Green Papaya
4922 Elm Street
Bethesda
Tel: 301.654.8986
http://www.greenpapayabethesda.com/
Dinner Monday through Friday
Saturday,
restaurants, food, Bethesda, MD, Vietnamese food, Tasting Journal
restaurants, food, Bethesda, MD, Vietnamese food, Tasting Journal
Black’s Bar and Kitchen
7750 Woodmont Avenue
Bethesda
Tel: 301.652.6278
http://www.blacksbarandkitchen.com/
Friday and Saturday for dinner,
Sunday dinner,
My cousin Janine is in town for the holidays so we decided to catch up over some food and drinks tonight. We ended up at Black’s Bar and Kitchen in
The restaurant is divided into two areas by a glass wall: the dining room area and the bar area. The dining room offers guests a more elegant dining atmosphere, complete with sparkling wine glasses and beautiful show plates. The bar area is less formal, but by no means at all less appealing. There is a rustic fishing theme going on here with live oysters being displayed in the center of the bar. There are oversized U-shaped couches and glass cocktail tables scattered throughout the room. Our destination tonight: Black’s hip and more casual bar area…
Happy hour is from
Janine and Nick order drafts beers (I’m sorry I don’t remember which kind), and I had a dirty Grey Goose martini with olives (of course). Nick ordered some oysters: Bays and Malpeques. Janine and I both ordered the bacon cheeseburger from the bar menu. For my second drink I tried Black’s Lemon Drop martini made with Absolut Citron and Triple Sec, rimmed with powered sugar. It was a nice, light and tasty drink… not usually my style, but it was still good.
We didn’t order any desserts tonight, but for you dessert lovers out there, Black’s pastry chef, April, makes some really delicious treats! I’m a crème brulee kind of girl… the flavor varies upon the day, yummy…! Other items include: the Peach Armaretti Strudel with vanilla crème Anglaise and a house made peach sorbet; the Caramel Chocolate Chunk Tart served with some house made banana ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh berries; and Black’s Chocolate Cake with milk chocolate frosting, vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce, and white chocolate shavings!
FYI: Black’s Bar and Kitchen will be closed for renovation in about one month, and plan to reopen sometime in May. That being said, I suggest that Black’s lovers (and all others who love good food) go out and get their Black’s fix before their makeover goes under way… If I find out anymore details I’ll be sure to let you guys know!
restaurants, food, Bethesda, MD, Tasting Journal
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME
I received two cookbooks from Nick and his mom this year for Christmas!! I really love cookbooks. Especially ones with gorgeous pictures and interesting stories and tips! Nick’s mom got me Great Cookies because I love baking cookies; Nick got me Emeril’s Delmonico… because there are dishes in there that he wants me to make for him… : )
cookbooks, recipes, Emeril Lagasse, cookies, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Rachael Ray's Book Signing at White Flint
cookbooks, food, Rachael Ray, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Cookies are my specialty... oatmeal cookies were the first cookies I learned how to bake (well). I used to mix and match different recipes in an attempt to be creative… some of those experiments didn’t turn out so well, but a few actually led me to some great cookie ideas…
Nick asked me to make him some oatmeal cookies this weekend… this is a basic recipe that I found a few years ago from Epicurious.com… Normally I like adding chocolate chips or toffee chips in to the recipe, but this time I kept it simple, and only put in raisins…
INGREDIENTS:
1 ¼ cup oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl.
3. Add in oats.
4. Add in flour, salt and baking soda.
5. Add in raisins.
6. Beat the mixture well.
7. Drop 1-1 ½ inch teaspoons on to a greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cookies cook before lifting off with baking spatula.
Makes about 36 cookies.
baking, cookies, oatmeal, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Another Cheesecake Factory…
Cheesecake Factory
10300 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044
Tel: 410.997.9311
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com
Open Monday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.;
Friday & Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.;
Sunday Brunch, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; Dinner Sunday, 2:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m.
