• 24May

    Winners Jam with Lamb!

    Last week, I was (for the 2nd time) a judge at the Lamb Jam competition at Eastern Market. Above are some pictures, and below are the winners. In an interesting decision, the winner of Best Shoulder (who later on won People’s Choice), was not the shoulder dish that one Best in Show. So, Occidental Grill moves on in the competition to the next show.

    Best in Shank: Chef Erik Bruner-Yang from Maketto with cumin lamb shank chow fun

    Best in Leg: Chef Victor Albisu from Del Campo with lamb empanadas

    Best in Ground: Chef Wes Morton from Art and Soul with curried lamb sausage

    Best in Shoulder: Chef Dimitri Moshovitis from Cava Mezze Grill with lamb Benedict

    People’s Choice: Chef Dimitri Moshovitis from Cava Mezze Grill with lamb Benedict

    Best in Show: Chef Matt Baker & Rodney Scruggs from Occidental Grill with a lamb “Dagwood” sandwich

    -JAY

    Maketto on Urbanspoon

    Del Campo on Urbanspoon

    Art and Soul on Urbanspoon

    Cava Mezze Grill on Urbanspoon

    Occidental Grill & Seafood on Urbanspoon

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  • 19May

    A Great Addition to Tysons: Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar!

    Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar recently opened its Tysons, VA location. I was happy to be present at Paladar the night before the official opening for the Food for Others Fundraiser; it is nice to see a restaurant group contributing to the community where they are opening.  Below are some of the highlights of the evening.

    I really like the vibe of this restaurant and it has a great staff and phenomenal food. There is a huge menu, so I definitely need to go back to try more menu items.  They have great happy hour specials and also feature “Taco Tuesdays.”

    I got to talk to , Co-CEO Andy Himmel, who gave me a tour of the kitchen. He knows his stuff, and put a lot of thought into the design of the restaurant and kitchen. He opened his first Paladar in Cleveland, and now has a number of locations across the country. Rockville recently opened, and Gaithersburg will be next.

    -JAY

    Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar on Urbanspoon

     

     

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  • 16May

    Latin Appetizers at Mio!

    Yes, we’ve been eating a lot of great Pan Latin food lately! This includes the nice appetizers we devoured at May’s DC Food Blogger Happy Hour at Mio. I’ve been dining at Mio for several years, and the restaurant never disappoints. The happy hour was hosted by Chito of RuninOut and Bindesh of Dr  Grub. Below are some of the highlights.

    -JAY

    Mio on Urbanspoon

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  • 30Apr

    Toro Toro, the new Pan Latin Restaurant in Town!

    We recently attended the opening of new Richard Sandoval Restaurant, Toro Toro, where the cuisine is Pan Latin. Above are some of the photo highlights of the evening. It was a nice meal of passed appetizers, and I definitely need to go back to try the dinner menu soon.

    -JAY

    Toro Toro on Urbanspoon

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  • 28Apr

    The Blue Jeans Ball

    I was lucky enough to have my best friend invite me to the Capital Area Food Bank’s 11th Annual Blue Jeans Ball. Over 700 people attended! The Blue Jeans Ball is an exclusive charity and tasting event featuring some of DMV’s popular and well-recognized restaurants; they all come together to raise money to fight hunger in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. Not only did the event have awesome sponsors that helped raise money (Whole Foods Market contributed $25,000), there was also a silent and live auction for guests to partake in. Auction items included  a signed Redskins football, spa treatments, and cruise ship packages.

    Fun fact: Michelle Obama was the Blue Jeans Ball’s honorary chair.

    Sad fact: She did not attend the event.

    Some of the participating restaurants and vendors included:

    Cava Mezze, Chef Geoff’s and Lia’s, Dean & DeLuca, EPIC Smokehouse, The Fourth Estate, Hank’s Oyster Bar, La Tasca, Oyamel, PAUL Bakery, The Palm, Pinch Dumplings, Policy Restaurant and Lounge, Restaurant Nora, Sangam, Sonoma, SILO, The Melting Pot, Thrive DC, and much more.

    Not only was I happy about the casual denim dress code (hence, the event name), everyone was genuinely passionate about the event because it benefits a great cause. Capital Area Food Bank did an absolute superb job in raising over $350,000 that night and I would definitely attend next year if I could afford the $200 ticket (or if my friend invites me again).

    -EHY

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Restaurants Tags: , 2 Comments
  • 15Apr

    Food Porn from Alba Osteria

    We recently attended the April DC Food Blogger Happy Hour at Alba Osteria in DC. The food was excellent, and it is nice that all pizzas are half off on happy hour. Above are some pictures of the evening’s food highlights.

