Tonic

I was at one of my new favorite places, Tonic in Mount Pleasant, on Tuesday with a few friends. It seemed the perfect place for a few of us who live in and around the neighborhood to catch up, and to watch the first game of March Madness. They do half-price burgers during happy hour until 7pm on Tuesdays, but we all didn't arrive until 7:30ish, but no matter, wasn't planning on doing a burger anyhow. For a neighborhood type bar, the menu actually is fairly extensive. I love that they have a cute little wine list as well as a Hummus Plate as an appetizer and sides that include Steamed Spinach, and when you order a burger or certain sandwhiches you have a choice of around eight cheeses including Brie and Gouda. I enjoyed the Tempranillo on offering by the glass, which was nice, Steph had a Woodchuck cider (not my favorite kind though - I only really enjoy the Granny Smith variety for its tartness), Amy had her usual light but tasty beer and others had other types of beer and soda. I ordered the Cobb Salad with the bleu cheese dressing on the side. The portion was large and the spinach and crisp Romaine lettuce was super fresh. It also came with bleu cheese crumbles, diced tomato, sliced red onion, chopped boiled egg and nice and large bacon bits. The grilled chicken was missing at first (and as a result I got my meal for free!), but when it did arrive it was a heaping plate of two huge breasts. It was a delicious and hearty yet light meal. One friend got the Portobello Sandwich which comes with Gouda cheese on wheat bread. It got raves. Everyone else got one of the variety of burgers which also come with Tater Tots that actually are not really greasy at all. After dining at Tonic I really do think it is a perfect little neighborhood bar.

Tonic

3155 Mount Pleasant Street in NW DC

http://www.tonicrestaurant.com/

DC International Wine and Food Festival

Just a quick note regarding the DC International Wine and Food Festival, which took place at the Ronald Reagan Building downtown this past weekend. Certainly imbibing and spending time in a fun venue with friends is a great way to spend a weekend day or two, but I think the organizers can do better next year. Saturday's showcase was sold out, and I think everyone who bought at ticket showed up as it was quite crowded and a bit warm temperature-wise. The wine selection was great, with over 280 wineries in attendance, and a nice representation as far as Old World and New World goes. Not surprisingly, my favorites were the wineries from the Pacific Northwest (Sonoma not Napa in California), and also pretty much any spot that offered sliced cheese since, even though "Food" is in the name of the event, there essentially wasn't much to be found. All in all I think it is definitely an event worth spending time at and patronizing, but I think there are a few steps that easily could be taken to vastly improve the experience of attendees.

The Ebbitt

Not that the Old Ebbitt Grill needs any additional publicity, but I was there for a happy hour on Friday, and Lorena, Mer and I enjoyed a fabulous and inexpensive bottle of a blend of Tempranillo and Grenache, for $24 no less, and a tasty flatbread pizza with diced butternut squash and tomatoes in a balsamic glaze with feta cheese. Mer and I were very pleased for sure, a somewhat light and definitely delicious snack which paired well with the fruity and velvety wine. You certainly don't need an occasion to pop in to this DC institution, and I think can feel confident you will be in for a great time once there. They have a fabulous raw bar happy hour early and late on Sunday through Thursday, if you do prefer to have a reason to go ...

