Flavortown

Dirt Cheap Radius Pizza – Fall Pizza, Pastas, Soups...anything Chef Wiss puts on the menu, basically 2 Amys – Suppli (when I don’t feel like making them), Abruzzese and Two Amys pies Mandu – Steamed Shrimp Mandu, Dolsot Bibim Bap, Duk Bok Gi Regular Priced Birch & Barley – Bread Board, Beet Risotto, Rabbit Tagliatelle Sou’Wester – Hush Puppies, Corned Beef Shortribs Palena Café – Burger, Fry Plate, Chicken Spendy Central – Shrimp Burger, Roasted Chicken, but not the onion soup…that was disappointing Proof - Based off lunch Uh…apparently I need to eat at some more expensive places?

Haha, that's priceless. But "so yummy" does a pretty good job of capturing the thoughts that ran through my mind upon tasting some of the dishes on the Pig & Pinot Menu. I managed to snag a bite of every dish thanks to the teamwork of the group that collected in the center of the lounge area; while all had their merits, I thought that there were two major standouts: the bacon, pig ear, apple, pecan and frisee salad; and the shoat. Somehow that salad was just utterly permeated by bacon flavor - my first bite was only frisee and yet I could clearly taste the hit of bacon. When I finally got a bite that brought together the sweetness of the apple and actual bits of the bacon itself, it was simply awesome. As for the shoat, it was just ridiculously tender and rich - I don't think I could have taken on a whole plate of it, but the one bite I got was utterly satisfying. Of course, while all that pig was delicious, the parade of little bites just makes me more eager to finally get around to having a full meal at Vidalia. And the food wasn't the only thing worth mentioning (Now that I've provided some fodder for KMango to live "pigariously," I can go on): seeing a bunch of you all again was great, as was meeting others and continuing the process of matching faces to names. Hopefully it'll happen again soon. Gennaro

Would anybody be interested in a $20 dinner at Masala Art next week? I walk by it just about every day, and I've wanted to try it since it opened, but I think the menu would best be explored with a large group. Plus it's been way too long since the last $20 Tuesday (which, oddly enough, was also Indian). I'm interested to see how Masala Art might compare to that feast, especially given some of the more unique items on the menu. Since I have work on Tuesday nights, it would be more like a $20 Wednesday (Dec. 9th), at 7 PM. Kind of short notice, but if anybody's interested, I'd be happy to get it organized.

I'll be there pretty early as well - heading over when I leave DCCK around 4:45 - 5:00, should get there at 5:30.

I see Kevin winning if Bryan and Michael reach too far and don't deliver. He may have a vision, but it seems as though Bryan's vision is consistenly more ambitious, just not always achieved. The challenge with Thomas Keller a few weeks ago was a perfect example - the judges repeatedly said that with more time they thought Bryan's dish would have blown the others away. Based on that statement, I thought Bryan should have won that one, but Kevin pulled it out. Last night Kevin was the one who reached too far and failed, while Bryan pulled off what he aimed for except for a little undersalting. The problem is that Kevin's reach was a dumb one rather than an attempt at some super creative, ambitious dish: trying to cook that brisket without enough time to make it come out well. It's a move like that that makes me see Bryan as having a greater potential to wow the judges.

Seriously. I'm really pulling for him, and I think he'll manage to win. His brother is just too inconsistent, and while the judges seem to generally love Kevin's style of cooking, I just don't see him going all the way. Of course, whether or not Bryan pulls it off, he'll be getting a good chunk of change from me the first chance I get to head up to Frederick.

I'll definitely be there - no work on Friday means I can finally satiate my craving for bacon chocolate chip cookies. Plus the bacon, apple, pecan, and frisee and the Korean BBQ are sound really good.

