Happy Birthday to ME!!

by Xani

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH to all my friends, family, etc who made my birthday this year super-special and fun! Twenty-nine is definitely one for the record books, celebration-wise. The grand finale was the traditional "birthday girl's choice" Sunday dinner at BCD Mom and Dad's house. And boy, did we do it up this time!! The menu:

• Cocktails
• Indian-style Mussel soup
• Aged Prime Steak
• Risotto with Roasted Garlic, Mascarpone Cheese, Toasted Bread Crumbs and Almonds
• Peas Two Ways
• Pear Tart
• Espresso

What a spread! Is your mouth watering? Mine is!

For starters, this is what the kitchen looks like as we prepare for battle: organized chaos.

EP whipped up a fabulous batch of cosmopolitans (and a whiskey for Dad) to kick the evening off right (We discussed drinking champagne but I believe my exact words were "Eh, I drank champagne ALL WEEKEND"). Then we swung into action! First, the soup:

Dad prepared this dish early in the day and finished it just before service. No pictures of the prep, but check out the recipe which he compiled from a couple of online recipes and his own great ideas and thoughtfully wrote up for us to post on the blog. Thanks Dad! Its especially great that he wrote up the recipe because this soup was AWESOME. The creamy broth had a very intense mussel flavor that worked really well with the saffron, garam masala and other flavors. It was really a fantastic dish and we were all licking the bowls clean despite the promise of so much more delicious food! What a way to start the meal... especially with a chilled glass of Gewurztraminer.

With quite an act to follow we moved onto the main course. Dad was in charge of the GIANT steak, as usual, and as usual it came out perfectly! I took over the risotto, a Jamie Oliver recipe which was prepared in the traditional manner, with a few delicious additions. First of all, right before you begin adding the stock to the rice you throw in some roasted garlic and fresh thyme. Then you continue adding the stock, stirring constantly (my arm is sore today!) until all the broth is incorporated and the rice is cooked the to proper done-ness. Then you add in some softened butter and grated Parmesan and (this is a Jamie Oliver trick-- he says it creates the perfect creamy texture) cover the pan for 2 minutes before serving. I'm not sure how much this step really improves the risotto, but the next step definitely does: you serve the risotto with a dollop of mascarpone cheese and a sprinkling of toasted fresh bread crumbs and almonds. Talk about gilding the lily! But it was amazingly delicious, rich, and flavorful, with a pleasant crunch from the almonds and breadcrumbs (and NOT because the rice was under-done, right EP??!!)

The vegetable dish required a LOT of prep (shelling all those fresh peas!) and Mom took care of this as well as the final cooking, which was fairly straightforward. After toasting some sesame seeds, she sauteed the peas and snow pea pods in hot oil, then added water and covered the pan to allow them to steam. After a couple minutes they were tender crisp and she dressed them with a little sesame oil and the toasted sesame seeds. Simple and delicious!

And with the steak expertly cooked, rested and carved...

It was time to eat! Here's final plate, along with a glass (or three) of quality Bordeaux:

Everything was delicious. I could not have asked for a better dinner to celebrate my 29th!

For dessert we let the folks over at Bonaparte Breads in the Savage Mill in Savage, MD do the heavy lifting. This gorgeous pear tart was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. It went perfectly with some seriously strong espresso we made in our brand-new stove-top espresso maker!

It's a Bird!

After dessert we watched some nail-biting ACC basketball, did some finishing touches on a fabulous food/craft project (stay tuned for a post on this later this week) and I opened some great presents!! Here is me posing with one my awesome gifts from EP (a Hayden-Harnett cuff bracelet that I have wanted for months) and a representation of another fantastic gift from my parents-- a KitchenAid mixer!!

Bracelet on my right wrist, towel still over my left shoulder, post-cooking!

It was a fantastic meal and a absolutely fabulous birthday. Thank you again to everyone for making me feel so special and loved. Love you all!

X

Happy Birthday to Mom at Maple Lawn

by Special Guest Blogger BCD Mom

BCD Dad and I decided to celebrate my birthday at Ranazul (translation: blue frog), a tapas restaurant located in a newly developed area of town called Maple Lawn, about 10 minutes south of Columbia. I must say that we got a great parking place right in front of the restaurant, and BCD Dad did an expert job of parallel parking! The restaurant itself is very attractive, sort of South Beach/Art Deco decor, which reminded us of THEHotel in Las Vegas.

