The Houndstooth Gourmet

I love all seasons for many reasons. Relating to farmers markets, you just can’t beat spring and summer: when the ramps and asparagus yield to tiny strawberries bursting with flavor. It’s an exciting time knowing that shortly thereafter, cherries, tomatoes and corn will be abundant.

 The deep greens and colorful root vegetables have been delicious and gorgeous to look at as the weather turned cold. But on Saturday, with the Arlington Market only half full of vendors it was, well, a little depressing. But the vendors are out and shivering, so I can be too. Not that there aren’t wonderful things to find this time of year. There’s always the year round staples such as meats, breads, cheeses and pastries. They alone make it worth the trip.

In particular, I wanted to regale Frank and I with lamb rib chops from Eco Friendly (which after the very first time I had them became a regular “treat” for Frank and me)  and a nice loaf of Atwater sourdough bread.

I also picked up a bag of homemade egg noodles to put in my homemade chicken stock which is in the freezer tucked away in quart containers waiting for me.

The lamb chops are incredibly tender. We bought eight chops for about $24. While it’s a bit of a splurge, I tell myself that if I were to order a lamb dish with 3-4 chops at a nice restaurant, the entree would surely exceed $30 and may even approach $40 depending. So for less than half the price of a restaurant, I can make a fabulous meal  for the two of us and enjoy it at home.

Easy(er) on the wallet, and easy to make, here’s my simple preparation for marinated and seared lamb chops with a red wine reduction sauce. Simply bring the chops out 45 minutes to one hour before cooking. In a ziploc baggie, place the chops inside and pour over 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary chopped to release essential oils, one clove crushed garlic, zest of one lemon, juice of one lemon, a tsp. of salt and several grinds of pepper.

Close the baggie and disperse marinating liquid around all chops. Place sealed bag in a bowl and leave out until ready to cook.

Heat dry pan over high heat. Remove chops from bag and place on hot pan. Do not move until chops are ready to yield, about 2-3 minutes. While on first side, add a bit more salt. Turn and sear on other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove to platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of dry red wine. Reduce by half and serve drizzled over chops.

Tags: Arlington, farmers markets, Virginia, Recipe, lamb by Ramona
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Restaurant Eve’s Lickety Split Lunch is one of the best deals in the area. Sitting inside the bar and lounge of Chef Cathal Armstrong’s beautifully restored historic townhome on S. Pitt St. in Old Town Alexandria, I feel like I’ve just hit the blue light, uh, blue plate special. Oh it’s a steal of a deal, and keep in mind the dishes are from the same award winning, 4 star kitchen which as we ate, was crafting thoughtful and seasonal creations for Eve’s Tasting Room, and would cost diners $95 for a 5 course tasting menu and $125 for a 9 course menu that evening. As in all areas of Eve’s eating areas, the food is creative yet down to earth, brilliant yet restrained and of course always seasonal and fresh.
On a recent weekday, Frank and I did a bit of Holiday shopping in Old Town and decided to have a late lunch at the bar (our bartender told us that they serve until around 3:30-4pm). I’ve been to Eve’s Licketly Split lunch before and let Frank know this would probably be more leisurely than he might expect, despite the name. Indeed, we were enjoying ourselves for well over an hour. Keep in mind, that this is a menu with a generous amount of choices and you get 2 items for the unbelievable price of $13.50. Two courses, plus bread service add up to a little bit of time and indeed, these lunches are meant to be savored, not inhaled. So, go when you have enough time to enjoy and maybe even order a dessert to boot. If you do have time restraints, I’d let them know so you can stay on schedule if you need to. This is dining in a friendly casual setting with a neighborhood feel.
The Lickety Split menu offers a few cocktails/wines, 3-4 entrees and 2 desserts. Additionally there is a soup, sandwich, salad and risotto of the day. Today the specials were butternut squash soup with pumpkin oil and toasted papitas, mushroom risotto, duck confit salad with cippolini onions, watercress and a grainy mustard sauce, and a boneless braised shortrib sandwich served with roquefort cheese and a side of fingerling potatoes. Sound good so far?
I decided on the poached mussels with merguez lamb sausage and curried carrots, and the short rib sandwich. Frank ordered the duck confit salad and the Irish BLT (a staple on the menu). Service is friendly from the bartender, to service runners to the person who greets you as you enter. White linen napkins with full silverware (which is replaced as to never have a dirty piece of flatware before your next course) and a leather placemat are nice touched. Comfortable seating makes you want to tuck in and stay for a while.
The bread at Eve absolutely rocks (I usually don’t use that word, but..). Seriously, I hope the Armstrong’s open a bakery so I can get this bread retail. The crust is etherally thin and crunchy. Sometimes when crust is too thick I feel like I have to wrestle like a dog playing with a chew toy to get a hunk to rip off.  In addition to a perfect crust, the inside is soft, porous and just a tad yeasty. The room temperature Irish butter melts on contact with each piece I pinched off. Hoping for some delicious juices at the bottom of my mussel bowl, I saved most of my bread for just this task. I was glad I did.
My mussels came in a warm deep porcelein bowl with a large square rim, which was perfect to rest my utensil on. About 2 dozen plump and juicy mussels arrived, most in their shell, with small to medium chunks of merguez sausage and a golden yellow curry sauce. The sauce had a little heat and added to the dish, rather than overwhelm it. The sausage tasted of the lamb it was made with and was nice when combined with a mussel. As I’d hoped, at the bottom of my bowl was a nice puddle of sauce, sausage and mussel liquor. The sum of this sauce was even better than it’s parts.
My short rib sandwich with roquefort cheese arrived between two thick, butter slathered and browned pieces of bread. With braising sauce and melting cheese oozing out the sides, I decided the best way to eat this sandwich and maintain some level of decorum and my lady-like dignity was to open it up, spread the contents over both pieces of toast and eat it as an open faced sandwich. This proved to be a good idea and I enjoyed the moist braised beef and the sauce forked with a bit of bread in each bit.
The fingerling potatoes were seasoned perfectly and had a creamy center, while the skins were nice and crisp. Combining some potato with the gravy is highly recommended.

