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06Jul

Want to be a Secret Eater?
Found this on Craigslist.org.

-JAY

—————–

Restaurant Writers – no food restrictions (D.C., Crystal City, Bethesda)

Date: 2010-07-06, 1:11PM EDT
Reply to: job-awkvh-1828396460@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

i-SPY hospitality provides mystery shopping services for restaurants in Wash D.C., NYC, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, NJ.

We are looking for restaurant “shoppers” in the D.C. and surrounding areas, with superior WRITING and MEMORY skills and the ability to follow succinct instructions, and an interest in DINING OUT.

To be considered, you must have NO diet restrictions (food or alcohol) whatsoever (sorry, no vegetarians).

You MUST be flexible dining in D.C., Bethesda, MD and Northern VA.

You MUST be able to commit to at least ONE meal per month.

You MUST be comfortable writing, in a professional, grammatically correct manner.

Our shoppers are reimbursed for dinner for two, plus paid $15.

Following the meal they are required to write about 3 to 4 pages of narrative, which takes about 2.5 hours, and due within 24 hours.

Potential shoppers are required to fill out an application on our website http://ispy4u.net/shoppers.htm AND an Independent Contractor’s Agreement, which you will be forwarded after we receive your online application.

We are having training meals 7/22 and 7/23 in D.C. to determine if candidates are a match; candidates will be introduced to the process, provided a writing sample of what is expected and then asked to write a sample narrative after the meal, due within 24 hours of our meal.

The following is what makes a successful mystery shopper?
1. Superior retention and writing skills.
2. Ability to pay strict attention to detail.
3. Follows instructions.
4. Enjoys personal interaction in a social setting.
5. Reliable to follow through on committed assignments.

marc kravitz
i-SPY hospitality audit services
ispy4u.net

marc@ispy4u.net
- Location: D.C., Crystal City, Bethesda
- Compensation: $15
- Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
- Please, no phone calls about this job!
- Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 1828396460
Permalink Filed under: Etc, Restaurants Tags: restaurants, secret shopper No Comments
03Jul

Mediteranean Lamb Salad

I recently posted a recipe for roast lamb. As delicious as that dish is, it is possible, though not likely, that you may have some lamb left. Here’s one idea for how to transform the leftover lamb into an entirely new, and healthy, dish.

Mediterranean Lamb salad

3-4 oz cooked lamb

2 apricots, cut into segments

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

2 Tblsp pine nuts

5 olives, quartered

A few sprigs of mint

Cut lamb into cubes. Put in bowl. Add apricots and chick peas. Dress with yogurt dressing. Sprinkle olives and pinenuts on top. Garnish with mint.

Dressing

½ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves

1 lemon

Salt

Place yogurt in a bowl. Stir in mint leaves. Sqeeze lemon juice. Stir. Add salt.

Dress Mediterranean lamb salad.

-LMB

Permalink Filed under: Recipes Tags: lamb, Mediteranean, recipe, Salad No Comments
02Jul

STRAWBERRY LAVA FUDGE!!

A Georgetown Cupcake facebook upodate, just in.

-JAY

———

Georgetown Cupcake Today’s secret (not-on-menu) FREE falvor is STRAWBERRY LAVA FUDGE!! Order it by name and it’s FREE! 100 per location, 1 per customer – while supplies last. Enjoy! 🙂

Permalink Filed under: Stores Tags: Georgetown Cupcake No Comments
01Jul

The Five Paragraph Bitter Food Critic Tells Writer to Go Truck Herself.

I mean, who can say no to free candy?

Food writer Jacquelynn D. Powers recently listed 6 food trends she wants to see disappear in an article for The Daily Beast. For the most part, she’s pretty spot-on on identifying the most notorious offenders – bacon overload is indeed a slippery slope, folks – and sliders are appearing on more menus than buffalo wings in the `90s.

But when she declares “Food Trucks Drive Me Crazy” because they’re expanding in hip, dynamic cities, and possibly gumming up New York City’s already gummed-up traffic, I have to wonder if she has ever stepped her foodie foot in the shoes of the average D.C. office drone, like, frankly, me. Walk a mile in my shoes, Powers, and see if you aren’t BEGGING for a food truck by the 1000ft marker.

