Simple Sesame Noodles

On Mondays I'm usually feeling either still full from the weekend ("Diet starts on Monday!") or not motivated to cook anything too complicated. I was recently browsing one of my go-to recipe websites, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and under her section of favorites, I came across a recipe for Simple Sesame Noodles, which was the perfect Monday night dish.

It looked easy, delicious, and most importantly -- I already had all the ingredients I needed:

• Spaghetti noodles (this recipe is probably better with an Asian-style noodle, but trust me, the spaghetti will do!)
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced (I used only one and it was plenty, but it's up to you!)
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil (ok I lied, I didn't have this ingredient, but I subbed in Sriracha, which is probably even better!)
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
• 4 whole Green Onions, sliced thin

All I did was mix all the ingredients together (minus the green onions and spaghetti), then after the spaghetti was cooked, I poured the sauce over top, gave it a good mix, then topped it all off with the green onions and a couple extra squirts of Sriracha. Also, since I happened to have some broccoli on hand, I steamed some up and added it to the spaghetti before the sauce went in. It added some nice veggie crunch and made the dish seem more like a complete meal.

I really dig the soy sauce-sugar-rice vinegar-sesame oil, which I've used before in other recipes, but never with noodles. I actually have some unused sauce left over, which I can easily use as a marinade for fish or meat, or to make this dish again! 

Chili & Football!

Though most of last week was still quite summery with temps in the '90s, when I found out it would be in the low '70s and rainy on Sunday, I thought that was enough of a weather change to make my favorite fall/football meal -- chili!

To make things more exciting, the Colts game was actually aired locally, so we set up both our TVs in the living room to convert our place into a sports bar. Great idea, right?

Also, puppy Reilly -- in her new Redskins gear -- made her first visit to our place to enjoy the afternoon (and eat hot dogs for the first time!)

While in the past I've used our crockpot to prepare this chili recipe, I a) woke up too late for the 6 hours of slow cooking it would require, and b) wanted to use the beautiful Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart round dutch oven (in Caribbean teal!) that John got me for my birthday.

I went with Paula Deen's Taco Soup recipe which has always been tasty and involves some nice shortcuts (e.g. Taco seasoning!) that don't sacrifice any flavor or deliciousness.

Huan brought up hot dog supplies and also some pâté chaud (courtesy of My Chau!) to complete the Sunday feast. We ate the chili out of a bowl, with Fritos, for our late lunch/snack portion of the day, then for dinner we finished off the chili on hot dogs.

Despite another disappointing Redskins loss, it was a nice afternoon of football and food... two of my favorite things!

More images available on Flickr.

My Chau's Baby Back Ribs

One of the great parts about living close to my parents is that my mom always wants to send me home with tons of food, whether leftovers or ingredients for future dishes. As a Costco shopper, she usually has tons of things in bulk that she's more than happy to share with me. This past weekend, in addition to random necessities like crushed red pepper and garlic, she gave me a rack of ribs in a marinade, ready for cooking. How could I turn it down?

As ribs go, these aren't your traditional American BBQ ribs; rather, the use of fish sauce (nuoc mam) makes this a Vietnamese recipe and it is mmm mmm good!

The marinade is prepared as follows (recipe courtesy of My Chau):

• dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in 1 cup warm water
• add 1/3 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam - Squid brand preferred) and 2 tbsp of chopped lemongrass
• adjust marinade sauce to your taste (add sugar, water or nuoc mam as needed)
• add ribs to marinade and leave overnight
• in the morning, flip the rib over to marinate the other sid
• before cooking, take ribs out of fridge to allow them to reach room temperature
• cook the ribs for one hour at 350 degrees in the oven (flip the rib rack over halfway through cooking)
• after an hour, turn the broiler on and broil about 10 minutes or until the ribs have a nice warm brown color

Once the ribs have cooled, slice them up and enjoy with your favorite sides!* The ribs were perfectly cooked: the edges were crisp, but the meat came easily off the bone. This was a perfect Sunday night dinner and I'll be sure to make it again! Thanks, mom!

*my favorite sides would usually consist of white rice or some other carb, but we had some veggies on hand and I decided to be good and eat those instead!

We, the Pizza

I'd been pretty excited to try former Top Cheftestant Spike's new pizza joint since I heard it was coming to town, but I also wanted to wait out the hype that comes with any new DC opening (and with "celebrity" chefs in particular). Last night I finally made the trip to the Hill to give his pizza pies a shot.

Upon walking into We, the Pizza, I felt like I could have been in Good Stuff Eatery (which is directly next door). The decor and arrangement and feel is nearly identical. However, the ground floor of We, the Pizza felt hotter than it was outside - perhaps due to the multitude of pizza ovens they have set up. And after finishing the meal upstairs and coming back down to leave, it seemed as though something had been burning because the whole ground floor was smoky and hot.. not ideal.

The good news was, there was hardly a line at all so my dining pals and I ordered immediately. Since I'd reviewed the menu prior to arriving (duh), I already knew what I wanted to try.

