Appetite Stimulus Plan in Washington, D.C.
Kim mentioned this event to me the other day… similar to Washington, D.C. Restaurant Week, restaurants in the District are offering discounted lunch and dinner meals starting today, November 17 through November 21. Find out more info here…
Photos from the 19th Annual Taste of Bethesda
The Taste of Bethesda was a hit this year… as it is every year. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the crowds were great. I don’t usually have any complaints when I attend this event, and this year was no different.
My friends and I have been coming to this event for several years now, and we’ve finally gotten to the point where we know exactly how many vendors we can visit and how much we can eat without feeling like bloated pigs by the end of the afternoon.
There were a few new guys on the block this year, including Visions Restaurant, The Burger Joint, and Doraku.
Here are some photos from this year…
Taste of Maryland at the National Harbor
http://www.nationalharbor.com/
I covered the Taste of Maryland at the relatively new National Harbor last month. The event was somewhat of a disappointment. The admission price and tickets were expensive, the ticket booth was disorganized, and there were only a handful of food venders that came out.
The National Harbor, however, is beautiful. And although it's located at the end of the earth (Exit 1 or 2 off 495), it's worth checking out if you have some free time. Several new restaurants have just opened their doors at the Harbor, including Rosa Mexicano, Old Hickory Steakhouse, and Sauciety. According to their website, more restaurants are coming soon.
Hopefully the Taste of Maryland will be more exciting and go a little more smoothly next year, after all the new dining establishments have settled in.
Tom Seitsema's Fall 2008 Dining Guide...
Washington Post's food critic, Tom Seitsema, has released his annual fall dining guide. See it here...
Upcoming Food Events…
Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out
September 21 – 28, 2008
www.greatamericandineout.org
A national dine-out to end childhood hunger… you can make reservations via Open Table...
Taste of Maryland
September 20 – 21, 2008
http://www.tasteofmaryland.org/
This is the first annual Taste of Maryland at the National Harbor. I'm covering the event this year. I've never been to the National Harbor before, so hopefully it'll be a good time.
Greek Modern Festival at Zaytinya
September 8 – 22, 2008
http://www.zaytinya.com/GreekModernFestival2008.htm
They’re offering a special menu and signature cocktails.
September 10 – October 5, 2008
http://www.rosamexicano.info/events-popup.jsp?eventID=42
They’re offering a chocolate tasting menu, as well as a menu addition with items featuring chocolate. The restaurant is also offering a Chocolate Cooking Class this Saturday, Sept. 20 in NY, NJ, DC,
September 15 – 30, 2008
http://www.alabardero.com/especiales/paella_2008.htm
As part of the festival, they’re offering more than a dozen paella options for $28 per person.
September 29 – October 12, 2008
http://www.jaleo.com/
They will be offering a special menu of paellas ranging in price from $30 to $45. To kick off the event, free paella samples will be given out at Dupont FreshFarm Market on Sunday, Sept. 28. Also, the Bethesda Jaleo will give out free paella samples at the bar during happy hour from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Taste of Bethesda
October 4, 2008
http://www.bethesda.org/specialevents/taste/taste.htm
Bethesda's annual food festival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. My friends and I go to this event every year, so if you decide to check it out, call me. We can meet at the fresh squeezed lemonade stand. :)
Italian Festival in Mitchellville, Md. 
Hurricane Hanna brought gusty winds and heavy rainfalls to the DC metro area early last weekend. But luckily, the rain drizzled out by late Saturday night, and by Sunday, the sun was shining brightly… just in time for 46th annual Italian Festival in Mitchellville, Md.
It was my first time attending the event, and after the wonderful experience I had that afternoon, I’m looking forward to going back again next ye
ar.
There was a lot of food… homemade pizza, pasta, calzone, Italian sausages, polenta, grilled chicken, pasta fritta, cannoli… And a lot of beer and wine… So many people offered me drinks, but unfortunately since I was working, I couldn’t imbibe in any alcoholic beverages. O
ne guy, however, gave me a bottle of wine to take home and drink later. It was really nice of him. I tried the wine later that evening, and it was pretty good.
In addition to the amazing food, there was also music and entertainment. The Monaldi Brothers Band played traditional and modern Italian music, and later Richie “G” performed some vocals. Activiti
es for the kids were plentiful… there was a football toss, basketball, face painting, and a magician.
