Dinner in the City of Brotherly Love

by Erin and Xani

Last weekend, our cousin Karen was in Philadelphia for a conference, so we drove up from Baltimore to spend some time with her and of course, do some eating.

On a suggestion from Jenny (former resident of Philly/NJ), we went to Washington Square, a hip restaurant in...Washington Square (shocking, I know).

The first thing we noticed about WS was its interesting decor. We ate outside, but the outside seating area was covered by tent-like contraptions, and the walls and nearby bar had an art deco feel, which was very cool.

To start, we ordered a pitcher of Watermelon Lemonade, which consisted of vodka, fresh watermelon, and lemonade. It was delicious and refreshing, but with that nice little jolt from the vodka.

Then our waiter brought us some delicious bread, which was like a ciabatta (crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, with lots of big air pockets), which was served with two kinds of butter: regular and garlic and herb. Yum!

We decided that the game plan for the meal would be for us to order a bunch of appetizers (since they all looked fantastic) and one main dish, and share everything. That way we could try more things (the ultimate goal of any foodie!) and also have room for something sweet at the end of the meal.

Our plan worked brilliantly, if we do say so ourselves. We ordered four appetizers:

• Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare, with pickled ginger, lychee nut granite, and sesame flat bread
• Panzanella Salad, with heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, and garlic crostini
• Spicy Crisp Calamari, with tobiko and lemon
• Proscuitto Pizza, with olive tapenade and parmesan cheese

The tartare was Karen's pick and it was fabulous - clean, crisp flavors and fresh tuna, and yummy sesame crackers to boot.

The Panzanella was also excellent - it was sort of deconstructed and modern-looking, and the heirloom tomatoes were wonderful. The garlic crostini were super-flavorful and added a punch to the salad.

The calamari was good and spicy, though not terribly creative. It also could have been crispier. But, the squid was perfectly cooked and the serving was generous.

Lastly, the Proscuitto Pizza: this had a lovely crust and lots and lots of flavor, though EP thought it was a bit salty with both the proscuitto and the tapenade.

For our main dish, we ordered the Grilled Branzino, which was served with fingerling potatoes, lemon confit, and a brown-butter pine nut vinaigrette. YUM. (Unfortunately our camera was in a mood and none of the pictures came out right - sorry!) This was the best dish of the night! First, the chef here is a genius because he took the fingerling potatoes (one of the cutest and most delicious of the potato family) and he cut them into rounds (or as BCD Dad would call them, "potato money"). This resulted in the fish being layed upon a bed of crispy, delicious, tiny potato rounds! Um...anyway, got a little carried away there. The fish itself was also delicious - it was perfectly cooked and had a mild flavor, and the flavors from the lemon and the pine nuts were fantastic. Bravo!

As planned, we had room for some dessert and coffee/espresso. We decided on the Ricotta Beignets, which were served with huckleberry, vanilla cream cheese, and white peach sorbet. While these were not traditional beignets (see BCD opening photo above, taken when Xani and Erin went to the home of beignets, Cafe du Monde in New Orleans), they were still delicious and beautifully presented. They were still warm from the fryer, and the toppings were delicious and interesting. The vanilla cream cheese was sweet and thick, the huckleberry mash was bright and puckery, and the peach sorbet was AMAZING. It was clean and sweet and refreshing, and wonderful against the hot richness of the beignet. Yummm!

Overall, we totally loved Washington Square. The service and decor were fabulous, and the food was great and so beautifully presented. It was GREAT to see Karen and catch up with her - we usually see her but once a year at Passover so it was wonderful to spend some QT with her. We love you, Karen!

Happy eating,

E & X

Good Eats in Olympia, WA

by Xani

I'm going to be on the road a lot this month (again) so look forward to posts exploring the cuisine in various corners of the country!

Fountain outside my hotel in Olympia, WA

We begin in the Pacific Northwest, where I spent a few days in Olympia, WA. Olympia is the capitol of Washington, about an hour south of the Seattle-Tacoma airport. The night I arrived my coworker AJ and I were invited to dinner by a co-worker. I wasn't really feeling up to it after an early wake-up in Philadelphia (we had a great meal there as well-- post coming soon) and spending all day in planes, but, duty calls. We had dinner at Anthony's Hearthfire Grill, where we were seated at a lovely table right by the water. While the East coast sweltered in 100+ temperatures, I was eating a delicious steak with an enviable view of Puget Sound. Not too bad. No pictures of Anthony's, unfortunately, but we did have a good, solid meal there on my first night in Olympia. Our dining companion has lived in the area for many years, and gave us great recommendations for the rest of the week!

