Tag Archives: BTM

Hashi Sushi: Cherry Blossom Roll

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Cherry blossom roll
Best Thing on the Menu celebrates cherry blossom season and this week’s Sakura Matsuri festival by calling attention to a roll of perfection. The roll comes to us from Hashi Sushi, a quaint two-story sushi joint in Georgetown that blurs the lines between traditional-style sushi (think slab of fish on rice) and new American sushi (think crazy rolls). They also offer ramen, which is certainly trending in DC right now, as those of you know who have stood in long lines at Toki Underground, Daikaya and others.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Cherry Blossom Roll contains shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, kaiware and seaweed salad. It is wrapped in an appropriately-pink soybean sheet and served with sesame sauce. The roll is unique in that you’re substituting a a soybean sheet for black nori and substituting soy sauce for a sesame vinagrette. It is a welcome alternative to the offerings at the Sakura Matsuri festival, which often consist of fried noodles and chicken satay disguised as Japanese food.

Though having recently lost their Osaka-born sushi chef to another restaurant, the roll quality at Hashi Sushi remains undisturbed.

Cherry Blossom Roll not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Cork Wine Bar: Avocado, Pistachios, Toasted Pistachio Oil, Sea Salt, Grilled Bread

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Avocado
One can never go wrong with butter and salt, two crucial components of Cork Wine Bar’s Best Thing on the Menu: Avocado, Pistachios, Toasted Pistachio Oil, Sea Salt, Grilled Bread. The butter in this case comes to us in the form of avocado, which is spread richly and decadently across perfectly-toasted bread. I dare ask what goes on in the kitchen, as we imagine someone’s job is to ensure only the finest of avocados make it onto the plate. The dish really comes together, though, thanks to  the large grains of sea salt that are a perfect match for the buttery avocado.  Apologies to our friends with high blood pressure.

This dish may seem so simple, but several attempts to recreate it at home have failed. There isn’t a store-bought avocado that passes the test, leading us to believe that perhaps there is a black market for the ripe, flawless fruits.

It took a few months to get all of the Corks on 14th Street straight. There’s Cork Wine Bar, which we’re focusing on today as well as Cork Market and Tasting Room which is affiliated with Cork Wine Bar. These are not to be confused with Cork & Fork, a specialty wine and beer store, which by the way offers terrific classes on Thursday evenings.

If there is one gripe to be had with Cork Wine Bar, it’s that they ignore the flavorful adventure of new world wines. While they boast of their 50 wine-by-the-glass offerings on their website, new world wines are no where to be found. There are only French, Italian and Spanish wines available for sipping.  BTM would love to make a trip back to Cork and enjoy the BTM with a broody Malbec from Mendoza.

Avocado, Pistachios, Toasted Pistachio Oil, Sea Salt, Grilled Bread not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Boqueria: Albóndigas

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albondigas meatballs
Boqueria came on the scene last year, giving Spanish tapas lovers a chance at an actual reservation (see Estadio entry). Their outdoor seating and sangria are a perfect combination for DC diners wanting to take in the first days of spring, which have turned out to be more like summer.

For a meaty tapa try The Best Thing on the Menu: Albóndigas. These lamb meatballs come in tomato sauce dotted with sheep’s milk cheese and fresh herbs. While delicious, these meatballs are also confusing. Albóndigas are traditionally Mexican and usually come in soup form. However, they are being served at a Spanish restaurant and they taste Italian. Who cares, the lamb gives them a stronger, earthier flavor than beef or pork ever could and you’ll find yourself ordering bread just to dip in the sauce until the last drop is gone.

Your check can add up on you pretty fast, especially if you order 4-5 tapas for a party of two, or if you go for one of their big-ticket items like paella. The good news is that it’s worth it.

A great way to enjoy Boqueria (which also has locations in New York and Hong Kong) is at lunch. A departure from tapas takes you to a creative salad and sandwich selection. All sandwiches, like the Bocata de Pollo (Grilled chicken, hazelnut romesco, walnut raisin bread) run for under $15 and come with a side salad and patatas bravas.

Albóndigas not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Out of Town Edition – Baume & Brix (Chicago)

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Octopus

This is the first Best Thing on the Menu: Out of Town Edition.

BTM took a trip to one of the food capitals of the country – the windy, deep-dish city of Chicago. With one night to shoot for the culinary stars, BTM headed to newcomer Baume & Brix.

The concept behind Baume & Brix is that each item on the menu, including desserts, incorporates both sweet and savory flavors. The restaurant is appointed like most in Chicago, with a melting pot of exposed brick, industrial steel and polished wood – a terrific backdrop for a melting pot of a meal.

The Best Thing on the Menu: Octopus in the Style of Fun Dip was a treat. The sous-vide (the clever cooking technique involving vacuum-packed plastic bags) then grilled octopus comes ready to dip in three different powders. First you roll a tentacle in a small trough of olive oil, then you choose between a coconut lemongrass power, spicy curry powder and a smoky umami paprika powder. All are outstanding.

While not Alinea or Top Chef owned Girl & the Goat, Baume & Brix is creative, modern, unpretentious and elegant. Adorably, their menu is divided by Explore, Summit, Conquer and Divide.

Been to Baume & Brix in Chicago? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Zaytinya: Crispy Brussels Afelia

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IMG_0651

Adventures in mezze at DC food magician José Andrés’ Zaytinya unveiled yet another vegetarian-friendly Best Thing on the Menu (BTM): Crispy Brussels Afelia. We promise BTM loves meat, especially rare meat. But, these seductive sprouts can convert even the staunchest of sprout haters, thus landing it as Zaytinya’s BTM.

