Reviews of Restaurants and Places to Eat Interspersed with Food & Beverage talk

xxx hot and tasty

2009-11-14T14:06:00.001-08:00

xxx hot and tasty, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

This Salsa is actually called Triple-X Salsa and is made in West Virginia by an amazing entrepreneur. This Salsa is spicy and even though I was born and brought up India this spiciness reminds me of Bhut Jolokia ( hottest chilly in the world) Compared to the previous peach salsa this salsa is for the die hard spicy lovers. As usual the Salsa was like home made from Blue Smoke Salsa. If you are a fan of spicy salsa you should check this out. i think the website is http://www.bluesmokesalsa.com/.

This picture is my highest viewed picture on Flickr and I am not surprised. I would consider ordering this for the holidays. They have other tasty and milder salsa too ;)

Washington Post Food Critic Tom Sietsema now on Twitter (RT)

2009-11-14T07:39:00.001-08:00

I was thrilled to see that Tom Sietsema the Washington Post food critic is on Twitter. According to Tweetstats Tom Sietsema’s activity increased since October with an average of 1.8 tweets per day.

Not surprising that Tom tweets more on Friday

As a food critic he probably cannot say where he is dining when he is dining. But here is a sampling of some interesting tweets from him.

Direct from Lebanon: DC gets the first U.S. branch of Kababji Grill. Fire up your appetites. http://bit.ly/4qMR7N

Lunch at White House Mess today: Burgers, salmon, molten chocolate cake. Nice touch: Departing guests get M & Ms with Obama's signature.

Follow Tom Sietsema http://twitter.com/Tomsietsema and also Shana Glickman http://twitter.com/dcconcierge @dcconcierge Mbhide http://twitter.com/mbhide another DC food writer I like a lot. Anyone you know of that we should all follow, comment here and let me know.

Technorati Tags: food critic,washington post food,tom sietsema,dc blogs,dc food blogs

Diegos at MGM Grand

2009-11-13T22:05:00.001-08:00

Pubcon 2009 Day 3 Diegos at MGM Grand, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

MGM Grand has a few great restaurants and we tried out the Mexican Restaurant called Diegos.

The guacamole was made fresh at the table on a trolley that is brought to your table. Reasonably priced restaurant , only wish they had more beers on tap. Great salsa for your chips.

Crisco Pie Hotline for help creating the perfect pie for the holidays

2009-11-09T09:07:00.001-08:00

Got this in the mail and thought it great to share with readers who have pie on their mind this holiday season.

Every year, thousands of home chefs struggling with their pie crusts rely on the brand they can trust – Crisco^®. Available beginning October 1, 2009, the Crisco Pie Hotline is back to offer the latest baking, storage tips, time saving hints and the option to talk to a live pie pro. Consumers can call 1-877-FOR PIE TIPS toll-free to find answers to some of the most common pie-baking questions like:

"How do I prevent the bottom of my pumpkin pie crust from becoming soggy?”

“How do I prevent my meringues from weeping?”

“How can I make a quick, classic pie crust?”

The Crisco Pie Hotline features tips and new helpful hints from the 2009 American Pie Council Crisco National Pie Championship’s Champions Carol Socier and Linda Hundt. Carol is the 2009 Amateur Pie Champion in the Custard category for her “Butterscotch Pecan Cream Pie” and Linda is the 2009 Professional Pie Champion Best in Show for her “Tom's Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie.” The pre-recorded tips from these experts as well as the live Crisco Pie Pros will give your readers the tools they need to create the perfect pie every time.

Home chefs can also visit Crisco Pie Central at www.Crisco.com to find troubleshooting tips, step-by-step visual instructions for creating delicious pie crusts and simple, yet tasty recipes using seasonal ingredients.

I may be calling this hotline if I get time off from blogging to bake pies.

Happy Hour at Indique heights Oct 29th 2009

2009-10-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Would love to meetup with all of you folks at the Indique heights tomorrow Oct 29th at 6.30 p.m. You can RSVP at http://gsbhh.eventbrite.com Please help me spread the word. Thanks.

