Capital Spice

Last year, we tipped you off to Taqueria Nacional, Ann Cashion’s Mexican carryout whose limited hours justify a sick day just to check them out.  This time, we’re here to clue you in to some of the best Italian sandwiches you’ll find inside the District.  You just need to be able to get there by 3 PM on a weekday if you want to try them yourself.

Mangialardo & Sons has been in the sandwich-making business for more than fifty years now.  What started as a typical Italian general store (picture A. Litteri with less floor space) has since edited its offerings significantly.  There are a few products for sale on the shelves that line the walls, but Mangialardo’s is now a sub shop, first and foremost. 

Walk in and take a deep breath – if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a whiff of the marinara sauce they use for the meatball and pizza sandwiches.  Head over to the coolers that line the right-hand wall – in among the sodas and other beverages you’ll see classic sides like macaroni salad and cole slaw as well as some more authentically Italian offerings like olives and stuffed peppers.

But enough dawdling – you’ve come for the sandwiches, piled high with cold cuts and bearing names like the “G-Man” and the “Super Sub.”  The names may be unique to Mangialardo’s, but the flavors are the ones you’ve come to expect in classic Italian deli sandwiches up and down the East Coast. 

So what makes them worth a special trip?  Find out after the jump. (more…)

We’ve already put away our gazpacho recipe for the season, and we’ve frozen enough peach puree to get us through the winter.  But we’re intent on transitioning at least one warm-weather treat into fall (and maybe even winter) by changing up the ingredients: homemade ice cream.

Anyone can enjoy ice cream and frozen yogurt in summer…and this year, thanks to our new Ice Cream Maker attachment for our KitchenAid mixer, we did just that.  We sought out a few good recipes and kept coming back to one man.  David Lebovitz, an American blogger in Paris (as Joe Yonan dubbed him in the Washington Post feature that brought him to our attention), is a former Chez Panisse pastry chef who has put together some deliciously creative ice cream flavors.  A few of them are available on his blog, and even more can be found in his book “The Perfect Scoop.”

After trying his recipe for strawberry frozen yogurt to christen the new gadget, we decided to try out one of his more esoteric ice cream flavors: roquefort and honey.  Considering the fact that the ice cream maker went onto our wish list after swooning over the Dijon ice cream that Chef Robert Weland incorporates into his gazpacho at Poste, it was only a matter of time.

Tasty notes on process, editing and results after the jump. (more…)

BLIND ITEM: Which pastry chef from a new-on-the-scene DC area restaurant got a call from Top Chef producers?
 
Chicago chefs are monitoring Twitter to scope the best seafood from their merchants. 

Photo by Georges Gobet, AFP/Getty Images

 
Punch Club returns this Sunday.  
 
A Belgian farmer sprays milk on police during a milk price protest in Brussels. Riot police udderly humiliated!
 
Pete Bakes is back and he’s brought lemon rosemary cookies to make friends again. 
 
Is hard cider poised for a comeback?  
 
From Komi to Marvin tries Acadiana and discovers “the fanny pack of the Delta.” 
 
The Obamas dined at Blue Duck to celebrate their anniversary.

A Measured Memory teaches the fine art of pantry cookies. 
 
How to French butcher a rack of lamb.  
 
The Cashion team plans an upscale market as reported by Metrocurean. 
 
Wicked Cranberry experiments with a spicy soba dish. 
 
RIP Gourmet magazine. 
 
Celebrate Oktoberfest with these 2 traditional meals. 
 
Macheesmo’s homemade olive bread is sure to make your house a home.  
 
Taste of Georgetown is this weekend. 
 
The Glamazon Diaries alerts us to a holy union of a Christian Louboutin glass slipper and champagne.  

Old Bay celebrates its 70th birthday. 
 
… and China is enjoying its 200th Dairy Queen.

Here at Capital Spice, we’re not just about the high-end, multi-course tasting menus and the meticulously handcrafted cocktails.  Sometimes we just like to relax and enjoy a casual date night, grabbing a bite to eat and seeing a show without breaking the bank.

We’ve got a few favorites that take it a step further, offering dinner and a show in the same location.  Last month, we tipped you off to the Moroccan adventure (complete with a belly dancing performance) to be had at Marrakesh.  We’ve also enjoyed our share of brunches that feature everything from jazz trios to drag queens, but that’s a subject for another time.

Today we’re focused on some of the places that always make us smile.  These venues offer up quality entertainment and some darn good food, all without breaking the bank.  And they all make great spots for low-key dates.