The crispy, creamy, tart and tangy brussels sprouts can be found in the Hortariki (خضراوات) section of the menu, also known as Vegetable Mezze. They’re described as “brussels sprouts with coriander seed, barberries and garlic yogurt.” Barberries are most commonly used in Iranian cooking (where they are known as zereshk) and have been used medicinally for over 2,500 years, especially when related to the cardiovascular and neural systems.

Now back to the sprouts. Be sure to save some of Zaytinya’s warm, fluffy oblong-shaped pitas that arrive at the start of the meal to scrape up the garlic yogurt that lines the dish, or let loose and make sprouty sandwiches.

Zaytinya was one of the original restaurants to play into the hearts (and mouths) of small-plate-loving, variety-craving, dish-sharing Washingtonians.  A trip to the innovative Turkish, Greek and Lebanese tapas temple is not to be missed. Nor is the BTM!

Crispy Brussels Afelia not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Ping Pong Dim Sum: Spicy Basil Dumplings

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dumplings

Ping Pong markets itself as brandishing “little steamed parcels of deliciousness,” and they’re not far off.  However, if you came looking for little Chinese grandmothers pushing carts of delicately-wrapped mystery meat, you’re in for a surprise. Ping Pong Dim Sum is a more modern take on the Chinese cuisine, which is actually most often served for breakfast. In Hong Kong,  restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning.

Also unlike traditional dim sum, vegetarians can leave Ping Pong Dim Sum well fed. Especially if they sample the Best Thing on the Menu (BTM): Spicy Basil Dumplings. They fall under the “fried and griddled” category on the extensive dumpling menu with the description of “basil & chili with rice noodles in wheat flour pastry, with vinegar dipping sauce.”  Who doesn’t love a carb stuffed with a carb? Doesn’t every country have a version of this winning combination, such as potato pierogies? Another tip: See if you can trick the server into letting you keep the tasty vinegar sauce for the rest of the meal.

Other favorites at Ping Pong include the honey roasted chicken puff and the char sui bun. But, chances are, you would have found your way to these items on your own.

Spicy Basil Dumplings not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Little Serow: Si Krong Muu

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si krong muu pork ribs / mekhong whiskey / dil

If you’ve navigated the spicy, salty safari that is Little Serow, you know the Best Thing on the Menu (BTM): Si Krong Muu (pork ribs / mekhong whiskey / dill) is the very last dish. Repeat diners have learned to strategize and save room for these sweet, succulent, falling-off-the-bone pork ribs that have become a signature dish at the small hipster Thai restaurant on 17th Street. We are grateful week after week to see them remain the grand finale, while the rest of the menu undergoes weekly construction.

The BTM is worth the early-bird-special line-up that begins promptly at 4:30pm each night. The restaurant, while delicious, does not take reservations. This is a bit tough for the DC dining crowd to wrap its head around but frankly, the line is the best advertising you can’t buy.  If you don’t make the first seating, don’t give up. Chances are they’ll take you at 7:30 or 9:30 and the bars in the area are quite accustomed to watching customers wait for what an Agora bartender called “the text of magic.” When your table is ready, Little Serow texts you and you have ten minutes to get back to the restaurant and reclaim your rights to Si Krong Muu!

Si Krong Muu not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Sushi Taro: Spicy Spider

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Spicy Spider Roll

One shouldn’t shy away from the delicately crafted, uncharacteristically-fresh-for-DC sushi and sashimi at Sushi Taro, unless it’s for the Best Thing on the Menu (BTM):  the Spicy Spider Roll. Their soft shell crabs are on steroids – fat and moist and screaming straight from the sea. Other local sushi bars disguise previously-frozen, meager crustaceans with lettuce and mayo, but there is no need for such trickery at the Taro. The burst of spice and perfectly-vinegared sushi rice serve as a tasty vehicle for getting the crab to your mouth.

If you have the time and the cash, the kaiseki is also BTM worthy, but not for those on a budget, tricky food preferences or who wish to fit into their skinny jeans the next day.  To survive an evening at Sushi Taro on the cheap(er), go for happy hour at the bar Monday-Friday (5:30-7:00pm) and load on up half price sushi, including the BTM of course.

Spicy Spider not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.

Estadio: Grilled Scallions

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Grilled Scallions, Romesco & Idiazabal

Estadio, a spanish tapas eatery famous for its creative slushitos (boozy slurpees) and authentic fare, is located in Logan Circle. Some have a love/hate relationship with the joint because while it is the best tapas restaurant in DC, bar none, their reservations are limited. Unless you are willing to eat pre-theatre early, you’re not getting a reservation. At least according to try after try on OpenTable.

If you are lucky enough to get a seat at your own table, the communal table or at the bar, you shouldn’t leave before you get the Best Thing on the Menu (BTM): Grilled Scallions, Romesco & Idiazabal.

These grilled to perfection leeks are located in the “Verduras” section of the menu and appear unassuming. Perhaps the “maybe we should order something green” item. However, they are not to be missed. In one of the better episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Anthony travels to Spain and participates in Catalan’s Calçotada – a festival celebrating the harvest of calçots, known to us as scallions or leeks.

In Spain, the calçots are grilled over a flaming barbecue wrapped in newspaper, rendering them smoky and tender.  Festival goers peel away the really burnt layers, revealing tender bulbs to be dipped in Romesco sauce. Those who have seen the episode may recall him washing down the onions with copious amounts of red wine poured directly from a Porron wine pitcher.

Estadio gets so close to recreating the Calçotada all year round with the BTM. Their romesco sauce is smoky and sweet and you won’t even leave with onion breath.

Just for fun, here’s a recent article describing how to recreate Calçotada in your own backyard (even though most of us in DC don’t have a yard). We can dream.

Grilled Scallions not your BTM? Share your favorites in the comments section.