I am hosting this event, with Chito of RuninOut as my Co-Host. More info is available on the Facebook event page–please RSVP: here.
Nopa Kitchen + Bar is Ashok Bajaj’s new restaurant, and is located at 800 F Street, NW, 20004.
-JAY
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25Dec
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- No, that is not a chocolate covered almond on the left, but a chocolate covered grape!
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- I tried several of the macarons, including the passion fruit flavor. Great texture and flavor.
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- Michel’s helpers serving dessert!
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- This non alcoholic sparkling peach beverage was served. It is tasty, and is sold at Potomac Wines and Spirits in Georgetown.
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- If you look carefully, you can see Michel Richard behind the elf making balloon animals for the children.
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- This hot chocolate was smooth and creamy, and had a rich chocolate flavor.
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- Macaron tree!
We recently attended Michel Richard‘s Sweet Hope dessert for toys event at Central. The event benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There’s nothing like the combination of happy children, balloon animals, and amazingly delicious desserts! Above are pictures of some of the highlights of the event.
I have never been disappointed by Michel’s establishments, and I hear he has a new restaurant in NYC, Villard.
-JAY
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15Dec
The promo code for this is “foodie” which will take $10 off the price of each of the three events listed below. The promo code is only good for these three events and for tickets purchased in advance (it can’t be used for purchase at the door). The below ticket prices are subject to change and will increase as we get closer in time to the events.Champagne, Cheese, Chocolate, Music, Dancing and More: Pre-New Year’s Eve Mixer and Tasting : Saturday, December 28, 2013 from 7 pm – 12 am at the Embassy Suites in Old Town Alexandria. $65 Washington DC New Year’s Eve Passport to the World Gala: An International Red Carpet Affair – 9:00 p.m. Entry Time: Tuesday, December 31, 2013 from 9 pm – 2 am at the Capital Hilton in DC. $139 Washington DC New Year’s Eve Passport to the World Gala: An International Red Carpet Affair – 10:30 p.m. Entry Time : Tuesday, December 31, 2013 from 10:30 pm – 2 am at the Capital Hilton in DC. $99 -JAY -
18Nov
Friday’s post about Mysticart’s nationwide search for a host for a food show got me thinking, so I did some research for similar opportunities.You too can be on TVFN or the Cooking Channel! These shows are for individuals (Next Food Network Star, America’s Greatest Home Cook, Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped), teams (Food Truck Face-off, Food Court Wars), or Restaurants/Businesses (Restaurant Divided, Mystery Diners, Restaurant Impossible). A couple of those shows can even set you up in a new business (Food Truck Face-off, Food Court Wars). You can even tell Guy Fieri where to go (in a good way) with his show Diners Drive-ins and Dives.
The Fox shows (Masterchef, Hell’s Kitchen, Hotel Hell, Kitchen Nightmares) are casting as well.
Here is one for DC area college students.
I found a Bravo casting page that includes Bravo’s Top Chef but it is for the previous season. They should update it at some point.
-JAY
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22Oct
Anita of Greg’s List will be hosting November’s Happy Hour on Wednesday November 6th (6-8pm) at Teddy & The Bully Bar.So that we can keep an accurate headcount for the restaurant, please only RSVP yes if you will be attending, and change your RSVP promptly if an update is necessary.
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11Oct
Some of the best Ice Cream I have ever had is available at farmer’s markets. Moo Thru is an example of this; their ice cream truck can be found at the Reston Farmer’s market on Saturday mornings (or their store in Remington, VA). They even sell pints. Who wouldn’t want to buy dairy products – in this case, ice cream – directly from dairy farmers? Their chocolate ice cream was rich, chocolatey, creamy, and delicious, and the vanilla is excellent as well. They told me that if they find anyone making better ice cream, they figure out how, so that they can improve theirs. (I hope that information wasn’t off the record.)
Nicecream Factory (no, spell check, it isn’t a typo) is an ice cream company that uses (mostly) DC’s locally sourced ingredients and unique freezing agent liquid nitrogen, to create the premium ice cream right before your eyes. I say “mostly” local ingredients because the same week they told me they would no longer have strawberry ice cream because it is out of season, mango was one of their flavors. And, chocolate, coffee, and pistachios aren’t grown locally either.The picture in this article shows their menu (for that particular day earlier in the season) but they do seem to have a good variety of flavors available for pint delivery or pickup, although I can get their ice cream at their Kingstowne farmer’s market stand for the next couple of weeks (until the market closes on 10/25).
Nicecream’s products are very flavorful and delicious, with my favorite flavors of theirs being the pistachio (this is my favorite rendition of pistachio ice cream anywhere) , strawberry basil, and chocolate sea salt.
-JAY
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11Oct
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- Bartender making our drinks.
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- The Resucitó was my favorite cocktail of the evening.
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- She must have made 4 batches of guacamole from scratch for this event.
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- Sopa de calabaza (Pumpkin and squash soup).
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- Atole Rico.
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- Caviar de Chapala.
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- The Ostiones pimentón (oysters) were phenomenal.
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- This pork dish with pomegranite seeds was very tasty.
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- Chilango negro (short rib with mole negra).
From October 21st until November 3rd, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana will celebrate Its Seventh Annual Day of the Dead Festival with festive cocktails and a menu showcasing some of the most authentic ancient foods of Mexico. Tuesday evening, Cy and I attended the media preview for the festival. The food and drinks at this event were exceptional. I could not try the duck dish (since it has mushrooms) and the crab dish was not served.
