Is Cupcake Wars in My Future?

These cupcakes are actually a bit bittersweet for me. My co-worker Eric, who has been a tremendous friend to me since we met over 2 years ago, is moving away. He was offered a bigger and better job down in FL, and I am so happy for him but also so sad to be losing someone who has been one of my "rocks". Those kind of people are hard to come by, especially in DC, but I know that Gchat will keep us together.

Before he leaves, I promised him one last baked good. I should say that he may have hinted in a very obvious way and I went along with it. But what to bake? Something that I could easily bring to work and share with the "Lunch Bunch" was going to be ideal, so cupcakes immediately came to mind. When I came across this recipe for Chocolate Cardamom Cupcakes I was immediately intrigued. One of our local gelato shops makes cardamom gelato, which is my fav, and I just knew that I had to try to make these cupcakes.

The cardamom flavor is very subtle, but the scent as you bring these towards your mouth is amazing. Unless you don't like cardamom then you would think they smell pretty rank. I would love to try this recipe in a vanilla cupcake, as I think the chocolate is very powerful and is definitely the main character. I wanted a stronger punch of cardamom and I think with a basic vanilla cupcake I would get that. But despite that this was an awesome recipe for a beginner cupcake maker.
I just hope that my co-workers think the same thing!

It's a Nectarine Crisp and Hot Tub Time Machine kind of day

There is an excess of fruit on my counter and every time I enter the kitchen they keep giving me the evil eye as they darken and begin to show their age. I guiltily turn away and pretend not to notice, but in my heart I know it may be too late. So what do I do? Damn myself for eternity or turn to Google for help? I pick the latter.

Another great Tasty Kitchen find! And I loved that I did not have to buy anything for this. I actually did not have enough of some of the ingredients, only 6 tbsp of butter instead of 8 and ½ cup of brown sugar, which is not quite the recommended amount. But I was still be able to make it work and I feel like I am really coming into my own in this whole baking business. High five for me!

So here is to a lazy Saturday and a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I will now be furthering my relationship with my crisp.

P.S. I cannot figure out how to remove those darn underlines in the first paragraphs! My apologies.

Cookie Monster!

I have been sitting on this post for awhile, though I have no idea why. It's not like my life of saving the world is so busy that I cannot take a little time to write. So today I have put a hold on my other extracurricular activities and decided I will do this. Because this is a great cookie recipe. Granted I am no Betty Crocker, but I truly enjoyed working on this recipe and even my mess ups of baking for a bit too long and putting to many on a sheet pan that resulted in some big connected globs of cookies were delicious.

I actually made this recipe twice in a one week period. Discovered through Tasting Table, the actual recipe come from David Lebovitz and his latest book Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. I just knew I had to try my hand at making homemade cookies, and I was not disappointed. But the first time I ended up with my cookies exuding into each other's space and performing a little hanky panky with each other, which ended with these results:

I also put the cookies in for a little too long for my liking. I am someone that like my cookies crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.

So the second time around I became a factory line cookie backing machine. Rotating shelves and trays, which resulted in a more uniform shape and better texture.

In the second batch I also added in a bit of cinnamon which I really liked. And I think you could just add the cinnamon, and leave out the chocolate to have one mean snickerdoodle recipe. I also liked that I did half semi-sweet and bitter-sweet instead of just one or the either. It was a great combination that gave richness and depth to the cookie. But all in all you should give this recipe a try (see below). The results are delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe adapted from Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press)

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies INGREDIENTS 2½ cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 cups nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts), toasted and coarsely chopped 14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks DIRECTIONS 1. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Set aside. 2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated, then blend in the flour mixture, nuts and chocolate chunks. 3. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably 24 hours. (The dough logs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.) 4. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 5. Slice the dough logs into ¾-inch-thick disks and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips fall out, simply push them back in. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. 6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. The baked cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Tarts and Vicars...minus the vicar

I spent most of afternoon and early evening making a tart on Saturday. I had bought a pan and had made a deal to myself signed in blood that I would achieve a tart recipe this weekend. And it was so worth the effort.....

