Posts Tagged ‘food’
The (Indoor) Farmers Table: Herndon’s Answer to Local Food During Winter
Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Many NoVinians suffer winter’s (usual) cold, harsh winds to meander through tables and select what local produce is offered during the off-peak season. They sacrifice warmth to gain access to locavore products, meats and vegetables, speaking to their freshness and flavor that leaps and bounds over superstore counterparts.
Fear not. This week the Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon is supplying a simply warmer alternative via, The Farmers Table 2012, their new indoor farmers market.
Starting this Thursday, Feb. 23, and running (almost) every Thursday until April 26, The Visitor Center at Frying Pan Farm Park will be hosting vendors with locally grown produce, meats, pastries and food-focused products from 2:30pm to 6:30pm.
Want to get really local? Check out Stallard Road Farm, nestled just west of Warrenton, a confirmed vendor who will be selling local meat, honey and teas.
Photo: Frying Pan Farm Park
[tips for the food desk]
Mount Vernon’s “Hoecake & Hospitality” Cook-Off
Posted by Sally Traynham / Friday, February 17th, 2012
Wake up on Saturday morning to the smell of hot hoecakes over an open fire. Hoecakes, of course, are a type of pancake made from cornmeal and were George Washington’s favorite, especially when served swimming in honey and butter.
This Saturday marks the opening of “Hoecakes & Hospitality: Cooking with Martha Washington.” This is Mount Vernon’s first food-focused exhibit that showcases more than 125 artifacts from the Washingtons’ kitchen, including 18th Century tupperware. (Trust me, it’s a bit more bulky and heavy than our nice, plastic stackables of today.)
To celebrate, four local chefs are coming to throw down and see whose modern take on this open-fire, corn creation will prevail.
The roster includes: Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve (Alexandria), David Guas of Bayou Bakery (Arlington), Christophe Poteaux of Bastille Restaurant (Alexandria) and Robert Wiedmaier of BRABO (Alexandria).
Traditional samples of George Washington’s favorite breakfast will also be served up by Mount Vernon staff.
After the cook-off, head inside to experience the interactive exhibit that features food murals, recipes adaptations of 18th Century dishes, such as “Ragoo of Asparagus,” Washington-era kitchen equipment, including a heart-shaped waffle press, jam skillets and wine cooler, and authentic notes and writings from our country’s first presidential family.
Dive into this early celebration of George Washington’s 280th birthday at Mount Vernon. Can’t make it? The exhibit will be open through August 11, 2013.
Photo: Sally Traynham
[tips for the food desk]
Posted by Sally Traynham / Thursday, February 16th, 2012
José Andrés: Republicans and tapas. [DCist]
Did Valentine’s not go so well? Top 10 Break-Up Foods [Endless Simmer]
Gulp down some fresh pear cider via Black Rock Orchard at Falls Church Farmers Market this Saturday. [WaPo]
Rate restaurants for a free 2013 Zagat guide. [Wash Times, Zagat]
Food Truck Crazy? Check out Lemongrass, Arlington’s newest addition to its food truck fleet, serving a Vietnamese-inspired menu that includes banh mi sandwiches, banh mi-style tacos and three varieties of bubble tea, “boba”. [ARLnow]
Celebrate Mardi Gras, NoVA-style. [NVM]
Wok and saute with your teen this Friday during a cooking class featuring shrimp lo-mein and chicken fajitas. [HerndonPatch]
Vote for your favorite Vienna dish, Part VI. [ViennaPatch]
Get into the kitchen with your children at Wildfire’s Kid’s Spring Cookie Class with Executive Chef Eddie Ishaq. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Food for Others. [Wildfire]
Photo: Lemongrass
[tips for the food desk]
It’s Not Too Late: Last Minute Valentines Ideas
Posted by Colleen Callery / Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Happy Valentine’s Day, all! I hope your day has been filled with those little chocolates in heart-shaped boxes and .. wait, you forgot?
Not to worry! We’ve collected few last minute ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day for those of us that are a little late to the game.
Photo by Karly Pope
Not too Late for Flowers:
Many florists, like Reston Floral Design and Flowers With Passion in Bristow are ready to accomodate those last minute requests. You can even order online straight from your desk if you haven’t left work yet. So what are you waiting for? Get to ordering!
