A Night at National Harbor and Bond 45

Disclosure: I receive press releases and have contacts from all sorts of restaurants on a regular basis. Most of the time they are from restaurants I have no experience with, or no interest in. Sometimes they come from restaurants I’ve visited and will read through the release to see what’s going on. The one thing in common, is that they all ask me to share this information with my readers. I’ve made it a point to not write about or endorse something I don’t have firsthand knowledge of. If I can’t tell you what my experience is, I’m not going to blindly talk about an organization. I’m not a journalist or a professional reviewer, but I do want you to know that my opinion is my own. That being said, a few weeks ago I was contacted by a publicist for Bond 45 at National Harbor. My interest was piqued as I have been to their Manhattan location on two separate visits and both visits were wonderful. I’ve shared that information here and here.

This contact was to share information about the steak house’s upcoming pre fixe Thanksgiving dinner. Curious. An Italian restaurant taking on a Thanksgiving. I read through the message on my email two times before I saw that I was actually being invited to their new location to sample one of their signature dishes. Well then! Little ol’ me has been invited to try something at a restaurant I like! This presented a quandary. Could I go, have a free taste of something, which will probably be their best…and then share the experience objectively? Because I had a basis for comparison with my previous visits, I felt I could say yes. So, last night, @DancerinDC and I went to Bond 45 for dinner.


Bond 45
Italian Steak & Seafood
149 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745
301.839.1445

The first thing I was a bit excited about was that this was our first visit to National Harbor; a massive effort by Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland to bring much needed tourist dollars to the county—to compete with neighboring Old Town Alexandria, Virginia across the river and of course the capital of the United States, Washington, DC. Easily accessible off of the Beltway (495/95) and DC 295, the location is a bit of a challenge for the motor-less citizens and visitors of the region. Buses do visit, but not without a major effort. Metro is nowhere nearby. For now, it’s cars or nothing. And maybe a water-cab? Parking appears to be plentiful with several garages, and at reasonable prices—we paid $5 for 3 hours. This is no downtown DC $20 parking!

We arrived early because I wasn’t sure what to expect for traffic. In the end it took about 20-30 minutes to drive from home, a reasonable drive considering the moderate traffic during the tail-end of evening rush hour. On this particular Monday night at 7pm, National Harbor was almost a ghost town. A few people walking around, dipping in and out of stores on their way to dinner destinations. With time to spare before our 8pm reservation, we popped into a few shops, checked out some of the other restaurants and even walked into the Gaylord National—a massive 2,000 room resort and conference center. MASSIVE! We also took a few minutes to visit The Awakening sculpture that was rudely removed from Washington, DC’s Hains Point. Yes, I’m a little bitter!

I need to give a little shout out to Capital Teas. Our first stop on our pre-dinner adventure was this lovely tea shop that caught our eye with a full wall of glass jars full of teas for sniffing and testing. We walked out with a tin of Earl Grey and a Rooibos Red Chai. I’m drinking the Red Chai now and it’s delish!

All in all, I think National Harbor is certainly in its advanced infancy stage. I hope our local residents find it and visit for shopping and dining. They do need something for entertainment though, to make it a full destination stop. But maybe there is and I don’t know about it.

Well, now it’s time for dinner!

As I mentioned earlier, it appeared to be a slower night in National Harbor. There was no wait to get in the door and we were immediately greeted by Elle. On our way to a table in the main dining room, we stopped in the galley for Elle to point out a few items. The antipasta selection at this location is smaller than in Manhattan. The focus here is more on beef, which they dry age on site. We were seated on a long banquette in the main dining area. The high ceilings and dark walls were covered with a variety of non-descript artwork.

Within a minute of sitting down and cracking open the menu, a flurry of people started coming by! There was Sean-Michael, a manager and Dave, another manager. Our waiter was Riadh (sounds like Riyad). Throughout the evening this team, including Elle, would stop by frequently to ask how we were, ask what they could get for us, or to just bring the food to our table.

The first thing we received were flutes of Villa Jolanda Prosecco from Veneto, Italy. This sparkling wine is my new favorite. Villa Jolanda is my best girl. We’re going to be going steady! Light, crisp, effervescent with soft hints of apples. Yum. At this point, we had barely had time to crack open our menus, but we were completely engrossed in the bubbly and hadn’t noticed the large popovers that arrived at the table.

After regaining our composure from the flirtatious Jolanda, we started looking through the menu when the kitchen sent out a large tray of three of the restaurants signature appetizers. Wow!

