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Back to DCFUD Archived Articles for January 2006
Mac and CheeseThe original recipe calls for half the macaroni we used, yielding a dish that contains more dairy than pasta. Considering this excessive, WRC doubled the pasta portion when he made this at my place last week. Ingredients Cooking When the pasta is cooked al dente: You could also serve it with some shaved parmesan or asagio on top. Enjoy! Archived Articles for January 2006
Radio Free Steak
First, I Heard It on NPR - Second, Steak a la CBS - Archived Articles for January 2006
Best. Salad. Ever!Salads are very big in my family. We pretty much have a salad with every dinner, even if the main dish(es) are vegetable-based. This may have come about because it’s just about the only form in which my paternal grandmother will eat anything resembling a vegetable, but no one is sure, and at this point it’s so ingrained in our routine that it doesn’t matter. Last night, we had a salad that was really and truly a cut above the rest, inspired (as so many great dishes are) by “what’s sitting on the shelf.” Salad: Dressing: - 3 tbs. good quality olive oil; Dress the salad about five minutes before serving to let it all marinate a bit. Top with crumbled blue cheese. Enjoy!! Archived Articles for January 2006
Frazzled Service, Fulfilling Food at Bangkok 54
Checking it out right after the magazine hits the stands? Less inspired. Three friends and I went to Bangkok 54 last weekend to see why the Arlington Thai restaurant was earning such raves. We were greeted with about a half hour wait sans reservation, which wasn’t bad at all considering how packed the place was, and the fact it was a Friday night. More frustrating is that it took the entire thirty minutes for us to get our drinks from the bar, and one of them was incorrect. I enjoyed my mango ginger margarita, though. Once we were seated, service was inattentive and frazzled. A waitress took 20 minutes to “be right back” to take our orders. Appetizers took a considerable amount of time to arrive. A friend’s main dish order of pineapple fried rice lacked, well, pineapple. But boy, was the food good. Won ton soup was perfectly spiced; papaya salad was a cool choice for a chilly night, but still delivered. I ordered 54’s Spicy Roast Duck, which was similar to a dish I’d had at a neighboring Thai restaurant a week before, but in a different league. Topped with basil and fried to a crisp (though slightly greasier than I might have liked), the dish finished with such a hot, savory kick that friends who sampled it said they had trouble tasting their own meals afterwards. Which was really too bad – one had ordered the five-spice braised pork, and it was absolutely delicious, sweet without being cloying. Jasmine tea was a nice accompaniment. Overall, the restaurant probably deserves a break for being swamped during such a busy time, and the bustling atmosphere might have appealed to a more patient crowd, as it sure felt like a “hot spot”. But next time I go, I’m making it a weeknight. Bangkok 54 Archived Articles for January 2006
DC Culinary TourPart of any good traveling experience is culinary; sampling the local cuisine even if it's only different versions of things you have at home is always advised. This was written by guest contributer NMJ. Archived Articles for January 2006
Tapas timeAh, tapas. You and your cured meats and your rich cheeses and your rich marinades and your small-plates-that-falsely-lead-me-to-believe-I’m-not-gorging-myself. I renewed my love-affair with the late night Spanish dish when a friend and I took out a visitor from Pasadena to Jaleo’s Crystal City location last week. Three of us didn’t really need nine tapas. But boy, did we enjoy them. The roundup: Quesos de Espana: Jaleo’s cheese plate includes Murcia, Picon, Idiazabal and Manchengo, if you can't stick to just one. The portions aren’t giant, but they end up being more than you need, once you order other items. I’m always partial to manchengo, though picon was a little pungent for my liking; overall, I enjoyed all four choices. Spanish sausage: If you get the variety plate, Jaleo provides you small slices of chorizo, soria, butifarra, salchichon, with a toasty bread to match. Rich and spicy. Duck confit with pear sauce: One of my favorite dishes, this was incredibly rich – the duck was juicy without being too fatty, and the sauce nicely balanced the bird’s sauciness. Octopus with paprika: Eh. It tastes as you’d expect it to taste. Didn’t mind the rubbery texture, but the overall effect was a little more bland than I’d hoped. Tortilla de patatas: This was probably my choice as top dish, though it wasn’t anything particularly unique. Served warm, to my surprise, this tortilla was savory and flavorful, despite there not being much to it. Very filling and satisfying. Spanish mackerel: I could have done without this choice, but my two dining companions raved, so I’ll