A change of pace..... blog-wise at least!!

Hello again.  I have made the executive decision, as C.E.O of this blog, to start posting recipes that I try, create, or improve in my kitchen at home.  As anyone who has every eaten at my house can attest to, I love to experiment in the kitchen.  I have a few go-to recipes that I have always enjoyed, but I've been doing some fine tuning.  The experience of working in a professional kitchen, with skilled chefs, is really paying off.

Look for some delicious new creations and twists on old standby's very soon.

A Bowl of Warm Welcome in Philly (by way of China)

Now that I live in Philadelphia, I am a line cook at Bistrot La Minette, making A LOT less money than I used to.   Even with the diminished income, I am enjoying life more than ever, but fancy meals are becoming few and far between.  I will certainly have my share of celebratory dinners and occasional culinary splurges, but more than likely will be on the prowl for cheaper eats.

The key to cheap eats, in my opinion, is not about finding the best of the greasy spoons, which lots of people focus on.  My idea of what makes for a great, pocket friendly option is authenticity, quality and portioning.  The perfect way to explain this concept is to tell you about my newest cheap eats find, in the middle of Philadelphia's Chinatown, Nanzhou Hand Drawn Noodle House.

Authenticity is important in any restaurant, but especially in an ethnic restaurant.  Which is better, a taco from Taco Bell or a great authentic taco from your best local taqueria?  Not many people are lucky enough to taste authentic Chinese cuisine, like someone's Chinese grandmother might make?    At Nanzhou, the art of noodle making is at its most authentic and best.  As my friend Mike and I were waiting to be seated, I saw a man in the back of the kitchen.   A great man indeed, he was nonchalantly stringing noodles by hand, waving them back and forth in the air, pounding them onto the counter, building the delicate texture of these noodles, making sure to knead them just enough to give them a nice chewy bite.

Quality is always a necessity in a good restaurant.  Why would anyone want a burger from McDonald's when they can have a juicy home made burger from any number of gastro pubs in their neighborhood?  The quality of all the ingredients was very obvious from the start at Nanzhou.  Our food came to us as it was ready.  This is always a sign of a place that wants to make sure that you get your food as fresh and hot as possible.  The roasted duck noodle soup that I ordered was piled high with fresh Peking Duck, so fresh that the piece on top still had crispy skin.  Topped with fresh cilantro, the light yet flavorful broth accentuated the silky texture of the noodles.  In a surprising twist, the vegetables, celery and cabbage, were slightly pickled, adding a nice acidic note to the soup.  While the soup did not need it, I added some red chili sesame oil to mine, giving it a little earthiness and kick.

Mike decided to have the Pork Soy Sauce Noodles.  This dish was not soup, but more of a spaghetti- style dish, with the noodles covered in a sauce.   The noodles were tossed in a flavorful mix of ground pork, with a black bean sauce/soy sauce combination and just a slight hint of five spice.  Topped with a tad of cilantro and scallions, it was served over a small bed of lettuce.  This move was genius, as the lettuce collected all of the delicious juices from the noodles, creating a little treat at the bottom of the plate.  Unfortunately for Mike, he did not get to enjoy this treat, because the helpings at Nanzhou are overflowing.  I took home half of my soup, with a big chunk of duck and plenty of noodles, enough to make for a great late night snack.  Mike was ravenous, but still did not manage to clear his plate.

Nanzhou's noodles are so good that I would recommend any noodle lover to make a trip to this little restaurant as soon as possible.  But even if you are just looking for a cheap eats place, Nanzhou mets my criteria, giving every customer an overflowing plate, full of authentic chinese noodles, and at a quality level that is unheard of.  Not to mention a small check, only twelve dollars for both Mike and I.  Thanks Philly, I think I might stay a while.

 

Bourbon for one last brunch in D.C.

My farewell to D.C. has been filled with meal after meal with friends.  My last was brunch in Adams Morgan with my best friends Morgan and Aunnalea.  Looking for a quick brunch option close to my house, Bourbon seemed like a great bet.  They are one of the few bars in Adams Morgan that has reliable food during the daytime.

