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Adam is a Blogger from the Washington DC area that loves everything from food and wine to Broadway to helping with planning gay weddings. Having traveled the world and eaten everywhere from Turkey to New Orleans, Adam has a palate that is hard to please and loves to try new things.

Barcelona on 14th Reviews – Should you go? Find out here!

October 16, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

14th street in Washington DC has become a Foodie heaven.  Restaurants, wine bars and cafes have sprung up everywhere.  You could find everything from Dutch food to French, Italian and Chinese but there was no actual good tapas.  There are two popular tapas restaurants in the Logan Circle area but nothing that was OMG good that you needed to go back and have again.  When I saw a new Spanish restaurant open I was very skeptical and when I looked for Barcelona on 14th reviews, and didn’t find any, so I figured lets give it a shot and be the first to give honest reviews of Barcelona restaurant on 14th street in Washington DC.

Best tapas restaurant in DC, Barcelona on 14th!

If you can’t tell from the header, this place was amazing!  Barcelona on 14th street is the best tapas restaurant in Washington DC!  Based in Connecticut, they brought down their Managers and Servers to train the locals on how to provide everything from knowledge on how to cook, serve and when to serve your food as well as how to eat, prepare and order tapas the right way.  The drink selection at Barcelona on 14th street was incredible and they helped us pick an amazing sweet syrup and bourbon cocktail that was a perfect match for our tastes and all of the food.  The Sangria with San Germain was amazing, but didn’t even compare to the bourbon drink.  If you go to Barcelona restaurant on 14th, you have to try it!

Next was the food.

baby brussel sprouts and bacon tapas

baby brussel sprouts and bacon tapas

We started with the brussel sprouts and bacon for an appetizer.  There wasn’t enough salt, but the slab bacon chunks more than made up for it when you scoop them up from the bottom and eat them with the baby brussel sprouts.  They definitely could have used more salt on it for flavor and everyone at our table and the other people I talked to agreed.  They were absolutely amazing, but would have been better if they used that extra bit.  Next we had three more appetizers come out and then another round before dessert.

albondigas at Barcelona on 14th (Spanish meatballs)

albondigas at Barcelona on 14th (Spanish meatballs)

Albondigas (which is my favorite tapas from when I lived in Madrid) or spanish meatballs with a tangy sauce.  A tortilla Espana which they chose to serve hot instead of cold and with a scoop of sour cream and chives.  We also had an amazing Lobster and rice dish.  The Lobster and rice dish tasted like spaghettios for adults, however it was actually really good so don’t let it discourage you from ordering.  The lobster was cooked perfectly and the rice was crispy and amazing.
Because the menu never got old, we ended up stuffing ourselves with orders of ham croquets and finished with one of the best Churros and Chocolate that I have ever had.  I do have to warn you, the bread is amazing and when you don’t want to let the sauces go to waste, it can fill you up fast.  Save room because every plate you order is amazing and you won’t want to lose your appetite.

Everything we ate and drank at Barcelona on 14th was amazing.  I highly recommend going and it isn’t over priced.  If you’re looking for Barcelona on 14th reviews and find any but amazing quality and comments, ignore them and go.  You would have to be insane to give bad reviews for Barcelona on 14th in Washington DC.  Thank you all for reading and if you want to share your favorite dishes or plates from Barcelona restaurant in DC, feel free to leave a comment.

Filed Under: Food and Drink Reviews, Restaurants and Locales Tagged With: , ,

3 Fun Foodie Gifts For the Festive Fall Holidays

October 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Foodies love the fall season because of all of the fun fall cooking.  You get caramel apples for Halloween, cookies for Christmas, Turkeys for Thanksgiving and there are fun recipes for just about every other holiday in the fall.  The problem for guests coming to a Foodie’s house is what do you buy a foodie for a thank you gift.  Here are 3 fun gift ideas for foodies this holiday season.