First was the bowl of meatballs, a blend of beef, pork and veal, served in a rich, chunky tomato sauce and a few points of toast. These were ridiculously tender and rich in flavor. The meatballs were about the size of Roma tomatoes and there were three of them. Along with the popovers, this alone would make a nice meal for one person. (about $10)

The second treat were two very large Fravioli Grandi, large, house-made ravioli filled with a mozzarella and stracchino cheese blend, fried and served with salumi and prosciutto. Hot & cheesey gooey, these were delightful. I loved the crispy texture against the soft cheese. The one downside, and I’ve seen this elsewhere with larger raviolis, too much outer rim of dough/pasta—keeping the delicious filling more centrally located. I didn’t notice as much when I spooned some of the extra meatball tomato sauce on them. (about $15, I think)

The final appetizer was stupid good! It was ridiculous. It was…I could barely talk or do anything else while it was on the plate. House-made Burrata with beefsteak tomatoes and more prosciutto. Burrata is a ricotta filled ball of mozzarella! Ricotta Filled! Ball of Mozzarella! Did you get that? Ricotta filled ball of mozzarella. STFU! Soft, buttery, creamy, fresh…. And when paired with the tomato and prosciutto. It was over. Done. Call the police, Bond 45 is going to kill me. (about $20)

Are you stuffed? I was! And apparently, we were only getting started. Oh, and at this point the only things we actually ordered were glasses of wine. I had a very nice Chianti Classico Riserva, 2005 Tomaiolo from Tuscany. @DancerinDC had glass of Primitivo, which he enjoyed; 2009 Matane from Puglia.

So at this point we’re loaded full of food and are looking at which entrees to order. I’m still a little surprised, but for an Italian restaurant the menu leans heavily on meat and seafood. But hey, if you’re going to do something, do it right and don’t water it down with something else. After some conversation, I decided to order the 8oz Filet Mignon (about $35) and @DancerinDC waffled back and forth on a few items. I finally said, it’s very unlikely I’ll make that so order it. He ordered the Slow Braised Lamb Shank Ossobuco (about $40).

We’ve enjoyed some awesome appetizers and are enjoying our wine while we relax before our entrees come. WRONG! Here comes the Lobster Risotto with shrimp, clams and mussels (about $25). More food!!! You’re kidding me. The look of disbelief on my face was partly—I can’t possibly eat more food and partly I’m not a fan of seafood! I like shrimp most of the time. I rarely have lobster, but I prefer is smothered in butter. Clams and mussels are out of the question for me. But I’m willing to try what’s prepared for me. I wouldn’t order something like this on my own, but if the restaurant is sharing, I’ll try. It was pretty good. The flavors of seafood and tomato were strong. There was some basil in the risotto, but you couldn’t really taste it. The shrimp were great. Lobster a wee touch over cooked. @DancerinDC tried the clams, which he said dissolved into a salt flavor and for him, as well as me, the mussels just weren’t going to happen. Overall, very enjoyable. The risotto is partially cooked in advance of the diner ordering it. Personally knowing the time and attention it takes to prepare risotto, I would never fault the kitchen for whatever shortcuts they take, but there were some lumps of rice stuck together and not stirred in with the rich tomato/seafood flavors. Perhaps a little more time preparing the dish before sending it out to the table. Where the waiter then serves from the sauce pan. This dish is intended for two people.

We were still hoping for a rest before our entrees came along, but that wasn’t too be. After the risotto was cleared—our entrees were delivered, with two huge sides! My steak was presented on a nice clean plate with some greenery on the side. Simple. @DancerinDC received a massive platter with his Ossobuco and a small side of Sardinian couscous with roasted peppers and capers. The sides were Roasted Parmesan Potatoes (about $10) and Grilled Asparagus Parmigiana (about $10). For some reason, I thought the potatoes were Rosemary Parmesan Potatoes. Nope, no rosemary…but it would be nice with some! The potatoes were either boiled or baked, jackets removed, then tossed with some oil or butter, grated parm and roasted until crispy. Initially I thought they were dropped in a fryer as they had more of a texture of a French Fry. They were tender, with a great flavor. Just a few was enough to satisfy the potato part of “Steak and Potato!” The Asparagus had great flavor and the Parmigiana was a Parm-based béchamel that was tossed under the broiler for a minute to brown. The only downside with the asparagus was that it is not in season and the thicker ends were a bit fibrous.