Chocolate Dipped Fruit To Go:
Edible Arrangements has a ton of Valentine’s Day options, you can order in advance or in the store and take it home with you. And if you are in a real rush, stop by one of their storefronts and grab a box of their chocolate dipped fruit ready to go!
Make Dinner Together:
This isn’t reinventing the wheel or anything, but making dinner together can be a great way to spend time with your loved one. Make sure they don’t have other dinner plans, pick up a few things on your way home, and spend the night wining and dining. Delish has some great recipe ideas.
Make Dessert:
Maybe you already have dinner plans, or you are really more of a baker. Next Chefs has put together a bunch of YouTube tutorials on great dessert recipes. Everything from homemade chocolate to red velvet cupcakes. Yum!
Watch Some Ryan:
Star of one of the most popular love movies of all time, The Notebook, and indisputable Hollywood heartthrob, what says romance like a little Ryan Gosling? For the entire month of February Time Warner has made a bunch of his movies available On Demand. So snuggle up and turn up the Gosling!
-Colleen Callery
Chocolate-Wasted: Get Buzzed on Valentine’s Day
Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Whether you are celebrating Valentine’s Day with your other half or you’re flying solo for today’s “Black Tuesday,” as some singles may suggest, the question remains the same: Wanna get chocolate-wasted?
This Valentine’s Day, enjoy chocolate liquid libations spiked with chocolate liquors or enjoy the chocolate nuances in craft beers offered at these digs:
Blue Ridge Grill (Brambleton)
This White Chocolate Martini is crafted out of Godiva White, Baileys, Stoli Vanilla and Cream
Fireworks (Arlington)
With a huge beer list, sample Flying Dog’s Gonzo Imperial Porter with notes of roasted chocolate, coffee and vanilla malt.
Magnolias at the Mill (Purcellville)
The name says it all. The Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, an award-winning stout, is claimed to be dark and rich, achieving deep chocolate flavor through a blend of roasted malts.
Rustico (Alexandria)
A restaurant featuring Port City Brewery’s ONE (a one-year anniversary, stout) with a flavor profile made up of dark chocolate and dried fruit.
Vintage 50 (Leesburg)
Try a Vintage 50 classic, the Raspberry Truffle Martini that features raspberry vodka, Godiva White Chocolate and Razzmatazz.
Photo: Shutterstock/Wollertz
[tips for the food desk]
Celebrate 100 Years with a Savannah Smile
Posted by Sally Traynham / Friday, February 10th, 2012
Girl Scout Cookie season is here–the time of year when that knock on the door is often followed by a neighborhood girl asking if we want to buy four-dollar boxes of cookie goodness.
Whether you are Team Thin Mint or Team Samoa, almost everyone stocks up on their Girl Scout Cookie favorite, freezing the remaining hoard of boxes to enjoy later in the year when you can no longer buy them from neighbors or at stands as you exit local grocery stores (click here to find the closest stand near you).
This year, in honor of the 100th Year Anniversary, Girl Scouts are offering a new sweet called “Savannah Smiles,” named after founder Juliette Gordon Low’s hometown. Described by the Girl Scouts themselves as a “bite-sized, lemon-wedge cookies dusted in powdered sugar and bursting with zesty lemon flavor,” these cookies will hopefully measure up to past favorites.
Do lemon cookies conjure up an eating-frenzy comparable to one created by (for example) Thin Mints? If not, what flavor would you create if you could craft the next Girl Scout Cookie flavor? Leave your thoughts below!
Introducing! Savannah Smiles™ Lemon Cookies [Little Brownie Bakers]
Photo by: littlebrowniebakers.com
[tips for the food desk]
Occasionally Cake is for Lovers
Posted by Sally Traynham / Thursday, February 9th, 2012
February is all about feeding the heart. While the love-centric holiday that arrives every 14th is in the fore-front of most everyone’s mind, don’t forget to spread the love about American Heart Month.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in women. Its importance has led to the development of the Million Hearts Campaign, an initiative supported by the American Heart Association and launched by The Department of Health and Human Services to prevent heart disease and strokes over the next five years.
