In Washington DC, locals have a plethora of dining options around any corner featuring flavors and culture-combination cuisine from around the world, very much a reflection of the international peoples inhabiting this city. Staying at the Embassy Circle Guest House, the owners Laura and Raymond, and the other guests and I discussed thoughts on the best food finds in the city over wine most nights. The places where I found creative simple dishes that I'll be able to share at home were my favorite: Mourayo, Proof and Rasika.
The locals of Santorini island off mainland Greece survive well on the earthly fruits found thriving in the volcanic soils. Mourayo in the Embassy Circle area on Connecticut Avenue brings this Mediterranean richness to The District featuring dishes of lamb, fish and pork fused with herbs, almonds, feta and figs.
My favorite find was a light appetizer on special that day. Simple yet still absolutely divine. The bottom of a shallow brown ceramic dish was layered with thinly sliced tomatoes and covered with a solid layer of fresh feta cheese. With cayenne sprinkles on top, baked until lightly brown, the spice livened the salty goat cheese while the soft, juicy tomatoes evened out the bold combination. The keftetakia, lamb and beef meatballs, served with fresh tzatziki sauce full of garlic complemented the dish well.
Proof is located near the Chinatown exit of the Metro just off 7th Street across from the Washington Capitals stadium. The place has an immediate rugged, masculine feel to it with low, leather wrapped stools shaping the one side of a circle with leather bound booth benches near the entrance. Behind it sits a welcoming, non-typical bar lined with single bottles of wine on tap.
The charcuterie was highly recommended to be fantastic and varied with a well-chosen selection of meats and cheeses from the Lebanese executive chef. However, just being a couple of us we chose to nibble on this and that, starting with a nice Barolo red, which was rather smooth once it opened up. Deviled eggs, always a quickly disappearing treat to share at group events, stepped-up well-armed with smoked trout, creme fraiche and crispy lentils.A little salty, a full wood-fired flavor from the semi-solid fish texture and comfortable crunch from the lentils, this take on the red-checked table cloth picnic favorite disappeared just as quickly at our tall wooden table between this DC spot's wine bar and the window.
My favorite find was a side item of all things: Broccoli "Bagna Cauda" with crispy garlic chips. Quite honestly, I seriously relish the bright green vegetable in any which way it's made, for better or worse. Its strong flowered head so capable of greedily absorbing any flavor it's dressed in is one of the things I best enjoy about the vegetable's character, a vitamin-packed basic dating beyond the Etruscans. It's long been popular in Italy - go figure, in a place where national cuisines are exquisite in every region.
My most basic home preparation in the warmer months is grilled in oil and a bit of Lawry's; in winter I give it a Chinese flare using Campbell's tomato soup, soy sauce and garlic making a thick sauce that mimics 'Beef and Broccoli'.
Proof's Broccoli dish spins the traditional Italian Bagna Cauda - a blend of EVOO, butter and a secret ingredient served fondue style - into a dizzying delight tossed in the simple miracle sauce. The occasional crunch of the brown garlic slices kicks-up every other bite.
Tonight I gave the modern spin on Italian cuisi-chemistry a whirl using this recipe from Saveur Magazine online written by Marcella Hazan, a foremost writer of Italian cuisine and James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Winner. My audience was greatly pleased with the results, savoring each bite just as I first did. There's no doubt that this Proof take on Italian tradition will become a regular dish in my portfolio. The ingredients are simple and outcome undeniable.
Rasika is a modern Indian favorite in the US capital with an original location downtown and a newly opened stake on the West End near George Washington University. The new Rasika is modern and dressed up unlike most other Indian restaurants I've been to, and still much more flare than The Star of India near Earl's Court in London.
Rasika's chef has been nominated a few times for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation and has also received accolades from the local Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and the National Restaurant Association headquartered in Washington DC.
When checking out a recommended restaurant, I often like to go with a simple dish, one that I know well, to taste how classic a chef prepares one of my favorites. Here I went with the Lamb Maas with carmelized onions, red chili, garlic and black cardamom. If only I could have shared the lingering smell in the place. One whif made my nostrils dance like actors in a Bollywood film. They felt lively, happy, free and full.
The mango shrimp, not only beautifully delivered, tantalized my palate, my brain screaming for my stomach to 'beg for more'. Marinated in fresh mango, cashew nut, ginger and coriander overnight, the shrimp are tenderly grilled so the meat is only just firm. Each spice enfolds the other giving the sensation of fruity velvet on the tongue. The pickled carrots and yogurt mint sauce brought depth to it all.
At each of these DC restaurants I found a dish that I'm grateful the chef has brought into my life. The feta and tomato Santorini bake and modern Indian spiced mango shrimp will be trialled at home soon. I'm excited to have found some new simple staple dishes that will let me tell my recent experience in our nation's capital with whomever I choose to share.
The second photo to the top is of Rasika courtesy of BrightestYoungThings.
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