Black Coffee and a Donut

Spring has Sprung at B&O Brasserie!

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:31:00 +0000

by Xani

The long days, the warm weather, the birds chirping (and the Birds fans cheering!).... you know it's springtime in Charm City! And with spring comes the farmers' markets, wonderful new produce, and an exciting new menu at B&O Brasserie.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a Media dinner to check out the menu and the new chef at B&O. As a longtime fan, I knew I was in for a treat. What I didn't know was that Chef Brad Willits had transformed the menu and was going to dazzle us with fabulous new dishes.

Chef Brad Willits showing a big fish who's boss!

With all the new changes to the menu, some things remain the same. B&O still boasts a cozy atmosphere and a focus on comfort food, and Master Mixologist Brendan Dorr is still behind the bar. We tried three cocktails during dinner- a specialty happy hour cocktail (changes daily), the Free State Fizz, and the Coppertop. As usual, each was unique and refreshing. If only I knew what half the ingredients in the cocktails are! This is definitely an operation that might benefit from an electronic tablet cocktail list (with links to descriptions of each of the obscure spirits- just a suggestion!)

While sipping our cocktails we were lucky enough to be visited by Chef Brad for a nice chat. While he looks much younger than his 31 years, he clearly knows his stuff! He gave us several recommendations for his favorite dishes, and we wanted to try them all. In the end, we made some difficult choices and ordered.

For starters:

Burrata Mozzarella roasted hazelnuts / spring onions / fennel / balsamic / romesco
Smoked Shrimp Agnolotti sea urchin butter / carrot-cardamom puree / sea beans
Grilled Wild Boar Terrine pickled okra / parsley-grape fruit salad / mustard dressing

For mains:
Amish Brick Chicken
jasmine rice / morel mushrooms / peas / smoked tomatoes / cider jus

Smoked Pork Shoulder
plums / turnips / market beans / bacon jam

Cumin Dusted Heirloom Carrots
yogurt-lime dressing

Burrata

Wild Boar Terrine

What a meal! Of the starters, the terrine may have been our favorite. Chef Brad describes it as his version of meatloaf, but it's meatloaf on a whole 'nother level. Definitely not like grandma used to make (unless your grandma was a french charcuterie expert?). The burrata had an amazing texture and a clean, milky taste, and the smoke shrimp agnolotti had us at "sea urchin butter"- perfectly sweet and smoky shrimp in delicate pasta, coated in rich uni butter?! As Gob would say "COME ON!." We even got a few tips from the chef on making our own uni butter at home- score!

Amish Brick Chicken

Onto the mains. Dave knew he had to have the brick chicken after Chef told us how many morels were in the dish- and it did not disappoint! Not to mention crispy skin and a very generous portion of moist, juicy meat. A winning dish, no doubt about it. My smoked pork shoulder was smoky indeed- maybe a tad too much for my taste? But the bacon jam just about made up for it. I cleaned my plate hunting for the sweet, tender bacon nuggets. The cumin-roasted carrots were gorgeous- tender, multi-colored little gems packing a lot of cumin flavor.

By dessert the light was gone and so was any hint of restraint! I tried the lemon-thyme donut and Dave had the creme brulee of the day, which happened to be cinnamon that night. A few bites of sweetness and we were ready to roll our way out of there....

It was a delicious meal and a pleasure to meet Chef Brad and hear how passionate he is about what he's doing at the B&O kitchen- I am sure there will be many more exciting and delicious dishes to discover!

Thanks Chef and thanks to Amy at Profiles, Inc for the invite.

Hope all our readers are diving into spring!

Xani

A Treat by Any Other Name...

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:18:00 +0000

by Xani

Crisp Rice Treats. You know what I'm talking about? The treat that's been around for generations, requires 3 ingredients, and no baking? Yeah, you know what I'm getting at. Now, I don't really think the Kellogg legal team is going to come my way to shut down BCD just because I co-opt their product name incorrectly (and without permission). But in this case I admit to using knock-off, Harris Teeter brand crisp rice cereal, and I'm proud of it! The end result was a special, unique version of the crispy marshmallow bars, made for a very special cause!

I was enlisted to provide some treats for a PTA bake sale. G is graduating from 5th grade (time flies) and the Spring carnival bake sale at her elementary school will help raise money for the 5th grade graduation celebrations. The options were limited- I could sign up to bring cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or crisp rice treats!

Well, ever since EP and I delved into gourmet CR treats last year (we created salted caramel and toasted coconut chai flavored bars to give the audience when we participated in SHOW Baltimore) I'm always thinking of how we can kick the standard treats up a notch.

This time I wanted to keep the flavor light and spring-y, and kid friendly. After I had such success using Fiore di Sicila extract to create Creamsicle cream puffs at our Citrus Celebration brunch, I thought it would make a perfect addition to the treats!

After adding about a 1/2 teaspoon of the extract to the double-batch of treats (this stuff is POTENT! use sparingly), I pressed them into the pan and, for a little extra somethin'-somethin', topped with some colored sugar pearls.

Has a treat ever been easier? Or TASTIER?? These Creamsicle Crispy Treats are delicious, and Dave and I were literally covered in sticky marshmallow goop from licking the bowl and spoon. Just a few drops of Fiore di Sicilia turns these treats from classic to smashing!

Sometimes, a treat by any other name tastes just as sweet... let's hope they sell out and raise a few bucks for G's school!

Happy Spring!
X

Master Recipe: Cast Iron Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:37:00 +0000

by EP

Cast. Iron. Skillet. The grand-daddy of cookware. For many years, I didn't have one of my own, but I know how great and versatile they can be, and how many delicious things can come out of them. For instance, we brought Xani's cast iron skillet to the beach with us this past summer (yes, along with 5000 lbs of beach stuff and lots of food, booze, and other kitchen tools), and we used it almost every time we cooked.

Only recently did I come into possession of a cast iron skillet.* I've wanted one for a long time but never got around to buying one, and I have so many great pans (gifts from the BCD parents, to be sure) that I didn't really need one. Now that I have my own, however, I can't stop using it and thinking of ways to use it - I want to make everything in it! Steak, corn bread, apple tarte tatin, fried chicken, buttery croutons for Caesar salad.

But there's one master recipe that both Xani and I have been making in our respective cast iron skillets. We're calling it Cast Iron Chicken, where chicken is seared and then roasted on a bed of veggies that are in turn seasoned with chicken fat and drippings. Xani pioneered the recipe and should get the majority of the creative credit for this one. We make this recipe over and over in our homes because it's infinitely modifiable and it's SO good. We felt we had to share the Master Recipe with you, Dear Reader.

Here's the blueprint of this master recipe:

Ingredients:
- Chicken legs and/or thighs (skin on; with bone or deboned - deboning will give you a chance to work on your butchery skills!)
- Roast-able veggie (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, red or green cabbage, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, parsnips), prepped (broccoli/cauliflower into florets; cabbage shredded; potatoes/sweet potatoes/carrots/parsnips into chunks or batons and par-cooked)

Technique:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Dry chicken pieces thoroughly with paper towels
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and any other flavors you like (see note below)
- Heat about 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB butter in cast iron skillet over high heat until almost smoking
- Sear chicken pieces skin side down for 5 minutes until golden brown (and pieces release easily from pan)
- Flip chicken pieces and sear 2-3 minutes on non-skin side
- Remove chicken and set aside
- Pour off all but 1-2 TB of fat in pan (olive oil + chicken fat rendered out = YUM)
- Toss in prepped veggies, season with salt and pepper, stir to coat in fat/drippings and cook for 1-2 min on stovetop
- Place chicken pieces atop veggies
- Place skillet with chicken and veggies into oven and bake for 30-40 min (if the chicken has bones, it will take longer than boneless)
- Let chicken rest for 5 min before plating and serving
- Enjoy!

The key is to roast the veggies until softened but not to overcook the chicken. That's why the chicken only cooks for a few minutes on the stove top. I like to roast the sh*t out of my veggies (typically broccoli and cabbage) so I check throughout the cooking time to make sure they are softening and caramelizing appropriately.

Regarding seasoning, this is a great opportunity to try out flavor "themes." Want Mediterranean? Season the chicken with lemon, garlic, oregano and serve over potatoes. Want an Eastern European/Jewish variety? Season chicken with paprika and garlic and serve over cabbage seasoned with caraway. Once I added an Italian flare by squeezing a lemon and grating some parm over the chicken and broccoli. Another time I had some harissa leftover from another recipe so I rubbed that on the chicken before searing, which gave it a nice kick. And so on and so forth.

Here are some iterations that have come out of our kitchens:

Chicken thighs with potatoes and cauliflower

Chicken thighs (deboned) with broccoli (parm and lemon added at the end)

Chicken thighs over shredded red cabbage seasoned with hot pepper flakes

Obviously, we are big fans. This is such a fantastic and easily modifiable recipe featuring a few good (yet cheap) ingredients and a few important kitchen techniques. It's great for using up random veggies, can be low-carb if you're thinking that way, and it's great for a casual weeknight meal or to serve to company.

So grab your skillet and get cookin!

Cheers,
EP

* The skillet was my grandparents'. I inherited it after our Grandfather passed away in January. I love the fact that they cooked with it for who knows how many years. I love feeling connected to them through cookware. Very special, indeed.

Advanced Intuitive Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:50:00 +0000

by Xani

These days, I don’t use many recipes. For one, most of my cookbooks are packed away in a storage unit, awaiting their fate in a new kitchen (TBD). There are millions of recipes at my fingertips on the internet, but I’m not using those, either. Instead, I make up my own recipes as I go, also known as “winging it.” Developing the “winging it” technique (mostly a combination of familiarity with basic cooking skills, with a little self-confidence mixed in) has been an interesting evolution in my cooking life. I used to cling to a recipe like a life preserver, now I find freedom in trusting my instincts.

Now, that’s all well and good when you are talking about winging an omelette, vinaigrette, or other simple dish using a few pennies worth of ingredients. If it ends up terrible you throw it away (or give it to the dog) and start over. But the stakes get higher when you are dealing with a pricey steak, or in this case, a veal breast.

Yeah, I said it: veal. I know people feel a lot of feelings about veal, myself included. This particular piece of veal, a three pound, boneless, butterflied breast, is not something I would usually go out and buy at the store- it was actually given to me, and was just chilling (ha) in my chest freezer for the past few months. You may feel eating veal is wrong- I feel it is wrong to waste food, especially food that an animal sacrificed it’s life for. It would also be a waste to do a bad job cooking the meat and have it come out like shoe leather. So, like I said, the stakes were high.

Previously, I had only ever cooked veal breast one way, BCD Mom’s way. She uses a bone-in veal breast with a large pocket cut into it, the pocket filled to overflowing with a challah bread stuffing flavored with sweet paprika and lots of garlic- it is delicious. But this boneless cut was a very different shape and size, I wasn't sure the same cooking technique would be effective, so I started researching some recipes for boneless veal breast online.

“Researching” vs. using: I often read or browse a bunch of recipes to help guide my intuitive cooking. This gives me inspiration for flavoring, ideas about cooking methods/times, and other tips. So after browsing for a while I decided to wing it (especially for the filling), but use a little guidance on cooking technique from this recipe for Stuffed Braised Veal Breast by Anne Burrell.

First, my filling. I didn't have any challah so I knew I'd be doing something totally different than mom's stuffing. But I saw that the Burrell recipe used spinach, which I always have on hand (frozen), so I started there: 1 box defrosted chopped spinach, squeezed dry (tip: if you have a potato ricer, it’s great for this task), 2 large handfuls of panko bread crumbs, 1 large handful toasted pine nuts, 1 large handful golden raisins, 3 large garlic cloves, chopped, and an egg. Oh, and as a nod to my Mom’s paprika-heavy recipe, I threw in about a tablespoon of smoked paprika, along with salt and pepper. I stirred this all up until it formed a mixture that would hold together when squeezed in my hand.

Meanwhile, I gave the meat a few good whacks with the bottom of a cast iron skillet to flatten it out a bit more and try to even out the thickness. Then I seasoned the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. I mounded the filling down the middle of the meat, forming it into a log. I then carefully rolled the meat around the filling, and used butcher’s twine to tie it up tight.

All Tied up

After searing

Not bad, huh?? This is probably the most advanced trussing/tying I have ever done. I admit the underside didn't look quite as pretty, but the important thing is that it held!

One my roulade was all bound and ready, I heated a bit of oil in my large Dutch oven and seared it on all sides until it was nicely browned, then set it aside. These next steps I borrowed pretty heavily from the reference recipe; like I said, I didn’t want to ruin the meat by cooking it incorrectly! I sauteed a lot of sliced onions in the Dutch oven until softened, then added garlic and bay leaf before deglazing with white wine. I nestled the veal roulade in the soft onions, and added chicken stock until it came about halfway up the sides. Then it was into a 400 degree oven for an hour (covered), turn it over, cook for another hour (covered) then uncover and cook for another 45 mins.

What emerged was a thing of beauty! My truss-job held perfectly, I could tell just by touching the roulade that it was extremely tender, and the smell was heavenly. I let the roulade cool in the braising liquid for a while, then removed it to a cutting board while I reduced the braising liquid, concentrating all those delicious ingredients (onions, garlic, bay, plus the rendered fats and flavor from the meat) into a very flavorful sauce.

While the sauce was reducing I prepared a salad and a quick side dish. The salad was sliced roasted beets, avocado, feta cheese, along with a squeeze of grapefruit juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Side dish was roasted green cabbage wedges drizzled with some leftover Caesar salad dressing (Mom’s secret recipe).

These were both total improvisations, and quite delicious, great complements to...

The main dish!

I was so thrilled with how it came out. Even after I snipped off the twine, it held perfectly, and the filling set up very nicely (because I included the egg), none of it even tried to escape. Slicing proved a teeny bit difficult- the meat was so tender it was falling apart as I was slicing, but I suppose that is a good problem to have. The bits off the cutting board were a great reward for this cook. But even better was serving this beautiful plate.

