There are always new restaurants popping up in DC. Right now it’s all about Le Diplomate and Del Campo. There’s also Beuchert’s Saloon and Daikaya, just to name a few. And what’s DC with out another José Andrés hot spot? Barmini, located next to Minibar opened in February and offers over 100 odd cocktails. But you must make a reservation.

One place that I came across on my own was Mari Vanna. A Russian restaurant and lounge that’s an international chain. With the look of a Russian tea house, it is the chicest little spot to grab drinks with friends and enjoy one of the many infused vodkas they make in house. I went with a traditional Russian cocktail recommended by my server: Horseradish vodka, cucumber and dill vodka, club soda, and a splash of lime.

Interesting yet tasty, but I would have been happier sipping it with some smoked salmon. I’ll have to go back to try the food.

There are so many restaurants I want to try, but here are a couple of my favorites posts from favorite restaurants in the past.

Blue Duck Tavern-located in the Park Hyatt, this restaurant offers wholesome American fare, prepared through simple, time-honored cooking methods. The menu is based on seasonal ingredients, and the portions are family style.

Cork Wine Bar-located in Logan Circle serving up small plates of contemporary European and American cuisine and specializes in wines.

Bibiana Osteria & Enoteca-Gourmet Italian cuisine in a sophisticated, upscale setting.

Ripple-Located in Cleveland Park, this restaurant serves up local, seasonal, and sustainable food in a comfortable setting.

Estadio-Contemporary Spanish restaurant in Logan Circle serving up interpretations of classic small plates found in Spain’s Basque and Catalon regions.

Rasika West End -Modern Indian cuisine consisting of griddle, open barbecue, and regional dishes in an upscale yet modern and comfortable setting.

Toki Underground-Small little hole in the wall serving up delicious Taiwanese ramen, dumplings, and Asian-themed cocktails in Washington, DC’s Atlas District on H Street.

Little Serow-hidden on 17th street, this restaurant serves a set menu family-style dinner that changes weekly of northern and northeastern Thai dishes for $45 per person.

What are some of your favorite DC restaurants?

A month ago I took my Aunt and some of her friends treking through DC tasting some of my favorite food and drinks. I taped the whole thing to share with you. I had so much fun that I plan on doing many more of these (maybe you can come along in person too!) with different restaurants.

What are some of your favorite places or foods in DC?

Every year my work puts on an over the top Burgundy dinner for some very special winemakers we work closely with. In the past we have done the dinner at Citronelle, but this year it took place at 2941. I’ve written some other posts about wine dinners at this restaurant, but the Burgundy dinner is always the most special.

I was thrilled to be invited since it was a $220.00 dinner with 5 courses and wine pairings. What makes these dinners special is getting to know the winemakers, hear their stories, and enjoy their wines with them. This year 2941 and Chain Bridge Cellars featured wines from Domaine Thibert and Lamy Pillot for one incredible and memorable evening.

These are both very small producers in Burgundy, France, but in my opinion, some of the best. They mostly make white burgundy (Chardonnay) and some red (Pinot Noir). The dinner kicked off with passed hors d’oeuvres, which I have to admit, were some of my favorite bites of the night! We were served a beautiful glass of Domain Thibert’s 2011 Vielle Vigne from Pouilly Fuisse while enjoying our snacks. This was a lovely wine to start and was a nice balance of richness and freshness in one glass. All the passed appetizers were wonderful. Calamari Tempura with a fresh and savory citrus aoili, Warm Gougere with aged Comte cheese, and my favorite of the night, Zucchini Fritters with feta cheese, mint, and yogurt dip. Fried to perfection with a bright green dip to add some flavor.

Once we were seated we were served the next two wines to pair with our first dish. Slow cooked Skuna Bay Salmon that was lightly smoked with shaved hairloom potatoes, spring garlic, and chive emulsion. With this dish we tried both the Domaine Thibert Les Champs 2010 and the Domaine Thibert Les Champs 2007, a richer, buttery style Chardonnay.

This dish was incredible. The salmon was rare, and complemented perfectly with this light frothy sauce that I wanted to slurp with a spoon. The wines were very different, and although the 2010 was a great pairing with the salmon, the crowd seemed to like the rich, buttery style of the 2007.

Crab & Lobster En Pastilla with toasted hazelnut, zucchini salad, with a vanilla-black pepper vinaigrette was our second dish and perfectly paired with two wines from Domaine Lamy Pillot. The Chassagne Montrachet Pot Bois and the Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets. In layman’s terms: Chassagne Montrachet is an Appellation in Burgundy, and Caillerets is the name of the vineyard. The grape is still Chardonnay.

I love seafood, and I wasn’t sure about the hint of vanilla, but I thought it was quite nice here.

Moving onto red wines, we were served a Pan Seared Squab Breast with caramelized spring onion, roasted marjoram-potato gnocchi, Thai basil salad with juniper sea salt, and thyme jus. My favorite part of this dish was the thyme jus and the gnocchi. I would have been happy with just that. The squab was good, but I was not WOW’d by it unfortunately. Maybe I’m just not a squab person.

