August 2009 Restaurant Week

For this Restaurant Week, I did two lunches and one dinner.

Lunch 1: Bobby Van's Steakhouse.
I love steak. And I can't seem to cook it the way I like it, so I enjoy getting a good steak at a restaurant. But for some reason at the last minute I decided to order the salmon. I can't say I regret it, because it was delicious. It was served with a roasted red pepper risotto that was absolutely incredible.

Lunch 2: Bobby Van's Grill.
Yes, I just did this in February. Yes, it was that good. This time around wasn't quite as good, but still great. Better salad & better dessert than Bobby Van's Steakhouse, by the way. I had a flank steak with sweet potato puree.

Dinner: Ruth's Chris Steak House
Yes, again. I do need to be more adventurous next time. But it was delicious, as usual. I added a side of sweet potato casserole.

Since last time

Since my last post, I got laid off. So, blogging fell down the priority list. I haven't stopped cooking though. I've mastered the crockpot pot roast & started making variations on things. Most recently, I did a cross between the pot roast & the chicken & dumplings; instead of beef, I dumped chicken breast (tenders actually) vegetables (mushrooms, mixed peppers & carrots) in a crockpot with cream of asparagus soup. I served it over rice. I'll experiment with the seasonings a bit, but overall I'd call it a success.

Restaurant Week

I went out for Restaurant Week 3 times, and the theme was steak, steak, and more steak.

I had lunch at Bobby Van's Grill. The salad wasn't remarkable, but you don't go to Bobby Van's for the salad. The entree was a flank steak on top of a portabello mushroom topped with gorgonzola cheese and served with garlic mashed potatoes. I was a bit skeptical of the gorgonzola, because it's such a strong cheese. It was absolutely delicious; I want to marry that steak. Also, orange-cranberry cheesecake, which again, made me skeptical but was fantastic.

A couple of days later, I had dinner at Ruth's Chris. Petit filet with mashed potatoes: simple and completely awesome. Sadly, our waiter wasn't so great, but that's the only time I've experienced that at Ruth's Chris.

I ended the week with dinner at Cafe' Atlantico. I wasn't a big fan of the conch fritters; they were tasty, but I didn't enjoy the consistency. For my entree, I had yet another steak - this time a marinated skirt steak. I was less enthused about the accompanying mlanga puree and malanga chips, but overall it was really delicious.

So it was probably my best Restauant Week; I had 3 meals - 3 steaks - which were all fantastic. In the past, I've never been able to avoid at least one mediocre (if not bad) experience. But this year, I got 3 wins.

Success: Chicken & Dumplings

I made the chicken & dumplings recipe from the crockpot lady! It was easy & delicious. I wasn't thinking though, because I should have halved the recipe. I had chicken & dumplings for a week & a half before I had to throw the rest out. I wish I'd had space in my freezer to freeze half the batch. Also, for my taste, the ratio of chicken to dumplings was a little high. So I'll use a little less chicken next time.

For the record, I used cream of celery for the base & my frozen vegetables were a blend of peas, carrots, green beans & corn. I also added some garlic - because I put garlic in just about everything. Oh and I'll use a bit more salt & pepper next time also.

Success!

Drat.

Last night's attempt at dinner was made of fail. It wasn't even edible. The good news is, the only thing I really wasted was about a pound of ground turkey.

I had planned to make Hamburger Helper, but changed my mind mid-way through & started throwing other seasonings and stuff into the pan. It did not go well.

DC Restaurant Week

It's back! Feb. 16 - 22.
http://www.washington.org/restaurantwk/

(I know I owe a more substantial post, and it's coming. I just have to sit down & write it.)

No news

I have nothing to share because I haven't been to the grocery store. But, last night, I was commissioned to make someone a pie. That should be entertaining.