A Food Blog serving the Greater Washington DC Area with Reviews, Recommendations, Recipes and general awesomeness.
From the monthly archives:
It is a good thing that he lives on the west coast, I don’t want him messing with our food trucks in DC. If you don’t read David Alan Grier’s food blog, Chocolate Glutton, you should. It is a hilarious read and his passion for cooking really shows.
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Eat
Acqua Al 2: Well, I don’t have to say too much given that we have been blessed with a DC version of this wonderful restaurant in Florence, but it is still worth a visit when you are in Italy to see the authenticity and its hometown roots. I recommend making a reservation as this place fills up fast. Make sure to order the pasta sampler and the blueberry steak. The rigatoni in eggplant sauce is my favorite and the tiramisu is a must! Located on Via della Vigna Vecchia.
Mamma Gina: Mamma Gina’s is your first right after crossing the Ponte Vecchio from the downtown part of Florence. This was my favorite restaurant in all of Florence. It is absolutely phenomenal. The service is fantastic and the waiters go out of their way to make you feel at home. Try to the rigatoni with four cheese sauce or the spinach gnocchi as your first course. YOU MUST get the eggplant parmesan for the main course; it is the absolute best eggplant in the entire world. I still dream of it today. Also Mamma Gina’s had my favorite tiramisu in all of Florence as they slop it on your plate with a spoon. Don’t be fooled- it may look messy, but it’s nothing short of spectacular. Located on Borgo San Jacopo.
Baldovino Trattoria: Baldovino is located in the heart of Santa Croce which is a wonderful area to walk through as the Basilica of Santa Croce is gorgeous and right in the center of the square. This restaurant has a wonderful atmosphere that is quaint, romantic, and adorable. The food is wonderful including the focaccia to share for the table, delicious pastas and pizzas, and an amazing chocolate cake for dessert. Located in Piazza Santa Croce.
Ciro & Sons: This was one of our favorite spots that we frequented often as it was right by the school I was attending when living in Florence. The pizzas and pastas here are wonderful, but the lasagna is magnificent in a light meat sauce and cooked to perfection. I also was a huge fan of the gnocchi and Ciro & Sons is a great choice for seafood as they have an amazing selection. The restaurant itself is beautiful and makes for a wonderful dinner… or a great lunch as you are strolling through the leather market or touring the Medici Chapel. Located on Via del Giglio.
Trattoria Zaza: This is a wonderful spot that is known to feed a lot of famous people when they come to Florence. There is an amazing Italian cheese platter and Zaza makes a fabulous pappa al pomodoro here (this is a famous tuscan soup made with stale table bread, tomatoes, garlic, oil etc.) My favorite dish here was the rigatoni alla sorrentina. Simple and understated but absolutely delicious in a light red sauce with melted mozzerella cheese. Located in Mercato Centrale.
Sights
Florence is a very special place, and I hope to make my way back in the next year or so to experience some of my favorite food memories again. Enjoy yourself, soak in the sights, drink wonderful wine, take day trips to Tuscany, sit at one of the coffee shops and sip a cappuccino in the middle of Piazza della Repubblica, and remember to mangia, mangia, mangia! Buon appetito!
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One of the wonderful things about getting married is the “in-law” family you get along with the spouse. In my case, I was especially lucky to marry into such good cooks and bakers (no offense mom, wink-wink:)…Since Chad does most of the cooking (and by most I mean all unless we are craving that occasional Kraft Mac-n-Cheese dinner) I have taken up his one weak link..baking. I’ve been fortunate to get a lot of great recipes and tips especially from Chad’s Aunt Lenore (aka Tonte Nor). She is most famously known for her chocolate chip cookies, which she so generously bakes for all of the hotel gift bags for the family weddings, Sunday dinners and holidays. When I initially asked for her recipe, she willingly gave it to me (and also willingly left out a few secret tips) but I think I have finally coaxed it out of her. This is a great easy recipe that I always get tons of compliments on, and if there is a better recipe for chocolate chip cookies in DC, we haven’t found it.
Ingredients:
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.
Mix Crisco, sugars, eggs, and vanilla
Add dry ingredients, stir in chips and nuts.
Taste the batter – yep this is actually the most important step. Most recipes won’t include this crucial step, but for me it’s the most fun part of baking…seriously, what is more delicious than raw chocolate chip cookie dough?
