The Houndstooth Gourmet

2008 begins with the opening of several new gastronomic establishments in Alexandria’s Old Town. From hotel restaurants, creperies and epicurean shops to the expansion of restaurants from near and not so near, King St. continues to draw and inspire foodies and entrepreneurs alike.

 Hotel Monaco opened its’ doors for business last week. The former Holiday Inn Select (probably best known for its’ Doggy Happy Hour) has been under wraps for the better part of a year while a total inner and outer renovation was completed.

Inside the hotel, a posh and richly colored lobby is entered into with the assistance of uniformed doorman who stands guard underneath an art decco marquis-like over hang. To the left of  Hotel Monaco’s  main entrace on King Street is the exterior entrance for the hotel’s signature restaurant, Jackson 20. The glass lined kitchen will be led by executive chef Jeff Armstrong.  Jackson 20- hewn and warmed with brick, stone and wood- bills itself as a contemporary Colonial style restaurant which will serve a menu reflecting local and seasonal cuisine, with a decidedly Southern touch. But don’t expect Colonial era clad waiters and period furnishings- Jackson 20 manages to marry clean modern lines with materials reclaimed from the past.

 Chef Jeff Armstrong was  raised in Maryland and became inspired to enter the restaurant business after working at a crab shack at age 15. He later attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute and has been successful in kitchens from Australia, to California and Texas. His menu at Jackson 20 nods decidedly to the South and to the Eastern Shore with appetizers such as Jumbo Lump Crabcake ($14), Sauteed Shrimp over buttermilk biscuits and tasso ham ($13) and Cornmeal Crusted Oysters with a spicy tomato remoulade and scallion relish ($11). Progressing to soups and salads, Jackson 20 lists among other tempting dishes,  Shrimp and Crawfish Bisque ($9) and Shrimp Louie with chilled asparagus, frisse and spicy remaloude ($11). Entrees are priced from from $15 for 3 Cheese Baked Penne to $28 for Grilled Black Angus Ribeye. In between there is a range of meat and seafood dishes which includes Grilled Veal Meatloaf ($18), Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin ($24) and Wild Caught Rockfish ($24). Sides such as Cheddar Cheese Fries, Creamed Corn Gratin and Braised Collard Greens are modestly priced at $5 each.

A separate Tavern Bites menu should be popular among the after work crowd as it seems likely to whet the appetite with Crab Deviled Eggs ($6), Crispy Potato Pancakes topped with pulled pork ($4) and Shrimp Corn Dogs ($6).

The wine list features American wines with an emphasis on Virginia , along with a 20/20 program; 20 wines for under $20 per bottle.

Jackson 20 will be open for dinner January 30. Doggy Happy Hour, held each Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm-8pm, will resume in April and continue through October.

Stay tuned for further updates….

Jackson 20 Restaurant at the Hotel Monaco Alexandria

Website

480 King St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-549-6080

Directions

Tags: Alexandria, a la minute update, Restaurants by Ramona
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Sopa de Mani is a traditional peanut soup served in Bolivia. It can be a starter or a main course. It’s slightly thickened with peanuts, has a kick from red chili pepper flakes, while sliced carrots impart sweetness to the soup. Sopa de Mani usually takes a long time to make since homemade beef stock is traditionally used. Here, I’ve taken a few liberties and shortcuts given the ingredients I had on hand.

In particular, the soup calls for ground raw peanuts, while my recipe uses roasted and salted peanuts to add crunch. I added a couple teaspoons of raw peanut butter to add creaminess. In under an hour, you can have a hearty soup made from ingredients found in your pantry.

For more information on Bolivian cuisine in our region, check out my Tuesday post on http://www.dcfoodies.com. In this post, I delve into the salteña- a savory stuffed pastry which is a staple of Bolivian cuisine, and can be found here if you know where to look!

Enjoy.

 

Tags: nuts, tomatoes, soup by Ramona
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Here are a handful of Virginia restaurants extending RW 2008 winter edition:

Farrah Olivia- January 31

Jaleo- January 27

Domaso Trattoria- through January

Willow-January 22-26

Tags: Restaurant Week by Ramona
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A while back I wrote about these delicious chocolate chip cookies from the Metropolitan Bakery cookbook. I decided to make another batch and tweaked the recipe a bit to use bittersweet chocolate. I thought the dried cranberries would make for a sweet counterpoint to the chocolate.

