Spectacularly Bad

I really struggle to eat well when I'm traveling alone for work, and this past week was no exception. I went to DC again for a class, and on Thursday night I tried to find something relatively healthy for dinner near my hotel. It was a minor disaster.

I chose a national chain restaurant (that shall remain nameless) where I thought I'd be able to get some vegetables and not look too awkward eating alone. This particular chain has recently revamped its wine list, and I decided to try their Estancia Meritage (usually a red wine blend). Apparently the staff has not been educated on the new wines: my waitress brought me a glass of some unknown white wine. Strike one.

Having cleared up the wine confusion, I headed to the salad bar and loaded up on spinach, mixed greens, edamame, chickpeas, & sunflower seeds. I returned to my table, lifted my fork, and uncovered a large (thankfully, dead) black insect. Strike two.

Giving up on the salad, I waited until the waitress brought my entrée: a petite sirloin (which I ordered cooked medium), steamed broccoli, and mashed cauliflower. (In hindsight, perhaps ordering a steak wasn't the smartest decision. I'll take the blame for that one.) I cut into it and discovered that it was completely rare in the middle. Not just rare, but raw - cold and still a little bloody. Thinking that maybe I could still salvage part of the meal, I stuck my fork into a broccoli floret, but it was so overcooked that it fell apart on contact. Strike three.

After a short chat with the manager, I left with a corked and almost-full bottle of Estancia Meritage (that's right - they gave me the bottle, once they finally found the right wine), and without paying.

Discouraged and disgusted, I headed down the street to Chipotle to get a chicken burrito bowl with guacamole and extra cilantro.

Back to DC: Founding Farmers

Every few months I travel to DC for training for work, and this week I'm back again. The last time I was here, I had lunch at a farm-to-table American restaurant in northwest DC (near George Washington University) called Founding Farmers. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back for lunch again today.

Founding Farmers is big on knowing where their food comes from. Their website states, "When ingredients are available locally and it is sensible for us to buy them, we do. We serve chicken, beef, pork and dairy from certified sources that state their commitment to sustainable farming and clean foods; we buy our seafood from vendors committed to the standards of FishWatch."

Today it was more crowded than on my first visit, and I had to sit at the bar; but it turned out not to be too bad - my bartender/waitress was prompt & friendly. Both times I was able to get in & out and back to class in under an hour. I tried two different pasta dishes, but the rest of their menu looks good too, especially the entrée salads and the Roasted Vegetable & Avocado sandwich.

What I Ate #1:

• Straw & Hay Pasta: housemade macaroni noodles simmered in a light creamy broth with asparagus, bacon, mushrooms, & peas
• To drink: Cranberry Cucumber Cooler (non-alcoholic) - very refreshing!

What I Ate #2:

• Show Stopper Pasta: Mussels, shrimp, white fish, & chorizo over housemade spaghetti in a light wine sauce, served with crusty bread - this dish was fun to eat: the sauce was light, not heavy & creamy, and the shrimp & chorizo were "hidden" towards the bottom of the dish, so each bite revealed a little more, like toasted (pine?) nuts and mixed herbs ... yummm
• To drink: Mint Limeade - tart & refreshing

The Scoop:

Founding Farmers is located in the International Monetary Fund headquarters building at 1924 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 2006. Reservations are strongly recommended (even for lunch) and can be made by calling (202)822-8783. They serve breakfast M-F, lunch & dinner M-Sun, and brunch on Sat-Sun.

Dating in DC: Frickles for the Fourth of July

In the summer of 2008, while I was living/working in DC, Topher & I celebrated the 4th of July by renting bikes from a marina near my apartment in Arlington, VA, and riding the Mount Vernon Trail. The trail goes along the Potomac River, through the city of Alexandria, all the way to Mount Vernon Estate - a 24-mile round-trip route from where we started.

The weather that day was gorgeous; we could see clear across the river to Fort Washington in Maryland. We packed a picnic lunch, which we ate at the estate, and we stopped for ice cream at Ben & Jerry's in Alexandria on our way back.

That evening we both were exhausted and starving. In honor of Independence Day we decided to eat American: upscale Southern comfort food at Del Merei Grille in Alexandria.

What I Ate:

• frickles: lightly fried pickle chips with spiced remoulade
• shrimp and grits: andouille sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions, and cajun cream served over garlic cheese grits

The Scoop:

Del Merei Grille is located at 3106 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305. Their dinner hours are M-R 5-9:30pm, F-Sat 5-10:30pm, Sun 5-9pm. They're also open for lunch T-F 11:30am-2pm. Reservations are recommended but not required and can be made by calling (703)739-4335.

Note: This place doesn't look like much from the outside - it's located in a nondescript shopping center and not in the cute downtown part of Alexandria - but the food is great, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the prices are pretty reasonable (for the DC area). The Indian place next door - Bombay Curry Company - is also excellent and offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on Sundays.