After a barely successful evening of Christmas shopping at Columbia mall, the girls and I decided to eat at the new Cheesecake Factory that had just opened up next door. Although I am not particularly a huge fan of Cheesecake’s, I am a huge fan of drinks and dessert…
The 102nd Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened just a few weeks ago, on November 22nd in Columbia. The new store is fairly large, and quite attractive on the outside. The interior is more or less identical to all of the other Cheesecake Factories that I have been to. It was crowded and even boasted a similar kind of wait… 60-85 minutes for a table of four, and 40 minutes just to get the pager. Hmm… how badly did we really want drinks and desserts?
The bar area was self-seating, and fortunately Kim pounced on the next available table before anyone else got to it, so we actually didn’t have to wait very long.
The four of us had eaten at the White Flint location many times before, so we were all familiar with their menu. Although I’m not crazy about Cheesecake’s food, one thing I will admit is that their portions are rather generous, and their menu offers a substantial variety, which can be nice when you’re with a group of people who either don’t know what they want or are picky.
Drinks: I ordered the “Well-Mannered Dirty Martini”, which comes with blue cheese stuffed olives, mmm… my favorite!! They only gave me two olives here though. Katherine ordered a Strawberry Lemonade, which was tasty, but can sometimes come out really sweet. Kim had a lovely looking frozen strawberry margarita, and Roman ordered a Bacardi and diet coke.
We decided to share a bunch of appetizers since we weren’t very hungry tonight. Roman wanted the fried Buffalo wings served with hot sauce, chunky blue cheese dressing and celery sticks. Kim ordered the hot spinach and cheese dip, which was large and actually the perfect amount for our table, however it tasted a little bland to me. Katherine decided on the Tex Mex egg rolls with spicy chicken, and a tasty combination of corn, black beans, peppers, onions and cheese served with Avocado cream and salsa. I was very boring tonight, and ordered myself a side of fries. I know I know… it’s not very exciting.
Dessert: To continue with the unexciting theme of our dinner, we decided against dessert. We were too full and too tired. However, I will end this by mentioning that the Dulce De Leche is my favorite cheesecake…. Yum! It’s so rich though; I normally can only eat a few bites… I’m speaking only for myself however… I’m positive that the rest of my table would have absolutely no problem finishing every last crumb!
restaurants, food, Columbia, MD, cheesecake, Tasting Journal
Roman’s Birthday Dinner at Marrakesh
Marrakesh
618 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202.393.9393
Fax: 202.737.3737
http://www.marrakesh.us
We decided to have dinner at Marrakesh for Roman’s birthday this year. The last time I was here was about a year ago with Nick… not too much has changed. The front door of Marrakesh reminds me of something out of a movie. We approached the thick wooden doors expecting to be greeted through a sliding peephole, asking us if we knew the password.
Inside the air smelled of incense and exotic spices. There is velvet curtain which sepa
rates the tiny lobby from the main dining area. Our group was actually seated in the party dining room where the bar is located. Brilliant colors and Middle Eastern décor adorned both rooms. We sat on low sofa-like seats which surrounded a low round table. Soon we were greeted by our waiter who was dressed in traditional attire. After he described the evening courses to us, he performed a hand washing ceremony, and told us that we would be eating the meal entirely with our hands.
The preset menu at Marrakesh is a standard seven course extravaganza, garnished with a belly dancing performance for extra enjoyment. The courses came out slowly allowing plenty of time for conversing and lots of drinking!! We ended up ordering two bottles of wine, and then getting a third one for free… I think Roman being Ethiopian had something to do with it. We also had multiple rounds of shots… I lost track of how many… 
My favorite courses were the Three Salad Platter, which comes with cooked eggplants in tomato sauce, cucumbers and bell peppers in a Mediterranean seasoning, and carrots with coriander; the B’Stella, a layered pie with chicken, assorted nuts, almonds, eggs, parsley, and onions; and the marinated Berber Beef Shish Kebab. Some of the dishes were difficult to eat without silverware, but we managed… the bread they gave us was pretty useful for scooping…
Our dinner stretched out into the entire evening. Our reservations were at 8:15pm, and we didn’t leave till around
midnight. I think they space the courses out according to the belly dancing performances, so that everybody gets to see the show. This is not the place to go if you are in a hurry. But if you want to try something fun and different, Marrakesh is awesome. Before the night ended, Roman took a couple more rounds of shots at the bar (on the house!!) and they even gave her a bottle of Moroccan wine to take home!! Talk about making your guests happy…!!
