Tyson's Corner BGR

Running errands and getting our new master bedroom closet system designed and purchased from the Container Store in Tysons, we headed out for a quick bite while they were preparing our order for pickup. We went to BGR.

Cheeseburger with pepperjack cheese cooked medium with lettuce and tomato.

Amusingly my sesame bun was only seeded one side.

Mosaic District Matchbox Brunch

We have been working on our new house every weekend and finally took a break for a indulgent brunch and movie date. The hubs really wanted to see the X-Men movie and I particularly enjoy the atmosphere at the Angelika in Merrifield. What is great about the Matchbox restaurant next door is that the wait never has been as long as the Chinatown location. 

Bloody Mary #3 with cucumber and citrus salt.

Bloody Mary #6 with bacon and spicy rim.

The hubs ordered the huevos rancheros with a sunnyside up egg along with the beans and salsa.

They also offer a waffle side item.

I indulged in the crab benedict. Gorgeous crabcake wrapped with bacon with a side of home fries and frisee and poached egg. Unfortunately the poached egg was poached hard, but it was still delicious.

We had pretty good service and a really nice meal before heading in to the movie.

Mosaic District Red Apron Butcher

While at the Mosaic District, we stopped in the Red Apron Butcher to pick up a beautifully aged NY Strip steak. They also have a fantastic array of wine, and the two very reasonable bottles that I picked out were very good. One was a NZ sauvignon blanc and the other was an alvarinho from Portugal. They also have a nice small assortment of cheeses and farm fresh eggs. Of course I needed some eggs and a chunk of bleu.

The hubs grilled the steak over charcoal. 

We shared the steak with some endive and grapefruit and a light coleslaw salad with a bright vinaigrette dressing. 

Return to Soi 38

Following a farewell happy hour on an office rooftop, I joined my husband and his office mates for a late dinner after they finished giving a video conference briefing to colleagues overseas. Looking for something other than the regular Sichuan, we tried out Soi 38 for dinner. This was my second time and I had recently sent my husband there for a business lunch. Both my husband and his lunch guest were really pleasantly surprised by the menu and the dishes they shared. Since he had originally thought of going to Panache, my recommendation saved him from a boring business lunch.

Pineapple fried rice with shrimp.

Larb gai

Great appetizer to share with a few people. Love the lime and fish sauce flavors.

Piping hot tom yum soup that we shared in a theatrical presentation.

We also ordered the Gai Tod (fried chicken with two sauces), and gai lan (Chinese broccoli) side.

I Love Sandwiches.

The post's title pretty much says it all. I do. I love sandwiches, for breakfast, at lunchtime or for dinner. Here are two lovely renditions I've enjoyed recently.

Axian chicken cheesesteak with side salad.

Not wanting to push the gluttony button, I chose a salad instead of the thick steak fries.

Freshly made ham and cheese with butter on baguette sandwich from Paul.

District Taco M Street Takeout

My husband had to work late to check a video conference connect with his company's HQ across the world. He had been so busy working, he skipped lunch. Being a nice wife, I went out to pick up something for us to have for dinner before the connection check. Remembering how much we enjoyed the District Tacos we shared, I checked out the newer location on M Street.

Burrito Mojado with barbacoa (shredded beef).

This was a beast of a burrito, which is topped in a spicy sauce with cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

District Taco has a fantastic salsa bar that puts Baja Fresh to shame.

The ones that are labeled spicy are super fiery. 

The burrito is filled with a generous portion of rice and beans as well as the meat.

***

I ordered two sets of three tacos Mexican style (with onions and cilantro) on corn tortillas. The cashier kept looking at me and saying American style and then the completely wrong protein. She also never handed me a receipt. I knew something was funky when the total was quite a bit higher than I had expected. I had ordered three pollo asado (grilled chicken) tacos and three carne asada (grilled steak) tacos to share with the hubs. Each of the three tacos were wrapped individually and then wrapped together in sets of three.

The unexpected trio of al pastor tacos with pork, guajillo and pineapple

Carne Asada taco

Pollo Asado taco

Not pretty but very tasty.

***

Obviously this was way too much food. The hubs made it through the burrito and ate two tacos. I had one each of the three varieties and called it a day. The seasoning and heavy hand with the salt put me into a deep food coma as I struggled to say awake. Since they were in the other room chatting with Tokyo, I gave up and fell asleep. Two tacos may be my max. We took home the rest and they were a tasty breakfast the next morning.

Boqueria Business Dinner

We had a trio of visiting business guys from three other offices in my company, two in the U.S. plus Tokyo. After their first afternoon of business meetings, we headed out for dinner together in DC. Wanting to show them something different than the normal Sichuan or American restaurants, I chose a Spanish tapas place that I like. There was also a lot of tables outside so we could enjoy dining outside. Coincidentally there was the Ghana-U.S. World Cup game playing at the same time and the visitors could really get a feeling of World Cup fever.

We selected a trio of cheeses that came with some bread, olives, pan con tomate, grapes and dried fruit.

The manchego was a wee bit oily, but the goat cheese was lovely.

Sardines

Two orders of Spanish tortilla. Delightful.

Jamon Serrano with more pan con tomate, olives and slices of bread.

Gambas al ajillo

Super flavor, although a bit pricey for a tapa.

Bunuelos de Baccalo

My absolute favorite dish in tapas restaurants. The salted cod fish is super fluffy and the exterior was nice and crunchy.

Albondigas

To provide a bit of different flavor, we had some meatballs in a tomato sauce. Great flavor.

Grilled octopus with shaved fennel on a potato mixture.

Super dish with the octopus still nice and tender.

