San Pellegrino 6 Pack - That's it

I'm back after a long hiatus. Yes, I have a life to live (and part of that life is being lazy). Oh yeah, and Hong Kong, Pittsburgh, dinner parties for clients, obscure artist concerts, point to point races, looking at Lord Palumbo's acquisitions, ridiculous certification exams (no, I'm not in IT, thankfully--don't judge me), and leftovers for art friends are included in said life. So all I have to say right now is that all I got is: I really love the S. Pellegrino 6 pack of 8.5 oz bottles. They are the perfect size to fill a tumbler stylishly a third full with a round of lemon. Do it. You'll look cool. And Pellegrino is better than Perrier for the bigger bubbles and less sodium feel.

Talk to you later. Promise.

What Washington Eats Wednesdays: Eliot Spitzer

Oh, the bridge-and- tunnel scandalishousnous. This has been a bad week for the now-former New York governor. Eliot "I've been a Bad Hypocrite" Spitzer resigned yesterday over his involvement in a prostitution ring that included this woman:

Ashley Alexandra Dupre (real name Yelman?) is the $1000 an hour call girl (abused runaway from a broken home aspiring r&b singer) whom he brought from New York to DC for a tryst February 13th (and sometime in January as well). So nuts! Eliot, we have dirty, dirty, late-night New York style BIG slice pie here, too, ya know (with extra cheese, the way you apparently like it)! You didn't have to transport it!

Related: What brand of perverse is it to use the very same techniques yourself for your own sicktual enjoyment (with an abused, runaway, drug addicted jersey hookah who is not much older than your own daughters) that you tenaciously sniff (no pun intended) out to ruin other (hapless, less prosecutorially powerful) people? This is just whoreable behavior.

Pork Chops and Apple "Sauce" To Make Alice Proud

Remember the Brady Bunch episode when Peter asked Alice what was for supper and when she said "Pork Chops and Applesauce", he repeated it in a poor imitation of Humphrey Bogart? Here's to Alice's all-American favorite, but with a twist:

The apple sauce is actually fuji apples sliced and stewed in an orange, nutmeg, ginger, and cinammon syrup. I fried up some pork chops that I had marinated in Worcesteshire and garlic, then dredged in some breadcrumbs. Used a non-stick skillet and left them for about 3.5 minutes a side. Served them with the apples, using the syrup as a sauce for the meat, and added some roasted rosemary potatoes left over from Saturday night.

Simple Burgers and a Riveting Movie

Spent a lazy Saturday evening in front of the television watching the last two "Bourne" movies (Supremacy and Ultimatum). Riveting. Matt Damon is very convincing as a tortured assassin.

Made buffalo burgers, pan fried them to medium rare on the iron skillet. Topped with blue cheese, heirloom tomatoes, and some avocado. Roasted some red skin potatoes in mustard, garlic and rosemary. Simple. A hearty and believably easy tavern meal.

The Mess Hall Cook in Chef's Clothing

Hey, if you're gonna lie, do it big! Robert Irvine lied about cooking for the British Royal family, as well as some U.S. Presidents, on his resume. Wow! That's an amazing fabrication! Cooking for world leaders/royalty in not one, but two countries!

I would have toned it down myself: making bangers and mash for Fergie (of Dutchess of York, not Black Eye Peas, fame).

The host of Food Network's Dinner Impossible was fired by the network after revelations of his embellishments of his credentials surfaced. They will finish out the season by airing the remaining episodes while looking for a replacement.

I'm totally sad...not because they're losing Irvine, but because that stupid show will continue.

Corduroy: A Delicious Sleeper

I love restaurants like Corduroy: quiet, great food, outstanding service, and not too cheesy hip on the scene.

Chef-owner Tom Power's dishes are understated and elegant, simply prepared showcases of premium ingredients. As a former apprentice to Michel Richard, his good training is obvious; and Scott Palmer, the restaurant's general manager, pulls the front of the house together beautifully. Our favorite server, Daniel, is one of the best in the city, having worked in the industry for 30 years. Polite, attentive, extremely knowledgeable, but not too showy, talkative or rushed.

Corduroy is a sleeper of sorts: quietly executing with perfection. It's not about the cheapening shine, raukous loudness of ostentatious celebrity (as Mr. Power has been characterized as the least famous of DC's celebrity chefs), rather it's about the art of food. Indeed, Mr. Power is more artist than celebrity. That's a good thing.(Laurent Tourandel and his entourage could learn a few things.)

In a few weeks, Corduroy will move out of its digs on K Street and into Penn Quarter at 1122 9th Street, NW . Wishing you much success, Mssrs Power and Palmer (and Daniel!)--we look forward to great meals with you in your new location!










Kobach Squash soup: One might be bored by the "it's been done before" puree of vegetables, but the flavor in this is beautiful; the texture silky and not a lot of fat or cream to distract you (as is typically the case).







Braised pork belly with savoy cabbage with Meaux mustard and a rich reduction. This is buttery, velvety, exploding with deep earthy flavors. Loved this.










Corduroy is a civilized experience that is not to be missed....

What Washington Eats Wednesdays: Tofu Curry--So Liberal-ly, I Should Have Voted for Hillary

Went to Philly for a sort of culinary/romantic getaway this past weekend and came back with a bunch of delicious loot from the 9th Street Italian Market (apparently the oldest and largest outdoor market in the U.S.--kind of like the Eastern Market but ten times better and bigger). Got a bunch of grrrreaaat stuff from DiBruno's and Talluto's, which I will write about later, but I also purchased a bunch of lovely spices from one of the spice stores along 9th Street. Tonight, I had to make use of the beautiful golden curry that I bought. So I made something so liberal and crunchy, I should have just voted for Hillary in the Potomac primary (as of this writing, she's losing big time, and has run out of money). Anyhoo, so I looked in my fridge and cupboard and pulled together a tofu and vegetable curry, with potatoes, broccoli, diced lime rind, ginger, coriander, roasted red pepper and coconut milk. Served with brown rice and fried up a bit of onion roti bread. Woohoo, I won't shave my armpits this week!

Here's the recipe:

1 package(s) (14 1/2- to 16-ounce) extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
1 tablespoon(s) peanut or corn oil
1 bunch(es) green onions, chopped
3 tablespoon(s) fresh gingerroot, peeled, chopped
4 teaspoon(s) curry powder
1 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
1 teaspoon(s) grated lime rind
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) cracked black pepper
1 1/2 pound(s) small red potatoes, halved
3 cup(s) water
1 can(s) (14-ounce) reduced-fat coconut milk
1/2 pound(s) broccoli chopped
1 large sweet red pepper chopped, (or use about 1/3 cup roasted red peppers from a jar)

In large plastic bag, combine tofu cubes and cornstarch. Shake until all cornstarch adheres to cubes. In heavy 6-quart saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. Add tofu cubes and saute until lightly browned on all sides -- about 5 minutes. Stir in half of onions, the gingerroot, curry powder, cumin, lime rind, salt, and black pepper; saute 1 minute longer.
Add potatoes, water, and coconut milk to curry; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until potatoes are just tender -- about 20 minutes. Add broccoli and red pepper to curry; heat to boiling over low heat, stirring occasionally.