The only good thing that came out of the commercialization of Easter is Easter candy. 

From marshallowy peeps to solid chocolate bunnies, all of the big name candy-makers have some sugary creation made to celebrate the spring holiday. With Easter celebrations this Sunday, fill your baskets instead with local treats, created without processed sugars and chemicals. 

NoVA sweet shops offering homemade Easter treats:

Alexandria Pastry Shop, Alexandria
Milk or White Chocolate Baskets ($5.99), Milk/Dark/White Chocolate Easter Bunny ($12.99), Milk or White Chocolate Eggs ($8.99), Hand-Decorated Easter Cookies ($14.99 per pound) 

Amphora Bakery, Herndon & Vienna
Chocolate or Vanilla Large Easter Egg Cake ($59.95 for large, $35.95 for half), Easter Bread ($15.95 for 10-inch, $20.95 for 12-inch) and Assorted Decorative Cookies (call for pricing)  

Artisan Confections, Arlington
Salted Caramel Bunnies ($7 for 4 pieces, $15 for 9 pieces), Peanut Butter Eggs ($3.50), Caramel Marshmallow Bars ($4), Easter “Chick” Lollipops ($2.50), Cherry Blossom Boxes ($17 for 9 pieces),   2-piece “Easter” Boxes ($4)

Buzz Bakery, Alexandria & Arlington
Homemade Lemon Peeps ($11.50 for nine) and Baby Chickie Cupcakes in chocolate or vanilla ($24 for 12)

The Sugar Cube, Alexandria
Solid Easter Bunnies in milk/dark/white chocolate ($3.50 for pocket-size, $12.95 for 8 oz. bunny), Traditional Basket Eggs in butter cream/peanut butter/coconut cream/marshmallow ($3.50), Malted Milk Eggs ($3.50 per bag), Egg-shaped Truffles ($1.85 each or various gift boxes), Hand-Marbled Chocolate Eggs in Egg Carton ($29) and Hollow Eggs with Gianduja-filled Rabbit Inside ($14.95)

The Swiss Bakery, Springfield & Burke
Easter-themed Fondant Cookies ($2.25 per cookie), Easter-Bunny-Bun ($3 per bun) and German Easter Bread ($7.50 per loaf)

(Although who are we kidding, you can also grab Cadbury Creme Eggs from Society Fair.)

Photo: kaktuzoid/Shutterstock

[tips for the food desk]

Image: Bochkarev Photography/Shutterstock

Well, stop by one of the few wine tastings going on today and tomorrow and you can sample some different wines to pair with your Thanksgiving meal.

Planet Wine (2004 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-549-3444) will be hosting their Procrastinator’s Saving Grace tomorrow, Wednesday, November 22, from 3-7 p.m. with wine sampling to pick out your bottles for the feast. There will also be Red Apron charcuterie (sage and maple sausage, coppa, bresoala, prosciutto, country pate) and pies from Buzz Bakery (sweet potato pie with cranberry jam, cinnamon and marshmallow fluff, bourbon chocolate pecan pie, and classic pumpkin) for any last minute cooking mishaps that may force you to pick up something a little easier.

The Vineyard Table (711 Dranesville Road, Herndon; 703-657-0002) is having a Turkey Day Wine Tasting today, November 22, from 12-5 p.m.

The Vineyard (1445 Laughlin Ave., McLean; 703-288-2970) is having their 4th Annual Thanksgiving Extravaganza tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23, from 12-4 p.m. They’ll be pouring wines that compliment all the typical Thanksgiving dishes and will offer pairing recommendations for any specific dishes on your menu.

-Julia Harbo

Somehow in the past 10 days, Halloween slipped by us, we stepped into November, stores starting putting up Thanksgiving decorations (and even some Christmas!), daylight savings ended, and it’s officially Thanksgiving time. Thanksgiving countdown: 15 days.

That means it’s time to start thinking turkey (unless you’re a V.–then tofurkey). Maybe you already have Grandma’s turkey recipe up your sleeve. Or maybe you’re one of those dreading the fateful last Thursday of the month when you’re ultimately going to, somehow, be messing up the holiday centerpiece.

Have no fear—I’m here to present you with some foolproof Thanksgiving feast options:

Locally-sourced butchery Red Apron is offering free-range Virginian turkeys, available for pick-up in Arlington and Alexandria. The turkeys have been pasture-raised on a diet of fresh grass and local grain, and will be brined for 24 hours in Chef Nathan Anda’s herb and citrus mix, so you won’t need to worry about having a dry or tasteless bird. The turkeys weigh between 14 and 18 pounds and are $79.99. There are only a limited supply, so reserve your turkey and order at least 48 hours in advance by emailing eben@redapronbutchery.com. Pick up for the turkeys will be at Tallula restaurant on Nov. 19 and Planet Wine on Nov. 23.