Admission was free, but the food and beverages were not. The prices ranged from $3.00 to $10.00, depending on the item. All proceeds go to the Villa Rosa nursing home every year. Last year the festival raised $23,000, and the money was used to buy a bus for the residents to travel around town in.
According to the committee members, the festival usually takes place on the second Sunday of September… that is, unless there is a Redskins game, in which case they’ll reschedule to a different Sunday. “When the Redskins play, people don’t come out,” Father Anthony said. “And if they do come out, everyone brings these little portable televisions… and they don’t walk around and hang out.”
Seasonal Wrap-up… Summer ‘08
I know… it’s been a while since I last posted… things have been kind of hectic around here, and I’ve barely had any time to sleep. My new schedule started last week, so I’m trying to get myself adjusted to everything right now.
I have to admit, I’m kind of glad summer is over. I’m looking forward to the fall; it’s one of my favorite times of the year. The last three months have been long and challenging for me. Despite the frustrations, however, there were some highlighting moments… here’s a quick run-down of note-worthy thoughts from this summer…
- A person can get a very good workout carrying around a broadcasting camera for 12 weeks everyday in the summer heat… pair that with a diet of blueberries, bananas, and water, and you can shed a solid 5-10 pounds easily.
- Cake decorating is not as easy as it looks.
- When you take an unattractive picture of a person shoveling food into their mouth, make sure you ask for their permission before sharing it with the public.
- The crabs they give you at Bethesda Crab House are small, and barely have any crab meat in them.
- It’s good a idea to memorize a random phone number (fast food places, movie theatres, retail stores, etc.) so that when someone asks you for yours while you’re drunk, you don’t accidentally give them your real one.
- A blond-headed slut (the shot… an alternate to the red-headed slut) is gross…. Stick to the red-headed slut.
- It’s proven that liquor, in small doses, can be just as good as fiber when it comes to clearing out the system.
- Walking around the city with an open bag of Doritos is a great way to meet people (note: this method has only been tested in Dewey Beach, DE... not sure if it'll work in other cities).
- Rocket Grill is a pretty cool kitchen appliance.
http://www.buyrocketgrill.com/
- Sometimes change is necessary. It might be a little scary, but you never know, it might also turn out pretty good… Example: Roman and I always order fries with our chicken tenders at Tastee’s, but we decided to try their onion rings one night, and they were surprisingly good. Yeah, it’s not always going to be as simple as fries to onion rings... sometimes it might be something harder, like choosing a new pizza topping… it’s tough, but that’s life.
Brunch at Café Atlantico… sans Latin dim sum…
Café Atlantico
202.393.0812
http://www.cafeatlantico.com/
José Andrés’ popular Café Atlantico restaurant is one that has been on my To-Do list for quite some time now, so I was very excited when Christina, Stephanie and I decided to go for their Latino dim sum brunch. Unfortunately, we went during Restaurant Week, and because of the RW promotional menu, they weren’t offering their dim sum that day. It was a sad moment.
But then we ordere
d Bloody Marys and got over it.
The Bloody Marys were really good… They tasted fresh, and were perfectly seasoned. If you’re normally a fan of Bloody Marys, I would recommend trying one from here.
Our server was a little strange, and though he was always around, he wasn’t very attentive.
As usual, Christina was running a little late, and because we love her, we decided to wait until she got there so we could all order together. However, our 
We decided to order off the regular menu because we wanted a wider selection than the one offered on the RW menu.
To start, we got the guacamole, which was prepared fresh at our table. It was very good. Steph and I almost ate the entire thing before Christina got there… in an effort to hold ourselves back from inhaling the green goodness, we each ordered another Bloody Mary.
For our main courses, Stephanie ordered the duck pupusas, filled with duck confit and Chihuahua cheese, served with cabbage salad, and foie gras fondant
; for Christina we ordered the Cuban burger, topped with sobrasada and fried egg; and I ordered the sobrasada sandwich, with mozzarella, grated tomato, arugula, honey alioli, and served with mixed greens.
Sadly, our server didn’t order Christina’s Cuban burger. Instead he ordered two sobrasada sandwiches, which unfortunately, none of us liked very much. We thought it was too sweet; the honey alioli was just too much. Stephanie’s duck pupusas were pretty good though. Too bad we didn’t get two of those instead.
