Monday, January 31, 2011

raves for our return to RIS (1-28-11)

Washington's Chef RIS LACOSTE has always been dear to us and we have enjoyed her cooking for years, wherever she may go.
Just over a year ago she opened her own place RIS (www.risdc.com) in the Ritz-Carlton complex in the West End here in DC and we loved it when we went. This trip was even better, and believe it or not, she was away on vacation. Which tells anyone in the biz, how good the staff really is, when you can't tell the boss is away!
It was a special 70th birthday for one of our best friends and we started with cocktails. Cosmo lovers would adore the FALLEN ANGEL made from Ketel One, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur and Yuzu Syrup. It has more of a bite than a Cosmo and the yuzu brings in a more intense lime flavor as well.
Ris now serves BADOIT as its sparkling water, which always gets top marks on my menu.
It was difficult to choose between the wonderful options, but our delightful server, Gladys, steered us perfectly to and from certain items.
The starters were all hits from the CRUDOS of pastrami cured salmon with gingered grapefruit & sesame seared tuna with soy, wasabi and Napa cabbage slaw and especially the GNUDI or ricotta dumplings in tomato and eggplant fondue, the Grilled OCTOPUS Salad with feta, cucmber, cured lemon & spinach yogurt. Our favorite was the SPICY (and they were) SHRIMP TEMPURA on Napa cabbage slaw, yuzu & pea shoots.
Our FLOWERS Chardonnay 2007 was the perfect temperature so we could have those wonderful hints of apple, but the chardonnay was too soft for the spicy shrimp, great with everything else.
We moved onto BAILEYANA 2007 Firepeak Vineyard Pinot Noir from Edna valley which we liked so much we ordered a second bottle of!
The main courses were also magnificent save the one dud, a Pan Roasted ROCKFISH with Potato Confit, Pickled Onions, Olive & Cured Lemon, Minted Pine Nuts. It also had anchovies and suffered from just being a bit too intense. In the end, we were not charged anyway, and another option was offered. The Honey Ginger Glazed MUSCOVY DUCK with butter poached pears & Almon Mushroom Wild Rice was excellent, the duck cooked to perfection and the revelation was the MONFISH OSSOBUCO with champagne lobster risotto, buttered cabbage, mushrooms, tomato fondue and truffle oil. My Peppered VENISON MEDALLIONS were also cooked perfectly and served with Braised Red Cabbage, Celeriac Cream and Lingonberry Mustard Sauce which was a nice change with some mustard flavor to the sauce rather than just the fruit.

Desserts are very "American" here such as Butterscotch Pudding with Cocoa Crisps & Chantilly Cream and Pecan Carrot Cake with Brown Sugar Sour Cream Ice Cream. These are not my style, although they were delish, I could never eat a whole portion. I headed tight for the superb cheese platter which had each cheese served with a House made jam or Chutney and Asian Pears. The divine cheeses were OAK SPRING DERBY from Upperville, VA, Saint Andre, and Latur an Italian sheep, cow, goat combo that I loved...I loved them ALL!
The pears were so fabulous that when I mentioned this Gladys brought over a plate of them for everyone to try.
How perfect a way to end a yummy meal on a special occasion!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

try the unCOMMON at COMMONWEALTH (1-24-11)

