Back after my hiatus

I took the last several months off from this blog to, well, practice piano and finish another recital. It's done, and now I hope to get back into the swing of things on the food front.

Sadly, I never wrote my review of the 4th and final restaurant I visited during Restaurant Week 2008: Butterfield 9. Suffice it to say that I loved it. From the hostess' friendly greeting to the minimalist, open and airy decor, to the food, it was just an enjoyable meal. For my main course I had the Duck Leg Confit Salad, with arugula, winter squash, caramelized shallot, and pomegranate (no I don't remember these things - I kept the menu) and it was just delicious. I loved the contrast that the pomegranate seeds provided. I'm looking forward to my next meal there, and I plan to write about it before it's forgotten.

Restaurant Week Visit #3: Bistro Bis

For over a year now some friends have been telling me that I've just got to try Bistro Bis, near Union Station, in the Hotel George. So I thought, what better time to try it than during Restaurant Week? I had also recently read that Bistro Bis is one of the best restaurants to visit during RW because they offer choices that are actually representative of their regular menu. In addition to the offerings at the RW lunch and dinner prices ($20.08 and $30.08, respectively) you can try other items from their regular menu by just paying a few more dollars, so you really are able to get a taste for the restaurant. I went there for dinner and it was quite good.

My fellow diner started with Onion Soup Les Halles, a "rich broth with sweet onions and sourdough croûtons topped with gruyere and emmenthaler cheese." It was very tasty, not too salty, and the cheese was delicious. After the soup was finished we were still trying to find pieces of crusty cheese baked onto the lid of the soup bowl. Yum!

For the first time in my life I ordered snails. I've never had anything against them, but I've just never been curious enough to try them. But I figured, we can't both have the onion soup, and so I ordered the Fricassée d’Escargot, "sautéed wild burgundy snails with roasted garlic, chanterelle mushrooms, pearl onions, lardons, parsley butter and veal jus"

~ this cost an additional $3 and it was worth it for the experience. I'd say I have a fairly adventurous palate, but I think I may have a mental block against eating snails. I managed to finish them, but it wasn't easy. The mushrooms were delicious, as was the sauce, and my companion declared the snails delicious, but I don't think that I'll order snails again.

For an entree I ordered the Côte de Porc Sardalaise, "pan roasted rib chop with garlic, bacon lardon, fingerling potatoes, swiss chard and honey thyme vinegar sauce." As someone who does not eat much meat, I generally make an effort to eat meat when I go out to make up for the lack of it in my daily diet.

And I'm so glad I did. This rib chop was delicious. Tender, savory, with perfectly cooked little potatoes and a sauce that complemented the flavors in the meat and the chard. Highly recommended.

My friend ordered the Salmon Aux Lentilles,
"seared mustard crusted filet with bacon
lardons and red wine braised beluga lentils." This was a big hit for both of us. I cannot remember the last time I tasted such fresh salmon!

I also love lentils and lardons - how can you go wrong with this dish? Needless to say we were both more than pleased with our entrees and the appetizers. No I wasn't crazy about the snails, but I think that's more about me not liking snails than about Bistro Bis not knowing how to serve them.

We were so excited when it came time for desserts. My partner gourmand ordered the Chocolate Toffee Bread Pudding "served warm with hazelnuts and toffee anglaise." This was good, but I prefer bread pudding without chocolate. The hazelnuts were toasted and delicious, and there is almost no way to err when combining them with chocolate. The toffee sauce was also tasty, and in all the dessert was not heavy, but still rich and tasty.

I ordered the Bistro Apple Tart with
"caramelized apples, crisp pastry, vanilla bean crème fraîche and calvados sauce."

This was probably my favorite dish of the night. I love apple tarts and this one was delicious. A perfect light and flaky crust, not too much sugar in the tart, just the right drizzle of calvados sauce to give a hint of flavor without overpowering the tart with sweetness, and the creme fraiche was a delightful addition both asthetically and flavorwise. Please order this if you go to Bistro Bis.

