Dish in the District: Martin's Tavern

I am a self-diagnosed brunch addict (much to Mr. J's chagrin because he hates brunch).  I'm always in search of new brunch places, particularly for when out-of-town friends are visiting (if any Washingtonians have any suggestions, please provide!).  Fairly recently, I tried out Billy Martin's Tavern in Georgetown on two occasions for brunch.  Martin's Tavern is a tried and true restaurant located at the corner of Wisconsin and N Streets and celebrated its 75th anniversary last year.  Known for being steeped in DC history and being a Georgetown staple, I had been meaning to try it for quite awhile.  Particularly well-known are their booths -- my favorite spot to sit -- although a bit on the tight side, these dark brown wooden booths have seen much history.  My favorite booth is Booth #3 -- where JFK proposed to Jackie Kennedy -- I love telling that story to any guests in town!

Martin's Tavern serves up a good, hardy breakfast (plus an assortment of lunch options for those of you who don't want eggs after 10 am), for reasonable (for Georgetown...and DC) prices.  Often crowded, arrive early-ish or reserve a spot -- plus seating outdoors during the warmer months!

The first time I came to Martin's Tavern, I had their corned beef hash with poached eggs (mmmm, drool), but this time around, I wanted something a little bit more...decadent.  I had eyed this cheese covered, creamy rarebit sauce slathered dish the last time I was there, and decided to go for it -- the HOT BROWN (see above) ... Sliced roasted turkey on toast smothered in their homemade rarebit sauce topped with sliced tomato, parmesan cheese and bacon ... all broiled together in a skillet.  (For you foodie-philes, hot browns are open faced sandwiches that originated at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926.  It was created to serve as an alternative to ham and egg late night suppers... thank you Wiki).

If you're a poached egg fan, this is the place for you, with at least five different poached egg possibilities.  Although it's not listed on the website, there is an additional brunch menu, that includes a eggs benedict with avocado (one of my faves) and I believe crab meat (oh the Marylander in me...).  Don't like poached eggs?  No worries, most of the egg dishes allow you to pick how you want your eggs cooked.

My friends got some pretty delicious dishes too.  Check out the "Tavern Treat" -- Sautéed jumbo lump crabmeat and sliced mushrooms over an English muffin and topped with Hollandaise sauce served with french fries" and the french toast.


And no brunch would be complete without the proper beverage.  I happily tried a pomegranate mimosa -- instead of OJ, pom juice with champagne.  Not only a beautiful color, but fabulous tasting.  Hope that you found brunch here as tasty I did.

Billy Martin's Tavern
1264 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20007

Taste of Georgetown 2009 -- Dish in the District!

My friends with our chocolate covered bacon lollipops! :)
Welcome to the first Dish in the District entry!  (See here for more dets)

Oh it was a cloudy, rainy day in Georgetown. But that couldn't keep us away from the wafting scents of grilled meats, pipin' hot noodle dishes, deep fried duck... Oh yes, the annual Taste of Georgetown arrived again on October 10th (check out the 2008 version here!). This year, I had a few more taste testers with discerning palates accompanying me -- Michelle, Elaine, and Joe. You've already met these fave people of mine in various other blog entries (here, here, and here) and I was so happy to have them visiting me that weekend!

The rain was kind of a blessing in disguise... unlike last year, which was brilliantly sunny and filled with bright blue skies, this year was MUCH less crowded, which meant less time waiting in lines! (Although, note that when I say less crowded, it was still CROWDED, but at least we weren't waiting in 20 minute lines!). We protected our heads with these pink Vineyard Vines WHALE hats (oh yes, see above)! I think I was a bit overly excited about the hats -- I had seen them before at other events, but finally had an "excuse" to wear one. We caught the attention even of a local photographer who captured our photo for all to see on a DC website. Hurrah!

