The Roundups of Roundups

 [Snow-covered road on our way to work this Monday.]

Happy New Year!  (Almost.)  Is anyone at work?  I'm not; I'm on furlough.  No one knew what that meant two years ago.

Anyhow, I've never been one for year-round-ups or New Year's resolution posts.  My last three years of end of December posts were about Chanukah at Equinox, finals and my Tassimo, and dinner at Rasika.  The past first posts of the new year were Leaving Arlington, Boulevard Woodgrill Brunch, and Postcard from LA.  It's as if I didn't even realize we were having a new year or something.

I'm not going to start rounding up my own nonsense now.  I make lists like that on other, random days of the year.  Instead, I welcome you to another kind of roundup.  The roundup of roundups.  Some are food, some are not.  Some are DC, some are elsewhere. 

DC Wrapped Dates lists a bunch of items, including most hyped DC restaurants, most underrated, best bang for your buck, etc.  I commented on my opinion.  Seems like DCWD and I could almost always eat together, just not at Northside Social.

DCLovesFood rounds up what she is calling the food of 2010: bacon.

Abbey talks about the food she ate this year that she will never forget.

Wendalicious on the trends she sees coming or expanding in 2011, including food trucks in the Capital Region--I won't hold my breath.

The Profussor's best things eaten (for the first time) in 2010, including ribs at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.

Cara picks her husband's favorite dish from each month.  3/12 are shrimp.  The man likes shrimp.  Also, readers top 12.

Annie's Eats Best of 2010 part I (I assume Part II will follow shortly), including a white pita bread I'd love to try out (h/t SS).

Endless Simmer's Top 10 New Foods of 2010.  That fried Elvis amazingness photo gets me every time.

The Atlantic's 10 Biggest Food Stories Of the Year.

Corporette recounts some of the favorite Wear To Work suggestions.

From Best Week Ever, the 10 shows of 2010 that never should have been on TV.

Mrs. Foot recaps her 2010 home projects and renovations.  My favorite is the buffet!!!

Best music of 2010, from Slate.

NYTimes 10 Best Books of 2010.

Do you have a roundup to add?  Leave it in the comments, plz.

And because you were patient and this post is otherwise devoid of photos, my favorite sandwich of 2010:

[Ernest's.  Brigantine, NJ.]

See you in 2011!

Trader Joe's Trip - What's Missing On My List?

Mmm lemon papardelle.  Add olive oil, peas, parmesan, and you are good to go.  But first you need a Trader Joe's, aka The Teej.  A wondrous place that has many of the things I want and need, but not all. 

Now that I've relocated, Teej isn't nearby.  No 1 mile to the Bethesda store or 7 miles to Bailey's Crossroads.  Instead it's an hour plus ride, depending where you go.  Because I'm from New Jersey, I think I'll frequent the one on Route 17 in Paramus.  Unlike the Paramus IKEA, which is closed on Sundays, the Trader Joe's is not subject to the archaic North Jersey blue laws. 

I'm definitely not the only Albanian who wants a Teej.  Bringing a TJ to the Capital District has been talked about, talked about again, and there's even a Facebook page with over 800 members.  A lot of places need a Teej, including the shore--how will LC get her favorite things without a major schlep?

Not every TJ has the same products; heck, even the same store doesn't necessarily have the same items week to week.  There are no rules!  It's rogue!  And that's why the prices are so low.

We're going this weekend, and I've made my list.*  What's missing?  Any of your favorites?  Or are our wishlists IDENTICAL!?!

Non-refrigerated
 
Lemon papardelle
Thai yellow curry sauce
Israeli couscous (if they are there I will buy them out.)
Superthin ginger snaps
Everything crackers
Nuts for trail mix
Brown rice pasta
Challah rolls (extra for freezer--again, buy them out)
Chocolate covered espresso beans
Jasmine green tea
Birthday cards

Frozen/refrigerated

Tofurkey sausage (WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE GROCERY STORES HERE?!?!)
Frozen shelled edamame
Spinach dip
Soy chocolate ice cream sandwiches
Frozen rice packets
Frozen blueberry waffles (SIL has been raving)
Tabouli
Fresh mild salsa
Kosher chicken/meat for freezer


*I should mention that we're not going to NJ just to go to Trader Joe's. We're going to witness two people whom we love dearly exchange sacred marriage vows and then to boogie the night away.  This is just icing on the (wedding) cake.

Bella-Napoli

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! (Or at least got out of work early on Friday to jumpstart the weekend.)

We recently found ourselves starving in between errands at Latham Farms.  A quick Yelp (with both positive reviews and non) brought us to Bella Napoli.  We needed a sandwich, and frankly, it was 3pm.  Not really time to sit down at most restaurants.  I was encouraged by the description of Italian subs and desserts with a little market.  Sound familiar?  But don't go there.  This is not the Italian Store.  On the downside, the bread is way too soft for me, and on the upside the line wasn't 40 minutes long.  At Italian Store I'm all about the hard roll, and I'm not the only one.  But it is a decent, inexpensive sandwich with a little pack of chips and a pickle, and the bakery case is good for staring.  With the move and many weeks of an interrupted exercise routine, we decided to forgo the doughnuts this time.  Apparently their doughnuts are delicious when warmed. 

