Washington, DC: Food Adventures Part II

Founding Farmers (Farragut Square)- My friends like good food, I like good food, and that seems to attract other people who "like good food." On our only free night during the week that I was in DC, we carefully chose Founding Farmers (FF). Sure we had a lot of options but FF was appealing because it touted itself as sustainable, trying to buy local (in-season) ingredients. The menu was classic American food with homecooked-style dishes like mac 'n cheese, chili made with grass-fed beef, burgers, rips, and steak.

I was totally blow away by the mussels - they melted in your mouth - that came to the table steaming hot and marinating in a smooth white wine pesto sauce. I have never been a fan of mussels, having tried them only 1-2 times previous to FF. Since falling in love with the FF's mussels, I have ordered them in Juneau and San Diego; none were as good as the FF mussels. We also tried the slow-simmered sirloin chili (pretty good), and Lemon Meunière Diver Scallops, which were another table favorite. See more reviews on Yelp here.

Cork (U Street) - I have soft spot for tapas because they suit my eating lifestyle - I want to try just a little bit of everything. So tapas to share with friends at Cork is just perfect. They have a zillion wine choices and tapas made with locally grown and harvested vegetables. We shared the roasted brussel sprouts, lemon and black pepper dusted calamari and rock shrimp, chick peas in saffron broth with swiss chard and tomato, and sauteed kale. I know we had some meat in there but I cannot remember which meaty dish we chose. I can tell you that every veggie place was amazing. Seems like everyone else love's the food at Cork too, yelp reviews.

Busboys and Poets (U Street) - After dinner at Cork we walked down the street for dessert at Busboys and Poets. On a Friday night these U Street favs were packed. Just a short browse through the books before we were sitting at our table enjoying tea, coffee and carrot cake. Go see and be seen at Busboys and Poets.

photo credit: Founding Farmer's Restaurant byJonathan Thorpe; Cork Wine Bar by Brian Liu published in the Washingtonian; Busboys and Poets by scotty.trimmier

Washington, DC: Food Adventures Part I

Finally, I am wrapping up the DC posts. To recap I made two trips to DC in Marchand April. At the time I was living in Juneau, AK.

Now I am back in San Diego and catching you up on my adventures on the east coast. Fortunately, I have friends in DC who love good food as much as I do. We had many food outings that I will share with in two posts, cuz well the single post I wrote was much too long :-)

Teaism (Dupont Circle and Penn Quarter) - Since I have lived in DC, some 7 years ago, Teaism has expanded from its quirky row house and added a new location down by the National Mall. I did not visit the original Dupont Circle location and I hope it still has its rustic and cozy feel that makes for a perfect brunch hideout (see photo above of an upstairs table). I was not excited about the *new* location's stark, modern and streamline interior. The food has also expanded to include inventive lunch/dinner fare. I did enjoyed my ginger lemonade and cucumber ginger salad. Stick to the Dupont Circle location.

Meze (Adams Morgan) - I met up with old (high school) friends at this lively Turkish tapas joint in Adams Morgan. Though I am particularly fond of tapas, the small plates at Meze were unique and flavorful. The most adventurous dish we tried was liver (beef, I think, for the record moose liver is waaay better) and onions. Grab some friends and a table at Meze, you won't be disappointed. We were leisurely and did not notice the slow service that people are complaining about on yelp, FYI if you are in a rush.

Mai Thai (Dupont Circle) - Thai food was on the top of my list of foods-to-eat-once-out-of-Juneau. Chan's Thai Kitchen is an excellent thai restaurant in Juneau but it is located in Auke Bay, definitely not within walking distance of downtown. In fact, I was only able to eat there once. They also did not have any dishes with wide rice noodle, which I LOVE. I ate at Mai Thai on both my trips to DC. Both were excellent and I ordered my usual spicy drunken noodles. Their spicy levels are not consistent since my first visit the food was only mildly spicy and on the second visit, I could not even finish my dish it was so spicy. This place is perfect for large groups and they are pretty speedy on the service side.

Le Pain Quotidien (Spring Valley, Bethesda, MD) - I liked the French and rustic feel of Le Pain Quotidien. I coffee and the parmesan and pesto omelet - delicious and a large serving. LAH had creamed farro. We both had no idea what farro was but she said it was yummy. Google has informed me that farro is a wheat grain, debatable on which species of wheat, in its whole form. On my next trip I'm going to check out Down Dog Yoga and get breakfast at the Le Pain Quotidien in Georgetown.

