The Feed: April 9, 2014

April is grilled cheese month. You can learn the origin of this American classic in Adam Lapetina's Thrillist story.

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

New York Times: “Wine School: Bordeaux, Decanted,” by Eric Asimov.
The Washington Post’s wine columnist, Dave McIntyre, has been doing more wine education columns lately, and it’s nice to see the Times’ wine writer Eric Asimov get into the game as well. Last month, he launched a new monthly series called Wine School. For those interested, I think this is a great opportunity. Each month he picks a style of wine, suggests three bottles for readers to try and then writes a follow-up column exploring that wine style. For the first month, he chose Bordeaux, the classic big French blend. Even if you didn’t try his three suggested wines, it’s an education read. Next up: Beaujolais.

New York Times: “Vidalia Onions: A Crop With an Image to Uphold,” by Kim Severson.
In just a few weeks, it will be time to harvest Vidalias, the large sweet onions from Georgia that dominate the East Coast market. Severson looks at a number of issues that threaten to dilute its brand, including pressure to allow earlier harvesting and efforts to sell imported onions under the Vidalia name. Much as I love Vidalias, if, like me, you grew up in the Northwest (and especially if you went to Whitman College), you’ll never break an allegiance to Walla Walla sweet onions.

The Kitchn: “10 Gorgeous Green Recipes for Spring.” 
It’s the season for asparagus, artichokes, peas, ramps and fava beans. These recipes from The Kitchn provide interesting ways to use these ingredients. I’m eyeing the Socca Flatbread with Spring Pesto and Salad, in particular.

Lucky Peach: “Goodbye to All That Sugar, Spice, and Fat,” by Lisa Hanawalt.
Issue #10 of Lucky Peach is the Street Food issue. As you’d expect, they cover it from pretty much every angle, even cigarette butts and gum—the food for the street’s lowest forms of life, bacteria and molds. Hanawalt’s illustrated farewell to New York street food (she’s moving to Los Angeles) is like a lot of Lucky Peach: informative, off-beat and amusing.

Bon Appétit: “Lunch al Desko,” by Julia Kramer with recipes by Dawn Perry
Not that I necessarily need the validation, but it was nice to discover I’m not so weird for keeping olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a black pepper grinder in my desk. Kramer includes them among a list of pantry items an office worker should keep on hand, one of this story’s tips for livening up your brought-from-home lunch.

Thrillist: “The True Origins of 13 Classic American Foods,” by Adam Lapetina.
Lapetina explores the creative genius behind the origins of a group of American classics. I thought the story of the grilled cheese sandwich’s origin to be particularly interesting, given that it was born from necessity.

Buzzfeed: “The Evolution of Pizza.” 
Speaking of food history, this is a totally adorable animated video on the history of pizza, spanning its original Mediterranean flatbread creation in the 1500s to the creative American pizza-inspired products of the late 20th Century.

Washington Post Magazine: “Plate Lab:  Cherry Sambal, Fit For Any Season,” by Bonnie S. Benwick
The Washington Post Magazine expanded this week, and with the expansion comes a new weekly food feature, Plate Lab, in which Food section editors translate restaurant recipes for home cooks and, once a month, also share food trends. For the inaugural Plate Lab, Benwick shares DC Coast’s  recipe for Cherry Sambal, just in time for the cherry blossoms.

Washington Post Magazine: “Dining tips: How to Be a Savvy Restaurant-Goer,” by Tom Sietsema.
Taking a break from restaurant reviews, the Post’s restaurant critic offers excellent tips on how to make the most of restaurant experiences.

CNN Money: “Is Perfect Bacon Bowl the next Snuggie?” by Parija Kavilanz.
Almost everybody is nuts about bacon these days, so turning it into a bowl that you can fill with…just about anything…doesn’t really seem that far-fetched. I bet ice cream would be good from a bacon bowl!

Eater: “Here's a Brilliant April Fools' Cocktail Menu from The Dorrance in Providence, RI,” by Hillary Dixler.
Since it was April Fool’s Day last week, Dixler unearthed this hilarious menu of prankster cocktails.

Revisiting New York Restaurant Favorites

Zucca al forno at Eataly's Le Verdure

A trip to New York City always means a chance for unforgettable food. Before we go, I always research new and interesting places for us to try. Every trip it seems we find a new place to love.

And herein lies a problem: if we're always going to new places, then we're not making time for our old favorites. And over the years we've racked up a lot of favorites. So on a recent trip, rather than pack the itinerary with new bites, we made room to revisit a few place that if we lived in the city would probably count as as regulars.

