The LA Times has a good article on last week’s episode of “The Next Food Network Star.”  The finale is Sunday at 9pm, where we will learn whether it is Jeffrey or Mellisa who will become a TV Food Network Host.

I’ve been following this season closely, especially since I actually tried out for it.  I was sitting in Rosslyn all day on a work day, vibing with prospective contestants and waiting my turn.  It was actually a lot of fun, but I can’t quite remember why I told them the ingredient that most represents me is a pineapple. 

I personally think that Debbie Lee’s personality did her in, because (after seeing negative behavior from her in a couple of episodes) I believe that in an actual audience vote vs. anyone, she would lose.  The judges have to consider possible audience response to the contestants, and one judge (Bob Tuschman) seems particularly peeved by her antics.

My Take:  I like Jeffrey Saad’s culinary perspective, and Melissa d’Arabian’s energy and enthusiasm.  If asked which one I’d like to have a dinner with…I’d choose Melissa, and if asked which one I’d like to cook dinner with…I’d select Jeffrey.  I’m leaning towards Melissa for the win, but would be happy with either of them as the next TV Food Network Star.

-JAY

Before they appeared at my farmer’s market recently, I’d never seen a mamey in the US. Having had (and loved) them in other places, of course I had to buy one and see what I could make of it.

The times I’ve had mamey before it was usually in or on ice cream, or part of some elaborate fruit plate concoction. I had no intention of attempting to make ice cream, and I didn’t have any at home either. A fruit concoction was tempting, but living alone I knew that would lead to too much leftover growing tasteless in the fridge. And, it being Tuesday, an impromptu dinner party was unlikely. So it was to be a single-serving affair.

For those who’ve never had this amazing fruit: it looks like a small, gray football, and has gorgeous orange-pink flesh and a seed that’s toxic and wonderful for making insecticide. It tastes…like mamey. I’d almost describe it as a milder papaya, vaguely pumpkin-flavored with a hint of coconut, but that wouldn’t help anyone even if it was accurate. Trust me, it’s delicious. (But also trust: don’t eat the seed, or even the flesh that’s right next to it just to be safe…you don’t want to know what it does.)

I decided to could make something quick, delicious, and just weird enough to make me happy. What did I do? I cut up the mamey, sprinkled it with lime juice (not very much), and added sichuan peppers. Sweet, hot, and flavorful, this was a winning dessert that might even qualify as a healthy pre-gym snack.

-MAW

I’m not going to even try and puzzle out how many “Nearly Broke” in DC and Arlington Articles I’ve written since my grad student days…a few years ago.  Here is the new installment (sans a roman numeral):

I enjoyed seeing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night, but a few mojitos beforehand wouldn’t have hurt too much.

Wheeeeee….special effects - is Harry flying, or am I?

Before a night of Georgetown Waterfront bars such as Sequoia or Tony& Joe’s, or seeing the new Harry Potter movie at the Georgetown Theatre, you can imbibe your choice of 6 kinds of $6 mojitos (mango, cucumber, pomegranate, etc.) or a couple of kinds of $7 martinis (mango, passion fruit) during the Happy Hour at Mate‘.   Happy Hour Appetizers, Soup, Salads are Half Price, and discounted maki (rolls) range from $3.50 (California, spicy tuna , and salmon/avocado rolls) to $6 (rainbow rolls) or $7 (volcano rolls).  I’m not a fan of volcano rolls (since they are difficult to eat) but I enjoyed the rainbow and salmon/avocado rolls, the mixed greens salad ($3.50), and the fruit flavored mojitos.

Mate’ is part of Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld’s  Latin Concepts group, along with places like Chi-Cha Lounge and Gua-rapo.  Their website describes Mate’ as such:

“Mate is decadent, lush and entirely unexpected in historic Georgetown. All red décor, very luxe Panton spiral lamps, red Luna chairs, a sleek aluminum bar and a Latin inspired sushi menu are brought together to create a sophisticated and seductive atmosphere for Washingtonians.”

Mate’s Happy Hour is Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm, and their address is 3101 K St., NW.

-JAY

This is one of those dishes that just crept up on me – building from a variety of ideas drifting through my head all day, looking for purchase.  I’d had the sprouts for a while, and they needed eating.  I’ve been roasting the sprouts with garlic, to lovely effect, but knew even when I bought these that this time, I wanted something different.

Watching Bourdain scarf down a gorgeous-looking soy green soup with chili sauce in Shanghai, I wanted chili sauce.

Here’s what I did:

Clean and halve the sprouts.  Toss them in a pan with about 1.5 tablespoons mirin, over medium heat, and cover.  Leave them to caramelize, stirring every 5 minutes, until they’re almost done.  Now toss in your garlic.

While cooking, add about 3 teaspoons of chili sauce and equal volume cream to a glass or small mixing bowl and stir like hell to emulsify.  Add fish sauce if you’re so inclined (I did).

Turn up the heat on your pan to medium-high (maybe a bit more) and stir in the sauce – it’ll scald fast, and that’s good.  Let it cook till it’s just a sticky coating on the sprouts, and they are just barely done.  Transfer to a serving vessel, and cover.  Now, deglaze your pan with rice wine, letting it reduce about 3/4 to a nice rich sauce.  Pour that over your sprouts.

I ate mine over scrambled egg whites, because I felt like it.  The eggs sopped up the extra sauce, which was lovely, and also made me feel better about all that cream, by not having yolks.

– MAW

(Photo by Johnsu)