I ordered two slices on my inaugural visit: the White Pizza (Today’s ricotta, fontina, roasted garlic, Parmesan, mozz, sea salt, olive oil, fresh Italian parsley) and the Roasted Potato and Pancetta Pie (Roasted local spuds, pancetta, caramelized onions, our tomato sauce, mozz, fresh rosemary). Each came in at $4 a slice, which seemed a little steep, given they weren't astronomically large and that they priced a basic Pepperoni slice (which John picked) at the same rate.

Things didn't start off great when, upon taking the first bite of his Pepperoni slice, John said, "This tastes like Alberto's," which is a late-night basement pizza joint that serves up similarly priced slices (but at least twice the size). I mean, we love Alberto's, but I think We, the Pizza was going for more sophistication.

The potato pie was nothing to write home about. Given it was the first potato pizza I'd ever eaten, I was expecting to be blown away by the flavor, and I felt it lacking in salt or seasoning, which was surprising given that's precisely what you'd expect from pancetta. The only thing that really jumped out was the rosemary, which appeared in sporadically huge chunks and was thus overpowering to the point that I had to take some off the slice.

The white pizza was probably the best of the night. I'm a sucker for that salty, garlicky flavor, and this one really hit the spot. The only complaint I have about it was that by the time I got to it, it was about room temperature. As someone who likes my food piping hot, I felt like they could have reheated the pizzas in the oven for a tad longer. I'd rather have the possibility of burning the roof of my mouth from that first bite than eating lukewarm food.

All told, the pizzas were good, not great, and while most of my issues are minor (pizza not hot enough, no ice in the soda fountain, smoky kitchen area), they add up to just a mediocre experience. It seems like We, the Pizza has a bit of an identity crisis - in its attempt to serve up simple, New York-style slices while also trying to be slightly "gourmet," it gets stuck somewhere in the middle. If I lived on the Hill I could see myself stopping in for a random slice when in search of a quick dinner, but I'm not sure I'll be so quick to travel across town for it again.

Sunday night lazy dinner: Homemade Pizza Company

Back in January, when Homemade Pizza Company opened a new location just around the corner on 14th Street, I was intrigued though I knew nothing about it. But when I mentioned the take-and-bake pizza joint to a couple of friends, they said they swore by it and would travel all the way from Capitol Hill to the Mass. Ave. location just to get their fix. Once I tried my first slice, I understood why.

The concept of Homemade Pizza Co. is unique -- they prepare the pizza with fresh and natural ingredients, then you take it home and pop it in the oven. Most of Homemade Pizza Co.'s critics don't have bad things to say about the taste of the pizza, but about the fact that you shouldn't have to pay so much for pizza that you have to cook yourself at home. While that point may be valid, for about $14 for a large (after you consider the $3-$5 coupons that are almost always available via e-mail subscription), this is leaps and bounds better than any delivery pizza that will cost you the same, if not more. (While the Logan Circle location doesn't deliver yet, since it's literally a two minute walk from my place, going to pick it up is a quicker option anyway.)

Tonight, after browsing the menu and seeing the current seasonal option, Sunday night dinner was decided. The "Backyard Griller" description sounded delicious: The fire-cooked tastes of BBQ Chicken with hickory-smoked bacon, sweet Vidalia onions and the subtle kick of Thai chilies on an olive oil base. We'd enjoyed previous experiences with the traditional BBQ Chicken pizza, but adding spicy thai chili peppers and bacon sounded like an exciting new take on an old favorite.

The online ordering system is user-friendly and links up directly to a personal account, which tracks all your previous orders that apply to future coupons/free pizzas.  The staff at our neighborhood Homemade Pizza Co. have always been extremely friendly and helpful, so for that alone, I'll keep coming back.

One of the things I love best about Homemade Pizza Co. is how the dough cooks. The crust has a perfect crunch, and the rest of the pizza is doughy but crisp enough that it doesn't flop or lose all its ingredients when you pick it up. Plus, it tastes fresh and not at all greasy compared to other available options.

John (Mr. "I've never met a pizza I didn't like") and I were very pleased with our decision to order  the seasonal special. When I first glanced at the uncooked pizza, I worried that the spice of the thai chilies would overwhelm everything else, but it turns out it was just the right amount -- enough for a kick but not tongue-numbing, flavor-killing spice. The bacon -- which is usually a center stage ingredient -- actually seemed to play second fiddle to the BBQ chicken and sweet onions, but when I had a good bacony bite, it was a nice surprise of crispy pork flavor.

When I'm feeling too lazy to cook, Homemade Pizza Co. is a great go-to for an easy but delicious Sunday night meal!

More images on Flickr.

John's Spicy Lamb Burgers!

Upon arriving home from a long day of travel back from Georgia, John surprised me with an amazing homecooked dinner - Spicy Lamb Burgers. Surprise describes both the fact that I didn't know whether/what he was going to cook, and also that lamb would probably have been my last guess for what he'd prepare! Anyway, I definitely can't and won't complain about his recent foray back into the meat world.