Bella-Napoli Italian Bakery
672 New Loudon Rd
Latham, NY

New Stuff on the Way

[Shoutout to MB who made my new logo.  Thanks, brosef!]

So, how about that weather?

Just a year ago I wrote about how we Finally Left Arlington.  And now we've gone and abandoned the DC Metro Area all together.  No more Beltway, no more Wisconsin Avenue light after light after light, no more wtf event is going on that shut down Canal THIS TIME....but also, no more Ray's, Palena, 2 Amys, or Pete's, our latest go-to.  No more once in a while splurges at places like Komi or Restaurant Eve.  

But alas.  We will visit.  Our blood, friends, pals, puppy friends (Tiki and Ella to be exact), Tweeps, and the leader of the free world still live there.  Here is Tiki, wishing we were watching football with him.  Or Twilight.

 For now, we're getting settled.  We have stairs for the very first time, and more than one bedroom and bathroom.  A far cry from the studio apartment we shared in Dupont Circle south just 5 years ago. 

Tim Carman thinks the NY Times picks on DC (love this article by the way, and I love how EVERYONE I follow on Twitter re-shared it.  Go Tim!), well hun, you don't want to hear what they say about RONY (Rest of New York.  Like RoVa but not.).   But I'm going to do my best to find what's fun, yummy, cool, different, comforting, and downright delectable in the greater NY Capital Region. 

Other people do it, and I've been enjoying their blogs for a few months now.  I have a customized Google map full of places I want to try (also: supermarkets, banks, post offices....).  There's a year round greenmarket nearby, plenty of CSA options (even a Community Supported Bakery--I bet DC wishes Miz Modern Domestic would get on that!), and a brand spanking new Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (although I intend to head to Syracuse for the original, too).  I expect spring and summer will bring lots of day trips and weekend getaways to the Catskills, Adirondacks, Green Mountains (Vermont), and the environs.  Mountains = rich people with country homes = good food.  Until then, sandwiches at lunch spots, strip mall sushi (it was great, don't knock it), and places we can  ::gasp:: walk to.  If we wanted to.  If it weren't 20 degrees and brrrrrr cold.  But hey, it's cold everywhere this week, right?

I hope all 10 of my subscribers don't unsubscribe.  If you hang on a bit, I'll warn you if I decide to change my Twitter name and my URL.  For now I'll leave iEatDC, since it's who I've been Internet-wise for the past 3.5 years.  Stay warm, drink tea, and have some soup.

P.S.  If you move somewhere cold you have an excuse to buy great boots and outerwear.  Exhibit A.

P.P.S.  Here is a giant bowl of beef stew that I got for $4 at the joint around the corner.  Because I know you read this blog for the food, not the boots.  Review pending; we need to have brunch there first (obviously). 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

I'm in the process of moving a bunch of hours up the road.  I'll likely continue blogging my new food/farm/grocery/cooking adventures there, but first I'll need things like a) a permanent place to live, b) internet service, and c) time. 

I'm looking forward to hopefully making pumpkin challah and cakeballs between tonight and tomorrow afternoon.  It's ambitious, and my success will be traffic-dependent. 

I'm thankful for my family, my friends (including you), my health, and for the delicious Ray's Hellburger I ate last week--probably my last for a while.  Blackened, Heck sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, cooked "recommended."  I forgot the grilled onions, but didn't notice at the time.

Postcard from Charlottesville - Wine Edition

 A trip to Charlottesville wouldn't be complete without some winetasting.  For me, it's as much about the view as it is about the wine.  It might even be more about the view.  A glass of something tasty along with a picnic and a sunny day and I am the happiest girl I know.

My favorite: King Family Vineyards.  The grounds were huge and beautiful.  The staff member in the tasting room was very friendly (but not fake or patronizing) and knowledgable.  They had cheese/bread/etc for sale, which was not around at the other wineries.  Also, there were plenty of tables and grass space for picnicking and enjoying the faboosh views (something the others lacked--which is shocking, since picnic space is all the rage in NoVa wineries).  And on summer weekends they host polo matches and tons of people come to watch and picnic and stomp the divots (a la Pretty Woman).  They had lovely banquet space too--not too big, but a smaller wedding would be perfection there.

At Horton Vineyards, you can try as much as you want.  We didn't get much information, but it was late in the day.  Nothing about what is grown/made on-site, or really any chit chat at all.  We bought a bottle for our parents and scooted along.  

