Tag Archives: BTM

Cheesetique: Gjetost and Banana

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There are a few moments in dining when the clouds part, the sun shows itself and the angels sing. Okay, maybe not that last part. But one bite of Cheestetique’s Best Thing on the Menu: Gjetost and Banana and your outlook on grilled cheese, and perhaps sandwiches in general, will be forever changed.

Cheesetique is a quaint cheese shop with an accompanying café that can be found in two Virginia locations: Shirlington and Alexandria. Their cheese-driven specialties include cheese boards, gourmet macs and grown-up grilled cheese sandwiches.

Tucked away at the bottom of the menu, the BTM gjetost and banana is a salty-sweet grilled cheese made with Norwegian Gjetost (pronounced YAY-toast) on cranberry walnut bread with bacon. This sandwich packs personality with its warm, squishy banana, thick fudgy cheese, smoky bacon and fruity grilled bread. We think that Elvis, lover of peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwiches, would have really dug this dish.

Gjetost is often described as a “love it or hate it” food. Perhaps this is why the Cheesetique menu reads, “It’s good, we promise!” Gjetost is a nutty, silky, caramelized cheese that is brown in appearance and fudge-like in texture. It’s made by boiling milk, cream and whey for several hours causing the water to evaporate. The heat turns the milk sugar into caramel, which gives the cheese its characteristic taste. Ski Queen is the most readily available gjetost brand in the U.S. and can be found on Amazon.com or, for Logan Circle locals, at the P Street Whole Foods. Read more about gjetost here.

Cheesetique is the perfect rainy-day hideaway and those who dine in the wine bar cafe receive 10% off any retail purchase that day. Oh and, they bring you chocolate chips with the check!

Gjetost and Banana not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

ZooFari: Redwood’s Donut Hole Fried Chicken

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Today’s entry makes a departure from the norm to detail, instead, the Best Thing at the Party. BTM had the great pleasure of attending ZooFari Thursday evening and, with elastic waistbands and empty stomachs in tow, we set off to try almost every offering from more than 100 restaurants.

There were big names in attendance, including Top Cheftestant Mike Isabella who was debuting a fish dish from his soon–to-debut Greek restaurant, Kapnos (coming to 14th and W). Also serving up bites were 1789, Central Michel Richard, Jackson 20, Masa 14, Plume at The Jefferson Hotel, Rogue24 and so many more. As usual, the Georgetown Cupcake stand had the longest line, and the greediest double-cupcake hoarding patrons.  Pork belly was featured in all imaginable incarnations, and the crowd definitely picked up on the piggy popularity.

But, it was Redwood Restaurant & Bar that created a dish worthy of luring animals out of their dens. The Best Thing at the Party: Glazed Maple Donut Hole with Fried Chicken and Arugula Salad was a hot sticky mess served as neatly as possible on a stick.

To our dismay, this flavorful concoction is not offered on Redwood’s brunch, lunch or dinner menus. However, if the morsel served at ZooFari is any indication of the chef’s ability to combine flavors and textures, Bethesda Row’s Redwood, is definitely worth a visit.  We’re excited to try their Elvis Burger and Moonshine Eggs.

Redwood not your favorite offering at ZooFari? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Ben’s Chili Bowl: Chili Half-Smoke

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Ben’s Chili Bowl is a late night cultural institution that has been handing out hotdogs since 1958. The Best Thing on the Menu: Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke needs very little introduction.

We asked ourselves, how does one smoke only half of a hotdog? Where does the name come from? In our research, we came across a Washington CityPaper article – The Missing Link. Though from 2007, this article comprehensively covers the culture behind processed meat here in our nation’s capital.

Another good question, who’s Ben? Ben Ali immigrated from Trinidad and studied dentistry at Howard University. He opened the restaurant in 1958 with his soon to be wife, Virginia. The restaurant played a unique role in the civil rights movement and has been the heart and soul of DC ever since.

The half-smoke for those who haven’t tried it (what’s wrong with you?) is a 1/4lb. half pork, half beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun and topped with mustard, onions and spicy homemade chili. Made to order, these dogs can be split or grilled on request.

Chili Bowl faithfuls rejoiced earlier this year upon learning that there will be a new location added at 1001 H Street NE!

Half-smoke not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

 

Posto: Molecche

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We headed into Posto with our minds made up, knowing that nothing could top the four-meat ravioli in sage butter sauce. However, these gamey morsels were no longer starring on the menu, perhaps because they are a bit heavy for spring. With plenty to choose from at this Italian pre-theater haunt, we weren’t worried.

