DC--Tapas=small plates

I've heard lots of enthusiastic reviews of tapas bars but for some reason have never felt any desire to try one out myself. This weekend, a friend suggested we try La Tasca after seeing the Dark Knight in Chinatown, initiating a new, fantastic dining adventure!

I liked the feel of the interior as soon as I stepped inside--dim lighting, interesting decorations covering every inch of the walls, cozy booths with vibrant pillows. Our server explained what tapas were--small plates of signature Spanish dishes--and left us to decide which ones we wanted out of the large and varied menu (everything sounded amazing). There were some more expensive choices of meat and seafood ($10-20) but also plenty of good cheap selections ($5-10). We finally decided to try:

Patatas Panadera con Salmorejo--Fried slices of potato with a cold dip of tomato and garlic
Montada de Salmon y Queso Fresco--Toasted bread topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese
Patatas Bravas con Ali-Ali--The best known tapas - deep fried potatoes in a spicy sauce and garlic mayonnaise
Crema Catalana--Catalan custard cream with strawberries
(The sangria, in many varieties, looked really good too, and now I regret not trying it :P)

Everything we ordered was under $6 but still really tasty yet mild. We especially liked the salmon (super fresh) and dessert (creamy and sweet with a nice little crunch from the granulated sugar topping). For "small plates," the portions were still pretty big--the salmon tapas included 3 big bread rounds topped with plenty of fish--and definitely satisfying. The atmosphere was really cozy and relaxing too. And our whole meal was only $25 for both of us, tax and tip included--a great value! I definitely will try to go back next time I'm in the area :) In the meantime, I'm really eager to try the other tapas bars out there after this fantastic introduction to "small plates".

DC--Eat Greek at the Original Ambrosia

Ambrosia is the place in Rockville for good cheap Greek (and some Italian) eats--go for the lunch combos, dinner specials, and huge fresh gyros. They even serve a large breakfast menu, and carry out is a popular option. Big portions, fresh salads and sides, plenty of quality meat (esp. gyro [lamb]), very friendly service. I haven't had much Greek food and can't judge the authenticity of this place myself, but other reviewers claim it's one of the area's finest/best-value Greek restaurants.

Ambrosia has been around for years in its old Congressional Plaza location but recently moved to Montrose Crossing, right by my condo. A friend and I had $6 wrap combos for lunch earlier in the summer--includes a huge wrap with choice of meat (gyro was delicious), salad, choice of veggie side, and drink. Really great value for the yummy food--flavorful and hearty but not too heavy--and a fun, friendly environment with lots of Greek art (photos, paintings, murals) and music. Our server, who was actually Greek, was very attentive and helpful with offering suggestions.

Overall a very unique little place with great food and service :D

DC--Ben's Chili Bowl is yummy + fun.

Started up in the late 50s and now a famous restaurant/diner in the U st/Shaw neighborhood area of DC, Ben's Chili Bowl is known for it's unbeatable chili dogs, half-smokes (half pork half beef sausage), and milkshakes. It was a popular spot for both police and activists during the DC riots of 1968 and is still regularly visited by a diverse crowd of customers today. Bill Cosby is the most famous regular, and other celebs, including Bono and Chris Tucker, have also visited. The restaurant's reputation for chili made with love and its unique history has been recognized throughout the world, and it's founders were even inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame in 2001.

Grant and I went to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner last week to check it out. Indeed it was packed with all sorts of different people, from smartly dressed business professionals to local youth. The walls were covered with pictures and autographs, awards and newspaper articles. We tried all the famous specialties: Bill Cosby's favorite chili half-smoke, chili cheese fries, and milkshakes (chocolate and strawberry!). Everything was really good and cheap, filling and classic. The look of the place is classic 60s diner, complete with a jukebox, barstools along the counter, and a sign that says only Bill Cosby eats there for free :). It was fun people-watching and enjoying our meal in such a unique, warm environment, which is why so many people seem to love it.

Ben's promises to never change, and that's a great thing. I love to know that I can come back years from now and everything will still taste as great, and it will still look the same. That also means it will probably stay cash only, but there's an ATM inside for convenience. The only thing that seems to have changed is the addition of a backroom to accommodate all its hungry customers :) Grant and I had a great time eating there, and we agree that Ben's is definitely a must-go place for anyone in search of good, cheap eats and a unique historical landmark :D

Saturday is Food Day!

Yummy health brunch :)

Scrambled eggs with snow peas and sauteed onions
Heart healthy Quaker oatmeal
Fruit salad w/strawberries, apples, and blueberries
Skim milk




Followed by...cupcake time!

Vanilla cupcakes...







...with chocolate ganache and sugar frosted fruit








yummy :D




We don't have a muffin pan in our condo kitchen, so I used foil baking cups instead. They didn't hold their shape perfectly after I filled them with batter, but it was good enough. We also ran out of granulated sugar, which was a bigger problem, so I had to grind up a bunch of sugar cubes to substitute. Again, not a perfect solution, but it worked out well in the end, especially for sugar frosting the fruit. And it saved me another trip to Giant!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Fruit
(from Joyofbaking.com and Cupcakes)
12 cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, soften
2/3 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk
Chocolate ganache:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. heavy cream
Sugar-frosted fruit:
1 c. fruit (I used blueberries and raspberries, feel free to use whatever you prefer and as much or as little fruit as you like)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners (you can also use self-standing foil cups or paper baking cups on a baking sheet).
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla extract and optional lemon zest.
In another bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix half of this flour mixture into butter and sugar mixture, then mix in milk, and finally mix in the rest of the flour mixture.
Evenly fill muffin cups with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
To prepare ganache, bring a cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. In a mixing bowl that can rest on top of the saucepan, add the chocolate chips and cream. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted completely and the ganache is smooth and consistent. Remove from saucepan and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully spoon ganache on top of cupcakes.
To sugar-frost fruit, lightly brush fruit with egg white, then roll in sugar. Let dry on parchment paper, then use to decorate cupcakes.
Serve while cupcakes are still warm or after refrigerating.

