Its Market Time

I love Seattle's Pike Place Market. There is no place in the US like it and when I first moved to the East Coast I was confused as to why there was nothing similar to it. A crazy blend of farmer's market (fresh fruit, veggies, fish and meat), baked goods, kitchy artwork, and cuisine. Finally, Washington DC has taken up the task to bring something similar to Pike Place and now we have Union Market.

Much to my delight, on a warm fall Sunday afternoon we ventured over to Union Market. You can tell that at the time it was just starting to get its feet under them, as the Market was not particularly filled with vendors yet. However, Rappahannock Oyster Bar is in full swing with plenty of customers. It lacks the salty breeze of Pike Place, but the 20-seat bar, flanked by a communal table and patio seating, nevertheless brims with fresh goodness of the ocean: live scallops, meaty chowder, lush tuna tartare ignited with lime and chili pepper.

The regular selection of raw oysters ($2 each) includes Rappahannocks, which I like for the river oyster’s buttery quality, and Old Salts which are pleasing for their sweet but briny notes. Our plate is icy and fresh and the perfect beginning to our food adventures that brings back lovely memories of Pike Place and my amazing Aunt Dolores who always took me there when I was visiting her.

The next thing we shared was the oyster and bacon soup. The oysters were creamy and the bacon complimented with the extra bit of salty fat. As you can see from the picture there was plenty of butter to increase the yumminess of the soup. All that was missing was a nice piece of crusty bread, unfortunately there were no bakeries open at the Market during this day.

The seared sea scallop was probably my boyfriend's favorite. You know you are dating a foodie when they get excited about the giant roe sac before tasting anything on the dish. It was perfectly cooked with the lightest garlic butter sauce. You can't tell from the picture but this thing was HUGE, at least 3 oz.

The tuna tartare was delicious. Fresh lime and chili peppers gave it the perfect amount of kick and matched the sea salt tortilla chips.

The crab-cake w/ remoulade (think tartar sauce) was also quite good. It is one of the better crab-cakes that I have had but not the best, the Chesapeake Grill still holds that honor.

I look forward to many more relaxing Sundays spent at Union Market. I see it filling up to the brim with fresh farm vendors and wonderful places to grab something to eat. With some of DCs most influential restaurateurs and mixologists looking to set up shop in Union Market, it will be distinctly Washington DC and not the Washington that I am used to...and that is okay by me.

An Epic Experience

I have spent plenty of time in and around BBQ smokehouses all over these great United States. I was excited when I heard that there was a new a new smokehouse in the Crystal City area. I was hungry to no end and was ready for some good BBQ in the drizzly rain of the weekend but didn't want to travel far. We walked in and the space was much larger than it appeared from outside. On the restaurant side, the booths are swathed in dark leather and there are sleek copper lights that illuminate the dinning tables. Epic has a sleek, modern feel about it. If you look up there are tilted mirrors on the ceiling that capture the diners & servers movements and feels like you are watching a film strip from the '40s.

We attempted to order appetizers but were told by our server that they were "out". To be honest it would have been easier if he just told us the two appetizers they were able to serve, instead of playing the order & guess game. They did have the Applewood Smoked Scallops. This is a cold-smoked scallop dish with crispy kimchi. The kimchi was perfect & complimented the scallops sweetness perfectly. This was a great way to start out our meal.

I was in a chili mood because of the cruddy weather and order that as my starter. My boyfriend ordered the Berry Salad. The chili was the consistency of sloppy joe mix and would have been better suited on a bun severed "pulled pork sandwich" style than in a bowl. The meat, a mixture of both pork and beef, was cooked perfect & full of flavor. Unfortunately, the flavor was overrun with red chili powder and there was a layer of oil over the whole dish. The Berry salad was crisp & fresh, other than the frozen then thawed strawberries that are the dishes namesake. I ordered the Smoked Brisket and my boyfriend ordered the Pulled Pork & Chicken Platter. We shared the Pancetta Mac & Cheese and the Grilled Leek & Potato Mash side dishes.

