Golly Gee what Great Goodies at G by MIKE ISABELLA or Restaurant Week rates high here (1-22-15)

SPOLIER ALERT:If you watch TOP CHEF Boston this season and missed this week's episode, you might not want to read this until you have seen it!

Back in the USA after two weeks recovering  from our huge SE Asia/Beijing trip we finally wandered out for dinner for several reasons.

1)It's Restaurant Week here in DC so many deals are available and quite worthy

2)Our kitchen is under a 2+ day renovation as a new stove is being installed, so cooking in it last night was just not possible

We chose G by MIKE ISABELLA (http://gbymikeisabella.com) as we had met Chef Mike several times in the past year and while he exhibits an "in your face" persona on TV on TOP CHEF, he is truly a great guy and extremely generous.

This past year we purchased him to cook in our home at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Gala and while the auction was going on, the bidding was so fierce, her offered to do TWO of the same auction items, despite his busy schedule.

Indeed, he was standing in the kitchen entry way and I greeted him and he came over and chatted with the three of us for a while. Later he checked on dinner and we even caught a glimpse at one point of Chef George Pagonis (who was overseeing Kapnos next door), who sadly was asked to "pack his knives" after this past Wednesday's episode of Top Chef Boston. Fear not, as there is still one more Last Chance Kitchen episode and the winner will be revealed next Wednesday and he will compete with the 3 other finalists in Mexico.....

G is a sandwich shop by day serving soups, salads and amazingly awesome sandwiches. On Wednesday-Sunday evenings there is only a tasting menu offered and for restaurant week it's $35.15 for four courses which are guaranteed to satisfy and satiate you.

We ordered a bottle of Hecht & Bannier Rousanne 2011 from Languedoc which is a nice flavorful dry wine that went superbly with our first two courses. Everyone receives the ANTIPASTI plate which is shared and consists of BUFFALO MOZZARELLA with Roasted BEETS, PISTACHIO & MINT. I am not a mint person, but this combination was truly spectacular making it the shining spot on this varied platter (served on a large stone slab). The dressing was excellent as well as was the accompanying EGGPLANT RELISH which really was like a cold caponata loaded with flavor. There were slices of PROSCIUTTO & Fennel SALUMI and also huge ARANCINI filled with Cauliflower as well as the rice and served on a divinely rich Lemon Ricotta sauce.

Samuel spotted the CHESTNUT RAVIOLI which was one of the choice for the Primi (next course) and we all decided on this, but Sam wanted just a large platter of this and nothing else. It was rich and awesome with small bits of Butternut Squash, Brown butter and Chives with a Celery Root "Pesto" that was more akin to a rich puree. I would have sworn there was cream in it, but our server Ben thought not. The other pasta which we did not try was a Pappardelle with Pork Bolognese & Marcona Almonds.

The secondi were a choice between Pan Roasted SALMON with Basil, Grilled Grapes and Pecans which Will enjoyed and the skin was crunchy crispy spectacular. I went for the BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER in Tomato Sauce with Roasted Potatoes & Gremolata. It was fall off the bone divine and I was indeed full. After dinner I told the staff and Chef Mike that it should be renamed "Osso Buco Isabella!" A glass of Negroamaro Cantele 2010 from Salice Salentino was perfect with the dish and indeed would go with anything that requires red. I was surprised that our wonderful server Ben recommended the lowest price wine by the glass, but it is a winner.

Samuel having fallen in love with his Chestnut Ravioli skipped both main courses and asked for another huge plate of ravioli!

Dessert was a choice between a CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE with Caramel gelato & Ganache which Samuel ordered and the BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAPLE BROWNIE with Brown Butter gelato & Bourbon Caramel which Will &I chose.

Samuel decided that his dish was too "mousse-y" and asked to switch. He is more of a molten choco fiend, so I was happy to trade as both desserts were truly great.

We have loved Kapnos before and now also love G and as of this week Chef Isabella also has a new location in Arllington at Pepita in Ballston, and yet he was here last night! Wow, what a busy and amazing guy.

We will try them all and always return to his first Graffiato!

Chinese cuisine in China is indeed cool or Beijing NOT on a budget (Jan 5-7, 2015)

We stopped in Beijing for a 3 day stay in China on the way home from Singapore for a variety of reasons, and the one thing I must say is that the rumors of awful food in China we had heard over the years were completely dispelled.

After an exhausting day, we decided to dine right across the street from our hotel, the brand new and awesome Waldorf Astoria. The guy at the reception desk was from Washington (small world) and recommended XIAN LIANG HUI only a 1 minute walk across the street (although with nobody observing traffic laws, crossing the street could be deadly in Beijing!).

The Chinese don't eat late, so when we arrived at 830pm, the place was almost deserted and we were escorted to a beautiful private dining room with sliding doors and a huge round  table (which could have seated 8 or 9 folks) with a giant glass lazy susan in the center (I really felt like I was at some fancy Chinese place in the US!). The folks understood us fairly well and we perused the menu (thank goodness for pictures) and chose several items to share. There was a dank smell of smoke and we noticed several ashtrays filled with cigarette butts. When we asked to have these removed, no action was taken. We have to chalk it up as a misunderstanding or lack of communication. When Will got up to try and dump them (we have a private bathroom as well), he got the evil eye and quickly resumed eating. The service was fine and the food was pretty much all delicious.

CRABK & SQUASH SOUP was delicate, hot and very filling. We took to ordering many soups while in China as it was always below freezing by dinnertime, indeed the temperature hovered between 12-25 each night! Samuel & Will ordered the SWEET & SOUR PORK SOUP which was also good, but the meat had a bit to be desired.

The hit dish here was the SPICY SZECHUAN SHRIMP with scallions, peanuts, zucchini & red chilis. It packed a punch and was full of flavor.
Samuel declared the SLICED POTATO & CHINESE YELLOW MUSHROOMS his favorite and we agreed, especially since these delicious earthy yellow mushrooms were so akin to our decadent chanterelles.

STEWED CHINESE YAMS & PORK RIBS had superb almost white colored yams (less sweet than what we have at home) which were superb, but the pork ribs had tons of gristle and almost no meat. The dish came with something new for all of us in the form of LOTUS SEEDS which are a bean-like crunchy affair that we loved. Sliced ginger made the veggie portion just perfect, but the pork was almost putrid.

RICE NOODLES with DUCK was extremely rich and the duck was in tiny slivers. I would have preferred a less rich sauce, as this was almost like a foie gras sauce and the portion was quite large; sadly a lot was left as even the three of use could not eat that much.

I asked for the wine menu and almost had a heart attack when the starting prices were at over $100 for the cheapest mediocre wine, but then they brought over a small special wine list with discounts and I was relieved we could get something for $60 from Chile, but it seemed to be sold out, as were all the other wines but two. The server explained they were closing for renovations the next day and this was the reason the list was depleted, as indeed was the menu (many of our first choices were not available). We settled on a Penfolds Bin 128 SHIRAZ from Coonawara, Australia which rang in at about $90 and was excellent. This wine retails in the USA for about $25. When we asked for the check the wine did not show at the discount price on that mini-menu they sent me and the staff made a fuss. They wanted to charge me almost 35% more! They also had added some extras for the private room, which we never asked for. Ultimately, the bill was fixed and we went back to our hotel fairly happy with our first night in China, knowing that more was to come.

 

Lunch was included in our tour the next two days and our guide Tim took us to XIAO WANG's HOME RESTAURANT(www.xiaowanghome.com) for our first lunch. It's in a historic house in the middle of a quaint park not far from the Forbidden City.

We were taken to the top floor where nobody else was seated for a very quiet and excellent lunch. The GREEN TEA here (we later found out how pricey it was) was awesome, and I wish I had more than 3 cups as it was refillable. SOUR & SPICY MULLET SOUP with Egg was a great soup here, but the mullet does have quite a fishy tastem so Sam was nixing that from the start. He did the HOT & SOUR SOUP and a huge platter of both Steamed & Fried PORK DUMPLINGS, one of his favorite Chinese foods! We all shared everything though. The DEEP FRIED GREEN BEANS with minced Pork were excellent, and always pack a punch with chilis at every Chinese place (think Szechuan String Beans back home). The KUNG PAO Chicken was nice with fried Chicken in Peanuts & Red Chilis, but this Kung Pao had little POW in spice for me. Will loved his Pork & Shrimp Dumplings and we all declared dessert was not possible as again, the portions were quite huge.

 

Dinner that night was at the classy 1949, just a couple of blocks from our hotel, and was easily the best meal we had during our stay. As we approached the small compound just off the main street, several guards came toward us looking as if they were bouncers. I said we had a reservation, and they parted to allow us in. Once inside, the décor was impressive with elegant place settings and lots of warm wood tones. Every staff member has an earplug and I felt as if the Chinese secret service must have been based here! We ordered a bottle of JUMILLA CRIANZA Juan Gil "Silver Label 2012, for about the same price as the night before, but this was a much better wine with chewy tannins that matched the complexity of the food.

Edith Piaf music played in the background and we felt as if we had been taken back to the years before Chairman Mao and the Communist takeover.....well, maybe.

We chose two starters, and while in China all dishes tend to come out willy-nilly, this was the one place that starters did arrive first.

WILD MUSHROOM in TOFU SKIN ROLLS was a modern take on the egg roll, but much healthier, not fried and with an awesome flavor to boot.

BROAD BEANS and Preserved Vegetables were tasty beans in a vegetable paste that had a bit of chili for flavor. There was a hot sauce on the table and I asked the server if it was "chili paste" to which she responded "egg sauce." I never did figure out what she said, but it was as spicy sauce that made the beans even better.

