Friday I'm In Love

...with turkey salad.  Oh that?  It's my delicious turkey salad wrap from the Maryland Food Co-op.  It could have used twice the turkey salad, but I could add whatever I wanted veggie-wise and--um--it cost about $3.40.  I splurged on a bag of chips.  

What a week!  It was a blast to finally make it to a Food Blogger Happy Hour.  I was a bit late, and people were kind of sitting all around in already-settled conversations, but I still managed to meet the lovely folks behind Eat, Run, Read; I Flip For Food; DC Loves Food; DC Fud; Eat By Tweet (aggregates tweets by official restaurant accounts by city so you can get news and specials, it's pretty sweet); The Frozen Fix (inspired me to finally get this KitchenAid attachment); Seeking CB, and maybe a few others? 

A few people at the happy hour asked me if I cook.  I do!  We do!  [In reality we really assemble more than cook, but you know.]  We go out once or twice a week.  You may recall that when I started blogging I was a poor student in an unpaid internship.  I frequently accomplished harrowing feats of frugality, including The Summer Of Bringing Lunch Every Single Day Without Fail.  Basically, I don't share recipes because it's all simple stuff that we didn't invent.  We make the same favorite things over and over.  Nothing like this or this or this or this.  Unless we're entertaining.

Speaking of cooking, Inkpad made the compost cookies, yum yum yum yum yum!  I finally got to try them, and I didn't have to dirty a dish : ) I know for a fact that she included pretzels, toffee chips, and potato chips, among other items.

This week in the food-related Internet:

Angela & Mark at I Flip For Food went to Minibar by Jose Andres!  Looks completely amazing--I want to go eventually, but I have no idea when!  It remains on The List.

I want a wood-burning oven in my kitchen (an OMG moment from WSJ).

Everyone's favorite Top Chef judge (not to mention accomplished chef and restaurateur) is talking about the importance of being local, creating jobs, and avoiding chemicals.  High five, chef!

FREE ICED COFFEE on May 11 from participating Dunkin' Donuts, my favorite.  (via @frijolita). Ya'll, today I tried the 99 cent iced coffee that 7-11 has been screaming to me about--yes, screaming.  I drive past a 7-11 and there's a huge tarp/sign advertising it.  Basically, it's as if you took the supersweet frozen coffee blended thing and let it melt.  SO sweet, re-dairy-ified with who-knows-what kind of milk or cream (!), and just yuck.  I just want good coffee--cold.  With milk.  Not skim. 

Maybe Ben's should start serving The Mother In-Law (via WWDTM blog).  What?! A tamale playing hot dog?!

DIY cake platter out of old/different stuff! (Thanks InkPad).

I have to go now, because someone brought home cupcakes from the recently-opened Frosting ("A Cupcakery Bakeshop").  They all look pretty darn good, and the flavor selection is sweet...um, awesome.  "Campfire" has a graham cracker bottom, chocolate ganache layer, and DAMN marshmallow frosting.  Update: I also indulged in the carrot cake.  Both had super moist and delicious cakes and really tasty frosting that wasn't too sweet, a complaint J reserves for Something Sweet.  Interesting flavors and textures, too.  What a pleasant experience!

This isn't food related, but it should improve your weekend.  Have a great one!

Zorba's Cafe

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!  And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to M!  [Announcements over.]

Hmmm where to go with an enormous group of girls?  Ever split a check 26 or so ways?  I'm guessing your answers is NO AND I NEVER WANT TO THX.

Recently a bunch (a whole big bunch) of us went out to Zorba's for our first of hopefully many future food outings.  We took up the entire space upstairs and to the right.  Zorba's has pretty decent Greek food--it's not amazing, but it's good, cheap, and really conveniently located.  It's nice to have a bargain meal that isn't from an obvious source (a burger place, chain sandwich shop).  One of the best parts about Zorba's is that it can be quick--you order and pay separately at the counter then wait for your number to be called.  But it can also be long--the place is big enough that if you want to sit and hang out for a while, you can.  People waiting for a table might hover, of course.  And I'm not saying that a crazy talking probably homeless man didn't hang out on the stairs for a few minutes and shout things at us, because he did.  But it wasn't so bad, and after a good 10 minutes the staff convinced him to leave.

Above is Zorba's yero, or maybe you know it as a gyro.  This link is an example of how gyro/yero has the pho/fuh dilemma going on.  Balancing proper with pretentious, being correct with being understood.  WHAT STRIFE! 

Anyway, marinated & sliced beef and lamp, tzatziki, feta, and some greenery on a pita.  $7.95.  Not the most filling dinner for a big eater like me, but if you pick at the food of the people around you it's fine.  Next time I'll order fries.

