GREEN PIG BISTRO in Arlington has us green with envy(10-25-20)

While my reviews these days are far between, I have to apologize for going to the same places alot. The reason is simple: SAFETY. We know that when we hit a friend's restaurant, we will be in the best hands possible; a big thing to consider these days, especially when you don't want anyone's hands all over everything!

We returned to GREEN PIG BISTRO in Arlington on Sunday, where Chef Tracy O'Grady reigns supreme and is coming up with amazing new ideas daily. We were treated to some "extras" as guinea pigs and I have to say we three guinea pigs were all in agreement as to the new dishes being stupendous. 

We ordered a bottle of a great house red from Douro in Portugal called Canaes does Frades which has a nice hint of spice and was totally warming on this past chilly Sunday. Incidentally, we sat inside where the spaces are huge and the booths far apart and only every other one was used. We perused the online menu and then dishes showed up. we marveled at the Chicken Skins with a Ginger Soy dipping sauce and were amazed at the intensity of the Bacon-wrapped Ritz Cracker Parm balls(yup, that's what I said--check out the FB photos) which were baked and served with a Basil marinade. My husband declared that it should be called BACON ON CRACK! Next came a Shrimp Scampi spin off with fava bean hummus dedicated to Chef Francesco Ricchi and while we had the hummus on the last visit, the shrimp and blanched garlic make it even better!! We each got a glass of Prosecco as well since chef felt this dish needed a bright bubbly to counter the richness.

Sunday had lots of specials and we chose two dishes and ended up taking home more than 1/2 of each(a great leftover meal on Tuesday!):

Crispy gruyere Stuffed Schnitzel is a pork schnitzel but stuffed with gooey cheese and then cooked to perfection with a Crispy Cornflake Crust and served with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and a Buttery Cabbage & Apple slaw. The dish had a rich decadent mustard-pork sauce--think GLAZE!! GPB's Chicken "Pot Pie" comes in a large cast iron skillet with pulled chicken, a rich Madeira cream sauce and a die for herb crumble crust and is served with Mushrooms, onions, peas and carrots....

Our meal was amazing from start to finish and the service from Zach was better than amazing. At Green Pig Bistro you feel safe and also can be sure to enjoy some great home-feeling but blow your mind bistro food! 

We all were stuffed, but the desserts were so irresistible that we took them home:

White Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream and crispy Corn flakes(who doesn't love corn flakes!) and the Salted Chocolate Toffee Chip Cookies!!!

Needless to say, chef Tracy sent out some awesome biscuits along with the rest of the Chicken skin so we had a truly yummy breakfast the next day (or two!).

Gotta love GREEN PIG BISTRO!

Chef Roberto Donna and D'angelo Wines brought Basilicata to our table brilliantly(10-10-20)

 I have not taken to writing much about Zoom Wine dinners at home, but Chef Roberto Donna(chefrobertodonna.com) did an amazing job pairing wine from D'Angelo (represented by Maurizio Farro of Cantiniere Imports) over the weekend. The fabulous four course meal was a true treat and Erminia from the winery in beautiful Basilicata(one of our favorite regions) was a special guest for the evening talking about her wonderful wines!

We broiled up some bread first and had a wonderful Artichoke spread while we opened the 2018 Villia dei Pini Bianco which was paired with the intense first course Merluzzo Salato Ciaureddo con la Ciambotta which was a bed of sauteed peppers, eggplant, onions, tomatoes and garlic topped with the salted cod with green onion. The acidity of the wine cut through the salt of the dish and got us off to a great start.

We went insanely nuts over the 2019 Villa dei Pini Rosato, a rose made from the local varietal Aglianico del Vulture The wine was a bit bitter with a Campari-ish taste that was truly remarkable and unique(I ordered two cases!) The pasta dishes for these dinners have been quite rich and heavy(and then we were full), but here we had Cavatelli con Cime di Rapa e Pan Grattato, a wonderful local pasta with broccoli-rabe, toasted breadcrumbs and Pecorino.

The red wine was the 2017 Aglianico del Vulture which we also loved and this was paired with Agnello Saporito con  i Carciofi e le Patate al Forno Arregnate. a huge braised Lamb shank(and a ton of marrow down the middle to suck out!!) with Garlic & Artichokes served with crispy oven baked potato with oregano. We normally never finish the main course and this was all gone so fast it was funny..we loved it all and the flavors were intense, yet perfect.

