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(Photo: ~*Lauren*~)

Pasta is pretty much my favorite food group. Fettuccine, vermicelli, angel hair, rice noodles, udon, pasta-stuffed breadbowls — I love it all. I don’t write about it so much here because I usually just eat the pre-packaged dried stuff. Boring. But there’s nothing better than going out to a great Italian place and remembering how much more amazing the fresh stuff is.

For Christmas this year I got something I’ve been wishing for several years running now: a shiny new pasta machine. I tore out the directions that came with the box and whipped up some fresh raviolis. And by whipped up I mean spent three freaking hours cooking. Damn, this is time-consuming. Also, I just didn’t love ‘em. I mean, they were fine. But not a hundred times better than regular old, out-of-the-box pasta. Clearly, I’m not expecting the first attempt to be Batali quality, but I am a little bit at a loss as to where I go from here. That’s where you come in.

I know tons of you guys have homemade pasta tips, right? What recipes do you use? Do I need a special flour? A new unitasker? Kneeding advice? Ancient family secrets? Bring it all.

Feed me!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

That’s really all anyone can say around DC. And I’m sure the rest of the country is sick of hearing about our snow-blanketed city.

But I’ve been taking full advantage of our weather, particularly by ingesting it.

My friends Tim and Alice had people over to welcome the blizzard and during multiple email exchanges, Liza reply-ed all that we should make snow ice cream.

I thought she was kidding, akin to finding a (snow)man chilling on your neighbor’s yard and finally seeing (snow)angels in heaven. Then Alice provided a link. Holy crap! How do I not know about this!

Of course, we wouldn’t be satisfied with just snow ice cream for our snowpocalypse party – we had to incorporate booze.

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- Jenna is on the “respect vanilla” train:

Awhile ago I made vanilla ice cream with a Tahitian vanilla bean and it was A-mazing. Like, vanilla does get a bad rap; people call it “boring” or unimaginative. But when you have the real stuff you realize that it’s this incredibly complex, nuanced, subtle fascinating flavor. We should give vanilla more respect.

- The cottage cheese chronicles never end. Nicky:

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Valentine’s Day is the time of the year when personal displays of affection are obligatory — a day to celebrate without any inhibitions.  For the gay community this can sometimes be a challenge as restaurants are not as universally tolerant of gay couples’ PDAs. We’ve all heard the horror stories where a gay couple has been asked to leave a restaurant when either the owner isn’t happy or other customers feel uncomfortable. Yes, the gay community has its own restaurants, but there are not enough seats to fill every gay person in the city, especially this city.

Here is my guide to some great restaurants in DC where I would be happy to go on V-Day, to recommend to my friends, or to you, the readers of ES.

The First Date: 1789

As deceptive as it is great. Daniel Giusti is one of the youngest Executive Chefs in one of the oldest and grandest of dining rooms in the District,  but you’d never guess by his youthful menu — my personal favourite dish is the Oyster Gratin. Actually, my experience at 1789 was somewhat overwhelming. The food really was exceptional but the surroundings and other clientele were not my usual setting. I think of 1789 as an older, more conservative restaurant, so I’m not sure that a gay couple would be comfortable showing some love. But I would recommend 1789 for a first date — first dates are not for touchy-feely situations but more for getting to know your newfound love, and 1789 can provide that conversational atmosphere. 1789 is offering a five-course tasting in addition to its a la carte menu. 1226 36th Street NW, (202) 965-1789

Impressing a Second Date: Tabard Inn

This classic standby is no stranger to gay clientele. Bordering Dupont and 17th Street, it’s a popular choice amongst my friends for weekend brunch and I suspect it will be no different come Valentine’s Day. The hotel is offering a 3-course prix fixe menu which includes Oysters, Seared Guinea Hen and a selection of desserts to choose, albeit on the pricier side at $65 per person. 1739 N Street NW, (202) 331-8528

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