That's the spanakopita I was snacking on, even though it's ER's.  It was very far from my favorite spanakopita--there was way too much crust, and it seemed a little stale.  I want a thin outside and a warm gooey inside.  This guy reminded me more of a previously frozen situation popped in the toaster oven. 

And some baklava.  Again, I wouldn't write home about the pastry part, but the filling was yummy, even though it was very very sweet.  You need a few napkins for this sucker between the stickiness and some general greasiness.

Zorba's Cafe
1612 20th St NW
Metro: Red Line to Dupont Circle

Eamonn's Dublin Chipper

"Thanks Be To Cod." That's the saying over at Eamonn's Dublin Chipper, one of way too many delicious places to eat in Old Town, Alexandria. We love Vermilion, Farrah Olivia (tear), The Majestic (same owners!), enjoyed 100 King, and let's not even talk about the shopping. OH the shopping.

ANYWAY! Eamonn's. The menu is small, the tables are few, and the food is fried. But don't let that scare you. There's nothing heavy about this fried food--although I can't speak to the desserts (fried Snickers or Milky Way, anyone?). You've got some protein options, including "Batter Sausage," which I'm guessing is...battered and fried, like everything else, but you've got to be CRAZY not to get good old fish and chips. I read all the Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Chowhound stuff about Eamonn's and decided we should get "small" cods--apparently the portions are unreliable, and often a small is the same as a large, but for $3 less. Also, with fries, I was sure there was no way we'd leave hungry.

The fish was super hot, super fresh--a crispy crunch on the outside, but flaky yet still moist white flesh within. And the fries were to die for. I mean chips! Keep in mind that this is a messy adventure. You won't get a plate, just your food in a paper bag, Dublin style (I guess?).  But we did get handwipes, which I totally kept in my purse in case of a future sinkless emergency.  Seating is limited, and the "outdoor" space isn't charming at all.  And FYI, the "smalls" were more than enough for both of us.  

To summarize: We had a great time here. We weren't expecting a sit-down fancy place, and so we enjoyed the yumtastic food that came to us with matching smiles. Would it be great to have plates, a long beer list, funky outdoor seating, and an amiable waitstaff (as opposed to the one dude who was perfectly friendly, but seemed more like he belonged at Urban Outfitters or something)? Sure it would! But we can do without. We'll definitely go back to Eamonn's the next time we're craving cod and chips.

Eamonn's Dublin Chipper
728 King Street
Metro: Blue and Yellow Lines to King Street

NEWS! Ray's Hell-Burger--Still Delicious, New Side Dish Added

VEGETARIANS, READ NO FURTHER. KTHXBYE.*

I have no idea when the new side dish appeared. Anyone? Comments? (I don't know because I'm not allowed to have Ray's more than once every three or so weeks...let's be honest, no one should. It's a huge amount of red meat for one person. You need to space that stuff out, ya'll. I care about each and every one of you, and I want you to live for a very, very, very long time.)

We both got blackened burgers cooked "recommended." J got Vermont white cheddar, grilled peppers, and heck sauce. I got grilled onions and dill pickle chips. We noticed the blackened was kicked up a notch--previously it was difficult to distinguish between grilled and blackened, but tonight we felt the heat! And we liked it! On the side were cheese tater puffs, these little buttery balls of pretty-good-ness (they were good, but not AMAZING--definitely more interesting than French fries, though). When did these little guys appear? Last time we checked the options were potato salad, mac & cheese, and coleslaw. Wow, I didn't realize coleslaw was one word.

The Boylan's Diet Root Beer tasted flat, but the Cheerwine I had next made me forget about all that sadness.

And yeah, that's my hand in the picture. There was another picture that DIDN'T have half of my blurry hand in it, but I want you to really get a sense of how hungry I was, and how I didn't want to wait for a picture to be taken before tasting one of the fluffy puffy thingies. And not bad for a camera-phone picture, right?!

*I <3 you vegetarians, but there's nothing for you here. No veggie burgers, no fish sandwiches, no fake meat, no Portobello mushroom situation...

Ray's Hell-Burger
1725 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House, or an uphill walk from Rosslyn on Orange or Blue

Tackle Box Update

We returned to Tackle Box a few weeks after our first visit. We encountered a very quiet restaurant at 8:30pm on a Thursday, quick service, and this time--wait for it--HOT SIDE DISHES! ***Update: I also more recently discovered that none of the sauces fit the bill for me--it's GRILLED LEMONS all the way. The heat brought out the juices, and made the half of lemon way easier to squeeze. Juice came pouring out all over my fish, and it was FANTASTIC. Also I really like the cole slaw.***

Besides our plain old exploratory nature ("Do you think they figured out how to keep the sides hot yet?"), our trip did have another purpose. And that purpose was blueberry pie.

