Friday nights are traditionally "date" night for my husband and I. We try to leave this night for just the two of us to catch up and enjoy a dinner together. We have many favorite restaurants around town, but tonight we landed at one of my very favorites, Del Merei Grille.
Del Merei is a contemporary southern restaurant that can be "glutenous" at times (think Frickles which are fried pickles or Braised BBQ Beef Short Ribs with Mac-and-Cheese). There are also always lighter options on the menu, including fresh fish, flank steak, and grilled portabella mushrooms. This summer they also added a new dish to the menu, Lobster and Spaghetti which is a dish made up of lobster sautéed with portabella mushrooms, sun
dried tomatoes and served over zucchini “spaghetti” in white wine and xvo. The dish was flavorful and delivered on my expectations.
We did finish the meal with a slice of carrot cake (which we shared). After all, there is no such thing as a bad food - its just how much and how often we eat it!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Its all about presentation...
Our eyes are very powerful. Not only do they help us navigate to our destinations, but they have a heavy hand in deciding if something looks appealing. This can be applied to food, naturally.
Take this scenario...you go to a restaurant where you order a citrus infused roasted chicken accompanied by the best mashed potatoes and cauliflower flavored with fresh roasted garlic. It appears in front of you and looks like a plate of blah - all of the foods are the same color, there is no originality to the plating - nothing to excite your sense of site. Now the foods may taste amazing - but your first judgement of the food - before you even put it into your mouth - was blah.
Often times when cooking at home, we forget how important plating can be. Making your meal appealing - both visually and tastefully - is vital to helping your dining experience be enjoyable.
While complicated cooking can produce beautiful plates, I prefer simplicity - mostly because often I do not have the time to slave in the kitchen for hours on end. I find fruits and vegetables a fantastic base for creating a visually appealing dish. The rainbow of colors available make any meal easily creative and add a variety of vitamins and minerals to your diet. I always try to include a minimum of 3 different fruits or vegetables at each meal. A recent side dish included eggplant, zucchini and roasted tomatoes stacked atop each other with a layer of herbed chevre in between to blend the flavors. Another night we dined on a spinach salad with blueberries, strawberries, and avocados topped with grilled chicken breast.
For those of you who are tired of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner - get creative in your presentation! Try different vegetables - try different platings - try something DIFFERENT.
Take this scenario...you go to a restaurant where you order a citrus infused roasted chicken accompanied by the best mashed potatoes and cauliflower flavored with fresh roasted garlic. It appears in front of you and looks like a plate of blah - all of the foods are the same color, there is no originality to the plating - nothing to excite your sense of site. Now the foods may taste amazing - but your first judgement of the food - before you even put it into your mouth - was blah.
Often times when cooking at home, we forget how important plating can be. Making your meal appealing - both visually and tastefully - is vital to helping your dining experience be enjoyable.
While complicated cooking can produce beautiful plates, I prefer simplicity - mostly because often I do not have the time to slave in the kitchen for hours on end. I find fruits and vegetables a fantastic base for creating a visually appealing dish. The rainbow of colors available make any meal easily creative and add a variety of vitamins and minerals to your diet. I always try to include a minimum of 3 different fruits or vegetables at each meal. A recent side dish included eggplant, zucchini and roasted tomatoes stacked atop each other with a layer of herbed chevre in between to blend the flavors. Another night we dined on a spinach salad with blueberries, strawberries, and avocados topped with grilled chicken breast.
For those of you who are tired of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner - get creative in your presentation! Try different vegetables - try different platings - try something DIFFERENT.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Fresh and Simple is Better
My husband and I recently took a trip to Italy - namely Rome, Montalcino and Florence. We had a fantastic time, and saw all of the sites. We also ate some amazing food. From pizza to pappardell con cingale to gelato, no matter where we went, we ate like Roman kings.
