As you read earlier, Katie and I spent yet another Saturday morning slaving away in the kitchen for you, dear reader. Not that we mind.

While we waited for potatoes to bake (no really), we made ourselves quite comfortable in the 1789 kitchen. We sort of started to feel like a part of the family.  The best part was snacking on the homemade sugar cookie bits, chocolate hazelnut-dipped waffle cone triangles, and sugared, Italian pistachios. We watched a tray full of huge crabs slide into the steamer and a salmon salad artfully prepared for a group event. La de da. How are those potatoes coming along? Not quite completely, perfectly tender? Ok, no worries. There are some pepitos in a Tupperware over here that I might sample.

My dinner party on Saturday night was sort of similar. If those gosh darn potatoes hadn’t taken 2 hours to bake, well, we might have had dinner before 10:00 p.m.

‘Hot potatoes’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

At 1789, we didn’t waste any time waiting for those potatoes to cool. Doubling up on plastic gloves, we sliced the potatoes open and got straight to work since the potatoes are best turned into dough when they’re still hot.

Not that my guests would have allowed me to let those silly, little potatoes cool down anyway… They were ready to stuff ‘em with butter and eat ‘em whole. (Thankfully – instead they assumed the role of celebrity guest photographer/videographers. There’s even a video of me cracking the eggs!)

Is it worth the wait for those gosh darn potatoes to come out of the oven? Absolutely. Would I recommend making gnocchi for a hungry group of 7? Probably not. I thought a riot was going to break loose when I told them there would be no leftovers.

‘raw gnocchi dumplings ready for boiling’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Fortunately, gnocchi is filling. Chef Dan recommends one potato for every two servings. I used 15 smaller potatoes (because I bought a pre-packaged bag of Ida-not-want-to-cook-in-under-two-hours-ho rustic potatoes) and achieved exactly 7 servings.

Would I make this again in a heartbeat? Yes.

Chef Dan says one rarely eats properly cooked gnocchi. After tasting his creation, I would have to agree with him. Using a few simple techniques, as you might expect, these gnocchi turned into what almost seemed like impostors to the dense, little dumplings I’ve become accustomed to. These gnocchi were the lightest, fluffiest pillows with a hefty, filling punch you would expect from a bowl of potato dumplings.

‘Pinching gnocchi dough into dumplings’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

His techniques?

• For every potato you bake, use one egg and approximately 1/2 cup of flour.
• Barely mix the dough. If you over mix it, this also can change the consistency of the dough. Once it has come together, stop mixing.
• The amount of flour you use depends on the humidity in the air on that given day. So, add flour sparingly at first, and add more later. If you add too much flour, your dumplings will become the hard and dense variety mentioned above. He says the harder the dough the easier it is to roll out, which explains why more people would want to add too much flour.

‘Barely mixing the dough’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

• So, this might seem like they are hard to roll out, but they really aren’t. Chef Dan explains that the roll is “more about time than pressure.” This is key. So, don’t push too hard; you’ll squish down the dough. But if you roll quickly and press lightly, you’ll have great success.
• You can make your dumplings any size you want depending on your preference. If you want to make those fancy ridges you sometimes see on gnocchi, you can use a fork to press in the ridges. However, due to the time involved, I would not recommend this. Chef Dan says you can also buy fancy molds that will cut and shape them for you.
• When you make your sauce to put on the gnocchi, make sure it is a little more loose than normal. The gnocchi absorb the liquid.

Chef Dan made his gnocchi with cipollini onions and morels. If I’m dining at 1789, of course I want to see morels in my gnocchi. When I’m cooking for me and my friends, it’s a different story. Chef Dan promised that you could use this same recipe with a few simple ingredient substitutions to make just about any combination work - and work well.

He was right. The technique for the sauce is just spot on. I had a hard time explaining to my dinner guests that no, really, there’s nothing else in it. The flavors meld together so wonderfully; it’s just perfect.

‘1789 Gnocchi with Morels’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

1789 Gnocchi with Prosciutto, Asparagus and Cipollini Onions
Serves 2-4

Gnocchi Ingredients:

• 2 rustic potatoes, baked until very, very tender
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Approximately 1 cup of flour, give or take – see “Techniques” above

Sauce Ingredients:

• 8 oz sliced prosciutto, or any cured ham, cut into 1″ x 1″ squares
• 8 stalks of asparagus, blanched and sliced into 1″ pieces on the diagonal (or try using peas)
• 6 cipollini onions, roasted, peeled and cut in half
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 3 shallots, diced
• 1/2 c mushroom or vegetable stock
• 1/4 c butter
• Fresh herbs, finely diced – according to your taste. I used rosemary. Chef Dan used parsley and chives.
• Parmesan cheese, to taste

