I love when great restaurants open new locations. This time, while browsing for reservations on OpenTable, I stumbled upon the fact that one of my favorite restaurants Matchbox has two new locations. In addition to their Chinatown location they now also have a location in Capitol Hill and one in Rockville. What is most amazing about this discovery is that you can now make (albeit limited) online reservations. The main lunch and dinner hours seem to be blocked off, for example for Matchbox Capitol Hill you can only make reservations for 11:00am and 2:00pm - 6:30pm, or if you have a party of 8 or more, also at 9:00pm. For Matchbox Chinatown it seems that you are limited to making online reservations for parties of 6 or more, and only Sun-Thurs from 11:00am - 11:45am, 1:30pm - 5:30pm, or 8:00pm - 9:00pm. Still this is a great improvement from their previous policy of no reservations at all. I wonder if it's possible to make phone reservations for the missing times?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Pan on Fire Steak
| Went over to F's one night for dinner to finally try F's version of Alton Brown's Steak au Poivre, or as F fondly calls it, Pan on Fire Steak, cause well, to cook it, the pan is on fire: |  |
 | The delicious steaks were crusted with some very coarsely crushed peppercorns, had a cognac cream sauced spooned over it, and served with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. |
| Mmmm mac and cheese. This mac and cheese definitely passes my taste test and is going to be added to my favorite mac and cheeses. I will have to get the recipe from F so I can make it myself... or not and have him make it for me ;) |  |
 | Oh and of course I can't forget to mention the lovely wine he served with dinner. Molly Dooker's Blue Eyed Boy shipped to him directly from Australia. An all around wonderful dinner. Thanks F. |
Recipe Link: Steak au Poivre
Friday, March 11, 2011
More Mystery Produce
More mystery produce from the Arganica box. This produce box has made me realize I am a little bit produce illiterate. Not being able to identify a bunch of the items in the box made me feel like the kids from Huntington, West Virgina shown on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Jamie Oliver brought a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables to a first grade class in Huntington, West Virginia, statistically one of the unhealthiest cities in the country, to see if they even knew where food came from and what fresh food looked like. The kids had trouble identifying the most basic of produce. Watch the clip. Well this produce box has been my Jamie Oliver educating me to identify produce such as swiss chard, purple potatoes and these two items:
beets and turnips. The beets took me a while to recognize. I guess I hadn't seen beets without their stems. I also thought the turnips were rutabaga (yellow turnip) for a while before deciding that it didn't have enough purple in it and so they were probably normal turnips (white turnip). As I barely knew what these vegetables looked like I certainly didn't know how to cook them. So with some research on my trusty google and my trusty food network's website I noticed a common way of preparing these root vegetables is roasting them. I settled on using the baby root vegetable part of this recipe as a guide to roast the beets, turnips, and also some carrots (also from the Arganica box). I've found this is an easy tasty way to cook up any mix of root vegetables. The steps are just to: In a bowl season the vegetables with salt and pepper, drizzle with some olive oil, lightly mix, place on a sheet pan, and roast in oven for 30 minutes at 475° F turning once midway during cooking to ensure even browning. I served this with the Creole fried pork chop and carmelized apple portion of this recipe with a maple syrup and sherry substitution for the cane syrup and bourbon to cook the apples (again from the Arganica box).
I really like Emeril's Creole seasoning (the seasoning to the pork chop). I first came across it in this recipe and found myself constantly coming back to the shrimp part of the recipe and mixing it up by throwing the shrimp creole in with different types of pasta sauces (like an alfredo or a tomato sauce). I now make a decent amount of the seasoning and store it in it's own spice container so it's easily on hand. I might have to make some more now that I know this seasoning also works well on pork.
