DC's MITA makes me want more (6-25-24)

 Thursday night I joined a dear friend for a tasting menu at MITA which opened at the end of 2023 to rave reviews for its vegan cuisine from Chef Miguel Guerra who originally hails from Venezuela. Chef Guerra and his team have created an intimate warm space that really entices you to linger and enjoy. The Tasting menu runs $150 and has four "acts" (Opening, First, Second & Third)each consisting of 3 or 4 courses for a total of 14 "plates." There are also a la carte menus available. On arrival I knew the restaurant was vegetarian but was totally wowed and surprised that it was vegan. I have been to many vegan restaurants and the food can tend to be heavier, but this was a dream meal making me want to come back for more.

Each course has a background and often relates to a specific Latin American country of origin as well; stories abound and the team love to tell you the reason for each course making it more exciting, truly educational and ultimately really delicious.

Houssam led our team and brought over the drink menu and wine list. There is a pairing option, but we knew for all these courses we would need more than 5 pours, so we started with a Poblano Margarita which was very tasty and had a slight hint of spice from the peppers, though very mild. Our first wine was a Prieto Picudo Rose "Arrostos del Pendon" from Raul Perez in Castilla y Loen. The grape called Leon was totally new to me and had a depth much larger than your usual rose which we loved and worked well some of the intense flavors as well.

Our red was another grape I did not know, Listan Negro from Lanzarote in the Canary islands "Los Bermejos" 2022 is grown in volcanic soil and you can taste it in the terroir which is so earthy. I am excited to look for this wine when we visit Lanzarote in November!

the first taste was called "Copan" after the Mayan ruin in Honduras and was a caramel wrapped in an edible rice paper(I started to unwarp the treat and Houssam told me to eat the whole thing!) sitting on a plate covering a small aromatic smoker that you lifted up to get the aromatic and healing fumes that welcome you. I remember doing a number of these Mayan ceremonies in our travels and it was a giant throwback to when we visited Lago di Atitlan in Guatemala and got to meet the local god, Maximon, who is always kept smoking his cigarettes daily by the lucky chosen local family!

A drink followed called PAPELON that was anon-alcoholic rum with herbaceous botanicals and a piece of Sugar Cane with Compressed Finger lime in a stick that you sucked on and dunked into the drink as well.

The third portion of the "opening Act" was the course that set us raving for the entire evening. Venezuela is featured in 5 types on mini-arepas (that Pastry chef Monica made into perfection): plantain, smoked potato, yuca, corn and whole wheat. There were three separate dipping sauces you could use on these to make so many taste combinations:

Sour cream with hearts of palm, cashew and chili oil was first and I would have sworn this was dairy, but the chef came out and said it was vegan sour cream....WOW!! It was our favorite of the three dips. Guasacaca was a guacamole with herb oil that reminded me of a not-spicy chimichurri sauce and Chontaduro was palm fruit cooked with pineapple and cocoa.

Act II started with PACHAMAMA, again a native theme in many Latin countries of "earth mother" here with a glass box holding offerings under the Yuba crisp topped with Black Bean Mole, Celery root and ahi amarillo.

Next was another of our favorite courses and not to be missed if you head to MITA, the ARRACACHA is a to die for soup made from potato and yuca with fava beans(mixed with spices for a slight kick), sweet plantains and parsnips that has a mushroom dashi poured on top tableside. There is a slash of onion ash atop the foam that tops the rich soup below (of course, all the photos are on FB).

We moved to a much lighter dish with the Watermelon Crudo with fermented carrots, crispy wild rice, cilantro, charred avocado and leche de tigre--think vegan ceviche on crack! Our rose wine was divine with this.

This was followed by what was called "A quick trip to Mexico" with a Hoja Santa Tortilla with marinated squash, crispy kale, mole verde and Huitlacoche which we rolled up and just simply loved the flavors and textures that abounded.  Towels came to wipe our fingers.

The Second Act began with a dish from Brazil called ACARAJE which was a bean croquette with peanut sauce paired with a ceviche of young coconut, pineapple, cachaca with coconut leche de tigre and a tapioca crisp. 

Causa is a Peruvian staple (here with a Japanese flavor) and this was an amazing one as it is based on potato and egg (not vegan), but I could taste "egg" in this one made with hearts of palm, crisp seaweed, tomato, sake and a Huancaina sauce.

Pearl Barley was next with Grilled Maitake Mushroom, Charred banana puree, peas and pea shoots loaded with crispy shallots in the vein of a Venezuelan soffrito.

The final course of the second act was a Mushroom terrine/Asado Negro/Grilled Endive/Parsley emulsion/Soy crema with Potato & Swiss Chard...don't ever say that vegetarian food won't fill you up! We were loving our red wine by this point as well.

