I PINI at Hotel Chalet del Sogno in Madonna di Campiglio is perfect (10-2-23)

 Our last night in the Dolomites was at the beautiful Chalet del Sogno in the adorable village of Madonna di Campiglio located at the foot of dozens of ski slopes in the western Dolomites. Here, unlike in the east, the language is all Italian and the food thusly follows.

I Pini has tasting menus, a la carte menus and a divine wine list and the owner, Alberto, graciously poured many wines for me to taste before the group arrived for dinner. We settled on a Cantina Toblino 2022 Kerner, our new favorite white varietal from this region and then moved on to a Nosiola (blend of Nosiola and Fanti grapes!!) 2022 from Vignetti delle Dolomiti. Our reds were St. Magdalener (blend of Schiava, Piccola Lagrein & Grossa Lagrein)) Riserva from Josephus Mayr-Untergazner and a stupendous Ciliegino Vallagarina which was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. Our third red was one I could not refuse due to the name Masetto Nero(Masetto is a character in the opera Don Giovanni) 2019 from Endrizzi made from Teroldego, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon.

Alberto and his kitchen team went out of their way to allow us to choose four courses each from a large list of items and each dish was more beautiful than the previous and the food was out of this world (photos on FB).

The amuse was an odd choice of tapioca cracker with balsamic & blueberry, but the adorable breadsticks and fabulous breads that followed with Olive Oil & local butter were excellent.

I started with a Carne Salada de Cervo which was an amazing venison carpaccio with burnt shallots, currants and the revisited tapioca cracker! It was the perfect starter for this last night in the mountains! Raves came from the group for the Tagliatelle with Duck Ragout, Stravecchio Cheese and Cornelian Cherries, but none of us had ever experienced anything like the Risotto al Limone, Bottarga di Muggine, Polvere di Verdure e di Limone Bruciato, a magnificent presentation of perfectly cooked risotto with lemon, mullet roe, vegetable powder and burnt lemon. I cannot recall ever having a fish risotto, but this dish took that concept to the greatest of heights.

For my main, I chose the "starter" of Animelle di Vitello, Zupetta di Fagioli Cannellini, Emulsione al Prezzemolo e Golden Gel which were the most tender Veal Sweetbreads in a Cannellini Bean Soup with Parsley Emulsion and a gel made from aged Erborinato cheese, a local specialty. It was not a small portion, and was indeed just perfect for me having been eating for what seemed like all day. Others raved about the grilled lamb and local arctic char with goat milk!

There was a very sweet pre-dessert of Tonga Bean Ice Cream, but it was the Nuvole di Caramello of Caramel Mousse with Fior di Latte & Sourdough Ice Cream & Coffee that was a dessert dream come true.

Alberto offered us some Fracastoro Amarone Secondo Marco which is a port-like wine made from Valpolicella in the Amarone style that was quite intense and we wandered off to our suite upstairs as our last evening in the Dolomites came to end(but the trip continued!--more soon).

MANINCOR wine tasting is TOPS in Alto Adige, ELEMENTI in Mezzocorona is a must for lunch (10-2-23)

 We came down the Adige Valley from Merano where we had a magnificent stay at Castel Fragsberg, and moved due south to my favorite winery in the region for an early morning tour and tasting with Graf(Count) Michael von Enzenberg, whose family has made wine here for over four centuries! He is a knowledgeable guy and a truly wonderful winemaker making everything organic, bio-dynamic and even sustainable! This was to be a centerpiece of the trip and indeed it was from the tour to the tasting to the wine purchases, everyone loved it. I should note that Manincor wines are easily available in this area and much of the US; the importer here is Cantiniere Imports of MD!

We headed further south and found the town of Mezzocorona, having now crossed into the region of Trentino. Our lunch choice was the beautiful Elementi where we dined outside yet again (this was quite regular with temps in the 70's and lots of sun every day!), where we had pre-ordered our courses and each of us created our own 3-course meal. The dishes included Tomato Salad with basil, Puglia Burrata and Matera bread croutons; Trentino Beef Tartare with avocado sauce and salad; Mountain potato Gnocchi with Chard Pesto, goat cheese and salted almond; Risotto with grilled Fennel, orange reduction cand caper powder, Lamb Tagliatelle with Alpine butter and Trentigrana cheese; Roasted Croaker fish with tomatoes, olives & wild spinach; Grilled Zucchini Parmigiana with Caciocavallo cheese & mint and Diavola(not very devilish) Chicken with Piquillo pepper, mango chutney & veal jus. 

The wines were again wonderful local ones with a Pinot Grigio Trentino 2022 from Endrizzi Elio & Filli and a Baron Wildmann Schiava(since we are now in the Italian zone the Vernatcsh becomes Schiava) 2021. Simple but refreshing and then came desserts which were all beautifully designed presentations: Apricot, Crunchy Katifi pastry, Ricotta Ice Cream & Lemon Thyme; Red Fruit & Savory Pumpkin Seeds with Balsamic sorbet; 75% Dark Chocolate Semifreddo with Caramel Sauce & Raspberry Sorbet!!

We all loved everything and left quite full headed on to our next destination in the Dolomites.

Castel Fragsberg's (outside Merano) PREZIOSO is beyond precious and has a Michelin star well-deserved (9-30-23)

 October may have arrived here in the Dolomites, but the temps are still soaring abnormally in the 70's though dipping to the low 50's at night making for a superb dining setting indoors overlooking the mountains. We arrived at Castel Fragsberg which is a gorgeous Relais et Chateaux historic castle way up high overlooking the valley at Merano in the north of Italy. The service here is excellent and the dining room is surrounded by glass overlooking the valley. Part of the dining room is reserved for the exclusive Michelin-starred tasting menu at "Prezioso" and our group of 13 occupied the whole place that night and boy was it a 4 hour long dining party.

Sparkling was first in the form of von Bravenbach "methode Champenoise" from just below us in Terlano in the Adige Valley. It was a tad too gaseous pour moi, but paired very well with the amazing assortment of amuses that seemed to have no end:

1)Buckwheat crepe with egg cream, sturgeon caviar and sour cream

2)Goat cheese covered in charcoal

check these all out on FB!!!

3)Jerusalem artichokes and chips with artichoke cream

4)Wild Mushroom, summer truffle and sour cream tartelette

5a)Vinschgerle--brown bread soup with speck

5b)Vinschgerle-farmer's bacon & onion in a taco with horseradish 

Whipped yoghurt butter & coal cooked bread

By now I had ordered the first white which was another new grape to us from the region, Kerner 2022 from Haidenhof right across the valley. We loved this so much we searched all over town and everywhere to buy it as we could not make it to the winery due to so many group events!! The nose was like a fruit salad, but the wine was creamy and dry. It seems that Kerner is an obscure hybrid of Riesling & Vernatsch! This was ideal with the "first" course of Alpine Char served almost raw or barely seared and slightly poached apparently with Dolomite Mountain salt for 4-5 mins! Beetroot and Sour Cream were the simple and so awesome ingredients making this dish a star. On the side was Beetroot sorbet with horseradish. 