The Old Ebbitt Grill

675 15th Street in NW DC

www.ebbitt.com

Napoleon and Cashion's

I met a friend for a fun evening out in Adams Morgan this past Thursday. He was quite accomodating and agreed to go to Cashion's for dinner, even though he has been many times. We were considering several other options as well, all of which I have already been to, and I have been wanting to check out Cashion's for a while now, so we decided on that. He lives in the neighborhood, and hadn't been to Napoleon yet, and so that we could both check out a new spot we met for some vino at Napoleon. We got a couple of cozy seats at the bar and settled into the delightful spot. From 4 to 7pm on weekdays, the wines by the glass and champagne cocktails are $2 off. I had a glass of Joseph Drouhin La Foret 2004 Pinot Noir, which was a typical and lovely French Pinot - well-balanced, and slightly tannic and fruity. He ordered a Chateau Haut-Surget Lalande de Pomerol 2003 Merlot, which he said was great but definitely probably a bit young to be enjoying now. I got the young part - the nose was quite alcoholic - but apparently 2003 is a great vintage, and I was happy to sample. We also tried the Maison Nicolas Reserve 2004 Syrah, which was actually delicious and much lighter than the Merlot. Fragrant aromas of the crepes, mussels, steak frites and other tasty Belgian fare on offering at Napoleon were enjoyable, but I was glad when it was time to head a few doors down to Cashion's. We ot a great window table, and ordered a Monthelie Cuvee Paul 2004 Pinot Noir, which wow, we both really loved. It was fruity and luscious and yummy. We shared PEI mussels with white wine, garlic, tomato and chili flake, and a Tritip appetizer with spiced couscous. I loved the mussels, but the Tritip was a bit tough and the portion was quite small. If you haven't had Tritip by the way, it usually is an absolutely tasty and tender cut of beef. I thought it was mainly a West Coast thing, but I increasingly have seen it locally. We shared Sunnyside Farms Aromatic Brined Chicken, which was served with a dollop of mashed sweet potatoes and chard sauteed with pearl onions and a honey-rosemary glaze. Good roast chicken is always amazing, and this was great. Juicy, flavorful, aromatic and just good homestyle food. We finished up with the cheese plate, which came with several soft and creamy offerings as well as a slice that looked and tasted like Manchego but was even creamier, and all in all the selection was lovely, and I think we both had a nice and certainly gastronomous evening.

Napoleon

1847 Columbia Road in NW DC

Cashion's Eat Place

1819 Columbia Road in NW DC

www.cashionseatplace.com

Two New Favorites

Last Saturday I met Amy for a drink at Rumberos in Columbia Heights. Really cute place with an interesting wine list - mostly offerings from Chile and Argentina - and a nice, relaxed vibe and interesting art all over the space. We had plans to try two spots in Mount Pleasant afterwards. Neither of us had eaten much all day, so we walked four or so blocks to Radius Pizza, excited about what would hopefully be a delicious meal upon arrival. You actually have to walk into the foyer of an apartment building to get to Radius, and we entered the small but comfortable space and snagged the last open table. The menu is fairly straightforward - standard apps such as calamari and cheese bread, as well as a nice selection of salads, pastas, pizzas, calzones and entrees - but certainly would satisfy almost anyone. I started with a Caesar Salad, which was super fresh and actually arrived with several anchovies, which I thought was a nice touch. I delicately removed them from my plate though - love the flavor, but they aren't very appealing in any other way really. The dressing was tangy and had a nice nutty and rich flavor. Being a pizza joint for the most part, I ordered a slice with broccoli rabe and mushrooms, and wow - what great pizza! It's authentic New York style, with a thin crust and nice charring here and there. The tomato sauce is absolutely perfect - tangy and flavorful but not overwhelming. I also like that you can order by the slice as well as by the pie. Amy got one of the specials, which was akin to a great Chicken Parmesan. The chicken was coated in polenta, which made for a delightfully crispy crust, and was served on fresh bread and smothered in the lovely tomato sauce and Provolone cheese. One bite was enough for me, definitely not a light dish, but yumo for sure. Amy enjoyed the Chianti on offering, and I paired my meal with a delicious Sangiovese. Afterwards, we headed next door to Tonic, one of the best neighborhood bars I have had the pleasure of visiting in a while. We met a couple of nice folks, watched some heated college basketball action, and enjoyed the rest of our evening in Mount Pleasant.

I actually ended up back at Radius last night by the way - had a Chopped Salad, which comes with fresh Iceberg lettuce, chopped cucumber and tomato and a creamy Ranch dressing - and shared a small pizza with a friend. We opted for broccoli rabe, mushrooms and basil as toppings. I actually prefer the pizza without basil, as it is a bit sweet for me, but it was absolutely delicious. Definitely can't wait for yet another visit - I think Tonic's tagline is appropriate for a visit to either place at any time - it hopefully will "cure what ails you."

