Bougie Chicken

In DC Michel Richard is a god. God of Citronelle. God of Central. God of the new Michel Richard at the Ritz-Carlton. But I had NO IDEA he was the God of Fried Chicken.

Check out Central's lunch-to-go menu for the bougiest fried chicken you've EVER had... Michel's Fried Chicken Bucket includes 6 pieces, 10 nuggets, dijon/mayo sauce, and a side of mashed potatoes for $29.95.

Richard's chicken and mashed potatoes is also available on the dinner menu (portioned for one) for $23.

So the price isn't exactly a deal, but you've had Popeye's. Now try Poulet!

Photo courtesy of Metrocurean

Love and Corduroy

Valentine's Day 2011 I did the unthinkable... while sharing a wonderful night with the man I love, I met someone else! His name is Tom and I think he may be the one!

Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but that night Tom did sweep me off my feet... first with the scallops, then the venison, but what really did it was just one dollop of his chestnut puree.

Tom is in fact Tom Power, the executive chef of Corduroy, a cozy modern restaurant that just oozes class and service. Corduroy is located in a rescued row house just across from the Convention Center on a stretch of 9th street that out-of-towners usually speed through with their windows locked. But being a block from my house I can vouch for the safety of the neighborhood and I encourage you to give it a try (plus they have valet!).

Here are some photos to entice you further.

1st Course:

The special for the 1st course -- tuna tartare that the waiter assured us was "swimming this morning"... supposedly Tom's friend catches the fish off the coast of NJ and buys it a one-way ticket on a Greyhound bus. How cool is that? The heart-shaped watercress was a nice touch.

The creamiest scallops I've ever tasted. What more can I say. I didn't order them, but I pulled Valentine's Day privilege and ate most of them!

2nd Course:

2nd course special: braised short rib over cabbage. Yummy but the only thing I wasn't crazy about... probably because my mom does it better than anyone.

My favorite thing of the night (and of course again it wasn't my order)... venison medallions with not a hint of gaminess served with brussel sprouts and chestnut puree. Now this chestnut puree business really is something special - made with chestnuts and potatoes, it was rich and creamy with just a bit of sweetness at the end that complimented the bitterness of the sprouts.

Dessert:

For the dessert course we ordered the bread pudding and a very interesting pumpkin pie that was less of a pie and more of a pumpkin and marscapone cheese souffle in the shape of a slice of pie. I don't know how they did it, but I loved it. But the best part of dessert was the house-made honey ice cream and the crispy wafer. Delicious!

Jealous? You should be. Make a reservation, meet Tom, and fall in love for yourself.

What I'm dying to try...

As you can imagine, I would eat out almost every night if I could, but 12 hour days at work mean that most nights I can barely drag myself home for a bowl of cereal. So please, let me live vicariously through you! Try these new places I'm DYING to check out...



DC-3 - this new spot on Barracks Row specializes in fancy-pants hot dogs for not so fancy prices. Their Chicago-7 dog sounds like my idea of heaven... fat kid heaven that is.







We, The Pizza - from what I've been hearing, Spike and his boys have done it again. We, The Pizza, located right next to Spike's infamously delicious Good Stuff Eatery, has everything a girl could want. I mean, the cast iron pizza called "For the Greeks in Us Pie" has pretty much everything I never knew I wanted on a pizza. Can't wait.




Dangerously Delicious Pies - I wanted past this place the other day and the aroma was maddening! This Baltimore shop's H Street location has all the sweet and savory pies and quiches your heart could desire. Plus, who doesn't want to be served by THIS GUY.

DCNoodlicious!

Friday night was dreadfully cold, and as the boyfriend is ill, soup was the only logical option. Pho was the obvious first choice, but after hearing raving reviews for months, we decided to try DC Noodles.


His choice: Rice noodles in a spicy soup with shrimp and fishballs







My choice: Green curry (i just can't resist) with chicken and squid ink spaghetti



Verdict: The swanky atmosphere was perfect for a Friday night, but I wish they had a casual dining version next door for quick take-out without the fuss. The food was DELICIOUS and the portions are so big, I JUST polished off the second half of my curry.