Since we knew they were trying to get us out of there to set up for dinner, we didn’t order any dessert, and tried not to linger too much long
er.
My long awaited Café Atlantico experience left me disappointed. The absence of the Latino dim sum was a disappointment, the food was a disappointment, and the service, while maybe not a complete disappointment, could have been better (he wasn’t a total airhead… at least he was nice).
Despite all this, we’re going to go back for dinner soon, and hopefully things will go a little better. Also, the three of us are planning on trying Café Atlantico’s Minibar later this year… a 30-course extravaganza, which some refer to as Cirque de Soleil for food. Mmm… I can’t wait.
See more about Minibar here…
http://cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/miniBar.htm
Cocktails, Bachelors, and Chicken Fingers…
It was like old times Saturday night, with Roman and me gallivanting around
It’s been a while since we’ve had a drunken Tastee Diner night… we used to be regulars there. Oh if those diner walls could talk…
Roman and I ordered our usual dish: chicken fingers and fries, with an extra side of honey-mustard sauce. This time, however, we decided to be a little different and add onion rings into the mix as well. They were good.
It was a fun night, but I totally paid for it yesterday, when I woke up with a pounding headache and slight nausea. I was definitely out of commission, and spent the entire afternoon napping. I think I’m getting old… either that, or I’m out of practice and need to have drunken Tastee Diner nights more regularly again.
Dinner at Todd English’s OLiVES
Todd English’s OLiVES
202.452.1866
http://www.toddenglish.com/
Stephanie and I had dinner at Todd English’s Olives a couple weeks ago for Restaurant Week. Overall, ev
erything was decent.
Olives offers Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant and stylish dining room. Service during Restaurant Week is known to be spotty and poor, however the service we had that evening was terrific! I don’t remember his name, but he was attentive, informative, and very friendly.
Olives’ Restaurant Week menu was a bit on the skimpy side, and didn’t really have anything that peaked our interest, so Steph and I decided to order off the regular menu instead.
For starters we ordered the beef carpaccio, with Roquefort polenta, shaved parmesan, and balsamic cipollini onions; and the artichoke flatbread… however, our server accidentally gave us the fig and pr
osciutto flatbread instead, which was pretty good… it was served with sweet-sour fig jam, gorgonzola, prosciuto di parma, on a rosemary crust. I’ll just have to remember to order the artichoke flatbread (served with montrachet goat cheese and caramelized onions) next time I’m there. I absolutely loved the beef carpaccio. I’ll probably get that again during my next visit.
For our main course, Steph ordered the herb ricotta ravioli, with roasted tomato ragout and a pesto ricotta salata. I had the potato gnocchi, with sausage, dandelion greens, pecorino romano, and brown butter bread crumbs. Her ravioli was delicious, however, my gnocchi was very very salty. I was still guzzling down water when I got home because I was so thirsty.
We decided against ordering dessert since neither of us had any room. Despite receiving the wrong flatbread and the super salty gnocchi, Steph and I really liked Olives. I think it’s a place worth visiting again.
Side note: Todd English has a couple of TV shows… Cooking with Todd English and Food Trip with Todd English. Both are aired on public television.
What Does Michael Phelps Eat??
Oh my goodness… Michael Phelps has swept the freaking nation… he's everywhere! In case you've fallen in a hole and haven't been able to get out, Phelps, a Baltimore native, has had a record breaking journey in the Beijing Olympics… bringing home eight golds, and setting himself up for endorsements galore.
Anyway, there has been an extensive amount coverage on this boy (and yes, I know I am contributing to the media craze with this blog posting)… from the size of his feet (and how they resemble flippers) to the length of his torso (which is apparently very long) to what his diet consists of and how it contributes to his success.
And apparently one of the keys to his success is consuming 12,000 calories a day… 12,000!! I guess that’s one of the oh-so-unfortunate prices you have pay to be a gold medal swimmer… eat to your heart’s desire… But I guess all those calories are also necessary if you’re swimming that much.