Special Equipment:

• Food mill (an inexpensive investment that will make the best darn mashed potatoes, and… applesauce)

‘Milling the potatoes’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

To make the gnocchi:

• Spear your potatoes with a fork (for ventilation) and bake your potatoes at 350 degrees F until they are squishy and tender.
• While they are still hot, slice them down the middle, squeeze the ends to open the tear, and spoon out the insides into the food mill.
• Throw in your beaten eggs, and throw your flour in while you’re at it.
• Using one hand, sort of sift all the ingredients together, barely mixing. The dough will be very moist and messy. Keep it loose, don’t over mix. (Chef Dan recommends double-wrapped kitchen gloves. I just don’t have those in stock at my house. Yes, my hands were a sticky mess. Yes, I just washed them off.)
• Grab a handful of dough and roll it lightly between your palms. Working on a heavily floured surface, quickly and lightly roll out the dough until it is about 6 inches long.
• Using a knife or a pastry cutter, pinch down the dough into square pillows.
• Use the pastry cutter to scrape the dumplings onto a floured cookie sheet.
• These boil up in salty-like-the-sea water in just about a minute or so. Make sure the water is really boiling when you add them. Once they float to the top, they are done. Use a small strainer to whisk them out of the boiling water. (I threw in a lot of extra flour with the dumplings, and I found that, fortunately, it didn’t make a difference.)

To make the sauce for gnocchi:

• Back when those potatoes were roasting, I threw in some cipollini onions to roast. They roast up pretty quickly, so keep an eye on them.
• In a saucepan, heat up the olive oil, and saute the shallots for a minute.
• Add the cipollini onions, butter, and the mushroom stock.
• Kick the heat up really high and get your sauce to boil down. But make sure there is still plenty of liquid, because the gnocchi will soak up a lot of sauce.
• Add the prosciutto and asparagus near the end.

Combine the gnocchi and the sauce, and add a little of the fresh herbs you selected (chives, sage, rosemary, parsley). If it’s a little too tight, add a little more pasta water. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

‘Cathy’s 1789 Gnocchi with Prosciutto and Asparagus’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

See that yummy bowl of buttery, brothy sauce with assorted deliciousness floating amongst the the little pillows of dumplings? Yes, it was as good as it looks. Yes, I still want to grab a spoon and stick it into my computer screen.

If I throw some potatoes in the oven tonight, maybe they’ll be baked in time for dinner tomorrow? These little guys are well worth the wait.

Interested in starting a food blog? Or maybe you have one up-and-running, but you want to share ideas with local bloggers about recipes, photography and software? Or really, maybe you just want to talk about food. We know people who do that, too. Join the DC Food Bloggers tomorrow night for happy hour at Vinoteca.

See you there! And make sure to RSVP on the Facebook fan page.

Special thanks to co-hosts The Arugula Files, Beerspotter, Biscuits and Such, Capital Spice, Capital Cooking, Common Man Eats, DininginDC,  Gradually Greener, ModernDomestic, Thrifty DC Cook, and WeLoveDC.

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On Saturday, March 20th, the 5th Annual Dodging Diabetes Charity Dodgeball Tournament will bring together 500 players and fans for a one-day competition to raise money and awareness for the fight against diabetes.

From 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Champions Fieldhouse in Rockville, teams will be ducking and diving flying balls to make a difference in our community.

To sign up as a team, click here. Team registration (before March 16) is $350.

Founded by two D.C. area locals in 2005, Dodging Diabetes has netted over $40,000 for the Joslin Diabetes Center through its annual charity dodgeball tournaments. Web site: http://www.dodgingdiabetes.org.

The “Average Joe,” too, can make a difference.

In the calm before the storm (what? there’s another blizzard coming?), we were able to take a breather and have a little fun out of the house on a day when the brown/green grass was just starting to show itself again.

Good times were had last night at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour in SE DC. Guests who arrived with an ingrained hatred for the taste of gin were quick and surprising converts to the smooth and simple pairing of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.

Cocktails in hand, the near-sellout crowd was buzzing with the talk of juices and liquors — with occasional pleas for another educational happy hour mixed-in. It was a moment of true concentration on and excitement for the subject at hand, with no fear or discussion of impending snow.  

‘Wisdom #9′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Do you like it tart or sweet? Dry or long? Erik, the owner and bartender of the place, held court throughout the evening in the couch-filled and velvet curtain-draped nooks to explain the art of the cocktail.