The next course was Tortelli which were filled with Parmesan cream and local mountain artichokes were in the broth as well as fried chips. Think Torellini in Brodo from Emilia-Romagna but with that Tyrolian mountain twist! On the side were Potato croquettes with parmesan and artichoke as well. Someone in the kitchen sure likes to have FUN with food.

We moved on to a Piwi grape called Sisyphos reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc called "Solaris" from Kellerhof that was simply perfection with the Pike-Perch again with Jerusalem artichoke cream and chips with herbs and Scorzone truffle all in a pike-perch sauce. The fish was delicate and flaky and not fishy in the least; a real local delicacy.

Red wine from this region is often overlooked--DON'T! "Mazon" Riserva 2020 from Hofstatter is a Pinot Noir that has huge heft, think Siduri from Sonoma and was a perfect pairing with the rare sadlle of Venison roasted to perfection with Carob flour, celery in textures & puree, black current and then a venison shoulder as goulash with Parsley Polenta and speck!! OMG....each course was like have three different courses.

We needed more red so a Filari di Mazon 2020 Pinot Noir followed from Carlotto.

A magnificent ICED CAPPUCINO palate cleanser came in the form of espresso sorbet, biscuit, mascarpone and cacao. We were in heaven, but needless to say there was more. The next dessert was a PLUM Panna Cotta with Buckwheat Ice Cream and Apple!

The dessert wine arrived and was a Merlino (literally "unicorn") from Pojer & Sandri an intense cherry-like wine made from Lagrein grape in the form of a port with a 2007 brandy added. It was way lighter than port, but fun for a difference.

Oh, there were three more desserts to finish: Blackberry Donut with Cinnamon, Hazelnut Waffle with Pear Chutney and a simple Salted Caramel Macaron. We took a walk through the gardens, pool area and overlooked the twinkling lights of the valley below before easily drifting off and saying, there is no way we can eat breakfast.

Capriz for CHEESE & Kofererhof in Novacella/Neustift in really nice and local fun and all family run (9-30-23)

 Our next day started off with a fabulous visit to the Capriz Cheese making center and museum where we had a tour and tasting and wine, of course, and I think our group bought out the store!

We moved on to Novacella where we settled in overlooking the Abazzia Monastery from the restaurant terrace and a little old lady served us, who it turned out was the owner's mother and this family had run the place for generations. Kofererhof is adorable and to make things easy we all agreed on a fun set menu, but had no clue how heavy this food was going to be.Eisack Valley "Tris" means a trilogy of items and here it was the gigantic local dumplings --one of spinach, one of cheese and then a side of Ravioli in a butter, chive & parmesan sauce!! Carb overload was unknown until this moment. The wheat and rye dumplings are rich and heavy and really meant for colder weather--it was over 75degrees!!

When the gigagntic portions of Apfelstrudel arrived, people started asking for boxes to takje it away!! Some of us managed a little but I think the heat, altitude and carbs were taking their toll. A Gruner Veltliner made in the restaurant called Kofererhof was a perfect light white while the MuriGries Lagrein was an ideal red with these delicious local treats.

Baite Sofie, another mountaintop bistro that will blow you away (9-29-30)

 We headed up another pair of cable cars to another peak outside of Ortisei in the Val Gardena of the Dolomites. Each town here has three names: German, Italian and the local Ladin: Ortisei, St. Ulrich, Urtijei, but don't let that confuse you. We walked down the hill from the cable car across magnificent vistas to a cute Alpine hut where Baite Sofie is found and settled in with our group of 14 for a fabulous lunch in the sun. Weissburgunder(Pinot Blanc/Bianco) 2020 "Verena" from Nicolussi-Leck was our refreshing white which I had with the amazing special starter of Anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea simply served in a can and with tons of fresh bread and butter!! Will had the best ever Cabbage salad with local Speck and then we all moved on to red in the form of a Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Patricia Kell Girlan. Will loved his homemade spelt Tagliatelle served with a divine rich organic deer ragout while I was amazed by the Spare ribs(YES!!) with baked potato & sauerkraut! This magnificent Alpine sanctuary is a great place to spend the day hiking and eating and viewing, and we all had a ball!!

Ciasa Salares Wine tasting that wins all (9-29-30)

 I can only say that if you get to Sudtirol in Italy, you must book a wine-tasting(of course, thru me!!) at the Ciasa Salares hotel with Clemens, the owner and master sommelier.

He pulled out huge pieces of fresh baked bread, local speck(pigs raised 1km away) smoked and cured in house as well as smoked Pancetta from Piemonte. We asked for all local wines (3 whites & 3 red) and the main tasting was just that and truly blew us away.

#1)-Dornach #25 2019 Pinot Bianco

I love these Dornach wines with their odd numbering system and Pinot Bianco is indeed one of the go-to white grapes of this region

#2)Rock 2019 "Viel Anders" or "old vines" Riesling(70%)/Muller Thurgau(30%) had two grapes that I am not a huge fan of, but this wine had smokey notes and a golden color that would have pleased anyone and tasted like no other wine we have ever had.

#3)Bronner #04  2017 from Thomas Niedermayr in Hof Gandberg was another novel grape from this fabulous wine region

#4)Roberto Ferrari 2020 Pinot Noir from Terlano had a magnificent fruit balance with a hint of acidity

#5)Martin Gojer 2017 Schiava(or Vernatsch) was from Bolzano(where we would visit later)

#6)Weingut Pranzegg 2020 Teroldego was aged in amphoras

There was more as we were treated to 25 year old DOP aged Balsamic and a "Morbier de Chevre" to pour the balsamic on which was Clemens favorite cheese in the world from the Loire and coated with vegetable ash. It is made in two parts and aged for 2 months!

Lambrusco wine was poured next from Mennabo and while not from the region it was a yummy palate cleanser and great with that speck!

Finally a 2000 Domaine Gaube "La Muntada" made from Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsualt was offered up before we headed to dinner!

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Ciasa Salares for food wine and Italian Alpine air (9-28 & 29,2023)

 Our second hotel was in the center of Alto Adige hunkered up against a mountain wall in a small village of the Alto Adige region. Ciasa Salares might be in Italy, but you will be looking for Heidi!! We had both our dinners in the hotel and a blow your mind wine tasting(photos on FB) with the owner and master sommelier Clemens!

The first night some chose to have an intimate fondue fun night in the wine cellar, but the food in the dining room was really fab as well.

A rich cheese fondue with saffron potatoes, salted red onion petals(WOW!) and black truffle was the starer( after our 2 hour 3-star Michelin lunch!!) and I could not resist the local Pressknodel, a sort of pancake made from pasta served in a sauce of hazelnut butter, parmesan, chives and with a cabbage salad--now that sounds AUSTRIAN! Alpine Char was perfection with mixed salad, radishes, green apple(I should note that this region is one of the largest apple regions in Europe) and horseradish yoghurt.  There were many wonderful local wines, but I somehow did not keep track of them all. I do have to say thet Will opted for the vegetarian main and was not happy. There were many yummy desserts on the buffet and the cheeses were insanely out of this world!