J heard from a friend that the pie was to die for--and it should be, it's made by Heather Chittum, formerly of, frankly, a lot of places, including Citronelle. She's currently the pastry chef over at Hook, and lends her talent to little sister TB as well. The pie was amazing. It was overflowing with REAL BLUEBERRIES, not blueberry "filling" with goo and glop. Little reddish purplish blueberries were occasionally rolling around on our plate. And the crust. OH the crust.

Of course, while I ordered the slice of pie, I couldn't help but chitter chatter with the friendly manager (or manager-like gentleman), Vince. He asked how everything was going, and I told him (and now I'm telling you) that our side dishes were HOT today, the mac and cheese was less watery, and the watermelon salad (a recent addition to the seasonal sides) was divine.

We were there pretty late, and got a free brownie. It had a little crunch on the outside, and it was chewy on the inside. J noted it wasn't "too chocolate-y." I'm not aware of anything ever being "too chocolate-y."

We heard a rumor that strawberry-rhubarb and ginger-peach are in the forecast for future pie flavors. What are you waiting for?

Tackle Box
3245 M St NW
Metro: Circulator to Georgetown or Blue or Orange Lines to Foggy Bottom and take a stroll

Tackle Box

(Pre-post P.S.: We recently returned from Paris, so look forward to an upcoming postcard, but for now suffer through a slightly outdated review of a new spot)

Tackle Box is the latest Barton Seaver adventure. Turns out he's more than just one of D.C.'s Top 20 eligible bachelors, but I guess we already knew that.

TB is simple: For the Maine Meal ($13), first pick whether you're going to be good or bad (crispy or wood-grilled). Crispy could be bay scallops, calamari, pollock, shrimp, clam, or oysters. Wood-grilled includes tilapia, calamari, bluefish, rainbow trout, and a hamburger. After choosing a protein, pick your two sides (cornbread, green beans, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, and many more). Lastly (although I guess you can do it whenever), choose a sauce (from classic tartar to basil walnut pesto!).

I enjoyed the wood-grilled tilapia. I picked the lemon-garlic aioli "sauce," which to me didn't seem much different than a regular old mayo. I didn't sense anything particularly lemony or garlicky about it. As a result, I barely used it, which was fine. My asparagus side would have been excellent if it was hot. The gus was perfectly charred on the outside (without being burned), and was well-seasoned. It's a shame that it was room temperature. My hushpuppies WERE hot, but I was slightly disappointed in them. Hushpuppies are essentially fried cornmeal bread (not as sweet as cornbread). I don't know if it's that the Tacklebox hushpuppies aren't up to snuff, or if I just plain old am not a hushpuppy kind of gal.

J loved the crispy (read: fried) bay scallops, which were hot and provided in a generous portion. His sweet potato fries and mac and cheese (especially the mac and cheese) would have been GREAT if they were HOT. But they were NOT. They were ROOM TEMPERATURE.

What I don't understand is how a place with only 7 hot sides and with counter service (you order, pay, get a number, they call your number when it's "up") manages to serve cold food. It's not like I'm at a table for 15 and it was sitting under a lamp or anything.

I'll for sure go back to Tackle Box. Maybe by the time I do they'll have figure out the whole temperature thing. In a nutshell, they serve cheap, fast, good quality food in trendy and somewhat unreliable Georgetown--a serious feat. You can go healthy (wood-grilled, greens/salads on the side) or not (fried, fried and more fried). While Stewart's root beer is on tap, Diet Stewart's is not (tsk, tsk).

Tackle Box
3245 M Street NW
Metro: Orange/Blue Lines to Foggy Bottom, and every other route to G-town

Minh's

When it's cold, all I want to do is go to Minh's. Good service, never a wait (although it does get busy on a Friday or Saturday night), super affordable, and most importantly, delicious.

I recommend anything ginger- or lemongrass-related then cooked in a clay pot (it will say it on the menu), the 5-spice chicken, and by golly, the pho! Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with thin strips of brisket--they offer several variations but in the end they are mostly the same. A "small" in their pho is actually a big bowl, so please, order the large, and take a picture so I can see the results.

Five people each got a "small" pho then shared three entrees and left stuffed for around $65 including tax and tip.

What are you waiting for?!?!?!?

Minh's
2500 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Trader Joe's

I like to pretend ooh look at me, I'm iEatDC, I go out to eat all the time, but truthfully, I only go out once or so per week. Maybe twice, usually once for dinner and once for lunch or brunch on the weekend. And often I go to "the usual," which is why I don't post as often as (I like to believe) you'd like.

Most of my food comes from Trader Joe's, so I'm going to take this opportunity to share with you the delights that I've received from this fabulous specialty grocery chain. And I will note that TJ carries MANY Kosher options, including Glatt Kosher chicken breasts (can't even find those in a big "regular" supermarket usually). AND, they sell reusable bags for a dollar, and no matter how much we buy the amazing friendly staff always can pack it into two bags.