beets and turnips. The beets took me a while to recognize. I guess I hadn't seen beets without their stems. I also thought the turnips were rutabaga (yellow turnip) for a while before deciding that it didn't have enough purple in it and so they were probably normal turnips (white turnip). As I barely knew what these vegetables looked like I certainly didn't know how to cook them. So with some research on my trusty google and my trusty food network's website I noticed a common way of preparing these root vegetables is roasting them. I settled on using the baby root vegetable part of this recipe as a guide to roast the beets, turnips, and also some carrots (also from the Arganica box). I've found this is an easy tasty way to cook up any mix of root vegetables. The steps are just to: In a bowl season the vegetables with salt and pepper, drizzle with some olive oil, lightly mix, place on a sheet pan, and roast in oven for 30 minutes at 475° F turning once midway during cooking to ensure even browning. I served this with the Creole fried pork chop and carmelized apple portion of this recipe with a maple syrup and sherry substitution for the cane syrup and bourbon to cook the apples (again from the Arganica box).
 |  |
I really like Emeril's Creole seasoning (the seasoning to the pork chop). I first came across it in this recipe and found myself constantly coming back to the shrimp part of the recipe and mixing it up by throwing the shrimp creole in with different types of pasta sauces (like an alfredo or a tomato sauce). I now make a decent amount of the seasoning and store it in it's own spice container so it's easily on hand. I might have to make some more now that I know this seasoning also works well on pork.
| Recipe Links: | Roasted Baby Root Vegetables |
| The King's Creole Fried Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples | |
| Shrimp Creole | |
| Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning |
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Some NYC food, part two
If you are looking for good brunch places to go to in NYC I recommend Penelope in Midtown East and Elephant & Castle in the West Village.
I must warn you though that if you want to go to Penelope make sure you leave a block of time for brunch as there is a good chance there will be a wait for a table and they unfortunately don't take reservations. Y had actually tried to take me here last time I was in NYC, but I had a bus to catch so we didn't have the time to wait for a table. This time around we made sure there were no time constraints. We were told the wait would be about 45 mins for a table even though we arrived for a later brunch at around 2 pm and were only 2 people. In fact when we got seated I was surprised to hear that the wait was still around 45 mins. It seems that this place doesn't have a lull for their brunch. Upon looking at the menu and looking around at the drinks at people's tables I realized that one of the reasons this place is so loved (besides the main reason of the food being great) is that they have a good prix-fixe brunch. For $14.50 you get an entree and your choice of either an apple cider mimosa, coffee, tea, or orange juice. Apple cider mimosa! That is another reason why this is a great place. Their menu is inventive, but still classic. For example instead of your standard Nutella crepes they instead serve Nutella French Toast (which is what Y ordered, pictured above), their waffles were pumpkin waffles, and even with their Farmer's Market Omelette (which I got with sausage, onions, and cheese) they mixed it up a bit by serving it with french fries instead of the classic home fries. Both their menu and their food was fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed it.
Now if you are looking for food that is a little bit fancier, Elephant and Castle (which was another awesome choice by J) fits the bill. It also has amazing food such as my meal of Eggs'n Apples Benedict on French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon. Another great thing they have on the brunch menu is not a cup of hot chocolate, but a bowl of hot chocolate. Their normal lunch/dinner menu also looks very good with desert crepes and interesting sandwiches.
I was hoping to get to try some of the other items on the menu as there is an Elephant & Castle in DC. I have only been to the one in DC briefly to meet a few friends for a drink so did not take much notice of the logo or font. So when I passed this restaurant front (pictured to the right) in of all places Dublin Ireland I thought maybe this was the same restaurant as in DC. So image my surprise when I showed up in front of the restaurant in New York City and saw this same font and logo as the one in Dublin. I even pulled the picture up on my phone to be sure it was the same. I knew then that at least this NYC one and the Dublin one must be the same which made me feel the one in DC must also be part of the same chain. Alas upon some internet research I found that the Elephant & Castle in DC, although is a chain, is not affiliated with the Elephant & Castle in NYC. However the Elephant & Castle in NYC and the one in Ireland are indeed the same. Their website states: "The Dublin Elephant & Castle was opened in 1989 when one of our Irish chefs was denied entry into the U.S.A., so we decided to move to Dublin instead. If Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed." So random I happened to be near the two of them within 6 months! Too bad I didn't stop to eat at the one in Ireland. And too bad the one in DC is not the same as the others. I guess I will just have to go back up to New York City (or Dublin :P ) to try out their other menu items.