*Not remembering much about the restrooms but that probably means they were up to my standards. I do remember that they are down a flight of stairs. I'm sure there is an elevator, since it's a hotel, but that was a little out of the way. Great service, great space with high ceilings and an open kitchen, and I love the ties that the servers wear. I will be back here, definitely.

Restaurant Week Visit #2: Il Mulino

2. Il Mulino, Downtown DC: Mine was a lunchtime visit, which means the restaurant offers a 3-course meal for $20.08 - A way of ringing in the new year, I suppose. How excited I was when I read on opentable.com that Il Mulino in New York is "the No. 1 rated Italian restaurant in NYC for the past two decades!" I mean, does that sound like a fabulous restaurant or not? And I have to admit, I thought we'd be getting a great deal by trying them out during Restaurant Week, since it's listed as such an expensive restaurant. I'll start with some plusses right away. The first plus is that because of my computer stupidity, I accidentally canceled my reservation while surfing around on opentable.com, and when I realized there was not another reservation to be had online, I called the restaurant, explained my predicament, and they said if we could come 30 minutes earlier, they could fit us in somewhere, even though they were booked. I must admit I was imagining teeny table situated next to the bathroom with some folding chairs. But when we arrived, after checking our coats, the maitre d' showed us to a lovely table by the window in the front of the restaurant. Wonderful! We ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, and the waiter brought it to the table along with an ice-filled glass harboring lemon and lime wedges and tiny straws. After pouring our water he placed the bottle behind us in an ice bucket to keep it cold. Soon after we sat down, we were brought (as is everyone) a small dish of Caponata (an eggplant "stew" similar to ratatouille) to snack on. This was difficult for the next 5 minutes since we had no bread, but once the bread arrived, we enjoyed the caponata, although it could have been room temperature instead of cold out of the fridge. We were handed the small Restaurant Week menus, but we couldn't help but notice that absolutely every other table around us received the RW menu plus the regular lunch menu when they sat down... Hmm...
For the salad, one could choose either the Insalata Mista (mixed salad), Insalata di Rucola (arugula salad), or Insalata Caprese (tomato and mozzarella salad). [Names of dishes are approximations - I do not pretend to remember each specific title.] We both chose the Caprese salad, which was, by the looks of the other salads on the tables, definitely the best choice. The other salads looked good, but the Caprese salad was actually quite delicious, with the highlight being that the mozzarella actually had flavor! The salad consisted of 2 slices of mozzarella with 2 slices of ripe tomato, about 2 drops of olive oil, and some basil to garnish. The olive oil was delicious and if there had been just 2 more drops of it, I think the salad would have been perfect. Bravo!
The entree choices were Pappardelle with Sausage (my choice), Porcini Ravioli in a Cream Sauce (my fellow diner's choice), a Trio of Pizzette (3 little pizzas ~ I did not see anyone order this), and I think there were either one or two other pasta choices. The pappardelle were very good - freshly made and al dente, and the sausage was tasty, not too sweet or too salty, but when you got to the bottom of the plate you saw just how many onions were in the tomato sauce: too many.

The ravioli were also good - as a mushroom lover, it's hard for me to disapprove of just about anything with mushrooms - but there was just too much sauce on the plate. The sauce, buttery and creamy, was delicious, but so rich that just 1/4 of what was there would have been plenty.
According to their RW menu, there was a choice of 2 desserts: Ricotta Cheesecake and Tiramisu'. My co-diner and I had decided we would share and order one of each, when the waiter came and told us that he would be making a combination of the 2 desserts. There was a dessert station set up in the center of the restaurant where the waiters would all create this "special combination." I'm not really sure what would happen if you only wanted one choice, either Tiramisu' or Ricotta Cheesecake, because it seemed like you had to get the combination. Anyway, it was an overdone and overdecorated plate. Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Zabaglione, and Fresh Whipped Cream with Fresh Berries, plus a Pirouline in the center, a big drizzle of chocolate sauce, and powdered sugar. After tasting everything, just a few of the fresh berries with the cream would have been perfect. The cheesecake was ok, just not so flavorful, and the Tiramisu' was dry. Upon closer examination, I found that the savoiardi (ladyfingers) had not been dipped in espresso(!!!) The Zabaglione was ok too, but it did not belong on that already overburdened plate.

