I was having one of THOSE days last Saturday. I woke up to get ready for 1789, hopped in the shower, and the shower head flew off the spout and hit me in the head. Hard. Then I was running late, after the appropriate amount of panicking and curse words and feeling my head for a bump and wound up forgetting my wallet. Then I couldn’t find a parking spot that wasn’t metered, but I had no money. After finally parking, I burst into 1789’s bakery, which isn’t actually attached to the restaurant, and asked for Cathy, who I knew was already there. Everyone looked at me like I had five heads. Was I not at the right place? 1789 is located a block from Georgetown’s campus, right near The Tombs, and intermingles with the other restaurants located next door. I got flustered and tried to explain in a rush of words, “I’m having the worst morning ever, I got hit in the head, forgot my wallet, there’s no parking, you think I’m crazy right? I’m a writer, I’m here to do a story on 1789, I’m looking for Cathy…” Pastry Chef Travis Olson stood up from putting house made crackers on a rack, looked mildly amused at my storm of words and shook my hand and introduced himself. I unleashed the hurricane again. “I’m sorry, I know I’m crazy, I’m just supposed to be meeting Cathy in here, you probably think I’m insane, is this even 1789?” I trailed off. Thankfully, the kind soul of a woman baking bread in the window turns around, and volunteers that there was in fact, a girl dressed in street clothing who was writing an article that came in a few minutes ago looking for the chef. And then, as if on cue, Cathy walked in the kitchen to find me.

So after that sort of an entrance it was only appropriate that Executive Chef Daniel Giusti throw an egg at me. We were waiting for the potatoes to bake for the gnocchi he was going to show us how to make, and he was gathering up our necessary ingredients. Flour, a bowl, a knife, a cutting board, and eggs. He leaned back against the counter holding the two eggs for our pasta and all of a sudden an egg comes flying out of his hand and hits me in the knee, falling to the floor with a huge thwack and busting open. “Why you gotta throw an egg at me?” I laugh. “Haven’t I been through enough today?” Dan dissolves into laughter. “DID YOU EVEN SEE THAT? That was some Houdini shit right there! I didn’t even do anything! I didn’t even move my hand! We better get you out of the kitchen, this is like the worst place for you to be, there are knives in here.” And that’s what I love about the kitchen at 1789, Cathy and I were automatically comfortable there – we wound up having a really fun morning. I can tell why such good food comes out of the kitchen there.

Dan began his culinary career at the original Clyde’s of Georgetown at age 15 as a prep cook. He’s been in the kitchen ever since. He’s moved around a lot, after we started talking about the show The Office, Dan said he had lived in Scranton. He’s also worked in Las Vegas, with his now sous-chef. Chef Giusti earned a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America in 2004, and conducted an externship under Charlie Palmer at Aureole in New York. From April to August 2004, Giusti also spent time in Jesi, Italy, where he took additional culinary classes with a Slow Food program to become a master of regional Italian cooking and further his involvement with the Slow Food movement.

Dan had just hosted a slow food dinner the night before, and talked Cathy and I through some of the ingredients he used. To qualify as slow food, the ingredient (meat, produce, nuts, whatever) must be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work. Dan whipped out a bucket of pistachios he had found, and talked about some of the other slow food he’s looking for for his menu. But the most entertaining was this cheese he’d heard about. “It’s yak cheese. Tibetan yaks, they had so many of them and they tried to restart the economy with them…It’s gross.”

The potatoes finally bake and we start to make the gnocchi. “Most people make it wrong, they add too much flour, and then they’re hard and chewy. You need to handle it as little as possible.” He starts cranking the potatoes in the food mill. “A food mill is something everyone should have,” he tells Cathy. “Funny, because I keep needing a conical strainer,” she says. “And that crap is EXPENSIVE,” I say, remembering when Cathy tried to buy one for herself after our first Capital Chefs article and it was $125. “Who has that in their home kitchen,” Dan jokes. “Probably the same people who cook dishwasher fish.” Dishwasher fish people, we decide, are the worst. They’re just trying to show off. You CAN cook fish in the dishwasher, it does get hot enough, but why do that if you can just cook it in the oven like a normal person?

And that’s what 1789 is really all about – well executed classics, with good quality ingredients. The restaurant’s stated concept is “1789 Restaurant’s concept combines simple, traditional cooking methods, highlighting the flavors and integrity of the region’s best ingredients.” You won’t find dishwasher fish there. For the gnocchi recipe come back at 3 p.m. for Cathy’s part II of Capital Chefs.

1789 Restaurant is located at 1226 36th Street, NW and offers complimentary valet parking (except when you really need it at 10 a.m. in the morning when you forgot your wallet) along with dinner service nightly.

The theme of February 2010 was snow. SNOW EVERYWHERE, in flurries, in blizzards, in mounds. Even I was hesitant to head out in the big storm, only making it out once when I made it over to Westend Bistro to sit at The Pass on Sunday night after Round 1 of the storm had settled. Restaurants in our area struggled to stay open, they weren’t able to get wait staff in, shipments of food weren’t making it through the snowy streets, and even if places were open, it wasn’t the same turnover they would normally get on a Friday or Saturday night. It was a tough month – places were hurting after the break, and institutions like Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup ran happy hours this month to make up for it. I’d encourage you to get back out there in March and support your favorite restaurants, they’re hurting, and don’t you need to get out of the house anyways?