Samuel started with a BEEF BROTH with EGG WHITE (think beef egg drop soup) which he said was okay, but won no stars and then went on to an awesome DEEP FRIED CHICKEN with LEMON SAUCE. This may sound drab, but the chicken breast was wrapped in almonds and sesame coating and fried in slices and then a tangy almost preserved lemon-sauce was poured over it and the accompanying onion rings.

We ordered the FRIED VERMICELLI SINGAPORE STYLE which was one of the few "dry" noodles we got (most come in broth after being fried) and here with shrimp, pork and veggie slivers. The hot sauce made this dish divine.

The top winner for the night was the Stir Fried MONGOLIAN LAMB which was as tender a lamb dish I had ever had and served with scallions, peppers, fried garlic, fried ginger and clamshell shaped dough buns on the side to make "sandwiches" with.

We all decided on one dessert to split and taste and it was the perfect choice: CHILLED MANGO-SAGO CREAM with POMELO. It cleansed our palate and we decided that desserts of quality do indeed exist in China.

 

Lunch on our next day was in the hills near the Great Wall and while yummy, not worth writing about, since I doubt you will ever get there.

Dinner was our guide Tim's choice as we told him we wanted to take him out to thank him, but that the restaurant should have the best Peking Duck. He chose DaDONG (http://www.dadongdadong.com/en/) famous for it's multi-starred chef and elegant setting. We loved the almost all white dining room and each table had a trolley next to it for the tableside prep of the famous dish. We chose the SAUTEED DUCK & CHESTNUTS in CRISPY NEST to start and these little mouthbite tidbits gave us a taste of the awesome duck that was to come.

Samuel ordered and adored the PUMPKIN & CHESTNUT SOUP as he is now a pumpkin & squash soup kinda guy.

Chef DaDong's SUPERLEAN ROAST PEKING DUCK was rolled over and a chef with a huge toque and awesome knives got every last piece of meat off the entire duck within 10 minutes. we received a plate of garnishes and sauces (plum sauce, radish, scallion, cucumber and pickled cucumber and radishes as well as garlic and yes, SUGAR!!) The crepe like paper thin pancakes arrived along with sesame buns as well. It was all tons of fun to make our own, and within 30 minutes the duck was GONE! Tender, crispy and flavorful; it was a treat. The BAKED CAULFILOWER with PORK BELLY was just as magnificent with chilis, onion and diced squash.

Only the exhorbitantly priced Chef Dong's Black PEPPER BEEF was a sad arrangement of about 1/3 pound of chewy beef with a pound of peppers and rang in at well over $100 the plate! UGH!

 

Our trip was over and we had indeed enjoyed most of the food. Happy to be back home now and looking forward to a homemade meal tonight of pasta and sausages!

in Singapore try Tamil at BANANA LEAF APOLO (1-4-15)

 

We returned to Singapore at the end of our voyage and I wanted to relive an experience I had 25 years ago when I first visited that I have never forgotten.

We headed over to Little India and BANANA LEAF APOLO, where I had been for an amazing lunch ages ago in a restaurant that has been now open for over 40 years.

Back then, at lunchtime, the place was heaving with people going from station to station choosing their dishes and condiments and having it all served up on a giant banana leaf.

Today, it is table service, and while we ate at 4pm on Sunday, it was very quiet, although many Hindi people were enjoying the various Southern Indian cuisine (or Tamil) that they are famous for. Now, the menu also includes North India cuisine, so Samuel begged for Garlic Naan which he spotted on that menu, but it was  not as good as the naan we know from Northern Indian restaurants back home. He also chose two Tamil dishes: APOLO CHICKEN 65 and APOLO PEPPER CHICKEN.The former was a dry dish on the milder side spicewise, the latter a curry-like hot pepper chicken in a thick sauce. Everything is still served on a giant rectangular placemat-like banana  leaf. I knew my family would not go for the famous Fish Head Curry, so Will agreed to the FRIED FISH CURRY which was another sauce-laden and no super spicy dish.

Pappadam comes to quell the spice and while Will had a local beer, I drank plenty of water!

We ordered BIRYANI RICE & VEGETABLES which is also a great foil to the spice as the vegetables were pickled in a light curry flavor and actually also quelled the spice.

The spiciest dish was the Spicy MUTTON CURRY which I liked the best and declared the winner, but my experience was sadly not as memorable as it was back in my younger years.

Perhaps I shall return in another 25 years and it will be better. It just was not what I wanted it to be, and since Samuel is not a spice nut, he stuck with the lighter Chicken 65 (we never did find out what the number means). Perhaps my ancient memories are blurred.

Next stop-Beijing.

magnificent Malaysian meals in Langkawi & Kuala Lumpur leave us loving it all(12-31-14 to 1-2-15)

We had two more ports in Malaysia as we cruised back south to Singapore and in deed at our first port on the small island of Langkawi, we had not even intended to stop for food. During our several hour mangrove swamp tour, stopped at a fish farm/restaurant just to see the local creatures. We were so enticed by the wide variety of novel and strange sea creatures that we ordered a plate of TIGER SNAIL with Spicy Green Mango salad which we snarfed down in our boat as we motored along the waterway laden with monkeys, eagles, poisonous vipers, bats and more.

While the snail was akin to conch, it was indeed a bit chewy, but very tasty and the spicy mango salad was the perfect seasoning foil. Needless to say, Sam took one small bite and refused any more.

 

Back on the mainland the next day we were in port about 60 minutes or so from Kuala Lumpur (referred to as "K.L") which actually means confluence of the muddy waters.

We had two day long tours with our guide Tony, who had introduced us to many wonderful flavors and tastes over a week before at our first port of Melaka. We started in the new administrative capital of Putrajaya which was built from nothing but oil palms just over a decade ago and now stands a gleaming example of modern ingenuity, albeit also an homage to the Islamic majority.

We stopped for a quick lunch on the huge man-made lake in the city center and ordered up. We begged Sam to have a noodle dish, but he chose a burger and fries, and he declared the meat pretty bad. Surprise, beef here is not a specialty, and definitely not a burger. Tony suggested the NASI GORENG KAMPUNG, and while Nasi Goreng is a familiar Indonesian/Malay dish to us of fried rice, the Kampung version is graced with small dried anchovies as well as calamari, shrimp, chicken our new favorite veggie water spinach (locally called kangkung--pronounced like the locals in Mexico call Can-cun), and of course red chillis. It was awesome as was the  ROTI JALA, a sort of noodle net (it literally means "bread net") made from noodle flour squeezed into a net-like pancake which you tear off pieces from and dip in to a curry, in this case with a little chicken. YUM, what a novel treat, and something f the that all the locals seems to eat everywhere. CUCUR UDANG are fried shrimp with two sauces, one a superb peanut sauce akin to what we get at home with satay, and the other a sweet chilli sauce. It was fun to dip the shrimp in either sauce, or even mix them for a third exciting flavor burst. The only bad choice was the Apple Asamboi which is a sour plum drink that was cloying, sour and salty at the same time. I pulled out one of the dried sour plums and it tasted like sour salt as I sucked on the weird dried tidbit. Sam would not touch his after the first sip and I couldn't blame him, but it was better than the durian treats we had tried in Melaka.

 

That afternoon when we stopped at the Batu Caves, a Hindu holy place outside K.L., we tasted some local munchies which we purchased to bring back to the ship for later. Some were like donuts, others like curried crunchy fried noodles and then one like a potato chip, but apparently tamarind flavored. There was a small unmarked restaurant in the open market area where we had delicious PULLED TEA (pretty much like chai) along with ROTI CANAI, the Indian fried bread served with a suace of curried lentils for dipping. Sam loved this and ate several platters and we tried a second version which had an egg added as the roti is pulled out in the kitchen (we got to watch) and then fried.

 

Since our tour included the evening boat tour of the rare fireflies on the Selangor River about 45 minutes from K.L., we stopped in Kuala Selangor (confluence of the Selangor River with the Straits of Melaka), one of the larger cities of Selangor state, we stopped for dinner on the river at KEDAI MAKANAN LAUT HUA HANG, an awesome Chinese seafood place where the entry way is filled with vats of water and fresh fish caught that morning. There were a couple of other white faces, but they seemed to come in only for a beer; we were here to dine like the locals. The place was heaving and we ordered the 25 ringgit multi-course meal (Sam was full from the roti canai and skipped eating here as he really does not like seafood) which costs under $7 apiece. We had an extra course of cockles, which are larger than the ones we have had in Europe, more akin to tiny clams, which a very hot chilli dipping sauce. It was hard to open some of these little guys, but Tony was there and showed us the tricks. Watermelon juice was nice, and Will had a Japanese beer. The food began to arrive and our table was laden with so many dishes:

FRIED RICE was on a plate alone piled high for enough to serve 8, BUTTER PRAWNS were indeed buttery and came with a less spicy sauce and the FRIED FISH with vegetables that was so tasty turned out to be SHARK!! A delicious plate of Chinese vegetables just like at home consisted of black Chinese trumpet mushrooms, bamboo shoots, pea pods and more in a sauce akin to what we would see anywhere in the USA. The highlight and purpose of the meal for me was the CHILLI CRABS, local crabs just a bit smaller than their Maryland kin were smeared with a mild chilli paste an cooked to perfection. It was indeed hard work cracking the shells with my hands and teeth to get out all the meat, but well worth the effort, although Samuel and Will would not even endeavor a bite. The sauce was amazing and worth the entire trip. Tony knew how much we had come to adore the kangkung, and ordered it as we had the first night in Singapore, with sambal belachan, the spicy prawn paste, but less spicy here, coating the water spinach or morning glory. It was great to see this local family-run effort, with kids cooking and serving and the older lady even cleaning and removing the stems from the kangkung at a nearby table!

