Dining

Boqueria Bottomless Brunch

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! The weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend and my on regret is not spending more time outside!

One of my all time favorite weekend activities as a DC resident? Brunch.

People who don’t live in DC are mystified by the our brunch obsession. From brunch buffets to bottomless mimosas, there are countless options for a Saturday or Sunday early-afternoon affair. But my personal favorite is the all you can eat small plates option which you can find at most Richard Sandoval restaurants, particulary Masa 14 and El Centro. Endless food and beverages for just $35? Sign me up.

Boqueria, the newest tapas-centric addition to the DC food scene, finally caught on and is now offering an unlimited tapas and drink menu for brunch on Saturday and Sunday for just $35. I love Boqueria. I’ve only been a handful of times, but every visit is better than the last. The food is consistently delicious and the bustling atmosphere is lively and social. I’d highly recommend the brunch as many of the items on the unlimited menu are from Boqueria’s daily menu.

I recommend the pan con tomate (bread with tomato, garlic and olive oil – simple but oh so good!), tortilla espanola (a spanish omelet of eggs, potatoes and spanish onions), espinacas a la catalana (sauteed spinach with garbanzos, pine nuts, garlic and golden raisins), bambas (beef and potatoe croquettes) and slateado de setas (sauteed wild mushrooms, manchego cheese and thyme). I can’t recommed any of the traditional brunch dishes since I haven’t eaten them, but the pancakes and Huevos benedictinos have my mouth watering; not to mention the dessert items – a selection of churros and flan. To wash all that delicious food down, choose as many beverages as you like from four types of sangrias, a mimosa or a draft beer.

In case you still aren’t convinced you need to pay a visit to Boqueria, I’ll leave you with some food for thought.

556085_10150966791432517_1711087055_n — Photo from Boqueria

District Dining: BLT Steak

In my mind, a special occasion calls for a special meal. I used to work around the corner from BLT Steak and would, on special occasions, allow myself to split an impossibly delicious $18 burger with my friend Kelly. Yes, it really was that good.

I taunted my husband with tales of truffle fries and Gruyere cheese popovers until he couldn’t stand it any longer,and so it was the restaurant of choice for our one year anniversary. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, remembering the warm, cheesy, buttery goodness of the popovers and questioning how a burger could taste so good.

We were seated promptly for our 6:30 reservation on a Monday evening, which was not surprising considering we were one of 2 tables. Our waitress was wonderful and extremely knowledgeable; the service throughout the entire meal was impeccable and the General Managers came by our table several times just to make sure we were happy.

The meal began with bread, bread and more bread. First, we were treated to pate with crunchy country bread. Then came the popovers, oh the popovers! Served with sea salt and a touch of butter, these are hands down one of the best food items ever created. BLT provides the recipe and while I have made an excellent attempt at re-creation once or twice, they never taste quite as good as the ones coming out piping hot from BLT’s kitchen.

Our entrees followed – the dry aged 20 oz bone-in NY strip for the hubby – filet mignon for me. Both were sensational. My filet came out under-cooked (I’d asked for medium well and it was still moo-ing), but the server was very apologetic and the general manager, Adam, brought it back cooked to perfection.

For sides, we chose the creamed spinach, stuffed mushroom caps and potato gratin. I know creamed spinach doesn’t sound all that appetizing, but wow, I could eat BLT’s version for every meal. The stuffed mushroom caps were good as well, but next time I would get another potato dish. Not that the potato gratin wasn’t yummy, we finished the whole thing; it’s just that everything else was on a completely different level of deliciousness.

Just when we thought we’d died and gone to foodie heaven, not believing it was possible to fit another thing in our stomachs, they began describing the dessert menu. Holy sugar rush. The lemon cheesecake proved too tempting, so we broke down and ordered it, despite the fact that there was an entire tier of our year old wedding cake waiting at home for us. Yeah, we didn’t think it sounded too appetizing either.

Much to our surprise, we were presented with not one, but two desserts, simply because they thought it was necessary for us to try both! As we alternated between spoonfuls of caramelized lemon cheesecake drizzled with huckleberry sauce and peanut butter chocolate mousse, we both agreed we’d just enjoyed the best meal of our lives.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse with Banana Ice Cream

Caramelized Lemon Cheesecake with Huckleberry Sorbet

Does Halloween count as a special occasion…because I seriously don’t know how long I can wait to go back.

Kinkead’s: Restaurant Week Review

As I mentioned a few days ago, I decided to try out a tried and true DC establishment for Restaurant Week, Kinkead’s. To be honest, I hadn’t really heard much about Kinkead’s but booked the reservation because it had availability for 5 on short notice. Once reserved, I took a glance at the menu online and was instantly convinced the opening was a stroke of good fortune. I was salivating.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by gracious hostesses accompanied by the soft serenade of a piano. We climbed the large staircase to get to our table, taking in the decor which would leave any five girls feeling like they were encroaching on a secret meeting at the Old Boys Club.

Considering I’d already taken a look at the menu online, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the entire menu was available as part of Restaurant Week – a rare find! Usually, you have a very limited selection of courses on a Restaurant Week menu. All of the dishes sounded so appetizing the waiter had to give us some guidance to help us reach our final decisions and I finally settled on the lobster and shrimp bisque, cod and chocolate lava cake.

The lobster and shrimp bisque by far the best bisque I’d ever had, impossibly creamy and robust with crunchy brioche croutons. This picture just doesn’t do it justice.

I also sampled the squid and the tuna soup and what struck me as the most impressive was the different types of flavors of each dish, they ran the full range of Italian to French to Asian – and they were all absolutely delicious.

For an entree, I ordered the North Atlantic cod with crab imperial, ham and scallion corn bread, sweet potato puree, and a mustard cream sauce. It was so enticing, I didn’t even have the patience to snap a picture before digging in. Trust me, you’d do the same. The portion size was perfect, the crab imperial was flavorful without overpowering the dish, the corn bread was salty and sweet and perfectly complemented by the sweet potato puree. I should mention that about halfway into this course, I was stuffed despite the smaller portion size. My girlfriends got the salmon, softshell crab and scallops and everyone was extremely satisfied.

Then out came the chocolate lava cake. It was tasty, but was not on the same level as the rest of the meal. Let’s face it, it’s chocolate so who is gonna say no but the best part was the caramel ice cream. I did have the self restraint to take a picture for this course though, mostly because I was so full.

All in all, we were a very satisfied, very full group. I’d recommend Kinkead’s to anyone looking for a nice, upscale dinner out. The wine list is very expensive, the cheapest bottle will run you $50 and glasses are $12 or more. So, if you’re looking to dine on a budget, lunch is your best bet, particularly since they are extending their Restaurant Week lunch menu through August 24th. Book your reservation now, you won’t be disappointed!