The Creperies at Montparnaase

I have a very bad impression of the Montparnasse area in Paris. You would think that for a metro station called "Montparnasse Bienvenue" meaning "Welcome Montparnasse" that you would actually fell very "bienvenue", uh but no. Last year when I took the train from Bordeaux to Gare de Montparnasse in Paris with my parents, the 3 of us were nearly pickpockted, and I mean each of us.

However, one will surely feel very "bienvenue" when one discovers the Creperie scene! Honestly who doesn't love crepes? Most of us know mainly crepes with nutella or banna. I personally love the savory crepes, which are called "galettes" even more. The batter of the galettes are made from buckwheat flour, instead of plain flour, and gives it more texture and taste to me. And frankly I like savory food better. It's hard to find galettes anywhere else in the world. For good crepes you can find in a lot of places, but Montparnasse is the place for the galettes!

If I am not mistaken, galettes come from the region of Brittany. Therefore you will often here les galettes de bretonnes. In the early days since trains from Brittany all arrive at Gare de Montparnasse, there were a lot of Bretons that settled in the area. So when you arrive at the Montparnasse Bienvenue metro, which is really big and ridiculous, go towards Blvd. Montparnasse, and then to Rue Montparnasse where you will find about 10 creperies on that road alone. The most famous one is the Creperie de Josselin, there is always a line, and some say that have the "best" galettes and crepes in the area. But it's always frun to check out some of the other ones around. And who seriously decides what the best galettes are anyways?

During lunch, many creperies offer a set menu including a galette, a sweet crepe and a cider for less than 10 Euros. And I guess cider is also a specialty from Brittany, because every creperie has then. Creperie de Josselin, however, being so popular doesn't need to offer a special menu, and since it had a line I decided to go elsewhere.

I settled at "Creperie St. Malo" which was offering a galette with egg, cheese, ham, and one extra item; a sugar or chocolate crepe, and cider or wine for 9.5 Euros.

There is something about eggs and cheese in a galette that appeals greatly to me. The galette was warm and tasty, and oh and a lot of butter was added to it, which makes it that much better! I was completely stuffed after eating another chocolate crepe.

I'll definitely return to the area again and try out another creperie!!! So Bienvenue a Montparnasse pour les galettes et crepes!

Table 21 at Volt Restaurant

Most people know about Volt restaurant due of the recent fame of head chef and owner Bryan Voltaggio's appearance on Bravo's reality show "Top Chef". I, along with a few of my friends, too am part of that crowd. Volt is situated in the town of Frederick in the state of Maryland. It is a cute and quiet location just an hour outside of Washington, DC. I have been there once before, however, it was only to dine at the $14 lunch special at the bar, since reservations have to be made 3 months in advance.

Volt is famous for its "Table 21". Which is a tasting of Chef Voltaggio's creation of 21 dishes, coming at a price of $121. Since I have never formally dined at Volt, I thought I would dry out my wallet and finally try out Table 21. I called the restaurant back in July looking to make a reservation for September. The host very politely informed me that reservations for 21 are booked until October of...2011!!! I was, however, able to get on the waiting list. Honestly, I never thought I'd get a call back.

I got a call one day about a cancellation on August 21st, and I jumped on board immediately! I had a total of 2 weeks to get mentally prepared for the most expensive and extravagant meal of my life.

The dinner took a total of 4 hours, with us walking out at around 12:30am. The menu was not presented to us before the courses, therefore, every dish that was brought out came as a surprise. I didn't feel overly stuffed, and left with a sense of great satisfaction. My friend and I both could not stop smiling during the dinner. It was the most unique culinary experience that I've ever had. Every dish was a work of art. Even the kitchen staff at work was like a well choreographed show.

Course 1: Nitro mint lemonade with crown royal and strawberry foam. All I can say is what a way to start the meal!

Course 2: Prosciutto Chips with potato dip. So simple yet sophisticated at the same time. One of my top favorites.

3: Celeriac macaroon with foie gras.


4:Yellow tuna tartare with cilantro, jasmine rice, soy, yuzu, and avocado. All the components of the dish came together so well, yet when tasted separately presented another side to each of the ingredients

5: Chilld yellow corn soup with crab salad and coconut. The coconut was the star of this dish. The texture caught me completely by surprise.























6: Heirloom tomato salad, olive oil sorbet, with the gazpacho in dippin' dots style! Talk about creativity. Who knew olive oil could make such great sorbet?


7: Butter poached lobster with lobster gnocchi and fennel. Lobster AND gnocchi together? what
could be better?


8: Cherry glen goat cheese ravioli with maitake mushrrom. Cardamom spiced air. Cherry glen goat cheese can be bought at the Takoma Park market.





