Pho is phun!!

For our November dinner, the FDPs decided it was time for some warm, soothing, comforting winter food, and a night in. Since Amanda was in full study mode for her big wine and chemistry test, we thought it would be a great idea to have dinner and help her study. Our quest for warmth and heartiness brought us to Pho 75 in Arlington. Pho 75 is fairly non-descript with long tables and chairs set up in the middle of the floor, stark walls and a bare floor. The menu lists several Pho options including different meat selections, and 2 bowl sizes; regular or large (and FYI, the regular was enough for most of us to have leftovers!) Traditionally, Pho consists of a lovely salty beef broth full of rice noodles, and comes with the diner’s selection of meat cuts such as skirt steak, brisket, tripe and eye-of-round. Each bowl also comes complete with an add-on kit. This kit includes mung bean sprouts, Thai basil, scallions, jalapeños, hot chili sauce, a milder plum/soy sauce, and of course, limes. Diners customize their warm bowls by adding as much or as little of the add-ons as they want. The Pho is consumed with a big spoon and chopsticks to manage the noodles and lovely cuts of beef.
After making our selections; Molly and Kate choosing flank steak, Amanda and Melissa choosing brisket, we waited for several minutes while they prepared our takeout bowls. Both Kate and Molly ordered theirs without the jalapeños, but there seemed to be some communication issues and they received the hot peppers anyway. Oh well! After getting our warm plastic containers of broth and noodles and plastic bags of add-ons, we piled back into cars and headed to Kate’s for an evening of chatting, wine knowledge and warm delicious Pho. We slurped our way through regular piggy conversations, and took lots of photos of our delicious bowls. Though Molly had to leave early for another event (she’s the FDP who overbooked herself…..boooo Molly!!) she was there long enough to ask Amanda difficult review questions and be awed by the wine and chemistry knowledge of her academic FDP. The bowls of Pho satisfied our November cravings and overall we rate Pho 75 3 oinks!

Cheese Heads

Us FDPs have a natural love of food and while we all have different palates and different tastes there is one food that we all have a love affair with... cheese! To satiate our dairy needs we took our ever expanding butts down to Cheesetique in the adorable neighborhood of Del Ray in Alexandria, VA. Just a few years ago Cheesetique began simply as one the most awesome cheese retail stores we've ever seen. It quickly began selling wine as well and recently expanded into a small cheese and wine bar in addition to its retail end. So just imagine your cute, local cheese store with a cute little restaurant attached to it. Sound incredible? That's because it is.

We arrived with our mouths drooling and eyes full of excitement. Unfortunately we had to wait because the rest of the neighborhood also decided to partake in the fermented goodness on that Friday night. This was to be expected though. One of the kind servers, Charlotte, offered to get us a drink while we waited. We started things off the way all things should be started and that's with bubbles! The four of us gave a little "cheers" with our Prosecco, to the cheese that was about to be consumed. As we were waiting more and more people were coming into the store in hopes of scoring a table, but they had to get in line like the rest of us. Sensing that it was going to be an extremely busy night (like all nights we were told), the servers gathered together and ingeniously decided to pull a few tables from the outside and set up impromptu places for people to dine within the store. Because we waited so patiently we were granted one of these tables!

Now for the good stuff. A no brainer was the cheese and meat board. With your choice of 3 cheeses and meats, with cornichons, quince paste and mustard it was the perfect way to kick things off. From there we decided just to order a bunch of things and share them all. The prices were fantastic, with nothing really over $10 (besides our cheese board) so why not try a nice variety? In addition to our cheese selections we ordered the Arugula Salad with bleu cheese, dried cranberries and walnuts and the Fig and Brie Crostini with Prosciutto. Before moving on to our next course we ordered a tasty bottle of Vino (Primitivo) to wash it all down. Our next round brought us baked Mac n' Cheese (yum) and the Artisan Quiche which had goat cheese, artichokes and prosciutto. I must say that the Quiche was much lighter and fluffier than normal Quiches that you come across. It was flavorful and the texture was so delciate.

Although Cheesetique was crowded and busy, we never once felt rushed or ignored. All of the servers as well as the cheesemongers had smiles on their faces and looked like they were enjoying the company of their neighborhood. It makes us jealous that we don't live in the neighborhood! But because of the fun and friendly service, the amazing cheese selections and scrumptious food combined with great prices it is definitely worth the trip outside of the city and we will definitely be back!

For all of the reasons listed above plus the cheesy goodness that is still lingering in our bellies we give Cheesetique 3.5 oinks out of 4!

