December 20, 2010
DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part III of III) Afternoon was transitioning to evening as we made our way through the historic Blues Alley en route to the fifth of six stops on the food tour. Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar is found on the bank of the canal, one block away from M Street. We were served two dishes at Sea Catch. The first (which is not pictured) was fried risotto-covered shrimp. While these were good, they were served in a paper cone, and didn’t make for a good picture. What’s pictured above is the traditional dish Oysters Rockefeller. We learned that the dish is called Rockefeller because the butter and cream sauce that’s served in the oyster shell - along with the oyster itself - is so rich. At the time the dish was first created, John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in the world. Thus, the inventor of the dish named it so. They’re really delicious, but they’re like cheesecake in their richness. I’m not sure any one could eat more than what’s pictured here. It would be fun to try, though. Our food tour came to a close as we entered Baked & Wired. Being allergic to tree nuts, I wasn’t able to try the almond bars, but everyone I was with said that they were delicious. The rectangle in the back is a house-made s’more. I thought that Oysters Rockefeller was rich, but this really took it to another level. The graham cracker crust was the best part in my opinion, but the not-“Jet Puffed”-ness of the marshmallow should not be overlooked. I think that if you were to eat more than one or two of these little squares, you’d get sick to your stomach in addition to gaining 12 pounds. Baked & Wired was a great way to end four hours of tasting many unique foods; and it sure beats the half-hour long line at Georgetown Cupcake. We also brought a couple cupcakes for a friend; and they, too, got rave reviews. I would highly suggest this place. Overall, the food tour was a cool experience because we got tastings at six very different places and learned a little history of each dish (and the area) along the way. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon…

DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part III of III)

Afternoon was transitioning to evening as we made our way through the historic Blues Alley en route to the fifth of six stops on the food tour. Sea Catch Restaurant & Raw Bar is found on the bank of the canal, one block away from M Street.

We were served two dishes at Sea Catch. The first (which is not pictured) was fried risotto-covered shrimp. While these were good, they were served in a paper cone, and didn’t make for a good picture. What’s pictured above is the traditional dish Oysters Rockefeller.

We learned that the dish is called Rockefeller because the butter and cream sauce that’s served in the oyster shell - along with the oyster itself - is so rich. At the time the dish was first created, John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in the world. Thus, the inventor of the dish named it so. They’re really delicious, but they’re like cheesecake in their richness. I’m not sure any one could eat more than what’s pictured here. It would be fun to try, though.

Our food tour came to a close as we entered Baked & Wired. Being allergic to tree nuts, I wasn’t able to try the almond bars, but everyone I was with said that they were delicious. The rectangle in the back is a house-made s’more. I thought that Oysters Rockefeller was rich, but this really took it to another level. The graham cracker crust was the best part in my opinion, but the not-“Jet Puffed”-ness of the marshmallow should not be overlooked. I think that if you were to eat more than one or two of these little squares, you’d get sick to your stomach in addition to gaining 12 pounds.

Baked & Wired was a great way to end four hours of tasting many unique foods; and it sure beats the half-hour long line at Georgetown Cupcake. We also brought a couple cupcakes for a friend; and they, too, got rave reviews. I would highly suggest this place.

Overall, the food tour was a cool experience because we got tastings at six very different places and learned a little history of each dish (and the area) along the way. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon…

1:21am
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: dessert food tour out to eat seafood washington dc food 
December 10, 2010
DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part II of III) Our third stop on the food tour (see the first two stops here) was Morso - A Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant on M Street. Having never had Turkish food before, I didn’t really no what to expect. But now that I know, I definitely want to go back. Our first plate held a cheese-stuffed pastry served with a chipotle mayo and a goat cheese stuffed date surrounded in air dried beef (called pastirma). Here’s a picture from Yelp of the dish. That stuffed date was probably my favorite bite of the entire day. The date practically melted in your mouth and the pastirma was amazing. It was like beef jerky taken to another level. Our second plate was a warm pita served with a roasted tomato hummus, this is what is picture above. Hummus is the one thing there that I actually previously knew about. I love the stuff. Some people can’t get over the texture, but I have no problem with it. When the farmer’s market is in town (or when I make a trip to the West Side Market), I always grab some hummus. It just so happens that tomato basil is my favorite flavor. Morso obviously did their research on me. From there we moved across the street to Dean & Deluca. It’s a food market that also has a large wine selection. We got to taste three cheeses (a blue cheese, a swiss style cheese, and a brie) while sampling a white wine. My family doesn’t drink that much wine (we make up for it in beer), so we learned some wine-related facts from the manager (Side note: It’s a good thing I’ve seen “Sideways” multiple times… otherwise I would have looked like a real idiot). We had a few minutes to look around the market; and that’s where I found this Iberico ham that is $99/pound. Iberico hams are large black-hoofed (Pata Negra) hogs from Spain and Portugal (Iberico = from the Iberian peninsula). According to our guide, they are fed only acorns for their adult life. And because of this, the meat has a nutty taste which is why some DC foodies are willing to put up $20 for a ham sandwich that they have to make at home. You learn something new every day…

DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part II of III)


Our third stop on the food tour (see the first two stops here) was Morso - A Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant on M Street. Having never had Turkish food before, I didn’t really no what to expect. But now that I know, I definitely want to go back.