But that PSA isn’t what I’m here about. I’m here about all the things I ate in February that I loved. Unfortunately, when you combine being out of commission for 7 days stuck in my apartment, along with February being a short month, and I think I have broken the record for LEAST amount of places eaten in one month. I did much more cooking for myself than letting others cook for me. Luckily, this short month, when I did eat out, was full of DC classics. I was still able to hit a few of my favorites, and wound up with some delicious dishes, regardless of the time constraints.

‘7/365: Slippery Noodle 1/7/10′
courtesy of ‘@heylovedc’

Where I’ve been: Blue Duck Tavern, Screwtop Wine Bar, Bakeshop, Proof, PS 7’s, Ping Pong Dim Sum, Westend Bistro, Zaytinya, SEI

Cocktail: Lychee Rose Martini at Ping Pong Dim Sum. While I had a miserable experience at Ping Pong a few Fridays ago (the bar was too crowded to sit, the food arrived late, the wait staff was not knowledgeable, and it was super pricey) this cocktail was a beacon of light in an otherwise dim (HA I am so punny) dining experience. So for the record, I’m not a big fan of Ping Pong at the moment, but if you find yourself there against your will (try harder to convince your friends to round the corner to PS 7’s) then the Lychee Rose Martini may very well save your night. It’s made with Bombay Sapphire, rose petals, lemon and lychee juice, and its the perfect pink drink. The rest I’l leave, but the martini, I’ll take.

Bread Basket: Wasabi Guacamole and Wonton Chips at SEI. I had a struggle with breadbaskets this month (I’ve already named Zaytinya’s bread basket to Eat Like Me, or it would have been the clear winner) and so I turn to a not-quite breadbasket (especially since you have to order and pay $9 for it) but the Asian guac and chips at SEI are a fun intro to a meal. The guac is spiked with just enough wasabi (not too much, no clearing of the sinuses) and served with a lime to squeeze over the avocado. The fried wontons are just like big versions of those that come in Chinese take out, and SEI does a good job of refilling the chips.

Appetizer: Cheddar Bacon Bruchetta at Screwtop Wine Bar. I was joking with a friend a while back about how you have to like bacon and cheese to eat at Screwtop. You can’t escape either – the entire menu is built around the two fabulous fatty foods. This appetizer, slices of toasted french bread topped with a cheesy, creamy bacon concoction, combines both into happy bacon cheese oblivion.

‘Privacy Booths – Blue Duck Tavern’
courtesy of ‘prettylovelythings’

Entree: Braised Beef Ribs from Blue Duck Tavern. A true classic from one of DC’s most beloved eateries, the braised ribs at Blue Duck are succulent, savory and gorgeous. While Blue Duck’s interior is super swanky, I also love the focus on sustainability and local sourcing. It’s such an all-around winner: great food, great place, great ingredients.

Dessert: Coupe from Westend Bistro. YOU GUYS. I have a crush. A girlie, all-consuming, all out crush on the coupe at WEB. It is this saucy little minx of a dessert – Chef Joe Palma basically crafted a glorified ice cream sundae served in a bowl together with fresh fruit, lemon custard and sorbet. If all of DC decided coupe was the next big dessert trend for spring and summer I’d be the happiest girl alive. HINT HINT.

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RAMW has announced a week of dining out specials the week of March 1-7th that they’re calling “Unleashed”. As Amanda at Metrocurean alludes to, it’s probably helpful for the restaurants to rally and bring diners in after the big snowstorm of February.

My recommendations for specials to take advantage of?

20% off Dinner sushi at Kaz Sushi Bistro
4-course dinner for $35 per person at The Melting Pot
Tuscan Tasting Menu with Chianti flight for $40 per person at Potenza
Complimentary bottle of prosecco at Urbana

The full list is in this PDF right here. Good eating, DC.

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We here at We Love DC love the Bell. We also love free food. Those things together make for an extra lovable FREE FOOD ALERT: free fresco tacos at Taco Bell. Just print and use this here coupon.

For information on Taco  Bell locations in the DC area, refer to the comments in Rachel’s “Dude Where’s My Taco Bell” post.

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I met Matt and Patrick, the owners of Capital City Diner, last September. I stopped by the former used car parking lot on Bladensburg Road to tour the then mid-construction diner. They had a chain-link fence up around the restaurant, and there was a gaping hole in the ground where grass now grows. The guys had been waiting on plumbing inspection, and Patrick had decided to dig a hole himself for the water connection, since it would speed up the process. The history of Capital City Diner’s permit getting has been well documented here on We Love DC and over at Young & Hungry. In short, it’s been a mess. “Is it to the point that it’s funny? You guys have had such a tough time, that all you can do is laugh.” I asked Matt in December. “No. It’s definitely not funny,” he replied, looking frustrated. I heard a sordid tale of ridiculous permits, incompetent government workers, and a process so frustrating I probably would have just quit. So when I was invited to a soft opening at the diner over the weekend, I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait to belly up to the counter on a stool and get a first look at what Matt and Patrick have worked so hard for.

