Archive for DC

Weekly Roundup: Roll Out The Red Carpet Edition

March 26, 2010 at 6:30 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

Salty and Sweet Chocolate Thumbprints

These salty chocolate thumbprints will be making an apperance at the Food Bloggers Bake Sale for Haiti this Sunday!

I felt like I was reading about Hollywood and not the DC food scene this week. Nominees for The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s RAMMY awards and the James Beard Awards were announced this week. Well, okay, that’s only two awards. But still – there was lots of internet buzz this week about the DC nominees. In fact, several of the Beard and RAMMY nominees have been interviewed on this very blog – David Guas’ cookbook, Dam Good Sweet, was nominated for a Beard Award, and Pastry Chefs Travis Olson, Anthony Chavez and Josh Short received RAMMY nods.

Before you get all distracted with thoughts of sparkly dressed and red carpets, I want to put in a final plug for the Bake Sale for Haiti that’s happening this Sunday at Zorba’s (1612 20th Street NW) from 9-11. All proceeds will go to benefit Doctor’s Without Borders Haiti relief efforts, and many local food bloggers will be showcasing their best baking talents. Speaking of which, I’ll totally be spending tomorrow making lemon cupcakes and salty chocolate thumbprint cookies for the bake sale. So don’t be shy! Come out and get the baked goods you’ve been craving.

Okay, roundup time. Recipes I want to try, from this week’s Internet offerings:

  • Bacon cornbread. Bacon. Cornbread. I don’t need to say anything more. From Biscuits and Such.
  • Trash Bars from A Measured Memory. Dear God – they’re stuffed with everything one could want in a bar cookie – rice chex, muddy buddy’s, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and marshmallows. Oh, and butter. Don’t forget the butter.

And in other news:

  • Metrocurean rounds up all the DC peeps who were nominated for James Beard Awards, where DC made a strong showing. As I mentioned above, Pastry Chef Amanda Cook of City Zen received a nod, as did DamGoodSweet, the cookbook by DC Pastry Chef David Guas. And City Paper food writer Tim Carman was nominated for his piece about restaurateur Andy Shallal’s disastrous top-chef style competition to hire the new chef at Eatonville.
  • Whoo hoo! The food blogger bake sale for Haiti made it to the Young and Hungry blog!
  • Florida Girl in DC ponders what to make at the Food Blogger Bake Sale. I’m glad that someone else thought about this as much as I did! I willingly admit to having bake sale anxiety.
  • A new wine bar opening up on 14th street sparks a blog war with U Street Girl. The blogger removed a comment from her initial post about the restaurant’s opening date after the restaurant owner threatened her with legal action because he found the comment to be libelous. Wow. Well, now I really don’t want to go there, and I love a good wine bar.
  • No, I couldn’t attend Le Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris – Paris’ annual contest for the best bread in the city. But you can get an inside look at the competition – one of the judges was an American living in Paris, and wrote about the experience on her blog. Found via Chewswise.
  • Gradually Greener takes a look at some unexpected RAMMY award categories – the best neighborhood gathering place, hottest bar scene, and restaurant power spot. I can’t quite believe these are award categories, but they’re very interesting to think about.
  • Rather liked this post from The Lancelot Sturgeons about finally getting to that point where you have enough pantry items improvise a gourmet weeknight meal. Haven’t we all experienced that moment when you realize you can actually make a nice meal from random things stuffed into your fridge and pantry? It’s a good feeling.

Happy Friday!

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Next Food Blogger Happy Hour: Wed. April 7, 6-8 at Art and Soul

March 24, 2010 at 12:32 pm · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

Get your food and drink on with fellow food bloggers.

Are you a food blogger? A reader? A lurker? Thinking about starting a food blog? Then you should come out for the next food blogger happy hour on April 7th. We’ll be heading to Art and Soul on Capitol Hill (415 New Jersey Avenue NW). Come meet, mingle, and chat with fellow food bloggers. I can attest that it’s a very nice, welcoming group of people – so please don’t be shy!

