Dawnville on the Road: Inauguration Edition (part two)

I've heard from many sources that Washington DC has become a real foodie town in the past few years.  The inauguration turned out not to be the time to discover any of these delights.  The hordes of visitors made it nearly impossible to visit any restaurants near the National Mall. 

After a long day spent soaking up the electric atmosphere on the Mall, our group was starving. Poor Giselle was surviving on a bag of popcorn and Georges and I even less.  With cold limbs and aching feet, we headed over to Union Station which promised a wide variety of dining options. Options abounded, but the crowds overwhelmed them all.  So, we hopped onto the Metro and went to Historic U street, once the heart of Black Washington, to find respite from the frigid temperatures.  Obama fever was in full flush here as well.  How exciting to stroll streets swelling with proud citizens awaiting the big event of 1-20-09.  Turned away at our first few stops, we finally found refuge at Cork, a wine bar located in the Logan Circle neighborhood. What appears to be a cozy little one-room restaurant/bar upon entrance is actually a warren of dining spaces on various levels.  We were escorted to a table on a little balcony in the middle of the restaurant.  It was warm and snug, the soft lighting, rustic wood tables and extensive wine menu allowing us to exhale at last.  

We settled in with a glass of Tissot Cremant de Jura, a pinot-based sparkling wine that was dry and crisp ($11) and the Bartolomiol prosecco ($8), which was a new brand for us, and very enjoyable.  After our wine orders were placed, were were able to peruse the menu.

The small plates menu enabled us to sample a range of items.   We started with the cheese (3 for $10)and charcuterie (3 for $15) plates as well as an order of the roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta and brown butter ($8).  Funnily enough, two of the three cheeses offered were California favorites, Humboldt Fog and Cowgirl Creamery.   The third was a nutty pecorino.  All three were well complemented by the quince jam and the mixed nuts that completed the presentation.  The charcuterie plate featured a mound of thinly sliced prosciutto, salami and chorizo and a ramekin of mustard.  The fresh French bread was plentiful and we made short work of devouring all that was set before us.  Funny what missing lunch and 6  hour walk will do for the appetite.  We decided to try one more dish and selected the grilled Angus flat iron steak with broccoli rabe, braised radicchio and horseradish sauce.  The steak, cooked at the requested medium rare, was juicy and flavorful. The broccoli rabe absorbed the tasty juices and we were all happy with the choice.  

Cork is definitely a place I would return to if in DC again, particularly during a less busy time than inauguration week.  

Dawnville on the Road: Inauguration Edition (part one)

The citizens of Dawnville traveled to Washington DC (via Philadelphia) for Barack Obama's inauguration.  More on that magical day later.  After arriving at our hotel (a perfectly pleasant airport Hilton) at 1 am the previous evening, we decided to sleep in on Sunday.  By the time we got ourselves up, dressed and retrieved the rental car, we'd missed breakfast and were well into the lunch hour.  Starved, we decided to head into Center City for an all-day breakfast at the Down Home Diner in the Reading Terminal Market.  The Market, in operation since the 1800's, is filled with independently operated stalls selling everything from seafood to flowers to Indian to baked goods to the ever-popular cheesesteak.  It's like the San Francisco Ferry Building Market for people without stock options.  One corner of the market is given over to the local Amish, but unfortunately and not unexpectedly their stalls were closed on Sunday.  And, in another dose of disappointment, the diner workers decided to close up early on this particular Sunday.  No breakfast for us.  However, we couldn't be discouraged for long.  After a few spins around the floor, we decided to try Carmen's version of the classic chessesteak.  Taking the counterman's advice, we got a straightforward version with steak, cheese and some sweet peppers.  The roll was fresh, the cheese melty and steak hot.  It didn't knock me out, but it was tasty.  Next visit we will try one of the much heralded versions at Chink's.  We also tried an Italian hoagie which was also good, especially with the homemade hot peppers that added a feisty kick at the end of each bite.  