Frank’s lunch started with the duck confit salad. The mahagony duck confit was a generous amount of moist duck meat nestled under tender greens and surrounded by a grainy mustard sauce.  The mild mustard sauce was a surprising complement to the duck; balancing, not overpowering the meat.  He too took advantage of the crusty bread to sop up all of the juicy goodness.

The Irish BLT was a wonderful twist on the classic BLT.  Instead of a hickory smoked bacon, the sandwich was filled with Irish bacon that reminded Frank of the many breakfast fry ups he had while living in London.  The tomatoes were very meaty and the sandwich included a generous amount of mayonaise; there’s nothing worse than a BLT that goes light on the mayo.  He also enjoyed the lightly salted fresh made potato chips.  After finishing the sandwich, Frank commented that he could eat that for lunch every day of the week and not tire of it (Holy Cholesterol Batman!). He also thought he should take a long weekend more often so we could do this regularly. A wonderful lunch and more time with my honey. Who knew?

Restaurant Eve’s Lickety Split lunch is offered Mon-Fri in the bar and lounge.

Map it!

Tags: Lunch, Alexandria, Virginia, Restaurants by Ramona
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Whether it’s a host/hostess gift that you need or a special something to please that foodie in your life, you can find wonderful food, supplies, classes and gift certificates right here in our region that will be sure to please and show that you are proud to support our local merchants.

Here are just a few shops and purveyors to get you started on your Holiday gift buying. I know that there are many other wonderful food purveyors in our area, especially in DC and Maryland. If you have a favorite, please make a recommendation in the comments section so I can update our list and help everyone find just the right gift!

SWEET

 Kingsbury Chocolates

  Kingsbury Chocolates are the perfect gift for the chocolate lover in your life. Kingsbury offers fine chocolates including truffles, caramels, chocolate bars (I can personally vouch for these), hot chocolate, fondues and Vermont maple popcorn to name a few. They offer boxed assortments and baskets, all beautifully wrapped. Chocolate tastings are also available for your home or business. You can also purchase Kingsbury Chocolates at Artfully Chocolate.

Visit Kingsbury in Old Town Alexandria, or order online.

Kingsbury Chocolates
1017 King St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-2800
(800) 704-4179
www.kingsburychocolates.com

Artisan Confections

These hand-crafted chocolates are individual works of art. They are made with Valrhona chocolate, butter and cream along with fine liquers, extracts, fruit purees and botanicals. What they do not have is artificial ingredients and preservatives.