Will grabbed a yummy coconut loaded with milk and then we enjoyed the meat itself as a dessert. The perfect palate cleanser to a superb meal.

 

 

On New Year's Day, Samuel decided to stay on board in the kid's club and let us have our way with more wonderful sights and many foods. Tony chose his favorite restaurant in K.L.'s Chinatown called LAI FOONG. To call it a restaurant is not really fair, as it is a large open room where the landlord leases small spaces for the various vendors to cook their dishes in each corner. We went to several vendors and filled our table again with many superb dishes:

CHINESE FRIED NOODLES (again, several types and widths) are a staple here and always served in a spicy broth with whatever condiments you choose to add from the vendor. We skipped the tripe and other innards and stuck with beef and beef balls, which Will actually thought were cow testicles. They were tiny whitish balls of ground meat almost the consistency of a dumpling, and I reminded Will that cow's don't have balls, bulls do, and they are much larger than these small 1/2 inch round treats.

We had eaten CHAR KUAY KEOW the first night in Singapore as well, but here in Malaysia at this spot the excellent dish includes chicken, calamari, shrimp, bean curd, tofu, bamboo shoots and tiny cockles in that divine chili garlic mix with fried noodles of multiple types.

The highlight of this meal was the BBQ PORK which is served off the bone with a lighter chilli glaze and a spicier chilli dipping sauce. The skin was so crunchy you just wanted to get more and more of it. This had to be the best ribs ever.

My drink was a Chinese can of JDB (or Jia Duo Bau) herbal iced tea that was very tasty and refreshing. Lunch was finished with the local KOPI Malay coffee with a dash of condensed milk for sweetness.

Total cost for three with drinks was 45 ringgits or under $13!!

 

As if this was not enough, Tony took us to his vendor friend in the open market for the best chicken curry pies and tiny sugared peanut paste treats, also cooked inside a small pastry shell the size of a peanut shell that were so good we wanted to buy a ton, but refrained knowing we could not bring them home with us.

 

What an amazing taste of Malaysia our last three days on land here were.

MYANMAR munching -many miraculous meals or bravos for Burmese food(Dec 27-29, 2014)

We just spent three days in MYANMAR (aka Burma) and it was an awesome experience. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the people, the country and the food.

We started our trip with a quick Fried Noodle Lunch at the Scott Market in Yangon (aka Rangoon), which is the largest indoor market in country with hundreds and hundreds of vendors and I could not possibly tell you the name of the place we ate at. The guy who ran the shop was a riot as he kept kissing Sam and making the funniest of comments.

The food was a preview of what was to come. I believe the four dishes (three of us and our guide) cost under $15.00!

That night in our hotel, The BAGAN LODGE we had a set dinner which was quite filling and pretty decent starting with a Chinese Style Roast DUCK Salad with Bell "Peppre" & Chilli Sauce; English spelling here is not a forte, but the food was very good, if a bid blander than what we had been having on land for the past week. SPICY SEAFOOD SOUP with Sesame Oil followed and this was delicious and truly satisfied my spice tooth, if there is such a thing. Samuel chose the HOT & SOUR SOUP which he declared to be hot and spicy on all terms, but still very good.

Wine can be ordered by the bottle here, and there are several also by the glass, including some local wines, which truly surprised us. We asked the server if we could taste the two Myanmar reds by the glass and the lesser priced was much more to our liking so we ordered the $25 bottle AYTHAYA SHIRAZ-CABERNET from the Inle Lake region, 2013 Dornfelder Cuvee from Myanmar 1st Vineyard Estate which was full-bodied with some slight tannins and was a wine we knew would work with spice. The other Red Mountain Estate Shiraz-Tempranillo from Southern Shan State was less exciting.

When the CHINESE BLACK PEPPER (spelled correctly here) BEEF with woked fried Vegetables arrived, we declared it the most bland dish ever and immediately asked for hot sauce and a small bowl of vinegar with sliced garlic and lots of sliced red chili arrived which did just the trick.

Dessert was SAGO with Coconut Milk which is very akin to tapioca and had balls of melon & papaya as well. The flavors were superb and again, like so many desserts we have had, very refreshing after the spice.

Off to bed early for a 5am wake up call as we had a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over Bagan and its 3000+ temples dating back over 1000 years!

 

On Sunday we spent the day touring all of Bagan, which is about 200+ miles north of Yangon and had a superb lunch at EDEN BBB (we never did find out what this stood for) Restaurant very close to all the pagodas and temples. It was a very quiet place with the tourists in the courtyard and the drivers up front :-)). We all (save for Sam) declared the fish toast (think shrimp toast back in US Chinese restaurants, but here more fishy) to be the best ever. First came Curried Vegetable soup with the biggest of curry leaves and lots of okra and tomato. Okra is a big veggie in this area and is always tasty and seems to never have that gooey consistency it can have at home.

All the dishes then arrived together and we dug into TOMATO SALAD that had gorgeous fresh red tomatoes from the Inle Lake region (about 100+ miles to the east) as well as cabbage slaw and red onions in a peanut dressing. Braised PUMPKIN was another tasty dish as was the Veggies & Tofu plate with cauliflower, pea pods, bok choy and much more. Our guide, May, explained one of the vegetables is called leaf of the gods in Burmese and it is akin to spinach, but very flavorful. The entrees were Fish or Pork Curries (of course with mounds of rice)which were also delicious and a bit more flavorful than the night before. May explained that less spice is used in the north and ordered up that vinegar-chili-onion-garlic mix which packs a punch and is called BEICHIH (and sounds almost like "bitchy"!!).

Dessert was watermelon, honeydew & papaya served on ice cold plates.

Will declared the Myanmar Beer to be a hit as well.

 

Dinner was a special event with a meal catered by WELCOME LOCAL RESTAURANT for just the four of us at the foot of one of the temples lit by dozens and dozens of small oil votive lamps as we were led down palm mats from the car to a beautiful traditionally set table with torch bearing men surrounding us. There were dancers and a musician who performed all through dinner and it was hard to decide whether to eat or watch them. It was one of the most memorable dining experiences of our lives as we watched the floodlit pagodas all around. No alcohol is allowed on the holy grounds, so we did with water or sodas. Instead of fish or shrimp toast, here we had onion toast which was amazing, and Samuel did like this flavor and we all gobbled up pieces of the crispy white chips. LENTIL SOUP started the meal and Samuel declared this his new favorite soup, but alas only in the Burmese style which is loaded with lentils and veggies and not super-thick.

All the mains and sides arrived and there was no room on the table at all with FRIED FISH CURRY, CHICKEN CURRY, Fried Noodles, Vegetables and gorgeous whole PRAWNS butterflied and grilled with superb and not too spicy seasoning. Of course, there was beichih and we finished with delicious and crispy (and not greasy) fried BANANAS with honey drizzle and fruit. The tea was also quite nice and relazing.

I must mention that the fruit is amazing everywhere and Samuel has taken a liking to dragonfruit while I like the rambutans we purchased in Thailand. I think we all adore Mangosteens the best.

 

Our final day in Bagan also included a stop at a Lacquer Factory, where I think we bought everything in site, but were treated to tea, drinks and some snacks as well. Here we adored the local "number on snack" which is called LEPHET TOKE. It is presented in a separated bowl with four sections containing the components which are combined as one desires for each spoonful. TEA LEAF SALAD is ground tea leaves which are in a paste and have healing qualities to boot. DRIED SHRIMP have a spice an gie much flavor to the dish, A mixture of peanuts, garlic and sesame seeds (ground together) form a paste that keeps everything together, and then there is a shredded ginger salad to top the whole spoon with. I need to try and recreate this awesome combination as it was so delish I ate almost 5 spoonfuls!

 

The next morning we rose early again for our flight back to Yangon and more touring of the large and overcrowded city. Lunch was at MONSOON Restaurant where there is a bar and many locals downstairs, but white linens and white folk upstairs :-)).

Only the guides and servers upstairs were local, and sadly the service was not that fine. Will & Sam had melon coolers with watermelon and lime while I went the healthier route with a Veggie Pineapple drink made from cucumber, pineapple and ginger. May said her lime soda was very bitter, even after adding a carafe of sugar water!

Sam wanted two starters and gobbled up a huge bowl of Penilay Kyarzan Hincho, that lentil soup he now loves as well as a huge plate of Por Pia Thod, Thai Veggie spring rolls.

Again, as is the local custom, all the starters and mains arrived togther and we dug into Nga Phe Thoke, a fish cake salad which actually was shredded fish cakes with the salad mix that packed a punch. Tha Kwar Thee Pazun Sake Thoke (thoke is salad I think) was a refreshing shrimp, cucumber and lime salad.

The Kyether Kalathar Chet is called Bachelor's Chicken & Gourd Curry in English and sadly some of the pieces were more bone than meat, but this very traditional local curry was loaded with flavor in the sauce and the gourd was cooked perfectly and had a pear flavor as well, which while odd, was delicious.

Wetther Phone Yay was not a dish declaring the virtues of the telephone, but a Pork in Black Soy Bean Paste Curry that I loved. It was even better when the Beichih arrived (after asking for it 3 times).