PopTech 2009 Camden Maine Oysters from Maine at the Closing Gala

2009-10-26T13:05:00.001-07:00

PopTech 2009 Camden Maine Oysters from Maine at the Closing Gala, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

I love oysters having had them for the first time at the Etta's restaurant in Seattle where I went to attend Gnomedex. Then the next time was at the Poptech Closing gala in 2008 where you actually watched the shucking of the oysters.

#poptech Eating to reduce your carbon footprint

2009-10-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

#poptech lunch was vegetarian and lowered the carbon footprint, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

In a great presentation Michael Pollan (http://www.michaelpollan.com/) gave some great tips to help reduce the carbon footprint:

- Eat locally grown produce, organic produce shipped across the country has a larger carbon footprint
- Grow vegetables at home
- Cook at home and eat less outside
- Have family meal times and eat at the table together with the family.
- A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a meat eater in a Prius
- A burger takes 26 oz of oil and 13 lbs of fuel to make
- change the food bills in the US legislature not to focus so much on corn

Vegetable Lasagna (local organic vegetables smothered in a basil pesto sauce) from http://www.paolinasway.com/ 10 Bayview Landing, Camden, ME 04843 (207) 230-0555

Poptech 2009 Portabel;o Burger at the SmokeStack Grill in Camden Maine

2009-10-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

Poptech 2009, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Portabello burger at the Smokestack Grill in Camedn Maine. website is at http://www.thesmokestackgrill.com/Site/Home.html and they could use a couple of more reviews on Yelp http://www.yelp.com/biz/smokestack-grill-camden

They are on Facebook too

Tom Sietsema's 10th Dining Guide

2009-10-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

I Was thrilled to see this Tweet todayu on Twitter:
floridagirlindc RT @TheFix: Tom Sietsema's 2009 dining guide is here! http://bit.ly/G6KAB

I love waiting for the Dining Guide to see which of my favorite restaurants are in Tom Sietsema’s list. At least from the quick glance I think I can declare that this list does not have a single restaurant that I have visited.

The restaurant’s I want to try out are :

Michael’s Noodles

Burma Road

You can read the Tom Sietsema’s Fall Dining guide here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/gog/tom-sietsema-dining-guide-2009/

Loudoun County Bloggers meet for a good cause Oct 21st at Finnegan's Irish Pub

2009-10-14T17:13:00.001-07:00

I was there at the last meet-up For Bloggers for Good in Feb 2009 and Erin has organized. Families welcome and great to meet a nice crowd of folks meeting with the goal of contributing for a good cause.

Mark your calendars: our next BFG meet-up will be Wednesday, October 21 at Finnegan's Irish Pub in Ashburn from 5-7.
Our last meet-up accomplished our three core goals: we met, we networked, and we did "good." We raised over $600 for Loudoun Interfaith Relief. I was personally incredibly touched by your generosity, especially in these tough economic times. I wish you could have all been there with me when I delivered the check; they were so appreciative!
This time, I hope we can do more of the same. This is a blogger meet-up for bloggers, readers, and friends. We'll catch up, socialize and network
We've selected an amazing local charity: Cole's Closet, which provides emotional and financial support for seriously ill children and their families. They take on projects like making hospital rooms more home-like and providing toys and activities for sick kids and their siblings.
Bloggers, spread the word! Finnegan's will generously donate 30% of all the sales we generate during the meet-up to Cole's Closet, a local charity committed to providing comfort to sick children and their families.
Send me an email at Erin@BloggersforGood.org to get our flyer, press release, and graphic.
Can't wait to see you all again!

In time for Halloween - Drink Dracula's blood

2009-10-03T16:38:00.001-07:00

drink Dracula's blood, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

This was in the Fallsgrove MCDLC in Rockville. Great idea and this is seasonal only.

New restaurant coming to Rio in Gaithersburg

2009-09-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

New restaurant coming to Rio in Gaithersburg, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

The Restaurant Raaz in Gaithersburg seems to hace closed and in its place I saw this Sign for Penang - Malaysian Cuisine and also for Karma, maybe they are splitting the restaurant into 2. I am looking forward to Malaysian Cuisine.