Feel good about indulging this Valentine’s Day by wearing red and visiting Occasionally Cake, an Alexandria cake boutique this Friday, Feb 10. Valentine’s Day themed goodies available to order (through Feb. 11) include Occasionally Cake’s: Valentine’s Day Love Cake, Jumbo Cupcake Box and Cake Truffle Box. By wearing red and purchasing your sweet this Friday, 10 percent of your purchase will be donated to the American Heart Association.
And to top it off, Occasionally Cake will hand you a free cupcake. Happy American Heart Month!
Can’t make it on Friday? Visit our online Valentine’s Day Guide or check out a few of our past blog posts (on Dessert Shops and Five New Ways to Food) for more ideas on how to indulge this Valentine’s Day.
Photo by: Occasionally Cake
[tips for food desk]
Amouri’s Perfect Pair: Smoke and Coffee
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Smoking has long helped develop flavor in meats and vegetables, but a bit of smoke also perks up a cup of coffee.
Local roaster Michael Amouri, owner of Caffe Amouri, cranks out caffeine in his Vienna shop. He just recently introduced my fiance to “The Cubano,” a smoked coffee.
Normally when roasting coffee beans, the machine’s exhaust vent remains open for the smoke to escape. But after chatting with a fellow roaster, Amouri started to experiment. ”I talked to a roaster in Florida who closed the exhaust vent for a short time to infuse the coffee oils into the beans,” says Amouri.
Now, the Vienna roaster closes the exhaust vent for 45 seconds while roasting his Indonesian Sumatra beans. The smoked beans create a coffee with an alluring depth of flavor. While it does’t necessarily taste or smell smokey, the coffee is surely more nuanced than what you’ll find brewing in the break room.
Photo by Stefanie Gans, smoked coffee steeping at NVM HQ.
[tips for the food desk / follow @JoeyHndz]
Meatless Love: Vegetarian Dining on Valentine’s Day
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Surprise! This is vegan.
Valentine’s Day means flowers, chocolate and a delicious dinner. In the years prior, I have celebrated the day of love by enjoying a juicy, grass-fed steak, cooked rare. But, this year is different; we are expecting our second child and eating a well-done steak (under-cooked meat is a no-no for pregnant women) is not on my bucket list.
Sure, I can eat chicken but I have consumed so much chicken in the past few months that I swear I can see feathers growing on my head. So, instead I chose to join vegetarians on a search for a romantic spot for meatless eaters.
Here is a list for the no-steak crowd:
In Paris: The Ashby Inn offers a $79 vegetarian and vegan four course fixed price menu which includes: smoked Brussels sprouts, parsnip purée, soy emulsion and honey crust.
In Falls Church: Sea Pearl Restaurant offers a la carte items, such as toasted pearl couscous, raisins, toasted almonds, chickpeas, preserved lemon and harrissa for $19.
In Clifton: Trummer’s on Main offers a $72 vegetarian three-course fixed-price menu which includes: Swiss chard and cannellini beans served with Parmesan broth, pine nuts and trumpet royale mushrooms.
[tips for the food desk]
Photo: Shutterstock
The Sound of Music: Melody Tavern’s Jazz and Blues
Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Hidden within the Eclipse Condo Complex on the edge of Crystal City, Melody Tavern, made its debut Friday as a live-music venue (after initially opening in 2011) offering premier jazz and blues and a menu of (mostly) American fare with a hint of creole.
During last Friday’s party celebrating its recently acquired live music permit, I was able to snag a high-top table among the reasonably crowded room. Between segments of Lena Seikaly’s soothing jazz set, I sampled simple skirt steak sliders, each topped with a scant helping of caramelized onions on a bun overwhelmed with butter on its exterior.
Luckily, crispy pieces of fried yucca overshadowed the overcooked beef. Unfortunately, an accompanying sauce was not provided for these perfectly golden nuggets.
Open late night for most of the week, Melody Tavern features plenty of seating with a bar that spans almost the length of the room, ensuring that you can see all of the entertainment in action.
Check out Melody Tavern’s line up for this weekend, which includes jazz and pop vocals, a New Orleans-style band and a jazz saxophonist.
Photo by: Sally Traynham
[tips for the food desk]