After much consideration I decided that I would make a reservation at Le Diplomate, a member of the STARR restaurant group that pays homage to a classic French cafe. Located on 14th street downtown, Le Diplomate opened in April and has been getting rave reviews since they opened their door so I decided that it would be the perfect venue for my last supper.

I gathered two of my closest friends, and my mom of course who was with me to help me pack up and move, and had one of the most fantastic meals I have ever had in D.C.

Since there were four of us, I got to sample a lot of what was on the menu and there wasn’t a single thing that disappointed.

Now, get ready for a lot of pictures that are drool worth because we ate a lot of food.

mushroom tart
pioppini mushrooms/truffle pecorino

steak tartare de parc
hand-chopped filet/capers/quail egg

roasted beet and carrot salad
hazelnut vinaigrette

lamb shank
moraccan cous cous/harissa/yogurt

sea scallops
spring peas/orzo/carrot vinaigrette

duck breast and leg confit
farro salad, rhubarb vinaigrette

rabbit en gibelotte

Everything was absolutely phenomenal! First off, I am not always crazy about beet salads because I often find them unimpressive but this salad had so much flavor. The tartare was also extremely tasty and a great appetizer. The mushroom tart was fantastic but a bit heavy for an appetizer so I would recommend that for a group of 3 or more to share.

As for entrees, the portions were well sized and the prices were extremely reasonable. The lamb shank that I got was HUGE! I took almost the whole thing home as leftovers. The duck breast and leg were very moist and flavorful and the rabbit, which I was a bit skeptical about because I have never had rabbit was also very delicious and I would highly recommend it. The scallops were also delicious  - cooked to perfection and with a hint of lemon that gave the whole dish a very nice flavor.

While I am glad I got to try Le Diplomate before I left, I am bummed that I won’t be able to go there as often as I would like since I am now almost 400 miles away.

If you have not been to Le Diplomate all I can say is what are you waiting for? Get your butt there and enjoy a meal at one of the best new restaurants in D.C.!

It’s been hard to go to Little Serow since they don’t take reservations and you need to get in line and wait early since it is very popular and only seats about 25-30 people at a time. Luckily, my friend Lauren had the day off and could wait in line so last week I finally got to cross Little Serow off my list and boy am I glad. The meal was hands down one of the best that I have had throughout my 8 years in the DMV.

The menu changes every week and each dish builds in terms of heat and let me tell you things can get a bit spicy. The service is one-on-one and each dish is brought out and the server gives an explanation of the dish and what is in it. Unfortunately, I didn’t take great notes so I can’t explain all the ingredients but let me tell you – everything was phenomenal. Our menu featured:

nam prik num
finger chilies/shallot/pork rinds/bla rah

tom kha gapi
shrimp/ramps/galangal

soop naw mai
bamboo shoots/snakehead fish/rice powder

gai laap chian mai
chicken liver/sawtooth/long pepper

naem khao tod
crispy rice/sour pork/peanuts

gai lan bla kem
greens/salted fish/egg

si krong muu
pork ribs/mekhong whiskey/dill

Each dish had amazing flavor and there was always a nice balance between salt, sweet, spicy and sour. They kept a bowl of rice at our table that allowed us to mop up all the sauce for each dish because we didn’t want to waste a drop. While each dish was fantastic, I definitely had my favorite. The crispy rice balls were at the top of my list and I loved the sour flavor. The ribs were also fantastic and the dill gave this dish a great pop. I also thought the bamboo shoots were really tasty. At first bite I wasn’t sure but as the sauce got mixed around on the shoots I was pleasantly surprised with the dish.

The food was great and the service was top notch. While it may not be the easiest restaurant to go to considering you have to get there early for the first seating and wait a bit, it is certainly worth it to put that extra effort in to going.

Not only is this recipe delicious and low in calories, it is one of the simplest recipes ever.

The ingredients you need:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 cup fat free buttermilk
• 1 cup flour
• garlic salt
• buffalo sauce

Whisk together the buttermilk, flour and garlic salt until it is smooth. Then toss in the chopped cauliflower. Make sure that you are gentle when tossing this around in the buttermilk/flour mixture as the cauliflower falls apart pretty easily.

Once the cauliflower is well coated, place it in a shallow baking dish and place in a pre-heated 450 degree oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and pour your favorite buffalo sauce on top until everything is coated generously. For me, I love Frank’s red hot buffalo sauce but you can use whatever you like.