And our entrees? I don’t order steak out very often. Mostly because I don’t trust a lot of restaurants to make a good steak. Unless I am at a restaurant that makes it their business to make a good steak. This filet was wonderful. I asked for medium-rare and I got medium rare. It was seasoned perfectly with just the right pinch of salt. Juicy, tender and melt in my mouth perfect. I had no right to finish that morsel of beef, but I did and it was worth every ounce! @DancerinDC’s ossobuco was huge! He loved it, but couldn’t hardly make a dent in the braised delight. I’m not a fan of lamb. In fact, I just don’t eat lamb if I can help it. There has only been one time before when I liked lamb, in Ireland! I had a bit of this. It didn’t taste like lamb. It tasted of wine, tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, warmth, comfort and home. Very well done.

And Done! We pushed back and caught our breath.

Oh no. Elle brought us shots of Limoncello and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. We noticed throughout the night that all tables received the shot and cookies. The cookie was soft and chewy and just the right size for a sweet taste. The limoncello was pretty good. I’ve never had it before, so I have no idea what to compare it too. Mostly, I thought of drinking a Lemonhead!

But what would dinner be without two giant desserts? Tiramisu and Tortoni. The Tiramisu was classic. Light as air and a huge slice. The only downside I’d say…and this is just me…but tiramisu on its own can be transcendent. It needs nothing more than some luscious cream, coffee and booze soaked lady fingers and a heavy dusting of cocoa powder. Here, they gilded the lily as it were and went a step too far. Look at your creation, take a step back and ask what accessory you can take off. Fudge sauce! Great tasting fudge sauce, but a step too far. It wasn’t needed.

The Tortoni was described as an amaretto and orange ice cream with caramel sauce and toasted almonds. It was awesome. A great dessert for someone looking for an alternative to chocolate. The ice cream was frozen a little too much. The creaminess you expect from ice cream wasn’t there. In fact, I think it might have been more of an ice milk instead. Regardless of whether it was ice cream or ice milk, the flavors were a great combo.

We were completed defeated. The food won!

There was no room for coffee or a post-dinner cocktail. Sad-face!


Bond 45 delivered an amazing evening. The food was top-notch and the service was incredible. I have found it to be a rare occasion in the DC Metro region when restaurant staff actually wants to treat you right. Chef Stephanie, Elle, Dave, Sean-Michael and Riadh were all so generous with their time and talents, I can’t say thank you enough. Yes, our meal was comped, but the attentive service we witnessed at other tables didn’t appear to be anything less than what we were experiencing.

At the end of the day, I would go back to Bond 45. You can make it a special occasion dinner and spend a pretty penny (Seafood, steak, sides and wine). But I think you could also make a reasonable meal for much less (a large appetizer and a drink). Or just drinks and dessert for the final touch on a date night!

They also have a great looking menu for Thanksgiving Dinner if you are looking for a place to go. Six pre-fixe courses for $65 for adults and $35 for children. You get prosecco, choice or soup or salad; Lobster risotto; an entrée of your choice: Turkey with fixins, Roast Baby Pig, Red Snapper, Filet Mignon, Veal Chop Parmigiana or the Lamb Ossobucco. You end the meal with a choice of pie or mouse and fresh pineapple and strawberries. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Check them out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Having been to the Manhattan location twice and now to National Harbor, I think the new location will live up to the high standards set in New York City. Thanks Bond 45 for coming to Maryland and Prince George’s County. We’re thrilled to have you!

20 day break? Sorry!

There comes a point in your blogging career when blogging becomes work. Not work as in this is is so painful and I don't want to do it. But work as in I'm exhausted from a long day and all I want to do is take a nap. I've been pooped out! My only really hobby right now is going home and vegging. So I have been. I'll continue to blog when I can and hopefully the time will come when I'm not so tired and get back into blogging on a regular basis.

In the meantime, I have a few things to share...

Channa Masala! This is an incredible budget meal. Chickpeas simmered in a spicy (you decide how spicy), curry sauce and then served over rice. Very tasty. I made a big batch so we'd have some food for lunches.

Penne with tomato vodka cream sauce. How do I love you, let me count the ways: 1) Penne. 2) Vodka!! 3) Cream! 4)Tomato. And 5) Sauce! Love. Simple, rich. Super rich. Very tasty!

Chicken quesadilla with corn, shallots, jalapeno and lime. Season a chicken breast with salt & pepper. Saute until cooked through. Dice. Saute some shallots and jalapeno in the same pan. Add the corn and diced chicken. Squeeze some lime. Stir. Good. Good as is. Better when smushed with cheese between a large tortilla!

Pides! A Turkish style pizza with chicken, cheese, tomatoes in a delicious crust. Filling! At the Mediterranean restaurant, Cafe 8 on 8th Street SE, Washington, DC. It's the only thing I've had there, in the 4-5 times I've been. Check them out.