Shaam-e-Mehfil – An evening concert at Spice Xing Rockville

2009-09-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

If you want to imagine yourself in a palace in India listening to soothing ghazals you should check this event out. Experience India without spending on an air ticket.

Date: Sunday @7th September

Time:5:30pm - 11:30pm

Location:Spice Xing
100 B Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD

Ph:3016100303

See the Facebook event page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147665942912&ref=nf

$55 includes dinner, tax, tip and 3 hours of Gazals, qawwalis and light Bollywood songs too depending on what the crowd wants

The bar is cash only

Nanny's Obriens in Cleveland Park is on Facebook

2009-09-19T15:39:00.001-07:00

Great places to network, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

This is a nice watering hole right across the Cleveland park metro and I was excited to see this sign of their Facebook page. I think they have a very savvy owner and probably a great PR company/ consultant

Bollywood beats this Friday - SEP 18 - BLACK CAT, WASHINGTON DC, DJ REKHA!

2009-09-16T17:54:00.001-07:00

If there is one movie you want to see this Weekend - go for Dil Bole Hadippa, & Friday, come along with your friends for the PARTY OF THE MONTH - DJ REKHA!
DJ Rekha (born Rekha Malhotra) is a London-born musician who has taken her own blend of contemporary bhangra music to the United States since the early 1990s. Her first album, DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra, released in October 2007 on Koch Records, fuses the South Asian genre of bhangra music with international hip-hop and drum beats. DJ Rekha is a DJ, producer, curator, and activist, and has been credited with pioneering bhangra music in North America.
DJ REKHA - http://www.djrekha.com/
Event info - http://djrekha.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=45936
Black Cat - 1811 14th St. NW, Washington, DC - 20009
http://www.blackcatdc.com/
http://www.facebook.com/l/7bf3d;en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_(Washington,_D.C._nightclub)

What do you order at StarBucks? and restaurant secrets unveiled

2009-09-02T04:59:00.001-07:00

More than a year ago I wrote a similar post about Starbucks Coffee Speak and asked for your help in decoding the strange code. That post received the highest ever comments for a post of mine. Today I am sitting in a StatBucks drinking regular coffee "short" - yes you heard it right - Starbucks has a size called "short" that is available on demand and not mentioned on the menu. I love this size because I don't waste any of it and gives me the right amount of caffeine I need. Just to prove I am/not a cheapskate "short" costs only about 10 to 15 cents less than Tall. I love Starbucks for doing this. I am also reminded of the "Gambler's Special" I read about in Rohit Bhargava's book Personality Not Included which is available at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas - a nice meal for $7.77 (See yelp review) and wonder if there are other secrets that I don't know about in restaurants. My Question to you is : a) Know of any specials in restaurants that is not on the menu? b) What do you order in StarBucks? (Please use additional sheets of paper if the comment field is not enough :) )

Hungry? Ixtapa Restaurant - Rockville

2009-08-26T20:00:00.001-07:00

Hungry?, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Ixtapa Restaurant
(301) 838-9070
11 N Washington St #104
Rockville, MD 20850

A hot summer day is not the right day to go to a restaurant as everyone wants to be outside. You enter and see the white table cloth and think this is going to be expensive. But the menu cards arrive and the prices seem reasonable. Staff are very friendly and the dishes are good. The picture here is a Vegetable Burrito.

What could be better? The salsa was a little liquidy which could be corrected . Otherwise its a nice place

Mouth Watering Blue Corn Enchilada - El Cholo Santa Monica

2009-08-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles Trip July 2009, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

El Cholo | Santa Monica
1025 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 899-1106

I was talking to a friend on the phone and when he heard I was going to LA for the first time he recommended El Cholo for the best Mexican food. Boy ! Was he right. This restaurant food was the greatest MExican food I have eaten. We ordered :

Blue Corn Enchiladas (1986)
(Rosa's All Time Favorite!)
Marinated Breast of Chicken Enchiladas wrapped with Blue Corn Tortillas, Tomatillo Sauce, Sour Cream, and Avocado Garnish. Served with Black Beans and Rice.

