Gobble Gobble

Well to say the least, Thanksgiving was a success. From morning to night there was something amazing to nibble on, and the day started with these bites: bacon bark and spicy roasted chickpeas.

*I realize now that the bacon bark may seem a little scary if not explained. Basically it's bacon, pecans, and walnuts baked in the over with brown sugar, paprika, and maple syrup. Which equals salty, savory, sweet, crunchy nomness.


And it wouldn't be a day of my favorite type of eating without cheese. We had a variety of brie, cheese with cranberries in it, goat cheese, and here's a big block of gouda!


And the turkey. It was magnificent. Moist on the inside and golden on the outside - it was definitely some of my mom's best work.


The best part about Thanksgiving - sitting down at the dinner table with family. We had my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and best friends there. It was nice to be all around one table.


Lots o' pies. Because a normal pumpkin pie or apple pie isn't enough right? My mom knocked it out of the park with these and made a caramel crumble apple pie and a pumpkin pie with chiffon whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Noming (Sort of) Heals All

As I type this I know I'm going to sound like such a fat kid, but hear me out -- right now food means so much more to me than just eating. Right now, it's an experience, a thing I can do to be surrounded by people, something that will excite me if only temporarily, something to bring my family together, something to take my mind off of the totally awful break up I'm going through right now. Le sigh.

I can't help but roll my eyes at myself. I know this sounds like an alternative chapter to the eat portion of Eat, Pray, Love, but hey it's a personal food blog - personal and food are right there in the name.

Eating out has always been one of my favorite things to do. I love getting people together, getting them a few drinks, and seeing what sort of interesting conversations come up. I love looking at new menus and seeing how different ingredients are put together. Eating out is always one big puzzle with cool, crazy pieces that ultimately fit together to make a great shared experience.

It's also the perfect distraction.


Akasha

So when I got home, one of the first things I did was get my mom, brother, and a few friends to this place called Akasha in Culver City. Akasha is a typical LA restaurant - beautiful eclectic decor and feel good sustainable ingredients (even some of the alcohol was organic).

Since my stomach is still feeling the break up a bit more than I'd like, I decided to order a few small dishes. Best way to try more anyway. I started with a farm beet salad with manchego cheese, arugula, and pickled shallots, and then followed that up with artichoke frites with mint raita, tomato chutney, and a grilled lemon. And then I also had a few bites of skillet macaroni & cheese made with gruyere and cheddar, and then sprinkled with bread crumbs. Hey, what better time to eat comfort food? Needless to say, it was all amazing. So amazing, I forgot to take pictures. Oops.

The next day for lunch I decided to hit up one of the restaurants on my LA wish list from before - Gjelina. Of course, I did have to overlook the fact that this was one of my favorite restaurants to go to with my boyfriend. But hey, food comes first and I am not giving this place up.

Here is a look at the nomness I had there:


Cured meats with pickles and mustard


Escarole with sunchoke, smoked almond, lemon preserve & parmesesan and parsnips with salsa verde


Butterscotch pot de creme with salted caramel w/ creme fraiche

So what's the moral here? I'm not sure there is one. Break ups are hard, and as many times as you go through them, they really never get easier. But for me, focusing on the little things that make me happy like food and friends is what's going to get me through. Plus, foodies need to be far more creative than taking to a pint of ice cream ;)

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

Thanksgiving Brainstorming

If the picture above is any indication (turkey wrapped in bacon), then you know my family and I do Thanksgiving right. Every year the menu changes, there's no one cranberry sauce we do, or the same potatoes we all love. Each year is its own creation, with new recipes that we hunt for months leading up to the eating marathon. I still remember the cranberry sauce from a few years ago with walnuts and orange zest. And the brussels sprouts with bacon bits that were completely demolished last year. Bacon was clearly a theme....Determined to make sure this year is no less amazing than the ones before it, here are a few Petitt-style Thanksgiving recipes I found recently that should definitely make it on our dinner table. (I'm forwarding this blogpost to mom shortly. Hi mom.)



-- Well first thing's first - the cranberries. To me this is the most important part of the meal, it's the bit of sweet that goes perfectly with all the savory. My Thanksgiving menu this year includes red devil cranberries with minced chipotle chiles and a minced serrano chile pepper.



-- And how about side dishes? This is where creativity is most important because it's easy to create a generic Thanksgiving if the sides aren't up to par. First, I'm feeling some stuffed sweet potatoes with pecan and marshmallow streusel. The picture above pretty much speaks for itself. And of course, you've got to have some green. I'm thinking green beans with caramelized onions and almonds. And of course I've got to fill my cheese quota, for this I recommend a cheesy broccoli bake. Wow that sounds fantastic.