Jam Bistro by Eden

I'm a little bummed. Last week was Restaurant Week in DC and we didn't take advantage of any of the participating restaurants. We were just too busy and had no time to commit to going out during the week. Partly because we were taking a final jaunt to the beach before summer is over and the fall kicks into high gear. So, on Friday afternoon, we packed up and headed to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Friday night, we found ourselves looking for a place to eat. We weren't looking for anything in particular, we were just looking for something we'd like. We found it!


Jam Bistro by Eden. My understanding is that Eden is one of the restaurants in Rehoboth. They opened Jam as a little more casual, affordable option. First...I love the logo/artwork. Simple. But who judges a restaurant by their logo? How about the food?


After we ordered, we were given a basket of house made tortilla chips with a tomato jam. The chips were fine, but the tomato jam was great. A nice alternative to the traditional chips and salsa. A great, condensed tomato flavor.


We ordered a few different things, staying in the appetizer/salad categories. We had a late lunch, so we didn't expect to want to eat too much. Well, we ordered way more than we should have. But it was worth it. Our starting course was Roasted Garlic and Pulled Pork Risotto with a broth--I think it was caramelized onion and bacon broth. This was good! GOOD. Intensely flavored with a wonderful texture. There were whole roasted garlic cloves stirred into the risotto with tender pieces of pulled pork. The broth was light and highly fragrant. Together, it was sublime. I'm guessing the broth is a restaurant trick to help pre-made risotto stay creamy and moist through the dinner service hours. I didn't mind. Seriously good flavor. I expect to make something like this in the future.


I had a salad that made me want to lick my plate. Simple, but good. Bibb lettuce with candied pecans, pears and pretzel croutons--made from cubed soft pretzels! The dressing was a dijon-maple dressing that played very well with all the ingredients. Neither the mustard, nor the maple dominated the dish.


THE DEVIL! One thing on the menu that look particularly interesting to me was a section on different ways to have fries. Of course the first was where my eye kept going. Smashed Crispy FIngerling Potatoes with Bacon and a Vermont Cheddar sauce. So good. But too much. This came at the end of our meal and we couldn't finish it. The plate was large and could have given a table of 4-6 a nice snack/taste. For two people it was just too much. Other options included fries with Parmesan, Truffle Oil, Sea Salt, etc.


And the final dish we wanted to try was the Creamed Corn and Bacon Dressing. First, I would classify this more as a custard or even a short souffle before I would classify it as a dressing. But that's just words. The fresh sweet corn was very sweet. Sweet. Which was great with the bacon serving as a foil. But overall, creamy, airy, light, soft with a nice snap from the fresh corn. Nice. This might be something fun to play around with. Eggs, cream, corn--additional flavor enhancers--bacon, onions, leeks, etc...



There you have it! Jam! I would go back again. For the amount of food we had, plus drinks, we left spending far less than expected. Service was very attentive without being overbearing. Atmosphere was nice. A few color choices I may not make, but overall we were very comfortable. It was a later dinner, so the dining room wasn't packed, so I can't comment on the volumne during diner rush.

Check it out!

Jam Bistro by Eden
290 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE
302.226.JAMM
www.jambistro.com

Weekend Decadence

We went away this weekend for a final hurrah before the silly season starts...September to May! Anyway, had this at a restaurant one night...smashed fingerling potatoes, fried until crispy, topped with bacon and a Vermont cheddar cheese sauce. We couldn't finish...it was so rich and good!

When I catch my breath, I'll share more about out awesome dinner out...

Seventh Hill Pizza

As a former resident of Washington, DC's Capitol Hill/Eastern Market neighborhood, it thrills me to no end to see the amazing progress the neighborhood has made in the past ten years. Sure, that same progress is what ultimately made me move--things got to expensive for us to live off of, but all the same, I'm very proud of what's become of the community.

This weekend I had to run an errand down to Eastern Market (two of my doctors are still there), so we decided to visit the Eastern Market for some fresh produce and to walk around the flea market. Of course, lunch had to be had.

A new pizzeria has opened in a former Ben & Jerry's location, and it's worth visiting!

Seventh Hill Pizza
327 7th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.544.1911

7th Hill (from the creators of the French bistro next door, Montmartre) has a limited menu of 11-12 pizzas, named after SE/SW DC locations and neighborhoods, from the Capitol Hill (classic margherita) to the Navy Yard (tomato, sausage, oregano and pecorino-next photo). The toppings will be more familiar to those visiting an authentic Italian restaurant than those visiting the local college town pizzeria. Which leads me to think most of their ingredients come from nearby Eastern Market vendors. There's no Meatlovers or Hawaiian pizzas here. And oddly enough, there's no pepperoni either.