restaurants, food, Morrocan, Washington, DC, Tasting Journal
My Thanksgiving, Part 2
We ate the night away at Stephanie’s house this year! Our big feast included the usual: mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, turkey… We also had juicy roast beef, cranberry relish, potatoes au gratin, yellow Asian rice with chicken, ground beef spring rolls, sofrito succotash, and cassava-bread stuffing with longaniza, four different types of pies, and Thiep, a Cambodian dessert made with sweet rice, coconut and seseme seeds.
OTHER NOTES:
Our turkey was purchased from Safeway, and was sadly falling apart when we took it out of the oven. It seemed a little pale, and didn’t have that nice golden brown color that it usually does every other year. However, it was very moist, and everyone enjoyed it, even Valina who normally hates turkey. 
My mom made two different types of stuffing this year: her usual apple and sausage stuffing, and something different called “Cassava-bread stuffing with longaniza”. Cassava bread is a flat unleavened bread made from yuca, and longaniza is a Spanish pork sausage seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, aniseed, garlic, and vinegar. It was a nice combination, and all the spices gave the dish a little kick.
I love corn. We had corn. We also had something called “Sofrito Succotash”, a Latin-inspired corn and bean side dish. Now this was something different… a good different, definitely not 
lacking in the flavor department. It actually went well with the cassava bread and longaniza stuffing; however I don't think it went all that well with everything else...
Asian yellow rice with chicken… I’m not sure if that is the real name for this dish because it seems rather plain to me. The star ingredient in this is fish sauce. Trust me, it’s good. Without it, the dish would taste just as plain as its name. Turmeric, a spice that is part of the ginger family, gives the rice its yellow color.
Aunt Tevy made ground beef spring rolls… okay, so I’m not sure if that’s really what they’re called, but that’s essentially what they are… These were a huge hit at dinner. They only lasted about 10 minutes… I’ll have some more info posted about these rolls soon!! 
See recipes here...
Thanksgiving, food, recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
My Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year! What foodie doesn’t love this holiday?! What I love the most about our Thanksgiving, however, is that it’s not your typical traditional feast. My family celebrates Thanksgiving Asian style! We still have the great big gorgeous turkey, and the usual side dishes such as corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, etc., but we also have delicious non-traditional food on the table as well. Last year our Thanksgiving dinner included tasty spring rolls, sour soup, pan fried noodles, and steamed fish… mmm… Does this seem bit unusual to you?
Apparently, this culture blend during Thanksgiving isn’t so odd after all. I’ve learned from my many culturally diverse friends that they too, have non-traditional food served with the turkey as well. Latin Americans may have empanadas and fried platanos; Cubans often serve Moros y Cristianos instead of mashed potatoes; Italian Americans may have lasagna; and Irish Americans sometimes serve prime rib or beef as a substitute for the turkey. Pretty interesting…
Eggplant Parmesan with Prosciutto
My mother and I both love eggplant. I've had eggplant parmesan many times at restaurants, but have never actually tried to make it myself. This recipe is from my mother's Italian friend Maria. She loves meat, so her recipe includes some prosciutto. The results were okay. . . The eggplant was a little too firm, and I felt that it didn't have enough flavor, so we asked Maria for some advice, and here are a couple of the suggestions she gave us for cooking eggplant. . .
First of all, it's helpful to salt the eggplant so that it is relieved from all it's moisture which tends to hold on to oil. In order to do this, you peel the eggplant, slice it, and then sprinkle the slices generously with salt. Then you let the slices sit in a colander for a few hours. After that, you rinse the salt off thoroughly and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Another popular method is to soak the eggplant instead of salting it. To do this, slice the eggplant and place the slices in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of salt for 1 quart of water. If the eggplant slices float to the surface, place a small plate on top to hold it down. After about 30 mintues, remove the eggplant slices from the water, rinse and then pat dry. Brown each slice in hot oil until crisp and delicate. This should only take a couple minutes.