And to dispel any misplaced fears, NO, Trader Joe's is NOT expensive! In fact, for all the prepared foods and frozen stuff we get, it's downright cheap.

Snacks
Pretzel slims - like crackers, but pretzels. Low cal and good for picking up dip or chicken salad
Everything Crackers - Best. Crackers. Ever.
Frozen spinach dip - the square box, it's RIDICULOUSLY good and quick
WINE - there are some wines here that I LOVE and only find at TJ, including a great $3.99 Vinho Verde.
Cherry tomatoes - I think they are $2.29 for a container twice as large as the usual grocery store, and J thinks they are delish.

Meals (or Meal Components)
Puffins breakfast cereal - peanut butter is da bomb
Frozen marinated fish (most recently Mahi Mahi) - takes less than 10 minutes to broil in the oven for dinner, and it's yumtastic
Pizza dough - $1.99 for dough (regular, whole wheat, or garlic and herb) and we put whatever we want on it
Prepared grilled chicken - Whether it's rosemary, plain, or lemon pepper, this chicken is great to add to salads, but on pizza, or to heat up on its own.
Wraps - My personal favorite is the turkey "club" with turkey bacon, spinach, and sun-dried tomato spread. If I'm feeling crazy I heat up this wrap, then take out the filling and put it on top of a salad, tossing the actual wrap in the trash. Lower carb and very crunch!

I'm starting to feel like my mother--I need to go to four different stores to get everything I want and need (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Regular Supermarket--prob Harris Teeter, and a bulk store). But it's worth it.

Trader Joe's
25th and L
Metro: Orange or Blue Line to Foggy Bottom

or

Drive to 5847 Leesburg Pike, Bailey's Crossroads

Super Pollo: Pre-Chicken Showdown Exploration

So the other night we headed to Super Pollo. We had to go to the fabulous Ballston Common Mall anyway, and it's right across the way. From prior investigation I discovered that while EPR was a favorite for actual chicken, SP is a favorite for side dishes, mostly because there are more than two.

I brought J along for the ride. My chicken was delicious, I got a lot of white meat, which I like, and it the skin was crispy and well-seasoned. My meat wasn't dry at all, but pretty much spot-on. J got fries and beans, both agreeable. I wish I got the yuca, but there were so many sides to choose from, I went with the chickpeas and plantains. The chickpeas are delicious, almost taste like they are from an Indian restaurant. The plantains, while really good, are just too sweet! I only wanted about half of the portion they gave me. Next time I'll try the yuca and the rice as my sides.

Super Pollo has a little more to offer to the eye than EPR--the space seems a little nicer, neater, and of course televisions, which no American family should eat without. All around us, families, couples, singles, etc were dining, and many were enjoying the FSU/Miami game at the same time.

J had half of a chicken with two sides, I had 1/4 chicken with two sides, and we both had Heinekens. $20 even was our total.

Super Pollo...c'mon, you didn't really think they'd have a web site, did you?
607 N. Randolph Street
Metro: Orange Line to Ballston

El Pollo Rico

Going to El Pollo Rico with my friend E made it obvious that sometime soon--VERY soon--we need to have an Orange Line Chicken Showdown between El Pollo Rico, Pio Pio, and that place that smells ridiculously delicious across from the Ballston mall parking deck.

The menu at EPR is easy, just decide if you want a quarter, half, or a whole chicken. Or two. Accompanied by a seasoned pro, I ordered the quarter chicken "with everything" and got a can (yes!) of CAFFEINE FREE Diet Coke, which you usually just don't find anywhere. The Everything included really delicious and HOT steak fries, a pile of coleslaw, and two sauces--one mayonnaise-based and one that was green and spicy.

My chicken was flavorful and delicious--I'm not the biggest fan of bones and all, so in a perfect world someone else would deconstruct for my leisurely consumption, but I was mentally prepared to go the distance, and I did.

My can of soda, quarter of a chicken, fries, and coleslaw cost a grand total of...$5.45. Right. And I was so full after (seeing as I had cleaned my plate), that I barely even wanted any dessert later! What kind of crazy is that?

By the time we left EPR, the line was out the door. 1/3 of the line was made up of Arlington County police offers. EPR is fast, cheap, delicious, and safe, too!

I had an allergic reaction last week and didn't want to report on my latest adventure until it was figured out--luckily, it wasn't anything I ate at Liberty Tavern. That review, as well as Restaurant 3, is coming up soon!

El Pollo Rico
932 N. Kenmore Street (Across from GMU Law)
Metro: Orange Line to Virginia Square