• 18Feb

    Asian Cooking at Home – the Cut and Paste Method

    Mekhala‘s Asian cooking pastes are organic, vegan, and gluten free, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a few of them. Of the dozen or so available varieties, the four that we cooked with were the Yellow Curry (Thai), Red Curry (Thai), Lemongrass Turmeric (Vietnamese), and Sichuan Mala Chilli (Chinese).

    • Lemon Turmeric Wild Coho Salmon
    • Yellow Curry Cauliflower Stew

    The Yellow Curry paste worked well with coconut milk in a vegan cauliflower, peas, and onions dish. This was my second favorite of the four dishes shown here, and my dining partner’s favorite.

    We used the Lemongrass Turmeric paste with coconut milk on wild salmon, which was my favorite of the four dishes. The scallions absorbed a ton of flavor, which helped make this a tasty combination.

    The Red Curry with coconut milk and Lotus Foods Organic Jade Pearl Ramen (green noodles) was a wonderful soup you might expect to find in a restaurant, so it was nice to have it at home. This was my dining partner’s second favorite dish of the four.

    • Sichuan Mala Chilli Bacon Salad
    • Red Curry Jade Ramen

    We combined the Sichuan Mala Chilli Paste with apricot preserves and a little lemon juice, and applied it to the bacon prior to cooking. This gave the bacon a nice sweet, sour, and spicy flavor, and a color that might put off people (like my dining partner) who aren’t used to eating bright red meat.

    Whole Foods and Mom’s each carry a few of Mekhala’s varieties. I’m keeping an eye out for the Thai Basil Garlic paste. Mekhala also has a line of sauces and dressings such as Pad Thai and Thai Chilli. Once you have some of Mekala’s products in your pantry, you can use some of the recipes on their website, or experiment like we did. And yes, these dishes all involved some cutting and pastes. 🙂

    -JAY

    Editor’s Note:

    Mekhala was nice enough to send several of these products for us to review. The Yellow Curry paste was purchased at Whole Foods.

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  • 05Feb

    From Rainforest Alliance Certified Tea Gardens in Sri Lanka to My Cup

    While winter in the nation’s capital has proven to be exceptionally exciting this year, one calming elixir that always seems to soothe the soul is a cup of hot tea. Although having a large cold brew and focusing on every detail in life may be alluring, it’s important to take a step back every so often and just unwind with a simple yet satisfying brewed tea. That is what I have been doing for several days now, with the help of Jaf Tea. The 75-year-old Rainforest Alliance certified tea company sent me a box of some of their premium teas to taste and enjoy for this review.

    The design of the box itself was sleek and premium. The tea bags were all wrapped in their own individual paper and foil packages. The selection included English Breakfast, Ceylon Earl Grey, Black Tea, Green Tea, Green Tea with Soursop & Banana, Green Tea with Strawberry & Kiwi, Chamomile Tea, and Cool Peppermint Tea. With 80 packets of tea, this box has a wide and plentiful selection of unique takes on some classic hot flavors while still offering a solid traditional basis of tea.

    For this review, I brewed a cup of English Breakfast, the normal Green Tea, and the Black Tea. Each tea bag had instructions on the proper temperature and steeping instructions for Jaf’s optimal cup of tea. I tried each tea on its own with no additives, but then opted to add sugar to the green tea and sugar and milk to my cuppa English.

    The English Tea was the most robust of the bunch. It has a base of black tea flavor with added notes of aged citrus, specifically bergamot. This tea is bold and potent to say the least. The English Tea really does add a whole new dimension to breakfast since and can be a bit overpowering. The addition of milk and sugar help mellow out the tea’s flavor and make it a smoother drink.

    The Green was a much needed milder tasting tea. It was naturally sweet, with only some light bitterness on the backend of my sips. The matcha flavor was present and tasted very floral without any harsh chlorophyllic notes which often accompany lower quality green teas.

    The final tea I tried was the fruity Black Tea. This tea reminded me of the milder and sweeter English breakfast. It was naturally syrupy tasting and didn’t require any additional sugar. The brew was lighter than the other two teas and had some of the least amount of color. While not the most memorable, this tea was still sippable and pleasant albeit a bit weak.