Radius Pizza

3155 Mount Pleasant Street in NW DC

www.radiusdc.com

Tonic

3155 Mount Pleasant Street in NW DC

www.tonicrestaurant.com

Dinner at Bobby Van's

Last night the dinner club I am part of dined at Bobby Van's on New York Avenue in downtown DC. I met a friend for a pre-dinner drink at Capitol City Brewing Company, which is right nearby, and when I arrived at Bobby Van's the bar area was packed with the usual and somewhat rowdy and festive happy hour crowd. We were a group of 30, and were seated at one long table in a relatively quiet part of the restaurant, which was conducive to relaxing a bit and to conversation. I already had a glass of the house red wine, which was a Malbec last night, and joined the group in trying to figure out how to navigate the fairly expensive but delicious-sounding menu. I already had checked it out online, but there are no prices offered in that format. Most folks ordered a martini or another cocktail, and served for the table was whipped butter with sliced baguette and raisin bread. I decided to just do one course, figuring I could sample a bite of what other folks ordered, and opted for the Harry's Salad, which is chopped shrimp, string beans, tomatoes, red onions, roasted red peppers all topped with bacon. It actually was delicious, and served in a somewhat small bowl it didn't seem like much, but it was enough for me. I also shared the sauteed mushrooms with Angela, which were well-seasoned, garlicky and fabulous. The strong savory flavors in each dish paired nicely with the Malbec as well. Each side comes in a portion for two, but at $8 a pop I sort of wished they offered individual portions as well. Sides include a choice of preparations of Spinach (Steamed, Creamed or Garlic), Asparagus, Crispy Fries, Home Fries, and Baked Potato. Yes, Virginia, this is a steakhouse, and so you will probably pay around $40 for a steak entree, and your side of greens will be an upcharge. Anyhow, Amy had the St. Louis Ribs, which came in a heaping pile with lots of sauce, and chipotle mashed potato, home made cole slaw and jalapeno corn bread. The sauce was a bit thick but had a nice vinegar flavor, but still was a bit sweet for me, but was tasty nonetheless. Most folks ordered one of the varieties of steak, which all came a little well-done for my taste, but still were very juicy and delicious. The Gorgonzola Sirloin was my favorite, ahhh so good, but I also tasted the Porterhouse, which had a nice char on the outside but was moist and flavorful, and the Filet was lovely too. Joe kindly gave me a nice portion of his Calamari, which was very crispy and had lots of seasoning, and was served with an absolutely delicious and pungent peanut sauce which also would have been a perfect pairing for a Sate of some sort. My end of the table was not offered dessert for some reason and just received our check after the mains, but I think everyone was more than sated anyhow. We lingered over our drinks and enjoyed the rest of a festive, Friday evening.

Bobby Van's
1201 New York Avenue in NW DC
www.bobbyvans.com

Yummy Tapas Dinner

Apologies for being somewhat incognito as of late, have been a bit (sometimes more than a bit) under the weather with some kind of nasty bug. Wine country this weekend probably did not help, but what is a girl to do? Can't cancel on such an engagement right? Anyhow, wanted to pass along my idea for a fabulous tapas meal at home, since spring (as well as rain), seems to be in the air, and small plates are perfect for a celebratory occasion or time of year.

Chunky White Bean Dip
2 cans of cannelini beans, liquid drained
2 heads of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of rosemary
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
Whole wheat pita bread
Vegetable crudites (any variety will work, but try sliced celery, cumcumber, carrot, broccoli, and red or yellow bell pepper for color)
To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops off of two heads of garlic so each clove is exposed. Wrap the garlic in foil and drizzle each clove with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Wrap up the heads of garlic in the foil and roast in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the garlic easily squeezes out of the cloves.

For the dip, pour the drained beans into a medium-size mixing bowl. Mash the beans with a spoon for a minute or so, just to lightly break them up. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the beans, add two tablespoons of olive oil, one sprig of rosemary chopped finely, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix to combine, and serve with toasted whole wheat pita triangles and vegetable crudites.

Why not enjoy with a couple of other simple tapas, such as mushrooms sauteed with garlic, chopped flat-leaf parsley and olive oil and served piping hot. Add to the mix a hearty hunk of Manchego cheese placed in a shallow, earthy and oven-safe bowl and bake at 400 degrees for a few minutes until melted, and voila. Enjoy with the pita wedges and crudites (or with a spoon once cooled a bit!), as well as a delicious red wine such as a Malbec or Carmenere. For dessert, put a few dollops of Greek yogurt (look for Pace brand in the market) in a wine or martini glass and top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, sliced strawberries and finely sliced basil. Yum!