For dessert, you can order from a selection of delicious homemade pies from Buzz Bakery. Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac’s creations include: Double Crust Gala Apple Pie with a perfectly flaky crust stuffed to the brim with spiced apples, caramel sauce, cinnamon whipped cream; Classic Pumpkin and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pies with candied cranberries, walnuts, and rum raisin ice cream; The American Pie Bar with two pies and toppings; and the Easy Start & Sweet Finish package with sweet and savory scones for a quick breakfast fix and pie display for dessert. Orders must be placed 72 hours in advance by phone and can be picked up at noth of Buzz Bakery’s locations in Arlington or Alexandria, Nov. 21-23.

For more information, call Red Apron at 703-746-9972 and Buzz at 703-600-2899 (Alexandria) or 703-650-9676 (Arlington).

-Julia Harbo

I think it’s safe to say they earned a great amount of money this weekend.

I arrived at around 3 p.m. and after waiting in a short line received five free tickets, as promised, for showing a picture of myself standing in front of the Braddock Road Metro (they were, however, all out of the other option of a free glass Oktobeerfest beer mug and only offered the ceramic ones for purchase for $10, which I was mildly disappointed by).

Upon entering the festival area, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The space was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with beer-thirsty people; and though it was otherwise an absolutely perfect warm and sunny fall day, I began to sweat and feel like I was a cooking grain of rice jam packed among 500 others in a boiling pot. (It was at this point that my boyfriend and I agreed we’d rather have been told the festival was at capacity instead of them letting us inside.) But we’d just paid $40 in tickets and wanted some good, cold beer, dang it.

I risked punching my fellow Oktobeerfesters in the side and was able to pull my arm through the crowd and up in the air to get this picture.

With our eye immediately on the Hoptober beer labeled on a sign that I could peek a glance at between bobbing heads of people in the crowd, we went over and stood in the area of the crowd that we guessed was the line. After about 10 minutes, we watched the beer-pouring employee tear down the Hoptober sign and barely read his lips form the words “all gone.”

Since we couldn’t actually move anywhere else, it seemed like we were standing in another line to get beer from any of the other kegs (of the supposed 50+ beers on tap) and when inquiring what kind of beer it was, the woman behind me (who, with whom I shared so much skin, could have been mistaken as my siamese twin) whined “I don’t even care anymore.”  When we finally got to the front of the ‘line,’ we didn’t know what kind of beer was in the keg in front of us, but the man in the Oktobeerfest t-shirt informed us that the “sour, very sour” beer would be “9 tickets each.”

Maybe I’m just missing an affinity to sour beer, but oh man, was it sour.

One of the serving tables. Sadly, they were all out of turkey legs by 3:15.

The high note of the afternoon was the short line for the mustard braised pork shoulder sandwich with red cabbage and apples. We got lucky and snagged a corner of one of the few small standing-height tables to pause for a minute with the food.

Mustard braised pork shoulder sandwich with red cabbage and apples, and our sour beer.

Hungry for more, we went towards the brat dog tent where we saw people coming from holding amazing looking dogs piled with bacon braised sauerkraut. We had been waiting in a mess of a line for about 20 minutes when the server shouted out to the hungry crowd that everyone on the left side (our side of the mob) had to be ordering the BBQ pulled pork sliders and everyone on the right side was for the brat dogs. It was then that we gave up and pushed our way through the crowd toward the exit.

On the bright side, all of the staff members were very pleasant and helpful despite the mayhem. The ticket booth bought back our unused tickets (we donated five to Arcadia) and the hostess inside Rustico, where we went to see how long a table for two in the restaurant would be (an hour, we were told, because the kitchen was backed up), was very friendly and apologetic to us.

Perhaps the good weather simply brought way more visitors than expected; perhaps we got there too late in the day. If I go back next year, I would like to see more available beer with shorter lines and about one-third of the crowd. Regardless, it was a busy day for a good cause and I’m hopeful in saying that the event must have been a success for at least some people in the crowd.