Oh yeah! That is some good looking dough! I was a bit doubtful that it would come together, but look at me continually surprising myself. The entire process of making this dish was one of the most relaxing things that I will probably do this weekend. There is something innately comforting in getting your hands dirty with crust and having the rising smells of roasted cauliflower and caramelized onions enveloping you. With the addition of Lady Gaga in the background to provide some good cooking music, the evening just flew by.

This is a rich tart. The original recipe has you using mascarpone cheese for the custard, but I took Smitten Kitchen's suggestion of using ricotta as a replacement. Next time I would also use a low fat milk instead of heavy cream, which was another of her suggestions. I was worried with the use of skim ricotta that I would be lacking something, but hell this tart is still delicious. And I think you could definitely apply this same recipe to many different vegetable combinations. Once summer is in full bloom I would love to try it with summer squash and asparagus. Oh the possibilities.

But I think that it is important to remind you that this is me cooking. And when I cook something always goes slightly awry.

Mishap 1: When I checked my tart after 40 minutes the custard was set, but upon cutting I thought the crust still needed a little more time to crisp up some more. So with one piece missing I put her back in the oven for another 15 minutes to really finish off the bottom of the crust. Kinda ghetto? Yes! Did it work though? Yes!

Mishap 2: After finally sitting down to my dinner and taking my first bite I was ecstatic. And then I looked at my tart again and...oh crap. A hair, obviously one of mine, had somehow managed to insert itself into all of my hard work. You have to understand, I shed like a long haired kitten and am constantly battling the onslaught of stray hair encroaching on my life. Inside I battled with the fact that I had somehow managed to let a strand, albeit a small one, into my masterpiece and the fact that the only person eating this is me so who really cares. Can you guess which battle won? You better bet I just took that bad boy out and continued on. Are you disgusted by me? Well you can buy me a hair net for future recipes that will be shared, but since this tart is mine, all mine, I'm going to shake it off and move on.

My favorite holiday of the year has arrived! Happy Restaurant Week!

Oh Restaurant Week! How long I have waited for you? What is that? It's only been 4 months? Logistics friends, it has been too long since I have felt your sweet embrace.

Who doesn't love a good deal? Well that is what Restaurant Week is if you plan your meal strategically. I know I have stated the rules before but I think they should be repeated.

1. When looking at the list of participating restaurant on OpenTable sort that list by price and stick to the $$$$-$$$. The point is to go try a restaurant that you can't go to often, that is a splurge, an where you get the most bang for your $35.10.

2. Go check if the restaurant has a theatre or daily prefixe menu. If they do, pick someplace else. Having a prefixe menu all year makes it, well, readily available so go someplace where this is a special event.

3. Check out DCFoodies.com. They have past restaurant week menus online and great feedback on participating restaurants.

4. Most restaurants post Restaurant Week menus online so go check them out. If the restaurant pares down their menu then it is best to look elsewhere. I also like to check out the prices so I see what items I get the most out of. (people my life is on a budget! I want the most bang for my buck)

Now that that is out of the way let's talk about some food. I know that I am constantly extolling the virtues of DC and what a great city it is, but I am not completely against our neighbor suburbs: Silver Spring, Bethesda, Alexandria, and Arlington. So this time around we ventured into the dangerous land of NOVA into the area called "Ballston" to partake in a gastronomic adventure at Willow restaurant.

Willow describes itself as modern continental with major influences from French and Italian cuisine. One could definitely feel these influences in the food offerings preparation. Butter Poached Lobster Agnolotti were ravioli-like pillows stuffed with rich lobster swimming in a decadent pink sauce. What was amazing was to have such sizable pieces of lobster in each of the 3 agnolotti so you could truly taste and enjoy it. The dish was finished with Parmesan "chips" which were delicious. (see picture below)

As you can tell from the picture below, I did not enjoy this appetizer at all!

My friend had the mushroom bisque. A rich, creamy soup that was finished with creme fraiche and basil oil. I am afraid my pics are not doing the food justice but trust me, it was wonderful.

For my main course I had the crispy leg of duck with cassoulet. Anyone who knows me that I love duck and this fulfilled all of my ducky desires. The skin was crisp and rich, while the meat just fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The cassoulet had sausage that is made in-house and was a little bowl of meat heaven. I thought the pile of greenery put on top was a bit much, but hey I understand the desire to add color to your presentation. I think that it was the only thing, beside the bone, left on my plate.