We decided to order chicken nuggets to share before the meal came out.  The chicken nuggets here are a hidden gem.  Not many people would order a nugget at a restaurant like this, especially considering that McDonald's and Wendy's does them so well.  The Bourbon nuggets are homemade chunks of white meat, fried light and crispy.  I have no idea what their secret is, but the meat retains full flavor and moisture.  These juicy morsels come with a trio of dipping sauces, honey mustard, buffalo sauce, and the bourbon barbecue sauce, which is featured on many parts of their menu.  This appetizer is a must have any time you go there.

For my lunch entree I got the BLT.  Not exactly the most original of orders, but delicious none the less.  Crispy bacon piled on juicy tomatoes, with lettuce and just enough mayonnaise to fight off the dryness of white toast.  There was really only one bit of confusion about the sandwich.  It was made as triple decker sandwich,  with the vegetable portion of the sandwich separated from the bacon.  This choice made little sense to me, but was easily remedied by removing the extra bread.  The sandwich is served with a side of baked beans, one of my favorite things on the bourbon menu.  The beans are cooked with their barbecue sauce and sprinkled with a bit of cheddar cheese.  They always hit the spot.

Morgan got their veggie burger, another homemade item.  Topped with barbecue sauce and smoked gouda, the burger was a nicely seasoned blend of grains, beans and vegetables.  A good veggie burger needs to be just dry enough to hold, but moist enough to not be the texture of chalk.  This is a feat that many eateries do not accomplish, but Bourbon gladly has mastered.

Aunnalea got a Bourbon specialty, the Kentucky Hot Brown.  A hot, melted open faced sandwich, this offering was served over white toast, with chopped turkey, bacon, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and cheese, and smothered with white gravy.   This hangover cure tasted great, in the way that most sloppy, comfort food items often do, but from a culinary standpoint the dish was a disaster.  Chopping all of the items and tossing them on the bread did not serve to make the dish appetizing visually.  There was no doubt that it was flavorful, but no amount of flavor can make up for a plate that comes out looking like slop.  A simply sliced turkey, with slices of tomatoes, arranged nicely over the bread, with the cheese and gravy smothering the sandwich, possibly even cut and arranged, would have delivered the same flavor without all of the visual confusion.  The dish was also notably missing a side, and came to the table on a too large a plate, making it look half empty.

Overall this was a good meal.  With the exception of the Hot Brown, everything came out looking great.  What more can you ask for out of a final brunch?  Good friends, good food and great memories.  Goodbye D.C.

Quack Quack goes the Blue Duck.

Second time seems to be the charm at Blue Duck Tavern.  I went to Blue Duck Tavern in February of this year with a very dear friend.  While the meal was good, there was something left to be desired.  It just did not seem to live up to the hype, especially as compared to some of my favorite restaurants.  I always recommend that my friends go there, but have always said "it's really good, just nothing special."  I think I was wrong.

Thursday's lunch at Blue Duck was unbelievable.  Our server, Zac, was a great help.  I ask a lot of questions when I dine, and he went above and beyond to make sure that all my inquiries were met with great information.  Zac's attention to detail was amazing, swapping out used silverware whenever needed, exchanging dirty share plates for clean ones, and always keeping our iced teas refilled.  This level of attention is often missing at even the best of restaurants, but was ever present this afternoon.

I cannot even begin to explain how good the food was that afternoon.  Everything was perfectly portioned, well prepared, seasoned exactly as needed, and looked beautiful.  The menu is set up with various appetizers, salads, and entrees have accompaniments but no sides.  Sides are available a la carte.  We decided to order a salad, appetizer, entree, and two side, plenty of food for a relaxing lunch.

We started with the young lettuce salad with caramelized onion vinaigrette and parmesan crisp.  Quick question; Have you ever tasted heaven?  The sweet onion harmonized perfectly with the tartness of the vinegar, creating a tastefully mellow dressing.  The parmesan crisp played the roll of both cheese and crouton, lending a crispy, lactic edge that we often crave with our greens.  The crispy fried artichoke flakes, an unlisted addition, rounded out the dish.