We got seated at a table for two, which was unfortunately a bit small. (We noticed that other diners with two in their party got larger tables, and we wished we had asked for a larger table. Next time!) Although we were not seated there, the bears mentioning that there was a large area in the restaurant with easy chairs which looked very comfy. The dinnerware was pretty, and was obviously specially made for the restaurant since it had the name Ranazul on it. We also liked the glassware - it was very unusual. The service was fine, which was a pleasant surprise since some of the write-ups I had read indicated that this was a problem. It was so good that one of the servers hung up my coat! It was a good meal, and we had a great time.

The menu had soups, salads, cold tapas, and main courses, but we opted to only order tapas. Ranazul had a very large wine list, and offered half-glasses. We were kind of sorry we didn't order any wine, but we ordered a few cocktails instead: a mojito for me, a Hendrick's martini for Dad. Then we went to town ordering food!

Mom's Mojito

Dad'd Hendrick's Martini

First, the waiter brought good crusty bread, with warm olive oil with garlic in it.

Then we ordered cold and hot taoas. The cold tapas included:

• Salmon avocado sushi (actually it was sashimi)
• Olives stuffed with pequita peppers and anchovies

The salmon was very good, and served with an excellend wakame (seaweed) salad and some tasty avocado, but this wasn't really a traditional tapa, and we fett you could get the same thing at a sushi bar. The olives were also great, but $5 for 4 olives was a little steep!

Hot tapas included:

• Arepas with shrimp and crab
• Foie gras
• Patatas bravas

The arepas were terrific! The contrast of the crunchy corn cake with the seafood was great. The chef is obviously fond of butter, as the sauce on the seafood was extremely buttery and delicious. The foie gras also was extremely good (when isn't it??). It was very delicate and outstanding, and was served with a yummy buttery crouton. The potatoes, which were fried cubes, were served with two sauces: a spicy red sauce kind of like a salsa, and a flavored mayonnaise. Although the dish was not terribly exciting, it was still good (who doesn't love fried potatoes??).

But wait, we were not finished eating! We ordered a cheese plate, and we each had a glass of port to go with it. We took the waiter's recommendation on which port to order, which was kind of expensive at $12 a glass, but I must admit it was good. The cheese plate was unfortunately not at room temperature, but the cheeses themselves (a morbiere and a bleu) were good. The cheese plate was served with grapes, pears, and sweet baby figs, but Dad found the fruit disappointing.

Then we moved onto coffee and espresso, which was fine. I was sorry I was too full from the cheese plate to order dessert, but I plan to go back, and I will definitely try one of their great-sounding desserts!

All in all, it was a fun evening, and a good first birthday dinner for me. Why a first, you ask? Because we have not yet had our traditional joint Mom/Xani blowout birthday dinner which may be in Baltimore, or possibly NYC!

Happy (birthday) eating,

BCD Mom (aka Janice)

Note from the BCD Girls: Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you and we can't wait for the big birthday dinner extravaganza!

Baltimore Restaurant Week: Tabrizi's

by Erin

Last week was Baltimore Restaurant Week, and Xani and I were eager to take advantage of the excuse to dine out multiple times in one week at some of the best restaurants in our fair city.

Early in the week, I went to dinner at Tabrizi's with Xani and law school buddies Veronica and Kerry (you may remember them from when we went to the Helmand). Tabrizi's is a relatively new Greek/Mediterranean restaurant off of Key Highway and their Restaurant Week menu looked delicious, so we decided to try it out.

We ordered a bottle of Cotes du Rhone and settled into our table, which was located in the middle of the dining area.

We had a great server who was a good sport and put up with our antics with grace and style (including one instance where he was clearing our plates just as Xani was saying, "this is why I need a gun."). One of the reasons I love dining with this crew, aside from the sparkling conversation, is that everyone loves to SHARE. So, we discussed what we wanted to order and dove right in.

For our first course, we had:

• Seared Ahi Tuna, encrusted with toasted sesame seeds, on streaks of aged soy-balsamic reduction and Wasabi cream. Served rare.
  
• Sautéed Baby Octopus and Calamari, tossed with spicy chili garlic sauce, garnished with teardrop tomato relish and lemon zest
  
• Fried Brie, with blackberry coulis and crunchy parsley
  
• Moroccan Chicken Wings, tossed in pomegranate chili sauce, served with sour cream-Gorgonzola dip
  

Sesame-Crusted Tuna

Moroccan Chicken Wings

Fried Brie

Octopus and Calamari

Everything was great, but my favorites were probably the sauteed octopus and calamari and the chicken wings. The sauce on the calamari and octopus was sweet and spicy and really woke up the palate. Also, everything was cooked perfectly and nothing was tough or rubbery. The chicken wings were also awesome. They were really crispy and delicious with a sweet sauce on the outside, which went well with the gorgonzola cheese sauce on the side.