-Julia Harbo

The place: Buzz – Multiple NoVA locations; www.buzzonslaters.com

The prescription: open-faced oatmeal cookie sandwich with cereal milk ice cream. “It’s supposed to taste like the milk leftover after you eat a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch,” a Buzz worker says of pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac’s whimsical creation. Maybe–if you’re used to having breakfast at Charles Bukowski’s house. The cookie—spot warmed right when you order—is great, delivering mouthful after mouthful of whole grains, golden and traditional raisins plus bonus cinnamon spice. But it’s the boozy cereal milk, which gets a boost from a long pour of bourbon, that had us cleaning our plate and clamoring for more.

Should you (unlike me) happen to NOT be a raging alcoholic. MacIssac’s treat churning prowess extends to virgin flavors (the aptly named “exotic” weaves together ultra tart mango and lusty spice cake; vanilla is plain delicious) as well as seasonal sorbets (raspberry, apricot).

–Warren

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Keep tabs on the month long Freeze Jag trek here.

(Image: Neighborhood Restaurant Group)

MacIssac and hubby Kyle Bailey swooped into town in late 2009 to help the Neighborhood Restaurant Group launch Birch & Barley. Since then, MacIsaac has been handed the reins to the multiplying Buzz bakeries and placed in charge of the dessert programs across the NRG properties–scooping up a RAMMY nomination along the way.

WR: Butter. Sugar. What other culinary elements could you not live without?

TM: Salt. I prefer maldon for finishing, but there are all kinds of salt that add depth and balance to sweetness. My assistants know that every recipe gets a pinch of salt.

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

TM: Early on I was really focused on ice cream and sorbet. I have always loved making it and it was the first thing I really dove in to and understood. I use a refractometer to make my sorbets, so there is no exact recipe. I currently have over 40 flavors that we produce for all of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

TM: I love grapes. I always look forward to concord grape season. I remember the first time I ate one, I was 19 and it completely blew my mind. It tasted the way I had always known grapes were supposed to taste, but I had only had that flavor in Bubalicious [sic] Bubblegum. Every year I remember how special that moment was.

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

TM: I read every issue of Art Culinaire. I love it.

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

TM: I always try to challenge myself with new ideas/flavors/techniques. There is no particular dish, but I do have a general philosophy that if you can’t make something work, put it down and come back to it later. Sometimes I’ll work on something, abandon it for a year then come back and it just clicks. You can’t force things to work.

WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

TM: This might be weird, but I’d say Sara Moulton. I used to watch her religiously on The Food Network. She was part of the reason I went to culinary school. When I was at Allen and Delancey, she dined there and I actually went to the table like a total nerd and gushed over her.

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

TM: I am sandwiched obsessed. I can eat a good sandwich for any meal and I can make almost anything in to a sandwich. When my husband puts a new item on the menu at Birch & Barley, the general manager and I are always scheming a way to put the dish on a sandwich. At home, I am big fan of chicken salad, especially if Kyle roasts a chicken and we have leftovers.

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …

TM: Well, it’s summer and we have a new line of frozen items at Buzz – Ballston including the frozen fruit pops which are fun. I’m also getting a cotton candy machine. I’m not even sure what I’m going to do with it yet, but it’s cotton candy, so it should be fun!

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

TM: Johnny Walker Black on the rocks

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Spontaneous sorbets, MacGyver-like sandwich ingenuity and access to a cotton candy machine? Chef, you sound like one fun gal.

Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.

–Warren

Executive Pastry Chef of Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG), Tiffany MacIsaac, takes brownies to a whole new level at Buzz Bakery (an establishment of NRG).  She says she is brownie fanatic, and I believe her after hearing about all the different types of flavors of brownies she bakes. “I’m a brownie fanatic, so I have very specific goals for this treat. I want them to be decadent with strong chocolate flavor, and yet, I like when they include a twist, or a surprising flavor or texture element,” says MacIsaac. She also says she wanted to give guests fun and creative alternatives to the ordinary brownie.

Red velvet swirl, s’mores, peppermint patty, brandy cherry cheesecake, german chocolate, and peanut butter cup are some of the flavors that are available this time of year as flavors change every month based on the season. And yes, these are all different brownie (not cupcake) flavors. Buzz Bakery also offers various (depending on the month) gluten-free brownies. The flavor of the month for January is called Farmhouse which is a classic brownie with espresso and walnuts.

…and we thought we were bona fide brownie lovers.

On the off-chance that you don’t like brownies or want to try some other extravagant flavors, Buzz Bakery offers many other desserts such as pies, tarts, cupcakes, cookies, cakes, biscottis and other favorites including crème brulee. And of course all of these desserts are taken to the next level –check out their new churro con chocolate cupcake which is Mexican chocolate cake which has dulce de leche filling with cinnamon butter cream topped with a churro.

