CHERRIES!

The Twitterverse is buzzing with the news, but in case you don't have Twitter but you are checking your Google Reader after 5pm on a Friday (highly unlikely), head over to your local Whole Foods for $1.99 cherries.  J confirmed that at 4:30pm they still had plenty left.  Cherries are in season, so I guess a surplus led to the sale.  Supply, demand, and all that other stuff. 

Enjoy!  TODAY ONLY!

Top Chef DC Episode 1 Recap, or, Notes from the Only Person Who Didn't Watch at Good Stuff

We learned a little bit about way too many people tonight.  The first couple (or six) episodes are tough in any reality show, because you feel like you just want to ax half of them--the ones you just know won't make it.  Why waste your time watching them fail, get slammed by the judges, and then finally get aufed, knives packed, etc?

Anyway, so and so has little bebehs at home, whatsherface is self-taught and (thinks she) can kick everyone's collective ass, and most people have a whole boatload of confidence.

Let's recap the actual episode then move to my personal thoughts (aka Where I Judge Them roundup):


The Quickfire:
Mise en place.  Final round was to make a dish, any dish, with the ingredients.  Kenny had lightning speed the whole time, but Angelo was the ultimate winner in taste.  Mm chicken.  But Kenny was runner up. 

The Elimination Challenge:
My first thought was: Groupwork.  I hate groupwork...on reality shows.  But it turns out that they were just divided into "groups" to see who they were cooking against.  Not actually working together.  The challenge was cooking regional cuisine (from your region!) for 300 people at the Cherry Blossom Festival.

The top four were Kenny, Kevin, Alex, and Angelo.  See their bios on the Top Chef web site.

Angelo took this one home.  Angelo made little one-biter spoons of bacon froth on Arctic char.  It was cute and pretty.  Tom said it was "really good," but Gail thought it was too dill-y.

Eventually we said goodbye to John, Mr. James Beard nominee with the wild dreads! They just didn't taste the maple in this Michigander's maple Napoleons with toasted macadamias.  They just tasted "sugar, sugar, sugar."

Best Quotes:
"I feel like an orchestra of flavors."  - Angelo
"You said you served this dish hundreds of times.  Did you make it?"  - Tom
"I'm just here to cook, I'm not here to play with dice."  - Tiffany.    THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT TO YOU KNOW WHAT!!!!  I'm Not Here To Make Friends.
"And you guys can lick your balls."  - Angelo.  OK, so he really meant to say "bowls."  I can't be the only one who did a double-take.  Does anyone else think this guy has sort of an accent?  A Madonna thing going on?

Parting Thoughts:
Angelo is intense.  Name and place dropping like none other!  We'll see if he lives up to the hype.

No one has a faux hawk this season.  That seems wrong...[see more coverage of faux hawks here and here. OK and here and here, too.]

The dish I most wanted to eat, just gut reaction gotta-tell-ya, is Tamesha's jerk chicken sphere with the fun jicama, mango, crunchiness underneath.  Looked tasty.  The judges didn't discuss it--not sure if that was an editing error.  They were too focused on the two sauce situation, contrasting the judge's disappointment with Timothy, the local, with his confidence.

Padma looks awesome.

This first episode has more "I worked for Whatshisface" and "I was nominated for XYZ award" and "This magazine named me Best Person Ever To Exist" than any previous introductory ep.  Maybe this isn't the most humble bunch.  Or maybe they are just that awesome.  We'll have to wait and see.

I think next week we should count the number of times they say "deconstructed." 

Let me know in the comments what you thought--what looked delectable, what description made you throw up a little in your mouth, and most importantly, did you like Padma's outfit?  Whatever you'd like to share, your thoughts are hereby solicited.

Thanks for playing!  I'm going to go read a bunch of TCDC tweets now...

P.S. To avoid intellectual property issues and possible improper crediting (and also THX FOR MAKING UR PHOTOS UNSAVE-ABLE, BRAVO!), I'm going to feature a real live iEatDC Family Photo taken in the DC area for each of these posts.

CommonWealth Gastropub

PRE-POST REMINDER!  Top Chef DC (TCDC) starts TOMORROW, and I'll be providing recaps that contain spoilers, guesses, judgments, and flip-flops on the previously mentioned judgments all season long.  Bravo, Wednesdays at 9pm (not 10pm, thank goodness).  They aren't paying me to tell you about it, I just love it that much. 

