Jaleo and Washington DC

Since I have been a slacker all week with the whole blogging thing we need to go back in time a bit. Monday DC was hit was a snow storm. This is not what I was expecting the first week in March in Virginia.  Much to my dismay the snow came in droves leaving about 6 inches on the ground. My brother got the day off but I just wanted to get out.

I had great plans to meet up with my BFF from college. She had made reservations at a swanky downtown restaurant for lunch. Sunday night we vowed to make it out no matter what mother nature threw down or how the city reacted. DC does not do well in snow.

By 10am our reservations had been canceled but we were still set to meet up.  We headed out in the snow. Although we packed for the cold, I wasn't as prepared for the snow. Thank goodness my sister in law and I have the same size feet. I borrowed her boots.

We ended up at one of the few restaurants opened, Jaleo. Not that this was second best by any means. Jaleo is one of the Jose Andres restaurants in DC. He makes some marvelous creations. Jaleo was packed full of delicious tapas.

As you can see from the photos we had quite a feast.  There were sweets, savory and spicy dishes.  Some recommended, some we choose.

There were a few cocktails thrown into the mix as well. Mr. J and my BFF were more adventurous with their drinks. I had red wine. Snow days mean everyone is on vacation.

About half way through our feast my BFF noticed Jose Andres, himself walk in. He sat at the bar and we gawked. Or at least I gawked. I have gone to many famous chef's restaurants and never have I seen the actual chef. He was clearly there on business and met with several staff while sample some food and drinks.

Seeing him there pretty much made a great day even better. We were debated about going over to talk to him but never got to it before he left. I get some star struck and embarrassed. In the end we decided we were just too cool.

To end we got three desserts. After so much food and drink we decided there was no need to hold back with the sweets. 

Chocolate flan and brioche ice cream, apple charlotte with vanilla ice cream and hazelnut cake.

This ended up being one of the best meals I have had in a long time with the company and food.

Jaleo
480 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
t. 202-628-7949

Artist Point - Disney's Wilderness Lodge

One of the things Mr. J and I love must about vacations are new restaurants and delicious food. We always have at least one planned out special meal in addition to all of the other random finds along the way. 

On our latest trip to Disney we went to Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. Although we had never been before we had heard many good things about this restaurant. I had not been to the Wilderness Lodge before and was eager to explore.  Just like everywhere else in Disney this time of year, the lodge was decorated top notch for the holidays. 

We started off the meal with some cocktails in the bar. I went plain Jane with a Malbec but Mr. J got a fancy cocktail. I actually forget what he ordered but it wasn't the typical pink drink when it came out.  Mr. J is notorious for his pink cocktails.  He really enjoyed the arrow that came with his drink.

Dinner started with some delicious, warm Sourdough bread. I had about three pieces and had to make myself stop so I would have room for dinner. It was so good I could have easily had the whole loaf and been satisfied.

The feel of the restaurant was very woodsy, rustic, and just like a big, fancy log cabin in the woods.  The back wall had huge windows that looked out into woods and then a lake. You would have never guessed we were in Disney or that the Magic Kingdom was just beyond the trees.

We shared a mixed green salad with fig and pears.  Disney makes it somewhat difficult to get your veggies in so salad is a must whenever we can. The dressing on this was light but flavorful. The whole salad was delicious.

I got seared scallops with risotto for my main course. There was four huge scallops bedded on the risotto with sauteed kale and red peppers in between.  I was pretty full after this but more so from the bread than the dish. Although I know I would have been satisfied with just the scallops.

After much debate Mr. J ended up with the seafood stew.  A combination of seafood and shell fish in a spicy broth. This was served with more sourdough. It was perfect for soaking up the broth. 

We were too full for dessert. In the pass I would try to squeeze some in but have learned my lesson many a times that waking up to a full belly the next day is not the best way to start a day in the Disney parks.  

We had a nice relaxing evening at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge.  They don't rush you at all.  This was a perfect way to recuperate from the crazy crowds of Disney.

