A New Season Begins

September is a month of beginnings for the FDPs. It’s the beginning of the Fall season, a favorite time of year for all of us. But more importantly, it’s the beginning of a very hectic few months leading up to the holidays. Jobs get insanely busy, money gets tight, and the piggies look for inexpensive, comforting ways to get together (no matter how difficult given our busy schedules) and enjoy a meal. Always on the lookout for cuisines we haven’t fully explored in the past, we can choose from a seemingly never-ending supply of delicious ethnic cuisines within our own neighborhoods.

Peruvian chicken is a big thing in the DC and Northern Virginia area. It seems that on nearly every corner in Arlington, there is some kind of spit-fired chicken joint claiming to be the best of the best. It's a great option when looking for a quick, inexpensive lunch, late-night munchie or hangover cure. When deciding on our September meal, we were at first tempted to try one of these places, but knowing us and our appetites, we'd need a lot more than just chicken to fill our hungry bellies. We decided to see what other Peruvian eateries were in the area, looking for a restaurant that offered a full menu so we could explore all options.

Costa Verde is located in Arlington across from a gas station, next to a Jiffy Lube, and down the street from an afore-mentioned Peruvian rotisserie chicken place. Ambiance is not necessarily what you come here for--the inside is a bit stark and cold, not much different from the outside surroundings. There was, what appeared to be, one waitress working and she took care of the entire restaurant including making cocktails. We ordered pisco sours for the four of us, a traditional Latin cocktail mixing pisco, lemon or lime juice, egg whites and simple syrup. It's a tart, yet refreshing drink and they went down easily as we looked over the menu.

We had heard good things about the ceviche at Costa Verde, so we ordered the Ceviche Mixto--a blend of fish, conch, octopus, and squid "cooked" in lemon juice--as a starter. In addition, we ordered some Camarones, jumbo shrimp, sauteed with garlic and tomato sauce. The ceviche was surprisingly good; the fish was fresh and tender. The jumbo shrimp were equally tasty, nicely cooked (not chewy, thankfully) and the saucy was zesty with the garlic and tomato.

The main dishes included Lomo Saltado: flap meat, a seldom used (at least in American homes) cut of beef, sauteed with olive oil, onions, and tomatoes and served with fried potatoes; and Chicharron de Pollo: chicken breast, cut into chunks and deep fried, served with fried yucca. Clearly not having enough fried starch, we ordered another side of fried yucca. The beef dish was delicious, very tender, briny and savory. The fried chicken was, well, you can't really go wrong with fried chicken. It was crispy and quite tasty. The yucca was a winner, perfectly golden on the outside and soft and sweet in the middle.

Costa Verde is a restaurant I have driven past hundreds of times and never noticed. I'm glad we took the time to stop in and see what they had to offer. We weren't disappointed and left sated and ready to forge ahead through the hectic Fall months. 3 Oinks.

piggies get crabby!

Ahhhhhh August. It’s a hot month that makes most people (and piggies) very crabby. So, to honor the crab in each of us, and to celebrate Melissa’s birthday, we decided to have a crab boil feast! We’ve blogged about crabs before, but we decided to re-explore this theme from a different angle; this time we went to the Maine Avenue fish market and brought home half a bushel of live (yes, you read correctly, live) blue crabs. And boy, were they feisty!

The Maine Avenue fish market is located on the Potomac river and is essentially a large series of floating piers and barges where fishermen can unload fresh fish for purchase right on the water. Each vendor stand has gorgeous seafood for sale including whole and filleted rockfish, snapper, flounder etc. Customers can also choose from a large assortment of crabs, cooked king crab legs, raw shrimp, oysters, mussels, clams and other wonderful shellfish. Most of the stands also offer already-cooked crabs and peel and eat shrimp as well as fried fish sandwiches and seafood soups. This place is quite a spectacle—because the customer stands above the level of the water, there is a small gap between the fish stand and the pavement, and it can make the exchange of money-fish quite tricky. Melissa managed to make the hand-off and brought the live rascals and several pounds of raw North Carolina shrimp to Amanda’s house for boiling.