I should probably start writing yelp reviews but I am feeling a little lathargic about doing that. Anyone have other ideas for where to compile my favorite eats in different cities?

photo credit: Tea + Conversation (@ Teaism) by Chocokat; Meze by mjabbasi; Le Pain Quotidien Specials by spectreman

Weekend: Brunch at The Pearl Hotel

Looking for some classic southern California fun this weekend? Trybiking to brunch at The Pearl Hotel. I have raved about the food at The Pearl before.

Grab a bike and peddle over to the Pearl on the first Sunday of every month. Biking will get you half off the regular 20$ brunch special price. That means choose from ~10 brunch entrees and get unlimited mimosas.

photo credit: Cayenne 05.02.10

Washington, DC: Homemade Sushi + Berry Rosemary Crumble

Homemade Sushi - Interviewing in DC meant that I got to spend time with two of my very good friends LAH and SOA. SOA had us over for dinner one night and we feasted on homemade sushi and a berry rosemary crumble.

Unfortunately my pictures of the crumble did not turn out but it certainly stole the show. Here is the recipe for Blackberry and Rosemary Crumble from Tyler Florence. The rosemary is so key here and I cannot wait to try it myself. Huge containers of black berries were at my local Trader Joe's this morning. Someone throw a dinner party so I can bring this!

Blackberry and Rosemary Crumble

Recipe from Tyler Florence

for the crumble topping, mash together the butter, sugar, flour, and rosemary in a large bowl using your hands.

In a large bowl, mix the blackberries, sugar, arrowroot, and lemon juice together. Pour and spread the blackberry filling into a glass baking pan. Crumble the topping over the blackberry mixture. Bake for 1 hour on a nonstick cookie sheet (to catch any overflow) until the topping is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve the crumble with vanilla soy ice cream.

Time: 1 1/2 hours

Serves: 8

Crumble:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

11/2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

Needles from 2 rosemary sprigs

Filling:

2 quarts fresh blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot)

Juice of 1 lemon

photo credit: CNC and LAH 03.05.10; Fresh picked Blackberries!!! by KimFearheiley

Washington, DC: Georgetown Cupcakes

The cupcake craze is still going strong in DC - I had to stop by Georgetown Cupcake for a little break from shopping. After I long wait in line, I tried my favorite flavor - carrot cake. As I was contemplating the frosting to cake ratio (too much frosting I decided), I wondered, why much frosting on top when layered in the middle would be much better? So you cupcake people, make me a cake with layers of frosting between layers of cake! GO.

Georgetown Cupcake Yelp Review
3301 M Street NW
(between N 33rd St & N Bank St)
Washington, DC 20007

photo credit: Cayenne 03.05.10

Los Angeles: Diddy Riese Cookies (Westwood)

Diddy Riese in the Westwood area of LA is one of those craving-filling-must-stops if you are ever in the area. LMD and I have stopped there a number of times after a delicious dinner at Native Foods a few blocks away. Why not have a tasty vegan meal and then go get the real dairy - good thing San Diego is only a 3 hour drive away.

I had my first Diddy Riese ice cream cookie sandwich some 10 years ago, though the establishment has been round since 1983. I hear their specialty was just 50 cents back then. Inflation has the cost at about 2$ but still a great deal and well worth a visit.
Congrats to EM who will be moving to LA in the summer! I cannot wait to come visit and of course go get one of these cookie/ice cream monstrosities in Westwood.

Check out the yelp reviews for Diddy Riese and Native Foods.

photo credit: Cayenne 07.08.09

Juneau, AK: Silverbow Bakery and Cafe

One of my favorite weekend spots is Silverbow. They are the only place downtown, besides the library, that has wireless internet so you can imagine that I spent a good amount of time there when I first arrived in Juneau. Silverbow is a little bit of everything:
- Tuesday and Wednesdays they show movies for free.
- They sell bagels, obviously.
- They also sell homemade bread, soup, cookies, and sandwiches.
- They are a hotel with a hot tub.
- They host art shows on 1st Friday and other random receptions.

Only 2 blocks from the capitol building this place is even convenient as a lunch spot. I'll order my usual please - cup of warm soup with an everything bagel, toasted with butter.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Pie in the Sky

Just 2 blocks from the Capitol Building is my go-to coffee shop, Pie in the Sky. Andrea the owner is very personable and she happily makes my morning soy cafe au lait. The berry scones are a treat. The pies are delicious and I'm looking forward to trying the gluten-free chocolates one of these days.

I skip the lines at Heritage Coffee in the morning and head to Pie in the Sky. Perfect.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Alaskan Fudge Co.

One of the good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) things about my walk to and from work is that I pass by a super tasty fudge shop called the Alaskan Fudge Co. With fudge name like Juneau White Out, Mendenhall Mudd, and Fool's Gold, you really cannot go wrong here.

