Kitchen Wench

During my first week at my current job, I noticed that the guy who sat next to me was making an awful lot of phone calls. He kept making restaurant reservations, then promptly canceling them in some sort of complex dining calculus designed to maximize his Restaurant Week experience. It all seemed a little intense to me, until I discovered that fine dining in DC is really freaking expensive.

Today, OpenTable published the list of restaurants participating Restaurant Week (August 11-17). I have already booked all my meals for the week. Like my old co-worker, I’ve become just as greedy about Restaurant Week. After all, it only comes but twice a year. So I save it all up and eat 7 (hopefully all) delicious meals for $35 each. Here’s where I’m going:

Monday: PS 7’s
Tuesday: Oyamel
Wednesday: Vidalia
Thursday: Cafe Atlantico, Rasika
Friday: DC Coast
Saturday: Acadiana
Sunday: Eating burgers and hot dogs at my boyfriend’s summer office party. Blech.

This could all change upon further research or contemplation. That’s the beauty of OpenTable–you can search, book, and cancel all online. I’ve eaten at PS 7’s, Acadiana, Vidalia, and Rasika before and expect that I will get a quality meal. Sadly, Corduroy is not doing RW anymore; you used to be able to get the full menu for $30 and it was faaaabulous. My guess is that the rent at their new location may make it prohibitively expensive. Oyamel, Cafe Atlantico, and DC Coast are a gamble, so if you’ve been there, please let me know what you thought.

I’ve never booked this early before, and I have to say, it’s nice. There’s no need to go into your second or third choice, eat at 10 pm, or check OpenTable constantly in the hope that someone will cancel and you can nab the spot. It kind of takes the thrill out of it, but I’m really looking forward to eating at 7 all week. So go get yourself a reservation early–you’ve got three weeks to save up the cash and/or drop a few pounds before treating yourself.

Anthony Bourdain is in DC this weekend to film an episode of “No Reservations.” As someone who regularly fantasizes about having Tony’s job instead of being chained to a cubicle, this is exciting stuff. I was even more titillated when I got a tip that he would be shooting at the Penn Quarter farmers’ market, a scant block from my office. And so, I began to plan.

Would Bourdain show up early, right when the market opened at 3? Would he come late, towards the end? Would he even spent time walking around with the commoners or would he rush directly into the welcoming arms of José Andrés, whose Café Atlantico and minibar are across the street? How often should I check the market? Every hour? Every half hour? Every 20 minutes? AHH!

Sadly, it was not to be. Instead of pretending that I needed to buy an iced tea from Teaism every 20 minutes, I ended up in a cold hotel conference room, listening to some men in suits yammer on for over an hour. I almost never have to leave my office to attend a conference, so this was a little soul crushing. I had even packed my digital camera and everything.

I got back to my office at 5; the Penn Quarter market closes at 7. Maybe I hadn’t missed him? I grabbed my camera and headed for the door, only to be greeted by a freak summer thunderstorm which dumped sheets of water all over downtown. When it finally let up around 6, the market was shutting down and Bourdain and Andrés were nowhere to be found. All I got was a discount on a pint of soggy black raspberries. (They were delicious, but still…)

According to a commenter at Penn Quarter Living, Bourdain was there, right when the market opened. Right when I was trapped at that conference. DCist captured a picture and José Andrés; according to the comments, he’s already hit Chadwicks in Georgetown and Busboys and Poets on U St. Next stop: Ben’s Chili Bowl, though I suspect I’ve already missed it if he was at Busboys this afternoon.

The thing is, it’s not that I haven’t seen Anthony Bourdain in person before; I went to his book talk at Olsson’s last year. I paid $36 and waited in a really long line for him to sign my book, only to get up there, utter a nervous, “Hi” and hand him a slip of paper with my name written on it. But I didn’t watch the show as much back then. I didn’t care as much/was totally distracted by all the DC toolbags that were at the book signing. It’s just that I was so close yesterday, or at least I thought I was. I guess I’ll just have to settle for watching him on tv.