For our main course, we ordered:

• Lamb Kebobs, Glazed with veal reduction served with basmati rice, fresh sauteed organic vegetables and pine nuts
  
• Calves Liver, Pan fried with shallots, Chanterelle mushrooms, finished with creamy Dijon mustard reduction, served with fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables
  
• Muscovy Duck Breast, In a thyme veal stock, accompanied by Chanterelle mushrooms and baby vegetables
  
• Chicken Casablanca, Grilled sesame chicken kebobs with a Middle Eastern dry rub, served over basmati rice, vegetables, demi-glace and pine nuts
  

Chicken Casablanca

'Ze Duck'

Lamb Kebobs

Calves Liver

First, I must note that this was an insane amount of food! It's not often during Restaurant Week that restaurants are shelling out such huge portions, so it was a pleasant surprise. Favorites for this course include the duck and the liver. The duck was superb - perfectly cooked - and was served with delicious sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms. The liver was a pleasant surprise to see on the menu, and I was glad we tried it. It wasn't too livery, but the sauce was a little much (too creamy, I think).

For dessert, we tried all four of their desserts:

• Creme Brulee
  
• White and Dark Chocolate Mousse
  
• Baklava
  
• Assortment of Sorbets (mango, raspberry, lemon)
  

We of course also got coffee or coffee-related drinks. Xani got Turkish Coffee, Veronica got a cappuccino, Kerry got a latte, and I got good ol' regular coffee.

White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Mousses (Mice?)

Trio of Sorbets

Baklava

Turkish Coffee for Xani - she loves those tiny cups and spoons!

Creme Brulee and EP's Coffee

The sorbets were so deliciously sweet and bright, they may have been my favorite. However, we were really surprised by the mousses (mice?) - the white chocolate mousse had a really subtle, lovely white chocolate flavor, and was really light and airy. The dark chocolate mousse, on the other hand, was not that sweet and had a strange texture. The baklava had good flavor but it was a little doughy from too much filo on the bottom. The creme brulee was fine but now I'm addicted to creme brulee cheesecake so the real thing just doesn't do it for me anymore!

While not every dish was a total hit, there were definitely enough dishes that would make me come back and give it another shot with their full menu at hand. I'm sure it's a really fun place to go during the summer since the dining room sits right on the Baltimore Harbor.

It was a great meal to kick off Restaurant Week! Stay tuned for a handful of other posts about our RW dining experiences...

Happy dining,

EP

ps. I just saw on their website that Tabrizi's has extended their RW menu for the entire month of February! So, if you are looking for a good meal at a decent price, check this place out.

Burgers and Dogs!

by Xani

Er, rather, dogs and burgers! That's what I ate my last day in LA. Oh wait, did I also have breakfast that day? I did. At Lulu's Cafe. Another cute corner outdoor spot, I had decent huevos rancheros but neglected to take any pictures. After that we spent a few minutes watching the NFL playoffs (man football comes on early on the West Coast!) and headed to the world famous Pink's for hot dogs. But not just any hot dogs. Hot dogs that we waited NINETY MINUTES for. Yes, ninety. An hour and a half. Previous to this the only things I have waited in line that long for are: the Alpengeist roller coaster at Busch Gardens (gotta get front!), airport security during Thanksgiving 2001, and 50% off my entire purchase at Loehmann's (totally worth it).

Anyhow, after an hour and half in line (at least it was warm and sunny while back East temperatures hovered in the single digits) we ordered our dogs. I got the spicy polish dog with chili, mustard and onions. Andy got a couple of regular dogs with American cheese and god knows what else. But the real story was the guys in front of us. Pink's has a number of specialty dogs and whatever these guys ordered was special, indeed.

Andy and I watched in amazement, then growing horror as each of their hot dogs (super-sized stretch dogs, 10" long) was covered in chili and cheese, then onions, tomatoes and lettuce (??), THEN topped with a massive pile of bacon, THEN topped with an equally massive pile of grilled pastrami!!! It was unreal. Best line of the day-- Andy: "I guarantee you whoever is eating those things does not have health insurance." Genius! I wish I had gotten a picture. I did get one of my spicy polish dog, which was really delicious and FILLING.

After a few hours of digesting and more football, Jenny and I headed down to Santa Monica to do a little more shopping (why not?) and meet up with my cousin Ann for one more dinner. I really wanted to try The Counter ever since EP's great meal there when she visited. So off we went for some Build Your Own Burgers. But first, we had to share their Shake of the Month, Birthday Cake Shake! Vanilla Ice Cream Mixed with White Birthday Cake, Rainbow Sprinkles and Topped with Whipped Cream-- yummy! And they were nice enough to split it into thirds...