The dessert was an amazing TENTAZIONE AL CIOCCOLATO, or

Layers of Chocolate Cake filled with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream and a Hazelnut

Crunch topped with a Chocolate Glaze..and I am not a chocoholic, but devoured it all with the wonderful Brachetto d'Acqui from Braida in Piemonte as D'Angelo does not make a dessert wine! It was indeed a super evening and hundreds gathered on the well-run zoom from all over the DMV as well as our hostess from Italy!!

Getting back to GRAVITAS for the third time in 3 months as it's always great(10-7-20)

 Will's birthday was this week so five of us gathered again at NE Washington's Gravitas where we have had three fabulous evening out now since the beginning of August!

It's a super and safe experience and the food is always divine, and there are a ton of new items on the tasting menu as well for the fall season. There are still two multi-course tasting menu options of $115 and $150 with wine pairings available at $95 each. We decided on cocktails and our own wine bottles which allowed for alot more fun with 5 people.

I started with "A Cocktail A Day" made with Avua Cachaca, Cold Pressed Ginger, Honey, Lemon and Elderflower which was yummy, but intense of the ginger(so beware). Will chose the Violeta which was Rayu Mezcal, Pear, Ginger, Purple Cabbage, Lime & Cynar(an amaro bitter) which he loved and said had no ginger flavor(as he is not a ginger fan like me!). "When There's Smoke There's Fire" arrives at the table with a dome and smoke release presentation  of the Bar Hill TomCat Gin with La Quintiniye Vermouth, Benedictine and Laphraoig!!

We got our celebratory glass of Gruet Champagne and after what seemed a veryn long time our Canapes arrived which were different for the two different priced menus(I like mine better). The Chef's menu got Squash Soup Shooter,  Oyster Mushroom Conserva & Salmon Mousse while ours were Texture of beets(poached,foam and syrup), Gruyere Tuille with whipped Ricotta and Date Jam and a to DIE FOR Lobster Veloute with Espalette Pepper & Apple Shooter!!

I did bother our fab server Jon and amazing sommelier Donnie alot with wine questions, but they kept up with the bottles coming and pourings so amazingly! We starrted with a Surrau "Sciala" 2016 Vermentino di Gallura from Sardinia which was more "orange-y" than crisp simple white that Vermentino usually is, but we loved the wine and it paired well with the amazing Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi with Soy Vinaigrette Shaved Jalapeno, Black Vinegar Aioli, Crispy Shallot and Garlic(photos on FB). The Fall Vegetable Salad of veggies, herbs, white wine vinaigrette and goat cheese espuma is always gorgeous and tasty; Will said he did not want to eat it since it was so beautiful!

We moved on to a Juan Miguez "Gran Leirina" 2015 Treixadura Blend(80% Treixadura and 5% each Godella and Albarino) from Ribiero in Spain.  I know I have had the varietal before, but it is not something you see very often here in the states. It was perfect for the Hamachi Crudo, now a signature dish, with grilled onions, apples, roasted beets, shiso and rice wine vinaigrette. Adorable cucamelons(a cross between a watermelon & cucumber the size of a grape) was something we had all never seen before!! Our Butter Poached Lobster was again one of the best lobster dishes ever(like before) with the whole tail sitting atoop a Ragout of Heirloom Beans with Sunchoke Puree and Uni Emulsion....again TO DIE FOR!

Our next wine was a huge Kenami Vina Otano 2012 Rioja Reserva which was 100% Tempranillo and was hard to follow(but we managed). Our next dish was again a BIG winner with Crispy Sweetbreads that oozed Southern charm with Sweet Corn, English Peas, Chanterelle Fricasse, Charred Onions, Potato Espuma dn Banyuls Jus. It was like having sweetbreads fried just like chicken, but WAY better. The other options were a Braised Veal Risotto with Creme Fraiche, Red Wine, Rosemary and aged Pecorino Sardo while the birthday boy went for the Gruyere Cappellacci(pasta) with Fall Mushroom, Roasted Vegetable Demi Glace and of course the supplement for Shaved Black Truffles!

The main courses were very varied from Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly(no fat at all) with peaches, Mojo Verde, Heirloom Beans & Saffron Rice to a bit too salty and very fishy Pan Roasted Red Snapper with Baby Radish & Cucumber Salad, Avocado mousse, Cilantro and Vietnamese Glaze(tamarind & lime). Three of us went for the super Roasted Pheasant Breast atop Oyster Mushrooms, Sweet Potato Puree & Huckleberry Jus. Again, some said it was a bit salty, but I loved it as is....perhaps my salt intake is so high(with high blood pressure not good) I was immune. I was looking at some Spanish wines, but Donnie came up with a brilliant suggestion of a 2017 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel that we loved and was neither intensely alcoholic or spicy for a young zin!