In any case, the Taste of Georgetown was such fun this year. Lots of good options to eat (26 restaurants in all!), cute doggies being walked around to be adopted, and fun friends. We bought five tickets to share amongst the four of us for our lunch (plus scored a free dish from the Indian food stand!) -- lots of great options to choose from that we didn't get to try everything (for instance, lobster and truffle mac and cheese ... butternut squash agnolotti). Here are our picks and thoughts:

• Bangkok Joe's: Chicken Pad Thai: Ohhh, I could not resist the chicken pad thai. It called to me. It was so delicious last year, and without fail, whenever I'm actually eating at Bangkok Joe's, I want  the chicken pad thai. And this year did not disappoint. Although the serving seemed smaller than last year it was still a hefty amount. Verdict: Yes, yes, and yes -- have again next year! 
  
• Agraria: Chocolate Covered Bacon Lollipops with Apple Slices: Next to Bangkok Joe's was Agraria's stand... and we hadn't even been thinking about getting the chocolate covered bacon, but it caught Michelle's eye and we had to go for it. (Plus, they had these fun stickers: "I heart chocolate covered bacon" -- this sticker is residing on my fridge door).  The taste of bacon wasn't immediately evident -- mainly, it provided a bit of saltiness to complement the dark chocolate that covered it.  The juicy apple slices helped to balance out the flavors.  Verdict: Would try again, but maybe try something else next year.
  
  
  
• Clyde's of Georgetown: Lobster roll: I found this dish to be surprisingly satisfying.  I had a few lobster rolls in Georgetown over time, but never at Clyde's... this lobster roll was full of flavor, loads of lobster (as seen above!), and a tangy sauce binding all the ingredients together.  Verdict: Yes, would try again next year!

1789: Crispy duck confit with cranberry and fennel compote with Toigo Orchards apple turnover: Now where to go next... we saw people walking around with these plates of what looked like deep fried goodness and thought to ourselves, oh we could definitely share that... And very glad we did. This one was very flavorful, and the savory-ness of the duck complemented the compote and apple turnover well. Verdict: Open to trying again next year!

Mie n Yu: Bulgogi style local beef with housemade kimchi and rice: We had our eye on the bulgogi almost the entire time we were at the Taste of Georgetown and finally came back to it at the end of our "lunch." The bulgogi was quite tasty, although it didn't have the sweetness that we were familiar with other bulgogis. The kim chee provided just the right amount of kick and the rice tempered the kim chee's kick. Verdict: Very tasty, but may leave this spot open for something else next year.

Hurrah for the Taste of Georgetown!  Can't wait til next year for even more tasty eats...

Authentic mozzarella and pizza hit DC - Fratelli la Bufala

DC is no stranger to Italian restaurants... I think I could probably count at least eight Italian restaurants in Georgetown alone. This has not stopped the opening of (at least) two more Italian places in the past two months -- Fratelli la Bufala and Potenza. Now, I'm not complaining. Both of these restaurants were immediately added to my "must try" list and I happily checked off Fratelli la Bufala last weekend.

Back when I first moved to DC, we used to go to this restaurant called the Alamo Grill in Georgetown. It was on a side street off of M Street, served up Tex-Mex fare, and had a lovely outdoor patio that was perfect even in those humid DC summers for some margaritas, guacamole, salsa, and chips. The food may not have been top notch, but it was still a fun place to venture to on a nice day... and you rarely had to wait, which can be difficult to come across in the tourist-filled DC summers. But perhaps that was the first sign that the Alamo Grill wasn't going to make it... the second clue was when the restaurant closed and renovations took over that building.

And then, Mr. J came home one day and mentioned that he jogged past the old Alamo Grill and there was this new place, started with an "F", not sure what it was going to serve... Then I opened up my "The List Are You On It" email and read about "Fratelli la Bufala"... famous for their buffalo mozzarella? Second location to open in the US (first one in Miami)? Serving up 15-20 types of pizzas with the oven right there for all to see? Sign me up!

And so we found ourselves on a nice Saturday night at the doorstep of Fratelli la Bufala. The Georgetown location of Fratelli la Bufala is just off the canal, on the same street as two other Italian restaurants (Paper Moon and Piccolo Restaurant -- although Piccolo Restaurant is still currently closed due to the October fire). Fratelli la Bufala started in Italy and has spread around the world (Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo to name a few of the non-Italy outposts). Coming from a family that was in the buffalo milk and mozzarella business, the three brothers opened up these restaurants after their father passed away (the full story can be read on their menus!).

