Posts Tagged ‘food’
Palates Behind the Plate: William Walden of Goodstone Inn & Estate
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Thursday, May 10th, 2012
Photo courtesy of FREED PHOTO
A series dedicated to the palates behind NVM’s 2011 Fifty Best Restaurants. We know what they serve, but what do they eat?
Restaurant: Goodstone Inn & Estate
2011 Rank: #10
Executive Chef: William Walden
NoVA’s best dish:
The best dish I’ve eaten in a non-chain restaurant was a “Dragon Roll,” compliments of AOBA Sushi in Sterling. Delicious!
Never would I ever eat:
I love everything under the sun! No dislikes!
After work grub:
I snack on yogurt and granola with wild flower honey, as I want my figure back!
At home cooking:
I made lasagna last Tuesday for my seven year old little prince, upon his request, using only San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil.
Burger, burrito or bahn mì:
I would choose bahn mi as I like Vietnamese food and that sandwich.
For Your Momma: Breakfast in Bed for Mother’s Day
Posted by Sally Traynham / Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
joingate/Shutterstock
Turn the house into a cozy bed and breakfast, perfect for treating you mom to a special morning of relaxation. Here are some easy, no-mess recipes that will win over any mom—and are ideal for in-bed eating.
Drinks
Blueberry Soda[food network]
Iced Caramel Macchiato [tasty kitchen]
Ginger and Honey Iced Tea [real simple]
Pastries/Sweets
Banana scones with Whipped Honey Butter [raspberri cupcakes]
Berries with Citrus and Vanilla Mascarpone [sundaysuppers]
Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffins [browneyedbaker]
Savory Mains Read the rest of this entry »
Bacon, Egg and Arugula Pizza [the year in food]
For Your Momma: Edible Gifts for Mother’s Day
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Flowers are great and all, but what can’t be eaten isn’t really worth it, right? Here are some edible gift ideas for mom on Mother’s Day.
Ayrshire Farms, for charcuterie, cheese, herbs, jam and jellie gift baskets and more.
Mom’s Apple Pie Company, for rhubarb pies, macarons, sunflower crunch bread and more.
Cupcakes Actually, for a 4 pack of flower cupcakes.
Rumored Creations, for customized gourmet gift baskets.
Karin’s Florist, for chocolate, gluten free, kosher gift baskets and more.
Edible Arrangements, for chocolate covered fruit arrangements.
Chicken Chatter: The Most Extreme Comments from the Arlington Urban Farming Debate
Posted by Sally Traynham / Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Mark Lorch/Shutterstock
After months of discussion, the backyard chicken debate is on hold.
In January, Arlington County Board’s new vice chair, Walter Tejada, announced his focus for the year: creating sustainable and affordable food options, including the possibility of changing zoning ordinances allowing backyard chickens. Currently, Arlington’s code states that residents can raise poultry on residential property only if the hen house is located 100 feet from the lot-line in each direction. In densely packed Arlington, very few residential lots offer this much space.
There are interest groups sprouting up on each side of the urban-meets-farm discussion.
And after a recent meeting, the Arlington County Civic Federation tabled the chicken debate for another month. Jim Pebley of the Waycroft-Woodlawn Civic Association and Ed Fendley of the Arlington Egg Project debated the issue, but now it’s reached the world of nasty online comments. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting/opposing/angry/ugly/funny comments from the readers of ARLnow.com
Want more background info? Check out our past coverage about the backyard hen debate and the opposing points-of-view.
Pro-Chicken:
E2DAV says:
I am assuming Jim Pebley has never been around chickens…they smell no more than dog waste. It’s not like anyone is proposing a factory chicken farm…And, only a true suburbanite would think Arlington will get louder because a handful of chickens are around.
Zoning Victim says:
I was around farms where people raised most kinds of livestock (cows, pigs, goats, chickens and sheep) for their own food for most of my childhood, including living on one for years. None of them have ever smelled for blocks or even five yards. Giant farms can be smelled from a long way away; a few chickens don’t smell at all unless you lock yourself in the chicken coop. Since you’re deathly afraid of sickening the masses, I assume you wouldn’t do that to yourself…If you have to make up a bunch of inane garbage and call it fact to make a point, you never had one in the first place.
Anti-Chicken:
Elmer says: Read the rest of this entry »
This illustrates why the chicken proposal is not a good idea. If we can’t trust dog owners to be responsible enough to pick up and properly dispose of their dog poop, why compound the public “pooper problem” by trusting chicken owners to properly remove and dispose of their chicken poop?
For Your Momma: Hire a Personal Chef for Mother’s Day
Posted by Joey Hernandez / Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
mangostock/Shutterstock
My Mother’s Day wish is a day of rest. Mother’s Day celebrates our ability to cook dinner, drive the kids to soccer practice, work a full time job, do the laundry, pick up groceries, drop off prescriptions, bake brownies for the bake sale, read stories and generally, make life work. Looking to show your appreciation to mom? Don’t make her do any of that, especially the cooking.