Second, if frying the eggplant, be sure that the oil is very hot, and cook only one layer of slices at a time. Crowding the pan will make it more difficult for the eggplant to cook properly. Also be sure to turn the slices often so that they wont burn.
Okay, now that you've been informed on my new knowledge of eggplant cooking 101, here's the recipe. . . give it a try and let me know how it goes. Also, if anyone has any other advice or tips, please feel free to share so that the rest of us can eat well too! : )
Maria's Eggplant Parmesan with Prosciutto
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium eggplant
¼ cup of vegetable oil
¼ cup of chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup milk
Flour
Vegetable oil for frying
8 ounces fresh sliced mozzarella cheese
4 ounces fresh sliced prosciutto
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet.
2. Add onions and garlic into the skillet and sauté over low heat. Stir occasionally until onion become tender.
3. Stir in parsley, salt, fresh ground pepper, and tomato sauce. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, peel and slice the eggplant. Make each slice about ¼ inch thick.
5. In a bowl, beat the egg slightly. Add in milk and 1 tablespoon oil.
6. Dust each slice of eggplant with flour, patting well to remove any excess flour.
7. Dip the floured eggplant slice into the egg and milk mixture, and then drain.
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
9. Fry eggplant on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Fry until slices are golden brown.
10. In a 2-quart baking dish, layer the fried eggplant, tomato sauce, prosciutto, and mozzarella, topping each layer off with parmesan cheese.
11. Bake for about 30 minutes at about 350°.
Serves 6
recipes, food, cooking, eggplant, Italian food, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Last Sunday, the girls and I had a cooking night topped off with some Desperate Housewives! This recipe for Beer Duck that Katherine got from her mom was really delicious!! Instead of duck, however, we decided to use chicken, and instead of a whole chicken, we actually substituted chicken breasts. The results were mouth-watering!
Beer Duck
Recipe adopted from ECCFC
INGREDIENTS:
1 duck
1/3 cup of light soy sauce
1/3 cup of dark soy sauce
1 oz. beer
2/3 cup of sugar
2-3 small pieces of ginger
2/3 cup of water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Set oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a baking dish or tray with foil
3. Mix light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, beer, sugar and water in a bowl
4. Marinate duck in mixture for ½ hour – 1 hour
5. Bake duck in oven for ½ hour
6. Flip duck over after ½ hour, and bake on the other side for another ½ hour
We had this with some steamed white rice and a side of Katherine’s green beans! Yummy. . .
recipes, cooking, food, duck recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
New Fortune
16515 S. Frederick Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD
301-548-8886
Open Daily 11am-12am
Dim Sum, a Cantonese term, commonly translated as order to one’s heart’s content or “heart’s delight”, is a light meal typically eaten between the morning and early afternoon hours.
I am normally a big fan of dim sum, but today’s dining experience at New Fortune in Gaithersburg was rather disappointing. My family and I arrived hungry, at 11am to a half filled dining room.
Our first round of dishes included a steamed taro pudding cake (Wu Tao Go), steamed shrimp dumplings (Har Qua), turnip cake, beef chow foon, and chicken feet – all of which came out at room temperature. For some reason, none of the food on any of the rolling carts seemed to be hot. I found this particularly odd considering that it was a little after 11am (the time the restaurant opens) and the food was just barely warm. The one dish that did come out nice and hot however, was pan fried noodles that Valina ordered.
After our meal I was left feeling unsatisfied, but still full. . . mainly because I am a glutton, and will eat food that is in front of me even if it isn't extremely delicious, especially when I'm hungry. I don't know, maybe it was just an off day for them. . .
New Fortune is a sibling to Good Fortune in Wheaton. (2646 University Blvd. West, Wheaton, MD; 301-929-8818) Good Fortune is a smaller establishment with a slightly smaller menu as well. Despite its limited selection however, I think the quality of food is much better.
More on Dim Sum:
http://www.nierstrasz.org/Recipes/dimsum.html
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/hongkong/hkdishes.html
http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/region/china/dimsum_intro.shtml
restaurants, food, Dim Sum, Gaithersburg, MD, Chinese food, Tasting Journal
Simple Recipes for Janine!