One of the biggest differences I noticed in the Italian cuisine was that the food was FRESH AND SIMPLE - very few ingredients, and what was used was the top of the top. For example, pizza in Italy is not weighed down with pounds of processed cheese - there, they use fresh mozzarella sparingly, along with house-made tomato sauce and freshly made dough. The difference was noticed immediately.
Another example was the pasta - all made by hand, fresh that day, and in house. Dressed delicately with pesto sauce and cooked al dente, it was a party in my mouth. Even the Caprese salad (tomato & mozzarella) exploded with flavors not usually found at restaurants in the states.
The wine was also different - and never left me feeling "off" the next day. We ended up coming back with 9 bottles that we will enjoy over the next several years.
Of course, the food was enjoyable, but it also inspired me to use these techniques in my own cooking and dining experiences. It seems like oftentimes, restaurants use multiple ingredients to create a flavor - instead of letting the foods speak for themselves. Maybe this is because the ingredients aren't fresh - so why serve it?
While I know that I will have to travel back to Italy to experience this quality of cooking again, I hope to take the lessons I've learned from this trip and search for fresh and simple meals to enjoy.
Two restaurants in the DC area that are known for coming close to an overseas experience include:
Dino in Cleveland Park
Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City
One of the biggest differences I noticed in the Italian cuisine was that the food was FRESH AND SIMPLE - very few ingredients, and what was used was the top of the top. For example, pizza in Italy is not weighed down with pounds of processed cheese - there, they use fresh mozzarella sparingly, along with house-made tomato sauce and freshly made dough. The difference was noticed immediately.
Another example was the pasta - all made by hand, fresh that day, and in house. Dressed delicately with pesto sauce and cooked al dente, it was a party in my mouth. Even the Caprese salad (tomato & mozzarella) exploded with flavors not usually found at restaurants in the states.
The wine was also different - and never left me feeling "off" the next day. We ended up coming back with 9 bottles that we will enjoy over the next several years.
Of course, the food was enjoyable, but it also inspired me to use these techniques in my own cooking and dining experiences. It seems like oftentimes, restaurants use multiple ingredients to create a flavor - instead of letting the foods speak for themselves. Maybe this is because the ingredients aren't fresh - so why serve it?
While I know that I will have to travel back to Italy to experience this quality of cooking again, I hope to take the lessons I've learned from this trip and search for fresh and simple meals to enjoy.
Two restaurants in the DC area that are known for coming close to an overseas experience include:
Dino in Cleveland Park
Bebo Trattoria in Crystal City
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Mac
One of my favorite comfort dishes is macaroni & cheese. I know that if I order this dish at a restaurant, there is no way that it will be low -anything (fat, calories, etc...). Here are a few restaurants in the DC Metro-area that give perfect examples of this:
Central
Hudson
Zola
While it is ok to splurge once in awhile, there is a way to make this yummy treat in a healthy way. You've got two options:
1. Buy a box of Annie's Whole Wheat macaroni and cheese. After you've boiled the water, add the noodles AND frozen chopped broccoli. Once it is all cooked, drain and mix the cheese mixture with soy or skim milk. Add the noodles and broccoli, along with chopped cooked chicken breast, and enjoy!
2. Follow the same directions as Option 1, but instead of using the pre-mixed cheese sauce, you can make your own.
Ingredients:
Central
Hudson
Zola
While it is ok to splurge once in awhile, there is a way to make this yummy treat in a healthy way. You've got two options:
1. Buy a box of Annie's Whole Wheat macaroni and cheese. After you've boiled the water, add the noodles AND frozen chopped broccoli. Once it is all cooked, drain and mix the cheese mixture with soy or skim milk. Add the noodles and broccoli, along with chopped cooked chicken breast, and enjoy!
2. Follow the same directions as Option 1, but instead of using the pre-mixed cheese sauce, you can make your own.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups non-fat milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
Directions: Mix together over medium heat, and mix in cooked pasta. Enjoy!
Lesson learned: You can make ANYTHING healthier, but of course enjoy the originals from time to time - as a treat:)
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