I loved hearing Erik’s passion for how to mix different cocktails and how to make it more of an art form. He talked about how he wants to make cocktails so that people aren’t just drinking but really enjoying their drinks. To be honest, I was actually overwhelmed by it. I don’t know that I could make any of these at home. But I think that was his point, that you come out to a place where somebody really knows how to make them well and do a cool spin on different cocktails. — Guest, Claudia - ”The Hill is Home“

‘Wisdom #6′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Easily demonstrating his intense passion for, interest in, and love of cocktails, Erik sat down with each of the night’s guests to talk about flavors, ingredients, pairings, and how to pick the right combination for your taste.

I discovered the Masquerade drink tonight. It was great! I had never thought about having a cocktail with chocolate shavings in it. It’s a nice place.  I’ll be back. – Guest, Ben

‘Wisdom #21′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Wisdom’s detailed menu even includes a scale system that he invented to help explain the flavor profile of his creations to his clientele.

I love that this is an interactive experience whenever I come here, even if Erik isn’t here. I’ve always had a very positive experience with the bar staff. The first time I was here I actually mis-ordered. It was totally my fault. I made the mistake, and they replaced it for free!  — Guest, Nichole - ”The Hill is Home“

‘Wisdom #20′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Erik went above and beyond to speak with everyone about their interests. When he wasn’t involved in an intense, in-depth conversation with a small group, he was mingling and recommending specific drinks for each person. Guests started the night as amateur cocktail drinkers and left with the wisdom to find a better cocktail for their taste.

‘Wisdom #41′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Erik is extremely knowledgeable about his liquor. He has opened a comfortable establishment for cocktails. I had the Pears of Wisdom cocktail. The scale that he’s developed is actually pretty accurate. If you don’t know exactly what you want or you don’t drink a lot of cocktails, it’s easy to come in here and say – “Here are the things that I like. What fits my palette?” — Guest, Jason

We’re ready for this blizzard weather to blow on out of town, too. Thanks to everyone for joining in last night - and most especially thanks to our readers and fans. We loved hanging out with all of you and can’t wait to start planning our next shindig to unite us in warm, spring weather!

And a sincere thanks to Erik at Wisdom for his passion for cocktails – which also caused him to lose his voice. And to Chris Rief (aka Spodie Odie) for the incredible photos from last night; we know the mood lighting didn’t make your job very easy!

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Seriously. We’ve had enough of the snow. And the cold. And the snow that’s still left over because it’s so cold. We’re ready to break out of the doldrums, too. And thus, we are soooo excited to snuggle up in the warm nooks and crannies of Wisdom Cocktail Parlour tomorrow night from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Ticket prices increase at midnight tonight, so get your ticket!

Join your favorite WeLoveDC authors and Wisdom owner/bartender Erik Holzherr for a craft cocktail experience at a happy (two) hour(s) you will leave all the wiser.

Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door. Food and happy hour specials will also be available.

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This upcoming Tuesday, February 23, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., WeLoveDC is hosting its first event of the year at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour.

Join your favorite WeLoveDC authors and Wisdom owner/bartender Erik Holzherr for a craft cocktail experience at a happy (two) hour(s) you will leave all the wiser.

Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door (space permitting). Food and happy hour specials will also be available.

Get your ticket and come hang with us.

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Don’t forget to get your ticket! WeLoveDC is hosting its first event of the year at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour. The party goes down next Tuesday, February 23 from 6-8 p.m.

We didn’t want to just have a happy hour. We’re not just about having fun (wink wink). So we kicked this one up a notch, providing what we know you really want: to walk away a little wiser.

Come have a drink with your favorite WeLoveDC authors while learning what craft cocktail guru Erik Holzherr, owner of Wisdom, suggests you might enjoy in one and mixes one up for you on the spot.

Get your ticket and come hang with us. Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door (space permitting). Food and happy hour specials will also be available.

And don’t forget, to sweeten the deal:

Your ticket automatically enters you in a raffle to win a complimentary Capital Chefs cooking demo with Chef Will Artley of Evening Star. Two winners, and a guest for each, will join Katie and Cathy on a culinary adventure in the kitchen. This time around, you’ll be hands on, and we’ll sit back and watch.

Questions or suggestions? Let us know in the comments.

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Looking to take your understanding of drinks to the next level? Experience the handcrafted cocktail revolution firsthand at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour on February 23 from 6-8 p.m. with the WeLoveDC Crew.

Wisdom’s Erik Holzherr will be dishing on the art of the cocktail, suggesting what you might enjoy in one, and offering up some amazing libations poured especially for you.

Tickets, which include your first craft cocktail, are $15 ahead of time or $20 at the door (space permitting). Food and happy hour specials will also be available.

To sweeten the deal:

Your ticket automatically enters you in a raffle to win a complimentary Capital Chefs cooking demo with Chef Will Artley of Evening Star. Two winners, and a guest for each, will join Katie and Cathy on a culinary adventure in the kitchen. This time around, you’ll be hands on, and we’ll sit back and watch.

