Category Archives: Eat Like Me

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: January’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
’15/365: The Line’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

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. Continue reading →

Eat Like Me
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Eat Like Me: 2009’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘Shrimp and Grits at West End Bistro’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Oh, you’re not sick of best-of lists yet? GREAT. Cause here’s another one.

You guys, I ate a lot of food in 2009. And I am a better, happier (fatter) person for it. The best part is, I did it for you – my fine fearless foodie reader – to tell you what you should eat and what you shouldn’t waste your money on. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been doing this feature at the end of each month called Eat Like Me. It’s a feature that names all the places I’ve eaten that month, and then awards the best dishes, so that when you head out to spend your hard earned dollar, you know what is tasty to order. So I took all of those best dishes from the individual months, considered them nominees, and then named the best-of-the-best. Keep in mind that all of these were fantastic dishes (the best of the month! And considering how many places I’ve eaten since May, that’s saying a lot!) so it was a tough choice – I’d eat ALL of the dishes listed below any time, ever. So to the dishes on the list, and the Chefs who cooked them, you’re all winners in my book. (Aww, group hug!) But what I looked for when naming the best dish of 2009, I looked for dishes that made me go “ooooohhhh yeahhhh” when remembering it. The dish that made me squeal a little on the inside. The dish I’d reach for first when offered them all on a big platter.

Collecting and looking at this data, here are my general thoughts about what I loved in 2009. I love a nice sweet cocktail. I’m a girl, with a sweet tooth, what can I say? Also? I apparently love soup. I didn’t know how much I loved soup until I saw the total list. Fresh, house-baked bread will win me over. There’s quite a bit of cheese on this list – dishes that feature cheese and dishes that had cheese in them. Unique and fun textures also are indicators of a great dish. Bold flavors, and interesting food all have a place here.

But enough talk about the list, let’s get down to it. Without further ado, here’s my ideal meal of 2009 starting with a nice cocktail and ending with dessert. Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: November’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

You will not find a Washingtonian more grateful for the warm-ish weather that we’ve had this fall. I’m decidedly NOT a winter girl, and I’ve been known to curse coats and whine incessantly about the cold. While winter in DC is just something I must tolerate, sometimes I can assuage my pain with a really great bone-warming dish. I was lucky to run across a lot of those in November, and without really meaning to, my list of favorite dishes wound up being a list that could double-time as a ‘great winter dishes’ list as well.

So when you head out to spend your hard earned dollars on a meal, here are some dishes that are best bets for spending wisely. And to boot, they’ll even keep you warm. Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink
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Eat Like Me: October’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘West End Bistro’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

Am I becoming a snob? It is possible. When I started this whole endeavor, I swore to myself that I’d never become that obnoxious girl, who sniffs a plate, turns up her nose, and sends it back to the kitchen with a wave of her hand. That’s just not who I am. I’m the kind of girl who unashamedly adores Olive Garden – iceberg salad, processed breadsticks, mozzarella out of a bag and all. But lately? You guys, I’m getting nervous for myself. I think I’ve caught the foodiot disease. I find myself overhearing a joke about truffles, foie gras, lobster and caviar being the major food groups and think it’s so funny that I repeat it to my friends. Boys half-joke that I’m intimidating to take out to dinner because “where could a guy take a foodie like you?” To which, I vigorously shake my head in over-compensating protest, saying, “no, no, I’m like anyone else! I like Taco Bell. I swear!” And yet… I find myself becoming more and more obnoxious.

I think it might actually stem from the quantity of food I’ve put in my pie hole this year. I’ve been blessed enough to try a tremendous amount of places, and with that much dining out, and that much input, I’m bound to start being increasingly judgmental. Right? It’s only natural. This month has been one of the most ridiculous eating months of my life. And yet, of all the months of Eat Like Me that I’ve written, I didn’t struggle to come up with the contenders. There were clear winners. And this could be for a number of reasons, but I think one of them is that I’m getting snobby. I’m sorry! I tried not to. And don’t worry, I still love Potbellys. And I can talk about other subjects. But between you and me, reader, I’m on a slippery slope. (Just look at my Twitter feed. Obsession at a whole new level.)

So what does all this snobbery amount to? Well, a stiff cocktail for me later for admitting my problem, but also a great Eat Like Me for October. I’ve been to some outstanding places, from real DC classics like Oval Room or Obelisk, to new up-and-comers like Kellari and neighborhood spots like Evening Star Cafe. And I have to say, this list of dishes is by far my favorite. So without further ado, the best of my October meals. Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: September’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

There’s something lovely and reassuring about sitting down somewhere with a cool drink in one hand and an evening of dishing stretched out in front of you. That’s the thing about restaurants. It’s not always about the food. While the food is oftentimes (for this feature especially) the focus, I also appreciate the fact that for the price of my meal I’m also renting a table’s worth of space. For however long I need it, I “own” that space to catch up with friends, make lovey eyes at a boy or discuss business with coworkers. Sitting down at a restaurant is practicing the word in the name: a rest. No one is playing host – no one is rushing in and out of the kitchen tending to food or people – everyone can focus on the company at hand. For that hour or three, you’re taken care of, with everything you need. The space is yours, your friends are there, and you’ve only got to focus on talking and eating. I’m always grateful to end a hectic day at work seated across from friends, drink in hand, open menu in front of me. As one of the food lovers here at We Love DC, that’s often how I end my days. So with practically all my time spent in restaurants I’m frequently asked for my favorites. I do this feature monthly to recommend the best of the best – my favorite plates from all across DC.