We were seated on the first floor, right next to the pizza oven and with prime seating to look into the glass walled kitchen. An antipasti bar was set up in front of the kitchen, the walls were decorated with various buffalo-type decor plus paintings of the family. The tables were a bit tight and although we liked the excellent views from our seats, we felt like we were in the middle of traffic between the two rooms on the floor.

Any concerns about tight seating though were diminished by the looks and smells of the pizzas. We eyed every pizza that came by as we tried to select our own pizzas from the menu. I was also quite distracted by the list of available pastas -- all their pastas are handmade in-house and I heard rave reviews about the pappardelle (which I am a sucker for...). But I tried to stay on track, because it has been a long time since I last had a pizza worth writing about.

With our stomachs rumbling, we decided to get a caprese salad for an appetizer (after hearing so much about the buffalo mozzarella, we wanted to try the mozzarella in its untouched form!) and then TWO pizzas, one selected by each of us. A forewarning -- it isn't necessary to get one pizza per person, they are bigger than a "personal pan" type pizza (and bigger than nearby Pizzeria Paradiso's pizzas), but with so many to choose from, it couldn't hurt to have pizza to take home, right? Mr. J selected the "Casertana" (bufala mozzarella, spinach, and bufala sausage) and I selected the "Capricciosa" (I butchered that name when I tried to order it, no worries though! tomato sauce, bufala mozzarella, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and ham... I'm a sucker for artichoke hearts and mushrooms... photo of my pizza is at the top).


The caprese salad was fresh, the bufala mozzarella was flavorful and slightly tangy. The pizzas were mouthwatering. We saw them come right out of the wood-burning oven. Both were delicious. The tomato sauce on my pizza was not too sweet and all the toppings worked well together -- the richness of the mozzarella was balanced by the vegetables. I think my pizza was a little bit undercooked, or perhaps I picked a pizza with a few too many toppings, because the pizza wasn't quite as crisp as I expected (not that I expected super crisp, but it was a little bit soggy in a few areas) (added sidenote: I read recently that "sogginess" may actually be a sign of authenticity... that actual Neapolitan pizzas actually have that sogginess and require a fork and knife to eat the center of the pizza...). Mr. J's pizza held up much better (which is why I think that I had a few too many toppings on mine) and he loved it. I think he was about to pass out from how much he liked it. Both were fantastic, and I'm by no means a Neapolitan pizza expert, but this was some of the top pizza I've had in DC.

We were having such a nice time that we decided to get dessert too (might as well have the full experience, huh?). The cannolini caught our eye -- a cannoli with bufala ricotta cream, limoncello, and chocolate -- but the Carpaccio d'Ananas sounded more intriguing. Paper thin slices of pineapple, drizzled with chocolate, and buffalo milk ice cream on the side. It was the perfect light end to our meal.



I will most certainly be revisiting Fratelli la Bufala. I'm not exaggerating when I say that almost everything on the menu appealed to me ... so much left still to try! I'm dying to have another pizza, but then there are all the other pasta options, and then the different mozzarella appetizers, and I've heard that even the salads are delish. AND, word is that they are opening a "tiki" type bar on the outdoor patio... and if you know me, I do love my tropical themed bars, so a tiki bar WITH excellent food? How can I not come back?

On a quick aside, we also happened to hear from our neighboring table that President Obama was dining a block away from us at Michel Richard's Citronelle... needless to say, we ventured over there after dinner, and sure enough (after a little wait), there was President Obama, Mrs. Obama, and Chef Richard, with a motorcade entourage. It was exciting! We met some Secret Service people (who scanned the crowd with explosive detectors), bonded with other fellow on-lookers (none of whom were from DC!), and waved at the Obamas (they waved back!). All in all, a good night.

Fratelli la Bufala
1063 31st St. NW
Washington, DC 20007

Iceberry - A Frozen Yogurt Taste of Springtime!