Owner and chocolatier Jason Andelman is a native of Northern Virginia and founder of Artisan Confections. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America’s pastry program. His confections are perfect as a hostess gift, distinctive corporate gift or just for you!

Artisan Confection’s retail shop is located in Arlington, where you can see the chocolates being made or even treat yourself or someone else to a chocolate making class! Confections can be ordered online, or purchased at Biagio Fine Chocolates, Best Cellars, Periwinkle and Artfully Chocolate.

Artisan Confections
4815-B Lee Highway
Arlington, VA 22207
(703) 239-0616
www.artisanconfections.com

Artfully Chocolate

Artfully Chocolate is a relative newcomer to the vibrant neighborhood of Del Ray in Alexandria. This colorful shop offers fine chocolates, treats, orchids and artwork. Among the fine chocolates they carry are Artisan Confections, Kingsbury Chocolates, Christopher’s Confections and J. Chocolatier.

Artfully Chocolate
116 E. Del Ray Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 635-7917
www.artfullychocolate.com

The Curious Grape

The Curious Grape, located in the Shirlington section of Arlington, is a really fun place to visit what with free wine and chocolate tasting! The store carries of wide array of fine chocolates, including single origin chocolates, flavor-infused chocolates and Artisan Confections. In addition, you can find truffles, sauces, hot cocoa, fudge, spreads and dessert wines.

The Curious Grape can also prepare a wonderful gift basket or host a private chocolate tasting right in your own home!

The Curious Grape
4056 S. 28th St.
Arlington, VA 22206
(703) 671-8700
www.curiousgrape.com

ShoeBox Oven

ShoeBox oven is a virtual bakery which has received high praise from many of the area’s magazines and newspapers. It’s theme, “a very tiny merry bakery” tells of the meager origins of this fantastic bakery. Operating out of Ray’s the Steaks kitchen on Friday nights, Krishna Brown created imaginative and whimsical goodies which combined things like Mexican chocolate and Japanese chilis for “amor and the Samurai” which she would sell on Saturday morning at the Arlington farmers market.

For the holidays, Brown offers Apple Duchess pie, Campfire S’mores, Caramel Chocolate Tart, Parisian Macaroon Gift Box, and Vintage Babka besides her everyday treats such as a Girl in Bombay, White Chocolate Crunch and Champagne Chocolate.

You can order online for Tuesday through Thursday shipping, or pick up at both Ray’s locations in Arlington and Silver Spring and the Arlington farmers market on Saturday mornings. Best Cellars in Arlington also does ShoeBox Oven tastings each month.

ShoeBox Oven
www.shoeboxoven.com

Cocoa Cafe and Gallery

 By Kingsbury Chocolates and Artfully Chocolate, this place in NW D.C.  just opened at 1529c 14th St., NW D.C. This venture features chocolates, a patisserie and a cafe. There are many products you can order online, too. FYI- the cafe offers libations for your chocolate pleasure, including sparkling wines and coffee drinks.

Cocoa Cafe and Gallery

SAVORY

Hard Times Cafe

Hard Times Cafe has many area locations offering good old comfort food. The Old Town location was the first Hard Times I visited and was introduced to Chili Mac. I’ve been eating chili over spaghetti ever since! My husband is partial to Cincinnatti style chili which was also new to me and I particularly enjoy Hard Time’s mix. It’s got a bit of spice and heat with just the right amount of aromatic cinnamon running through it.

Among the spices mixes Hard Times Cafe offers are Cincinnatti, Texas, Terlingua Red and Vegetarian. Hot sauce, chili vinegar and gift certificates are also available at your nearest location or online.

Hard Times Cafe
VA and MD locations
www.hardtimes.com

King St. Blues

King St. Blues has several Virginia locations along with their original location in Old Town Alexandria. They offer “comfort food with a southern accent” under huge iconic paper mache creations. Although not a bbq joint, King St. Blues offers several delicious bbq dishes including ribs, pulled chicken and pulled pork, all slatherd in their own Mahogony BBQ Sauce. You can enjoy this sauce at home or give as a gift for the bbq lover in your life. Also available is Rib Butt Rub.