Next up was the young pork terrine.  Sliced ultra-thin a la a NYC deli, this exquisitely arranged charcuterie came plated with pickled chantrelle mushrooms,  farm fresh corn, crispy pork skin (also unlisted) and gribiche.  Gribiche is a mayonnaise-style sauce with egg yolks, egg whites, capers and various herbs.  The pork terrine was very delicate, with a textured country mouth-feel made smooth by the thin slicing of the product.  The condiments paired nicely with the pork, not to mention their bread is fantastic.

Our entree selection, the braised "wreckfish" with peppers and onions, was a big hit.  The wreckfish had a large flake, similar to grouper, and was just fatty enough to braise without breaking apart.  The sauce pairing for the fish was "mojo" sauce, an olive oil, garlic, paprika and bread sauce.  This rich addition to the dish played well with the fish, giving a full, rich flavor to the simple preparation.  To cut some of the fatty richness of the fish and sauce, a cucumber and gherkin reduction was poured table side.  This sauce was clean and slightly acidic, a great pairing idea.  The pepper and onion saute, in my opinion, stood alone on the plate, especially considering that tucked beneath this neat stack of vegetables were two blue prawns, simply sauteed.

Our sides were the farmhouse cheddar grits and roasted mushrooms.  The grits were rich and creamy, and coming from a very anti-grits minded Northerner, were outstandingly tasty.  Blue Duck has changed my opinion of grits forever.  The cheddar flavor grabbed hold of my palate in a way that is indescribable.  The texture of the grits were a perfect combination of coarse and smooth.  The roasted mushrooms were perfectly seasoned, salty, peppery, and well herbed.  The mushrooms were roasted slightly more than is usually found, giving them a deep aromatic flavor.  The essence of mushrooms was the focal point of the dish.

Everything about this meal was special, from the perfectly detailed service all the way down to the cherry flavored green tea.  This was one of my best meals to date.  I went into this meal thinking "Good but nothing great", and left feeling "Always expect perfection from Blue Duck Tavern."  

It's All Greek to me? Zorba's Cafe

I went to have a quick dinner with a friend from college on Wednesday evening.  She works in Dupont Circle and wanted to do something close.  We headed over to Zorba's Cafe on Connecticut Avenue, just north of the Metro Station. 

The first thing I noticed was the spacious patio.   The real estate is prime for people watching; the street is filled with passersby to entertain you.  The best part about the patio, but sadly about the restaurant in general, is the flower and herb garden that surrounds it.  For someone as in love with food as I am, there is nothing more exciting than to see basil, rosemary, mint, sage, and Italian parsley being grown right in the middle of the city.  I hoped to get some of this fresh flavor in my food.  I am not so sure that I did.

It is important to note that Zorba's is a no-frills eatery.  The inside is full of tchotchke that may have been stolen from the prop room of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  There is no way for you to forget you are in a Greek restaurant.   There are menus by the door for easy access.  You order your food at the counter a few steps below the doorway and wait for your number to be called; there are no servers and the dining area is self seated.  There was very little way for me to know this if I had not gone with a friend who had been there before.

I was not as hungry as I should be around the eight o'clock hour, so I only ordered babaghannouj and a greek salad.  Easy order, right?  Wrong.  The babaghannouj was at first bite good.  As I continued to eat more and more I realized there was enough garlic in the dish to kill every vampire in the world, if only they had enough pita to share with me.  I love garlic as much as the next guy, but there is validity to the "Too much of a good thing" line.  Good food is all about balance.  Make your roasted eggplant dip with lemon juice, salt and pepper, olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, a little tahini if you like it, but do not over do it.  If Zorba's put less garlic and some of that fresh parsley from the garden in it, I would have raved.

The Greek salad, I must say, was good.  I do not agree with some of the choices made with the salad, like thin half slices of tomatoes instead of diced or wedges, or cramming the salad into the smallest bowl they could find.  Yet the fact remains that the salad was exactly as I wanted it.  The dressing was herbaceous and balanced, the feta was salty and not piled on, the lettuce crisp, and just enough olives to make my mouth happy.