Day of the Dead Menu Specials:
- Caviar de Chapala (Caviar, cilantro, onion, Serrano chile and green tomato in a warm tortilla)
- Ostiones Pimentos (Lightly poached oyster with bay leaf, black peppercorn, garlic and lemon, served in its own shell)
- Jaibas Rellenas (Stuffed crab shell topped with sea urchin butter)
- Chilorio Negro (Black mole with beef and season vegetables)
- Pato Frito en Chile Seco (Fried duck in a dry chile sauce)
- Sopa de Calabaza (Pumpkin and squash soup with spiced pumpkin seeds, chile, annatto oil, and foie gras)
Day of the Dead Cocktail Specials:
- Atole Rico (Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal, masa, Mexican cinnamon, piloncillo, vanilla and lemon)
- Resucitó (Maestro Dobel Diamond tequila, Cocchi Americano Rosa, lime leaf and grapefruit bitters)
- Pato Borracho (House-infused duck Gran Centrenario Añejo, Chihuatl chili, pomegranate and pineapple with an almond air)
- Atole Rico (A cold cocktail version of Atole, a traditional humble porridge Day of the Dead drink)
-JAY
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10Oct
Chef Todd Gray held an exclusive Nordic Cuisine Tasting for journalists on October 8th at his DC restaurant, Equinox. The theme: Nordic food from Norway with a heavy emphasis on sustainable fish. It was an eclectic and interesting group, but the main thing was the delicious food!So why Nordic food?
Chef Gray recently jo
ined the Norwegian Seafood Council’s Chef’s Culinary Board along with five other chefs from across the country.The tasting was held in an intimate room at Equinox with 12 people. Two of the people were from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and one from the Norwegian Seafood Council. I made the blunder of asking if ABBA was from Norway…they are not.
This tasting was fit for a princess. I was given red wine at my request and two other white wines to go along with the fish tastings. We were then given a mixed Nordic drink that went down smoothly to start off the tastings.
Next were the canapés. Chef Gray described them to us. All three were delicious. The fish canapé looked like sushi.
First Course was warm risotto with crab, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. I couldn’t taste the mushrooms and the dish was warm and soothing. I love crab.
The Second Course was Halibut from Norway encrusted with sweet peppers. Delicious. I loved the crunch of the pepper.
The Third Course was Norwegian Salmon. It was a sweeter dish, but smooth as butter.
The Fourth Course was the Honey Apple Cake with a slice of ice cream. Delicious.
The Menu (Available through October 31st):
Cocktail & Canape Reception
Nordic Cocktails
Beet-Cured Norwegian Salmon Gravlax
Norwegian Salmon Crudo
Hot-Seared Tataki
First Course
Risotto with Norwegian Red King Crab
Artichoke hearts and black trumpet mushrooms
Second Course
Whole Roasted Deep-Water Norwegian Fjord Halibut
Confit of sweet peppers, lemon thyme butter and focaccia tuille
Third Course
Riso Nero-Crusted Norwegian Salmon
Cider-glazed Brussels sprout petals
Winesap apples and Kobocha squash zabaione
Fourth Course
Honey Apple Cake with a slice of ice cream.
Chef Gray will be focusing on Nordic fish at Equinox starting now. The food is incredible and you don’t want to miss his take on how Nordic fish is served at his restaurant.
Equinox: 818 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202-331-8118 -Marlene Hall (Guest Writer)
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07Oct
Cy and I attended the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest hosted by Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington Saturday. This event was huge, with a large number of breweries and beer lovers. We were only there an hour or so before the taps closed but below are our photo highlights.
-JAY
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- Flying Dog.
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- Sangerbund’s Menu.
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- Washington Sangerbund, a nonprofit organization, sold me this bratwurst platter.
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- Blue Mountain Barrel House.
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- Liefman’s had a nice cuvee brut that has cherry flavor without tasting like Robitussin.
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- Devil’s Backbone.
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- Dogma Dog Bakery was present.
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- Lagunitas.
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- Old Dominion.
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02Oct
Pic courtesy of http://www.beerandbourbon.com.
Last Saturday I attended the first annual Reston Beer, BBQ, and Bourbon Festival. After seeing advertised promises for great food and tasty drinks from all over, we were excited to experience it all. The festival was located right in the Reston Town Center and had so much to see they spilled out from the main parking lot onto the overlooking hill. There were tents for bourbon and specialty Oktoberfest beer tastings and live music as well as food, the VIP section and corn hole games to play with friends. Even the dismal weather couldn’t dampen the mood, people just pulled on their ponchos and made umbrella chains and continued to party.
As fun as the atmosphere was, I did make a few negative observations. For starters, the festival fell short on fulfilling some of the promises made. Although, there was a long list of ciders on the event page, there was only one in attendance. Therefore, for a gluten-free drinker like me, the only drink I could enjoy at the event was one choice in cider or straight vodka. This was a little disappointing considering the price of the ticket. Another frustration was the amount of food provided during the VIP hours. For a ticket price of $75, I was expecting a number of filling options. Instead there were a limited number of choices that fell more in the small finger food category. And stingy portions and long lines made it difficult to actually fill up. They even ran out before the end of the VIP two hours of the specialty food items like the bacon. In fact, there was a general lack of food overall, despite the promised BBQ part of the festival. There were only two food carts in attendance to even buy lunch. With people drinking a lot of straight alcohol like bourbon, I’d say this lack of food was a bit disconcerting.
Overall, my friends and I still very much enjoyed ourselves, but to bring people back year after year, this festival will have to up its game in the BBQ category. Until then, it’s just a heavy handed pour.
-JPM (Joyana)