My cousin Janine claims to have no cooking skills whatsoever, so therefore she was a little hesitant when I suggested that she cook her boyfriend a romantic dinner for his birthday. Being the wonderful person that I am, I offered to break down some of my favorite simple recipes for her to make. She goes, "Recipes sound good, I’ve never tried following one before." Oh my... what a funny girl! Well I’ve broken these recipes down, and have added some notes to them. They should be a piece of cake for her to follow. Hopefully...
First Course – SALAD: CAPRESE (Tomato Mozzarella Salad)
Second Course – APPETIZER: STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Third Course – ENTRÉE: PASTA PRIMAVERA
Fourth Course – SIDE DISH: BROCCOLI WITH LEMON CRUMBS (Not really a course, more like a side dish)
FIFTH COURSE – DESSERT: CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
Check out the simple recipes here: Simple Recipes for Janine!
food, recipes, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Katherine's Housewarming Party Recipes
See photos below. . .
Katherine's Mini Crab Cakes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely minced celery
1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, shells picked out
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 teaspoons olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Whisk mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt in bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs, celery, bell pepper and onion. Gently stir in crab. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Transfer remaining bread crumbs to a large shallow dish and toss with parsley. Place a 25-inch-long piece of waxed paper on flat surface. Pack a level measuring tablespoon with crab mixture and drop onto breadcrumbs; gently turn to coat and shape into 1 1/2-inch cake. Place on waxed paper. Repeat.
3. Heat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly coat a large cookie sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 8 to 10 crab cakes to skillet and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining oil and crab cakes.
4. Bake crab cakes 10 minutes, until heated through. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices and serve. Makes about 36 cakes.
Katherine's Green Beans
INGREDIENTS
1 pound frsh green beans with the ends pinched off
5 tbs balsalmic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
DIRECTIONS
1. Saute green beans with olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add balsamic vinegar and oregano, while stirring ocassionally until tender as desired.
Madi's Empanadas
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
sofrito
Goya Sazon
1 handful of spanish olives
1/2 cup tomato sauce
empanada shells or pastry sheets
cooking oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix the ground beef, 4 tablespoons of sofrito, 1 packet of Goya Sazon, a handful of chopped spanish olives, and half a cup of tomato sauce in a mixing bowl.
2. Heat cooking oil in pan.
3. Cook meat in pan until meat is no longer pink (20 minutes or so).
4. Microwave empanada shells for 30 seconds (unless using pastry sheets).
5. Fill empanada shell with meat, fold over shell, and pinch with a fork.
Mrs. Jefferson's Brownies
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 squares unsweetened Ghirardelli chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chooped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease and 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
3. In small bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time, until very light. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla.
4. At low speed, blend in flour mixture just until combined. Stir in nuts.
5. Turn into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake 30 minutes.
6. Cool 10 minutes. With sharp knife, cut into squares. Let cool completely in pan.
Makes 16.
Click here to see food photos...
cooking, recipes, crab cakes, brownies, empanadas, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
Katherine's Housewarming Party
Katherine had her housewarming party on Saturday night. Good times and good food!! Here are the pictures. . . yum!
Katherine's Green Beans
Katherine's Potatoes
Madi's Empanadas
food, food photos, Tasting Journal Recipes, Tasting Journal
The Dining Guide 2005
What are you in the mood for? Tom Sietsema's annual dining guide has arrived! I swear it's one of those things I look forward to every year. . .
Check it out: Tom Sietsema's Annual Dining Guide
food, restaurants, dining guide, Tasting Journal
So I finally got to eat at Pink’s hot dog stand in Los Angeles this past weekend. To say I was excited would be somewhat of an understatement. Sad I know... Ever since the beginning of my frankfurter obsession, Pink’s had been near the top of my list of places to eat at before the end of the year.
Was it everything I hoped it would be? Almost…
Since its conception in 1939, Pink’s architectural structure has evolved from a small, portable, white hot dog stand to its present petite formation complete with outdoor seating in the back, and its own free parking lot on the side. Despite its structural growth however, one thing still remains the same: its location. Paul and Betty Pink first opened up shop on La Brea Avenue in 1939, and then a few years later in 1946, they moved Pink’s to its current address up the street on the corner of La Brea and Melrose.