Finally, to round things off you must have dessert. Yes you are stuffed and could stop, but what would be the fun in that! Besides, we all know that the dessert part of our stomachs is always open and ready to accept sweet treats. And when your dessert is sticky toffee pudding with peppermint ice cream, well you would just be crazy to pass this up.

I wish you could see the fleck of green in the ice cream, but you'll just have to believe me. At this point I am in a food coma and nothing makes sense anymore. Everything has been so freakin' good that I am just content and warm with happy thoughts. It could also have been that wine pairing we did as well, which I would totally suggest. $15 for 3 glasses, that is seriously a steal and worth the extra splurge.

Willow Restaurant

4301 North Fairfax Drive

Arlington, VA 22203

Next up.....Venison Chili!

It's 2010 bitches!

I have just come home from partying friends. I did not even go to a bar and yet somehow lost my purse and wallet in the process of getting home. Did I mention that I have flight tomorrow? And did I mention that the car that I left my purse in is my friends, God love her, who is constantly 5 hours late to everything. Not exactly the place you want to leave it when you have a flight to catch. Especially when a Nigerian would-be bomber causes such a ruckus that I need to get to the airport at least 2-3 hours early,

But before my drunken stupidity I was having a great NYE celebration with my friends. New Years Eve is one of those celebrations that is so hit or miss. If you plan too much it is going to blow, but if you plan too little you will end up at home sitting around and watching Lifetime Movie Network. There really is nothing better than just going to a friends house and just hanging out.. Forget the expensive bars and cover charges, just be with your people and call it a freakin day.

That is what I did and i had a great time. Of course any place where food and booze is involved I am a very happy girl. Can you say mini meatballs? Can you say candy sushi and cheese cream cupcakes? Can you also say fattie? I wish I could say I had will power but that would be just kidding ourselves. Do you remember that 50 Cent song where he states "I love you like a fat kid love cake", well I am that fat kid that loves cake. I currently have nothing to exert my love on so I just love cake and matter of fact I love all baked goods, anything involving bacon, if there is hummus involved I'm there, sour gummi worms...done, did you say cheese, well then I can't say no.

Can you sense my New Year's resolution?

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's and here's to an eventful 2010!

My Big Fat Armenian Wedding

Let me state this first, I did not get married! But saying my sister's big fat Armenian wedding just doesn't sound quite right. But let's move away from technicalities and get to the meat of the matter. My sister (beautiful, confident, smart, lovely sister) has married the boy of her dreams last Sunday and I could not be happier. It's just amazing to me that it is over. You plan something for months and months and then BOOM, it is done. And now my sister is a MRS! That has to be the craziest part for me. I can remember us talking about what we dreamed about our wedding being like when we were kids. We were very taken with the idea of having a rainbow wedding where each bridesmaid would where a different colored dress and her partner in the groom's party would have a matching vest. Can you tell that we were children of the 80s? And that we may have been thinking of the ideal wedding for Rainbow Bright?

Needless to say that idea did not come to fruition at her wedding. The bridal party wore deep navy blue cocktail dresses, with pockets, with the boys looking dapper in dark suits. The flowers were shades of dark purple and blue, and the overall theme was "effortlessly elegant".

What had to be the most interesting part of this whole experience was the blending of 2 cultures. You see, my new brother in law is Armenian and is very active in the Armenian community in Glendale. Some people have not even heard of Armenia or know where it is so I will enlighten you. Armenia is a country that has had a pretty war torn and bloody past (and I will not assume to be an authority), but geographically it lies between Turkey and Georgia. It also shares similar food, dance, and culture with Greece. And if you weren't sure if there were is a connection between these two countries you would have realized it after this wedding.

I wish I could convey the tastes, the sounds, and overall joy that was emanating from this event. But as my favorite subject is food I think I am just going to stick with that for the moment. Let's start with cocktail hour. Honestly I did not see much of it as I was in a special room for the bridal party, but I did sneak out for a bit a what I saw was pretty mind-blowing. Trays and tray of appetizers, a dessert table with baklava, home made fig newtons, dried fruits and nuts, bowls of sour gummy worms, and other sweet treats, and a full bar with top shelf liquor to imbibe on. Seriously? This was only the cocktail hour. You are supposed to whet your appetite, not make a meal on dried dates and neon gummi worms. But who were we to deny ourselves?!