The reduced braising liquid was an absolute flavor bomb (in a good way). And the spinach filling was a great combination- the hint of smoky paprika worked nicely with the toasty pine nuts and sweet raisins. The meat was tender and delicious like you wouldn’t believe! I’m not going to say this version is better than BCD Mom’s, but it certainly another delicious option. And I did it all myself- with a little help from Anne Burrell.

Dear Reader, I hope you’ve stuck with me through this whole sensitive veal subject. The real take-away here is that recipes are just ideas and inspiration. Skip an ingredient, add an ingredient, switch up the flavoring, even switch up the meat (this would have worked with turkey breast, or even some cuts of pork), just get inspired, get in the kitchen and COOK!

Xani

The Cook's Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:51:00 +0000

by EP & Xani

When you think of the flavors of Thanksgiving, you might think of rich gravy, tart cranberries, juicy turkey, brussels sprouts (with bacon, if you're doing it right), and sweet pies topped with whipped cream. We, on the other hand, identify Thanksgiving with one particular "taste memory": turkey tails. Also known as the Pope's Nose. (Sorry, Benedict...you're outta here anyway.).

"Turkey tails? What the...?", we hear you cry. Well, something has to hold up all that plumage!

You've never heard of a turkey tail listed along side the wing and thigh because unless you're in the kitchen, you have most likely never seen one. It NEVER makes it to the serving platter. It is devoured by the cook(s) as soon as the turkey's rest is over, and before the carving begins. It is a glorious bite (or three) of dark meat, crispy skin, and flavorful fat, and we've been eating them ever since we started helping with Thanksgiving dinner.

This got us thinking about the idea of "cook's treats": treats you wouldn't know about if you're not in the kitchen during the creation of the meal. These little bits never make it to the table, and are rarely shared with guests - these are special rewards for the cook's hard work. We gave it some thought and came up with these other treats that cooks know and love:

Batter: Here's one everyone can relate to: licking the batter bowl. You remember this from childhood- maybe Mom was whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or a special birthday cake, and she let you help crack the egg, measure the sugar, and stir the batter. After begging for what seems like hours, she finally relents and calls out "who wants to lick the beaters??" YES! Fingerfuls of sweet, gooey batter are a warm and fuzzy childhood memory for those of us whose moms weren't afraid of a little raw egg yolk. Maybe learning as youngsters that cooking equals special treats inspires some of us to want to cook more.

Pic from EP's macaron cooking class in Paris

Roast bits: One of our earliest memories of being in the kitchen was when a big roast beef would come out of the oven. It would rest under it's foil blanket, and then BCD Dad would get to carving. While he was carving, little crackly bits of crispy, highly seasoned meat would fall from the slices, and we would reach to grab them off the cutting board - "get your hands out of there!," Dad would snap, to keep us from getting cut by the big slicing knife. Eventually he'd put the knife down and we'd get to nibble at the little bits of meat, fat, and crackly bits on the board. Now that's a mouth-watering memory.

Note that this pic is from our very first post! Awww...

Chicken tails and oysters: Chicken tails are like turkey tails - but smaller, good for one cook to nibble on, pre-carving. Another treat is the chicken "oysters," little bits of tender meat on either side of the underside of the chicken. They are dark meat and so delicious. And there are two of them, so if you are not the cook and the cook shares one with you, he/she probably has a crush on you and/or is married to you.

Guess what....chicken butt

Oysters: Speaking of oysters, was there ever a shucker who didn't sneak a slurp? Come on now, shucking oysters is hard work, and whoever has the task of opening dozens of the bivalves is entitled to a taste or two (or more- I've certainly been guilty of a "one for the platter, one for me" routine.)

Lobster Tamale: Perhaps this is only a cook's treat in the BCD household, where we prefer giant lobsters which need to be dismantled in the kitchen (often using a giant cleaver and mallet) before serving. Again, this means the cook has the privilege of sneaking a few spoonfuls of delicious lobster tamale- the green "guts" of the lobster (similar to crab mustard for our Maryland-based readers). If it's a lady lobster, the cook also gets the first shot at the bright red lobster roe, also extremely tasty. Is it fair for the cook to steal these morsels before anyone else gets a chance? If you knew the physicality needed to dismantle these monsters, not to mention the resulting lobster odor clinging to the cooks' clothes, hands, and hair, you would know that they've earned every bite.

Heel of bread: Homemade bread- a labor of love. Maybe not so much anymore with the advent of bread machines and the no-knead technique. But even without all the work, there's almost nothing more tempting than freshly baked bread. You've worked the dough, waited for it to rise, and smelled the warm, yeasty aroma as it bakes in the oven... and as soon as it's cool enough to handle, what baker could resist slicing off an end? One wants to see how the crumb developed under that crispy golden-brown exterior. One needs to know if using a sourdough starter imparted the perfect tangy flavor. And what better way to find out than to slather that still-warm end piece (AKA the heel), with soft butter, sprinkle with salt, and sink your teeth into the baker's well-earned treat.

The Uglies: When you get a perfectly triangular piece of pie served to you, do you think the other seven slices look just as perfect? Odds are: not so. That first piece of pie is a pain! And often ends up in lumps and crumbles on the cutting board... and then right into the cook's piehole (har har). Same goes for those cookies that spread into each other on the sheet pan, the first pancake/crepe (the first one NEVER turns out right), and the popover that didn't quite pop. These things might not look pretty, but they usually taste pretty darn good. Any good cook knows that eating your not-quite-perfect specimens is the perfect way to sample your goods AND destroy the imperfect evidence.

This is NOT an "ugly" - that's why it was photographed
This is our Rhumbleberry Pie inspired by several recipes

Cooking is a reward in itself: a hobby, a passion, an opportunity to experiment, not to mention a chance to feed ourselves and our loved ones with home-prepared, nurturing, great-tasting meals. But the cook's treats, eaten in secret behind closed kitchen doors, are truly the cherry on top.

So, any cook's treats that we missed? Share share!

Cheers,
X & EP

Citrus Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:34:00 +0000

by EP

It's winter. Dreariness abounds. We are caught between the sparkly, gluttonous holiday season and the sun-shiny frolick-inducing springtime. The glimmer of hope in this time is the fruit of the "season": citrus. People always give me funny looks when I say grapefruits are in season right now, but it's true! In the US, citrus from Florida or California is as "local" as it's gonna get in February. And lucky for us, we LOVE citrus. Grapefruit is so hot right now, and its French name (pamplemousse) is possibly the most fun word to say - ever.

So for Xani's birthday a few weeks ago, we decided to celebrate the fruit of the season and bring a little zest (har) into our lives in the form of a citrus-themed ladies' brunch! We had had a similar brunch for Xani last year, but this time we went full out with the theme, from the invitation to the decor to the food and drinks (of course). Even our outfits were citrus-y! We had so much fun planning and executing this party, and after so many years of throwing parties, we have got it down to a science. Bonus: we work really well together :) Here's what we did:

Food & Drink:

As soon as our guests arrived, we plied them with beverages - that's the best part about brunch, right? So many beverages in one sitting (coffee, mimosa, water, bloody, etc.) and nobody bats an eye. We prepared a mimosa bar with orange juice, grapefruit juice, tangerine-clementine-lime juice (which we juiced ourselves), and limoncello, for people who like to put booze in their booze. We purchased coffee from Caribou down the street, and it was quite good. We had citrus-flavored sparkling water as well.

We envisioned a decorated table, loaded with baked goodies, and that's exactly what we did.

Ta-da!

We wanted to incorporate citrus into every dish, and for the most part, we were successful. The baked goods were:

Lemon-rosemary ricotta mini-muffins
Tangerine palmiers
Pistachio citrus poundcake
Creamsicle cream puffs (cream puffs filled with a vanilla-citrus cream)

For Xani, cream puffs have become old hat - she has perfected her technique on making the pate choux, piping the puffs, freezing them (yes!), and baking them from frozen. They turned out wonderfully (basically hollow, which is what you want) and then she filled them with a homemade cream that had a nice orange-y flavor from a very fancy vanilla extract, Fiore di Sicilia. These were a huge hit at the party - obviously.

Palmiers and cream puffs

The palmiers were also a big hit, and I had no idea how easy it was to make them! We put some tangerine zest in the sugar before rolling them out, which gave them a nice citrus-y hint. I will definitely be making these again - lots of "wow" for relatively little work.

The pound cake is a Molly Wizenberg (of Orangette) recipe, and we pretty much love everything Molly does. This cake was no different - it had orange and lime zest, plus lemon and orange juice, and a nice serving of chopped pistachios on top and running throughout the cake. We served the cake from a fancy cake stand with a dome, which made it seem even more ladylike.

The recipe for the mini-muffins was from a diet magazine, so while they were good, they weren't as good as they could have been. Lesson learned.

One of our better ideas was providing goodie bags to our guests, for them to take some of the baked goods home to their families. Thankfully they did and we weren't left with piles of leftovers.

While the ladies enjoyed their mimosas and coffee, and nibbled at the baked goods, we prepared the savory portion of the meal. We served:

The original strata recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and we have each made it many times, with great success. In fact, one time when we planned to serve it, breakfast was severely delayed and we left the strata in the oven (turned off) for about 45 minutes. We were sure the dish would be ruined, but in fact it was excellent! Perhaps slightly not as puffy as if we had taken it right out of the oven, but not dried out at all. This mishap has taught us just how wonderful and robust this recipe is, which is why we will continue to incorporate it into our party menus for a long, long time. It's a keeper!

For the Citrus Celebration version of this strata, we replaced the parmesan and gruyere cheeses with fontina (for the gooey factor) and goat cheese, and we added a good helping of lemon zest to the egg mixture. It was lovely and a big hit, as usual.

The salad was refreshing and savory, featuring arugula, avocado, radish, scallion, and some grapefruit and blood orange supremes. The salad is drizzled with the grapefruit and orange juices, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Easy, clean flavors, and delicious. And in line with our theme!

We used store-bought mini sausage patties and fried them up as the strata cooked. We cut a corner here in not making our own. So sue us! They were delicious.

Decor

Thanks to Pinterest, in the weeks leading up to the party, we gathered many citrus-themed ideas for decor, food, and drinks on a Shared Board, and found some great stuff! We decorated my apartment with yellow, pinks, oranges, lime green, and gold. We created this, uh, "ceiling art" (inspired by Pinterest) with lanterns, balloons, and paper puffs, and hung it above the sweets table. It was definitely eye-catching and totally fabulous.

Note the goodie bags on the right

We also did a lot with flower arrangements, which was kind of new for us. We used both fresh and fake flowers, and we incorporated fresh citrus into the arrangments. Xani even created a citrus-only bouquet! These arrangements added such color and beauty to the party - something to remember at our next soiree.

We also decorated with vessels of fresh citrus. It's pretty enough to just sit in a basket, right?

Kumquats in a jar

Finally, we had to make signs for our food - it's tradition.

We also felt we should dress the part and wear some citrus-y colors. Why not?

It was such a lovely party, with great friends, great food, champagne, coffee, and beautiful flowers - we almost forgot it was dreary February.

We're already planning our next party - for my birthday (in July)! You can bet your bippy the theme is a good one.

Happy belated birthday, Xani! We love you!

Cheers,
EP

ps. Here are a few more pictures I had to share:

Shopping cart at H Mart - no one blinked when I bought an entire cartful of citrus

My apartment, all gussied up for a party
(Note the piggy and cow meat cut prints - my favorites)

I surprised the birthday girl with a mini coconut cake!

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 16:11:00 +0000

by EP

Hanukkah is over and Christmas is upon us, but before I head up to Plympton, Mass. to celebrate Christmas with Xani and Dave and Dave's family (and eat, and drink, and eat), I wanted to share two Hanukkah meals that I'll be sure to remember for years to come:

DGS Delicatessen: During Hanukkah, I was able to visit a new restaurant in Dupont Circle called DGS Delicatessen. I heard about its recent opening via Twitter (of course) and after one look at the menu, I knew I had to go. The menu featured old-school Jewish goodies like kasha varniskas, chopped liver, flanken, kreplach, and knishes, but taken to a unique and/or classed-up level. For example, the knishes are made with lamb merguez and lentils; the kreplach are filled with bacalao (salt cod); and the chopped liver is topped with gribenes (fried chicken skin leftover from rendering chicken fat - schmaltz!*)).

My friend Jim and I went, along with Jim's wife Jen, who I was glad to finally meet after hearing about her for a year! We had an early reservation so we got the best seat in the house - at the back of the dining area with a view of Dupont. The space is clean and modern - not your typical greasy spoon deli.

We started with cocktails: I got the "Bridgetown Apple Royale," made with Dupont Calvados, Pyrat Rum, Spiced Apple, Lemon, and Maple Bitters. Jen got the "Hello, Gorgeous" with Hidalgo Oloroso Sherry, Pimm’s, Dolin Blanc, and Smoked Orange Juice. Jim got the "Rob Roystein" with Dewar’s 12, Ginger Lemon Shrub, Sweet and Dry Vermouth, and Angostura Bitters. All were excellent - Jen was especially enamored by the smoked orange juice. I really wanted to get the "Mazel tov cocktail" because it's the best name for a cocktail - EVER - but the lavender syrup gave me pause (sometimes it can taste like you are drinking perfume).

Then it was time to dine. Jim and Jen graciously let me order all the goodies I had been eyeing and we shared everything. Just what I like in my dining companions!

To start, we ordered the chopped liver and a Reuben. Both were some of the best, if not THE best, of my life. Seriously (sorry, Mom!). Our waiter explained that the chef is trained in French cuisine and therefore is a pate-master. It showed: the liver was savory and creamy, but still coarse enough to be called chopped liver. The accompaniments made the liver shine: pickled red onion, gribenes (essentially, chicken skin cracklins), and house-made toasted up rye and pumpernickel. The serving was quite generous and I ate the leftovers for breakfast the next day - no shame!