DC Improv
It’s a testament to the DC Improv’s reputation among comedians that it attracts bonafide celebrities like Kathy Griffin, John Oliver and Kevin Pollack to perform multi-night standup sets when there are theaters and other larger venues that they could just as easily be selling out.  Those of us in the audience certainly aren’t complaining.

The Improv offers an intimate setting that puts you mere feet from the stage and its classic red brick backdrop.  But do yourself a favor and arrive a bit early for the show.  For one thing, seating is first come, first served.  But the real reason to show up early is to give yourself a chance to take advantage of the Improv’s second biggest selling point (after the talent): California Tortilla!

Call it synergy or a shared co-owner.  Either way, the audience benefits.  When I first started visiting the Improv years ago, it was a safe bet that the two item minimum would be exclusively met through beverages…the food was an afterthought.  But the addition of California Tortilla favorites like the Blackened Chicken Caesar and the Crunchy BBQ Ranch make the Improv a doubly-guilty pleasure…and a great place to get dinner and a show at the same time.

DC Improv
1140 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC

Dinner in a movie theater and dinner-as-theater after the jump. (more…)

As we mentioned yesterday, one of our favorite signs that fall has arrived is the appearance of pumpkin beers.  We love the rich, spicy flavors of pumpkin ales (and in some cases stouts).  It’s like a crisp autumn breeze, a smooth beer and a slice of pie come together in every sip.  And their seasonal nature makes us appreciate them while they last; when they’re out, that’s it until next year.

But which one to drink?  With such a brief window of opportunity, can you afford to waste your time on a six-pack of bad pumpkin ale?  We think not.  So in the name of science (and better drinking), we called up the Bacon Terrorist and Boozy Betty and invited them over for a night of taste-testing.  They had proven their palates with us in last year’s cupcake showdown, and Boozy Betty’s knowledge of beers has come in handy on numerous nights out.

To pick the contenders, we turned to BeerAdvocate’s list of pumpkin ales.  We decided to seek out as many of the beers on the list as we were able.  To keep costs in check, we limited our sample to those beers we could find available for single purchase (again: who wants to waste their time and money on a six-pack of bad pumpkin ale?).  A trio of trips to Total Wine in western Alexandria, Calvert-Woodley Liquors in Van Ness, and Trader Joe’s in Old Town yielded thirteen choices in all.

We rated each beer on Presentation, Flavor and Overall, using a scale of 1-5 for each.  Once all of our scores were tallied, we averaged our four ratings and added the three categories together to give each contender a score between 1 and 15.  At the suggestion of the Bacon Terrorist, we also rated each beer’s label art  and averaged those scores independently.

Once we were done, we had a whole lot of numbers, a dump bucket full of also-rans, and a decent nutmeg-spiced buzz.  Check out our assessment of each contender (in order from lowest total score to highest) after the jump. (more…)

Forget sweaters and changing leaves. Here are ten telltale signs we know it’s fall in DC.

1.       Dinner switches from gazpacho to roasted chicken

2.       Mike gets reacquainted with the Big Green Egg

3.       After a summer of crabs at Quarterdeck and Tangier Island, our go-to seafood is oysters at Johnny’s Half Shell and mussels at Granville Moore’s.

4.       Elizabeth starts baking again

5.       Pumpkin beer!

6.       We’re on the hunt for savory recipes starring leeks and butternut squash

7.       We say good-bye to the basil lemontini and hello to the warm duck Rueben at the Poste bar

8.       Too many local apples, not enough apple recipes

9.       Kiss the sunglasses good-bye. We go from al fresco dining to cozy lounges and tea houses.

10.    Fall colors bring road trips and local discoveries like Wasmund’s single malt applewood smoked whiskey.

When you think of Ethiopian dining, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Injera?  Large platters of colorful stews and vegetables?  Jackets and ties?

Yeah…that last one hadn’t really crossed our minds, either, until we received an invitation to check out the new “Gondar Fine Dining” concept upstairs at Almaz on U Street.  It came from someone Mike has worked with professionally, so we were doubly intrigued to see just what Ethiopian Fine Dining looked like.  Now we’re the first to admit our relative novice status when it comes to Ethiopian, so we invited a couple of friends who have significantly more experience with the cuisine.