    -JAY

    Alba Osteria on Urbanspoon

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Restaurants Tags: 4 Comments
  • 14Apr

    DC Food Blogger Happy Hour will be at Mio May 7th!

    May 2014 DCFBHHMay’s DC Food Blogger Happy Hour will be at Mio Restaurant. This month’s Hosts are Chito of RUNINout and Bindesh of DesiGrub.

    Please only RSVP ‘Yes’ if you will definitely attend, and keep your RSVPs updated. We need a good count for the restaurant.

    -JAY

    Mio on Urbanspoon

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  • 01Apr

    DC Food Blogger Happy Hour is Tomorrow!

    April DCFBHH Alba OsteriaReminder:

    Next DC Food Blogger Happy Hour is at Alba Osteria tomorrow (Wednesday April 2nd), 6-8pm.

    We will be tasting the delicious Piemontese-inspired cuisine of Executive Chef Roberto Donna and Chef de Cuisine Amy Brandwein.

    Please RSVP here and keep your RSVPs updated, since we need a good count for the restaurant!

    Your Hosts this month are Lili Kocsis of My Amused Bouche and Laetitia-Laure Brock from French Twist D.C.

     

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Restaurants Tags: 2 Comments
  • 26Mar

    Beer Paired: RFD & Oskar Blues

    Cy and I were in attendance a couple of weeks ago at RFD‘s Oskar Blues Brewing Dinner. We did get lost finding the back room, but we didn’t know RFD has a back room.

    Oskar Blues has one brewery each in Colorado and North Carolina, and was one of the pioneers in beer canning. Apparently, beer bottles and Colorado mountain travel aren’t a great combination.

    This my first time drinking Oskar Blues’ beers, and I have to say that there was not a single brew I did not enjoy. I did try to pace myself since five beers can hit pretty hard when two of them are over 10% alcohol). RFD did a great job pairing great dishes and beer.

    The evening’s pairings:

    • Cheese (Grafton 2 year Cheddar and Maytag Blue) & Chopped Liver with Dale’s Pale Ale (6.5% ABV). I loved the cheddar, but avoided the blue cheese. This was billed as Cheese & Charcuterie, but there was none of the latter to be found. The chopped liver was tasty, and had apples in it, which lightened and sweetened it.
    • Melon & Prosciutto with G’Knight Imperial Red Ale (8.7% ABV). This was plated with a Parmesan tuile on top.
    • Crawfish & Andouille Gumbo with Gubna Imperial IPA (10% ABV). Crab stock Risotto!
    • Classic Brew Burger “Oskar Blues Style” with Ten Fiddy Russian Imperial Stout (10.5% ABV). These great Bourbon Barrel Bacon Burgers (holy alliteration, Batman) were stuffed with blue cheese, except for mine, which thankfully was stuffed with Gruyere.
    • Flourless Chocolate Torte & Smoked Chocolate Mousse with One Nut English Brown Ale (6.1% ABV). This was a great chocolate dessert, especially the mousse.

    Cy’s Beer notes:

    • Dale’s Pale Ale: Light amber color, clean hoppy aroma, nice mellow hop flavor.
    • G’Night Imperial Red Ale: Deep red color, grapefruit/citrus aroma, citrus/cereal flavors.
    • Gubna Imperial IPA: Dark amber color, caramelized orange aroma, spicy/hoppy/citrus flavors.
    • Ten FIDY Russian Imperial Stout: Black color, light malt aroma, roasted  malt flavor.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Note (April 6, 2014): Oskar Blues has 2 beers on Thrillist’s list of top 15 underrated canned beers.

    Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items, meals, or entry to events.

    R.F.D. Washington on Urbanspoon

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  • 26Mar

    Teach your Kids to Cook & Eat Healthy and you just might Meet Michelle Obama!

    calling-all-talented-junior-chefsI know many of my readers have kids, so am passing this along.

    -JAY

    “Teach kids to cook and eat healthy and you might be rewarded with a VIP trip to DC to attend a Kids’ “State Dinner.” The 3rd Healthy Lunchtime Challenge hosted by the First Lady Michelle Obama and Epicurious will select one winner from each state and the territories to be flown by Delta Airlines to Washington, D.C. for a once in a lifetime trip. Create a healthy recipe, submit it by April 5 and you could win.

    Read Epicurious’ latest bog post about it here. Find the guidelines and enter by April 5th here.”

    Permalink Filed under: Events, Restaurants Tags: , 3 Comments
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