The next night after our amazing wine tasting there were Fried courhette flowers stuffed with Mozzarella cheese and Anchovies in Fresh Tomato Cream that I could have eaten a dozen of. The pasta was a divine Garganelli with Lobster ragout and fresh courgettes while the baked chicken with potatoes, sweet and sour peppers and BBQ sauce was the real dud of our entire stay there.\We found two new wonderful wines this night in a Souvnigner Gris 2018 (an obscure cross between  Seyval blanc and Zähringe) from Thomas Niedermayr and a Vernatch (or Schiavo grape) 2017 from Pranzegg Campill. These wines are almost never seen in the US or other parts of Europe and made this trip even more special.

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AlpiNN has three Michelin stars in the Dolomites, Alpine views and so much more (9-28-23)

 These reviews will be slow in coming in as we had three enormous meals almost every day during our week in the Dolomites in Italy. Our first full day in the mountains brought us to the top of a cable car run called Kronplatz where we walked several minutes down the hill to see AlpiNN, an architectural work of art itself as it hangs off the mountains and views across the valley to the Austrian Alps. Plenty of photos here https://alpinn.it/en/ and on my FB page. Chef  Norbert Niederkofler has an amazing staff, and we were greeting by his actress wife in a flowing gown who escorted us to the two tables at the center with magnificent views of 10,000+ foot peaks.

We had ordered the set menu as a three-Michelin star spot needs to have all the ingredients and choices for a group of 14 up front!

I chose wines to pair, and they were all spectacular from a Chardonnay Vigna Masso 2020 from Kettmeir to a 2015 Skythos Rot form Dolomytos Sacker made from Pinot Noir, Alicante Petit Verdot and Sangiovese! The wines of this  Sudtirol region in northern Italy are small production and generally excellent in quality as we were to learn over the next week.

The amuse was Ricotta Mousse with Polenta Chip, Cabbage Powder and Fried Wheatberry! We then headed into the set lunch menu starting with Pork Knuckle with Cabbage, Mustard, Apple & Puffed Amaranth. The local pasta of this region is Pacchero or Pache which is an open round cylinder so the sauces can go inside. The version here called "Pache Monograno Felicetti" had a rich yummy sardine sauce with buckwheat, and roasted kale powder. 

The main course was a beef baveta or flank steak as they called it, but I felt it was more rumpish than flank which was the only dish that did not thrill me. Dessert was an amazing Thousand Marlene Caramelized Apples with Yogurt, Kefir sauce, Fermented Buttermilk and Granola. YUMMY. This was the view of the century and indeed one of the most memorable meals of the trip!

Alan's Dolomite foodie dinner Dinner #1 fabulous Faloria Resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo(9-27-23)

 Our group or 13 met in Venice in the morning and headed directly to the Dolomlites for a week of food and wine and magnificent scenery which started at the elegant restaurant in the Faloria Resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo (where the 1956 Olympics were and 2026 Olympics will be held). We had a wonderful lunch on the way in Gambrinus in the tiny Veneto town of San Polo in Piave and all adored the Elisir Gambrinus served after which was served by Obama at the US State dinner for the Italian P.M!!

The wines were all lined up on the tables and from outside the region, but magnificent choices indeed.

Our meal started with an amuse of lamb meatball and watercress and then the Wild game bresaola arrived with porcini mushrooms in El Brite herb oil and toasted "puccia." The wine was a Valpolicella Superior 2020 that was very fruit forward, but not of the Sudtirol(Dolomite) region.

Ampezzan style "Casunziei" is a truly local beetroot stuffed ravioli that was novel and delightful. The wine was a Tai Rosso from Punto Zero 2018.

 Everyone was swooning and then the rare and tender Venison entrecote arrived with marinated eggplant and potato chips that even the non-game foodies loved.   Agno Tinto 2017 was 100% Sirah from Vignalta in Padova to the south of us.

Dessert was an amazing frozen apple tarte tatin as this is the biggest apple growing region in Italy.

Great first night and much more to come!!

Chefs for MAUI Benefit@Moon Rabbit gets raves (9-9-23)

Chefs Kevin Tien and Tim Ma are well known in DC not only for their skills as two of the best chefs in town, but also for their generosity in supporting charities and those in need.

Over several days last week, Chef Kevin hosted many diners at his new pop-up of MOON RABBIT is the most un-presuming spot at Bryant Market in NE DC! I found the place on Saturday in the pouring rain, and it is part of an elongated food court behind a huge bowling alley or such! No matter, I was welcomed by Chef Kevin at the door with warm arms and settled in with another very nice gentleman who works for Amazon for a whirlwind dining experience by five stellar chefs.

As the pop-up has not opened yet, they did not have a liquor license, but did have a drink event license, but I really wanted wine, so Kevin told me to head down the little food court to grab a bottle of Cabernet at another dining venue; it was lackluster, so I look forward to when Moon Rabbit has its own wines!

There were chefs and CEO's from World Central Kitchen and much talk not only about Maui and how things are being handled there, but also the previous days devastating earthquake in Morocco. The setting is simple with comfy chairs and simple tables, but the music levels were a tad too high for my tolerance. Ultimately it was toned down, especially so we could hear the chefs speak about their dishes.

There was a yummy brioche roll with delicious, whipped butter with chilis which was gone in seconds. Chef Tom Cunanan who opened Bad Saint here in DC and now helms Soy Pinoy in Houston, a Filipino restaurant, flew in for the event and prepared a unique LABANOS at PINA ITUM, which i thought was a Latin legal term but is really daikon radish with burnt coconut cream, toasted pistachio and agave syrup. This was a fun, delicious and novel salad loaded with flavors and not sweet due to the agave, but I adored the radish with pistachio which Chef Tom called his Filipino play on the traditional French Radish with Butter,

Chef Tim Ma of Any Day Now in SW DC (stay tuned for more openings from him) spiced it up with BEEF & TOMATO (the name sounds drab, but the dish certainly was not) which featured Sichuan Peppered Teres Major Steak(beef shoulder) that reminded me of the most tender flank steak with beautiful green and red heirloom Tomatoes and a Green Goddess dressing with Chili Crisp and Shallot. I noted that I would have been happy if there was another course that was the same, and i think our server was about to bring another potion, but I quickly remarked I was just joking.

Chef Matt Adler of Caruso in DC brought in the Italian side with a Spicy Neapolitan Ragu with House-made Ziti featuring tomato and red wine braised pork and beef ragu with a yummy topping of Whipped Ricotta. The dish was less spicy, but no less tasty and quite filling to boot and the ricotta was a perfect foil.

Chefs Kevin Tien and Judy Beltrano of Moon Rabbit prepared SWEET & SOUR PORK with a pork loin in plum sauce (cooked sou0-vide for 3 hours) and a Hot Chinese Mustard Cream with Endive and Plum Mostarda. It was also not too spicy but had all the flavors popping in your mouth that made us all very happy.

Chef Susan Bae of Moon Rabbit finished us off with a dessert that had everything in it except the kitchen sink: GOLDEN PARADISE CAKE was an homage to Maui with Passionfruit & Coconut Chiffon Cake, Yuzu Custard, Confit Pineapple, Mango Gel, Lime Meringue, Coconut Sorbet, Whipped White Chocolate Ganache and Coconut Turmeric Anglaise!! There was not a single bit of cake, sauce or ingredients left on my plate as this dish was a real winner.

