Jakob's Bowl

A Tale Of Two Pizzas

Having been absent from the Washington D. C. culinary scene for over two decades, and noticing the prevalence of pizza joints in my walks about town, I decided to sample the city’s offering of traditional wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Not having time to read through tons of reviews, I looked a number of ‘best of…’ lists, and right or wrong, chose 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria – located roughly near the National Cathedral. I arrived at about 7 PM, and the place was just about full, mostly with the early crowd just about finishing. The hostess and serving staff were very congenial, and I got one of the last two open tables. Of course, I had a Margherita on my mind, especially since they were topping them with Mozzarella di Buffala, but I also ordered a few bruschetta.

The latter came fairly quickly, along with my Moretti. I ordered eggplant with salted anchovy and turnip and prosciutto, and they were both delicious. I believe the eggplant had been roasted and chopped, and it was topped with a beautiful looking and very tasty anchovy fillet. More than likely it was one of the Ortiz special grade anchovies. The turnip had been cooked and pureed and its sweetness went well with the large slice of San Daniele. In both cases the vegetable was a perfect partner to the cured protein.

About five minutes after my last bite of bruschetta, my pizza arrived and at first glance, it looked like pretty decent - melted mozzarella, not too heavy on the sauce, and a few splotches of charred crust here and there. My first bite was might tasty; the bottom was thin and very crispy with the perfect amount of sauce. The cheese had cooled a bit too much, a sign that it was out of the oven for more than a few minutes before it got to me. Then came the let down… With an almost perfect bottom, I was sorely shocked when I bit into the crust, which had little ‘crunch’ in the exterior and too soft a chew on the interior, when pressed a bit it gave the appearance of being underdone. They were either not keeping an eye on the oven temp, or they were overloading the oven…if I could have been served the pizza without the crust, the meal would have been perfect, oh, well.

My Maine Evening In Washington DC

After graduating from The Pennsylvania State University my first job was in the Washington DC area where I lived and worked for two years, and a half decade after moving to Chicago, work took me back to Washington on a semi-regular basis throughout the latter 1980s. The ‘good’ restaurants weren’t always easy to find back then, but I still fondly recall many good meals. Before this current trip, I hadn’t been back there since 1990, and while the town has changed, finding a ‘good’ meal seems to be a challenge still - especially if you are not interested in big hunks of grilled meat or haute French.

For my first foray out into the District of Columbia culinary world, I chose Restaurant Nora, a small establishment that bills itself as “America’s first certified organic restaurant” (April 1999). A stone’s throw away from Dupont Circle, it is a great space with a warm and inviting ambiance. The menu was loaded with goodies, and I went with an all Maine seafood line up including a starter of Maine Peekytoe Crab & Avocado Salad with Red Onion, Cilantro, Ancho Chile Vinaigrette, Crispy Tortillas and a main course of Pan Seared Maine Diver Scallops & Saffron Risotto with Leeks, Fall Squash, Turnips, Tomatoes, Romesco Sauce. (Unfortunately, the restaurant was too dimly lit for my high speed Leica lens, and a flash was out of the question.)

The crab was fresh, fresh, fresh, and the Ancho dressing was excellent, light enough to show its flavors without dominating the delicate crab. I was a tad apprehensive about the risotto - all those vegetables could throw off a lot of water. The scallops were fresh and while I would have liked a bit more of a sear, they were delicious. The risotto looked ‘stiff’ when it came out, but it was far from that, as a matter of fact it was one of the best risottos made with fresh garden vegetables that I have ever been served. Far from being watery, the high quality of the saffron was center stage in the flavor, and all of the vegetables had an al dente crunchiness that I love. A bit of turnip green even added a surprisingly refreshing counterpoint to cap off the dish.

The only disappointment to the meal was the wine service. The wine list had the following note:

In lieu of a wine by the glass selection we offer an interesting choice of half bottles. Whether savored alone or shared with a friend they represent a better value.

I was dining alone, and at 5:30 a half bottle seemed daunting, but I wasn’t about to eat without wine, so I ordered what turned out to be a very good Austrian Riesling, Salomon 2007. Half way through my meal, a couple was seated at the table next to me, and as they looked at the wine list, their waitress - my waitress - described the ‘house’ wines available by the glass!!!

Another Touch Of Frances

The Little Neighborhood Restaurant That Could: II

About an hour after decanting the 1992 Beringer Private Reserve was still a bit tight, but was tasting mighty good after 18 years in the bottle. It wasn’t long before our entrées arrived, and we managed to cover three of the four. The first was Lamb from Watson Farm cooked several ways, grilled, roasted, and an amazing braised Lamb Pavé made from lesser cuts. I had the Soul Food Farm Redbro chicken, a ballotine of light and dark meat wrapped in chicken skin and roasted served over creamy white polenta with chanterelles, sweet corn, and nectarine chunks all in a roasted chicken jus. It was a great combination with the perfectly ripened nectarine chunks adding a great counterpoint. (Here was one of the few downticks for the evening - the jus was over seasoned, which suggested that the Redbro chicken might have been brined.) Last but not least was the Saffron Risotto with Butter Braised Chanterelles, Summer Squash, and Tomato, a very pretty and ‘lively’ tasting risotto done in a looser, lighter style.

After the table was cleared we perused the dessert menu over the last of the red wine. Since all of the desserts sounded delicious, we decided to order one of each for the table. The Dark Chocolate Mousse with Meringues was laid on the table first, - it can be seen in the upper left corner of the first dessert picture - followed in quick succession by the Fig Semolina and Almond Crostata with House-Made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Panna Cotta with Plum and Rosemary Shortbread, and a Cornmeal Pound Cake with Peach and a Ricotta Semi-Freddo. The clear favorites at the table were Dark Chocolate Mousse and the Cornmeal Pound Cake. The latter was my personal favorite, and we were all struck by the attention to detail…both the plums and the peaches were perfectly ripened. (The second of my two downticks for the evening was a bit too much gelatin in the Panna Cotta.) The food lived up to the high expectations, and the service was second to none…all in all, a great way to spend three hours with good friends on a Friday evening in San Francisco.