The overall ambiance is, well... I'm not sure there is one. The bar looks like an Italian bar, but then there are tapestries hanging on the walls, and medieval-looking wrought-iron candelabras hanging from the low ceilings, right next to dirty air vents; there's a huge montage in the center of the dining room that looks like a display window for an Italian deli, which I guess is supposed to make the restaurant look more authentically "Italian" - only I don't remember any fine Italian restaurants in Italy ever having stacks of canned tomatoes, boxed pasta, and other items that you can find in any grocery store in the middle of the dining room. That stuff belongs in the kitchen. The ladies' restroom was fine.

Our lunch was good, but not great. If Il Mulino in DC is anything like it's NYC homebase, then I'm seriously wondering WHO was voting it the #1 Italian restaurant in NYC for 2 decades??? Perhaps I did not get the full experience since I ordered from the RW menu, which honestly I felt offered a small selection of mostly the "poorer" dishes from their menu.

After doing some research (and unfortunately after my lunch at Il Mulino), I realized that the best restaurants to choose during Restaurant Week are those who offer all or most of their regular menu, so that the customer really gets a chance to experience what the restaurant has to offer. Hence my next restaurant choice.

Restaurant Week ~ How I Love Thee! Let me count the ways...Visit #1: Ruth's Chris

1. Ruth's Chris Steak House in Dupont Circle: For $30.08, we got a four-course (ok maybe 3.5 course) steak dinner. It started with their Steak House Salad, a fresh salad with mixed lettuces, cherry tomatoes and garlic croutons. It comes with fresh onion too but I asked for it without. With a choice of several dressings, I went with the creamy lemon basil. The lemon and basil combination sounded delicious, but, well, it was very creamy - a little too creamy for my taste. It was clearly made fresh in the kitchen and I could taste the egg (which isn't necessarily a good thing). Out of four entrees we both chose the Petit Filet (medium rare) because if you go to Ruth's Chris, you should eat a steak. End of story. It came served on an extremely hot plate, it was cooked perfectly inside, and it had a buttery and rich consistency. You can choose a side dish as well, so we ordered one Mashed Potatoes, "with a hint of roasted garlic," and one Sauteed Mushrooms. Both excellent choices, with the potatoes being creamy but not too whipped, and not too garlicky, and the mushrooms being very fresh and served whole. At the end, a choice of several desserts. We ordered one Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce (don't forget, Ruth's Chris is a New Orleans restaurant), and one flourless Chocolate Cake. Definitely order the Bread Pudding. Please get it! It's delicious! The chocolate cake was good too, but the Bread Pudding was the star.

Excellent service, excellent value, and really interesting (yet slightly weird) decor.

Bathrooms - located way in the back, you have to walk very close to other diners to get there, which was a little uncomfortable, at least for me. I almost locked myself in a stall, not realizing immediately that you have to pull the little latch before sliding it back to the right to unlock it. The trash can was overflowing with towels (it was the end of the night, but for $85 for a Porterhouse for 2, someone could empty the trash in this place), and the toilet paper was so thin (again, I expected better) that it took 5 minutes just to remove about 10 squares, which incidentally equal about one square of regular TP.

Not sure I would return since meat is not my favorite, but I'm so glad I went here during Restaurant Week, and so are my iron levels ;)

New Years Brunch at Meze, Adams Morgan

Bad service, mediocre food, good Bloody Mary. 10 minutes after our party of 6 ordered a variety of breakfast foods, the waitress tells us she forgot to mention before that they are "out of potatoes." Who cares?, you wonder, except that every single egg dish comes with roasted potatoes. I don't like fries with eggs for breakfast but it was either that or a salad to substitute. So I got a very bland and cold dish of eggs florentine - 2 poached eggs (I'm guessing quail eggs from the size of them) atop a soggy cold english muffin with some flavorless tomato and stringy boiled spinach, and a tasteless hollandaise sauce to top it off, with fries. 3 orders of steak and eggs, another eggs florentine, and a mixture of salad, fries, and lentil meatballs for the vegan of the group later, we left unsatisfied with the food but luckily happy with the good company shared.
Tip: Don't get the virgin bloody mary unless you want plain tomato juice mixed with club soda and lime (no spicy bloody mary mix in sight!)
Ladies restroom downstairs ~ fairly clean, with a scary movable faucet, but has soap, towels, and a door that locks securely.
Last word: A fun place for drinks and dancing at night, stay away from the food, which tends to be overpriced and way overrated.