1.  Food Gifts

This sounds tacky, but many of us love to eat when we cook.  If you could find fabulous wine gift baskets or even just a nice platter of cheeses, oils and meats, you’ll make this Foodie a happy one and when a Foodie is happy, it shows in their food.  Food gifts are awesome for Foodies, but you have to find something unique.  Look for foreign wines and cheeses, unusual candies or snacks and one thing that always wins are unique sauces, flavored oils and flavored vinaigrettes.      Not only will they love eating them, but many of these products will eventually be used within their recipes and you’ll help them discover new things that they can make and may even get an invite to dinner to try something new with what you gave them.

2.  Centerpieces.

Normally a Foodie loves to set their own table, however during the holidays they don’t always have time to create a perfect centerpiece.  Call your Foodie friend and ask them what the menu or colors of food and theme are for their holiday meal and let them know you’ll be bringing a centerpiece for them.  One thing you should also ask is size.  You want to make sure that you don’t buy something so big that the host can’t place platters on the table but you don’t want it to be to small so that the table looks barren.  If people are sitting at the table you’ll also want to make sure that you buy something either high enough or low enough so that you don’t block anyone and everyone can have a conversation. Flowers, fruits, plants and more make fabulous centerpieces for the holidays for a Foodies dinner table or buffet.

3.  Centerpiece and Displays

One thing that you can never go wrong with are cool displays for desserts and foods.  If you know they are doing cookies, cupcakes or multiple cakes, find a unique display that features and shows off all of them.  You can find holiday shapes, general shapes or even multiple layer platters that look amazing and allow them to feature their hard work.  The only thing better than eating a Foodie’s cooking is getting to see it displayed properly and that is why these can be amazing gifts for foodies.  Chances are they have most of the trinkets they need, so buy them something to feature their food on and help them love their food even more.

Foodies are actually really easy to shop for.  You just have to think about what you can buy that can increase their ability to cook, display their food even better and what they could snack on before their party while they are cooking for everyone.  I love the holidays and love the holiday season because of the amazing foods and recipes you get to make.

Filed Under: Rants of a Foodie Tagged With: , ,

Summer Corn Salad Recipes – Spicey, Basil & More

June 26, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

I was looking at this fabulous apron shop online the other day and saw a ton of fabulous summer time bbqing recipes.  Not only did it get me to run to the store to start thinking about summer time recipes, but it also got me back in the kitchen to prepare a few fabulous, fast and easy corn salads that go with any meal.  The bases are all the same, it’s the sauce and seasoning you need to change.  So here are the basics for each salad and then the different versions are below it.

  • 2 bags of sweet yellow corn
  • 1 zucchini squash
  • 2 large sweet bell peppers, red and orange (to add color to the salad)
  • 1/2 large red onion
  • 1 shallot
  • tons of garlic (I use at least at least 5 tablespoons but I love garlic…most people should use two or three)
  • Sea Salt
  • Ground Pepper
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Take the two bags of sweet corn and boil them in salted water until they are cooked.  While the corn is slowly cooking in the pot, take two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and heat it up.  Now mince your shallots, chop your garlic very fine and slice your onions or dice them into chunks.  Add them into the olive oil and get the flavors coming out.  Now slice your zucchini into slices then cut each slice into 4 pieces.  Take your bell peppers and slice them into slices going from the bottom to the top and then cut those slices in half.

Spicey:

Take chili powder and cover the zucchini and bell peppers with it, sea salt, pepper, and add in some ancho chili powder as well.  Everything should be so covered that it is actually red and the sauce in the pan when you saute them becomes a bit thick.  After you take the veggies out and combine them with the sweet corn into a large bowl, add more chili powder and sea salt/pepper to make it spicier if you’d like.

Mediterranean:

Take the veggies and saute them in olive oil with freshly chopped basil leaves.  Now pour in about 1/4 or 1/3 cup of aged balsamic vinegar once the veggies are sauteed.  Let this reduce down a bit then combine with the sweet corn in a large bowl.  To add extra to this, chop fresh campari tomatoes or roma or heirloom tomatoes into halves or bit sized slices and add in more fresh chopped basil leaves.

These are two of my favorite corn salads to make in the summer.  They are easy to make and take next to no time at all.  They are also pretty inexpensive and are healthy if you don’t overdo it on the salt and pepper.  Don’t forget to check out the site for aprons as well if you want something fun and fabulous to cook in.

