Tag Archives: Restaurant

Washington DC’s Next Restaurant Week from January 11th – 17th, 2010

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I’m excited.  Restaurant Week in the Washington DC area is coming up again and is running from January 11th to the 17th, in over 200 DC area restaurants.

Restaurant Week is when you can go to any of these restaurants and get a 3 course dinner for $35.10 or a 3 course lunch for $20.10.  This is a great opportunity to try something new or try something that may have been outside of your typical price range.

I know for me that all too often I just go out and eat all the same places. I eat the things that I know.  It’s easy to get sucked into a routine.  I love things like Restaurant Week because it gives you an excuse to try something new.  For example, I’m not a big red meat  & steak guy so we’re going to be using Restaurant Week to hit up Morton’s and get a BIG steak. :-D

Check out the article from the blog DC Foodies.  They have some great tips about how to get the most out of Restaurant Week.

The Hole in the Wall Places…

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No matter whether I’m here in Washington DC or I’m traveling, my favorite places to get food are those little hole in the wall type places that you probably initially question if you should be eating there but when you start eating you feel like you’ve discovered a small piece of heaven on earth.

These are the places where you can tell that the folks behind the counter have been probably been working there forever.  They’re masters at making the dish that they’re making it because they’ve been making it forever.

Last Friday, on our way out to Rochester, NY, my buddy John and I stopped at the Blue and White in Alexandria.  (Pictured above.)   It’s this tiny little shack with two doors and a counter.  Two get in the first door I had to duck because I’m too tall.  I gave the woman behind the counter my 2 dollars and 5 minutes later I had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’d ever had.

It’s a bummer that there isn’t a directory of these type of hole in the wall places.  These are never the places that you find a tour books.  If you visited NYC, you’d never know about this kind of place, unless you stumbled upon it or you had a really amazing taxi driver.

I guess it’s one thing that I hope for this blog.  As I travel around the counter (hopefully soon the world), I’ll tell you about all the different hole in the wall type places.

What’s your favorite hole in the wall?

Beef Carpaccio at La Tomate Italian Bistro

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Yesterday, I had dinner with my good friend John at La Tomate Italian Bistro in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC.  We were looking at the appetizer menu and decided to seize the day and try something that neither of us had had before, Beef Carpaccio.

Beef Carpaccio is very thinly sliced beef laid out on a plate.  Ours had olive oil and pesto sprinkled over it with a little bit of pasta in the center as a garnish.  It was delicious.  The texture of raw beef is really smooshy, which is not what you expect because you’re used to eating beef as a steak or in a burger.

According to Wikipedia, it was invented at a bar in Venice, Italy in 1950.

Now, I could have easily freaked out because it’s raw beef and not eaten it.  But I tried something new and I really enjoyed it.

Isn’t raw beef bad for you?  Why isn’t beef carpaccio bad for me?  This isn’t a question that I haven’t gotten answered yet.

I’d recommend that you try Beef Carpaccio.  Have you had it?  If not and you live in Washington, DC, check out La Tomate.  If not, find it or make it yourself.  Report back.

(Photo by Robert Paul Young)

Anthony Bourdain’s Best Selling Book “Kitchen Confidential”

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A few months ago on a whim, when I was surfing around the audio book mega store Audible.com, I found Anthony Bourdain’s best selling book “Kitchen Confidential.” I knew that I really enjoyed what I had seen of Anthony on television, mainly his Travel Channel Show No Reservations.   I also noticed that he read the audiobook himself, which I figured would make it extra interesting.

I gave the book a whirl and I was blown away.  This world renown chef gives you an unfiltered look at what life within the restaurant world looks like.   He tells you story after story about his experiences within the kitchen along with tips that he’s learned a long the way.  I find it fascinating.

Because Anthony reads the book himself and his voice brings SO much personality to what he says, I HIGHLY recommend that you get the audiobook.  Audible is a pretty solid deal for that.   If you’re not into audiobooks, pick it up on Amazon.