With limited seating, we pulled ourselves up to the counter to enjoy our brick oven fired pies. The toppings were fresh and wonderfully balanced with the bright red tomato sauce and creamy cheese. But I think the star here is the crust. Crisp and chewy, with the right thickness, we both chowed down on every last piece of crust. And it was a treat to sit at the counter, to talk with the chef when he wasn't throwing the dough in the air to stretch out the perfect eight or twelve inch diameter pies.

Outside of the small pizza menu (I think that's a good thing BTW), they also serve a soup d'jour (Chilled Corn & Leek the day we were there) and a selection of 5 sandwiches. There's the kicker...the sandwiches are priced at $7.50 and when you order...they bake the bread right then and there. Did you hear that...fresh baked bread, hot out of the oven, piled high with ingredients like roasted red peppers, prosciutto, provolone, pesto, tomato...I'm dying here! I love pizza. No really, I LOVE PIZZA...but at the end of the day, a sandwich on hot bread from the oven with the highest quality fresh ingredients for only $7.50...heaven. We watched the chef make the sandwiches in between throwing pizza dough, it was lots of fun. I caught his name, but can't remember...he said to us at one point when we realized he was making the fresh bread, "if you're gonna so something, you want to do it the best you can." I have to agree--those sandwiches looked scrumptious. They looked to have a little topping sprinkled ontop before hitting the ovens, possibly a cheese/herb topping?

Oh, and the soups also come with loaf of this fresh bread too! I think the soup was $6-7. Pizzas are $10-$17, depending on size and toppings. Beer is served.

A reminder, space is at a premium here, maybe four 4-top tables outside on the patio, up to 12 chairs/tables inside and maybe 8 chairs at the counter. The pizzas are fast--we had ours in under 10 minutes, sandwiches looked to have the same wait.

And one final point--this is a pay at the register and sit kind of place--no waiters or hosts/hostesses. Order, pay, sit and someone from behind the counter will bring the food and they might come back to clear around you, but if you want something more, go back and order. Also, something I don't have a problem with...let them focus on the food and getting people in and out in a timely manner. I could have sat for another 30 minutes, but the place was starting to get busy so we cleared out when we were done. Hopefully other customers do the same thing here.

Good luck to Seventh Hill Pizza. I hope you stick around for a while, become one of many great neighborhood places on the Hill.

Su-weet

The past 13 days have been a whirlwind of fun, relaxing, enjoyable vacation. This past weekend in particular was an extremely action packed visit to New Jersey and Manhattan. As with all trips to Manhattan there is good food. But not just in Manhattan. Let me draw your attention to a strip mall in Edgewater, New Jersey, along the Hudson River....

Su
Healthy Cuisine

A mostly vegetarian/vegan restuarant--they serve some fish--with a mostly Asian fusion spin.

We were famished after running all over Manhattan that day, so we jumped right in with some appetizers.

These were the spring roll special. There is soy protein in there, some veg, some jicama and a nice tangy, slightly spicy dipping sauce. A bit or two was good enough for me, the texture of the rice paper wrapping was a little funky. And overall it tasted very grassy. How Green is Your Grass grassy. (inside joke, sorry, you don't get it! Jodie Foster does!)

Our other appetizer was Roti Bread with a Malaysian dipping sauce. The bread was intensely buttery...without butter. The sauce was amazing, was sipping it with my spoon after the bread was gone! Curry coconutty, warm, spicy, beautiful.

This was entree. A major first for me...!!! Orange zest infused crispy wheat seitan in a sweek smoky sauce accented by dried chili and prickly ash (?). Served with a cold sauted spinach (ick) and brown rice. If you've had Orange Chicken at any Chinese restaurant, that's what this is...but so much better. Amazing texture, great flavor and after eating the whole plate, was full, but didn't get that sick gross nasty bloated full feeling you get after a box of take-out. I would order this again!

Similiar to my entree, this is a sesame sauce version with crispy beet garnish. This was a milder version of my dish. I will say about both. Delish...but only when hot and crispy, the minute the crispy goes soggy, I don't want it!

Our friend Kara had this Roasted seitan on Chinese broccoli, pumpkin and roasted almonds. She loved it. I tried the pumpkin, but stayed away from the rest of it. It looked to squigy for me. And I don't like any broccolis.

Our friend Terri had this "small plate" of Malaysian pan fried rice noodles. Also very good. Wonderful balance of flavors here.