Back in May, when it wasn't 90 gazillion degrees, people enjoyed eating outside.  We are those people.  We'd been meaning to go to CommonWealth for a while--we love beer, burgers, fish & chips, etc.  It's a good fit.

The beer offerings will suit most palates.  I was feeling summery and wheat-y, so I got a flight reflecting those choices.  Mmmm.  I made it a habit to take tiny sips of each one after another and contemplate aloud about the fruit flavor or floral accents.  Because that's cool! Also: these little glasses are adorable.  That's reason enough to get a flight.

J got one normal beer in a normal sized glass.  Not a teeny tiny cutie patootie one.

LAMBURGER!  Cutest name of a food ever.  And that would be pesto.  DELICIOUS fries (chips).  Well seasoned, perfectly cooked, and delicious.  The bun is more of an English muffin--it didn't bother me, but it seems noteworthy.

Fish and chips!  Very very good.  J says "very high quality, almost as good as Eamonn's."  I agree.

This meal wasn't complicated--we ate outside, pretty quickly, didn't order that much, and I don't even think we saw the inside of the restrooms.  But it happened: we picked a place in which to spend our hard-earned cash.  We had a nice time at CommonWealth.  The service was efficient (if not a little brusque), food was as we expected--piping hot, tasting great.  As it should be.

I'd really like to go back for brunch.  And it looks like they have Saturday brunch!  Happy - it can be hard to find, you know.  Basically, I want to try the popovers.  Has anyone had them?  Are they delicious?

CommonWealth Gastropub
1400 Irving St NW
Metro: Green and Yellow Lines to Columbia Heights

Friday Came Quickly!

Maybe it's because we took a little trip last weekend, but I feel like this week flew by! It's a good thing!  This week seems to have flown by.  Not sure why or how, but it did.  Monday and Tuesday were the nicest days ever, and then Wednesday rainy and sad.  But today?  STUNNING, even if a little warmer than I'd want.  Tonight is perfect.  We used out LivingSocial for Indique Heights to enjoy some fine Indian cuisine on the patio.  The Syrian Lamb Fry appetizer was yummasaurus.

This week I was superpsyched to finish the map you see to your left.  Or you can click here.  The map shows all the restaurants in the DC area for which we have blog posts--I didn't include NYC, Denver, Las Vegas, etc.  But if you think it would be handy, I may include a link list with links to out of town maps.  So if you click on the name of the restaurant on the list on the left-hand side of the map, or on the tag for the restaurant ON the map, a little description box will pop up.  That box includes a link to my review, which by now you know includes helpful tips such as Was It Delicious and What Metro Stop Do I Take To Get There.  Now you can be like "Hey, I wonder if iEatDC has any suggestions for somewhere near where we are standing right this very second?"   That question?  Answered.    I use the Capital Spice map all the time, and I always send it to friends who are new to the city.  Hopefully this can be a me-centered accompaniment : )

This baked salmon with lemon caper butter looks downright delightful, a nice little twist from my usual salmon routine.  Jersey Cook is a new addition to my Google Reader.  If you're wondering, I have 60 subscriptions.  Seems big at first glance, but I prob have friends with more (I'm looking at you!). 

The Carnivore and the Vegetarian are moving to NYC (and getting married!!!), and I flipped around their site a little to find the Pantry.  I love it.  Partly because it looks very much like our pantry. 

From Metrocurean, RAMMY award winners (YAY VERMILION! YOU DESERVE IT!!!!) and also, Pizzeria Orso opened in Falls Church.  From the photos this place looks Neopolitan and Fo' Real.  But is it better than 2 Amys?  I definitely want to go!  Here is a photo of 2 Amys pizza to jog your memory.

ESPN Zones are closing in cities around the country, including Baltimore and DC.  As much as I'll miss winning tickets and giving them to some doe-eyed little bugger, I'm excited for what's to come, whatever it may be. And We Love DC says Georgetown is finally getting a burger place.

Aaaand WSJ talks about Ruth Bourdain, the fictional character from the Twitterverse, a mashup of Anthony Bourdain and Ruth Reichl.  Sea salt lattes = on my list of things I must have now.  BP tries to clean up a coffee spill (hat tip EG).

