GBH Hungry Valentines' Dining Guide

I think I may be a difficult Valentine. Half of me thinks the day is corny and a waste of time and money, the other half wants to be surprised with grand romantic gestures. But what to buy? Flowers make me sneeze and those heart shaped boxes of chocolate are never actually good. As you can probably guess, the best way to my heart is through my stomach so a romantic dinner is always a winner in my book.

Gag! That's cheesy... but I kind of love it

For those of you who share my sentiments (or have partners/friends that do), a great way to pull off an extra special night out without breaking the bank is by taking advantage of one of the many price-fix menus offered just for the big day. While there is a near complete list of what the DC area has to offer over at OpenTable, here are a few of my favorites from the list that have more ethnic/exotic offerings than the standard steak dinner.

Acadiana - 901 New York Ave, NW. Louisiana seafood and Cajun goodness in a modern and romantic setting.  Not so much a "price-fix" as a "fixed price-range" menu with the price based on the entree ($56 - $64). I recommend the charbroiled oyster app that would impress anyone - buttery and fantastic. MENU

Belga Cafe - 514 8th Street, SE. Sophisticated Belgian cuisine in four romantic courses (one is even called the inter-course!), with decadent ingredients like foie gras and black truffles. $79.69 per person - add $39.69 for wine pairings. MENU

Bombay Club - 815 Connecticut Ave, NW. Located only a few blocks from the White House, Bombay Club attracts some high end Washington clientele but it's not so stuffy that it becomes unwelcoming (My first visit was as a lowly college student). The offer is five courses of refined Indian with a champagne toast and (questionably corny) piano music for $75.

Ceiba - 701 14th Street, NW. South and Central American cuisine in four courses with a range of prices similar to Acadiana (same owners, duh!). One word: CHURROS! $51-59.  MENU and DESSERT

Cuba Libre - 801 9th Street, NW. This year's three course menu titled "The Golden Age of Romance" promises a taste of 1940s sultry Havana. Caliente and well priced at $78 per couple (not including drinks). MENU

Masa 14 - 1825 14th Street, NW. Multicultural love abounds at Masa 14 with a Latin-Asian fusion menu that includes edamame, a choice of three small plates and a dessert for $70 per person. The flatbreads are delicious but just the idea of the 72-hour brisket has my mouth watering. MENU

Meze - 2437 18th Street, NW. A very well priced option is the four course "Love Menu" at this sleek Turkish spot in Adams Morgan. The menu is simple but every item looks tempting. $39 per person. MENU

Oya - 777 9th Street, NW. This hip eatery's five course Valentine's Day price fix is sure to offer an interesting mix of offerings that would be at home in a sushi house or a modern American restaurant. If the $85 per person price is too steep, maybe go for the $35 three course menu that is a nightly offering. The luxurious decor and romantic lighting will surely make up for it.

Tabaq Bistro - 1336 U Street, NW. This U Street favorite is offering a five course menu that includes a palate-cleansing third course sorbet and a glass of champagne with dessert all on the enclosed rooftop with a beautiful view of the city. (After many drunken brunches it's hard to think of the brunch as romantic, but I digress...) $75 per person and 50% off bottles of champagne.

Now go out and make those reservations PRONTO! And don't forget to tell your date GBH sent you!

America Eats Tavern and Geeking out at NARA

As of June 12th, Café Atlántico is taking a break from serving up table side guac and scrumptious Latin fare. Beard Award winning chef José Andrés has a whole new concept for this Penn Quarter restaurant: the temporary America Eats Tavern.

Debuting on the 4th of July, this new restaurant is the birth of Andres' involvement in the new National Archives (NARA) summer exhibit "What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?" The Government's Effect on the American Diet". It all makes complete sense: a top celebrity chef, with a restaurant literally across the street from the Archives and a string of successful concepts ranging from polished Greek to Spanish tapas. According to the press release, Andrés is serving as the Chief Culinary Advisor for the exhibit (AKA, my dream job) during which time he will make contributions to the exhibit recipe book and help create a related public programs series .

An event like this is too good to be true for a history geek/foodie like me. Some of the more exciting events include a discussion and book signing with Andrés (Fri, June 10 - 7pm), "High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America" (Wed, June 15 -12pm), and "The First Kitchen" (Fri, June 10 - 12pm)

The menu at the America Eats Tavern will consist of classic casual American fare on the ground floor and a fancier menu upstairs. For those of you bougie enough to know and love the famed Minibar, fret not - it will continue to serve it's wealthy clientele (someday, y'all, someday...)

So what will become of Café Atlántico? Word is, Andrés is looking for a new location for the restaurant and a new permanent concept will be put into place after the Tavern's 6 month stint is over. Perhaps an expanded Minibar that will allow more diners to enjoy his artfully designed gastronomic wonders? Andrés is capable of almost anything so I'm excited to see what he comes up with.