Stir fried Morning Glory (the veggie we had the first night in Singapore) was here translated as watercress, but it is still closer to bok choy or spinach(could this be leaf of the gods in Burmese?) and came with chilies in an oyster sauce that was sublime.

We skipped dessert as we were full and ultimately headed back to the ship knowing that Burmese food is now on the list of must do again!

 

 

 

Thai treats at the relaxing RIMTANG@CHALONG - creative cuisine with power in Phuket, Thailand (12-25-14)

On our days in Malaysia on the cruise we had awesome local food such as LAKSA NONYA which was even spicier than that in Singapore....plus we had an amazing PENANG CURRY on that island that will remain memorable for its stingray, squid and spice.

On our day in Phuket, Thailand's famous sea resort, we made it clear to our guide that we wanted local authentic and yes, spicy, cusine. She chose well with the RIMTANG@CHALONG, Lakeside Wine Bar & Restaurant just a block from the Wat Chalong, the most revered and famous Buddhist temple on the island.

The setting is serene, on a small pond and the decor very elegant with teak tables on the terrace with lots of sections so you fell as if you are almost alone. Even the bathrooms were clean, spotless and air conditioned.

Samuel has decided that spicy is not his thing, and chose the Spring Rolls as well as a Noodle Soup with Pork. He would not touch the spring rolls as even though vegetarian, he declared them too fishy. This is his new ploy to avoid dishes; insisting they have shrimp!

We ordered up some yummy sweet Thai Iced Coffees, very refreshing with the spicy food and in the 84 degree heat. We decided to share several dishes and all were excellent:

TOM YAM KOONG was a very spicy shrimp soup with the chili-coconut broth loaded with ginger, lemongrass. In the heat it might seem odd, but it is really the best kind of food in this temperature.

SPICY SQUID SALAD was chilled and refreshing but again loaded with those tasty red Thai chilis.

FRIED RICE was excellent with loads of chunky crab meat. Who could ask for more?

Jo suggested the whole SEA BASS STEAMED IN SOY SAUCE with Ginger & Garlic which was the mildest of the dishes and we easily let her filet the yummy fleshy fish that was so fresh, it must have been caught that morning.

Easily my favorite dish was the CRISPY SOFT SHELL CRABS with Spicy Green Mango Salad. This dish was loaded with flavor and the large pieces of crab were almost as good as what we get back in DC each summer. The salad was again loaded with those tasty red chilis and we all marveled at while the spice was intense, it did not burn or last in your mouth at all.

Next stop--MYANMAR where we shall disembark the ship for 3 days and have no internet, so expect more on Burmese food closer to the end of the year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

--

Singapore's BLUE GINGER more Peranakan in paradise (12-21-14)

Our last evening in Singapore before the cruise today (we will return here at the end of the cruise) took us to another Peranakan cuisine hideaway that has the highest ratings in town for this rare cuisine found only on the Malay Peninsula. The BLUE GINGER (www.theblueginger.com) is an assuming spot that belies its

hidden talents. We arrived and came through the door to see a crowded small room with only locals. After we checked in the hostess told us to head through a door and up the steps. Our joke to ourselves was, "oh, they stick the tourists upstairs." WRONG! On the second floor was another room, a bit less crowded and not one Westerner in sight. We were taken to a nice table looking out over the street, but seconds later asked to move to an alcove to make room for a larger group. No problem. I marveled at the paper napkins on the tables, as linens are only found at the rare fine dining establishments or fancy hotels. Only one of the employees, clearly the manager or such, spoke decent English, but the bi-lingual menu helped us to try and make some decisions.

We ordered a bottle of wine from the very short list and again agreed on the Sauvignon Blanc, this time Black Cottage from New Zealand, as this usually works well with the intense local spices.

A note on the menu said that $2,50 (1.65$US) is charged per person for rice, pickles and Sambal Belachan, that spicy chili-shrimp paste that we are in love with.

In the end they only charged the adults, which was fine. The pickles are yummy with spice and a bit sweet and sour, as well as a hint of peanut (a la Thai). They were crunchy and made up of carrots, cabbage and much more that we couldn't decipher.

Sam ordered the Crispy Chicken Bites (think nuggets) with Asian chilli dipping sauce, and devoured them quickly but without the sauce. I tasted and decalred the sauce divine. Will ordered KUEH PIE TEE or shredded bamboo shoots and turnips in a pie tee cup with a mini-shrimp garnish. It was a tasty simple dish with four little pastry-like cups that you popped into your mouth and got lots of different flavors. I went for the OTAK OTAK or Fish Cake as I do love the Thai version. Well, these are completely different as they are made with turmeric, galangal, chilli, candlenuts and that lovable shrimp paste then cooked in lime leaves a la tamales. They even have the same consistency but tons more flavor and of course are fish-based.

Main courses included Sam's simple SATAY BABI or fried pork satay which really were slices rather than skewers. Will chose the AYAM PANGGANG 'BLUE GINGER' which was made with dark chicken meat, coconut milk and spices. Each is served family style and the server comes with a huge rice basket which is served to each person in massive portions on your plate which you then add the various dishes o along with condiments. I could not decide between two Tiger Prawn dishes and the guy who spoke English said the UDANG NONYA was spicier and drier rather than the UDANG MASAK ASSAM GULAI which had a tamarind gravy. I chose the NONYA with preserved bean paste, fresh garlic, chilli and spring onions. These Tiger Prawns are not huge but the portion of five with heads and tails on dressed in chili paste filled me up fast. The spice was just right and I had to suck the superb sauce off each head.

A trip to the WC gave us the non air conditioned section with no paper towels, but it was clean, as almost everything is in Singapore.

 

Dessert for me was Soursop over Shaved Ice which was divinely refreshing. I had this fruit recently in the Turks & Caicos and adore it now. Will chose the GULA MELAKA which is chilled sago (think barley bubbles) with honey sea coconut. I was too full to taste, but he said it was also quite refreshing and light.

Off to bed and wishing we could just eat more of the great food.

At least the hotel breakfast here at the Fullerton Bay Hotel offers many superb local dishes from chicken curry to sweet pork buns, spring rolls, wontons, dumplings and more which change each day. We avoided the congee, but loved the variety of Eastern & Western delights!

Slinging around in Singapore; yummy hawker food and so much more...(12/20&21/14)

Our two days in Singapore have been spent with our guide Phil who really knows local food well. The first day he pulled his car right up to a storefront and we sat ourselves on small stools at a table by the road for DUCK/RICE. Now every Eastern Asian meal has rice, so many of the meals are called simply duck/rice, fish/rice or the most famous chicken/rice; each vendor of course has his or her own recipe.

This was the most delicious one in town for sure and came with pickled cabbage (like sauerkraut), tofu, and the most yummy cooked peanuts with slices of duck breast all over a mound of rice in a rich duck sauce. It was divine and all for $4.50 Singapore per portion (that's about $3.35US each monster-sized place) which is amazing. Of course, chili-prawn paste and garlic-lime sauce were on the side; I could use these every day. The drinks we chose were A&W root beer for Sam and a superb aloe-vera tea-like drink loaded with chunks of aloe fruit at the bottom, which were sweet and reminded me of lychee.

Today our lunch was at the Maxwell Hawker's Stalls which is a covered hawkers' center with what must have been hundreds of storefronts in four rows or so of an indoor market. Many were closed as it was Sunday, but the selection was still amazing. Samuel migrated immediately to the steamed and fried dumpling stand and Phil and I headed to the CHICKEN/RICE, but you must choose from almost a dozen of these. Phil explained the long line was for a place that Gordon Ramsey and Anthony Bourdain had both declared the best in town, but that the chef there had since left and opened his own stall 3 doors down (where many news articles graced the stand declaring 'CHICKEN WARS' in Singapore between the two vendors)...so that's where we headed. There are sauces and clear chicken broth as well with each dish and while it was nice, it was not an historic dining moment. The egg & oyster omelet was good, although Will did not like its slightly slimy consistency. The hit dish was Hokkein Noodles with shrimp & calamari. A fried banana was had for dessert and then we headed to the smoothie stand where dragonfruit/passionfruit smoothies were in store for Sam & I and Will chose the drangonfruit/yoghurt smoothie as it proclaimed to help with weight loss and memory recall!

It was a yummy two days in Singapore for sure....and we shall return here after our cruise for more tasty local tidbits.

Singapore's CLIFFORD PIER proves perfect for Peranakan Cuisine (12-20-14)

While staying here in Singapore for a couple of days before our cruise we are having the opportunity to taste many types of amazing Asian cuisine. Our first night, we were exhausted from the long flights, so we dined in our hotel at the Clifford Pier which is a huge 1933 pier over the water on Marina Bay which has been lovingly restored to great colonial grandeur with modern décor. The huge arched steel ceiling is awesome as are the massive chandeliers. The chairs are lushly upholstered in silver and there are banquettes curved with tons of pillows that give "casbah" feel. Sam settled into his corner of the banquette and quickly drifted off to sleep missing dinner completely!

We loved the fact that the sparkling water was our favorite, Badoit from France. A bottle of Yalumbia "The Y Series" 2013 Viognier was extremely rich and a wonderful match to our rich and spicy seafood dishes.

At first the service was slow; we had to turn around multiple times to get someone to bring a wine list and take our order, despite the fact that the room was swarming with servers with earpieces, looking very Asian CIA.

