The Rainy City?

It has many names, I'm sure. I'm most excited about visiting it's many restaraunts, coffee houses, fish markets and lunch spots (including Salumi)with my best friend, Emily next week.

That's right- it's ladies weekend in Seattle!

I'm so thrilled to explore the city (and new home to my bestest friend) next weekend. If you've been (or are there, now!) and have recomendations, I'd love to hear them!

All kindsa Eric Ripert

I was thinking about what to make for dinner on Valentine's Day and came across these suggestions by one of my favorite chefs (and Top Chef guest judges) Eric Ripert. I'm eager to check out his DC restaraunt, Westend Bistro. I've read in several reviews (here's one from the Washington Post) that the bistro hamburger is excellent, but I think if I make it over the Westend, I'll save that for my husband. I'm more interested in the blue bay mussels and skate with brown sugar and endive. Yum.

"A cook and a chef are different entities. 'Chef' is a title. But when you are a cook, that is who you are. It's your spine and your soul."

-Eric Ripert

Lunch in Downtown DC

While I’ll admit that I’ve dreamt many times about staying at home all day, cooking, reading, reading about cooking, cooking what I’m reading about (you can see where this is going) I must admit that working downtown does have its advantages. Namely- I get to have lunch at some pretty fantastic spots.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what tasty (and not-so-hot) haunts exist in the CBD (central business district,) and if I didn’t work near them I might miss them (as I don’t venture down here on the weekends too often.) Here are a few of my favorite lunch spots in the Dupont-Farragut area:

Couscous Café (1195 19th St. NW) I’ve written about this spot before, but it’s always worth mentioning again. Nothing’s more comforting on a cold, winter day than a bright restaurant, with lovely music, lovely service and beautiful Mediterranean food. You get more than your money’s worth of couscous, roasted chicken, vegetables, hummus and tabouleh. This is a perfect place for takeout but an even better place to sit, take in the relaxing vibe and enjoy a warm meal. And whoever the sweet old lady is that pours free tea, she’s welcome to come stay with me. Love her.

Naan and Beyond (1710 L St. NW) While some may argue their food is fairly mundane Indian cuisine, I’d argue that their choices are perfect and their flavors are strong. My friend Angela and I meet here every so often to talk about life. I usually stick with the tikka family – chicken and lamb are my picks – but their rice is not to be missed. And make sure to get both the mango and mint sauces to top your selection.

California Grill (1720 M St. NW) I’m not saying I like everything they have to offer, but I AM saying they have the best turkey melt around. Not to mention that one of the men behind the counter calls me “Love” and told me that if there is ever anything he can get for me, to just ask. Well, let me say all I will ever ask of him is that he keeps making that fabulous turkey melt, piled high with thick cut meat and oozing cheese on toasted wheat bread. Now that’s love.

Mackey’s (1823 L St. NW) I usually get a salad when I go to Mackey’s (Salmon, if they have it) but ever since I had their fish and chips I’ve wanted more. While I can’t proclaim it’s the best fish and chips I’ve ever had, I can say that I’ve never had a problem finding a table at lunch. And there’s a lot to be said for that around here. When it’s nice out, there’s outdoor seating as well. And as long as there’ not a union protest going on across the street, that’s pretty pleasant.

Vapiano (1800 M St. NW) Vapiano is becoming one of my favorite places to eat lunch in solitude, with a good book (about food) or a good (food) magazine. I try to get there right at noon and have never had a problem getting fast food and a seat. However, I’ve walked by around 12:30 or 1 and noticed that the place is packed. If you’re going to try Vapiano’s (and if you’re going to park it at one of their high tables) get there early. My favorite lunch- insalada mista with shrimp, sautéed with garlic and chili. I’ve tried the pasta and pizza, and while they’re tasty and fresh, they’re a little heavy for lunch.

What's Cooking?

-What's better than attending a culinary festival in Scottsdale? Attending a culinary festival in Scottsdale for FREE. Enter here to win a trip to the festival , held April 8-13. You better believe I'm entering!

-You may have already heard, but it's worth repeating- Whole Foods will eliminate using new, plastic bags at their stores. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags or purchase 80% recycled bags at the store. As if I needed another reason to love Whole Foods...read more here.

-Cork is open! Add Cork to the list of new, hip wine bars in DC. Looks like the had a great turnout for their opening weekend. Here's a link to the Washingtonian's review. I plan on visiting soon!

Sour Cream-Banana Bread

I got the cooking bug yesterday when I was watching the Top Chef marathon (go figure) and started tooling around on one of my favorite food recipe and chat sites, Chow.com (also Chowhound.com)
A featured recipe was Sour Cream-Banana Bread, and with 4 over-ripe bananas sitting on my kitchen counter, I knew this was the recipe for me.
Bananas remind me of my brother...yes, he's bananas (like, crazy) but he was also dressed as Curious George one Halloween. I have this great picture in my mind of him in the monkey suit, carrying a banana, one his favorite snacks as a kid. (by the way, I was Rainbow Bright that year.)
Let me say that I think it's hard to find a bad banana bread recipe. I've even bought banana bread mix from time to time (gasp!) and I think that a banana's natural flavors, oil and consistency lend themselves so well to any baked treat.
That said, this is one, dense, rich, beautiful bread. It took about 30 minutes longer to cook than the recipe claimed, but this may be because I substituted butter for the oil (forgive me, won't you? I was out of oil.) The top of the bread had a beautiful cracked, glazed finish, sort of like a sour cream donut. I think the sour cream really enhanced the bread's sweetness with balance.
When I make this again I'll add walnuts and serve it with a fig jam. And I will definetely make this bread again.

Sour-Cream Banana Bread, as found on Chow.com:

2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the rack in the middle. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and dust it with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl to aerate and break up any lumps.
Combine sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Add bananas and sour cream, and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Turn batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, the top is golden brown, and the bread is pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the perimeter of the pan, invert to release the bread, and cool completely on the wire rack before serving.

The Gods Are Smiling Down On Me...

TOP CHEF MARATHON!!! (looks like it's on until 2 pm today.) Bravo's making me a happy lady! If you're awake and drinking your first cup (like me) turn it on, sit back and enjoy!

And get ready for Chicago!! Starts soon!!

(wow, I just used WAY too many exclamation points. Sheesh.)

Rainy days

Just a rainy Friday afternoon, and I’m sure many of us are wishing for the same thing- sweatpants, hot tea, our own couch and Love Actually (or Bridget Jones, or Steel Magnolias, or Rocky, or Devil Wears Prada, or- you get the picture.)
So the perfect rainy day meal…for me, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Follow it up with a cat nap on the couch and I’m in pure heaven. Heck, I’d go for a cold cheese sandwich right now if it meant I could eat it at home.
I have Jarlsberg and mild cheddar cheese at home. I think either tastes fantastic between two hot, buttery pieces of toasted bread. But then I saw this. And THEN I saw this. And then, I figured his highness, Mario Batali just had to have a grilled cheese recipe, so I googled it, and found THIS.
My question- when did grilled cheese go gourmet? Do you think it’s better that way? Is it more about the nostalgia of childhood grilled cheese that makes it comfortable and delicious, or does fancy grilled cheese really got something going?