The third act started with RASPAO, called a palate cleanser, it was a Canary & Honeydew Melon Granita with basil, dill, tarragon and parsnip caramel. Kepp this one on your list for a wining palate cleanser! UYUNI are the salt flats of Bolivia and this dish was served on a glass enclosed miniature salt "flat" with Yuca Tapioca, Chirimoya(custard apple sorbet), Api Morado (purple corn flour from Bolivia) and Singani, a fruit unique to that region and we fell in love! i always love custard apple, but this took it to the best heights ever!! Don't forget the chocolate tuille!

The last course was called ARTISTS:"BOTERO" Cocada Dulce de Leche and was served on a plate with a Botero drawing served by pastry chef Monica with petit fours of sweet caramelized coconut and parsnip!! YES< PARSNIP!...they are indeed sweet and worked brilliantly here.

We loved this entire experience and could not stop showring praises on Chef Miguel, but eventually had to leave...knowing we will be back for more at MITA!

Join us at MARCH OF DIMES Signature Chefs at the Washington Marriott Marquis on October 29th!!

 Greetings foodie friends,

We have a table again for MARCH OF DIMES SIGNATURE CHEFS on OCTOBER 29th.

The event returns to the beautiful MARRIOTT MARQUIS(next to the Convention Center) and individual tickets at our table at $250 each. We can confirm your seats with us now and you can pay March of Dimes by credit card or check anytime up to the middle of September!!

Please come and join us for this amazing event, but don't bid against us!!!

We are expecting 30 or so of DC's top chefs plus wine pourings and mixologists as well as the requisite silent and live auctions--ALWAYS A GREAT NIGHT and a GREAT CHARITY!

Email asavada@comcast.net --DO NOT HIT REPLY!!!

Thanks a lot and see you there!!

Alan & Will

Bordeaux's AKASHI is awesome and alas closing soon (6-1-24)

 We thought Saturday night would be one of the busiest nights for folks to go out and eat in Bordeaux, but I guess we were wrong because when we arrived at Akashi, only 5 minutes from the hotel. The place was empty and believe it or not only one other couple sat down about thirty minutes after us.

It seems that this wonderful French restaurant with an Asian chef who fuses a little bit of Asian style into real French food is not that popular here, and Sarah the manager told us that they will sadly be closing soon. It's a real shame as it's the best meal we've had since we arrived, and it was the last we were having before we moved into our apartment today.

It's a small, simple elegant setting with super comfy high back velvet chairs that I wished I had bought for my own and rough gray tables only nine in total. We decided on the larger tasting menu which was four or five courses for 68 euros($74US and remember, no tax here) and then ordered a bottle of white and red:

Pessac-Leognan Coquillas 2022 was a refreshing Bordeaux of 100% Sauvignon Blanc that we loved and paired superbly with the first two fish courses. Our red was a Frank Phelan 2018 Saint Estephe is a magnificent second wine from the famous Château Phelan Segur that we fell in love with.

Amuses bouches arrived beautifully set on a plate with uncooked chickpeas as the bed: Goat cheese and caviar was on a rice cracker, radish was with a wonderful pasty hummus-like sauce and the Corsican sausage was akin to a rustic blood sausage.

The first course was Crevettes roses et Asperges Blancs: mi-cuites, mi-confits, sauce Pedro Ximenes, pousses de shiso or Beautiful red shrimp that were partly cooked along with super thin slices of barely cooked white asparagus served in a delicious sherry sauce with a kick and a small cup of crème d'asperges that was to be poured over it. It was totally light and refreshing and a real change from some of the very heavier dishes we had been having.

Second came Turbot et Combava poîlée, coulis de laitue, sauce vierge... This was a gorgeous piece of Turbo poached and served in a lettuce sauce with kaffir lime and a foam of lime and lettuce on top with Asian asparagi. This was something we had never seen before as the asparagus were very small and very unique. Check out the photo on facebook.

We enjoyed our red during a break before the main course which was a complete revelation as we had been told that the beef on the menu was being substituted for pastrami. This had to be the best pastrami we have ever had, and it was topped with a pesto/wasabi aioli and served with canneloni of eggplant wrapped inside grilled eggplant slices as well as bok choy. The meat was so mouthwatering and completely melted in your mouth. This was what they called cuisine française au perfumer Japonias, but some NYC deli thrown in!

Douceur d'hibiscus(meringue) et fruits rouges avec Sablé Breton, mousse limoncello was dessert and it was fabulous. I am not a meringue fan but the fruit, mousse and shortbread cookie from Brittany made a magnificent combination.

