Proof: They serve food, too!

My husband and I have stopped into Proof, one of DC's latest and greatest wine-centric restaurants, for a glass of wine on many occasions, usually after having dinner at another restaurant in the Penn Quarter or Chinatown neighborhood. Its certainly no secret that Proof offers an extensive and interesting selection of wines by the glass -- at night, the place is often so slammed with well-dressed people that it is hard to make your way up to the bar to place an order. It may come as a pleasant surprise, however, to know that Proof also serves food. Really good food.

Like many wine-focused restaurants, Proof offers a wide variety of cheeses to group as one chooses into a plate of three or six cheeses. On our visit this past weekend, we chose a Spanish goat cheese, an Irish blue cheese, and a semi-firm cow's cheese from Wisconsin. They were all delicious, especially paired with the thick and creamy honey and thinly sliced raisin bread that accompanies the cheese plate.

For our meals, I started with the ahi tuna tartar, which was pretty much the reason I wanted to come -- I had been craving it since I last dined at Proof in the spring. For an appetizer that has become ubiquitous on restaurant menus across the city, Proof does a standout job in flavor, presentation, and portion. It is definitely my favorite tuna tartar in DC. My husband started out with a roasted beet and goat cheese salad that was colorful, seasonal, and full of great flavors.

For our entrees, I had the gnocchi with sweet corn and wild mushrooms. I view gnocchi as a hit-or-miss food: when its good, its very good, but when its bad, its horrid. I like gnocchi to be light and fluffy, and I hate it when it is dense and chewy. After being reassured by our waiter that the gnocchi at Proof was very light, I decided to give it a try. I was glad I did because the texture was perfectly pillow-like, and the gnocchi were presented in a sage brown-butter sauce with parmesan cheese that paired well with the earthy flavor of the wild mushrooms. Mmmmm! My husband ordered a stuffed chicken breast that was moist, but had a strange spicy flavor to it. He would not order it again.
We paired our food with a variety of red wines by the glass, which Proof offers in 2 oz, 6 oz, or 8 oz pours. Our favorite was the pinot noir blend.

There are no pictures with this post because the lighting at Proof is so low that the flash of our camera would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The low lighting contributes to an intimate and warm atmosphere, and they offer flashlights to anyone who is having a hard time reading the menu. A bit of the intimacy in the atmosphere is lost due to the close proximity of the tables (the booths, however, provide more privacy). We spent most of our dinner listening to the table of four next to us discuss everything from the economic crisis to one man's recent vasectomy. Yes, that part was especially awkward. They were drinking the 8 oz pours!

Overall, we had a great meal and would return to Proof again. We'll probably request a booth next time!

Quick Weeknight Meal: Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

The cool weather and the abundance of leeks at our local farmers' market inspired me to make this easy and delicious soup for dinner last night. Serve this hearty soup as a main course with a simple green salad. Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

6 strips of bacon
2-3 leeks (use 3 if they are on the small and skinny side)
2 medium russett potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 - 4 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you want it)
Cheddar cheese, shredded (for garnish)
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Cook bacon in a high sided saute pan or soup pot until crisp.

Step 2: While bacon is cooking, cut the tops and bottoms off of the leeks, then slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Chop the leeks into 1/4 inch slices, then place the sliced leeks into a large bowl of water to rinse them (move them around in the water to separate the pieces and allow any dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl). Remove the rinsed leeks and allow them to dry on some paper towels.

Step 3: When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan to some paper towels and save it to garnish the soup. Keep husband away from the bacon to ensure that some remains for garnish (this step may only apply to me). Add leeks to the pan with the bacon grease and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Add potatoes and chicken stock to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Put a lid on the soup and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes (if you don't have a lid, just simmer for a few minutes longer) - until the potatoes fall apart easily when a fork is inserted. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a couple minutes.

Step 5: Puree the soup in 2 batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Once soup is smooth, add it back to the pan over low heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. If it is too thick, add some more chicken stock.

Garnish soup with bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

2008 Washington Post Fall Dining Guide

The 2008 Fall Dining Guide debuted online yesterday and there were a few surprises. Tom Sietsema rated Komi 4 stars and wrote a glowing review about Johnny Monis' creative and carefully prepared little bites and dishes, but Tom dropped Michel Richard's Citronelle to 3 stars and slammed the restaurant for its poor service and "unmistakable joylessness." Ouch!
Having recently dined at both Komi and Citronelle, I agree wholeheartedly with Tom's assessment. Komi is unique not only for its outstanding food and service, but for presenting such creative and upscale food in a relaxed atmosphere. No stuffiness. No snooty servers. No jackets required.

The other restaurants given 4 stars this year are: CityZen, Inn at Little Washington, and Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve. Other notable additions include Rasika, Marvin, CoCo Sala, and the Jose Andres restaurants of Minibar, Jaleo, and Oyamel. I was also pleased to see some casual and quick restaurants make the cut: Ray's Hell Burger, Tacklebox, and Nando's Peri Peri.

Cafe Du Parc -- DC's Best Moules Frites

DC has an abundance of restaurants that serve moules frites (mussels and french fries) in a variety of preparations. I've enjoyed the andouille sausage and the wild mushroom moules frites at Marvin, the curry and apple moules frites at Brasserie Beck, and the provencale moules frites at Bistro Du Coin. But for the very best, I always return to Cafe Du Parc.