The next night, after a long day of work, AJ and I strolled across the street from our very cute hotel to Gardner's Restaurant. Gardner's is a cute little place, that has sort of an old farmhouse feel. The servers were all very friendly and attentive. Once we sat down and got settled, we ordered a bottle of local Pinot Noir, nibbled some bread with garlic butter, and admired the lovely surroundings.

Gardner's is mostly a seafood place, and the menu had lots of tempting dishes. I finally decided on the Cioppino, and AJ ordered the crab casserole. Both dishes were served with a salad and side, so we decided any additional starters would be overkill. Salads were basic, but fine. Then out came the main courses. AJs crab casserole turned out to be a large plate filled with lumps of (I think) Dungeoness crab, mushrooms, cheese, and lots of yummy flavorings. I tried a bite and it was wonderfully rich and flavorful. He got a side dish of fettuccine alfredo, too. My bowl of Cioppio was absolutely HUGE. I mean, it was kind of obscene. Piled high with mussels, rock shrimp, fish fillets, and scallops, all swimming in a rich tomato broth. If that wasn't enough, it came with a side of delicious mashed garlic potatoes. It was a delicious dish and after eating as much as I possibly could, the bowl was still half full! I felt bad throwing it away, but somehow I didn't think the fish soup would taste so great after a night in the mini-fridge...

Of course we did have a LITTLE room left for dessert and coffee. How could we resist when the waitress brought over this gorgeous dessert tray?

AJ got a slice of decadent chocolate cake, I was happy to order a dish of pear sorbet, which turned out to be really flavorful and refreshing-- just the thing I needed after that rich soup.

With full bellies we said goodbye to the friendly staff and strolled back across the street to our hotel. I got right into the soft, cozy bed and fell asleep listening to the sound of sea-birds singing outside my window.

The very next night we made reservations at Ristorante Trinacria, another recommendation from our Olympia resident and apparently a "cult favorite" among locals. Trinacria is a funky little place on the main drag in Olympia, right next to a tattoo parlor, and a short walk from our hotel. The whole place only had about 10 tables. The decor was a collection of mismatched furniture, unusual art, and bizarre aqua fiberglass pillars.

After admiring our surroundings we got down to business and decided what to eat! The menu was limited: about four or five starters, and maybe a dozen mains, mostly pasta with homemade sauces and pizzas with unusual toppings. We were tempted by the starters and decided to get an order of antipasti as well as a caprese salad, to share, along with a bottle of Italian red wine. Once the starters arrived, I could tell we were in for a treat. This was definitely a real-deal, authentico type of place....

Our friend in Olympia had told us that the owner/chef of Trinacria came to the US from Sicily not long ago, and that he was a stickler for doing things the old-fashioned way (not to mention an insistence on reservations, that's a helpful hint from me in case you end up in Olympia and want to just drop in for dinner-- don't do it!). The starters were simple, delicious, and perfect. Cappo ham, asiago cheese, olives and imported Italian bread sticks made up the antipasti, and everything was just bursting with flavor. The caprese was made of sweet, ripe tomatoes, topped with pieces of fresh buffalo mozzarella and shredded fresh basil. It was just as it should be-- basic but absolutely delicious.

Pleased with our starters we were excited to get to the main dishes. AJ ordered Spaghetti with the homemade Ragu (meat and vegetable sauce) and I decided to be brave and try the gnocchi with pomodoro (tangy tomato) sauce. I say I was brave because, as you might know, good gnocchi can be hard to find! The little potato/pasta dumplings can become gummy and nasty if they are improperly cooked. But I had a good feeling about Trinacria, so I went with it... and I was greatly rewarded for my bravery! The gnocchi were really, really great. They weren't gummy at all, they were light little pillows with just enough tangy tomato sauce on top. They really seemed homemade, right down to the little ridges on each one...

Ooohh... just look at that! It was a really good plate of pasta. Makes me want to try to master this dish at home!

After the mains came a plate of salad, further proving this place was following a traditional Italian model of dining.

