DC Restaurant Week 2009

Well people, it is that wonderful time of year again - DC Summer Restaurant Week! Restaurant Week is August 24-30 -- BUT the list is out and restaurants are beginning to take reservations. Below are the list of participants :) Start planning ahead!

Would love to hear about your RW experiences... if you end up going, let me know, and I'll put together a round-up.

15 ria	Logan Circle	Lunch	Dinner
2941 Restaurant Lunch only	Falls Church	Lunch
701 Restaurant	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Acadiana	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Adour at St. Regis Washington DC Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
Agraria Farmers & Fishers	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Ardeo - Bardeo Dinner only	Cleveland Park		Dinner
Art and Soul	Capitol Hill	Lunch	Dinner
Asia Nine Bar and Lounge	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Bastille Dinner only	Alexandria		Dinner
Beacon Bar and Grill	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Belga Cafe	Capitol Hill	Lunch	Dinner
Bezu	Potomac	Lunch	Dinner
Bistro Bis	Capitol Hill	Lunch	Dinner
Bistro Francais	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
BlackSalt Lunch only	Palisades Northwest	Lunch
Bobby Van's Grill - New York Ave.	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Bobby Van's Steakhouse - DC	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Bodega Spanish Tapas & Lounge	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Bombay Club	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Atlantico	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Bonaparte	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Du Parc	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Dupont	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Promenade	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Cafe Soleil	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Capital Grille - Washington DC Lunch only	Capitol Hill	Lunch
Casa Oaxaca Dinner only	Adams Morgan		Dinner
The Caucus Room	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Cedar Restaurant Dinner only	Penn Quarter		Dinner
Ceiba	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Charlie Palmer Steak - DC	Capitol Hill	Lunch	Dinner
Chef Geoff's	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Chef Geoff's Downtown	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Chef Geoff's Tysons	Tysons Corner	Lunch	Dinner
Co Co. Sala	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Coeur de Lion	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
The Columbia Firehouse	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Cure Bar & Bistro Dinner only	Penn Quarter		Dinner
Darlington House	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
DC Coast	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Del Merei Grille Dinner only	Alexandria		Dinner
Dino Dinner only	Cleveland Park		Dinner
District Chophouse	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
El Manantial	Reston	Lunch	Dinner
Enology Wine Bar Dinner only	Cleveland Park		Dinner
Filomena Ristorante	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Finemondo	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Fire & Sage	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Firefly - DC	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Fourth Estate Restaurant at the National Press Club	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Fyve at The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Georgia Brown's Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
Geranio	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - DC	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
The Grill from Ipanema Dinner only	Adams Morgan		Dinner
Grille at the Morrison House Dinner only	Alexandria		Dinner
Harry's Tap Room - Clarendon	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Harry's Tap Room - Pentagon City	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
The Heights	Columbia Heights / Brightwood	Lunch	Dinner
Hook	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Hudson Restaurant & Lounge	West End	Lunch	Dinner
Ici Urban Bistro	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Il Mulino - Washington DC	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Indigo Landing	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Indique Dinner only	Cleveland Park		Dinner
Indique Heights Dinner only	Friendship Heights		Dinner
Jackson 20	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Jaleo - Bethesda	Bethesda / Chevy Chase	Lunch	Dinner
Jaleo Crystal City	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Jaleo DC	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
The Jockey Club - The Fairfax at Embassy Row	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Johnny's Half Shell	Capitol Hill	Lunch	Dinner
Juniper at the Fairmont Washington DC	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Kaz Sushi Bistro	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Kinkead's, An American Brasserie Lunch only	Foggy Bottom	Lunch