Over the weekend, I finally made it to the newest frozen yogurt outpost in Georgetown - Iceberry (not to be confused with similarly named frozen yogurt empire Pinkberry). Iceberry has been open for some time, and I've been wanting to try it, but the weather has been downright unpredictable here and generally on the chillier side when I've been by Iceberry.

This weekend however the weather was gorgeous -- a reminder of why I love this area and how beautiful springtime in DC can be! (today on the other hand is a reminder of how rainy DC can be...). In any case, after a full day of exploring around the monuments and weaving in and out of the cherry blossoms (and trying to avoid being accidentally pushed into the Tidal Basin), we arrived at Iceberry.

Inside are a few tables for customers to rest their feet while licking up their frozen yogurt. Most of these tables were already taken when we came in, but we snagged a few seats before the line started out the door. The frozen yogurt flavor choices were more plentiful than aforementioned Pinkberry (that I visited while in LA in January!) -- original, strawberry, honeydew melon, chocolate, green tea... I ordered strawberry with three toppings (Oreo cookies, rainbow sprinkles, and pineapple) and Mr. J ordered honeydew melon plain. Not until after ordering did we learn that the most popular flavor is original followed closely by a tie of strawberry and honeydew melon. (Good selections!)

Both were...delicious. Unlike "frozen yogurt" served at a lot of ice cream shops, Iceberry's frozen yogurt tasted like...yogurt, but better. It had the tangy-ness of yogurt and was not overpoweringly sweet. The toppings if anything were the sweetest parts of the treat, and that part, you could control exactly what you wanted sprinkled on top. I myself am a topping fan, so to be faced with some many possible topping combinations? Excellent. What kinds of toppings you ask? Oreos, rainbow sprinkles, pineapple, fruity pebbles, raspberries, blueberries, coconut, chocolate chips, almonds, and more...

Plus, a healthy (healthier?) alternative to ice cream! A medium cup of the fro-yo has only 140 calories and 0 grams of fat (and 18% of your daily calcium needs!). And believe me, the medium cup is quite plentiful and filling.

Perhaps my only complaint was that service wasn't particularly...friendly. Despite that though, I got my frozen yogurt with the quickness, so I couldn't complain.

Iceberry can also be found in five other locations -- Virginia (Reston, Chantilly, Springfield), California (Los Angeles), and Florida (West Palm Beach).

Ah yes, spring and the wonderful treats you bring. Next up on the frozen yogurt list... Yogen Fruz. They're rumored to be popping up around DC (already one has opened at Tysons Corner)... going to keep my eye out for this one.

Iceberry
3001 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20007

Baked and Wired - Amazing Cupcakes Sharing the Throne with Gtown Cupcake!

This weekend, Mr. J and I came to a startling revelation. Gasp, we think we may have found a CUPCAKE PLACE that we love EVEN MORE than Georgetown Cupcake. I know, it's shocking. I've spoken here about my love for Georgetown Cupcake, with its little bites of stylish, tasteful (both to the mouth and the eyes), and sinfully rich heaven. I've talked about how I've waited over half an hour in line, outside, in the cold, just to buy 6 cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. I've babbled about how this was my go-to place for cupcakes in DC.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think Georgetown Cupcake is in for some competition. Enter, Baked and Wired. No, Baked and Wired isn't a new place (although it did expand its space back in early 2008)... I had heard about it, in fact, heard rave reviews from one of my most avid cupcake loving friends. This was her most favorite cupcake place in DC. And this weekend, I finally discovered why.

Baked and Wired, from the moment that you walk in, has a completely different feel from Georgetown Cupcake, which is located just a few blocks away. Here, they have an area with tables, specifically inviting guests to stay a little while, plug in your computer, tap into the internet, or sit with friends and catch up on the latest, or get comfy with a book, a coffee, and one of their chocolate satin cupcakes (one...or two...or perhaps three...).

