On our last visit to the restaurant, Jen and I had a less than positive experience at PS7′s. I won’t rehash all the sordid details, but you can read about our Restaurant Week (RW) visit here.

Fast forward a couple months to the present date, and we still were holding on to a coupon that we weren’t able to use on our previous visit.  Steeling ourselves for a return, we made our reservations and headed back over for dinner.

The first difference was immediately noticeable:  the restaurant was tamer, quieter, and filled with a vastly different crowd.  I’m not sure if I could pin down a specific group of people, but there was a good deal more diversity in age, group sizes, and species types of people in general.  A much easier going crowd, celebrating anniversaries, visits from parents, and random diners like us, less of a concentration of budget diners looking to get sloshed at the bar afterwards.

Free from the confines of a restricted “dining on rails” RW menu, Jen and I decided to split a Nutty Goat Flatbread, coated in walnut butter, goat cheese, arugula, and shallots.

I also threw in an order of the Angel Wings – a quartet of sausage stuffed boneless chicken wings, served with a generous serving of a peach gastrique.

What we were treated to was…vastly better than our last set of appetizers there.  The flatbread, about the size of an 8-inch pizza, was buttery without being too greasy, loaded with a rich goat cheese flavor, and given just the right amount of wilted arugula and shallots to pair it off.  Like a goat cheese salad on bread.  My angel wings were the equivalent of a gourmet order of Chickum McNuggets served with sweet’n'sour sauce.  I tore through the nuggets in a matter of seconds, without even bothering to offer Jen a single one.

In retrospect, I’m 99.9% sure she really didn’t mind.

Our entrees, arrived in short fashion.  Jen ordered the Cannelloni, a cast-iron skillet filled with celery root, sweet potato, and mushroom ‘sausage’, straight from Hell’s Kitchen.  Well, with as hot as this dish was, it might as well have been delivered from the underworld.  Jen burnt her tongue on her first taste, and took a few spoonfuls onto her bread plate just to have it cool down from the cast iron skillet.  I guess you can’t really complain about food being too quick from the kitchen, right?

I let Jen pick out my plate, and she went with the Stuffed Pork Loin – a giant slab of pork, pounded and rolled with leeks, spinach, bacon, and coated with parmesan, then served with a sherry au jus.

My girl knows me so damn well.  Or maybe she was just living vicariously through me.  One of these days, she just won’t be able to resist the call of the bacon.  Either way, I really enjoyed this dish.  The pork was succulent, and the leek/spinach/bacon stuffing just seemed like a natural pairing for the pork loin.  The only way it could have been better would have been having this dish served in a bacon gravy, with a side of bacon lollipops.

Sweet merciful Jebus I love bacon.

I’m sure that Restaurant Week brings in the volume and the dollars, but the set menu does this establishment no justice whatsoever.  I almost wish that we hadn’t gone here for Restaurant Week in the first place.  While PS7′s still might not be at the top of my favorite places in the city, it’s certainly much better than I had originally thought.

The best part?  The kitchen sends a dessert out to every table, compliments of the chef.  Two freshly made soft truffles.

Still looks like a skidmark to me. A damn tasty one, at that.

I saw this recipe and put it on my list of things to try. The one ingredient I didn’t have on hand were coconut flakes, which a most typical supermarkets really don’t carry. Or keep it stocked in the most ridiculous places instead of the cooking and baking section, where, at least in my warped mind, I think they would be kept.

So finally, I got to giving these a go! They’re not especially sweet, even with my addition of raisins. I think some chopped dates would really spice these up, or possibly even using some maple flakes! The one thing I do like about these is that they’re providing me with an extremely portable way for me to bring along my fats on trips without have to just rely on those packet grenades of almond butter all the time.  I’ll get to working on a few variations to try, but here’s something to get you started.

Adapted from Girl Gone Primal’s Almond and Coconut Biscuits:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla (make sure it’s real vanilla extract)
• 1 tablespoon honey

Hi folks! I’m taking a little breather from blogging this week, but Jen and I will be back next week with more recipes, reviews, and stories of omnomnomnomnom. Stay out of trouble, and we’ll see you then!