If you’ve never experienced Maryland blue crabs, just know that they are quite messy and take a lot of work to extract the meat. The outside table was set up with a layer of garbage bags topped with several layers of newspaper taped down. The crabs gave a bit of a fight as they were placed into the boiling pot, but they came out succulent and sweet and drowning in Old Bay. We made a huge mess pulling off legs, cracking shells with knives and mallets, and breaking bodies open to extract the sweet back fin meat. This process usually involves entrails and the yellow goo affectionately referred to as “the mustard” to ooze, drip and splat everywhere and on everything at the table. This is not a clean adventure. In fact, there was even a report of some crab-juice squirted in a table-neighbor’s eye. But, nonetheless, we fully enjoyed the messiness and the reward of sweet crabmeat. The boiled shrimp were sweet and tangy and the perfect size to peel, dip in sauce and put into the mouth. We rounded the menu out with homemade potato salad, tomato and mozzarella salad, ears of grilled sweet corn, and Kate’s wonderful homemade peach cupcakes. And since we do usually honor a birthday month with bubbly, we did give Melissa a lovely 40 of Miller Highlife to enjoy with her crabs. We owe her big for her next special day!

The entire feast (for 7 because we did let the boys join us) cost about $100. Since we didn’t all venture to the market together, we decided to rate the seafood and the experience and not necessarily the market itself, although, the market is a pretty cool place and we recommend the trip to Maine Avenue.

3.5 oinks for messy-good crabs and shrimps!
Stay tuned for September………

Misery Loves Company

Ahh… July in DC. We FDPs are suffering along with the rest of you. We’re hot, we’re sweaty, and frankly, we’re not in the best of moods lately. What better destination to choose for our July meal than a new Irish-Jewish pub (yes, you read that correctly) in the Atlas District? The Star and Shamrock bills itself as a merging of two cultures with a long history of being both “celebrated and tortured”—serving Guinness pints alongside He’brew ales and huge (seriously—huge!) NY-style deli sandwiches, accompanied by latkes, matzoh balls, and other Jewish/Irish-inspired delights.
So, on a hot and steamy July evening, the FDPs staggered into the Star and Shamrock for some comfort food and drink. And boy, did we find it. The restaurant is welcoming—spacious yet cozy in its feel, with a long bar and dark wood paneling throughout. The beer selection is a mix of Irish and Jewish favorites, and they have several tasty choices on tap. Luckily, we picked out beers quickly which gave us time to peruse the extensive menu. Don’t come here planning to add up Weight Watchers points—this is certainly not a diet-friendly destination. The appetizers offer an assortment of fried delights. We chose a basket of curly fries (which we devoured in seconds-flat), the Ruben Egg Rolls (ruben sandwich fillings wrapped in light, crispy phyllo and served with a Russian dressing dipping sauce), Pan-Fried Matzoh Balls (pretty much just like they sound!), and Kosher Kronies, tiny franks wrapped in dough, and, you guessed it—fried. All were delicious, with the tasty Kronies winning especially high marks. After our fried appetizer feast, we decided to pick out only two sandwiches to share. It was difficult to narrow it down, but we went with two that stood out. First, the Latke Madness, a tower of three latkes sandwiching corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing between its layers. The thing *is* madness—huge, decadent, and almost impossible to eat without cutlery getting involved. We also chose the more tame “Turkey #2,” roasted turkey, muenster, bacon, and mayo on sourdough bread. This one actually fits in your mouth and was quite tasty. The turkey is house-roasted and you can tell—it is tender and full of flavor, and the bread was nicely toasted and able to keep the sandwich from succumbing to mushiness.
After diving in enthusiastically to this feast, we came up for air after a few moments and leaned back from the table. I do believe a few “Oy, Vey’s” may have escaped our fully-satiated lips. But then, before we knew it, our friendly server had talked us into ordering the only dessert on the menu—the chocolate bread pudding. How sneaky of her to catch us when we were too full to protest! But it is a good thing we didn’t—what a delicious treat that bread pudding turned out to be. We somehow summoned up a second stomach and managed to devour it and all of its rich, chocolatey goodness. While The Star and Shamrock is not yet doing brunch, we unanimously decided that this incredible bread pudding (and really, the entire menu), would be the perfect hangover cure. We hope they will consider helping us all out and opening for brunch soon! In the meantime, we now have a new favorite place to drown our sorrows and hide from the hot, muggy DC summer misery. True, you have to balance this place out with an extra-long gym workout, but trust us—it’s worth it. 2.75 Oinks! Sláinte and L'Chaim!