There was no long line winding out the entrance (and may I say, no people looking at you wondering why you are in this thirty-person deep line waiting for cupcakes). Instead, there were warm and friendly faces waiting to take your cupcake (or other baked good) order. Like Georgetown Cupcake, there, sitting in front of you, is an array of sweet treats waiting for your selection. At first, I only saw two or three types of cupcakes (the "Perfectly Bitchin'" chocolate peanut butter cupcake quickly made it on our list)...and then I looked up and laying before us was an impressive spread of cupcakes.

The cupcakes looked quite sizable compared to a lot of the other new cupcake stores that have popped up around DC. You surely got your $3.50 worth when you bought one of these cupcakes. These were soft and fluffy cupcakes, covered in a mouthwateringly thick slab of buttercream. At first glance, these cupcakes looked similar to Cakelove cupcakes. Don't be fooled. When we got these cupcakes home and bit into them, they tasted ... amazing. They are wonderfully moist, almost a cross between a muffin and a cake. The icing wasn't "buttery" or "greasy" (as Cakelove's cupcakes were described at our cupcake party weeks before)... instead, the icing bursted with sugary flavor. If you don't like sugar, these are not for you. They were much more sugary (but in a delightful way) than Georgetown Cupcake.

We resisted the urge to buy too many. Originally, we were just going to get two, one for each of us. This quickly doubled into four: strawberry (strawberry icing on a vanilla cake with chunks of fresh strawberries baked into the cake), the aforementioned Perfectly Bitchin' (peanut butter icing with chocolate cake), and for comparison's sake with other cupcakes, the vanilla&vanilla and what should be called the "Death by Chocolate" (they had a witty name to go along with it, but my sugar coma has knocked that out of my brain).

After a bite of the strawberry cupcake, Mr. J immediately proclaimed Baked and Wired his new favorite cupcake place, dethroning Georgetown Cupcake. But I'll be honest, I can't knock Georgetown Cupcake off its throne... but instead, I've found a place to share its throne. GC and BW, they represent the best of cupcakes in DC, but they are different from each other, and they offer two different experiences to the cupcake devoted. GC is more about refined, beautiful looking cupcakes with inventive flavors. BW is more about just simply delicious and sugary delights that focus on more the taste of the cake and the icing themselves with a "made from scratch" appeal. And really, having two fabulous cupcake places so near each other? That could never be a bad thing.

The next time I'm craving a cupcake, I will be venturing back to Baked and Wired, mainly because there are still so many flavors left to be tried! Plus, I admit, there is something so inviting about the place, that next time, I want to just spend an entire Sunday afternoon there. Perhaps with their wireless internet, I'll be writing my next blog entry there.

Baked and Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW

Washington, DC 20007

(Between 30th and 31st Sts and M and K Sts)

202-333-2500

Inaugural Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are perfect for any time of year, especially during times of celebration! From staying open until 4 am to offering special tasting menus, the restaurants of DC were awash in celebratory specials. For your (eye) feasting pleasure, some inauguration cupcakes from Gtown Cupcakes.

Monday Munchies: Georgetown Cupcake - A Friend's Experience

(R's Camera Phone Photo of the Treats - Gingerbread, Coconut, Carrot Cake)

My cupcake-making friend R made a trip over to Georgetown Cupcake this past weekend -- if there is anyone's opinion I trust about baked goods, it is hers! (See future entry regarding Cadbury Creme Egg Easter cake!). As you know, I love Georgetown Cupcake and I'm pleased to know that she agrees with me for the most part. In any case, she was so kind to offer her thoughts on her bites there:

R's Georgetown Cupcake Experience

I sampled four cupcakes - I got the Gingerbread and the Key Lime, and I tasted JL's Coconut and Carrot Cake. My friend A got the Red Velvet, but I didn't try it. Overall I was very impressed - the frosting is exactly how I like it (thick and not just sweet, but also flavorful), and the decorations are adorable - I particularly loved the wee, shimmery gingerbread man :) (I think he was gum paste - didn't taste like marzipan). $15 is pretty steep for 6 cupcakes (that'd run you what, $4 at Safeway?) but for an occasional treat, definitely worth the splurge. And I will be having lots of Georgetown Cupcakes on my birthday this year =)

Gingerbread - Really spicy, warm, flavorful gingerbread with a mild frosting that nicely set off the spice

Key Lime - My favorite - didn't taste like key lime pie so much as actual key limes, one of my favorite fruits (along with Meyer lemons). The frosting was AWESOME - had lots of flecks of real key lime zest in it. The cake was moist and really nice.