    Overall, the teas offered by Jaf tea exceeded my expectations and were a delightful boost for my early morning and afternoon.

    -ARM

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  • 28Jan

    Are Ghost Kitchens a Possible Way Forward for the Restaurant Industry During the Pandemic?

    • Chef Big Rube (L) & Aaron Anderson (R)

    The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has been especially hard on the restaurant industry, since traffic and seating has been reduced across the country. The use of ghost kitchens may be one way for entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and minimize losses during this difficult time.

    Philadelphia entrepreneur Aaron Anderson operates several Original Hot Dog Factory restaurants in Philadelphia. He has partnered with Chef Big Rube, who is known for his immensely popular chicken, to open several ghost kitchen concepts (chicken shack, halal burgers, cheesesteaks, and breakfast bars) through Cloud Kitchens, and a brick and mortar restaurant (steak and shrimp) in Philadelphia. Ghost kitchens like Cloud allow for Anderson to invest in innovation because he can open new food concepts without raising funds for the expenses of a full new restaurant.

    “Back in the DC area, ghost concepts are allowing for interesting experiments. Although Foster’s Grill in Vienna is known for its Charburgers, they recently launched a delivery-only ghost concept called Chicken Frenzy from their own restaurant’s kitchen. Chicken Frenzy’s menu includes chicken sandwiches, chicken salads, chicken fingers, and wings, as well as onion rings, plant-based chicken sandwiches, shakes, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. Some of Chicken Frenzy’s menu items have been added to Foster’s Grill.

    On a larger scale, Ghostline DC opened in August in Glover Park. Ghostline DC is a multiple-restaurant professional kitchen (delivery and takeout). Some of the items flowing out of Ghostline DC include ramen, pizza, fried chicken sandwiches, cupcakes, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries.

    Hopefully, food entrepreneurs here and throughout the country will continue to find ways to stay in business and possibly even thrive during this pandemic. Don’t be surprised if you see more chicken sandwiches (a recent trend) coming through ghost kitchens in the near future.

    -JAY

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  • 24Jan

    Clarity’s Beef Chili is a Spicy Treat

    Clarity in Vienna, Virginia has specials that change throughout the week. Tomorrow evening, there will be a guest chef cooking the food of Ghana, but the event is already sold out. This Thursday’s specials will be Dry-Rubbed Cherry Wood Smoked Barbecue Grass-Fed Brisket and Heritage Pork Ribs; Balsamic Pineapple Barbeque sauce comes on the side with either dish. I’m keeping an eye out for when Chef Jonathan Krinn makes pho again, since we missed it last time.

    Clarity’s Smoked Beef Brisket Chili

    We were happy to pick up Chef Krinn’s Smoked brisket Chili special today. It came with sun-dried tomato corn bread. We also got to try three mini breads: baguette, garlic, and herbs de Provence. We didn’t take the sour cream of cheddar cheese, since we don’t use them.

    The chili was very good but a bit spicier than we generally eat. We did add onions, scallions, and rice (with garlic) at home, which helped a bit with the spice level, as did the corn bread. I had planned on adding chopped tomatoes, but figured there was already enough going on the plate.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Cornbread

    Chef Krinn’s father does the baking, and he is extremely skilled. Herbs de Provence was our favorite of the 3 mini breads, although all of them were quite good. The corn bread was tasty too. You should pre-order dad’s baguettes or gluten-free bread (for Thursday pickup), or his stuffed crust pizza when it comes up as a special again. This week’s baguette flavor will be “everything.”

    Three Mini Breads

    My dining partner pickup up the food, and said Clarity has a great upscale NYC restaurant type of vibe. She was impressed.

    -JAY

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  • 24Jan

    How you can contribute to DCFüd…

    We need a few writers!