Apples and Grapes

Amanda, in all her food dorkiness and endless love of Fall, organized an un-official gathering of the FDPs to partake in her yearly tradition of Apple Picking.... followed by wine tasting of course! Since it was an un-official gathering we allowed some boys to come along- mostly so they could reach the very high up apples!

Last Sunday, we all piled into two cars and headed down to the "country-side" of Virginia. Only about an hour away, in Markham, VA (exit 18 off of Rt 66) is where we made our first stop. Because it was a weekend day and the weather was incredibly gorgeous, Stribling Orchard was completely packed with others who were out enjoying picking and picnicing. After waiting patiently in a line of cars we got our Orchard maps and bags and drove on in. We settled upon a few favorite varieties- Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Rome. Unfortunately, we had missed the Macintosh apples. We strolled up and down the rows, tasting and picking the perfect apples all while breathing in the fresh Fall air.

Before heading to any vineyards, we spread out a blanket to re-fuel our bellies before filling them with fermented juice. (What can we say? We're responsible!) Our picnic spread was quite eclectic with goat cheeses from a local farm called Firefly, baguette, a bag of Sunchips and one (yes one) sandwich from the Italian Store in Arlington. This was all washed down with a bottle of Meritage from Unicorn Winery in Virginia, which was consumed out of make-shift plastic bottles turned into wine glasses. Not only are we responsible, but we're crafty too! I think the Pepsi plastic bottle really brought out the aromas of the wine....

Since we were throroughly embracing this much needed relax time, we decided to park ourselves at a winery for the rest of the afternoon so we weren't feeling rushed. Not too far away was Rappahannock Cellars, where we met up with Amanda's dad who was heading back from Lynchburg. All 8 of us now, went inside to begin our second fruit consumption of the day- grape juice! Jeff, the man behind the tasting bar, was extremely friendly and walked us through our tasting selections. They offered two different flights- one was predominately white wines and one was predominately red, although each list did have some of both. Combined, we tasted everything from their Viognier to Chardonnay to Meritage to their Late Harvest Vidal. The two stand-outs for us were the Glenway Chardonnay and the Claret. We got a bottle of each and retired outside on the deck to soak up the sun, the vineyards, good wine and good friends.

This un-official gathering was officially relaxing and turned out to be a very fruitful day!

From Heaven to Hell Burger

September 20, 2008
Ray’s Hell Burger
Rating: 3.5 Oinks

After hearing the rumblings through town about the “best burger” in DC, we felt it was our civic duty as FDP’s to find out for sure. Foregoing previous FDP outings that usually include getting dressed up (as well as we are able), we decided this night should be about staying in. And sleeping over as it turned out. This would not just be a mission to try the so-called best burger in town, but also the first official FDP slumber party in honor of Melissa’s new apartment. Air mattress? Check. Champagne and homemade brownies? Check. Footie pajamas? Check. Stockpile of embarrassing girly movies? Check. Now we just needed the burgers.

Ray’s Hell Burger is owned by none other than the beef expert behind Ray’s the Steaks and Ray’s the Classics. A couple of us have tried (and failed) on several occasions to get into the elusive Ray’s the Steaks, but it’s a bit of a gamble. The restaurant is small and does not take reservations making it difficult to get a table without some serious stealth maneuvering. We have not totally given up on getting in eventually, but Hell Burger seemed like a nice alternative to finally be able to try some of Chef Michael Landrum’s beefy creations. Hell Burger is located in the same small strip a couple of doors down from Ray’s the Steaks in Arlington. It is very unassuming and we didn’t even notice a sign to mark the location; the line nearly out the door was a good indicator, however.

The small space is packed with tables for 2 and 4 and a couple of tall café tables for standing if no seating is available. And there is really only one thing on the menu—the burger. Not just any burger, but 10 ounces of prime beef as is proudly stated on their chalkboard menu. The burger can be prepared simply grilled, blackened or au poive to the temperature of your choice (we recommend medium rare) with a great selection of delectable cheeses and toppings. The cheeses range from the classics American and Swiss to more exotic choices like Aged Danish Bleu, Mustard Seed Gouda and Double Cream Brie. Additional toppings include Applewood Smoked Bacon, Guacamole, Grilled Peppers, Sherry-Sautéed Mushrooms (our recommendation!), Roasted Garlic and even…Foie Gras. Clearly, they are not messing around here. Sides are also available and include Buttered Corn on the Cob, Mac-n-Cheese and Potato Chips. Given the shear mass of the burgers, we opted to keep it simple and share some chips and corn (although the mac-n-cheese looked really tasty and will need to be sampled at some point!).