After training your OpenTable trigger-finger to accurately discern Posto from Poste, make a reservation before seeing an artsy-fartsy performance at the Studio Theater right next door. Though the dining crowd is a little older than the typical 14th Street scene, the food is modern and they offer everything from pizza to branzino.

It wasn’t until trying the Best Thing on the Menu: Molecche (corn meal flour-crusted soft shell crab) that we understood that soft shell crab is also eaten in Italy. The Venetians love to eat these critters just as much as the Japanese. Every inch of the crab is edible due to the fact that they have freshly molted their exoskeletons, leaving behind a soft exterior fit for consumption. This of course makes them a seasonal delicacy and in Italy, that season is April to September.

The BTM is perfectly accompanied by fava beans, cherry tomatoes, fennel, ramps and brown butter caper sauce. Heavy and light at the same time, this spring explosion is a great way to start your meal.

Like Chef Bart Vandaele who we just chronicled, Posto’s Chef Massimo Fabbri from Monsummano Terme Italy also entered the culinary field at a young age.  At age 14, he enrolled in hotel school and within a year, Massimo landed his first job in a high-end kitchen, working at the 4-star Parma & Oriente hotel.

Molecche not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

B TOO: Bloedworst Wafel Met Appeltjes

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Belgian bistro B TOO has opened at last, bringing a touch of famous to 14th Street in the form of Top Chef Star Bart Vandaele. We’re serious when we say that this brain child of Belgian cuisine starting culinary school at age 12. Chef Vandaele was in plain sight working away in the kitchen admiring his bright, shiny and new Logan Circle locale. It’s so new, that the downstairs dining den still smells of fresh paint.

After meal one, we discerned there is no doubt B TOO will play a major role in raising the bar for neighborhood fare. The Best Thing on the Menu: Bloedworst Wafel Met Appeltjes is just one example of creativity, color and flavor. The appetizer is essentially a fried waffle stuffed with blood sausage and served with caramelized apple, green apple sauce and vincotto cream.

We also sampled the foie gras lollypop, steak tartare, venison filet and fried orange sorbet. All winners. There is one thing all of these disparate dishes had in common: dollops. B TOO appears to have an unbreakable obsession with dotting each plate with vibrant blobs of colorful sauces.

If the food isn’t reason enough to make a reservation right away, the beer menu is nothing short of a bible. Even non-beer lovers will find a good match, which we recommend since wines by the glass are steep.

Can’t get enough of Chef Vandaele? Visit his other restaurant, Belga Café.

Bloedworst Wafel Met Appeltjes not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Commissary: Portabella w/ Chickpea Puree, Purple Kale, Chevre, Quinoa Risotto & Red Pepper Coulis

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Commissary is exactly what it bills itself as, “Your Neighborhood Place.” It’s like the college sweatshirt you have been wearing since even before you got accepted as a student ten years ago. It’s familiar, cozy and the perfect fit for many casual occasions.

Commissary’s brother and sister eatwelldc restaurants receive greater fanfare, especially The Pig, where you still can’t walk in on a weekday. However, there are some real innovative dishes appearing on Commissary’s menu that are equally worthy of foodie applause.

The pizzas, burgers, tacos and other fare at Commissary do the trick, but these types of dishes are hard to ruin. What’s difficult, however, is creating a filling, creative, flavorful and innovative vegetarian dish that will please carnivores and herbivores alike.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Portabella w/ Chickpea Puree, Purple Kale, Chevre, Quinoa Risotto & Red Pepper Coulis can be found in the “Dinners” section of the menu.

We recognize that the photo looks a bit like a crime scene, but give the complex flavors and array of textures a chance. The brightly-colored red pepper sauce is so much more fun than a tomato-based sauce. Enjoy the BTM, but note that it does not translate well to take-out.

This BTM was recommended by a blog fan and boy, was she right! Have a dish you think we should dive into? Contact us at bestthingonthemenu@yahoo.com.

It will be interesting to study how Commissary and Logan Tavern fare with the upcoming Logan Circle grand openings.  Stay tuned!

Stuffed Portabella not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Rasika West End: Palak Chaat

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Two is better than one. We’re so happy that Rasika West End was born last March, increasing the opportunity to eat DC’s best and most posh Indian cuisine. Rasika and Rasika West End sibling restaurants share most of the same dishes, but Rasika West End is bigger and boasts an outdoor seating area, which the Penn Quarter location is lacking. In a city obsessed with sidewalk dining, this may give West End the edge.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Palak Chaat Crispy baby spinach / yogurt / tamarind / date should come as no surprise. We would lose all credibility if we didn’t select Chef Vikram Sunderam’s crispy spinach delicacy that amateur chefs in DC have been trying to recreate since 2005. Our friends at local blog PoPville even bravely shared a recipe to help to recreate Palak Chaat at home. Cheers to the chefs at Rasika who are able to make something fried impossibly light and something sour incredibly sweet.