Pamper mom and hire a private chef to come cook in your home. Not only will this be a great way to show your appreciation for mom but the family will all get to enjoy a great meal without having to do the cooking or the dishes. Here are some local options:
The Custom Kosher Personal Chef, for kosher
The Palate Pleasers, for vegan and vegetarian
Chef Paul Cooks, for American cuisine
Chef Bernard, for French cuisine
Cuisine on Demand, for Spanish cuisine with a modern flare
Food for Love, for American, Seafood and Italian cuisine
From Fancy French to BOGO: 2941 Offers Lunch Special
Posted by Sally Traynham / Monday, May 7th, 2012
Photo by Stefanie Gans
Back in January 2941 relaunched with an upper-scale, a la carte Mediterranean menu. Chef Bertrand Chemel blames the decline of diners to the downward economy, of course, as well as the crippling construction on 495. Set in an office park, 2941 relies on drivers instead of foot traffic making it a frustrated experience to get to the Falls Church restaurant.
Now five month’s after the remodel, 2941 couldn’t be any further than its former persona of fine-dining and haute French cuisine with its recent BOGO (buy one lunch entree, get one entree free) coupon in the Sun Gazette.
Because 2941 “switched from [primarily] a destination restaurant to a neighborhood restaurant…the BOGO deal is a progressive marketing piece,” explains Jonathan Schuyler, manager and sommelier at 2941. “We’d thought we’d reintroduce ourselves, get the people who haven’t seen us before, be able to come in and take a sneak peak.” Previous promotions since the renovations have included half-priced wines and half-price burgers at the bar during March Madness.
Read the rest of this entry »
Inside Look: Tuesday’s Crystal City FRESHFARMS Farmers Market
Posted by Sally Traynham / Monday, May 7th, 2012
Bigger is not always better. Crystal City FRESHFARMS Farmers Market is the perfect example of an intimate market with the perfect balance of vendors.
Last Tuesday at 3 p.m. I rang the bell alongside other market staff members to kick off the 2012 season opening day. While walking through the producer-only market, that’s snuggled on Crystal Drive, I got the low-down on each vendor and swung by the Chef at Market’s tasting table featuring a gazpacho by Jaleo’s chef Drew Terp.
Beyond the beautiful produce—I didn’t know know radishes could look mouth-watering—and the wafting smell of freshly popped popcorn, here are five interesting insider notes about the Crystal City FRESHFARMS Farmers Market that I learned along my two-block tour:
1. The two new vendors this year are: The Farm at Sunnyside (the market’s organic farm offering up beautiful produce) and Capital Kettle Corn (who dish up freshly popped corn with flavors ranging from Ethiopian and old bay to spicy hot chocolate).
2. This market takes “green” to a whole new level. Last years’ signs and banners are saved and recycled into re-usable and retro grocery bags that are given out to market goers (see picture below).
Read the rest of this entry »
Cinco De Mayo: Tequila-Infused Menu
Posted by Sally Traynham / Friday, May 4th, 2012
Igor Normann/Shutterstock
May brings the crazed excitement of Cinco De Mayo with the inevitable hangover after a night of bar hopping. This year, get your tequila fix through flavors of this tequila-infused menu. (Trust me, you’ll thank yourself in the morning.)
Queso Fundido al Tequila from Rick Bayless [food and wine]
Mussels with Tomatoes, Jalepeno and Tequila from Susan Baker [bon appetit]
Tequila-Lime Chicken from Ina Garten [food network]
Grilled Tequila Garlic Lime Flank Steak from Guy Fieri [food network]
Read the rest of this entry »
Lick Your Screen: Italian Nachos Edition
Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
When I walked into The Don’s Wood-Fired Pizza last night for dinner, a piece of pizza was my only intention. But when “Italian Nachos” caught my eye on the menu, how could i resist? I’ve had chili nachos, Irish nachos, and now it was time to add Italian nachos to that list. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would there be chips? Would there be cheese drizzled across my nachos? These nachos came deconstructed: a heaping pile of pizza dough freshly baked into perfect flatbread with plenty of oregano, garlic and Parmesan sprinkled on top and served with a side of spicy melted cheese with a pinch of peppers folded in. Delicious.
Are there any other types of nachos to try in NoVA?
Italian Nachos | The Don’s Wood-Fired Pizza | Sterling
Photo by Bekah Lowe
[Do you have a lick-worthy photo? Send it in: food desk / follow @bekahlowe]
FRESHFARM Markets Welcomes Ballston Farmers Market into the Family
Posted by Sally Traynham / Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
For all NoVinians who feared that Ballston Farmers Market was no longer in action, FRESHFARM Markets is teaming up with the Ballston Business Improvement Distrcit (BBID) to debut the market on June 21.
The BBID’s desire for a fresh approach in combination with FRESHFARM’s success with other area markets (such as their Crystal City location) makes this partnership an ideal fit. Enthusiastic about the new addition, Bernadine Prince, co-executive director of FRESHFARM Markets, talks about how much she likes the location.
Ballston, says Prince, is “a neighborhood with a good mix of residential, retail and non-profits and near the metro.” To keep the regulars, Prince recommends keeping the Thursday afternoon (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) time slot.
While most area farmers markets open in May, FRESHFARMS is taking its time to roll out the renewed market, making this the 11th on its roster. Because of the brand-new partnership FRESHFARMS requires an extra two months to recruit all of the farmers and producers. Prince estimates the market as having 10-15 farmers and producers, and remains optimistic about the project, saying we’ll “see how the first year goes.”
“Because it’s a tough growing season [due to the mild winter and temperatures warming so soon], it is better to err on the smaller side to make sure the market looks robust,” explains Prince whose main goal is to make sure that vendors and customers are happy with fresh, local goods.
Photo: Sally Traynham
[tips for the food desk]