DC--Sequoia is pretty.

Sequoia is a well-known DC restaurant (American menu, large drink selection) with a reputation for beautiful views of the Potomac and pretty good, but not amazing, food. After eating there this weekend, I think that's a pretty accurate representation of the place.

Grant (ever-loyal bf and bff) and I trekked from Foggy Bottom to Sequoia in the monstrous DC heat for Sunday brunch because I really wanted to go while he was visiting. I even made him dress up for the "business casual" dress code, which he was not happy about, but based on the good things I had heard about the restaurant, I figured the inconvenience would be worth it.

We got a little lost along the way and showed up half an hour after our reservation time, but it wasn't a problem at all, and we were seated immediately on the upper level (as I had requested), near the bar, overlooking the river and fountain area outside. Most people are seated on the larger lower level, so let them know when you make a reservation where you want to sit to make sure you end up where you want (you can make online reservations from their website, which is nice). It really is a great view, and I enjoyed just watching people boat on the river and walk around outside. The restaurant itself was pretty cool looking too. The lower level is really spacious, filled with round tables, and the upper level has a big bar and a few smaller tables. The high ceilings and windows made it feel very open and sunny, a happy atmosphere. I think you can also eat on the patio outside, but that option is probably best saved for cooler days :)


I felt bad making Grant dress up when there were people eating in t-shirts and flip flops, but a lot of people were dressed like us, and there were even some men in full suits. I would always rather be overdressed than under, but at Sequoia, the dress code didn't seem like a big deal, although I imagine more people would dress up for dinner compared to brunch or lunch.

As our server (also the bartender, with really interesting/cool facial hair :D) pointed out, brunch is only served on Sundays, so I decided to take advantage of that, as did Grant, even though he apparently doesn't like brunch (who doesn't like brunch?). He had a crabmeat omelette, and I had a smoked salmon platter with bagel (although I distinctly remember ordering scrambled eggs with salmon...some sort of mix up, but I had been debating between the two anyway and really didn't care). As expected, it was all yummy but nothing super impressive, and for the price ($15 avg brunch entrees--reasonable for DC), a pretty good deal, especially since I was able to take advantage of an an offer I found earlier on Entertainment online for a free entree. Service was fine, too--the server was nice and helpful, took a little longer to get to us when more people showed up at the bar but did a good job covering the whole upper level by himself.

The atmosphere of a restaurant can add or take away a lot from a dining experience, so I really appreciated the ambience and fantastic view that Sequoia offers. We arrived sweaty, hungry, tired, and a little irritated, but left full and happy--I don't know if he's lying to make me happy or not, but even Grant agreed it was worth the trouble of dressing up, enduring the heat, and getting lost :)

DC--a tasty little dish called PHO

My first experience with pho, Vietnamese noodle soup, happened 2 years ago in Chicago. My cousin's friend took us to a pho place and explained to us what it was and how to eat it. I had never heard of it before and for some reason opted to share lamb chops with my cousin instead, even though I'm a big fan of soup in all forms. The only other thing I remember is learning how to pronounce "pho"--according to friend who took us there, it's "fuuh?" with a rising intonation, as if you were asking a question.

I found pho again in Cambridge, Mass., where I'm going to school. A place called Le's in Harvard Square has cheap, good pho that I've grown quite fond of, although I don't have much to compare it to :)

Experiencing pho withdrawal down here in the DC area where I'm interning for the summer, I decided to hunt down a good pho restaurant close to my condo in Rockville, MD. Browsing through Washingtonian's "100 Best Bargain Restaurants" I found Pho 75, a little place about a mile from the Rockville Metro Station (there are also a few other locations around DC). It was a hot, windy, long walk, but definitely worth it. For about $8.50 I got meatball beef noodle soup (regular size, but still a huge bowl) and a lemon soda (surprisingly refreshing and light). There weren't too many other people there, so someone took my order as soon as I sat down and brought out my food within just a few minutes. The soup came with the standard plate of bean sprouts, fresh basil, lime, and some sort of hot green pepper, and there was plenty of Hoisin sauce and Siracha on the table. The meatballs were really flavorful and not too heavy; the broth was also full of flavor but still light; the noodles were the right balance of firm and tender and easy to pick up with chopsticks; and the cilantro and other herbs mixed in added just the right amount of additional kick. Unlike Le's pho, which often seems a little oily and over-seasoned, this pho was filling but not heavy and made me feel like I had something really healthy (but who knows how healthy it actually was...:P). I didn't look that closely at the menu since the server wanted to take my order immediately, and I already knew what I wanted, but I hear they have some good Vietnamese desserts too.

The restaurant itself is small and a little disheveled, not unlike most traditional Asian places, but still clean and friendly. There are some smaller tables alongside a few long, cafeteria-esque ones, and the server tells you where to sit (quite forcefully, but I'm sure you could ask and sit wherever you wanted). You pay at the counter (cash only!) whenever you're ready, no one rushes you or brings you your bill. Halfway home I realized I forgot to leave a tip and felt completely terrible. I didn't remember seeing anyone else do it, and the atmosphere was more fast-food than anything, but I think the quality of the food itself warrants a good tip. I hope to return soon, so I'll be sure to make up for my oversight then :)

Overall, Pho 75 is definitely a "best bargain." Cheap and good, it's exactly what I look for in a casual restaurant.