Our first plate held a cheese-stuffed pastry served with a chipotle mayo and a goat cheese stuffed date surrounded in air dried beef (called pastirma). Here’s a picture from Yelp of the dish. That stuffed date was probably my favorite bite of the entire day. The date practically melted in your mouth and the pastirma was amazing. It was like beef jerky taken to another level.

Our second plate was a warm pita served with a roasted tomato hummus, this is what is picture above. Hummus is the one thing there that I actually previously knew about. I love the stuff. Some people can’t get over the texture, but I have no problem with it. When the farmer’s market is in town (or when I make a trip to the West Side Market), I always grab some hummus. It just so happens that tomato basil is my favorite flavor. Morso obviously did their research on me.

From there we moved across the street to Dean & Deluca. It’s a food market that also has a large wine selection. We got to taste three cheeses (a blue cheese, a swiss style cheese, and a brie) while sampling a white wine. My family doesn’t drink that much wine (we make up for it in beer), so we learned some wine-related facts from the manager (Side note: It’s a good thing I’ve seen “Sideways” multiple times… otherwise I would have looked like a real idiot).

We had a few minutes to look around the market; and that’s where I found this Iberico ham that is $99/pound. Iberico hams are large black-hoofed (Pata Negra) hogs from Spain and Portugal (Iberico = from the Iberian peninsula). According to our guide, they are fed only acorns for their adult life. And because of this, the meat has a nutty taste which is why some DC foodies are willing to put up $20 for a ham sandwich that they have to make at home. You learn something new every day…

4:09pm
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: food tour hummus out to eat washington dc food 
December 7, 2010
DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part I of III) About twice a year, my parents make the trip from North East Ohio to our nation’s capital to visit my oldest brother. I happened to be home from school for this trip, so I tagged along. A few weeks before the trip, my mom found a website that offers food tours for different neighborhoods around Washington DC. I think the other options included Capitol Hill and Dupont Circle; we chose Georgetown. Being a family that loves to eat - this was practically made for us. After meeting our tour guide, Ada, on the neighborhood’s main street, we learned a little history of the area before walking to our first destination. Fino is a small Italian restaurant with maybe 12 tables in it. When we sat down, they presented us with a ravioli trio. Without a doubt, this trio (which was actually made up of four ravioli) was probably the best ravioli I’ve ever had. The two small orange ones were pumpkin, which I immediately didn’t think I would enjoy. This proved largely incorrect, because it was actually my favorite out of the three different kinds. The spinach filled one was also very good, but it was the pesto sauce that made it delicious. And finally, there was the Portobello and Parmesan filled ravioli that was covered in a cream sauce. They were all very good, and I would gladly eat a plateful of any of them; but the pumpkin caught me off guard, so I have to hand it to them for that. From Fino, we moved to a European-influenced lounge Puro Cafe after stopping to see the oldest building in all of DC and a few other notable sites. We sampled the housemade lemonade (infused with ginger, sweetened by brown sugar) and one of their flatbreads. The pizza-like dish was covered with arugula, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Obviously I’m a fan of anything with prosciutto (almost Italy’s version of bacon) in it. This was no different. The flatbread was warm, and the arugula was peppery. This would be a good appetizer for almost any meal since it was so good and can be shared so easily. I wasn’t really a fan of the atmosphere within the cafe (which included techno in the background and a fashion show on the flatscreen), but the food was good, so I can’t complain.

DC Food Tour in Georgetown; Washington, DC (Part I of III)

About twice a year, my parents make the trip from North East Ohio to our nation’s capital to visit my oldest brother. I happened to be home from school for this trip, so I tagged along.

A few weeks before the trip, my mom found a website that offers food tours for different neighborhoods around Washington DC. I think the other options included Capitol Hill and Dupont Circle; we chose Georgetown. Being a family that loves to eat - this was practically made for us. After meeting our tour guide, Ada, on the neighborhood’s main street, we learned a little history of the area before walking to our first destination.

Fino is a small Italian restaurant with maybe 12 tables in it. When we sat down, they presented us with a ravioli trio. Without a doubt, this trio (which was actually made up of four ravioli) was probably the best ravioli I’ve ever had. The two small orange ones were pumpkin, which I immediately didn’t think I would enjoy. This proved largely incorrect, because it was actually my favorite out of the three different kinds.

The spinach filled one was also very good, but it was the pesto sauce that made it delicious. And finally, there was the Portobello and Parmesan filled ravioli that was covered in a cream sauce. They were all very good, and I would gladly eat a plateful of any of them; but the pumpkin caught me off guard, so I have to hand it to them for that.

From Fino, we moved to a European-influenced lounge Puro Cafe after stopping to see the oldest building in all of DC and a few other notable sites. We sampled the housemade lemonade (infused with ginger, sweetened by brown sugar) and one of their flatbreads. The pizza-like dish was covered with arugula, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Obviously I’m a fan of anything with prosciutto (almost Italy’s version of bacon) in it. This was no different. The flatbread was warm, and the arugula was peppery. This would be a good appetizer for almost any meal since it was so good and can be shared so easily. I wasn’t really a fan of the atmosphere within the cafe (which included techno in the background and a fashion show on the flatscreen), but the food was good, so I can’t complain.

9:23pm
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: food tour italian out to eat pasta pizza washington dc food cheese 
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