Taqueria Poblano

When my sister Lindsay visited in March, we happened upon Taqueria Poblano in Del Ray. Just last week we needed a mid-day family outing, and remembered how much we had loved it.

Both times we've gone, Sam and I have just ordered a couple tacos each, so I can't speak for the rest of the menu, but the tacos arrive simply-- no frills. And the frills wouldn't be necessary; the tacos speak for themselves. Sam has tried the pork adobo, mahi baja, carnitas, and some of the specials. I've gotten the crispy "L.A. Style" veggie tacos and a crispy crab special, but the best is certainly the shrimp taco. Among all the tacos we have tried, we've yet to find a way you can go wrong.

Plus, there are two bonuses: the house chips and salsa are muy delicioso, AND Taqueria Poblano is across the street from Dairy Godmother, so you know you're all set.

food truck fest

 On Cinco de Mayo we celebrated by heading into a food truck fest in DC. We took a quick round of the trucks, examining lines, and stopping for a quick photo-op by a Hawaiian BBQ truck before settling in on our choices. I noticed some of the more well-known trucks and was a little bummed by the TaKorean truck that was a million miles long. I was jonesing for a treat, so Bria and I chose the Orange Cow for some ice cream cones. Sam needed a meal, so he chose Dangerously Delicious. He had the most amazing potato pie and chocolate cream pie. (The brick and mortar location is now at the top of my to-dine list.) Of course as we were winding down, Bria declared she was suddenly but overwhelming starving, so she chose an apple and gruyere grilled cheese from the Big Cheese. Overall we were very pleased with our choices-- I'm not sure we could have gone wrong. Now I need to hit up the next truckeroo to get another sampling.

(The only downside of the day came several weeks later when I received two speeding tickets in the mail from a photo radar on 295. Apparently I consistently sped on the way to and from the fest. So was it worth the $275 in speeding fines? Now that is a good question. Probably not. But I learned my lesson: next time I will metro.)

all you need

Valentines this year was a culinary success. We started festivities the weekend before with a date to finally check out ShopHouse (the new Asian Chipotle). I am so glad we went! I had a tofu bowl with noodles, green beans, and their green curry sauce. It was worth the hype, but I have to tell you, it was so spicy! Like, my tongue was still burning even after we had frozen yogurt for dessert. And the green curry was the "mild" of their two curries. They do have another sauce I will try next time in an attempt to save my mouth from the fire. I am a total wimp when it comes to spice (I kept telling myself "this is what it takes to build your tolerance! buck up, McPhie!"), but even Sam concurred this was pretty intense. However, I can attest to the great flavor. I think such extreme spice often covers up flavor, but I was willing to endure the pain of the spice for such great depth of flavor.

On the actual day of love, we decided to make fondue. I could seriously eat that every day. But the thing I was most concerned about was dessert. I have been doing this health challenge thing with some friends, which means I'm limited to one day of sugar each week (which is maybe the normal healthy thing to do anyway) (but it's almost over! and I'm only one point behind the current leader!). So, the dessert was a big deal to me. I recently saw a link to this double chocolate raspberry pavlova and instantly knew this was The One. And it turned out beautifully.
And oh so deliciously! It's a new obsession really. I was so sad the rest of this week watching Sam eat the leftovers without me. This is my ultimate sacrifice in trying to WIN this challenge. But regardless of the victor, one thing's for sure: this will be the first thing I make when it's over.

Try This Tuesday, Or: To Thine Own Self Be True

I habitually hit a kitchen rut every January, this year being no exception. Once Sam went back to work after the holidays, the only kitchen motivation I had was buttering toast, but I soldiered through! I tried five new recipes in the last two weeks, and there were a lot of busts, actually. Here is a weird truth, no matter how much I try (and try!), I just can't get on board with butternut squash. It's related to the whole not-liking-cooked-fruit thing. I suppose I don't like sweet things to be warm, and butternut squash is too sweet. This also goes for sweet potatoes. So the new recipes included a vegan mac 'n' cheese (butternut squash based), and a sweet potato chili. Entire dinners in the trash (wah wah). So the lesson learned is that if you don't like something, don't make it for dinner. Know yourself, know your tastes, and to thine own self be true. Amidst the gross stuff I also found some goodies! Here's a list of things to try.