Giselle was not in the mood for a sandwich so she sampled the delights at Delilah's, a family-run shop that was recognized by Oprah as having the best Mac and Cheese in America.  Now that's a dish we had to try.  We ordered the two piece chicken dinner (dark meat) with the aforementioned mac and cheese and collard greens.  The chicken was ok, a bit underseasoned for my taste and also not cooked to order.  I like my fried chicken hot out of the fryer.  The greens on the other hand were well-seasoned and tasty.  And the mac and cheese, it was very good, but not the best I've ever had.  I think it also suffered from sitting on the steam table, resulting in lukewarm temperature and too-soft noodles.  

I would definitely go back to the Reading Terminal Market to explore some of the other vendors, especially the local Amish favorites.  If you're in town, I'd recommend you do the same.

Bistro Elan: What a Neighborhood Restaurant Should Be

As the grateful recipients of a one-night pass courtesy of my visiting mother, my husband and I decided to go out for a nice dinner.  While at age four our daughter is quite a discriminating diner and well-behaved in restaurants, there are some experiences that are better without her. After a lengthy volley of potential choices--San Francisco, Marin, something new, we settled on an old favorite, Bistro Elan.  We had been to the restaurant only once since Giselle's birth, when she was about 11 months old.  She enjoyed it, but it's really not a place set up to welcome kids.  So, it was with great anticipation that we set out on the Tuesday before Christmas for an adult meal.

Bistro Elan is on California Avenue, the sometimes overlooked other main street Palo Alto. Truth be told, California Ave. has its own charms that compete with University Avenue including a much better (year-round) farmers market, a great women's boutique (Leaf and Petal) and Izzy's New York Bagels (for a salt bagel with whitefish salad and tomato).  Bistro Elan looks warm and inviting from the street with its low lighting, small bar and bustling, tiny, open kitchen. Since our last visit, the owners have divided the space with heavy, chocolate-colored velvet drapes, offering needed privacy between some of the tables and making it even cozier. We were seated in the front of the restaurant with aforementioned drape on one side an a two-top on the other.  We had a pleasant view of the holiday lights on California.

Within moments, we were greeted by our server and placed our order for a half-bottle of Billecart Salmon Rose, our favorite champagne.  It was the holidays after all and worth a splurge.  Shortly after our drinks arrived, we received an amuse bouche, a few bites of delicious salami and olives that was perfect with the yeasty bubbles of the champagne.

So, as you can see, it's all going pretty smashingly to this point.  I think what a neighborhood restaurant offers vs. big venues is a level of service and attention to detail that is often lacking at their larger cousins.  Everything we had that evening was a delight.  Georges started with smoked salmon on a potato waffle.  This dish is an update of a Bistro Elan favorite, the smoked salmon napoleon, that graced the menu for years.  While skeptical, we both agreed that the waffle's airy texture was a wonderful complement to the silky salmon.  I had oysters on the half shell which can be a bit of Russian Roulette these days, but I love them.  These did not disappoint.  They were fresh, well-chilled and briny, everything you want.  The straightforward mignonette was the right accompaniment.  

After this intro, we had high expectations for our main courses.  I was torn between day-boat scallops, which the chef does very well, and petrale sole.  I opted for the sole and boy was I glad. There were two big pieces, simply breaded and pan-fried in a traditional lemon-caper sauce. The fish rested on a bed of roasted broccolini and melted in your mouth.  I could not eat the entire portion, although I gave it my all.  So, I shared a few bites with Georges, who agreed that the fish was perfectly cooked.  For him, the choice was easy: a flat-iron steak with BE's addictive pommes frite, served in a wooden bowl.

Though I couldn't finish my entree, I could not resist the temptations of the pastry chef.  We briefly thought of sharing, but generally we go different directions on a dessert tray.  And thus, Georges ended up with a seven-layer vanilla and white chocolate sponge cake while I turned my attention to the lemon tart.  The cake was good.  Very light and airy, but the tart presentation was fabulous.  The tart was served with pistachio crusted lemon semifreddo that was the height of yumminess.

We both talked all the way home about how much we enjoyed the meal.  The restaurant fires on all cylinders delivering great food, warm atmosphere and attentive service.  Bistro Elan is definitely back in our dining rotation.