-- Then that leaves dessert. For this I like to stick to tradition -- you can't do better than a pumpkin pie. And since we've got some gluten-free eaters in my family, I've got my eye on this tipsy pumpkin butter pie, which is gluten and dairy free.

Well that's all I got for now, but I'm still continuing my search. And please let me know if you have any favorite recipes!

Los Anjealous

Okay, I'm about to get a little annoying and rep my city for a second, so bear with me.

I am DC's biggest fan - whenever someone says there is a lack of culture, good food, or fun places to go here I always put them right in their place. DC is great and I have found many restaurants in the city that I would put on par with amazing restaurants around the world. BUT let's face it, while this has been improving in the last couple of years, DC has never been known for its food. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner, my mouth is beginning to salivate thinking about the food waiting for me in LA.

A couple weeks ago I shared my wish list for restaurants I need to go to in the District. Well this week, I need to tell you a few of my favorite places in LA (just in case you're ever lucky enough to eat..I mean go there).

1. ANY AND ALL MEXICAN FOOD
Goodness, I can't stress this enough. If it's not greasy, cheesy, and burns my mouth off, I want none of it. I've looked all over DC and nothing comes close to the Mexican food in LA...which is understandable because of geographical advantages. In LA, a good rule of thumb for Mexican is the sketchier the place looks, all the better the food. Tacos Por Favor in Santa Monica certainly passes this test. Just look at it, you know it's got to be amazing.


2. Father's Office
I all for Bobby's Burger Palace and Good Stuff, but this is a burger so good the restaurant doesn't even let you alter it. Seriously, not even a little. There are even signs that tell you not to ask for ketchup. But just trust me on this one, you wouldn't want to mess with it. They won't share their recipe, but there's definitely caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese (maybe?), arugula, and a whole lot of awesome.


3. Bay Cities.
Okay this place makes me want to be home right &(*^%% now. Best italian sandwiches I know. Fresh baked bread and ingredients. A straight forward sandwich that will never disappoint. I always order mine online, get it to go, and go take it to eat on the beach.


4. Gjelina
This is one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Beautiful decor and outdoor patio, great vibe, and fantastic food. It also totally embodies the funky feeling of Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice so it's always an experience too. I would love to pick a few things from the menu to share with you, but I can't I love it all. It's such a creative menu, using tons of different ingredients. Check it.


5. Yabu
One of my other favorite parts of LA is the vibrant Japanese community - Yabu totally reflects that. I go there for their Zaru, which is cold noodles (soba or udon) served with cold dipping sauce. I also totally miss the Japanese markets in LA like Mitsuwa and Nijiya. I will definitely go to one of these to stock up on umeboshi (pickled sour plum) before I come back to DC.



Considering I only have five days in LA, one day taken up for Thanksgiving, and another taken for recovery time from Thanksgiving eating, I'm going to stop there. Don't want to tempt myself with all the possibilities. But YUM. Cannot wait.

Oh, by the way

Here is my super DC-of-me pumpkin carving

Happy Halloween!

One of my fondest memories as a kid is sitting down on the floor, carving pumpkins with my mom and brother. And being at college has really made me miss our little tradition. But this year I've decided (since I'm a senior and all) that I've got to start making my own traditions. So...carving pumpkins solo it is! With a little narrated blog action thrown in there, of course.





Now if you know me, you know that there is usually a food motivation for the things I do, and pumpkin carving is no different. Every year I look forward to pulling out the seeds and toasting them in the over. October isn't october without some pumpkin seeds. Plus, they're totally easy to make. Just rinse the seeds in water, spread them out on an oiled cookie sheet and sprinkle some salt on the top. Bake at around 325 degrees F for about 25 minutes, making sure to stir them after about 10 minutes. And yum, easy enough, you have a nice muchy treat.

And in case you're feeling like you're up for a bit more of a challenge. Here's a recipe to another one of my favorite October foods, pumpkin pie.

Wish List

As a perfect compliment to last week, this week my boyfriend's parents are in town. Which means...YES, more fabulous food. We started today off right by going to BlackSalt, a place known for its extensive fish menu. Now, I would be more specific about the menu, but my ordering went a little something like this: "bring me anything on the menu that isn't that fishy." I realize now that they probably judged me a lot for coming there in the first place, but listen, it didn't matter - the food was fantastic. I had one of the specials of the night, something called a tile fish prepared with white sweet potato puree, greens with bacon, and roasted mushrooms. Twas perfection.