Rasika’s Palak Chaat was featured on WETA’s Guide to Fine Dining special. Click here to watch the special online. The Rasika portion begins at 42:40.  This packed one-hour episode of food porn is fit for all DC foodies to watch.

If you like Rasika’s Palak Chaat, we recommend you also try the Avocado Banana Chaat found in the same section of the menu.  The dish features perfectly ripe avocados and grilled bananas in a sweet and sour date chutney sauce.

Palak Chaat not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

 

Kellari Taverna: Calamari, Lightly Grilled

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Kellari Taverna is a squeeze of fresh lemon on an otherwise uninspired strip of restaurants on K Street. Their fresh fish display, giant cheese wheel perched on the bar and the grab-n-go cookies by the door are just a selection of the touches of authenticity at this expansive Greek seafood spot.

Whether for business lunch or pre-theatre dinner, Kellari’s Best Thing on the Menu: Calamari, Lightly Grilled will likely appear on all tables. We have chosen to emphasize “Lightly Grilled” because there is also a fried option. With calamari this fresh, frying would be a crime punishable by having to eat a Wendy’s fish sandwich.

These are the largest rings ever encountered in years of calamari-eating adventures. Who knew they could get so big? In searching for more information, we came across this gem of a video of a giant squid in its natural habitat from our friends at NBC and NHK News Japan.  Apparently, the colossal squid can reach measurements of 39–46 ft. long. Calamari from these Kraken-like cephalopods would likely produce calamari rings you could hula-hoop with.

Kellari Taverna’s fare is extremely fresh. The restaurant had prioritized farm-to-table procedures and selecting top indigents long before it was trendy. Another fun fact, Kellari Taverna can be found on seamless, so you can get the BTM delivered to your house. A source says they often send an actual waiter wearing his bow tie as the delivery guy.

Calamari, Lightly Grilled not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Agora: Mucver

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Agora, a primarily Turkish Mediterranean fusion restaurant on 17th Street doesn’t get the same fanfare as its neighbors like Komi and Sushi Taro (or even perhaps Mr. Yogato).  But, this underdog has more to offer beyond serving as a place to have a drink while you wait to be called by Little Serow. The menu is extensive and its small-plate-style warrants multiple trips to the restaurant. Plus, they have great patio seating for this time of year and an interesting collection of drinks such as ouzo, raki and retsina.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Mucver are shredded zucchini pancakes with mint, dill, scallions and manchego cheese served over caper yogurt sauce. These latke-like rounds will have Jewish grandmothers everywhere saying Oy Gevalt as no latkes are competition for these perfect pancakes. The only sad news is that they’re about the size of a sand dollar, so order more than one for the table. Yes, BTM went vegetarian yet again, but we can assure meat eaters that there is plenty to like on the menu, especially the braised lamb shank with eggplant-gruyére purée. The shank is incredibly smoky thanks to the restaurant’s wood-fire oven.

Fun fact: Lebanese Executive Chef Ghassan Jarrouj served as the personal chef for three US ambassadors to Lebanon in Beirut.

Mucver not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Mari Vanna: Siberian Pelmeni (пельме́ни)

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Russian restaurant Mari Vanna is a welcome, quaint and quirky addition to Dupont Circle. It’s hard to believe that the brick country-kitschy interior that was the background to a lazy Sunday dinner also serves as a hot nightlife spot.  Especially since it has little in common with its cousin up the street, Russia House, except for the leggy hostesses and flavored vodka of course. It is something special to see an innovative Russian restaurant come to town. On the bottom of their menu, you’ll find a notice that you can receive a free vodka shot by checking in on Facebook. On Monday evenings, they appear to turn into some kind of Slavic speakeasy.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Siberian Pelmeni (пельме́ни) are small dumplings filled with mixed meat and made of unleavened dough. They are close dumpling friends with Ukrainian vareniki, also offered at Mari Vanna, and the Polish pierogi. The pelmeni, though vaguely resembling Chef Boyardee ravioli at first, are gamey, salty and delicious. They are served with sour cream (as are all dishes at Mari Vanna) and come in a small kettle. According to the School of Russian and Asian Studies, store-bought pelmeni are considered fast food in Russia and are associated with students’ or bachelors’ lifestyles, much like instant ramen.

Speaking of college cuisine, beer drinkers headed to Mari Vanna should note that although not on the menu, beer is available. A Russian insider explained that you order Russian beer by the number. The higher the number, the darker the beer. So, don’t be surprised when your server says they have 4, 8 and 9.

Siberian Pelmeni not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.