What a wonderful evening and what a great wy to support those in need. In addition, please note that you can support victims of the Maui fire at Maui Community Fund, Maui Strong and World Central Kitchen as well as so many other charities.

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Restaurant Week take #3 took me to a disappointing DAIKAYA (9/1/23)

 We all know that some restaurant week menus can be pretty sad and while I specifically chose IZAKAYA at DAIKAYA as it had been way too long since we last dined there, I was pretty excited about the fun menu based on a cute Japanses story (which I did not really understand).  The 5 course $40 menu had a choice for each course, and I spoke at length with my server Katherine, and we decided on each choice and then I chose a Hoyo Shining Prince" Tokubetsu Junmai Sake which she recommended which was polished, smooth and wonderful.

My first course arrived, and KAKI FRy was two plump oysters breaded and fried with a superb veggie-egg remoulade and shredded cabbage, but when I popped one into my mouth, I practically burned the entire inside of my mouth as it was beyond piping hot. I waited a while before I enjoyed the second one and purposefully bit it in half so it could cool a tad. This is one problem when using chopsticks, I suddenly realized.

The second course was a choice between eggplant and sweet potato, so I chose the latter which was a Japanese "baby" yam baked ever so simply with butter. It was so simple it had no seasoning, and the potato was huge. I also needed a knife and fork as I do not think anyone can eat an entire 1/2 pound potato with chopsticks? The potato was yummy, but very boring.

My next course was Udon with Abura-age, scallion and Kombu dashi that really was soy intense as far as the broth was concerned. It was a simple dish as well and seemed a tad chintzy and cheap, although I must admit it was filling.

The main course was much better flavored and also very filling. CREAM STEW was made with bacon, butter, onion, mushroom, carrots, napa cabbage, broccoli, milk, chicken stock, tofu and a crouton. By now I had moved to a Mantensei "Star filled Sky" Junmai Ginjo sake that was also quite tasty and paired very well with this creamy dish.

It was odd that at each course serving I had to ask for a soup spoon or stew spoon or utensil.

I asked Katherine for a short break before dessert and after 15 minutes I asked her to bring the strawberry dish I had ordered. The room was getting very noisy, and the a/c was cranked up so high I was beginning to freeze. After 30 minutes I said I really needed my dessert and then about 10minutes later I asked for the check which arrived as my dessert did; I sent it back and left. Katherine apologized profusely and had no clue what had happened with the simple dessert. 

I have to say that what used to be a finer dining spot has become a bar scene as the bar was jammed and extremely noisy, and I did not see people there really enjoying food, but simply drinking and socializing. My food was okay but would have been a total loss if this were not Restuarant Week, but that should not be an excuse, given the two fab meals I had earlier in the week. It was indeed a big disappointment.

Santa Fe's PALOMA is pretty tasty (8-20-23)

 Well, I forgot to write this one up and it was a really nice experience for the most part. We arrived at an adorable little spot with stone floor and stucco walls and tons of Mayan art that we had not known about and has been getting raves. Wooden tables and leather banquettes with lots of Central American woven goods abounded. A cool antique mirror was on one wall and a small bar at the other end featuring many bottles of tequila and mezcal.

I saw they had Spicy fruit margaritas and our server Natasha said they were out of that flavor(I forgot what) but had passion fruit, so we tried them and while they were tasty, they were NOT very spicy even though Natasha stuffed and extra chile in the glass for us!

Will and I decided to split starters and mine was the Beet & Melon Aguachile which was a cold soup with golden beets, pickled onion, cilantro and jalapeno that was amazingly refreshing on a hot day. Will chose the Tuna Tostaditos which were indeed spicy with yellowfin tuna, chipotle mayo, salsa macha (very macho kick-ass indeed) and wonderful crispy scallions on top. I loved going back to my "soup" after to get the spice washed away!

We both ordered the Short Rib Barbacoa served with Nixtamal Grits, Swiss Chard, Calabacitas, Grilled Onions and Pinto Beans which sounded so good we could not resist. 

The dish sadly suffered from a LACK of spice and needed something and some of the meat was quite fatty. 

We both wanted a glass of red wine, but they seemed to be out of many of the ones by the glass so we chose the fruity Rogue Vine "Pipeno" Tinto 2020 from Itala Valley in Chile that was okay but we really needed something bigger with the red meat.  I should note that our favorite Mexican wine (Adobe Guadalupe) was available here for $95 a bottle while it was $150+ several nights earlier at the overpriced Sazon!

Our dessert was a huge hit with White Chocolate Ice Cream and Churros with a super Mexican Chcolate dipping sauce.

You gotta go to NAMA KO (in DC)--Restaurant week #2(8-30-23)

 In my search for a second choice during DC's now-running Restaurant Week, I wanted something Asian and lighter and new that had been getting rave reviews, so I chose NAMA KO (www.nama-ko.com) on 14th Street(just of U St NW). 

Imagine to my surprise when I walked in the door and saw my old buddy Aziz at the front. I first met Aziz over 35 years ago when I lived at Dupont Circle and was a regular at Enzo's, a superb Italian restaurant just off the Circle! He is now the General manager at Nama Ko and I am truly thrilled that he is doing so well, and this place is run superbly to boot!

The space is quite large with a long bar on the right and a sushi bar with a dark brick wall behind that you can sit at on the left, an open kitchen is at the rear and of course the 14th Street side is all floor to ceiling windows. The music was unassuming but did seem to get louder as the evening progressed, or maybe the place got so full that it was the din of the crowd. Indeed, by 730pm there were virtually no empty tables. The chairs are super comfy here and you do not feel any rush to depart, so I enjoyed my evening at length and told my server Jenna that I really wanted to dine leisurely, which she adhered to spot on.

I ordered a "What's In a Name?" which is serrano-infused Espalon Tequila with Ancho Reyes(a superb spicy Mexican liqueur), honey, pineapple and a Togarashi(Japanses chili) rim. It was a kickass spicy drink with a slightly sour flavor, and I fell in love. There was a regular menu(I can't wait to return to try that as well as the huge sushi selection!!) as well as a Restaurant Week 4-course option for $55 which I could not resist, so I perused and debated and consulted with Jenna and finally made my decisions. There was a flight of sake as well for $25, but when I saw the gentleman at the next table order it, I realized the three choices might not be the types of sake I tend to like as he said one was dry, one slightly sweet and one cloudy one very indistinct.

My first course was the Crispy Shrimp Tempura (which does have a $5 surcharge on the $55 set menu) which was out of this world with a Yuzu Chili Sauce. I was about to order a bottle of sake when a complimentary glass of Soto Junmai was brought over by Aziz; I was in heaven. After that I did order a small bottle of sake, but the Soto was only available in a much larger one that was way too big for one person. My choice was the Hakutsuru Sho-Une Junmai Daiginjo which is a style I always like and came highly recommended by Jenna; I loved it.

My next course was the Lemongrass Chicken Dumplings which Jenna recommended as well and came with a Yuzu Ponzu and scallion relish(always photos on FB) that I loved. Relish can be a funny item, and on a dumpling, I was not sure it would work, but these four large dumplings were so enhanced and so wonderful.  