First came a starter of UNI GLASS NOODLE, a true modern take on Pernakan (the mélange of Malay/Singapore and other local cultures) noodle dish served cold with Sea Urchin, Salted Egg, Salmon Roe, a tiny black fish roe (smaller than most caviars) in a truffle sauce with shaved truffles. Decadent, yes, but awesome flavors that exploded in your mouth.

We shared two very traditional Pernakan main courses. I ordered the CHAR KWAY TEON, fried mixed noodles (there were several different sizes), prawns, squid, Chinese sausage, chives, egg in a sweet chilli soy sauce. There is also pork in the dish and it is traditionally fried in lard for extra flavor. This one was excitement in the mouth and my favorite dish of the night. Will loved his dish more which was LAKSA, a soup of prawn, rice, vermicelli, quail eggs, fried bean curd puffs, and bean sprouts in a spicy coconut broth.

A side of KANGKONG BELACHAN (not related to King Kong:-)), but a stir fried green veggie akin to a bok choy/string bean/spinach cross but called Morning Glory here in a spicy chilli sauce with dried shrimp Belachan. The belachan is the shrimp chilli paste used here for everything which I adore and the dried shrimp are like bacon bits in it.

Speaking of dried...there were fish toasts on the table when we sat with four sauces(no one ever told us what they were), and one sported dried softened peanuts and small dried anchovy like fish which was yummy as could be.

Will ordered the Feh Tariq Ice cream which was like a coffee/honey flavor and served with gooey yummy Honey Comb Crunch....even though Samuel had just woken up, his braces could never have gotten through this delicious treat.

We rolled back to our room to head to sleep, looking forward to another day of new food discoveries.

--

BENOIT in NYC is the bistro for brunch (12-7-14)

On Sunday I had a good amount of spare time for brunch prior to a 4 hour opera performance and really wanted to fuel up. I chose BENOIT (www.benoitny.com) located at 60 W 55th Street, just off 6th Avenue and very central to everything.

I arrived early at 1145am and the dining room was quiet, when I left at 130pm, it was jammed with a line waiting for tables, so always reserve.

BENOIT is the baby of French uber-Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse, but this is basic French bistro at its best, nothing over the top, not even the prices.

The room has a beautiful faux ceiling of blue skies with clouds and lots of B&W period French photos from the mid-20th century and earlier. There are those large bistro posters and lots of French staff, so you feel truly in a classy French bistro with lots of blonde wood tones, crisp linens and red velvet.

My server was French-born with a truly wonderful accent to boot and the pumped music is simple French chansons of all types, but never loud.

The menu is simple with starters, soups & salad, fish, meats and breakfast type brunch items, which I usually avoid, although the little girl next to me ordered the French toast and it looked awesome piled high with marinated fresh fruits.

I was greeted with a small plate of piping hot crispy cheese gougeres which were so welcome on one of the coldest days of the year so far.

The bread came slightly warmed in a cloth basket to keep it warm and was sliced baguette as well as brown country. The butter was nice, but it was not the quality of good French butter.

Due to that cold I started with the French ONION SOUP which arrived steaming and covered with a gooey stringy browned Gruyere that was the best I have ever tasted outside of France. The soup was scalding hot and again I welcomed this on the bitter cold day as I warmed up so fast. I had asked my server to hold off bringing my main course and he was spot on with his timing. The magnificent plate of Hand Chopped PRIME BEEF TARTARE with a Watercress Salad on the side. The meat was speckled with salty capers and used mustard and pepper well for spice. Small baguette crisps sliced thin and crispy were on the side for crunch and shmearing. The Dijonnaise vinaigrette on the salad had the requisite mustard and reminded me oh so much of my time in cooking school in Dijon, France decades ago. The glass of GIVRY 1er Cru 2010 (not 2007 as listed on the wine list) "Clos Saint Pierre" from Thenard was ideal with the tartare and I was in no mood for a chilled wine with the bitter wind outside.

I looked around at the many varied dishes and the portions were large (even the side and main salads), as mine was, and everyone seemed to be VERY happy with their choices from burgers, to charcuterie to omelets. Only the brunch drinks (at $12+ each) seemed to come in small chintzy glasses....stick to wine.

I ordered some coffee and was way too full for dessert, but then the manager brought over two slices of marble pound cake that was the most buttery I have ever tasted. He said that the pastry chef makes him a loaf to eat for breakfast each week.

I was thrilled he offered me a taste of this  simple yet divine creation.

We return to NYC as a family in March, and I think Benoit beckons for dinner or another brunch!

 

multiple bravos for BRABO venerable Virginia wine dinner (12-3-14)

Last night I skipped down to Alexandria where we had an awesome meal at BRABO (www.braborestaurant.com) about a year ago. I am so glad I got the email about their Virginia wine dinner as this was indeed a special event and I was thrilled I signed up. On arrival we were ushered into the intimate lobby of the Lorien Hotel (where Brabo is located) as they had set us up for about 35 people or so in a private dining area there.

We were served THIBAUT-JANISSON "Xtra Brut" Blanc de Chardonnay which I had tasted before, but forgot how impressed I was with this awesome sparkling wine which is probably the best in the entire state. Winemaker & Co-Owner Claude Thibaut was circling around the room and we had the chance to chat with him about this terrific wine.

Soon we were ushered into the dining room and I was seated next to Jason Tesauro who is the Chief Sommelier & National Brand Director for one of my favorite wineries, Barboursville. Jason was a replacement at the last minute for the venerable Luca Paschina, who has been making spectacular wines for decades in Virginia, and in Italy prior to that. We've know Luca for a long time, and while I was sorry he was not there, I found Jason to be so lively and ebullient that I was thrilled to meet and sit with him. We drank more of the Xtra Brut as the amuse bouche of SMOKED TROUT PANNA COTTA, Verjus Mirroire & Trout Roe arrived. While this treasure was indeed amuse size, I could have eaten a dozen; I just wanted more, but I knew many courses were to follow and satiate....so I restrained. The creamy panna cotta had many folks thinking this was going to be sweet, but I was not fooled, and the flavor burst from the cream and roe was divine.

 

The first course was a RABBIT BALLONTINE, Roasted KURI SQUASH, Asian PEAR & Pepitas which wowed everyone. The encased rabbit fillet was tender and delicate and the wine was so restrained it was an ideal pairing. Jason introduced the Barboursville Vineyard "Reserve" Vermentino 2013  and joked that the room was denser with sommeliers then a Vegas dining spot. Indeed, since Brabo is owned by Chef Robert Wiedmaier, his chief sommelier, Ramon, from Marcel's in DC was heading up the staff who meticulously cared for all our wine needs. The bright white wine was dry yet full of tropical flavors in the first pour, which did get lost in the colder temperature refill (but I warmed it up quickly with my hands and was very happy again).

 

The second course was a Stuffed VIRGINIA QUAIL Breast, CHANTERELLE Mushrooms, Grilled PEARL ONIONS & BACON JUS. Simply said, I chewed every bit of meat off the tiny leg and left not a dribble of sauce on my plate. We joked about asking for bread to insure there was no sauce left, but then remembered more was coming and wanted to avoid those filling carbs! Rachel Martin of Boxwood Estate Winery in Middleburg introduced her "TOPIARY" 2011 as a blend of 68% Cab Franc and 32% Merlot which was a ready to drink now red that I could enjoy with our without food. She explained that the blending percentages vary by year and that while Boxwood is known for reds, they will be unveiling their first white very soon. I was not familiar with Boxwood, other than by name, and am so happy we have another fantastic winery to visit so close to DC.

 

Third was a FOIE GRAS GATEAUX with Sauce Bordelaise which was Hudson Valley Foie gras enrobed in Chicken Mousseline. Need I say more? The wine was RdV "Rendevous" 2009 which was the only winery without representation. I had RdV's extremely high priced wines at a dinner over a year ago (also in Alexandria at Eve) and while I gave in and purchased 3 bottles of this same wine at $100 each(!!!), I reminded myself that it really needs a while in the bottle as it is a huge Bordeaux style blend of Merlot, Cab Franc & Petite Verdot. I felt this was a bit too overpowering for the foie gras, but many folks felt it was a great pairing; wine is so personal!

 

Next was a Juniper Dusted VENISON LOIN accompanied by Smoked CHESTNUT PUREE, Swiss CHARD, Glazed BABY BEETS & Red Wine Jus. I knew winter had arrived and anything with venison or chestnuts wins me over in two seconds flat. This dish was no different. The meat was perfectly seared just past rare and oh so tender; the puree enveloping and the veggies divine. The Barboursville Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2012 is my first time with this particular vintage and it has always been my favorite Cab Franc on this side of the earth, perhaps indeed anywhere. This vintage is great and I'll have to make sure we get some in the future, when there is space in the cellar :-)).

 

Dessert from pastry chef Erin Reed showed her prowess with a Caramelized BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CUSTARD, Jivara LEMON CREAM, HAZELNUT BRITTLE & Frangelico Pearls that was not only delicious, but gorgeous to look at. THIBAUT-JANISSON Blanc de Chardonnay was served, and while I do like champagne, I would have loved a nice sweet dessert wine.

As we finished up Chef Harper McClure who is the chef de cuisine at Brabo emerged along with DC uber-chef Robert Weidmaier to massive bravos, applause and cheers. They deserved much praise for the fine work, dedication and attention they gave to this truly special dinner and event. BRAVOS to BRABO!

 

The SMITH in NYC(@Lincoln Center) is not totally up to snuff (11-28-14)

While in NYC over Thanksgiving our other dinner in town was at THE SMITH across from Lincoln Center as the three of us were headed to La Boheme at The Met.