My friend got the dish she always gets, the chicken reganato.  An oven roasted half chicken basted in olive oil and crusted with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.  A roasted chicken is not to be taken lightly.  Simple dishes can be the hallmark of a menu.  This chicken was flavorful, albeit a bit dry. 

It was great to see an old friend that night.  I love nothing more than catching up over a good meal.  My mind is so food focused that I often remember the meal we had together as much, if not more, than the conversation we had.  Unfortunately Zorba's may be one of the exceptions.  As busy as it is and considering how long it has been around, maybe I was just there on the wrong night.  Perhaps when I visit D.C. next they can give me something a little bit more memorable.     

Cafe Deluxe: A place I once called home.

In the seven years of my life in District, I have only worked for three restaurant groups. One was a brew pub in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I opened the Tonic Restaurant in Foggy Bottom for the company and was the general manager of their Mount Pleasant location. But in between those two I worked for......Cafe Deluxe. I spent three years there running the bar, as well as helping to run the kitchen as a front of the house expediter.

I am well familiar with the food there, but it is always interesting to go into a restaurant you know intimately and reacquaint yourself with the menu. The offerings have not changed a lot over the years, which make the few changes I did see all the more noticeable. A ham and gruyere sandwich, beet and goat cheese salad, and fish tacos are among some of the new dishes gracing this already long menu. But I came in search of that which I know and love. My friend Julie and I did lunch on Wednesday afternoon and the order was easy. Julie saw the turkey pastrami reuben, and I always get the deluxe chicken cobb salad. We decided to go for an appetizer as well, the chicken spring rolls.

The spring rolls offer an interesting fusion of a typical Chinese crispy treat with a bit of Thai flavor. The diced chicken in the rolls is very moist and flavorful, with coconut milk and a bit of curry as the primary flavoring. The spring rolls are double wrapped, which ensures a crunchy bite without the roll getting overcooked or crumbly. The dipping sauce is simple, a sweet chili sauce with some added cilantro to round out the flavor. I have met a few people who do not quite like them, but I think that they are a tasty twist on what is a French bistro influenced American comfort food menu.

Julie's turkey pastrami reuben was outstanding. Butter toasted marble rye bread with warmed turkey pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. What is not to like on this dish? I love that Deluxe takes this classic and spins it a little bit with the use of pastrami of turkey instead of going with the typical beef. It makes for a slightly lighter lunch option, but with all the satisfaction of the fattier standard. Oh and did I mention it comes with french fries.

My chicken cobb salad, as usual, was too delicious for words. A light champagne vinaigrette glistens on the chopped iceberg and romaine. Ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes, grilled diced chicken, avocado and blue cheese round out this classic dish. It is very simple, but very good. The only note I have about the salad is that it needs to be salted and peppered. Too many restaurants ignore the fact that lettuce and greens needs aggressive seasoning, often more than even a great dressing can offer. A little salt and pepper tossed with the greens after dressing it can make the difference between a good salad and a great one.

Maybe I like Cafe Deluxe as much as I do because I used to work there. But the fact remains that the food is consistently good, the prices are excellent, and the service is often a lot better than you receive at other popular restaurants. If you have not been, you should visit.

Lunch at 2 Amy's... an old reliable.

Sunday I went to lunch at 2 Amy's in Cathedral Heights.  2 Amy's is one of D.C.'s best pizza joints, but do not go in expecting something greasy like "Jumbo Slice".  This is pizza napoletano, like you would get in Italy.  In fact, some of the pizzas do not have mozzarella, which is very typical.

The best thing about 2 Amy's in my opinion is everything but the pizza.  The pizza is great, but the rest of their menu is where they shine.  They make alot of their charcuterie themselves, and it is super affordable if you do not over order, which is hard to do...trust me!!