chalk it up to my antipathy towards fishy-tasting fish. Simply prepared, showing off the fish itself. Steamed mussels: This is a great buy at Jaleo as they give you more mussels than you’d expect for a tapas order – I’m not sure we even fished them all. The bay leaves are really prominent in the broth’s taste, and that’s a good thing. Marinated beef: I’m frustrated with myself for not remembering this dish exactly – I think it was slices of beef tenderloin, cooked rare. No complaints; thin, juicy beef with a melting texture. Spinach with pine nuts: A surprise hit, there was just enough olive oil and sweet accent (raisins) to make this vegetable stand out. You can’t really go wrong with Jaleo – it’s priced moderately, the waitresses are friendly and low key, the atmosphere is colorful and laid-back. Though the sherry lemonade isn’t anything to brag about – we should have picked up some sangria at the bar before heading to our table. Next time. Jaleo Archived Articles for January 2006
$8 for lettuce, or, why WASP cuisine does not reign supreme
Lo and behold, the dish arrived at the table: a quarter-head of iceberg (hence the "wedge") with some horseradishy dressing sprinkled on the top, two little pieces of cheese propped up on the side of the wedge, like a Christmas tree waiting for removal by the city, and about a dozen little squares of bacon on top. It looked like a scene out of college, except with better plates: when you don't have anything but some lettuce, salad dressing, and cheese and bacon bits in your fridge, you pile them up on a plate and dig in. Why anyone would pay $8 for it is beyond me. It was explained to me by a dinner companion that I am out of the loop on these things and that "the iceberg wedge is a classic WASP dish and is very big right now." Cold, hard and bland - just like the admissions board of a top country club. No wonder that Americans have so eagerly dismissed their Mayflower heritage for pizza, chow mien, chicken tikka masala, falafel and many other dishes enjoyed in spicier parts of the world. Buck's Fishing and Camping Archived Articles for January 2006Eight Things To Do with an Eff-Cake
1. Contribute to the Cold Stone Creamery Fruitcake Freedom Initiative. Donate a fruitcake to any Cold Stone location throughout the nation (click here for DC-area ones) during December, and receive 5 bucks off any 8-inch ice cream cake (originally around twenty-five bucks). Or use the credit toward one of the exclusive December ice cream flavors: either Santa's Reward—a Candy Cane ice cream mixed with double Oreos. Or After Dinner Mint—Dark Chocolate Peppermint ice cream swirled with marshmallows, Oreos and chocolate shavings. 2. Save money on bird seed. Even the National Wildlife Federation endorses the idea. But the nature activists warn cake abusers not to go tossing around pieces of rum-infused ones. We wouldn’t want the birds flying under the influence. And while you’re at it, sing along to the Mary Poppin’s classic. Feeeed the biiiiirds, tuppence a bag… 3. Buy a plane ticket to Manitou Springs, Colorado and feel free to chuck or hurl the brains out of the little Eff-devil. The Eleventh Annual Great Fruitcake Toss endorses fruitcake abuse of all kinds. This year, in response to the overwhelming flux of disgruntled recipients, the competition site has been upgraded to the Manitou Springs High School track! Yippe-iee-yahooo! Awards will go to the greatest hurled distance, as well as the most glamorous, creative and ugly transformations of a fruitcake. Oh and calling all Washington-area-ians, you may also go home with the furthest distance traveled award. That is, if you’re not opposed to the stack of required paperwork. 4. Splurge on a Panettone, the Eff-cake’s enchanting Italian cousin. Realize that there’s no way the dark horse relative will ever live up to the all-to-delicious-at-12-grams-of-fat-a-slice P-dream. She is light, fluffy and hardly reminiscent of anything leftover. 5. Forget Klondike. What would you do for a Fruitcake Sandwich? Thinly slice the Eff-baby and place a dollop of leftover ice cream (from last Sunday’s dessert fest) in between the two cake wafers. Wrap in any sort of foil or saran wrap and freeze overnight. 6. Fondue party anyone? Chop them into cubes with other miscellaneous leftover chunks (i.e. turkey, Uncle Eugene’s bright orange cheese cube, pie chunks, green beans) and throw together an alternative pre-New Year’s Fondue Ball. If the cake still resurfaces as leftovers, throw the pieces into the oven for 15ish minutes, and use as croutons in a sweeter salad. Like a pear and blue cheese one with raspberry vinaigrette. 7. You know you’re craving an Applesauce Cheddar Fruitcake…(umm, what?) Consult the Eff-cake recipe library if you really decide get into this. 8. Still not impressed? Try alternative doorstop, fireplace log or bathtub drainer—those seem to be the traditional favorites. |
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