I have always enjoyed my meals here, despite the noise and crowds. On Friday night, the quality was down a bit and I may rethink my next visit to the Smith.

The very nice SALMON TARTARE was the spicier of the two according to our server, but not too spicy. It comes in a mason jar, as so many items here do, and has jalapeno, sriracha and scallions for spice on the side. I loved the flat lentil

crisps rather than more bread as they had flavor but not heft. Will adored his Roasted TOMATO SOUP with Cheddar Melt, and it's always nice to munch on the tasty mini-baguettes that come in mini-paper bags with excellent butter.

They also provide complimentary bottles of house filtered sparkling and still water on arrival.

Since I adored the chicken pot pie on my last visit, Will went for the Pennsylvania Dutch TURKEY POT PIE with Cheddar Chive Biscuit Top, and it seems to have shrunk in size, but is still a winner of a dish.

Samuel ordered the FILET MIGNON with Fries which he asked for medium rare. the crust was tasty and crunchy, but while the center was medium rare, the edges were dry, chewy and past medium. He complained it was too dry and chewy for a good steak, and he was indeed spot on.

I chose the Friday night special of LOBSTER ROLL & Chips. The homemade chips were awesome with a spicy kick and while the roll was a good size, it was a bit soggy and messy to eat and leaked all over the place as I took each bite.

The accompanying Agave Lemonade was declared as way too sweet.

Samuel ended with the monster-sized HOT FUDGE SUNDAE which was Vanilla Ice Cream over flourless Chocolate Cake, a nice chunk of Almond bark and a very not fudgey (more thick chocolate sauce) hot fudge topping.

Will liked his STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING that came in a skillet with caramelized apples and vanilla ice cream. The coffee here always gets high marks.

We'll seek other options in the area next time, and maybe return to The Smith at a later date.

 

YC's Ai FIORI exudes elegance, fills you and takes a turn on Italian (11-26-14)

Last night after a long travel day in rain, sleet and snow and a matinee on Broadway we headed over to Murray Hill and the Langham Hotel at 400 5th Avenue (37th St) to escape the Theater District and the crowds. AI FIORI has been open a while and is one of Chef Michael White's growing enterprises (we experienced Marea on Central Park South a couple of years ago), and only a couple of months ago joined the Relais et Chateaux group in its exclusive group of NY fine dining spots.

It was a quiet oasis of calm when we arrived just after 530pm, and the place never got noisy (it was a quiet night for them the day before T-giving), but this, again, is a hallmark of a Relais dining establishment.

Our server Jon arrived with a cheery smile and we settled in for a couple of hours of wonderful food and excellent service. Salted grissini (thin breadsticks) arrived standing in a small shotglass filled with EVOO and herbs for dipping. We consulted with the sommelier and arrived at a new white for us, ETNA BIANCO from Graci 2013 in Sicily which was crispy yet dry and creamy when it got a bit warmer.

The amuse was PARSNIP PUREE with a dab of Balsamic Reduction and Candied Orange which was rich and creamy, but Sam sent his over to me (yay, more for me)....Will declared it was a bit bitter, but I loved the novel combination which was a palate wake-up call.

Sam chose to go right to the pasta section as he was enthralled with the AGNOLOTTI of veal & butternut squash in a divine Sage & Black Truffle Sugo with crispy fried sage leaves on top. It was gone oh so quickly.

We decided to take advantage of the $97 four course prix fixe which includes a starter/pasta/main of fish or meat/and dessert. It's quite a deal since the prices here tend to be quite high at every starter in the high teens, pastas even higher and mains in the 30's and 40's$ range.

Will started with the tender PULPO cooked (as Jon carefully explained each dish as it arrived) sous-vide in garlic & thyme and then grilled a la plancha with fennel, purple cabbage and served over a kicky prosciutto spread that we all could not resist.

My ANIMELLE were soaked in milk veal sweetbreads that were oh so tender as well and melted in my mouth but had a crunch due to the crispy batter oh-so-delicately around each piece.  These came with butternut squash and a superb black truffle jus. On the side was a most interesting Caponata made from pistachios and raisins. I would not call this caponata, but it was interesting and truly to my liking (I'm not a huge raisin fan, especially with such a delicate meat.

For the pasta course I was leaning towards the Duck Confit Risotto but Jon steered me to a wonderful SPAGHETTI with Blue Crab(MD), Lemon, Bottarga & Calabrian Chiles. It was salty, spicy and everything my mouth desired. The crab was worthy of the best we get at home and I was happy I listened to Jon. Will had the same amazing Veal Agnolotti as Sam had and declared it one of the best pasta dishes on earth. He said he wants to have this served at his final meal before he goes on to the world to come!

Samuel had decided to try the Zuppa di Zucca or Butternut Squash Soup with pickled delicata squash, brown butter and pumpkin seeds. The dish usually comes with foie gras, but Sam asked for them to leave it out. He did not care for the soup overall as it was a bit wimpy on richness. I tasted it and must agree because we were expecting a creamier soup more typical of the butternut squash style that Samuel usually adores. Jon quickly agreed to replace the almost untouched dish and guess what Sam chose...another plate of those awesome Agnolotti that disappeared promptly.

Will & I had moved on to an excellent full bodied and intense 2009 BARBERA d'ASTI "Tulin" from Pelissero full of tasty tannins along with a wonderful earthy nose and flavor. It was superb with my ANATRA or Long Island Duck Breast cooked with honey and a crunchy crust of toasted hazelnuts on the skin.  Salty Tuscan Kale accompanied the dish, Cipollini onions, mustard fronds, apple mostarda and a foie gras jus. The combination was divine and the duck cooked perfectly.

Will ordered the VITELLO or Amish veal chop "au four" which came with new potato cake, sage, capers, prosciutto and a rich truffle cheese fondant. On arrival the dish was not very hot, so it went back for a warm-up and returned to Will's liking.  Will said the meat was not as good as the duck, but overall the preparation was good.

There were wonderful breads: black olive, country white, multi-grain and sesame seed served with Columbino EVOO and Rosemary salted butter.

For dessert Samuel jumped on the TARTALETTA, a chocolate pastry shell of Loma Sotarento 72% ganache, chocolate chiboust, tiramisu gelato and a bit of chocolate crunch. It was excellent and the hit for me was the gelato and crunch. Will had the MELA or caramel apple confit with brown butter torta, vanilla & cider sorbetto. It was refreshing and lighter and perfect for the season.

Some mignardises arrived of salted caramel, peppermint chocolate, a fruit gelee and one more. There were only four of these and 3 of us, which made for difficult splitting. Jon returned with a bottle of ARDBEG Scotch from Vigeadail in Islay (we had mentioned we liked scotch) and gave us each a complimentary pour to warm us up and send us on our way. Small lemon poundcakes arrived which we just finished for breakfast and they were tasty and moist and just right with the morning coffee.

Not everything was perfect at Ai Fiori, but the flowering service and most of the excellent food made our evening really great. Plus, we missed the massive traffic exodus from the NYC to Long Island where we headed for the holiday.

Jackie's in Silver Spring is super in the suburbs (11-16-14)

Yesterday afternoon we attended a concert in Silver Spring and headed just up the block to JACKIE's (www.jackiesrestaurant.com) where there are smiles waiting on your arrival in this brick garage turned restaurant where the fabric patterns will wake you up and the cozy warmth was just right on a cold wet night. We ordered a bottle of La Cartuja 2012 from Priorat which our server Dan was not sure, so he checked with manager/bartender Ryan and we gave it a go. A warm deep red from Spain that despite its youth is drinking superbly now and goes with so many items on the menu. Samuel chose the TRUFFLE CHEESE FRIES from the snacks menu which was a HUGE portion, not a snack, but yummy nonetheless. By the time the dish is finished though, the cold fries are no longer as exciting as they are on arrival, so gobble up. We also tried the CHICKEN LIVER CROSTINI starter which is a snack of three slices with fresh Black truffles, Arugula Pesto and Grano that is a nice starter. The 3 course dinner special is a steal at $32 (there are some supplements), and includes either snack, appetizer and main or appetizer, main and dessert. Sam continued on to the BEEF SHORTRIB with Smoked Gnocchi, Cabbage Crème Fraiche & Red Onion jelly. the cabbage was not a hit, but he adored the gnocchi and ate a good part of the huge meat portion.

Will started with the Walla Walla ONIONS, LAMB BACON, Raisin, Radish & Kale Chimichurri which is a great dish and awesomely smoky from the bacon and chimichurri. My starter was the Salt Roasted BONE MARROW with Foie Gras CRUMBLE, Shallots, Vanilla(Butter) Brioche which were three huge bones and oh so yummy, but slightly overdosed with shallots making it hard to really taste the marrow itself. The crumble was great and the Foie gras taste came through just fine.

We moved on to a bigger wine, BOBAL from Finca Sandoval "Signo" 2010 from La Mancha in Spain which is groan at a high altitude in lime, but still has huge fruit notes in the wine. Ideal with Will's thick rich Roasted COBIA with Cauliflower Variations(puree& roasted), Black Fig, Prosciutto Vinaigrette & Cheese Gnudi. The puree was intensely salty, which Ryan later agreed with us on, but overall the dish was a star. Chef Adam Harvey has been there a year now, and was out last night, so perhaps the sous chef had oversalted erroneously. My GLAZED DUCK with Fermented Bok Choy, Sweet & Sour Eggplant & Cherry Mustard was cooked on the rare side and yet, still had a crunchy crisp skin I adored.