RSVP on the DC Food Bloggers Facebook Fan Page.

Are you interested in helping us plan these shindigs? Then shoot me an email so I can add you to the planning committee – a very informal group of bloggers who keep these events rolling. And thanks to the planning committee for their hard work in making these events happen:

Arugula Files
Beer Spotter
Biscuits and Such
Capital Cooking
Capital Spice
Common Man Eats
Dining in DC
Girl Meets Food
Gradually Greener
Thrifty DC Cook
We Love DC

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Weekly Roundup: Spring Is Coming – Let’s Cook

March 19, 2010 at 7:38 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , , ,

Elena's Birthday Cake

A secret cake - revealed.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter – you might remember that I was doing a “secret” baking project on Wednesday, which I promised to reveal in today’s weekly roundup. Well this is it – a surprise birthday cake for Elpis and Justice! It’s red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and I was very pleased with how even the cake layers came out. Slowly, but surely my piping skills are improving. Just ignore the writing, please. Also, I’m putting it out there that my cake making skills are for hire. Email me for the scoop.

And, in other news it’s finally Spring in DC.

I know that the conventional wisdom is that people want to hole up in their apartments and cook during the winter, and then go out and party in the spring, but I think it’s the opposite. At least, it’s the opposite at the end of winter, when everyone’s sick of the root vegetables and apples they can get at the farmers market, and can’t stomach the tasteless imported produce in the grocery store. But Spring? Spring brings asparagus. Spring brings rhubarb. Spring brings weather in which we can eat dinner on our balconies and have people over for parties without asking them to trudge through the ice cold  in the rain. Spring is an excellent time to cook.

And I can feel the excitement in the blogosphere this week – Spring is here, and we’re ready to to raise our knives, put our pans on our burners, and get cooking.

Recipes I want to try, from this week’s Internet dabbling:

  • Homemade meatball subs, from The Arugula Files. Man, I love meatballs. Man, I love bread. Meatballs on bread? Heaven.

And in other foodie blog-ish news:

  • Hillary at Lancelot Sturgeon has a roundup of her experience at the Food and Sports blogger happy hour, that, as a co-organizer, totally warms my heart.
  • Melissa McCart, of Counter Intelligence, is back! She’s moved to Tumblr, where she laments the lack of a really good hotdog stand in DC. I was a fan of the Hot Dog at Againn when I had it off the happy hour menu. But that’s not exactly a stand.
  • Oh my god! A comment I made on Young and Hungry about Top Chef (because, you know that Tim Carman plays it all cool like “oh, yeah, Top Chef DC, no big deal” but seriously, he has to be excited about it – who couldn’t be?) actually inspired a post! I feel like this is a special moment in my food-blogger-career – to be (gently) teased by Tim Carman.
  • So, like, there were many reasons to be jealous of all the peeps on my Twitter Feed at SXSW, but the write ups of the Bacon Throwdown over at One Bite at a Time and FloridaGirlinDC really take the cake. Or should it be take the bacon?
  • Tim Carman ponders the beauty of the changing seasons. Yes, I’m talking about the advent of Food Cart season in DC. What splendors will the sunny weather bring to your plate?
  • Executive Chef, Brian Robinson of Restaurant 3 is making homemade peeps for Easter. Get the details on Dining in DC.
  • Endless Simmer investigates a little known farmer’s market find that’s currently in season: the cherimoya, or custard apple. Well, I mean, I am a little tired of apples and pears.
  • Did you read that big article in the New York Times about how Katie Lee, former wife of Billy Joel, is about to become a Food Network Star? Then you’ll enjoy this piece from The Internet Food Association, which pretty much tears the article apart. I’ll admit, I totally forgot until I read the IFA piece that Katie Lee was the awful host on Season 1 of Top Chef in the pre-Padma Days. They want to give that piece of wood a cooking show? Seriously?