Every now and then we return to Commonwealth Gastropub (http://www.commonwealthgastropub.com) as Samuel seems to enjoy it, and so do we.
We were invited by friends last night and it was a foodie extravaganza. We started off with one of our favorite treats the LEMON FRIED OLIVES and had to order a second plate. We still can't get Sam to try these despite the fact that he likes lemons, olives and fried things. Any suggestions?
It was happy hour, so drinks were in order, which was a good idea as when we finally decided on a wine, they were out of almost all the reds we asked for. Avoid their mediocre Pinot and head for the Spanish or French options (if they are in stock). We finally had the Kermit Lunch Cotes du Rhone (still billed as Grenache 2006 on the menu, even though it is a 2008 blend). which works pretty well, although is not a huge wine for monster beef dishes; maybe the Zin would be better.
We also tried the HOUSE CURED BUTCHER BOARD which had dried lomo, prosciutto, spicy Canadian salami and duck rillettes. the rillettes were nowhere to be seen, so we had to ask for them. The platter is nice, but it seems a bit pricey for what you get. Go for the always superb SCOTCH EGGS with 3 dipping sauces as well as the superb SHRIMP with THAI CHILLIES & Extra Virgin olive Oil; don't fret the chilies, they are super mild. Beef here is a great choice as they get their meat from Bassett Farms in Virginia and the Grilled Marinated BEEF KEBABS were juicy and tender.
Samuel loved his burger and chips and I too adored the UNCOMMON Burger, which changes nightly and was stuffed with Blue Cheese & Caramelized onions last night--the meat was juicy and the taste of it all divine. The chips are great too.
Speaking of beef, the Grass fed NY Strip was tender and tasty too and the Lamb Burger with green Sauce and Halibut Fish special also got high marks.
As if we were not full enough we tried several desserts and they were all yummy from the CHOCOLATE PUDDING to the STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING (Will always switched the whipped cream for Ice Cream, although it should be in Creme Anglaise!) and the simple yet tasty LEMON TRIFLE with BERRY SAUCE which sits parfait-like on a tasty thick shortbread-like cake.

try the unCOMMON at COMMONWEALTH (1-24-11)

Every now and then we return to Commonwealth Gastropub (http://www.commonwealthgastropub.com) as Samuel seems to enjoy it, and so do we.
We were invited by friends last night and it was a foodie extravaganza. We started off with one of our favorite treats the LEMON FRIED OLIVES and had to order a second plate. We still can't get Sam to try these despite the fact that he likes lemons, olives and fried things. Any suggestions?
It was happy hour, so drinks were in order, which was a good idea as when we finally decided on a wine, they were out of almost all the reds we asked for. Avoid their mediocre Pinot and head for the Spanish or French options (if they are in stock). We finally had the Kermit Lunch Cotes du Rhone (still billed as Grenache 2006 on the menu, even though it is a 2008 blend). which works pretty well, although is not a huge wine for monster beef dishes; maybe the Zin would be better.
We also tried the HOUSE CURED BUTCHER BOARD which had dried lomo, prosciutto, spicy Canadian salami and duck rillettes. the rillettes were nowhere to be seen, so we had to ask for them. The platter is nice, but it seems a bit pricey for what you get. Go for the always superb SCOTCH EGGS with 3 dipping sauces as well as the superb SHRIMP with THAI CHILLIES & Extra Virgin olive Oil; don't fret the chilies, they are super mild. Beef here is a great choice as they get their meat from Bassett Farms in Virginia and the Grilled Marinated BEEF KEBABS were juicy and tender.
Samuel loved his burger and chips and I too adored the UNCOMMON Burger, which changes nightly and was stuffed with Blue Cheese & Caramelized onions last night--the meat was juicy and the taste of it all divine. The chips are great too.
Speaking of beef, the Grass fed NY Strip was tender and tasty too and the Lamb Burger with green Sauce and Halibut Fish special also got high marks.
As if we were not full enough we tried several desserts and they were all yummy from the CHOCOLATE PUDDING to the STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING (Will always switched the whipped cream for Ice Cream, although it should be in Creme Anglaise!) and the simple yet tasty LEMON TRIFLE with BERRY SAUCE which sits parfait-like on a tasty thick shortbread-like cake.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

more bravos for BIBIANA on Restaurant week (1-17-11)