Grilled squid with frisee.

The calamari had a great smoky flavor and were nicely cooked.

Seafood Paella for two.

When Japanese businessmen have dinner and drinks, they tend to like to end the experience with either noodles, or rice. Lots of seafood topping crunch rice. A different rendition than the ones served at Jaleo or Taberna del Alabardero, but I enjoyed it. With the first round of beers and then three bottles of wine, our excursion was definitely on the pricey side, but it was a very different flavor, cuisine and atmosphere than they often end up experiencing in the U.S. We finished dinner right after the World Cup game was over and the exuberant fans spilled out into the streets, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Reinventing Leftovers

 Fortunately we were able to give half of the leftover Italian dishes away to be enjoyed by others. With the remaining leftovers, we were able to enjoy another couple of meals. While I enjoy eating leftovers, some times my husband gets a little bored eating the same thing two days in a row. Reinventing leftovers is easy.

Have leftover strawberries, mint and citrus fruit? Make a sparkling sangria.

Have leftover chicken cutlets and garlic bread? Add a bit of cheese and fresh tomatoes and sauce.

Have a few extra lasagna noodles and extra stuffing from the shells? Make a saucy lasagna.

Italian Dinner Party

We have hosted a number of dinner parties and gatherings in our new home since we moved in. I love the large kitchen, although it would be even better if all four of the gas burners would work. Even with only two working burners, I can do quite a lot. We received word that the wife of my husband's former boss would be visiting the DC area on her own. We offered to host her and his coworker's family for dinner at the new house. Wanting to give a taste of homecooking and typical American cuisine that could feed a large number of people, I decided to give Italian American a try. 

Endive spears with smoked trout dip.

I love endive and this makes a nice and light start to the meal.

Some fresh grapes and strawberries, two pasta dishes, breaded chicken cutlets and cauliflower salad with raisins, capers and parsley.

Spinach and mixed mushroom lasagna with a bechamel sauce.

Shells stuffed with ground turkey and ricotta in fresh tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese.

I also made a version with just a cheese mixture and basil, which was nice and light.

***

It was lovely to be able to spend a relaxed evening chatting and catching up with our guests. We wrapped up the leftovers and sent some home with my husband's coworker and her family. Her children enjoyed watching some videos and trying to get a glimpse of our shy cats.

Weekend BBQ Chicken Dinner with Friends

We're on a tear. This last weekend we invited over some long-time friends to see the new house and share a meal. Parents of a very active two year old, we haven't seen them in quite a while. I wanted to put together a fun menu of seasonal side dishes to go with a beer can charcoal grilled chicken. Unfortunately I didn't manage to take a photo of the very delicious chicken, which was perfectly smokey and cooked over indirect heat. Take my word, it was fantastic, with a nice cajun rub and a lemon half inside as well as the light beer. 

Antipasto Platter

I grilled the vegetables the night before: eggplant, red bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash, and mixed with olive oil, a little red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Along with sundried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, basil and two kinds of sliced salami, this was a bit messier than I had first envisioned.

 Gorgeous fresh mozzarella with vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil with a touch of olive oil. 

Summer on a plate.

 Coleslaw with carrots, red and green cabbage, scallions, red wine vinegar and olive oil. 

I prefer this lighter acidic coleslaw over heavily mayonnaise-based versions.

 Cantaloupe with prosciutto and blueberries.

 The most decadent potato salad

Potatoes with scallions, red onion. blue cheese, bacon and Japanese mayonnaise.

You need to try this, and you really need all the elements together.

My favorite summer salad.

Endive spears with orange segments, kalamata olives and red onion with a spritz of olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

District Taco

Some times the hubs and I end up at the same event during the day. This time we were over in the Metro Center area. On the walk back we stopped in District Taco to try out a couple tacos. We shared, so we both had a few bites of each. Wish we had one located closer to my office. 

Al Pastor with pineapple on corn tortillas.

Super saucy and fantastic flavor.

 Carne Asada with cilantro and onions on corn tortillas.

The hubs really liked this one with some of their delightful salsas from the salsa bar.

***

We also had a Pollo Asado, which was also very good. The photos do not do these little tacos justice. Three tacos and a bottle of water for less than $10 and we were both completely satisfied.

China Star Delivers

The first time we ordered from China Star for delivery was a revelation. So spicy and good. In the second and third time, we managed to not order the right mapo tofu and it has not been quite as delicious. But... they deliver, and for that, I'm very grateful.

Not Mapo Tofu.

Weird slightly sweet sauce with peas and carrots. 

Twice cooked pork with green peppers; snow peas; spicy chicken.

Dan Dan Noodles.

Mediterranean BBQ Party

We had our first big house party with seven people. I should have placed all of the platters and dishes in the kitchen so we could sit at the table, but this worked well enough as a buffet. We took our plates over to the sectional and watched some more Helen cooking videos and K-pop. With a vegan as well as a person allergic to shellfish in the mix, I decided to make the theme Mediterranean with some bbq skewers cooked on the charcoal grill by the hubs. It was a labor of love to cut all the fat off of the boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make chicken and onion kabobs, but the end result was worth it.

Chickpea salad with parsley, tomato, red onion and cucumber. Super light and refreshing.

Grapes; Tabbouleh made with quinoa; orange, kalamata olive and red onion salad; pita;

roasted cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts and parsley in a sherry vinaigrette dressing.

Couscous with raisins, toasted almonds and parsley with orange zest.

Baked falafel with tahini sauce.

Chicken and red onion kabobs.

The steak, bell pepper and onion kabobs in a red wine marinade was also super.