Quinoa "meat"balls. My dear friend's sister-in-law runs this vegan and allergy-friendly blog, and I thought this dinner was amazing. I often crave spaghetti and meatballs, but just cannot stomach red meat anymore. Problem solved! I ate these meatballs for days on end. Perfect texture (crisp on the outside!) and a great depth of flavor. (Though Sam wasn't as wild about them as I was and kept telling me I shouldn't call them meatballs, because it was deceiving.) The kale featured in this post was pretty cool. I think I just don't like kale though (too bitter), but the coconut/maple/orange flavor was awesome.

Apparently I'm on a quinoa kick, but I fell head over heels for this Thai Fried Quinoa. I tried both of these recipes because it seems all the popular quinoa recipes are for mexican style dishes (tossed with onion, bell peppers, cilantro, and lime), which gets boring. But this Thai fried quinoa was so good, I could have eaten the entire pan in one sitting, no joke. All that coconut milk probably means it isn't the world's healthiest recipe, but it's so good you won't even care. Seriously, make this today.

Of course winter means I want to eat soup every day, and this carrot ginger miso soup really hit the spot. Unfortunately not even Bria liked this soup, which is suspicious, but I loved it. Miso makes my heart sing. (And, just so you don't have to make multiple trips to Whole Foods like I did, I'll tell you that miso is located in the refrigerated section, near all the other vegan stuff.)

And lastly, we met up with Hannah and Rob on Saturday night for sandwiches at Brabo's the butcher block. Not a great place to stay and eat (we brought the sandwiches back to our place), but the sandwiches were fantastic. Right near the king street metro, I definitely recommend it for a quality, gourmet sandwich (and I really want to go back for a cheese plate). (also note they stop making sandwiches at 7pm.)

On Expensive Dinners and Dreams

The very first thing I should tell you about this year is the very last meal I ate last year. It was decadent and very indulgent, and a lovely way to say sayonara to a year that did not agree with me. (Also, brace yourself, it was the most expensive meal I have ever eaten.) We ate at Passion Fish in Reston, which is a sister restaurant to Ceiba and happens to be owned and created by Molly Wizenberg's brother. So, excitement all around. There was a prix-fixe menu for New Year's Eve that did not disappoint. I loved being able to choose from such fun offerings and indulge in more courses than usual. All too often I find myself paying to eat food that is incredibly mediocre. When you go to a restaurant, you want to feel happy that you ate better than you would at home. Don't you hate paying $15 for something you know you could cook better? I think I'd rather save the heartache and save up to eat at Passion Fish on a quarterly basis. Perhaps I should make it a resolution.

So my last meal of the year included sushi, Thai spring rolls, red curry lobster, and a vanilla bean anglaise chocolate mousse praline. (Let us take a moment to notice my choices were all Asian-influenced [save dessert].) There was also a special chef creation of a haddock custard with creme fraiche and caviar before our food arrived and Sam's dessert was homemade donuts which made me want to stow away in the restaurant kitchen for the rest of my life, surviving solely on a diet of those sugar-dusted gems. Sam's dinner was a beautiful piece of tuna with foie gras cotton candy on top. How is that even possible? I don't know, but it was awesome. Do you care to see crappy iPhone photos of our spread? I hate to do the food such injustice, but here we are.

Over two hours we all stuffed ourselves happily celebrating the end of the year and excitedly planning for the new one. This year is going to be great, I just know it. And one thing I hope to do more is be more open and honest, so here I go: I started making plans last summer to really shake things up in my life, and I am happy I started down that path. Since I was working on my undergrad five years ago I wanted to go to culinary school, and I thought maybe this would be the right time for me. When Sam and I visited NYC last fall, the sole purpose of the trip was to visit schools. Our initial plan was to finish our apartment contract here in the spring and then move up there so I could start school. However, it's incredible how quickly things change. A couple changes to Sam's job and some other opportunities have opened up here, so it seems we'll be staying put a while longer. Part of me is sad to have to put off my dreams for a while longer, but getting so far down the path made me realize how attainable my dreams are-- and they will be waiting for me as soon as I'm able to get back to them. In the meantime, I've gotten a taste for excitement and am brainstorming ways to spice things up. I hope to share more of those adventures here while I gain some experience that will only make my eventual culinary career richer.

Bethesda Delight / Bold Bite

Sometimes we wonder if we chose the right spot to live. I had some serious anxiety about balancing cost, size, DC-proximity, quality, public transportation when we were apartment hunting, but, for the most part, we did ok. I like to daydream and pretend that living on the hill would be practical for us, and sometimes I even entertain thoughts of apartments with more than 200 square feet per person. And, in all honesty, we often laugh about the fact that we probably should have chosen Maryland over Virginia, since Sam's contracts have been split between DC and MD (and never VA). 