Cafe du Parc ~ Salty and Sweet

Pour mon anniversaire, je suis allee' au Cafe du Parc. Cafe du Parc is a French bistro located inside the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. I'd heard about it from a French friend, who said it's probably not for everyone, but if you're looking for an authentic French bistro, it comes pretty close.

It was a little tricky to find parking. There is no street parking near the entrance, and the Willard's garage is actually on the street behind the building (F St/Penn Ave). But once we figured it out, we were on the elevator on our way up to the lobby and the restaurant.

I decided to order a glass of Dubonnet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubonnet as an aperitif. It is similar to vermouth, slightly sweet but leaving a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste. It was served in a tiny glass. Here you can see the dubonnet next to a regular water glass.

For appetizers we ordered pumpkin soup (le soupe du jour), French country soup which was served with a thick slice of hearty French bread, and I had the assiette de petits plats, or the small plates sampler. The pumpkin soup was very good, poured at the table over small fresh croutons. It was creamy but not too rich, yet strangely enough did not have much pumpkin flavor. I did not taste the French country soup, but apparently it was delicious and hearty without being heavy. It had a lot of cabbage and onion, and I saw some pretty enormous pieces of cabbage, which had to be cut with a knife. I guess I'd attribute large leaves of cabbage to the fact that it's supposed to be from the country?

And the sampler had egg florentine, a mix of small pickled veggies, fried flounder strips with tartar sauce, and a piece of "Greek-style" beet. The egg and spinach was delicious, served in a small oven dish with spinach on the bottom, a soft boiled egg on top, and then a poached egg (or rather just egg white) on the top. Absolutely delicious. The pickled veggies were... well, pickled veggies. They were good. The flounder was also very tasty, and I loved how it was served: three strips standing up in a container that held the tartar sauce on the bottom. The beet seemed placed there just to add a bit of color. There was nothing exciting about it, although I happened to have a bit of it after eating a bite of the egg florentine, and wow! What a combination. If you order this, please don't eat the beet first.

For the main course, we ordered the Cocotte de legumes braises (sauteed vegetables with olive oil, garlic and Guerande salt), the Endive salad with roquefort, walnuts and scallops, and I ordered St. Jacques roties au beurre persille' (roasted scallops with parsley and garlic butter) with a side of Gratin de choux fleur (cauliflower au gratin). The cocotte was served with fresh chicory on top, which made us think at first that they had brought a salad by mistake, but it was in fact a warm dish full of vegetables.

The Endive salad was reportedly delicious, even though the consumer in general does not like roquefort cheese. And my scallops, well, I could tell that the scallops themselves were delicious and fresh, but the parsley and garlic butter on top was SO salty that I could not force myself to finish them. And there were only four! They were served with baby endive leaves and walnuts, a delicious companion to the scallops.

The cauliflower gratin was delicious, and very creamy (not thick and gooey), but it was just too rich. I think that it could suffice on its own as a meal, because I'm not sure how many people could actually eat that and something else. Highly recommended but not if you have a small appetite.

The highlight by far was the dessert. It was a struggle to make the decision because we were all so full, but since we were celebrating two birthdays, it was just inconceivable not to order at least one dessert. So we ordered the Parfait glace' Grand Marnier et ses oranges confites (Grand Marnier parfait with candied orange) ~ although I'm remembering now that the menu actually read souffle', not parfait. Hmmm. Anyhow, it was a delicious dessert, and the presentation was stunning. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone camera with me last night so please excuse the quality of the photos, but I think you will still be able to appreciate the presentation. The combination of chocolate and orange is a time-tested favorite.