Each burger is grilled to order and after a short 10 minute wait in line, we headed back to the home-front with our giant burgers in tow. Each of us opted for the simply grilled burger and our choice of topping varied slightly (though I think we all decided to get the smear of roasted garlic which was delicious). After some initial pondering about how best to eat the massive burgers, we opted to cut them in half and do our best not to dribble them down our shirts. Bibs may be a good idea for next time.

So what’s the final FDP verdict? I can safely say that the phrase “This is the best burger I’ve ever had” was uttered several times by all of us. The burgers are huge, juicy and the topping are delicious--I can see Ray’s quickly becoming a burger-fix necessity. One word of warning—be sure to go hungry! The rest of the night proceeded with the requisite girly conversation, drinking, and even a visit from the upstairs neighbor who yelled at us for being too loud. Overall a great way to break in a new apartment and by far one of the best burgers in DC.

Another Birthday: Hook, Line and Sinker

For our August meal, we headed into Hook with more than a little trepidation—due to the recent turnover in the kitchen leadership, we were a bit worried about the quality of the meal we were about to experience. But, it was Melissa’s birthday choice, and since we are four ladies who like to live on the edge, we took a gamble. Much to our surprise, the food was not what we should have been fretting about. From the start, our waiter was short and rushed in his interactions with us—skipping the pleasantries and firing questions at us about our water preference and confirming we were over 21. Even when that question elicited our response that, in fact, we were celebrating a 30th birthday that evening, the quality of service did not change for the better. Rather, it went downhill from there. The appetizers were delectable—a grilled calamari over pesto melted in our mouths, and the Caledonian shrimp was served with a yummy, nutty, coleslaw that we continued to scoop up long after the last shrimp was gone. For the entrees, we all chose a different fish, and while Molly’s sablefish was buttery and light, it was a shame that she received it after the rest of us had already finished our own dishes. The waiter barely apologized for confusing her order (she was handed a plate of salmon at first), and then slapped both dishes on the bill. When dessert rolled around, Molly (once again the cursed member of our dining party this evening) asked to see the wine list again. Rather than bring it to her, our helpful server suggested a glass of Rose that he assured her she would enjoy. Much to our complete shock, we only discovered upon getting our bill that particular glass carried a price tag of… wait for it… $23!!! Upon speaking to the manager, we were handled with a barely-hidden air of disdain and half-interest. While he did remove Molly’s entrée and the $23 glass from the check, he did little to make us feel like we were valued customers, more like a nuisance to his evening. We left in a huff, mostly trying to get Amanda out the door before she did something she might regret in the light of day. Unfortunate, considering while both the bluefish over corn ragout with zucchini bread pudding that I had as my main and the Nutella tart served with a side of Nutella ice cream were dishes I would love to return to, the thought of suffering through another night of service like that is enough of a deterrent to keep us from going back to Hook anytime soon. All of us have at one point or another worked in the service industry, and are generous tippers. It is difficult (and rare) for us to leave less than 20%. However; no matter how delicious the food, the manner in which it is delivered to your table can make or break the dining experience. With that in mind, we decided to separate the oinks this time:
Hook gets 1 oink for the service, 3 oinks for the food.
Although the server’s inefficiencies might have ruined anyone else’s night us FDPs decided to laugh about it over a glass of wine a few blocks down at Mendocino. After Amanda’s incessant bitching about the incident she attracted the attention of the manager and bar tender. They were dying to know where we went and laughed when we told them. A few handshakes and a formal introduction later we left contently knowing that we would be back and that all was not ruined for Melissa’s birthday.

VA Field Trip

For the month of July us FDPs decided to hit the road! Don't get us wrong we love the hustle and bustle of DC (oh and not to mention the stifling heat) but we had to get out.... fast! After much research, discussion and a million email exchanges later we decided to head down to Virginia's wine country and sample what it had to offer.

Before heading out we had to take care of the first order of business- filling our bellys with substance before a full day of wine consumption. We met at a central location for all of us, Whitlow's on Wilson Boulevard in the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington. We gorged on hash, eggs, french toast and potatoes and washed them down with refreshing mimosas. This was the perfect way to start our day.