Reminder:  NEXT WEEK Top Chef DC starts, and I'll be providing recaps on Wednesday nights of everybody's favorite reality competition series.  (Seriously, it's my favorite.  Bachelor, SYTYCD, DWTS, Apprentice, etc, you can all suck it.  And Project Runway, sometimes the best thing about yu is Heidi.  Sigh, Heidi....)

Have a great weekend!  Fight (run) against heart disease, be proud, and definitely watch some World Cup!

Komi

Hey! That's us!  That's our table!  No, that's not really us, but that really was our table--the nook in the window.  Originally we were seated in a floating table (not anchored to a wall aka Not My Bag), but because of our 8:45pm reservation, the place started clearing out just as we were ordering.  We took up our server (or at least, one of them) on her offer to move.  So nook + people watching + deliciousest food in the world = happiness.

Ahem!  Komi.  The myth.  The Legend.  No Photos Allowed. A chef described as a wunderkind.  #1 on the Washingtonian Top 100 Restaurant List (in 2009 and 2010). Obama Date Night Destination.  A realization that "best ever" is accurate.  And many other things that lots of people have already said (P.S. that last link was probably most influential--when I first moved here it was Jason from DCFoodies that I heeded most.  Of course the number of food blogs has decadrupled since that time). 

We quickly informed our server that we were "going for the gold"--the degustazione.  After all, who knows when--or if--we'll be back.  I was a little nervous that I'd forget certain plates (lost in the wine, perhaps?) so J and I played the "I'm going on a picnic game" every couple courses where we tried to name them all.  And then afterward I quickly scribbled (*2010 style) notes and took a screen shot for y'all.  This is as raw as I get guys.  Seriously.  I'm showing you my screen.  You know my battery life, and that I'm the kind of person that wants the percentage displayed.

Now, I'll dig into some details.  I liked absolutely everything and would have it all again.  The sashimi was unlike any sashimi I've had anywhere, even Makoto, which Zagat is in love with.  It was light and didn't have a hint of fishiness.  It provided cool (but not cold) and flavorful, super light bites.  BTW, the first bunch of dishes are called mezzathakia.  Mmmm.

The adorable tiny bun (as in bread) topped with creme fraiche and roe was SO DELICIOUS!  It reminded me that I look forward to making this appetizer from Mango & Tomato.  But now it has to be homemade adorable still-warm one-bite mini buns, right?

The spanikopita with the liquid center was another one-biter.  We all know how I love liquid center fried items.

Braised asparagus - awesome.  Tagliatelle with mushrooms & blueberries TOTALLY WORKED!  J was a little nervous that it would be strange, you know, with the blueberries.  But no.  The goat shoulder was unbelievable.  I described it to a friend (who hasn't eaten goat) as brisket meets dark turkey meat, but not.  One thing that's tough about a large tasting menu is that by the time you get to the seriously hearty main course kind of stuff, you are stuffed.  But at Komi, the bites are tiny, and they build progressively in weight and flavor so that you not only have room for the goat, but you LOVE eating it and basically finish the (large) plate (to share).

Same with the desserts.  The desserts were amazing.  Honestly.  Amazing. The caramel?  For real?!  At a lot of restaurants I want to eat dessert but I just can't.  I am too full.  I was ready for dessert.  Again, the build-up and the timing at Komi made not only eating dessert, but ENJOYING it, super duper easy.

The service was incredible.  Attentive (how could it not be, we saw servers pretty frequently with that massive list of plates), but it didn't seem like they were always around.  Plates came, plates went, wine was re-filled (we shared one bottle...it was a weekday!), but I still felt like we had our own space.

The only thing I really didn't like at Komi was something I didn't actually eat at Komi.  It was my little take home treat, a root beer lollipop.  And I'm a root beer fan, normally.  In this photo, it appears to be driving up Massachusetts Avenue.

The menu is not for picky eaters, but unlike other wild-seeming tasting adventures, this one truly produced one spectacular (looking and tasting) dish after another.  Pick a special occasion, or make one up.  Make a reservation.  We made ours 30 days in advance by phone for a weekday late seating.  That was before The Prez made an appearance, though.  Last step: go, relax, and enjoy.

Komi
1509 17th Street NW
Metro: Red Line to Dupont Circle

P.S.  If it's not obvious, this was the best meal I've ever had to date.  Really, ever. But maybe that will change one day. 

Friday, You Are Bittersweet

If you're my pal on the Twitterverse, then you already know that today we lost a little puppy soul, specifically our family dog, Sophie, who died a few weeks short of her 12th birthday.  Here's a look at the little Queen of the Underbites.

