Category Archives: Buying Food

Getting Our First CSA

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I’m really excited. Lauren and I signed up for a CSA this summer.  We’re getting a half vegetable share.   We’re getting it through the Lancaster Fresh Farm Cooperative, which includes about 75 farmers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.   And… all the fresh food gets delivered right to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. :)

For those of you not familiar with a CSA, it standards for Community Supported Agriculture.  As an individual, you don’t buy a specific amount of any one fruit or vegetable.  You just pledge to support the local farm and they give you whatever it is that they have that’s fresh.  It’s awesome.

Our first shipment comes this week.  I’d love to start thinking about all the cool things that I want to cook with the veggies but I don’t even know what’s coming in this first shipment.  That’s part of the fun.

I’m really hoping there’ll be lots of veggies that I’ve never had before.  I hope it’ll stretch me to cook new things and think new ways.   It’ll be interesting to see how the food we get compares to getting something from the farmers market.

One of my favorite food writers Michael Ruhlman got his CSA last summer and wrote about his journey to find different and exciting things to cook with all the great food that he received.  Maybe I’ll do something similar with this blog.  I’ll definitely be using Michael’s blog as reference.

Have you guys ever had a CSA?  What’d ya think?  Any good resources for us?  Recipes that we should keep on hand?

(Photo by NatalieMaynor)

In Praise of Antonio’s

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It would take something special to post again on this oft-neglected piece of cyberspace. Justin and I have been busy, after all. In my case, working and new fathering have kept me from sampling DC’s finest or reflecting more on the absolute perfection of Hefeweizen (at least in written form).

But I am on vacation at my parents’ house in Orlando. Last night, my folks took care of our little one, while my wife and I found a new corner of restaurant heaven.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Orlando? The land of Disney and plastic culture? Isn’t Orlando the headquarters of all those big restaurant chains that push a bland uniformity into U.S. food culture? Isn’t Orlando cuisine nothing but overpriced tourist trap food?

Well, in part. But step away from International Drive. Go from the corporates to the foodies. Put down that expensive Disney Turkey leg. Next time you take the kids to Disney World and Universal Studios, be sure to drive over to Antonio’s Cafe & Deli in Maitland on 17-92. We did so, on my parents’ recommendation, and we tasted the best Italian food I’ve had in a long time.

Our romantic table in the liquor section.

Now, here is the charm. The Cafe & Deli, as you can see, is nestled within a mini Italian grocery and wine shop. We had a romantic little table in the liquor section. It may sound strange, but experience it, and you’ll find it creates a natural ambiance that most restaurants attempt to produce with funky decorations and weird lighting. We sat at our table and had two servers: A nice waitress who took our order, and their resident wine expert. The wine expert helped us select a bottle of wine from around the store (“we have an excellent wine list, and it’s all around us,” he joked), and was kind enough to open it and give us the “sniffy sniff sniff.” To go with our food, he selected a Dogajolo – 80% Chianti and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (“which gives it more complexity,” he said). Yum.

For an appetizer, we had the Topped Ciabatta – fresh Ciabatta bread, blanketed with Mozzarella and tomato sauce – fresh, delicious, opposite of canned. It was a generous appetizer to say the least – on another more budgeted night we may have gone with just appetizers and wine. But this was a rare date night for new parents. We were going the distance. (I should also mention that this was alongside some fantastic bread, fresh butter and olive oil that could have stood alone)

My wife ordered the pizza. Delightful, authentic crust, generous portions of prosciutto, red onions, sauce and spices that blend and flavor delightfully without dominating. As a real European, she has authority to say what she said afterwards. “Here in America, all the Italian food is Chicago-Italian or New York-Italian. It’s fine and everything, but it is hard to find Italian-Italian.” Antonio’s fit the bill. Yes, she’s from Germany. But as Texas has top-notch Mexican food, southern Germany is peppered with fantastic Italian restaurants. She knows what she’s talking about.

I had a hankering for some pasta and went with the Linguini Calabrese. Wonderful sausage, onion and that perfect tomato sauce, tossed lovingly into linguini noodles. The garlic was present but not overwhelming, and as far as I could tell, the ingredients were fresh. Excellence.

The portions were generous, and though good taste spurred us on, we couldn’t quite clear our plates. But our server corked our wine bottle and gave us boxes, and our movable feast would continue the next day.