I’ve been looking for a good recipe to introduce you to one of my best friends as of late, and this time, it’s not one that’ll get me put away for indecent exposure.  No, I’m talking about the crockpot.  How did I go so long without having one of these things?  I’ve likely had more days with this thing on and cooking away in the past month than not.  These things aren’t terribly expensive, either;  you can pick up one from any number of places for under $50.

Here’s a recipe that I’ve made a slight change upon from the original.

Adapted from Mark’s Daily Apple’s Garlic Pulled Pork:

Ingredients:

• 1 pork shoulder cut (butt or picnic), approximately 3-4 pounds
  
• 2 tablespoons habanero sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 6 fresh garlic cloves, diced
• The juice of two limes
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 dried chipotle peppers

Directions:

1. Combine the sea salt, black pepper, cumin, and diced garlic in a bowl.  Set aside.
2. Add the chopped onions, chipotle peppers, and bay leaf to the crock pot.
3. Place the pork shoulder on top of the onions in the crock pot, and juice one lime as evenly as you can over the pork.  Turn the pork over in the crockpot, and juice the second lime over the other side of the pork.  Season the pork with half of the salt/pepper/cumin/garlic mixture, rubbing it into the meat as best as you can.  Flip the pork shoulder over one more time in the crock pot, and use the remaining mixture to rub into the meat.
   
4. Cover the crock pot, and let cook for 6-8 hours.

I swear to you, it does not get any easier than this.  You’ll have a delicious pulled pork waiting for you when you get home from work if you can set this going in the morning.  Don’t worry about overcooking this, because, well, you can’t, really.  Just trust me.

The most tedious part of this was removing the fat because I don’t particularly care for it, but you can feel free to eat that, too.  Works wonders if you’ve refrigerated this and want to fry the pulled pork with some vegetables later.  There’s enough pork here for a few days, and that should help get you get a solid source of protein for any meal of the day!

Going Paleo doesn’t have to be expensive. In my last trip to CostCo, I managed to stuff my fridge with all sorts of paleo goodness that’ll keep me set for a few weeks. I took a few photos and hopefully, for those of you who are looking to try a paleo diet, these might help you get started. Granted, you’ll need to pick up a membership to CostCo, or one of the similar competitors like BJ’s or Sam’s Club, but in my opinion, the money’s well worth it.

Almond Butter – $5.79 per bottle

The giant tub on the right dwarfs even my previous value champion, Trader Joe’s.  At 26 oz, it is 10 oz more than the jar size I get at TJ’s, and I’m pretty sure it’s about 14 oz. larger than the jars you can pick up at Whole Foods.  The price is comparable to TJ’s, and I’m fairly certain cheaper than much smaller bottles at Whole Foods of the same brand.

They keep it simple here, with nothing added beyond dry roasted almonds. No sugars, no extra oils, just almonds.  I picked up three bottles, which should last me about a month or so.

Guacamole – $7.99 for 3 tubs

If almonds aren’t your thing, or you have a nut allergy of any sorts, this might be just the fats you’re looking for.  These tubs of guacamole are amazing.  They come smashed and perfectly sealed, with about 2 cups worth of guacamole in each tub.  You can put the unopened tubs in the freezer for later use if you don’t think you’re going to go through it all in one go.  I added a bit of lime juice and smoked paprika, and almost polished an entire tub in one sitting.

Grilled Chicken Breast Strips – $9.99 for two 2lb bags (4 lbs total)

If you’re short on time for cooking, these work well in a pinch.  I usually throw one bag in the freezer, and steadily plow through these chicken strips through the week with some asparagus for lunch.  All you need to do is reheat these, and you’re good to go!  Not free range or vegetarian fed, but they’re a better choice than something that’s drenched in a sugary sauce instead.

