The next DCFBHH is hosted by me (Jason) at Fishnet DC (a new seafood restaurant) in Shaw on 11/5, 6pm-8pm. It is located at Shaw metro, next to Uprising Muffins.
Please RSVP here, and keep your RSVP updated. You can take a look at their menu or beer menu if you would like.
-JAY
Rosa Mexicano is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special 3-course anniversary menu, Desde 1984. The current special menu is available through October 12th. In the restaurant’s words: “From the traditional Tamal con Huitlacoche en Cazuela (cornmeal topped with mushroom and salsa ranchera, served in a traditional cazuela); to the Crepas con Camarones (crepas filled with shrimp, covered with a chile pasilla sauce and sprinkled with cheese), Rosa Mexicano will revive menu classics via rotating Desde 1984 specials for an entire year; offered as a $30 menu or a la carte.”
Last night, Cy and I sampled the dishes from the current Desde 1984 menu (as well as their wonderful table-side-prepared guacamole). I could not actually try the Tamale con Huitlacoche en Cazuela or the steak’s mushroom topping because of a (mold/fungus) allergy, but Cy tried them. One of the dishes included a brown rice that was way too crunchy for me, but I think it was brown rice different variety than I am used to.
Our Favorites:
The Guacamole! This is made for you table-side.
The Margarita Rosa (Pomegranate and prickly pear-infused El Jimador blanco, pomegranate, lime and organic agave nectar) was a great drink, but the two that I was served were inconsistent as far as alcohol level and components (and one didn’t have the pomegranate seeds). You still definitely want to try this Margarita.
The Empanadas de Jaiba (crispy corn empanadas filled with jumbo lump crab meat, served with avocado-tomatillo salsa) are addictive.
The mole sauce from the enchiladas!
Crepas con Camarones was a really flavorful shrimp crepe dish with an exceptional (chile pasilla) sauce. This was the favorite dish for both of us.
As far as dessert, Cy leans towards the Crepas de Cajeta (Crepes folded and served with a rich caramel sauce) and I lean towards the Tres Leches de Zarzamoras (sour cream pound cake soaked in three milks, topped with blackberry-hibiscus glaze and tasted meringue). It is not unusual for us to favor different desserts.
-JAY
Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events.
On September 30, 2014 I had the pleasure of attending A Taste of Lettuce DC, a spectacular four course dinner featuring the different flavors of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, Wildfire, Joe’s, Big Bowl, Mon Ami and Community Canteen. The event was held at Wildfire, Tysons Galleria and included cocktail and wine pairings. The Executive Chefs from each restaurant provided a few words about their dishes, and I have paraphrased their comments in the descriptions below. It was a fantastic evening filled with delicious food and drinks. I will definitely be coming back to all of the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants for more, and will be sure to attend other tasting menus with pairings. The Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants hold special events monthly.
Hors d’oeuvres by Mon Ami Gabi:
Chicken Liver Crostini with red wine mustard. This dish featured a crispy toast round with zingy mustard, creamy and light-as-air chicken liver, and was topped with a sliver of cornichon. The flavors were balanced well: a sour, salty, and slight sweetness from the chicken liver, and a slight warming spice from the mustard. The texture was very pleasant as the cornichon and crostini provided crunch while the chicken liver was soft in texture. The chicken liver and country pate Crostini are signature dishes of rustic French cooking, which is the essence of the cooking at Mon Ami Gabi.
Country Pate Crostini with grain mustard. This was very similar to the chicken liver crostini, in flavor, texture and appearance. The biggest difference was the pate was a little denser than the chicken liver, but was still very light.
Salmon Tartare on Gaufrette Chips. I really enjoyed the simplicity and playfulness of this dish. It was composed of raw chopped high quality and high fat content salmon atop a plain potato chip. The salmon had a wonderful soft buttery quality and this worked so well with the crunch and salt from the chip. I will have to take a visit to Mon Ami Gabi to eat more of this.
Mini Mushroom Quiche Tartlets. The tartlets were soft and fluffy. They were well balanced and did not have a strong mushroom flavor.
Wine pairing:
Ruffino Prosecco DOC: A sparkling dry white wine with delicate bubbles, soft notes of apple, pear, and citrus, with a fruity and floral bouquet. I found this to be a delightful pairing.
Second Course by Big Bowl:
Thai Crab & Corn Soup. This dish featured sweet lump crabmeat, local corn, coconut milk and Thai Chili. It was moderate in spice, complementing the sweetness from the corn and crabmeat and the richness of the coconut milk. A beautiful kefir lime flavor and aroma permeated the dish, adding a little sour flavor to make the dish sing. I was pleased when I saw some kernels of corn still together, letting me know that whole ears of corn were utilized for the dish. The chef informed us that the chicken stock that is the base for the soup is homemade. I was not at all surprised that this was the case because it was clear from the soups wonderful flavors that no shortcuts were taken. Now that fall is upon us, I’m looking forward to heading to Big Bowl on a crisp day to warm up with this soup and to try others.
Cocktail Paring:
Limoncello Tini: This drink was sweet and sour, featuring Limoncello flavor. The acidity of the drink was nice, but the sweetness was just a little overpowering paired with the soup. I would have personally preferred this drink on its own or with dessert. Read the rest of this entry »
Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar just launched its third location in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The new addition is at Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg, MD, and features Executive Chef. Gregory Webb. I was present at the opening event benefiting the wonderful charitable organization, Manna Food Center. We also covered the Tysons Corner launch.
