• 31Dec

    DCFüd Wants You!

    The good news is, some of us are over-employed (that’s good, right?). Some of us have even moved away from the DC area. (You know who you are). 🙂

    But the bad news is a dry spell for the FUD at the moment. So, to
    counteract this terrible state of affairs, we are looking for…..

    A FEW NEW WRITERS!!
    Were you annoyed by a restaurant?
    Do you have some random recipes to share?
    Have you discovered the best wine, restaurant, food truck, or….restaurant restroom in DC?
    Do you want to write a comparison article for a particular item or dish?
    Need some hipster cred? Writing experience for your resume? Articles for your Portfolio?
    Passionate about food?
    Then we want you for DCFüd. Send writing sample to
    jay@dcfud.com, along with few ideas you’d like to write
    about. It’ll be crazy!

     

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  • 29Dec

     

    Can you eat a 3 lb. + meat sandwich in 20 minutes? Willing to risk $34.95 and your health? Eat your heart out Adam Richman!

    Daily Deli (a self-styled New York-Style Deli) is open, although they are calling it a “soft opening.” I was informed that the grand opening will occur when they have bagels. Plus, their webpage and wireless aren’t up and running yet.

    Daily Deli gets cold cuts from Carnegie Deli. I’m more of a Katz’ fan myself (“Send a salami to your boy in the army,” indeed!), but Carnegie Deli pastrami is a helluva lot better than Boar’s Head brand, so I’m not complaining. DD offers one pound ($12.95), half pound ($6.95), and quarter pound ($3) options, with the quarter pound being called a “half of a half,” so it is actually only half a sandwich (one slice of bread with a quarter pound of meat). The math is complicated (as was the previous sentence), so they have slightly unappetizing model sandwiches that you can look at.

    So, what items did I try? I sampled the corned beef, pastrami, a chocolate chip cookie, and potato salad. The corned beef was too lean so was a bit tough, but the brisket was moist and delicious. The cookie and the potato salad were very good. The fountain orange soda had a high level of carbonation, which I enjoyed. The sour pickles were very strong but good. So, skip the corned beef, and load up on pastrami, and you will be alright.

    They have an eating challenge, so who is ready to risk $35 and a trip to the ER for Man Vs. Food-style glory?

    -JAY

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  • 29Dec

     

    Chicken Zarape.

    El Centro D.F., a Richard Sandoval restaurant, recently launched a new menu on their enclosed (open year-round) roof, and added a few new dishes to their dinner menu. We took a tour of the rooftop space and then ate through quite a bit of the menu in the downstairs space (with it’s nice decor and artwork).

    I ordered a margarita with one of their better tequilas (for an added $2 to the regular price) and it was well worth the upgrade. The guacamole and vegetable empanadas (camote, acorn squash, Oaxaca cheese, epezote oil) were both very good. The Chicken Zarape (bacon, panela cheese, cotija cheese, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce, crema fresca, refried beans, and creamy white rice) was tasty and seemed like a complete platter (unlike some of their other dishes that are more like one pot meals yet feel to me like they should be served with side dishes).

    Vegetable Empanadas

    The Chichilo Negro (smoked brisket, winter vegetables, pickled chiles, black chile broth)…was a problem. It was a one top meal that would have benefited from being presented more like the Chicken Zarape, but the meal problem was the beef itself. When working with tough cuts like brisket, you have to cook them a very long time. It isn’t that the beef was not just tough–it was unchewable, although the sauce was flavorful. The manager noticed I was not eating, and asked if everything was alright, so I told her about the beef. She ordered me a different dish and later told me that the chef agreed with me.

    The substitution dish for the unchewable beef was Pork Pipian (pork carnitas, corn puree, green tomato salsa, caramelized onions). While the pork dish was tasty enough, it didn’t  make up for the experience of having been previously served an inedible dish. Also, it was another one pot meal, and I preferred the platter-like presentation of the chicken dish.

    I will definitely check El Centro out again. I might even order the beef dish again, since the sauce was good; I’m sure they will cook it enough next time. I’ll also be ordering guacamole and empanadas and trying to figure out which upscale tequila I had in my margarita last time.

    -JAY

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  • 27Dec

    Harry’s Smokehouse Jalapeno Cornbread

    I planned a media dinner at Harry’s Smokehouse a month or so ago and wrote this article about it but now you can click here for DC Life Magazine’s video of the event. Take a look at the video, and give Harry’s Smokehouse a try, but yeah, order the greens and avoid the mac and cheese. 🙂

    And, many thanks to Eugene of DC Life for bringing a photographer.The video came out great, and I’m sure it took quite a bit of editing.