The two crispy seitan dishes came with brown rice served in a banana leaf. Cute.

And desserts. This is a coconut custard with a lemon reduction sauce. Coconut flan, just a little to 'set' for me, more Jello-y, then custardy.

And the big bad ass dessert. Chocolate hazelnut ganache filled profiteroles with ice cream and a berry sauce. OMG!

Ganache Filled! That is all you need to know.

I would go back. I would order the same things...I took a chance trying something new and really enjoyed it, but there are still things I'm not sure about there. The only bummer part of the place...it's BYOB only. So no drinks unless you plan in advance. Soda, tea and water.

Su Healthy Cuisine
725 River Road
Unit 21
Edgewater, NY 07020
Phone: 201.840.7988
Open for lunch and dinner
12pm-3pm
5pm-930pm
Take out & delivery available

Blue Moon

Summer Vacation! For part one of our vacation, we headed to Rehoboth Beach, DE. We usually keep things low key, but this time we decided on a major splurge. For our final dinner we headed to Blue Moon. What a treat.

After placed our order a hot waiter brought us a treat from the kitchen. I do love restaurants that give you a little amuse bouche. This time I wasn't sure I was willing to play the game. We were given a date, stuffed with Gorganzola cheese, wrapped in bacon and drizzled with balsamic. I really don't like Gorganzola cheese. I've tried it several times and just haven't liked it. Well...this time...this time was different. The sweetness of the date and balsamic, paired with the salty bacon brought a lovely balance to the tangy cheese. Very delightful.


We were told right up front the kitchen was busy, so we might want to consider a starter so we weren't waiting too long. I appreciate the honesty. So, we ordered a salad to share; bibb lettuce, poached egg, pickled onions, bacon and a herby buttermilk dressing. YUM!


A warm roll with soft butter. Not cold butter, but soft butter. THANKS!


My entree. I got the New York Strip with herb butter and herb roasted fingerling potatoes. Here's my feeling on herb butter. Keep the raw garlic out of it. The raw garlic is just too overpowering and for me, TMI, it makes me a little burpy and keeps making a reappearance all night long. That being the said, the steak was super tender and otherwise had great flavor. I was a touch surprised by the doneness. I ordered medium-rare. I expected a lovely pink steak. It wasn't. The pink was mostly gone. Which would tell me it was overcooked, but it wasn't. Still tender, juicy and great flavor, but the color wasn't there. I think the steak may have been cooked at a lower temperature after receiving a quick sear. Mmmm, I do love some steak!


I skipped dessert in lieu of a tasty cocktail. Coconutty goodness. I don't remember what was in it beyond coconut rum and Irish cream. The table next to me saw what I got and they order a few as well...they also loved it.


Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302.227.6515

Delicious

This is chicken( & fried yuca). It is delicious!

New to our neck of the woods is a blink and you'll miss it restaurant. Chicken Delicious in Bladensburg, MD (on Hwy 450/Annapolis Road & Edmonston Road) in a strip mall with a Blockbuster and several small, independently owned shops. After multiple failed attempts to get the goods (either they were closed or SOLD OUT of chicken), we finally got some. A whole Peruvian-style (I think?) rotisserie chicken and two sides. Something like $14 bucks. Enough to feed two very hungry boys, leaving a little extra. Wonderful! We have since been back several times and are putting this to the top of our favorites, espcially for a quick local meal. The chicken is perfectly cooked. Delightfully seasoned and juicy. The sides can be hit or miss, but don't skip the fried yuca, ask to have it cooked extra crispy! The fries are fine, beans ok, plaintains weren't that good. We have also had the carne asada and that was pretty tasty too. There are only a few other items on the menu, including one or two sandwich options I think. But really, go for the chicken.

But my favorite...it's the tiny little cups of sauce you get for the chicken. One is a garlic aioli. I'm not very fond of that. But the little green cup of zippy sauce is wonderful. Refreshing, spicy, bright, tangy, all the good stuff...oh and a touch spicy! Dunk it or pour it on your chicken. I like to dip the yuca in as well.

This is some great take-out. We haven't eaten in, but there are tables and TVs to occupy your time.

The only thing they could do to improve their service...offer delivery and beer!

Chicken Delicious
Bladensburg, MD
301.277.2222

Cupcakes, Sangria and Tapas!

We had a little bit of fun this weekend. Which of course left us exhausted come Monday.