A Touch Of Frances

The Little Neighborhood Restaurant That Could

Not quite a year old, Frances is a small restaurant located in San Francisco’s Castro Street neighborhood, and after tons of kudos and great reviews earlier this year it is one of the hottest reservations in town. When I first learned about its California-inspired, French cuisine that featured local ingredients, I began trying to coordinate some reservations for one of my trips down there. Remembering the restaurant a few weeks before a trip led to continued disappointment, that is, until I was able to plan two months in advance. The reservation was for 5:15, but none of my proposed dinner companions seemed to mind eating so early in the evening…they had all eaten there before.

The restaurant did have a cozy feel about it, and the staff was very friendly. Our waiter whisked away the dusty old bottle of wine I had dug out of my storage locker for the occasion - 1992 Beringer Private Reserve. While we waited for the last of our party to join us we ordered a bottle of Austrian Zierfandler. While I was prepared for good food, I was unprepared for the amazing quality of service that followed, service that would put many a ‘starred’ restaurant in town to shame. As the table filled out our waiter asked if we would like the bottle opened and decanted, and to make a long story short, he was able to get the broken, half dry, half soggy cork out without any cork bits in the wine.

We ordered all the starters, bouchées, for the table. All of the Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets were snapped up before I could get my camera focused, and they were followed by the Crispy Chick Pea Fritters with Aioli, and Grilled Squid and White Bean Salad - both done elsewhere in town but rarely done better than that Friday night. Despite the presence of five great sounding appetizers on the menu, everyone settled on just two, a smooth Tomato Soup with toasted croutons, butter beans, and a few other tasty surprises and a silky Ricotta Gnocchi with Corn and Butter Braised Chanterelles. As we were enjoying the appetizers, our waiter began pouring the Beringer Reserve...

They're Just Carrots

Oh carrots are divine, you get a dozen for a dime, it's magic. They fry, a song begins; they roast and I hear violins, it's magic. Why do I kid myself? Other loves that I have are all really few. When in my heart I know, the magic's my love for you.

Bugs Bunny,
Rabbit Every Monday, 1951

It seems that with carrots season and soil matter even more than with many other fruits and vegetables. They can make or break even the best looking carrot. I started paying a lot more attention to these orange roots about four years ago, when my new puppy Kazmer developed a taste for raw carrots. The key for Kazmer is sugar content; if the carrot isn’t sweet enough he spits it out. These days Farmer’s Markets are usually loaded with carrots of all colors, and shapes, and it’s these purple, white, and yellow carrots that get the oohs and ahhs, along with the little ball-shaped Thumbelina carrots. Over the last four years, I’ve come to realize that all of the ‘orange’ carrots are not created equal, and this goes beyond the differences in seasons and soils. The are literally dozens of different varieties although you might not know it from the few that you will see walking through most markets these days.

I love it when I find a farm willing to invest its time and effort into researching and growing the varieties best suited to its soil and climate, especially when they require even more nurturing than the standard varieties. I am especially enthused when they actively educate their customers about the qualities that make these varieties special. Local Roots Farm grows a lot of different heirloom varieties of vegetables, and as I have recently come to realize some extra special carrots. Earlier this summer Siri sold me some amazing Nantes carrots. This long, cigar-shaped variety originally hails from France, and the Local Roots version was super sweet - two paws up from Kazmer. The image above is a bunch of Nelson Carrots that I bought this week from Local Roots. They are a Nantes type variety, but in this case they are not as long or as uniform and not quite as sweet as those Nantes I bought from them earlier in the season.

I stopped at the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market last Thursday, and was stunned by the huge size of the carrots in their booth. While I generally shy away from extra-large vegetables of any variety, Siri informed me that this was ‘normal’ for Red Core Chantenay carrots and she offered me a taste. One bite convinced me of the value of this French variety. It was very sweet and had a denser texture than most of the other orange varieties I had tasted, perfect for really creamy carrot soup. I bought a bunch and one of them was over two inches wide at the shoulders. If Kazmer and I don’t eat them all before the weekend, carrot soup will be in order.

Unfortuately, I Like To Watch

After I stocked up with some great, apples, plums, tomatoes, a fairly rare cabbage variety and pickling cucumbers at the University District Farmers’ Market, I had to stop for a loaf of bread on the way home. One of the local artisan bakeries produces a ‘Pullman’ style loaf using it’s rustic Italian bread dough, and it has a nice texture that makes it useful for toasting and grilling. They have a shop near my place and besides the bakery’s breads they also offer cakes, pastries, and sandwiches, as well as brunch items like eggs, waffles, and French toast on the weekends.

There is usually a fairly long line by 10 AM, and so as I stood in the queue waiting to pay, I got to watch the open kitchen in action. A young man in the kitchen took a loaf of brioche from a tray to prepare some French toast and as he picked up his knife with his right hand he scratched his nose with his bare left hand. He then held the loaf with this hand as he cut it into thick slices and then halved them on the diagonal. He dipped and completely immersed the slices, and his finger tips in an egg wash. After he finished all the slices, he wiped his hands ‘clean’ on his nearby bench towel, which he then placed next to his cutting board - a gift that would keep on giving all morning. That was an awful lot of contamination and cross contamination for a ten minute wait in line.

I’ve seen incidents like this in places like San Francisco, Portland, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago over the years. It’s obviously not the trend to ‘open’ kitchens that is the problem; we now just get to see what has always been going on behind closed doors.