look at that rack! (dijon mustard horseradish crust)

Wanna impress someone with some of the easiest meat you can ever prepare? Make a roasted rack of lamb with a Dijon mustard horseradish crust. Fantastic! In a bowl mix together: bread crumbs, Dijon mustard (with whole mustard seeds if possible), a fair amount of horseradish (you don't taste it as much after its cooked), some fresh chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix everything until it becomes a paste, coat the lamb (you may need to pack it on) and put it on a rack over aluminum foil in a 450 degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes for medium rare. 25 min for medium well. This delicious meal looks fantastic, tastes even better, and cutting each individual rib makes perfect small portion sizes. Great for dinner parties. Prep everything in advance and throw it in the oven 25 minutes before you want to eat.

eggplant rollatini

Fantastic soul warming and traditional Italian treat that my mom would often make. Have you marinara sauce ready prepared on the side. Get your eggplant, peel and slice it in long sheets, dredge them in flour, dip them in egg, and gently place them in a finger or two of hot fying oil for about a minute on each side or till they're golden brown. Transfer them to a paper towel to cool. Then get standard casserole and put a thin coating of marinara sauce on the bottom.  Get your sheets of fried eggplant and roll them with a long piece of mozarella inside (freezing your mozzarella before you cut it works best) and a leaf or 2 of fresh basil. Line up all the rollatini, drizzle some more marinara sauce on top, grate some parmigiano and throw it in the oven at 375-400 for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 10 -15 more and YOU ARE DONE. Fantastic

faux pho

So I love Vietnames Pho with Pho14 being one of my favorite restaurants in DC. Lately I've been experimenting with different Phos at home and I not too long ago made a vegan Pho that was FANTASTIC. I started with vegetable stock that I often times make on hand and keep frozen- make your own or buy it made. Bring that to a simmering boil with some cloves, cardomum seeds, cinnemon, a chili pepper or two, soy sauce and lime juice. At the same time prepare a small batch or rice noodles. In a shallow pan cook some chopped portobello mushrooms in olive oil, then combine everything, add fresh basil, fresh chopped spring onions, bean sprouts and fresh lime wedges. Keep more soy sauce or sriracha sauch handy but this is sure to please anyone- ESPECIALLY on these cold winter days!

REVIEW: little BIGS sliders in Houston

I really tried to explore and enjoy everything I could in Houston but I have to admit it was hard. I could not find decent food ANYWHERE. Maybe I was looking for love in all the wrong places but seriously it's close to impossible to find ANYTHING thats not fried, meat or covered in ranch dressing, if not all three. Even when I asked for a plain salad at my hotel restaurant with nothing on it and dressing on the side my salad came with hard boiled egg, bacon and blue cheese. Oh well. Well this place was decent, though everything was fried (even if it was flat grilled I'm sure there was enough grease to actually fry it) and mostly meat, and covered in spicy ranch dressing. I got a beef slider, [fried crisy] chicken slide, and a [also fried] faboulous black bean slider. All very good. Fun place, LOVED the bean slider- makes me want to find a good recipe for one, but holy Lord, I'd be obese and dead in a month if I lived in Houston.

REVIEW: street ceviche in Costa Rica

this was the BEST ceviche I've ever had. Hands down. This was just a little cylinder-shaped "kiosk"/stand on the side of the road at Playa del Coco in Costa Rica (thats the best description of an address I can give you). The flavor of the Dorado (also known as Dolphin fish- sustainable seafood, btw) was nothing short of exquisite. The girl at the stand said the marinade was fresh Dorado (I'm sure you can use most fresh sashimi grade white fish), lime juice, FRESCA soda, cilantro, chili and salt. I can't wait to try this at home!

Tip: frozen shrimp

Shrimp freeze remarkably well. I fun quick tip is to keep a bag in the freezer and then every once and a while when you want to add a little flare to your salad, soup or entree, take a couple out, thaw them for a minute or two under warm water, shell and devein them if their not already then pop'em in the broiler just until their cooked and start to char (see photo). It super easy, restaurants so it all the time so you should too.

Tip: Shrimp (avoid foreign-farmed, trawled and tiger shrimp, eat wild-caught northern shrimp, pink shrimp and spot prawns from Canada and northern U.S.) (from www.nrdc.org/oceans/seafoodguide/page4.asp)

REVIEW: Red Rocks pizza

So I know I've reviewed a Matchbox and Radius for brick oven pizza in DC, but now I have Red Rocks. Red Rocks is on 11th and Park and is totally a Columbia Heights neighborhood restaurant. They're always busy, the food is fantastic and its got everything from airy patio seating when the weather's warm, a cozy brunch for two ($9 bottomless mimosas!!!), and even a friendly nice dinner upstairs with a small group of friends. The pizza's are fantastic, creative and most importantly DELICIOUS- the staff if uber friendly and they clearly enjoy their job. The pizza pictured above is theCipolla- mozzarella, carmalized red onions and sweet fennel sausage. YUM. I think you really can't go wrong here- there's a very subtle twist to dishes you may be familiar with like a Prosciutto and Pineapple pizza and fabulous cocktails (Dirty Garlic Martini anyone?).

CHECK THIS PLACE OUT.. If you're up on Wisconson Ave, I'd say to shoot for 2 Amys but if you're anywhere near Columbia Heights, you have to stop by RED ROCKS!!

bratwurst for brunch?

(sorry cameraphone) Bratwurst, onions and peppers. Cook till the links ar nice and browned on each side, let the onions and peppers cook a little longer till they're caramelized, throw them in a bun or between 2 slices of bread and OMG, you might cry its so delicious.

ps. make sure its decent bratwurst and not some variation of a hotdog- you never know in grocery stores these days.

baby potatoes with rosemary, cracked pepper and olive oil

Title says it all. Wash everything well, toss together all the ingredients (add a little garlic powder if you like) drop in an oven-safe pan and roast, covered, on a middle rack for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees until they're tender with a fork and then roast uncovered for the last 5 - 10 minutes till they get nice and crispy brown. Great side dish an leftovers heat up well -OR- add a little water and mash the leftovers for a different twist.

REVIEW: Kababji - excellent Lebanese grill

Maybe I got lucky for lunch at Kababji during their inaugural week but I may have experienced the best hummus I've had in DC- at least for quite a while. Silky smooth, just the right amount of citrus, perfectly savory and light on the garlic- perfect if you're have PM meetings back at the office. The menu is divided into 3 main areas- appetizers, meat/kabab entrees and sandwiches. From what I remember sandwiches run you about $6 ($3 extra for fries) and the meats/kababs go for 13 14ish. Portions are not enormous but this is definitely a step above some of your standard Middle Eastern fare. Dishes are beautifully prepared and are seasoned to perfection. The space on Connecticut Ave just south of Dupont Circle, is large, airy, very clean and the wait staff is extremely (almost too) attentive (they'll calm down after a couple weeks ;) ). Definitely reccomend you try it out, also great for small groups or casual business dinners where you can share larger sampling platters. Check it out!