We also went to Keswick Vineyards (nice people, nice wines, they gave the rec to go to King Family, actually) and Barboursville. Barboursville was pretty busy for a Monday afternoon, and for $5 you try 17 wines.  SEVENTEEN!  We didn't have any meaningful snacks during the Monday afternoon winetasting, and we got up for sunrise that morning.  That meant an early evening nap and headaches all around. 

If a taste is 2 oz and we had 27 tastes total on Monday, and "one drink" of wine is 5 oz, then we drank 10 glasses of wine.  I think the tastes must have been smaller,  because that would be ridiculous.  Even cut in half, that's a lot for me.  Hence the headache.

Best bets:
Barboursville: bang for buck at tasting ($5 for keepsake glass, taste of all wines, even reserves and their award-winning Octagon, $30/bottle).  Watch a video with their Italian winemaker Luca Paschina here. 
King Family: beautiful grounds, friendly staff, tasty wines. We bought their dessert wine, because we like it but never have any.  It was not too syrupy sweet or anything, and we'd already bought bottles of red and white at others that we liked.

Postcard from Charlottesville

We recently went down to Charlottesville and its environs to check out some local scenery.

Our first stop was Gordonsville Deli. Yelp led me here, and I was happy it did.  The proprietor was coolly sitting at a tiny bistro table in his tiny deli with an impossibly minuscule netbook when we walked in.  Then he made us delicious, fresh sandwiches (chicken salad and roast beef, respectively) and panini pressed 'em into grill-mark perfection.  The side options were chips, slaw, or potato salad.  The slaw wasn't from a industrial container of slaw, it was freshly shredded cabbage lovingly seasoned and tossed in a vinaigrette, not drowning in a mayo mess.  It was crunchy and clean-tasting, maybe the best cole slaw I've ever had.  J and I preferred our respective sandwiches.  His had a horseradish bite that took me by surprise.  *Disclaimer: everything tastes better on a ridiculously cloudless sunshiny day on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is where we ate these sandwiches.

 

Damn.  Is there ANYTHING better than a delicious, fresh sandwich?!

C & O Restaurant
When we left C&O, J summed it up:  this is a great, nice place to take your (nonadventurous eater-type) parents when they visit you at UVa.  Agree.  It's the Old Man Rafferty's of Charlottesville.  Same old American stuff.  It's fine.  It's ok.  But even things that sound interesting end up being...fine. We sat in the charming courtyard on this cool fall night, and I left my camera in the car.  I had the assortment of vegetarian items, mostly because it was something I could choose where I could actually have 4 or so things at the same time.  I think the soup was parsnip (and I didn't care for it), there was a slice of quiche/tarte of some sort, some raviolis that were good, and a slice of grilled haloumi on watermelon.  Probably a salad with the watermelon and haloumi on it would have been a better choice for me, even as an appetizer!  C&O is popular for the Steak Chinoise, which is what J got.  He liked it.  We shared a warm artichoke spread with pita that was pretty good,  but nothing out of the ordinary. 



The Local
Now here is some food.  We ended up here by accident when Tavola was closed.  Sunday and Monday are tricky nights for eating in C-ville.  It was late, we took an awkward late afternoon nap, and we were a bit hung over from an afternoon of intense winetasting (without enough spitting out the wine).  We needed warm, comforting, and delicious.  Unfortunately, we also had to sit outside on this cool night because we also needed quiet.  And it was loud in there.  Gnocchi Bolognese, short ribs, and lots of water later, we were happy.  I'd definitely go back to The Local.

La Taza Coffeehouse was a big crowdpleaser.  Yummy, hot breakfast sandwiches and a list of teas and coffees rivaling any urban caffeination station.  I had an enormous, delicious, steamy hot chai latte with an egg, sausage, pesto, tomato breakfast sandwich on a crusty (in a good way) French baguette.  J had a croissant!

Bodos bagels is a local favorite, you should definitely stop by.  The bagels aren't Brooklyn or even Bethesda, but it's a quirky place, and definitely a cheap bite.  They have a bagel with honey and butter ON THE MENU, and excellent avocado spread.

Marco & Lucas Dumplings:  Mmmm dumplings.  For $3, share a snack with somebody.  You won't regret it.  There are two locations--fun fact is that I took the picture of the sign at one (the Corner) and ate dumplings from the other (Downtown).  If there was one nearby it would be my go-to cheap, hot snack, undoubtedly.

Bluegrass Grill & Bakery was closed when we first wanted to go--La Taza to the rescue!  But we went back, and we're so glad we did.  It's sort of a hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon establishment, with all mismatching mugs that make you feel like you're at your great-aunt's house. 

Obviously I had an enormous omelet filled with my favorite fixins and J had the corned beef hash.  Each came with an enormous whole wheat biscuit.  The CBH was more like the one at Art & Soul than any other I'd had because of the big pieces of corned beef.  Not quite cubes though!

Go to Charlottesville.  Take a campus tour.  Eat at delicious places.  Support local running shops.