    Do you have some new recipes to share?
    Have you discovered the best restaurants in the DC area?
    Do you want to write a comparison article for a particular item or dish (such as best BLTs)?
    Need some foodie cred? (Good, since that is how we are compensated. )
    Then we want you for DCFUD!  Send a writing sample to
    jay (at) dcfud (dot) com, along with a couple ideas you’d like to write
    about. 

    -JAY


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  • 17Jan

    BBT BBQ Big Boi Platter!

    Bear Branch Tavern in Vienna runs daily specials. This weekend, their BBT BBQ Big Boi Platter returns, featuring Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, Black Eyed Pea Baked Beans, Red Bliss Potato Salad (although our image features Coleslaw instead), and House Made Pickles. It’s available as a dine in entrée (inside or outside seating) for $20, or as a gameday platter for you and your friends (feeds four adults for around $80).

    We very much enjoyed BBT’s BBQ platter! Our favorite items on were the Brisket, Ribs, and Pickles. Of the three BBQ sauces we tried (Kansas City, Carolina, and DC Mumbo), we preferred and fought over the Carolina (mustard-based) sauce, although all three were tasty.

    Our suggestion would be to work on the baked beans a bit more. They were a bit undercooked, and black eyed peas may not be the best legume for the job. That said, we ate them.

    BBT has a a great vibe and is casual and fun. It’s nice that they have both indoor and outdoor seating. As for the service, the employee who took our order on the phone (Jamie) was great.

    Here is their dine-in menu. They have a brunch menu as well. When you visit their website, there is a popup with their daily food and drink specials.

    -JAY

    Editor’s Notes:

    With a chunk of Washington, DC and the metro system closed due to the upcoming Inauguration, some of the more popular Northern Virginia restaurants have been quite busy this weekend. If you are ordering BBT takeout, call a little farther ahead.

    As far as dining during the pandemic, BBT has covered heated outdoor seating, and sells branded blankets to help with the weather.

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  • 08Dec

    Organic Thai Curry Kits Spice up Your Kitchen

    Thai is one of our favorite cuisines, so we jumped at the chance to review Verve Culture’s Thai for Two Organic Curry Kits. The curry kits are imported from Thailand, gluten-free, and vegan, and come in Penang, green, and red varieties.

    • Red Curry with Broccoli & Bell Peppers.
    • Green Curry with Wild Salmon, Zucchini & Bell Peppers

    Included in each are the following organic packets: curry paste, curry seasonings, coconut milk, and dried herbs. You follow step-by-step directions, which include adding 7-10 ounces of uncooked protein and 7-10 ounces of uncooked vegetables. The recipes were well described and not difficult. You are told to use 50 to 100% of the curry paste packet depending on desired spice level, and that the dried herbs (kaffir lime leaves, chili peppers, etc.) are not meant to be consumed directly (since they just flavor the sauce).

    We made the green curry with wild salmon, a small zucchini, and a small orange bell pepper. The curry went extremely well with the wild salmon. We used 100% of the curry paste packet for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (high for my dining partner).

    For the Penang, we went with organic chicken breast from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, an orange bell pepper, and fresh carrots. Visually, it contained orange vegetables with an orange sauce, so a different color bell pepper may have been a better idea. Scallions were added for a bit of color. 75% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (ok for me, but still a little high for my dining partner).

    • Penang Curry with Carrots & Bell Peppers.
    • Thai 4 TWO
      Thai Curry Kits.

    We used a small red bell pepper, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op broccoli and chicken breast with the red curry kit. 50% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (about right for my dining partner).

    We definitely enjoyed all three curry varieties, since the direct from Thailand ingredients give them an authentic flavor, but our favorite was the green curry (with wild salmon), even at the 100% spice level. The kits are good for two people, but we had some leftovers of the Pinang and red varieties since we used an extra 1/4 cup of water and a pound of chicken each.

    Verve Culture makes two other Thai kits: Tom Kha Soup and Pad Thai. For a limited time, there is a coupon code for your holiday gift-giving needs. Order 5 flavors of Thai for Two Cooking Kits with the code THAI4TWO.

    Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op‘s CSA boxes can be picked up at various sites in the DC area, including the Mosaic District’s MOM’s Organic Market.