At this point I guess I have to talk about the one "complaint" I had about the place-- the dessert. They only serve two desserts, cannoli and tiramisu. Well, as I've said before I'm not a big fan of tiramisu, and the same goes for cannoli. So, instead of dessert we lingered over some espressos and enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. Here's a picture of me as we left and headed back to the hotel for yet another good night of sleep.

Overall we had delicious food and great times in Olympia! Thanks so much to Scott for all the great tips!

Stay tuned for another Washington post featuring one of the best burgers in the USA!

X

It's Official!

You Are an Excellent Cook

You're a top cook, but you weren't born that way. It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning.It's likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire...

Are You A Good Cook?

X

Restaurant Week, a week late...

by Xani

So, I know this is delayed, but I did have one more restaurant week experience I wanted to share with you, dear Reader. Last Thursday I went to Taste in Belvedere Square with my good friends Heather and Jodi. I had never been to Taste before but I had seen it while shopping at the Belvedere Market or seeing movies at The Senator. When I noticed their (delicious-looking) menu on the Restaurant Week website, I knew it was the perfect time to check it out!

Heather drove all the way from Rockville for the event and we met up with Jodi at Taste. There was outside seating available but as everyone who lives on the East Coast knows, we've been having a HOT summer and we decided to dine in the air-conditioning! I was impressed with the decor inside-- fancy but not stuffy, it used organic materials like natural rope to decorate, but somehow didn't feel like a kitchy seafood place. I also liked the large Lucite wine cellar that we passed as we climbed the stairs to our table, which was near the back of the restaurant.

The place was pretty busy and it took a few minutes for our waiter to come over to take our drink orders. But once he did he was a pleasant and attentive server (well, as attentive as good be expected during the restaurant week rush). To start we decided to share a pitcher of white wine sangria while we enjoyed some yummy bread served with a sun dried tomato-olive oil concoction. Very tasty.

Then we were faced with the challenge of deciding what to order off this tempting menu:

Dinner Appetizer

• Gazpacho
• Baked Caesar Salad
• Individual Crab Con Queso Dip with Blue Tortilla Chips
• Strawberry and Orange Mixed Green Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
• House Salad with Choice of Dressing

Dinner Entrée

• Chicken Fiesta
  Marinated eight-ounce boneless chicken breast topped with tomato and chili chutney and cilantro cream sauce
• Risotto
  Sautéed garlic, spinach, feta cheese, asparagus, tomatoes and fresh herbs
• Malaysian Fish
  Fresh catch topped with achiote paste, presented with bok choy and baby spinach and wrapped in parchment paper
• Steak Rancheros
  Marinated flat iron steak - cooked to your preference and topped with salsa fresca and fresh guacamole

Dinner Dessert

• Fresh Berry Cobbler
• Blonde Brownie Cake
• Bread Pudding with Bourbon Créme Anglaise
• Seasonal Sorbet

For my first course I was leaning toward the gazpacho but as I had already had that earlier in the week, I decided to go with the Baked Caesar Salad, which the waiter described as a traditional Caesar put under the broiler for just a moment, to melt the Parmesan cheese and slightly wilt the greens. I was skeptical, but it ended up being a pretty tasty starter! The Caesar wasn't nearly as good as BCD Mom's, but really, what is?? I snagged a spoonful of Heather's gazpacho which was also quite good with a rich tomato-y flavor. Jodi got the salad with citrus dressing which looked fresh and delicious.

Baked Caesar Salad

Strawberry and Orange Mixed Green Salad with

Citrus Vinaigrette

Gazpacho

Onto the mains: Jodi and I both ordered the Steak Rancheros, which ended up being a perfectly cooked (medium rare, natch) flat iron steak topped with (potentially unnecessary, but fresh and tasty) guacamole and salsa fresca and accompanied by awesome skin-on mashed potatoes and perfect tender-crisp green beans. It was a really good and hearty plate-- all the elements were skillfully prepared and fresh tasting. Same goes for Heather's dish, the risotto, which worked out very well because, yet again, it was the other dish I was waffling about and I got to taste it, too! I thought the risotto was very well done, the rice al dente but not gritty or mushy, the feta cheese adding a unusual, but tasty element, and the veggies adding lots of flavor.

Steak Rancheros

Risotto

So far, so good. But it was about to get even better...