This is officially my new favorite pie flavor. I have a bit of a penchant for mixing fruits in my pies, in part because I think the result is a more complex flavor. Also, I must confess, I keep buying rather expensive fruit at the Penn Quarter and Mt. Pleasant farmers’ markets, and I get greedy and buy a pint here and a quart there of every berry they have. I initially planned to make a cherry pie, but I didn’t have enough cherries, so I frantically threw in some blueberries. It’s actually a great combination–when cooked, both fruits have a really bold flavor, but the blueberries help balance out the tartness of the cherries. Sour cherry season is short, so take advantage of it!

Sour cherry blueberry pie

For crust:

I actually tried using a sweet tart dough instead of my usual all butter crust recipe, with mixed success. The sweetness pairs well with the tart fruit, but the tart dough is very soft and difficult to roll. When I first put the pie in the oven, the temperature was too hot, and the crust started to melt off the pie plate. In the future, I will go back to my standby recipe and just double the sugar.

For filling:

• 1 quart sour cherries, pitted (Don’t have a cherry pitter? Use Smitten Kitchen’s needlenose pliers method. I like to insert the tip of the pliers into the top of the cherry–where the stem attaches–grab on to the pit, and pull straight up.)
• 2 quarts blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp almond extract

1. Make dough according to recipe. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

2. Toss fruit with sugar, starch, and extract.

3. Roll out one half of the dough. For dough rolling tips (aka my mess-free Saran Wrap rolling method), go here. Place dough into the bottom of a 9″ pie plate and gently press into the sides. Brush the bottom with a little bit of beaten egg.

4. Pour fruit into the crust, mounding in the center. Roll out the second half of the dough. If you want, you can get fancy with lattice or some cookie cutter shapes. Or just cut a few slits with a knife to allow the steam to vent. Lay dough over the fruit. Trim any excess from the edges (a scissors is great for this) and gently seal the edges with your fingers or with the tines of a fork.

5. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar. If you are using the traditional butter crust, bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes to an hour. If you are using the tart dough, bake at 325 for an hour and ten minutes.

Domo arigato, Mr. Yogato!

DC is having a frozen yogurt explosion, but Mr. Yogato is clearly the front-runner for best name.  The fro-yo joint opens this Saturday in Dupont Circle, and I’m very excited about it.  Why?  Well, any place that gives you 10% off for singing along to Mr. Roboto is already a winner in my book.  That said, their list of flavors and toppings also looks delicious.

The new trend with frozen yogurt is to have these super sleek looking little stores, serve yogurt that has a “tangy” taste, and offer a sparse array of flavors and fruit toppings.  I tried Tangysweet last Friday and enjoyed a light, refreshing combo of raspberries, strawberries, and Oreo pieces on plain yogurt.  But .99 cents for each topping is a little steep; a small with 3 toppings is almost $4.  I like that Mr. Yogato will be offering more options for a lower price.

For some reason, all these yogurt places keep opening up in Dupont.  Tangysweet is at 20th and P, Mr. Yogato is at 17th and Q, and Georgetown’s Sweetgreen is planning another location in… Dupont Circle.  How much yogurt can Dupont residents reasonably eat?  I feel like the fro-yo wars may soon be over if these places don’t start expanding into other areas of the city.  Really, I just want a Mr. Yogato in Columbia Heights so I can gorge myself on frozen yogurt whenever I want.

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been out of town practically every weekend in June.  I returned from ten days in Seattle and Vancouver only to find that summer has officially arrived in DC.  It is either torrentially raining or hot as balls.  Some highlights from the June weather forecast include “pea-sized hail”, “60 MPH winds”, “high of 98, feels like 103″ and “78% humidity”.

A few Sundays ago, I walked two blocks from my house and became certain that my skin was about to melt off my face.  I stopped into Sticky Fingers bakery and attempted to order an iced tea.  The cashier pointed at the refrigerator case, “The iced tea is over there.”  I blinked in confusion a few times before realizing that they only sold bottled, sweetened iced tea.

