Did your alma mater produce its own amazing ice cream on campus? I'm gonna guess no, unless you went to UConn, Penn State or the University of Wisconsin at Madison. One of my best friends, Cecile of The Worldly Bite, comes from a long line of Badgers, so ahead of my recent trip to Wisconsin, she gave me the scoop on everything I couldn't miss while visiting her campus, starting with getting a scoop of delicious ice cream at Babcock Hall Dairy Store, bien sur. Wisconsin is known as America's dairyland so it's not that surprising that UW-Madison would offer the best Dairy Science major in the country, host the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR), and operate its own dairy plant on ...
Miam Miam
A Taste of Burgundy: Jambon à la Chablisienne
Making Jambon à la Chablisienne is very simple and allows you to bring together two ingredients that are abundant in Burgundy: wine and ham. In this case, the wine in question is Chablis, one of the better chardonnays produced in the region. The original dish as it was created in the first half of the 20th century called for a whole ham cooked on the boned in Chablis with added flavouring and served over spinach or fresh noodles . Today, the recipe has been simplified: thick slices of ham are baked with a sauce made of tomatoes, wine and shallots and served over rice. Here's how to make it at home... INGREDIENTS PREPARATION Start by heating up the oven to 400° and preparing your ...
Happy St. Honoré to all the bakers & pastry chefs
The Catholic Church has a long tradition of assigning saints as special guardians and protectors of different trades and professions, and bakers and pastry chefs are no exception! Saint Honoré, the former Bishop of Amiens in the North of France, is revered by bakers as their patron saint, in part due to a church that was built in his honor in 1202 that became the site of the bakers' guilt. Technically, the patron saint of pastry chefs is St. Michel. But the line between boulangers (bakers) and pâtissiers (pastry chefs) is often blurred in France, with most boulangeries selling pastries in addition to bread. The St. Honoré also happens to be a delicious dessert made of cream puffs, puff ...
Five (French) Reasons to Visit City Center DC
I've lived in downtown-DC long enough to have seen multiple incarnations of the area now known as City Center DC. First, it was the former convention center, which I saw being demolished back in 2004. Then it was a municipal parking lot, where Megabuses and Bolt Buses would load and unload passengers. It was the site of Cirque du Soleil, Kastles tennis matches and a Trapeze school. And then it was a construction site for a while... Today, it's a luxurious mixed use space, with more than 185,000 square feet of retail space situated on the ground floor of six buildings that include both rental apartment units and condominiums, as well as office space. Seattle-based Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, ...
Ici Urban Bistro Joins Thousands of Restaurants Across the World to Celebrate Goût de France
This Thursday, March 19, some 1,300 chefs will cook up special dinners at restaurants and embassies in 150 countries across all five continents for a worldwide celebration of French cuisine and gastronomy. Under the patronage of France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius and famed Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, "Goût de France / Good France" was inspired by Auguste Escoffier’s Dîners d’Épicure (Epicurean Diners), in which one menu was served to as many guests as possible worldwide in one day. This time, however, the chefs have some creative freedom to come up with their own menus, though they must adhere to a strict traditional degustation format and serve, in this order, a French ...
Gaia Mural & Art Intervention at the W Hotel
We had a blast Friday night celebrating the unveiling of a new indoor mural by street artist Gaia at Pinea, the new(ish) restaurant that replaced J&G Steakhouse at the luxury hotel W Washington D.C. To go along Chef Barry Koslow's southern Mediterranean menu, the mural was inspired by a sculpture of Cesar Augustus and also features birds, a leitmotiv in Gaia's work. I personally love the mural and thinks it not only livens up Pinea's dining room but also really works with what I expect a restaurant at a W Hotel to look like. Wondering where you may have seen Gaia's works before? The 27 years old Baltimore-based street ...
Drink the District’s Cloverfest Returns to Yards Park on March 14
Obviously, I'm more into celebrating the Gallic than the Gaelic, but it is Saint Patrick's Day and it is a big deal around here. Never one to miss toasting a big holiday, Drink the District is back with its second Cloverfest at Yards Park. The beer-centric event will feature unlimited sampling and full pours from over 20 breweries and cider houses like Sam Adams, Lancaster Brewing Company, Atlas Brew Works, Brewery Ommegang or Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery. And of course, since it's Saint Paddy's Day there will be a very special green beer ;-) Hopefully, the weather will be nice because there will also be dueling piano shows, giant Jenga, beer pong and other backyard games ...
Olivia Macaron Venturing out of Georgetown
No, the Georgetown purveyor of colourful macarons is not opening a second boutique in Shaw. At least not yet (how great would it be though??) But there's still some good news if you love Olivia Macaron but don't love trekking all the way to M Street... you can now purchase a limited selection of macarons to go along your favourite coffee blend at La Colombe in Bladgen Alley. Obviously, there's a lot less flavours available at La Colombe, but it's great to know that there are some available in Shaw right? Also, if you can't make it to (or don't want to) Olivia Macaron or La Colombe, Olivia delivers nationwide (just call 202.965.1000 for orders.) La Colombe is located at 924 N St NW. Olivia ...
Oyamel Tequila & Mezcal Festival Returns March 2-15
Oyamel's annual Tequila & Mezcal Festival is back with a new theme this year: Mexican chiles! Since it's almost March and we're still getting hit by snow, I'll take a little heat wherever I can get it... and that includes in my cocktails! At last Tuesday's preview party, I got to sample the drinks and dishes that will be served during the festival's opening party on Monday, March 2 . Let's start with the food. It was great, it always is at Oyamel, with various chiles highlighted in every dish, including dessert (chili-infused Mexican chocolate cookies)! If you enjoy the Nopalitos salad on the restaurant's regular menu and enjoy a bit of spice, you'll love the extra kick added to the ...
New Éclair de Dessert Collection at Paul Bakery
Looks like it's definitely éclairs season in DC! After introducing two decadent new éclair flavours for Valentine's Day (framboise & trois chocolats,) Paul Bakery is keeping the momentum going with a whole month of new limited edition éclairs. A new line-up of tasty éclairs with join Paul's traditional flavours vanille, café and chocolate. Jot down this schedule! The Un Éclair de Dessert campaign will debut on February 25 by tackling one of France's most beloved dessert: the Paris-Brest. What's that you ask? It's actually kind of like an éclair! Named after a bicycle race that used to take place way before the Tour de France was a thing between the French capital and one of ...