I couldn’t have asked for more. It is exactly what I had pictured when I heard the vision – Trinidad’s first sit-down restaurant serving true diner food to H street hipsters, city workers and neighborhood folks alike. I remembered listening to Matt and Patrick talk about their vision for who would come by. Matt told me about the city workers shifts, and how there isn’t a good place to grab breakfast at the crack of dawn in the neighborhood. He told me all about the neighbors who have stopped by the diner to inquire about jobs, some of them laid off chefs from DC’s hotels and restaurants, hoping to help out. The guys explained their vision of staffing entirely from the neighborhood so that they kept integrated into the tight-knit community, and were able to employ the people that would keep them in business. The more I heard them talk, the more I believed in what they were doing. And while a soft opening, when a restaurant isn’t yet open (they open tomorrow, Tuesday the 23rd, for the public), is a great time to identify issues, figure out processes, and basically work through the kinks, I saw a huge, burgeoning success story.

The diner is tiny. It is, of course, a real life diner. Food is cooked out in the open, line chefs shouting at the waitress, the phone ringing to take orders, customers talking amongst themselves. You get a first-row ticket to a dramatic performance of food: orders in, orders out, to-go orders, a lost order, a confused order. It is breakfast theater, and I loved every second.

Cooks at Cap City serve up plenty of short-order fare, ranging from all-day waffles to rotating specials like pork chops and meatloaf. Even a T-bone steak. “Real meat!” cried the man sitting next to me. It’s exactly the type of quintessential American food you’ve been craving after one too many pretentious sushi lunches out with the bossman.

My huge pecan pancakes were stacked over crispy, perfect hash browns. I smothered them in syrup, and dug in. It was a breakfast to rival a grubby brunch at IHOP, except better, because it’s local and comes with character.

Seasoned scrambled eggs are served next to a waffle with strawberry compote. The waffles are pressed from a cast-iron waffle maker.

Patrick and Matt also wanted to offer something unique: good soda. Being a southern girl, I’m thrilled the guys imported Cheerwine, a delicious cherry soda usually only available in the Carolinas. They also offer Boylan’s, Mexican Coca Cola, and other specialty pop.

The diner is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Only a few blocks from The Argonaut on Maryland, and diagonally across from Jimmy Valentine’s, the diner is sure to become a late-night post-H Street destination. The coffee is good, the food is greasy. A match made in heaven.

Stop by the Capital City Diner starting tomorrow at 6 a.m.  Capital City Diner is located at 1050 Bladensburg Road Northeast. Call in your to-go order at (202) 683-7446.

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JUST IN, FREE FOOD ALERT via the lovely and adorable Missy Frederick from the Washington Business Journal, Auntie Anne’s everywhere will be giving away free pretzels tomorrow.

“Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. you can get a free regular or cinnamon sugar pretzel at any Auntie Anne’s location. There’s a limit of one per customer. More details here.”

I have a weak spot for Auntie Anne’s greasy delicious pretzels as my favorite shopping and airport snack. I’m going to make it a point to hunt one down tomorrow.

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DC cleaned UP in the James Beard Award nominations this year with some great restaurants being recognized. I don’t agree with every single nomination, but when does that happen with awards? Winners will be announced at the highly-anticipated James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception, taking place on Monday, May 3, 2010 at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Here’s who you’re rooting for, DC:

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR:
Ashok Bajaj, 701, Ardeo, Bardeo, Bibiana Osteria-Entoteca, The Bombay Club, The Oval Room, and Rasika, Washington, D.C.

OUTSTANDING CHEF:
Jose Andres (Minibar, Washington, D.C.)

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT:
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR:
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT:
Trummer’s on Main, Clifton, VA
Eventide, Arlington, VA
J & G Steakhouse, Washington, D.C.

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF:
Amanda Cook, CityZen at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL:
Derek Brown, The Passenger, Washington, D.C.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE:
Marcel’s, Washington, D.C.

BEST CHEF MID-ATLANTIC:
Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
Tony Conte, The Oval Room, Washington, D.C.
Peter Pastan, Obelisk, Washington, D.C.
Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.

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Cabin Fever not out of your system yet? I haven’t been able to shake it, even though my entire weekend was insane. Lucky for me, and for you, Jose Andres’ restaurants are stepping up to the task of entertaining us for cheap, as Cafe Atlantico, Jaleo, Zaytinya and Oyamel elongate their happy hours all night this week, for their “Warm Up Week” event. Here are the specials:

STARTING TONIGHT:

Zaytinya is extending their Mezze Ora, a happy hour I adore: $4 pomfili and Yuengling draft beer and Almaza bottle, $4 selected red and white wines by the glass and $4 mezze specials.

Jaleo is having $4 tapa and drink specials, sangria and draft beer.

Oyamel extends Hora Feliz featuring $4 classic margarita, ponche and selected draft beer, 2 for $4 taco specials and half off all wines by the glass.

STARTING WEDNESDAY:

Cafe Atlantico starts their specials on Wednesday (to allow for Carnival) and they are having half-off their entire bar menu, half price mojitos (some of my favorite in town!) and $5 Dos Equis and red/white wine.

The offers will last until Sunday. As I was writing this, I realized that Cafe Atlantico’s mojito and Zaytinya’s pomfili have both wound up as top cocktails for the Eat Like Me feature in the past. I think Jose Andres has some of the best drinks in the city, due to the hard work of superstar Jill Zimorski and the head mixologists at each of the restaurants. So cheers to no more snow, and cheap drinking for the rest of the week.

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My roommate and I were walking around the city yesterday in awe of the ginormous piles of snow across the city. It’s not looking like it’ll warm up any time soon, so what are we going to do with these HUGE masses of snow?