We started out with a little snack of 3x3x3-- a dish of french fries, sweet potato fries, and onion straws, served with 2 different dipping sauces. All three were really hot and crispy, but my favorite was the onion straws... no the sweet potato fries... no, straws! I just can't decide.

Three kinds of fried delicious-ness

Soon enough our custom built burgers arrived. I got mine medium-rare with sharp provolone, grilled onions, and red relish on the side. And it was very tasty!

I don't remember the specifics of Ann and Jenny's burgers. I know Jenny tried the turkey burger which she said was very good (for a turkey burger). Ann made the wise decision to get bacon on hers-- my kind of girl!

The burgers were great but were, sadly, my last meal of my LA visit. The next morning I was off to the airport, then homeward bound in a middle seat, in the back of the plane. Boo! My breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day consisted of one (1) in-flight bloody mary. Double boo! Travel is the pits! But, its worth it to be able to keep visiting great friends and family in LA (not to mention eating great food)!

Happy travels,

X

New Logo!

by Erin & Xani

You may have noticed that we've had a mini blog makeover! We are so excited about this new logo that the wonderful Michelle B. designed, and we can't thank her enough!

We also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you (in case you didn't know from our not-so-subtle hinting) that on February 23, 2008 we will be speaking on a food blogger panel at Great Tastes 2008, the mid-atlantic's premiere culinary expo! It will be a great event with food celebrities (e.g., Michael from season 2 of Bravo's Top Chef and Warren Brown, founder of CakeLove and host of The Food Network's Sugar Rush), seminars and talks, and lots of food and wine to taste and enjoy. It's at the Tremont Grand Hotel in downtown Baltimore (on St. Paul St., near Mercy Hospital) and it should be a lovely event. Buy your tickets today!

We'll see you there!

Happy eating,

E & X

ps. Reminder: This event is also advertised through our Facebook group ("I need my Black Coffee and a Donut") so join the group and RSVP there if you like!

Great Views and Great Food

by Xani

The next morning in LA we started on a healthy note, hiking at Runyon Canyon. This STEEP uphill hike provided me with an opportunity to take a couple non-food pictures:

The elusive Hollywood sign!

We worked up quite an appetite on that hike, so afterwards we headed to Toast (which you might remember from EP's visit a while back) and after a short wait we were seated at a table outside. I ordered the Shakshuka, described as "exotic breakfast treat of a slow roasted tomato, peppers and garlic stew, topped with over medium eggs - delicious! Served with toast." And indeed it was all of those things. It also came with a delicious fresh fruit cup. Jenny got her usual egg white scramblette.

Shakshuka

There is certainly something to be said for eating outdoors! We had a lovely relaxing breakfast which allowed us to regain our strength and spend the next 5 hours shopping!

Later that evening, after all the shopping, a snack at Pinkberry, and a celebrity sighting (Bob Saget at the nail salon!), we went to meet Jenny's friend Remy at Craft Los Angeles. I was super-excited about this meal. Ever since EP went to Craftbar in NYC, I have been eager to go to a Tom Colicchio restaurant. And (spoiler alert!) it did NOT disappoint!

We ordered champagne cocktails at the bar before being seated at our cozy table. One thing I really liked about Craft was the atmosphere-- upscale but very relaxed. The lighting and level of noise were just right (well, lighting was just right for dining, not so much for picture-taking). The service was friendly and extremely competent. And the food... well, let's get started!

First, the amuse-bouche. This was a little bite of fresh, raw ahi tuna, a bit of yuzu (Japanese citrus), a spring of cilantro, and a few grains of crunchy fried rice. Certainly the perfect bite to start off the meal: savory, sour, crunchy, and absolutely delicious.

Jenny and Remy were kind enough to allow me to order for the table (thanks ladies!). It was a very tough job because the menu is extensive, and there are so many delicious-sounding things! I finally made my choices, got their approval on a couple of "unusual" picks and off we went. For the first course we ordered raw Japanese Hamachi & apple cider, roasted Peruvian octopus & Greek yoghurt, and roasted pork belly & Madras curry.