I must warn you though that if you want to go to Penelope make sure you leave a block of time for brunch as there is a good chance there will be a wait for a table and they unfortunately don't take reservations. Y had actually tried to take me here last time I was in NYC, but I had a bus to catch so we didn't have the time to wait for a table. This time around we made sure there were no time constraints. We were told the wait would be about 45 mins for a table even though we arrived for a later brunch at around 2 pm and were only 2 people. In fact when we got seated I was surprised to hear that the wait was still around 45 mins. It seems that this place doesn't have a lull for their brunch. Upon looking at the menu and looking around at the drinks at people's tables I realized that one of the reasons this place is so loved (besides the main reason of the food being great) is that they have a good prix-fixe brunch. For $14.50 you get an entree and your choice of either an apple cider mimosa, coffee, tea, or orange juice. Apple cider mimosa! That is another reason why this is a great place. Their menu is inventive, but still classic. For example instead of your standard Nutella crepes they instead serve Nutella French Toast (which is what Y ordered, pictured above), their waffles were pumpkin waffles, and even with their Farmer's Market Omelette (which I got with sausage, onions, and cheese) they mixed it up a bit by serving it with french fries instead of the classic home fries. Both their menu and their food was fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed it. |  |
Now if you are looking for food that is a little bit fancier, Elephant and Castle (which was another awesome choice by J) fits the bill. It also has amazing food such as my meal of Eggs'n Apples Benedict on French Toast with Maple Syrup and Bacon. Another great thing they have on the brunch menu is not a cup of hot chocolate, but a bowl of hot chocolate. Their normal lunch/dinner menu also looks very good with desert crepes and interesting sandwiches.
I was hoping to get to try some of the other items on the menu as there is an Elephant & Castle in DC. I have only been to the one in DC briefly to meet a few friends for a drink so did not take much notice of the logo or font. So when I passed this restaurant front (pictured to the right) in of all places Dublin Ireland I thought maybe this was the same restaurant as in DC. So image my surprise when I showed up in front of the restaurant in New York City and saw this same font and logo as the one in Dublin. I even pulled the picture up on my phone to be sure it was the same. I knew then that at least this NYC one and the Dublin one must be the same which made me feel the one in DC must also be part of the same chain. Alas upon some internet research I found that the Elephant & Castle in DC, although is a chain, is not affiliated with the Elephant & Castle in NYC. However the Elephant & Castle in NYC and the one in Ireland are indeed the same. Their website states: "The Dublin Elephant & Castle was opened in 1989 when one of our Irish chefs was denied entry into the U.S.A., so we decided to move to Dublin instead. If Mohammed cannot come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed." So random I happened to be near the two of them within 6 months! Too bad I didn't stop to eat at the one in Ireland. And too bad the one in DC is not the same as the others. I guess I will just have to go back up to New York City (or Dublin :P ) to try out their other menu items.Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Leek Potato Soup
Leek and purple potatoes, two more items from the Arganica box that I had not cooked with before or eaten much of. I decided to make it even more of a learning experience by making leek potato soup, making soups being something else that I didn't have much experience with.
What I learned. First of all that purple potatoes even exist. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that these potatoes are not only purple on the outside but are purple on the inside as well. Really cool. I was hoping that they would give my soup a purple tinge, but instead the beauty of their purple color was lost. Next time I have purple potatoes I will have to find a dish that showcases the unique color of the potatoes.