I had a chance to talk with a snow disposal specialist in Arlington who was directing snow removal efforts along Clarendon Boulevard. He had four dump trucks and a front end loader scooping up snow off the streets and loading into the truck. “Where do you take the snow?” I asked. “Well, there are locations across the county,” he told me. “We take the snow there and then there is a huge coil that melts it down into water.” Arlington County lists four snow holding locations: S. Clark St. site (just off Old Jefferson Davis Hwy), Future Long Bridge Park (also off Old Jefferson Davis Hwy), Virginia Highlands parking lot (off S. Hayes St. near 15th) and Barcroft #6 parking lot (off Four Mile Run Dr. near George Mason Drive).

Arlington County Environmental Services says, “The County’s snow melter can melt roughly 60 tons of snow per hour. The melted snow will drain into the County’s stormwater sewer system, much like stormwater runoff from a rainstorm.” Arlington says other factors will help speed up removal. “Mother Nature is also expected to aid in the effort as warmer temperatures and sunshine return.”

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So we’ve been getting tons of requests from readers to do a post on what is open and what is not. The problem though, is that it keeps changing. Every time I hear a place is open, 20 minutes later they decide to close. This isn’t quite the same snow storm as it was over the weekend, the wind is insane, snow is deeper, and Metro is effed. So restaurants that were hoping to be open tonight have been forced to close, or close early, so the status of places just keeps changing. And I love you, but I’m not sitting here all night updating this post. There is television to be watched, and nails to be painted and naps to be had. So you know the saying, if you teach a man to fish, that one? Well I’m gonna teach you to fish, little reader. Here is how you can figure out if your favorite restaurant is open.

1) Check out Twitter. I don’t care if you think Twitter is nerdy and you don’t want to know what someone’s dog did or what whatshisface ate for lunch, Twitter is where it is at during this snow storm for restaurants to update patrons with their status. Use WeLoveDC’s food list to browse for all your favorites and check out their statuses. If you’re not sure the restaurant has a Twitter account, all you need to do is Google the name and Twitter (ie: “CommonWealth Gastropub Twitter”) and it should pop right up for you.

2) Pick up the phone. I realize this is OH GOD SO OLD SCHOOL and wouldn’t it be nice if someone just wrote it out for you without you having to speak to a human, but have you looked outside? It is Grade A cray cray and conditions keep changing, so for information from their mouth to your ears, you just need a cell phone. Call ‘em up.

3) Follow the hashtag #opendc on Twitter. Lots of people are using this to update each other with open restaurants, museums and more.

4) Check the comments of THIS post. Lots of restaurants have been diligent about posting on our last post, and so let’s try TAKE TWO and have them update for tonight in the comments of this one. Restaurants? People in-the-know? Take it away in the comments.

Hope that helps, my snow bunnies. Stay safe out there! And drink one for me.

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Each month for Eat Like Me I tend to write about a theme I’ve been pondering for the month. I spend a lot of time in restaurants, and tend to focus on specific aspects of the business over time. Sometimes I just wonder in awe of the whole concept of a restaurant, sometimes I spend time thinking about the concept of resting at a restaurant and what you get when you pay for a meal. Other times I worry about myself, in specific, my snob factor. This month, I’ve been pondering dish composition.

It may sound trite, but I’ve been paying special attention to plates I love, and plates I find to be too complex. First and foremost for me, a restaurant can only be as good as it’s ingredients. They are a baseline to start from, we hear this straight from the Chefs time and time again in our Capital Chefs series. But once you’ve got quality ingredients to work with, the whole plight of a chef is putting them together in a way that brings out the best in each of them. This month I’ve been subjected to a few over-kill dishes. Dishes that have too much on a plate, where a subtraction of one thing could have made a balanced composition. It’s a delicate balance for a chef to walk, you don’t want the diner to be bored, but overfussing a plate can kill an order for me as much as a bland dish with too little going on. So this month’s Eat Like Me is all about dishes that pair the elements on the plate in harmony, balancing perfectly, simply, and letting well-chosen ingredients speak for themselves.

Oh, before I launch into this – I couldn’t fit Masa 14’s brunch into the list but it is fantastic. My new favorite brunch in the city. Consider yourself informed.

‘Zaytinya’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Where I’ve been: Matchbox, Sticky Rice, Tarbouch, Bistrot Lepic, Georgia Brown’s, The Source, Bibiana, Urbana, Poste, Oyamel, Zaytinya, Kaz Sushi Bistro, Rasika, Bond 45, Birch & Barley, Old Ebbitt Grill, Masa 14, Minh’s

Cocktail: Pom-fili at Zaytinya. This Greek take on sangria is a lovely mix of white wine, vodka, Triple Sec and pomegranate juice. Zaytinya serves these sweet but not too-sweet cocktails for half price at happy hour, as well as by the pitcher.

Bread: Cornbread and Biscuits at Georgia Brown’s. You know the bread basket at a place is good when I look forward to it when I plan my trip to a restaurant. Georgia Brown’s biscuit and corn bread combination served with peach butter is just a classic bread basket for me in DC. The right balance of savory and sweet, but also southern comfort food for me, I’m glad they will even serve it to you at the bar with an appetizer. It is not to be missed.

Appetizer: TIE: Grilled Octopus at Birch & Barley and Palak Chaat at Rasika. Both of these appetizers are unbelievable. I wrote up the Grilled Octopus from Birch & Barley for the column I do at Washington Life, waxing poetic about the accompanying pickled eggplant. The fingerling salad makes the dish inviting to tuck into and the fried capers add a spark. It is a perfectly composed plate. But its January brethren, the Palak Chaat at Rasika battles it out for first. Fried spinach with a yogurt sauce and date chutney doesn’t sound like it would be so fantastic, but (and forgive me for this phrase, it is the first time I’ve ever written it, but never has it been so appropriate) it is like a firework show of flavor.