I tried several different mojitos, with the Peach Basil Mojito being my favorite and the Mango Cilantro my second favorite. They actually incorrectly made my Strawberry Mojito (minimal alcohol and a lot of fizz but this was the night before their actual opening and it was very busy), but when the Bar Manager remade it for me, it was good too.
With house-made chips (made from various vegetables) we were served 3 different guacamoles (traditional, spicy, and mango/garlic), all of which were great. I was surprised at well the mango/garlic version worked, since I was skeptical at first.
My favorite entrees were the Rum Glazed Cuban Pork (served with coconut mango rice, black beans and fresh pico de gallo) , Grilled Skirt Steak Churrasco (served with chimichurri, sofrito rice and pinto beans), Mojo Marinated Atlantic Salmon (served with well-executed sauteed zucchini and truly great yucca spaetzle), and Coconut Curry Vegetables (a vegetarian dish I tried one or two bites of).
The Coconut & Caramel Flan and the Sweet Potato Donuts were delicious and expertly executed! I could see myself ordering both of them often. The Mexican Chocolate Cake looked great, but they ran out of it before we were served dessert. The Paladar Churros were a crunchy style of churro (and I prefer more of the classic texture).
The restaurant has a great corner location. The outside bar area was designed well. There are also bar tables, and on the other side of the building, a patio seating area with a great view of a nature preserve.
This is definitely a restaurant checking out! There are also Tysons Corner, Annapolis, and Rockville locations.
-JAY
Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events.
Thai Grapefruit Martini (left) and Spontaneous Happiness (right).
True Food Kitchen has finally opened their first Metropolitan D.C. location in the Mosaic District. Their food philosophy stems directly from their restaurant name: true, healthy, and wholesome foods. Their direction: follow an anti-inflammatory diet that is inspired by the renowned Dr. Andrew Weil. True Foods Kitchen does not use high fructose corn syrup, their produce, meats, and veggies are locally sourced, nothing is processed, and all their milk, butter and eggs are organic.
I must say, as a huge advocate and fan of clean and healthy eating, True Food Kitchen does an excellent job of delivering fresh and delicious foods. From the menu tasting I attended last week, I was extremely pleased with the quality and flavor of each dish in the 3-course tasting.
Drinks: Thai Grapefruit Martini & Spontaneous Happiness
The Thai Grapefruit Martini is a tangy mixture of Prairie Organic vodka, Thai basil, and grapefruit. Would I get it again? Probably not, just because it was a bit too strong on the grapefruit side for me. But if you love grapefruit, go for it. What would I get on my next visit? Spontaneous Happiness. Now this beauty is a concoction of ginger and vanilla infused shochu, St. Germain, and lime. This is a very clean drink that delivers each ingredient without overpowering one another. Mmmmm…
Appetizer: Autumn Ingredient (Salad)
Light and refreshing horseradish vinaigrette dressing? Check.
Roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower? Check.
Squash, mulberry, white beans & pomegranate? Check.
The salad sounds simple but the flavors of these ingredients combined are complex and sinfully delightful. The horseradish vinaigrette was the key component in keeping the salad unified. It was slightly oily at first and halfway towards working on the salad, the vinaigrette slowly became tangier. The transition was subtle and worked so well. I can honestly say this has now become one of my favorite salads to eat out.
Entrée: Grilled Steelhead Salmon
The wild salmon was not particularly large in size but rich in freshness and natural flavor. The salmon cut was thick, from which I picked out a few bones (it did not bother me one bit because that just goes to show how fresh and wild their seafood quality is). The entree arrived with smoked onion quinoa, roasted beets, arugula, cilantro, pumpkin seeds and cotija that paired perfectly with the salmon.
My friend tried their Grass Fed Bison Burger (see photo) and gave it two thumbs up. I trust her taste buds so I will be giving this burger a try next time.
Dessert: Coconut Banana Pudding
This devilishly sweet concoction of coconut, bananas, and chia seeds is one of the best tasting puddings I have had in an extremely long time. It’s slightly sweet, very cool and refreshing. This was the perfect way to end lunch.
Would I go back? Absolutely! I love restaurants that flow with wide-open spaces and are not afraid to play with color (i.e. their open kitchen and lime green upholstery). Also, I love how environmentally friendly they are; they have bright yellow chairs made from recycled plastic soda bottles and hardwood floors made from reclaimed wood.
True Food Kitchen is now open to the public so try them out! They are located across from Target and the Angelika Film Center in the ever-growing Mosaic District.
True Food Kitchen, welcome to the D.C. area!
-EHY
Below are some of the best things we’ve eaten recently:
-JAY
Next DCFBHH is at Ulah Bistro on 10/1/14 from 6pm to 8pm.
While I don’t think I can actually attend this one, I thought it would be nice to share the info with you. This month’s Host is Johnna.
-JAY
Anita of Greg’s List DC is hosting this moth’s Happy Hour at the newly opened Dino’s Grotto in Shaw. You can RSVP here.
-JAY
Cy and I recently had a wonderful meal at The Gryphon, which is under new management and part of the same group with Lost Society. The menu and decor have been updated. They now have a nice raw bar.
The cocktails we tried were excellent (and well-designed), including:
Our overall favorite dishes were the:
There is currently a deal for The Gryphon on Living Social. Gilt City has a deal for brunch for 2 there.
-JAY
Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events.
DC Food Blogger Happy Hour Wednesday was hosted by Wendy Brannen of USApples and myself at Roofers Union in Adams Morgan (in the former space of The Reef). We sampled a variety of Executive Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley‘s delicious apple themed dishes and a great cocktail Bartender Frank Mills created. Frank named the cocktail “How Do You Like Dem Apples” and provided us with the below recipe (for an individual cocktail):
-JAY