    -JAY

    Click to add a blog post for Harry's Smokehouse on Zomato

  • 24Dec

    Northside Social will have their annual Pre-New Year’s Bubbly Tasting on Thursday, December 29 from 5pm to 9pm. This is a FREE tasting of exceptional sparkling wines from Champagne, Spain, Italy, Oregon and Moldova. All the wine will be on sale, so you can taste before you buy to ring in 2012.

  • 21Dec

    I recently wrote about saving money on groceries, and am following up with some info on a good place to do some last-minute holiday shopping, World Market. I shop at the Pentagon Row location, but there is also one in Friendship Heights.

    They currently have 50% off of Asian ceramic sets (teapot and sushi plate sets), lotion/bubble bath sets (they call it something else), and only on the December 23rd, HOLIDAY CANDY! Peppermint bark, here I come!

    Plus, join their “Explorer Club” and you can print out coupons from the site and their emails, some of which can be combined. Yesterday I combined a 10% off coupon with a $10 off of $30 coupon, and some of my items were already 50% off. They have a good selection of snacks, spices, tea, coffee, etc. They have wine, but I’m unsure if the coupons apply to that.

    —————————————

    As of Thursday, there will be a new Pinkberry in town, (on M Street) just in time for the holidays. “The new Pinkberry (3288 M Street, NW) will open its doors in Georgetown for the first time on Thursday, December 22nd, and offer a special winter treat to all shoppers: one free small Pinkberry from 12 to 4 p.m. Stop by their newest Georgetown location and share in the wonderment!” Can you say no to a free frosty treat…even in the winter?

    -JAY

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  • 20Dec

    Are interested in doing a chef demonstration at FreshFarm‘s Silver Spring or Dupont Circle winter farmers markets?  They’re looking for anyone with culinary creativity to host a demo in the coming months.  Professional chefs, home cooks, canners and more are welcome!

    If you’re interested, or know of someone who would be, please email them at info@freshfarmmarkets.org.

    -JAY

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  • 14Dec

    In my inbox.

    -JAY

    ————————————–

    Be a Winner with this Easy Holiday Recipe;
    then Win $1 Million with a Recipe of Your Own

    Short on time for laying out a party spread that’ll wow your holiday guests?

    “The secret to creating something memorable is often as simple as pairing unexpected flavors that really hit it off,” says Dave Hirschkop, owner of Dave’s Gourmet (www.davesgourmet.com), maker of award-winning sauces.

    “It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated,” he says. “If you mate ingredients that have chemistry, you’ll blow your guests away.”

    If you’ve already created that blow-em-away recipe – the sauce that’s the hit at every gathering – it could win you up to $1million in royalties in Dave’s Gourmet Recipe Challenge.

    And if you haven’t, Hirschkop has a gift for you: His Easy Holiday Dip will make short work of party-pleasing.

    Easy Holiday Dip

    1 ½ cups roasted red peppers (from jar or canned)

    1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

    ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

    1 Tablespoon olive oil

    ½ teaspoon paprika (I like smoked but any will do)

    Salt and pepper to taste

    Put everything into a food processor and pulse until smooth, creamy and delicious.

    Serve with fresh-cut veggies (carrot sticks, celery, you know the drill folks) pretzels or pita chips.

    For you chile heads, add a couple drops of your favorite Dave’s Gourmet hot sauce and make that dip rip!

    Dave’s Gourmet Recipe Challenge

    And now about that recipe contest. Dave’s Gourmet is looking for a winner to add to its product line, and guess who’ll get the royalties for six years? That’s right – you. Up to $1 million. Hey, it’s only fair if your name’s on the label.

    Payday starts immediately with a $2,000 advance.

    Just submit for your original recipe for a sauce, salsa or dip by Dec. 31 at www.davesgourmet.com. Dave’s team will test the recipes and choose semifinalists, who’ll be taste-tested by a Dave’s Gourmet panel. Finalists will be notified Jan. 12-14. The winner (or winners) will be chosen by food professionals attending the Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco. They’ll be notified Jan. 18.

    Isn’t it about time your killer sauce paid off? Dave thinks it is.

  • 13Dec

    I can’t say enough good things about Carla Hall and her products.  If you own a grocery or specialty store in DC or Arlington, please carry her granola so I can have easy access to it!

    Carla will be hosting a cooking demo at DC C.H.E.W. Farm Market (Skyland Shopping Center at the intersection of Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road and Goodhope Road, SE, Washington, DC 20020) on December 17.

    -JAY

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  • 13Dec

    Click on this to see a larger version.

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