Had I paid a bit more attention to societal trends in my youth, I doubt that I would have majored in Mass Communications with the intent of working in radio and television. Had I realized how much it would suck moving town-to-town, up-and-down the dial WKRP-style, I would have followed my aunt’s wishes and gone to business school. Had I overruled my city-fearing mom, I’d have used my savings from my childhood weekly allowance to buy dozens of the Dollar Houses that I *KNEW* would be worth millions one day, making me Baltimore’s youngest, most adorable slumlord. Had I realized how much I’d like helping a future girlfriend study for medical school, I would have followed my grandmother’s wishes and been a doctor. Had I realized how ridiculously well-connected my uncle was on the Hill, I’d have become yet-another DC policy lawyer with a blog, a BMW, an expense account and at least one hot Russian spy mistress. However, I didn’t realize a damned thing other than Mass Communications is the easiest major you can possibly have short of “Mime for the Vision Impaired” and still get a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university. It gave me the job skills to be one hell of a morning show deejay – if people still listened to the radio – and how to wear a suit while on-camera so that it doesn’t bunch up around the shoulders. Sadly, that’s a lesson I could have learned by simply renting Broadcast News and saving $10,000 in student loans.

My point? I am not a high-falutin’ big shot lawyer, doctor, real estate developer or business expert that can afford to dine in the District’s many high-end lunch establishments on the client’s dime. Chances are, you aren’t, either. I’m a standard Government drone – a cog in the not-terribly-well-oiled machine that runs D.C. – and I have neither the money nor the three hours to kill to eat at places I can’t pronounce. I get about 30 minutes to either stand in line at a McDonald’s, a Potbelly, or a Weigh-and-Pay; drown my over-developed taste buds with over-salted salad dressing on an under-flavored salad; and then scurry back to the office before my over-paid, under-qualified bosses yell at my near-tardiness. So excuse the hell outta me if I want a little variety in my life, and the easiest way I can achieve a temporary sense of dining Nirvana is to eat a Cuban sandwich perfectly prepared in the back of a big white truck that could have been hauling plumbing supplies a couple of years earlier for all I know.

The District has been a little slow to hop on the big city food truck ride, but now that we’re on it, why stop? A quick look at the Washington Post’s new food truck’s Twitter aggregator shows a pretty decent sampling of wheel-based dining options. Tacos. Pizza. Subs. Indian food with a kickin’ soundtrack. Cupcakes. Cupcakes. OK, maybe Powers has a point about the overpopulation of cupcake outlets, but at least these are GOOD cupcakes. But the main issue is this: for those of us unwashed masses who yearn to eat free, getting ethnic foods and sweet treats from the backs of trucks serve as welcome respite to the otherwise mind-numbing lack of variety and flavor we’d otherwise endure. Not to get too NRA on ya, but they’ll get my food trucks when they pry my cold dead fingers from their bumpers.

******************************************************

Since this is more of a rant than an actual review, I’ll simply say that the Cubans from El Floridano; Curbside’s Cookies and Cream, Orange Dreamsicle and Sweetbites’s Pina Colada cupcakes; DCSlice’s pies and Fojol’s whimsical sense with buttered chicken and basmati rice are all pretty WHAMMY!-worthy. Mad I missed your favorite truck? Tell them to drive to L’Enfant Plaza and ask for good ole’ Five. Interested in a new dining truck idea? Drop me a line. I have thoughts.

*****************************************************

–RAY

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Permalink Filed under: Restaurants Tags: food trucks, Jacquelynn D. Powers 3 Comments
01Jul

In My Inbox: Dine Golden – Golden Triangle Specials

Yet another installment of “In My Inbox.”

-JAY

————

Dine Golden | Park Golden
July 01 – August 14, 2010

Over 25 restaurants in the Golden Triangle are offering food and drink specials after 5 p.m. during the Dine Golden | Park Golden summer promotion. To sweeten the deal, select parking garages are offering a $5 flat rate after 5 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Take advantage of either or both of these promotions for a wonderful summer evening in the Golden Triangle; don’t forget Golden Triangle Summer Concerts are on Thursdays too! Visit the Dine Golden | Park Golden website to learn more and see our interactive map of participating restaurants and parking garages.