La Bergerie	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
La Chaumiere	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
La Sandia	Tysons Corner	Lunch	Dinner
La Tasca - Alexandria	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
La Tasca - Arlington	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
La Tasca - Downtown DC	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
La Tasca - Rockville	Rockville	Lunch	Dinner
Laporta's Restaurant	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Lavandou Restaurant	Cleveland Park	Lunch	Dinner
Le Chat Noir Dinner only	Friendship Heights		Dinner
Legal Sea Foods - 7th Street	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
LIA'S	Friendship Heights	Lunch	Dinner
The Liberty Tavern	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
LIMA Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
M Street Bar & Grill	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood - Arlington	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood - Washington DC (F Street)	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood - Washington DC (K Street) Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
Me Jana	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
The Melting Pot - Arlington Dinner only	Arlington		Dinner
The Melting Pot - DC Dinner only	Dupont Circle		Dinner
The Melting Pot - Gaithersburg Dinner only	Gaithersburg		Dinner
The Melting Pot - Reston Dinner only	Reston		Dinner
Mie N Yu	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Morrison-Clark Restaurant	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Morton's The Steakhouse - Downtown DC	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Morton's The Steakhouse - Georgetown Dinner only	Georgetown		Dinner
Nage Restaurant	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Napoleon Bistro Dinner only	Adams Morgan		Dinner
New Heights Dinner only	Woodley Park		Dinner
Neyla Dinner only	Georgetown		Dinner
Notti Bianche	Foggy Bottom	Lunch	Dinner
Occidental Grill and Seafood	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
The Oval Room	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Oya Restaurant & Lounge	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Oyamel	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
The Palm - Tysons Corner	Tysons Corner	Lunch	Dinner
The Palm - Washington DC	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
PassionFish - Reston	Reston	Lunch	Dinner
Perrys Dinner only	Adams Morgan		Dinner
Petits Plats Dinner only	Woodley Park		Dinner
Pinzimini at The Westin Arlington Gateway	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Policy Dinner only	U Street Corridor		Dinner
Posh Restaurant & Supper Club Dinner only	Penn Quarter		Dinner
Poste	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Potenza	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
The Prime Rib	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Primi Piatti	Foggy Bottom	Lunch	Dinner
PS 7's	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Rasika	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Redwood	Bethesda / Chevy Chase	Lunch	Dinner
Restaurant 3	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Roberts Restaurant at the Omni Shoreham	Woodley Park	Lunch	Dinner
Rosa Mexicano - DC	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Ruth's Chris Steak House - DC - Connecticut NW Dinner only	Dupont Circle		Dinner
Ruth's Chris Steak House - DC - Convention Center Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
Sam & Harry's - Washington DC	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Sea Catch	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
SEI restaurant & lounge	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Sequoia	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Siroc Restaurant	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse - Washington DC	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Spezie	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Sushi Ko	Georgetown	Lunch	Dinner
Sushi Ko - Chevy Chase	Chevy Chase, DC	Lunch	Dinner
Tabaq Bistro Dinner only	U Street Corridor		Dinner
Taberna del Alabardero	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Tallula Dinner only	Arlington		Dinner
Teatro Goldoni	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
TenPenh	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Tosca Ristorante Dinner only	Downtown		Dinner
Tuscana West	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Ulah Bistro	U Street Corridor	Lunch	Dinner
Urbana Restaurant	Dupont Circle	Lunch	Dinner
Vermilion - Alexandria	Alexandria	Lunch	Dinner
Vidalia	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro	Reston	Lunch	Dinner
Vinoteca Dinner only	U Street Corridor		Dinner
Westend Bistro DC Lunch only	West End	Lunch
Willow Restaurant - Arlington	Arlington	Lunch	Dinner
Zaytinya	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner
Zengo - D.C.	Downtown	Lunch	Dinner
Zola	Penn Quarter	Lunch	Dinner