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets. If your baking sheets are old or tend to cause the bottom of your food to burn, try using a sil-pat (see picture below) – this will be sure to keep the bottom of the cookies from burning.
Bake at 375° for 9-11 Minutes – this is actually probably one of the trickier parts depending on the oven. Typically I bake mine for 10 minutes but it really depends on your oven. I recommend putting in the first batch and seeing how they come out and adjust accordingly.
Enjoy!!
PS – it may look like the chips above haven’t melted, but they are just soft enough that they will melt in your mouth!
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In just under 48 hours three restaurants, American Tap Room, Vapiano, and Taylor Gourmet are all opening up shop. Even more ridiculous is the fact that they are all on the same block. Talk about some serious competitive drive! I haven’t had a chance to head out to any and I’m patiently awaiting Taylor Gourmet’s opening tomorrow but we are getting initial reports that American Tap Room is a bit of a let down. We’ll be sure to send over a member of the EMDM team before we make a final decision on it.
Other restaurants slated to be opening up in Bethesda are the Uptown Deli and Cava. I cannot wait for Uptown Deli and am hoping it can live up to its claim of being a legit New York style delicatessen with house made corned beef, brisket and chicken soup. Added bonus… it’s right around the corner from my office at 7905 Norfolk Ave.
Cava with location currently in Rockville and Capitol Hill will be a “build your own pita” Mediterranean joint. It’s slated to open at 4832 Bethesda Avenue sometime in September. According to their website they will also be opening a space in Clarendon.
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I should start by saying I am so jealous that someone else (Wendy) is living my dream of selling wine, cheese and cured meet to the masses. Since I am clearly not brave enough to launch my own wine bar I’m sure glad Wendy did.
The Screwtop concept of wine bar, retailer, restaurant and event location is genius. They have a great selection of “fancy cheese”, every kind of pork you could ever want and delicious wine. Plus, they have that neighborhood feel I crave. I recognize the waitresses and it is completely unpretentious.
I am a member of their wine club, a fan of their happy hour specials and have even hosted a private event there so I’ve had a chance to see the business from many perspectives.
The wine club: At only $39.99 a month it is a pretty good deal considering you get 2 bottles of wine and a cheese selection. I’ve been impressed with the wine selection and I always end up being exposed to something new. They also host a great tasting party for members on the second Sunday of every month. My only complaint is that with it being summer and always being out of town, it is hard to make it to the tasting parties. I loved when they were on Tuesdays, it was a great way to break up the week.
Eating & Drinking: I love that they have themed happy hours. Who doesn’t like a theme?? Thumbs up Tuesday and my personal favorite Wino Wednesday. Their wine selection has something for everyone and with wide range of prices so you never feel forced to break the bank. In addition to buying wine by the glass, you can also choose from their rotating wine flights which typically consist of 3 selections. I love these since you get a chance to try a variety. They also have a craft beer selection if you are visiting with a beer fan.
Overall the food has been good. If you sit at the bar they will give you some delicious truffle popcorn to munch on while you mull over the menu. Here are a few highlights. The baked goat is soooo good plus it is almost an entire log of goat cheese and could be shared by 3-4 people. I had the Toked Goat Sandwich last night and it was really yummy. My all time favorite though is the Bacon Cheddar Bruschetta. This stuff is amazing and addictive. I haven’t had a chance to try the Buffaloaf (shocking to those of you who know me) but I will make sure to get it soon.
Retail Shop: Sometimes picking out a wine can be intimidating but the handwritten notes about each wine in the retail section make it easy to imagine each bottle in its best element. This is especially helpful since they stock such unique offerings. Bonus alert: If you try something at the bar and want to buy a bottle from the retail shop they’ll give you 5% off your purchase. Not much but every penny counts these days!
Event Space: They don’t have a ton of space but I held a standing room only wine tasting and networking event for about 50 people and it was great. The planning was simple, they had a wine rep come in to conduct the tasting, the cheese and charcuterie plates were delicious and the bill was incredibly reasonable.
So, if you haven’t been to Screwtop, stop in for a drink, a snack, and maybe a few take home bottles!
