http://www.eatwashington.com/ The latest news from eatWashingon. en-us Eat Washington eatwashington@gmail.com eatwashington@gmail.com http://www.eatwashington.com/article/my_favorite_markets_russian_gourmet/ This is the season where Northern food comes into its own. So check out this source. Three years ago, Russian Gourmet set up just off the Rockville Pike on Nicholson Lane, behind the Exxon station and in front of Barry's Magic. Perhaps Barry waved a wand in the little market's direction. Because now there are five of them. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:30:57 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/my_favorite_markets_russian_gourmet/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/butternut_squash_soup_with_spiced_pumpkin_seeds_and_tart_apple/ Ethan McKee, new chef at Notti Bianchi and Circle One Bistro, made this recipe when at Rock Creek at Mazza. It's a rich and rounded soup, low in calories, that loses nothing of its nutrition values. It all goes to show you don't need creams and butters to add body and depth to a recipe. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:19:14 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/butternut_squash_soup_with_spiced_pumpkin_seeds_and_tart_apple/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/rules_for_drinking_and_sex_to_keep_you_out_of_trouble_in_2009/ Could you - Buy a moose a beer in Alaska? Get a spicy Bloody Mary in Britain? Drink as a student abroad? Read on... Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:14:20 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/rules_for_drinking_and_sex_to_keep_you_out_of_trouble_in_2009/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/new_year/ New Year traditions in other parts of the world. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:13:55 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/new_year/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/ethan_mckee_new_chef_of_notti_bianchi_and_circle_one_bistro/ Ethan McKee is taking over from Brendan Cox as Executive Chef at Notte Bianchi and Circle One Bistro. He's coming from Rock Creek Mazza, where this profile of the local Washingtonian took place. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:05:34 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/ethan_mckee_new_chef_of_notti_bianchi_and_circle_one_bistro/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_scallops/ It's a shame Americans haven't developed an appetite yet for a scallop's coral - that beautiful roe you see in the photo that's prized by French cooks... Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:51:50 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_scallops/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/broad_branch_market_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ Tracy Stannard used to work for chef Carole Greenwood at Buck's Fishing & Camping. Now she owns and runs the Broad Branch Market which is what a neighborhood market ought to be. I remember it in previous hands as a run-down dump that sold good sausages. Sausages are still for sale. But picture a complete physical make-over. A bright and airy modest Dean & DeLuca crossed with the serve-yourself section like Whole Foods used to have for dried pulses, rice, nuts and such, plus an old-time ice cream parlor and wild, wild candy store to the side. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:44:03 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/broad_branch_market_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_dish/ What's happening for New Year in and around the capital. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:28:00 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_dish/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/roasted_pennsylvania_pheasant_breast_braised_red_cabbage_maple_syrup_sweet_potato_mousse_and_huckleb/ Peter Schaffrath, chef of the Hay Adams' Lafayette Room's recipe is a soothing but elegant cold weather dish. Though there are four separate elements, each is simple to cook. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:11:09 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/roasted_pennsylvania_pheasant_breast_braised_red_cabbage_maple_syrup_sweet_potato_mousse_and_huckleb/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_fishery_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ It's hard to find a fishmonger in Washington DC where you can see the fish whole before it's filleted. It's a common practice in Europe where housewives gauge freshness by demanding to press the flesh, check the gills and look at the eyes of their approaching dinner before they decide to buy. So your best bet for assuring freshness is to buy fish from a source where the eating of fish is key to the culture. This is why I like The Fishery, a Korean-owned market. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:07:53 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_fishery_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_hangover_cures_that_work_debunking_the_food_myths/ It's official. A fry-up and an aspirin won't cure a hangover. New Year's Eve revelers, you have been warned. On the plus side, eating late at night doesn't make you fat. Debunking the myths... Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:50:39 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_hangover_cures_that_work_debunking_the_food_myths/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/seared_scallops_with_nicoise_salad_gribiche/ Joe Palma of WestEnd Bistro's elegant take on a Salade Nicoise works as well for sweetbreads as it does for the scallops he calls for in this recipe. A shame we haven't developed an appetite yet for a scallop's coral - that beautiful roe you see in the photo that's prized by French cooks... Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:47:31 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/seared_scallops_with_nicoise_salad_gribiche/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/joe_palma_chef_de_cuisine_of_the_westend_bistro/ Joe Palma’s recipe for getting a good culinary training is simple. “Find the best possible people you can work for and shut up.” This became the Chef de Cuisine of the Westend Bistro’s game-plan once he’d discovered a passion for food. He earned money as a line cook while studying for degrees in Economics and Philosophy at the College of Charleston. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:32:09 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/joe_palma_chef_de_cuisine_of_the_westend_bistro/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_nems/ This week's ingredient is a weird one for me. I always thought Nems were Vietnamese spring rolls. These banana leaf-wrapped packages call themselves Nem. But opened up reveal a spicy sausagemeat that needs to be deep fried. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:30:50 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_nems/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_persimmon/ Persimmons (not to be confused with the crunchier Fuju...) are now in season. Buy them when they feel like a soft boiled egg cracked into your palm - soft and saggy. Cut them open and scoop out the running flesh with a teaspoon. Or use them as a sauce over Greek yogurt or another fruit, like a baked apple. It's hard to say whether they have much flavor. But their color is heart lifting these gray days. The best sources for them - perhaps because the clientele understands the condition they should be sold in - are Middle Eastern and Asian markets. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:08:32 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_persimmon/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_the_most_unhealthy_1_burgers/ If you believe that a $1 burger being pushed at you from junk food purveyors taking advantage of money fears induced by the economic slump is a good deal, at least pick the one that's least harmful to your health. Washington's non-profit Cancer Project has assessed their nutritional value and come up with a handy top 5 of the most bad for you. Or rather, bottom 5. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:54:45 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_the_most_unhealthy_1_burgers/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/christmas_dreaming_of_a_different_one/ "Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings..." Uncle George (who'll take over the single malt whiskey if no-one stops him), Aunt Mavis (who's just decided to turn vegetarian), and all their dreadful children. It's enough to drive you crackers. Give Christmas a new sparkle and celebrate someone else's - with Britain's Christmas crackers, Italy's Omino di Neve, Switzerland's Zimststerne, Jamaica's West Indian Black Cake and more... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:10:17 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/christmas_dreaming_of_a_different_one/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/provencal_fish_stew/ This hearty fish stew from Jeff and Barbara Black - of BlackSalt and more - is a year-round meal in a bowl that's quick and easy to assemble. It's the backbone of regular orders to a Mediterranean fishmonger like the one in my photograph. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:09:19 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/provencal_fish_stew/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/jeff_barbara_black_from_addie_s_to_an_empire/ The morning I went to interview Jeff and Barbara Black, owners of BlackSalt, BlackSalt Market and Addie’s, 6000 bottles of cabernets had cascaded from a falling wine rack to the floor at BlackSalt. The Blacks were in mourning. “It’s like leaving art work in the rain,” said Barbara. “This is what I’d call alcohol abuse.” Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:00:56 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/jeff_barbara_black_from_addie_s_to_an_empire/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_quince/ Quince season is short, so run out to a Middle Eastern market like Yekta or an Asian market like H Mart or Le Market, and pick out some of these yellow, pear-like and scented fruits to chop into a rough-on-the-tongue stewed puree or to make membrillo, the Spanish paste to eat with Manchego or Cheddar cheese, or for an exquisite translucent coral pink jelly to go with cold meats. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:52:35 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_quince/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_perfect_yorkshire_pudding/ A proper Yorkshire pudding must be 4 inches tall. It's official. The Royal Society of Chemists says so. The second key qualification is the cook must have Yorkshire blood. "It's the instinct of people born and raised in Yorkshire. You can tell if the cook has the right touch," scientist John Emsley told the BBC. Perhaps that's why my Yorkshire mother makes puddings like shoe leather - she was born in Kuala Lumpur. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:43:31 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/the_perfect_yorkshire_pudding/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_alzheimer_s_and_junk_food_link/ Junk food linked to Alzheimer's? Fuggeddaboutit, do I hear you jest? Well, feed a mouse on a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol for nine months and you'll have a mouse with chemical changes in its brain that mimic Alzheimer's. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:37:16 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_alzheimer_s_and_junk_food_link/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/breads_unlimited_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ No bakery does brown bread like Breads Unlimited. Whole Foods' brown loaves taste packed with unnecessary sugar. Firehook's are extremely dense. Heidelberg Bakery's brown bread is excellent - if you want a German or Northern European loaf. If you just want a gooey, chewy bread that makes about the best toast in town, head to Breads Unlimited. It's in the Bradley Shopping Center on Arlington Road in Bethesda. The strip may look unprepossessing, but it's home to two of the Washington area's best treasures: Bruce Variety and Strosneider's. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:21:15 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/breads_unlimited_one_of_my_favorite_markets/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/lynne_breaux_restaurant_royalty/ Lynne Breaux’s office feels like a happy place to work. With funny food-reference stickers and ornaments, its waiting area gives the impression of the welcome lobby of a slightly dilapidated bed-and-breakfast establishment run by a warm-hearted and enthusiastic owner. As she sails through it to her office at the end, she introduces the visitor to the tiny, and smiling, staff of RAMW. That’s the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington that represents over 500 restaurants and bars in Washington, DC, the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County. From 1992 she’s been on its board, and its president since 2001. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:05:46 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/lynne_breaux_restaurant_royalty/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/masa_the_mexican_tamales_dough/ Masa means 'dough' in Mexican. It's the dense dough made from grinding fresh field corn. Its dense yellow hue comes from the addition of calcium oxide to the water in which it's boiled. The mineral softens the outer casing of the kernels, rendering the interior more nutritious. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:47:59 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/masa_the_mexican_tamales_dough/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/frijoles_refritos_zora_s_way/ Zora Margolis's method for frijoles refritos - refried beans - is healthy. It doesn't involve frying the beans after they're cooked. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:39:32 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/frijoles_refritos_zora_s_way/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_making_sure_organic_means_organic/ For anyone feeling at sea about how to make themselves heard on food concerns, now's your chance. The USDA has just released an agenda describing what they call 'significant and not significant regulations' being developed in its agencies. Two are of serious interest to anyone worried about the dependability of the National Organic Program (NOP)'s meat and dairy product certification. Your paying over the odds for organic produce and products is no guarantee that they are in fact organic. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:28:33 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/chew_on_this_making_sure_organic_means_organic/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_the_longan/ Longans are an Asian fruit clustered on a branch and looking like smoother lychees. Inside their flesh is translucent white around a dark stone, accounting for its name 'dragon eyes' for the way the pit shows through the fruit. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:11:34 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/this_week_s_ingredient_the_longan/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/zora_margolis_making_her_own_masa/ When Zora Margolis cooks Mexican tamales, she makes the masa herself. That’s the spongy corn dough containing the stuffing. It may sound like no big deal. (She makes her own tortillas, too. And verduras escabeche - pickled vegetables. Everything at her Mexican feasts, in fact.) But you can’t get hold of the kind of fresh corn you need to make the masa anywhere in the greater Washington area. Huitzilopochtli knows, she tried. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:10:44 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/zora_margolis_making_her_own_masa/ http://www.eatwashington.com/article/halalco/ While some of us may back off from offal (though both Joe Palma at Westend Bistro and Amy Brandwein at fyve report their sweetbreads are moving off the menu), those who like a good steak and kidney pie can find the necessary lambs' kidneys at Halalco. If that sounds like a forkful too far, choose the Halal duck. This Halal supermarket is like a holiday to somewhere south of the Bosphorus. Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:04:57 UTC http://www.eatwashington.com/article/halalco/