In the actual reception each table was stocked with wine and champagne, had platters of hummus, baba ganoush, taziki, and red pepper dip, along with baskets of bread, charcuterie, and cheese. Oh were we in trouble! And the thing is you are starving. You have been waiting for a nibble and now it is like a kid in Christmas Day and you are just too excited to stop yourself. Well then a salad came out and after that we each had a plate of dolmas, kibbeh, and some type of fried cheese stick (but not quite like a mozzarella stick).

And while all this food is being put in front of you and taken away you still have a platter of delicious, creamy hummus in front of you that you cannot stop yourself from dipping into and the champagne is consistently being poured; and that's when you realize that you are stuffed. But then you hear that that plate with kibbeh and dolmas was just another appetizer and dinner is going to be served in just a few minutes. WHAT???!!!! But we had dessert at cocktail hour, enough hummus to fill a bathtub with, and fried kibbehs that just put me over the edge. Yet another plate comes out with salmon, filet mignon, and some kind of starch that I could not even comprehend as I was in such a food daze that nothing was making sense anymore.

What is funny about all this is that amount of food that was being served was very toned down for an Armenian event. Traditional Armenian weddings have food served family style with just platter constantly being brought out. My brother in law told me that after the Armenians suffered genocide and starvation they just want to keep eating when they can and any affair from the Sunday family meal to a wedding is stocked with enough food to keep you fat and content for a good week. Well after all of the food I engorged I could definitely live off the fat of the land for awhile (but you know I wouldn't actually done that!) Heck, I stuffed my face and still put a few bites of wedding cake down my gullet.

My only solace is that we danced. We danced to Black Eyed Peas, and then to traditional Armenian music. We danced with lots of hips and booty shaking and then arms high in the air while you delicately swivel your hands and not much else. It was a literal dance off between our families. Not sure who would be the Sharks or Jets, but everyone was bringing their A-game to the dance floor.

In other words, it was a success. Everyone had fun, thought the bride was beautiful, and did not want the night to end. I can only hope if I ever get hitched that I will have such a great party.

The perks of my job...

One of the perks in my job as a conference coordinator is that our building hosts meeting planner events throughout the year which can be pretty out of this world. And that was the case this past Thursday. The Long Beach CVB & Tampa CVB put together an event at CulinAerie, which is a recreational cooking school in DC, where Carla Hall (season 5 Top Chef Finalist) would be teaching us a cooking class. Hootie hoo...I am in!

Can you say awesome? Fantastic? A wannabe foodies' dream? Carla is everything that she seemed on television. Genuinely happy and down to earth, and extremely dedicated to bringing the "love" into the kitchen. We were able to watch her cook and go through everything that we would be making, where I definitely picked up some tricks, and then she turned us loose to make our dinner happen.

While we cooked she walked around the classroom, gave advice, told us about her Top Chef experience, and let us harass her for pictures (I was one of them!). Where some people who are thrown into the limelight become jaded and almost angry that people want to talk to them, she accepted our attention with grace and class.

What a wonderful night and what delicious food! I came home with a copy of all her recipes (which she did autograph with "Hootie hoo") that we made and I plan on remaking a few things, especially her root vegetable ragout. Her cooking style, at least for the class, was straightforward and relatively simple. Not too many ingredients, no longs hours in the kitchen, and approachable. My kind of cooking.

Gobble Gobble 2009

On this Thanksgiving, 2009,

Down to the Outerbanks where the views are fine.

Food was abundant and the wine was flowing,

I drank so much my cheeks were glowing.

The children were put to work stuffing the bird,

It seemed right to put them in labor while I watched and observed.

I did make one contribution to this fine feast,

a turkey wine bottle which was no mean feat.

In no time at all we sat down to our dinner,

I definitely walked away from the table no thinner.

And to round it all out, I will not tell a lie,

I had at least two pieces of the most divine pecan pie.

It smells like chicken in here! And I mean that in the best way possible.

