The Bitten Word

Your Questions: Where To Eat in Washington, DC?

(Photos, clockwise from top left: Bar Pilar, Little Serow courtesy of The Washingtonian, Le Diplomate, Rose's Luxury)

 

Here's something we've been meaning to do for years (literally years) on this blog: share our favorite places to eat in Washington, D.C.

Our Nation's Capital is flooded with deliciousness these days. Over the years we've gladly answered readers' questions about where they should eat when they visit D.C. Right now, despite the chill in the air, Cherry Blossom season is upon us. We've gotten a few more of these questions than usual, so we're publishing this list. 

(Our list of favorite places to eat in D.C. is very District-centric. Other lists you'll read from local publications will include lots of restaurants out in the 'burbs. We don't have a car, so we rarely make it out of the city for dinner.) 

Come visit the District -- we promise you won't leave hungry! To help you plan your meals while you're here, here's a list of our favorite DC restaurants, followed by other places we love: 

Little Serow (Dupont Circle). It's probably our favorite restaurant in D.C. right now. It's Northern Thai food and very spicy. Absolutely delicious. Fixed menu, no substitutions, $45/person. No reservations. You'll need to be in line by 5:00 at the latest (especially on a weekend) if you want to get a table that evening. Basically you can go there, get in line, put your name in, go have a drink (or two) elsewhere, and then they'll call you when your table's ready. It's a process, but it's worth it. (Oh, also, there's no sign or anything -- it's underneath a restaurant called Komi, on 17th btw P and Q. Believe me, you'll know the line when you see it.)

Bar Pilar (14th Street). We've loved this place for years. It's a bar with excellent food, but in the past few years they've completed a major expansion so they now have a dining room. We're never disappointed by their menu. It's always comforting, wonderful new American food.

Brasserie Beck (Downtown). We went here the night we got engaged, and the night before we got married, and a dozen other times, too. It's Belgian food and spectacular. Supposedly this place had the East Coast's first beer sommelier. So now you know that's a thing. 

Rasika (West End or Chinatown). This is the best Indian food in the city. It also happens to be high-end Indian. For years we've been going an ordering the black cod and the crispy spinach. We're in an ordering rut, but it's a delicious rut. (Reservations are a must.)

Your Thanksgiving Questions, Answered!

We've been getting lots of great emails and comments with Thanksgiving-related questions, so we thought we'd round up the best of the bunch here!

Let's get started. 

 

I Need That Carrot Mash! 

"Where can I find the carrot mash recipe you talked about on the radio?" -- a dozen-plus people

Here's the recipe for Carrot Mash with Orange and Mint. 

 

Making Carrot Mash Ahead of Time

"Can Carrot Mash with Orange and Mint be made ahead of time?" -- Mandy 

Yes! Absolutely. You could EASILY make this a day early and reheat it in the microwave. In fact, that's exactly what we did. 

 

Desperately Seeking Cranberry

"I am looking for a good recipe for cranberry sauce since I'd like to offer up an alternative to the traditional jello mold always requested by my in-laws. I saw the lemon and fennel recipes. Any favorite between the two, or any others you'd recommend instead?" -- Valerie

That Cranberry Chutney with Fennel and Golden Raisins is really, really great. If you're looking for something different, we also loved this Nutty Cranberry Relish, which we described as a "walk on cranberry sauce's wilder side." 

 

What Goes with Baked Brie?

"I'm pretty much a cheese purist. I like my cheeses with little more that a good baguette and some butter. However, for an appetizer this thanksgiving I'm making baked Brie in puff pastry and I need something to go on top or beside it. Savory or sweet is okay. Just wondering if you have anything you absolutely love or has been a big hit at a party you've been to." -- Chris
 

We have two words for you: pumpkin butter.

 

Since we made the Pilgrimage Cocktail we've been on a pumpkin butter kick. We think it would be an excellent accompaniment that would add a great Thanksgiving-ish flavor to the Brie. Here's a version we found that uses pepitas and almonds to add a little crunch. 

 

Fix the Crispy Cauliflower? 

"I'm thinking of making the Crispy Cauliflower with Capers, Raisins, and Breadcrumbs from Bon Appetit to bring to a friends/fakes-giving, which you didn't love a few years back. Any further thoughts? I'll defititely turn up the volume with more dressing." -- Michael 

We're glad you're thinking about that crispy cauliflower, because we think it's worth revisiting and tweaking. We definitely agree with you about more dressing, and wonder if you shouldn't also cut the breadcrumbs down just a little.  It calls for 3/4 cup.  Maybe if you used 1/2 cup plus a couple tablespoons?  Also, as we noted, we do think homemade breadcrumbs would help make this less ... "dusty." Another thought:  What about using panko instead of breadcrumbs?  That'd REALLY give you a nice crunchy texture. 

 

 

Hosting a Guest with Celiac Disease 

"I will have a guest over for Thanksgiving this year that has Celiac Disease, and therefore cannot eat gluten. She also has to eat low or no dairy. I was wondering if you had any 'tried and true' gluten-free side dishes?" -- Leann

We have to admit that we're not up to speed fully on Celiac, but if you check out the "Side Dishes" section of our favorite holiday recipes, we think you'll be able to find something that will work for you (or that can be easily adapted. We have a feeling that our readers have a lot more ideas on this. Bittens, do you have a great idea for Leann? 

 

Onion Compote -- Make Ahead? 

"I am planning to make the onion and chestnut compote from your website--my only question is - can I make it a day early and then re-heat it?" -- Diane

We think you can absolutely make that compote a day ahead and reheat it.  We'd suggest reheating it slowly on the stovetop or in the oven, rather than the microwave.

 

Planning Soup Shots

"I am planning on making a butternut squash soup shooter appetizer for Thanksgiving.  Do you like this recipe or the Butternut squash and sage soup better? (Does one seem to be easier than the other?) Also, for the third year in a row, the Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette have been requested from me!  It's one of my family's FAVORITE recipes, which I found from you guys!!" -- Lauren 

If you're choosing between the Basic Winter Squash Soup and the Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs, we think you should go with the sage version. It has more flavor, and if your'e looking to do a soup shot, you want to maximize the flavor. 

 

Not to muddy the waters here, but we might also suggest a different option here, which would be this Scarlet Carrot Soup. It is really good and unexpected. 

 

 

Have a Question? 

Do you have Thanksgiving questions? Post them here in the comments and we'll do our beset to answer them! 

 

~ Zach & Clay 

 

 

Your Questions: The 10 Essential Spices for Stocking Your Pantry

Our spice rack overfloweth. Between gifts we've received, one-off spices we've purchased and impulse-buy spice rubs (yes, there is such a thing, at least around The Bitten Word household), we've got more spices than we could use in a month of dinners.

Rogan josh, whole juniper berries, urfa biber, ras el hanout -- suffice it to say that when the Apocalypse comes and you need to spice up the scraps of food you've scavenged, come on by our place.

So we loved getting this email:

Hi there Bitten Word!

I just moved 3000 miles. During the process I decided to ditch all seasonings from the pantry and start fresh, except for some pricey carribean specialty spice blends that I was given as a gift. What do you think are the top 10 or 15 most important seasonings to have on hand (besides salt and pepper). I think a list like this would be beneficial to share with my sister who is about to be on her own as a college student as well. I love your website and columns! Thank you for your time.

Sincerely and with great taste,

Erin

Excellent question, Erin!

Here are our thoughts on the Top 10 spices everyone should have in their pantry.