Bake the cauliflower an additional 5-8 minutes, let it cool for about 2 and serve with a side of bleu cheese dressing, ranch, or whatever dipping sauce your heart desires.

This year’s culinary council members included Victor Albisu of Del Campo & Taco Bamba, Scott Drewno of The Source, Mike Isabella of Graffiato, Bandolero, & Kapnos, Nicholas Stefanelli of Bibiana and Bryan Voltaggio of Family Meal, Range, & Volt.

Below are some pictures of the amazing chefs and food at the event. This great event is literally a foodie’s dream and I am so glad that I got to go.

As I was just starting my day I received an email inviting me to try some breakfast items at the soft opening of GBD: Fried Chicken and Doughnuts, a new restaurant opening up in DuPont Circle. I have walked by the restaurant a number of times, watching the construction, and anxiously awaiting it’s opening. The good news: GBD is planning on opening at the end of the week. The best news: the food that I had for breakfast was delicious so I can only imagine that their lunch and dinner options will be equally amazing.

Now for my loyal readers I present a GBD preview in pictures.

grapefruit campari/ coffee cake doughnut/devil’s food doughnut
bourbon butterscotch glazed brioche topped with bacon/key lime curd filled brioche

awesome wallpaper at GBD

Close up: devil’s food doughnut with caramel, honey peanut and salt

Make sure to follow GBD on Twitter (@GBDChixDonuts) and check out pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac (@tiffmacisaac) for all the golden brown delicious updates!

You present such beautiful food pictures in front of me that I just cannot resist making. From cheesy pull-apart bread to buffalo chicken dip, from cauliflower tots and zucchini waffle sandwichs – the recipes on pinterest are endless.

This weekend as I was on pinterest I saw a beautiful looking picture of jambalaya that was captioned “just throw ingredients in the crock pot and go.” Now that’s my kind of recipe. How could I resist? So on a dreary, rainy Easter Sunday as I was curled up on the couch watching Downton Abbey, my jambalaya cooked away in the crock pot. What a dream!

As with most crock pot recipes there is minimal prep time. For this dish I sliced a whole white onion and 3 bell peppers (red,yellow,green) and lined the bottom of the crock pot with these. I then added 2 jalapeno chicken sausages (cut lengthwise then sliced) and 2 diced chicken breasts. I then topped all of that with 1 can of diced tomatoes and added 2 cups of water.

That cooked up for approximately 6 hours at which point I added a box of Zatarain’s jambalaya mix rice. The rice is pre seasoned so it added the cajun/creole spices that make jambalaya delicious.

This recipe made A LOT of food. I not only had enough for dinner and 3 lunchs for the week, but I shared with my roommate who also took a heaping bowlful of this delicious goodness. The jalapeno chicken sausage gave this a great kick and the seasoning from the rice is absolutely fabulous. The only swap that I would make is that I would use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. I find that chicken breasts are often dry and thighs are a juicier, tastier cut of chicken.

Throughout the 5-week festival, José Andrés and Head Chef Michael Costa are featuring twists on traditional Greek Lenten and Easter dishes and last week I got to sample these new menu items before they were officially on the Zaytinya menu.

Because my hands were full with a beverage and some food item most of the time I wasn’t able to write down what everything was, but I think the pictures really speak for themselves.

lamb lettuce cups

mini omelets

clams with sea salt foam

Greek yogurt with pistachios and peas

Everything that I sampled was delicious and I was so glad that I got to chat it up with head chef Michael Costa who had a lot of great things to say about working with Jose Andres, making food a full-time career and the importance of a work/life balance. I would certainly recommend checking out these flavorful, unique bites at Zaytinya since they are only on the menu for a limited time.

I was beyond thrilled! Not only did I have somewhere to go for Passover but the meal was going to feature recipes from Chef Todd Gray’s new cookbook that he co-authored with his wife Ellen, The New Jewish Table.

So on Monday as the sun set I made my way to Equinox for the seder and was so impressed with the time and effort that Todd and Ellen put into the setup and execution of the dinner.Each place setting had a piece of matza with your name on it so you knew where to sit. Kosher-for-Passover champagne and wine was served as we read along with the concise Passover hagadah and throughout the meal.