So I have been on a hiatus and for the few people who amuse me and read this I apologize. To put it bluntly the last couple of weeks have not been my best.  I have found myself single again and although my new relationship status is for the best a break up is a break up and it just plains sucks!   For the most part I have been kept busy by my friends and have actually done quite a few things: learning how to make homemade pizza dough, drink champagne, Indian food night, drink wine, sweaty yoga, drink beer, etc.  Ya know, the standard stuff people do to distract themselves.  

During the last two weeks I have been seeking out comfort through food.  No friends, I do not appear to be one of these girls who becomes super model skinny from sadness, which actually is a bit of a bummer.  I instead started putting on my winter hibernation weight with chocolate, pizza, falafel, and enough booze to make me feel like I was back working at Club Med. But now with the sudden turn of weather here in DC all I have been wanting is soup.  This actually works out to be a benefit to me and my waist line.  And I am definitely not the only person that feels that way as many of the other food blogs I read have been focusing on soup, so I have had wonderful inspiration.

Last weekend I attended an awesome knife skills at Hill's Kitchen which is wonderful kitchen supply store here on Capitol Hill.  The class was actually focused on how to butcher a bird.  Let me tell you that is pretty empowering to be able to take a knife and be able to take a part a whole bird.  I am not saying that I would be able to do it perfectly on my own, but the knowledge is there.  The point of this digression is that from this class I came home with a bag of chicken bones and meat that I am determined to use every bit of.  So what with my craving for soup and a bag of bones lurking in my fridge it only seemed best to try my hand at making some chicken stock.  So here is a photo essay of my chicken stock making day!  (and yes it took most of the day!) 

Guess What?.....Chicken Butt!!!

And so it begins...10:30 am

The final product....6:00 pm!

I will not be lacking in chicken stock for awhile, don't you agree?  Honestly it should have been done around 4:30 pm but with my electric stove it is pretty heard for me to maintain anything at a simmer for such a long period.  So I decided to keep it on longer to let it reduce more and I think that was a good decision.  

So what did I make with my fabulous stock now readily on hand?  Absolutely nothing!  The goal was to make stock people, not cook something with it!  Honestly I just did not think that far but there are plans for matzo ball soup, using the stock to make cous cous instead of water, etc.  So stay tuned for my chicken stock extravaganza as well as fabulous recipes with all my other chicken parts that are currently on ice!

Tootaloo chickadees and I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  I am going apple picking tomorrow and will try to share some pics so that you can be jealous. :)

Dinner Parties and Brunch

This weekend I showed off my mad hostessing skills.  That's right...I have skills!  Mostly I just wanted to try out some recipes and needed people to be fatties with me.  Selfish, but also delicious.  So I think it is really a win-win situation.  Unfortunately I did not take any pics from Friday's get together which included such fun as carne asade (pre-marinated and packaged from the great Trader Joe's.  Or Trader Jose!)  I then made cilantro lime rice, spiced black beans, and corn pudding.  I know that corn pudding does not exactly go with the theme, but I had a ton of corn left over from last weekend's labor day festivities and wanted a recipe that would be fun and use up all of it.  Oh man people, was that corn pudding delicious.  Sweet and light with a bit of sinful cream to keep you coming back from more.  It will definitely be on the roster for Thanksgiving this year.

I did take pics of my amazing pizza I made on Saturday though!

As it was college football night, Go Trojans!  Fight On!, I wanted to make something fun and easy.  I know that pizza purists will send a hex on me, but I did not make my own dough.  I do not have the cajones yet to take on the task of making my own dough, but who really cares when the end result is the same.  Sausage, peppers, tomatoes, onion, cheese = savory, meaty goodness.  The pizza stone was a good investment and I cannot wait to try out some new crazy toppings.  As Fall is rolling in I feel that some pumpkin may take a run on the pizza with some goat cheese and basil.  I love that pizza has no limits and you can have an array of toppings as long as you have some imagination.  If you have any other crazy pizza ideas, shoot them my way.

Sunday I had a lovely brunch date with two of my girlfriends at Bistro Bis.  The bartender saw three girls who were ready for a Sunday Funday and decided to concoct us all kinds of different bubbly drinks.  And who was I to argue with him.  I just kept gulping them down with a huge buzzed smile on my face.  