Participating Restaurants
Ask your server about Dine Golden specials
• Aroma Restaurant – 1919 I Street NW
Buy one entree, get one entree free
• Blackfinn American Saloon – 1620 I Street NW
Buy one seasonal entree, get one free
• The Bombay Club – 815 Connecticut Avenue NW
Buy one entree, get one dessert free
• Café Lombardy – 2019 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Buy one entree, get a glass of wine free
• Café Soleil – 839 17th Street NW
Buy one entree, get one appetizer free
• Current – 1215 Connecticut Avenue NW
Buy one entree, get one appetizer free
• Elephant and Castle Pub & Restaurant – 900 19th Street NW
Buy one dessert, get one free
• i Ricchi – 1220 19th Street NW
Buy one signature cocktail, get one free
OR Buy one entree special, get a dessert free
• Kababji Grill – 1351 Connecticut Avenue NW
Buy any one item, get one free (excludes spirits, wine and beer)
• Kaz Sushi Bistro – 1915 I Street NW
Buy $25 worth of food, get one drink free
• Kellari Taverna – 1700 K Street NW
Buy one drink, get one drink free
• Luigi’s Famous Restaurant – 1132 19th Street NW
Buy one appetizer, get one free
• M Street Bar & Grill – 2033 M Street NW
Buy one entree, get an appetizer or dessert free
• Madhatter – 1319 Connecticut Avenue NW
Buy one appetizer, get one appetizer free
• The Melting Pot – 1220 19th Street NW
Buy one entree for two, get a chocolate dessert for two free
• Mezza Luna Restaurant & Lounge – 1140 19th Street NW
Buy one entree, get one entree free
• The Oval Room – 800 Connecticut Avenue NW
Buy one entree, get a dessert free
• Ozio Restaurant & Lounge – 1813 M Street NW
Buy one classic martini, get one free
• The Palm – 1225 19th Street NW
Buy one appetizer, get one free in the dining room
• Penang – 1837 M Street NW
Buy any one item, get one free
• Public Bar – 1214 18th Street NW
Buy one entree, get a drink free
• Recessions Lounge & Sports Bar – 1823 L Street NW
Buy one entree, get one appetizer free
• Sam & Harry’s – 1200 19th Street NW
Buy one prix fixe set course, get one free
• Science Club – 1136 19th Street NW
Buy one entree, get a dessert free
• Smith & Wollensky – 1112 19th Street NW
Buy one appetizer, get one free with purchase of an entree
• Taberna del Alabardero – 1776 I Street NW
Buy one paella, get one free
• Teatro Goldoni Restaurant – 1909 K Street NW
Buy one prix fixe 3-course meal, get one free
Restrictions may apply to food specials.
Participating Parking Garages
• 1625 I Street NW
• 1050 Connecticut Avenue NW – Enter from 18th Street
• 2021 K Street NW – Enter from 20th Street
• 1225 19th Street NW – Enter through alley
• 1901 L Street NW
• 1700 K Street NW
• 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW – Enter from 18th Street
• 1015 18th Street NW – Enter via alley from Connecticut Avenue
• 2025 M Street NW
• 900 19th Street NW

Golden Triangle Summer Concerts
Thursdays | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. | June & July | Farragut Square Park
Four more concerts remain in the Golden Triangle Summer Concert Series! Be sure to come out to Farragut Square Park to join in the fun whether it is salsa dancing or listening to your favorite Dave Matthews Band tunes. Each week you can register to win a VIP Picnic Package to make the concerts even more fun. We’ll be giving away this six-person picnic spread at each show that includes soft drinks, sandwiches, and cookies compliments of Firehook Bakery, along with picnic blankets, coolers, and VIP tickets to the DC Improv Comedy Club.
Check out the upcoming shows and weekly prizes for the concert series in July:

July 1 – Cazhmiere (funk & soul)
$100 to Elephant & Castle Pub & Restaurant
$100 to Famous Luigi’s
July 8 – Sin Miedo (salsa)
$100 to Jos. A Banks
$100 to Kellari Taverna
Three month gym membership to Washington Sports Club
July 15 – Crowded Streets (Dave Matthews Band Tribute)
$100 to Beauty 360 ** new addition
$150 to Morton’s The Steakhouse
Free lunch for two people for a week at Roti Mediterranean Grill
July 22– Kelly Bell Band
$200 to Filene’s Basement
$100 to the Madhatter
$100 to Blackfinn American Saloon
In the event of rain, check www.goldentriangledc.com after 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays to find out about cancellations. Learn more »[ad]