Restaurant Week was off to a quiet start with the impending rain/ice/snow, but we got out before the mess and had a truly fabulous time at OSTERIA BIBIANA with Samuel last night (www.bibianadc.com). we were here a year ago for Restaurant Week and again we were totally impressed for the special $35 dinner.
Samuel just wanted penne pasta with tomato sauce and his requisite ginger ale.
We started with a bottle of the "on special" wine a De Angelis Rosso "Piceno" 2009 Montepulciano from Marche that was young but tasty and went superbly with Will's huge portion of CALAMARI stuffed with Soppressata & Potato in a Lemon & Squick Ink Vinaigrette. My BEEF TARTAR was no less impressive with several different sauces across the plate for flavors-Parmigiano Cream, Pistachio-Red Wine Puree and some crushed pistachios as well. I was in heaven as we moved on to our second wine -CAPRAI from Montefalco in Umbria, a 2007 blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino & Merlot that was a bit tight at first but opened up beautifully after 30 minutes or so.
It was perfect with our big meat dishes-my BUE or BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS with White Polenta, Onion Compote and a yummy side dish of CAVOLFIORI, cauliflower in garlic and anchovy.
Will's AGNELLO was a novelty in that the leg of Shenandoah Lamb was lightened by Grilled ROMAINE and a Tomato-Olive Tapenade that gave the dish a very springlike feel.

Desserts impressed as well with Will's Honey-nut SEMIFREDDO with hazelnuts and Milk Jam Sauce, but my PANNA COTTA was another revelation flavored with VANILLA and topped with Pistachio Streusel and a Sour Cherry Compote!!
We all went home full, happy and knowing that we must really return on a non-Restaurant Week night for more!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

FERVOR -great food served with fervor in Buenos Aires (1-8-10)

On our last night in BA, Will and I left Samuel with a sitter at the
hotel (he was in heaven as he got pizza before we went out and was
gobbling up all the fresh fruit on the hotel platter delivered to our
room!) and headed around the corner in Recoleta to FERVOR Brasas de
Campo y Mar (Posadas 1519 y Callao - Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Tel: 4804-4944), easily one of the better dining spots around for meat
or fish as noted in the name. In South America, Campo refers to the
land outside town where the cattle are raised, Mar of course is sea.
Our big tummies decided to split a starter and take in one fish and
one meat course. We did not know that each portion was bigger than
anything Morton's could ever think of....OOPS!
We started with a delish bottle of LUIGI BOSCA 2008 MALBEC RISERVA
which is better than Bosca's regular Malbec, but not as good as the DV
Catena we had the previous night. It had a bit more spice, less oak
and finish. We thought this would work better with the fish, but not
necessarily with the meat, although the spice did do well in that
department.
A triple amuse arrived of Pulpo (octopus) tender and tasty, Mozzarella
with Sun Dried Tomato and Jamon. It was a nice treat and made us feel
special and a bit more formal. The spot is well appointed with a
mezzanine overhanging the large main room and utensil made chandeliers
that I loved! The breads were sublime as well as two salsas that came
with lemon and lime on the side for seasoning.
Our starter was Rueda de ACHURAS or Grilled Offal Platter. The menu
indicated it came with those yummy MOLLEJOs we had in Uruguay which we
now know are sweetbreads as well as (rinon) kidney and
(chinchulin)veal chitlings, which I have never had. The HUGE hot grill
plate came to the table sizzling and loaded with sweetbreads, kidneys,
hearts and sausage! While I can handle just about anything, I have to
say the chitlings (intestines) were rubbery and totally inedible. The
sweetbreads, kidneys, sausage, heart and all were divine.
We had ordered the 1/2 grilled parrillada de mar (seafood grill) and
our waiter came by and asked if we still wanted it as he began to
serve the other main course, the smallest portion on the menu of OJO
DE BIFE or RIBEYE Steak weighing in at 400grams or just under a pound
(for like $20--eat your heart out Smith & Wollensky!). We quickly
asked if we could cancel the seafood and he was most gracious. Any
other place might have taken advantage ans simply sent it all out
while we looked in awe knowing what fools we had been. He earned a big
tip and our thanks!
The meat was the best we had in Argentina, but still not a revelation.
We ordered it with the GRILLED VEGETABLES, a superb combinations of
mushrooms, Eggplant, Zucchini, Onion & Sweet Potato.
We waived dessert and enjoyed a delish cappuccino along with some
little dulce de leche cookies and others....another good move as we
headed off to our tango show. Luckily, we were just watching and not
dancing!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