Happy Friday!

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Feed Your Cravings: Two Upcoming Food Blogger Bake Sales

March 18, 2010 at 8:01 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , ,

What you've been wating for.

My God, there are just so many food blogger events on the horizon. Besides our regular monthly happy hour, and the just-past food and sports blogger happy hour (which was awesome, by the way – and I didn’t even really have to talk about sports!) there are two food blogger bake sales coming up in the next few weeks. Yes, while it’s lovely to discuss the finer points of grilling a steak over cocktails at a happy hour, wouldn’t you rather have a chance to eat some of that lovely food that everyone’s been writing about? Well, now you can.

Sunday, March 28 – Food Blogger Bake Sale Fundraiser for Haiti
The lovely Stephanie of Adventures in Shaw has put her baking and “make it happen” skills together, and has organized a food blogger bake sale to raise money for Haiti. From 9-11am at Zorba’s Cafe (1612 20th St NW), DC’s food bloggers will be selling their finest baked goods to benefit Doctors Without Borders Haiti relief efforts. Please stop by! Sadly I can’t help sell, but plan on donating some lemon cupcakes and salty chocolate thumbprints to the cause.

Saturday, April 17th – DC Food Bloggers Share Our Strength Bakesale
Eastern Market, 9:00am-12:30pm
Colleen of Foodie Tots is heading up the DC Food Bloggers participation in The first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale, which is part of Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale. The national bake sale is the brainchild of Gaby Dalkin of WhatsGabyCooking.com, and you can check out her blog to see a list of national participants. All the proceeds of the bake sale will benefit Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America. If you want to join up and contribute, you can join our team here.

So please come out! Buy the delicious baked goods you’ve been craving – and donate money to a good cause in the process

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Reminder: Food and Sports Blogger March Madness Happy Hour – Tuesday, 3/16!

March 15, 2010 at 9:38 pm · Filed under DC, Uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

SBinvite-3

Food Bloggers + Sports Bloggers = Happy Hour

Yes, this is my final reminder – the food and sports blogger March Madness happy hour is Tuesday night (3/16)! Come drink with us from 6-9 pm at Clyde’s of Gallery Place. Just a note – we’ve been moved from the sports room to the oyster bar, but don’t worry. There will still be happy hour-ing. Fellow food and sports bloggers, readers, lurkers, sports fans, food fans, and friends all welcome.

RSVP on the DC Food Bloggers Facebook Page.

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Weekly Roundup: “Oh My God We’re Getting A DC Top Chef” Edition

March 12, 2010 at 7:48 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , ,

Churchkey_Chairs

Restaurants like Churchkey have helped put DC on the food map.

Ever since I came to DC four and a half years ago, the food scene has been expanding and growing right before my very eyes. The new bars and clubs that are opening up on H street, the ever expanding food scene on 14th street – it seems like every day there’s a new restaurant opening that I want to try. But now, I think the DC food scene has finally arrived. Yes – Metrocurean’s sources tell her that we’re getting a DC Top Chef.

Now, I know that Top Chef isn’t the last say on a city’s food scene – not by a long shot. The show’s focus on restaurant cooking really reflects one small part of a city’s food culture, after all – I’d still say that I wish DC had the vibrant ethnic food scene that you find out in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, for instance. But still, I’m pretty damn proud of my little city.

Recipes I want to try, from this week’s Internet perusings:

  • Salvadorian pound cake from One Bite at a Time. It’s a sweet cake that also uses Parmesan cheese – the combo looks fascinating to me.
  • Blood orange yogurt cake, from The Atlantic. I think we’re seeing the tail end of orange recipes for the season. Next up -rhubarb.
  • Amnesty cookies (they liberate all the bags of half-used ingredients from your cupboard), from David Lebovitz.
  • Sesame cookies, from Atlantic Kitchen. I know that sesame is often used in desserts, but it’s something I always forget about. These look lovely.

