Curbing the quarter life crisis
Curbing the quarter life crisis
The key to ignoring my aging? Delusion and overbooking!
Life is moving at the speed of light these days. There was a lot of dining this month in what seemed like so little time? So let’s not waste any time now. Shall we dig in?
A case for casual dining
There are fewer joys in my life than an affordable and satisfying meal. Casual dining came through for me this month. Among all the new spring restaurant openings, I have to remind myself to look beyond the buzz and frequent spots that are reliable for a reason.
Slash Run, DC - This funky lil bar in Petworth has a divine selection of fried bites, brews, and burgers. Their South of the Burger with pico, guac, jalapeños, pepperjack, and tortilly strips is the most elevated walking taco smashed between a bun. It’s also a great eavesdropping spot if you’re nosy like me and William. Lots of weirdos with many woes about landlords to share. I am fiending to go back for their bottomless brunch that’s endless drinks and an entree for $34 - what a STEAL!
1914 Kolben, DC - Took myself out for a pre-birthday weekend lunch on a very cold and rainy Friday. Naturally, I needed soup. The bún chả hà thành = instant comfort. It’s a Vietnamese grilled pork meatball soup with bright vegetables and herbs. The meatballs float in a clarified broth that is intensely sweet, savory, and a little fishy. Accompanied by vermicelli noodles, pickled veg, lettuce, and cucumbers for dipping. In the words of Adam Driver - good soup.
Ice and Slice, DC - If I’m eating breakfast on the weekend, it’s really lunch that bleeds into 11:30am. Will and I grabbed the veggie injera wrap from Ice and Slice on Petworth. This girl is THICK! It’s four massive slices of stewed veggies and lentils rolled up in injera. Super lovely family run spot with great coffee too.
Pizza West Chester, PA - Despite my mom’s desire to gatekeep this place, I must impart this knowledge. Pizza West Chester is a holy addition to the suburbs. You can find my dad waiting outside after his farmers market haul on Saturday at 11:00am when they open. The system is as simple as the shop’s name. There is plain cheese, pepperoni, or white pizza. No drinks. No apps. Just pizza. It’s worth the tiny wait in line that might be outside. And it’s burnt crust so if that’s not your thing, deal with it!
Tacombi, NYC - I was skeptical about this chain with multiple locations in NYC, but the vibe is irresistibly adorable, and the tacos deliver. Using their checklist menu, we ticked off crispy fish tacos, al pastor, and took the expert suggestion of ordering the birria tacos. Everything came out straight from the kitchen and so fresh. What a lovely lunch to feel like you’re eating in Mexico City while in the heart of Soho.
Mao Mao, NYC - Right off the Marcy Ave subway stop in Brooklyn, Mao Mao is chaotic good in its purest form - with a dash of chaotic evil. With the design inspired by Thai cinemas, the space embraces maximalism in all ways. Walk in at street-level, and you look down into the dining room, which is a floor lower, increasing the cavernous vibe. The red tinged lighting reveals hundreds of Thai movie posters, rainbow lighting, and tables and stools smushed together for an intimate communal dining experience. The menu is extensive. I suggest the “kid in the candy shop” approach and order anything that you’ve never heard of. It will end well for you. This is a great place for a large and hungry group. Get rowdy and order the fermented alcohol in jugs with insane names like “perfect husband” and “kneeler” …
From hosted to hosting
There was lots of dining out in April but also some gorgeous home cooked gatherings! I love hosting my people, but who doesn’t love being catered to?
Our friends held an adorable Sunday morning coffee pop up in their apartment in early April. Equipped with TWO espresso machines, the gals ripped made-to-order cafe drinks that could give Doubles cafe a run for their money down the street. They also made the sweetest spread of chocolate banana bread, blueberry scones, and so many pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). I ate about 6 of the latter and then bumbled over to work for my Sunday shift. An ideal Sunday morning.