Permalink Filed under: Etc, Events, Restaurants Tags: Aroma Restaurant, Blackfinn, Bombay Club, Café Lombardy, Current, Elephant and Castle, Golden Triangle, i Ricchi, Inbox, Kaz Sushi Bistro, Kellari Taverna No Comments
30Jun

Get Your Flippin Pizza in Dupont!

In My Inbox.

-JAY
————————-

Flippin’ Pizza’s (www.flippinpizza.com) first D.C. location (and 8th in area) is scheduled to open for business this Friday, July 2! Before the official opening, its new neighbors are invited to stop by for a free slice (cheese or pepperoni) and drink on Thursday, July 1 from 5 to 7pm. Flippin’ Pizza is located just north of Dupont Circle at 1745 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009, 202-386 9579. Spread the word!

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Permalink Filed under: Restaurants Tags: Flippin Pizza No Comments
29Jun

“Places in My Neighborhood Where the President Has Not Eaten Yet.”

Co written by Guest Bloggers CAF and “Dr. D.”

-JAY
———-

France’s showing at the World Cup this year has been described as “a disaster,” “a scandal,” and “unacceptable” … and that was by the French team’s own members and director. Ouch. I’m one of those Americans who enjoys a healthy disdain for France. Dr. D., a more tolerant friend and frequent dining companion, took less delight in the news about the French soccer team’s follies. To stay in his good graces or at least return to the neutral esteem of Dr. D., France needed a big win and fast. Luckily for France, Dr. D. and I looked off the soccer field for French success.

On a sweltering midweek afternoon, Dr. D. and I headed to the Village Bistro on Wilson in Arlington. We had passed this storefront eatery countless times since it shares a parking lot with Ray’s Hell Burger, Pho 75, and Greenberry’s Coffee and Tea, among others. Upon entering, we were greeted by a welcome waft of air conditioning and a friendly bartender who bid us to take the open table of our choosing. A middle-aged woman (the hostess, the proprietor?) hustled to our table to give us menus and a list of specials. She cheerily complimented my dress, a simple navy shift. “Beurre me up all you want,” I thought, “but flattery will do nothing to color my opinion of your country…I mean, restaurant.” While Dr. D. perused the menu, I took in the decor – white tablecloths, vintage French posters, a full bar with shelves painted red. Our waiter came quickly with ice water and crusty bread. He was no less helpful or attentive for us not ordering wine. The effects of the heat were starting to wear off and if my anti-French sentiments hadn’t softened by then, at least my appetite had returned.

We both ordered off the lunch specials menu. Dr. D. opted for shrimp and sea scallop kabobs in a bacon butter sauce served over sauteed spinach and long grain white rice. I ordered the pistachio crusted yellow fin tuna in a white wine and vinegar sauce served with potato cake, asparagus, and bok choy. We were both pleased with our choices. Dr. D. sang the praises of the shrimp and scallops, beautifully cooked and artfully arranged atop the fresh spinach overlaying the rice, with the sauce triggering a wonderful harmony of flavors. My fish came cooked medium-rare, as ordered, with a perfectly nutty crust. The potato cake, browned nicely, was a hearty yet appropriate accompaniment. I had wished there was more sauce or else something else on the plate with a strong enough flavor to cut through the rounder flavors in the nuts, fish, and potato. Nevertheless, I can’t deny that both dishes were “goals” as clean as our plates.

We were too stuffed to sample anything from the dessert menu, which seemed a bit uninspired compared to the rest of the menu. Then again, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it could be that high quality ingredients and execution would have made the dessert course a winner. More reason for us to return another day. As we stood up, the same woman who greeted us came over to ask whether we enjoyed our lunch. Pleased that we had, she volunteered that the cuisine was special because it was French with Moroccan influences on its seasonings. As we made our way to the door, we turned back to ask her about the chef.