But regardless of living on the opposite end of the metropolitan area, we have come to love Bethesda. Sam worked there for about a year (he's back in DC now), and it's one of my favorite spots. The neighborhoods are old and super posh, and the drive to Sam's office led us past schools such as Holton-Arms (boasting Julia Louis-Dreyfus as an alumnus-- did you know she's a billionaire heiress?). And besides a significantly less-crowded Georgetown Cupcake, there are plenty of restaurants to try, like Bold Bite.
(Should I be embarrassed that we went out to eat specifically for hot dogs so soon after our hot dog binge? [Because this was in August-- just over a month after the contest.] Well, no! I am not embarrassed! I have never hidden my love for hot dogs!)
Well, I'll tell you this much: I had an all-natural beef frank with ketchup, mayo(!), shredded cabbage, diced onions, and crunchy potato sticks, and it rocked. Sure, maybe after that and tons of fries my arteries were significantly more clogged and my blood sugar spiked, but it was oh, so worth it.

(guys, what is it about hot dogs? why do I love them so much?)

promises, promises

I don't know, guys. This ol' blog is sure struggling stay alive. But despite it being four years since I graduated college, there is still something about the  start of a new school year that makes me want to buckle down and get things done. I apparently never keep my blog promises though, so I am not promising anything. (Because then, when I do come back here, y'all will be super excited-- I just KNOW it!)In the meantime, last week was my sixth wedding anniversary. And Sam and I went out on a real live date, and let me tell you, those are very few and very far between. We went over to Shirlington to finally see Midnight in Paris, and I loved it with all my heart. I am so glad I knew nothing about the plot. It was such a lovely surprise. I kind of want to own it so I can watch it again and again. And now I have been researching plane tickets to Paris all week. (Purely hypothetical at this point.) (Also, random tidbit: did you know I studied French for seven years? C'est vrai.)
After the movie, we wandered over to Thai Shirlington, a place introduced to me by one of my all-time favorite people, Amanda. Even at 9 pm the weather was fantastic, so we sat outside to enjoy our Thai feast.
There was coconut shrimp, tofu musaman, and green curry. All delicious and wonderful. 

 

And then for dessert there was stuffed roti dough. Sam saw the mysterious thing on the menu and wanted to be adventurous. Something about a taro root jam stuffed into deep fried roti dough topped with taro root ice cream and and taro root chip. It was fun and cool, and I would totally get it again, but Sam testifies that it changed his life. It made him a better person, and I almost thought he would begin glowing or crying tears of pure gold he loved it so much. Moral of the story: I love marriage. I love Paris. I love Thai food. Yum.

Of the United States of Pizza-Eaters

If I had to choose one single type of food to eat every day for the rest of my life, pizza would put up a good fight for my number one choice, so I'm lucky there are so many places to go in the area. I'm on a (not super-concentrated) mission to try all the pizza places in the DC area and last weekend we finally made it over to We, The Pizza-- another Spike Mendelsohn creation next to Good Stuff Eatery on the Hill.
Besides the fact that the name simply tickles me pink, that is some solid pizza. We shared the Fresh Buffalo Mozz and Roasted Tomato Pie, which, to me, was perfect. It was the kind of thing where you wish you weren't so full because you want to keep eating piece after piece after piece. A large pizza is the perfect size to share with friends, leaving just enough room to head next door for Good Stuff shakes when you're done. It's possible you'll order your shakes and begin waiting. You'll wait and wait and wait. Maybe you'll ask several times when they'll be ready and after 50 minutes you'll finally demand your shakes NOW. You will then be offered a refund, which you will accept and proclaim No Harm, No Foul because them shakes are so tasty. An additional possibility is you will learn that Saturday night on Capitol Hill (or anywhere) is a bit crazy, but the pizza (and shakes!) are worth it. Pizza is always so worth it.