Willow

Turning "xx" never tasted so good!

June brings us the first of summer veggies plus another FDP Birthday. To celebrate her um, number shall remain unnamed, birthday Molly chose Willow restaurant in Arlington. While some of us had sat at the bar before none of us had actually dined there. We were excited that the evening was actually a tolerable DC summer night, so we were able to sit outside. Unfortunately Virginia has silly alcohol laws and we were not able to bring our usual bottle of birthday Bubbly. However, our server was able to recommend a nice, refreshing California Sauvignon Blanc to start things off.

The menu is changed daily and is inspired (mostly) by local meats and produce. For starters we had to try one of their flatbreads. They offer them in smaller sizes for only $9, so they are perfect for a sharing appetizer. We chose the one with smoky chorizo and pecorino. The bread was nice and crisp and the toppings were in perfect proportion. We also had a to die for Smoked Tomato and Pepper Soup with Green Olive Tapenade and Croutons. The flavor was so intense but the texture was light and frothy. It was an addictive combination. And our third appetizer selection was Smoked Paprika Glazed Shrimp. The shrimp were juicy and tender while the glaze was mouthwatering.

Second round meant a second wine of course! We had the Xavier Côtes du Rhône, which we thought would be a good match for the Dry Aged Sirloin we had coming our way. Since the portion sizes are very generous we opted to share 2 entrees. So we picked two dishes that couldn’t be more opposite! The first was English Pea Ravioli with a Mélange of Vegetables. The Vegetables included tender baby carrots, sugar snap peas and French radishes. The raviolis were thick and al dente and topped with a carrot vinaigrette… Certainly a vegetarian’s delight. But we needed to balance everything out so we had the Dry Aged Sirloin with a Creamy Spinach Tart, Red Wine Jus and Portobello Fries. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the tart was divine. The Portobello fries were thick and hearty and perfect for dipping in the Jus.

As if we weren’t full enough, we ordered dessert. The lemon pound cake with blueberry compote arrived with the appropriate birthday candles (no singing) and again was a generous portion. We had no problem devouring it though! The cake was soft and delicate, for a pound cake, with a sweet and tangy compote.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Willow. Service was a bit slow but our server informed us that it was because they expected a slow evening and had cut other servers. But it turned out to be quite a busy evening, so he got a work out. Despite that he was great with the recommendations and very personable. Great food and service earn this spot 3.5 oinks from the FDPs!

We are Present

The month of May means warm weather is here to stay, and the piggies had a craving for some bold and fresh flavors to bring us into Summer. Present is a Vietnamese restaurant located along Rt. 50 in an undistinguished (and unattractive) strip mall. However, upon entering the restaurant we were greeted not only by amazing smells, but a lovely, warm, dining room surrounded by golden-wood paneled walls and a trickling fountain in the center. The dining room was a stylish and welcome contrast to the surrounding strip mall. The hostess and wait staff that greeted us were extremely friendly and seated us right away in a cozy booth; we ordered a bottle of sparkling rose to get us started and began to peruse the extensive menu. The first page of the menu included a brief paragraph about the concept of Present. Food, as life is to be enjoyed in the moment, surrounded by friends and family—Present is named to remind diners to take time, taste every bite, and enjoy the entire experience. At first glance of the menu, we were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choices, so we focused on one of the last pages which listed “Chef’s Recommendations.” We also had some help from our bubbly waitress who gave us several suggestions and made us feel right at home.