And in other news:

  • Dangerously Delicious Pies, a Baltimore Favorite, will be officially opening up their new H street store on March 12. Man. Does this mean I need to go down to H street? I hate paying cab fare. Via Frozen Tropics.
  • I really liked this post from DC Foodies about the proper use of the word “Gastropub” (and, according to the post, I’ve misused the term quite a few times on this very site). Considering that DC is experience a Renaissance of “Gastropubs,” I’m glad someone is taking a look at what, exactly, a Gastropub is.
  • Another sign that the DC Food Scene has arrived – two DCites made Food and Wine’s list of seven top Sommeliers: Greg Enert, Beer Director of Churchkey and Birch and Barley, and John Wabeck, Sommelier at Inox. Via Metrocurean.
  • Everyone cheats in the kitchen. Canned chicken stock, pre-bagged lettuce, minute rice – we all use shortcuts. Endless Simmer lists their top three cooking cheats – and now I totally want to make them my own.
  • The lovely Mango and Tomato is getting her teaching on – she’s started teaching Knife Skills classes. I totally think you should hit her up for a private class. The beautiful photos are by Adventures in Shaw.
  • The Tipsy Baker is having a showdown. A chicken pot pie show down. In one corner – the chicken pot pie from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc At Hom. In the other corner – the chicken pot pie from Pioneer Woman Cooks. Who’s pot pie reigns supreme?
  • There’s such thing as a beer CSA? Really? Via Young and Hungry.

Happy Friday!

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Weekly Roundup: Over this Weather Edition

March 5, 2010 at 8:48 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , ,

Spring Flowers

I would just like to remind you that, eventually, it will be Spring.

Maybe it’s boring to always be talking about the weather. But it’s March. Besides the upcoming Food and Sports Blogger March Madness happy hour on March 16, and maybe St. Patrick’s day, nothing’s really exciting about March. Besides, that is, the onset of Spring. Oh, and the fact that I have now have a ModernDomestic fan page on Facebook. Are you a fan yet?

Spring is taking a really long time to show its face. I’m cold. I’m cranky.  I’m tired of shivering in my coat and sweater. I’m ready for something new. Spring, get your ass in gear.

Recipes I want to try:

  • Oh my God! Homemade Twix! These look amazing. From One Bite at a Time.
  • Tiramisu with pomegranate juice and pomegranate liquor, from Mango and Tomato. Lovely.

And in other news:

  • I’m not a hipster, but I kind of want to be a hipster housecleaner. No, not food related, but too delicious to pass up. Via The Hill is Home.
  • So, every time the Washingtonian does a big contest, like the Burger Bracket or the Pizza Pool, I get really overwhelmed. Like, inevitably I haven’t tried all the places, and I feel like I can’t vote in all the contests, and then I can’t keep up with all of them. Which is how I feel about the Cupcake Cup. And yes, I’ve had a lot of cupcakes in DC. But I haven’t come close to trying them all and, rather than giving myself a panic attack, I’m just kind of ignoring it. But if you’d like to check it out, be my guest.
  • There are a lot of tacos in DC. DCist sorts through them all and tells you which ones are worth eating. I’m kind of sad that they didn’t include Mixtec, in Adams Morgan – I really like tacos at that place.
  • Dine out for Life, the Food and Friends fundraiser, is March 11 – get the scoop on who’s participating over at Dining in DC.
  • Endless Simmer is holding a donut contest – create the ultimate Endless Simmer donut. I love it. I would like a chocolate bacon donut, please.
  • The Tipsy Baker sings the praises of good white chocolate. She is so right on.
  • Um, there are 95 cent cocktails at Occidental? Seriously? Seriously? Via Metrocurean.
  • It may be overlooked, but the sandwich is one of the greatest food inventions of all time. The Washington Post has a bunch of great sandwich recipes for a crowd – ideal for an Oscar party.
  • Girl Meets Food has a bad time at Vidalia during restaurant week, and can finally talk about it.

