tripewriter

Me 'n the missus finally made it back to Dino this past Saturday. After a crazy annoying afternoon of errands that involved driving through gusting winds on I-395 to haggle with a dishonest frame shop, we called to see if our reservation could be moved up from 8 p.m. We needed ... to relax. And so it was done, we arrived in Cleveland park a bit on the early side and killed time working the Post Sunday Magazine crossword in the car. At 5:30, we walked around the corner to Dino and enjoyed great hospitality, a comforting and tasty meal, and some excellent atmospherics thanks to the early evening hailstorm that blew outside of the large windows next to our table. We started our meal each with a glass of prosecco and the burrata plate (fresh ricotta stuffed fresh mozzarella, with olive & red pepper tapenades, oven tomatoes, olio, basil). By the time we were halfway into this, I could feel the residual consumer rage from our earlier endeavors beginning to melt away. We then each moved onto three-cheese polenta (hers plain, mine topped with an earthy melange of grilled mushrooms). We were ordering wine by the glass that night, relying on whatever the house recommended (thanks Biljana!) so I can tell you the pairings we very nice but can offer no specifics. For our main course the missus had the wild boar triple chop--although I recall it being "quadruple"--and she generously shared a slice with me. With a bit of sea salt (I ate it without the jus) it was pig heaven. Apologies to any diners who took offense at the sight of me gnawing the cracklin' off the bone. On second thought, make that regrets. They wouldn't know what they were missing. My main was the braised lamb pasta, as was the polenta, a perfect blustery day dish. We also enjoyed the cheese and seed breads, par-baked offsite and then finished in Dino's oven. We learned they are never frozen, so the loaves have a better opportunity to develop full flavor and texture. Then decaf and dessert--the warm chocolate cake (key concept here: "warm" on a cold day = "good") and the passion fruit creme brulee, which was wonderfully creamy but would have benefited from a bit more fruit flavor, if only from a squeeze bottle garnish of puree. Wheel me home, James ... it's time to feed the angry cats ...

Well, you did say you were too full. And I was very conscientious about describing how tasty each flavor was! I enjoy the tried and true--the meats, salad, and duck were all very tasty--but look forward to the new as we near spring.

One of us (she) has a broken leg, the other (me) a serious head cold. Too much pizza delivery was only making matters worse. Stir-crazy and in need of some serious comfort, I cooked up a pot of faux Pho, comprising one diced yellow onion salt & pepper bouquet garni ginger one lb. ground turkey two Tbsp. coconut oil tamari seasoned rice vinegar 3 quarts filtered water vermicelli, broken in half frozen string beans, broken in thirds fish sauce hot sauce lime juice This was some damn fine eating, considering that it was not made from stock and that most of it came from the pantry and freezer versus the produce aisle.

The standouts for me included abalone with thousand-year-old egg, roasted chicken, and custard tarts. But it was all so good! Thanks to Dean for making the arrangements for this dim sum feast.

I enjoyed the mussels and merguez curry so much during a dinner in the Bistro that I ordered them again as part of a lickety-split lunch the following Monday (MLK holiday). This dish is a beauty, hearty flavors and a very generous portion. It's great to see the kitchen at Eve branching out into subcontinental flavors. The same menu also included a tasty riff on papri chat--this version essentially a composed salad of chickpeas, crisps, yogurt, and various chutneys.

Tomato crisps Last night I noticed some grape tomatoes in my kitchen were starting to wrinkle. Thinking they were no longer fresh enough to eat fresh, not enough to make sauce, I decided to dry them overnight in a low (about 180f) oven. I sliced each of them longitudinally in half and placed them on a foiled and lightly oiled half sheet. Then I sprinkled a little kosher salt on top and put them in the oven. The result, after about 7 hours of oven time, was a batch of tomato crisps with a very tasty sweet/salty flavor. Just the thing for a mid-morning snack.

I picked up this 10-buck marble set at IKEA during the summer and it seems to work pretty well. But a Braun electric coffee grinder is still my go-to utensil for pulverizing spices.

Hai!!!