Organic Cage -Free Vegetarian Fed Eggs – $6.99 for 2 dozen

Considering that a dozen of cage-free vegetarian fed eggs at my local ethnic grocery store still run about $3 – $4, I thought these were a pretty good value.  I’ll generally take half and hard boil them, and use the other half for cooking.  Super high quality eggs, and a very good price.

D’anjou Pears – $4.79 for 6 lbs

I’ve recently rediscovered pears, and d’anjour pears are some of my favorites.  I’ll keep most of the chillin’ in the fridge, taking out two to three at a time to put in the fruit bowl.  They’re in season right now, and a nice post workout carbohydrate source.

Plums – $5.99 for 4 lbs

Another favorite post workout carbohydrate, or even something to start the day, I do the same thing with these that I do with the pears.  I keep the vast majority of this crate in the fridge, and put a few to ripen in the fruit bowl, replenishing them as I go through them during the week.

Mini Sweet Peppers – $4.49 for 2 lbs

These are my favorite type of vegetable carbohydrate.  Slice off the top, remove the seeds, and eat them raw.  They’re just sweet enough that you could fool yourself you’re eating some semi-sweet apples.

A few more items not pictured:

• Baby Spinach – $4.99 for 2.5 lbs – Another easy to use and versatile vegetable.  Use it to boost the protein in your salads, steam it with some chicken broth and side it with some meat, or any other number of ways you’d like to eat it.
• Asparagus Spears – $3.99 for 2.25 lbs – I take about 10-12 spears, snap off the ends, and cut into thirds.  Then I’ll take those and pair it with the grilled chicken above, and I’ve got a lunch made in less than five minutes.
• Sweet Potatoes – $8.99 for 10 lbs – Another great post workout carbohydrate, really does wonders to restore your glycogen levels after a heavy metcon that leaves you gasping for air on the floor.
• Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausages – $13.99 for 3 lbs – I love these sausages because, again, they’re quick to slice and prepare for lunch, and all you have to do is heat them up.  They’re not great in terms of sodium levels, but not horrible if you’re eating them every day.  No sugar in the ingredients list, so these are good by me.

All in all, I gathered quite a stash of food.  If you’ve got more than one mouth to feed, then this food will go fast, but if not, it’ll last you a few weeks with maybe an occasional trip to the store to pick up some other meats or veggies to supplement your hoard.

DC’s streets run in a grid. There are four quadrants, NW, NE, SW, and SE, which all extend from the Capitol at the center. Numbered streets run North to South outward from the center, and letter streets run West to East from the center. State streets, for all understanding, have absolutely no rhyme or reason to their ordering, but they do run diagonally, and often bisect park squares and circles. You can get around for a good amount of time just running by the numbered and lettered streets, but you’ll eventually have to learn some of the state streets in order to get to some of the restaurants in DC, like Zentan.  Zentan is the official restaurant of the Donovan House, a boutique hotel that spruces up Thomas Circle a bit, much more than the former owner of the building, which was as far as I can remember, a bit of run down Holiday Inn.  The renovations have really paid off here.  I constantly see travelers and tourists flowing in and out of the Donovan House, and having a mysterious and ubercontemporary restaurant like Zentan is just icing on the cake.

Having a friend of Jen’s in town, we figured Zentan would be the perfect spot to treat a traveler to a special meal.  Jen and I had previously eaten here and left satisfied when the restaurant first opened, so we figured it was due time to give this place a proper review.

photo credit: The Washingtonian

The appetizers here are in my opinion, what really makes Zentan stand out, particularly the Singapore Slaw.  The chef combines 19 semi-secret ingredients like eye of newt, hair of the dog, witch’s horn and deathlock (more like daikon, jicama, purple basil and edible flower petals) to combine an amazing tower presentation coated in a light, salted plum dressing and brought straight to your table.  The staff will then deconstruct and mix your salad tableside, and then it’s time to dig in.

