Friday, August 20, 2010

Nurturing my inner... DC city girl

DC Restaurant Week just happened.  The August installment.  The other time is January, which makes me wonder why they insist on doing this during the stinkin' hottest and bitter coldest times of the year.  But hey, who am I to question restaurant owner wisdom.

In the past several years, I've participated in Restaurant Week a handful of times.  And it really is a thing of beauty.  Even though the prices have risen since I first started going.  Since it's 2010, the featured price this year was $35.10 for a three or four course meal at a really nice place that if you normally went and bought it all ala carte, you'd spend more than double.  Yeah, yeah, portions may be a wee bit smaller at some places and it is a limited menu, but pa-leeze, the food is fantastic.  So brilliance hit me this year when I said to one of my friends, "Hey, instead of me going out and buying you some gift that I'm totally going to guess at and you may or may not love and most likely lose it in your closet in three weeks not to be found until two years later, let me take you out to dinner."  (I know, that really was a stroke of genius.  And if it benefited me at the same time as well, hey, whatcha gonna do.)

This year's stop, Notti Bianche.  (Which must translate to "yummy goodness" in Italian.)  A quick little airconditionless (ugh - there was reward for pain) metro ride to Foggy Bottom, then a two minute walk and we were at the doors of Mediterranean sweet deliciousness.  Unlike what my mother thinks from watching the news way too much, DC is a wonderful city and you won't get shot at the second you step foot on the sidewalk.  (If you stay out of SE.)

Notti Bianche was almost a little hard to spot because it was in a converted row house amongst residences where actual people live.  I find this to be such a wise move.  Why build new, humongous buildings when there are these lovely old homes just looking for some TLC and a chance at greatness.  A restaurant doesn't have to seat 500 to be incredible.  Frankly, the smaller venues tend to have more personalized care and unique experiences.  Just say no to chains.

Parppadelle bolognese and herbed ricotta

Now that I've decided to blog on many randomly odd topics, mostly food if you've noticed, I've dragged my friends in on it.  The place was small and cozy and though our table was somewhat close to our neighbors on either side, I still unashamedly handed my camera to Jill and said, "Okay, I need you to take a picture.  Oh, and could you take it on an angle like this because that makes it interesting."  (Like what was I, her college photography professor?)  I left a little of her shadow in this picture of her dinner, because I felt she needed some props for a job well done.

When you see a picture like that, does it really even have to taste good?  The plating alone was enough to behold.  (BTW, it was a fine meal.)  There is so much that goes into a great dining experience.  I've come to realize I enjoy the creative side of food display and ambiance as much as I do actually cooking and eating.  The building, interior, tables, chairs, plates, napkins, glasses, silverware, lighting, music.... it all comes together like a symphony of sensory engagement.  That sort of effort needs devoted time and attention to appreciate.  My words of wisdom when you go do this for yourself: slow down.  Drink in the moment.  Heck, you're in DC for Pete's sake.  Life is good today.

Chocolate budino & Lemon semifreddo

The eggplant carponata and cheese plate started the experience off on a great note, so I knew I was not going to be disappointed.  I had a seemingly simple pasta with marinara and basil that some how wove magic flavor into every chewy bite because it was one of the best spaghetti pomodoros I've ever had.  Simple can often be better than complex if you know what you're doing.  Remember that next time you decide to throw a dinner party.  Then I went for the chocolate cake with cocoa nib brittle, pistachio gelato and creme anglaise.  Rich, creamy, great combo.  Jill let me take a bite of hers, as I suspect all my friends will now do if I promise to feature them in a post.  It was a delicate lemony ice cream surrounded by a thin layer of cake, topped with huckleberry compote and crushed toffee.  Who comes up with this stuff?!!!

Living in the burbs can make you forget how great it is to make the trip into the city.  I should go more often.  It's totally worth it.  There is so much there to enjoy.  We walked through a garden nearby on the way over, listened to some man playing a guitar by the metro entrance, heard all the bustle of cars and lively people.  The city truly is beautiful if you know how to look at it.  Make a special trip downtown soon like you used to.  It will make you feel younger.

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