Filed Under: Food For The Soul, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Tortilla Coast Washington DC – Read This First!

February 21, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
tortilla coast frequent diners card

tortilla coast frequent diners card

I have unfortunately had the experience of going to the Tortilla Coast restaurant on P and 15th street in Washington DC and have become addicted.  Not only does this Tortilla Coast location have amazing service, but the food is consistently perfect.  Not only do they cook things to order, but the managers come around to your table while and after you finish eating and if something is wrong, they actually fix it without giving any attitude.

Your meal starts out with freshly made warm tortilla chips and awesome homemade salsa.  Then they ask you what you’d like to drink and I highly recommend you avoid the Mexican Cosmo as it is awful but the Prickly Pear and Original Margaritas are awesome.  If you get the prickly pear margarita, make sure you order a sugar rim instead of salt.  For appetizers, none of us were impressed with the Guacamole, but we usually like it spicier.  We ordered the medium level which wasn’t bad, but when we go back we’ll order the hot which should be awesome!  They serve it in the large stone bowls as well which is even more fun.

For food, I always order the carne asada tacos.  They are awesome and the steak is cooked to order.  The ceviche at tortilla coast washington dc is great, but make sure you tell them no black salt on top, unless you really like salty flavors.  Tortilla Coast also features an awesome steak or beef enchilada that you have to try.  The servers and bartenders are also always happy to walk you through the menu.

One thing that is nice about Tortilla Coast is that there is no dress code.  During the day you’ll see people in suits on lunch break, people who are retired or work from home in comfortable retired style clothing or tshirts and jeans and on the weekends at brunch you’ll see family and children still in their favorite kids sleepwear.  In the evenings you’ll see club goers and 30 somethings dressed up to go for cocktails or in little black dresses an after happy hour you’ll find a mixed crowd there having fun.

Tortilla Coast Washington DC at 15th and P NW is a great place if you are looking for good food, decent service and somewhere to get a quick meal.  I have always enjoyed their food and now have signed up for their frequent customers club.  With your club card you get a point for every dollar you spend and then you get money off your bill when you reach a certain amount.  I highly recommend eating at Tortilla Coast at 15th and P in Washington DC.

Filed Under: Restaurants and Locales Tagged With: , ,

Pizza 17 on 17th Street in Washington DC Reviewed

December 6, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

I have always been hesitant to try a new pizza place.  I am way to particular when it comes to a perfect pizza and what I like.  The other night I was hungry and out looking for somewhere to eat when I walked by it.  I never really see a ton of people inside Pizza17 on 17th street in Washington DC, so when I was looking for dinner the other night I almost didn’t stop in.  Thank god I did because the crust and some of the toppings at Pizza17 are some of the best that I have had in the Washington DC area.

1523 17th St NW
(between N Church St & N Q St)
Washington, DC 20036
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle

Pizza 17 is a small little store with only a few tables.  Behind the counter is a wood fired oven and a few bottles of wine.  The service is friendly and everything, for the most part, tastes fresh.  The only thing I have been dissapointed with is the fungi pizza because they only use one kind of mushroom. However, I have ordered it every time I have been there so they are obviously doing something correct.  I have been there three times now and every time I go, I am amazed that it isn’t packed, because the pizza crust at Pizza 17 is amazing.

Not only is it crisp, but on the outside it is also a bit chewy.  They somehow always get the crust perfect.  I could literally sit there and eat their pizza crust all day long.  On the Fungi pizza they top the amazing bread with a ton of onions, cheese that is not flat and melted, but mixed in between the huge toppings and of course mushrooms.  On top of that they have a spicey olive oil that you can pour over top of it or dip the pizza into.  Not only does the olive oil take the pizza to the next level, but it almost becomes addictive.

Next time I go I am going to have to break away from what I know and try the pizza sliders or something else.  Until then I am giving Pizza 17 in Dupont Circle 4 out of 5 stars.  The only reason they don’t get the fifth star is because the fungi pizza should have multiple types of mushrooms to make it perfect.  I have seen some of the other pizzas being made and served and everything there looks incredible.  If you are in Washington DC and looking for good pizza, try Pizza17.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,
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