After reading through the hagadah, asking the four questions, going through the 10 plagues etc. we got to dive into a delicious and beautifully prepared sampling of recipes from the Gray’s newest cookbook.

roasted red and golden beet salad

shaved ren onion/golden raisins/ sicilian pistachios

black angus beef brisket in red wine sauce

golden potato mousseline/wilted spinach/toasted sesame

(served with quinoa with poached figs and mint)

traditional flourless chocolate cake

caramel ice cream/bourbon vanilla sauce

The meal was definitely one of the Passover meals that I have ever had. While I do love my mom’s matzo ball soup and brisket, this was certainly one of the best meals I have add. Everything was delicious and luckily I was at a table with other foodies and we all compared our thoughts. The consensus was that we were all impressed! Now I am not a huge fan of beets and have never fully been swayed by any restaurant’s prep of beets that they are worth ordering … until now. The beet salad that was served had such a great mixture of flavors. The sweet of the raisins and the tart of the dressing that was on the salad created a really balanced and refreshing dish. The brisket was extremely tender and the quinoa that accompanied this dish added a great toasty and salty compliment to the dish. As for the cake, I’ll admit I am never a huge fan of chocolate cake but this was light and airy and a great way to end the meal.

I left the meal full and satisfied but not overly stuffed. And let me tell you, I will absolutely be making some recipes from the Gray’s new cookbook so keep an eye out for a post from there coming soon!

I have walked by Grapeseed a number of times. It’s a quaint restaurant in Bethesda that claims each dish is inspired by a different wine. Each time I walked by the restaurant, I wasn’t convinced to go in. As time went on, I began looking at the menu in more depth and finally decided to put it on my list of places I want try in 2013.

I told my friend Lauren (who is my food buddy) that I wanted to go to this place, and shortly after I logged into my Yahoo! account (yes, I still use Yahoo but only for deal websites) and there was a great deal for Grapeseed: $40 for $80 worth of food and drink.

Done and done!

So last week Lauren and I made a reservation and went to Grapeseed for what turned out to be a fantastic meal.

First off, I love that each dish had a wine pairing because while I love wine, I will admit I am not the most knowledgable so it’s nice to be able to dine and learn a bit at the same time.

While everything on the menu looked good, we had $80 to work with and didn’t want to go too much over so we were a bit strategic with our ordering.

We started off with two appetizers and a taste of the wines that went with each.

First we had the spicy grilled prawns with jalapeno cornbread which were delicious, but I’ll admit while the flavor was good it wasn’t my favorite dish of the night. The Korean BBQ beef tips with Japanese eggplant, garlic peanuts and cilantro. WOW! This dish literally melted in my mouth. The spice and flavor from the garlic, the sweet from the eggplant and the delicious beef flavor made a really well-rounded, amazing dish.

Next up we decided to split an entree and asked the waiter for his suggestion between the salmon and the pork chop. The waiter said that while the salmon was good, as foodies he thought we would appreciate the pork chop a bit more.

This was a sage marinated pork chop that was served with fingerling potatoes and butternut squash. The pork was incredibly juicy and the sweetness of the squash was a nice compliment to the sage marination that the pork was in before grilling, The pork chop also had a nice grill flavor which added a hint of smoke to the taste.

All in all, I loved it. I think even without the deal Grapeseed is a reasonably priced restaurant with great food, a fantastic wine list and a really comfortable atmosphere. This is a great place for a date or just a night of good food with your girlfriends.

I decided to put my own twist on it and make it just a bit healthier – and I was pleasantly pleased with the end result.

To start, I pre-heated the oven to a toasty 400. To cook the quinoa, I boiled 1 1/2 C. of chicken broth. Once the broth boiled I added 1 C. of quinoa, put the lid on the pot and turned the heat down to a nice simmer. I let this cook for about 12 minutes, but make sure the watch it because there is a fine line between when the quinoa absorbs all the liquid and when it gets burnt.

While the quinoa cooked, I microwaved one of those bags of broccoli in cheese sauce. They are a lot lower in calories and fat than making a homemade cheese sauce so I figured why not? Once the broccoli was done I mixed it into the cooked quinoa, added some salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and a small handful of fat-free sharp cheddar to make it extra cheesy.

After mixing everything together I poured the quinoa and broccoli into a greased pan, and topped with some shredded parm cheese and panko crumbs. I popped it in the oven and baked it for 12 minutes.

This made a huge pan of cheesy, quinoa goodness! What I love about this dish is that it is versatile and you can throw in as many veggies as you like or add a protein, different cheeses, etc. The possibilities are endless!