Friday night we met up with friends at Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, MD for rummy drinks and dinner. Piratz is a fun place. Plenty of cheeky atmosphere and pretty good drinks. I always go for the "666" a fruity, coconutty rum drink. It's the devil for a reason. Tastes like candy. And, in terms of food, I always get exactly the same. Jerk Pork Sandwich with fries. It's simple and it's good. After Piratz, said friends joined us back at home for fruity, sweet cocktails. Chocolate Martinis and a new cocktail we're working on, a Carrot Cake Martini. Right now, it's coming across more as a spiced cake martini, but we're getting there.

Saturday was rough. All that rich sweet stuff left us feeling a little less than ideal. Most of Saturday was a geek's delight. Board Games with more friends!

Sunday was a little culinary adventure. The main goal of the day was to catch one more Oscar nominated film before the awards this weekend. So we headed to Bethesda, Maryland for lunch, a viewing of The Last Station and a surprise treat. For more on the movie, and other Oscar noms check out Eat With Me's better half, Footnotes.

Let's start with the surprise treats...Georgetown Cupcakes. OMG, so good!

Clockwise from the top: Carrot, Key Lime, Red Velvet and Coconut.
Rankings: 1st-Coconut, 2nd-Carrot, 3rd-Key Lime, 4th Red Velvet

At the shop...

They are so pretty...

And they are incredible. They cake has great flavor and near perfect texture. The icings are rich and decadent. As they should be! Can't wait to go again. And if you follow them on Twitter you'll find out about a free, secret flavor daily! They are a bit spendy. But they are worth it. If you think about what you might spend on dessert at a restaurant, this is totally in line for the quality. To me, it seems the average restaurant dessert is maybe 1/2 the size more (re: 1 1/2 cupcakes), but will cost you upwards of $6-8 and the quality may be hit or miss. These cupcakes are just under $3 and certainly meet all and perhaps exceed expectations! Bravo!!!!

~~~~~

Now, let's go back to lunch. We contemplated stopping at a favorite French joint for lunch, but there was a wait, they were super busy and we had a movie to get to, so we didn't want to risk getting slow service and/or feeling rushed in our ordering. So, we went with another favorite: Jaleo.

For those who haven't been, Jaleo is a tapas bar. Small plates of amazing Spanish food by the prolific and delightful, Chef Jose Andres. There are three locations in the DC region--Downtown DC/Penn Quarter; Crystal City, VA; and Bethesda, MD.

If you go to Jaleo, just order a pitcher of Sangria. You'll thank yourself for it.

I generally order the same thing everytime I go to Jaleo, simply because I love it and we don't go that often, so...Croquetas de pollo; a traditional fritter made from bechamel, chicken, serrano ham, rolled, coated and fried! I have Chef Andres' cookbook and have made these before! See here.


My main bit was this awesome hanger steak (Lomo de buey), seared and served rare on a bed of roasted red peppers and a red oil (not spicy-chili oil, probably just red from the peppers) and garnished with flakes of sea salt and chives. Like butter. The texture was...is...redonk! The flavor is mellow, rich and sublime.

OMG, a good weekend!

BBQ

This past weekend we took in another opportunity to try one of the 100 restaurants highlighted by the Washingtonian as one of the best of 2009's "Cheap Eats." This adventure brought us to Bowie, Maryland for some pretty good BBQ.

KBQ Real Barbeque
12500B1 Fairwood Parkway
Bowie, MD 20720
301.352.8111
www.kbqrealbarbecue.com

Washingtonian Review

Thoughts:

This was good. As you can see I ordered up the pulled pork platter with two sides; Baked Beans and Mac & Cheese.

What I loved was the naked pork. Just smokey and pulled. Not drenched is sauce, you get to add that on your own. It's nice to get just the meat. Great flavor and plenty moist. Not having the sauce on the meat, gives you the opportunity to try one of two sauces that were shared with us. Original and Spicy. I preferred the flavor of the original and the spicy had just the tiniest bit of kick to it. So when I used the sauce, I mixed the two!

The beans were tender, sweet and peppery. The mac & cheese was some of the best BBQ joint mac & cheese I've had.

DancerinDC ordered the ribs, mac & cheese and cole slaw. He loved the ribs. I had a little taste. They were good. Just off the grill taste, and again, no sauce to smother the meat. The slaw, he said was tasty, but swimming in sauce.


Overall, I'd go back again, but I'm not sure I would make this a destination BBQ trip. If you're in the area, it's worth a stop. If you need to drive, consider really taking the time and heading to Carter Cue in Mt. Airy, MD.

THIS is what I covet

This is what my dreams are made of...


The Matchbox Meat Pizza: pepperoni / spicy italian sausage / crispy bacon / zesty tomato sauce / mozzarella


Smoky. Cheesey. Meaty. Spicy. Effin' amazing. Nearly perfect*.


But a meal at Matchbox can't start without the Angus beef sliders topped with onion straws.

Seriously, I dream about this.


Matchbox DC
Vintage Pizza Bistro
Two locations: Chinatown & Eastern Market/Capitol Hill

*I say nearly perfect, not perfect. The outer crust of the pizza was charred and crisp, exactly the way this type of pizza should be. The inner crust was a little weak and wasn't able to hold up to the amazing toppings. No worries, I still devoured the pizza. Perhaps it waited a minute to long to be served; but if they can ensure a crisp crust from the rim to the middle, we'd be talking pure perfection!

Put on your fat pants!

Time to put on your fat pants folks...you're going to need room to expand!

As part of our jaunt to visit Black Ankle Vineyards in Mt. Airy, we had to stop off and enjoy some CarterQue BBQ. This small town shop is full of great food and some of the best customer service I've experienced this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Gratitude and heart-felt thanks from the staff made us feel very welcome on our second visit.

CarterQue
Barbeque & Grilling Company
235 South Main Street**
Mt. Airy, MD

**The company will be moving to a new, larger location in the coming months. Watch the website for more info.



Aside from the sweet staff, you will be greeted by this sign!


CarterQue makes their own sauces. We had a sampling before ordering. There's a traditional, smoky red, a sweet & tangy vinegar based and their award winning Blackberry Grillin' sauce.


We all split our side dishes, so we could sample. The beans were very mild and sweet. There was apple and some warmer spice notes in the beans. The hush puppies were the best I've had. Extra crispy with some green onion mixed in. But the main event. Three pulled pork sliders! I had three of the sauces. The favorites were the tangy vinegar and the blackberry! Ridiculous!!! This is so awesome it has extra awesome sauce on top!


Caroline had the two meat platter. Pulled pork and brisket. Her side was coleslaw, which was nice and light, providing a nice crunch to the soft succulent meats. For some extra fun, put some of the coleslaw on your pulled pork sliders.


Jason did the sliders as well, but went with the mac & cheese and cornbread as his sides. The Mac & Cheese is ridiculous! Extra cheesey, Crazy creamy. The cornbread. Let's be real...that's cake! It's dessert. Depending on how you look at it, that's a good thing, or not. I do like traditional cornbread with it's light, crumbly texture, but this was a treat. With a little frosting or even the blackberry grillin' sauce, you would have dessert!


And the crazy good, beer-battered french fries. Tee hee....giggles!


I'm so proud of myself. I cleaned my plate! I couldn't finish the beans, but I snarfed down the sliders and made my way thru good portions of ALL the sides.