With this dish we tasted both the Lamy Pillot St. Aubin Les Argilliers 2009, a chalkier, more mineral driven Pinot Noir, and the Lamy Pillot Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean 2009, a riper, more elegant style Pinot Noir. Again, both wines were 100% Pinot Noir from the appellation Chassagne Montrachet in Burgundy. I thought this was the best pairing of the night.

The dinner finished with a light Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with roasted strawberries, and verjus sorbet. A nice refreshing way to end the evening, but I couldn’t have passed on this and been happy with another zucchini fritter..just saying.

A wonderful evening put on by Chain Bridge Cellars, Olivier Daubresse, and the folks at 2941. And a special thanks to sommelier Jonathan Schuyler and chef Bertrand Chemel for another great food and wine pairing extravaganza.

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, and what better way to say thanks to your mom than to make her brunch. But instead of doing the traditional eggs and potatoes sort of brunch, switch it up and get creative. I made this recipe for Easter brunch/lunch, and it turned out amazing. I can’t wait to make it again. This is a great side dish and perfect with a Honeybaked ham, scalloped potatoes, and Mimosas. This specific brussels sprouts recipe is a nice combination of salt, sweet, savory, and crunchy. It pretty much has it all.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples
Ingredients:

• 1 large package of brussels sprouts
• 1 large apple diced with skin on
• 1 large white onion diced
• 6-8 strips of bacon
• 1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400*. Wash all the brussels sprouts and cut off the ends and the outer leaves. Cut each sprout in half or in quarters. Spread the brussels sprouts on a greased baking pan, but be sure not to crowd them. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast in a 400* oven for about 15 minutes. Next brown your bacon in a sauce pan until slightly crispy and transfer each piece to a paper towel.

Pour off most of the bacon grease into a small dish, but leave some in the pan. Saute the onions in the bacon grease until almost translucent and add in the diced apple. Saute until onions are translucent.

Cut the bacon into smal pieces.

Remove the onions and apples from the pan and set aside. After flipping the brusseles sprouts, lightly pour the bacon grease on top and mix together so the oil is evenly distributed. Bake for another 10 minutes. This allows the sprouts to get crispy on the outside. Remove the brussels sprouts from the oven and transfer to serving dish. Add in the onions and apples and top with the bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

One of my closest friends here in DC is moving, and I couldn’t be happier for her and sadder that she is leaving. She is my foodie soulmate, and when we met over 2 years ago it just clicked. We bonded over our recent break ups and then immediately realized we had the same love for food and drinks. And the rest is history. Many nights we went out to eat, many nights we stayed in and cooked, many nights we laughed and sometimes we cried, but most of all we had so much fun doing it all.

Last October I invited Jill to Napa Valley with me because I knew there was no better person to enjoy the amazing food and wine that Napa has to offer and make me laugh my head of 24/7.

No relationship is perfect all the time, but this girl made me a stronger, more confident person, and I am forever changed my her friendship.

But enough about that…let’s talk about our dinner! We always had a list of restaurants to try and now that she’s leaving soon, there was one place we knew we had to check out before her departure. Little Serow is literally a hidden gem. The restaurant has no sign and is located in the basement of Komi, they don’t take reservations, and the it only holds about 20ish people. A line starts forming about an hour before the door opens at 5:30pm. With all that being said, it was one of the best food experiences of my life. I got there at 4 not knowing what to expect, but no one was there yet so I grabbed a beer at Agora, a nearby restaurant.

Once I saw people standing around the door of 1511 17th street (that is the only way you know you’re at the restaurant-there are literally no signs) around 4:30 I got my spot in line. In that hour wait the line was 30-40 people long. Even with out a sign or much marketing, people know about Little Serow.

The doors open at 5:30 and we were taken into the restaurant one party at a time. Located in the basement of a row home, this dark restaurant transformed you to Thailand. Bright turquoise walls, white water pitchers, and lit only by a couple lights and candles. It really was unique, but such a clean and appealing atmosphere. I especially got a kick out of the country music that played in the background.

The service was top notch. Each server was upbeat, kind, and very knowledgeable on the menu and the drinks that the restaurant served. You were paid special attention and they helped you pick the best drink pairings for the food. The restaurant serves a set menu of 8 family-style dinner of northern and northeastern Thai dishes for $45 per person. There are no substitutions and the menu changes each week. The food is very spicy, and the drink menu is geared towards sweeter wines and beers to help balance the spiciness.

We both started with a Rose. I chose the fruitier Château Musar and Jill went with a lighter bodied Provence style Rose. And then the food started pouring out. I can’t remember all the details about each dish, and the pictures aren’t great because you can’t use flash in the restaurant. But let me assure you that each bit was better than the last. I couldn’t get over how spicy each dish was, but how flavorful and harmonious it was either. The spiciness was just enough to keep you coming back.

We started with the Nam Prik Num which was a salsa like dip made from finger chilies, shallot, and bla rah. This was served with crispy pork rinds and fresh vegetables. The vegetables and rice stay on the table and are refilled for each dish.