We walked away from the restaurant with a sense of satisfaction I don’t often feel. We did not feel like we had a lake of grease cratered in our stomachs. We did not feel as if we couldn’t look at another garlic clove again. We strolled through the the shop, admiring the wine selection, fresh meats, cheeses and gelato. All the while, the full feeling in our bellies didn’t make us groan. It made us smile.

Bene.

New Kabob Shop in Dupont Circle

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Like most Americans, the right sort of marketing will get me in the door. Last week, I forgot my usual packed lunch and was wandering the Dupont Circle neighborhood when I came across the Sacrificial Lamb, a new kabob and pizza joint on 17th and R, NW. It’s a basement deal with only counter seating inside (though it has a handsome patio, which I’m sure will be useful in the spring), but my love for Kabobs, the affectionate dinginess of the place (any restaurant that doesn’t look like it has a team of marketing experts determine the design is a plus in my book – unless of course the marketing guys figured that out and are using my useless quest for authenticity against me) and the name (that’s where I’m a sucker) drew me like a magnet. I like the thought that the sheep used to make my Kabob was ritually sacrificed (though this caused no small amount of controversy in the New Testament). In any case, a sheep was sacrificed so that I would pay someone a small amount of money to enjoy a tasty sandwich.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, it would not surprise you that I my taste for Kebabs began in Germany. Germany has a significant Turkish minority, who wrapped Turkish meats and vegetables into flat-bread to serve as fast food to hungry Germans and other pale-skinned visitors. Doener Kebabs are available in any German town and train station, and, should you backpack Europe on a budget, they only cost 3 to 4 Euros (and as little as 1 Euro in the poor-but-sexy East).

According to the owner, the Sacrificial Lamb Kabobs are more South Asian – he described it as a hybrid of food you can find in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. (I believe he was from Pakistan) On my first visit, I ordered a Lamb Kabob and fries. The Kebab was delicious – more saucy and less spicy than its Turkish-German cousin. The meat was good, and the vegetables were not immaculate, but the whole combo was stupendous. I regret that I ordered a side of fries – these were no better than the fries in the back of your freezer and their more South Asian sides looked more appealing – particularly the spinach. Before I left, my host let me try the butter chicken, which was their opening special. Delicious – the chicken is wrapped in this tasty, tangy, slightly-spicy red sauce with none of the fried, high-fructose sweetness that you’ll find on the end of a toothpick in a shopping mall.

The butter chicken is exactly what I bought when I went back yesterday, this time with a side of spinach, rise and chickpeas. A tasty treat in a Styrofoam tray. It was still on special, which meant the whole thing was around about $6.75 – just under $10 when you throw in a diet Snapple plus tax. Non-special meals run about $10 on their own. As the name implies, they do have pizza there, which you can get cheaply by the slice, but frankly, like the fries, it did not look special or appetizing. I say, drop by, and see for yourself – but stick with the South Asian specialties. I may “forget” my lunch more often.

(PS: The owner is looking to rent a parking space in Dupont Circle – if anyone reading could help him out, give him a call at 202/797-2736. Order yourself some butter chicken, while you are at it)

Wine Library’s Secret Packs Are Great For Gatherings!

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Another tradition that we’ve started for Thanksgiving is getting the Wine Library Thanksgiving Secret Pack of 4 wines and having a little wine tasting with a video from Gary Vaynerchuk.

How it works is that you order this pack of 4 wines from Wine Library.  You don’t know what you’re getting but you know it’s been hand-picked by Gary.  You know the value of the pack is more than what you’re paying for it.  Plus the shipping is free, which is pretty great.

On Thanksgiving day, you start the video, pour the wines, and have fun drinking a long with Gary.

It really is a fantastic way to enjoy a bunch of different wine with friends.  You have someone who’s an expert who’s walking you through it all, whom also has some personality and will make what you’re drinking accessible to everyone who’s sitting at the table.

The key is you have to watch the show, Wine Library TV, to know when the secret packs are coming out. Here’s the Thanksgiving Show that we watched together after eating the big meal:

Why Does Subway Not Understand Ripe Tomatoes?

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Friends, I need to get something off my chest.  It’s something that’s been bothering me for a while.

There are nights where I’m just a BIG fan of grabbing a sandwich at Subway.  When it’s late and I don’t feel like cooking, it’s so easy to walk the block and pick something up.  It’s cheap too.

But… SOOOOO often, when I go into Subway and ask for tomatoes on my sandwich, I start to shudder at the thought that they’re about to serve me a sandwich with an unripe tomato.  I usually just grin and bear it because I don’t want to be the guy who’s like, “Yes that one… no not that one… that one.”

