Central: Still Going Strong

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With the nonstop stream of restaurant openings in Logan Circle, Shaw, and H Street, it is sometimes easy to forget about the restaurant scene that existed before Masa 14 and Ghibellina. 

Most of time, I fully support writing off the stuffy downtown restaurants in lieu of the more local neighborhood spots, but some of the downtown restaurants are consistently held in high regard. 

One of these restaurants is Michel Richard's Central on Pennsylvania Avenue. Although Central has only been around for a few years, it is safe to say it's become a DC institution for the business lunch crowd.  That said, it still maintains its reputation for a lively atmosphere, beautiful restaurant space, and delicious food.  

Despite having lived in DC (off and on) for the last decade, and despite being a huge fan of former Central chef, Cedric Maupillier (who now owns Mintwood Place), until last week, I had never visited Central.  When my dad was in town last weekend, I decided to take him and find out whether it lived up to its high end reputation.  I am happy to report that I enjoyed my meal so much that I was (1) annoyed at myself for waiting this long to go, (2) bummed I never made it to Richard's former restaurant Citronelle before it closed, and (3) curious whether his new restaurant, Villard, will make as big of an impact on restaurant-saturated New York City.

To start, we ordered the gougeres.  This is merely a fancy name for cheese puffs.  If you've ever eaten at BLT Steak, these are very similar to the complimentary popovers they bring to each table. The gougeres were served warm and arrived in a cone-basket that you typically see french fries served in at Belgian restaurants. They are shaped like hollow donut holes and are made of a light dough that has gruyere baked into the pastry. They were a tasty little treat to wet your palate, but were a tad superfluous to the delicious bread basket that was served at the same time.  In hindsight, I would have opted for a different appetizer. 

The entrees were truly the star of the meal.  I ordered the scallops entree, which was a serving of 4 perfectly seared large scallops. They were cooked to golden brown perfection on the outside with a tender center.  There is always a "chewiness" risk with scallops, but there was none of that here. They were served over a light red pepper sauce and a variety of greens, including bok choy and broccolini.  One interesting touch was pasta ribbons sitting atop the scallops.  They added an additional texture and visual interest to the plate and filled up what was otherwise a pretty light dish.  

My dad ordered the pasta bolognese.  I was initially surprised by his choice of an Italian dish at a French/American restaurant.  But we both agreed that it was one of the best renditions of pasta bolognese either of us had ever tasted. It was a cold night and the sauce was the type that warms your soul.  Rich, hearty, and ridiculously flavorful.  In addition to the meat and tomatoes, you could taste the fresh herbs, the red wine, and the sharp salty cheese grated on top.  It was the perfect combination of flavors.  I would go back just for this dish.  

Lastly, for dessert we got a trio of sorbet and gelato.  Our trio came with vanilla ice cream, and mango and strawberry sorbet.  I admit it was an odd dessert choice for a cold fall evening, but it was a delicious and sweet way to end the meal. 

Although DC is only now starting to be talked about as having a "food scene," my night at Central reminded me that we've had some great restaurants in DC for a while and they don't all reside on 14th Street.  

Le Diplomate

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I have been a fan of restauranteur Stephen Starr since high school when my parents first took me to his restaurant, Pod, in Philadelphia. At the time, Pan-Asian restaurants were unique, and Stephen Starr was just a Philly guy. Since then, he has expanded to markets throughout the country, but unlike some celebrity restaurantaurs, I have continued to admire his innovation and talent in designing beautiful restaurants, creating interesting menus, and hiring awesome chefs to cook delicious meals. Since my parents live outside of Philadelphia, it's always been a treat to go to one of Starr's restaurants when I go home. For years, one of of my favorites has been Parc, a French brasserie right on Rittenhouse Square. Needless to say, I was more than a little excited when Starr decided to model his first DC restaurant, Le Diplomate, after Parc. 

My first visit to Le Diplomate (and definitely not my last) was for brunch two weekends ago. The first thing that struck me was the beautiful design of the restaurant. Until about six months ago, the space that Le Diplomate now occupies was a boarded-up building. The transformation is remarkable. It literally looks like you sidled up to a cafe in Paris. It is adorable and I love it. 

Although we sat inside, I really enjoyed the blend of indoor-outdoor space. The window over our table opened up to sidewalk tables along 14th Street, and there is a large patio along the back side of the restaurant. This is going to be a perfect spot for outdoor dining and drinking this summer. I almost hate that I am telling you how great this place is, because it's already hard enough to get a table! But I cannot resist. 

When you first walk in, a waitress is slicing fresh baguettes by the bar. Another delightful touch. 

The first thing we ordered was a basket of pastries for the table. Although I am not usually keen on the idea of having to pay for your bread basket, this was no ordinary basket. The reasonably-priced assortment included  croissants, muffins, and pastries. Each was flakier and more buttery than the next. Do yourself a favor: splurge. 

Next we got the Salad Verte. It was a really light and refreshing blend of butter lettuce, watermelon radishes, haricot verts, and a gentle red-wine vinaigrette. With the amount of food we ordered, the salad wasn't totally necessary, but the vegetables were amazingly fresh, vibrant green, and served as a perfect palette cleanser between courses. 