All the fudge is made in their Juneau shop. Sometimes I just cannot resist and come home with some caramel corn. It never lasts more than 24 hours in the house.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.09

Weekend: Alaska Salmon Bake

This is the last weekend locals can get a steal at the Alaska Salmon Bake, located within Pioneer Park (AKA Alaskaland). We went on Wednesday night for their beer-battered halibut and it was delicious. They have an assortment of salads and a dessert cabin. Don't miss this chance to get more than half-off the in-season price. I am chilling with family and hanging out with friends this weekend. Have a good one!

photo credit: Cayenne 05.13.09

Chile: Hosteria ¡école!

I stayed at this fantastic little hosteria a few blocks from downtown Pucon in the Lakes District of central Chile. ¡école! is centrally located off the main drag in Pucon but close enough to walk everywhere you might want to go in town. The vegetarian restaurant makes the atmosphere a bit more formal than the traditional hostel, meaning there is no communal kitchen or lounge areas outside the restaurant. The rooms were clean and cozy.

This is the perfect ecolodge to spend a few days and use as a basecamp for all the fun to be had in Pucon: hiking in the Cani Forest Sanctuary, climbing the steep ascent up volcan villaricca, soaking in the many local termas or hot springs, or mountain biking.

{recap: I traveled to Chile during the month of February. I was distracted these past few months and am only now getting to post about my experience in South America. Click here to see all my posts about this fantastic Ph.D. Trip}

photo credit: Cayenne 02.05.09

San Diego, CA: Working Coffee Shops

I can honestly say that a few San Diego coffeehouses helped me get through writing my dissertation. Writing in lab can be distracting and I find that I am much more productive when I work in a coffee shop for the day. I am a regular at a few coffee shops that I don't think mind me camping out for 6+ hours a visit.

To be a good "working" coffeehouse my requirements are free wifi, reasonably priced yet good drinks and food, plenty of tables, outlets for my computer power cord, and later evening hours. I respect the fact that coffeehouses are businesses. So I always order something, since I am basically using their space as my office. I don't bring in my own food, though sometimes I bring a snack and walk around the block while I am eating it.

With all these caveats here is my list of San Diego's Best Working Coffeehouses:

1. Cream Coffee Bar (University Heights) - This hipster coffeehouse has tall warehouse-style ceilings, lots of tables and a good number of plugs. Try the tomato pesto bagel plate or the vegan soups. They also have yummy vegan muffins and fruit/nut bars.

2. Java Jones (Pacific Beach) - The antithesis of Cream, this laid-back cozy coffeehouse is in an old house with hardwood floors (though not be confused with Cafe 976 that is on Cass Street closer to Garnet Ave.), good table space, couches, and ample outdoor seating. For just a few dollars you can get a pbj sandwich or go all out and get a made-to-order sandwich. Their chai tea is my favorite in all of San Diego. The baristas are friendly and will make any strange coffee drink you can conjure up. They named my standard drink the inverse cafe au lait - 2/3 of a cup of steamed soy milk with the rest a medium or dark organic roast.

Some other good places:
The Other Side (North Park) {update: ownership changed and it is now Filter a Coffee Shop} - The big draw of this large, but dark, coffeehouse is the late hours. They used to be open 24 hours but you definitely want to double check.

Urban Grind (University Heights) - UG has lots of tables, though finding a plug is sometimes difficult. The food and drink is a bit expensive and they sometimes close before their stated 11 pm clothing time, depending on buisiness. I always wander through Mid Century Design {Mid- Century Design 3795 Park Blvd San Diego, CA (619) 295-4832} when I need a break. This is my favorite mid century secondhand store, and it is right next door.

Twigg's Coffeehouse (University Heights) - If Cream is full then I head 1 block over to Twigg's. They don't have a lot of table space and almost no outlets. The food is good and they are well known for their cakes.

**Tapioca Express - I know this place is not a coffee shop but they serve yummy boba drinks and the UTC location is open until midnight. This is my favorite place to blog but I find it hard to do actual work there because of the loud music and constant flow of people going in and out.

photo credit: Cream; Twiggs; The Other Side; Urban Grind; Tapioca Express; Java Jones picture of the gaslamp location

San Diego, CA: Pizza Fusion

I was tipped off to the opening of a new pizza place in Hillcrest called Pizza Fusion. The niche this restaurant is trying to claim is organic, alterna food. I like the concept that they are going for but my visit left a lot to be desired in the pizza relm. I grabbed some take-out from there a few weekends ago, after they had been open for a month.