It's not entirely accurate to suggest that Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza is an old favorite. Technically, this was our first visit. But we've been major fans of its sister restaurant Posto Thin Crust Pizza for years. Since Vezzo was closer to our hotel, we decided to see whether Vezzo's take on our favorite Posto pizza, the Salsiccia Dolce, was as consistently good. We were not disappointed. Vezzo's pizza was virtually identical--the same crackery thin crust, spiced sausage, sweet caramelized onion and ribbons of fresh basil.

Lupa's mafaldine pasta with pork ragu and pecorino

When it comes to great pasta dishes, Lupa Osteria Romana is unparalleled. We've been Lupa fans for years ever since a coworker turned me on to this cozy Greenwich Village outpost in the Batali-Bastianch restaurant group. Although I'm happy to order any of the seasonal pasta selections on their menu, the night we popped in, Lupa was offering an incredible pasta special: wavy mafaldine pasta served with a hearty pork ragu and topped with shredded pecorino. We also enjoyed our starter salad of black kale, apple and warm pancetta.

Le Verdure's grilled bitter greens with pine nuts, currants and aged balsamic vinegar

Invariably, we end up having some pretty rich meals while we're in New York. So we like to balance them out with healthy, green lunches when possible. Eataly's vegetable-focused restaurant, Le Verdure, is an ideal place for this. Meat lovers take note: we always feel sated leaving Le Verdure. During our recent visit, we loved the crumb-coated roasted butternut squash with pumpkin seeds (see photo at top) and the grilled bitter greens with pine nuts, currants and balsamic vinegar. The insalata tricolore (tricolor salad) added additional freshness. Of course we also couldn't stop eating Eataly's great bread, served with olive oil so fresh it's quite peppery.

Next time we're in New York, I'm sure we'll visit some new spots, but it's nice to see old favorites that continue to excel. See also the previous coverage of Posto, Lupa and Eataly.

Eataly Le Verdure, 200 5th Avenue (on the Broadway side of Madison Square Park between 23rd and 24th), New York, N.Y. (Flatiron District). (212) 229-2560

Lupa Osteria Romana, 170 Thompson Street (between Bleecker and Houston), New York City (Greenwich Village). (212) 982-5089. Reservations: Open Table.

Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza, 178 Lexington Avenue (at 31st Street), New York, N.Y. (Murray Hill). (212) 839-8300.

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Lemon, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

The seasonal flavors of spring are a dramatic change from winter. We go from the rich, heavy flavors of meaty dishes simmered for hours to the bright, green flavors of vegetables often barely cooked. Spring food is refreshing because it is bright and light.

To maintain a light dish, it's essential not to bury it in layers of butter and cream. This is where Greek yogurt is such a wonderful ingredient. It imparts tangy creaminess without adding a lot of calories and fat.

For this dish, I thought of a spring pasta with pesto, asparagus and chicken, but instead of pasta served it with protein-rich quinoa. Mint, a herb available year-round but that I feel is most at home during spring, gives the pesto bold flavor, and the dollop of Greek yogurt, when mixed into the dish, adds guilt-free richness. When using Greek yogurt in this manner, it's important to add it last, after the dish has been removed from the heat. You don't want to cook it, as it will separate and basically vanish, especially the nonfat variety.

Quinoa with Chicken, Asparagus, Yogurt and Hazelnut-Mint Pesto

1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup Greek yogurt

Pesto:
2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

1. Soak quinoa in water for 15 minutes. Drain and cook according to package directions. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and add to pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool a bit then chop into 3/4-inch cubes.

3. Add the onion to the pan the chicken was cooked in (add additional olive oil if the pan drippings are less than a tablespoon or two). Cook over medium heat until the oven softens, about 5 minutes, then add the asparagus and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the warm quinoa, cooked chicken and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Stir together the lemon zest and Greek yogurt in a small bowl.

5. To make the pesto: combine mint, parsley, hazelnuts, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the lid and turn the machine on. Using the feed tube, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the grated parmesan.

6. To serve, place about a cup and a half of the quinoa mixture in a shallow bowl. Top with a dollop of lemony Greek yogurt and a dollop of hazelnut-mint pesto.

Pasta with Beet Pesto

This dish is worth making for the color alone. The purple beets turn the pasta a beautiful deep magenta. To make it pop, I garnished the dish with fresh green parsley and white shreds of ricotta salata cheese. The best part: it tastes as good as it looks.

This recipe is based on food writer Jenna Weber's Beet Pesto Pasta from her Eat, Live, Run blog. Jenna used pistachios in her recipe, but I swapped them out for walnuts, which are easier to find shelled and also partner well with beets (beets, walnuts and goat cheese are, after all, a classic trio).

Beet Pesto Pasta
Adapted from Beet Pesto Pasta, Eat, Live, Run

3 large beets, tops trimmed off
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup walnuts (original recipe used shelled pistachios)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 lb. spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 oz. grated ricotta salata cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring a medium pot (4 quart) of water to boil. Add the beets and boil until for tender, about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the beets (test with a fork and remove with the beets are tender).