Content, creative cocktails and community. You won’t want to miss our first event.

Get your ticket now!

Questions or suggestions? Let us know in the comments.

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If you caught last week’s episode of 30 Rock, you probably heard Liz Lemon bemoan the winter weather. Well, we’re ready to break out of the doldrums, too.

Join We Love DC for its first event of 2010 at Wisdom Cocktail Parlour on Tuesday, February 23.  Wisdom’s owner and head bartender, Erik Holzherr, dishes about the art of the craft cocktail and matches you with the best drink for your palate.

Don’t let the snow and cold weather win. The momentum begins tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Check back here for the details on how to get your ticket.

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As you read earlier in Katie’s Capital Chefs Part I, we trekked out to Tyson’s corner (on a Saturday) to catch some peace, quiet and scallops with Inox Restaurant’s co-owner Chef Jon Mathieson. After ooo-ing and ahh-ing over his adorable two little kids playing tag and harmlessly tackling each other around the empty restaurant, Katie and I were not disappointed by the no-nonsense cooking style of Chef Mathieson, who had clearly spent some time in the kitchen with his other two (actual) children.

“Which one of you cooks?” I raised my hand. “Alright, then if you’re making this at home, you can start practicing now.” And we were off to a running start. “Stand over here. See this cabbage? See this color? Here, here’s a towel for you to hold the pot handle. Stir it. Now pull it off the heat.” Chef Mathieson coaxed me through the process of emulsifying the butter sauce while perfectly coating and braising the cabbage.

He made it seem so easy. He showed me, in multiple ways, where it could all go wrong, and the lesson was over in half an hour. Could it really be that easy?

Chef Mathieson was kind enough, or perhaps it was his lovely wife who had the foresight, to print out the recipe for me. Quantities, ingredients and detailed instructions were already weaving the recipe together for me before we even melted the butter. That was a first. You mean I don’t have to approximate how much salt you just threw on the scallops? Thank god. No wait. Thank you.

On the menu:

SEARED DIVER SEA SCALLOPS
Braised Savoy Cabbage, Pearl Onions, Sweet Potato,
Asian Pear, Smoked Bacon Emulsion

‘Cabbage, bacon, sweet potatoes, Asian pears, pearl onions… yum’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

The best part about this recipe? I like ALL of the ingredients, and I like them a lot. Oh, and the second best part? Yeah, they go really, really well together. Especially when swimming in a creamy, bacon-y butter sauce. Mmm hmm.

So I took a lot of notes for you, dear reader. And I asked a lot of questions. And I’m feeling pretty darn good. And I’m feeling like you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do, and that it’s going to become a part of your usual repertoire, too.

Chef Mathieson, for the record, I had to adjust the quantities a little bit. Don’t hate me… But I think cabbage at my grocery store must be 12 times the size of yours!

‘INOX #135′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Seared Diver Sea Scallops with Braised Savoy Cabbage, Pearl Onions, Sweet Potato, Asian Pear, and Smoked Bacon Emulsion
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 12 Sea Scallops – I bought mine fresh from the grocery store and left them in the fridge on paper towels for 3 hours. This still wasn’t enough to dry out the chemical substance that they are soaked in. You need to get the doubly expensive “diver” scallops or “dry” or “day boat” that don’t have chemicals. So, just keep that in mind when you are trying to brown your scallops. It’s not you… But they are still darn good. Just don’t overcook ‘em.
• 1 head Savoy Cabbage, large dice (1″ x 1″ pieces) and blanched – It’s not possible to use one whole head of cabbage for this recipe. Aim for 1/4 to 1/2 of the whole cabbage. Save the rest for some pickling?
• 1 pt. White Pearl Onion, blanched and halved -  You can find these in a mesh bag by the other onions.
• 1 Sweet Potato, peeled, small dice and blanched
• 1 Asian Pear, peeled and small dice – If diced in advance, grab some apple juice or lemon juice to keep the pear from browning.
• 4 oz. (about 4 pieces) of Apple Smoked Bacon
• 4 oz. Chicken or Fish Stock
• Butter “As Needed” – Have about two sticks on hand: one for the bacon sauce, one for the vegetables.
• Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Prep work (can be done up to a day in advance):

• Dice and blanche the vegetables for 30 – 60 seconds or until tender in boiling, heavily salted water (“salty-like-the-sea”). Shock in ice water.
• Dice the pear and preserve in apple juice.
• Dice the bacon and begin cooking in the chicken stock. Once the stock has come to a boil, strain out the bacon reserving the liquid. The bacon may be rendered until crisp and reserved until needed. Reduce the liquid by half and add 4 oz. (one stick) of butter until the sauce is emulsified. To keep the sauce from “breaking,” listen to your pot. If it starts crackling, take it off the heat. If it breaks, give it more butter. To revive it later, use an immersion blender and put it back on the heat.

