Trends - - Page 34

by gansie

Restaurants are Catching Up

Now that I’m sufficiently through with summer vegetables, I’ve been getting really excited for a new season of vegetables. But what really excites me is restaurants that are also embracing the idea. I went to bird watch at a neighborhood pizza place. What caught my attention was the blackboard sign: “$5 slice and draft beer.”

That shit just doesn’t exist in the District. Shit, sometimes you can buy a Miller Lite for as much as $4. Anyway, so a bunch of us went to Radius and all of a sudden my mouth hung open and I oggled the menu. There was pumpkin ravioli and butternut squash soup and a pizza with kabocha pumpkin puree, ricotta, feta, caramelized mushrooms and red onions. Unfortunately I was too hungover to experiment and just grabbed a large slice of cheese. I just love that everyone from high-end restaurants to the local pizza place endorses the mantra of eating seasonally.

Back to my kitchen.

by Russell Warnick

ES Local: Dining in DC’s (Not So) Gaybourhood

Every city has one — a gay neighbourhood ( fine — neighborhood to you yanks). L.A. has W. Hollywood, Chicago has Boystown and San Francisco has the Castro. Here in DC we have Logan and Dupont Circle. They’re the center of gay life, business and pride.

But the recent uprising of restaurants on 14th St here in DC has some of my friends and I thinking about how the current transformation is changing the neighbourhood, from a GLBT dining perspective. Over the last few weeks we have seen the opening of Masa 14, Birch & Barley and ChurchKey along with the upcoming developments of Diamond District Seafood Co., Estadio Restaurant and Cork and Fork. None of these restaurants appear to be GLBT owned or run establishments, which is strange due to the predominantly gay neighbourhood in which they reside.

Unlike Playbill Cafe, I am not suggesting that any of the existing restaurants such as Cafe St. Ex, Rice or even Bar Pilar were ever exclusively gay-centric, but walk into any of these on any given night (along with Commissary, Logan Tavern or Posto) and you will find a predominantly GLBT presence; they are simply considered part of the “gaybourhood.”

in Personal / Rants & Raves / Trends 7 comments

by ML

What the FroYo?

Newsflash from ES: America is still eating shit.

I jumped on the froyo bandwagon several years too late. I don’t know why it was a bandwagon to begin with. The trend is just now hitting Philadelphia, I’d think mostly because everyone likes water (wuder) ice better, and we actually like things that taste good. If you type “frozen yogurt, Philadelphia” into Google, the first thing that comes up is “Philly Steak & Gyro.”

Enough said.

My first try was last year in Chicago at Yogenfruz, a lesser known Canadian chain. I was immediately in love. They only have chocolate and vanilla, in low-fat and non-fat varieties. I always go for the vanilla, low-fat (The BF always has non-fat, both are delicious). The bonus at Yogenfruz is that you can have your froyo blended with frozen fruit. Real fruit flavoring? Nom nom. The texture is perfect — ridiculously thick and creamy, and it doesn’t melt quickly.

Tasti-D-lite was my second try, this time because a friend in South Florida loves it. To be honest, it tasted kind of like…Dairy Queen? Fake ice cream? It was creamy, tasted milky, but melted very quickly. I kept hoping to taste flavors that just weren’t there. I ate it feeling empty and unsatisfied. Boo, not-so-Tasti-D-Lite.

Another review, after the jump.

in Desserts / Trends 9 comments

by gansie

Forward This Message Or You Will Have Bad Luck in the Kitchen for 13 Years

I remember in 3rd grade when I got my first chain letter. I was crazy excited to get mail and have something to do besides homework and soccer practice. Like the letter told me, I immediately wrote it out 7 times and duly sent it across the world, for fear of thirteen years of bad luck. I can’t remember if I got a letter back, or my freckled face was the evil punishment.

It wasn’t until high school that the chain letters went ’round again. Email was new to me and I happily forwarded on crazed messages for fear of bad sex for life. But soon that grew tired too.

Now, I get much tamer, even domesticated chain letters.

Hi everyone!

I don’t normally participate in these things, but I’m trying to cook more so I thought what the heck! It doesn’t take long and if it works you should get a lot of great new recipes. Instructions are below 🙂

Hi!

You have been invited to be a part of a recipe exchange, and I hope you will participate.

Please send a recipe to the person whose name is in position 1 (even if you don’t know them), and it should be something quick, easy and without rare ingredients. Actually, the best one is the one you know in your head and can type right now. Don’t agonize over it; it is the one you make when you are short of time.

in Trends 5 comments

by gansie

10 Things I Learned From One Day as an Assistant Manager of Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market

Sitting on my couch, drinking a stout with my friend Gee and watching the Phils losing game, I saw an email come in from the director of the Mt. Pleasant Farmers’ Market. Rebbie’s usual assistant couldn’t make it and she asked if I would be interested in helping her out on Saturday. I replied immediately with a YES.