The Granita was ginger with baby carrot ribbons and shiso which was a novelty and some were not crazy, but the two bites did indeed cleanse my palate!

There is always the yummy chocolate ganache birthday cake and we all loved the desserts of Chocolate & Caramel Pave with Candied Almond, Caramel-Cinnamon Ice Cream & Sea Salt or the "Apples & Fig" ewith spiced apples, poached figs, fig black pepper gelee and Fuji Apple Sorbet(forgot photos!). I went the cheese route and was nuts about every one. Boxcarr Cottonseed from North Carolina is a soft gooey cow/goat blend that had me in ecstasy. The St. Stephen cow from NY was also delish, while we all love that gooey blend of cow/goat/sheep from Italy called La Tur. A new cheese from Virginia was Nottingham Gouda and then I always love anything from Rogue River, Oregon and this was their Rogue River Blue.

Our dessert wine was a novel Barolo Chinato from Cocchi that had the bitterness to cut the chocolate or cheese intensity. Will called it "Campari on crack!" The wine was realy amazing with the mignardise of Amaretti Cookies and PassionFruit Marshmallows!!

I can't rave enough about the team at Gravitas led by Michelin-star chef Matt Baker and they way they handle every need, food allergy or dislike, and us as clients.

Hank & Mitzi's Italian Kitchen cooks up fabulous family cuisine(9-29-20)

 As you know we often bid for food auction prizes and due to Covid have put off using a ton of them. We decided to venture down to Alexandria where Chef Jamie Leeds opened her pasta and Italian home with HANK & MITZI's Italian Kitchen(the same famous Hank of the Oyster Bar!). We checked in advance and manager Massimo told us not to worry that there was covered outdoor seating and he would insure a safe situation  and a wondrous meal. 

The entire team headed by Chef Chris Edwards(who actually WON the TV show CHOPPED that same night--check it out ON DEMAND), Massimo and the servers Lisa & Joey were a dream team!! We ate like kings and felt perfectly comfortable. We had an amazing tasting menu that was prepared family style and all the dishes were truly a treat from start to the last bite of dessert. Wine pairings were excellent, but we decided to start with some cocktails. I loved the Italian Mule with grappa, lime, simple syrup, ginger beer and a piece of candied ginger as a garnish. Will was very happy with his Pirlo a mix of Campari, Rose wine and San Pellegrino, even the Dirty Martinis were strong and yummy while the non-alcholic drinks were beautiful as well(all the fotos are on FB).

Costaross Tuscany Prosecco got us started with a wonderful selection of "antipasti:"

Melt in your mouth Meatballs were made of pork, beef, veal and lamb and had a rich tomato pesto sauce with Pecorino cheese. Milano Bread is like pizza or flatbread and was topped with Rosemary & Asiago Cheese and the winning Octopus that was so tender with lemon, fennel, garlic, oregano, dill and EVOO served with Arugula.

Our wine switched to a refreshing dry Pala Vermentino from Sardegna 2019 "i fiori"  served with a Fritto Misto that was indeed "fried to perfection" with Calamari, Shrimp & served with Pickled vegetables and an Arrabiata dipping sauce. There was a huge "Ham & Cheese board" featuring Prosciutto di Parma, Bresaola, Parmigiano gelato, Ubriaco, more Milano bread, pickles and herb salad. I am always a fan of charcuterie and cheese, but the novel gelato was really amazing and we were told right away that the chef will no reveal his secret for this(I have close-up foto on FB!).

Red wine arrived in the form of a Rufigio Conti Zecca from Puglia which was a Primitivo del Salentos and paired beyond brilliantly with the various and tasty main course and pastas:

Mafalde was a magnificent pasta with fennel sausage, broccoli-rabe and a to die for Parmigiano cream sauce, while the Lamb Tortellini were made with Moroccan spiced lamb(a nice change) with mirepoix vegetables and lamb jus.

The Porchetta was a huge slice of Garlic & Herb rubbed Pork Belly with fennel, Littleneck Clams and a Dill Sauce(I really did not taste a ton of dill, but loved it). It was an awesomely crunchy crispy skinned belly(think chicharrones!) and we all tried to avoid the fat which belly often is too much of for me!

Sides of Polenta with Gorgonzola and Broccoli-Rabe with pancetta were excellent.

Yummy house made Limoncello arrived with a beautiful small cup of Chocolate Budino(pudding) with Salted Hazelnuts.

We all left full, happy we could spend time with friends we had not seen in person socially since February, and confident that Hank & Mitzi's will be a great new spot to visit in the future.

A little secret is the Tuesday-Friday 4-6pm Happy Hour with $6drink specials, 99cent meatballs and $7 pizzas!!