Month: April 2013

Mintwood Place (Top 100, 2013)

This fairly new Adams Morgan located bistro was crowded and noisy when we went on a Sunday night.  The decor is all rustic farmhouse and the tables are crammed in to fill up all available space like some kind of massive game of tetris.  So I was a little nervous when we sat down, despite great reviews, but the attentive service and stellar food soon made me forget the crowd.  Here, plates and utensils are cleared and replaced after each dish – service I would expect from a much more upscale joint.  A well-stocked and well-priced wine list and unique cocktails (hello, “Farewell to the 20’s”) are icing on the cake.  As usual, I was more excited by/impressed with the small plates, but the mains were very good as well.  Some of the dishes are reminiscent of the style of DC star Michel Richard, which makes sense because Executive Chef Cedric Maupillier apprenticed under him.

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First up – the beet and goat cheese “mountain pie”.  This was so delicious – thinly sliced beets layered with buttery lettuce gained depth from shallots and chives, while toasted bread served as the crust for a warm goat cheese and beet tart.  I eat beet and goat cheese salads all the time, but this one is truly special.

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Bacon and Onion Flammekeuche – an Alsatian style flatbread that seems simple, but is just awesome.  Crisp, smoky, creamy – I could have eaten 5 of these.

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Lamb tongue moussaka – this was good, but not as good as the other 2 small plates.  Part of that may be that it didn’t actually taste like moussaka to me.  Chickpeas and heavy cumin (as opposed to cinnamon) made it seem more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean.  That being said, it was still tasty and interesting; the tongue was very tender and it had a nice subtle heat.

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Tagliatelle Bolognese – signature dish, gorgeous presentation.  Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of this – heavy fennel made the ragu taste like Italian sausage, which I am just not that into.  Sausage lovers – this is for you.

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Shad filet topped with shad roe and lardo, over a potato and broccolini hash, with brown butter and lemon demi-glace.  The roe topping was not my favorite, but the fish was well cooked and the hash and sauce were excellent.  I seriously want more of that hash right now.

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Pine nut tart with vanilla bean ice cream.  I hate pecan pie, but I love this tart – the buttery pine nuts were so soft and just melted into the sugary base.  There was also a creme brulee that I didn’t photograph because everybody knows what creme brulee looks like, right?

All-in-all this place was great.  I would love to come here for drinks and apps before hitting up Adams Morgan, but I don’t know that I would go out of my way for dinner.  I would love to try brunch, though.

Mintwood Place Website – for more information

Valentine’s 2013 Pt 2

In the last post I talked about where we went to eat on Valentine’s Day.  Now I want to tell you about what I did for Jasper leading up to V-Day.  I saw a really cute idea online to get 14 small presents to give to him each day of February leading up to V-Day, along with notes that had cute puns about the gifts.  I’m not sure if he thought it was as cute as I did, but here they are:

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1 – orange crush soda with “I’ve got a “Crush” on you!”

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2 – gummy bears with “Life would be un”bear”able without you!”

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3 – gum with “I ‘chews’ you!” (more…)

Valentine’s 2013 Pt 1

Yes, yes – I know I am way late in posting this, sorry.  This year for V-Day we went to Sushi Taro for their special tasting menu.  It’s what we did for our first Valentine’s together in DC 3 years ago and I wanted to go back.  I loved the whole meal, but Jasper was a little disappointed.  I think he wanted more sushi, but I liked the combination of hot dishes and raw fish.  Anyway, here’s what we had:

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Taro’s signature tofu with uni.  I love this stuff, it has the best texture.  I always look forward to this dish at Taro.

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This was a mixture of different raw and pickled vegetables with some gelees and monkfish liver.  I thought it was playful and interesting; I think this is one of the ones Jasper was disappointed with. (more…)

Easter

Happy Easter, everybody!  I am actually doing a holiday post in a timely manner, who woulda thunk it?  Last Easter I focused on eggs, this time I wanted to go on the theme of ham and peas.

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Ham and peas, it is!  Unlike at Christmas, when I accidentally made a pork roast instead of a ham, I got it right this time and did a Dr Pepper glazed ham.  Yes, I said a Dr Pepper glazed ham – awesome.

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Take a fully cooked smoked ham (I went with an 8 lb, spiral sliced, partial bone) and place it cut side down on the rack of a roasting pan (or on a cookie rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet).  Pour 2 cups of Dr Pepper (not diet) and 2 cups of water into the bottom of the pan.  Cover with foil and cook for 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees – 2 hours, in my case.

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About half an hour before the cooking time is up, start to make your glaze.  Boil some pitted prunes in Dr Pepper until they are plump.  Set the prunes aside and whisk in mustard, brown sugar, and cider vinegar.  Remove the ham from the oven and raise the oven temp to 425 degrees.  Remove the foil, and drizzle the glaze over the ham, then return it to the oven for about half an hour to cook the glaze.

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It will be so gorgeous when it comes out!  Let it rest, loosely covered on a cutting board (this photo is before I turned it on its side for slicing).  Meanwhile, pour all the pan drippings into the saucepan you cooked the glaze in.  Bring to a boil, skimming off the fat, and add in the prunes and a cornstarch slurry to thicken.  Serve the prune sauce with the ham. (more…)