We ordered Akashi whiskey from Japan and then had the pleasure of meeting the chef Akashi who was as sweet as can be. His plans are to open up a pastrami centric bistro or shop... I gave him my card to make sure we know about it. We are so sad that this magnificent gourmet dining spot will be gone when we next return.

Back to Bordeaux's L'Embarcadere for everything spectacular seafood (6-3-24)

 Last night, we were walking around the old town and could not get into a restaurant we wanted to try, so decided to head back to L'Embarcadere, the seafood bistro we dined at on our first night. We had the same server who said we should stick with the same wine as the Chateau Coucheroy 2020 from Pessac-Leognan in Bordeaux is 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Will was very impressive saying, "Je deteste le Semillion!"). We perused the fresh seafood platters as it was a warn evening and everyone was getting them. We chose LE COMMANDANT which consisted of the following treats (check out the FB photo) presenting in a giant cardboard "boat" filled with ice:  1/2 Homard(lobster), Huitres(oysters), Langoustines, Grosses Crevettes Roses(large red shrimp), Bigorneaux(periwinkles), Moules Cuites (cooked mussels), Amandes(thanks to Kevin Doss for the translation=dog cockles), Coques(cockles), Palourdes(clams), Bulots(whelks) and Crevettes Grises (small gray shrimp that you eat shell on and are crunchy!)...oh Mon Dieu. While Will is fearful of getting much of the fish from inside the shells, I helped him a tad, and he persevered, and we loved it all. The fish all had great tastes and the langoustines were especially sweet and juicy, and oh what fun it was.

We finished off with a bowl of crunchy frites and a carafe of Chateau Bellevue 2021 red which is a fairly light innocuous wine.

We headed home and had a dribble of Scotch (Aberlour from the duty free at Dulles when we left--PS avoid IAD duty free, they often forget to deliver you purchase to the gate and if you board without it, you lose your purchase!) before heading off to bed in our new home here.

L'Estacade has everything, is truly excellent and a view to die for (6-2-24)

 First of all, I must apologize for the last posting as the Subject line spelled the restaurant name incorrectly..it is AKASHI.

We had read some great reviews of L'Estacade (the pier) which is literally just down the river from our new home and we're thrilled to read the menu and enjoy the fabulous view across to downtown old Bordeaux, the Bourse, downriver to Quinconces and Notre Dame and upriver to the ancient Pont de Pierre..our primary route across to downtown.

While there was only one other couple in the restaurant when we arrived at about seven forty by the time eight fifteen rolled around the place was more than two thirds full.

Our friendly and super helpful server pointed to the least expensive white wine on the menu , saying it was really the best deal. We loved the Château Turcaud "Cuvée Majeur" 2022..45% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sauvignon Gris and 15% Semillon which was very yellow in color, but dry, fresh and even with a hint of oak! At twenty-eight euros (under $31) a bottle we had to have two. While we always love Badoit water in France, we have become quite partial to the local mineral water called Abatilles which comes in still and sparkling and is made quite nearby.

Amuse bouches are omnipresent here and ours was a wonderful small shotglass or a creamy rich Crème de Camembert (think bisque) with a savory crumble on top. The oysters here are local and excellent. We loved the Parc d'Imperatrice "perles"(milder and tame) and the "speciales"(more briny) both No. 4 with mignonette and a squeeze of lemon.

We split the starter Crab and Haddock with Carpaccio of Beets and Lemon Vinaigrette, and the portions were still large when halved! Compared to the similar version of this that I had at Cité du Vin's Le 7 two days prior it was half the price double the portion and the excellent crab and haddock salad was superb! While both restaurants have superb river views, we Told our server that L'Estacade was ten times better.

We both chose that evening's special main course: Parillada des Poisons avec Risotto auxiliary Aspèrges Blanc de Blaye. This was another magnificent creation using four local filets: Daurade(Dorado or sea bream), Lotte (monkfish), Cabilleau(fresh cod) and Thon Rouge (red tuna) with a superb Risotto cooked perfectly and loaded with our favorite seasonal veggie, the local white asparagus from Blaye!!

As we have been tending to simply have a good breakfast at the hotel and skip lunch, there was room for dessert because they had Banofee en Verre façon "Estacade," a trifle like creation with fruit and caramel crunch and crumble on top. It may have had a tad too much whipped cream but at least it was French cream.

At sunset we all stepped onto the outside balcony to grab pictures of downtown across the river and met some very nice people as we have everywhere we go here...welcome home indeed!