~~~Chris Carter, the certified pit master & owner at CarterQue will be competing at the National Barbeque Battle in Washington, DC on June 27 & 28, 2009. If you can't get to Mt. Airy, check out the Battle.

Beach Eats

We're back from a lovely few days at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. We've been numerous times before, but this time, I think the restaurants rolled out some of their best. Very pleased this go-round!

One breakfast included a visit to a place we've been before. The Back Porch Cafe. The menu was the same as two years ago, and I ordered the same thing I did two years ago. A lovely omelet filled with potatoes, bacon, leeks and Gruyere cheese. Very light and full of great flavor. The only downside, there was a single piece of bacon in the omelet. Bummer, but it was still tasty.


Our very happy find was Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats. We went twice and I ate the same thing both times. I'll get to that next. Being a brewery, we had to try several beers. The first night I had the Lawnmower and I loved it! The second time I did a tasting flight and tried five beers. Five small glasses for $5! Great deal.


My favorites from the tasting flight were the Chicory Stout and Shelter Pale Ale. Bought a six pack of the Shelter for home!


The meal. Yes, I ordered the same thing twice...it was that good! A great char grilled burger topped with an onion ring, bacon and cheese. Ridiculous! I tend to rate a good burger by the fat dripping down my hand when I take a bite...this needed many napkins!


YUM!


And a very surprising, completely satisfying meal was had at Rigbys Bar & Grill. Rigbys is the former Partners restaurant. It's the same space, lots of the same people, but the chef is new, the space has been cleaned up with new paint, carpeting and some furniture. I had fried chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and braised green beans. I almost ordered a second helping. The chicken was cooked perfectly. And all combined, it was just wonderful.

And that's pretty much what I ate at the beach. We had some easy Mexican one day, pizza another. I tended to skip breakfasts, which I normally don't do, but I was taking advantage of sleeping in. I'd continue to go back to all of these places!