Now on to touring and tasting. We didn't want to venture too far out so it was nice to see that there were several wineries within an hour and half to us. First up on the list was Linden Winery, located in Linden, VA. Some of us had visited this winery before and loved the location so we thought it would be a nice place to revisit. In terms of VA wine we think that Linden's quality is a bit above the rest. Specializing in Bordeaux varietals and blends, winemaker Jim Law has a great understanding on what works well with Virginia's climate and soil. One change to the winery tasting room, since the last time we had been, is that the gorgeous outdoor patio is reserved for case club members only. Because Linden's production is only about 5,000 cases they were unable to accomodate everyone who came in to enjoy their wines and scenery therefore leaving them with the tough decision to make an exclusive patio. Besides that we highly recommend visiting Linden for the tasty wine and friendly staff. While at Linden, we received a tip to check out a new winery not too far away called Chester Gap.

We arrived at Chester Gap only about 15-20 minutes after leaving Linden. This winery is owned by the husband and wife team of Bernd and Kristi Jung. Also, resting among beautiful mountain scenery Chester Gap released its first vintage in 2004. The tasting room is still in the process of being finished, so don't be discouraged by the bare white walls and cement. We tasted through the 6 offerings that were offered and the overall favorite was definitely the reserve Viognier. we enjoyed the regular Viognier as well, it is fermented in stainless steel rather than oak, and thought both were reasonably priced at $16 for the regular and $19 for the reserve. We purchased a few bottles, watched the Jung's youngest son attempt to skateboard and continued on our way. At this point we were starting to crave some munchies to balance out the wine consumption. Fortunately our handy dandy winery map gave full details of each winery and we new our next stop would have some munchies available.

Gray Ghost was a little bit larger in scale compared to the previous places. There was a limo out front, which made us a little nervous that there would be some huge ruckus going on inside, but fortunately that party was kept seperate from the rest of the tasters. We walked right into the tasting bar and were presented with two options- try any 5 wines complimentary or all 11 for $5. Molly, with her determination, pushed through all 11 while the rest of us coordinated to taste as many wines for free! We found the whites more enjoyable than the reds except for one of their newer blends, Ranger Reserve, which is a blend of all five Bordeaux grapes- Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. We're starting to think Bordeaux blends are the way to go in VA..... We purchased 2 "Picnic Baskets" for $5 each and a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and sat outside to take a break from our marathon tastings.

Our last stop was at Pearmund Cellars. Again some of us had been (and some not) so it was another good place to see what had changed. We arrived around 5:00, one hour before closing and it was packed. Although they were preparing for a wine dinner that evening with Chris Pearmund, the tasting area was still very full. We filled in where we could and looked over the wine list. We all opted for the classic tasting which had a range of Chardonnay, Viognier, some red blends and dessert wine. The tasting staff was friendly but it was clear that they were just volunteers. Most of our questions about grape sourcing, fermentation and production was met with a friendly "You know, I don't know the answer to that." We gave up asking questions and just decided to enjoy what little time we had left on our adventure away from the city.

As fun as our day was and as anxious as we were to get home, we needed to make one more stop. In true FDP fashion we went in search of some good ol' BBQ. Our top choice, Carolina Brothers was not exactly in the same direction we were going so we went with Virginia BBQ Company in Manassas. We had to drive through a few strip malls and neighborhoods with houses that all look exactly the same, but when we arrived all we could focus on was greasy food to soak up our wine (oh and the fluorescent light up pig that they had in their window that would have made the perfect logo for us). Inside was simply decorated with red and white and we were greeted by the friendly staff who recommended everything on the menu. We put our heads together and figured out a way to maneuver our combo plates so that we tried every side dish possible. We each got a different BBQ sandwich (North Carolina Pork, BBQ Chix, "Original VA BBQ") and a choice of 2 sides and a drink for about $7.95. Sides included Mac and Cheese, Coleslaw, Hush puppies, Fries, whipped potatoes, green beans, and baked beans. They all were quite enjoyable, but the beans and hush puppies were some favorites. The sandwiches were good, but not great. Plenty of meat but the meat was a little dry. Overall it satisfied our hunger and we gave it 2 1/2 oinks, (the extra 1/2 was for the friendly service).

Our first FDP field trip was a huge success and will be looking to do more. In the meantime our next meal is T.B.A. and is contigent on Melissa who will be celebrating her 30th (our 3rd member this year!)

June 7, 2008 - Restaurant Eve
Rating: 4 Oinks

What better way to spend the first 100 degree day of summer (crap, it's not even summer yet and it's already this hot?!) than with a fabulous dinner at Restaurant Eve in Old Town, Alexandria. The celebratory meal, to honor Molly's 30th birthday this month, began at Melissa's apartment with a bottle of Jean Laurent Brut Rose. Perhaps a tad too warm, the bottle managed to explode when opened and spew bubbly all over the floor and down Melissa's leg—a good start to the evening.