Quick salad for lunch or dinner 1 bag of butter lettuce and radicchio 1 chopped Fuji apple 21 small sweet tomatoes (grape), halved handful of dried cranberries handful of roasted chicken breast chunks (chunks, what an appetizing word) season to taste blue cheese dressing -toss, serve, eat with a roll -buy the chicken precooked and it's even easier

Last night for dinner ... Vegetarian chili -heat the pot, then add a dash of vegetable oil a chopped onion a few cloves of grated garlic Tbsp chili powder Tbsp ancho chili seasoning salt -cook a bit, then add TVP "cumbles" aka fake ground beef vegetable stock large can of crushed tomatoes some apple cider large can of black beans -reduce, reduce, reduce -serve with grated sharp cheddar and sour cream Corn bread box of corn bread mix water frozen white corn -combine mix, water, corn -bake, cool, slice I bought the onion chopped (!) and the cheese grated so all I had to do was microplane the garlic--everything else came right out of a can, box, or bag. Simple enough?

I've lived in D.C. and Arlington for almost 20 years, and have never been tempted to check out the Orleans House -- seems too similar to places where I've eaten for countless family occasions in the Southeast and Midwest. It does occupy some prime real estate, though. 2005 City Paper review "As far as family-style throwbacks go, Tom Sarris' Orleans House should be saluted for its resilience." 1996 Washington Post Review "Crowded onto the huge cart of ice are nearly 30 salad fixings, six dressings plus some psychedelic-red vinegar and oil and stacks of bread." (Food-writing gold from Phyllis Richman)

More new adds: Liberty Tavern (& Liberty to Go) Restaurant 3 (service and dishes have a polished quality surprising for such a new establishment)

I was sorry to see the women go so soon in the competition. Especially Traci des Jardins, who is at the top of her career.

***I Am The Stuffing*** . . . more like The Stuffed!

Congrats to all @ Eve for a long overdue four-star rating from the Washington Post dining guide. The behind-the-scenes video is pretty cool too, although those hoping to catch a glimpse of Tom Sietsema will have to settle for hen of the woods.

Zuki Moon ... formerly at 824 New Hampshire Ave (now of Notti Bianche fame). Mary Richter's take on a Japanese noodle shop was one of my go-to lunch destinations when I worked near Foggy Bottom. Loved the salads, soba with salmon, Zuki rice bowl, ice creams (caramel, ginger and honey flavors come to mind), and teas. The room was stylish, if not entirely comfortable (the hardwood chairs were narrow enough that I heard more than one customer complain they could use two for "full support") Then it closed for "renovation" c. 2001 and never reopened.

TNX JASON ... BEST CLASS EVAR!11!1!!

Another year-later update.Old favorites: Lost Dog Cafe (tomato, feta, pinenut and rosemary pizza with cold pear cider, delivered to our door) Restaurant Eve (more often!) The Majestic (for Sunday drinks and dinner) Eamonn's a Dublin Chipper (my fried-food indulgence, doesn't Guinness lower cholesterol anyway?) Ray's the Steaks (if you think the staff is surly, you should just @#$! off) Elevation Burger Some new additions (yes, it was about time, and yes, I do eat in D.C.): Dino Proof Rasika I'm glad we got a chance to visit Maestro earlier this month, too.

I'm really looking forward to this class ... hope we have a capacity turnout tonight!

Earlier this week: Duck sausage (thanks Dan!) on lentils and oven-roasted sweet potatoes Rocket sauteed with currants, toasted pine nuts and garlic Store-bought bread and butter Sliced nectarines with whipped cream Since then: leftover lentils with whatever (leftover tandoori chicken, brocolli, etc.) If you have not tasted lentils cooked with duck fat you ought to look for an opportunity, and soon!

We ate there last week for the first time ... I particularly enjoyed the fried oysters with the napa cabbage slaw (mmm...that slaw!) and Tabasco aioli. I found the mixed field greens salad both underseasoned and overdressed, although the quality of the produce was very good. The Angus beef duo was perfectly cooked--the parts of this dish I enjoyed most were the filet with mushroom-horseradish crust and the mashed potatoes. Price point seemed a little high to me, but the dining room does have very nice views.

Beautiful seared chorizo (thanks Dan) on black beans and white corn with caramelized cocktail onions. And ice-cold Corona Light beer.

A great group-cooked dinner this past Saturday night, to kick off the 2007 grillin' season: Marinated, grilled & sliced skirt steak Roasted potatoes with garlic and smoked paprika Aoili Blanched asparagus and sliced strawberries in a clementine vinaigrette :-D

Somebody needs to learn French. Unless this ad means the dishes aren't made to order!

Butternut squash panna cotta + pulled pork sandwich = lunchtime bliss. I know it's been said before, but the Lickety Split lunch is one of the best deals in town!