Phillips Head (a fancy screwdriver)

Every time I watch Mad Men I get the overwhelming desire to pour a stiff cocktail and drink along with the guys of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. It is an odd feeling when a show makes you want to do something other than watch it, I guess that's how tween girls feel when they watch High School Musical. The Mad Men usually drink something 'brown' and warm. I wasn't feeling that so I had my bartender whip me up a rum drink. Her concoction was very tasty, but had I ordered it on the show, Don Draper would have thrown me out of the meeting.

In an 8 oz glass

1.5-2 shots Bacardi white rum
Trader Joe's Organic Orange Strawberry Banana Juice.
Splash of cranberry juice
ice

Mix well and serve with an orange wedge, a straw, a little umbrella, and your man card. Sorry Don.

Weekend trip to Eastern Market

Megan's brother was in town and we took him to Eastern Market. I just got an iPhone through work, so i took some pictures considering it was the first time I ever really had a camera. Thanks uncle D!

A good representation of the August offerings at the market from a farm in Southern Maryland.

Lunchtime Farmers Market Trip

Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is a quick and easy crowd pleaser, just like your.....

1 carton of grape or cherry tomatoes (preferably a diversity of colors from your garden or a farmers market)
1 package of fresh mozzarella balls (the kind packaged in liquid, small balls are better)
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Course salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Olive oil to coat

Mix everything together, put it on a plate and serve with some forks.

Chocolate Cake Takes the Cake

Dom DeLuise's Death by Chocolate Cake

Chuck's brother was visiting for the weekend, so I decided to make a tried-and-true dessert for him. Although this was the first time I personally have made this cake, it has been a favorite in the family for years. I used to request this cake from my mother for my birthday, and she was kind enough to ship me the cake when I moved to our nation's capitol. This cake is baked in a Bundt pan, which you can purchase for $15-20 at any store that has baking supplies (just go to Target). If you entertain often, this pan is definitely worth the purchase.

Zentan: Restaurant Week Elimination Challenge

The third leg of TWSF’s Restaurant Week tour brings us to Zentan, a DC hotspot serving up ‘global Asian cuisine.’ Zentan is in our hood, we walk past it regularly and are  intrigued every time we stop and read the menu. However, the prices  ($9 for a California roll) have kept us at bay, but Zentan's condensed Restaurant Week Menu provides the perfect excuse to indulge in this local eatery.

Zentan is owned by Toronto based (Hong Kong born) chef Susur Lee. In this modern day of restauranting we have been conditioned, for better or worse, to believe a chef isn’t any good unless he has been on TV.  Mr. Lee definitely has that notch on his resume. He tied Booby Flay in Iron Chef Bacon (mmm bacon) and was runner up on season  two of Top Chef: Masters. Being a famous chef is very time consuming so Lee entrusts the daily operations of Zenten to chef Jaime Montes De Oca. Who knows, one day this young chef may be the one cooking in living rooms across the country on Top Chef, but for now lets hope hes ready for his first Elimination Challenge, with special guest judge TWSF.

Victory Garden: fried green euthanasia

Its been a while since the last victory garden update and lots happened since I decided to stick it to the man and grow my own small urban garden back in March. I've planted tomato seeds, nurtured them through adolescence (Megan did a lot of watering), I played the role of a bee and preformed pollination duties (I was a gentle, considerate lover), we've eaten the fruits of their labor and recently I was forced to play the role of Jack Kevorkian and euthanize them.

We had 6 full grown tomato plants that sadly could not make the big move with us into DC and needed to be put down. I felt like the kid from Old Yeller as I preformed their final transplant from their pots to the garbage can. I had only ever cried once before because of a plant and that was in 3rd grade when I got poison ivy. This traumatic act left me with a surplus of guilt, sadness, regret and unripened tomatoes. It was a difficult time, but you know the old saying, when life gives you green tomatoes, make fried green tomatoes.

Oya

Oya - Photo from DC City Blog

For my second DC Restaurant Week meal, I ventured to Oya Restaurant and Bar to catch up with a couple of friends I studied abroad with (we have shared food moments all over Europe). At first sight, Oya definitely looked REALLY cool! The restaurant furniture and accessories are mostly white, glammed up with waterfalls, chandeliers, you get the picture. Our table was ready immediately, and hot mini rolls were on our table in a matter of minutes. 

I was really torn whether or not to go with the restaurant week menu. It had so many good options, but I mostly wanted to try their sushi and short ribs, after seeing so many good reviews about both online. However, I keep my promises and we promised you restaurant week reviews. So back to the restaurant week menu...

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

As if running a blog wasn't challenging enough, TWSF has taken on an additional culinary commitment. Recently we have fallen into the habit of cooking the same things over and over again, it can be hard to decide on dinner when the two cooks are open to anything. While perusing the internet, we stumbled across The Daring Kitchen, a blog that requires cooks and bakers to take on monthly challenges and share their stories. Like a tasting menu, it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and try a dish you normally wouldn't.  We thought this would be fun, and signed up (you actually need to apply for membership). Our first Daring Cooks challenge was the Pierogi. I was extremely excited because pierogi played a big part in college culinary experience (ie late night munchies). Back then cooking usually involved heating up something frozen, and after a night out my roommates and I often turned to the pierogi. Daring Cooks required us to make a pierogi from scratch, it may be a little more work than those college late nights, but we were looking for a challenge....