It just BUGS me.  How hard is it to understand that unripe tomatoes taste like crap?

It’s just funny because I’m reading this book about the history of In-n-Out.  They talk about In-n-Out’s commitment to quality and how they’d only use the ripest tomatoes.  Even on top of that, they’d only used the slices in the middle of the tomato because those tasted the best.  That’s dedication to quality.

Hmm… Yeah so this is just a major pet peeve of mine.

Do you guys have any major pet peeves when it comes to food service?

(Photo by Jetalone)

As Gourmet Magazine Gets Cut, Gary Vaynerchuk Expands His Online Food Empire

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Yesterday, we saw an interesting confluence of events.  We’re seeing the decline of the high cost print media business and the ever quickening move to go online.  And this isn’t just a media vertical.  It’s the food media.

Condé Nast has announced that they plan on closing down Gourmet Magazine.   I never read it but after over 60 years in production, Gourmet Magazine has definitely achieved a certain level of status within the food world.

I can imagine that it’s incredibly expensive to run a print magazine and that advertisers aren’t just bringing in the same level of cash that they used to.  It definitely leaves a massive opportunity for the online world.

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV fame enters stage right and has expanded his online food empire.

Yesterday, he launched two new Web sites, CinderellaWine.com and GourmetLibrary.com.  CinderellaWine.com is going to be a place where you can get one new HOT wine deal everyday.  It will run from midnight to midnight.  GourmetLibrary.com will be just like WineLibrary.com but with all kinds of gourmet foods.

Granted one is food content and one is food sales but it feels like it shows to what extent print is really struggling to find its footing in this new world and how online is really a growth market.

What do you think?  Did you read Gourmet Magazine?  Will you make a purchase from Cinderella Wine or Gourmet Library?

Gourmet Library Home.png by thorpus on Aviary

Cinderella Wine - Ridiculously low prices for 24 hours only..png by thorpus on Aviary

McDonald’s Coupons

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For all of my complaints about American shoddiness, I do visit the local McDonald’s more often than I care to admit. The reason is simple: coupon. In this economy, one can never save enough money, and “Mickey D’s” is one of the more recession-proof American institutions. The coupons are decent too. It’s not like some of the clothes coupons we get in the mail. “Buy 5 pairs of jeans, get one free,” or such similar salutes to the excess that got us into this mess in the first place. The coupon booklets we get in the mail once per month are good deals and get the thrifty eater in the front door.

Speaking of excess, Septembers coupon booklet promotes the new 1/3 pound Angus burger. You probably have not missed the advertisements that say “please to meat you” and remind us that “bigger is better.” The promotion implies that blue-collar McDonald’s is serving patties that compete with your favorite local burger dives. I was skeptical, but I also had a coupon.

If I am going to give my body for unhealthy, pant-size-increasing food, the taste should be worth the sacrifice. I’m even  willing to try deep-fried butter or chocolate-covered bacon for the sake of novelty. But there was nothing novel about my 1/3 pound Angus burger from McDonald’s, even the one with bacon. It tastes any other McDonald’s burger, which ain’t worth the heart-attack. If you want a burger with a taste larger than the side effects, come on down to Capitol Hill and visit Good Stuff Eatery. If you want to save money by eating at Mickey D’s, I recommending a grilled chicken snack wrap. They are cheap, filling and good tasting. Moreover, you won’t feel like a bucket of grease was dumped in your stomach afterwards. There’s no earthly reason to buy a 1/3 pound Angus burger from McDonald’s. Unless, of course, you have a coupon.

Heirloom Tomatoes – Those Crazy Looking Tomatoes

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On Saturday, I was walking through Washington DC’s famous fresh/farmers market Eastern Market.  I got excited when I noticed that one of the produce stands was setting heirloom tomatoes.

Ever see those multi-color crazy looking tomatoes?  Those are probably heirloom tomatoes.

So what’s an heirloom tomoato?  According to TomatoFest.com, it’s “a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of it’s valued characteristics.”

You can find all kinds of heirloom tomatoes.  One of the most common is Brandywine Heirloom tomatoes.  It’s a variety that can be traced back as far as the 1800s. It’s a varietal that’s prized by food gourmets for its great flavor.

So… I came how and diced up a bunch of the different heirloom tomatoes.  I tossed them with some diced pancetta and balsamic vinegar.  It was delicious.

Heirloom tomatoes definitely look different and I could have easily passed by them.  I didn’t and I’m happy.

Have you had an heirloom tomato before?  What do you think?

(Photo by luvjnx)