Happy Friday!

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Join DC Food Bloggers and Sports Bloggers for a March Madness Happy Hour, March 16

March 4, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

DC Food and Sports Blogger Flyer2

Food bloggers. Sports bloggers. Coming together for a common cause: happy hour.

Yes, we just had a food blogger happy hour yesterday – but did you know that there’s another chance to get together with your favorite bloggers this month?

Join DC’s Food Bloggers and DC Sports Bloggers for a March Madness happy hour on Tuesday, March 16 from 6-9 pm at Clyde’s of Gallery Place in the Sports Room (most easily accessed from the Clyde’s theater entrance). Come meet, drink, and mingle with your favorite food and sports bloggers.

RSVP on the Food Bloggers Facebook page.

Now, I’m especially interested in this event because I actually don’t follow any sports – so I’m wondering how, exactly, I will be able to make conversation with sports bloggers. I’m thinking that I’ll do a little thinking about the best food to eat at sporting events (beer, pretzels) – hopefully that will be our common ground.

Please spread the word to your friends and help us celebrate the opening day of March Madness! Or just come out for the food, beer, and the company.

Many thanks to Jim over at SB Nation, who headed up the planning on this one. And thanks to the Food Bloggers planning committee: Arugula Files, Beer Spotter, Biscuits and Such, Capital Cooking, Capital Spice, Common Man Eats, Dining in DC, Girl Meets Food, Gradually Greener, Thrifty DC Cook, and We Love DC.

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Carri-Anne Hamer Serves Up Elegant, Delicious Desserts at Zola

March 2, 2010 at 7:23 am · Filed under DC ·Tagged , , , ,

Zola Sticky Toffee Pudding

The sticky toffee pudding at Zola is to die for - and yes, that's a sweet potato cake you're looking at.

Restaurant desserts are hard to do well. It’s common for diners to get a plate of something covered in spun sugar and modeled chocolate that looks beautiful, only to be met with disappointment in the first mouthful. But Carrie Anne Hamer, the Pastry Chef at Zola, doesn’t have this problem – her desserts not only look beautiful, but they taste wonderful.

Zola Carri Anne Hamer

Zola's pastry chef Carri-Anne Hamer.

Hamer has been interested in pastry ever since she got an EZ-Bake oven as a child and could make her mother and father their favorite pies – blueberry and cherry respectively. Originally from Virginia Beach, Hamer studied culinary arts at a vocational program in high school. After a bad restaurant experience at the age of 16 – Hamer says she has a “love hate relationship” with the industry – her career took a detour. She pursued an associate’s degree in business administration and planned on doing a major in international business. But she just couldn’t ignore her love for food. “When I was finished with my associate’s I figured out that my passion lies in the culinary field,” Hamer says. “So I applied to the Culinary Institute of America.”

After moving to DC in 2006, Hamer worked at Restaurant Eve, several different CakeLove locations, and Vinoteca, before moving to Zola in November 2009. Hamer describes Zola’s cuisine as “food that people are familiar with,” re-imagined with high quality ingredients and modern updates. “We have a mac and cheese, but it’s a lobster mac and cheese,” she explained.

Zola Cafe Ole

The Café au Lait, one of the desserts at Zola.

Hamer’s approach to pastry is creative and spontaneous – “it’s anything that just comes into my head,” she says. “You have all these classic desserts – how can you change them, make them your own?” She brings her classical training to bear in her desserts at Zola, which are elegantly styled updates of traditional European desserts – and yes, they’re delicious.