I’m a northerner; I do not like sweet tea.  I just wanted a big, cold cup of unadulterated black tea.  So I walked across the street to Mayorga and tried again: “I’d like a large iced tea.”  The cashier smiled apologetically at me, pointed at the refrigerator case, and said they only sold bottled Honest Tea.  Dude, this place has a freaking raw juice bar, but they can’t brew their own iced tea?!  Unacceptable.  “Okaaay,” I said, “Can I have a large hot tea and a cup of ice?”  Yes, they could do that.

So I awkwardly mixed my own iced tea, but it’s wasn’t the same.  The tea doesn’t get strong enough or cold enough.   How hard is it to fill a giant pitcher with tea, ice cubes, and throw it in the fridge?  Apparently harder that it sounds.  I was able to order an iced tea at Dos Gringos, but it tasted like it has been brewed in a container that was used to brew coffee.  Which is to say, it tasted terrible.

I know these places are all billed as “coffee” shops, but every “coffee” shop out there serves hot tea and sells a variety of bottled waters and juices at the very least.  I have yet to visit a sit down restaurant that did serve iced tea.  Most of them will even make you an awesomely refreshing Arnold Palmer.  I’m trying to patronize my local businesses here, but they have failed to quench the thirst of this non-coffee drinker! I hate to say this, but it looks like I have to start going back to Starbucks, even though I hate Tazo tea.  But you know what?  In the summer, you can get iced black tea, iced green tea, and they’ll even make you an Arnold Palmer.  Nothing cuts the face-melting DC heat like a tall glass strong tea and lemonade.

I don’t really know what a flake is, but I do know that it’s delicious. From what I can tell, it involves a pie-crust like pastry with some sort of filling. This tasted sort of like a pie in bar form, but less messy and more nutty. In any case, I promise it won’t disappoint. For my version, I used almonds, apples, and some leftover strawberry rhubarb compote, but you could use any combination of fresh fruit/jam/nuts for endless possibilities. I am currently on a rhubarb kick, and this is a great way to take advantage of it.

Rhubarb Apple Almond Flake
(Adapted from Lori Bohn’s original recipe for Rhubarb Almond Flake from Simply in Season)

• 4 smallish tart baking apples (I used Pink Ladys), thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups strawberry rhubarb compote* or other fruit puree or jam
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• scant 1 cup milk + 1/4 cup (I substituted Silk soy milk)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed or slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsps almond extract

1. Take 1 cup (2 sticks) of cold butter and cut into small pieces. Pulse butter, flour, baking powder, and salt in food processor using on and off turns until a coarse meal forms. Alternatively, cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or fork.

2. Crack eggs into a measuring cup and beat until yolks and whites are combined. Pour in enough milk to create 1 cup of liquid. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk and eggs with flour and butter mixture until a ball of dough forms. Divide the dough in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

3. While the dough chills, make the glaze. Combine nuts, remaining 1/2 cup of butter, 1/4 cup milk, sugar, and extracts in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

4. Grease a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Roll 1 disk of dough to 1/2″-1/4″ thickness. Lay in pan. Spread layer of compote onto the dough, then a layer of apples. Alternate layers until all the fruit and compote have been used.

5. Roll out 2nd disk of dough, making sure it is roughly the same size as the bottom layer. Place the 2nd sheet of dough over the fruit and fold over the edges to seal. Try to create a bit of a lip along the edge, otherwise the glaze will run off the pastry. With a fork or knife, poke a few holes in the dough to allow steam to vent.

6. Spread nut glaze over the top. Bake in a 400 F degree oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 F and continue baking another 35-40 minutes or until golden.

* Strawberry rhubarb compote can be easily made by cooking chopped fruit with sugar and a little water over medium heat. The fruit will break down after 15-20 minutes, at which point you can mash it up. I like to make mine with half a vanilla bean thrown in for flavor. It’s is awesome on plain yogurt or bread.