The main course was a Smoked Pork Belly which at first, I shied away from as perhaps too fatty. Jenna told me it was awesome, and she was spot on as it was crispy with virtually NO fat and served with slow cooked Japanese rice topped with an Onsen egg all covered with this fabulous chili crunch that was basically small chilis battered and deep fried! WOW!! The sake was the perfect pairing as the dish was indeed rich but so tasty and loaded with flavor.

Who thinks of dessert at a Japanese restaurant, but here it is a must as they have Nama-Ko Soft Serve Ice Cream, and I chose the Honey Miso Black Truffle with Dark Chocolate & Caramel Sauces topped with Chocolate Toffee Crunch! Need I say more??

I felt like I was at home all evening as the staff were helpful and Aziz was as kind and wonderful as ever and I was so glad to bump into him after not seeing him for several years! That won't happen again as long as he is at Nama Ko, as I will be back there very soon for sure!!

--

DC Restaurant week #1 and ANNABELLE is awesome (8-28-23)

 As I am alone this week, I am trying three different spots for restaurant week. Two are new to me and one I have not been at for years.

My first stop was the old Nora's on Florida Avenue, NW around the corner from Dupont Circle, just a block away from where I lived for a decade back in the 80's/early 90's.

Nora's has undergone a beautiful overall and now has a cozy bar with some dining spots in the entry room with exposed upper white brick walls in the main rooms and a huge hanging ivy suspended in the large skylight in the center of the room. The room feels cozy and sleek with comfy chairs and banquettes that are well spaced and black and gold tables.

Everyone here is helpful and friendly, and the service is top notch, something that is missing in so many places. I could not help noticing that everyone came by to check on the elderly lady in the table next to mine (I am saying at least 30 times) only to find out she comes several times a week. How nice to have a home away from home when you are alone.

My server, Michael, explained the Restaurant Week menu which is simple with a choice of starter, main and dessert. I was immediately drawn to several things despite Michael's recommendation. Before this I was greeted by Nick the sommelier and was thinking about wines by the glass and then maybe a cocktail, but he was adamant that one of the lowest priced wines on the menu at $54 was a steal. he was right the Muscadet Sevres-et-Marne "La Tour Galus" 2017 from Damien Rineau in the Loire was a superb treat loaded with mineral terroir and a brilliant fish pairing choice.

My first course was the Grilled Black Cod with Sweet & Sour Marinade, Aioli & Grilled Ciabatta. Speaking of ciabatta, there was yummy French baguette and grain bread with soft fresh butter.  I should also mention that they have house purified water, which is a must in DC these days! The cod was flaky, and the marinade was made from a "slaw" of sorts with onion, pepper and a tad of fennel as well as topped with greens and the ciabatta was ideal to mop up the marinade and aioli after.

My main course was Grilled Line Caught Swordfish with braised celery, zucchini, kale and a red bell pepper coulis (although Michael told me it was a switch from the glazed kohlrabi, black missions figs and potato puree which the menu had, I forgot!). I loved everything on this dish down to the kale and the entire effect reminded me of how very French in style Chef Frank Ruta's cuisine is. Indeed, the style is a refined French with an American tinge.

Dessert was beyond delicious with a Makrut Lime Posset (think panna cotta) with coconut crumble, lime gel and basil poached peaches, which were worth the whole meal alone. Riccardo, the manager, stopped by to make sure all was good, and I told him I had not been since they opened before Covid and was thrilled with my meal, the wine, the service, the decor and everything and we would be back FOR SURE!

stupendous Sorrentino wine dinner at Roberto's in Vienna, VA (8/27/23)

 As soon as Will headed off to the UK, I headed to Chef Roberto Donna's in Vienna for a fabulous wine dinner. I had the immense pleasure of sitting with the winemaker, Giuseppe Sorrentino whose winery is in Campania (on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius) as well as wine importer Maurizio Farro (a dear client) and winemaker Erminela D'Angelo who is also a superb winemaker for her family winery D'Angelo in Basilicata! There are lots of FB pics as this was also a great reunion of so many people who had met on Zoom during covid for those fabulous wine dinners that Nancy & Roberto Donna organized.

The first wine was 2022 Lacryma Chisti del Vesuvio Bianco Bio, called Bio as all the wines from Sorrentino are bio-dynamic as well as organic and vegan!! I loved this fresh white loaded with local minerals from the volcano that is made from 80% Caprettone and 10% each Falanghina and Greco. It was served with a truly "out of this world" Parmigiana di Melanzane (Eggplant Parmesan) which did not even taste like eggplant. The layers were fried and smothered in tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan and even a vegetarian might have sworn it was meat!

Next was a super rich Crocchetta di Patate Ripiena di Scarola Sulla Fonduta di Burrata, Pancetta Croccante or a huge potato croquette stuffed with Escarole, Burrata cheese and crispy pancetta. Chef Roberto said this was a typical Campania street food dish, but it was so magnificent and paired ideally with the  2020 Lachryma Chrisit "Vigna Lapillo" Bianco Superiore is the blend of grapes. The wine is grown at higher altitudes and with lower yields and is creamier than the first Lacryma Christi we had which i actually liked more!

Our third course was a simple Ravioli Alla Sorrentina (named for the winery) and featured superb hand-made ravioli filled with delicious ricotta cheese and Parmesan in a tomato & basil sauce that just oozed freshness. We moved on to the 2021 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso Bio made from 90% Piedrosso and 10% Aglianico which was superb and so drinkable. 

The meat course was a Punta di Vitello alla Fornara or simply a roasted Veal Breast with herbs and potatoes that was superb if a tad too lemony as the meat was so tender. The 2018 Lacryma Christi "Vigna Lapillo" Superiore is 80% Piedrossos and 20% Aglianico and was truly spectacular. I have had Lacryma Christi many times before, but these wines were all truly magnificent and made me want to spend time in the region tasting more! By the way, the winery has guest houses which i can book for you!!

Dessert was a yummy Pastiera Napoletana (an Easter specialty in Naples) or Ricotta & Wheat Tart with Orange Flower Water in a light Creme Anglaise or vanilla sauce. Sorrentino makes a 2017 Passito "Pompeiano" "Fior di Ginestre" that is 33% each Caprettone, Falanghina and Catalanesca(obviously orginating from Catalan/Spain, but a varietal new to me) that was more acidic than sweet and was a nice foil to the dessert, but probably not a wine I would buy as I tend to go sweeter with dessert wines.

What fun we all had and what a great meal and great wines. You can sign up for these 5pm dinner held almost once a month at their website and as this was my first one, I hope to return again soon!!

Santa Fe's SAZON kind of sucked (well, mostly) (8-16-23)

 Those of you who read my posts know that I am rarely negative. Last night, we were really excited to go to Sazon, one of the new nouvelle-type Mexican places here in Santa Fe. The setting is quite nice with maybe 15-20 or so tables varying in size in three small dining areas with large Mexican paintings all over the wall (I was particularly enamored of the 6 foot tall Frida Kahlo one with her breasts slightly exposed) along with sombreros, some religious art and a large kiva fireplace in the center. The rafters have an old feeling as I think the building is most likely colonial and hence all wooden. 