Restaurant Eve is located in a beautiful restored rowhouse in Old Town—the décor was warm and inviting and the service absolutely impeccable (they open the door to the bathroom for you—seriously). Appetizers included Spring Asparagus with Poached Egg, Steak Tartar, Papri Chat and a delicious Seafood Nage, which was a special for the evening. Entrees ranged from Restaurant Eve's now famous Bouillabaisse, to Potato-encrusted Halibut, and house-cured Pork Belly. The cutest mini Birthday Cake on earth was brought to Molly for dessert (complete with a candle, pink icing and sprinkles) along with a delicious Rhubarb Sorbet. The birthday girl was also sent home with a gift of scone mix and fresh-churned butter, compliments of the chef.

Next month we're on a mission for BBQ. Sweet.

The Jurassic Period of the FDPs

Since we didn't decide to blog about our adventures until now, here's a quick re-cap of places we've been with our Oink! rating scale.  Here's our basis for numbers of Oinks:

1 Oink!- Stinky (not worthy of playing in our pig sty)

2 Oinks!- Possibly Trough Worthy

3 Oinks!- Small grunts and we begin to Squeal

4 Oinks!- Oinktastic, we're pigs in S*!t

December 20th, 2007 Zatinya

Rating: 3 Oinks

Memorable: Good Greek Wine, Good Service, Tasty Bites but atmosphere is very noisy

January 25th, 2008 Dino's Restaurant Week (month for them)

Rating: 3 Oinks

Memorable: Really good restaurant month options, server had good knowledge and recommendations on wine, Corkage is waived if you buy one bottle of their list

February 12th, 2008 Lalibela Ethiopian (14th and P NW)

Rating: 2 1/2 Oinks!

Memorable: Alcohol list is mediocre, it was freezing cold but the Ethiopian food was totally legit and inexpensive.  Hey when you have good company anything is good!

March 20th, 2008 Central- Kate's Birthday

Rating: 4 Oinks!

Memorable: Corkage is $20 but it was totally worth it for the bottle of 1997 Doyard Champagne, we gorged on Ratatouille, Mac and Cheese, Cheese Puffs, Steak and Frites and Kit Kat bars.

April 20th 2008 Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont Circle

Rating: 2 1/2 Oinks!

Memorable:  Food  is solid but maybe slightly overpriced, it was a very rainy day and they made us wait outside until exactly 5:30pm.  We did request Onion Rings with Old Bay (since they had French Fries with Old Bay) and that was no problem and side portions were more generous than the entrees.  Popcorn shrimp and calamari was delicious.

May 16th 2008 Sushi Ko Gloverpark

Rating: 3 1/2 Oinks!

Memorable: Excellent service with good recommendations, seasonal sushi favorites, $15 corkage fee and tempura bananas and ice cream for dessert!

Well that brings us up to speed.  We'll be blogging about our monthly escapades as well as any mini Happy Hours in between (and Top Chef nights, but that's a whole other blog!)

The Birth of the Fat Drunken Pigs

On a cold December night four beautiful, educated woman discovered a mutual love of food, alcohol and debauchery.  We know this sounds like SATC (you, know Sex and the City) except we have a lot less sex, a lot less Manolos (actually none) and a lot less Cosmos (but we like pink just with bubbles).  So here's the quick breakdown of how we all ended up together on that night- Kate knew Melissa who knew Amanda who knew Molly.  There is much more depth to it but we won't go too much further right now (because we're drinking) but it was love at first sip of our Greek Sparkling Wine.  Our first unofficial gathering was on December 20th, 2007 at Zatinya in Gallery Place.  As we sat there slowly realizing that we all shared a mutual bond of gorging in good food, good friends and good wine our monthly supper club was born.  We ordered rounds of Mediterranean tapas including stuffed grape leaves, hummus, lamb kebabs, falafel, etc.  While discussing how fabulous it was to have fellow female friends, who actually like to eat things other than salad, Amanda proceeded to order a third bottle of wine.  Our dinner conversation quickly moved to a realization that we needed to eat around town on a regular basis and that we needed a name.  We knew that not just any "girly" book club name would work and Amanda promptly slammed her hands down and proclaimed "Fat Drunken Pigs!"  Everyone nodded in simultaneous agreement; thus we were born (and then we drank another bottle of wine.... and we think we had dessert).