BEHOLD!

Next up: the Reuben. I LOVE a Reuben and almost always get it when I go to a deli. The DGS Reuben was made with house-made corned beef, Emmenthaler, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, on house-made rye bread. The sandwich was griddled up to perfection, and somehow they avoided the classic Reuben problem: soggy bottoms. The sandwich must have come right off the griddle because both sides of the sandwich were toasty and delicious; no sog in sight. In addition, the sandwich had a curious, smokey hint to it - turns out, they sneak a slice or two of their house-made pastrami into the middle of the sandwich. GENIUS. I wish I had ordered another for my main. Jim concurred that it was the best Reuben of his life.

For our main courses, we tried two entrees and two sides. The entrees we ordered were the Holishkes, (Beef Stuffed Cabbage Braised in a Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce, Rye Bread Crumb) and the Flanken (Beef Short Ribs Braised with Tunisian Spices, Figs, Spinach and Fresh Mint). Both were very good - I love anything cabbage-related so the Holishkes were my favorite of the two. I loved the crunchy rye bread crumbs on top of the sweet and sour beef and cabbage - it added a nice contrast of flavor.

The Flanken were good but not really my thing - maybe it's because it's something my family never cooked before so I had no perspective from which to judge them? By the time I got to them, they weren't very hot; maybe I would have liked them better if I had them right away.

We also ordered two sides: Roasted Cauliflower with ras al hanout and Potato Latkes with creme fraiche and apple preserves. Both of these were outstanding! I love roasted cauliflower and this dish was caramelized, flavorful, and comforting.

And then there were the latkes: holy crap. They were fried up (and may have been a touch too greasy, but that's my only complaint) and the creme fraiche and apple preserves were a nice alternative to the more humble sour cream and applesauce. But here's the best part: the latkes had thyme in them. It was a pleasant surprise and it really added to the dish - I will definitely be putting thyme in my next batch of latkes!

Finally, it was time for dessert: on a tip from a blogger/twitter buddy, we ordered the Babka Bread Pudding with salted caramel ice cream. It was unlike any bread pudding I've ever had - instead of the traditional craggy chunks of bread held together with custard, it was surprisingly homogeneous, with the occasional bit of chocolate from the babka. It was so delicious. While it was quite decadent, we all just had a few bites, so it was perfect. I wasn't complaining about the ice cream, either.

It was a lovely meal to share with friends during Hanukkah. But I am already planning my next trip back!

Homemade Hanukkah: Per our new tradition, I had Xani, Dave, his daughter, BCD Mom & Dad, and Xani and Dave's pup Eddie over to my new apartment for a gift exchange and latke party. We had a fabulous time! We served smokey fried chickpeas, traditional potato latkes, and Smitten Kitchen's cauliflower-feta fritters with pomegranate as a lighter (lower-carb) latke option. We made the dough for hanukkah churros but we were so tired after all that frying (and, let's be honest, drinking) that we just enjoyed some of Xani's homemade cookies for dessert. The potato latkes were good but the cauliflower fritters and fried chickpeas were total winners and I will definitely be making both of those recipes again!

It was so nice to be able to host my family for a gathering. As the baby of the family, I am often taken in by Mom and Dad or Xani and Dave, and I am so grateful to have a beautiful home where I can welcome my family. But just them - my apartment is pretty small :)

Xani and I wish you all a 2013 filled with joy and laughter, great food and booze, and most importantly: health and happiness. And oh yeah: coffee and donuts!!

Cheers!
EP

* A note on schmaltz: If you have an iPad and you have not yet purchased Michael Ruhlman's cookbook for iPads, "The Book of Schmaltz: A Love Song to a Forgotten Fat", get on it, tout de suite. It's a wonderful ode to a great fat! L'chaim!

Sea Creatures Beware: It's Dad's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 03:30:00 +0000

by EP

A few weekends ago, per our family tradition, we trekked out to Blackacre to celebrate BCD Dad's birthday. Readers may recall that when it comes to celebrating Dad (either through his birthday or for Father's Day), we always feature his favorite crustacean: LOBSTER!

This year we decided to do things a little differently. Instead of slaughtering giant 4-lb lobsters, we incorporated lobster into a sushi/sashimi course (which also featured obscure seafood ordered from Catalina Offshore Products) and a pasta course. Here was the menu:

Sushi/sashimi assortment (uni with ikura & quail egg, abalone sashimi, lobster & avocado roll, monkfish liver with ponzu sauce)
Pasta with uni-butter sauce and lobster
Apple strudel

The seafood from Catalina Offshore was shipped overnight from California to Blackacre. We ordered two trays of uni (sea urchin), six small abalones, and a "sleeve" of monkfish liver. Mom and Dad found some cheap little (1-1.5 lb) lobsters at an Asian supermarket, so they bought about 7 lbs of lobster altogether, and boiled and "picked" them prior to our arrival.

Picked lobster and uni ready for sushi; also note the butter

Sleeve o' monkfish liver

While we worked on putting together our first course, we enjoyed some high end sake. It was excellent and fun to have something different. The only trouble was the teeny sake glasses - I kept having to run around the kitchen refilling everyone's glasses!

Dave is a sushi master and lead the charge in creating many of the sushi rolls we had. He made excellent sushi rice and he and Xani constructed the uni nigiri, where the nori forms a cup for the uni (and ikura [salmon roe] and quail egg yolk).

Dave also made a few lobster-avocado-cucumber rolls.

Finished sushi platter

We made a quick ponzu sauce out of soy, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and dashi (Japanese soup stock), and served it with the monkfish liver. In case you missed it, monkfish liver is the foie gras of the sea! It's so delicious and fatty, and slightly fishy.

The last thing we had in our first course was abalone sashimi. Some abalone are giant (the size of a salad plate) and must be heavily trimmed and then beaten into oblivion so they are tender enough to eat. The abalones we got, on the other hand, were small (about 3 inches across) and could be eaten raw if sliced thinly enough. Xani and I watched many videos on how to clean abalones (too many, quite possibly), which allowed Xani to remove the animals from their shells, clean them, and then slice them thinly for sashimi. She plated them in their beautiful mother-of-pearl shells and topped them with ikura.

After we had our sushi/sashimi course, we started on the pasta course. Pasta is one of Dad's other favorite foods....and I'm pretty sure Xani and I inherited the pasta-love gene.

The pasta sauce was very simple. We were inspired by this recipe: we took one tray of uni and blended it with heavy cream. Then we added it to melted butter, added the chopped lobster meat, and tossed in the almost-cooked pasta. We garnished it with lobster claws (reheated in butter - are you sensing a theme?) and chives.

The pasta was absolutely fantastic - it was rich and buttery, and the uni added richness but its flavor wasn't as intense as when eaten raw. The lobster added in was divine.

After we recovered from our seafood feast, it was time for dessert! Dad's request this year was for apple strudel. We made it earlier in the day and used the America's Test Kitchen recipe, which used phyllo dough. Traditional strudel dough is notoriously difficult and Xani had the forethought to avoid that headache and just use phyllo. Brilliant move! The filling had golden raisins, two kinds of apples, some spices, and calvados (apple brandy). We baked it earlier in the day and served it room temperature, along with some locally made stracciatella ice cream (vanilla with crackly chocolate swirl). And coffee - of course!

It was a wonderful meal and as always, so fun to do something like that as a family. Happy birthday Dad - we love you so much!

Uni wishes and lobster dreams -

EP

ps. And now for some gratuitous puppy pics:

Eddie begs for more treats from his dealer aka Mom

Pps. Dad and I went to Don Chuy's taqueria in Cambridge over the weekend. Truly awesome tacos - pictured here are the al carbon, the steak, and the carnitas. We loved them so much, Dad even Yelped about it!

Strip Club or Restaurant? Restaurant, thankfully.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 02:04:00 +0000

by EP

My new apartment in Silver Spring has a balcony that faces east. I can watch the sun rise, I can watch traffic on Georgia Avenue and the metro ride past, and in the immediate foreground, there are two buildings: a Vietnamese restaurant and a building with a pink heart-shaped sign that says "Jackie's." When my parents came to visit two days after I moved in, my Dad asked me what Jackie's was and since I had no clue, I gave him my best guess: strip club. The outside of the building is dark and decrepit, the sign is sickly sweet with a green background, pink puffy writing, and multi-colored hearts, and it's named Jackie's - what more evidence need I present?

A few days later, my friend Jamie mentioned a place called Jackie's in Silver Spring as a great restaurant not to miss. Hmmm, could this be the strip club across the street? Apparently, yes. Last weekend, my friend Marissa and I checked out the bar next door to Jackie's (and owned by the same people) called Sidebar.

The menu at Sidebar boasts fancy cocktails with obscure/retro ingredients (including egg whites!), and Marissa and I happily indulged. The drinks were lovely and interesting (though I couldn't tell you what we ordered), but the service was rather slow/unfriendly, and that was before 40+ people from a wedding (including the bride, still in her dress) strolled in. I think I'll check it out again on a weeknight when there's less hub-bub about.

Today I had the chance to try the real Jackie's - the restaurant (not the bar...or the strip club). My friend Carol came up to Silver Spring to see my new apartment and have a meal together. I had read through the Jackie's menu online and thought brunch would be a good opportunity to check it out in the light of day.

We strolled across Georgia Ave and confusedly tried to find the entrance to Jackie's. Even up close, this place looks shady from the outside. But around the corner (past the Sidebar entrance), you'll find the double doors wide open, music playing (Aretha!), and a warm welcome from the host. The decor is...unique. It's a combination of industrial lights, exposed brick, cement floors + bubble gum pink chairs, fluffy multi-colored pillows, and sparkly chandeliers. It's a sunny, lively space and we were excited to enjoy some brunch treats.

My lovely dining companion

I love you

Multicolored hanging art to go with your coffee?

Carol does her best "Price Is Right" impression to present the fluffy pillows

Over coffee, our Justin Bieber look-alike waiter quickly ran down the not-to-miss items that were "to die for": donuts and pork belly. Jackpot. We started with the dulce de leche donut and the filled donut of the day, which had a peach jam filling.

Both were warm and definitely freshly made. The dulce de leche donut was a yeast donut and had a playful smattering of colored sprinkles on top. The filled donut was cakey with the perfect amount of jam filling.

I see you, peach jam!

Both were absolutely delightful. I think I preferred the filled donut (they're so hot right now) but I loved both. Who can say no to a warm, freshly made donut? Soulless fools. Or people who are sticking to their diets.

For our main dishes, Carol ordered the "Egg's Nest," a nest of fried up shoe-string potatoes filled with fried eggs, kale salad, and hollandaise, atop a few slices of tomato. Beautifully presented but much better tasting when destroyed so the components could be eaten together.

I ordered the Chilaquiles, a Mexican dish of scrambled eggs, fried up corn tortillas, black beans, salsa verde, fontina cheese, and a bit of avocado on top. Very flavorful, slightly spicy, and a nice contrast of textures. Why don't I make this at home?

And the pork belly? We didn't forget - we got a side order of the citrus-cured belly and it was, as predicted, to die for.

Aside from some spotty service (a theme with this restaurant group?), we had a lovely experience at Jackie's. I will definitely be back for dinner. And I think it's safe to leave my dollar bills at home.

Cheers,
EP

A Chocolate-y Guest Post!

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:38:00 +0000

by the fabulous Stef AKA Motherocker AKA our cousin!

Like a bolt from the blue I got the message in my inbox from component X of team BCD. Xani had tix to Gourmet Walks ULTRA Chocolate tour in downtown San Francisco, but had a change of plans at the last minute. Would I be able to step in and fill her shoes? Three hours of walking around downtown SF that started with a martini and ended with a wine tasting and was filled with all manner of high-quality chocolate tasting in betwixt. It was a tall order, but I was up for the challenge.

Our journey began at the luxurious Le Meridien hotel. Our guide, Ahmet Aydogan (weekday photographer, weekend chocolate expert) graciously found my companion and I wandering the lobby and ushered us to the meeting spot. We were soon joined by the rest of our fellow tourists. As we waited (and waited, and waited) for our first tasting of the day, Ahmet gave us the run-down on how the afternoon would progress and then launched into an interesting and informative chocolate history lesson. I won a chocolate for guessing that the Mayans were the first to discover chocolate’s aphrodisiac qualities! But I had no idea that chocolate beverage houses existed before coffee or tea establishments in Europe, although they served a very different beverage than what we are now accustomed to. Apparently there was a thick layer of grease on top as they hadn’t figured out how to separate out the cocoa butter. But once that happened it was only short distance to the invention of chocolate as a confection. We learned that chocolate at its’ most basic consists of only 3 ingredients, chocolate, cocoa butter and sugar. Varying the amounts of the ingredients is what gives each product it’s unique flavor. Poor Ahmet was nearly done with his talk by the time the hotel bar finally had our drinks ready- chocolate martinis! I have to say, this was the only underwhelming part of the tour for me. It was a pretty standard chocolate martini. I don’t know if it was the environment or the name of the tour but I was expecting something with a little more wow factor. At least jazz up your presentation by lining the rim Le Meridien!

But alcohol is alcohol and everyone was in a jolly mood as we headed out to our next stop. Ahmet was the consummate host and did a great job at spending a little time with each group of people. He also pointed out bits of SF foodie culture, architecture and history along the way between stops. Leonidas, a belgian chocolatier located in the Crocker Galleria, was our next stop. Here we got an education on the process of chocolate making from bean to bar. This was super fascinating to me. There are 3 different kinds of cacao trees. Forestaro, or bulk beans, account for nearly 90% of what makes it to the shelves and is primarily grown in Africa (!). Criollo is the highest quality bean with the most complex flavor. It is also extremely difficult to cultivate. Trinitario is a hybrid of the other two and gives a bit of the best of both worlds, being a bit easier to grow then Criollo and having a bit more flavor than Forestaro. As you can see in the images above he showed us a cacao pod and beans in their raw and roasted forms to smell and touch. Cocoa nibs and cocoa butter also came around. Then it was finally time to taste some chocolate!