Check out this menu…
Breakfast:
3 fried-egg sandwiches, loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, and mayo
2 cups of coffee
A 5-egg omelet
A bowl of grits
3 slices of French toast with powdered sugar
3 chocolate chip pancakes
A pound of enriched pasta
2 large ham and cheese sandwiches, with mayo on white bread
1,000 calories worth of energy drinks
Dinner:
A pound of pasta
1 whole pizza
1,000 calories worth of energy drinks
Hmm… I’m thinking he needs to add a little excitement to his diet… maybe throw in a little chicken curry, Mofongo, or Pad Thai to spice things up… or since he was in Beijing, maybe some roast duck or a hot pot. I’m also thinking that it must get kind of expensive to feed him… but then again, he probably won’t be strapped for cash anytime soon. I wonder where he likes to eat in
It’s baaaaack! Restaurant Week is August 11 -17, 2008
Lunch: $20.08 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Dinner: $35.08 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Reservations are booking quickly, so I would reserve a table somewhere NOW!
This One Takes The Cake...
Greg sent me this funny email forward today...
from a TV newsite . . .
An agent friend of ours (yes, we have agent friends) told us about ordering a cake from Walmart for a goodbye party for one of her employees. Here is how she recalls the conversation:
Agent: "I would like to order a cake for a going away party this week."
Walmart employee: "What you want on the cake?"
Agent: "'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you.'"
Here's what she got...
All-You-Can-Eat Crabs at
(301) 652-3382
We went to Bethesda Crab House a couple weekends ago for their all-you-can-eat-crabs… We had two hours to pick and shovel crab meat into our mouths and not get sick. This was my first all-you-can-eat experience for crabs… it was OK. The crabs were small, and there was a little too much
301.654.7851
My cousin, Janine, was in town from
I’ve been to Doraku a few times, but mainly only for drinks. We shared several rolls and specialty sushi… the spicy salmon roll, the fatty tuna nigiri, the dragon roll, and the spider roll. She also had miso soup, and I had the seaweed salad. Both Katherine and Jason recommended the spider roll, and we’re glad they did… it’s was really good!
Follow-up to Trans-Fat Ban in
Last year I wrote about the trans-fat ban that
Drinks and Grilled
(301) 519-9400
http://www.growlersofgaithersburg.com/
Jason and I met Leny and Jason at Growlers in
Our tab consisted predominantly of drinks, but Jason did order the Growlers pizza and a sandwich of some sort (I don’t remember the name). The Growlers pizza consisted of pepperoni, proscuitto, chorizo, bacon, mozzarella, and tomato sauce (a.k.a. the heart attack pizza). It complemented my vodka on the rocks just fine. :)
Photos below are courtesy of Leny’s camera. Thanks Leny! :)
Birthday Dinner at Napoleon and the Metropolitain in Ada
ms Morgan
202.299.9630
http://www.napoleondc.com/
The girls took me to Napoleon in Adams Morgan for my birthday, which was nearly a month ago (I know, I’m a little behind on my blog postings). Napoleon is an upscale French bistro owned by the same people who run Café Bonaparte in 
The dining room is chic with black walls containing red and gold stripes. We were seated in a cozy little booth in the corner of the room; the perfect spot for us to talk as loudly as we wanted… and it was right next to the bar!
We decided to order a couple of appetizers and a few different entrées to share among the four of us. We ordered: Napoleon Mini Burgers, served
on a bed of three sauces—sun-dried tomato ginger ketchup, grilled scallion mayo, and honey mustard; Apple and Brie Crepe Chips served with sautéed apples and melted brie; N
apoleon Frites served with ketchup and herb mayo; C&C Risotto, shrimp and duck confit, with green peas and truffle oil; Porc Mignon, sirloin stuffed with spinach and wild mushrooms, served over mashed potatoes and black olive demi-glaze; and Cote d’Agneau, roasted New Zealand lamb rack with potato gratin, sautéed spinach, served with a fresh b
ay leaf demi.
For dessert, Katherine and Kim shared one of the sweet crepes, while Roman and I shared a glass of Sambuca. :)
After dinner, the four of headed downstairs to the restaurant’s basement lounge, called the Metropolitain. Although it was a little small, it had a fun atmosphere, decent music, and an eclectic crowd. 
We hung around for a while… Kim tried a couple of their champagne cocktails, which they’re known for. She said they were good. I enjoyed the vibe, and wouldn’t mind coming back… I thought it was a nice place to hang out at after dinner.
Thanks again guys, for a great birthday!!
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