The cookies are loaded with flavor and are not too crisp and not too soft. I used a small icecream scoop to attain uniformity in size so they all baked evenly. It’s important to fold the nuts, chocolate and cranberries in by hand after bringing the dough together. This gets everything evenly disributed throughout and more importatnly, saves you mixer’s motor!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nuts and Dried Cranberries

makes 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled old fashioned oats (I used Quaker Oats)

3 cups unbeached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 bar bittersweet chocolate (about 9.7 ounces) rough chopped with knife into 1/2 inch chuncks or slivers

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

1 1/2 cups walnuts,toasted and chopped

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a non-stick skillet, heat nuts over medium and toast for 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently. The nuts will be done when they smell-well-nutty and toasty. Remove to a cutting board and chop roughly.

Grind the oats using a food processer until they are finely ground into a flour. Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl or food processer (using paddle attachment), beat the butter on medium until light and creamy. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and allow each egg to incorporate for about 30 seconds. Add in vanilla.

Manually fold in nuts, chocolate and cranberries. You can do this in a large bowl or on a lightly floured board. Once ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout dough, you are ready to bake.

Using a spoon or scooper, drop dough onto  2 large parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheets. I strongly prefer parchment paper becuase the cookie dough does not spread and thin as much as it does with silicon. Parchment paper is also reusalbe between batches.

Place sheets of cookie dough in oven on middle racks. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn pans to face opposite direction and switch racks. Continue to bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack. By this time, the pans should have cooled down enough to add your next batch of dough.

Tags: nuts, cookies, chocolate by Ramona
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I have to admit I do some hand wringing when it comes to dining out during RW. Will I be treated like I’m cheap? Will I be treated like chattle? Will the food be skimpy and uninteresting?

Well, my concerns immediately began to fade when I dined at Vidalia last night. We arrived for our 7:30 reservation just on time and were greeted warmly and asked if we would like our coats stored. Our table was one which I would ask for upon our next visit (and there will be more!)-atop the stairs overlooking the main floor dining area.

Our server was informative and attentive throughout our meal. She offered suggestions for our selections and wine during our dinner and dessert. And dinner was delicious. There was one menu which I liked. I don’t want to have to ask for the RW menu. There were plenty of choices without upcharges but don’t get me wrong-there were several items which were priced higher based on the cost of the item-and this is fine. The quantity and cooking were both wonderful

Frank ordered the rabbit sausage which was served in a bowl with it’s own broth. He felt the broth needed salt (his salt tasters are low-sorry hon) but the sausage was very good. Even I went over to the dark side and tried the rabbit (sorry Orchid). I have to say-I’d give it a try again. It was definitely not like chicken. Frank also ordered the duck breast ($9) which was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by a fun little eggroll. He ended with the peanut butter crunch for dessert, for which I envied him. I had the Vahlrona panna cotta which was highlighted with banana-not as good but overall enjoyable.

But let me digress to my meal. I’ve heard wonderful things about Chef Cooper at Vidalia and given his talent ( and a bit of channeling Anthony Bourdain) I thought I’d venture a little out of my comfort zone and try the brined veal tongue, which tasted a bit like corned beef. The taste was good and the texture was……interesting. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to have such a dish again, but I’m sure glad I tried it.

Next I had what was to me the absolute highlight of my meal- the cassoulet. Cassoulet is a very involved and time consuming dish which although I love to cook, I don’t know that I’d make it own my own. Perhaps for a party of folks who would thoroughly enjoy it but shy of that, I’m ordering this dish out. Vidalia’a cassoulet was smokey with sausage, pork belly and hock. The marrow beans were cooked perfectly. I’d go back just for this dish alone.

Overall our experience was really enjoyable and although Vidalia is normally a bit of a splurge, I know we’ll be back for a special treat. Kudos Vidalia, you do RW right.

Tags: Restaurant Week, Washington, Restaurants by Ramona
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