King St. Blues
Old Town, Kingstowne, Crystal City, Arlington and Stafford VA
www.kingstreetblues.com

Cheesetique

Cheesetique, a wonderful cheese, wine and other goodies shop in Del Ray offers a large variety of  artisinal and farmstead cheeses doled out with expert advise. Cheeses from local purveyors and from around the world are available at Cheesetique. Jill, the proprietor, also offers cheese tasting classes. With her success, she has outgrown her small storefront location on Mt. Vernon Ave. and will be moving to a larger shop just a block down the road.

Cheese tasting is always wonderful at Cheesetique. Have them make a special gift basket or cheese platter for your holidays! The gift of a cheese class is also a wonderful idea for the cheese afficianodo on your gift list.

Cheesetique
2403 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 706-5300

http://www.cheesetique.com/

Planet Wine Shop

Planet Wine, next to Evening Star Cafe (and owned by the same folks) offers a fine variety of wines as well as cheeses. In particular, they offer “Petite and Cheese Packs” which included about a half dozen cheeses and can be purchased at the store, or online. Subscription to monthly delivery is also available, as are gift certificates.

This is a  particularly nice gift for the wine lover as well, because you can purchase a bottle of wine at Planet Wine, and enjoy it over dinner next door at Evening Star Cafe for a nominal corkage fee. Nice!

Planet Wine Shop
2004 Mt. Vernon Ave
Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 549-3444
http://www.wineaccess.com/store/dailyplanetwines

Toigo Orchards

If you go to most any of our area’s wonderful farmers markets, you  know Toigo. Not only do they have some of the best produce around, but they also make their own sauces, butters, canned goods, honey and mustard. You can purchase their products at your nearest market or order online. Check the website for Toigo’s market schedule. The Italian Store in Arlington also carries Toigo’s heirloom tomato sauce.

http://www.toigoorchards.com/

FOR THE COOK

La Cuisine

La Cuisine, located in Old Town Alexandria, offers high quality kitchen supplies for the serious cook. From All Clad, to Wusthoff to cookie cutters and kitchen string, La Cuisine has it. They also feature a few gourmet food products. Currently, La Cuisine has Panel chocolates including Galets de Rhone, assorted truffles and caramels. Saison De Rosalie Jams have also just arrived.

In addition to the above, La Cuisine offers gift certificates, cooking and baking classes and a newsletter you can sign up for via email. Shop online or in person.

La Cuisine
323 Cameron St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 836-4435
www.lacuisineus.com

L’Academie de Cuisine

L’Academy de Cuisine offers cooking classes for the professional as well as home chef.  For adults and children alike, you can learn classic French cooking techniques, cuisines from around the world, pastry arts and knife skills (well, maybe that’s not for kids!). Classes are demonstration or participation and offered at convenient hours.

L’Academie de Cuisine
5021 Wilson Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 986-9490
www.lacademie.com

Tags: Alexandria, Washington, Arlington, gifts, Virginia, Hound Picks, chocolate by Ramona
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 Majestic (Maj)  in Old Town Alexandria, with Chef Shannon Overmiller, is following in her sister Eve’s footsteps and is offering a lunch deal called “The Royal Pick.  Offerred Tuesday through Friday at lunch time, you can pick any ONE item off of the menu and add a bottle of soda or tea for only $12. That’s right, you can get Chesapeake Bay Seafood Stew ($19.50) or Crab Cake Salad ($18.25) for $12, drink included. Now that beats a homemade PB&J anyday!

Of course, the Lickety Split lunch deal at Eve should be in your rotation too if your lucky enough to work in Old Town or be in the area. At Eve’s bar and lounge, you can get any TWO items for $13.50. Do yourself a favor and go on over and get the BLT. Best. Bacon. Ever.

Tags: Lunch, Alexandria, a la minute update, Virginia by Ramona
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Warren Rojas, food writer for Northern Virginia magazine, announced today on Don Rockwell that he will be hosting a weekly food and dining chat Thursday mornings at 11 a.m. The newly upgraded magazine website boasts an expanded Food and Wine section with restaurant archives and reviews, preview menus and feedback forums.

We are very fortunate to have a variety of food critic voices in the D.C. area. I’m looking forward to the addition of Warren’s reviews and opinions, telling the good, bad and ugly. Let’s get grilling on Thursdays!

Tags: Grill Warren, food chats, Virginia, Uncategorized by Ramona
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