But on to happier topics...

I didn't read much in food news this week, but I did continue my new-ish system of tagging blog posts in my Google Reader to organize them.  "Fish" "Dinner" "Dessert" "Cookies" "Side dish"  "Gift Ideas" are the most frequently used.  But what AM I tagging these days?

I am definitely going to make this lamb from Smitten Kitchen.  It looks easy and delicious.  I've never made lamb at home, but that won't be true very very soon. (P.S. Who is coming over to supervise this attempt?) And how about this delicious pasta dish with peas and parmesan from Adventures in Shaw, looks yum and easy.  For noodles with a different flavor, go with peanutty soba noodles from The Dirty Radish.  I'll prob throw in some edamame and whatever other veggies I have lying around!  And for dessert, goat cheese marble brownies from Corcoran Street Kitchen.  J just saw those over my shoulder and he's like "When are you making those?!?!"  Hi, you can bake!  He's too likely to leave them in the kitchen until I eat them all myself.  Man has willpower like none other.

News-wise, We Love DC says that Taylor Gourmet may be coming to Dupont!  It's only marginally closer than the Chinatown location (to me at least), but close enough that I'm more likely to try it.  I want to compare to Italian Store in the battle of the sandwiches. 

So put your sugary electrolyte-packed drinks away, my friends, and indulge in some of what I used to call Chocolate Moo Juice.  Apparently chocolate (skim) milk is the best post-exercise drink (via Eating Well).  My routine is close - I stick to Light Chocolate Silk after a long run.  It ties me over from sweaty gross person that scares away would-be elevator-mates to post-shower acceptable human.

Aaaand my favorite online source, Slate, talks to Anthony Bourdain. 

In this edition of Analytics, I took a look at the past week. 14% of the keyword searches that brought visitors this week were for Ray's Hellburger or some derivative (including vegetarian options, how to get there via Metro, and the coleslaw recipe).  I love Ray's, and I'm happy to know that maintaining this blog is informing people about my unhealthy obsession.  I mean love.  Love.  But my favorite keyword search this week was for PEANUT BUTTER M&Ms.  My favorite. And clearly, someone else's. 

In my last bit of stalker/curiosity, I checked out 2010 so far, and was disappointed to see that four states are missing from my visitor list:  Alaska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming.  I was particularly bummed out about that last one--Wyoming is a place near and dear to my heart.  But alas, I started the blog several months after my last visit there, and I didn't get to share with you my experiences at Snake River Grill, Sweetwater Restaurant, and Chippy's Kitchen (where we ate delightful sandwiches on a bench in front of a catering company's tiny storefront during a bike ride through and around Wilson, WY).  I'll leave you with a few photos from that excitement, and encourage you to remember to travel domestically to the beautiful places right here in the US of A, and obviously, awkwardly photograph all of your food.  Have a wonderful weekend, and Shabbat Shalom!

We ate pizza at this joint in Gardiner, Montana

Mie N Yu

We’ve walked by Mie n Yu literally hundreds of times; whether living in Foggy Bottom or just over the Key Bridge, Georgetown has always been a place for strolling, shopping, and of course, frozen desserts. But we’ve never been inside. Part of it is that we’re not really part of the hip happening bar scene going on in the District, or really, the world. Any appearance of coolness associated with showing up at Bourbon Steak Lounge should be shaken off—I was there for some cheap(er) food.

When I got an email offering me and a guest a FREE meal at MNY to try a new $25/pp three-course meal I decided to grab it.  Several other Urbanspooners took the same bait - DC Socialite and Two DC, to be precise!  The host told me they were also inviting prominent Yelpers.  MNY wants the word out on the new menu, and I finally got to go inside this fabric-swathed themed establishment. This is somewhat of a test run for me – I like getting a run at new stuff, and I don’t doubt that I can provide an unbiased yet fully disclosed review. But we’ll see if it gives me just an icky feeling. So far I’m ok.

Mie N Yu is pretty obsessed with the Silk Road, which is another way of pretty much saying it's Asian fusion.  Everywhere you turn is a different themed room. The Turkish Tent, the Moroccan Bazaar, etc.  The spaces upstairs for events are spacious, private, and beautiful. I was told that the interior designer who worked on MNY went on to create interesting spaces like Brasserie Beck. While the variety can be interesting, not every diner wants to be so involved with a restaurant’s concept. Some just want to sit in a comfortable, beautiful (doesn’t hurt) space, and eat delicious food.