“Oh, there are so many back there in the kitchen,” she said.

“No chef de cuisine or executive chef?”

Non.

Finally, some real team players from France.

1723 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Open for lunch on weekdays 11:30 a.m. to 2:30pm and for dinner seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Wheelchair accessible entrance and restrooms

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Permalink Filed under: Restaurants Tags: Village Bistro 2 Comments
28Jun

Bougie Beans on Toast

It’s summer, and that means new and wonderful things pop up at the farmer’s markets. My neighborhood market has started again, bringing the brutally peppery radishes (grown about 3 blocks from my apartment, by hippies of course) I’m currently slathering with locally-churned organic salted butter and eating like there’s no tomorrow. But there was another, more exciting find the other week: fresh fava beans. Nutty, sharp, and nutritious: despite the work required, I had to have them.

Being short on human liver (mine’s on vacation from my beer habit) and nice Chianti, plus preferring comfort food to cannibalism, I decided to put some fancy pants on a classic: beans on toast. The traditional English dish is usually made with canned baked beans and probably-stale bread, neither of which I had handy, and eaten for breakfast. I wanted dinner, and I made do, as I do, with what ingredients I had on hand. The result was a delicious and fresh and summery dinner, which actually could be served in smaller bites as fabulous hors d’œuvres. And, it was all cooked with fresh, local ingredients (except the wine – that came from a bottle).

At the farmer’s market, I bought:

– Fava beans (about 2 pounds)
– 1 medium Hungarian hot pepper
– Garlic (a couple cloves)
– Lots of fresh-picked spearmint
– Butter
– (Cheap) white wine

Start caramelizing your (diced) garlic and peppers in the butter, and put some salt water on to boil. Remove the beans from their pods. Blanch beans about 2 minutes, and plunge them into ice water to stop cooking. Remove the bean sheaths, which are chewy and not delicious.

Now your peppers should be nice and brown and yummy, so go ahead and add the favas to your pan. Over medium heat, saute the lot with some more butter for about 6-7 minutes. While that’s going, add about a half cup of wine to a glass with some mint to infuse. When the favas are almost done, add a handful of freshly torn mint leaves and toss that around. Remove your sauteed beans and peppers to a bowl, and toss in some more fresh mint. Now, deglaze your pan with minted wine and, while that’s reducing to almost-syrup, toast some bread (I used sourdough whole wheat).

Put the sauteed beans over the toast, and pour your deglazing liquid over that.

I’ve made this again a few times since, and found that the addition of fresh English peas is wonderful, but adding vidalia onion makes the flavor too earthy. Experimentation is fun!

-MAW[ad]

Permalink Filed under: Recipes Tags: fava beans No Comments
26Jun

Kitchen Sink Sangria
KITCHEN SINK SANGRIA

I was at the beach last week. My friend arrived, toting a lambrusco he had found in New York and was all excited to try. And while I rolled my eyes at visions of a syrupy, sugary, sweet Riunite type beverage, my friend assured me that this was no ordinary lambrusco, but instead was a dry, subtle sparkling red wine. And he wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Eric Asimov has written two pieces in the New York Times elevating the sparkly red stuff. So I wrinkled my nose and took a sip. It wasn’t bad. But as an ode to the lambrusco of my youth, I decided that this venerable version could still serve as a great base for some Sangria on the beach.

Kitchen Sink Sangria
- 1 bottle lambrusco
- 1 cup rum (or more to taste)
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 lemons
- 2 limes
- Fruit— apricots, strawberries, etc.
Pour the lambrusco into a pitcher. Add the orange juice, rum. Squeeze lemons and limes into the pitcher (straining out the seeds). Cut the lemons and limes into small segments. Drop them in. Cut apricots into cubes and add to pitcher. De-stem strawberries, slice, and add in. Stir and chill for one hour. Enjoy!

-LMB

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Permalink Filed under: Drinks, Recipes Tags: lambrusco, recipe, sangria 1 Comment
24Jun

DCFüd Featured on Capital Cooking’s Website

Thanks to Lauren DeSantis for featuring DCFüd (and…ok…me) on her site.

-JAY

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Permalink Filed under: Etc Tags: Captal Cooking, Cookbook, Lauren DeSantis No Comments

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