    -JAY

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  • 14Oct

    Gwyn Novak’s New Book, One Pot Supreme CONTEST!

    We’ve written about Gwyn Novak and her cooking school (No Thyme To Cook) in MD previously. We love her! Her new book is available for pre-order on Amazon NOW and officially launches on 10/27/20.

    One lucky DCFUD reader will get a copy of the book mailed to them (US addresses only):

    We will randomly choose one entry (out of the first 100) to receive a copy of her new book, One Pot Supreme. To be entered in the contest, email your first and last name to Contest (AT) dcfud (DOT) com with the subject line “Cookbook Contest” by Wednesday October 21st at 5pm. We’ll pass the winner’s email address to Gwyn’s marketing person (who will ask you for a US mailing address).

    -JAY

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  • 19Aug

    West Alex (Ultraviolet) Silver Diner Opens

    • Chef Ype!

    We were present opening night at the new West Alex outpost, the 18th Silver Diner location. It was easy to get from the garage to diner, and our server (Levi) provided great service.

      Northern Virginia is still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic (unless you ask someone at a bar in Clarendon). Occupied tables were spread out, servers wore masks, and they have a 3-level, Hospital-Grade Air Purification System (ultraviolet light in the ACs, air purifiers in dining room, ultraviolet light fixtures to clean surfaces overnight). Silver Diner (in all locations) provides delivery, outdoor seating, contact-less pickup, and limited indoor seating.

      The new menu items, Lemony Chickpea Hummus and Cauliflower Pita, and Cucumber-Mint-Lemonade were both wonderful additions that we would order again. The steak, burger, and sides were all well-executed as usual. The veggie of the day was winter squash, Brussels sprouts, and beets. We both ordered sweet potato fries

      • Local Flat Iron Steak
      • Beef Burger with Bacon
      • Lemony Chickpea Hummus
      • Chicken Noodle Soup

      They have a vegan ice cream option and almond whipped cream for those of you avoiding dairy.

      We will of course return to Silver Diner for their excellent menu choices and well-sourced high quality ingredients. The menu is available here.

      -JAY

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      • 23Mar

        Sequestered Cooking — Filipino Style …

        “Score!” I thought when I discovered the last two frozen lumpia in the freezer today. They were tucked in a freezer bag behind a mostly empty bag of shell-on shrimp. Below that shelf, I found a bag of French cut string beans (the kind I use for lumpia). I must have bought an extra bag months ago while feeling ambitious, but then never made another batch of lumpia when the reality of rolling the Filipino spring rolls after work set in. “Oh hey, that pound of frozen raw wings I bought on sale for the Super Bowl before I remembered I don’t like football!”

        What to do with only one fresh vegetable – a forgotten bell pepper – left and mostly bare stores? Go out? Heck no! We are solid proponents of staying at home and social distancing!

          I used the frozen wings to make some stock. Once that was at a safe temperature, I removed the wings and added shrimp to the stock. I popped that shrimp out fairly quickly to keep it from getting rubbery and then I took out the shells. I marinated the wings in vinegar and soy sauce and then broiled them to finish them. (Is there anything sadder looking than boiled chicken?)

          Meanwhile I fried up the lumpia and started sautéing garlic. My garlic was a little old, but whatever. I added the now cooked shrimp, various secret sauces (okay you got me…they are pictured above…and yes, I used bottled lemon juice. This is a comfort food (to me, anyway) emergency! I sautéed the thawed green beans, and pressed the water out the, and added the bell pepper and shrimp. When everything looked properly cooked, I removed all the vegetables and the shrimp from my wok.

          After boiling some stock in the wok, I added some pancit noodles. Finally, I reassembled the shrimp, green beans, bell pepper, and pancit noodles and heated again.

          Maybe not the best looking meal. Maybe not the best-conceived meal. But we didn’t leave the house. How about it, dcfüd? Show us some meals you made with all or no fresh items while we are mostly holed up at home hiding from Corona/Covid 19?

          -CAF (Cindy)

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