‘Day 251: Bibiana’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Entree: Paccheri Pasta at Bibiana. Served on the restaurant week menu, I can’t stop thinking about this dish from Bibiana. Oversized house made Rigatoni is tossed with a light oil sauce and Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, and Roasted Pine Nuts. The texture and flavor combination are fantastic – the light oil has a kick to it and the sweetness of the raisins and the starch from the cauliflower balance out the spice. This is a destination dish worthy of a visit to Bibiana for.

Dessert: Chocolate Bread Pudding at Poste. I forget how much I like Poste between visits. I don’t know why, the place is gorgeous, and the food is impeccable, but somehow, each visit, I am thrilled anew at the fussy presentation and complicated dishes that come out of the kitchen. I love the unique presentation, egg served in an eggshell, small bites served in a bowl atop sugar. It is a fresh awe each time, and I’m never disappointed. The warm bread pudding with milk chocolate ice cream and toffee is a dessert that fills you up, sticks to your bones, and sends you out into the winter night still glowing.

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Oh, what you’re not sick of time lapses? ME NEITHER. Good. Here’s another, this one by Andrew Cutaro. I like this one for it’s longevity, and daily life action (clearing the car, walking the dog, sidewalk shoveling, etc.).

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There are only a handful of people that understand what it is like to eat at 84 places in 6 months. Ashley Messick is one of them. Funny, adorable, and one of my favorite food writers in the city, Ashley embarked upon a year-long project of eating at every single one of the 2009 Washingtonian 100 Best Restaurants list. She’s been called crazy, but I fully understand her plight. She recently completed her 100, and so we had a chance to chat about the project, what she loved, what she hated, and a weird waiter at Circle Bistro.

Katie: How long have you lived in the DC area?
Ashley: My whole life! I grew up in suburban Maryland and moved in to the District after college.

What would you change about DC if you could?
I’d make the Metro a little more accessible. If you want to go up and down Connecticut Avenue it’s pretty great, but other than that you’re destined for a long ride or a long walk or a long wait. I never like to compare D.C. to New York because I think they’re completely different, but New York blows us out of the water when it comes to convenient mass transportation.

Why did you start the From Komi to Marvin challenge?
Looking back, I can’t believe how flippantly I made the decision to start this project. It was like, “I think I’ll drop off my drycleaning, have a grilled cheese for lunch and eat at all the 100 best restaurants in a year.” I’ve always considered myself an expert when it came to recommending restaurants, so when I realized I had only tried about a third of the best restaurants after living here 25 years, I figured I should probably try and eat at the rest. For research purposes only, of course.

What was the worst meal you had? Best meal?
The best meal was absolutely Komi. Not only was the food some of the best I’ve ever eaten, but the restaurant is so casual and comfortable that I didn’t feel like I had to whisper or sit up straight or use the correct fork all the time. I think it’s uncommon to eat world-class food in such a friendly atmosphere. The worst was probably Circle Bistro—the service was unbelievably bad, the food wasn’t very good and my dessert had never been cooked. Raw flour isn’t exactly what I’m looking for in a dessert.

What do you regret or what would you do over in the challenge?
I wish I had been better about writing up my posts right after I ate. I could usually still remember what I ate, but I ran in to problems when I would have a backlog of unwritten posts. I sat on the post for Inn at Little Washington for almost two weeks—I knew with such a great meal and my babbling abilities it would take me years to write the thing.

Name your ideal day of DC meals – what would you eat for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and drinks?
For breakfast it would probably be one of the breakfast burritos at Surfside—it’s my neighborhood hangout and I think for a few months I should have just filtered my paycheck directly to them. For lunch, I would go with the buttered chicken from Fojol Brothers. I just started liking Indian food, and sitting in the grass and eating their delicious (and inexpensive) eats is pretty great. For a snack, I’d trek over to H St. NE and have the tater tots with sriracha dip at Sticky Rice. Well worth the drive. Dinner is a tough one, but I would probably hit Hanks Oyster Bar and order whatever the special is for that night. And I’d force whoever is eating with me to order the lobster roll, since I can’t walk in there and not order it. Last but not least, I’d go for drinks at The Gibson. It’s amazing that I can feel so classy at a bar that sets their drinks on fire.

What are you going to do with all your free time now that you’ve conquered your 100? Any projects in the pipeline? No big plans right now for my next list to devour.
Maybe the 100 best books? Or the 100 best movies? More likely though, I will probably watch the top 100 episodes of Project Runway.

What is the oddest thing to happen to you in all your dining out? A weird waiter? A gross dish?
I think our waiter at Circle Bistro was the strangest. When checked in for our noon reservation (at noon), the waiter told us they didn’t open until 11:30am. Then when he brought our coffee, he said the one he had was made a few hours ago and was “pretty bad”. It just got weirder from there. We asked him to split our checks between to credit cards and he put $.85 on one card and everything else on the other. It was like we were on a hidden camera show.

What do you think of the new Washingtonian 100 list? Anything you’re happy to see move up? Anything you’re glad got kicked off?
I think the list is great, though I think their definition of “greater Washington” is a little screwy. Columbia is pretty far to go for dinner in my opinion. I’m glad to see Cava made the list, and I’m thrilled to see Addie’s back. Both are favorites of mine, and it’s nice to see some lesser expensive options for us foodies.

