Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs

I am going to take a quick break from my food adventures to present you one of my favorite home made dishes. I like a number of you grew up on scrambled eggs for breakfast. Both my mother and father had their own spins on this dish. I vividly remember looking forward to eating them , especially during the weekend when I could take my time.

Flash forward to the future and I find myself branching off and trying to create my own version of this classic dish. After various attempts I left feeling unsatisfied at which point I turned to the experts for help. I stumbled upon this video which is Gordon Ramsay's recipe for "the perfect scrambled eggs". For those of you who don't know Mr. Ramsay is a famous eccentric Scottish chef raised in England whose claim to prominence came with his popular T.V. show Hell's Kitchen.

(The Perfect Scrambled Eggs)

If you watch the video his recipe calls for.

- 3 Eggs

- 1 Teaspoon of butter

- 1/2 Tablepoon of creme fraiche

- 1 Slice of sourdough bread

- Chives

If you want to make it I recommend you watch the video as it is a semi-complex process. I have tweaked the original recipe by substituting the bread with whole wheat and not adding the creme fresh, mainly because I don't use it that often.

Both recipes are solid and make for a great breakfast. The chives really add an extra dimension that is hard to live without. I have become so spoiled with this dish that eating eggs any other way has become boring and even inferior.

The Great Steak and Potato Company

Not often do we associate mall food as being a desirable option. I personally abhor it, mainly because I prefer not to eat at chain restaurants. But whenever I visit pentagon city and am in the mood to eat I always go to The Great Steak and Potato Company.

Located on the bottom floor of the Pentagon city mall next to Taco Bell this chain thrives on serving it's patrons with some of the best subs and hoagies you can get your hands on. From a variety of cheesesteaks to gyros or even a baked potato this place is sure to surprise your taste buds and awaken the glutton in you.

Of the various subs that I have sampled here my favorite has to be the bacon cheddar cheesesteak. Every time I order it I shake in anticipation as I watch it being made in front of me. Prepared like a traditional philly cheesesteak with a healthy (get the irony) serving of cheddar cheese and bacon. I also add an order of boardwalk fries that I smother with hot sauce, vinegar, and old bay seasoning making for a tremendous meal.

When I feel the need to eat a bit healthier (sarcasm this time) I go for the buffalo chicken sub which comes with succulent chicken, buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. I obviously add an order of fries and a soda to complete my meal.

(Bacon Cheddar Cheesesteak & Boardwalk Fries)

Of the number of times I have eaten here I have never left disappointed. Meals cost around $8 which is average in this area. For both the quality and quantity of the food you are getting it's a great deal. Lines are average but do tend to get a bit long during the lunch hour.

So if you are ever shopping at pentagon city and feel the sudden urge to eat I would skip all the chains give this place a shot. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

CapMac

The food truck tour continues with a the CapMac truck. This truck travels throughout the city slinging their creative take on Mac & Cheese, a staple in most American households. When I first heard of the truck I immediately became overrun with anticipation of trying this gourmet mac & cheese.

Doing a little research I found out that the head Chef, Brian Arnoff previously worked at Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons Hotel under the tutelage of Executive Chef David Varley. Having eaten at the Bourbon Steak before and thoroughly enjoyed their gourmet spin-offs of traditional non-gourmet meals I was under the impression that the same thing would be done with this food truck.

I first visited this food vendor on a cold day on the George Washington University campus. I invited two of my coworkers one of which shares my enthusiasm for mac & cheese. We all ordered their CapMac'n Cheese which consists of Pimento and Cheddar cheese topped with Cheeze-It crackers which costs $6. For an additional $2 you can add Bolognese and "make it sloppy". We all decided to forgo this option for different reasons. I also ordered the soup du jour which was a broccoli cheddar soup.

We took our food in the Marvin center and dug in. I started out with my soup which strayed from what I thought it would be. The soup was fresh and hearty, the rich flavor of the soup as well as the texture illustrated the prominence of the broccoli which was palpable with every spoonful I took. The soup was definitely made from scratch and included ground broccoli root mixed which blended well with the cheddar cheese. I can easily say that this was the rendition of broccoli cheddar that I have ever had at this point in my life.

Next I moved on to the dish that I had been waiting in anticipation for some time. I dug into my mac & cheese and was greeted by the harmonious blend of both the cheeses. The crunchy component of the cracker added to this dish giving it another dimension and aided in the texture of the dish. Sadly I have to say that my tremendous expectations were not met. While I did enjoy my meal I left feeling as though the dish had much more potential.I have sampled serveral gourmet mac & cheese dishes in this city and this one did not meet my mark. While good I see room for growth and improvement.

(Broccoli Cheddar Soup & CapMac'n Cheese)

Despite that I enjoyed my experience so much that I decided to sample another dish off of their menu. This time I decided to try their Chicken Parmesan Meatballs which consist of house ground chicken, parmesan served with a provolone bechamel.

To sum it up I devoured this meal within ten minutes feeling tremendously satisfied. The chicken meatballs were savory and juicy and the pasta that accompanied it was pristine. I can easily say that I enjoyed this dish more than the mac & cheese and was on par with the expectations I had for this truck.

(Chicken Parmesan Meatballs)

As you can see in this video Chef Arnoff prides himself on serving residents of District with good affordable food. I had the pleasure of talking to him twice (I did not mention that I blog about food). He came off as very nice and sincere about his mission which I believe he is doing very well.

The food that he served me on both occasions was fairly priced and very good. I wish him luck and hope that he will expand on his ideas because I believe that this truck has tremendous potential. The truck is still in it's infant stages so hopefully my wishes will come to fruition. I only hope that he will expand on his mac & cheese and offer a variety of flavors in the future (lobster mac & cheese please!!!).