After Nick and I parked we proceeded to wait in the line that was starting to spiral underneath a bubble gum colored banner across the street. The menu was displayed in a mural like manner behind the hot dog cooks and consisted of not only exotic hot dogs, but hamburgers and burritos as well. The room’s interior boasted an eclectic array of autographed celebrity photos as well as a handful of hopeful unknowns. Some members of the Pink’s fan club include Liz Taylor, Jay Leno, Goldie Hawn, Dean Martin, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Eddie Murphy, Michael Jackson, Kurt Russell, Barbara Streisand, Michael J. Fox, Jennifer Garner, Diana Ross, Kim Bassinger, Richard Dreyfus and Roseanne.
Pink’s is most famous for their chili cheese dog, but in the event that one may not be craving a chili cheese dog, there are plenty of other alternatives to satisfy the stomach. Such items include the Guadalajara dog which comes dressed with relish, onions, tomatoes and topped with sour cream; the Polish pastrami; Chicago Polish dog which can be prepared mild or spicy and has mustard, onions, tomatoes and lettuce; the New York dog with red spicy onions; Brooklyn Pastrami; Swiss Cheese dog; Cole Slaw dog; and Turkey dog.
Pink’s also offers super hot dog specials most of which are named after celebrities or well known characters. These selections are charmingly displayed on individual sheets clipped up against the clear plastic divider above the counter. Nick ordered the Harry Potter Dog special, a Polish sausage with grilled onions and mushrooms, topped with bacon and nacho cheese. Other unique orders include the Martha Stewart Dog, a 10” Stretch dog with mustard, relish, onions, chopped tomatoes and sauerkraut, topped with bacon and sour cream; the Lord of the Rings Dog, a 10” Stretch dog with BBQ sauce and topped with onion rings; The Today Show Dog, two hot dogs in one bun with mustard, onions, chili, cheese and guacamole.
While Nick chowed down on his Harry Potter dog, I devoured a slightly simpler dog, the bacon chili cheese dog, generously topped with two strips of bacon, tomatoes, cheese, onions and chili.
When I took the first bite of my savory smelling bacon chili cheese dog, my mouth was greeted with a “snap”… literally. The quality that distinguishes Pink’s dogs from other dogs is its taught skin that pops and bursts in your mouth when you bite into it. I was a little surprised at first. I wasn’t quite sure what to think. To be frank, I initially suspected that there was something wrong with my hot dog. I asked Nick if his held the same manner as mine. He said he didn’t think so. Hmmm…
All in all I thought everything tasted fine. Nick seemed fairly content. Part of me however was expecting something a little more. I don’t know what it is though. I think I may have held greater expectations than I should have. For a hot dog stand that has been up and running successfully for 66 years, they are doing just fine… I can’t wait till my next visit. I’m going to order the Ozzy Osborne Dog, a spicy polish dog topped with nacho cheese, American cheese, grilled onions, guacamole and chopped tomatoes!!
food, hot dog, frankfurters, Los Angeles, CA, Tasting Journal
“The Fastest Bartender Contest”Hard Times Café
October 9, 2005
8pm – Close
Hard Times Café
13032 Middlebrook Road
Germantown, MD 20872
240.686.0150
You know those rowdy nights where you and your friends are at the bar… you tr
y to get the bartender’s attention… finally you catch a glance… some minutes later you yell out your group’s drink orders amongst the noise… and then some more minutes later, you sit back (or stand, squished in between the crowd) and relax as you sip on your long awaited drink…I’m not saying that scenario happens all the time, but it does happen... and it takes a pretty swift and smooth bartender to be able to handle such a crowd with precision and charisma. Sometimes, it’s really not as easy as it looks…
Last night Roman, Kim, Sabba and I went to the “Fastest Bartender” contest at Hard Times Café in Germantown, MD. It was week 3 of the event, and the winner of this round would go to the finals at Champion Billiards in Rockville.