I am a total sucker for any type of Benedict, and this particular occasion was no exception. So for my entree, I ordered the Salmon Benedict and was very happy with the outcome. 

The smoked salmon was plentiful, smoky, and not too salty; the eggs were perfectly poached; and my hollandaise sauce (on the side at my request) was the perfect creamy accompaniment. 

One of my friends, who is on a health-food kick (wrong place for that, ladies), ordered the egg-white omelet filled with ratatouille. PaleOMG is right! This dish was hearty, flavorful, and (arguably) "healthy."

 

On the complete oppostie end of the diet spectrum, my other friend ordered the Eggs Boudin Noir. This consisted of a skillet baked with polenta, blood sausage, asparagus, gruyere cheese, levain bread, and was topped with a poached egg. 

The richness of this dish was unparalleled, but it was worth every bite. I don't even like blood sausage, and I had to resist every urge to keep my fork on my own plate. This dish was definitely a winner. 

My friend Jenna visiting from SF- loved her meal! 

The nice thing about Le Diplomat's menu (and brasseries in general) is that they really offer a great variety of items. They can totally cater to different diets, palettes, and moods. I am already excited to go back and check out the dinner items later this summer. 

Welcome to DC, Stephen Starr. I hope to be seeing a lot more of you. 

Pommes de Terre Braisées

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In case you're just catching up with us this week, this is the third recipe in our first Tiny Dinner Party. These are fooDCrave dinner parties designed to prove you can cook and entertain in tiny kitchens and apartments! 

Earlier this week, we gave you the recipes for the french onion soup we served as the appetizer and the beef bourguignon, which we served as the main course. As a side dish to our French-themed dinner, we made Braised Fingerling Potato Coins. Because the other courses were very time consuming, we wanted a side dish that would require few ingredients and little effort. These potatoes were the perfect compliment! 

At the grocery store we found these beautiful jewel-toned fingerling potatoes. They come in rich hues of purple, red, and gold and just begging to be photographed. Thankfully we had our celeb photographer of the night, Jason Leavy, to help us out!  

To make this dish, you'll need: 

2 pounds of fingerling potatoes 

2 cups of water 

3/4 stick of unsalted butter

Fresh chives 

Salt and Pepper 

First, slice the potatoes into thin coins. If you have a mandoline, this would be a great use for it. Neither of us own a mandoline, and frankly, a knife worked just fine! 

At the same time, cut up the butter into small cubes. 

Next, place the potatoes in a skillet or frying pan. Cover the potatoes with 2 cups of water. Arrange the pieces of butter across the top of the potatoes. 

 

Then cut a piece of parchment paper or alumimum foil to fit over the skillet. Butter one side of the foil. Place the foil over the skillet- butter side down. Then bring the water to a simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes.

Once most of the water has evaporated, remove the foil and add salt and pepper to taste. Depending on the consistency you prefer, you can either serve the potatos as is, or crisp them up in the oven. We wanted a crispier potato, so we used the same piece of foil on a baking sheet, and placed the potato coins in the oven for 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle with finely diced fresh chives and serve! The simplicity of preparation of these potatoes should not underscore their flavor.  They were truly the perfect accompaniment to the rich beef stew.  Light, fluffy, and delicious.  Bon apetit!

Thanks for joining us in our first Tiny Dinner Party. We'd really love some feedback from you all! Did you like following the dinner party menu all week or would you prefer our original and varied approach to recipes? Please leave your feedback in the comments or e-mail us at foodcraveblog@gmail.com.

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Le plat principal: Beef Bourguignon

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When deciding what to prepare for the main course, Liz and I deliberated because French food is not something that either of us regularly prepares.  We ultimately agreed on Beef Bourguignon as a good first attempt because it wasn't incredibly complicated, and did not need many hours of preparation time (or so we thought . . . ).  We were also excited about this recipe because it meant that we'd get to try out Liz's new Dutch Oven.  Let's be honest, it does not take much to excite us in the kitchen! We adapted this recipe from Epicurious.

Thanks again to Jason Leavy for being our guest celebrity photographer!

For the beef bourguignon you will need:

8 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 7-bone chuck roast)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds boiling onions, peeled
3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)
3 cups canned beef broth
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (we used the brandy from the french onion soup)
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste

First, saute the bacon in the dutch oven.  We used as much as we could fit in the bottom of the pan, which was about 2/3 of the package.  Once the bacon is cooked evenly on both sides, remove it from the pan and set aside.  

While the bacon was cooking, we prepared the beef by trimming it into small 1 1/2 inch cubes.  We then lightly rolled the beef in flour and browned it in three batches over high heat, about five minutes per batch, until it was brown on all sides. Once the beef was cooked, we transferred it to a large glass bowl to rest.  





Then in the same pot, add the carrots and onions and cook for about six minutes, adding the garlic in for the final minute.  Once the veggies are cooked, add them to the bowl containing the meat.