Our server brought a small plate of 5 different moles for us to taste along with fresh mini tortillas. This is to get you to decide if you wish to choose a dish with one of them and get to taste it up front. They were a chocolatey Mole Poblano, a fruit based New Mexico mole(with apricot), a superb Mole Verde with tomatillo, a Peanut Mole which I loved and a spicy red Coloradito with chile de arbol. A half glass of Cava Segura Viudas was complimentary to cleanse the palate and accompany them. I loved the plethora of Mexican wines and we chose a bottle of Vinsur "Refeljo" 2020 from the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California made from 42% Petit Verdot, 35% Syrah and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon that was wonderfully earthy and had great flavors to boot.

I chose the Gazpacho with Crab special starter and Will chose the Shrimp Ceviche, also a special and thus, no prices were given. Will's ceviche was yummy and quite filing with a lot of juice, but also a lot of shrimp and yummy chips. My gazpacho was about 5 spoonfuls with maybe 1/2 spoonful of crab; Will was kind enough to share his shrimp.

Since I loved the Coloradito Mole I ordered that on the Duck Breast, but Will opted for the Chef's signature dish of Enmoladas de Pato which was cron tortilla with duck breast, layered with sweet potato puree and the Mole Poblano. He called is dessert duck as it was very rich and quite sweet due to the chocolate combining with the quite sweet sweet potatoes. My dish was a hit, but we told our server Megan that Will was not very happy, and he had eaten barely 1/3 of it. She offered to bring out a shrimp salad which we assumed was complimentary, and Will said it was quite boring and very bland.

I wanted to give them a chance so ordered the Rhubard-Strawberry Cobbler which was decent but would win no prize. Will's coffee was warm, mine was lukewarm.

The check came and I went into shock at the $25 for the teeny bowl(check out the FB pic) of gazpacho, but also the shrimp salad was not complimentary. Megan came over and said the manager had to deal with it. I almost blew up and told Will, it would come out of her tip for sure if they charged us. The manager came over with a new tab without the salad and all was well....until the middle of the night when I clearly had some kind of food reaction issue. So no more Sazon for the Savada-Stevensons!

Tonight dinner is at the opera house!

DC's DONSAK THAI is tasty! (8-14-23)

Donsak Thai has been around for ages on Connecticut Avenue at Calvert and we should berate ourselves for never going before.

It's a small simple space with no more than maybe 15 tables and you do need to reserve, even on a Monday as we did since the place was pretty full. We arrived to monster size menus and lots of dishes and we asked our server if she would give us help and she offered up some great ideas that really loved.

I started with a passion fruit margarita which I asked her not to make too sweet and it was perfect although a salt rim would have been nice. Will liked his Moscow Mule and then we chose a bottle of refreshing Pratsch 2021 Gruner Veltliner as it's a wine that works well with spicy food. I do need to apologize as I only took some photos and they are quite bad, so nothing on Facebook!

The food here is not that spicy although the appetizer salad of Larb Gai make from ground chicken, red onion, scallion and rice powder did have a nice kick to it. The Thai dumplings came with a sweet soy sauce and were made of crab, shrimp, pork and carrots and were pop in your mouth delicious, while the Duck Rolls were really tasty made with scallion, cucumber and drizzled with Peking sauce; alas one of mine had a huge piece of gristle in it.

All of the main courses were very tasty and we decided to choose one spicy dish from the special Essay menu, a particular type of Thai cuisine that was new to all of us. Our server suggested the Nham Kao Tod which was very crispy rice with fermented pork sausage, fresh ginger, red onion, cilantro, scallion and roasted peanuts and a spicy lime dressing. Its only fault was that it came lukewarm, b ut the taste was superb and a very different type of dish from standard Thai cuisine. The Red Curry Duck had coconut milk, pineapple, tomato, red pepper and basil and was probably the best dish as you can pour the sauce all over the rice. Donsak Crispy Chicken was breaded and served in chili paste with stir-fry green beans, basil and red pepper.

We enjoyed a small bottle of Haku Tsuru Sayuri Nigori Sake which was cloudy and a tad creamy and most refreshing. No room for dessert, but what a great place for yummy Thai food, or maybe take-out next time!

DC's FANCY RADISH has a full repertoire of vegan delights (8-10-13)

 For Samuel's last dinner before he heads back to LA we chose FANCY RADISH on H St, NE in a neighborhood that has completely changed recently and now is chock full of dining spots, shops, a Whole Foods and more. Fancy Radish is tucked in the middle of the block in a small space with a couple dozen tables max and is very unprecocious, yet has some nice art, exposed brick walls and simple decor. Our server Eva explained that the menu is meant to be shared and that for 3 people we would generally order 2 or more dishes per person.

I asked what dishes "we had to have" and she replied that everyone loves the RUTABAGA FONDUE and that after having it the day before one couple ordered two more!

She was so right, but we ordered six of the 10 items and did end up going back to that creamy rich fondue at the end for seconds!!

I started with a Fearless Forager made from scotch, shitake, Szechuan Amaro and Angostura Bitters. The drink had a slight mushroom hint, but was a scotch-lover's delight. Will loved his One in a Melon made with Watermelon tequila, Lime, Cucumber, Sparkling Rose, Rind Pickle and Lime Salt. Sam had two of the Vibrational Match made from lavender, Hibiscus, Butterfly Pea Flower, Lemon, Agave and Club Soda!

We ordered three dishes to start and loved the Pastrami Carrot Salad with Sauerkraut Puree, Smoked Mustard and Pumpernickel Soil which really tasted like sliced pastrami even though it was carrots!!  The Rutabaga Fondue comes with a soft pretzel bread and house pickles(cauliflower,radish,etc) and we fell in love. I can see why everyone orders seconds, but we wanted to try other dishes first!

The Grilled Avocado is a gorgeous presentation with curtido, smoked tomato salsa, cilantro crema and pepitas, but was our least favorite item on the menu not because it was not good, but because it was not that exciting as the other dishes indeed were. Peruvian Potatoes were spicy and addictive with Aji Amarillo, Cilantro, Peanuts and Cured Olive, so much so that Samuel had to order a second plate which we all shared as well. We also adored the Heirloom Tomato Toast which was a couple of huge thick fresh country bread slices topped with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, Basil Goddess dressing, Crispy Shitakes and Micro Salad mix on top.  Our sixth dish was the delicious Spicy Dan Dan Noodles with red chile sesame sauce, Sichuan peppercorns and five spiced glazed mushrooms...so yes, they were spicy and yummy.

The wine list is varied and on the pricy side with almost everything over 460. We loved the Cab Franc/Malbec blend(served by the glass as well) called "Tu Vin Plus aux Soiree"(which kind of translates as "you came to the party again") from Fabien Jouves in Cahors, France which had a tad of earthiness but was on the lighter red side and went well with everything.

We all shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Bannoffee Ice Cream and Cookie Crumble because that is Will's fave English dessert, and while it was yummy, it was not a touch on the UK original.

So in a nutshell...the food here is superb, the prices on the high side, and some dishes excel and impress more than others. I would be worried to come here often if the 10 dishes on the menu don't change a lot, but I hope they do. It's a vegan delight, although, gluten might be an issue and we all had a delightful time and shall be sad to see Sam head back to LA this evening.