2. Peel the beets. The skins should slip off pretty easy; a paring knife will help. Be careful, they're hot. If you're in a hurry and don't want to wait for them to cool down, peel them in the sink under running cold water. Chop the beets into quarters.

3. Combine the cooked beets, garlic, walnuts and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until evenly chopped. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Put the lid back on and turn on the food processor. Slowly stream the olive oil through the feed tube. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

4. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the beet pesto and stir with a large spoon until the noodles are evenly coated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve topped with grated ricotta salata cheese and chopped fresh parsley.

Basic Quinoa Pilaf

What Bon Appetit did for rice last year, America's Test Kitchen has now done for quinoa. This recipe is fantastically good.

Plain quinoa has always seemed rather boring to me. And I never really loved the texture after the traditional cooking method, basically cooking it almost like you would rice in a lot of water. It's easy to overcook so it comes out mushy, and it's pretty bland so you have to add a lot of other ingredients to build flavor.

This recipe, which appeared recently on CNN Eatocracy, is relatively simple and amazing good. The quinoa is first dry-toasted, which gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. Then it's cooked in just slightly more water than quinoa (the Bon Appetit rice method that I love similarly uses less water--interesting) and finished with fresh herbs and lemon juice. Butter and sautéed onion add their flavor magic too.

Basic Quinoa Pilaf
Adapted from Quinoa Pilaf with Herbs and Lemon, by America's Test Kitchen for CNN Eatocracy

Serves 2

3/4 cups quinoa, rinsed (it's okay if it's still a little damp from rinsing; it will dry out quickly in the hot pan)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion, chopped fine
Large pinch of salt
7/8 cup of water (i.e. not quite a cup)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is fragrant and makes a popping sound almost continuously, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl.

2. Turn down the heat under the empty saucepan to medium-low. Add the butter; when melted, add the onion and salt and cook until the onion is softened and starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Turn heat back up to medium-high, add the water and toasted quinoa and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the seeds are just tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pan to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff quinoa and stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley.

The Feed: April 2, 2014

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

New York Times Magazine: “The Kid’s Table,” by Carina Chocano. 

Sunday was the Food and Drinks issue of the New York Times Magazine, and there were a lot of great stories this week. Chocano’s cover feature is a profile of 15 year-old chef prodigy Flynn McGarry, who can already count experience at Next, Alinea and Eleven Madison Park under his belt, as well as many friends in the industry. At 15 I could probably bake cookies--McGarry is designing elaborate tasting menus for his supper club.

New York Times Magazine: “The French New Wave,” by Michael Steinberger.

In the world of haute cuisine, French food used to sit upon an unassailable perch. It was fancy, complicated and, well, French. Yet, these days, it seems few are excited about French cuisine. When you hear about hot new restaurants and hot new chefs, they’re dishing up Italian, BBQ, Thai, Chinese, Molecular Gastronomy, etc. Steinberger writes about how some recent changes in the Parisian food landscape may point the way to a new future for a French cuisine comeback, with surprising influence from foreigners.

New York TimesMagazine: “Not Enough Cooks in the Kitchen,” by Mark Bittman.

Restaurant groups based on the cachet of celebrity chefs are quite common now. Bittman discusses how, on the one hand, the movement has elevated the overall state of American cuisine, but on the other means that you’re less likely to have your dish prepared by said chef. Tossed in are some pretty incredible looking plates by chef Russ Moore.

New York Times Magazine: “Cocktail Science, Simplified,” by Rosie Schaap.

Schaap’s contribution is a brief piece on the emerging craft of cocktail science, with four comparatively simple recipes you can make at home. I’m already making plans to try the Smoky Brown-Butter Old Fashioned.

Washington Post: “Marjorie Meek-Bradley: The Ripple Chef Finds Her Groove and Makes a Splash,” by Tim Carman.

I’m glad that Carman profiled chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley this week, as it reminded me I really need to get over to Cleveland Park’s Ripple to sample her cooking. She took over for the departed Logan Cox a little over a year ago and has received sensational buzz ever since. Carman’s profile includes a survey of Meek-Bradley’s rise to Ripple, including her stint at Graffiato. And how fun is it that she plays Rihanna in her kitchen?!

Washington Post: “Dark Chocolate and Tea: Airlie Chefs Serve Them Up for Our Superfoods Challenge,” by Bonnie S. Benwick.