Roman and Kim actually knew one of the contestants, Neil Smith. He is a server at
Dave and Busters in Rockville. So now we had a person to cheer for.Also, it turned out that we knew another one of the contestants… Dina… we went to high school with her. Small world …
The night started off a little slow. Although the flier said that it began at 8:00pm, things didn’t really get moving until about 10:40pm. By that time, I was on martini number two… and we had already devoured a plate of chili cheese fries, the chili sampler and some chicken fingers made with wing sauce (Roman’s modification – it turned out really good!). The chili sampler offered four different types of chili: Vegetarian, Texas, Cincinnati and Terlingua Red. I liked the Terlingua Red. It was a little spicy, and had a nice kick. Th
e Texas and Cincinnati tasted the most like “regular” chili. The Vegetarian wasn’t that great. I’ve actually had some pretty good vegetarian chili, but this one was lacking substance… it was kind of thin…When the contest was finally underway the announcer gave some basic guidelines… then explained the three different rounds:
Round One – An order of five liquors are shouted out in a specific order; the bartender must pour each shot in a glass in the correct order; each shot must be poured accurately; each contestant is timed.
Round Two – An order of five different drinks are shouted out in a specific order; the ba
rtender must make each drink order accurately, complete with the correct garnishes, and in the correct order; each contestant is timed.Round Three – Each bartender is timed while making a margarita. The margaritas are auctioned off to the crowd by the contestants; donations go to the “Make-A-Wish Foundation”.
Despite its slow start, the event was pretty entertaining. The bartenders were clearly a little boozed up, which made for a more interesting show.
The results were announced a little while later… the winner was Neil Smith, f
rom Dave and Busters!!! He was obviously very ecstatic. Congratulations Neil! restaurants, food, chili, bartender, Gaithersburg, MD, Tasting Journal
What kind of food are you?
I am Japanese food. This is a cute little quiz. It's short, only 5 questions.
You Are Japanese Food |
 |
food, food quiz, Tasting Journal
Taste of Bethesda
This year my friends and I arrived at the Taste of Bethesda with a mission: To try different things and to taste food from restaurants that we hadn’t been to before. It sounds like an obvious agenda doesn’t it? Last year we started off our first taste with a nice big slice of pizza from Pizza Castle. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love pizza, but I know what pizza taste lik
e. This year was different. We aimed for new food, different places and no pizza… or so we thought…Roman, Kim and I started around noon; bought our tickets (4 tickets = $5.00, tastes are 1-3 tickets), and headed off for round one.
Round one
Some notable items that we tried during our first round included an onion tart from Brasserie Monte Carlo; sausages wrapped in phyllo from Ri-Ra Irish Pub and Restaurant; a pupusa from Picasso; mini filet sandwiches from Ruth Chris Steak House; and some delicious fresh squeezed lemonade from McCormick and Schmick’s, shaken by Rico (see picture).
Also during round one, we had some chicken on a stick and sausage in roll from Divino Lounge. We actually saw a lot of chicken satay clones. I guess it is simple and
easy to eat… but not too original. In addition to the pupusa that we tried from Picasso, we also got a plate of carne asada with some rice and greens. It was literally a full plate of food, and the meat was one big piece. It smelled great, however once we met up with Katherine, Greg, Colby and Jennifer, I handed the plate right over to Greg because there was no way I could eat that big piece of meat with plastic utensils, and walk at the same
time.
line. (They were still in the same spot.) I proceeded to take a bite of my sandwich but then remembered the tartar. I tried to open the packet, couldn't. No one could. At least four people tried. So eventually we decided to just go without the tartar sauce. It was no good. First of all, the sandwich was cold at that point, (my fault for taking too long with the tartar) and second… it needed a little something extra... tatar sauce would have been nice.
On to round two…
Our second time around was dedicated to tables that looked interesting, but at the same time were not unique enough to make it into our round one tasting category. Items that we tried were the vegetable spring rolls, pork dumplings an
d pastry puff with chicken from Bangkok Garden Restaurant; a cannoli from Café Europa; and a smoothie from Smoothie King. I really liked the vegetable spring rolls; however I like spring rolls in general. The rest of the food we tried from Bangkok Garden was good, but nothing spectacular. Café Europa’s cannoli wasn’t that great. I think they had cannoli last year as well, along with chocolate tarts. I liked the tarts better.