Carrot Cake - The cream cheese frosting was the star (SO thick and creamy), but I was disappointed that the cake seemed really pretty plain and not that spicy or carroty. J loves carrot cake and thought I was nuts, however, so this might just be my beef.

Coconut - Again yummy frosting, piled especially high on this one and topped with fresh coconut. The cake was disappointing though - pretty dry. I don't know what it is about coconut cake but it's really hard to make it moist. My grandma made an awesome coconut cake and none of us have ever been able to duplicate it, it comes out too dry no matter what the quantity or type of liquid we use. Not a bad cupcake but not as good as the others.

I really want to go back on a Friday sometime so I can try the Lemon Blossom, and I also want to try the Mocha and the Chocolate Mint. And of course the Vanilla2. I surprised myself by not getting the Vanilla2 yesterday since vanilla/vanilla is my favorite cake/cupcake, but I couldn't resist the Gingerbread or Key Lime :)

Melt in your mouth cupcakes - Georgetown Cupcake!

I can’t help but be excited by the cupcake boom that has hit DC. It seemed like for several months that new cupcake places were popping up every other week. Despite what now seems like an endless selection, I have a favorite—GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE.

I had heard the rumors, but didn’t know it was true until I saw the line around the corner myself. We arrived a couple minutes before the store even opened to pick up cupcakes for our friend’s birthday and already there was a line snaking around the corner! Luckily, the line moved quickly and there was plenty of cupcake eye candy to keep us distracted.

Why do I love Georgetown Cupcake? For its fresh, flavorful, and just simply divine bites of goodness. The flavors rotate on a daily basis (check out their menu or give them a call to find out the treats of the day!). My favorites include the chocolate coconut, red velvet, and this season’s pumpkin spice…

If you’re a chocolate fan, you’ve come to chocolate heaven. There are AT LEAST 10 cupcakes that involve chocolate (chocolate squared, chocolate banana, chocolate pb swirl, chocolate hazelnut, chocolate vanilla…) and perhaps even more with their “seasonal flavors” (hello december! chocolate peppermint!).

Yes, the cupcakes are costly, but well worth it for the occasional indulgence. They are light and fluffy, the icings are filled with flavor and not too dense or heavy.

They (and I) recommend that you call ahead if you are traveling from a distance or want particular flavors to make sure they still have them—the cupcakes are baked fresh daily, so popular flavors can run out quickly. (This month's seasonal flavors: chocolate peppermint, gingerbread, snowball, hannukah cupcakes, christmas cupcakes, and new year's eve cucpakes)

Finally, I love Georgetown Cupcake because they also DELIVER. We’ve now celebrated two birthdays with cupcake delivery (a $10 delivery charge) and this way, your favorite flavors are packaged up and ready to show up at your front door.

Georgetown Cupcake

1209 Potomac Street NW (cross street: M St)

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 333-8448

Tackle Box - my craving for its fresh seafood

So, I've been CRAVING Tackle Box for weeks now... and every time I'm about to go, something seems to come up at work... So I thought that perhaps I could partially satisfy my craving for Tackle Box by chatting about it? (and...also putting out there some hopeful vibes that I can visit it again this weekend...)

In any case, DC was much in need of a casual, but tasty seafood restaurant, and the owners of Hook (next door) deliver with Georgetown’s Tackle Box. Tackle Box is located right on M Street between Wisconsin Avenue and Potomac Street, next to its sister restaurant Hook and next to potentially soon a co-owned butcher shop! Ok, maybe that doesn't give you exact coordinates, but it is directly across from the Georgetown Mall (home to JCrew, Clyde's, H&M, Anthropologie etc) and only a hop, skip, jump from the ever busy M St - Wisconsin Avenue intersection (think the big bank with the gold dome).