Green Corn Tamales
SO yummy!
Fresh Corn off the Cob, Corn Masa, Cheddar Cheese and Ortega Chile, Steamed in its Own Husk. Beans and Rice.

May Thru October only

Sizzling Chicken Fajitas
Delicate Chunks of Chicken Breast.
Sauteed with Fresh Garden Vegetables

The restaurant is near the Santa Monica Pier

Chin chin beverly dr los angeles

2009-07-24T23:14:00.001-07:00

Chin chin beverly dr los angeles, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Angeethi Restaurant wins my vote

2009-07-11T07:31:00.001-07:00

Chole= indian chick peas dish angeethi Herndon, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Angeethi
www.angeethiva.com

645 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
(703) 796-1527

What is special about this lunch buffet is the appetizer counter that you can get the chef to make Dahi bhalla, Bhel Puri or Papdi Chat right there for you. ( These are very typical snacks made famous on the Juhu beach in Bombay/Mumbai) I also like the Chole ( Indian Cheick peas dish) placed on this griddle very miuch like you would see in the markets in Delhi or Mumbai . This is eathen with fried bread called Bhatura ( also on the lunch buffet menu). Very good food and love the variety.

Only peeve this lunch buffet had 4 dishes all red in color. As a chef myself I would have added a different dish to make the balance. of cource what's a Washington DC metro area indian buffet without Chicken Tikka Makhni or butter Chicken .

Suggestion to these folks. Start a dosa counter too for people as part of the buffet.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations is back

2009-07-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

Travel Channel sent me a message that Anthony Bourdain is back and the new season begins Monday, July 13! This season will have him visit Chile, Australia, Sardinia and Thailand along with places in the US.

Highlights of this season:

Chile’s cuisine reflects its topographical diversity, consisting of beef, pork, seafood, fruits, and vegetables. Chile is also filled with gorgeous landscapes, beautiful mountains, and breathtaking flora and fauna. While in Chile, Tony will not only sample this delicious cuisine but will also do some exploring in this ‘land of extremes’.
During his trip, Tony visits Fuente Alemana, a restaurant serving German pints and Lomidos, a monstrous sandwich of pork, avocado, and mayonnaise (make sure to watch the sneak peek scene on a full stomach!). Tony’s obsession with pork continues when he dines at El Hoyo, a restaurant specializing in all forms of pork, pork skin, and extraneous pig bits.
The episode continues as Tony enjoys a rodeo, some shopping at the bustling market in the Estacion Central, which is filled with fresh produce and meats. He also stops at a food stall in the neighboring marketing, where they enjoy ‘caldopata’ (hoof soup), ‘chunchules’ (fried intestines), and ‘pastel de choco’ (corn pie).
Tony also wants to see a bit of the Patagonia region of the country where there are gorgeous coastlines, quiet beaches, and stunning cliffs and hillsides. There, over a delicious meal of all local ingredients, they discuss living ‘the good life’

Free Chips and Salsa on the Mall

2009-07-05T11:56:00.001-07:00

Free Chips and Salsa on the Mall, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

On July 4th Chi Chis folks were giving out free Salsa and Chips at the Smithsonian Station. This is a great idea and the chips were very good. I will remember Chi Chis for a long time.

Nothing Should Surprise you on the National Mall Washington DC specially on july 4th 2009

2009-07-05T11:40:00.001-07:00

July 4th 2009, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Lake Seneca Germantown

2009-07-04T06:08:00.001-07:00

Lake Seneca, originally uploaded by ShashiBellamkonda.

Good place to have a picnic - The Black Hill Regional park is very family friendly website :http://cli.gs/Qg4Wau

Gumbalya - Red hot and blue

2009-06-06T08:06:00.001-07:00

Gumbalya Red hot and blue, originally uploaded by shashiBellamkonda.

I love the Jambalya 9 I pronounce it very differently from the wait staff here) This dish is a combination of Jamablya and Gumbo. I thought this was sambar rice with sausage ( sorry vegetarians)