The menu being hyped up is the Blind Tiger, a 3-course tasting menu for $25.  Off the bat I was impressed--that's certainly a deal.  Also, the third course is NOT dessert, which made me glad.  I often feel like dessert during Restaurant Week is a bummer---me want more food.  Let's get down to it!

A bowl of edamame was a great start to our meal – some course salt on top, but not too much. I appreciated the extra bowl for the shells. It worked out better than awkwardly piling them on a side plate or something.  We were offered more, but I didn't take 'em--gotta save some room.

For the first and second courses we just picked “one of each.” A salad with soba noodles, blue crab, and pickled quail eggs was cool and light for a hot summer day, and the rice vinegar dressing was quite tasty.  The za'atar hummus was really good, but we probably could have used more pita.  The ratio was off!  Even though we really liked the hummus, part of me was like "Well, I make hummus at home all the time, I wish there was another choice..."

Second course we had lamb kabobs and Beijing style duck with little pancake wrappers.  I think the lamb was my favorite dish!  Flavorful, simple, and distinctive.  Lamb is the bomb.  The duck was good, but hoisin-drenched duck is hoisin-drenched duck, whether it's at Mie N Yu or in lettuce wraps at countless other places.  It's just not special.

Third course was the Pakistani cinnamon and ginger striped bass (in a spiced yogurt casserole with tamarind scented basmati rice) and lamb, wild mushroom, and tofu fried rice.  The striped bass wasn't what I expected--because of the yogurt and cinnamon I expected more of a korma-type flavor, sort of sweet and creamy.  Instead, there was a citrus-y pepper-y bite to it.  The fish was still nice, and J seemed to enjoy it a lot.  The lamb dish was hearty and tasty.  I can imagine digging into it on cold winter night; it was the epitome of comfort food.  I felt like one overpowering (but good) flavor overwhelmed the dish--there wasn't much contrast. 

We decided to grab dessert, too.  We needed a well-rounded experience, and the pecan and chocolate croustade sounded like just the thing.  One thing is for sure: it smelled positively divine.  I was expecting the inside to be more gooey, like a nice warm pecan pie.  It was warm, but the inside was not gooey.  I didn't get much of a straight-up chocolate flavor, just sort of a charred nutty flavor.  J doesn't really like the gooeyness of pecan pie, so he preferred the croustade the way it was.  I liked the cinnamon gelato, local from Dolcezza :)

Several friends told me there was a “surprise” about the bathrooms, and even my server said that they were award-winning. (A sign explaining how MNY was voted Best Restaurant Bathroom in 2009 by the Express is unmissable on your way to the facilities.) After all that build-up for a unisex room of single-stalls and common sinks (and a mirror that definitely tricked me into thinking the whole thing was twice the size), I was just annoyed that the bowl sink filled with decorative rocks = splashing water all over myself. Some things in life, like bowl sinks, are somewhat beautiful but totally impractical. Also, the Best Bathroom in my book is one that doesn’t require taking the stairs (or an elevator…I’m looking at you Hotel Monaco/Poste). Especially if you have a few cocktails.

I’ll stop picking on the theme now, and instead tell you about how my heart swelled with joy when I saw Kluge wines (from Charlottesville) on the list. MNY is very focused on local. Their list of farms that they partner with is quite long – everything from lamb to produce to eggs is coming from nearby (check out a list at the bottom of the page here). But many restaurants tout their existence on the local train without giving a hoot to the grapes. I’m not saying you gotta wave goodbye to France, Italy, or even Napa Valley. I’m just saying if you’re going to be all we’re-local-this and we’re-local-that, the least you can do is carry one local wine. In my opinion. So good for MNY!

The reservation system is a little funky. I like my OpenTable.  I have points, a login, and of course, the app.   To set up another account with yet another company is just...ugh.  Why.  Also, my confirmation went directly to my Spam.  C'mon guys, it's Gmail.  Everybody's doing it. 

Overall I had a good time at Mie N Yu; the food is fun, the atmosphere is different, and this $25 menu is definitely a good deal.

Mie N Yu
3125 M St NW
Metro: Blue and Orange Lines to Foggy Bottom or Rosslyn, walk or take the bus.  Or take the bus from a convenient location near you.