Sauteed Yukon Gold Gnocchi wild mushrooms, sweet corn, green beans, parmesan ($12): These gnocchi are ridiculous. I'd been planning on ordering the cauliflower soup to start, but they were out, so I went ahead and got them, and I'm so glad I did. Nicely seared on the outside, but super soft and pillowy. I think the corn makes the dish, since its sweetness coupled with the salty parmesan and the buttery sauce (which there thankfully wasn't a massive pool of;the saucing was perfect)was just an awesome combination. Proof Shrimp Burger shaved cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, pickled daikon, & carrots ($12): At $12 a piece, I couldn't help but pick another dish off the lunch crush menu. The shrimp burger is awesome, though definitely too small to be a lunch on its own. What really impressed me was the solidity of the shrimp patty: each bite is like biting into a giant fried shrimp, rather than a mashed/ground mass of ambiguous seafood. It was fried really well, and the shaved vegetables over top added a nice freshness. I could have used a bit more jalapeno though, because the few bites where I picked up on its heat were the best - maybe some of the jalapeno mayo from the Wagyu Steak & Cheese would be a good addition. Knowing that Proof's lunch deal exists is dangerous; I may have to schedule my classes next semester in such a way as to purposely block myself from being able to get lunch there on the way to my internship. (Edited following my decision that 1 lunch wasn't quite enough)

As I wont be able to make it to the Proof happy hour tomorrow, and I suddenly have a chunk of time open before I have to be at my internship at DC Central Kitchen tomorrow afternoon, I'm probably going to head over to Proof for lunch some time between 12 and 12:30. If anybody's in the area and up for joining, just shoot me a PM.

That's all you had to say...the Fried Apple Pie was good, but I want to get my hands on some of this.

Way too much food...ready to fall into a coma...the eating started around 12, with breaks in-between to allow for at least the possibility of survival "Breakfast" was antipasti: crackers, provolone, pepperoni, olives, etc. Late Lunch/The Italian side of Thanksgiving: slow cooked pomodoro sauce, ricotta filled ravioli, Italian sausage, meatballs, semolina bread Late Dinner: turkey; simple yet delicious sausage, bread, and celery stuffing; cranberry sauce; maple glazed brussel sprouts; baked buttered corn Desserts were apple and cherry pies with ice cream, though by then it was difficult to even think about food. The maple glazed sprouts and baked buttered corn were my new additions to the menu, and both turned out pretty well. I definitely plan to invest in a corn cutter though, since splitting the kernels with a knife didn't quite break them down enough for them to meld thoroughly while cooking. Made some corn stock with the leftover cobs, and now I'm eager to try a corn risotto as soon as I can bear to look at food again.

Paramus Just got back home to NJ after a terrible bus ride (everybody in the world was on the road, and rather than getting to NY at 3 PM we got there at 7), and the family decided to go out for Indian in order to eat something completely different than all the Italian and Thanksgiving food we'll be devouring tomorrow. We headed over to Mantra, on Route 4, based on it being chosen by NJ monthly as one of the top 25 restaurants in the state either last year or the year before. Here's a link: http://www.mantranj.com/ While the food was pretty good, I don't quite see how it ended up in the top 25. Maybe NJ is just really lacking in good places? I'm not sure, but I know that we could have had Indian food that was just as good for significantly cheaper prices in DC, which really surprised me. $18 for rather paltry portion of Chicken Makhani? Sure, it was a decent rendition, but the dish can't really be taken very far, and the five or 6 chunks of chicken in the usual tame, creamy tomato sauce didn't at all warrant the price. The same goes for all of the entrees we tried: Chicken Chettinad, Goan Shrimp Curry, Chicken Tikka, and the Tandoori Mixed Grill. In particular, the shrimp curry ($19) was just sad - at most there were 5 small shrimp in a disproportionately large pool of sauce. By far, the most impressive portion of the meal were the appetizers: the Table Side Chaat ($11) was at least worth the price - the table side preparation was fun, and the results were delicious. The Bhelpuri (complements of the kitchen, not really sure why...) was also really good. But the Vegetable Samosas were just average, and at $6 for two, that's pretty unacceptable. Lastly, the bread basket: there were some interesting bread choices on the menu (Kulcha stuffed with crab, or another version stuffed with goat cheese), but I went for the simple sampler since this was my family's first Indian experience. The naan just wasn't very good...much of it was too soggy, doused with oil yet lacking in flavor. So, I'd definitely avoid Mantra in the future. I hear that there are a number of impressive, hole in the wall Indian places a little south of Bergen County, and I bet they'd be less tame in terms of spicing and not so crazy as to think that they could charge nearly $20 an entree for what looked like mere half portions of food.