(image: Buzz Bakery)

Grab breakfast or lunch at Buzz Bakery as they offer muffins, waffles, cinnamon rolls, scones, biscuits, paninis, and the buzzed about breakfast brioche.

All goods are cooked and baked in the store. Hours are everyday from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Buzz Bakery
901 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA  22314
703-600-BUZZ (2899)

-Rebecca Kim

Image: Cajun Grocer

Mardi Gras. Carnival. Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day.

Whatever you want to call it, it’s time to participate in some serious celebrating at local restaurants.

-Throw on the party beads and eat your King Cake at 2941.  In honor of Mardi Gras, all diners will receive a complimentary King Cake today, regardless if you order off the prix-fixe four-course menu or a la carte.

-Fat Tuesday’s will have several bands performing throughout the evening, starting at 3 p.m.

-Clyde’s at Mark Center will have their annual Mardi Gras party featuring live music starting at 6 p.m. For $25 enjoy an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil with corn, potatoes and andouille sausage.

-Buzz will have King Cakes all day.

-The 2^nd Annual Mardi Gras on King Street will take place at the Fish Market.  Celebrate five days of Mardi Gras with traditional New Orleans style cuisine and cocktails. The festivities begin tonight with music by DC Motors and end with a masquerade ball on Saturday, February 20.  There will be a charity bead toss and Mardi Gras Masks available to benefit Multiple Sclerosis.

-King Street Blues will  offer “Cajun Specials” all day, including several po’boy varieties, jambalaya pasta and red beans.

-Try one of Trummer’s on Main’s signature cocktails from New Orleans, Brazil and Italy. Don’t forget to wear your masks, costumes or beads for 25 percent off special cocktails, beer and wine.

-Join Okra’s Louisiana Bistro for their annual Mardi Gras pub crawl and Cajun cuisine.

-Liberty Tavern will have $4 Abita Purple Haze and $5 Hurricanes all day long.

- Union Jacks will host a Mardi Gras Bash tonight. Collect the most beads and you can win a trip to the Caribbean. Their Creole menu includes shrimp po’boys, etouffee, and bananas foster. The celebration begins at 4 p.m.

-Learn to make classic New Orleans dishes at Open Kitchen. The menu includes crawfish etouffee and seafood and andouille sausage gumbo. $75; 7-10 p.m.

-On Wednesday, February 17, Chef Roberto Donna will host a six-course ‘Il Carnavale’ Dinner at his private residence. The menu includes stuffed lamb chops with braised chicory and Piemontese style rice fritters in parmesan cheese sauce. $100 per person.  Email tambolisa1@aol.com to make a reservation.

-On Saturday, Feb 20 Sunset Hill Vineyards celebrates Mardi Gras with a special Cajun menu and live music by the Yvonne Johnson Jazz Trip from 12-6 p.m. Don’t forget to wear your purple, gold, and green!

-IHOP celebrates National Pancake Day on February 23 this year from 7 a.m.- 10 p.m.  Guests will receive a short stack of pancakes for free. While you’re there, help others by donating to the Children’s Miracle Network or other local charities.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Most recently, La Strada in Del Ray announced yesterday that gluten-free pasta dishes are available upon request to guests (no small wonder considering the culinary mine field gluties are forced to navigate on Italian menus bulging with wheat- and flour-based items).

Other restaurants in the area, including some of the establishments that comprise  Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG), have been trumpeting gluten-free dining options for a while now (perhaps this forward thinking gluten philosophy has to do with co-owner Michael Babin’s S.O. having a gluten allergy?)

At NRG’s Rustico, gluties can indulge in usually-off-limits pizza pie without fear.  Any pie on the menu can be made with a gluten-free chick pea dough (and in fact the menu states except for Eggplant Parmesan and Potato Gnocchi, all items can be made gluten-free). Further, if you thought your Celiac diagnosis was the death knell for enjoying flour-based sweets, guess again. Buzz Bakery Pastry Chef Josh Short makes a mean gluten-free brownie, and gluten-free cakes can be special ordered from the store as well.  

Heading around the beltway to Tysons Corner, gluties can enjoy selections from a gluten-free menu at Wildfire culled together by Chef Steve Lukis. The menu houses a wide array of gluten-free pizzas, sandwiches, and most interestingly a wheat-free beer!

Are you a glutie? Check out dcgluties.com to seek out new restaurants and boldy go where no gluties have gone before.

–Amy Loeffler