Chocolate Buttercreams and Pralines - Leonidas

The dark chocolate layer on the buttercreams was rich and slightly bitter which perfectly offset the velvety hazelnut buttercream within. Although I typically can’t stomach white chocolate (I find it cloyingly sweet), my fellow tourists persuaded me to give it a try. Nope! Still didn’t like it. But....more on that later.

Next up we wandered over to Market Street to visit Fog City News where the owner stocks 200 premium chocolate bars and does not allow any pictures. They carried some truly interesting and delicious looking product (a brown butter bar I believe, keffir lime maybe...?) but I can’t remember any of it. So you’ll have to take my word for it!

Recchiuti Chocolates

Then it was over to the Ferry Building for a whirlwind tour and 3 amazing vendors. The Ferry Building is a must visit for any foodie worth their salt and it’s sort of impossible to walk in there without wanting to try some of everything. One of the things I really loved about the tour was learning San Francisco’s role in US gourmet chocolate making and how many ground-breaking chocolatiers make the Bay area their home. We got a little presentation at Recchiuti. The owners are a husband and wife team who got their start selling at local farmers markets and working with local farmers to obtain the ingredients for their chocolates. We tasted a dragee (chocolate covered almond, dusted with cocoa powder) on the spot and picked up a few others to taste with wine later. Next up was Scharffen Berger. That brand may sound familiar to you, it’s become one of the premier chocolates to use in pastry and many recipes recommend it next to Valrhona. They are also one of the first bean-to bar manufacturers in the US, meaning they process from roasting all the way through to finished product. We did a fun tasting here, first of Scharffen Berger’s original dark chocolate bar, and then of chocolate flavored with mint- which turned out to be the same base chocolate, surprise!

Here’s how you taste a fine chocolate bar:

1. Smell

2. Snap (in half or a piece off)

3. Smell again

4. Stick it in your mouth hole

5. OMG, so good.

Lastly we breezed by Miette and picked up a duo of macaron for the road. I remember Erin ’s post on making these in Paris- a huge PITA as I recall. I ate them the next day in your honor BCD Girls!

It doesn’t seem like we tasted all that much chocolate, but we were all feeling a bit chocolated out by the time we got to Blanc et Rouge a perfectly nice little wine bar but would probably have been nicer without the rather raucous birthday celebration in the room. Ahmet did a great job speaking over the din as he talked us through the tasting.

We started to our right with a lovely dry Cava (Kila Cava 2008- Spanish sparkling wine) paired with a square of....dun dun DUN - white chocolate. This was a revelation for me. The dryness of the wine perfectly offset the sweetness - making the white chocolate taste rich and buttery instead of overwhelmingly sweet. The second pairing was a Recchiuti Ginger heart with Husch Gewurtzraminer (2009, Anderson Valley). I normally find Gewurtzraminer too sweet (quelle surprise, huh) but this one was surprisingly light and went excellently with the spicy ginger and dark chocolate. I probably could have eaten a bucket of those two.

Ahmet told us that they sometimes switched up chocolates 4 & 3 with the third and fourth wines. On the official menu, we were supposed to have the Recchiuti Force Noir (a piece of pure dark chocolate ganache) with the Beucanon Cabernet Franc and the Recchiuti Cassis Strata (Dark chocolate with cassis uh...jelly or something) with port (Warres ruby port) I’ve never had a Cab Franc before, apparently it’s unusual to be sold as a varietal and not as part of a blend (I don’t know that much about wine in case you couldn’t tell). Anyway, it was the kind of dry that makes you feel like your saliva glands have stopped working. It went ok with the Force Noir, but I felt the sweetness of the fruit in the Cassis Strata was a better match and likewise the more bitter Force Noir with the syrupy port.

All in all it was an amazing afternoon which lasted closer to 4 hours than the estimated 3. I could not recommend this tour highly enough to anyone who loves good chocolate and wants to learn more about it for Bay Area residents and visitors alike. Thanks Xani for such an unexpected and delightful treat - was wonderful for many more reasons than are appropriate to write about here. Muah! - Stef

Thank you Stef for an awesome field report!!

A Warm Welcome to DC at Graffiato

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:32:00 +0000

by EP

Last week, to welcome me to DC, my wonderful friends Mark and Craig (you might remember them from the amazing trip to Chicago last winter to celebrate Craig's birthday) took me out to dinner. We went to a restaurant I'd be hearing about through the DC bloggers for years it seems: Graffiato. Graffiato is owned by Mike Isabella, of Top Chef fame, and I had heard absolutely wonderful things about it and was pumped to finally go for myself.

I met Mark, Craig, and Craig's aunt Jeannie in the bar area while we waited for a table. Of course, we enjoyed some bubbly while we waited - what kind of fool waits without a cocktail in hand?! After a brief wait, the hostess lead us to our table (and even took our drinks for us so we wouldn't spill as we walked up the kinda-steep staircase).

Our waiter was adorable and wonderful, and he had been Mark and Craig's waiter before in the past -- he even remembered that Mark had a nut allergy! He was friendly enough to the ladies at the table, but truth be told his energy and enthusiasm were geared towards the gentlemen. This is when we realized he was very likely gay and was totally flirting with Mark. No matter, we used it to our advantage and had a great time and great service.

Mark and Jeannie, ready to eat!

Anyway, onto the food and the drinks:

Drinks: Arguably the best "bite" of the night were our cocktails. I had a "D.C. Mule," a play on a Moscow Mule featuring highwest vodka, grapefruit juice, and their amazing 5 Spice Ginger Beer. Craig got "The Waterfront," a play on a Dark & Stormy, featuring coriander-infused rum, mango, and the same ginger beer.

D.C. Mule

The Waterfront

These cocktails were so delicious and had it not been a work night, I would have had several. The ginger beer made both of them - hands down the best ginger beer I've ever had. Those spices were perfectly present but not too strong, and totally worked with the other ingredients in both cocktails. Bravo, Mr. Mixologist.

Mark enjoyed some wine (recommended by our extra-friendly waiter) and liked it so much our waiter brought the bottle so Mark could write down the name -- er, take a picture of it.

Food:

The food at Graffiato is Italian/Mediterranean-inspired. Everything's familiar but it's got a nice little twist to it. It's also served as small plates, which I liked because it gave us an opportunity to try LOTS of stuff. Let's get started:

We started with the Flatbread & Pepperoni Sauce, made famous by Mike on the Top Chef All-Starts finale. It was basically like a tomato sauce, in which you dipped the bread, that tasted heavily of pepperoni. No complaints here, pepperoni is obviously delicious and I have fond childhood memories of noshing on wheels of it while cooking with the family.

Then we had the Broccolini, with spicy pepper relish, walnut, and feta. This was pretty underwhelming. The dish was served cold (not sure if that was intentional; if nothing else it was not expected) and we had the relish on the side because it had walnuts in it and as you now know, Mark has an allergy. So, perhaps it would have been better all put together.

No fear, the Baby Beets with house ricotta and orange was quite lovely, especially the ricotta. Homemade ricotta is so hot right now.

Also great was the Caesar salad, studded with bits of white anchovy and cream cheese croutons. Yes, bits of fried up cream cheese, which took the place of both bread croutons and the parmesan cheese. Delightful!

One of the best dishes we got was the Charred Octopus with potato, black garlic, olives. This dish really freaked out Craig's aunt but that meant more for us! We dove in. Unlike other octopus I've had, this was not chewy at all - it was meaty and tender, and the charred flavor was great. It was served atop mashed potatoes dyed black with squid ink - a sformato, I think? I didn't get the proper name of the Italian mashed potato dish but it was awesome. (Also, foods dyed with squid ink is SO Halloween - must try to incorporate that this year!)

The star of the show!

Then we enjoyed some pasta dishes. First we had the Hand Cut Spaghetti, with olive oil poached cherry tomatoes and thai basil. Very nice, simple dish, al dente pasta, and the little tomatoes popped in your mouth.

The Arugula Cavatelli with crab, tomato, and chili, however, was another story. It was more than al dente - it was undercooked. I'm not sure if it's accurate/proper to say I like "really" al dente pasta (like saying someone is "really" pregnant - they are or they aren't!), but I do, and even this was too much for me. We probably should have told our waiter but we were enjoying the other dishes on the table so we didn't want to make a fuss about it.

Finally, we got to the protein of the evening. We enjoyed a Roasted Chicken Breast with fennel, apple mostarda, and sweet potato. The chicken was nicely cooked with crispy skin, and the apple and sweet potato tasted like fall.

Then we had the Crispy Lamb with yogurt, cucumber, and tapenade. This was the best meat dish of the night, in my opinion. The lamb was tender and crispy, well-seasoned and savory, and the mint and yogurt went so well with it. I wished we'd gotten another one!

Finally we enjoyed the Pork Ribs with fennel and apple mostarda. These were really different - they had a lot of spices rubbed into them (coriander and fennel if I remember correctly) and were nicely cooked. A little hard to eat without using your hands!

Then it was time for dessert! And although it sounds like we had a lot of food, we all were not too full and ready to try some sweet treats. We ended up getting the Warm Chocolate Cake with fudge and salted caramel gelato, and an assortment of two gelati: dark chocolate and mint stracciatella (meaning with a crackly chocolate swirl throughout).

The cake was very moist and rich, and the combination of the cake with the fudge, the salted caramel, AND the salted caramel gelato was heaven in a bite. In all honesty, though, I could have done without the cake and just had the ice cream and toppings! But that's just me, an admitted ice cream addict.

The other gelati were good - the dark chocolate was SO dark and not too sweet. I think Xani would have really liked it. The mint stracciatella was a miss, unfortunately - too icy, not creamy enough.

It was overall a lovely meal and such a warm welcome to DC! I would definitely go back and try the pizza, and get more cocktails. The chef also has a Mexican restaurant in Georgetown [I'm new here, is it cool to go to Georgetown these days?] that looks awesome, and I hope to get there soon.

Thanks again Mark and Craig!

Sending you charred octopus wishes and ginger beer dreams -

EP

BCD News Flash and The Day the Mussel Won

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:38:00 +0000

by EP

Big news on the BCD home front: I moved! Not too far away, but away from Baltimore, nonetheless. I now live in sunny Silver Spring, Maryland, right on the border with DC. So, this blog will continue in full-force (meaning we'll continue our haphazard, slacker-esque format of blogging when we feel like it), but I'll be writing about my adventures dining in DC restaurants. Have no fear, the cooking will continue in both of our kitchens (in fact, I am making a no-knead bread right now!), and we'll be gearing up for some parties soon now that it's fall, our favorite season to entertain. I really hope we can make some apple cider donuts this year...it's my dream!

New kitchen!

I broke my French press while I was packing so the morning after the move, I needed coffee, badly. Thanks to Yelp I found Zed's Cafe, which was close and it opened at 8am, so I took a 5 min stroll down Georgia Avenue and there it was! I enjoyed an the amazing cappuccino and a decent cinnamon muffin, and read Bon Appetit magazine. A great way to kick off a day of unpacking!

In addition to moving my home, I also moved to a different office (same job though). The new office is a few blocks from Union Station. There are so many food trucks right outside the building every day, I can't even process it.

To welcome me to the office, a colleague and friend brought me to Bistro Bis (in the Hotel George, a Kimpton Hotel) for lunch. I had been there before but it was years ago, and I was excited to try it again. For our first course, Jim had the beet salad with boursin, orange surpremes, and walnuts, and I had the mussels. The beets were perfectly cooked and a light starter. The mussels had a tomato-y sauce and fennel, but the anise flavor was very subtle so I did not object.

So there we were, having a fancy lunch in our business attire, when suddenly the mussel I was eating rebelled against me and comically sprung tomato sauce all over my face. I suppose it's only fair - I've probably eaten hundreds of his brethren over the years. Eye for an eye [if mussels had eyes].

For our second course, Jim got the special, a lamb ravioli, and I got the "chicken salad." The ravioli were al dente and the filling was a flavorful shredded lamb.

As for my main, this was no regular chicken salad. Jim recommended it and now I am even more confident in his palate. It was a chicken breast stuffed with a light, almost eggy filling, and a truffle sauce, accompanied by a large yet elegant salad featuring artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and bits of lobster.

The chicken was perfectly cooked, and I struggled not to lick the plate at the end. But, I had already embarrassed myself (well, technically the mussel embarrassed me) once, and that was enough for one day.

More DC eats coming right up!

Cheers,
EP

RA! RA! RA!

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:53:00 +0000

by Xani

No, I'm not cheering for the Orioles. Well, I am, like everyone else in Baltimore, but that's not what the title references. Instead I'm referring to RA Sushi Bar and Restaurant, where I was invited to a Media Dinner for the opportunity to sample their new menu items. RA changed up their menu earlier this summer to include some new, fresh items, and because EP is so busy preparing for her big move (look out Silver Spring!), I brought Dave along with me to the tasting (lucky guy).

RA, as always, has a rockin' vibe, with red globe fixtures providing mood light and pounding music (a little too loud for this old lady, but the rest of the crowd seemed to be enjoying it). The place was pretty packed at 7pm on a Wednesday, with lots of people taking advantage of the great happy hour specials.

Dave and I were seated and were lucky enough to be taken care of by Scott, the General Manager, who was super-attentive and helpfully explained each course to us. And there were a lot! But first, cocktails.