Five Guys - I completely fail to understand the hype. As Arcturus said, low quality bun, skimpy burgers formed from meat that can't even compare to some better options available, and fries that are totally soggy. Z Burger - Worse than Five Guys, for sure. Generally the same issues, just more agregious. Good Stuff - At least the toppings are good. I tried the Obama burger a while back, and the bacon as well as the onion marmalade and the horseradish mayo were awesome. But the burger itself is so small that the toppings and bun mostly overwhelm the meat's flavor. The only thing they can't mask is the texture - I don't know what the reason is, but the burger I had from Good Stuff was chewy in a way I've never experienced before, and it did not go down well at all. Haven't tried the other 2, but I've been curious about Elevation for a while. Plus I'm interested to see how Flip is, since apparently a location is coming to DC. Still, betwen BGR and Ray's, I think burgers are pretty much covered. Especially since some good meat and a generous amount of salt can yield a delicious one right at home.

Z burger depresses me. It's true that they don't season their patties at all, but on top of that, whether it's due to a lack of sufficient firepower on their griddle, or just general ineptitude, the burgers I've had there have been closer to steamed than grilled. Wet and tasteless prove to be good descriptors both for the meat and the mushrooms and onions I got on my last burger there, which were drowned in oil, but completely lacked flavor - no seasoning and no sear/char/any semblance of color from cooking. I'd gladly pay double for a burger from BGR or Rays. In fact, I just tried The Wellington today at BGR (but only because they didn't have the Thanksgiving on a Bun burger of the month), and the combination of well seasoned and properly cooked meat and toppings may explain my heightened distaste for Z Burger at the moment.

That sounds really interesting. I'm on a big maple kick lately. Tonight's dinner: Campbells Tomato Soup + Onion + Arborio Rice --> Tomato Soup and Rice on crack. Finished with some Parmigiano, butter, and crushed red pepper.

Anybody up for dinner at Dino tonight? Having a gift certificate to burn and a desire for white truffle risotto is successfully edging out my aversion to today's weather, and I may just head over if others want to tag along. Go ahead and PM or post if you're interested.