Himachi

Terrible picture of octopus dish

Heavenly pork belly

All three dishes were very, very good. The himachi was really fresh, buttery and delicious. The apple cider flavor was delivered in little blocks of jello-like substance on top of the fish, and the sweet/sour flavor was a great compliment to the fish, along with the crunchy vegetable shreds and black sesame seed garnish. The octopus was tasty and well cooked, but was the weakest dish of the course. There was not enough of the Greek yoghurt sauce to go around, then the octopus on its own did not have quite enough flavor. I will say that it was extremely tender, unlike octopus I have had in the past (which was much like chewing on big chunks of rubber-- and that's being generous!).

The big winner of the course (and perhaps the whole meal) was the pork belly. Just WOW. So rich, so flavorful, so crispy and fatty and great. The curry flavor was very subtle. I could eat this dish every day and am currently scouring the Internet for similar recipes. My main concern is how to get the inside so soft and tender (braising?) but then get the outside to be perfectly crunchy... Chef Colicchio, if you are reading this, I must know your secret!!!

For the next course I ordered the roasted Niman Ranch flatiron steak, Brussels sprouts and smoked bacon, and braised leek and duck confit risotto. Again, no major disappointments:

I was dying at the cuteness of this little copper pot that they served the risotto in!

First off the steak: I have had a lot of steaks in my life and I have to say this was one of the most flavorful, well-cooked steaks I have had in a long time. I mistakenly believed that a Flat Iron steak was similar to a flank steak, but this article proved to be very enlightening. It was really, really good. Even though it was a small portion (with a hefty price tag!) it was so rich and flavorful that, along with the side dishes, it was plenty of food. The Brussels sprouts were perfectly cooked and deliciously bacon-y, and the risotto was pretty good. I didn't feel it was as good as others I have had, at restaurants or even cooked at home-- the texture was a little off. The pieces of duck confit perched on top were outstanding, however.

Finally we had had our fill of delicious, savory dishes, and it was time to move on to dessert! We were presented with a cute little dessert amuse, which I think was a lavender panna cotta with some kind of foam on top. I don't really love panna cotta so this didn't quite work for me. But luckily, Craft has an extensive dessert menu as well, including almost twenty flavors of sorbets, gelatos and ice creams. We ordered a sampler of 4 flavors: Madagascar vanilla ice cream, olive oil gelato, thyme sorbet and MAPLE BACON ice cream! I managed to get bacon into all three courses-- mission accomplished!

I used the tiny spoon that came with the amuse to eat the rest of my dessert!

All the flavors were very good. The vanilla was the most vanilla-y ice cream I have ever had. It was like a whole vanilla experience when you brought the spoon up to your mouth-- SO aromatic, so flavorful. A good pick by Jenny even though I originally thought it was boring! The olive oil gelato was tasty, but had a very mild flavor and was not as good as the one we tried at Pizza Mozza last time I was in LA. The thyme sorbet was soooo good. Just light and refreshing and packed with lemon-y, herbaceous flavors. The first thing I thought of when I tasted it was that it would make an excellent palate-cleanser between courses at a fancy meal. Then I thought it would probably be killer as a cocktail mixer-- a little scoop topped off with champagne (like a ice cream float, but a billion times better!), used instead of mint and sugar syrup for a thyme mojito, etc. Next time I have leftover thyme I will strongly consider turning it into sorbet, especially when summer rolls around!

Finally, the maple bacon ice cream. I have heard rumors of its existence, but I was thrilled to be able to actually try it at Craft! The maple ice cream was awesome-- very rich and sweet, maybe sweeter than you would want a normal ice cream to be, but the sweetness was perfectly set off by the salty, smoky bits of bacon! This is a genius dish. If I were to make one complaint, or adjust the recipe to make at home, it would be regarding the size/preparation of the bacon pieces. The pieces were about the size of lardons, fairly small cubes of crispy bacon. They could have been smaller and crispier. They were about pea-sized and I think about half that size (or smaller? we are getting into "bacon-bit" territory here now) would have been even better.

It seems now the meal would be over but no! Next came macarons (I tried these last time I was in LA-- I am so ahead of the food curve):

and THEN, a final little treat and what I thought was an adorable little touch by Craft, a little coffee cake from the bakery to take home for breakfast or a midnight snack!

Jenny and I display our gifts

I ended up giving mine to Jenny's husband Andy b/c I was so full I didn't think I could ever eat again, and also I don't like coffee cake that much-- too crumbly.

So, overall this meal was AWESOME. One of the best I have had in a while. I would definitely go back to Craft (except there are five hundred OTHER restaurants I want to try in LA!) and order some of their less mainstream dishes (sardines, sweetbreads, oxtails, pork cheeks, etc). I would, without hesitation, get the pork belly again. I suggest if you are anywhere near Craft LA, you do the same!

X