Ginger Blossom

Coconut mojito

I had the Ginger Blossom (Tito's Vodka, fresh muddled strawberry, pink grapefruit, fresh lime and ginger beer), and Dave had the Coconut Mojito (light rum muddled with fresh lime, sugar, soda and fresh mint). The Ginger Blossom was tasty but just a tad too sweet for me, but I'm a sucker for anything coconut and I thought the coconut mojito was excellent. Dave must have liked it too; by the time I went to steal a second taste, it was gone!

Dip not pictured

The first course of food came out right away, and consisted of Edamame Dip, Bonfire Shrimp, and Garlic Edamame. The dip, served with crispy wonton chips (who doesn't love a fried wonton??) was very creamy and had spinach in it-- sortof an Asian take on spinach and artichoke dip? Very tasty. The garlic edamame, which were traditional steamed edamame in the shell, followed by a saute in garlicky butter and Asian seasoning, were also good but messy to eat! Make sure you only order these if you don't mind licking your fingers in front of your dining companions. The bonfire shrimp were lightly breaded and fried and coated in a chili sauce that had just the right amount of heat. I also loved the shisito pepper that came with this dish- great flavor.

Before we could say "we're losing the light!" the next course came out: a sampling of their new crispy Asian tacos.

Last picture before the sun went down

These were awesome! First of all, I was impressed with the creativity of the taco shell itself, which is made from flash-fried rice paper. It was so light and crispy (and not greasy at all), and a perfect vehicle for the yummy fillings. My favorite filling was the chicken, which was a chilled shredded sake steamed chicken with asian vegetables-- the chicken was very moist with incredible flavor, plus that crispy crunch from the shell! Delicious. We also sampled the "RA"ckin shrimp taco (very good) and the Spicy salmon taco, which included guacamole so of course it was great! The spicy salmon taco was the only raw fish served on the tasting menu, but Scott told us there is also a spicy tuna taco on the menu, not to mention their entire sushi menu. So RA definitely does raw, if that's what you are into (which, of course, I am.)

OK, at this point, I admit, I was getting full (those tacos were BIG). But, a food blogger has certain duties, so we pressed onto the next course. Small bowls of Drunken Black Mussels were brought out, along with spoons so we could drink the broth. The mussels were excellent but man were we happy about those spoons! The broth was to die for. The mussels are cooked in garlic, seasoned soy sauce, and butter. I could have drunk a vat of the stuff. Yum!

The final plate contained samples of three new dishes: Salmon with green beans, Black Pepper Teryaki Chicken Wings, and Chili Ponzu Asian Chicken Wings. While everything was tasty, this plate had the least "wow factor" as far as uniqueness. That said, the salmon, served with still-crunchy green beans, was well-cooked, not dry at all, with an excellent spicy yuzu sauce. The wings were nice and meaty and both had great flavor. I especially liked the Black Pepper wings, which had huge black pepper flavor but weren't too spicy- magic!

Dessert- oy, I could barely eat another bite but when they brought out a teeny portion of mochi (ice cream wrapped in sweet rice cake) I couldn't resist. A nice sweet bite to end a delicious evening.

Thanks so much to RA for the great meal-- rice paper taco shells, now why didn't I think of that??

Go O's,

X

Still Summer...

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:35:00 +0000

by Xani

It's still summer. But not for long. Labor Day weekend is upon us and soon fall will descend. How soon? No way to know. It could be hot and humid into October, the fickle East Coast weather gods messing with our minds as we continue to sweat, longing for scarves, boots, and hot spiked apple cider. But something tells me autumn is on its way. Like all other food bloggers, and possibly all other humans, I have mixed feelings about this. Summer is always gone too quickly, but fall feels like new beginning: new routines, new clothes, new ingredients stocking my fridge and pantry.

So while it's still summer, here's one more post celebrating all those seasonal treats that are gone all too soon.

What could be more summery than a trip to the beach? As kids EP and I spent a week or two every summer at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach, Delaware. This year we made our triumphant return! Good eating was a priority. My packing list included: a cast iron skillet, meat thermometer, microplane grater and a box of kosher salt, among other "necessities." We indulged in the usual beach treats: Fichers popcorn, fries, funnel cakes, and, of course, donuts, but we also pushed the kitchen in the rental house to the max and ate plenty of great home cooking. This panzenella with corn was so nice we made it twice:

Just perfect tomatoes and corn, a little red onion, cucumbers, classic vinaigrette and of course chunks of crusty bread fried up in olive oil.

Once we returned from the beach, sunburned and swearing never to eat fries again, I got back into my kitchen with a little more equipment at my disposal (even I had to draw the line at bringing the VitaMix to the shore). I'm all about summer soups in the VitaMix. Hot or cold, it purees even tough veggies into silky smoothness, no straining required. Just this week I employed my favorite "roast everything" technique and spread sheet trays with chopped tomato, garlic, eggplant and peppers, roasted til nicely browned, then whizzed it all together with water and a bit of sherry vinegar to make a creamy, but dairy free, veggie soup that was excellent hot or cold. But I didn't put all the roasted veggies in the soup, I kept a bowl in the fridge to throw into scrambles or omelettes like this one:

Oh, there's a little chorizo in there, too. That's leftover from this dinner:

That's corn farrotto. I was tipped off to this recipe by Kit from Mango and Ginger. I'm not really doing the recipe thing that much these days-- trying to "wing it" and improvise more, but she raved about this one and it caught my eye because, in my house, we have a disagreement about risotto. I love risotto, and Dave claims not to. I find it hard to believe him, because what's not to love? He says its a texture thing, so I thought I'd try this swap and see how that went over. The farro (which I had never worked with before) kept a pleasant chew even after all that cooking, almost like steel cut oats. I added some crisped slices of chorizo which went fabulously with the sweet corn. Dave, always diplomatic, cleaned his plate, but I'm still not sure he's convinced....

I'm bouncing from soup to corn and back again with another corn soup. I posted one earlier this summer and here's another version, this time with spice from chipotles and creaminess from dairy. I sauteed onions and canned chipotle in adobo in butter, but that was all the cooking required. Into the blender it went, along with raw corn, some corn puree leftover from making the farrotto (I'm always "repurposing"), water, milk, and some buttermilk (as recommended by a comment on the recipe). Flipped it on high, and five (noisy) minutes later steam was rising from the blender carafe. The soup was warm, spicy and sweet, but with a hint of bitterness that made me wrinkle my nose. Maybe no buttermilk next time. Still, dinner was satisfying, rounded out with DIY B. A. (avocado) L.T.s and juicy watermelon for dessert.

Love these green heirloom tomatoes

Finally, something I baked just this morning, on a whim. Oh the joys of working from home while my office is overtaken by the Grand Prix race! I'm reading A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table which I ~~stole~~ borrowed from my sister at the beach. I've been reading Molly's blog, Orangette, for years now, and love it, but the recipes in the book are haunting me. In a good way. I can't stop thinking about them and want to make them all RIGHT NOW. I'm trying to pace myself, but I've already made the slow-roasted tomatoes (can't wait to serve them with pasta, or in messy goat cheese sandwiches, per her recommendations) and when I woke up this morning craving something sweet, it made perfect sense to fire up the oven and start mixing up the batter for her husband's favorite Custard Cornbread. Apparently the ideal vehicle for maple syrup, I had it in the oven before 8am. Like Molly, my Dad and boyfriend are also classic Maple Syrup Snobs, so of course we have a big jug of the premium stuff on hand at all times.

An hour later I had answered emails, survived a work call with Eddie barking all the while (do ALL dogs bark incessantly while their owners are on the phone? Any suggested fixes??), and this:

OMG. Just as good as you'd expect from a recipe where you pour a cup of heavy cream into the already prepared batter. The cream does indeed turn custard-y, like a smooth ricotta embedded in the slightly crunchy, slightly sweet bread. It drank up the syrup and I ate every crumb.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of summer, however long it may last!

X

San Francisco Treats, Day 1: Tacos, Ice Cream, & Fancy Booze

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:12:00 +0000

by EP

In keeping with our slacker theme, here I am, writing about a trip I went on over a month ago. But, the fact that I still remember almost every bite with fondness just goes to show you what a great, tasty trip it was!

Last month I visited one of my best friends, Rachel (who readers might remember from such adventures as Paris and my many visits to DC), who recently moved back to her home town of San Francisco. We had a packed visit and some truly outstanding meals. I can't thank her enough for taking me to such wonderful places!

Let's get to the highlight reel:

Guacamole! Almost as good as mine :)

Day 1 gets its own post because we had so many yummy treats packed into one day.

It started when I tried to go to the gym on my first day while Rachel had an appointment. I got there, got signed up, got onto a machine, and then the power went out. Taking it as a sign from a higher power, I bailed and skipped down the block to Thorough Bread, an adorable French bakery with quite a spread of sweets. It reminded me of Paris! I ordered a lemon poppyseed scone and a cappuccino, and sat out on the patio reading the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated. It was a wonderfully sunny, relaxing moment to kick off my much-needed vacation.

Side note: I don't know about you, Dear Reader, but I LOVE COOKS ILLUSTRATED. Seriously every recipe/article/tidbit in every issue is fascinating to me. Highly recommend!

Later that afternoon Rachel and I wandered down to the Mission and stopped at Tacolicious. Don't let the name fool you - this place is LEGIT when it comes to yummy tacos and tequila-based drinks. We, of course, partook in both. When our fab waiter found out it was my first day of vacation, he insisted that I order the "Paloma," featuring el jimador tequila, grapefruit, and elderflower. Although I am not a huge tequila fan, this was a wonderfully refreshing cocktail featuring one of my favorite flavors these days: grapefruit (aka pomplemousse, the best word ever!!).

Tacos on parade

Salsas of varying heat...watch out for that yellow one

We also ordered 5 types of tacos: fried local rock cod, "shot-and-a-beer" braised chicken, carnitas, braised beef short rib, and bistec adobado. All were excellent, so flavorful, and I was so glad we got to try so many kinds. Tacos were at the top of my list for SF eats so I was pleased to check this off the list so early in the trip!

After lunch we continued to wander and visited the Pirate Supply Store (everything in there made me laugh hysterically) and Wise Sons deli (owned by Rachel's friends, and we picked up a piece of the best chocolate babka I've ever had).

We concluded our stroll around the Mission with a stop at Humphry Slocombe to check off another request of mine: ice cream. Everyone's all about Bi-Rite Creamery, but I really loved the vibe at Humphry Slocombe. It had a small-town charm but with a mischievous grin. This is best illustrated by Rachel's selection called "Secret Breakfast," featuring corn flakes and bourbon. Oh yes. I got the Vietnamese Coffee flavor (OMG).

That evening, we went to one of the coolest bars I've ever been to. It was a speakeasy (complete with required password) called Wilson & Wilson, "disguised" as a private detective agency. Can you think of anything cooler? Answer: NO. The menu was a file on a "case" with facts, and the later pages housed the descriptions of the amazing cocktails. The drinks were beautifully crafted and the bartenders (mixologists?) were hot too (and quite possibly straight). All in all, a great experience.

Afterwards we had "hip" sushi a few blocks away at Ryoko's. Normally, I equate "hip" sushi with "bad" sushi. But in SF, when you're right on the water, it's hard to find bad sushi. Although we had to wait a while for a table (at 10pm), our meal was fantastic and much needed after those cocktails. There was even a DJ, who played some old school hits (e.g., Bel Biv DeVoe, "Poison") so we had a wonderful evening.

Coming up next: farmer's markets, Italian street festivals, fancy fried chicken, and a bar having to do with MUPPETS!!

Happy eats, drinks, and pirates (and may all of your ice cream have bourbon in it)!

EP

Summer’s Bounty

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:10:00 +0000

by Xani

I feel terrible, you guys. How have I not blogged all summer? I’ve been making sooo much good stuff. You don’t even know (of course you don’t, I haven’t been telling you!). If you follow me on FB/Twitter/Instagram you been getting a few sneak peeks, but the truth is with summer’s bounty at my fingertips, I have been making some KICK ASS dinners, drinks, desserts-- you name it.

I figure the easiest way to share as much of this as possible is a good, old-fashioned food porn roundup. Even when I’m not blogging regularly, I always MEAN to blog, so I’m always taking pictures, then getting too busy/lazy to post them. But, I’ve still got them, and they’re coming at you... NOW:

Tiny carrots I grew myself! Here they are as an appetizer along with bread fried in bacon fat:

And how did I grow carrots you ask? In my amazing Salad Table, which has also provided us with lots of radishes and bunches and bunches of delicious salad greens. Soon, cucumbers!

Before summer got too hot we enjoyed some artichokes al fresco (with my favorite dipping sauce- just good mayo mixed with lemon juice, so yummy!)

Also during early summer I got my hands on some rhubarb and made some Rhubarb-Rosewater Syrup to make a sweet and slightly tart mocktail (just mix with sparkling water to make this refreshing pink drink)

And THEN I made these rhubarb streusel muffins that were To Die For:

coworkers raved!

Keeping things a little sweet, a little tart, BEHOLD this cool cocktail EP made for our little 4th of July get-together:

Grapefruit juice, gin, and basil-sugar. The mason jar makes it.

As summer heats up we're getting squarely into the kind of produce that just SCREAMS summer. Like corn:

Chilled corn soup with lime, cilantro and hot sauce

Zucchini:

Zucchini Feta Fritters

Berries:

picked them ourselves!

Some of which I turned into this fabulous Double Berry Buttermilk Bundt

I love a cake that can also be breakfast

Finally, PEACHES. We picked over 40 pounds of white and yellow peaches (AND all the berries, at the wonderful Larriland Farms) and so far made hardly a dent in them despite making peach jalapeno jam, and peach gazpacho. I'll make a peach pie/cobbler before I process and freeze the rest. Here is Eddie patiently waiting for them to ripen...

So there's a little taste of BCD summer so far! I'm really going to try to post more often and in a more timely fashion. How would you all feel about quickie posts with just a picture and description? Because with all the cooking I have planned for the rest of summer (peach and otherwise), that could be a lot of posts!