Those of you living in The DMV will know about the relentless rain in the past few days. But as I emailed a few neighborhood friends to visit me, I wrote that never was I so excited to be out in the rainy cold for five hours on a weekend morning.

I mostly stood by a table that said “market manager” and when I was asked questions I would have to hope that the actual manager would be close by. I also took charge of the credit card machine: shoppers can swipe their debit cards and receive tokens in exchange. So besides learning how to work that gadget, I picked up a few other things from being on the other side of the market.

10 Things I Learned From One Day as an Assistant Manager of Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market

1. Access. Farmers markets, of course, provide sustainably grown produce and artisanally crafted breads and cheeses to the community. But who is that community? Markets are finding ways to accept government food assistant programs to make sure that everyone can enjoy thoughtfully grown fruits and vegetables. I learned that one kind of program only allows for purchases of fruits and vegetables and not breads, cheeses or flowers. I agree with Belmont, who worked for a vendor this market season, on this one: “never underestimate a well placed bunch of flowers to lift the spirits.”

2. Gold Lamé Tights. Many shoppers remember to bring cash so in the large gaps of time between the debit card-token exchange, Rebbie, Patrick (see #3) and I dished about market fashions. Yes, someone pulled it together to wear gold lamé tights before noon.

3. Bike Repair. Farmers markets offer more than just food. Mt.P holds a free bike clinic and showcases local musicians. In the most crappy of weather that was Saturday not many people brought by their bikes, which left more time to chat about food and the point of slouchy boots.

4. Honeycrisps. This type of apple is so trendy right now. I don’t usually favor one brand over another, but 80P started requesting this one by name. While waiting for the bathroom key (see # 5) I asked the orchardist why honeycrips were so popular. Apparently there cell structure is different than most apples and they have 4 times the amount of pectin. If I understood this correctly, pectin makes the apple crunchy. Therefore honeycrisps are hella crunchy. Don’t even think about baking with them.

5. Bathroom Key. The bathroom key is the hottest item at the market.

in Lists / Personal / Trends 7 comments

by gansie

Market Style: Pimping the Plastic

Nope, as far as I know credit cards still aren’t accepted at the farmers market (pictured here: Dupont Circle). But an even sexier plastic is encouraged: tupperware.

This week I was stumbling around, trying to select the perfect 2-inch okra, while balancing another 10 okra (what’s the plural of okra?) in my not very large hands. It was an ugly scene. Forget about grabbing that golden tomato across the next aisle—no way that could survive in the makeshift basket between my wrist and elbow. And then I saw genius.

A woman grabbed a bunch of green beans and dropped them in her tupperware. She then dropped another handful in AND grabbed that last-of-the-season, golden tomato. My mouth dropped.

Instantly I grabbed my iPhone and asked if I could photograph her plastic. She backed away from the scale, but the foxy market attendant faux-humbly asked if I wanted him to slide in for the picture.

This saves plastic bags, lets the farmers keep their cardboard cartons (ie, for berries) and keeps smashable fruit from surrendering to the heavier contents of the rest of the market purchases. I know I always forget about the grape tomatoes in the bottom of my tote; there’s always a few that burst from the pressure of the heavier peaches on top.

Forget those spotted on-the-go, street-style fashion columns, here’s market style.

in Trends 4 comments

by gansie

Reason #237 Why You Should Shop at the Farmers Market

When I was a girl I thought farming was the dorkiest thing ever. Who would want to be in the middle of nowhere (hello?!?! malls?!?!) with animals and vegetables and have to be up early to do weird manual labor stuff? I really wasn’t sure what went on there, but I knew I loved my nails painted and my mornings free.

Clearly there’s been a sea change. While I haven’t quite exchanged my 42-inch TV for a hay stack, I’ve rethought my opinion of farms and farming and farmers. If only for the knowledge of where food comes from and how it grows.

Maybe I’m a suburban girl, but I had absolutely no idea how garlic grows. (I also never knew Brussels sprouts grew on a stalk). I know about garlic scapes, but I never really put together the life cycle. And then I saw garlic on this long, rod-type thing. Tons and tons of garlic bulbs attached to 2-foot rock-hard sticks. They’re actually quite dangerous, as my market companion kept having to excuse me for bumping into people with my garlic rod.

You know what I’m gonna say next: you don’t see this at your local grocery store, folks. So please. Head to the market over this long weekend. Find something new to cook. Learn something about your produce. Stop judging those dorky 4H kids.

in Rants & Raves / Trends 1 comments