Next we were served the Tom Kha Gapi, a soup of shrimp, ramps, and galangal. A spicy lemongrass soup with shrimp and *I think* coconut milk.

Soop Naw Mai; bamboo shoots, snakehead fish, and rice powder. An interesting combination at first, but I couldn’t put the fork down. At this point our eyes were water from the spice, and we didn’t know how much worse it could get. But it was a good spice, the kind that you can’t stop eating.

I had switched to a bittersweet vermouth by this point. Upon recommendation from our server, I went with the Imbue Vermouth. Sweet at first and bitter on the end and very refreshing. The perfect pairing for our next spicy dish.

Gai Laap Chiang Mai; chicken liver, sawtooth, and long peppers. This was served with cabbage leaves to balance the heat.

The next dish that was served was one we had read about in many reviews. Naem Khao Tod; crispy rice, sour pork, and peanuts. This was an outstanding combination of flavors. I loved the salty and tangy pork with the fried rice balls, and the crunchiness from the peanuts. There was a slight hint of dill that made this dish really refreshing.

The next dish was one of my favorites from the evening. Gai Lan Bla Kem; greens, salted fish, and egg. It started out sweet and finished spicy. The sauce was sweet, savory, and spicy. I literally wanted to bathe in it.

When I told our server how much I loved this sauce she said “just wait till the next dish”. And she was right!

Before the last dish I switched to the Perucchi Vermouth, again upon the servers recommendations. This Vermouth is sweeter with notes of orange and cinnamon and clove. The flavors paired really well with the next dish and enhanced each characteristic.

Our last and final dish of the evening was the Si Krong Muu; Pork ribs in a mekhong whiskey sauce. The ribs melted in your mouth, and the sauce was by far one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. It was umami. The flavors were rich, hearty, tangy, fresh, and powerful. It was absolutely delicious. However, we were stuffed and barely finished this one.

This was such an amazing restaurant, and I could not have been happier with my experience. The best goodbye dinner for the best of friends.

The famous Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, Zaytinya, kicks off their very first Greek Easter Celebration with a fantastic outdoor market featuring local artists and vendors as well as live music.  I had the chance to cover the fun festival and market for Capital Cooking. You can read the entire post here full of Greek wine and spirits, tradition Greek cuisine, and fun live music.

I made homemade soup for the very first time.  I can’t believe I’ve never made soup.  And I call myself a cook. Sheesh.  But I couldn’t believe how easy this was.  I got the idea from watching the food network the other day, but that recipe was for ‘almost raw asparagus soup’. I took that idea, but changed it up to a version I liked better.

This recipe is simply roasted asparagus, onion, and garlic.  Could not be easier.

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I really enjoyed the flavor of this soup. You are able to taste the bright asparagus flavor and hints of onion and garlic to round the entire soup out. The texture is smooth and creamy and very satisfying.

Last Sunday I took my aunt and 3 of her friends on a food tour of DC. I carefully picked each place to go and wanted to give them a little bit of everything. So we spent the day walking, eating, drink, and talking. It really doesn’t get any better. I’m making a video of the entire tour, which may take a week or so, but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak at our fabulous day out.

After making a homemade Roasted Red Pepper Dip the other day, I wanted to try some other combinations. I’ve been playing around with making black bean dip for a couple years now, and I think I’ve finally perfected my recipe. Maybe not the most glamourous looking dip, but certainly delicious.

There is something really satisfying about this dip. It has fresh orange juice to give it a sweet citrus flavor, and there is a little heat from the hot pepper flakes.

It’s a fabulous dip for carrots, cucumbers, celery sticks, pita chips, or corn tortilla chips.  You can even spread this on whole wheat bread and top with tomatoes and avocados.  I served it with a little bit of everything including skinny strawberry margaritas to wash it all down.

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I never thought I’d become someone who made her own hummus and bean dips, but after learning how to make homemade hummus I rarely ever buy store brand. It just isn’t the same and making your own and can be so much fresher, more flavorful, less expensive, and healthier! (NO Preservatives!)

I’ve experimented with Spicy Cilantro Hummus, Spicy Eggplant Dip, and Chipotle Hummus with orange. But last week I went a little crazy and made a Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and a Spicy Black Bean Dip to go with carrots and celery. I ended up putting the roasted red pepper hummus on everything, and I assure you, once you make hummus and dip from scratch, you may never go back to store brand either.

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Ingredients:

• 1 14.5 oz can Chickpeas washed and drained
• 2 Roasted Red Peppers(I used jarred)
• juice of 1 ripe lemon
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil (add more as needed)
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add more lemon juice or olive oil if the hummus is too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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I enjoyed this hummus with just about anything. It even has enough flavor to jazz up eggs and meat too.

It would be a delicious complement to chicken or even steak. I made a vegetable medly with cannelini beans, diced tomatoes, and zucchini, topped it with two eggs and had it with the hummus. It added just enough flavor to the eggs with a little added protein.

Absolutely delicious. There is really nothing better than runny eggs in the morning. In my opinion.