--

Le 7 (le sept) at Bordeaux's Cite du Vin kind of sucks (5-31-24)

 Many reviews have been written at Le 7 (Le Sept--which refers to the 7th floor with stunning views) at Bordeaux's famed Cite du Vin, the museum and center dedicated to wine. (We joined Cite du Vin as members and will hopefully get there this week before we leave.) The reviews have gone from mediocre to fabulous and frankly, mediocre is where we ring in.

The setting is very nice with magnificent views over the Garonne, the nearby bridge and the shore down to the city center, where we live. The place was deserted at 715pm when we arrived and no more than 10 of the maybe 30-40 tables were taken when we left.

We looked at the tasting menu which was a tad boring and while we considered our options bread and amuses bouches arrived. The amuse was a unexciting shot glass of gazpacho with white asparagus and the pain de campagne was decent, but the grain bread Will chose was stale.

We ordered our food and then some wine: Will started with the Chateau Perron 2023 Graves(sauvignon blanc) which was very nice and I loved the Domaine Laurent Cognard 'les Bassets" 2022 Montagny Premier Cru which was all chardonnay in the best of French styles. Will's starter was the yummy Burratina by Pierre Rolet(cheesemonger) with peas, dried duck breast, chiffonade, red wine vinegar and truffles from Guillaume Ge. I ordered the Beetroot Ravioli and was shocked when it came to see a carpaccio of beets although they were delish and stuffed with Breuil ewe's milk cheese from Pierre Rolet with Timit Pepper and a fabulous preserved lemon dressing and some radishes. It just what not what I expected. We had ordered a bottle of red, Chateau Sociando-Mallet 2014 Medoc which needed decanting and then opened up wonderfully, but our server placed the decanter on a stand away from the table, as the little marble table was so small, very little would fit on it; bad planning!! She was never around when we needed more wine, even though the place was virtually empty; simply the service sucked.

Mains were nothing of note with Will's extremely bland Guinea fowl with artichokes, burnt spring onion, poulette sauce and smoked white pepper; he tasted no flavors. I fared better with my Pigeon in Armagnac sauce with peas, broad beans (about 4 beans) and Bordeaux butter with a leg stuffed with citrus, Porto and icy mint sauce(I'm glad I could not taste the mint).

We decided to split a cheese plate which was more Pierre Rolet cheese with Saint Nectaire, Tommes de Pyrenees, Brebis(sheep) and Camembert which were quite nice.

Some yummy chocolate with nuts and fruit in it arrived before we left totally unimpressed with most of the food and totally underwhelmed by the lack of service.

Le 7 gets a maximum 3 out of 10, largely due to the view!

Le LOUP in Bordeaux is luscious! (5-30-24)

 When I came here last fall, Le Loup was suggested by one of our real estate agents and the meal was simply exquisite. We decided to return with both our agents and our decorator to thank them for the amazing job they have done in helping us start our new home here in Bordeaux.  Hugo, our decorator and home installation guru ordered the Hugo, which is an aperol spritz(which Will had) but with St. Germain instead! We ordered a super simple Bordeaux rose called Rose du Carsin 2022 and the most fabulous gougeres arrived with a rich creamy warm melting cheese center.  An amuse bouche followed of a barely cooked egg with mushroom and black garlic mousse on top that was divine as well.

The menu here is very simple as the bistro has only 14 or so tables and the kitchen is behind. There were several choices in each category, and I went right for the Asperges Blanc with a traditional Hollandaise with mandarin and miso added. Will chose L'oeuf en Meurette Fume et Pane, another so traditional dish served here with a smoked egg with potato puree and lard fume (smoked bacon). We switched halfway and these two were both divine. We had moved on to a lighter red to start Les Sales Gosses (which is a play on the term "dirty kids") 2021 from Domaine Mas Cremat in Rousillon in the Southern Rhone.

Our third wine was a dream Bordeaux red, Chateaux Franc La Rose 2019 St. Emilion Grand Cru "terra-Vitis" blended from 70% Merlot and 30% Cab Franc that had us all in heaven.  Most of us ordered Le Canard en pastilla, pate de citron noir et epices which was a take on the Moroccan dish but not as sweet and tempered by the lemon. I loved it, but Will was less excited. The Salmon with petit pois, wasabi and shiitake tempura looked amazing!

Cheese followed in the form of Chevre, Ossiau-Iraty, Tommes de Vache with garlic, and Galet Boise a cheese made with walnut liquor. These were all super and great with our St. Emilion Grand Cru! Le Pomme-Celeri was a popular dessert choice made with Granny Smith apples, celery, white chocolate, streusel, meringue and Apple-Celery Sorbet.  Celery may sound odd, but everyone loved it!

We know that LE LOUP will be a spot we head to often!