The mixed salad is a lot less pretty, but also a lot easier to eat without flinging vermicelli noodles at the table next to you and ruining some poor girl’s first date.  Or bar mitzvah.  An abundance of textures of flavors here make this dish a must, and there’s enough here to share the salad between three people at any time of the year.

The Chickpea Onion Tempura is another great starter, although it leads me to believe that one of these days I should come in here just ordering a table full of appetizers and going Godzilla on the table of food.  Each layer of chickpea tempura onion ring is given a generous coat of mint yogurt and mango chutney for good measure.  Another great dish that brings a ton of unique, complimenting flavors to the table, I could easily go through this stack of onion pancakes myself.  The mint yogurt probably helps with that kickin’ onion breath afterwards, too.

While the three of us quickly devoured the appetizers, we realized that the waiter had oddly left us without taking our entree orders.  Not that this was a huge this to fuss about-  we were busy catching up and chatting away, but I have a feeling that had I not flagged down our waiter on one of his pass throughs, we might have been waiting a good deal longer to have our food made.

Jen, with her typical light eating habits, ordered an Avocado Roll for her entree.  The presentation is solid, and the portions are just right, filled with an assortment of vegetables and topped with spinach…but, no avocado?  Apparently the avocado here is an avocado paste that’s glazed in somewhere between the spinach and the rice, but you’d think ordering a dish with avocado in the name would at least present some decent sized chunks of the good green stuff, right?  I flagged down our waiter once again and asked if Jen could have a side of avocado with the meal, and he unquestioningly obliged, to which I really credit him for.  I do agree and feel for Jen, that this might be better suited as being called a Spinach Roll, but who the hell wants a spinach roll?

I didn’t have too much luck with my order, either.  I tried to steer towards a more Paleo direction with the Empress Shredded Chicken- a stirfry mix of chicken breast, vegetables, mushrooms, cashews, and cooked in a hsiao hsing wine sauce.  The result?

Yeah, not really all that appealing in person, either.  The vegetables do just fine, but again, the main ingredient, the chicken, really fails to live up to any sort of expectations.  The meat is extremely dry, which leads me to believe that little to no effort was placed in really giving this meat a good marinade.  I’d skip the Empress Shredded Chicken on my next go here, maybe for a nice caramelized Michelin tire instead.

Jen’s friend hit the jackpot with the Cantonese Marinated Skirt Steak –  a long trough of steak cooked a shallot butter mix, served in a chili ponzu sauce with crunchy hazelnuts.  The presentation is on point, and it got the thumbs up from our guest.

Everything about this place is a mixed bag of inconsistency.  Some dishes are outstanding, like the Singapore Slaw, Onion Tempura, and the Skirt Steak, but other dishes, like the Avocado Roll and the Empress Shredded Chicken, completely miss their mark.  Consistency with all your dishes is really crucial, especially if you want to have people coming back time and time again.  Service seems to also fit into this category here at Zentan.  While our waiter was  extremely knowledgeable of their menu, and as accommodating as one could ask for, leaving us hanging to put in our entree orders until we were well past our appetizers is a bit of odd behavior, but at least in this case it thankfully devolved to being a quirk rather than an issue.  The mixed drinks here are outstanding and decidedly unique, and the more open minded visitors can be treated to something special by just discussing their favorite brand of alcohol with their waiter (which in this case, happened to be Hendrick’s Gin).

The atmosphere here is great for dates and happy hours, with downtempo-esque and lounge music softly setting the mood.  The large window that faces towards Thomas Circle is perfect for people watching in the afternoon, and it’s worth trying to sneak upstairs into the rooftop lounge of the Donovan House just for the view.  I’ll give my recommendation to trying Zentan if you’re a fish lover (the restaurant proudly proclaims having the best fish of any establishment in DC), but I can say no more than ‘caveat emperor’ if you order either Jen or my main dish for the evening.