More information to come...

BB: Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta

The month of July brought us Barefoot Bloggers a very tasty recipe... actually, one of the best recipes I've tried yet! Thank you to Cat from the blog Delta Whiskey for selecting the Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes ... or as I refer to it "Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta" (because really, how could you omit the fresh mozzerella from the title?).

I was thrilled to try a dish that I would have tons of leftovers from to bring for lunch. And this was the perfect dish for it (although I wasn't a fan of re-heating ... better to have it cold!). My husband also raved about this dish -- he too agreed that this was one of the best dishes we've made yet in the Barefoot Bloggers. The flavors -- with the mix of the salty and sweet of the sundried tomatoes, the richness of the cheese, and the freshness of the vine ripened tomatoes and then the almost sour taste of the dressing -- all balanced each other very nicely. Originally, my husband prepared a side of turkey for himself, but found that the pasta stood on its own as a meal.

I definitely urge others to try this recipe! Although, I will let you know, that my pasta didn't warm up well. I think the vinegar in the dressing in particular didn't take to warming up...

RECIPE: Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

DRESSING:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

ALERT: 3-Course and 5-Course Specials @ DC Restaurants

Well, this is a pleasant development! Even BEFORE the Summer DC Restaurant Week begins, a few DC restaurants are offering special prix fixe menus for everyone to enjoy. I definitely plan to check these out and hope you will too! Please let me know if you hear of other great deals like this and I'll post here.

Limited Time
LIMA, 1401 K St. NW
The Tastings Journal is offering a 5-course menu with wine at Lima Restaurant for $45! This is ONLY through Saturday, July 25th, so hurry on to Lima. Be sure to tell them that you are having the Tasting s Journal's fixed price menu when you call for a reservation. The menu includes:

FIRST: Choice of Whitefish Ceviche, Salmon Chipotle Ceviche, Tuna & Ginger Ceviche
SECOND: Choice of Empanadas, Chicken Croquettes, Cod Fritters
THIRD: Choice of Mixed Field Greens Salad, Jamon Serrano, Manchego Cheese Plate,
MAIN: (Paired with wine!) Choice of Wild Salmon, Cuban Chicken, Steak Churrasco, Vegetarian Dish
DESSERT: Choice of Warm Chocolate Cake, Fried Churros, or Ice Creams and Sorbets

Continuing
OYA, 777 9th St NW
LUNCH- $19
FIRST: Choice of 13 different dishes including Cod Chowder, Tuna Tempura Roll, Parmesan Flan, Crab Cobb Salad, and Asian Style Shrimp Scampi.

SECOND: Choice of 11 different dishes including Scallops on pad thai noodles, Tuna Sashimi Salad, Tempura Chicken Sandwich, Atlantic Salmon, and Grilled Beef Sirloin,

DESSERT: Choice of Banana Bread Pudding, Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cake, and Ice Cream or Sorbet

DINNER - $29
FIRST: Choice of 10 different dishes including Salmon Tempura Roll, Chilled Pea Soup, Spicy Crunchy Shrimp, and Bar B Que Shrimp, and Calamari.

SECOND: Choice of Fish n' Chips, Pad Thai Scallops, Ramen Noodles, Grilled Beef Sirloin, Atlantic Salmon, Roast Chicken, Shiso Crusted Cod

DESSERT: Banana Bread Pudding, Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cake, Port, Flare Espumoso de Moscatel, Ice Cream or Sorbet


The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (at the Newseum)
LUNCH - $25
FIRST: Choice of Tiny Pork Belly Dumplings, Velvet Corn Soup
SECOND: Choice of Chinois Style Chicken Salad, American Style Kobe Cheeseburger
THIRD: Passion Fruit Cheesecake

DINNER - $45
As per the DC This Week blog, "Beginning today [July 21st], The Source by Wolfgang Puck is introducing a new Chinese banquet-style tasting menu available Monday through Thursday during regular dinner hours in the upstairs main dining room. Inspired by the traditional Chinese custom of friends and family convening over a family-style feast, The Source’s special prix-fixe menu is served in the same fashion and priced at $45 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity."

Where in the World Wednesdays...

(From my little corner of the world)

My poor blog has been rather neglected as of recent, other than the random recipe post! So to get myself back on track, I'm launching "Where in the World Wednesdays"! I sadly have been unable to do any extensive travel this year due to work constraints and miss it greatly. So, to vicariously experience food from different parts of the world, every Wednesday I'll feature food interviews (!) from different parts of the world! Every Wednesday will be a surprise, so keep on coming back :)

Cheers!

(On a sidenote, if you are reading, and are interested in sharing some of your favorite food thoughts from your corner of paradise, leave a comment here that lets me know that you would like to take part and I'll be in touch! I'll be happy to feature your blog in your interview.).

Cookie Carnival Round-Up!

June's Strawberry Shortcake cookie carnival round-up is now posted! Check out how everyone else did with these yummy cookies.