The food was delicious as well. The tarte flambe was a bacon and onion tart that was salty and sweet and the duck hash was a rich duck confit with a red wine poached egg on top, which was decadent.   I wish I had better adjectives to use today but as we continued to drink most of the afternoon my vocabulary has been reduced to that of a child.  Actually my whole being is currently reduced to a child as I am currently craving a PB&J, and who am I to argue with that. So for now I will leave you to salivate over my photos and I will now go make a sandwich.  Have a wonderful week! 

It's Restaurant Week: Round 2

Technically restaurant week is over, except for those few places that extend their menus until Mid-September, but I did not feel like writing last night on my return from my latest reservation. First a bit of back story. This past Saturday I attended my first Pampered Chef party and had an awesome time hanging out with my friends, purchasing new fangled cooking tools (Can you say pizza stone?), and eating...eating a bit too much. As I have mentioned before I do Weight Watchers to stay on top of my weight and to continue to work on my healthy eating habits. For all those people who do not have the slightest idea of what WW is all about you are basically given a certain amount of food points per day based on your weight, age, and gender. My good intentions to stick to my points on Saturday were blown. What can I say...I over ate and messed up and gained the weight I had worked all week to lose. Now I know that this was my own fault but I was pretty bummed and was not the poster child for happiness on Sunday. So here I was with a reservation to Art & Soul and I just wanted to drop it. I mean it is a southern style restaurant which brings to mind fried chicken, fried okra, fried hushpuppies, etc. Boo hoo me!

What I needed to do was give myself a swift kick in the ass for being such a miserable mop and move on. I wish I could say I did that, but to tell the truth I was pretty down on myself all day. I didn't cancel my reservation to Art & Soul though. What I did decide was to not do the restaurant week prix fixe. The last thing I needed was 3 courses which would only add to the problem. Nope, I decided I would maybe spend a little extra money but have the freedom to choose an appetizer and entree that fit into my parameters of having good food while being conscious of the ingredients that were involved. And though I spent a bit more money, I was ultimately happier with this decision and did not add any more weight from my meal, which is a small success.

So let's get down to original business. Art & Soul is located in the Liaison Hotel near Union Station with Chef/Owner Art Smith at the helm. I honestly do not think he is in the kitchen that often but after seeing him on Top Chef Masters I really wanted to go to his restaurant. I began my meal with a grilled shrimp and succotash appetizer. 3 grilled shrimp came out on a skewer with a bed of peas, corn, and chili limon sauce. The shrimp were cooked well, but were difficult to remove from the skewer which was square in shape and very soft. It was quite an effort to slide a shrimp off with both utensil and fingers. The succotash with the chili limon sauce was just too sweet. Peas and corn are already sweet vegetables and really do not need much to bring out their beauty. I felt that the sauce was more for show, with it's vibrant green color and frothy consistency, than to to complement the succotash. Overall it was a decent appetizer but was nothing to write home about.

For my entree I had the grilled lamb loin with artichoke hearts, white bean puree, and romesco sauce. The lamb was cooked perfectly and just melted in my mouth, and the romesco sauce only added to the depth of flavors. Yet I did not feel like it was a Southern style dish, instead it reminded me of something I would order at a Mediterranean restaurant. It was delicious, do not get me wrong, it just did not seem to fit in with the other dishes as I compared it to the BF's Fred Flintstone size pork chop with stone fruit and onion broth.

I would definitely love to come back here and have the true Southern dishes that Art Smith is known for: fried chicken and waffles, hoe cakes, and crab and grits. Hook still wins as being my favorite restaurant week dining experience ever, but I would recommend that you go check out Art & Soul if you have a hankering for all things cooked in oil and butter.

It's Restaurant Week: Round 1

I would not be a good foodie if I did not participate in restaurant week.  I mean how else can I afford to go to some of these high class restaurants without a little help from restaurant week?  But first I have rules for this sacred holiday: 1) You pick restaurants that are in the $25 and above range.  What's the point if you can afford it on a regular basis. 2) Check out the menu early and compare it to the regular menu.  You want to order things that are on the more expensive side so you actually get your $35.09 worth.

With that said my first reservation for the week was Friday night at Hook, a Georgetown seafood establishment which believes in only serving seasonal and sustainable seafood.  That is something that I can support. I have wanted to go to this restaurant since it opened and out of the 2 reservations I made for restaurant week, this was the one I was most excited about.  Did it live up to all of my high expectations?  Did it provide a delicious meal and good service?  Yes & yes!  I would definitely return to Hook again and would say that of all the restaurants I have gone to for different restaurant weeks this was by far the best meal I have ever had.     