Cafe Du Parc is a classic french bistro that will transport you to Paris. When the french-speaking hostess escorts you to a candlelit table on the tree-lined sidewalk, it is easy to forget you are in Washington DC. The menu serves a variety of french classics very well, especially their buttery french onion soup topped with a generous portion of creamy gruyere cheese -- it is the perfect soup for a cool fall or winter evening. Their wine list offers a lot of great french wines at reasonable prices. On our recent visit, we enjoyed a bottle of Chateau Coupe de Roses, Minervois -- an easy-drinking blend of syrah and grenache. It was the perfect compliment to the fall evening and my steaming bowl of mussels!

Cafe Du Parc prepares its mussels only one way - a la mariniere - with white wine, garlic, shallots, parsley and butter... lots of butter! As with most preparations, this one is truly all about the sauce, which is perfect for dipping a french fry, dunking some crusty baguette, or drinking with a spoon (okay, I haven't actually done that... yet!). The mussels are a nice medium size (not like the tiny ones at Marvin or the too-big ones I have had at Brasserie Beck) and cooked to perfection. I've had mussels prepared the same way (white wine, garlic, shallot, and butter) at many places, but the sauce at Cafe Du Parc is my favorite because the flavor of garlic is prominent, but not overpowering, and there is only enough white wine to cut the richness of the butter -- not so much that you can't taste the butter. As an accompaniment, the lightly salted french fries are super-crispy on the outside and soft on the inside -- and they taste delicious after they soak up some of the garlic and butter in the sauce. If you're a fan of moules frites, you will really enjoy these!

Cafe Du Parc is located at 15th and Pennsylvania Ave NW in the Willard Intercontinental hotel.

Quick Weeknight Meals: Salmon with soba noodles in peanut sauce and sesame green beans

My husband and I often work late, so we have come up with a bunch of recipes that can be prepared in 25 minutes or less (take that, Rachael Ray!). Tonight we made a salmon dinner that could not be easier to prepare -- plus, it was healthy and delicious!


Ingredients:


Salmon filets (5-6 oz per person)

Soba Noodles

Green beans

Creamy peanut butter

Soy Sauce

Rice Vinegar

Minced Ginger (fresh or from a jar)

Lime Juice

Chili-Garlic Sauce (or Sriracha, an asian hot sauce)

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds



Step 1: For the noodles, bring a medium/large pot of water to a boil.


Step 2: While the water is coming to a boil, pre-heat the broiler of your oven or toaster oven. Place salmon filets skin side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with soy sauce. Broil the fish for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.


Step 3: Clean green beans, then trim ends and cut in half on a bias. Place in basket steamer (or you may boil them). I prefer them crisp-tender, so I usually steam them for about 5-6 minutes.


Step 4: Place soba noodles in boiling water for 6-7 minutes, then prepare the peanut sauce while the noodles are cooking. To prepare sauce, whisk about 1/4 cup of peanut butter with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice, 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil, and 1 - 2 teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce - depending on how spicy you like it (use less if using sriracha sauce). Whisk until smooth.


Step 5: Remove Salmon from broiler and check on noodles. Once noodles are done, drain and then toss with the peanut sauce.


Step 6: Remove green beans from the steamer (or boiling water) and toss with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Then toss with a 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (white or black).



Enjoy! Let us know how it turns out.

Virginia Wine Festival 2008

There's no better place to learn about Virginia's burgeoning wine industry than at the Virginia Wine Festival. This year's festival was held September 27-28 at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas, Virginia.

We departed our Dupont Circle condo amid gray skies, cool air, and a light rain -- fortunately we were dressed for such weather, and I was rather happy about the opportunity to wear some new fall clothes. Yet by the time we reached our destination it was sunny, hot, and oppressively humid. The dramatic change of weather had not occurred to me -- nor to most members of our group, many of whom did not even bring sunglasses. Oh well, we decided to literally sweat it out and enjoy white wine throughout the day.

The various wineries were spread out around the Fairgrounds in tents, and there was a large open area in the middle with tables for enjoying food and wine purchased on site. The $20 ticket price included a wine glass and free tastings at all of the wineries.

Each winery had at least 5 or 6 bottles of wine to sample. Many wineries had their own special blends of wine, though two varietals were showcased at every winery we visited: Viogner and Cabernet Franc.

Our group's favorite winery was Cardinal Point. They had an excellent - and award winning - 2006 Viogner, though many in our group preferred the "2007 A6," a blend of Viogner and Chardonnay. We enjoyed several bottles (there were 10 of us) of the A6 while we ate lunch and listened to the live music (the "Original" Rhondelles).

Another group favorite was the Chrysalis winery. They had an excellent and easy drinking Norton varietal called "Sarah's Patio Red." This is a light, fruity red wine served chilled. It tasted especially refreshing on such a hot day -- we all asked for a second taste of this wine! We learned that Norton is a red grape that is unique to Virginia and that Chrysalis has the largest single planting of Norton in the state.

There were too many disappointing wines and wineries to name, and on the whole Virginia wines are priced higher than their taste would suggest. Most of the wines we tasted were priced in the $15 - $30 range, yet their quality and taste were comparable to $8-$15 bottles from California and other well-established regions. We understand that that these are small wineries who need to keep prices high enough to stay in business, so we were happy to buy several bottles at the Festival. But I don't think I will seek out Virginia wines the next time I am at the store -- there are simply much better wines available for the price.