9: Chicken parmesean with parmesean noodles. This was probably the only dish that I wasn't a fan of. The chicken was too dry, but the noodles made up for it.






10: Barramundi with Cauliflower puree.









11: Sockeye salmon pot au feu.

12: Skate with peas, corn gnocchi and summer truffle. This was probably my favorite dish all night long. It was the first time I've had skate, and the corn gnocchi made the perfect accompaniment.
13: Sweet bread with fennel, kalamata olives, caper, and lemon. I'll spare the details of what goes into a sweet bread, but the flavors will make you forget all about what goes into this dish.










14: Tuscarora farm beets with arugula, goat cheese, and balsamic glaze.







15: Pork belly mostarda, with cannellini beans and kumquat.






16: Border spring farm lamb tasting with ratatouille. The rack of lamb was a bit bland, the lamb shoulder was the star of this dish.






17: Beef strip loin with new potato, bacon and lobster mushroom.







18: Point Reyes blue cheese with apple and balsamic.






19: Goat cheese cake with blackberry and marcona almond. The only thing better than a cheese cake is one that's made with goat cheese. Yum! Loved how it wasn't overly sweet or heavy.





20: Meyer lemon tart with peach, basil, and lemon curd.








21: Textures of Chocolate: Dark Chocolate Ganache and Raw Organic Cocoa.





21 and a half: chocolates, candies, and macaroons. Just when you think the meal has ended, another comes out.











Lastly, a chocolate muffin to take home!!




Chef was nice enough to have a picture taken with us after the meal (he was doing this with many customers throughout the night even though he was clearly very busy in the kitchen.)



Needless to say Table 21 is a culinary experience all in its own category. 21 courses might seem overwhelming at first, yet, every dish came as a new excitement after another. However, if I ever return to Volt again, I would probably do a normal dinner. The tastings were magnificent, but it made me want just a bit more of everything!

Moule Frites at Granville Moore's

Who would've thought that a small country like Belgium would be famous for some of the best food items in the world like waffles, fries, mussles, chocolate, and of course beer!!! Granville Moore is one of the several Belgian restaurants in Washington, DC. Despite its convenient location in NE DC, there is always a line outside this small dive known for its mussels. This probably has to do with the publicity it got when it was featured on "The Throwdown with Bobby Flay", a show on the Food Network.

A friend suggested this place when a group of us wanted to take another friend out for her birthday dinner. We had agreed to meet up early at 5:45pm so that we won't have to wait too long for a table. Well, we didn't get in until about 7pm. The restaurant is small and has 2 floors, each with a bar. There are several appetizers on the menu, but everyone comes for one thing, their mussels, fries, and beer. Their beer list has over 60 different types of bottled beer from Belgium. There are 5 different mussel dishes, each priced at $16. The 3 of us ordered "Moules Maniere", which is flavored with white wine, herbs, and butter, and "Moules Navigateur", which has a red curry flavor to it. The meal of "moule frites" couldn't be complete, of course, without an order of fries which came with a choice of sauces in which we chose the truffle aioli.

The mussels were fresh and meaty, and the sauce tasted refreshing. Yet, I did came across 2 or 3 mussels that wasn't very fresh. I personally preferred the white wine sauce better because I was able to taste the natural sweetness of the mussels. The red curry sauce was too overpowering for a mussels dish. However, that doesn't mean I can't soak up all the delicious juices with the sides of bread. Mussels on its own aren't very filling as a dish, but after 3 plates of bread dipped in the yummy juice, I was stuffed. The fries were average, it was a bit soggy and greasy. The truffle aioli was the only thing that made it a tad better. I have yet to find a place in DC that can actually do fries the "Belgian way."
Granville Moore definitely could be a cool hang out place if it isn't so crowded. I was satisfied with my meal, but is it really worth the trek up to NE and an hour and a half wait? I'm going to have to say no.
Granville Moore is located at 1238 H Street NE, Washington, DC.

