February 2010


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Two Tastes for Every Bite

gnocchi

One of the best things I’ve eaten anywhere lately is the sweet potato gnocchi at Tulio, an Italian restaurant in Seattle. It is one of those dishes that was just a total surprise — sounds simple, looks simple, then you put one in your mouth and realize it’s a million miles from simple. Every bite of these little pillows had two distinct, equally beautiful tastes and textures: crisp and buttery on the outside, but with a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth middle.

Firmly on my homemade pasta kick, when I got back to New York I emailed Chef Walter Pisano’s press folks to ask if he’d be willing to share the recipe. Apparently he gets this request all the time and was more than happy to oblige.

“I’m surprised he would share his most popular recipe,” remarked the veggie gf. “Why would anyone go to the restaurant if they can just get the recipe for free?”

Well I figured that one out soon enough. Remember that “sounds simple, looks simple” thing? Yeah, turns out they’re not so simple to make. Chef Pisano only has one sous chef who he’ll trust to take charge of these babies, which take, oh, about a full day to make. Of course, being the slacker chef that I am, I glanced at the minimalist ingredient list (sweet potatoes, parm, nutmeg, eggs and flour), ran out to pick up a few SPs and got to work. Or so I thought.

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in Recipe / Veggie 7 comments
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All We Know: It’s Crackling

It’s Saturday and 80 and I are piling on layers of clothes to go play in the snow. (If you’re into counting: 2 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of socks, a long sleeve shirt, a t-shirt, a hoodie and a long, thick woolly sweater, plus a water-proof jacket, gloves and a dalmatian print fleece headband/ear warmer.)

Amidst the Christmas Story-style preparation, I get an email from Dad Gansie. It has an attachment. I assume it’s snow related, as South Jersey was also hit with almost two feet of snow.

I should have known better. The video featured a mysterious casserole dish that, according to my father is, “crispin'” and “cracklin.'” I have no effing idea what it is, but I do know I forgot to wish my MomMom (grandmother) a happy birthday.

Any guesses out there?

in Contests 4 comments
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Open Thread: The Pasta-bilities

ravioli

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!

in Personal / Recipe 9 comments
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Drinking Snowpocalypse

DSC_0633-1

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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in Drinks / Endless Cocktails / Recipe 8 comments
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Feed US Back: Comments of the Week

snow

– 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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in Cheese / Desserts 0 comments
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ES Local: The DC Gay Valentine’s Day Guide

valentines

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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in Holiday / Personal / Restaurants 1 comments
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