 

‘INOX #138′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

When ready to serve:

• Scallops: Pre-heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Make sure the scallops are dry and season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Sear the scallop on one side until “brown” (approx. 2 – 3.5 min), then flip the scallops over and brown on the other side (approx 2 – 3.5 min again). Don’t pull your hair out when they don’t brown, just try to remove some of the liquid if possible so they don’t poach, and stick to the timing. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Cabbage: When ready to re-heat, start with a small amount of the emulsified bacon butter you made in advance. Add the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Add more butter until creamy. Stir, a lot. “Listen to the pan,” and remove it from the heat once the butter sauce starts crackling and the sauce looks like it’s going to break. The final product should coat the cabbage with a creamy buttery sauce. The cabbage should cook while the sauce gets creamy.
• Vegetables: EITHER 1) Throw them in with the cabbage. The bacon, sweet potato, pearl onion and Asian pear can be thrown in with the veggies for a family-style presentation. Just cook them until hot. I did this at the chef’s recommendation. It worked great. OR 2) For the more upscale plating featured above, pre-heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon, sweet potato, pearl onion, Asian pear, and some more butter and cook until hot. Season with salt and pepper.
• Plate, layering in this order: cabbage, then scallops, topped with veggies, and surrounded with more of the butter sauce (either from the bacon emulsion or the cabbage). If you chose to throw the veggies in with the cabbage, use the combo as the bottom layer, topped with scallops, and surrounded with some more of that freaking delicious butter sauce.
• Oh, and serve with bread, cause you’re gonna want to sop up that butter sauce ’til it’s all gone.

‘Cathy’s Version of Inox’s Sea Scallops’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

If I could change one thing about this recipe, I would add one more pear. I really liked the sweet, spicy, and even the hint of delicate boozyness of the Asian pear contrasting with the buttery and bacon-y vegetables.

This recipe is a real crowd pleaser and ideal for a dinner party. Almost the whole recipe can be done in advance. Stir in some more butter, sear the scallops for 5 minutes, and you’re ready for plating. It doesn’t get any easier than that! However, moving that dinner party on down to Inox and having Chef Mathieson cook this for you would not be half bad.

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Ris Lacoste of ris, Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora, and Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar along with dozens of other renowned women chefs from the DC area are teaming up to benefit The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance at their annual Gala on February 2, 2010 at the Ritz-Carlton, DC.

The special guest of the evening is Gina DePalma, the James Beard Award-winning pastry chef who is also an ovarian cancer survivor, and the night’s emcee is Wendy Reiger from NBC4.

Entrees, appetizers, desserts – the women chefs are leveraging their specific talents to create an amazing multi-course meal in a festive environment while benefiting the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.

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Peas and carrots. Bubble and squeak. Fish and chips. (Mary Kate and Ashley. What?)

The incredibly enterprising people over at ACKC D.C. on 14th street NW are rightfully tackling the historic food pairing, wine and chocolate. Now, not only can we reach euphoric heights with their cocoa indulgences, but we can balance off that chocolate high with a fine glass of wine.

ACKC DC just received its liquor license, so what are you waiting for? Chocolate. Wine. Head on over there to get your chocolate truffle fix paired with wines by First Vine.

Update from ACKC Directly: “We have indeed opened the wine bar, serving six wines that we’ve paired with different chocolates we make here in the store.  The wines are all from First Vine, a Washington, DC importer and internet retailer; our selections are imported from France and go especially well with chocolate — or by themselves if you’d like a glass without accompaniment.  We plan to offer savory snacks, too.  As far as I know, we’re the only place in DC that explicitly pairs wines and chocolates.  We’ll be doing an official opening party later this month, and of course there will be special tasting events, too.”

Snacks, TOO?!?!?

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With pickled red cabbage added to my jar collection (which includes a living breathing, yeasty bread starter), my fridge is starting to look more like a science project for Halloween than what you would expect to be pieces to a delightfully edible puzzle.

As you read this morning, Katie and I went to The Grille at Morrison House this past weekend to pickle some onions and learn the tricks of the technique with local chefs Dennis Marron, executive chef of The Grille, and Brian Turowski, chef-de-cuisine of Jackson 20. The guys showed us their recipe for pickling the red onions that they pair with Jackson 20’s “Wedge” salad: a crunchy iceberg wedge, smothered with a creamy bleu cheese dressing, accompanied by plump bacon lardons – plated quite creatively, as Katie alluded to!

To start off our pickling adventure, Katie and I tasted two kinds of pickled red onions, comparing how more salt and more pickling time can affect the end result. The chefs also shared a taste of their pickled red cabbage, which I resolved to test at home for you.