Dating in DC: Beef Tartare at Dukem

While we were engaged, my husband Topher was eager to try beef tartare (at the prompting of his friend Randy), so our second foray into ethnic food in DC was Ethiopian. Again, we ate with just our hands, sans silverware.

I wasn't brave enough to order a full serving myself, so I got a vegetarian platter instead. Imagine my surprise when the plate was accompanied by a whole cooked fish on the bone - head, eyes, tail, everything! (I think they gave me a fork to eat that.)

But I did try a few bites of Topher's entrée. It had a moist, warm, chewy consistency - not bad, but I couldn't eat much of it. I think we both psyched ourselves out a little. I mean, it was raw beef.

What I Ate:

• #33 Special Dukem Veggie Combo III: spicy splint lentils, yellow peas, greens, cabbage, shiro, salad, and chickpeas in spicy sauce, all served over injera bread, with a whole cooked fish

What Topher Ate:

• Dukem Kitfo: Beef tartare mixed with homemade cottage cheese, herbal butter, cardamom, and mitmita

The Scoop:

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant (www.dukemrestaurant.com) is located at 1114-1118 U Street (12th Street NW), Washington, DC 20009. Their hours are Sun-R 11am-2am, F-Sat 11am-3am.

Note: The picture above isn't my actual plate, but it's as close as I could find online. It's from here.

Dating in DC: Belly Dancing at Marrakesh

Our decision to try Moroccan food turned out to be one of our more adventurous dining experiences in DC. Delicious but definitely unique, not for the faint of heart.

First, the place looks like nothing from the outside. There's no sign, at least not one in English. There's only a blue door. And on the night we went there, a young man sitting in a compact car parked out front, who (apparently sensing our confusion) honked at us and waved us towards the blue door.

Second, there's no menu. You can order house white wine or house red wine - those are your only choices. The meal itself is a fixed menu at a (presumably) fixed price, served family-style. We never actually saw a price anywhere; we just got a hand-written bill at the end of the night. For all we know, the table next to us was charged something completely different! :)

Third, it didn't seem to matter what time you got there; everybody got their food at the same time, because everybody was eating the same thing. And it didn't matter if you didn't want to watch the belly dancing. Everybody got to see the belly dancing, because it happened in the middle of the restaurant in the middle of the meal. Nobody got their dessert (or their check) until after the performance.

Fourth, there were no utensils. When we were first seated, our waitress brought us towels (instead of napkins) and poured water from a pitcher into a copper bowl to wash our hands. We ate the whole meal with our hands.

All that being said, the food was delicious. And I think (I hope) we got a pretty authentic Moroccan meal. This place would be great for a birthday or other special occasion, when you really want to experience something new and different.

What We Ate:

1. The Three-Salad Platter: cooked eggplants in tomato sauce, cucumbers & bell peppers in Mediterranean seasoning, and oasis carrots in coriander
2. The B'Stella: layered pie with chicken, assorted nuts, almonds, eggs, parsley and onions, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon
3. Chicken with lemon and olives
4. Marinated Berber beef shish kebab
5. Couscous Grand Atlas topped with vegetables, chick peas, and raisins
6. Basket of fresh fruits, and hot mint tea with Moroccan pastries (for dessert)

The Scoop:

Marrakesh (www.marrakesh.us) is located at 617 New York Ave, Washington, DC 20001. Reservations are required and available by calling (202)393-9393.

Dating in DC: Raw Oysters at Old Ebbitt Grill

As I mentioned in my very first post, my interest in food took off while Topher & I were engaged and I was living/working in DC. As usual, he did the research and found some wonderful restaurants for us to try.

One of our favorite dates was Old Ebbitt Grill in the heart of DC. After a delicious meal, we took a leisurely walk around The White House (behind us in the picture above) and its "front yard," also known as The Ellipse, or the President's Park.

What I Ate:

• Prince Edward Island oysters: a half dozen, raw on the half shell - this was the first time I ever ate raw oysters, and I was hooked!
• Seafood Jambalaya: shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallops, clams, chicken chorizo sausage, vegetable stew and rice - perfect amount of kick, and the seafood was delicious!
• either key lime pie or strawberry rhubarb pie, I can't remember which! :(

The Scoop:

Old Ebbitt Grill (www.ebbitt.com) is located at 675 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. Their dinner hours are M-F 5pm-12am, Sat-Sun 4pm-12am. Reservations are available by calling (202)347-4800.

Note #1: Old Ebbitt is located very close to The White House and the U.S. Treasury building. It is popular with political insiders, and the bar is often crowded. If you plan to go for dinner, I strongly recommend that you make reservations.

Note #2: The wait staff at Old Ebbitt are awesome. Our waitress (I think her name was Chris?) was prompt & knowledgeable about the menu, she gave great recommendations (especially on the oysters), and she always seemed to be there when we needed her but never when we didn't. Perfect service.