The first thing that I liked about Hook upon perusing the menu is that most of the regular items were put onto this prix fixe menu as well.  You will see so many restaurants take away their best items, dumb an entree down, or put it on there with an $5 charge to try it.  What is the fun in that?  And I think that this completely defies the purpose of restaurant week.  To Hook I say thank you for allowing the masses to try some of your best dishes without extra fees.  

I began my meal with the grilled calamari with a fennel/spring mix salad.  The portion was amazing.  4 (head an legs!) gorgeous squid was set before me with alight salad on the side.  I was actually amazed to see that the head of the squid still had their little rutters attached, as I had never seen one this way before.  The calamari were smoky and still had a satisfying chew to them that set my palette off into a happy dance.  I literally closed my eyes and may have even let out a little moan of satisfaction.  It was so simple and clean, and yet it set off a complex set of emotions of satisfaction, desire, and need.  To put it bluntly, this dish will turn you on! 

For my entree I had the bluefish with polenta, carrots, green beans, and pesto.  Bluefish is an oily, flaky white fish which played well against the simple unfussed sides.  No heavy sauces., which would have drowned out the richness of the fish, just a perfectly crispy salted skin with  the flesh of the fish giving away easily to my fork.  I have never thought of seafood as decadent, but this entree changed my mind on that. There were definitely contented sighs and affirmations of "I must come here again", because it was that good.

 Dessert was a rich chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream and chocolate hazelnut biscotti on the side.  I wanted to make my bed in that bowl!  Curl up next to one of those little chocolate balls inside and never let go!  It was a rich, but manageable portion size and man was it good.  The perfect ending to this meal that blew me out of the water.  Get it? Water? Seafood?  HAHAHA.....okay it may have been funnier in my head than it is written down.   

Hook:

3241 M St., NW

Washington DC, 20007 

202.625.4488 

Sidebar: Whenever I read about Hook I think of the movie with Robin Williams and start chanting "Where's the hook?!" and "Rufio!".  Although hook is in reference, in this case, to what is put on the end of a fishing pole. :)

This was supposed to be about Les Halles but my plans were changed a bit.

So I have been in Jersey City for a conference and the plan has been that on our free night a co-worker and I would head over to Les Halles so that I could prove to Tony that I truly do care. I am not just any stalker who is all talk, I am action my friends and will complete the circle that is my Anthony Bourdain obsession.

Anyhoo, we had a reception in Midtown and definitely enjoyed some wine and cheese, which in hindsight was just a silly thing to do as we were just too full for dinner. Boo to me! A pow wow was had and it was decided that Les Halles would have to be another time. Going to Les Halles is my pilgrimage and I want it to be a fun and joyful event.

As much as my heart was set on it, things actually worked out really well. It was a gorgeous day in NYC and we walked from 33rd and Park down to ground zero. That is a little over 3 miles, but I needed that after engorging myself on cookies, cheese, crackers, and all the usual conference fare that I make very bad decisions with.

For all my times of going to NYC I had never been to ground zero. It is not something I had really wanted to go to. For me it is a little hard to grasp as I never saw the Twin Towers when they stood there. Back on that fateful day I was in Cali, sleeping in (since my class was not until noon), and woke up to the sounds of screams and crying. I know that when those towers fell it was our, as a nation, collective tragedy. Yet I feel so far removed in my understanding of it all.

Looking at it now, at least what little you can see beyond the gates and cloth that enclose where the towers were, it is a huge crater. One that would be made by a special effects team for a sci-fi flick. It is one of the few places in the city where air and light permeate. It is shocking to see all that light coming in when you have been walking in the shadows of the "cement jungle" that makes up what we all think of as New York.

Seeing ground zero just put me in awe and made me wonder at the strength of this city. I love New York, I would like to live here some day, and I hope that if that happens I could show the same grit and determination.

After this impromptu journey we headed back up a couple blocks and found a great indian restaurant. I think we were on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District but I am not really sure. It was delicious, thats what I do know, and though it was not what I thought I wanted to do it ended up being a good end to a long day.