Chef Marron recommends this same basic pickling recipe for cabbage, onions, cucumbers, and even SHRIMP- which he noted would also go well with a blue cheese salad. (Chef Marron: “While pickling vegetables softens them over time, pickled shrimp actually become harder over time as the proteins break down. So you would want to eat them quickly – after about 8 hours – and before a week and a half.”)

Pickling Mise En Place

Pickled Red Cabbage

Ingredients:

-Pickling spices – Chef Marron used a variety of whole (not ground) spices: all-spice, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and fennel seeds. You need whole spices to more easily strain them out of the vinegar before adding the cabbage. For an inexpensive solution, look for the McCormick medley called Pickling Spice, which contains a few extra spices from what Chef Marron recommended but was very close. As for quantity, throw in about a handful of each different spice (aim for half a dozen spices for variety) or the entire container of McCormick Pickling Spice.
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup salt
-1 cup red wine vinegar – As for whether to use red or white vinegar, Marron recommends red wine vinegar for a red onion, and conversely would have used white wine vinegar for a white onion. I chose red wine vinegar for red cabbage, because it gives the cabbage a lovely pinky-purply coloring.
-3 cups water
-2 cloves crushed garlic
-3 sprigs chopped thyme
-1/4 of a red cabbage, or as much as you can fit in the pickling solution

Toasting Spices Would be a Good Way to Sell a House – or Host a Party

Instructions:

• So to start, toast the whole spices in 1/2 cup of salt on the stove top. (Marron says that adding the salt at this stage keeps the spices from burning, but mine still came precipitously close to burning, so keep an eye on them.)
• Once the spices are toasted, add 1/2 cup red wine vinegar to the pot. Hold your breath or stand back (the vinegar burns your nose!) Let it simmer for a few minutes.
• Add in 1/4 cup of sugar (we’ll add another 1/4 cup sugar in a few minutes since Chef Marron recommends equal parts sugar and salt, but down the street at Jackson 20 they use one part sugar to two parts salt).
• Add the water and let it simmer for a few minutes again.
• Then add some crushed garlic and thyme, the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes.
• Slice one quarter of the cabbage into thin ribbons or the desired shape for how you want to enjoy the finished product.
• Strain the vinegar mixture and remove from the heat. Throw in the cabbage. Be thankful that the burning, choking, sneezing vinegar smell is almost over :).
• Allow the cabbage to pickle for 8 hours at a minimum, but at least 24 hours is best.

Purple to Pink

As you heard from Katie, the Chefs plated a side of pickled red onions and thickly cut bacon lardons next to a wedge of iceberg lettuce smothered in bleu cheese dressing. For the full experience, fry up bacon an inch thick, and whip up the dressing below, courtesy of Chef Marron and Chef Turowski.

After 24 hours, my cabbage doesn’t quite have the color or the flavor I’m waiting for. I’ll give it a little more time.

Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing
Serves 4 Wedge Salads

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup mayonnaise plus extra for thickening
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
-hint of garlic powder
-1/4 cup buttermilk
-1/4 cup tangy bleu cheese – crumbled
-Juice of 1/2 lemon
-1/4 tsp. white pepper (so you don’t have black flecks)
-1/4 tsp. salt
-4 wedges of bleu cheese for garnish

• Combine the mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, and buttermilk. Whisk the lumps out of the mixture before adding bleu cheese.
• Add a little more mayonaise until gloppy.
• Crumble bleu cheese into dressing.
• Taste for enough bleu cheese, garlic powder and onion powder flavor. Add more if needed.
• Add the lemon juice to brighten.
• Season with the white pepper and salt.
• Garnish with a slice of cheese (so the dressing doesn’t need to be too cheesy).

I’m still partial to the lighter bleu cheese dressing from the Green Tomato and Asian Pear Salad we made with Westend Bistro for its flavor and simplicity, but the two dressings are actually quite different, and Jackson 20’s version is definitely not one to miss.

Enjoy!

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On the first day back at work since the new DC bag law went into effect, the Golden Triangle BID doesn’t want you to be caught by surprise when you go out to grab something to eat.

The Golden Triangle BID’s staff and Ambassadors are handing out 1,000 free resusable tote bags this month – starting at 12:30 p.m. today – to help DC workers save money and to support the District’s initiative.

Where can you get your free bag?

• Dupont Circle south Metro entrance area
• 19th Street between L and M Streets
• Farragut West Metro entrance

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Update: See below for apology letter. Did they pass the blame?

We love New Years in DC, but what happened here?? 85 “Reader Reviews” (and counting) of the New Years Eve Party at the National Building Museum hosted by the guys behind Gin & Tonic and Late Night Shots gave the party one and a half stars out of four.