What would you tell DC Chefs if they would listen?
It’s a recession folks, $60 entrees are so 2007.

Read up on all of Ashley’s food adventures at her blog, From Komi to Marvin, and for her current going-ons, follow her on Twitter.

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So you’ve got a snow day off, but you’ve gone a raging case of cabin fever, right? Lunch, my friend. Lunch is the answer. I’ve got some suggestions for you if you’re looking to eat for a cause, if you’re looking to eat for $10, and if you’re looking to snag one of the best burgers in town. So read on, lunch muncher, let’s do this.

EAT FOR GOOD: On Monday, February 8th, (today, for those of you snowbombed wondering what day today is) Proof will donate 25% of every lunch and dinner check to Restaurants for Relief-Haiti, a program developed and administered by Share Our Strength. Share Our Strength will grant 100% of funds raised through Restaurants for Relief-Haiti to organizations such as the World Food Programme and Partners in Health, first-responders who are on the ground providing food, temporary shelter, medical care and other vital services. Proof is located at 775 G Street, NW, directly across from the National Portrait Gallery and one block from the Verizon Center and the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro rail station.

EAT CREATIVE: Also in Chinatown, Zengo has great lunch service – $10 rice and noodle bowls and $13 to $19 bento boxes. The bento boxes include sushi rolls, miso soup and a tasty wakame-hijiki salad.

EAT FANCY: Saddle up to the bar at Bourbon Steak in Georgetown and grab a burger meal (including drink!) for $21. Grab the Oak-Fired Prime dry-aged steak burger, with house made pickles, Cabot clothbound cheddar and a secret sauce, or the Glazed Salmon, made Bahn Mi style, with garden cilantro, jalapenos and shredded carrots. Vegetarians will enjoy the Vegetarian Falafel Burger, with tahini, tomatoes and parsley – a recipe passed down from Michael Mina’s mother.The burger accompaniments include the Trio of Duck Fat Fries served with a choice of dipping sauces, the Beer Battered Red Onion Rings and the Market Greens. On your way out, grab one of Varley’s brownies for dessert.

EAT CHEAP: Grab a table at Zola in Penn quarter and land yourself lunch for $12. Choose from homemade soups or salads coupled with a sandwich or featured entrée. Or, if you like the special, you can grab whatever Executive Chef Bryan Moscatello has whipped up as the $10 lunch special. Recent $10 lunches have been shrimp a la plancha with chorizo and potato hash; barbecued veal brisket with coleslaw or barbecued roast pork loin.

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A lot of people cook while bored, and uh, I think we’re ALL bored at this point. So open up that pantry, locate your ingredients, and then check out the archives of some of my favorite DC cooking blogs for inspiration. All written by fabulous DC ladies, these three blogs are my go-to spots when I’m looking for a recipe. And since all the authors live in DC, I love the first-hand accounts of farmer’s markets and grocery stores I can go to myself.

Olga over at Mango Tomato whips up some delicious cookies, but that stack of mozzerella and beets looks divine. You should be so lucky to have beets and cheese in your fridge.

Looking for something to bake? Jenna at Modern Domestic has you covered. She’s got some lovely suggestions of sweet treats to bake in snopocolypse, some of them look good enough that I might be willing to trudge to the store to pick up the necessary ingredients.

Last but not least, one of the first cooking blogs I discovered in DC, The Arugula Files, never lets me down. Mary is fun, smart and savvy, and her cooking is as well. Her blood orange salsa sounds fresh and tasty!

So get to clickin’, and then get to cookin’, I expect a full report of what you made in the comments.

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We’re a good few hours away from the end of the storm, which should taper off around 8 p.m. tonight, but here’s a look at our flickr contributor’s snow pictures from the great storm of 2010 thus far. Snapped some snow photographs of your own and want to see them here? Add them to the We Love DC pool on flickr! We’re always looking for great pictures of DC from our local photographers.

‘2010:36′
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’

‘aerial snow’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99′

‘Streetlights & Poles’
courtesy of ‘Carly & Art’

‘36:365′
courtesy of ‘.lissa.’

‘Fallen tree’
courtesy of ‘chickenofeathers’

‘Picture 156′
courtesy of ‘Columbia Heights Climber’

‘SNOMG-7′
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [''o ]‘

‘Front loaders.’
courtesy of ‘Micha84′

‘SNOMG-1′
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [''o ]‘

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[Update 2/8, 11AM] Hey there – if you’re reading this now that the blizzard is over (for now…) maybe you’d like some more topical information, like Katie’s updates on lunch specials available on Monday, Feb 8th.

If you’re like me, the thought of spending an entire 24 hours in your apartment makes you a little batty. In the snowstorms of recent past, my lovely roomie and I have zipped up our boots, slung on our hats and trudged out into the great beyond in the name of burgers and beer, searching for the only place along Wilson and Clarendon to be open. I love the neighborhood-y feel DC gets in the snow; everyone emerging from warm apartments and the air filled with a little buzz of excitement and “we’re all in this together”-ness. So where can you find your neighbors? Here’s a great list to get you started. Some of my favorites are hosting snow specials, so I’ve got an entire section on that, just for you, because I love you. Plus, omg, A MAP! Tom made a map, places with specials are in red, places that are open are blue. Cheers to the snow.
View Snowstorm Restaurant Specials in a larger map

‘winter wonderland’
courtesy of ‘mofo’

The Specials:

I love these places for having the foresight to make it cheaper for everyone to eat and drink in the snow. Grade A.