Petite Jacqueline - a bistro in Portland Maine

A new favorite place!! I love it when that happens .  Petite Jacquline is a new to me French restaurant in Portland, Maine. My parents took us there when we were visiting over Thanksgiving weekend.

Not only was the food delicious but we had great service too. The location is just off of Longfellow's Square.  That was all decorated for Christmas so the whole experience just seemed magical.

We started with the foie gras. This is always a special treat and this dish tasted amazing.

It was to hard to pass up a bowl of French Onion Soup on such a cold night so the whole table ordered a bowl.  The broth was a bit sweet and we couldn't decided why but the taste was very deep and rich.  I always find it hard to eat French Onion Soup properly as the cheese is just so melty and messy. I managed not to get it all over myself though.

Most the the table ended up with the steak frites.  You cannot go wrong with steak and fries and this dish didn't disappoint.  The steak was cut just right and came with a mountain of fries. These fries reminded me of the fries we used to get in Paris. Thin and crispy all around.

As I mentioned earlier this was a magical evening and I cannot wait to go back to sample some of the other options on the menu.

190 State Street
Portland, Maine
 207.553.7044

Mother's Day Brunch @ Border Grill in Las Vegas

Is it seriously Tuesday night already? The last few days have been super busy. Busy. But FUN.  Las Vegas is another world. Seriously!

I have bunches to tell you about but first we will start with brunch. Mother's Day brunch. Now Vegas is known for its ginormous buffets but we managed to pick a brunch that was not a buffet. No worries though it was still all you can eat. 

The Border Grill is owned by The Food Network's former TV stars Mary Sue and Susan.  Do you remember Two Hot Tamales? I don't but apparently it was a show that taught home-style Mexican cooking.

The brunch every Sunday at The Border Grill in Las Vegas is an unlimited small plate menu. You pay the set price and get as many small plates from their brunch menu.  This also comes with fresh fruit and cinnamon guava empanadas. 

So this brunch menu has about 30 some options to pick from. All of which sound amazing. Half of which we just had to try.  And if you guessed from the name - it has a Southwestern/Mexican flare.

Breakfast fries which Mr. J and I thought would be the perfect hangover food for Vegas wild ones. Fries topped with shredded short ribs and an egg cooked to order. 

Eggs Benedict.

Sweet potato pancakes with walnuts and maple syrup. This was my favorite. To die for good. My strategy was one savory plate, one sweet plate for every order.

Shrimp and cheesy grits

Sweet corn tamales.  So sweet. So melt in your mouth.

Steak and eggs was another favorite. The steak had the most marvelous rub with tons of flavors.

Churro tots

Banana bread pudding with coconut sauce.

Now if you couldn't tell by the photos, the plates although smaller than a normal full size portion were still plenty big. Lots of food here. Our waitress also brought out some additional specials to sample.  There was no rushing us to finish. No crazy looks when we ordered more. In fact I think the waitress was a bit disappointed when we had to call it quits. 

Oh and did I mention for a bit more they have unlimited mimosas.  I got pomegranate.  There were several other flavors to pick from and once again we got three test version.   One of them was watermelon. It was the most refreshing, sweet and scrumptious.  Just like the food, another drink was in front of us before we finished the first. 

We stumbled out of there with full bellies. It was one of our favorite Vegas experiences, as well as some of the best food and service ever.

The Merry Table in Portland, Maine

The other weekend when we were in Maine Mr. J and I were able to stop in for lunch with my parents before we headed back to Connecticut.

They have been very busy going out and about exploring Portland's many restaurants. Lately whenever we visit they have a long list of places to check out.  Since we were in somewhat of a hurry and not very hungry we picked The Merry Table Creperie.

The menu is not too extensive but they have quite a list of sweet and savory crepes to pick.  The day was a bit chilly and the French Onion soup sounded so warm. The whole table ended up with a bowl. It was so delicious. Rich. Cheesy. Just how I like it.

I also got a banana and Nutella crepe. You just cannot beat that combination.  The warm Nutella oozed out.  I quickly ate it up and licked my fingers and smacked my lips.