Take her sticky toffee pudding, which pairs an incredibly moist sweet potato cake covered in toffee sauce with a refreshing butter pecan ice cream. The cake practically melted in my mouth – it was my favorite thing that I tried. The Café au Lait- a coffee mousse with a center of Irish creme, coated in white chocolate and surrounded by a Irish creme sabayon, was surprisingly light and delicately flavored. Her chocolate dessert, called “The Bittersweet Love,” has a bitter chocolate mousse atop a crunchy hazelnut base, filled with a blood orange marmalade and surrounded by a blood orange and vanilla sauce. Unlike many mousse desserts, which can be heavy, this was creamy and light, and the orange marmalade and silky sauce brought out the deep chocolate flavor of the mousse. It’s no wonder that the dessert is Hamer’s favorite – “one of my favorite flavor profiles is chocolate and orange,” she says. “I used to get a chocolate orange in my stocking every Christmas.”

Zola Bittersweet Love

Bittersweet Love, Zola's dessert for Valentine's Day.

Hamer is already thinking of ideas for her spring menu, like a black forest milkshake. “Some ideas come months before the season,” she admits. She’s also thought of doing a dessert for the Cherry Blossom Festival, like a green tea cake filled with a white chocolate mousse, although she’s not sure yet what will end up on the actual Zola menu.

But I’m sure whatever it is, it will be delicious, beautiful, and a sweet way to end a meal.

Zola decor

Can I just say that I'm also a little in love with the retro chic decor at Zola? 'Cause I am.

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Upcoming Pastry Classes At CulinAerie

February 27, 2010 at 12:38 pm · Filed under baking, DC, dessert, Uncategorized ·Tagged , ,

Mom's Birthday Cake - Center

Cake!

Some of you know that I started assisting cooking classes at CulinAerie, a recreational cooking school down on 14th street, back in December. Owned by two chefs and former L’Academie De Cuisine instructors, Susan Watterson and Susan Holt (aka “The Susans”), CulinAerie classes cover a wide range of cooking skills and techniques.

Having helped out at several classes by now, I’d definitely recommend them if you’re looking for a cooking class. The instructors are incredibly knowledge, the facilities are beautiful, and the classes are fun.

And if you’re looking for a food focused volunteer opportunity, I’ve loved assisting. Assistants help set up classrooms, prep, clear, and clean up. Really, the best part of it is getting to watch the class for free and being around other food people – well, that and you always get dinner after clean up. You can learn about CulinAerie’s assistant program by sending them an email.

I was excited to see that they have some baking and pastry focused classes coming up, so I thought I’d do a little blog shout out. I’m really sad that I can’t take any of these classes myself – how did my schedule get so crazy so quickly? I feel like all of March is full, and it hasn’t even begun yet.

Cake Making Classics
Instructor: Amy Riolo
March 6, 10:00am
Price: $85.00
Register here.

These timeless cakes are a “must” in anyone’s repertoire. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, hosting an elegant dinner party or looking to learn something new, this lineup won’t disappoint. Menu: Amalfi Coast Flourless Chocolate Cake; Tuscan Fig, Walnut & Fennel Seed Torte; Lemon-Filled Coconut Cream Roulade; Citrus Cardamom Pound Cake.

Bread for Beginners: Fabulous All-Time Favorites
Instructor: Amy Riolo
March 13, 10:30pm
Price: $85.00 per seat
Register here.

Details: Imagine turning back the hands of time and enjoying hot, fresh breads in your own home. These delicious, easy recipes will prove that making hand-crafted artisanal breads is much easier (and more fun) than you think. Menu: Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls; Easy, No-Knead Italian Baguettes; Tuscan Rosemary Focaccia; Lemon Apricot Tea Bread.

Basic Cake Decorating: Construction and Design
Instructor: Monica Marshall
March 21, 2010, 10:30am
Price: $85.00
Register here.

Details: Learn how to level, fill, crumb coat and ice a round cake. Decorative techniques for the sides of the cake will include raking, applying crushed nuts and performing geometric star dot patterns. Shell borders, star dots and scripting will finish the top. Students will learn how to choose the right equipment to complete cake decorating projects at home, how to use a pastry bag and how to mix colors.

Happy baking!

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