Like Hook, Tackle Box focuses on seafood sustainability and offers an array of seafood choices, from peel & eat shrimp to Hook’s (my fave) grilled calamari (yum) and from lobster rolls to even (non-seafood) grilled chorizo sausages. My favorite and in my opinion the best deal is the “Maine Meal.” You get 1 fish, 2 sides, and 1 sauce for $13, and believe me, it is plenty of food. You can choose to have your “fish” made “crispy” (choices include bay scallops, shrimp, calamari, oysters, catfish, etc) or “wood-grilled.” Wood-grilled is my personal selection, and usually I’ll fall for the rainbow trout or the tilapia.

And then there are the sides… and the sauces… there are 10 different sides to choose from (but usually I think five of them are offered each day) and six different sauces. The highlights are mac & cheese, grilled corn, sweet potato fries… The basil-walnut pesto is a must have and I am also a fan of the spicy marinara (the lemon-garlic aioli sounds good in theory, but not too flavorful…).

They also serve up (to go) a "lobster pot" with a 1 1/4 lb Maine lobster, grilled red onions, quahog clams, white water mussels, chorizo sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, lemon, rockweed, butter & "Tackle Box spice" for $40 per person. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it'll be a good way to bring a taste of summer to the house this winter.

Tackle Box is definitely worth the visit – the staff is very friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is laid back and casual. Also... maybe this time I'll save room for the blueberry pie for dessert... or... maybe take that home as a treat for later.

Tackle Box
3245 M St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
Open 7 days a week, 11 am - 11pm

Taste of Georgetown Recipes

More for as a note to myself, here are the recipes from the Taste of Georgetown:

Baked and Wired Carrot Cake
Cake:
o 2 ¼ (11.5) oz. all-purpose flour
o 2 cups sugar
o 2 teaspoon baking soda
o 1 teaspoon cinnamon
o ½ teaspoon salt
o 2 cups shredded carrots
o 1 ½ cup canola oil
o 4 eggs
o 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, and cooled

Pre-set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9” pans. Whisk together all dry ingredients. Blend all ingredients at low speed, except nuts. Whisk with attachment on mixer for 3 minutes on high. Stir in pecans. Bake for 34 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing:
o 1 stick butter, softened
o 1 lbs. 8 oz. powdered sugar
o 1 teaspoon vanilla
o 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (may not need)

Blend together all the ingredients, and apply to cup cakes. Spread additional ½ cups of chopped and toasted pecans over the icing for decoration. Makes 16 Cup Cakes.
Recipe Provided by: Baked and Wired

Leopold's Kafe Cucumber Radish Salad
o 7in. plate
o European seedless cucumbers
o Yogurt dressing (See condiments ect.)
o Radishes
o Dill
o Toasted walnuts
o Frissee
o Lemon-honey oil

Slice cucumbers on the mandoline skin on. Toss generously with kosher salt and press in a perforated hotel pan with a fair amount of weight on top. Cucumbers should come out crisp and a little salty. Toss with some yogurt dressing and black pepper to taste. Salt only if needed! Make a small pile of frissee in the middle of the plate to add some height to the dish. Pile a neat mound of salad to resemble a pyramid and decorate around with slice radishes (held in water) like a Christmas tree. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, top with some fresh dill peluche and drizzle some of the lemon-honey oil around.

Recipe Provided by: Leopold's Kafe

Clyde's Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Serves 2
It is important to pick over the crab meat gently to remove excess shell and cartilage. This is one of our most requested recipes.

o 1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
o 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
o 1 tblsp Water
o 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
o 1 tblsp Dijon Mustard
o 1 tblsp Chopped Parsley
o 4 Saltine Crackers

1. Pick the crab meat over to remove excess shells and cartilage.
2. Combine the mayo, Old Bay, parsley, mustard and water until smooth.
3. Add the mayo mixture to the crab meat and mix, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat.
4. With your hands, break up the saltines into crumbs and mix into the crab mixture.
5. Form into four patties and pan-fry, or broil the cakes until golden brown.