The Return

If there were one lesson I am in dire need of learning right now, it would be that of Being Happy In The Present. The weather in DC is 100% perfect right now: bright skies, mid-70s, occasional breezes. It is SPRING in its most perfect form. But it's all I can do to fear the heat. I know it's only a matter of time before I'm sweating 24 hours a day and my hair quadruples in size and turns into something resembling the spawn of a tumbleweed and a rat's nest. Please, don't be jealous. But amid the fear and the frantic, frizzy ponytails, there is a promise of something more. And to remind me of the glory of summer foods, we have the return of Fretalian Night.
Fretalian Night was invented last year when Bria and I would visit the farmer's market every Wednesday in Old Town. We would pick up a baguette, tomatoes, basil, and strawberries and then swing by Trader Joe's for some brie on our way home. Dinner was whipped up in no time once we returned home. Brie and bread for the French half and bruschetta for the Italian half of Fretalian Night. The strawberries round it out for the perfect light summer meal.
So am I concerned about how I will survive another summer? Incredibly. But is it a price I am willing to pay for the abundance in fresh berries and basil and tomatoes? Of course.

Staycation!!

Today was a really stupid day. But you know what wasn't stupid? Last weekend. Sam and I had ourselves a little staycation. We took Bria to Sam's brother's house on Friday and picked her up Sunday night. It was fantastic and just so exactly what we needed. The activities that stand out all surround eating, of course. We hit up some great places. It was also mingled with H&M shopping, a walk around Baltimore's inner harbor, and The Book Thing-- a place where people donate books and then anyone can go look around and take home any book they please for free. We took home ten.
And now for the food:
The first night we finally went to 2 Amys. The wait was long, and it was freeeeezing, but I have never been happier with my food. (do you see how I am like huddling under the table? I was so, so cold.) Behold! ricotta and mozzarella balls breaded and fried.
I seriously died. Sam had to scrape me up off the floor so I could then eat my pizza:
And Sam had the best margherita in the world:
On Saturday we went to Baltimore and wanted to have amazing seafood, so we chose the highly google-rated Mama's on the Half Shell. We even ordered oysters, cause, ya know. It sounded fun.
Now. let me talk about my one regret from the whole weekend. Sam and I realized we had a common love for Guster on our very first date, and they were playing in DC on Saturday. We decided to forgo the moderately pricey concert and go to Baltimore instead. Our dinner? twice the price of the tickets. And, I was seriously disappointed with the flavor of our food. I mean, it wasn't gross, but if I'm paying that much for good seafood, I want it to be the best seafood of my life, you know? Boo hoo. I'm still getting over it.
But at least the pear and cardamom gelato we ate afterward at Pitango was delicious.
After two days of eating like our cholesterol didn't matter, we opted for some light salads at Sweet Green. I am currently making up for not liking salad the first 24 year of my life. In the last year or two, I crave salad constantly.
Sam, on the other hand, only eats salad when coerced. He was really sad when we saw a Five Guys next door to Sweet Green. Poor guy.
And, confession, we each ate a total of five Georgetown cupcakes. Does that disgust you? It should.

I think I look condensed in this picture. I blame it on the cupcakes.

Ok seriously, just typing about staycation has improved my mood. I can't even tell you how relaxing and rejuvenating it was. We got stuck in traffic almost everywhere we went, and every time I started to get uptight about it, I just remembered that I didn't have a two-year-old in the back seat to entertain. Ahhhh . . . so relaxing. Why can't every weekend be staycation?

courtney, the chocolatier/ not giving up my day job

For my birthday, back in April, Sam gifted me with a chocolate making class at Cacao, and I finally went over the weekend. I got up really early on Saturday morning and trekked through some of the scarier parts of Maryland to find their industrial kitchen (they have stores in Bethesda and Cleveland Park), and joined several other nervous-looking bleary-eyed folk for the three-and-a-half hour class. We were instructed by the owner/head chef, who immediately charmed me with his French accent. At first it was slightly reminiscent of days spent at Caputo's chocolate counter-- several chocolate samples from around the world (including a sample of straight cocoa butter, which tastes like chapstick). It was a great breakfast. (Thank you, dear pancreas, for taking it in stride.)

Then we got to the chocolate making. We crafted flower petals from tempered chocolate using offset spatulas on parchment paper. It all looked so easy until I was standing at the table with my huge bowl of molten chocolate. It was all I could do to not put myself in the corner wearing a dunce hat. I think everyone was about ten steps ahead of me, and I started to feel that old anxious shame akin to high school algebra, fearing I was the only one in the room to not get it. If a deep-seated fear of embarrassment doesn't get me moving, I don't know what will. When I realized I might be the only person not getting the hang of it, I picked up the pace and slammed out my two sheets of petals with precision. It was awesome . . .
until I learned the chocolate had been too hot, so it wouldn't harden. I had to start all over. Luckily, I wasn't the only one. In fact, I think everyone had to re-start at least once, so my initial fear of shame turned out to be unnecessary. Hooray!