(Side note: If you've read previous blog posts, you know my first experience with oysters did not go as planned. BUT, I tried oysters for the second time. This time was a great success.)

But this got me thinking. I see myself as a person who has tried and knows a lot of restaurants in DC, but here was a place completely unknown that is now easily a new favorite. Which is why (after a little research) I have compiled a restaurant wish list, all the places I hope to go in the upcoming months as I venture out in the city (...and maybe put on a few winter pounds?)

2AMYS for fantastic pizza
Citronelle to pretend I'm fancy enough for french food Obama eats
Volt for Top Chef alum Brian Voltaggio chem project-like food creations
Graffiato...while we're on the Top Chef theme, I haven't heard rave reviews but I like Chef Mike Isabella so I want to give it a try
Minibar just to say I did
CityZen - don't know much about this place but a server I work with swears by it and I trust his judgement
El Centro in search of ONE (ONE PEOPLE) solid Mexican food place in DC. I get that we're not by the border but come onnnn.
KOMI well, because it's number one on everyone's best lists

That's all I've got for now. What about you guys? Any suggestions?

Parents Weekend

I nearly forgot why I love Parents Weekend so much (besides seeing my mom of course...(obligatory in case she ever reads this)). Surprise, surprise, I love Parents Weekend because of the food. Parents come around once a year and all of a sudden you have an excuse to go to the totally over the top restaurants you otherwise wouldn't be able to justify to them when the credit card bill comes around at the end of the month. I've accumulated a few go-tos over the years for this exact weekend - Zaytinya, Rasika, andCentral to name a few.

Wanting to show my mom a few new places this time (and a bit of a different experience for one in particular) I made reservations a couple weeks ago to guarantee we would be properly stuffed.

The first reservation I made was for Casa Nonna in Dupont Circle. Now DC has A LOT of italian food so sometimes it's a little difficult to sort through which ones are worth a visit, but I really like Casa Nonna because of their homemade pastas. There is one dish in particular, a spiced pumpkin gnocchi with creamy sauce, fried pancetta, and sprinkled with amaretto cookies on top that I love. It reminds me of a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks -- fall in a dish/cup. Plus, full disclosure, I am a server at this restaurant so I just thought it might be nice for my mom if I could serve her for a change.

The next meal we had was at Logan's Tavern for a Saturday brunch. The food was pretty standard for brunch, and definitely yummy. But I was mostly impressed by the craft your own bloody mary menu that had tons of options to make your own potent start to the day. But I ended up choosing La Maria Caliente - chili pepper tequila, bloody mix, lime juice, and hot sauce. Perfect.

A mere 4 hours after that meal we were off to Estadio, one of my new favorite restaurants in DC. To be fair, that's because it has too many unfair advantages. 1) I love eating tapas-style. Bite here, sip there. I get to try more things on the menu without getting unbuckle-my-belt full. 2) I love Spain, Spanish culture, and the like so it's only fitting that I love the restaurant that has a picture of Penelope Cruz on the door for the ladies room and a picture of Javier Bardem on the door of the mens. Also, how cute is that? 3) This food is straight up awesome. I haven't tried a thing there I don't like...besides the price tag. But hey, for Parents Weekend, it was a success.

You might think I'm done right? Not even. I saved the best for last - brunch at Blue Duck Tavern. This is hands down my favorite place to eat in DC. First of all the restaurant is beautiful, with wood furniture and paneling and floor to ceiling windows, I just always feel at ease. But really the food speaks for itself, particularly the short rib hash that comes with an olive oil poached egg, horseradish sauce, and a flakey, buttery-goodness biscuit. There has not been more comforting comfort food.

So what's reason for this post? Because I just love to talk about the fabulous things I get to eat. What other reason do I need? :)

Hello fellow eaters,

This week has been a hectic one including an emergency room visit....so stay tuned on the next food update. I have more Hemingway themed eating experiences oddly enough because I was in the Keys! Until then salivate over this picture plez. Key lime pie allll I had this weekend.

Outstanding in the Field

Outstanding is right. This past week I had one of the most amazing eating experiences of my life. Outstanding in the Field is (as they put it) a "roving culinary adventure" that travels across the country, and even across seas, with the mission of re-connecting diners to the origins of their food. Basically this is the fancy way for saying that people pack up a bus full of stuff, choose gorgeous locations across the country, set up a huge table for about a hundred people, and then invite a chef from the area to create a five course masterpiece.

