mhberk

My wife and I have celebrated all of our four anniversaries at Eve. This past June (our last anniversary) was the first time we had spent it in the bistro. Overall, I prefer the tasting room to the bistro for our anniversary. The anticipation of each course (and sharing each course with each other) gave us something to look forward to and it made the evening a litte more special. That being said, if you can't get into the tasting room, I doubt you'll find a better 3-course meal in the DC area, nor will you find better service then at Eve.

Scrambled eggs with caramelized shallots, julienned ham, and cheddar cheese inside a toasted pita.

Wow! Great feedback thistle! Alright Chris, any luck on scheduling another class?

I thought it was pretty good. I was sad to see Traci leave so early as she was one of my early favorites. My wife and I found ourselves rooting for Morou and were amazed at his speed during the first competition. I liked how Morou described his cooking: "I cook like I speak - American with an accent".

Wait a minute! This is the Jarad from Nectar and then RTS? I thought he was off in Europe selling wine. Maybe he'll put his creme brulee (with the secret ingredient) on the menu. Wow! Now Mrs mhberk and I will have to take a field trip up there!

I thought the episode was pretty entertaining. Bourdain was pretty rough at the judges table when he told CJ that his broccolini wasn't fit to serve in prison and that Brian's lobster was so over cooked, it had the texture of a doll head.

The risotto class was great and was everything that I expected (we went on vacation right after the class and this is the first chance I've had to write about it). It was great meeting you too Thistle! The biggest things that I was able to take away from the class were the different queues that Roberto gave while taking us through the process of making the risotto. He told us how the onions should smell before adding the rice. He said to make sure that the onions not only looked translucent, but that all the acidic smell is gone before adding the rice. After he added the wine to the onions and rice and let it evaporate, he said that most cooks will begin adding the hot broth at this point. But he said that if you smell it (not going by sight alone), you will smell the acidity from the wine and you will know that it is still there (even though it looks like it's all gone) and not time to add the broth yet. It was little things like that throughout the demonstration that made the experience worthwhile. We've made risotto twice since the class with great success.

I called it that because CJ had won the Quickfire Challenge the episode before and was able to handpick the three others that he wanted to work with, leaving the other four to form their own team.

How'd I miss that? *note to self: go rewatch Top Chef!!*

Yeah, that mise en place challenge was probably my favorite moment of the season so far! The "Dream Team" got SMOKED!! Watching Hung breaking down those chicken was a work of art. And the look on Tom's face, as he was doing it, was priceless! I've gained a new respect for Hung over the past few episodes. He seems to be much more humble than I originally thought. And what was Casey doing trying to dice onions with a serrated knife? The "Bad News Bears" really came together for that challenge and it was great. I also liked it when Dale pulled Stephen aside and told him not to talk as much. I was completely floored when Tre got the boot. This will be the first time that the winner of the first Elimination Challenge didn't go on to win the whole thing. I guess the favorite now has to be Hung.

Last night, in anticipation of our risotto class this weekend, Mrs. mhberk and I decided to practice making risotto. We had some left over shitake and dried porcini mushrooms and some cauliflower, so that’s what we decided to add to use. I liked the roasted tomato recipe that I saw in Gourmet Magazine this month. But instead of roasting (light oil) the tomatoes, I confited (submerged in oil) them with shallots, garlic, S&P, and olive oil in the oven at 475 degrees for 45 minutes and then reserved the oil when they were done for the risotto. I put the tomatoes in a sieve and let the juices strain into bowl. While the tomatoes were confiting, I cut the cauliflower into small pieces and roasted them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. For the mushrooms, I rehydrated the porcinis in 1 part chicken stock and 1 part dry sherry for 3 hours, retained the rehydrating liquid when they were done and strained them through some cheese cloth. Then I combined that liquid with the juices from the tomatoes. For the risotto preparation, we sautéed shallots in the reserved oil for a few minutes, then added the rice and toasted for a few more minutes. Then we added the wine until it was evaporated. When it was time to add the liquid, we started out with the mushroom/tomato reserved liquid until it was gone and then used straight chicken stock. When we were getting down to the end of the chicken stock, we sautéed the mushrooms in a little butter and chicken stock and then added them to the risotto along with the cauliflower, parsley, lemon zest and a half a stick of butter (no cheese). We served the risotto in bowls and then topped it with the tomatoes. The tomatoes REALLY made this dish!! They were unbelievable and really complemented the rest of the ingredients.

Great, I'll see you there. It's always great to meet other Rockweilers.

Any standout dishes?

Is anyone else taking the risotto class next Saturday (the 25th)?

I was told the same thing (not by Fabio though) I'm going to stop eating tomorrow at noon

Has anyone been to Maestro in the last week or two that cares to share their experience?

Hmm, I might need to check this out. I DO loves me some mushrooms!

Sorry Jennifer, I really only use my microwave as a clock and, on occasion, making popcorn (it has a "popcorn" sensor). Here's the one that we have: clicky

Congrats Pete!!

We'll order a large pizza from Vennari's, then maybe go out for dessert at Tersiguel's

Isn't this the Charleston in Baltimore?

Thanks for the heads up!

If anyone is looking for something to do with 3 of their closest friends on Friday night, I have a reservation at Bobby Van's Steakhouse for 4 at 6:30 that I won't be able to keep. It looks like they are offering several nice options for entrees. PM me if you're interested. I will be cancel the reservation late Thursday afternoon if no one is interested. (This is the 15th St location)

Thanks Keith. Looks like a great meal!!

I've always been a big fan of Ardeo. What did you get?