Cork

It was a rainy, chilly Saturday night in September, and CC decided that the lucky restaurant to host her birthday dinner would be Cork, on 14th St NW between R and S St. I had never been, so this was pretty exciting. I was sick with a cold so I was a bit nervous about how long I would last - I was like a video game character and my energy bars were disappearing at triple speed.

We got there at about 7:50pm, and of course, the restaurant was PACKED. I mean, every table was full , the bar stools were all taken and there were many many people squeezing themselves into every nook and cranny of the restaurant while waiting for a table. Since they don't take reservations, we had to wait for a table to open up and for a table for eight, it was going to be a while. As we stood by the bar to order drinks, I noticed 2 gigantic glass jars, one full of a colorful medley of olives, and one of mixed nuts. I made up my mind then that we were going to have olives, and fortunately most of our friends agreed. There were delicious scents rising to meet our hungry noses as we stood around sipping on wine and scotch. Their wine selection is vast, as expected in a wine bar, which made CC, a wine enthusiast, quite happy. They list their wines by color and then by region, and I think we had all tried something different and all were satisfactory.

After about an hour of waiting, we were taken to a table toward the back of the restaurant, which was lovely because it was much quieter than the front. Honestly, my expectation for the food was low since Cork is a wine bar, but looking at the menu, I found myself saying, ooh, this looks good, this looks good, this looks good...ooooh, THIS looks good...um, everything looks really good. So then a crazy thought crossed my mind and apparently CC's also - there were eight of us, so we could possibly get one of everything on the menu - mind you, we were starving. And it would have been perfectly affordable - I did the math and it would have been under $30 per person!! Then reality bonked us on the head and we began to eliminate a few items.

The olives were delicious, especially the big black ones, yum. One of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth (ooh that sounds kinda dirty) is the avocado on grilled bread with chopped pistachios and toasted pistachio oil. It is so simple yet sooooo good. The calamari was also quite good, the batter wasn't overwhelming and the remoulade complements the lemony, crispy calamari wonderfully. Oh and the french fries, oh my gosh, it's all garlicky and the house-made ketchup is amazing with a hint of cumin. My absolute favorite of the night was the duck confit - it was crispy and melt-in-the-mouth tender, wow, suddenly I'm hungry. We also tried the sauteed wild mushrooms, which was way better than expected, with a nice meaty texture and a delicious sauce. Grilled pork tenderloin topped with fried lemon and mustard greens was definitely a hit - the fried lemon was a surprise, it provided a nice contrast to the pork and the bitterness of the mustard greens. The only glitch in the evening was not getting the right cheese on the cheese platter and having to wait 30 minutes after we were done eating for the brussel sprouts (not my fave, btw, too much butter - I know, that's impossible, but in this case its true), but in the end, with lots of good wine and wonderful company, it was a fabulous evening, even though I was exhausted from coughing. We ended the feast with a cookie platter, port for the fancy C sisters, hot chocolate for MJ and me, and scotch for AM.

I think Cork is wonderful. I'd definitely go back for the duck confit and the avocado on grilled bread. You know, I should try making the avocado on grilled bread, I don't have pistachio oil, but I think a good olive oil will do just fine. Oh, so I totally forgot to take pictures of the food...I was sick!! I'm sorry, my mind wasn't working right!! I'll do it next time, so if you wanna go, call me! Tasty tasty!!!

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www.corkdc.com

Mei Wah

I was out and about on a rainy day, and I had an hour to kill before I was due at work. I was feeling hungry, and my tummy demanded sushi. I used to be a regular sushi consumer at Mei Wah (the Chevy Chase locations has a sushi bar, the DC location does not) for a couple of years until I noticed their quality was disintegrating. The spicy tuna rolls were strange in texture and definitely not fresh and the yellow tail rolls were - for lack of a better word - gross. I wanted to experiment and see if I ordered and ate at the restaurant instead of getting it delivered, it would be better.

I was impressed right off by the large number of sushi specials available, which is not included in the delivery menu. I especially enjoyed the colorful pictures that came with the descriptions of each item. So instead of going for the usual shrimp tempura roll and the spicy tuna roll, I decided to expand my horizons. I ordered a vegetable soup to start, to be followed by the tuna tempura roll, and I feel like such a failure as a blogger, as I've forgotten the name of the second roll that I ordered - I want to say it had an exotic, mythical creature in its name.