I think Pasta Mia pasta is like crack.

Seriously.

I ate at the tiny Adams Morgan institution for the first time this weekend. The place has maybe 15 tables, does not take reservations, does not take credit cards, and yet there is always a line out the door. Under normal circumstances, this would indicate that there must be something to the hype, but you never know in DC. Some things are just inexplicably overrated in this town (Lauriol Plaza, anyone?).

I waited almost 2 hours (30 mintutes in line, an hour at the table) before a bite of pasta hit my lips. The wait was worth it. That is how good my pasta was. And this is coming from someone who becomes incredibly belligerent when denied food. Also, the carafe of fruity house wine probably didn’t hurt either.

I ordered the penne carbonara, which arrived all eggy and buttery, dotted with flecks of crispy pancetta and topped with a huge mound of Parmesan. There is something so decadent about a silky egg sauce and melting cheese. Also, I was surprised at how overjoyed I was to be eating perfect al dente pasta in a restaurant. My favorite thing about pasta is the chewy texture of a perfectly cooked noodle. Prior to Pasta Mia, I hadn’t found good Italian food in DC. I tried Tosca and was disappointed, especially for the price tag. (Everything at Pasta Mia is under $20.)

So, I had a great meal. So great that it just won’t seem to go away. I actually can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like the first time I had Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby (another crack-like food). I couldn’t stop craving it. The same appears to be true of Pasta Mia. I keep seeing that steaming plate of penne and tasting the tangy cheese in my mind. I think I just might go back on Wednesday.

Belgian food is starting to quickly become an overdone fad in DC. However, having spent most of my life in the Midwest, deprived of moules and frites, I just can’t seem to get enough of them. Plus, trying new restaurants gives me an excuse to eat french fries, even though I know they’re bad for me.

Two weekends ago, Lee and I made reservations for any early dinner at Brassiere Beck. BB opened about a year ago amid serious hype. Reviews seem to be mixed, but BB also keeps popping up in various best new restaurant lists. While that’s enough to make one a little hesitant, Brasserie Beck definitely exceeded my expectations on several counts.

Lee and I each ordered a salad ($13) to start - bibb lettuce with roasted beets and frisee with lardons and poached egg. I’m sorry there are no salad shots — I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture. The beet salad arrived with thin slices of beet arranged in a circle and a little pile of lettuce leaves and minced red onion in the center. As an avid beet fan, I have eaten many a beet salad. This rendition was perfectly acceptable but not very memorable. The mustard dressing was very mild, and I thought the raw onion overwhelmed their delicate flavor. I think a gentle dressing works will with tender bibb lettuce, but a little more acid would have brought out the sweetness in the beets.

The frisee salad, on the other hand, was divine. Like, eyes rolling back in my head, weak knees, drooling a little divine. The presentation was also delightful - the mound of frissee was topped with a parmesan toast crisp and a perfectly poached egg. I love this flavor combination, but in the past I have noticed that this salad can become overpowered by the sherry vinegarette and becomes soupy once the egg yolk is mixed into the greens. What is notable about Brasserie Beck’s salad is that the salad is dressed just lightly enough to impart a vinegary pucker that is smoothed out by the richness of the yolk. But the best part is the addition of little deep fried shallots, which opens the salad up to an entirely new level of flavor suggestion and gives it greater textural interest. I would go back for this salad alone. Read the rest of this entry �

This pie tastes like summer. I made it for a work picnic on Thursday. I was going to make a strawberry rhubarb pie, but Giant was out of rhubarb. Instead, I got some purple plums and Bosc pears, both of which were a bit under ripe. I was a little skeptical of the flavor combination, but it turned out great! The pears and plums were cooked, but not mushy. The texture contrast was great with the soft strawberries. Also, this pie tastes very fruity, but not overly sweet. I think this might be my new favorite pie.

