Dinner at les Petits Plats, where les plats aren't really that petit!

This past weekend, I had my first visitor since my arrival in Paris.  My friend, whom I haven't seen in a year and a half came for a quick visit from Boston.  We both LOVE food and wine, so I really had to make sure I made reservations at some impressive restaurants.
This was also a chance for me to dine a bit more fancily at dinner.  Normally I only dine out at lunch as it is cheaper and not as weird to dine alone.
For our last night together, I made a reservations at a small restaurant not far from my apartment in the 14th arrondissement called "Les petits plats," meaning small plates.  The concept is to let diners try out different things in smaller portions.  The set dinner menu lets you choose 4 small plates for 35 euros.  You can choose any combination that you wish: I opted for 1 entree, 2 maind dishes, and 1 dessert, as did my friend.  We found out very soon that these plates aren't exactly as petit as we thought!

There was a little "mise en bouche" to start, with small crostinis and this amazing olive tapenade.  My first course was a white fish gravalax with a creme fraiche sauce wrapped in thinnly sliced carrots.  The creme balanced the fish well, and the piece of baguette was the perfect accompaniment.  My companion had a foamy soup that was poured into a bowl with fresh breadcrumbs right in front of us.  Again, one could probably go through a loaf of bread with the soup alone.

My second dish was pan-fried fish on top of a small crepe filled with leeks and pancetta.  The skin of the fish was crispy, but a bit under-flavored.  But the crepe certain made up for everything!  My friend's second dish was a "riz de veau" carpaccio.  It was served sliced cheese and an excellent cream sauce.  I think this was probably the best dish of the night.  The veal was flavoreful and tender (did I mention it was raw?)

My third course was kind of a decomposed paella.  It was served in two small hot plates, one with the seafood, and the other a wild black rice.  The sauce from the seafood was amazing that I could not resist another piece of bread, even though by this time I was already stuffed.  The other dish was a duck confit ravioli served with sliced pears and grapefruit.  Another inventive and unique dish.


We were both overly full by this point, and expecting our dessert to be just a small sample.  But then out came this big piece of hazelnut eclair and a big bowl of sweet fresh grapefruit and shaved ice.  If that was considered a small plate of eclair, then I don't even want to know what their version of a regular size eclair is!  The flavor of the eclair was to die for, and the caramel sauce complemented it perfectly.  My grapfruit ice dessert was a little lighter, but it was so much that I could barely handle the rest.


Les Petits Plats is a small and quiet restaurant that serves up fun and inventive dishes.  The service was good, and the wine options are plentiful with reasonable prices.  The menu changes everyday.  It is definitely a place that I would go back!

2 Amy's Pizza

Alright, I know there are probably a million other blog posts about 2 Amy's pizzas out there. We've heard it all; it's either the best Neapolitan pizza in the area (or the country), or it's an overrated, crowded and expensive pizza restaurant for yuppy people who live in the area.

Here's my take: 2 Amy's is definitely my type of pizza. If you're looking for an all-American huge ass pizza with a million toppings on it, well this is definitely not the place for you. But if you're in the mood for a pizza that is simple, this is the place. I find that a lot of times, it is harder to make something that seems easy taste good. Let's take their famous margherita pizza for example. It consist of the following ingredients: tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella cheese, basil, and olive oil. Not one ingredient should be overwhelming. Since the ingredients are so simple, it means that it must be of great quality. This is what 2 Amys does well. For people who aren't used to a Neapolitan pizza, when the pizza first comes out, it might be a bit surprising to see how few toppings there are. But the crust is baked just right, and the sauce and the ingredients complement each other. It's better to cut the pizza as you eat it rather than precutting it, since it does get a bit watery in the middle.

We started off the meal with an order of bruschetta and potato frittata. The frittata wasn't as good as I hoped since it was served cold, however the tomato on the side did make up for the lack of taste in the frittata.
We also ordered a stuffed pizza with ricotta and Mozzarella cheese, a Caprese pizza with olives, anchovies and mozzarella cheese, and a pizza with salami and bell peppers.
The stuffed pizza was to die for. The pizza came and it looked like the cheese was about to burst, and once you cut into it, all of the yummy ricotta comes oozing out. It was excellent! My favorite pizza of the night was the Caprese! The Olives and anchovies went really well together!
I didn't feel like the prices at 2 Amy's were that over-priced. At the last restaurant I worked at, they charged $14 for a Margherita pizza, and let's just say the taste does NOT even compare!
But again, 2 Amy's pizza probably isn't for everybody. Some people like the New York Style, others like the deep dish Chicago pizza. I'm definitely more of a Neapolitan fan!!

Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar

I discovered Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar through the Groupon program online. I don't know how a foodie like me discovered Groupon so late, but this was actually my first Groupon experience. I paid $15 for a $30 Groupon to Sonoma. I had searched the restaurant online, and was thrilled to find that they sourced their meats and other ingredients locally and sustainably.
The restaurant is located on Capitol Hill, and to my surprise was packed on a random Wednesday at lunch time, good thing I made my reservation! It was definitely a place frequented by a lot of lobbyists, and I felt severely underdressed when I walked in. The menu was extensive and has a great selection of salads, pizzas, pasta, fish and meat dishes. I started out with a glass of Sangiovese. I had already skimmed through the menu before I went and decided to try the Amish Chicken, which is served with fingerling potatoes, leeks and a grainy mustard seed. I have to say, while the chicken tasted delicious, and actually taste like a chicken, I was a bigger fan of the supporting ingredients in this dish. The potatoes were tender and cooked just right, as well as the leeks, and the mustard seed sauce added the perfect touch to them. I also found the chicken to be a little bit overcooked. The dish definitely isn't enough to fill you up, so make sure you order an appetizer! It's definitely a place I'd go back again!

Oh and just to add another twist, I currently work at Blue Ridge Restaurant, which is owned by the same people as Sonoma!

RW: Tavira in Chevy Chase

Oh yes, restaurant week ended in DC, and a lot of foodies like me are disappointed that we're going to have to wait for the summer to have another chance or excuse rather to fine dining!
Good thing Bethesda decided to have their own version of Restaurant Week. Bethesda, a suburb of DC located in Montgomery, Maryland boasts its own share of excellent restaurants. It's restaurant week offered a $15 lunch or a $30 dinner course. Knowing me, I opted for the lunch.
I decided to try out, Tavira, a Portugese restaurant that I have read great reviews about. I have never had Portuguese food in my life, and a lot of my friends hadn't either. There was also a coupon for a free bottle of wine, and hey who can say no to that?
My friends, Dorothy, Simon, and of course Amy joined me for this fun dining adventure.
The ambiance of the restaurant was very pleasant. As we walked in, I could already smell the many wonderful dishes that they had to offer.

For RW, they offered their "Taste of Portugal" menu which for the appetizers came with the choices of :

Caldo Verde: Portugal’s National soup, shredded kale, onions, potatoes & olive oil, garnished with chouriço
Salada da Horta: Fresh market greens, tomatoes, onions with Mediterranean dressing

Mexilhões na Cataplana: Steamed mussels, tomatoes and bell peppers in white wine sauce

Portuguese Sadrines: Marinated sardines with cloves garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, bay leaves,paprika served at room temperature served at room temperature

For our free bottle of house wine, we decided to go with a white wine, since we were going to be ordering seafood for the most part. It was a decent bottle of wine, and did I mention it was free?

I decided on the steamed mussels, Simon and Amy ordered the Caldo Verde, while Dorothy went with the Portuguese Sardines.

My first taste of the mussels was good, yet it was cold. I then asked the waiter whether the dish was meant to be served cold. He said oh no, and went ahead and took it back to bring me a new one (what is it with me with having to send food back, seriously?!") When it came back it was steaming hot. The tomato based soup was excellent; the red peppers were cooked just right and had a sweet after taste to it. The warm temperature definitely made the dish what it was.

Dorothy's sardine were marinated very well, and the olive oil base complemented the dish very well. Unfortunately I didn't try the Portuguese National soup, since it had meat in it.

For the main course the following were offered:

Bacalhau à Braz
Shredded salted cod sautéed with onions in olive oil, combined with straw potatoes, olives and egg
Lombo de Porco a Caçador
Pork loin with wild mushrooms, braised in brandy Croft, served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Frango à Piri-piri
Grilled chicken, Portuguêse style in Piri Piri sauce (hot spicy pepper sauce), served with home made potato chips
Caldeirada Portuguêsa
A traditional Portuguêse fish stew with shrimp, clams, mussels, sea scallops, potatoes
Parrilhada Mariscos
A traditional Iberian mixed seafood charbroiled on a skewer, served with aioli
Simon and I ordered the Charbroiled mixed seafood while Amy and Dorothy ordered the shredded cod. When the food came out, we were definitely wowed by the presentation of the Seafood skewer!

The taste of the seafood, however, was a bit bland and under-seasoned. It could've used a lot more taste as I found myself pour balsamic vinagrette over all the pieces. The rice was a good base to go along with the seafood.

The shredded cod was definitely an interesting dish. You definitely don't expected it to be what it was. First of all, there was very little taste of cod in it because it was blend up with so many different things. It was a bit on the salty side. The dish also tasted like a breakfast/brunch entree because of the eggs and potatoes inside. However, it still tasted mildly pleasant.
The dessert had to be the best part. Amy and I ordered the flan while Simon and Dorothy had the chocolate cake with ice cream.

The flan had to be one of the best that I have ever tasted. It was soft and creamy inside, and not to sweet for someone who likes my dessert on the lighter side. The portion was just right, and it was the perfect way to finish the meal.
Overall, it was a very nice meal, although the appetizers and desserts definitely outshone the main entree. I'd definitely recommend their "Taste of Portugal" menu as even during none RW days, they offer it at a special price, and it's a great way to try out some Portuguese favorites!