 

Next, add one cup of the broth and 1/2 cup of brandy to the pot, and reduce it to a glaze.  This should take about 8 minutes.  When reducing, be sure to scrape the pot so that any bits of meat that stuck to the bottom are incorporated.  Once the liquid has been reduced to a glaze, return the meat and veggies to the pot.  This was no small feat!  Be careful and have someone assist you with this step, or you may have a major mess on your hands!

Then, into the pot, add the two bottles of wine (we went with two inexpensive bottles of Pinot Noir since we couldn't find Burgundy at our grocery store), sliced mushrooms, thyme, 2 cups of broth, sugar, and the tomato paste.  The original recipe did not mention adding the bacon back to the mix, but we went ahead and crumbled it up and threw it in as well.  Bacon can do no harm, right?? 



Bring the entire mixture to a boil--this took about 10 minutes, as it was a lot of food and liquid--stirring occasionally.  Then cover the pot and place it directly into the oven.  We recommend using a baking sheet to support the pot on the oven rack.  Our arms were definitely sore from lifting this thing in and out of the oven!


Let the stew cook in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Afterwards, remove the pot from oven and ladle off the majority of the liquid from the stew into a large saucepan.  There will be a thin layer of fat on top of the liquid - ensure that you also spoon it off and toss it.  Boil the liquid for about 40 minutes on the stove until it has reduced.  Your dutch oven should be set aside during this time, do not return it to the oven.  Complete this meal by pouring the reduced liquid back over the stew, and serve! Voilà!  Along with the braised fingerling potatoes (recipe to come tomorrow) this was a hearty and delicious meal.  In fact, we shared leftovers with a number of friends who all raved about it!  It may have been even better served the next day!

All in all, this meal was not incredibly complicated to prepare.  That being said, from start to finish, it probably took us four hours, which was far beyond our expectations.  That may or may not have been the result of not studying the recipe properly . . . lesson learned!  One thing we've definitely come to realize is that cooking takes time!  You should always budget in some extra time as compared to what the recipe may suggest.  Do any of our fellow cooks out there feel the same way?  Or, maybe we are just slowpokes in the kitchen! 

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Vous êtes cordialement invités au premier dîner du fooDCrave

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We love living and entertaining in DC, but, due to the size of our apartments, we have felt constricted in our ability to throw lavish dinner parties. We know that many of our readers also live in tiny apartments and cook in tiny kitchens. So we've set out on a new project to prove that you can host fabulous dinner parties whether you've got a mansion or a studio apartment. We're calling them 'Tiny Dinner Parties'. 

In her book, My Life In France, Julia Child wrote, "The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit.” With this quote in mind, Amanda and I decided a French dinner would make for an excellent first Tiny Dinner Party.

We were lucky enough to have a guest photographer, Jason Leavy, do a proper photo shoot of the whole dinner party and (hopefully) leave us with a few photo tips! 

First, we selected a menu:

First Course

French Onion Soup with a Gruyere Crouton

Second Course

Beef Bourguignon

Side Dish

Braised Jewel Fingerling Potato Coins

Wine Pairing

Boujoulais Nouveau

Throughout the week, we will be sharing these recipes with you. First up is the French Onion Soup. 

We used a recipe from 2011 Bon Apetit magazine that received high reviews on Epicurious. We only doctored it up a little this time.  

Here's what you'll need for 4 bowls of French Onion Soup:

3 medium vidalia or yellow onions

2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 

4 cups of beef stock

1 Tbsp of unsalted butter

1 Tbsp of brandy 

A baguette

1 1/2 cups of Gruyere cheese- grated 

Onion Powder

Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper
4 oven safe bowls (Ramekins or Crocks

The first step is to caramelize the onions. Begin by cutting the onions into thin slivers. Then, in a large pot that you plan to use for the soup, coat the bottom of the pan with extra virgin olive oil and the butter. Heat over a medium flame until the butter is melted and the oil is warm. Add the onions and stir to coat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the onions are a light brown (caramel) color and are soft.

While the onions are cooking, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Once the onions are caramelized, add 1 Tbsp of Brandy to the pot and give the onions a good stir. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until the brandy is absorbed. 

Then, add the 4 cups of beef stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Season the broth to taste with salt, pepper, and onion powder. 

Next, place 4 ramekins or crocks onto a baking sheet. Evenly divide the soup among the ramekins. 

Then, grate the gruyere. You can adjust the amount based on how much cheese you like, but we liked our onion soup pretty cheesy so we grated about 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Then cut your baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Place 2 slices of bread on top each ramekin.  This time, we did not toast our bread prior to placing it in the ramekins.  We learned our lesson, and felt the bread would have benefited from a bit of crunch by toasting prior to placing the ramekins in the oven.

Top each with the shredded gruyere cheese. 

Place the tray of ramekins into the oven and bake for 4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and brown. Then serve the soup as your first course! The rest of the baguette can be served alongside for extra dunking! 

We were a little impatient with the soup and pulled it out before it fully browned. 

Come back tomorrow for the real star of the meal: beef bourguignon! 

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