We were both disappointed in the food and that is putting it as kind as I can. I ate no more than three bites of my brisket. The menu states that it is dry rubbed and slow smoked. If this is the case than my plate should not have come out with a layer of liquid that the brisket floated on. If they do dry rub & smoke the meat, the next step is allowing it to steep in water so that it looks and tastes boiled. There was NO flavor in the meat and had the texture of wet cardboard. The BBQ sauce that was served with the brisket was very good though. Had a good blend of sweet and smoke. Too bad it couldn't save the food though. I tasted the pulled pork and chicken platter that my boyfriend ordered. It was no different than my brisket; flavorless with a boiled taste. The side dishes would have stood a chance if they were not served cold. 

I was done with the whole situation that I didn't want to deal with it anymore. I pushed my plates to the side, asked for the check and paid an infuriating amount of money for food that we barely touched and would not take home because I couldn't save it with any of the variety of spices I have in my kitchen. My boyfriend has spent may years in the restaurant business and as much as he was disappointed with the food, he was more disappointed with the General Manager. Who did not engage the customers but continually engaged with chit chat with the staff. As we walked out the door, I asked my boyfriend if he would take me to Wendy's so that I could eat something I know would be good. He found it very entertaining that I was as judgmental & frustrated as he was with the dining experience. What he forgets (and I will remind him) is that this was his recommendation & my recommendation a few weeks ago was Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray which is EPICALLY AWESOME!

Vegas Baby!

My best friend and I were in desperate need of a mini-vacation. Luckily, I spend too much time on the road and stay at a lot of Hiltons. So we were able to get a free weekend together in Vegas. My adventure started early in the morning at the Reagan National Airport where I was delayed because the AirTran desk hand checked in 3 flights and about 40 of us were bumped from our flights because of it. I made it to Atlanta and was put on standby, where I got to wait for the next flight which was 9hrs away. Luckily, I was able to make it onto the only AirTran flight out of Atlanta to Vegas and was able to get to the land of sand only 12hrs late.

A great friend of mine from work picked me up from the airport so I didn't have to worry about getting a cab. We went to the hotel, picked up my bff, and headed get my tummy some much needed food. I worked in Vegas for a short time and came to know & love the availability of great LATE night food. One of my favorites is Bootleggers Bistro. It has been open since 1949 and has huge portions, which is exactly what I needed. I am mad about the garlic knots & homemade marinara sauce that they serve and ordered one of my favorites, Seafood Diavolo (hot of course). As I was incredibly tired, I did not take any pictures but take my word that this is a place for you to try when you are in Vegas. It is off The Strip, affordable, late night foodie friendly, & has a great Old Vegas history that they will love to share with you.

My best friend is not an adventurous eater but luckily I have earned her trust over the years and she will try new things with me. We had no interest in roaming The Strip to find someplace to eat and since we just finished shopping at The Forums, we decided to look in Ceasar's Palace for a place to have dinner. I love Japanese food; sushi, teppanyaki, soba or udon noodles, sake....mmmm...and the smell coming off the teppanyaki grill as we walked past Hyakumi made me bring my best friend over to the menu and start to give her the pitch as to why we should eat there.

After a day of shopping we wanted someplace quiet, which is hard to find in Vegas, so that we could relax out of the heat and chat. I suggested Hyakumi, so that we could sit at the teppan table, watch a chef cook for us and then relax eating the fresh grilled food. Lucky, for both of us, my pitch work and we made reservations for the next available teppan table. After a 30 minute wait we were seated & began with Lychee Sake Martinis.

Onion Volcana

Boy were we in for a great teppanyaki cooking show & equally great food. As is customary with teppanyaki, a few grilled shrimp for each guest is also part of the dinner. The teppan chef shows off his knife skills with the preparation and cooking of the shrimp. So even if you don't want to shell out the extra money for shrimp for dinner, you will always get a few.

The Volcano smoke

On the other side of this, if you are allergic to shrimp PLEASE let the chef know before hand so that you can enjoy your dinner anaphylaxis free.

Dinner is served

We both had the filet mignon and chicken combination. The filet was cooked perfectly for each of us; as my best friend prefers her's "very dead" and I prefer mine at medium rare. They were both juicy and tender.







If you are a fan of teppanyaki and are near Ceasar's Palace I recommend going to Hyakumi. The food and service were great. The atmosphere was perfect for what we wanted; quiet, Japanese influenced, and all about the food being cooked in front of you. The price is high but it is comparable to most places to eat along The Strip.