Evening of take out and fine wine

Wine is another one of my pleasures in life. For me there is nothing better than a nice glass of wine with a nice meal. Recently I've started to learn more and more about wine. I suggested to my friend Amy to have a wine night at my place. We started off the evening with watching "A Single Man" at the AFI in Silver Spring. The movie was very artistically crafted and very abstract. The music was even more amazing. We then met up with our friend Rebecca to get take out at "The Greek Place" located on Georgia Avenue. Not only do I enjoy fine dining, I also love cheap and authentic take out places that are always a good treat to find!

I ordered the Grilled Shrimp Greek Salad, which came with 5 giant shrimps, pita bread, on top of lettuce, feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, onions and capers. The flavor of the shrimp was amazing! This all for just under $10.

Amy and Rebecca ordered the Falafel Platter, that came with a side of yummy orzo pasta and Greek salad. We were all very hungry, and finished our enormous amount of food!

We stopped by the county wine store before the movie. Before I left the house I was reading some notes that I've taken in the past of some good and decently priced wine. I thought that a good pinot noir would go well with some light Greek fare. Nothing looked decent the first trip down the aisle. Then on one of the wine racks, I saw a bottle of Cambria, Julia Vineyard's Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley California. The 2006 vintage was named by wine enthusiast last year as "the best pinot noir at this price on the market." The store had the 2007 vintage on sale for $18. It's more expensive than what I would normally pay for a bottle of wine, but I felt like it would be worth the splurge!

The wine was just amazing, the first sip was a bit dry, but smooth. It had a hint of cherry and a bit of cinnamon. The wine tasted better and better as it had time to breath in the glass. It went very well with my Shrimp Salad!

Amy and I were both very disappointed when the bottle was empty. "that's it?!" NOOOOO!

Hey, who said a nice dinner can't consist of cheap take-out in plastic containers and a bottle of expensive wine?

RW Part 1: Rasika

Rasika is probably the most well known Indian restaurant, as well as one of the most popular restaurant altogether in the Washington, DC area, whether it's by a word of mouth or in dining guides. In last October's Washington Post Magazine's 10th Annual Dining Guide, food critic Tom Sietsema raised Rasika's from three to four stars.
It's been about a year and a half since I've done RW, so as soon as I heard that Rasika was participating in RW, I booked my table almost immediately!
I must say I broke one of my personal rules, the menu of Rasika is rather limited, however, it does offer meat, fish, and a vegetarian option.

Here is the lunch menu for RW:

Appetizers:
1. Malai Chicken Tikka
2. Tamatar Goli Kebab (lamb meatballs)
3. Palak Chaat (crispy baby spinach)

Entrees:
1. Chicken Makhani
2. Lamb Roganjosh
3. Tandoori Salmon
4. Palak Paneer/ Vegetable Mix

Dessert:
1. Black Cherry Sorbet
2. Mango and yogurt ice cream
3. Carrot Halwa with Cinnamon Sabayon
4. Gulab Jamun with Cardamom Ice Cream

For appetizer, I started with the Palak Chaat. It is a dish with fried baby spinach with a yogurt sauce on top. The first bite was delicious, crispy, salty, but balanced out with the yogurt sauce. However, I do feel like towards the end the dish get end up being too salty. It could've used more yogurt sauce. My friend Amy ordered the Malai Chicken Tikka, even though I didn't try the chicken, the cream cheese sauce that came with it was excellent and would be good if we had naan to dip it in!

I ordered the Tandoori Salmon for the entree. And I was surprised to see the two big portions of salmon that came out on my plate. The salmon was to die for, and hands down it was some of the best salmon that I have ever tasted. It was soft, tender, and juicy inside. The spices wasn't overpowering. The sauce that came with it matches well with naan and the mint paratha that came on the side. I had to force myself to finish those 2 pieces because it was so delicious. I would almost go back just for the salmon! I was a little disappointed in the naan, it was a bit on the dry side, and wasn't very fresh.
Amy ordered the lamb roganjosh, which is a dish that goes very well with rice.

For dessert, I chose the Carrot Halwa, which is one of their house specialties. It's a dessert with chooped carrots with raisins and cashews inside. It was a little sweet for me, but still very good. It was a nice balance to finish the meal, and a way to justify eating a dessert. Hey carrots are good for you right? Amy ordered the Gulab Jamun, which is similiar to little donut balls soaked in a sugary sauce, and it came with a cardamon ice cream. I really liked the ice cream, the spice just jumps out right at you.



Overall, I'd say Rasika almost matched up to the hype. One thing I did not appreciate was that the waiter dropped the check right in front of us while we weren't even half way through our dessert. That should be a big no no, especially in a nice restaurant like that. Then it took him forever to take my credit card once we were finally finished.
It is now 6:40pm, and I am still full from my lunch!