Another thing I learned was that soups are not that hard to make. The basic steps seem to be just to soften the vegetables and then blend. I even made a bunch of substitutions to the recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients and the soup still came out fine. The substitutions I made were purple potatoes instead of Yukon gold potatoes, chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, and for the buttermilk I used 1 cup minus a tablespoon of milk mixed with a tablespoon of white vinegar. I also left the dark green sections of the leeks in because I didn't know what to do with them otherwise, and since I don't have an immersion blender I just poured the contents into a blender. The final result:
The only minor issue was that I probably should have left the dark green sections of the leeks out because those didn't break down and blend quite as well leaving a few pieces of stringy leek in the soup. This didn't affect the flavor of the soup which was something else I learned. I like the flavor of leeks. I was originally hoping the soup would have more of a potato flavor as I love potato soups, but in the end I was happy with the main flavor of the soup being leek. I was definitely surprised to find I honestly liked the soup and its leeky flavor. This recipe will be saved to be used again.
Recipe Link: Leek Potato Soup
What I learned. First of all that purple potatoes even exist. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that these potatoes are not only purple on the outside but are purple on the inside as well. Really cool. I was hoping that they would give my soup a purple tinge, but instead the beauty of their purple color was lost. Next time I have purple potatoes I will have to find a dish that showcases the unique color of the potatoes.
Another thing I learned was that soups are not that hard to make. The basic steps seem to be just to soften the vegetables and then blend. I even made a bunch of substitutions to the recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients and the soup still came out fine. The substitutions I made were purple potatoes instead of Yukon gold potatoes, chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, and for the buttermilk I used 1 cup minus a tablespoon of milk mixed with a tablespoon of white vinegar. I also left the dark green sections of the leeks in because I didn't know what to do with them otherwise, and since I don't have an immersion blender I just poured the contents into a blender. The final result:
The only minor issue was that I probably should have left the dark green sections of the leeks out because those didn't break down and blend quite as well leaving a few pieces of stringy leek in the soup. This didn't affect the flavor of the soup which was something else I learned. I like the flavor of leeks. I was originally hoping the soup would have more of a potato flavor as I love potato soups, but in the end I was happy with the main flavor of the soup being leek. I was definitely surprised to find I honestly liked the soup and its leeky flavor. This recipe will be saved to be used again.
Recipe Link: Leek Potato Soup
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Some NYC food, part one
Oh New York City. So many great places to eat, how does one choose? Luckily for me I have J who is kind and tolerant enough to be my NYC restaurant concierge. She always chooses great places. Two weekends ago when I was in New York City was no exception. To start my weekend J made a reservation for us at The Sea Grill who was participating in restaurant week. Not only was the food there delicious, but The Sea Grill was also a fun place to eat at because it looks out onto Rockerfeller Center's ice rink. On Friday night we got lucky, getting a table next to the window giving us a front row view to the ice skating people watching entertainment. In fact we joked that this would be a great date place because if there were any awkward silences you could just direct your attention out the window to be amused by the skaters. Just be forewarned that just as you can watch the people skate, the skaters can stop by and watch you eat. And ate we did. In fact instead of sticking to the normal 3 course restaurant meal most of us splurged and opted to add in a "middle course" making it a 4 course meal.
For my first course I had the house cured smoked salmon, of which I do not have a picture of because it wasn't until after I cleaned my plate did I remember that I wanted to take a picture. Although I did clean my plate because the dish was tasty, my friends who choose the other appetizer option of the sweet potato bisque were the "winners" the first round because the sweet potato soup was delectable. I meant to only have a taste of it but it was so good that ended up sneaking a few more "tastes" because I didn't want to stop. Sweet potato bisque. I'll have to try to look up a recipe for that sometime and see if I can find one that comes anywhere near in taste.
For our extra course, the middle course, our options were a seared tuna tempura roll and the Sea Grill's signature crab cake both of which sounded good. While trying to decide if I should even get a middle course I was informed by my dining mates that Sea Grill's crab cake has received many good reviews on Yelp, which enticed me even more to add the extra course, and to choose the crab cake. In this second round the crab cake won hands down. I found the tuna only okay. It didn't have much flavor or composition to it. The crab cakes on the other hand were very well seasoned and textured beautifully. Although the mustard sauce that they were served over was good, I preferred to eat the crab cake without it (but I do tend to favor enjoying the taste of great foods on their own without adding condiments to them).