On this occasion I wanted to taste a lot of things, but there were plenty of left overs.  The pizza I got was with eggplant confit, olives, capers, and grana (hard italian cheese similar to parmigiano).  It was very good, not overpowered by the briny flavor of the pickles.  I also had the suppli (fried risotto balls filled with cheese).  These are a 2 Amy's must have.  You cannot go wrong with cheesy fried goodness.  The meatballs (polpettine al forno), oven roasted and topped with crumbled cheese, are always great.  These were particularly moist, with just a bit of over-browned crispiness on the tops of each, which makes the dish.   The rapini, simply blanched and served with vincotto (tastes like a mellow balsamic) and crushed red pepper flakes, is always good if you are looking for a flavorful green to offset the fat you get elsewhere.  The deviled eggs were also delicious.  They are made very simply, but served with a great salsa verde (parsley, anchovy, caper sauce).

If you haven't been to 2 Amy's, please go.  It is tasty!

Central Michel Richard--WOW!!

I had dinner Saturday night with my friends Ted, Addisu, and Shoshanna, all of whom I went to college with.  We were celebrating Ted's 30th birthday and my going away.  We decided to do it up at Central, the French bistro style offering from Michel Richard, owner of Citronelle,  a French fine dining restaurant.

We started out at the bar, and the first order was the cheese puffs (gougeres).  Puffy, cheesy and delicate, these are a must order.  We ate three orders of them.  We also got the frog legs, which were very good.  It was my first time having frog legs.  They tasted like chewy chicken with a slight flavor of the sea.  That might not sound good but they were.  The sauce they were cooked in and the accompanying frisee made the dish.

At the table we all order separately.  I ordered the brussel sprouts with bacon,  chopped salad, and country pate.  The brussel sprouts were delicious as you would expect, buttery and bacony.  They were also cooked slightly softer than you see at most restaurants, which I actually like.  They were also very small, which is a change from the medium sized ones you normally see in the prime of their season.  The chopped salad was superb.  A good salad is hard to find.  This salad had all the components I look for, small cut lettuce, tasty bits, and a simple clean dressing.  Every bite had good solid coating of dressing, bits of salami and cheese, and crisp lettuce.  Garbanzo beans were also in the salad, and while they are not my favorite, there were not enough of them to overtake the dish.  The country pate was outstanding.  The texture was coarse enough to maintain a good bite, but the pate was still moist, which is always appreciated.  I have had country pate that was too dry, which affects the flavor.

Ted had the bacon and onion tart.  It was good, but was more like a flatbread.  Delicious, but I expected something more in the rounded puff pastry vain.  Ted also had the lamb shank, which looked well braised and smelled exceptionally good.  Shoshanna had the tartare of filet mignon.  It came with cheese tuille crackers.  The presentation was outstanding, perfectly molded round and sprinkled with crispy bits that I could not identify.   Abu had the frisee aux lardon with poached egg salad, one of my very favorite salads.  For all those who have not had this before, it is a simple salad of frisee greens tossed in a simple red or white wine vinaigrette, with crispy bacon and croutons.   The crown jewel is the poached egg on top.  When the yolk is broken and tossed with the salad,  it creates a creamy, fatty dressing perfect to cut through some of the bitterness of the lettuce.

This was one of the better meals I've had.  Everything was cooked, dressed, presented perfectly.  Simple clean dishes stayed true to their roots, and longer, slower, more complicated offerings were given great attention to detail.  Central Michel Richard is a must visit.

 

Possible Last Brunch in DC??

Hey-o!!  I'm done with work now,  so I am actually off on the weekend.  So, I went to brunch this Saturday at Perry's in Adams Morgan. On Saturday they have a nice menu with lunch and brunch small plates, most items under nine dollars.

Three month old manchego on ficelle with a light fresh tomato sauce, very simple and tasty.  "Papas Bravas" fried potatoes with a tomato sauce and aioli.  It was good but nothing special.  Red and golden beet salad with citrus, which was good but definitely missing a necessary cheese component.  The big hit was the breakfast sandwich of manchego, serrano ham with a fried egg on soft potato bread.  The sandwich was delicious, and looked great with a round cut out of the bread so you could see the sunny-side up egg inside the sandwich.  Overall the food was great, and a great option for spending a Saturday eating and drinking on a roof deck.  

The First Posting

so.....um... This is my first posting. Its late at night, but I just finished the set-up so I have to write something. Just so you know, I am going to brunch and dinner tomorrow, so I will have restaurants to write about and food to discuss. I'm excited.