Café du Parc

Pan Seared Scallops with Fresh Tagliatelles and Wild Mushrooms Sauce

Last night the girls and I enjoyed our first restaurant week meal at Café du Parc in downtown DC. This restaurant resides within the luxurious and historic Willard InterContinental Hotel (established 1818). Café du Parc's restaurant consultant, Chef Antoine Westermann, recently appointed Chef de Cuisine Arnaud Perreau to serve up classy French cuisine in this elegant, yet casual atmosphere.

All of us chose to partake in Café du Parc's Restaurant Week Menu, quite a steal for fine French at $35.10. I was pretty excited for my meal, so I found the restaurant week menu online and carefully chose my appetizer, dinner, and dessert before I even walked into the restaurant. I know this might take the fun out of it, but I enjoy reading reviews of the food from a restaurant I'm about to eat at, because it everyone says the apple tart is "to die for", it probably is and I want to make sure I order it. There actually weren't many options on this menu, but the restaurant did offer it's full menu for those who did not want to enjoy the restaurant week sampling.

Restaurant Week

It’s that time of year again. Another one of nature’s late summer traditions has come to pass. A natural wonder on par with the arrival of the jelly fish or the sea turtle’s mass egg laying. I’m talking of course about restaurant week, a time where restaurateurs across the country simultaneously offer special prices in an attempt to lure business during the slow dog days of August.

Many of the top restaurants in major metropolitan areas will be offering $35 three course dinners and $20 three course lunches ($24 if you live in NYC) this week and next. Restaurant week is great because it gives you an opportunity to eat at a fancy restaurant without paying fancy prices. Granted most restaurant week menus are usually limited in selection (they’re not going to offer the full menu for 35 bucks). TWSF may have overdone it this time around and booked reservations at Cafe Du Parc, Oya, Zentan and Oyamel as well as Amada in Philly. We are officially putting ourselves on the hook for a review of each of these places. If we can do all that, you don’t have an excuse for letting this yearly tradition pass you by. Check out these links for details:

DC restaurant week participants
Washingtonion Magazine’s top 100 restaurants

Philadelphia restaurant week participants (not until September)
Philadelphia Magazine’s 50 best restaurants

NYC restaurant week participants
New York Magazine’s Best of 2010

Boston restaurant week participants
Boston Magazines Best of 2010

and here is a link for those of you who do not live on the Eastern Seaboard

Frozen PB&J, solving the lunch preparation time constraint paradox

Of all the food related annoyances in life, paying $8 for a lousy sandwich from some national chain during your lunch break ranks near the top. Of course this issue is easily resolved by making your own lunch. But there is one thing that I (and much of America) hate more than paying for a bad lunch: missing out on beauty sleep. The decision between hitting the snooze button or dragging myself into the kitchen rarely falls on the side of food preparation. As a result I usually do not have the time to assemble something for lunch. Thankfully the food scientists at TWSF have developed a perfect solution to the lunch preparation time constraint paradox. The frozen PB&J.

Tony Cheng's - DC Chinatown

Beef Szechuan style

While on an evening stroll through the new neighborhood, TWSF ended up wandering to DC's Chinatown. For a country with a population of over 1.3 billion and climbing they sure do lack a presence in downtown DC. The Chinese restaurants and shops usually associated with a proper Chinatown are scattered over one city block adjacent to Verizon Center. Western chains are slowly squeezing out traditional Chinese establishments (they just opened a Vapianos for Petes sake). Despite its small scale, D.C.'s Chinatown is a still a fun place to visit and offers some classic Chinese food.

Good Visitors Bring Baked Goods

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Our friend Carmela came into town for the weekend and brought some baked goods with her. Carmela is quite the cook and baker herself, so I knew she wouldn't disappoint. To satisfy all cravings, she brought Blueberry Crumb Bars AND Espresso Brownies. Seriously, what did we do to deserve this? The crumb bars could serve as a breakfast or dessert, showcasing this season's blueberries. The espresso bars were fudgy and dense, perfect for my chocolate cravings. Not only did she bring the goods, but she brought the pictures as well. 

Zucchini and a New Kitchen

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! No we haven’t come down with a two week case of writers block and we didn’t burn down our kitchens. TWSF has been very busy moving to downtown DC, and as many of you may know, moving can involve a surplus of premade meals and mediocre eating out, a shortage of blogging time (‘cause we wouldn’t dream of blogging at work) and most annoyingly a lack of wireless Internet, thanks a lot Comcast.  It also took us awhile to get the kitchen in order (Chuck’s note: It’s still not in order). Anyways, we are moved, unpacked, and ready to cook!