DIVERTIMENTO CHILENO offers a cool setting and true Chilean cuisine if slow service(12-19-10)

For our last night in Santiago we wanted something more traditional
and the wonderful concierge Patricio at the San Cristobal Towers
suggested DIVERTIMENTO CHILENO. We liked the varied menu and took the
nice 15 minute walk from the hotel and found the hotel situated in the
oh so pleasant PARQUE METROPOLITANO at the foot of Cerro San
Cristobal, the city's tall peak (with the Virgin Mary atop it).
There were people strolling everywhere outside the open windows which
we sat next to and could see the tops of the Andes from. A truly
beautiful setting.
The service, as we have seen here, was lacking. The table next to us
had 6 folks and got their drinks, bread, salsa and entire order taken
practically before we got menus!
We asked for bread and the waiter said it was being baked...it did
eventually arrive steaming hot with soft inside, clear proof it was
right from the oven. The salsa here was milder and more tomato-ey and
was nice on the bread as well.
Upon the recommendation of Ignacio (our guide for the day) we ordered
PISCO SOURS which were refreshing and tasty and quite sour. Samuel
went for the Ginger Ale and ordered the Spaghetti with Pesto which he
gobbled up.
The Ceviche was REINETA, supposedly the best fish around for ceviche
which was indeed yummy and simply prepared. The Smoked PORK SHANK
CARPACCIO had arugula and a lemon-coriander dressing, but was quite
fatty for my taste.

KINGKLIP, which I had adored in South Africa, is another type of eel
found here which was again rich, meaty and tasty served with Blackened
Butter. The SEA BASS (Corvina) was sublime with Cilantro & Chimichuri
Sauce, Ginger & Lemon Zest and served with Razor Clams, Calamari,
Shrimp and SCALLOPS with that gorgeous coral intact! Our wine was a
fantastic tasty buttery LEYDA FALARIS Single Vineyard CHARDONNAY.
We thought about dessert, but it took the waiter so long to come over,
we just asked for the bill and headed back to the hotel after a 9-1/2
hour day of touring knowing that the next day we had a long trip to
the ship on the coast.

don't ask DONDE AUGUSTO in Santiago de Chile, just go....(12-19-10)

Today we had the experience of eating inside the MERCADO CENTRAL, the
wonderful Victorian market of downtown Santiago. DONE AUGUSTO is
perhaps a stalwart spot that will always amaze and if you are in for
an adventure offer you many new tastes as we had.
Ignacio our tour guide took us thru the market and showed us all the
different fish available as Samuel held his nose and then ordered a
grilled chicken breast with fries.
Will went for the CEVICHE as we have loved this so much as well as
superb SEAFOOD EMPANADAS. His third plate (appetizers all) was a huge
presentation of LOCOS (no, not crazies) which are huge tender ABALONES
served with mayo and a creamy potato salad. Ignacio explained the
Chileans love mayo and creamy mayo salads!
I thought the abalone was much like a tasty fishy artichoke heart,
but it did not go over too well with the others.
I loved my 1/2 bottle of Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc blend from Torreon
de Paredes 2009 which refreshed me to no end after my major spicy
CENTOLA al AJILLO a sizzling plate of King Crab with Garlic Butter
Sauce laced with spicy chiles. My second starter plate was PICOROCOS
al VAPOR which are simply steamed barnacles. These looked like tiny
crabs in the market but came to the table in a simple broth as
"claws"which I put a bit of lemon on for flavor and loved. Nobody else
was in my party for this tasty treat either.
Here the table salsa was called PEBRE, Ignacio explained and was more
like pico de gallo with cilantro.