The dinner I went to was in Alexandria, Virginia at the Arcadia sustainable farm at Woodlawn with the team from Birch & Barley leading the way with food. On top of that, Birch & Barley is known for its extensive beer list so it was fitting that each course was paired with a unique beer.

I probably ate about 20 different items that night but just to highlight a few favorites:
- pumpkin flatbread, cardoons, pecorino & pine nuts
- salad of arugula, roasted peppers, grilled watermelon, grilled bok choy, white balsamic vinaigrette & lardons
- ricotta cavatelli w/ braised pork shoulder, lima beans & fresh herbs
- grilled pork loin, sauteed sweet potato greens & jalapeno corn bread
- and last but not least: apple pie with cinnamon chantilly, caramel & granola

The Woodlawn manor that sat beside the lawn where beer and appetizers were passed out


Speaking of which, here we all are drinking and standing around


Pumpkin flatbread (YUM)


RhinoFest, Lost Rhino Brewing Company beer


Table peaking out from behind the farm


Mismatched plates Outstanding in the Field has collected over the years that make the table look adorable


The long communal table


Me and the boyfriend, Zack


And then it got a little dark... but fear not!


The team from Birch & Barley



Um, so yeah. Basically, take my word on it, if you ever have the opportunity to go to one of these, do it.

Encounter with oysters at Pearl Dive

A few posts down I included a quote from Ernest Hemingway describing his experience eating oysters and drinking wine. I shared this partially because of my fascination with the once journalist but also because the quote perfectly captures the way I feel about food. A dining experience speaks to all of our senses. Our eyes are pleased by carefully decorated interiors, our ears perk up to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and waves of conversation from surrounding tables, our fingers carefully hold cristal wine glasses, our mouths and noses...well that's obvious, they have the greatest treat of all. Working all together, these aspects create such a full, satisfied feeling --the nearest real life definition of "contentment" that I have ever encountered.

Anyway, it's obvious that this quote spoke to me in a way that it felt like it could have been my own. So when I finally tried oysters for the first time this weekend, I was totally surprised that I HATED them. Hate is a strong word and I hesitate to run completely against Hemingway on this one, but I didn't find the appeal of eating animals resembling sea-flavored jello. I could see how people might like the experience though -- like drinking wine, I could see eating oysters as being hobby-like. You get to know oysters from different regions and how that might affect their flavor profile. To each her own.

But here's the silver lining. When one of the five senses fail you can always count on the others. And because of that I totally enjoyed myself at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace in Logan Circle. Fun atmosphere, great bar, cool decorations, and lots of oysters...if you're into that sort of thing.

Eating In

When I moved into my apartment two years ago, I made a vow to myself that I would cook. I live above Trader Joe's and I have a Viking range -- I figured I would have no choice. But of course, my lazy, less-than-Susie-homemaker self finds every reason in the world not to cook. And really the only thing that gets made on a consistent basis is pasta...

But this past week, my wanting to check out the new Foggy Bottom Whole Foods forced me to actually pick some stuff up and (GASP) make dinner for me AND two friends. And kidding aside, fud wuz good.

Here is what I made: a wild rice blend (no effort, picked up a bag and threw it in water), orange-scented broccoli and cauliflower, and filet mignon with blackberries. And while the photo above does not do the meal justice, I've got to say, this is some of the best cooking I've done. Check out the recipes that I've linked here, they are simple and totally flavorful.

Shout out to the series finale of Entourage

DRAMA [WHILE SNIFFING WINE]: I GET TOFFEE, MOCHA AND A HINT OF TERRA FIRMA.
ERIC: TERRA FIRMA IS DIRT, DRAMA.
DRAMA: YEAH, WELL, WINE COMES FROM DIRT, E

Wino for the Day

Sunday morning - one of my favorite times of the week. Also known as the morning I attempt to charm my boyfriend into having brunch with me at a new restaurant in the city. But this morning no deals were brokered and no brunch to be munched. Why? Because I joined in on my very first wine tasting. (My friend said that must be like 10 times as good as taking communion.)

I’ve always been into food, however there’s always been a void in the wine department. Partly because I’ve been age-challenged, but mostly because when I think about wine knowledge I think about this. Pretension alert!

But wine knowledge doesn’t have to be stuffy or stuck-up, it can be expressive and open for interpretation. And if you’re with the right people, they won’t even care if you like to drink Merlot.

My favorite wine of the day was Dolcetto D'Alba Tre Vigne 2009. This is a wine that you can drink like water, medium bodied and low on tannins. I love its mineral quality and sweet berry smell.

Inspiration

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy, and to make plans.

- Ernest Hemingway