This month has been a busy one. September is always busy in the food world in DC, places open their doors, fall menus pop up, and everyone stakes out spots on the patios before winter sneaks in. I’ve done a lot of traditional fine high-heels-on, white table cloth dining this month. So what are my favorites? I’ll tell you where I’ve been and then compose a full meal out of the best dishes I’ve had all month. Ready? Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: August’s Best Dishes

July Foodie Blogger Damage.

August. Dead month, right? Not in the foodie world, at least not in DC. Yes, things may be slower than usual, but I was still pretty busy shoving food into my mouth. I was lucky enough to preview upcoming Masa 14 and meet Kaz of Kaz Sushi Bistro, I headed out on the town with Donna for a locovore dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak, and I returned to some all-time favorites. Mostly I’ve been eating sushi and steak, seems to be the reoccurring theme this month. At least they balance each other out in the health department, right?

So here are the best of the best dishes I’ve eaten all month. I’ll give you a list of where I’ve been (also known as what we’re working with) and then give you a look at the best of the best. Can you handle all the tasty? Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: July’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘jamie’s manhattan’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

I think I’m getting addicted to that subtle tingle of anticipation I get when I sit down at a restaurant I’ve never been to before and unfold the menu. I crave that now – ordering a meal and wondering what exactly will appear. I adore the buzz of a place, the low murmur or the boisterous laughter. I like the sleekest of scenes, the sound of my high heels on a polished floor and the dingiest of hole-in-the walls with foamy beer right off the tap. There’s a small miracle in being given a whole list of options, choosing the ones you like best, and then having them brought to you and placed right in front of you (!) for you to devour, judge, accept or reject – when is that experience ever replicated in life? I love not having to cook, I love the simplicity of the process. I love having a dish presented to me, no matter what. I appreciate the showiest constructed dish with sprigs of Rosemary, stacks of accoutrement and a carefully placed spruce of tartare to the simplest plain white bowl of grits topped with shrimp. I love the smells. I love the sounds. I love the possibilities. I love the interactions. In the simplest of statements, I love restaurants.

Good thing I’ve found an outlet for my adoration. I know it sounds a bit overboard, my little poetic waxing about restaurants – I mean, they dot every corner of DC, from Wisconsin to New York Ave. They come in all sizes, all standards, serve a number of purposes. To love something so mundane to someone else might seem silly. But I am unabashedly, unashamedly in love with the food in this fine city. This month was slightly less busy than the last, and August is gearing up to be on par. There have been openings, there have been new menus to try, and there have been simple dinners out with friends. Out of all the places I’ve eaten this month, here are my favorite dishes from eat places within the Beltway. Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, We Love Food
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Eat Like Me: June’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘this is generally what my life looks like at 6:30 p.m. any given day’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

People ask me all the time if they can have my job. NO! Mine. Well, you can have my day job, but you’d have to fight me to the death for my foodie blogging job. And it would be your death, not mine. Along the way, through press dinners, media previews, nights out with friends, and places I’m reviewing for our We Love Food feature, I run into some damn good dishes (for up-to-the minute reviews, follow me on Twitter). Forkful after forkful, I wind up eating some dishes that make me think back with ultimate fondness, and leave me longing for them. Last month I told you all about with them in a little piece I called Eat Like Me. It was so popular with you guys, and I enjoyed writing it so much, that I decided I’ll do it every month. Sort of like a what’s worth it of my food intake – a satoralist of food, if you will.

So. June. It was rainy, right? Ugh. But it was also chock full of food for me, my calendar was overwhelming. June is a busy month in the foodie world. New warm weather menus come hot off the presses, restaurants open their doors to hungry summer crowds, and my friends want to eat out more. It’s pretty glorious. So, click on through to see what made the cut.  Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: May’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘Cotton Candy Mojito’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

Months and months ago, I stumbled upon this post on local foodie blog The Arugula Files. In the post, Mary  reviews New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Creek restaurant, describing the highlights of her meal. She writes, “Because of the drive (five hours from DC), I probably won’t go back to Blue Hill, but I’ll food dream® about that egg forever.” And then it clicked, food dream was the perfect name for the feeling I get about certain food dishes that I eat and then look back on wistfully.

To qualify as a dish that makes me food dream, I actually have to, at some point, look back on that dish and sigh, wishing I had it. It’s a combination of longing + craving, I think. I realize not a whole lot of people feel this strongly about food, but those who do, know this exact feeling. And with my busy eating schedule (hey, at least three times a day!) I run into a reasonable amount of dishes each month that make me food dream. So I thought it would be fun to share all the dishes I’ve had this month that I’m currently food dreaming about, from start to finish, opening cocktail to dessert.  So, for what it’s worth, here is the month of May in Katie’s food dreams. Continue reading →