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Cook In / Dine Out


Cook In / Dine Out

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Cook In / Dine Out (www.cookindineout.com) started in January 2012 as my creative outlet to share what I'm cooking and drinking and where I'm eating. I've lived in Washington, D.C. since 1999 and, although there is often a D.C. focus to my writing, I do also write about the goings on in other areas, particularly New York. I'm looking forward to connecting with other food bloggers and enthusiasts through DonRockwell.com, especially those in the D.C. area.

My primary focus is cooking. I generally share three or four recipes each week, a mix of original dishes and those adapted from or inspired by the work of others. I often like to organize my posts around a theme. For March 2013, for example, I'm focusing on "classic" cooking.

A few other things I write about:

Cocktails. I generally have one per week, again a mix of original and classic drinks. In February, for example, I did a series of cocktails inspired by each of the Best Picture nominees for the Oscars. I also have an ongoing collaboration with my husband's blog, Dallas Decoder, to create drinks inspired by the characters of the TV show Dallas.

Restaurants. I try to have a few posts per month on my dining out experiences. Some recent highlights were Range in Friendship Heights, which is just incredible, and the Momofuku empire's Ma Peche in New York.

Food journalism. I like to share what others are writing about in newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites that I find particularly interesting. This year, I have a weekly roundup of my favorite stories called The Feed. Last year, I did a weekly critique of the content in the Washington Post Food section vs. the New York Times Dining section I called "Food (Section) Fight."

I hope you take a look at my blog and let me know what you think. I look forward to discussing all that's tasty. Please also follow me on Twitter.

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Thank you, I like your review too (Chevy Volt--funny). I would love to go back. I've only been the one time. Next time I want to eat more of the Italian dishes, especially the pastas. Given all the buzz my expectations for this were really high and coupled by the ambition of the restaurant, I was somewhat expecting to be let down. I was so impressed not to be. Doesn't always happen that way.

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Today, I'm wrapping up a month-long focus on "classic" dishes, a theme I used loosely in different ways. I explored classic dishes by notable chefs: A Beef Stew by Jacques Pepin, Bolognese Lasagna from a recipe by Marcella Hazan, and a Spice-Brined Roast Chicken inspired by our local Palena chef Frank Ruta (a dish that has its own discussion thread on this site). I looked for ways to update two once popular dishes that have fallen out of vogue: Grouper Almondine, which I styled after a dish recently served at Poste, and Beef Stroganoff, which I tried to take back to its simpler Russian and French roots. I updated three classic salads with fresher, lighter ingredients: a Smoky Waldorf Salad with a vinaigrette dressing, Cobb Salad with honey-smoked almonds instead of bacon, and a Wilted Spinach and Bacon Salad that uses warm ingredients instead of hot bacon fat to wilt the greens. I had one week focused on bacon as a classic versatile ingredient for soup (Smoky Pinto Bean and Sweet Potato), pasta (Smoky Trofie with Mushrooms), risotto (Bacon-Mushroom Risotto) and a cocktail (an Old Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon). Other cocktails included the Gin Tonic, Spain's sophisticated update of the class G&T, the Singapore Sling, and the resurgent use of shrub in cocktails (specifically grapefruit). For dessert, I included a simple classic that never goes out of style: Apple-Pear Crisp. If you take a look at any of these recipes, please let me know what you think.

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