Happy summer,

X

Knish Me, I'm Jewish

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:27:00 +0000

by EP & X

Last weekend we were invited to attend a special event all about knishes. Yes, this is the glamorous life of food bloggers. The event was called "Knish History 101: Life and Times of the Knish" and it was held at the Jewish Museum of Maryland as part of their "Chosen Food" exhibit.

For those of you who don't know, a knish is a dumpling of sorts - there's an outer skin of dough, and a filling. There are endless varieties on knishes, and as is true with most Jewish foods, there is debate over which is the "best" kind. They can be baked or fried (though we've never had the fried variety). The dough can be thin and chewy to pillowy and flakey (like puff pastry). Fillings include potato, kasha (a grain), meat, spinach, broccoli, etc.

Image courtesy of Mostly Foodstuffs

We grew up eating knishes from kosher bakeries, usually filled with potato, meat, or kasha. Our mother loves them. We had a "knish dog" at Zabar's years ago (I think we were visiting colleges in NYC, so approximately 1999?) that we all still remember as being fabulous. Unfortunately, on a recent return to Zabar's, we asked and they no longer make the knish dog. Tragedy.

We were excited for this event at the Jewish Museum solely dedicated to knishes. We didn't know what to expect but we were looking forward to learning more about this delicacy. We wandered into the beautiful building, noting that two famous Baltimore delis are just down the street (Attman's and Lenny's), and were greeted by the museum staff. We sort of stood out in this crowd, since we were under the age of 60. It was basically like being at synagogue with all the older adults and the schmoozing -- but in a good way! Then the main speaker, Laura Silver, took the stage.

Laura has been researching the history of knishes for years, and shared not only their history in the US starting in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, but she traveled all the way to Knyszyn, Poland (pronounced: "k-nish-en") to learn more about them. Technically she was researching her family history, but her search led her to Knyszyn, proving that knishes are truly a part of her make-up.

We learned all about the knish - different flavors, different ways to cook them, their history and different iterations all over the country, and even knishes on television (featured in an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter" if you can believe it). After Laura's talk there was a Q&A with Anita Baum, one of the matriarchs of knishes in Baltimore, whose family owns the Knish Shop on Reisterstown Road.

Laura and Mrs. Baum

The talk concluded with - what else - a knish tasting!

Knishes for the tasting

We tried knishes from 5 different delis and bakeries around Baltimore. We took the tasting seriously, discussing the pros and cons of each variety amongst ourselves, vowing to try to make our own someday. Interestingly, we have never attempted to make knishes at home. We always thought of them as too much of a pain, plus neither of us enjoy the thin, gummy outer layer that so many knishes have. But some of the knishes we tasted were truly excellent - a great outer dough and creamy mashed potato fillings. We are inspired and are already thinking of a good excuse to try to make them at home.

After the talk, we checked out the "swag" - yes, there was knish swag, and we bought some bumper stickers:

The best part was this sign, so Jewish: "for you, only $8!"

Thanks to Amy Smith of the museum for inviting us, and thanks to Laura Silver for her wonderful talk! We had a great time and now we definitely have knishes on the brain...

Kisses and knishes,
EP & X

Salad Days

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:39:00 +0000

by Xani

I never thought I would do two posts on salad. Thought I said it all in the first one. After all, its just salad. We talked dressing, we talked greens, what's left?? Well, another year of salads has allowed me to discover a few more salad secrets. The biggest one is an adjustment in technique for my life-changing vinaigrette master recipe. Want to know how to make dressing one time but have a different flavor every night of the week? Read on....

Previously we discussed the vinaigrette technique, and the many variations possible by changing the acid in the dressing and switching up the seasoning a bit. Really, the vinaigrette technique is a master recipe, able to be modified in all kinds of ways.

Well, I've taken this concept to a whole other level. I start by making a big batch (enough to fill a 16oz jar i keep for this purpose) of what I think of as the dressing base or starter. This is the basic vinaigrette recipe using what I consider the most neutral/adaptable flavors: lemon juice/white wine vinegar for the acid, minced shallot, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, ground black pepper, extra virgin olive oil. I know those flavors aren't usually considered "neutral"in the grand scheme of things, but in this preparation the combination creates a base flavor that is easy to build upon. Which is not to say this jar of dressing, as is, needs more flavor- it is delicious and can be used directly out of the jar. But, I'm about to get to that whole other level I told you about... The dressing can now be modified in dozens of ways. How? Simple:

Shake up the jar of dressing base to reincorporate the ingredients if necessary (the acid and oil separate after a while). Then pour out the amount you need for your salad (I use about 1/4 cup for a salad that generously serves 2-3) into a measuring cup or even the bottom of your empty salad bowl. To this you can now add flavors and ingredients to make it a completely different dressing. Additional acid, cheese, herbs, fruits- the possibilities go on and on. Really all you need to do is sufficiently incorporate the new ingredient(s) into the dressing base, usually just by whisking, although cheese and other soft ingredients benefit from being lightly mashed into the dressing with a fork before whisking everything together to combine. Here are some of my favorites I've discovered so far:

Greek: mash feta into base, whisk in chopped oregano and red wine vinegar
Ceasar: mash a couple anchovies into base, whisk in parmesan, and a pinch of dry mustard
Tahini: whisk into base with a little extra lemon juice
Pesto: add a tablespoon or so, any pesto will do, I just made a great one with carrot tops and parsley!
Citrus zest/juice: make it lemon-ier, lime-y, grapefruit-y, orange-y, etc.
Jam/preserves: a spoonful of fruit preserves adds a little sweetness and a lot of flavor
Herbs (one type or mixed): a basil vinaigrette is summery and delicious (ooh and how about throwing some chopped sundried tomatoes in there, too), but I often pinch a few leaves off each of my herbs plants (parsley, mint, cilantro, basil) chop them all together and voila, herb vinaigrette!
Mayo/flavored mayo- regular mayo adds creaminess, a flavored mayo or mayo-based dip adds flavor too. I added a spoonful of leftover Green Goddess dip to the base and it was excellent.
Chipotle lime- a tiny bit of mashed chipotle in adobo and some lime juice
Honey mustard- drizzle of honey, spoonful of whole grain mustard

See? Master recipe at work! All of a sudden you have to ability to have a different salad dressing every night of the week-- doesn't that make salad that much more appealing? All that is necessary is the desire to experiment and play with your food a bit. The variations that have you add more acid may need a bit more oil to balance the flavor, etc. Just taste, adjust, taste again, etc. Before you know it you will be creating (and eating) one-of-a-kind dressings of your own!

I hope you're inspired to try this technique. Would love to hear more flavor ideas in the comments or on our BRAND NEW FACEBOOK PAGE, which I urge you to "Like" immediately.

As for what to put this fabulous salad dressing ON? Well, that's a post for another day. :)

Enjoy springtime, folks!

X

Black Coffee and a Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:11:00 +0000

by EP

This past weekend we had an absolutely amazing Mother's Day meal to celebrate our wonderful Mom - and we'll be blogging about that soon! But, importantly, Mother's Day also is our blog-iversary - we started the little dog and pony show that is BCD by blogging about our Mother's Day feast of 2007. Yes - May 14, 2007, 5 years ago today. Can you believe it?! We certainly can't.

See how far our photography and writing style have come by reliving our first post.

We want to thank all of our friends, family, and other hungry folks trolling the Internet for reading - it means so much to us! In celebration (?), we have started a Facebook fan page, so please LIKE us on FB and show your true food blog allegiance: http://www.facebook.com/BlackCoffeeAndADonut

Our original logo! Coming to swag near you...

We've got a few good posts in the queue for you, and maybe, just maybe, some sort of anniversary celebration with GIVE-AWAYS! Said give-aways may or may not be edible...let's just say we're still in the development phase.

Thank you again, and happy eating to all!

EP & X

Just passing through? A guide to Baltimore eats.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

by EP & X

Just passing through Baltimore and looking for something good to eat? Or a local looking for some new places to try? We've put together this list of great Baltimore eats, some of which you may have heard of or seen on Food Network/Cooking Channel, and some of which you may have no clue about. That's where we come in: let us be your guide to Charm City noms!

Below is a hodge-podge list of places to check out, ranging from low-brow street food to high-end local and sustainable cuisine. The list is by no means exclusive and we should probably plan to do a Part II for all the great places we're forgetting. But until then, check out this list, grab a fork, and get ready to dive into Baltimore's finest eats:

- Pit beef sandwiches - a local staple. It's thinly cut grilled top round (beef), traditionally served with "tiger sauce" (horseradish sauce) and thinly sliced raw onions on a kaiser roll. Most famous is probably Chap's BBQ (it's been on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and "Man v. Food"), but we think Pioneer is slightly better (although it's outside the city in Woodlawn). They give you a slice of warm beef to snack on as you wait in line, which definitely contributed to their ranking as "favorite." Read about our pit beef experiences here and here.

- Crab cakes - Faidley's in the Lexington Market supposedly has the best in the city. Also get some raw oysters if they are in season. Or, if you are willing to leave the city, hit up G&M Restaurant (near BWI airport) for their crab cakes - widely believed to be the best in the area. They are quite large and tasty, but be prepared to wait for a table.

- Steamed Crabs - If you're visiting in the summer months, you must make time to have a steamed crab dinner. We recommend Nick's Fish House, mostly for their outdoor seating right on the water (service is hit or miss, admittedly). They will be expensive but they are worth it. Go with a native and they'll show you the best way to dissect the crabs (or call one of us - we'll meet you there and give you a tutorial!). Don't forget to get a few beers and some fries/onion rings to go with the crabs. And be careful not to touch your eyes after you've been handling all that Old Bay! Read about one of our nights on the deck at Nick's here.

- Lexington Market - The Lexington Market (affectionately known as The Lex) is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) indoor markets in the country, established in 1782, and it's definitely worth a visit. Our parents took us there when we were little, and we've continued to visit as adults both because it's a cool market and a staple of Baltimore, but also because it is conveniently located 2 blocks away from where we went to law school and it's a great place to grab lunch. We admit that it's a little smelly and some shady characters hang out there, but it has its own charms and everyone who works there is extremely friendly and helpful. Basically what we're saying is: go there, enjoy, but be smart, keep your wits about you, and don't give anyone any money. The Lex has many great stalls for prepared foods or meat, fish, fruits and veggies, and baked goods. For take-away goodies, we recommend any of the fried chicken places (including fried chicken livers - yes they are awesome, don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em), or Barron's deli for a hot corned beef sandwich. And speaking of baked goods, if you are at the Lex, you must go to the Berger Bakery. Berger Cookies (the chocolate-topped ones) are a Baltimore staple and have sort of a cult following. They are sold in a package at grocery stores, but nothing beats the ones straight from the bakery at the Lex. Also, Berger's donuts will blow your mind.

- Cross Street Market - Located in the historic Federal Hill neighborhood, this little market has a handful of stalls and a fun atmosphere on the Charles Street end, with huge cheap beers and raw oysters served to a fun crowd every day from lunchtime through happy hour.

- Andy Nelson's BBQ - great BBQ joint, outside the city but it's the best we've found outside of the real deal in the South. Read about how much we loved it here.

- Grace Garden - a local darling Chinese food restaurant with authentic Chinese food, a non-English menu, the whole deal. Also outside the city in Odenton. Not necessarily a typical Baltimore/east coast kind of place but this restaurant is wonderful if you are in the mood for some great Chinese (good Chinese is a rare thing in/near Bmore- we're still not sure why). You will find hundreds of Chowhound posts about how great this place is and we concur! Get the fish noodles, the tea smoked duck (which you have to order 2 days in advance - so worth it!) and the at least one of the pork belly dishes. Read about our Christmas Eve meal at Grace Garden here.

- Bertha's Mussels - a classic mussels joint in historic Fells Point. This place has been there forever and for good reason! If you see a bunch of bumper stickers that say "Eat Bertha's Mussels," this is what they're talking about.

- Ryleigh's Oyster House - if you are looking for reasonably priced seafood, Ryleigh's sometimes has oyster happy hours where they are $1/oyster, and they usually have 3-4 varieties at a time. Ryleigh's is in the historic Federal Hill neighbhorhood, near the Harbor/downtown. On nice afternoons, you can sit by the open windows and watch people go by as you slurp your oysters.

- Burgers - if you are looking for a good burger, Mother's in Federal Hill has pretty consistently good burgers and great fries/sweet potato fries. (Note that that link is to their insane "Heart Attack on a Plate" burger (pictured below), which was good but their regular burgers - for normal folk - are excellent too.) We also love their buffalo chicken sandwich, which is served with bacon and cheese, in case you needed more calories. This place is Ravens central during football season so it's a fun place to visit if you are into football. It's also fun to visit in the off-season if you have no interest in football, like us :)

- Breakfast/brunch - Blue Moon Cafe in Fells Point - featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" has very good stuff, an amazing cinnamon roll as big as your head and potato pancakes with bacon in them (why didn't we think of that??). Get there early as there is usually a ridiculously long wait on weekend mornings. Read about one of our fun breakfasts there here. Also Don't Know Tavern in Federal Hill has a pretty good brunch menu, which includes tater tots.

- Pierogies - Ze Mean Bean Cafe in Fells Point has a Pierogi Happy Hour every night from 5-7 where pierogies are $.25 a piece, and they are made by little old Polish ladies from a nearby church. They're really great and the other eastern european fare is quite good too. Read about those pierogies (and other cabbage-laden goodies) here.

- Pizza - a Baltimore landmark is Matthew's Pizza near Patterson Park - it's the only thick-crust pizza place in the city and they claim to be the city's first pizzeria (circa 1943). Very good pizza if you like thick crust. Also, Ledo's Pizza is a local chain and we personally love it - it's a square pizza with a thin, buttery flaky crust. We also recommend Joe Squared pizza, which now has two locations (Power Plant Live and North Ave). Joe Squared has interesting toppings, great crust, and on many nights they have live music at their North Ave. location. We also recommend Iggy's Pizza in Mt. Vernon - a BYOB establishment with a lot of charm. Not necessarily cheap but they serve wonderful pizzas and their caesar salad comes with the highly prized topping of white anchovies (if you're into that kind of thing). Read about our pizza experiences here and here. Hmmm four pizza recommendations...I guess we really love the pizza in Baltimore!