At the forefront, this sounds like what you would typically expect at a huge NYE party: long lines, trouble getting drinks, and unreasonably high ticket prices. While some of the complaints about the party not living up to its expectations obviously led to some angry partygoers, some of the comments are pretty serious, including significant damage being done to the National Building Museum.

A lot of people are really, really unhappy with what they got for their money. So somewhere, there was definitely a mismatch of expectations and reality.

To quote one reviewer who pretty much sums up the other commenters: 

How to begin? To say this event was terrible does not begin to describe the across-the-board disaster that was New Years 2010 at the National Building Museum. Lines in the rain? Check. Lines for the bathroom? Check. People peeing in janitor’s closets? Check. People stealing bottles of Vodka from behind the bar? Check. People throwing potted plants in the fountain when the booze ran out at 10:30? check. Were our coats stolen? You betcha! Were we almost trampled to death near the coat room? Definitely. This experience cost $100? Seriously?

(And, there is now a Facebook page dedicated to the event’s shortcomings.)

Were you there? Is this worse than the typical NYE fiasco?

Update: Apology Letter

Thank you for coming to New Year’s at the National Building Museum. We are writing to address some of the issues that arose throughout the night.
 
This New Year’s party was an attempt to scale our Halloween party, which received positive marks across the board. We recognize, however, that the party fell short in a number of areas. Two of the more pressing issues were the bar situation and the coat check. We were appropriately horrified when at 11:00 we realized the bars were not being stocked quickly enough. The catering company oversaw this process, and it clearly was not handled properly. By the end of the evening, there were numerous liquor cases and supplies remaining that had not yet been distributed. This issue was compounded by the unprofessionalism of the catering company’s bartenders. Additionally, only half the number of coat check attendees we requested were provided. When we encountered each of these issues, we provided as much assistance as we could by personally carrying cases to bars and taking coat check tickets at the end of the night. 
 
Being that we are peers of the majority of our attendees, it is our utmost priority to produce top quality events. We are aware of this event’s shortcomings, and are taking steps to address them with our caterers, our staff and, ultimately, ourselves since the responsibility lies on our shoulders.
 
As a gesture of goodwill and apology for the issues encountered by the attendees of the party, we will be offering $50 gift cards redeemable at George or Gin & Tonic to all Building Museum NYE attendees. To have your card sent to you, please register at this site: http://gtggiftcard.eventbrite.com. The password is ###.
 
We would also like to help those of you who left clothing items at the Museum. The Museum will be open to the public today until 5 pm, and again on Monday. All items are locked in the back office and the adjacent room. If you mistakenly picked up someone else’s coat, please let us know and we will do all we can to help connect people in order to find the rightful owners.
 
If you have feedback or have already sent us an email we will respond to every correspondence individually. We hope you have a happy New Year.
Sincerely,
 
Reed and Fritz

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Now, here’s a potluck you might not want to miss. Hosted by DC’s most food friendly bloggers at a U & 14th street condo, this potluck promises “dips, nibbles, sandwiches, desserts and teatime tidbits,” but really, it’s what you make of it.

I’ll be there Wednesday sporting some mini ham and cheese stuffed brioches – inspired by the highly addictive bacon or breakfast brioche found at Buzz Bakery in Alexandria. What are you bringing? RSVP to attend here.

Special thanks to Union Row and co-hosts Gradually Greener, ModernDomestic, The Arugula Files, Capital Spice, Capital Cooking, DininginDC, WeLoveDC, Beerspotter.

Mark you calendar, and let your dish/bottle forge out a name for yourself in the DC foodie scene.

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It’s going to be WILD out there tomorrow. With all the snow coming down tomorrow morning during the thunder storm, we’re thinking there’s a pretty good chance for some decent sledding, if not SKIING.

So, where should you head to, and what’s your weapon of choice?

I did a little internet surfing and WeLoveDC author surveying, and here’s what we came up with (but disclaimer, do not trespass! Please check any signs and be cautious of your boundaries, and ESPECIALLY of oncoming traffic, duh).

Sledding Hills by Location

In the city:

• Meridian Hill Park (NW, U Street) *Recommended by WLDC Author Tom
• Fort Reno (NW by American U.)
• 3545 Williamsburg Lane, NW (NW, Cleveland Park)
• Georgetown University’s old school of dentistry (NW, Burleith)

Northern VA:

• Iwo Jima (Arlington) *Recommended by WLDC Author Katie
• Mt. Reston (Reston)
• Suicide Hill (Alexandria – Martha Custis Dr. & Preston Rd)
• Hill at Mason District Park (Annandale)
• GW Masonic Temple (Alexandria)
• Fairfax County: Best Local Sledding Hills[pdf] (Official!)
• Special recommendation from WLDC’s John: “I’ve always always always wanted to take the MASSIVE hill down Walter Reed that hits the bottom at 4 mile run near Shirlington. It’s more or less a ski ramp. You’d need traffic control as you don’t want to cross the intersection with an oncoming snow plow, but regardless, it would be AWESOME.”

