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by gansie

Drinking Snowpocalypse

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.

by Russell Warnick

ES Local: The DC Gay Valentine’s Day Guide

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

in Holiday / Personal / Restaurants 1 comments

by gansie

The Snow Five

It’s funny in DC. People are freaking the fuck out about this snow. Granted, local weather makers claim this “snowmageddon” will be historic with accumulation reaching two feet. And in dorky DC fashion, there’s even the self-important, self-deprecating website: Snowpocalypse.

Well, to be fair, a plain clothes-ed cop whipped out his gun at a snow ball fight last time we found flakes falling from the sky.

Anyway, 80 and I were contemplating our needs for a possible (and historic for us!) second grocery store run of the week. I thought about what my cravings would be over a weekend of drinking and sledding. And that’s when I knew I could survive on 5 things.

Sure, I didn’t want to and 80 and I both ended up venturing to the store. He bought milk, bagels, beer and wine. I bought two sweet potatoes, two buttercup squashes, a pound of mixed, salted nuts and a crate of clementines. But all I really needed was…

in Eggs / Personal 16 comments

by Russell Warnick

Camera Etiquette for Food Bloggers

We’ve all done it at some point. A dinner plate comes our way and we’re so excited about what has come before us that we whip out the camera and snap a picture. Sometimes we might even take a picture because the food looks terrible. I’m sure many of you foodies have done that too.

For those of us who blog about food it’s a pretty safe bet that we carry around a camera or other mobile device to record a dish that we’ve eaten, either to show it off to friends or for a story.

I’ve been looking for a particular shot of an appetizer for a recent post and I recalled Ulah Bistro on U St serving some tasty apps, including their chicken wings, which was exactly what I was looking for. I was seated at the bar, myself and my other half were the only ones there so I got out my camera and started taking a couple of snaps…Within seconds the bartender shouted across the bar to me: “Why are you taking pictures, is there something wrong with the food?” in a tone that was borderline aggressive.

My response was somewhat mute as I was stunned, I did reply with a “No, the food is good” as it was, but I still felt like I had been reprimanded by my mother. And living in DC we’re all too familiar with photographer rights.

in Personal / Rants & Raves / Trends 10 comments

by Russell Warnick

Caning Works: Sugar Cane Shrimp

“Caning works! And I think it’s about time we did a little more of it right here… yes, we cane!”

My last Sunday Night Dinner Club (SNDC) of 2009 was an Asian themed dinner, not something I’m too familiar with unless it comes in the form of a plastic bag with a smiley face on it. My co-chef T2 is a good hand at all Asian, but I wasn’t willing to just sit back and pass all the duties on to him. He’s a vegetarian and my friends wouldn’t have been too impressed if there was no meat on the table.

I was discussing this particular SNDC with fellow food blogger Thrifty DC Cook and she gave me a couple of great recipes to work with.

Sugar Cane Shrimp

What drew me to this dish were the sugar canes. The only time I have sugar canes are in my mojitos and it never occurred to me they can be served with food (or a vessel for serving food).

I warn you now: sugar canes are possibly the most difficult item to acquire. I searched high and low for these suckers: Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Giant, Safeway, Best Supermarket, Bestway Market, Yes! Organic and even the Hana Japanese Market on U St (which by the way is amazing) to no avail. I ended up at Cafe Salsa on 14th St as I’ve dined there and knew they served sugar canes in the mojitos. The chef was kind enough to sell me two cans of canes. Never be afraid to speak with chefs. If there is an ingredient you need, just ask. What’s the worst that can happen? They’ll say no, but unlikely if they have enough until the next delivery.

Sugar canes are huge, a lot larger than what I anticipated, which turned out great as I sliced each one into quarter strips. Now I have a can of them sitting in my cupboard for when I have a mojito party.

The recipe for these little beauties after the jump.

in Recipe 4 comments

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 Bliz

Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode 10

It’s kind of eerie how similar Top Chef episodes are becoming to my wildest fantasies. This season has been filled with some of the most interesting challenges, iconic guest chefs and talented contestants, but this week Bravo outdid themselves:

Natalie Portman making a guest appearance and Padma talking dirty. Tommy C, you are a lucky man my friend. Oh and I think there was some excellent, veggie-friendly food too.

Now for a SPOILER ALERT after the jump..

in Celebs / TV 8 comments