We began with a few appetizers including the Green Paradise Spring Roll, prawn and pork wrapped in rice paper with mint and basil served with peanut dipping sauce; Jewel-Green Papaya, a salad of shredded papaya, fresh herbs, beef liver jerky (yes, indeed) and a fish sauce based dressing; and upon our waitress’ recommendation, the Smokey Petal; baby clams sautéed with herbs and spices and served with sesame rice crackers. The contrast of fresh herbs against the sweet shrimp in the spring rolls was delicious, and perfectly enhanced by the peanut dipping sauce. The papaya salad was refreshing and a bit unusual with the addition of beef liver jerky, but it gave it a welcome depth of flavor and complexity. And the baby clams were perfectly cooked, tender and extremely flavorful after being sautéed with herbs and spices. The clams were served with crisp rice crackers which provided a nice texture contrast to the soft clams. The sparkling rose paired beautifully with the fresh herbs and spices of the appetizers, so we ordered a second bottle before heading into the main courses.

With a little more help from our friendly waitress, we ordered the Rich Folks Golden Crepes, Hardworking Piglet, and Cow on the Open Field. The cutesy names of the menu items were entertaining, but we were even more impressed with how everything tasted. The crepe was brought out and the waitress instructed us in how it should be assembled and eaten. The large, beautifully golden and crispy crepe was stuffed with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and green onion. Accompanied by large leaves of spring lettuce, we were told to cut a wedge of the crepe and place it in the lettuce leaf, to then be topped with fresh herbs including mint, basil, cilantro and shiso. A drizzle of fish sauce on top and the lettuce leaf was rolled around the goodies like a big, sloppy and utterly delicious Vietnamese taco. The contrast of flavors and textures was incredible. The Hardworking Piglet was a small clay pot filled with caramelized pork ribs and served with steamed white rice. And finally, the Cow on the Open Field included marinated beef, “shaken” in open flames and served atop watercress and sliced onion. This was served with a tangy lemon juice and pepper sauce. The meats were tender and perfectly cooked, enhanced by their respective sauces but not overwhelmed—the flavor of the meat was the main attraction. After the entrees, we were all completely stuffed, but what kind of FDP review would this be without dessert? We ordered the Bananas Fritters with Coconut Cream—tender, lightly fried bananas served with coconut cream and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The not-too sweet dessert was a perfect ending to this wonderful meal.

Even more amazing than the fresh, flavorful food, attentive and friendly staff and lovely ambiance was the overall cost—Present is a steal for the amount and quality of food we received. This is a place you can go for a special evening, or on a Tuesday night whenever a craving strikes. In fact, I went back for the second time in one week…I just HAD to make sure everything was as good as I remembered (3 days before). And it was.

3.5 Oinks!

April showers bring May……….Spring PIGGIES!!!



For our first real spring FDP outing, we decided on French cuisine. Oui? It seems like a no brainer, with all the food/wine experience shared between us, but we 4 piggies have never ventured into French food for an FDP dinner. Non? Tres Bizarre!!

For our foray into French fare, we opted for Bistro Lepic in upper Georgetown/Glover Park. This little gem of a restaurant is small, quaint and very sweet. The bar is upstairs and serves a nice happy hour with half price glasses of wine and interesting crostini appetizers. The bar area is decorated with wall murals depicting whimsical and happy pigs (how very apropos). The main dining room, downstairs, is very cozy with a friendly wait staff. We were seated at a table for 4 right at the front window so we could watch people on the sidewalk outside. We had all perused the dinner menu on line earlier in the week, and had a pretty good idea of what we were going to order. Amanda ordered us a bottle of La Bastide Cotes du Rhone Blanc, and we settled into our usual menu choosing: 4 appetizers and 4 entrees to share. The warm, fresh baguette with butter arrived and we made our selections:

For our appetizers, we ordered: Risotto aux crevettes parfumé au citron / Lemon lime risotto with shrimp, which was a creamy slightly citrusy risotto with a lovely butterflied and grilled shrimp on top. Second, escargots des bois de Bourgogne au beurre d’ail / Organic Burgundy snails baked in garlic butter, which I was reluctant to try, but admittedly were delicious. They were soft, succulent and had a lovely pesto-like sauce on top which was perfect for dipping the baguette. For our third, we chose Le pâté de campagne aux pruneaux et Armagnac / Homemade country pâté with prunes and Armagnac, which was rich and elegant and came with little buttered toast points to spread the pâté. Our last appetizer choice was La tarte à l'oignon et sa petite salade / Onion tart with bacon and baby green salad, which had a thick, yet flaky crust and was presented in 4 slices like a quiche. The tart was simple, with a lovely caramelized onion flavor and creamy custard filling. Four lovely appetizers to begin our spring meal.

For our main courses, we chose 2 seafood entrees and 2 meat entrees, and a bottle of Vincent Saumur-Champigy: For the entrees, there was a Truite grillée, julienne de pois gourmand, huile au basilic/ Grilled rainbow trout with snow peas and seasonal vegetables and extra virgin oil perfumed with basil, which was a light and perfectly fried piece of trout with julienned spring vegetables and a delicate, but springy-green sauce. The second entrée was Thon grillé, socca Nicoise, huile de citron / Grilled tuna cooked rare with chick peas crêpe, lemon capers tomato confit and lemon mosto oil; perfectly seared tuna resting on a thin chickpea crepe and topped with a Mediterranean mixture of olives, tomatoes, and fresh herbs that provided a deliciously acidic contrast to the rich fish. Our third entrée choice was Médaillons de boeuf, polenta et jus aux shitaki / Beef medallions with polenta and shiitake mushroom sauce; lovely pieces of juicy, medium-rare beef with a rich demi-glace. The mushrooms added a depth a flavor and texture, and the polenta provided a creamy bed of softness. Our last but certainly not least entrée was Poulet fermier organique aux deux vinaigres / Free range organic chicken braised with white and red wine vinegar, tomato light cream sauces and rice pilaf; a nicely oven roasted chicken with in a tangy, creamy sauce and simple pilaf.

Though we were sated, we couldn’t resist dessert. We had a scrumptious, moist chocolate cake with a crème en glaze and topped with confectioner’s sugar. It came out smartly cut into four pieces just the right size to complete the meal.

Our rating of Bistro Lepic?? C'est Magnifique!! Good wines, a good representation of classic French cuisine and an attentive wait staff earns this small jewel a rating of 3.25 oinks!!

Stayed tuned for our May adventure………

Art, Soul and an FDP Birthday

March brings us another FDP birthday! And you know what that means…. A fabulous restaurant picked out by the Piggy of Honor, Kate. Kate, a well-known biscuit lover, chose the southern inspired Art and Soul restaurant on Capitol Hill. And since our schedules always seem to be ridiculously busy, we did brunch rather than dinner. But don’t think for one second that just because it was brunch we slacked on our gluttonous duties. There was plenty of food and champagne of course!

Since it was a special occasion we kicked it off with the celebratory bottle of Champagne. This time it was a 2002 Montadon Brut. While we sipped and mulled over the menu we were greeted with a warm cinnamon bun, which lasted about 5 seconds on our table. The menu presented us with many dilemmas. We couldn’t decide how many biscuits, hoecakes and fried things we should order! We did decide to start with the biscuits and gravy (which is technically a side) and the Capitol Hill salad (kidding ourselves trying to be healthy). The biscuits were light and fluffy and were the perfect thing to absorb all of the delicious pork gravy. The salad was a nice contrast with apples, blue cheese and candied pecans.