The meal was delicious... the burger patties were full of lots of flavor (given the variation of ingredients/seasoning added, it was no surprise) and subtle spice. We stuffed the patties into a pita, along with some romaine hearts and sliced tomatoes for some crisp and coolness, and finished it off with some feta cheese.

The burgers didn't need any sauce or dressing, as they were quite juicy and flavorful on their own. Paired with a cold summer beer, this was the perfect meal to come home to. I can't wait to see what else John has up his sleeve!

More images on Flickr.

Ted's Bulletin

I'd been wanting to check out Ted's Bulletin since I read about it on some food blogs a few months ago. Recently it's felt like if a new restaurant wasn't opening in my neighborhood on 14th St., it was opening somewhere on the Hill. This casual, upscale diner is the latest addition to Barracks Row, on 8th St., SE.

I finally got the chance to check out the new restaurant on Sunday evening of Memorial Day Weekend. Upon entry, I was immediately charmed. The art-deco accents, which were taken from an old Philadelphia Convention Center, transported you back in time. The first area you see is the bar -- where plenty of folks had popped in for traditional (or "adult" -- with booze) milkshakes or other old-timey beverages, like a can of Schlitz.  There are a couple small TVs hanging in this area of the restaurant, outfitted to look like retro sets with bunny ear antennas, playing old movies (in this case, it was "Some Like It Hot," which very much pleased my company, the Cangany siblings, who have a soft spot in their hearts for this movie).

Past the bar is the dining area, which is a relatively small space filled with cozy booths. This room boasted a faux-film reel projector that also played "Some Like It Hot" on a bigger wall. The room had a large skylight, which was great while the sun was still out, but the room got fairly dark by later in the evening (which explains my lack of food photos).

For dinner, I ordered the meatloaf, something I'm always drawn to, mostly because I didn't ever have traditional American meatloaf until I was in college so there's still a bit of novelty value when I see it on a menu. The serving size was generous - two large meat patties, probably 3/4" high. The meat itself was tasty - it had a nice spice and flavor accents from a mixture of onion and red peppers, all topped with a classic ketchup glaze. For my sides, I ordered the mac 'n cheese (deliciously creamy) and brussel sprouts with blue cheese & bacon. Both were solid sides to accompany my plate o' meat.

My two diningmates both ordered Ted's famous grilled cheese & tomato soup, because you have to try something that's called famous in a restaurant that's been open less than a month. Also, grilled cheese & tomato soup is delicious.  This one didn't disappoint. The toast was thick, but not greasy, and the tomato soup was slightly creamy and incredibly flavorful (in fact it reminded me a lot of the tomato soup I get from the prepared foods section at Whole Foods...).

We ended the meal by sharing a strawberry milkshake. It was standard, but delicious. Thick enough to spoon, if you wanted to, but liquidy enough to drink through a straw. And in true diner fashion, we were given the entire shaker filled with the leftovers, so it was a huge portion and I was sufficiently stuffed.

All in all, Ted's Bulletin is a nice dining experience - if only for the decor/atmosphere. The food was good, but not outstanding, and it seems like the service still has a few kinks to work out. Upon being seated, rather than being told about daily specials, or recommendations, which one might expect, we were told what they were out of (a handful of entrees) and no longer even offered (the roast chicken, which was still on the menu). Also, many of the blogs I read talked up Ted's "breakfast served all day," which is also prominently stated on the menu, yet the first thing I was told by the hostess was that this was not the case. 

Our server -- when posed with the question about what kind of cheese was in the grilled cheese -- answered with, "I uhhh, yeah, I think it's American blended with something." When he realized he should probably check, he came back to tell us it was, in fact, only American cheese.

Much of this seems like basic new restaurant service stuff, so one can only hope within a few months Ted's will have worked out all these details -- or at least updated their menu to reflect any changes! I'm not sure I'd travel back to the Hill for any particular menu item, but if I lived in the area, I'm sure I'd make more frequent stops into Ted's for a quick bite or to grab a shake.

More images on Flickr.

More food to 14th?

Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that DC's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs would no longer issue building permits for food & drink establishments in the greater 14th & U Street area (formally known as the "Uptown Arts Overlay District" and partially known -- though not by me -- as "Mid City"), due to a rule that only allowed 25% of store fronts to be occupied by restaurants or bars.  What's funny is that I would have guessed we'd reached that percentage a while ago, especially with what seemed like a new spot opening every week in the neighborhood.

In any case, the rule was amended this week to increase the percentage to 30%, with the possibility/consideration of an increase to 50%.

Even for a foodie like me, that sounds like a LOT of food and drink real estate. But maybe that means I won't have to wait over an hour to get a seat at one of the hot spots on 14th? And maybe someone will decide to open a good Vietnamese restaurant on P Street, or a decent sushi spot around the corner from my place? One can hope, right?