(Also, I got to wear this super-flattering hairnet and apron.)
While the petals were hardening, we filled truffles with passion fruit carmel. Holy cow. Amazing. And, again, super flattering photo documentation.
And it all came together in this fancy flower, which, yes, I am super proud of (and already ate).
Officially the coolest birthday present ever.

in which we finally go to good stuff

Sam and I celebrated our FIFTH anniversary yesterday. And we really actually celebrated it, which was a fun comparison to last year when we were on opposite sides of the country. I dropped Bria off at a friend's house and drove in to the city to meet Sam. We finally tried out Good Stuff Eatery, which has been on my list since before we moved.

I opted for the Vegetarians Are People Too 'Shroom Burger
And Sam went with the Prez Obama Burger

And we shared a strawberry shake.

Can I just say how proud I am of myself for ordering a portobello burger? I usually have a frantic fear of mushrooms, but I really didn't want to order a beef burger. Plus, this mushroom patty is stuffed with hot, melty, gooey cheese and then breaded in panko bread crumbs. Oh my. It was good stuff, if you will. (ha.) I feel an intense need to go back and try some more of that good stuff-- namely the cookies and cream milk shake and some of the wedge salads. Yum!

7th Hill Pizza

For quite some now, 7th Hill pizza has been on my To-Eat list, mostly because of a little something called a nutella calzone.

I know.

Other than the fact that it just sounds delicious, I have it on good authority that it lives up to the hype. And now, let me add a second voice. IT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE. I mean, really, how could it not?

Oh, but we ate pizza first.
So, we knew taking Elisa and Matt there would be a great idea, and in all four of our inabilities to make decisions, we ended up ordering three pizzas to share (which turned out to be the right amount): the Capitol Hill (tomato, basil mozzarella), the Seventh Street (prosciutto, parmesan, roasted red pepper, tomato), and the Stanton Park (zucchini, red onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, pecorino, parmesan).
And it was all just so divine. I mean, truly. The pizza is all freshly fire baked, and the crust was chewy and dry in the best way, which means it was soft and not at all greasy. I want to eat there forever.


And then we got the nutella calzone. It was HUGE and hot and full of nutella deliciousness, and we all died on the spot. (Obviously I forgot to take a picture, because I just had to eat it immediately.) (You can look here for a picture, but just know that, if you go, you won't get pistachios and raspberries because you aren't special.) And by "died on the spot" I mean that I went home and had the worst stomach ache from being a glutton while M&E were visiting, but it was soooo worth it.

The verdict is that I want to go back again and again for the rest of my life.

Official Statement

Let it be known that Georgetown Cupcake is not overrated.

(photo via)

birthdays require delicious food, part two

Before my birthday (and the grand Whitney surprise), we went out for a birthday dinner with some friends to BGR The Burger Joint in Old Town. Before we planned the dinner, for days (weeks even?) Sam had been pestering me to choose a place to go, and I was feeling so stressed about it. We needed to go somewhere close, but I also wanted it to be family-friendly and interesting. We don't go out to eat that often, and when we do, we never go places that fit all three of those criteria (um, hello Costco hot dog). Then I finally remembered a recommendation from Hannah and Rob, and I knew BGR was the place to go.

It did not disappoint! Since I've sworn off red meat (two months and going strong!), I opted for the veggie burger, and it was awesome. Flavorful, great texture, filling, and so much lighter than its beefy counterpart. I forgot to take a picture until I had about three bites left:
We also got sweet potato fries (love!) and grilled asparagus (double love!). Three cheers!

But I'm not going to lie. The best part of the evening was having ice cream cake after. I am slightly ashamed to admit that I am OBSESSED with Dairy Queen ice cream cakes. I have one every year for my birthday, and I think I could single-handedly eat one in about 6 minutes. Sam thinks they aren't great, but clearly he doesn't understand what he's talking about. THEY'RE AMAZING. I love the "whipped cream" on top that kind of tastes like plastic, and the best part is the fudgy chocolatey cookie filling between the chocolate and vanilla layer. It's euphoric. I didn't take a picture this year, because, you know, I was too busy eating it. But here's a picture of my 24th and 22nd ice cream cakes, respectively.

I really wish I could justify buying and eating one for no reason.