Screwtop Wine Bar
1025 N. Fillmore St.
Arlington, VA 22201
703-888-0845
www.screwtopwinebar.com
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On Saturday I partook in a gluttonous evening with 10 girlfriends as we chose Carmine’s as the place to celebrate our friend Stacey’s bachelorette party. We were able to snag a private space named the Bernini Boardoom which lived up to its name with a long rectangular table and family photos from the old country adorning the walls (not our family, of course). The restaurant itself was as large as expected and it felt like it went on for miles and miles, but I was impressed to see just how crowded it was even with 700 seats. There didn’t appear to be many empty tables and there were crowds of people waiting when we walked in around 8pm.
We arranged for a fixed menu before we arrived which included pitchers of beer, red and white wine, two appetizers, two pastas, two chicken entrees, and a dessert sampler. I knew I was in for it. We had a fabulous waiter named Cameron who stayed in the private room with us the entire evening. He was professional in that he did not appear to be listening in on our conversations, but then seemed to magically appear as soon as we would mention we needed more water, extra sauce, or whatever other requests we might have had. The drinks arrived almost immediately, and soon after came the mixed greens salad and the fried zucchini. The salad was a great snack that at least made you feel as though you put something healthy in your body before diving into the pasta fest. The fried zucchini on the other hand was shockingly good. It came out as shoestring fries with parmesan cheese on top and a lemon to squeeze to add some citrus flavor to the crunchy appetizer.
Next it was time for the pasta dishes. Let me just be clear that these plates are gigantic, and are piled high with food that could serve 10-12 people easily. The pastas we ordered were the cheese ravioli in a marinara sauce and the penne alla vodka. Both were wonderful, but I think the penne alla vodka was the clear winner. It was rich, creamy, and delightful. And, it was the bane of my existence the entire night as the plate stared at me and forced me to keep taking spoonfuls until I literally made myself sick. This tends to be the only problem with family style… I have a hard time knowing when to stop! We kindly asked the waiter for a bit of a break until the next course because I think most of us could barely breathe at this point. After some time, out came the chicken parmesan and the lemon chicken on the bone. The chicken parmesan was delicious, although I would have liked a little more bubble and browning of the cheese, but the chicken itself was nicely cooked. The lemon chicken was a bit too infused for my taste. It was as though the lemon had been left on the chicken for too long creating a very biting and citrusy flavor that was maybe a bit too strong. But, at this point we were so stuffed it was okay to just have a few bites and move on.
Finally, the dessert assortment plate came out and it was just too appetizing to ignore. After claiming we all were so full that there was no way we could fit anything else in, we all picked up our spoons and forks and went to town trying the treats on the dessert plate. The tartufo was wonderful with a hard crust chocolate shell and delicious ice cream on the inside, the tiramisu was soft and flavorful, and the bread pudding was spongy, warm, and fabulous.
I think going to Carmine’s requires a certain mindset: it’s not going to be an experience similar to one in Italy, and it’s not going to be a quiet and simple meal, but, if you go in knowing it’s going to be filling and delicious food that will create a fun night, then there is no way that you can’t have a good time. The service was great, the food was wholesome and comforting, and it’s a fun group activity for any occasion.
Carmine’s Washington DC
425 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
www.carminesnyc.com
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I will be first to admit, this is not my usual type of recipe, this is far more of a Semi-Homemade Cooking Sandra Lee type of recipe than any other recipe you would see on this site. My wife enjoyed teasing me about this fact, until she tasted these buttery, salty, pillowy soft rosemary dinner rolls. I served these rolls as a side with the Friends with Benefits Clam Bake Meal we posted about on Friday. When you’re making an elaborate meal, I don’t see anything wrong with taking a few shortcuts, is using pre-made frozen parker house rolls any different than buying pizza dough from Trader Joe’s? I don’t think so.
To prepare these delectable dinner rolls, simply dump a frozen package of parker house dinner rolls into your favorite iron skillet. Let the rolls defrost and proof per package directions. When the rolls are ready to go into the oven, top the rolls with a healthy drizzle of good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, and Fresh Rosemary. About 3-4 minutes before the rolls are done baking take 3 Tablespoons of melted butter and dump it on top of the rolls as they finish browning the ovens. I warn you, you won’t be able to eat just one.
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Congrats Chuck, you were the hands down winner of our first giveaway on EatMore DrinkMore. What are you going to get at iGourmet.com?
Thanks to everyone that participated. Check back soon for future contests and chances to win!