Image Courtesy of Jabriel Ballentine

We all arrived separately at Almaz around 6:30 on a Monday night, not sure exactly what we were in for.  We headed upstairs to a space that was set up to accommodate about two dozen diners at a couple of regular tables and a handful of mesobs, traditional Ethiopian woven baskets that are used as tables.  Jabriel Ballentine, the host and organizer of the Gondar experience, was there to greet each of us and show us to our table in the center of the room.  As he seated us, he explained that the purpose of Gondar was to provide a “unique experience among Washington’s Ethiopian restaurants” while still holding onto the feeling of being an honored guest in our hosts’ home.  To that end, we would be served four courses – appetizer, salad, entrees and dessert – as well as a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

We were given a choice of three meals: meat, seafood, or vegetarian.  At first we were all prepared to order separately, but our server was kind enough to warn us about the generous portion sizes.  We still wanted to experience as many different dishes as possible, so we opted for one of each.  In reality, each platter offers enough food for two people to share.

An assemblage of Ethiopian specialties – both well-known and rarely seen – in a formal dining environment after the jump.

(more…)

<<EDIT 10/5/09 1:00 PM – Talk about good timing!  As if you needed an added incentive to join us on Wednesday night, we just received a press release from CommonWealth announcing their new Chef de Cuisine, Abigail Fellows.  Fellows comes to CommonWealth from Hank’s Oyster Bar, where she also worked for Chef Jamie Leeds as head chef, and has also worked at Matchbox, Breadline and the Jefferson Hotel.

So don’t overlook your old favorites when you’re ordering at Happy Hour, but be sure to save room for some of the new tastes that have just been added to the menu – tempting dishes like pork pies, smoked salmon on toast, and duck confit risotto.>>

After the unqualified success of last month’s DC Food Blogger Happy Hour, there were plenty of guests who just couldn’t wait to do it again.  For us, one of the best things to come from the gathering was the fact that we now had names and faces to go with the various blogs we follow (and some new ones we’ve started to follow).  So we started chatting with Mary at the Arugula Files, Amelia at Gradually Greener, Jenna at Modern Domestic, Catherine at We Love DC, and Orr the Beerspotter to put together another Happy Hour Poste-haste.

The general consensus at September’s Happy Hour was that plenty of people were interested in making this a monthly occurrence.  For the sake of consistency, we decided to keep the events on the First Wednesday of every month, and we set about finding the perfect place for Round Two.  Maybe it was Orr’s involvement, or maybe it was a nod to the cooling temperatures (ummm…), but we decided to seek out a location with an emphasis on warmth, comfort…and beer.

The criteria: Metro accessible, good food and good beer – we are food bloggers, after all – and room for about 50 people to have a good time indoors.  We kicked a few ideas around before the obvious answer emerged: CommonWealth Gastropub in Columbia Heights.  Can you say Scotch Eggs and Imperial pints?

We’ll be gathering this Wednesday in the bar area just to the right of the entrance.  From 6 to 8 PM, they’ll be welcoming our group (and anyone else who comes in, as we don’t have the space exclusively reserved).  As an added incentive to get there early, CommonWealth’s Happy Hour special runs every weekday from 4 to 7 PM; you can enjoy $4 premium rail drinks, half-price domestic drafts and American wines by the glass, and $2 off specialty cocktails.  You’ll be able to order food from the standard menu which includes such favorites as the aforementioned Scotch Eggs, stuffed fried olives and Welsh rarebit. 

We’re looking forward to seeing all of you there – but it would be a huge help (for logistical purposes) if you’d drop a note in the comments section to let us know if you’re planning to attend.  That way, we can give CommonWealth a ballpark figure of how many folks we’re expecting.

If you’ve got any questions, feel free to shoot us an email - capitalspice@gmail.com.

See you Wednesday!

Congrats to Hill’s Kitchen for their shout out on Fox 5, as noted by The Hill is Home.

Amazon is getting into the grocery delivery business.

Want to join a CSA but worried about the cost? Going Green DC reports on this local pick-your-own system at Clagett Farm.

Endless Simmer looks for edible flower recipe ideas.

We Love DC loves Cheesetique (who doesn’t?).

Roasted brunch potatoes from Mango & Tomato hit the spot.

The Modern Domestic brings out the apple turnovers.

Young & Hungry makes us drool over the Duck Beggars’ Purses at Dino.

The Bitten Word tries a Bloody Mary that requires 30 hours of prep time.  Bon Appetit promises that it’s the best Bloody Mary ever.  The verdict?

Open Kitchen Bistro in Falls Church is now open.

Metrocurean checks out our latest street-food innovator.

