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Nichole

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Everything posted by Nichole

  1. Hi there! I'm the writer from The Hill is Home. I talked to Perry yesterday and he said that they were hoping to be open "the latter part of this week" but weren't yet sure of the day. I opted to just say "this weekend" rather than sending readers over there to be disappointed that it's not open. I hope that Tom is right and that it opens for breakfast tomorrow morning - the homemade "pop tarts" are calling my name!
  2. Failed to card an undercover ABC person. It happened in the summer, but they had the suspension deferred to a less busy time. In the interim, burgers and pizzas are $5 after 5pm until Wednesday the 22nd.
  3. My full write up of my first impressions of Zest is up over at The Hill is Home, but I will say that for the most part, I thought it was terrific. I liked that it was so much lighter (literally) than every place else on Barracks Row - I could actually see what I was eating! I liked that even though the service was a bit slow, they were extremely accommodating to our continually expanding group (as word got out where we were eating, my initial table of four expanded to six). I loved the blood orange Manhattan. I really loved my lamb shank with polenta and 24 hour tomatoes. I did not love the extremely limited and uninventive vegetarian options. I was disappointed to see a lack of seasonality reflected in the menu. And there is no excuse for the goat cheese biscotti that accompanied the equally unfortunate, out of season carmelized beet and heirloom tomato salad. But, overall, I think this is going to be a welcome improvement to the Barracks Row dining scene - especially with prices as reasonable as Zest's. There is room for improvement for sure, but I'm thrilled to have another choice on the Hill.
  4. Based on that video, I think the best hostess gift for Lettie would be some anti-frizz serum and the number of a good stylist. That said, if it's a dinner party, I usually ask what the host/ess would like me to bring, and if its a bottle of wine (with my friends, there can never be too much), would a red or white go better with the meal. I think because I'm not in the habit of going to dinner parties with people I don't know, let alone at the homes of people I don't know, I generally have a good sense for whether or not the wine I'm bringing is meant to be consumed that evening with the meal or not. I will often bring something fun that most people will not have had before (my go-to is a dry tokaji furmint) and I'll simply say (as Don suggests) that I brought something fun, if people want to give it a go. If it doesn't get opened, then that's okay too. If it's just a party, then the wine goes on the table with all the rest, and if it gets opened, great; if not, great. (And if it's an oaky Chardonnay that doesn't get drunk, it goes in the corner to be regifted at a later date.) I have a good friend - one of my wine drinking buddies - who has for the most part, very different tastes in wine than I do. (She'd be on the receiving end of that aforementioned Chardonnay.) We usually can happily split a bottle of red, but when it comes to whites, we don't have much common ground. (It does happen though.) When I bring wine to her - or to others who I know appreciate it - I'll go out and shop for her tastes, often buying something that I know I wouldn't like - so unlike Ms. Teague, I am not eager to open what I've brought. When I give it to her, I usually explain that I chose it for her and she'll say, "Is this for me or is this for tonight?" which is code for "Is this for tonight, or is it too good to share?" (especially if it's a large group, where each person will only get a sip). I just feel like unless you're socially awkward and/or tend toward passive aggressiveness, you know in advance if you should expect your bottle to be opened, and plan accordingly, but you don't write a snotty column in Food & Wine.
  5. Au Domaine is fantastic. We worked with them over the summer on a fundraiser for my friends' team for the Breast Cancer 3 Day. They were wonderful to work with and really went above and beyond, working with a la Lucia to organize the event (which was a rose tasting, with bites from a la lucia, held in a la lucia's tasting room). As a fundraiser, I've planned a lot of events, but this one was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had. Rick and Allison took a personal interest in our cause and helped us create a really fun and unique event. I can't rave about them enough! They also have "free and informal" weekly tastings (on Thursday, Friday and Saturday), which everyone should check out if they're in Old Town.
  6. Yep! It makes a quart and a half, so in the end 1/4 C of vanilla extract isn't too much!
  7. Bourbon milk punch. I included a recipe for a frozen version in my post yesterday on The Hill is Home, which got me craving the non-frozen version. It's great before bed - and great at brunch!
  8. P&C Market on Capitol Hill (on East Capitol Street at Lincoln Park) carries Mariage Freres, but I'm not sure the prices are what you'd consider reasonable. It is delicious though!