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Rebecca kindly brought a lobster roll back to the office so we could try the truck’s signature dish. I will be the first to admit that I do not enjoy mayonnaise and for the most part I avoid anything that contains the condiment, therefore I was a little scared of digging into the roll. However, I was surprised to see that the roll was actually full with large chunks of fresh lobster meat and done nicely in a light sauce with scallions… but not slathered in mayo as we often see at other seafood establishments. And it even comes with a pickle!
Rebecca and I both agreed it was tasty and quite delicious (and I’m not sure anyone would ever know that this high caliber of lobster came out of a food truck!) One thing to keep in mind is that these treats are not cheap, however they aren’t outrageous considering the amount of meat you get with each roll. The lobster roll on its own runs $15 and the lobster roll meal with chips and a drink is $18. The shrimp roll comes in at $8 and the shrimp roll meal at $11. Very enjoyable, and worth a try, but I suggest you go in with a strategy to brave the line and keep your eyes on the prize.
Red Hook Lobster Pound
www.redhooklobsterpound.com
Follow the truck on Twitter @lobstertruckdc
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Having a food blogger as a neighbor definitely has its benefits. My neighbors essentially sent me a food booty call the other day and demanded that I make them dinner. They frequently stop by while I am cooking and I always asked when I was going to cook for them. Well it finally happened, and we had a blast. Typically, if I am having friends over for dinner, I don’t like to cook something that I have prepared before, which is an admittedly stressful and risky approach to entertaining. I really enjoy the challenge of making something new.
I thought it might be fun to do a Clam Bake. I was going to call it a Lobster Boil, but I figured some mass-hole (I am looking at you TWSF), would write in and tell me that I did not prepare an authentic Lobster Boil. Usually, a clam bake is best done on the beach and served on a huge picnic table outside with lots of newspaper, being that I live in Ballston, I am pretty sure the fire marshall and/or the home owners association would not appreciate me building a fire pit in my 2.5″ X 2.5″ yard. I decided the only sensible thing to do would be to bring the clam bake indoors.
This meal requires a HUGE stockpot. I didn’t have one, and I did not have time to order one online, so I decided the best option would be to borrow Britt’s Turkey Fryer. This ended up being a great choice, the pot was ENORMOUS and I had plenty of room for everything. I plan on making a huge vat of chicken stock in the pot before I give it back to Britt. For the number of times you use a pot of that size, a cheap turkey fryer pot is totally fine.
In my typical fashion, I probably went a bit overboard with the amount of seafood I purchased for 6 people. I headed down to the Fishermans Wharf and picked up:
I also threw in
The staff at the Wharf was super friendly, and the seafood was much cheaper than the local supermarkets and of higher quality. The lobster was excellent and was only $9.99 a pound! Sadly, there was no seaweed to be found at the Wharf. If anyone knows where you can get seaweed in DC, please let me know, as I was not able to find any at Whole Foods or at the Fisherman’s Wharf.
This meal was pretty easy to prepare since it is a one pot meal; however, that didn’t stop me from using every dish in the kitchen, much to my wife’s chagrin. I soaked the mussels, shrimp, and clams in separate containers in a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part salt for 10-15 minutes to flavor the seafood and to rinse out any sand or grit present in the shellfish. For the clams, I changed the water several times to make sure all the sand got out. Make sure to check for any dead clams and mussels as you are preparing them.
Ilyssa wrapped the mussels, clams, and shrimp in their own cheesecloth pouches while I lined the pot with stones from our garden and poured in just enough water to cover the stones. I then set the pot to boil. After the water boiled, I covered the potatoes in canola oil and sea salt and placed them in the bottom of the pot for 12 minutes covered. I then added the sliced chorizo, corn, shrimp, clams, mussels and lobster to the pot. I tucked in two eggs to serve as temperature timers. The recipe I had said it would only take 15 more minutes. To check whether it was done, I was to crack one of the eggs, and if it was hardboiled, then everything was ready; if it was not then you have to leave the pot on for a few more minutes and check the second egg. Well both eggs were not hardboiled when I tested them. I think the lesson learned is to not wrap everything really tightly, as the shrimp and one of the lobsters were a bit undercooked (so I took everything else out and left them in for a few more minutes). All in all, the seafood was cooked perfectly and we had a feast. I served everything with plenty of Old Bay, lemon and melted butter. To accompany this feast, I served rosemary parker house rolls and momofuku crack pie (check back for the recipes).
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