Mr. J, much to my disbelief passed on the Nutella and went for the citron. He liked it.  Citrus isn't really my thing. I would have preferred another Nutella crepe to share. 

My parents both got savor crepes that were packed full of ham and cheese. 

The best part was our waitress/owner spoke with the cutest French accent. I swear I could listen to French people all day long.  Love it!

The place is tucked away in the Old Port section, in a cute little space decorated very French. It was a cozy and relaxing place to enjoy good food and company with no pressure to rush through the experience. 

The Merry Table Creperie

43 Wharf St. Portland, ME 04101

(207) 899-4494

Red O by Rick Bayless

A little over a year ago Mr. J and I were in Chicago and had a very memorable meal at Frontera Grill.  It was one of the meals you remember with great fondness.  If we ever are in Chicago again we would go back. Reminiscent. 

Frontera Grill is the working of Rick Bayless.  Well, Mr. J got wind that Rick Bayless also had a restaurant in LA.  Thus we knew one of the meals would be at Red O.

Mr. J started off with the Yucatecan Shrimp & Calamar Ceviche with steamed Mexican blue shrimp, calamares with orange, lime, habanero, avocado, jicama & cilantro.  Ceviche looks pretty but weirds me out. I don't like citrus flavors and the fact that this is raw but cooked fish makes my stomach turn.  

I stuck with a more traditional meal of Red Chile-Braised Short Rib Enchiladas made with red guajillo chile sauce, melted Sonoma Jack, black beans, and topped with frisee and watercress. The black beans were to die for and were my favorite part of the whole meal.

Mr. J got Cochinita Pibil which is suckling pig (achiote-marinated & slow-cooked in banana leaves), black beans, pickled red onions, and roasted habanero salsa.  The salsa was so hot.  Even for us heat lovers.  We puckered right up and then used sparingly.  You can almost see the pig hidden in there. Think of it as a make your own taco dish.  This came with homemade corn tortillas.

We were pretty full but the dessert menu was too good to pass up. Mr. J got churros served with a Kahlua chocolate dipping sauce. I made sure there was no sauce left behind.  I ordered the Mexican hot fudge sundae with pasilla-cacao nib brownie bits.  It was a chocolate kind of night.  

The meal didn't knock our socks off like Frontera Grill but it was good.  LA is trendy and this restaurant can certainly be called trendy.  We decided that the best Mexican food comes from more shady establishments.

 

Back to California We Go: LA's Pizzeria Mozza

Saturday we jumped on a nonstop flight from JFK to LAX. Luckily the flight ended up getting in early.  6 hour and 30 minutes on a plane is a long time.  Even with the early arrival we pretty much grabbed the car and off we went for food. 

I had gotten reservations at Pizzeria Mozza.  This pizza place is the works of Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich.  It also happened to be pretty close to where we were staying.  After a long day and crappy food,  it was the perfect meal 
to end on. 

Mr. J got bone marrow al forno.  I had a little taste but it was super rich and tender.  It was served with the most delicious bread and roasted garlic cloves.  I stole the garlic.  We saw three other people order this but the lady next to us was clear weirded out. Her response was "this looks like something my dog would eat."  We offered her the bones.
 

I needed greens. A big pile of mixed greens was just what I wanted.

Each pizza is made to be eaten by one person at 10". I have been craving pizza forever but always end up ordering something fancy and it doesn't take care of my red sauce cheese pizza need. I had told Mr. J going into tonight that he needed to stop me if I strayed into the non-traditional toppings.  Turns out there were only a few traditional pizzas. 

I got the goat cheese, leek, scallions, and bacon pizza. The smoke from the bacon went nicely with the bitter goat cheese. 

This picture came out awful.  Sorry!

Mr. J got the everything meat pizza.  Toppings included Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato & mozzarella.

I wasn't planning on dessert but gelato gets me every time. We ended up with a sundae with caramel gelato, homemade marshmallow sauce and salted peanuts.  We shared this but I kind of wish I had gotten my own. It was so amazing.  

Great first meal in LA!  I cannot wait to see what else this city has to offer.