  9. I made bacon jam last night for a Holiday Hangover Brunch party I'm going to tomorrow. I had a bit left over that wouldn't fit in the jar, so I decided to pan sear sea scallops and top with a button of the bacon jam. I set the jam-topped scallops on a dollop of mashed sweet potato. While the flavors went together nicely, and each element on its own was excellent, the whole thing was a bit too sweet (the bacon jam has brown sugar and maple syrup in it). I thought the spice in the jam (Eros Pista, a Hungarian hot pepper paste) would offset the sweetness of the scallops and potatoes, but I think if I make this meal again, I'll need to add some heat to the mashed sweet potatoes. I can't wait to have the bacon jam on French toast tomorrow though!
  10. Grape + Bean in Old Town has Counter Culture beans (and a Clover machine). They have a pretty good selection that rotates frequently. I don't drink much coffee, but when I do, I make the trip across the river for a cup from the Bean. Peregrine Espresso on the Hill also has Counter Culture beans.
  11. The moment I read Mark Bittman's description of pasta cooked risotto-style in The Minimalist the other week, I knew it wouldn't be long before I had to try it. This weekend's cold, snowy weather provided the perfect opportunity to indulge in some serious comfort food. I may never eat pasta any other way, ever again. I used maltagliati as my pasta and kept the rest simple with shallots, creminis and chicken. I used chicken stock and a torrontes (left over from a party) as my liquid, and added a pinch of manchego and a sprinkling of parsley to serve. The inspiration can be found here. This is such a great one-pot meal, and was a perfect end to this chilly winter weekend!
  12. Hi everyone! I've been a reader for a long time, but only just registered so that I could pick brains more knowledgeable than mine about finding flavoring powders for making macarons. I also write about restaurants/bars/food/drink for The Hill is Home. I wouldn't call myself a reviewer of food or drink, so much as of experiences, if that makes sense. Anyway, so far folks have been really helpful in my quest to find flavoring powders and pointing me to other threads on making (and buying) macarons - thanks!
  13. While I'm asking, has anyone tried to make macarons at home? Any tips? Thoughts on buying premade almond flour as opposed to making one's own? Any flavor combinations I should try? Is there anywhere in the DC area that sells macarons in case I completely fumble? (I've lived in the DC area for 17 years and am an excellent cook, but baking has always eluded me, so that's the source of my ignorance on baking supply stores. As far as pastry shops, I'm wondering if I'm just spacing on having ever seen macarons here. Hmmm... maybe if I get good enough I can start the French macaron trend to supplant the cupcake trend...)
  14. I could make my own, I suppose, but that would take a long time! (From that thread, I'd need to use the technique described in the French Laundry cookbook, rather than using the malodextrin thing. I'm looking for finely ground flavoring powders rather than crumbles. Unfortunately I don't have a dehydrator, so that rules out the "French Laundry technique.") I just called La Cuisine and they have essences, which are liquids (which if I can't find powders, I'll have to use; they just get incorporated into the meringues and produce a much less subtle flavor), but the only powder flavoring they have is vanilla. For an example of what I'm looking for, you can check out the Barry Farm website: http://www.barryfarm.com/flavorings.htm If you scroll down past the liquids, they have a wide variety of powdered flavorings. I was just hoping to get started on my macaron-making asap, and didn't realize that I'd have a hard time finding the powders. I went ahead and ordered a few, but am still hoping to get out today and tomorrow and find some in the DC area, so keep the suggestions coming! Thank you!
  15. I really hope someone out there can help me with this. I'm conducting what I'm calling the Great French Macaron Experiment of Aught Nine, in the hopes that in the next couple of weeks I can perfect the art of making beautiful macarons in time for Christmas. (perhaps "perfect" is a strong word) I'm looking for powdered flavorings in DC. I've found some places online that sell them, but their delivery times are not compatible with my practice schedule. I'm willing to travel pretty much anywhere in MD, VA, DC. I know that I can use liquid extracts by incorporating them into the meringue before I fold it into the almond powder, but my understanding is that the powders are a more subtle way of adding flavor to the cake part of the macarons. Thanks so much for any help!
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