 

For desserts we chose two and Samuel gobbled up his Warm Chocolate GANACHE with Concord Grape, Peanut Butter & Salted Caramel Popcorn while Will and I tried the Buttermilk PANNA COTTA with Gala Apple, Oatmeal, & Vanilla Dulce di Leche which was a nice dish, but not your traditionally flavored custard as it did just seem slightly odd, though tasty.

 

We had a real nice time here and the place was almost dead, so it was very quiet on a Sunday....maybe we need to get out of DC to get to the quiet these days?

an enticing evening at ENTYSE (McLean, VA) with lovely LINDEN wines (also from Virginia) (11-11-14)

10:09 AM (6 minutes ago)

Other recipients:

Last night I headed over to the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner where one of the dining options is ENTYSE which has a beautiful private dining room which the 40 or so of us occupied with uber-winemaker Jim Law who owns and runs LINDEN Winery in Virginia.

Last night I headed over to the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner where one of the dining options is ENTYSE which has a beautiful private dining room which the 40 or so of us occupied with

uber-winemaker Jim Law who owns and runs LINDEN Winery in Virginia. I was especially pleased to be seated center-table (we were at one large long table) right opposite the maestro himself, whom

I have admired for decades. He told us many wonderful stories of his 35 years of vintages and it is easy to see from what we drank, what a huge success he is.

We started with Avenius Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (which was just released), and it was superb with the variety of passed hor's d'oevres from

Quail Egg with Hollandaise Sauce, Bacon & Caviar

Grilled Shrimp on Sugar Cane Skewer

Salmon Roll with Caviar

An amazing FOIE GRAS which I could have sworn had cocoa in it, but I was told no.

and more that I have sadly forgotten

 

We sat down to dinner and were served both the 2009 and 2012 Chardonnay "Hardscrabble" which were two distinctly different wines, although the same grapes!

The '12 is lighter and the '09 was more intense, creamy and rich. These were served with a DOVER SOLE with Roasted Baby Fennel, Creamed Leeks and LOBSTER MEDALLIONS with a Lobster Tarragon Butter Sauce. A yummy quenelle was on the side as well.

Interestingly enough, we all agreed the Fennel & Sole went best with the 2012 and the 2009 was awesome with the Lobster, butter and leeks. I'm thrilled that I have a good supply of the '09 at home.

Wines were poured by sommelier/cellarmaster Vincent Ferraud, whom I have not seen since a previous visit to the Ritz-Carlton when Maestro was located there. He has been a  fixture in DC for decades going back to Jean-Louis at the Watergate!

Spiegelau crystal was used and really enhanced the experience.

The second course was a rich and creamy Organic MUSHROOM RISOTTO with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and Truffled Micro Arugula with tomatoes. The only thing that could have improved this dish in this season would have been fresh white truffles! It was still superb and paired with a Linden CLARET 2011 made from 44% Merlot, 36% Cab and 20% Cab Franc. Jim explained that each year when they blend the Claret it is developed thru "blind" tastings of the grapes and chance blendings so to speak.

 

The main course was a BISON FILET with Cauliflower Puree, Confit Marble Potatoes and miniature chips, Globe Carrots and Port Wine Jus. There were two reds from HARDSCRABBLE 2009 and 2010 and Jim explained that these blends vary as well by year with no Merlot in the 2010 (83% Cabernet Sauvignon) but less Cab and more Merlot in the 2009. I have the 2010 at home and while they were both good, it was the 2010 that went better with the meat and the '09 better just as a nice finisher.

Dessert was another pair of wines:
Vidal Late Harvest 2007 and Petit Mensang Late Harvest 2009 (which we have lots of at home!). Jim explained that these are not true but fake icewines in that the Petit Mensang was just picked last Thursday and then the grapes are frozen.

The 2007 Vidal could easily last years and mature like a good icewine or Sauternes. The Petiti Mensang is a sweet "wild fruit trip" that is good anytime and anywhere after a meal or with intense cheeses as well.

We had a nice ALMOND FRUIT TART and then started off on our way home very full and very happy that Linden found its way to ENTYSE us!

 

a bit less curious about the CURIOUS GRAPE in Arlington, but still good (11-7-14)

After a little over a year we returned to The CURIOUS GRAPE (www.curiousgrape.com) in Shirlington and for the most part, the food was very good. However, it seems that Chef Joe Hornbeck who had just started there in the spring of 2013 has departed and was replaced about a year a go by Chef Delian DiPietro, who has many good ideas, but perhaps needs some more guts.

Wines and cheeses here are stars and we started with a delicious white Grenache 2013 Chapoutier Cotes de Luberon "Le Ciboise." The glass come in full or halves, so you can try many tastes. We moved on to a bottle of red (also available by the glass) from Bodegas LAN 2005 Gran Reserva which was decanted and oh so wonderful on the chilly cold night. We did have to ask for the wine several times after the order was placed, and this was the other big issue. Our server, Jon, was most helpful, but it seemed that the completely full restaurant was desperately understaffed with servers.

The warm focaccia and olive oil for dipping was nice as well.

Three of us started with the wonderful sounding on a cold night POTATO LEEK SOUP with Crispy Potatoes, Fried Shallots, Baby Arugula & Mustard Oil with Kymac, which Jon explained is a Turkish double cream! The crunch from the shallots was great, the soup creamy and rich, but not really hot enough, and sadly, OH SO BLAND. I asked Jon for pepper which came fast, but one of our friends who asked for salt never got it. We were asked about the dishes we liked and disliked and mentioned that it needed crispy bacon or white pepper or something.

The special starter was MEATBALLS PUTTANESCA which was a winner for sure. Indeed we all chose, smaller plates for our meal so as not to fill up before the theater.

My next course was a big winner: Seared OCTOPUS with Black Hummus, Fresh Chick Peas, Cucumber & Fried Capers. The hummus was very different from the thicker manila brand and very vinegary which worked so well as a dressing for the perfectly charred and tender octopus. The dish also was loaded with crunchy pomegranate seeds for a burst of flavor.

The other winner was the CHICKEN ROULADE which was a breast rolled with mascarpone, marcona almonds and marsala jus. Opposite were local mushrooms on a square of date paste that was just as yummy.

The loser was the PORK RAGU which had a scant amount of Virginia pork shoulder on pappardelle with piave vecchio cheese and herbed panko. It too arrived lukewarm.

We tried some of the cheese plates and they were both quite good with some odd additions to be sure. The FALL Cheese plate had pumpkin chevre, cranberry Wensleydale and a maple smoked cheddar with apples chips and the most divine port-infused cranberries. The TRUFFLE Cheese plate had TREMOR Truffle cheese, which could have been a shade riper and BOSCHETTO al Tartufo with Truffle Toast, Truffled Salami, a swath of divine Thyme Honey which went great with the two cheeses and a pile of Preserved Mushrooms which were quite odd. The small pile of micro greens had a glop of gooey balsamic that I thought was worms at first; need I say more.

So, while we had some good dishes, THE CURIOUS GRAPE no longer holds top billing for us and boy does Shirlington need some more fine dining for those of us that love going out to eat before or after attending our beloved Signature Theatre down the street!

DC's JACK ROSE DINING SALOON - if you like Whisk(e)y, get there soon! (11-2-14)

At an auction last year we purchased a Scotch tasting and dinner and we were treated to an awesome evening last night at JACK ROSE DINING SALOON (www.jackrosediningsaloon.com) located at 18th & Florida Sts, NW just below Adam's morgan. The establishment has been there for 4 years and I never even noticed it in my many passings of this block! On arrival Roberto Cofino, the Scotch malt Whisky Tasting Advisor introduced himself and started us on our journey. Each of the five of us explained our likes and dislikes and he proceeded to bring over bottles and taste that were different per our requests.

We mentioned that we like the peaty intense Scotches we have had over the last 5 years since we first tasted Highland park at the distillery. We named some we liked and some we did not like as much, and also mentioned we were headed to Ireland next summer and would love to know more about Irish Whiskey.

A tasty amuse of warm goat cheese puffs arrived with pickled cauliflower and veggies and then the plate of various appetizers we ordered came and kept us busy for quite some time.

The platter is for two and can easily feed three and includes:
Deviled Eggs

Pickled Eggs

Spiced Nuts & Kettle Corn (pecan, almonds and peanuts)

Marinated Olives

4 Bros. Pickled Veggies

Goat Cheese & Ritz Crackers

 

Roberto returned and we began the EXPERIENCE:

A.D. RATTRAY (he called it Dewer Rattray as the Irish do) is a 12 year aged single cask Irish Whiskey from Cooley Distillery. He explained that the Connemara "style," which this was, is much more peaty. Only 212 bottles are made of this gorgeous liquor and we were all quite happy.

We looked around and noticed the long bar on one side stretching from front to rear has hundreds and hundreds of bottles each displayed on the wall library style with a sliding ladder(that screeched too much) to access them. Our side of the room was raised on step and had comfy leather booths that fit 4-6 and behind us was another wall of whisk(e)y that had us inspecting at length. There is an adorable original tin ceiling that sadly adds to the noisy din.

 

We proceeded to 12 year old LAGAVULIN 2010 Edition from Islay in Scotland that was another superb treat, but the winner was the potent potion, nay, the unctuous nectar of KILCHOMAN 4 years also from Islay, but bottled by the Jewish Whisky Society and only 245 bottles were made of this Single Cask Nation using Bourbon barrels and ringing in at 58.4% alcohol.

How odd that Roberto chose this as we were hosted by our rabbi and this was an item purchased at our synagogue auction!