In mid-April, I joined a cookbook club hosted by the brilliant @ostreetkitchen (follow her NOW!) with about 10 other home cooks. This month was focused on one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s many cookbooks, Simple, which we all agreed was not actually that simple. But that’s ok! Ottolongehi’s vibrant flavors and colors that burst from his book made it a great pick for a spring spread. Not to mention, our host’s home is a cook’s dream. She set up gorgeous platters for us to plate our dishes, and we all loaded up our own plates that resembled a vernal thanksgiving spread. Having these meals around lunch time is so sweet. Makes me feel like I’m at an adult play date or an elderly person having lunch out with the ladies. It was really so special to connect with people and instantly geek out on food media. Again, shout out to @ostreetkitchen for hosting. Seriously cannot wait for next month!
Last but not least, we end the month with a hosting endeavor that may have been one of my best parties hosted to date: my 25th birthday party. We did the impossible feat of transitioning from a sweetie pie wine bar theme to a feverish Delco power hour.
The weather luckily held up, so we held the wine bar portion of the evening on our roof. I have details on my latest post, but basically the lovely people at St. Vincent Wine hooked me up with bottles that would pair nicely with Andy’s Pizza and snacks from Trader Joe’s. Stand out bottles for me were the ruby @lofiwines Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Barbara, @jeux_de_vins “tout va bien” Pinot Auxerrois from the Alsace region in France, and @lesluneswine Populis Reversée from Mendocino County. Aside from the pizza and wine, an unexpected star hit was the pickle dip concoction I found on Bon Appetit. Upon further inspection of the roof the day after, splotches of pickle dip were strewn about the designated snack table, a true marker of a successful dish.
We then herded our slightly wine-drunk crowd downstairs to our apartment for the Delco power hour. For context, I hail from Delaware County, PA, fondly abbreviated to Delco. The task of defining this Philly subculture is tall, so for the purposes of the party, we boiled it down to Philly sports, miller life, jello-O shots, and blatant debauchery. Miller high life flowed through a plastic champagne tower, with the option of an Aperol floater, creating what the kids call a “spaghett” cocktail. If you recall Bon Appetit before it’s fall from grace, this is what their drinks editor at the time, Alex Delany, incorrectly dubbed as the drink of the summer. It was nothing short of middle class fancy behavior.
The night rounded out at Last Call with more drinks and dive bar energy, followed by a Sunday focused on mental and physical recovery. I would 100% do it all over again.
Lost in the red sauce
Because of the activities outlined above, my Sunday recovery/birthday dinner had to include Sunday sauce. Caruso's Grocery was the clear answer. The restaurant in Capitol Hill focuses on bringing a classic red sauce Italian dining experience to DC. I was admittedly skeptical, given my constant complaints about the red sauce gap in this city. I’m thrilled to report this dinner met all expectations.
Apps hit all of the needs for a true red sauce experience. Bread basket for each end of the table - critical. Tender and saucy pork meatballs piled into a white ceramic oval dish, with plenty of sauce for bread dipping - essential. Caesar salad generously coated in garlicky, but not very fishy, Caesar dressing - healing. Fried calamari with an excellent tube-to-tentacle ratio and punchy marinara sauce - masterful. All washed down with the antipasti martini garnished with an olive, mozz cube, and cherry tomato.
All their pastas are handmade and elevate each dish. I had to order linguine and clams, my all time favorite since little baby Merritt was standing in diapers (ask my mom for the photos). The group filled the table with shrimp scampi, penne alla vodka, and spicy bucatini and ragú. Caruso’s delivers all the flavors you expect from a classic Italian spot. The tiramisu is a bit mascarpone-heavy than I prefer, but still decadent and delicious. This spot fills the gap of what Italian suburb restaurants are made to be. It’s not a fancy, dazzling menu. The dishes are exactly what you expect them to be. And among all the flashiness of pasta in DC, that’s a welcome experience to me.
And those are the highlights for April! I have a crazy silly few months coming up, including my brother’s wedding in Paris next week (send my non-French speaking ass your thoughts and prayers), the BIG move in with my boyfriend (cute, right?), and few work trips in between. I’m sure I’ll find some time to eat in between, so I look forward to reporting back.