M Bar in the Renaissance Washington, DC Dupont Circle Hotel (formerly Renaissance M Street) is doing Snow Day happy hour specials – $4.50 well cocktails all day Saturday and on Sunday for the game, they will have “MVP” specials – a selection of drinks with male-name liquors (the “MVPs”) like Jack Daniels or Jose Cuervo – $4.00 all day
At Jackson 20, Chef Dennis Marron will give away a free dinner entrée for the best snow sculpture in the courtyard on Saturday. Judging is at 5 p.m. and the restaurant will be serving hot cider and hot chocolate all afternoon. They’re also giving away free cider and hot chocolate, so if you’re not in it to win it, you can still watch the snow sculptures with a hot drink.
Head over to Urbana for a “Baby it’s cold outside beach party”. Anyone who comes in with summer gear – flip flops, sunhat, beach balls… whatever (they can be creative) can enjoy summer cocktails for $5: sea breeze, Bahama mammas, bay breezes, rum runners, margaritas. They’ll be playing summer-inspired beach music and the heat will be cranked up.
Poste’s two hot drinks will be half-off (*usually $11). Who’s Your Toddy? (made with maker’s mark bourbon, benedictine, batavia arrack, lemon peel); and Hot Buttered Rum (made with 10 cane rum, ron cartavio gold rum, butter, brown sugar, spices).
Z-Burger is at it again, “We were open for the entire Snowpocalypse in December so you know you can count on us for the Snogasm” says Peter Tabibian, owner of Z-Burger in Tenleytown. Z-Burger is going to give away $1 burgers once we hit 1 foot of snow declared by the National Weather Service for Washington, DC.
On H street, NE for every 6″ of snow, $1 off any drink Palace Of Wonders, The Pug, Sticky Rice, Little Miss Whiskeys and Jimmy Valentines.
Bastille in Old Town has you covered. They’re offering their full menu but in honor of the storm, the specials will be Chef/Owners Christophe Poteaux and Michelle Garbee’s favorite comfort foods: cassoulet and pot roast — French and American, just like them! Give them a ring (703-519-3776) so they’ll know to expect you, and they’ll keep the mulled wine warm.
Science Club will be offering blizzard specials. They’ll be announcing hourly specials throughout the storm on Twitter.
Lebanese Taverna has a “plan ahead and call” dinner special for Friday, Feb 5th, for take out only. A $19.99 four course dinner for two including House salad, Hommos, Chicken Shawarma or Shawarma.
Dino is serving their “winter menu of stick to your ribs food.” plus offering thier Wine Madness special of 33% off wines 50+.

‘drink in the view…………’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

Restaurants and Hotel Bars:

This is a no-brainer. They basically have to be open. But some of them are taking it farther than others:

Westend Bistro is open all weekend! To boot, one of my favorites in the city, Chef Joe Palma is going to debut 4 new menu items on Sat, along with an all new “Bistro Classics” dessert menu.
Fahrenheit and Degrees Bar & Lounge in Ritz-Carlton Georgetown will be open all weekend. I dig the BBQ pork sliders there.
Blue Duck Tavern will be open, and the regular menu will be served. Get the fries. And the beef. Mmm…
Art and Soul is going to remain open this weekend. They’re also planning on having the TVs tuned in to the Super Bowl on Sunday!

’sparkly bar’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

Stand-Alones:

You gotta give these places props for staying open in the storm. Tip well, since the employees are probably working weird, long hours.

J.Paul’s in Georgetown is going to stick it out in the snow!
Ping Pong Dim Sum will be serving up flowering tea to Chinatown residents. “We plan on being open given it doesn’t compromise the safety of our employees,” said Myca Ferrer, Ping Pong Sales Manager.
Evening Star Cafe in Del Ray will holding a chili cook-off between Chef Will Artley and his sous chefs, says Nycci Nellis.
Dairy Godmother opens today at 11 am in order to beat the weather! In the shop now making sticky toffee pudding. Tollhouse cookie is the flavor of the day.
Screwtop Wine Bar in Arlington is staying open Friday & Saturday for Lunch (11:30-3pm) & Dinner (5-10pm).
Room 11 in Columbia Heights will be open throughout the snow – plus they’ll be offering some Super Specials on Sunday.
Rustico is planning on staying open, but call beforehand to make sure.
B. Smith’s, in Union Station is open as long as Metro is running.
At RIS it’s business as usual, stop by for some of my favorite comfort food! (And Ris a great place to watch snow with the floor to ceiling windows!)
Boulevard Woodgrill is staying open all storm long.
Both Matchbox locations will be open with normal business hours.
Baked & Wired is going to be making baked goods during the snow, stop by!
Ceiba is in.

Any additional suggestions? Leave ‘em in the comments.

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I interrupt the snow coverage to bring you some HIGHLY DISTURBING NEWS that MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE BUT IF IT IS I WILL CRY AND IT WILL BE BAD AND YOU DON’T WANT ME TO CRY DO YOU? NO YOU DO NOT.

Wagamama’s may not be opening. Says this thread at Don Rockwell.

YOU GUYS. THIS IS NOT OKAY. I REPEAT. NOT OKAY. I WAS SO EXCITED.