 

I had a taste of the BALVENIE 15 year made in sherry casks and the GLENDONA made in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks (only 643 bottles) both of which had a wonderful sweetness to them.

 

We gave Roberto a run for our money when we asked him to pair a whisky with our main courses. Mine was the ultra-lemony STEAK TARTARE with Serrano Chili(not spicy), Homemade Potato Ruffles and a very vinegary but yummy side salad. His choice of DAILUANE The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Single Cask 41.58 was amazing. The label called it juicy, juicy tart and fruity and it worked with the intense lemon for sure.

The fries here are Boardwalk style and super salty, but excellent. With the burger you might wish to try the BRUICHLADDICH The Laddie 10 (aged 10 years) but it is unpeated and hence alone is not my style, though it paired well.

 

It was an extremely fun night and I even got to have a small sip of WHITE ARMAGNAC which I had not had in years thanks to our generous server.

Now we can't wait to go to Ireland!

DC's DISH still does it deliciously (10-29-14)

We were at DISH (http://www.dishanddrinks.com) , two blocks from the Kennedy Center in the River Inn, back in June for a huge post-opera party and had a great time. Last night, I returned for dinner with the hotel's Sales Manager whom I have worked with for years, as well as the hotel's new General Manager, whom I have known for what it seems like decades! We had a super time in the small dining room that was full for KenCen pre-theater diners. Keith, the manager, has been a fixture there for years and does his job superbly, offering us a bottle of CLINE Ancient Vines Mourvedre 2012 from Contra Costa County in California that was not even on the menu! It was jammy, yummy and totally fulfilling with all our hearty dishes on the first chilly night of the coming winter.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP here has crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds and a swath of Roasted Pumpkin Oil for excellent flavor. It is definitely one of the best of its kind in town.

The DUCK BREAST was a huge dish and cooked perfectly as requested to medium rare with Baby Bok Choy, Sweet Potato Puree and a delicious Orange Grand Marnier Sauce. How I have missed these heavy cold weather dishes.

The Lamb Chop with Confit of Sweet Potato (I always wondered how this differs from the puree?!), Butternut Squash, Andouille Sausage, Onions, Arugula in a Red Wine sauce was a big hit, not to mention the gorgeous Pork Chop.

There is a set pre-theater dinner which includes most items and is a bargain, but dining here after 730pm will insure more quiet for sure. DISH is indeed DELICIOUS!

James Beard Foundation TASTE AMERICA takes the tour to DC and the Mandarin Oriental (10-17-14)

Last Friday evening I headed over to SW DC and the ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental where The James Beard Foundation brought Taste America, it's fundraiser on wheels, so to speak.

We had a 90 minute cocktail party with the best food of the night prepared by awesome local chefs, followed by a four course sit down dinner with paired wines.

I made my way down the cocktail area first trying the fun sparkling rose from Lucien Albrecht which went so well with many of the options at each chef's table. I then moved on to a wonderful Jordan 2011 Chardonnay (there was also a Provenance 2011 Sauvignon Blanc). The reds were even better with a divine Newton Claret 2011 and an awesome Grgich Hills 2007 Merlot. Lots of love went into these choices. Bacardi had sponsored the beverages and there were three quite sweet mixed drinks using their rum which I avoided.

 

I first came upon Marjorie Meeks-Bradley of Ripple (where we had just eaten a couple of weeks before) & Roofer's Union who was assembling CARROT CAVATELLI with Lobster & Chanterelles that was so good I went back for seconds and thirds!

Next to her was one of Washington's newest faces, Chef Ed Scarpone of DBGB Kitchen, Daniel Boulud's first DC spot which is apparently so hot, reservations for months ahead are virtually impossible. He was serving a Truffled BOUDIN BLANC with Pomme Puree, Apples & Pork Jus, which was nice, but my least favorite item of the five chefs present. I guess I won't have to worry about getting a table there, as I would choose the others first!

Chef Jeffrey Buben of Vidalia was there and the only James Beard winner of these five as well. It was obvious as he had a luscious creamy and divine Low Country SHE CRAB Soup (really bisque) with the most adorable and tasty Old Bay Marshmallows (although the menu said it was a Deviled Crab Benne Seed Cracker--nope!).  Fourth was Chef Katsuya Fukushima of Daikaya, who I think is one of the most fun chefs in a DC kitchen. We had such a ball at his place a while ago that it made me want to return to his big smile and great demeanor. He had a wonderful dish of Buttered BREAD(really black bread toasted) with Fire Kissed UNI, Aged Ponzu and Jalapeno. He was torching the uni just a tad and delicately layering it on each piece of tiny bread with the ponzu and jalapeno slice (the menu said it was a Japanese Hot Pepper, but it was not). I must have had six or seven of these awesomely tasty tidbits. Finally was Chef Anthony Chittum of Iron Gate, where we also went for the first time last month. He prepared Melted CABBAGE Tortelloni, Surryano Ham & Red Onion Marmalade. which was super with the little piece of Virginia made crisped ham (a la Serrano) and the tasty pasta and sauce. I am glad I had multiples of all but one dish(the boudin), as the dinner was much less impressive than these superb creations.

 

There was a silent and live auction and I went home with two fun silent packages for dining out as well; I could not resist buying dinner with Chef Marjorie at Ripple!

 

I had a fun group at my table and we all talked about all the great dishes as the wine was poured. Our wine server had two bottles of the first wine, a Trimbach Rielsing from Alsace, but one was 2010 and one was 2011. I asked him to pour both (he did not realize they were different vintages) and immediately fell in love with the 2010 as it was much fuller than the fruity 2011. James Beard Winner CHARLES PHAN of The Slanted Door in San Francisco was flown in for the event and presented us with Banh Boc Lot PORK & SHRIMP TAPIOCA DUMPLINGS in Banana Leaves which was quite nice, but nothing more special than a really good dumpling (and while plural, there was just one on each plate). The wine was perfect with it and I would have had more, but the meal moved along steadily to the second course cooked by DC's own VIKRAM SUNDERAM where his work at Ripple has won him his James Beard Award (well, no surprise there!). His Baked BLACK COD was Marinated with Honey, Chili, Dill, Star Anise, Cream & Cheese and was the winning dish at the table for sure. The anise was barely evident (which made me happy) and the cheese was a crispy piece of Parmesan atop the dish like a little hat. Seguinot-Bordet Chablis was the paired Chardonnay and another superb wine.

For the main course Chef Phan was brought back with a Braised DUCK LEG, Shitake Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots & Chinese Dates which again was okay, but not a bowlover, especially since the duck was slightly dry (always a problem with hundreds of people at a large event). The wine was an amazing Grenache/Syrah Gigondas from Gonnet in the Rhone. I kept drinking this for the remainder of the night as I did not really take to the 2007 McKinley Springs Late Harvest Chenin Blanc from Horse Haven Hills in Washington State that was served with dessert. Chef Didier Pouzier of the Mandarin Oriental in DC was allowed to prepare dessert on his own turf and gave us a refreshing Coconut Tapioca, Cucumber Meringue, Fresh Pineapple & Coconut Sorbet that sent us home feeling quite good as it was not heavy or overpowering at all after some of the very rich dishes that preceded.

I always have fun when I go to the James Beard House in NY and attend their events here in DC. I anxiously await the next one!

 

 

 

Come into NYC's KINGSIDE for some swell cuisine (10-11-14)

I've run up to NYC for a quick two nights of opera, musicals and the Tucker Gala and since I'm staying at the one-year old VICEROY hotel in midtown, I decided to try the restaurant in house called KINGSIDE (120 W 57th Street near 6th Ave). guess Saturday night in mid-town isn't the busiest time for Kingside.

My server, Stacy, said it might pick up later, but that weekdays are busier.

I settled into my cozy brown leather booth and was a bit dismayed by the loud music. The décor here is quite nice with B&W tile floors and white tile walls. There are cool chalkboards on the walls with quite wonderful drawings of various vegetables (very Audubon-ish) which Stacy explained are redone periodically. The lighting is deco-ish and muted and there are lots of votives on the tables.

The bread is sesame seeded and warm and comes with a timbale of tomato jam which tasted like pasta sauce panna cotta, an interesting flavor sure. The white bean puree was a winner for sure.

The menu is simple with some crudos, small plates, large plates and salads. I did not want a lot so I started with the amazing Shaved Kale with Goat Cheese, Olives, Toasted Almonds and a superb Lemon Vinaigrette. I had a very nice "quarto" (small carafe) of Tenuta Rapitala "Campo Reale" 2013 Nero d'Avola from Sicily which worked with the lemon.

Next I went a whole different route based on Stacy's suggestion. The Crispy Baby Artichokes are cooked to perfection and come with juicy lemon slices. All it needed was some fresh pepper which was on the table. Two silly deep fried slices of zucchini were not welcome with the crispy tangy veggies.

The Lobster Toast is a treat with four small squares of toasted brioche topped with lobster salad with mustard seed, fennel and almost no binder; think aioli gone very light. YUM.

A super cappuccino finished my meal, but I was not done for the night.

I returned at midnight where Stacy was tending bar and had a post-opera snack of a 1/2 dozen Chesapeake Oysters with a boring cocktail sauce, but superb jalapeno mignonette and a novel marinated beef mignonette. A small plate of Shaker Blue cheese was a treat which came with yummy port-roasted grapes.

Owen Roe(Yakima Valley, Wash) Rosa Mystica Cab Franc  was an awesome wine choice as well. Now, I was ready for bed.

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