Our favorite part of the afternoon tour of the city was sitting on the
city's peak Cerro San Cristobal as Ignacio treated us to MOTE con
HUESILLO, the national "dessert" which is a sweet juice made from
sundried peaches with wheat added as well as the whole peaches...YUM
YUM....we must have it tomorrow before we board the ship!

SANTIAGO's (Chile) superb seafood experience is ACQUI ESTA COCO(12-18-10)

While I am not sure how many of you get to Chile, but if you do, don't
skip dinner at ACQUI ESTA COCO (www.acquiestacoco.cl) in the
Providencia neighborhood in a grand mansion that has been totally
rebuilt since devastating recent fire. The seen is fun plus with an
inverse wooden ship hull design as the ceiling, a cute raw bar mini-
ship with mast at the rear, red leather whalefin chairs and sinks
outside the bathroom that Samuel simply called awesome. There were
three huge driftwood basin sink with foot pedal pumps to boot.
Even the Christmas decorations were adorable and tasteful in miniature
red wood webbing. Add all this to some of the best seafood we have
ever had, and you have a great night out.
It was impossible to choose so Will & I chose three starters each as
delectable as the next:
OCTOPUS CARPACCIO with Black Olive Mayo Sauce, Lemon & CIlantro was
superb and the mayo was more of a light dressing than a creamy
overpowering mayo. RAZOR CLAMS in Parmesan Cheese are a long narrow
not at all chewy local tender clams cooked a la clams casino and
broiled with smothering parmesan cheese that will make anyone have a
foodie orgasm. CHILOTAN CEVICHES come in the coolest of stemless
martini glasses held on iron 4 prong "trees" from a large dark wooden
plank. The presentation is gorgeous and the ceviches are true bliss:
Sea urchin, shrimp, octopus, scallop and crab claw were in one glass
and a spicy Peruvian style sea bass with lime, onion, and endive was
in the other.
Our first wine was a LEYDA Single Vineyard GARUMA Sauvignon Blanc that
would outshine any similar wine and worked brilliantly with the
ceviches and everything else.
Samuel opted for the Seared SALMON with SOY and Fried RICE. The rice
was really not "Chinese" style fried and Sam declared "I could come
back again and have this tomorrow..." We agreed.

The main courses were good but not as amazing as the appetizers.
SEARED SWORDFISH with Black Butter Sauce & CHARQUICAN, a vegetable
smash of squash, peas, corn and more benefitted from the slightly
spicy salsa on the table (at every meal in Chile), while the MAI MAI
CONGER EEL was a monkfish textured thick fleshy eel that you would
have sworn was fish. It was beautifully prepared with ham, corn,
mushroom and shrimp in a yummy sauce. The two steamed potatoes seemed
so weird and useless and I would have preferred rice to mop up the
yummy sauce instead of the potatoes.
Our main course wine was from the uber famous MONTES ALPHA vineyard in
Leyda as well and for $40 their PINOT NOIR '07 was perfect with these
big fish dishes as the were aged in French oak and had spice and fruit
in the back of the mouth with each sip.
Did I mention that at each place was a different colored dyed eelskin
"place mat" although they were narrow
and really did not cover the place setting, they were novel and fun.
While Samuel enjoyed scoops of MANGO Ice cream we chose the ELOGIO a
la LACUMA. Lacuma is a traditional Chilean dessert made from eggfruit,
but here the "homage" turned it into a delightful and thick with
superb topping creme brulee with Myrtleberry Compote. Even a cute spun
sugar "spoon" was on the side.
We loved all the food, all the fun and got used to the slightly off
service (which is pretty basic here we have been told by everyone),
and had a delightfully fabulous night on our first day as we head even
further south.