Quick info - the lines weren't too long when I went but I have seen long lines there before. They only take cash at this point so be aware. Their website is still in the works to you can follow them on Facebook for daily locations. Your food takes less than 5 minutes to prepare. In the meantime you can talk to the clientele if the lines aren't too long.

Dangerously Delicious Pies - Food Truck

Our next stop on the food truck tour takes us to Dangerously Delicious Pies. The origins of this truck trace back to a pie shop in Baltimore founded by Rodney Henry over ten years ago. They have since branched out to DC, opening up shop in the up and coming H St. neighborhood.

Their rebel appearance is derived from Mr. Henry who opened the shop primarily to pay for the expenses he incurred while playing for a rock band he was in. Renowned for their culinary excellence in dishing out both sweet and savory pies this franchise has been awarded several accolades and media attention.

I was finally able to try them during and impromptu food truck gathering at Franklin Square a couple of weeks ago. Myself along with my sister and a coworker went to sample the wide variety of food trucks that I have yet to try.

I decided to get a slice of their renowned Baltimore Bomb while my sister got a slice of cherry.

The bomb consists of Berger cookies which were invented in Baltimore and a sweet vanilla chess filling. The Cherry pie which is an American staple and one of their most popular slices, especially in the summer. Once we finished our lunch we dug into them.

Upon taking my first bite the first thought that came into my mind and was accidently blurted out was "Wow, this is a FUCKING GOOD PIE". Pardon my French or lack of constraint in this instance but this was the singular thought that was embedded into my mind while I was devouring this delectable slice.

(Baltimore Bomb)

There is no way to describe the taste of this food orgasm, to me it tasted like a smore with some custard. Take my advice, this is a slice of pie that you must try before you die.

My sister was a bit unimpressed by her slice, she let me sample it to see if I would concur with her judgements. Sadly I would have to agree, while I am not the greatest fan of cherry pie I have had it at a number of local diners and would have to say that those are superior.

(Cherry Pie)

In the end we thoroughly enjoyed both the experience and the meal itself. The staff were very friendly in answering my numerous questions that helped provide the information for this post.

If you want a savory slice I would recommend the S.M.O.G. (steak, mushrooms, onions and gruyere) or the Pork BBQ. They also serve quiche from time to time, it was recently on Throwdown with Bobby Flay so it must meet up to it's hype.

Prices vary with sweet slices costing $6.50 and savory slices costing $7.50. They do take both cash and credit, the lines are not long and the service is fantastic. I highly recommend trying this truck. You can track their location by looking at their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

I will be doing a separate post in the future dedicated to their store as they have different deals and more options. Look for it in the near future.

Restaurant Week 2.0 & Other Food News

I am pleased to inform you that Restaurant Week has been extended an extra week. Only a hand full of restaurants are complying with this so I would call the restaurant before hand to find out.

Last week I went to Bourbon Steak, Farmers and Fishers, and Bodega. All were good in their own way. I will be posting my review in the near future.

Lastly I would like to give you some quick news in the DC food scene. The latest issue of the Washingtonian Magazine lists the 100 Best Restaurants in DC, it is a must buy for any food lovers. The highest rated restaurant I have been to is #13 - Vidalia, I plan to try at least 3 top 10 places this year now that I have a constant stream of income.

I leaned through City Stream that Churchkey's Luther Burger was rated #1 on America's Top 10 New Sandwiches . I will make it my mission to try this burger ASAP, FYI I made this burger, you can look at it here.

DC Restaurant Week - January 17th-23rd

Gear up for one of the best weeks in DC. Restaurant week starts this week, you can click on the link here to see a list of participating restaurants. If this is your first restaurant week then I can give you a quick synopsis.

Participating restaurants offer a 3-course prix fixe meal. Dinners are $35.11 and lunches are $20.11. While all the restaurants on the list offer the former only a hand full offer the latter deal.

This is going to be my third year participating and I look forward to trying a couple of new places. My recommendations are Filomena Ristorante, Oya, and Fogo De Chao. Enjoy the week, try new things and have a great time.

Luther Burger

Opening the new year I decided to circumvent the traditional backstop of starting anew, mainly eating healthy as is observed in the USA and decided to try one the most unhealthiest burgers in America.

I invited a hand-full of friends over to try the infamous Luther Burger. The origins of this caloric catastrophe are debated time and time again, but what can be agreed upon is it's allure. It's rise to prominence is a recent phenomena due mainly to the intrigue and disgust that it raises.

Some see it as the culmination of American gluttony, others as an unbreakable impediment towards sliming up American's waistlines. I saw it as something new and interesting to try.

My first exposure to this was on CNN and later on a Food Network special. I looked up the recipe from various sources including Paula Dean and the St. Louis Baseball stadium that serves them. The recipe calls for krispy kreme doughnuts, ground beef, bacon and cheddar cheese. It took about an hour to make them from scratch. With each second that passed my anticipation to devour this devilish concoction grew exponentially.

The first bite I took was preceded with both fear and excitement. Once I dug in a wave of guilt hit me because I could not believe that it was deviously delightful. The sweetness of the caramelized sugar and savoriness of the bacon and cheese produced a flavor combination that is becoming increasingly popular.

The only other meal that reminds me of this is the bacon ice cream and waffles that I had at Restaurant 13, other than that I cannot fully explain what I experienced that night. I was also astonished that I felt fine after finishing it.

There are two ways that you can make it, you can cut the doughnut in half and sandwich it in between the burger or you can be adventurous and use two doughnuts. While I am adventurous I decided to pass on the latter and chose the former. My friends on the hand chose the latter and did not have any problem finishing off their burgers.

After all of this I can stand here and say that I will make these burgers in the future. The taste was very interesting and the experience was even better.