Capitol Hill Style has a great (boyfriend approved) suggestion for an October date night.

Don’t forget to check out Oktoberfest Reston for German food, beer and wine next weekend.  Oompah with oomph!

Les Dames des Escoffier are hosting “Green Kids at Market” days next weekend at the weekly Courthouse, H Street, Silver Spring, Dupont Circle and Takoma Park farmers markets to help get kids and their families excited about farm-fresh produce here in DC.

In food, like in life, all good things must have balance. While Mike and I were ecstatic to go luxe in Chicago during our long weekend we knew our wallets couldn’t handle this city fully loaded. We aren’t Oprah, after all. (Really, we aren’t even Jerry Springer.) Luckily Chicago offers dozens of options where we can eat and drink well without breaking the bank.

Hot Doug’s
Mention you’re going to Chicago, and the first thing you hear from just about anyone is a variation on “You’ve got to try the hot dogs!”  Go figure…the city immortalized as the “hog butcher to the world” is known for their encased meats.  But it’s not the dogs themselves that inspire the fanatical following; it’s the condiments.  Chicago-style dogs are almost as architecturally impressive as the city itself, piled high with mustard, onions, chopped tomatoes, celery salt, bright green relish and a whole pickle spear.  At Hot Doug’s, however, the sausages and other encased meats (their phrase…try not to laugh as often as we did) are just as noteworthy as their toppings.  Their high-quality versions of the basics (hot dog, smoked Polish sausage, beer-soaked bratwurst, etc.) are all ridiculously well priced…you can get a dog for $1.75, tax included.  Our total bill came to exactly $20, and that included a $9 specialty dog that we just couldn’t resist.

The real draw – and it is a draw, as evidenced by the nearly hour-long wait we endured despite arriving soon after their 10:30 AM opening time on Saturday morning – is the secondary menu of rotating specials.  Eager to try an alligator sausage?  Hankering for the ‘Teuben’ made of corned beef and topped with sauerkraut and Swiss?  Just looking for something out of the ordinary that you’re unlikely to find in any other hot dog joint?  You’ve come to the right place, my friend.  We opted to try a Chicago-style dog and a sausage with the works, but we couldn’t just ignore the specialty menu so we went for the big daddy: a foie gras and sauternes duck sausage topped with truffle aioli, foie mousse and sel gris.  And in the name of science, we decided to do a side-by-side test of their regular fries and the duck fat fries that are only available on Friday and Saturday.  The basics were solid from poppy seed bun to crisp pickle spear, and that foie gras sausage was as rich and decadent as it sounds…thank goodness we were splitting it among three of us!  And the verdict on those fries?  The ones cooked in duck fat were thinner, crispier and generally tastier…but we weren’t quite convinced that they were worth twice the price of the standards.  Better to use that cash for a second dog!

Hot Doug’s
3324 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL

Urban Belly
There is perhaps nothing more comforting that a steaming bowl of soup on a cold night. Which is a good thing for Urban Belly because there is no shortage of chilly evenings in Chicago. This noodle soup house hidden in an anonymous strip mall serves up much more than everyday salty pho. With a small bites menu of reimagined dumplings and sides – asian squash and bacon dumplings anyone? how about pineapple and pork belly fried rice? – diners have an opportunity to fill up before the main courses slosh onto the long wooden tables.  Which would be a shame because these shimmering soups are worth the trip all on their own. 

We tucked into our enormous bowls as soon as they arrived, slurping up noodles and willing the roofs of our mouths to toughen up to the scalding broth. My spicy soup of rice noodles, Thai rice cakes, hominy and succulent pork belly thinned my blood and warmed my soul. I adored the rice cakes looked like floating water chestnuts but tasted like a piece of thickcut homemade pasta. They cut the perfect platform for the fiesty broth. Mike’s Urban Belly ramen featured a full-bodied pho broth with mushrooms and pork. He slurped to his stomach’s content. Bailey, who brought us and had toured the menu thoroughly on her own time, went with a favorite bowl of soba noodles plunged into a snappy Thai basil broth with scallops and oyster mushrooms. We slurped and chatted and slurped some more, way past our stomach’s comfortable contentment. Friendly waitresses offered to put remaining soup in take-home bowls. Alas, we knew our food agenda was full so we had to leave them behind. Relunctantly we sloshed back into the night.

Urban Belly
3053 N. California Ave.
Chicago, IL

Killer brunch and a massive beer list after the jump. (more…)