Dessert.

Jodi and I both got the Fresh Berry Cobbler. This was, by far, the best dessert I had during restaurant week. It was clearly made with very fresh berries, and was bursting with sweet and tart flavors. Instead of a traditional crumbly-type cobbler topping, it had a sort of sweet, delicious, crunchy cookie-type topping, along with a scoop of rapidly melting, high-quality vanilla ice cream. Heaven. Heather, being more of a chocolate person than a berry person, got the Blonde Brownie Cake, which looked absolutely rich and decadent, and she confirmed as much, but still ate every bite!

Berry Cobbler

Blonde Brownie Cake

After cleaning our dessert plates we settled our (very reasonable--man, I love Restaurant Week!) tab and headed out of the restaurant. It had been a great meal and a great chance to catch up with my friends and rehash the details of Heather's recent wedding! As you can see from the big smiles on Heather and Jodi's faces, we all had a wonderful time. I was glad to finally have a taste of Taste and, just like my other Restaurant Week discoveries, I hope to visit again sometime soon!

X

Ohmygodpizza!

by Erin and Xani

Saturday night, after a long day of moving for Erin, and a long day at the pool for Xani, we went to dinner at Iggies with our good friend Matt. Iggies is a wonderful little pizza place in Mt. Vernon (on N. Calvert St.) that serves Neopolitan-style pizza (super-thin crust) and is BYOB. We were able to enjoy their "Saturday nights in August" special which was that the pizzas were "buy one get one half-off" if you brought your own wine or six-pack of beer - good deal! (In fact, we wanted the deal so badly that we left and bought beer and came back just so we could get the bargain!)

We bought some yummy Clipper City Gold Ale on Matt's suggestion, which was very nice - good flavor but not too strong for EP (beer wimp).

One interesting thing about Iggies is that it's very "do-it-yourself." They have plates, napkins, silverware, glassware, bottle openers, and a water cooler in a corner of the restaurant, and you just do everything yourself. You even get to bus your own table! It seems European/backpacker-ish that way, which was a nice change of pace and added to the personality of the pizza shop.

One other point about the decor/theme of Iggies: it's called Iggies because it has an Italian Greyhound (IG) theme running throughout the space and on the menus. We, of course, love anything dog-themed!

Anyway, onto the food! First we ordered their Caesar Salad, which for a dollar extra you can get fresh white anchovies on top! They were delicious and not too fishy, and added a lovely meaty bite to the salad. (Note: It is a BIG DEAL that they have fresh white anchovies at this place since, if you recall from our Father's Day post, we hunted all over the city for them without success!) We unfortunately were starving and didn't break out the camera until after our salad. Sorry!

Next, we ordered two of their delicious, unique pizzas. The crusts on both of these pizzas were perfectly cooked (crispy and chewy) and were served hot out of the oven.

First, we ordered their Sopressata Pizza, which had sopressata, smoked mozzarella, and a hearty tomato sauce - it was absolutely delicious. The sopressata was crispy and its flavors ran throughout the entire pizza, and we pretty much devoured it!

We also ordered their pizza with ricotta and lemon, topped with fresh peppery arugula (which I think had been tossed with vinaigrette). The ricotta part was delicious but it was a little weird to have all the greens piled atop the pizza - I think we would have preferred them on the side as a delicious salad!

We clearly had no trouble finishing our pizzas...

Even after salad and two pizzas, we had room for something sweet. Keep in mind it was also about 95 degrees outside (and pretty warm in the restaurant itself) so we also were in the mood for something cool and refreshing. Lucky for us, Iggies serves an assortment of gelati and sorbetti! Matt got the pomegranate sorbetto, Xani got the blood orange sorbetto, and Erin got the double espresso gelato. They were all delicious but I think Matt's was the best - super-sweet and refreshing with bold flavors, and not too icy and annoying.

Blood Orange Sorbetto

Pomegranate Sorbetto

Double Espresso Gelato

It was a delicious meal and we highly recommend Iggies! Xani points out that it's a very cozy space, so it'll be even more fun in the fall/winter when "cozy" doesn't mean "sweltering" as it sort of did on Saturday. We love Iggies and we'll be back!

Happy eating,

E & X

ps. Special thanks to Kerem, a good friend of EP's, who introduced her to Iggies! He is moving away and will be terribly missed!