See Zentan on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Gastro Gamblers
• Ditching Work Afterhour Drinks
• First Dates
• Anthropology Classes
• Vegetarians
• Neighborhood Bar

Not Recommended For:

• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters
• Frugalistas
• Bar Mitzvahs

Dupont Circle once was the darling neighborhood of DC.  Businesses crammed themselves into every available space, and the various streets leading into the circle- Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, P, and 19th, are filled to the gills with an array of restaurants adorned with neon signs and shielded by faded awnings.  Jen and I stopped into Taj Mahal, which had it not been our destination for the evening, would have never been something I’d even consider visiting.  The restaurant does little to garner the attention of passing pedestrians such as myself, but the problem arises from the fact that the restaurant’s public facing signs are only visible if one is constantly looking up while walking down the street.

We climbed the flight of stairs to the second floor, where the restaurant sits with a view to Connecticut Avenue below.  We were quickly and politely seated, and left to peruse our menus.

Our first appetizer, a set of Pakoras, is an assortment of vegetables coated in chickpea batter and fried to perfection, then served with a pair of chutneys and ready to go.  These things were awesome!  Not too heavy nor greasy, and the flavors of the vegetables were heightened rather than dulled by the chickpea batter.  A highly recommended dish to start your meal.

We also split an order of the assorted bread basket, a triple stack of naans, baked with onions, garlic, and assorted herbs.  In retrospect, Jen and I should have waited to eat this with our entrees, but we were so ravenous that we took down more than half the bread before those dishes even arrived.  We asked for a yogurt dipping sauce to go with the bread, which was a fantastic accompaniment.  I have to point out that the yogurt sauce here is thick, rich, and fresh, and completely unique in comparison to the yogurt sauces I’ve had in many other Indian restaurants.

Jen’s entree and perennial Indian cuisine favorite, the Chana Masala, looked and tasted great.  The dish seemed to come swimming in a more curry based sauce rather than a tomato based sauce like most restaurants prepare it, but it didn’t negatively impact her enjoyment of it.  Not particularly a lively dish, but nothing bad about this one, either.

I wagered on the Lamb Madras – large chunks of lamb coated in a fragrant and moderately spicy coconut curry sauce.  The waiter did his best to evaluate my tolerance for spicitivity before taking my order.

Waiter: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being not spicy at all and 10 being the most spicy, how much can you handle?

Me: About a 6 or a 7.

Waiter: (Nods approvingly) Then you will enjoy this dish.

I should have removed a matchbook from my pocket and extinguished a lit match on my tongue, all while staring him in the eye, but mayhaps such a display of arrogance would have been a bit over the top for a simple question like this.

He was probably envisioning something more along the lines of…

My take on the Lamb Madras?  An excellent dish.  The curry was spicy but not searing, and the lamb was tender, tearing at the slightest pull of a fork.  Watch out for the peppers sitting on top though, that’s like eating a small stick of dynamite.

Considering this was a cheat meal, Jen and I had to get the puddin’. Awww yeah.

Bear in mind, this is no Kozy Shack pudding that you used to eat back in the day.  The rice pudding here is definitely spiced and mixed with almonds and raisins, but still very much a delight.  Thankfully, Jen declined to get into a spoonfight over the last bit in the cup as we plowed through this dessert, but I’ve got my eye on her to stab me in the neck with a spoon the next time I’m not looking.

The decor inside the Taj Mahal Restaurant unfortunately does not reflect the name.  Wood paneled walls and paper place settings hardly evokes an atmosphere of grandeur, and prices here are a bit on the higher end because of the proximity to Dupont Circle.  However, the dishes are well prepared and tasty, but not quite extraordinary.  The service we were treated to was possibly the best service we have had in months, and in that respect, perhaps the restaurant does in a way find a way to make it befitting of its namesake.  Dinner here is good, but it would seem that the big draw is to come in for their lunch buffet, as long as you can make it past the food coma that succeeds it.

See the Taj Mahal Restaurant on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Four Star Service
• Curry Consumptionaries
• Vegetarians
• Indian Afficianados

Not Recommended For:

• Frugalistas
• Carbophobes
• Paleoheads
• Zone Dieters
• First Dates