PIZZA FUSION
Tried: SEATTLE Pizza Pie with multigrain crust
Cost: $20 (fed 2 people)

Pros: Crust was tasty. Pie reheated well. I did sit at the bar while waiting for my pizza and the atmosphere was pleasant with lots of wood design. I noticed that they had quite a few organic beers and wines, which can be hard to find.

Cons: Bruschetta mix on my pizza was a little oily for my taste. The pizzas were quite expensive for the size. Despite being in the heart of Hillcrest the restaurant was practically empty.

Overall: Try it again, in a few month. This might be just the place to get a gluten-free or vegan pizza. Those will cost you extra, which makes this place out of my price range.

photo credit: Pizza Fusion by Heath & the B.L.T. boys

San Diego, CA: Got Pho?

Last night I had pho for the first time. delicious. Get yourself to Pho Sao Bien in Pacific Beach for the best 6$ dinner you have had in a long time.

Pho Sao Bien
1958 Garnet Ave (between Morrell and Lamont Streets)
858-272-9612

I am so smitten that I might need to make myself one of these t-shirts, which you can buy from cafepress.

photo credit: chicken pho image found on steamy kitchen

Seattle, WA: Txori Bar in Belltown

I recommend Txori Bar in Belltown area of Seattle. We randomly stopped in on Sunday afternoon on our way to Pikes Place Market and really enjoy the quisine from northern spain. We had: torilla espanola - potato onion omelet w/ alioli; pa amb tomoquet - toasted bread, jamon, tomato, garlic; piquillo con meriuza - hake, bechamel, piquillo, tomato frito; pintxo moruno - braised pork with roasted green pepper; and the lemon flan.

My favorites were the piquillo con meriuza and the pintxo moruno. The hake is a white fish that just melted in your mouth and the braised pork was tender enough to cut with a fork. These are tapas style dishes and are not more than a few bites each so don't go there if you are starving but for light snack it was perfect.

Txori Bar
Sunday - Saturday
11 a.m. - 1 a.m.
2207 2nd Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98121
206.204.9771

SD Eating: Russian Georgian Pomegranate

On a recommendation from a friend we went to a fantastic Russian Georgian restaurant before heading to Cygnet and the San Diego Black Ensemble's production of August Wilson's play Fences. TEB and I threw the evening together just that morning. It was spur of the moment and just the special something we needed for TEB's mom, TAB, who was visiting us for the weekend. Pomegranate has the most intimate, in a non-stuffy way, atmosphere that I've seen in San Diego. Somehow it is perfected both for a date or for 15 of your closest friends. The food is unbelievably good, though I was surprised to find cilantro on our vegetable stew. The portions are on the large side and are perfect for sharing.

We ordered the khinkali or Peasant-style meat dumplings, russian potato salad, vegan borscht, and chicken shashlik. The borscht and khinkali both has cilantro in them but I did taste both and they were delicious. We could not resist ordering the chicken Shashlik based solely on the fact that it is only made Friday and Saturday nights. It was probably the juiciest chicken and most flavorful grilled chicken that I have never had. I loved the polmogranite sauce that they poured over it as they served it to our table. It is essential that you make a reservation and get yourself to this gastronomical gem soon.

photo credit: flickr member ashi

Best of SD Eating

I am ready for a weekend. I just spend the last 5 days at a huge conference in SD. Somehow attending a local conference is not as relaxing as I thought it might be. I still have week old dirty dishes in the sink tonight and an explosion of laundry in the living room. The conference did bring old friends into town and it reminded me that it would be handy to have a favorite eats list. Here are my favorites for local eating:

AMERICAN
The Cheese Shop in La Jolla

ASIAN FUSION
Sipz

BAKERY
Con Panne
Bread and Cie
The Swedish Bakery - see post

BREAKFAST
Pannikin Coffee & Tea
Hash House a Go-Go
Crest Café

DESSERT
Extraordinary Desserts
Zanzibar Café
Pannikin Coffee & Tea

ENGLISH
Jaynes Gastropub - straight out of london.
Shakespeare Pub & Grill

FRENCH
Wired Café Le Bistro
Café Chloe - urban chic.

MEXICAN
Pokez Mexican Restaurant
Ranchos Cocina

SUSHI
Zensei Sushi - hipster sushi with a Monday night DJ that spins.
Surfside Sushi - sit at the sushi bar.
Taka Restaurant - best sushi in the gaslamp.

TAPAS
Apertivo - fun Italian tapas.
Yakitori Yakyudori - traditional Japanese small plates.
Café Sevilla - lively spanish tapas.
Chive - super mod.

THAI
Spice and Rice Thai Kitchen - inexpensive yet yummy, perfect for takeout.

VEGAN
Spread - hippie and organic.

WINE
Wine Steals - happy hour.