For crust: I swear by this all-butter crust recipe from Bon Appetit

For filling:

• 1 lb ripe strawberries (1 of those plastic flats = 1 lb)
• 6 firm medium purple plums
• 4 firm Bosc pears
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 heaping tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp high quality cinnamon (I use Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon from Penzey’s and it makes a huge difference in the flavor. If using lesser quality, I would increase the amount.)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I received a bottle of Haitian vanilla for Christmas and it’s got a wonderful bright flavor that I love with fruit. Mexican vanilla would also work nicely.)

1. Make crust dough per Bon Appetit’s recipe. While dough disks cool in the fridge, make the filling.

2. Hull and quarter strawberries. Cut plums and pears into roughly 2″ sized pieces. You can leave the skins on. Toss cut fruit with the sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside.

3. Roll out 1 disk of dough for the bottom of the pie. I like to roll my dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. This means I don’t have to worry about my dough sticking to my counter or rolling pin. Once you have rolled your dough out to the desired thickness, carefully peel the plastic off one side of the dough. Lay the dough into your pie plate, plastic side facing up. You can then grip the plastic side and adjust the dough as needed. Once your dough is in place, carefully peel off the other piece of plastic and press into the pan. If there are any holes, you can patch them with excess dough on the edges of the pie.

4. Pour fruit into pie. Roll out the second disk of dough. After you’ve peeled off your first piece of plastic, you can cut little shapes into the crust with a cooking cutter. I use the pointy end of a chopstick to pull the cut outs off the plastic sheet on the backside of the dough. Lay the dough over your fruit, plastic side up. Be extra careful when removing the plastic, as it is easy to tear the shapes. Alternatively, use a knife to cut a few vents for the steam to escape.

5. Use a pair of scissors to trim the excess dough from the edge. Fold edges over and crimp as desired. I am terrible at crimping. If you want to learn how to crimp your pie nicely, Epicurious has a nice instructional video. Otherwise, you can just use the tines of a fork to smush the edges together.

6. For a nice golden crust, lightly beat an egg and brush it over your finished pie. Sprinkle with sugar for extra crunch and flavor. Bake the pie at 375 for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Makes one 12″ pie. Easily adapted for a 10″ pie–just mound the fruit in the middle.

Every year, Lee’s mother mails him a birthday care package. Aside from presents, it always includes a box of angel food cake mix, as well as candles, balloons, and paper plates and napkins. It’s sort of quaint, because no matter how old he gets, the care package is exactly the same. This is not limited to birthdays. For the last two years, we have received plastic eggs, candy, easter grass, and an egg dying kit for Easter. This package is usually accompanied by a phone call explaining that Lee can open the box early if we want to dye the eggs the night before. I am 24 years old and have not dyed an Easter egg in over a decade.

While I don’t dye the eggs, I do make the cake. (I’m not really sure if the cake mix is really for him so much as me, since I can’t really imagine Lee making himself a cake.) In my early baking days, I attempted angel food cake from scratch, not realizing it was one of those fussy recipes that require precision and good technique.  My cake puffed up nicely in the oven, but quickly deflated into a lumpy mess once I took it out.

The mix, however, is completely idiot-proof. You add water and, through the magic of chemistry, the mixture foams to 3x its original volume. Then you pour it into the pan and bake it. Unlike many box cakes, which have an artificial taste, I think box angel food tastes pretty darn authentic. I like to add some extra vanilla and almond extract, so it tastes like a giant, almond-y marshmallow.

This year, I decided to mix it up with some cupcakes, which are oh-so-trendy right now. I wanted to make mine sparsely beautiful, like Nigella’s fairy cakes. Per her recipe, I whipped up some royal icing and spread it on the tops with the back of a spoon. But, unlike Nigella, I didn’t have any cute little sugar flowers or fondant cut outs to stick on top of my cupcakes. After digging through the pantry, all I came up with were some raw almonds and leftover Christmas sprinkles. So, I did the best I could, given the circumstances. I think they look decently cute, if not ideal.