Now time for the main event! Hands down all four piggies snorted with delight when we saw Chicken and Waffles on the menu. So that was a no brainer to order. We followed that fried deliciousness with the Country Fried Steak. Yep, that’s right. Both the chicken and the steak had a beautiful thick golden brown crust on the outside and were appropriately salty. The waffle that accompanied the chicken had a light texture and was topped off with a Pecan Butter. The steak was served up with eggs any style; we went with scrambled, and some sumptuous grits. To contrast our fried extravaganza we also ordered the Chesapeake Benedict and the Lemon Mascarpone pancakes. The poach on the benedict was just right and it sat atop lovely lump meat crab cakes. The pancakes had just the right amount of lemon taste to them that counteracted the salty bacon. In this line-up there was no weak link. We devoured everything like our lives depending on it.

We loved the décor of Art and Soul. It displays fun, modern art while maintaining a southern comfort kind of feel. Our service was a bit slow (and forgetful- 3 times to ask for coffee), but at least it was nice. We would certainly go back (we didn’t get to try the hoecakes) and we collectively decided on 3.5 oinks!

Schnitzel, Spaetzli, and Steins: The FDPs take a break from reality courtesy of Cafe Mozart.

Without getting into details, let’s just say February was a stressful month for the FDPs. Craving an escape that our busy lives won’t currently allow, we turned our focus instead to an evening meal that would take us to a far-away spot, at least in our minds. This need was met by Café Mozart, a cheery German restaurant tucked away on an otherwise nondescript downtown DC street. Located amidst tall office buildings on H Street, from the outside, Café Mozart appears to be a delicatessen and German foodstuffs shop. The front of the restaurant is indeed a store where you can purchase all sorts of imported goods and some freshly-baked delights as well. But, push through the doors in the back of the store (trust us—do it!), and you are suddenly transported into another world.
Café Mozart exudes a cheerful, relaxed intimacy. It is the kind of place where you look around the room and somehow get a sense that everyone there considers themselves a regular. There is a comfortable, congenial air about the place, with patrons speaking in hushed but happy tones, which are buffered by the soft piano tunes gently filling the space, courtesy of the cheerful older gentleman tickling the keys. At the front of the room, a few men sat hunched at the dark wooden bar drinking tall steins of beer and conversing with the bartender. The rest of the restaurant is filled with tables of various shapes and sizes, all covered in crisp white linens. The walls are decorated with scenic posters depicting German castles, mountains, and picturesque towns. We gratefully gathered at a large corner table in the back, where we had privacy and yet were still enveloped in the cozy feel of the room.
Instantly the ambiance relaxed us, and we eagerly turned to the menu, which is quite extensive. We decided to start with the potato pancakes (served with sour cream and applesauce), breaded mushrooms, and the choice of two sausages—we picked Weisswurst and smoked Bratwurst. And of course, we ordered ourselves delicious German beers and wines. The appetizers were all scrumptious, but the potato pancakes and Bratwurst won the highest raves (you need to ask for mustard to accompany the sausages). For our main course, we picked the special of the night--venison goulash served with spaetzli, and the breaded veal schnitzel. Obviously we also needed a hearty side of sauerkraut and red cabbage! The food came relatively swiftly, and we dug in with gusto. The rich venison alongside the soft, melt-in-your-mouth spaetzli, and the crispy and flavorful schnitzel were both excellent choices, and the sauerkraut was the perfect accompaniment for both meat dishes. Amazingly, after we finished inhaling the main courses, we still had room for dessert. It was a tough choice, but we went with two sweet delights: linzer torte and apple strudel. Both were delicious and more than enough for four somewhat-overly-stuffed ladies to share. By the time the check came, we were fully satiated and significantly more relaxed than when we dragged our stressed-out selves through the front door.
Café Mozart is a small gem that is definitely worth discovering. For a night when you want to say auf Wiedersehen to reality and enjoy some delicious German cuisine, we give it 3 oinks!