* The patio at Poste remains one of the nicest spots in the city to grab a drink. And the truffle frites remain my appetizer of choice. We shared two orders, plus these short ribs sliders. All were a hit.
* I ran to Amsterdam Falafelshop — literally, ran there dripping from a workout to meet a friend — so, no camera phone or pic. But that place is as good as advertised. Super affordable, tasty falafel, and a large assortment of interesting toppings. Quick and easy. Well, it should be easy, except that while we were there, two women ahead of me ordered around 15 falafels to go… and proceeded to galactically slowly put toppings on each one, with total disregard for those of us waiting behind. Toppings abusers, those two.
* We walked to Cafe Sorriso e Gelateria afterwards, where I picked up a mango gelato. What a nice addition to Woodley Park! I’m not sure it’s been fully discovered yet, but hopefully it will be. And I saw people sitting there with laptops, so maybe this will become our version of Dolcezza?
* Had a wine tasting recently at Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park, and it couldn’t have been a better experience. Warren, the assistant manager, was incredibly knowledgeable about the wines, and we all enjoyed the cheese plate from Cowgirl Creamery. I’ve never bought a bottle of rosé before, but I bought a bottle of Chateau des Baumelles Bandol because I liked it so much.
* First time cooking tempeh… aaaaand the last. Awful. It’s like if tofu mated with a dry granola bar. And tofu is one of my favorite foods, so go figure.
* I think it’s considered a tourist spot, but my parents and I had a good lunch at Buddy’s while we were in Annapolis. They did the buffet and I went with seafood gumbo.
* The dilemma when buying bananas — buy a ripe bunch or buy them green? I try to pick the greenest bunch I can find, knowing how quickly bananas ripen. Never thought to refrigerate them, but I read recently that that helps slow down the ripening. And it works. A cold banana is strange, and the peel turns brown, but the inside holds its texture.
* Great fun watching the Washington Kastles play on a recent weeknight. Even better, going with a friend who had VIP tickets — meaning access to the Carmine’s-catered buffet. Was anticipating picking up a hot dog and cheap beer, so this was quite the pleasant surprise.
* The recipe for a perfect summer afternoon in Georgetown:
Begin with lunch at Bangkok Joe’s. These lobster and pine nut dumplings are a nice opener.
Then move on to one of the noodle bowls. This is my friend Liz’s.
And mine. Big, deep bowl of noodles, ground chicken and scallion.
Following lunch, walk over to Thompson Boat Center for kayaking. We leisurely paddled around Roosevelt Island and admired the views.
Afterwards, you’ll probably be hungry again. Don’t even think about waiting for 45 minutes with the other lemmings at Georgetown Cupcake. Seriously, don’t do it. Instead, visit Baked & Wired. We split a raspberry crunch.
* I had been so excited to visit the Chick-fil-A food truck near L’Enfant Plaza, and then… never mind.
* Read that Julia Child, who would have turned 100 last week, attributed her longevity to “red meat and gin.” I’m guessing she wasn’t asked to write the foreword for “Eating Animals.”
* If the two dishes I sampled at the bar at Pulpo tonight are any indication of the rest of the menu, I’d like to go back there for dinner. Had a bite of the short ribs, which melted in my mouth, and savored every morsel of the cod fritters.
August Food Thoughts: Part 2
* The patio at Poste remains one of the nicest spots in the city to grab a drink. And the truffle frites remain my appetizer of choice. We shared two orders, plus these short ribs sliders. All were a hit.
* I ran to Amsterdam Falafelshop — literally, ran there dripping from a workout to meet a friend — so, no camera phone or pic. But that place is as good as advertised. Super affordable, tasty falafel, and a large assortment of interesting toppings. Quick and easy. Well, it should be easy, except that while we were there, two women ahead of me ordered around 15 falafels to go… and proceeded to galactically slowly put toppings on each one, with total disregard for those of us waiting behind. Toppings abusers, those two.
* We walked to Cafe Sorriso e Gelateria afterwards, where I picked up a mango gelato. What a nice addition to Woodley Park! I’m not sure it’s been fully discovered yet, but hopefully it will be. And I saw people sitting there with laptops, so maybe this will become our version of Dolcezza?
* Had a wine tasting recently at Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park, and it couldn’t have been a better experience. Warren, the assistant manager, was incredibly knowledgeable about the wines, and we all enjoyed the cheese plate from Cowgirl Creamery. I’ve never bought a bottle of rosé before, but I bought a bottle of Chateau des Baumelles Bandol because I liked it so much.
* First time cooking tempeh… aaaaand the last. Awful. It’s like if tofu mated with a dry granola bar. And tofu is one of my favorite foods, so go figure.
* I think it’s considered a tourist spot, but my parents and I had a good lunch at Buddy’s while we were in Annapolis. They did the buffet and I went with seafood gumbo.
* The dilemma when buying bananas — buy a ripe bunch or buy them green? I try to pick the greenest bunch I can find, knowing how quickly bananas ripen. Never thought to refrigerate them, but I read recently that that helps slow down the ripening. And it works. A cold banana is strange, and the peel turns brown, but the inside holds its texture.
* Great fun watching the Washington Kastles play on a recent weeknight. Even better, going with a friend who had VIP tickets — meaning access to the Carmine’s-catered buffet. Was anticipating picking up a hot dog and cheap beer, so this was quite the pleasant surprise.
* The recipe for a perfect summer afternoon in Georgetown:
Begin with lunch at Bangkok Joe’s. These lobster and pine nut dumplings are a nice opener.
Then move on to one of the noodle bowls. This is my friend Liz’s.
And mine. Big, deep bowl of noodles, ground chicken and scallion.
Following lunch, walk over to Thompson Boat Center for kayaking. We leisurely paddled around Roosevelt Island and admired the views.
Afterwards, you’ll probably be hungry again. Don’t even think about waiting for 45 minutes with the other lemmings at Georgetown Cupcake. Seriously, don’t do it. Instead, visit Baked & Wired. We split a raspberry crunch.
* I had been so excited to visit the Chick-fil-A food truck near L’Enfant Plaza, and then… never mind.
* Read that Julia Child, who would have turned 100 last week, attributed her longevity to “red meat and gin.” I’m guessing she wasn’t asked to write the foreword for “Eating Animals.”
* If the two dishes I sampled at the bar at Pulpo tonight are any indication of the rest of the menu, I’d like to go back there for dinner. Had a bite of the short ribs, which melted in my mouth, and savored every morsel of the cod fritters.