I’ll be in the bathroom with tissues if you need me.

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First, there was meat week. And after I announced it, former WLDC author Jasmine astutely pointed out that every week is meat week, really. Which is a point I totally agree on – it is absolutely easier to eat meat in this city than it is NOT to eat meat. Enter: DC Meat Free Week. DC Vegan has put together a delicious sounding week of vegan menus, starting February 6 and running through the 12th and I have to say, it looks mighty tasty.

With some of my favorite restaurants like The Source and Restaurant Nora, on the list of participating places, this isn’t something to scoff at. DC Vegan also reports, “Two of the restaurants are debuting new vegan menus, and one is offering discounted rates off their regular prices. Gene Baur, Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder, will be attending dinner one night. And two of the events are fundraisers, including one with all profits donated to Haitian relief.”

I’m sold – eating ethically is important. I can’t wait to see some of of our cities finest restaurants step up to the challenge.

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So when you’re not dating someone on Valentine’s Day you pretty much just want the day to disappear.  So there’s no graceful way to start this post, I’m going to just dive right into all things that you should do on Valentine’s Day when you’re not really celebrating it. I don’t call it the anti-Valentine’s Day, because it’s not exactly. I’ve got advice for the ladies who like to go out with their friends, for those of you who need dinner but don’t want to be around goopy couples all over each other, for people thinking they’ll get lucky in love on the day made for love, and for guys who want to go out with their friends. So read on, romancer, and let’s start forgetting this holiday ever existed.

Go Somewhere That Doesn’t Have a Menu For Couples (cause that makes us want to vom).

On Saturday, February 13th, AGAINN will feature an anti-Valentine’s Day menu for singles with a three-course menu inspired by the cuisine of the British Isles, priced at $39 per person. Prepared by Executive Chef Wesley Morton, the menu begins with a choice of Celery Root Soup served with Stilton Mousse and Grated Apples or House-made Black Pudding served with a Fried Egg, Petite Mustard Greens and Toast followed by a choice of Grilled Salmon Served with King Richard Leeks, Olive Oil Crusted Butterball Potatoes and Watercress Broth or Mixed Grill of Tamworth Pork with 10-Hour Roast Shoulder, Crispy Belly, House-Made Sausage and Sage Dumplings Served with Brussels Sprouts and Heirloom Apple Sauce. For the perfect ending, guests will dine on Spotted Dick Served with Maple Rum Custard. I am going to refrain from jokes about dicks.**

‘Champagne’
courtesy of ’simon_cocks’

Go Out With The Girls (cause, you know, chicks before dicks.) (annnd there’s my dick joke.**)

Poste is offering everyone roses. Rose wine, that is. A weekend of roses, in fact, starting Friday. I think it would be super cute to belly up to the bar with your closest girlfriends and sip classy wine and ignore the couple making out in the corner. Poste is offering a choice of ½ dozen or dozen roses. The 1/2 dozen rose option ($20) will include 2 oz pours of 3 different sparkling roses (to be paired with dinner). The one dozen option ($35) will offer 4 oz pours of the 3 different sparkling wines. Chef will also do a special of Randall Lineback Rose Veal Schnitzel with winter black truffle risotto. So basically, go get drunk on pink wine. WIN.

Go Somewhere To Meet People Who Are Also Single. (I have no snarky parenthesis here.)

So if Facebook and Twitter are the new phone number, then Restaurant 3 has you covered. Throughout the week of Valentine’s Day, guests at 3 in Arlington will no longer have stare at a number entered into their Blackberry with the name “hot girl” and wonder who it is. With the help of fill-in-the-blank napkins, your path to love is clear. These handy napkins come already printed with space for a name, phone number, twitter feed and Facebook page, and tell you exactly where the encounter happened. So no matter how fuzzy your memories of the night before, it’s all right there for you. The Fill-in-the-Blank napkins will be available at 3 throughout the week of Valentine’s Day.

In the vein of things that sound awful to me but might sound fun to you, PassionFish in Reston is holding a “Singles Mixer” on Saturday for an evening of delicious cocktails, hors d’oeurves, and endless possibilities. At a steep $70 per person, you should be hoping for more than endless possibilities, you should be hoping for a sure thing.

Go Out With The Guys. Or, Err… Don’t. (Brought to you by Kirk)

This is what happened when I tried to come up with ideas for what activities guys could do with their guy friends on Valentine’s Day.

[Setting: Gchat]
me: ok help. so, i’m doing an anti-valentine’s day round up of what the heck to do when you’re not dating someone on valentine’s day and i’ve got a bunch of girls ideas but would guys actually go out in a group of guys for valentine’s day? that sounds very un-manly. if you were to, though, what would you do?
WLDC Author Kirk: play video games and think of all the money we’re saving by not having to take anyone to dinner and not having to buy flowers, or jewelry or candy
me: HAHAHAHAHAHA. right. but where, if you were to go out?
Kirk: no.
Kirk: it’s just a state of mind
me: DAMN IT KIRK WORK WITH ME
Kirk: haha
me: i mean i get that it’s a reach
Kirk: going out on v-day is not what single, hetero guys do

So, fine. Whatever, dudes, you’re on your own.

You’re in love and dating and are going to be that smooshy couple on Valentine’s and are still reading this post trying to see if I throw you a bone.

FINE. Here’s what a link to my Restaurants For Any Stage of Your Relationship post. Don’t say I never did anything for you.

(**SORRY MOM)

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