After wanting to visit Palena for months, I finally headed over for an early dinner in the cafe tonight. Dave (Rovers2000)and I went about trying probably the two most talked about dishes on the cafe menu - the burger and the chicken - as well as a few others, and while I'm sure he'll voice his opinion soon enough, I think it's safe to say that we were both quite impressed. After reading so much about Chef Ruta's proficiency when it comes to soups, I knew that I just had to order one off of the dining room menu. Two were on offer: the Fall Consomme that Pool Boy detailed, and a Chestnut Soup. I went the Chestnut route (but failed to take notes on the menu, so I can't quite remember what the components were, other than black trumpet mushrooms and celery confit, I believe), but thanks to a slight mistake on our bartender's part, I was lucky enough to try both of the soups. I made almost exactly the same statement as Pool Boy after trying the consomme: I simply couldn't believe how much flavor there was in that broth, as well as how much detail went into every dimension of the dish. However, the Chestnut Soup surpassed it in my book: while not as complex in terms of appearance, I simply loved the rich flavor of the chestnut, especially when coupled with the mushrooms scattered throughout the soup, and the foam layered over top. Dave went for the Fry Plate, and I was struck by how well each and every component was fried. The onion rings had an extremely light, crispy batter that wowed me; the dauphine potatoes were crisp on the outside yet so surprisingly fluffy within that they collapsed immediately when chewed; the french fries themselves were nice and crisp; and the lemons offered a nice bit of acid in between bites of the other options on the plate. If anything disappointed me, it was the "zippy mayonnaise," which I felt could have used quite a bit more zip. Next up for me was Roasted Half Chicken. Was it worth the 45 minute wait? I'd say so - I literally brushed it with my knife, and before I could even attempt an incision, it was gushing juice. This was by far the most moist and juicy chicken I have ever consumed. Additionally, whatever brine they used generated a really nice flavor, and a skin that was pretty crispy (I would have liked a bit more crispness, but I think achieving that might have sacrificed some of the juiciness). The greens that the chicken was served over were quite nice as well. If I have one slight complaint, it would merely be that I would have liked to have been in a setting where I didn't feel obligated to battle that chicken in such a refined manner (with a knife and fork) - by the end the only way to really get at the last delicious bites would have been to dive in hands first, and I didn't go quite that far. And of course, there's the burger, which Dave went for. I got a portion of it, and all I can say is that I am committed to returning in order to get my own, especially after hearing the bartender talk about the expanded cafe menu available on Mondays that often includes variations on the burger (the one with house cured bacon has my name on it). It was cooked to the requested medium-rare, the meat was flavorful (and well-salted - I find a lack of salt is often one of the major downfalls of the burgers I've found disappointing in the past), the cheese was awesome, and the bun was perfect for standing up to the meat and all the juice it was releasing. So, definitely a satisfying meal, and I'm eager to explore the menu further. Here are some pictures of the dishes, taken with my low-light hating iphone:

Barring work conflicts, I'll definitely be there.

Haha...hey, I can't help how good it is. I was totally impressed yet again tonight by a bunch of new dishes. And I had a beer I really loved, though I can't remember the name. It started with a G, and it was German, and dark.

Might be heading up to Radius Pizza for their happy hour (pint and a slice for $5) tonight if anybody wants to tag along. In this weather, a pint, a slice of cheesy pizza, and a bowl of ridiculously creamy (yet creamless) butternut squash soup is sounding really good.

Rovers2000, leleboo, goodeats, and I shared a pretty awesome dinner at Birch & Barley tonight. The service was great, and I really love the whole design of the place. And of course, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the monster beer list, which offers more options than one can wrap their head around (as some at our table, who didn't get to the food menu for a good 20 minutes, soon found out, haha). Since we were pretty much set on sharing everything we ordered, we avoided entrees and aimed for a slew of appetizers and all the 2nd course or pasta/flatbread options on the menu. I won't go all out and give a complete breakdown of the meal, but I will throw out a few of my favorites... Seared Sea Scallops Israeli Couscous, Cauliflower, Lemon Confit ($11): I really liked this dish. The scallops had a nice sear, but weren't chewy or overdone. They sat on a mound of delicious israeli couscous, along with some perfectly smooth cauliflower puree. I believe the lemon confit was grated into that creamy mix. It was all sprinkled with toasted pine nutes, which added good flavor and a bit of crunch. Arctic Char Tartare Yuzu Gelee, Ginger, Basil, Sesame Crisp ($12): I'm pretty sure everybody was a big fan of this dish. A generous portion of diced arctic char, seasoned beautifully with the yuzu, ginger, and basil, and served with crisp sesame chips. It was hard to stop eating this in order to share. Vialone Nano Risotto Roasted Beets, Wilted Greens, Goat Cheese ($10 half/$15 full): This was the dish I'd been most looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint. At first glance, it's simply stunning: a mountain of insanely purple risotto topped off with a scoop of snow-white whipped goat cheese. Upon digging in, you soon find chunks of roasted beets, as well as those wilted greens, dispersed throughout the amazingly creamy risotto, which, surprisingly, did not have an overly strong taste of beets, even though it was thoroughly purple. The whipped goat cheese really pushed it to the next level though. Tagliatelle Braised Rabbit, Thumbelina Carrots, Housemade Ricotta ($13 half/$19 full): This was the second dish of pasta with rabbit I've ever had (the first being from Dino), and it's tough to pick a winner between the two. What I can say is that this version was very well done - the pasta was cooked well, the braised and shredded rabbit meat was truly succulent, the carrots added a touch of sweetness, and the ricotta brought some creaminess to it all. Either this or the risotto would have to be the dish of the night for me. Definitly a great meal, and I'll definitely be making a point of trying some of the entrees in the near future (while I know that the duck is a fantastic dish, I'm in the dark about how the rest of the options taste). I'm sure the others will have plenty to say on their favorites, so I leave the rest to them.