All in all I enjoyed my dining experience and would return to Cafe du Parc. In general the food was quite salty, so as they say, the chef must have been in love. Hopefully his heart will settle down and he'll stop double salting the food. Dessert was wonderful and there were so many interesting choices that I would suggest definitely saving room for it on your next visit.

The maitre d' was fabulous, funny, and not too hard on the eyes either. Everyone I saw there was French, which gives the place an even more authentic atmosphere. Our waiter seemed somewhat new at the job, but hopefully given another month or so he'll be up to speed with the demands of the job. The tables are upstairs but for those who cannot climb stairs, there is an "elevator." Well, I think it used to be an elevator about 100 years ago. But it does do the trick of transporting someone up to the second floor. The bar downstairs is very cute and chic and they have a separate menu of small plates. I would definitely love to return just to the bar some evening for a glass of wine and a petit plat. The restrooms were single-person, and they had nice sinks and faucets, nice soap, and very nice towels. Very clean and I love the little sign on the outside that changes from "vacant" to "occupied" when you lock the door.

www.cafeduparc.com

Brasserie Beck (and a note about TJ's)

Last night I had dinner at Brasserie Beck, one of the "hot" new places in DC. It opened in late April 2007, and has been doing very well. We arrived around 10pm I think, and there was an hour and a half wait for a table for 2! We got a drink at the bar - delicious cosmo - and then about 10 minutes later the host came and said he could seat us at a table for 2 in their "bistro" section - which is 3 tables just behind the host station and the bar. Actually it was a pretty good seat and great timing, thanks to the very friendly and hospitable host, Rick Nelson.

Our waiter, Rob, was very friendly, knowledgeable about both the dinner and beer menus, and good-looking to boot. We shared an Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad for an appetizer, which had the most delicious tiny halved potatoes sauteed in pesto - a wonderful idea I will copy in my own kitchen. For an entree I had the mussels cooked with white wine, butter and garlic. They were good but there was just too much garlic. They came with delicious crispy fries and a mayo/sauce trio, which included a garlic mayo, a curry mayo (similar to fries and curry that you might have in Ireland ~ brings back wonderful memories), and a tomato-brandy mayo. My fellow diner had the lamb shank, which was served with a sort of white bean stew. He did not care for the beans, but I thought they were delicious. I didn't try the lamb but apparently it fell right off the bone it was so tender.

After my cosmo I had a bottle of Leffe Blonde, and I know nothing of beer but it was good. My co-diner had a bottle of Duchesse de Bourgogne, a Flemish ale, and then we split a bottle of St. Louis Framboise beer (raspberry beer). That was weird, and way too sweet for me. Well, to tell the truth, I ordered it with my meal, and then realized it really didn't go well with mussels and fries, so Rob (the waiter) offered to put the glass and bottle back in the fridge until after I was done eating. Thank you Rob! That was a nice touch.

The women's restroom was very nice. Clean, with great black and white geometric wallpaper, and really modern black and white sinks. The sinks were very shallow but amazingly didn't splash! I love the stall doors, which actually closed each stall from ceiling to floor. But the best part is the little sign that changes when the door is either open or locked. For unlocked, it reads "Vacant" and for locked, it reads "Engaged" - how great is that? The towels were of such a high-quality paper they almost seemed like cloth, and they were printed with the Beck logo. I like those towels but they are a huge waste of resources. The doors to leave the bathroom and to leave the little hallway outside of the bathrooms were both push-out, which is great because you don't have to dirty your hands right after you wash them. And on a later trip to the restroom, I noticed that the wastebasket had been emptied of all towel waste, so there wasn't an overflowing volcano of dirty towels. The only suggestion I'd have for the bathroom is no more pink soap. It makes me think of McDonald's.

All in all I would return, although I think it's a good idea to have a reservation, especially on a weekend night. I would definitely order the fries again, they really were delicious. And there are many other traditional Belgian menu items that peaked my curiosity. I think the waiters are able to help you choose something if you're not familiar with the dishes. And I didn't try this either, but the raw bar looked great.

NOW - my note on Trader Joe's - just an update... I tried the Calabacita and Cheese quesadilla (they are meatless) and they are really delicious. That's it.