A struggling round three…
After round two, we were all a little sluggish, so we sat near a store on Norfolk Avenue to rest and digest. (See picture at bottom.) It took some time for all of us to get up, but about half and hour later we were (almost all) ready to go. In this last round, we were free to go anywhere we wanted just so long as we used up all our tickets. The problem was however we didn’t have enough tickets to account for all the things we wanted. This didn’t happen last year. Actually last year,
we ended up selling our leftover tickets because we were so full. This time, we had already purchased more tickets than last year, and now we were struggling to complete one more round without having to buy any more tickets. 
o pizza) was two tickets. After much debate, we decided that we wanted it. So, Roman worked her charm and got us a nice slice of 3-hour-old pepperoni pizza for one ticket. It was good. (There really is nothing wrong with us I promise.) 
the California Tortilla table (not so exotic, but it hit the spot for our metro ride back home).I had a great time this year. I think we did well as far as trying new dishes. One thing I was disappointed about was that some of my favorite restaurants that had participated last year were MIA this year. (Black’s Bar and Kitchen, Café Gelato ...)
That whole time when we were scrounging for tickets, she had two all along! … we could have gotten two slices of pizza instead of one!! Oh well… we did say no pizza anyway; oh and that one slice barely counts since Roman and I had to split it …
Next year, we will be experts.
restaurants, food, Bethesda, MD, Tasting Journal
Hot Dogs
Is it me, or is there just something about concession stand hot dogs that just tastes great? I find frankfurters tasty in general, but eating one from a hot dog stand in the city is just different. Please correct if I am wrong, but there is just something about it … I don’t know what…
The office building that I work in has a hot dog stand right in front of it. It was the first thing I noticed when I started my job. I mean seriously, how convenient is it to just go down the elevator and walk outside? Needless to say, the hot dog lady and I became friends pretty quickly.
She offers two different types of hot dogs at her stand. There is the regular hot dog which she charges for $1.25, and then there is the half smoke, which costs $1.50. I ordered the $1.25 hot dog for weeks before I finally decided to try the $1.50 half smoke. I just recently discovered that half smokes are a common type of sausage in this region. They are slightly spicier, and much more delicious than the regular hot dogs. After inhaling one in the office one afternoon, there was no going back. The extra quarter upgrade is definitely worth it.
After doing some research, I came up with a list of famous and not so famous hot dog stands/establishments across the country. I also learned how various cities eat their hot dogs. This is interesting …
WASHINGTON, DC
Ben’s Chili Bowl – 1213 U Street, NW; 202.667.0909; http://www.benschilibowl.com/
NEW YORK
Nathans – http://www.nathansfamous.com
Gray’s Papaya – 8th Street and 6th Avenue
Crif Dogs – 113 St. Mark’s Place; 212.614.2728
Papaya King – 179 E. 86th, Corner of 3rd; 212.369.0648; http://www.papayaking.com
Shake Shack – Madison Ave. and 23rd Steet; 212.889.6600; http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/
CHICAGO
Fluky’s – http://www.flukys.com/
Murphey’s – 1211 W. Belmont
Wiener's Circle – 2622 N. Clark
Sawnk Franks – Wicker Park
Clark Street Dogs – Clark and Halstead Streets
LOS ANGELES
Pink’s – 709 N. La Brea Blvd.; 323-931-4223; http://www.pinkshollywood.com/
How do you eat your hot dog?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotdog
Baltimore Dogs—served split and deep-fried.
Boston Bull Dog—topped with baked beans and BBQ sauce.
Chicago-Style Dog— served with mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, peppers and celery salt on a steamed poppy seed bun; comes with a dill pickle on the side.
Coney Island Dog—served with chili, onions, and cheese.
Kansas City Dog—served with sauerkraut and melted cheese.
New York City Dog—served steamed onions and pale yellow mustard sauce.
Check Out:
http://www.watchmeeatahotdog.com
http://www.hot-dog.org/
http://www.hollyeats.com/HotDogPage.htm
food, hot dog, Washington, DC, Tasting Journal