Round 3 the main course. The seafood lineup that night was striped bass vs trout. I ordered the striped bass which I believe was the victor. It was DELICIOUS. I actually almost didn't order this dish because I was worried about the cockle brodetto that the striped bass was served with (which I found out by asking the waiter, is a broth made with a type of clam, the cockle). I am generally not a fan of the category of shellfish that can open and close their shells (clams, mussels, oysters), but lately I have been trying to give mussels a second chance (oysters might be a lost cause for me). I've even had them a few times when they are not terrible, so I decided I could give this a chance as well as it was not the main portion of the dish. I am quite glad I did as I found this dish was much better balanced than the trout dish was. The cockle brodetto even turned out to be really enjoyable!
Dessert. Final Round. In the left corner, with a whipped caramel ganache and a granola streusel, you have Caramelized Apple Tart... And its opponent, in the right corner, with a mint chantilly creme and chocolate pearls, you have Valrhona Chocolate Pot de Creme.... And the winner?! ... You will have to go yourself to find out. I actually was distracted enough by my caramelized apple tart (particularly enjoying the caramel ganache which was light and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness) and by my fullness to try the Chocolate Pot de Creme. It does look awesome though.
Featured meals two and three from NYC coming up next...
For my first course I had the house cured smoked salmon, of which I do not have a picture of because it wasn't until after I cleaned my plate did I remember that I wanted to take a picture. Although I did clean my plate because the dish was tasty, my friends who choose the other appetizer option of the sweet potato bisque were the "winners" the first round because the sweet potato soup was delectable. I meant to only have a taste of it but it was so good that ended up sneaking a few more "tastes" because I didn't want to stop. Sweet potato bisque. I'll have to try to look up a recipe for that sometime and see if I can find one that comes anywhere near in taste.
For our extra course, the middle course, our options were a seared tuna tempura roll and the Sea Grill's signature crab cake both of which sounded good. While trying to decide if I should even get a middle course I was informed by my dining mates that Sea Grill's crab cake has received many good reviews on Yelp, which enticed me even more to add the extra course, and to choose the crab cake. In this second round the crab cake won hands down. I found the tuna only okay. It didn't have much flavor or composition to it. The crab cakes on the other hand were very well seasoned and textured beautifully. Although the mustard sauce that they were served over was good, I preferred to eat the crab cake without it (but I do tend to favor enjoying the taste of great foods on their own without adding condiments to them).
 |  |
Round 3 the main course. The seafood lineup that night was striped bass vs trout. I ordered the striped bass which I believe was the victor. It was DELICIOUS. I actually almost didn't order this dish because I was worried about the cockle brodetto that the striped bass was served with (which I found out by asking the waiter, is a broth made with a type of clam, the cockle). I am generally not a fan of the category of shellfish that can open and close their shells (clams, mussels, oysters), but lately I have been trying to give mussels a second chance (oysters might be a lost cause for me). I've even had them a few times when they are not terrible, so I decided I could give this a chance as well as it was not the main portion of the dish. I am quite glad I did as I found this dish was much better balanced than the trout dish was. The cockle brodetto even turned out to be really enjoyable!
Dessert. Final Round. In the left corner, with a whipped caramel ganache and a granola streusel, you have Caramelized Apple Tart... And its opponent, in the right corner, with a mint chantilly creme and chocolate pearls, you have Valrhona Chocolate Pot de Creme.... And the winner?! ... You will have to go yourself to find out. I actually was distracted enough by my caramelized apple tart (particularly enjoying the caramel ganache which was light and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness) and by my fullness to try the Chocolate Pot de Creme. It does look awesome though.
Featured meals two and three from NYC coming up next...
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