The soup was good, as usual, full of snow peas, bamboo shoots, carrots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts in a yummy broth. Then the rolls arrived. I was very impressed by their presentation! So pretty and colorful. The tuna tempura roll was quite big - it was a long strip of tuna rolled in rice and seaweed, and the whole roll was tempura battered and fried. It came with a wonderful, spicy sauce on the side. It was delicious and I was pleasantly surprised. The mystery roll had shrimp tempura with lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and spicy fish roe, with a drizzle of a spicy and sweet sauce on top. The circumference on this thing is huge, so be prepared to stretch those jaw muscles and look pretty funny as you attempt to chew. Other than the difficulty in consumption, it was fabulous. I had my doubts when I saw the lettuce and the carrots - I don't think they're common ingredients - but they added a nice, cool crunch to the whole thing.

I think the key is not to order sushi or rolls with raw sea creatures from Mei Wah, because I enjoyed a delightful lunch of rolls with cooked sea creatures. I know, if they're not fresh and gross when you eat them raw, they're just as not fresh when they're cooked, but it tastes good (shoulder shrug). That's my conclusion. :) Tasty tasty!!

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www.meiwahrestaurant.com

Everyday Gourmet by Azi

I was at work, doing tasks on autopilot when JC asked in a very excited tone, "Do you want to go to a cooking class?" I didn't even move, I paused for a moment and just gave her my "Are you kidding me?" face, then very charmingly (by charming, I mean catty), I said, "Why would I go to a cooking class?" Then she said that it was an office outing, hosted by our bosses' friend. Ok, that's nice, but seriously, why would I go to a cooking class? It's not like I ever cook, and if I do, that's what recipes online are for, right? Well, she talked me into it, saying that I didn't have to learn anything, promising lots of wine and a delicious homemade feast.

After an unsuccessful after work shoe shopping spree, we arrived hungry and thirsty at this beautiful condominium with a gorgeous kitchen in Bethesda. Then a lovey, bubbly young lady drifted over and introduced herself as the hostess, Azi, and offered us wine and a seat at the kitchen counter (granite, naturally). She began by explaining the menu her concept - she was going to make a Persian-fusion 4 course dinner. As resistant as I was to learning or paying attention, her enthusiasm and charisma was difficult to tune out.

She must have sensed our hunger because as she laid out the plans of the evening, she served a wonderful puff pastry with roasted eggplants, tomato sauce, and a dollop of yogurt. As we noshed on those, she prepared a quiche-like dish: no crust, lots of fresh herbs, chopped walnuts, and barberries and spices from Iran mixed in with eggs, and baked in small molds. The herbs were aromatic to which the berries gave a nice contrast, and the nuts gave it substance and texture, and to anyone on a low-carb diet, it's carbs free! And wine flowed throughout the whole dinner. Happiness? Yes, oh yes.

Azi was lovely, answering all of our questions and making us feel comfortable with funny stories and sharing her aspirations as a culinary starlet. I was surprised to find out that she was a successful attorney when she decided that she wasn't really happy and culinary arts were her calling. Watching her, I could feel her passion and enjoyment for cooking and sharing her knowledge.

Next course was stuffed peppers with ground veal, lentil, rice, and wonderful mixture of spices, topped with pomegranate molasses. As the peppers were cooking away in the oven, she made a cucumber and tomato salad to go with the peppers. It was so simple yet, delicious - just the cucumber, onions, tomatoes, lime juice, and salt and pepper made a fantastic mix of flavors. Then she started on the dessert - chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. As the chocolate lava cake was baking, we all sat down at her gorgeous dining table and devoured the peppers. Oh my gosh, not only were they pretty to look at, she had used red, green, and orange peppers, they were so yummy. We were all feeling pretty full and happy, but we were made even happier with the arrival of the chocolate lava cake and cardamom tea. The cake was warm and moist, and the tea was a perfect complement to the richness of the cake. If you've ever had cardamom, you'll be able to imagine its aroma - pair that with chocolate...mmmmmm. You're drooling, aren't you?

It was such a fun night with fabulous food and wonderful company. Azi does all sorts of events, like girls' night out, a romantic dinner, and obviously office outings. She's health conscious, so she offers tips on how to make her dishes more healthy. She's a fun and vibrant hostess, if you're looking for a fun night with food and wine while learning something, check out her website and set up an appointment! Tasty tasty!!

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everydaygourmetbyazi.com