Arlington's INCA SOCIAL is primo Peruvian!! (8-9-23)

 I had heard about INCA SOCAL since it opened just up Wilson Boulevard in Arlington almost 2 years ago, but never had been there and was thrilled last year when Chef Michael Ciuffardi brought his team to participate in March of Dimes' Signature Chefs event. Their ceviche that night was primo and we walked away with an auction dinner for six which we finally arranged last night. It was a wonderful experience with amazing food, great drinks and tableside demos by Chef Michael with wonderful explanations of all the foods, history and more by event manager Carla. The six of us had a ball and there are photos and videos on Facebook showing everything.

We sat down to conchita, the small toasted corn kernels munchies that Peru is famous for,  and our drink was, of course, a delicious Pisco Sour, which some of us had to have seconds for sure! The first course was Quinoa, that ancient and healthy grain that is always a treat, but Chef Michael nestled it on a layer of asparagus cream with red pepper, mango, radish, roasted baby corn and dots of cilantro oil. The cream was a rich almost soup-like base which required a spoon to scoop up afterwards.

SIWICHI is an old local word that we call Ceviche today and Chef Michael prepared tableside the same one he made last year from Signature Chefs but used fresh flounder with the recoto pepper leche de tigre, red onion, sweet potato, chocle (soft white large Peruvian corn kernels) and cancha (the small yellow toasted crunchy corn kernels). Ceviche or Siwichi is really not a hard dish to make, but you have to have awesome fish and this flounder was amazing and there has to be some secret ingredient in the leche de tigre as I can never seem to copy it! CHICA MORADA is a delicious cold purple corn drink that was served here with or without rum and is infused with spices like cloves and cinnamon. Inca Social has tons of ceviches on the menu as well as a sushi bar and we can't wait to return to try it all!

MAR DE GRAU was our 3rd course name for a Peruvian ware hearo and was a Steamed lobster tail served atop a seafood sauce with pak choi(bok choy) and Andean Peruvian potatoes, baby corn and asparagus. The sauce was so rich and flavorful it reminded me of the Spanish XO sauce crossed with a seafood bisque. We were all in heaven and the Proverb Sauvignon Blanc served with it was the perfect foil to the dish's richness. The lobster was so good I was cleaning out all the lobster tail shells at the table!

INCA RISOTTO was a rich Risotto a la Huancaina made with cheese and cream with tenderloin grilled steak served atop, cherry tomato and an "Oriental" sauce of oyster, soy, vinegar and more all reduced. This sauce is used on the Lomo Saltado served at Inca Social, so you can have it there! The meat was tender and tasty and it was all paired with a fun Passion Fruit Chilcano made with Pisco, Ginger Ale & Bitters.

We were getting very full but there was room for the dessert which was a fun and fairly light PICARONES which are Peruvian "doughnuts" or fried dough rings made from sweet potato and squash (who knew?) and covered with a syrup made with cinnamon and cloves and more and a scoop of LUQUMA Ice Cream which was dreamy. Chef Michael over-indulged us as he shaved Cacao Quillabamba 70% Cacao from Peru over the entire dish. OMG..we were all in heaven and promised to return to Inca Social again very soon and many more times for sure (PS they have another one in Vienna, VA.)!!

Many thanks to Chef Michael, Carla and the entire team at Inca Social who were more than welcoming!

DC's ST JAMES swings Caribbean but costs a cent! (7-19-23)

 We had heard great news about the Caribbean cuisine at ST JAMES located at 14th & U Street, NW and we loved the black and white decor on arrival as well with tables and booths along the right wall, a long bar with stools on the left and high tops down the center. 

We decided to order just starters as we were concerned about the portion sizes and possibly ordering two much. It was wise as the two starters of PORK POW & ACCRAS were quite filling and of course, very carb-centric. (Fotos on FB)

ACCRAS are salt-fish(cod) fritters that come with a cilantro(spelled culantro on the menu, which may be a Caribbean variation)-chili aioli that is very cilantro flavored and on the milder side. The fish flavor was less apparent than the dough and I, for one, would like more cod inside. The term Accra comes from the city in Ghana where these originated as vegetable fritters in the local cuisine.

POK POW was a huge winner with a Trini-style Chine steamed Bao bun(thinner than Bao, which I preferred) filled with a deliciously spicy ground pork. We both loved these!

Our wine was a Chateaux Grand Jean 2020 Bordeaux from Entre Deux Mers that was billed on the wine list as just Sauvignon Blanc but in reality was an SB/Semillon blend.

Marlene, our most helpful server managed to break the cork opening it but was saved by one of the managers. We liked the wine but at $48 it is one of the lowest priced on the menu, which is pricey indeed. 

Which brings us to the main course. We decided to split the main of DUCK & DHAL which is a 36-hour cooked leg quarter with dhal puree and coconut rice. The duck 1/4 was nice and crunchy and flavorful and the dhal was indeed completely pureed, which I did not like as much as having the whole or thicker lentils. The $36.00 price tag seemed quite high for a dish that was not that large. 

We were a tad hungry and decided to split dessert and Marlene said our choice was excellent Passion Fruit-Sago Mousse with Coconut Hibiscus/Passion Fruit Coulis was a tasty dish indeed that sent us home quite happy.

Centrolina Chef's Table is terrific with Chefs Amy Brandwein & Kevin Tien(7-13-23)

 Last week we rose early in Des Moines for our 6am flight back to DC and still were awake to head to a small intimate Chef's Table dinner in the wonderful private dining room at Centrolina in downtown DC. Chef Amy Brandwein has been doing these dinners every month or so and we have sadly missed them all--UNTIL NOW! She invited one of our favorite chefs in DC who is temporarily restaurant-less(although there is a pop-up at Little Vietnam!) as he looks for a new place to house his Moon Rabbit or new incarnation, where we shall promptly flock again! The evening started with an amuse bouche where the two chefs did side by side delights:

EGGPLANT nigiri with Yuzu Miso & Sesame (all fotos on FB) was twice cooked and hand torched and made this simple and tasty(not spicy) dish from Chef Kevin a dream, while

Chef Amy chose to go the spicy route with a Vietnamese Chua Lua(pork sausage) in a grape leaf(instead of banana) with Nonnata du Pesce(preserved anchovy) and cucumber that was a novel and spicy approach from the pair.

We ordered a bottle of Fiano Planeta "Cometa"from Sicily  which we always love as it was recommended by the team for these dishes and it was superb. Wines are not included so it is either order by the glass or bottle and we chose the latter. 

Next came the first course from Chef Kevin of KANPACHI CRUDO in a magnificent lemongrass tomato broth (I need this recipe made with ginger, garlic & shallot!!!) with a hint of mint(I did not taste it) and pineapple. Just when we thought it could not get any better came a novel and terrific TURMERIC TAGLIOLINI from Chef Amy which was sauced with Tomato, Coconut, Lime, Peanut and Soft Shell Crab. There was a huge spiciness to this superb creation which was also quite rich and creamy, but then healthy due to the turmeric!! This was where our Fiano wine shone as well.