Brought my dad to lunch at Central yesterday as he'd driven down for the Capital Food Fight, but hadn't had anything to eat all day. Central is just a few blocks down from the Reagan Building, and I hadn't been there in nearly a year, so we gave it a shot, thinking to eat relatively light as so much food was in our futures. The bread was a good start - I seem to remember it being different before, but now it's just a simple, yet delicious, ciabatta. The French Onion Soup ($9), which we ordered two of, was less than impressive though. Visually, they were stunning, with a perfectly colored and generous layer of cheese overtop. Yet the bowl itself was rather small for $9, and that generous allotment of cheese became more of a chore than anything else when I dug in and discovered it to be mozzarella. Maybe my dad's tastebuds were off, but he was the first one to say "isn't that just mozzarella?," but I'm pretty sure he was right; the cheese was just thick and bland. Considering I got him to change the way his restaurant does onion soup (from a layer of mozzarella sprinkled with parmigiano to using Gruyere), I was disappointed to bring him to a place like Central, that for $9 should have been topping off our soups with a cheese that brought more to the dish than oil and chewiness. The broth itself was decent, but I felt it was lacking in sweetness, and in onions. Our Fried Chicken with Mustard Sauce ($21), however, was much more impressive. The chicken, a boneless breast and a leg, was beautifully fried. The crust light and crisp, and both the white and dark meat were juicy. The potato puree underneath was good, though not particularly delicious, and the side salad was utterly pointless. But the mustard sauce...that was delicious, and coupled with the chicken it made it hard to keep in mind that I was supposed to be holding back and waiting for all the food that I was going to have to eat later. So, I'd been hoping to find the ultimate onion soup, and on that front I was not at all satisfied. But that fried chicken is just as delicious as I've heard so many people suggest, and that made the trip worthwhile, if not worth the price.

Oh my god...so much food. Almost none of the dishes were bad, too. Some restaurants that really impressed, best ones in bold: Blue Duck Tavern's: Cassoulet ??: Rack of Lamb Bourbon Steak: American Wagyu Shabu Shabu, Matsutake Mushroom Darlington House: Compressed Melon with Prosciutto San Daniele Proof: Chorizo Picante with Manchego and Pistachio Crusted Quince Paste Vidalia: Queenland Pumpkin Soup, cranberry gomasio, vanilla salt Oyamel: Ceviche de Cayo de Hacha con Citrico Volt: Sweet and sour macaroon, guacamole, corn nuts I thought I did a good job of making the rounds between doing the duties of my job, but somehow I managed to miss a whole slew of restaurants and dishes I wanted to try. It was also great getting to meet a bunch of the chefs that were up on stage, including Voltaggio. And odd to come home and see him on TV an hour later.

So the big day is tomorrow. Anybody else going to be there?

Hope I'll be able to make it, but it's doubtful. Barring a change in my shifts, five-thirty'll be right when I start working, and eleven-thirty'll be when I'm sorely in need of that drink.