Mie and Yu, Lebanese Taverna and La Madeleine

Dc was wonderful! I had a blast seeing old friends, eating good food and going to a couple of shops and museums along the way. Since I love to eat and love to take pictures of the food I eat nearly as much, here is a breakdown of the culinary trip I took, the great, the good and the just ok.

The good: the eggs benedict at Mie n Yu were very good (the hollandaise sauce was one of the best I've had), the roasted potatoes were crisp, though the tasso ham was a bit overcooked for my taste. Big points for a perfectly poached egg!

The Ok: Mie n Yu chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, too sweet, too seasoned, too much going on...gotta say these were just ok (served with non-spicy harissa! too bad a little kick may have helped this dish)

Not sure: I didn't try the shwarma but since we don't have any restaurants that make it in my area, I thought I'd take a pic, Lamb on the left, chicken on the right...will have to try it on my next trip.

The great: Lebanese Taverna, FATTEH BLAHMEH, one of my favorite dishes ever! The menu description states the following: seasoned chunks of lamb layered over chick peas on roasted Lebanese bread, smothered with warm yogurt sauce, pine nuts and garlic. The lamb was perfectly tender, the yogurt sauce creamy and tangy, the pita crisp and the pine nuts, radishes and chickpeas added the perfect ballence, just wish pomagranates where in season as they usually top the dish with seeds. MMMMMMMMMMM.....

The good: Halum cheese with tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. Good but not the best, a little oily if I am perfectly honest (wish I'd gotten the hummus).

For dessert, our amazing waiter, Jorge brought us a complimentary dessert, baklava? with pomegranate syrup and vanilla ice cream. The service and food at the Lebanese Taverna can't be beat and I will definitely be back to their DC location on my next trip...I may also try to make the fatteh blameh on a later date!

The ok...La Madeleine. I had the chicken salad sandwich, sundried tomato pasta salad, caesar salad and a parfait (wasn't supposed to be this much food but someone messed up my order!). The caesar salad and parfait were very good but I didn't like the overly mayo'd chicken salad or the super creamy pasta salad. The croissant was very good but I don't think I'll be back to this place as there are waaaayyyyy better choices in DC for lunch.

Another picture of the sandwich and pasta salad both were a bit of a let down :-(

DC was fun, I loved the food, the shopping, the time I spent with friends and trying new things, be them great, good or just ok. Hope you liked my tour d' DC xo J

Our Italian Restaurant...

Our favorite Italian Restaurant in Norfolk is Razzo in our neighborhood, Oceanview. This intimate and delicious restaurant is lit with dim sconces, has booth seating and a great roasted garlic app....oh and did I mention their dessert is to die for? Love it!! If you're ever in the area check it out...it really is "our Italian restaurant."

Cherry cheesecake with a Godiva whipped cream....amazing!~

Roasted garlic app (or what's left of it) with goat cheese, peppers, olives, roasted garlic and capers served with crostini...mmmmm

Veal parm, very big and very good, crunchy exterior, moist veal, wonderful sauce and fresh mozzarella, perfection! I also love their red sauce (think its a marinara?).

Bowl of pasta w marinara, I could just eat a bowl of this, good balance of garlic, tomato and basil that compliments the perfectly al-dente pasta.

Veal Francese, pounded veal, butter, caper, lemon sauce, breadcrumb pasta-perfect for soaking up all the wonderful juices from the dish!

I don't have a photo of my favorite dish at Razzo, stuffed eggplant (and I hate eggplant usually, but this place has made me a lover of at least this preparation) with ricotta, artichokes and fresh spinach stuffed between 2 layers of fried eggplant, then topped with more cheese and their wonderful red sauce, it's a party in your mouth :-). J loves the antipasto plate and the chicken parm and we both love the cheesecakes (usually a different one every week handmade by the chef.) Try Razzo sometime but SHHHHHH just don't tell too many people about it!

Marsala mushroom burgers

J and I decided to make burgers on a warm Virginia evening and needing to use up mushrooms and bacon, I decided to make marsala mushrooms to top the burgers. These were the best burgers I have ever made and I hope you try the recipe too :-)

Meat:

1 lb Ground sirloin

1/2 chopped small sweet onion

2 tbls hoisin (chinese bbq sauce you can find in the Asian section)

1 tsp salt and pepper

*mix all ingredients to combine (make sure not to overwork the burger meat) make patties and dust w. a little more sn'p grill on high temp for aprox 3-5 min per side (depends on thickness and how done you want them to get).

Mushrooms:

1 whole container button mushrooms sliced

2 green onions chopped

1 tbls butter

2-3 tsp marsala or sherry

salt and pepper to taste

*saute butter until just melted, add mushrooms and let brown (don't season until they are brown or they will leech out too much liquid) add green onions and let soften. Deglaze the pan with marsala, cook out alcohol (about 1 min) then take off the heat and wait for the burgers.

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I like my burger done medium and I topped this burger with a garlic/mustard aioli I bought at Trader Joes, a little mayo (Hellman's), fresh tomatoes from Voula's garden, cheddar cheese, center cut bacon and dill pickles. Let me know if you try it/like it!

Julia