The third and main course from Chef Kevin was a 10 grain MISO PORRIDGE which we declared was "Congee on crack" with a 72 HOUR (cooked) SHORT RIB, Coconut Caramel and Fried Shallots atop that all just melted in your mouth. Again, these chefs had reversed their normal spice intensity roles! For the main course we added a glass of full-bodied and yummy 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella from Campedel.

The dessert was a refreshing OLIVE OIL TORTA with Ginger Plum, Sesame Whip and Crunchy Vermicelli that sent us home all very happy and very sated. I can't wait for the next of these dinners and do hope we are available to attend!!

Des Moines' DJANGO is delicious!! (7-10-23)

 We wanted to go someplace special on Monday in Des Moines as that is the day off for the Des Moines Metro Opera which was the purpose of our trip to Iowa. It worked out wonderfully that we found a super space downtown called DJANGO which fir our group of seventeen for dinner perfectly into their great private dining space. 

Will & I arrived early to meet Kaylee, our server, and I explained we would order some wine and probably switch bottles around every now and then, but just to keep it coming. We took our time sipping on the Paco & Lola ‘Rainbow’ Albariño, La Vielle Ferme Blanc & La Vielle Ferme Rouge while we perused the truly monstrous menu.

Some folks ordered oysters after we gobbled up the yummy baguettes and whipped butter(extra charge!), but I felt heathy and got a yummy Caesar Salad which Kaylee managed to get a ton of anchovies on top (photos on FB). Escargots, Poutine(with beef or veggie style), and Beef Tartare all of which were excellent.

The mains were HUGE and the 8 ounce steak looked more like a pound or more! A lot of us chose the superb Moulard DUCK leg confit, potato Parisienne, charred cipollini cream, pickled plum, spiced baby carrots, Sunstead Farms spring garlic and fennel frond pistou(pesto), which was not very fennel-y at all! Huge plates of Moules Frites(many different options), Seared Sea Scallops with Asparagus,  red onion, sweet corn, lobster pomme puree and beurre blanc which boated five giant diver scallops!

Everything was yummy and Kaylee kept up with us and always excelled.  I don't think anyone could fit dessert, but I know some of us stayed until the doors closed drinking more red wine until I think Des Moines had shut down (which is not that late!) having a super time.

Django will always be on our go-to list when we return.

Des Moines' ALBA is heavy-handed Italian but nice (7-9-23)

 We joined a friend who lives in Des Moines for dinner last night at a simple Italian place downtown called ALBA that is one of the few options for dinner on a Sunday in this very quiet city. We started with a yummy D'Arenburg "The Hermit Crab" 2021 Viognier-Marsanne blend from McLaren Vale in Australia that is always a winner and ordered some of the yummy Deviled Eggs with Beet Tartare, Brioche Crumble and Leek Ash Tuile. They were nice and only needed a tad of spice, maybe a sprinkle of paprika!

The three of us chose to start with the Steak Tartare which came on two huge pieces of toasted brioche with Anchovy Aioli and Grana Padano cheese with an herb and caper relish. We told our wonderful server Cole that we would wait to order our mains to see how full we were....and BOY were we. Will chose to have the Rhubarb Salad with goat cheese, strawberry vin, pistachios and pickled rhubarb which was huge and quite good and I chose a half potion of the NY Strip Stroganoff which had to be the largest half portion anywhere and the heaviest with local mushrooms, crispy shallots on top and ricotta...I had several bites and shared some, but over half was left. 

We were quite surprised to see a 2013 wine from Puglia on the menu and the Copertino Riserva Negroamaro was earthy and full bodies and we adored it!

We stayed around to close the place as it was quite empty, but enjoyed the food and were happy we chose not to order our mains and end up being way over-stuffed, because with what we had we were more than full indeed.

ESTUARY at the DC Conrad is easy if a tad expensive(6-26-23)

We had dined a while ago at ESTUARY in the Conrad Hotel in Washington and we decided to return there again last week with the same friends. The setting is nice and also quite relaxing and quiet with a beautiful view over the rooftops of DC and we even got a nice sunset!

Our server Rafael was a bit overtaxed as there were only two servers working and at times we had to wave a couple of times to get his attention, but other than that he was super helpful with wines and making dining suggestions as well.

We started with a 2018 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rose which was a nice aperitif and was great with our starters:

Ceviche of Himachi with Pickled Fresno Chile, Toasted Sesame, Red Onion and a divine Calamansa Granita on top. The dish had a nice spice and the granita totally complemented that. 

Roasted Tall Timber Oysters came with garlic & chili crumbs and marinated trout roe while the Mushroom Strata was like a mushroom bread pudding with boursin aioli.

For the main course we moved to a novel red from Adelaide Hills, Australia called Unico Zelo "Pipe Dreams" 2021 that is a wonderful Nero d'Avola. We will have to search it out when we head there in February!

Seafood Carbona was shrimp, bay scallops and Middle Neck clams with pasta and Tobiko in a Chinese Sausage sauce that got raves. Seared Rockfish with mushroom larb and kaffir lime was in a green curry sauce with herb salad and also was a big hit. My Rabbit Guisado(stew) came with snap peas, new potatoes and grilled asparagus and was a hearty dish with superbly cooked meat in two different preparations(all fotos on FB).

Desserts were all excellent and we all shared the Cherry Clafoutis with Creme Fraiche, Almond Custard and Cherry Compote alongside the Tres Chocolates which is a very rich Tres Leches Sponge Cake with Mango Nectar(think salsa) and Chocolate "rocks." A yummy rich glass of Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine was my dessert.

Estuary is indeed an easy place to enjoy, but the prices can get a tad high, but then most top hotel dining spots in DC are like that.

DC's NEW HEIGHTS still heavenly (6-29-23)

 We headed back to New Heights in DC last Thursday and all had a superb time indeed. The setting is still one of the calmest in DC overlooking Rock Creek(and the Omni Shoreham Hotel) with beautiful decor and excellent food and service.

We started with excellent Ceviche made with shrimp and halibut, Cilantro, onion, Jalapeno, lime, avocado, and yummy yuca chips. The Tomato & Burrata Salad looked yummy and the Broccolini Caesar was a huge hit. We all shared the decadent Cheesy Onion Fondue which is gooey Fontina with caramelized onion and lemon which is flambeed tableside and served with Garlic Ciabatta. It is indeed rich, and we were all glad that it was a great share dish as it might have been a tad too rich for one person! Our first wine was a yummy Le Paradou Provencal Viognier which was creamy and delish with all these dishes. We moved on to a Jean Brocard Chablis--great with the fish dishes that followed:

Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce and greens offered up two huge cakes, Moules Frites came with spicy mayo for the fries and my Kale & Mushroom paella with saffron rice, sofrito, oyster mushrooms and fried egg on top is a great veggie option indeed.

Our server suggested we try the chilled Ukrainian vodka shot with pickles and it was delish indeed and fun for $5! Speaking of fun, dessert here can be very fun when you cook your on Smores on the hibachi brought to the table, but I fell in love with the light and tasty Pistachio Ricotta Cake...a great change from rich cheesecake and so fluffy!!

Always a treat when we head to New Heights!