Buenos Aires LA BRIGADA is a bust (1-6-11)

On our first evening in Buenos Aires, Argentina we headed for a top
rated parrilla in the old San Tel mo district with Samuel. It was an
adorable spot with tons of soccer posters and memorabilia as well as
an iron chandelier full of soccer balls. the menus were leather and
cowskin bound and "fluffy" as Sam calls it. LA BRIGADA (Avenido
Estados Unidos 465) was recommended by the concierge and I should have
gone with MY own instincts, as we were happy for about the first half
of the meal then it was all downhill.
The DV Catena MALBEC 2006 was divine with a smoky oak flavor and was
great with the food, but the food was the issue.
Samuel did not like the MILANESE de LOMO, here a meat slad that was
dry, breaded and served a la NAPOLITANA with Mozzarella and Tomato
sauce. The Papas Fritas a la Provenzal here were TOTAL DUDS as they
were so bland!
The appetizers were quite good with LENGUITAS (lamb tongues) as tender
as could be marinated in a light oil, red pepper, parsley, garlic--
chimichurri-like sauce. ENSALADA RUSA was an overloaded with mayo
salad of potato, egg, carrots and peas that was good, but just
overdose.
The main courses we chose from the parrilla were COLITA de CUADRIL de
BUFALO or a buffalo sirloin that was only okay, not a touch on our
buffalo here. The BIFE ESPECIAL was supposed to be the most tender
filet available. the server attempted to cut it in half with a spoon
repeatedly tableside. We kept proffering our knives which he declined.
It wasted like 10 minutes as Sam fell asleep. We tried to cut the meat
with our knives and had little luck. Nobody seemed interested in our
displeasure, so we paid and left and told the hotel concierge the
place sucked!
What a shame!

BA lunch--go to EL SANJUANINO for empanadas and more (1-6-11)

Our first lunch in BA near the hotel in Recolta was a huge success. EL
SANJUANINO (www.elsanjuanino.com) offers up the tastiest of EMPANADAS
from chicken to meat to a fried verson with spicier meat. They also
specialize in gam and venison, but we were there for a light lunch.
They do a decent job of PAPAS FRITAS a la PROVENZAL but still not as
good as in Uruguay!
Oh well! It's an adorable and reasonable price option!
ALAN

LA MAESTRANZA in Montevideo's Mercado del Puerto is a major parrilla (1-5-11)

Welcome to 2011!
I know it's been a while since I last posted in Santiago de Chile, but
we had been at sea in Antarctica for some time and finally made our
way north (those of you on Will's TRAVEL DIARIES postings know what
we've been up to!)....
Montevideo has a gorgeous new Victorian market structure right at the
port (mercado del puerto) and it is chock full of places to eat,
especially the world famous parrillas or parrilladas that one finds
all over souther South America. It was hard to choose and we settled
into the counter seats at LA MAESTRANZA and just looked at a menu,
available only in Spanish, as if it were Chinese. We know lomo is
beef, but after that certain things just don't translate easily.
I asked the server for Sam's Sprite and a Chicken Cutlet Milanese with
fries which he adored. We ordered up a bottle of the Uruguayan
national beverage "medio y medio" made up of half sparkling and half
white wine. It is refreshing in summer (it was close to 85 degrees!)
and perfect with all the grilled meats which can tend to be a bit
greasy. CHORIZO was easy enough to figure out and it was super, not
too spicy, but just right. the plainer national sausage is called
SALCHICHA and was also divine. We were unsure what MOLLEJA was as the
server pointed to her throat...so we assumed cow's throat. It was a
bit fatty, yet tender and tasty, especially with the cilantro laden
chimichurri sauce at every place setting. We later discovered after
Will posted his journal that Molleja is sweetbreads....but these were
not as good as the cuts we get at home.
The highlight of the meal was the discovery of PAPAS FRITAS a la
PROVENZAL....these are fries pan fried and tossed with garlic, thyme,
rosemary, cilantro and other seasonings which you must decline the
ketchup for!

It was a fun experience, and we were to experience more in the next
several days as well...some good and some bad.
ALAN (now back home)