Recipe Provided by: Clyde's Crabcrake Sliders

Four Seasons Hotel Grilled Pineapple
o 1 Pineapple, whole
o 2 C Orange Liquor (Like Grand Mariner)
o 1/2 C Honey
o 1/4 C Brown Sugar
o 1 T Pink Peppercorns
o 1 qt. Honey or French Vanilla Ice Cream
o 1 pt. Caramel (good store bought is fine)

1. Remove the outer skin of the pineapple, yet leave the top. Trim the top leaves with scissors so they do not have sharp points.
2. Marinade:Over a low/medium heat simmer the liquor, honey, brown sugar and peppercorns.Simmer until the liquid is reduced and visible thicker. Remove from heat and chill.Place the pineapple in a ziplock bag and pour the liquid in the bag. Let sit from 6--10 hours.
3. Grill:Before removing the pineapple from the bag, triwl the pineapple in the bag one more time to coat the fruit with the marinade. Place the pineapple on the grill over a low heat. Spin the pineapple every 3-5 minutes, until all sides of the pineapple are dark brown (not burnt and caramelized). The pineapple should be fork tender all of the way through, including the core.
4. Slice 1" thick piece of pineapple. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled With warm caramel. Great with a Riesling Wine.

Recipe Provided by: Four Seasons Hotel

Taste of Georgetown 2008

I finally made it over to the Taste of Georgetown this year. Accompanied by Mr. J, we braved the crowds that gathered between M St. and K St. on Wisconsin Avenue. The weather was absolutely beautiful -- sunny, blue skies, no clouds, and just warm enough to be happy to be standing in line... And stand in line we did. Not that we minded - it was actually fun (and mouthwatering) to watch other participants walk by with their piles of food and scope out what stands to hit next.

The Taste of Georgetown featured 27 of favorite Georgetown restaurants -- each restaurant offered between 1 -5 different selections. We purchased 5 tasting tickets for $20 and split it between us for "lunch." Our selections:

• Morton's: Steak sandwich : We spent our first tasting ticket on this... and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Although Mr. J was a fan of this one, I found that the sandwich had very little steak on it and was dominated by bread. The sandwich itself was quite small too, especially compared to the generous portions offered by other restaurants. Verdict: Skip next year.
• Agraria: Pork Belly: Agraria's booth was near Morton's and talk about an improvement! The pork belly came with an apple/sweet potato mash and both were delicious. The pork belly wasn't too dry and had tons of flavor. The mash was a nice compliment to the saltiness of the pork belly. Verdict: One of the day's best.
• Bangkok Joe's: Chicken Pad Thai: The line at Bangkok Joe's was at least 15 people deep, but well worth the wait! I was salivating watching people leave the Bangkok Joe's booth with their plates stacked high with pad thai. I generally love Bangkok Joe's pad thai anyways and was very pleased with the selection that day. Especially with some of their chili sauce squirted on it, gives it an extra bite. Verdict: One of the day's best.
• Seacatch: Mushroom soup, shrimp in puff pastry, salmon tartare: Here's a restaurant that I've passed by time and time again, so we were curious to give it a try. Each of the bites were tasty, but they didn't bowl me over... think a plate of hors d'oeurves. Verdict: Good, but perhaps should have tried something else.
• Cafe Bonaparte: Nutella and strawberry crepes: I was shocked by the length of this line. But by this point, we were dying for dessert... and Georgetown Cupcake already ran out of cupcakes (plus I celebrated a co-worker's birthday the day before with Gtown Cupcakes) and Baked and Wired looked out too. Plus, I love crepes... I mean, let's be honest, I love anything covered in nutella! The line took a long time to get through because Cafe Bonaparte was making each of their crepes fresh. Verdict: Very tasty but probably better to go to the restaurant.

All in all, I think it was a successful "meal" at the Taste of Georgetown. I would definitely go back to sample more next year -- this is my favorite form of eating anyways. Grazing over little dishes. We missed out on the wine pavillion this year, but luckily, there's always next year...