Returning to Benwick’s special series on recipes made with “superfoods,” the chefs turn to the one we can all get behind: dark chocolate.  I’m intrigued by the Dark Chocolate Mousse recipe made with almond milk that accompanies the story. Reading this article inspired me to reach for a handful of dark chocolate chips; I can definitely feel the antioxidants flowing through my system—maybe I’ll go have some more. 

Edible Geography: “Ur-Pasta,” by Nicola.

I’ve always thought pasta shapes were interesting, so I find it fitting that 92 of them have found their way into a Tribeca art gallery exhibit from artist Serkan Ozkaya and architect George L. Legendre. 

Los Angeles Times: “Mezcal, the 'Moonshine of Mexico,' Grows in Appreciation, Availability,” by S. Irene Virbila

Lovers of mezcal, the smoky Mexican spirit that’s the less glam cousin of tequila, will enjoy Virbila’s short piece about how it’s made and its distinctive flavors, which come from a wider variety of agave plants than tequila. Love mezcal cocktails? You can tell I’m a convert, having used it in a variety of drinks, including the Roasted Tomato, Margarita on Fire and three Dallas-themed drinks (John Ross, Elena and Drew).

Inc.: “Disgusted by Taco Bell's Waffle Taco? Blame Entrepreneurs,” by Jill Krasny.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for experimentation, and if someone gave me a cronut, I’d probably be very happy. But the mashup thing seems to be getting out of control. Krasny looks at the business motivation behind these concoctions and gets some sage advice from cronut king Dominique Ansel.

Restaurant: Diego (Washington, D.C.)

It's no secret Chris and I love Mexican. And we love all forms of it from the upscale offerings at Oyamel and Rosa Mexicano to the humble (but ever so amazing) tacos at District Taco. Burritos? We're at Chipotle for lunch every Saturday. And our trips to Guapo's for a Tex-Mex fix of fajitas and margaritas are legend among our friends.

So, we're almost always up for trying new Mexican restaurants when they open in D.C. I had high hopes for Diego, which opened last year near the northernmost edge of D.C.'s hottest dining zone, the 14th Street "hip strip." It's a segment of the city that's home to the likes of Birch & Barley, Le Diplomate and a great Mexican place, El Centro D.F.

Guacamole

While I didn't dislike our dinner at Diego, I didn't find that much to cheer about. Mostly because its menu offers little of interest that I can't already get at many of the fine aforementioned establishments I count among my very favorite places to frequent. It's a shame, since apparently the restaurant used to offer more interesting dishes.

Diego opened briefly in July with chefs reported to be alums of Guapo's and Lauriol Plaza, but then the owners closed Diego just two 2 weeks later unhappy with the food and service. They hired a new chef, Billy McCormick, who retooled the menu with what Eater DC described as a mix of Mexican favorites and more experimental offerings. Under McCormack, Diego sounded quite delectable. Menupages shows the restaurant offered such salivating dishes as grilled Cowboy Cut Pork Chop with cowboy caviar, chorizo greens, and green mole; mesquite-smoked goat, pork or lamb barbacoa slow roasted in banana leaves; and Mexican chocolate fondue for dessert. If that was what Diego was serving today, I'd have been more than satisfied.

Masitas de puerco

But McCormick departed in November (he's now at Joe's Stone Crab) and with him went the experimentation. It's unclear who's in the kitchen now, as Diego's website mentions only the name of the general manager. Diego's current menu features the same dishes you can get pretty much anywhere else. It's not a bad selection, but it means that Diego offers few reasons to venture to this neck of the woods if you can enjoy good Mexican staples closer to home.

Chicken fajitas

I sprang for the masitas de puerco, a homey dish of roasted pork with sautéed onions and fried plantains. While I liked that the dish was garnished with rings of fresh red chiles, I thought the meat itself was a bit dry, possibly a little overcooked. Chicken fajitas were nicely grilled but surprisingly bland. The thin, crispy tortilla chips were really good though, perfect for dipping in the guacamole (made, thankfully, in the kitchen) and smoky-spicy salsa. While it's a shame they no longer have desserts as interesting as Mexican chocolate fondue, I was happy with the tres leches cake, which had just the right texture.

One of Diego's finest features is its cocktail menu, anchored with seven choices of margaritas including the house Diego Margarita, a tart and tasty traditional concoction of silver tequila, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. We also enjoyed the smoky mezcal mule with hibiscus-infused tequila and ginger beer.

Tres leches cake

We had a great time at Diego, but the food is not distinctive enough for me to recommend a trip across town for it. If I lived near 14th Street, like Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (who we spotted the night we visited), I'd probably be there all the time. But for now, we're content to continue being regulars at Guapos, Alero or Rosa Mexicano, all (luckily) within walking distance of home.

Diego, 2100 14th Street NW (at V Street), Washington, D.C. (U Street Corridor). (202) 758-3376. Reservations: Open Table.