Improvised Sledding Vessels

• Trash bag
• Trash can lid
• Laundry basket
• Skis
• Large cookie sheet?
• Cafeteria tray (… if only)
• Last resort: sled

Where else??? What else??? Tell us.

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So yesterday, I asked you what you preferred, red or white wine, for a chance to win a bottle of each, with personalized wine labels, from Carafe Wines in Old Town, Alexandria.

Out of 52 entrants, 34 of you voted for red and 17 voted for white. And if you count that up, we’re missing one, because one of you (ahem) actually didn’t choose one or the other! Don’t worry, you still got a shot at winning…

Well, congratulations to our very, very lucky winner: Sara! I know there were several Sara’s who entered, and this is specifically entry number 20, who commented:

It’s cold outside–time for red!

Well, Sara. You are right. Red was the winning category. AND, you won two free bottles of wine! But from what it seems, you probably won’t be sequestering the white wine until spring :). Phew. Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who commented/voted! And thanks to Carafe Wines for offering up the contest goods!

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Despite the history, the sculptures, the uniqueness, it’s still kind of hard to wax poetic about Union Station. You see, when Union Station was built, residents lauded the civic project for finally bringing an impressive and worthy gateway for visitors into the nation’s capital. But today, people run in and out of Union Station faster than… well, faster than a speeding train.

‘Flagpole Eagle’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

Did you know that Union Station is DC’s most visited site? With 32 million people in and out of it every year. (All of the Smithsonian’s combined only obtain 28 million visitors.) With all that foot traffic, I’ll bet 31.5 million didn’t stop to look at the history. In fact, I felt like the first person to ever walk into Union Station expecting, *gasp*, some historical explanations! Or, no – maybe even a tour!

‘No crack in this bell’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

But Union Station is all business these days. After falling into disrepair while airplane usage increased, Union Station eventually shut down for good with Congress scrambling to figure out what to do with it. They considered razing it to the ground, but ultimately opted for giving it a chance, as long as it could sustain itself financially in other ways than train service.

‘The old and the new’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

To that end, Union Station took on vendors and restaurants in each of its nooks and crannies. It sells itself out for private parties and the biggest and best of all DC parties, the Inaugural Ball. It serves as the headquarters to Amtrak, and as the bustling center for bus and bike tours of DC.

‘Bikestation DC’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

But despite all the buzz going on within the historical structure itself, I found the real deal just outside the front door. Walking through the 600 foot long facade of arches when exiting Union Station (or entering) makes you feel like an emperor returning in all his glory from a successful battle. The intersection of two Pierre l’Enfant avenues, the curving Columbus circle, the huge lions watching over the Columbus memorial fountain: the symbolism and distinct feelings of dominance and power are overwhelming. And the view of the Capitol just five blocks away only contributes to the awareness that you have just arrived in the nation’s capital.

‘Power! Dominance! Intrigue!’
courtesy of ‘CathyLovesDC’

So the next time you are rushing through Union Station, and it’s a gorgeous day outside just calling you to take a breather, stop by the Columbus circle monuments. Get lost next to the huge Liberty-style bell. Stand under Columbus. See if you stand taller than the eagle. Just take it all in, and remember that you’ve just arrived in the middle of something important, the nation’s capital.

Let’s just say, it’s not the same feeling I get when I’m kissing the ground at Reagan National.

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The age old saga: red or white wine? Well, dear reader, you have your chance to weigh in. Do you prefer the hints of oak and honey in your favorite white or the bursts of cedar and cherries in your reds? Does one pair better with your favorite take-out Thai dish than the other?

Last week, we sat down with Lamar Brown, proprietor of Carafe Wines in Alexandria. He was so pleased with the feedback he received from We Love DC readers after his interview, that he’s offered up a chance for you to win a bottle of each – with your own personalized labels! Holiday gifts anyone?

Vote in the comments – red or white wine, and I’ll use random.org to pick a winner. Lamar is thinking he’ll give away a bottle of his Chardonnay and bottle of his Red Zin. If you’re feeling really lucky, he might even tell you the best carry-out that goes with each bottle.

So, red or white? Oh, and please, do tell us why!

Hurry, voting ends today at 6:00 p.m. I’ll announce the winner of the two free bottles of wine and what the reader consensus is tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

PS – Fan Carafe Wines on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. They’re about to announce a one day sale this Friday on Facebook and Twitter only to award their fans and followers.

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