Lunch at the bar at 701 Restaurant

I love dining out, but at the same time, I can't afford to eat off the regular menu in the majority of the restaurants in DC, so I take full advantage when I know of a special lunch deal. Many fancy restaurants in DC offers deals if you dine at the bar/lounge area during lunch hour. This attracts many business people around the neighborhood or people like me who have nothing to do on a Tuesday afternoon. I have been to Proof a few times for their $12 lunch at the bar special. You get to pick a glass of red or white wine and an entree. A great deal given the quality of the food and wine. It also gives you an excuse to have a glass of wine at lunch!
After meeting a friend in Chinatown for coffee today, I decided to treat myself to lunch. I was close to walking into the doors of Proof, knowing that I would not be disappointed. However, at the very last minute I decided to be adventurous and try something different. So I walked a few blocksd own to Pennsylvania Avenue, into 701 Restaurant. The lunch special at 701 is similar to that of Proof. You get a glass of wine and an entree, but for $15. What 701 offers is a choice between the 3 white wines and 3 red wines, whereas Proof only offers one of each.
I asked for a tasting of the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc. The bartender was more than willing to let me try both. I usually like the full body character of Chardonnay, but in the end I decided on the Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc from Washington State. It had a light and crisp grapefruit flavor to it. The Chardonnay from Argentina had a bit of a cough medicine aftertaste which I didn't appreciate too much.
They had a great selection for entrees. It offered 2 pasta dishes, a burger, a grilled cheese, and a steak salad. I debated between the 2 pastas and decided on the Goat Cheese Cavatellis in the end. I have never had cavatellis before, and was excited to try it. The dish had a beautiful presentation. It was topped with artichokes, oyster mushrooms, broccoli, goat cheese, parmesean cheese, and a perfectly poached slow cooked egg. The sauce was made of white wine and butter and complemented well with the pasta and vegetables. The cavatellis had a doughy and chewy texture. The egg was soft with a runny yolk. I loved the way the egg was cooked, however, I felt like it was a bit out of place with the dish. My favorite by far was the generous portions of oyster mushrooms in the dish. While the dish was called "Goat Cheese Cavatellis", I found that there was actually more parmesean cheese than goat cheese. The dish was also a bit too greasy. After I scooped off my last piece of cavatellis, I found a pool of oil still lingering on the plate. The dish would've had more of a kick to it had I asked for hot pepper flakes to go with it. My selection of wine though ended up being a great pairing for te dish. It had enough taste to it yet didn't overpower the dish.
The service was great. The bartender was nice and chatty. He even poured me a little extra wine after I had finished my last sip.
I was really surprised to find how empty the bar was when I walked in at 1:30pm, but I wasn't complaining. It's not everyday that you can dine quietly and peacefully at one of the most touristy areas in DC.
I highly recommend 701's lunch at the bar for their selection of wine and entrees, the ambiance, great service and location. I will definitely go back to try some of their other entrees (and wine, of course!)

An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert

Being a food fanatic, travel freak, and a cultural explorer, it is only natural that I am a big fan of Anthony Bourdain (ok, and maybe even a bit of a crush!) I watch his show "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel religiously, and never get sick of the re-runs. I love his no bullshit attitude, and his willingness to try everything. Great food isn't just about gourmet cooking. Sometimes, a street cart stand or a night market stand can dish out better cooking than 5 star hotels. And I completely agree with him when he says that sometimes the best cuisine is just a nice home cooked meal. Man do I get jealous when I see that he gets invited to families in Sardinia, Turkey, Vietname, etc. If I had access to home cooking like that, I would never even think about dining out!

When I saw that "Tony" was coming to the Warner Theatre here in Washington, DC, I got tickets without hesitation. However, after I septn my $50, I really had no idea what exactly he would be doing during this "evening" event. Will he be cooking? Is like like a stand up comedy show? Will it be a show down between Bourdain and Ripert?

The evening turned out to be kind of a interact with the audience type of event. Bourdain and Ripert were on the stage on a couch along with a host. The first hour consist of the host asking both of them a series of questions., and the second half was a Q and A sesion with the audience. I knew what to expect out of Tony, he's a guy who speaks his mind and isn't afraid of offending anybody. He is very opinionated and has a great sense of humor. Now before this, I am ashamed to admit, I had no idea who Eric Ripert was. "He's going to be a judge on Top Chef!" one of my friends told me. OK great, but who is he? Turns out he's a seafood master who has a cooking show on PBS. Throughout the show you get a sense that he is a very diplomatic guy who doesn't like to criticize other people in font of the audience. Which is kind of ironic given that you kind of have to be critical to be a judge on Top Chef!

Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain are like day and night, and maybe that's why they had the two of them on stage at the same time. I can't really imagine 2 Tony's up there.

One thing I do have to note that from all of the talks that I been to with famous chefs, there was always an emphasis on the American farming industry. Of all people, top chefs in the world knows what quality ingredients are. Whether they agree with the practice itself is another story, but the taste of the meat, produce or whatever will always speak for itself.

Was the night worth $50? Probably not, but I had my laugh, and learned a great deal.

I am now currently reading Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential", which I highly recommend. It will change your perspective on dining out. A lot of stories I can actually relate to given that I currently work in a restaurant myself!