- Farmers Markets - If you are going to be here on a weekend in the spring/summer/fall, we recommend going to the Sunday morning farmer's market under the JFX. Of course the amount/kind of produce will vary with the season, but one thing that's constant are the great snacks there: pit beef sandwiches, mini donuts fried right before your eyes, Zeke's coffee (a local brand), yummy pickles in lots of flavors, and the best part: mushroom fritters. The mushroom stand has a few mushroom dishes in addition to selling a large variety of mushrooms for you to cook at home, but the best one is the fritters: lightly breaded and fried mushrooms, served with lots of crumbled feta cheese, hot sauce, and some fresh greens on top. They are very popular but they are worth the wait and the $8. Find a spot in the sun and dig in -- it'll give you energy to haul all your lovely produce around. There are also markets on Saturdays at the Baltimore Museum of Industry in Federal Hill, in Waverly, and in Fells Point.

- Beer - Heavy Seas is a local beer company, and you can tour their brewery which is fun, but we think the best local beer spot is the Brewer's Art in Mt. Vernon. They brew all their own Belgian ales in-house and they are quite good (and strong!). Most popular are Resurrection and Ozzy, but the majority change with the season, which is lots of fun. Great frites there too, to go with your beer. Also, you can't visit Baltimore without enjoying the other favorite local beer, National Bohemian (lovingly referred to as "Natty Boh").

- Dessert - Pitango Gelato in Fells Point has amazing gelati/sorbetti in great and unique flavors. They use all local and/or natural ingredients and they put out a truly outstanding product. If you are visiting in the winter, get a (teeny) cup of their hot chocolate - it's wonderfully intense. Also, the Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill has alcoholic milkshakes which are quite good - the chocolate-peanut butter flavor is great, and there is one that features crushed up Berger cookies, which are mentioned in the Lex section above.

- Italian - While Baltimore has a famous and historic Little Italy, we usually head down the road to Chazz: A Bronx Original in Harbor East for Italian goodies. Chazz Palminteri, the actor, is one of the owners. We didn't meet him the first time we went, but the second time, we were caught sitting in "his" booth and he yelled at us. All in good fun, of course! Very memorable, indeed. Our favorites include the lamb meatball (on its own as an appetizer or on a pizza), the arugula/parmesan/red onion salad, linguine & shrimp fra diavolo, and the funghi (mushroom and goat cheese) pizza. A related recommendation is to check out Trinacria, a teeny Italian market not far from the Lex, on Paca St. Trinacria has been there for 100 years and in addition to having an extensive selection of imported goods, fresh breads, frozen prepared Italian goodies, and very cheap wine, they have amazing sandwiches and sweets! A fun place to get goodies for a picnic on top of Federal Hill or down by the water at the Harbor or in Fells Point.

- Fine Dining - We are lucky girls who get to eat at great restaurants, so we have a few places to recommend if you are looking for a higher-end, fancier experience. First and foremost: Woodberry Kitchen. We think it's the best restaurant in the city - the food is amazing, it's all local and sustainable, and yet the place is anything but pretentious. It's a wonderful establishment and we highly recommend it. You can have a reasonably priced meal there, too - get the burger or a flatbread and a few snacks and you'll be good to go. I also think they have the best dessert in the city, called CMP (chocolate - marshmallow - peanuts). Their other desserts (fruit crumbles, etc.) are excellent too, and change with the season. Their hand-crafted cocktail menu is extensive and delicious, and they serve wonderful coffee in teeny French presses. How could you not love that? Also, Woodberry has a great brunch if you are looking for a fancy-ish brunch experience. Note that they book up early for dinner and brunch, so get crackin' and give them a call! Read about one of our very first visits to WK here.

We also recommend B&O American Brasserie, in the downtown area, which has a seasonal menu that is always creative and fun, and most importantly: delicious. Great cocktails (including homemade cola in some of their drinks), great desserts, and nice-sized portions. Also, B&O is located in the Hotel Monaco, and upstairs from the restaurant is the sickest (that's a good thing) lounge you've ever seen - it's decorated so elaborately, you must check it out before or after dinner. Take the marble staircase or the elevator to the second floor and it's just to the left of the concierge desk. We've enjoyed many meals at B&O, but read about our maiden voyage to B&O here.

Finally, we recommend one of the newest members of the Baltimore family, Wit & Wisdom Tavern, located in the Four Seasons Hotel in Harbor East. The menu changes seasonally, everything is exquisitely executed, and the service is impeccable. If you don't feel like staying (or paying) for a whole meal, the cocktails are incredible and the bar/seating area around the bar is fun just to lounge around and chat with your friends or the bartender. Get a cocktail and a snack (we love the charcuterie plate) and enjoy the cozy vibe. Or if you are around Harbor East in the morning, check out their gourmet coffee bar, LaMill Coffee, and have some expertly prepared coffee and beignets. Read about our recent wonderful experience at W&W here.

We hope this has been a helpful guide to you as you figure out your dining itinerary (doesn't everyone do that before they travel?). As always, if you have specific questions about where to eat please feel free to email us - we're happy to help and we really love doing it. We'll probably ask you a few questions about your budget, location within the city, if you have transportation, and what kind of cuisine you are looking for, so including that in your email isn't a bad idea.

And to all you Baltimore folks - have anything to add? Are we crazy for forgetting (or including) something on this list? Let us know! Hopefully this list will be a guide to visitors to Charm City for a long time to come.

Welcome to Charm City/Mobtown/The Greatest City in America/The City that Reads,

Erin & Xani

Adventures in Metuchen, NJ: Bodega Blondies

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

by EP & X

Pimm's Cups and Lauren welcome us to Metuchen, NJ!
Clearly, we are thrilled.

Long-time readers may recall that the BCD girls love them some NYC. Until recently, we used to go every couple of months, check out the hot new places to eat, see friends and family, drink fancy cocktails, crash in a fancy hotel (or on our best buddy Lauren's Brooklyn couch - either option was tres glamorous), and have a whirlwind Manhattan experience.

Our last visit was in Summer '11 and it was high time for us to visit the NY metropolitan area. But, instead of actually going into NYC, we instead hung out in Metuchen, NJ. On purpose. Yes, folks, we wanted a lounge-y vacation and while NYC is lovely for so many reasons, lounging is not really its forte. Thusly and forthwith, we went to New Jersey to hang out with Lauren, catch up on all the news (aka gossip), eat pizza and banana cream pie, and watch a heck of a lot of movies. Oh, and BAKE!

In the midst of our movie-watching and bagel-nomming, we decided we should bake something together since that's certainly not something we could have done together during a weekend in Manhattan. What to bake?, we pondered. We finally decided to make the Smitten Kitchen recipe for blondies, which basically gives you a basic recipe and you can throw in whatever mix-ins or flavorings you like. I've made them before with dark brown sugar, chocolate chips, and espresso powder (and called them "dirty blondies" since they came out so dark).

Lauren's pantry was a wee bit bare so we needed to go out for ingredients. But it was misty and cold out and we didn't feel like going to a real grocery store (so much WORK), so we decided to hit up the closest, dustiest convenience store, also known as a bodega (say it with me now: BO-DE-GA), for ingredients. Alas, Bodega Blondies were born.

Boar's Head VIPs in the house - clear the way!

We arrived at the bodega and first grabbed some eggs and butter for the blondies. Then we wandered through the aisles, trying to figure out the best flavor combo and giggling all the way. We ended up getting a wide selection of sweet and salty treats including: pretzels, Twix bars, Potato Stix and Skor bars (like Heath bars) as our flavorings, plus we knew Lauren had some honey roasted peanuts at home that we could consider.

We were the life of the party in this bodega

Once we got home, we surveyed our ingredients.

Wafting the potato stix, for the aroma, sure to follow science lab technique

Xani eyes the pretzel specimens, which we rejected as an add-in after her analysis

Finalists!

The batter came together easily and quickly, and we got to take out some frustration by smacking the shit out of the Skor bars, pretzel stix, and peanuts. After 25 minutes, they were done! Hooray!

Why use modern technology like a hand mixer when you have an ancient egg beater?

Batter up!

Only the batter is paler than us in this light

Bodega brownies, straight from the oven

The result? They were moist and chewy, and we ate them right up. But, I felt they could have used more chocolate flavor. As Xani points out, though, if I wanted chocolate, we should have made Bodega BROWNIES. Next time.

It was a fun, relaxing, and hilarious weekend together, and we look forward to having Lauren come down to Baltimore for some serious lounging, snacking, baking, hijinx, and bally-hoo. We love you, LP!

All dressed up and headed for the Metuchen nightlife

Bodega blondies and caviar dreams -

EP & X

The SHOW Must Go On...

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:23:00 +0000

by EP

BIG NEWS! We have been invited to participate in a live variety show called SHOW Baltimore! The event is this Wednesday, March 7 from 7-9 at the Wind Up Space in Baltimore (North Ave area, right across the way from Joe Squared Pizza....mmm). There is no charge to get in, but if you want to come, save your lunch money for booze - there's a bar and we encourage you to use it.

Here's the snazzy poster for the event:

And here's a blog post by one of the producers, which gives more info on the other acts: http://mobtownblues.com/2012/02/29/show-2-coming-up-on-march-7/

We are so honored and excited for the opportunity to talk a little bit about our blog (which is almost 5 YEARS old if you can believe it) and give some entertaining tips.

There may or may not be sweet treats for audience members...I can reveal nothing.

Cheers to a great SHOW,
EP & X

Is that a baby in my cake or are you just happy to see me?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:14:00 +0000

by EP & X

Xani and I have been cooking for a long time. Almost our entire lives. And we feel pretty confident in our ability to pick a great recipe (or make one up), execute it, navigate around any snafus, and serve it with a smile. In recent years, we have delved more deeply into the more complicated but arguably more glamorous cousin of cooking: baking. Xani has been baking breads a lot recently (remember her birthday brunch??), but I am more of a cookie girl. Give me a party and I'll give you some cookies/bars/treats of some sort. Maybe this is the only reason I get invited to parties...?

As you might recall, a few weeks ago it was Mardi Gras down in New Orleans, for which we have a great affinity. I told Xani I wanted to make a King Cake, the traditional sweet danish-like cake associated with Mardi Gras, as a baking adventure. In truth, I had never had a homemade, authentic King Cake myself - I had only had crappy grocery store versions when I was visiting the New Orleans area to do post-Katrina rebuilding projects. I wanted a taste of New Orleans and I figured we could handle the semi-complicated task.

For those who don't know, a King Cake is traditionally eaten around Mardi Gras and it apparently has to do with Christmas or Lent or...well, it's all very confusing for nice Jewish girls like us. We do know there is a plastic baby baked into the cake, and if you get the baby in your serving, you are king for the day! You also are on the hook to have next year's Mardi Gras party.

Let's just say we like cake and we like colored sparkly sprinkles, and we certainly love New Orleans, so we were excited to make our own King Cake.

We used two recipes, a Southern Living recipe for ingredients and most of the technique, and an Emeril recipe for a few other tips on technique.

Essentially, you make a yeast dough that includes sour cream, eggs, sugar, butter, and bread flour. You then knead the dough for 10 minutes and let it sit for an hour to rise.

Once it's risen, you punch it down and then roll it out into a rectangle shape. Then you slather it with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and then roll it up like a jelly roll, and then form it into a ring - the traditional King Cake shape. The dough rises again. I think patience is a main ingredient in baking: all that waiting around for rising! Luckily, we are very good at cracking each other up and playing with the puppy, Eddie, to pass the time.

As for forming the ring, here is where the Emeril technique comes in: Emeril suggested wrapping the dough around a (greased) coffee can, to keep its shape. We did so (even used a Cafe du Monde can!), and the cake kept its shape, though you can see in the pics below that the ends didn't stay together too well. Perhaps if we had rolled the dough out thinner, we would have gotten a longer ring and we would have been able to get a better result. Ah well, for next time.

It was at this point that we hid the baby in the ring!

Hey, baby

Once the dough was risen again, we baked it until golden (14-16 min). We let it cool slightly and then came the fun part: drizzling it with a creamy icing (made with powdered sugar, butter, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla) and sprinkling it with green, purple, and gold sparkles! (Green, gold, and purple are traditional mardi gras colors. Green represents faith, gold represents power, and purple represents justice.)

G assists with Team Sprinkles

The final product was really lovely - it was sweet and cinnamon-y, and had a great brioche-like texture. And who doesn't love icing and sprinkles?

Finished product! Now where's that baby again...?

As we wrapped up the day of fun, we decided to cut the cake into portion-sizes so we could bring it to our respective friends and offices (aka not eat the entire thing). But, none of us could remember where the baby was. Sure enough, as Xani was cutting the cake, she practically cut that baby right in half, King Solomon-style!

BABY!

While no one technically "got the baby," it was a fun activity for a holiday weekend and brought a little piece of mardi gras to Baltimore. I think once the weather gets warmer, we'll get Dave to make us hurricanes!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

EP & X

Chicago Noms, Part 1: A Girl, A Goat, and 22 Bottles

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:09:00 +0000

by EP

At the end of January, 15 people came together in Chicago - yes, Chicago in January - to celebrate a special friend's 30th birthday. That friend is my dear friend from college, Craig, who you might remember from such posts as this and this. I was so pleased and honored to be invited to this event, a "destination" birthday party in a fabulous city with an amazing and flourishing food scene. I had been to Chicago once before back in '04 for a chilly "spring break" road trip from St. Louis, but I was eager to get back and check out the city and the food I'd heard so much about (mostly from Twitter and Xani's various visits).

