappetitfoodi Nominated in WaPo's DCTweeps of 2010

2010-12-27T14:35:00.002-05:00

Joy to the world! Great news: My blog/twitter account has been nominated for "Favorite Foodie" in the Washington Post's DC's Top Tweeps of 2010 contest. Thank you so much to those who nominated me; I am so grateful, and to be honest, completely taken by surprise.

Go cast your votes here for DC's Top Tweeps of 2010. Make sure to actually click through all of the categories and submit your vote. You can vote anytime from noon, December 27, 2010 until 11:59 pm, December 31, 2010.

I'm honored to be nominated, tweeple. Here's to continuing to deliver good tweets for you guys. Now please go vote so I can repeat my sounding joy.

Take a bite: www.bonappetitfoodie.com.