CUA Crabfest

Today was the annual grad student Crabfest at CUA in DC. Of course I had to attend, if only to see how bad it would be this year, but also to spend some QT with my friends that, due to the fact that we're all done with coursework, I never see. Is that a run-on sentence or what? Maybe not. There was one person missing from Crabfest, but I still had to make an appearance.

Impressed by the beer selection, there was a choice on tap of Bud Light, some Pumpkin Spice Ale, and Beck's. You did have to stand in a long line, but the plastic cups they gave us at the entrance were pretty big.

Crabs - I just can't get into them. I love crabcakes, and every time I go to the Crabfest I'm reminded why crab meat is just that expensive. Because it's a pain in the butt to remove from the crab! I just gave up after attempting to get meat out of 2 claws, and I'm sad to say it but I threw away 2 perfectly good crabs, who apparently died for nothing. Sorry crabs!

Corn on the cob - ran out of it for like 2 hours, but then it came back - soggy...

Coleslaw - good, and that's coming from a person who doesn't even like coleslaw...

Pulled pork sandwiches - also disappeared for a good 2 hours and then reappeared only to disappear within a matter of minutes again...

Hamburgers - did not resemble meat in the slightest, I heard someone say they were "inedible"...

Hot dogs - splotchy color but still tasty, with mustard and relish and ketchup, oh my!

Veggie burgers - looked really similar to the hamburgers, did not try them...

And lots of cookies and fruit salad. As soon as the sun went down, in the shadow of the Basilica, it became FREEZING outside! Thanks Toni for bringing us a blanket to sit on, because otherwise our butts would have frozen to the ground!

And boo to the people who managed to hit my friend in the head TWICE with a football before finally realizing that maybe they shouldn't be playing ball so close to people sitting down eating with their backs to them. Hope her head is ok!

Long live Crabfest! (Only next year, could we make it something different, like Crabcakefest? Or BBQfest? Or Shrimpfest? Shrimp are much easier to peel!)

D.O.C. Pizza in DC

If you are in D.C. and looking for some good pizza, go straight to 2 Amys pizzeria on Macomb St., just north of the National Cathedral. I went there a few nights ago and had a pretty nice time. There was a wait, as usual, but as my boyfriend had just reminded me that there was outside seating, I asked if we might be seated more quickly on the patio. I had actually never sat outside there before, and I soon realized that it's better to wait for a table inside then to sit outside. It's quite dark ~ and I don't like eating in the dark ~ with only a few dim lights hanging over some of the tables, and just past the fence around the patio I could see two dumpsters. Needless to say, I quickly went in and asked the hostess if we could be put on the waiting list again for an inside table, and she was more than happy to oblige. It turns out we didn't have to wait at all, and we were quickly seated at a 2-top next to the wall. The bf ordered his usual appetizer, the suppli' al telefono, small rice balls filled with cheese, then fried. In my house we call them arancini. They bring 5 suppli' on a white plate, and they just kind of roll around on the plate in their own oil. This is not the first time that I've noticed that the plate could use a sprig of parsley or basil or something to create a nice presentation. I know the place is somewhat rustic, but would a little green be that difficult to place on the side? Anyhow, we both ordered the Margherita Extra - the traditional Neapolitan pizza but with halved cherry tomatoes (the "extra") in addition to the tomato sauce. The pizza was quite good, my only complaint being that the crust was slightly too salty. Also, on recent visits it seemed that the pizzas were getting smaller and smaller, but I'm happy to report that my pizza last weekend was of a healthy size. All in all I don't know another place in the area that does Neapolitan-style pizza better than 2 Amys. One last piece of advice: if you order the dried, cured meat plate (salame, coppa, etc.), ask them to slice it for you fresh. I ordered it once and the meat was so dried out it was unrecognizable. But in general, the service is good, the food is better, and the atmosphere is really fun and sometimes boisterous.

N.B. There are two single-person restrooms, one for men and one for women. The women's is always clean, has nice soap, and paper towels. Haven't seen the men's but haven't heard any complaints.

http://www.2amyspizza.com/