"Uncle Sam says, Garden to Cut Food Costs."
National Archives, Records of the Office of War Information.

So pay NARA a visit and while you're down there, pay Café Atlántico one last visit before the doors close for renovations.

Keep an eye out for my review of the Tavern this summer. I will be out of the country when it opens, but when I get back I'm there. Downstairs. In the cheap seats.

Holy Guacamole!

I seriously love guacamole, but I didn't always. For years, I would have easily passed on the guac for some hot queso or a spicy salsa, but this is because I only had it at cheesy chain restaurants or family functions (side note: Liberians don't really make guacamole. They buy it. From Costco.)

A couple years ago I started to notice that at some houses, like that of my best friend Jessica, guacamole looked completely different. Their guac was not pureed but chunky, with every component easily recognizable; crunchy onion, zesty lemon juice, sweet cilantro... I loved this new fresh guacamole. With wide crisp tortilla chips or in Jessica's chic guacamole bruschetta, topped with pico de gallo.

This past Wednesday, my co-workers and I decided to make our way down to the teacher's lounge to watch Oprah's farewell episode. To make it a party, we brought drinks and snacks and I wanted to make mine gluten free and vegetarian so everyone could enjoy. What better choice is there than guacamole?

So, here is my recipe for my summer guacamole, just in time for the Memorial Day holiday. This is my first recipe, so please give me some feedback! Let me know if you make it!

Summer Guacamole

You will need:

• 4 avocados, roughly chopped
• 1 mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 ear of corn, boiled and cut off the cob
  
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
  
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  
• juice of 2 limes
• garlic powder
• salt
• black or green pepper

In a bowl, combine the avocado, mango, corn, onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Squeeze in the juice of two limes and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. **Place the pit of one or two of the avocados in the bowl to keep it from turning brown.**

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Day of the Dead

Who needs an excuse to eat Mexican food?

No one is the obvious answer, but in case you are one of those weirdos who only has tacos on Cinco de Mayo, here is one more reason to treat yourself to margaritas y comida mexicana: DAY OF THE DEAD. You can find specials for "Dia de los Muertos" at:

Oyamel at 7th and D Street, NW. Enjoy their new mole negro con guajolote. I don't know what guajolote is but I'm sure it's divine.

Rosa Mexicana at 7th and F Street, NW where you can get a cocktail called "The Great Herradura Pumpkin" that sounds perfect for a fall day like today.

Enjoy!

Happy Fruit and Feta Fourth!

Happy Friday y'all! Aren't you excied for the holiday weekend?!

While I doubt I'll be doing much eating out this weekend, I'm sure I'll go grab a few drinks and I'll DEFINITELY be throwing a little something on the bar-b! My family is notorious for barbecues (even in the winter) and I get unnaturally excited about preparing tasty treats for a pot luck! Here's what I have in mind...

Grilled Nectarines stuffed with Feta

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/07/grilled_nectarines_with_feta

I'm really excited about this recipe because I eat feta cheese CONSTANTLY. I'll probably do this with peaches because I saw some REALLY good ones at the market around the corner! Pitted peaches, brushed with olive oil and placed face down on the grill. When they're brown, flip em and fill with some crumbly feta goodness! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And what's a better way to serve them then in a....

Grilled Peach Salad

I sampled a peach, feta, and arugula salad at Trader Joe's last weekend and fell in love. My take is going to be really simple... arugula and mixed greens tossed in Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette with some crispy bacon pieces and topped with the grilled peaches. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

Another wonderful addition to any summer time fiesta is...

SANGRIA

I'm thinking about making a white version with...

• fresh peaches
• golden delicious apples
• watermelon
• blueberries
• white grape juice
• lots of lime juice
• chardonnay

I chop all the fruit into about 3/4 in cubes (excluding the berries) and dump it all in a big jug or bowl. I then cover it all in the wine and add the juices to taste.

BornHungry's Sangria tips:

• Be creative with the juices... last time I added a bit of lemonade because I didn't have time to juice the limes.
• Pick your fruit based on what looks good at the market - summer is a great time for berries, melons, and pitted fruits so don't be afraid to switch it up. Always go for fresh fruit - it's worth the effort.
• Consider the crowd - would they like a little more kick to their sangria? If so, go lighter on the juice and heavier on the wine. You can even do it like my girl Jess and add a spiced rum like Captain Morgan to the fruit and let it soak for an hour or so before you add the wine.
• Remember that fruits float or sink based on their density so it is always best to serve sangria in a punch bowl with a spoon. Also, don't go to heavy on the light fruits like apples or raspberries. Nobody wants a glass full of apples when those peaches are lurking in the depths soaking up all that wine!
  

So these will be my contributions to celebrating the 4th! I'll be leaving the grilled meat to the men, cause like my boy Arnold Myint said on this week's TopChef "I'm not a grill guy. It'll clog the pores WAY to fast" Enjoy your holiday weekend and let me know if you have something DELICIOUS!