I will be blogging soon about my other eats with another buddy, Alex, but this post is dedicated to the fabulous meal and overall experience we had at Girl and the Goat, the brainchild of Chef Stephanie Izard, Top Chef Season 3 winner.*

Craig and his partner Mark hosted the dinner for 15 of Craig's friends from all parts of his life. We were seated in a private room in the basement of the restaurant ("the underground goat"). Technically I think it was their liquor store-room but they made it quite cozy and intimate with candles, music, and centerpieces, and the bottles of booze stacked up along each wall were more decor than "pantry."

We arrived at 7:00 and schmoozed for about an hour, enjoying champagne, warm marinated olives, and Fried Naked Cowboy Oysters with capers and egg salad. (It's a minor detail but I loved how the oysters were served on spoons that had been transformed into little serving vessels.)

Then we were seated at the large table, where our wonderful waitress brought three kinds of bread, each with two kinds of butter. While we noshed the bread, Craig stood up and made an incredible toast where he expressed his gratitude and addressed each of his guests, explaining to the group how he knew each person (since many of us had not met) and how special each of us was to him. Talk about touching!

Then it was time for the first "wave" of foods. This point deserves attention: the waitstaff brought the food out in several "waves" - lighter, appetizer-esque dishes, then mostly seafood dishes, then the meat dishes. Each dish in the wave was presented solo or with 1 other dish, and served family style. After each wave, we took a 10-15 min break to get up, use the restroom, walk around and mingle, take pictures, etc. To me, this made the meal that much more enjoyable - you didn't feel like you were just sitting there eating eating eating until you couldn't move. Plus, the table was kind of big so you could only comfortably speak to your close neighbors; the breaks allowed us to schmooze (my hobby) and get to know one another. Sharing the dishes family style also helped with this since it's interactive and everyone was excitedly discussing each dish.

And here was the fab menu (unfortunately the separation of dishes into waves is a bit hazy...blame the champagne):

Hiramasa Crudo with crisp pork belly, chili aioli, caperberries

The crudo + pork belly combo here was killer - light yet decadent.

Kohlrabi Salad with fennel, evalon, pear, toasted almonds, ginger dressing - no picture of this salad, which was one of the most memorable/favorite bites of the evening for me. I was too into the kohlrabi to take a picture, I guess! The salad was so crunchy but had a light yet creamy dressing. And I thought I didn't even like fennel!

Hen of the woods mushroom ragout with sweet potato agnolotti, shroom creme fraiche, capers

Grilled Seppia with piparra-pineapple relish, grilled kale, sweet garlic puree

The seppia (cuttlefish) is not unlike squid, and here it was grilled to perfection. This was another big hit in the first "wave" -- and overall! I think we ordered more, it was so fantastic.

Smoked Blue Prawns with hedgehog mushroom gribiche, creamy polenta

The head-on shrimp in this dish were not only delicious but also a great conversation piece, as there were some of us willing to "suck the head," and we spent the course trying to make everyone else do the same. Great play on shrimp and grits.

Fried Cod Cheeks with bacon sweet n' sour, potato aioli, tempura broccoli

Clearly I was not able to take a picture before people started digging in! This dish of fried cod cheeks and tempura broccoli was like a super-fancy version of General Tso's...cod cheeks. Very rich but very awesome.

Kalbi Style Beef Ribs with grilled sweet potatoes, charred okra

Sauteed Green Beans, fish sauce vinaigrette, cashews

And then they brought out the whole goat leg! It was served with pita bread, hard boiled eggs, crispy fried onions, and various sauces and sides. The meat was very flavorful and I loved the various condiments.

Whole Roasted Goat Leg (!) with sides and sauces

SO many condiments

Sugo with pappardelle, rosemary, cape gooseberries

This was an excellent pasta dish - the pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was rich and lovely.

Pan Roasted Brussels with sesame soy bean sprouts, pepitas, pecans, pomelo

I love me some Brussels sprouts and these were no exception. They were cooked well and they had a nice crunch from the nuts, and a good acidic flavor from the pomelo.

Wow, just wow. Everything was not only truly delicious but interesting in some way. I've done a lot of eating in my day and I've tried A LOT of different things, but the Chef here added some new twist, ingredient, or technique to each dish and really made them one of a kind creations. For me, my favorites were the kohlrabi salad, the seppia, and the cod cheeks. It was truly a whirlwind of cuisine though, so the details are fuzzy!

Then it was time for dessert. We enjoyed all four of the pastry chef's offerings on the menu that evening, also served family style.

Birthday boy blows out his candle!

Chocolate-Thai Chili Gelato with chocolate cake, peanut fluff, pomegranate, left hand milk stout

This dessert was probably my favorite - it had some heat to it from the thai chili that went so well with the chocolate and peanut butter. Reminds me of the spicy chocolate gelato at Pitango!

Butternut Malasadas with bourbon gelato, brown butter apples, hook's cheddar

Okay...maybe this one was my favorite. These were basically butternut squash donut holes with a bit of cheddar in the middle. This cheddar went beautifully with the apples, as in a cheddar-apple pie - GENIUS. And who doesn't love brown butter apples and bourbon gelato??

Pear wonton with parsnip puree, pineapple sweet and sour, and tamarind stracciatella - no picture of this one but this was also excellent - I loved the fried wonton with the warm pears inside. I have no recollection of the tamarind stracciatella but I'm sure it contributed to the yumminess factor.

Gingerbread Cake with cranberry-orange sorbet, caramel, orange cream, candied ginger

I am not a huge gingerbread fan but I liked how the spicy cake went with the bright and citrus-y sorbet.

All the desserts were great and again, so unique. I think there's a line between a meaningful and unique addition, and adding something just to add it and be obnoxious about it. I thought these desserts, while made up of many unique components, worked really well together and weren't pretentious about it. Then again, this opinion was formed after 11 courses and who knows how much champagne, so maybe I just wanted something sweet and a nice cup of coffee, okay?

As for beverages, we were offered still and sparkling water (bubbles for me, always!), and a choice of two reds (a Pinot and a something else) and two whites, or champagne. All in all, the 15 of us went through 22 bottles of various wines!

After the main courses and before the desserts, we were on a "break" and were chatting and mingling. And then our wonderful waitress offered to give Mark and Craig a tour of the kitchen, as Craig was a special guest and it was pretty late (11pm) and the kitchen was winding down a bit. Mark and Craig were kind enough to invite me along for the tour and I was STOKED! We toured the prep kitchen, which was in clean-up mode at the time, and we saw their walk-ins and all the prepped stuff for the rest of the weekend. Then we went upstairs to the main dining room and saw the semi-open kitchen (diners in the main dining room can see the "line" - chefs cooking their food), both the dessert station and the savory side. It was incredible to see the cooks working so hard and so fast, with so many hot pans and garnishes and quick turnarounds...exciting and terrifying. It was all very cool to see, but honestly, I have never felt more in the way than I did at that moment.

At the time of the dinner I was reading Blood, Bones, and Butter, memoir of Chef Gabrielle Hamilton (chef at Prune in NYC, which we love and have been to twice), so I had all that "inside scoop" knowledge of how a kitchen runs going through my head during the tour, which made the experience even cooler. Based on this "inside knowledge," I tried to swear - a lot - on the tour. To try to fit in, you know.

It was about 12:30am by the time we stumbled (from full-ness and the aforementioned 22 bottles) out of the Girl and the Goat, about 5.5 hours from start to finish. I can't get over what an incredible event this was, from the food to the company to the ambiance. The whole thing felt so special, you know? And I hope Craig, the birthday boy, felt the MOST special, as it was his special celebration.

In conclusion: this is a tough act to follow. My 30th is coming up this summer and I will have to really think about how to celebrate this one...

Happy birthday Craig, and thanks Mark & Craig for being such wonderful hosts! Love you both!

EP

Thanks Mark & Craig!

Ps. Here are a few more fun pics from the evening:

*I believe this was the 4th Top Chef-contestant restaurant I've been to. Others include: Volt (Bryan Voltaggio), Home (Richard Blais), and Perilla (Harold Dieterle - no blog post about this one but it was fantastic, trust me).

A Blog-Worthy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Xani) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:11:00 +0000

by Xani

I'm just coming out of the haze of happiness that I lived in for the past few days while celebrating my birthday. Now its all work deadlines, broken dishwashers, bills to pay and blogs to write. No wait, I take that last one back. Let me re-live the weekend by sharing with all of you!

The past few years we've headed up to NYC to celebrate my birthday. Always a fabulous, but exhausting time. This year, we decided to rest our old bones (?) and keep it local. Erin hosted me at her house (complete with a real guest room and surprisingly comfortable air mattress) for the whole weekend and we lived. it. up!

It all started Friday night, when I headed to Erin's with a car full of cooking/baking supplies, doughs, plastic cutlery, way too many clothes, and this:

Eddie only stuck around for the early part of the evening-- a little later his daddy picked him up so that EP and I could get to the business of failing at macarons. Sigh. We had prepared ourselves for this likely outcome but it was still a bummer. We're blaming it on our lack of a convection oven. Despite EP's research, including getting specific guidance from Chef Briony in actual FRANCE, our little disks refused to form a foot, formed cracks, and just generally flopped. We tossed them and drowned our sorrows in champagne and delivery from Kebab Stop (not bad stuff if you are in the Mt. Washington area).

The "before" may look promising, but the afters got thrown in the trash :(

The next day, we awoke refreshed and with one thing on our mind: shopping. After a getting our fix, we returned to EP's house, knocked a few things off our prep list for the next morning's brunch, and then started preparing ourselves for our much awaited dinner at Wit and Wisdom, the swanky Michael Mina restaurant in the new Four Seasons Hotel downtown. We had been looking forward to this meal for weeks.

Despite the build-up, W&W did not disappoint. At every turn the service was better and better- valet, coat-check, bar-tenders, waiters, etc, etc. The drinks at the bar were as creative and quaff-able as everyone has been telling me (try the Sticky Wicket!). Once we headed to our table (with a view of the open kitchen AND the waterfront, beat that, other tables!) I was thrilled to see a birthday card waiting for me which had been signed by the whole W&W staff. And it just got better from there! Our waiter Paul was perfect in every way, and the only thing more perfect than him was the food. Here it is, in all its splendor:

GUNPOWDER BISON TARTARE |

anson mills green farro, upland cress

Rice Porridge with duck tongues, crispy onions, egg

AMISH RABBIT BOUDIN & COUNTRY-FRIED LOIN

Insanely Good Broccoli (not the official name)

"Scorched Wheat" fettucine with kale and perfect egg

Special Birthday dessert!

Red Velvet Goodness

Not all the dishes we ate are on the restaurants website, so I had to paraphrase a little with the descriptions. But even without official/accurate descriptions, how gorgeous are these plates? And they tasted even better than they look. The two starters were excellent- the bison tartare was perfectly executed, but the porridge was the real star, just because it was so different, and tasted SO good. EP and I are suckers for gruel anyway, and this was like gruel to the Nth degree! Both mains were excellent as well- the pasta was nutty and al dente, and the eggy, buttery sauce reassured you that this was NOT health food, despite the kale. All three elements of the rabbit dish were excellent: the country-fried loin, crisp and crunchy; the confit legs, rich and melt in your mouth. But the boudin was the overall winner-- just bursting with great flavor. Add some broccoli served with hunks of bread that had been fried crisp in bacon fat, and you've got yourself a hell of a meal!

We finished things off with a couple of gorgeous creations by the pastry chef. At this point I was nearing saturation of both food and alcohol, so memories are especially hazy. We snapped one last picture and got out of there before we could eat or drink anything else.

Already thinking about tomorrow's brunch...

The next meal in the weekend's parade of food was a Ladies' Brunch Sunday morning. We hosted six of our girlfriends and plied them with mimosas, bloody marys, and carbs. What could be bad about that??

Menu:

Mimosa Bar (peach puree, strawberry puree, OJ)
Fruit Plate
Made from Scratch Bread Basket

Pomegranate-Clementine Butter
Honey-Five Spice Butter
Mixed Berry Cream Cheese
Sausage Biscuit Babies
Spinach Gruyere Strata

We fancy, huh

A spread of spreads

Call it a strata, call it a bread pudding, just don't call me late for brunch!

fruit to fill in the corners

I think these pictures tell the tale better than I can with words. My bread-baking hobby is sliding in to the "obsession" territory, thus I insisted on making the baguette, sourdough, muffins and biscuits from scratch. We made the sausage patties as well (and I still think wrapping them in parchment was the cutest touch!). The strata is truly the perfect brunch dish- fully assembled the day before, it baked to perfection while our guests nibbled the other offerings. Most importantly the brunch featured good friends, lots of laughs, and many cocktails.

Some ladies enjoying some drinks

Sisters celebrating!

After digesting for over 24 hours, I somehow found it possible to eat again. One final meal rounded out this fantastic weekend. Dave offered to cook a special birthday dinner, menu of my choosing. I went classic: raw oysters, NY strip steaks, potatoes, spinach. Dave truly outdid himself with the execution of this meal:

Something something about the walrus and the carpenter....

Steak by candlelight

The oysters? Amazing. The steak? None other than the premium dry-aged stuff from the new Harris Teeter in our 'hood. We were shocked at how flavorful they were. The taste was very different from non-aged beef. We both were reminded of flavors like parmesan, mushrooms, even fish. Maybe its the umami thing all the kids are talking about. Oh, and of course they were perfectly medium rare (thank you America's Test Kitchen reipe), and sat alongside crispy, cheesy hasselback potatoes and some damn fine creamed spinach (a favorite of mine since I was a toddler). He really knows the way to my heart... I am a lucky lady!

Could a girl ask for a more fabulous or delicious birthday?? I think not. Thank you to everyone who made it so special <3 <3 <3