Happy New Year

Just wanted to send out some happy new year greetings to all the local yokels who read this blog. Glad you're still with me even though I've been pretty inconsistent on my postings. I hope to do better in 2011. Maybe that will be my new year's resolution.

Anyway, if you want to stay in the neighborhood to celebrate the new year, I see that both Jackie's and 8407 are doing fancy dinners. Actually with Jackie, you can go fancy with the main restaurant menu for $65 per person not including beverages, tax or tip -- but including an eclectic mix of dishes from which you can choose, such as pierogies, bouillabaisse, chicken n' beer with waffles and even stuffed trotter, plus many more. And then she's also got the Sidebar going, also $65 a head and that includes an open bar and snacks, and finally in the Back Room she has King Soul playing for $30 per person and that gets you the music and a champagne toast. Wow, something for everyone here.

If you want something a little more quiet (like I do), well then you can head over to 8407. They'll have 2 seatings that night, the first between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. That gets you 4 courses for $58 per person. If you want to eat later, the second seating comes between 8:30 and 10:00 pm. Here you'll have a 5 course dinner for $75 per person and $100 if you wish to add wine pairings. I know it may make me sound like a lush (which I really am), but often when I do pairings I run short on the wine. I drink what they give me much faster than I get my next wine. So I'll order my own booze, thank you very much.

Either way, it's great we have these options plus I'm sure there are others in the hood I have just missed.

A couple other things of note, I'm sure you all have already seen that Nicaro has closed its doors. What, they were open just about a year, right? Let's hope whoever takes over can bring us back something closer to Nicaro version 1. And if you're interested in the building, you can get it for a cool $1.6 million. But if your bank account is not that flush, it looks like you can lease it too. Not sure what they are asking here though.

I also wanted to make mention of the Feast of Seven Fishes. My wife and I held our fourth annual Feast this year. It was a little more scaled back than at previous times, but there still was a good time had by all and no one left hungry.

Here's someone named Tom, I think, we pulled off the streets for the Feast. Although it's not a close-up, he's holding up the main course, linguine with Virginia crab in a cream sauce with a little salmon roe on top. It was yummy.

OK, here's to a great 2011. Hope you have a lot of wonderful meals -- both at home and out. Also, keep your eyes out for more news on Silver Spring's own underground dining. It should be in full gear for the new year.

Righteous Tacos

I know I typically like to extol the wonders of our local independent restaurants, but today I wanted to give some props to a pretty big chain -- one with more than 900 restaurants. Can you guess which one? Chipotle Mexican Grill.

I'm giving the restaurant its due because it is making a real effort to serve meat that has not been industrially-raised. And for me, when a chain this size makes this commitment, it is noteworthy.

And Chipotle has actually been doing this for the better part of the last decade. Now you won't find that all its meats are coming from natural farms, but you can be sure that more and more chicken, pork and beef are coming from good farms. The company's CEO, Steve Ells, publicly supports stronger USDA standards for naturally-raised meats. In addition, Chipotle has worked with both Bill Niman, formerly of Niman Ranch (and now running BN Ranch) and one of our own local (and national) good farming heroes, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.

For us locally, if you dig into one of their burritos or tacos (like these I had for lunch today) and ask for chicken, you can be sure the chicken were humanely-raised by Bell & Evans, based just over 100 miles away from us in central, PA.

Now unfortunately I have yet to confirm the pork or beef they serve locally are coming from top-flight outfits. (However, in some other parts of the country you can find this.)

Chatting with the managers at the Bethesda and SS shops, neither could tell me exactly what farms or farms raise their cows and pigs. So at least for me, till I find out, I'll stick with the chicken and veggie options.

And beyond the meat, Chipotle has made sure its sour cream and all of its dairy products come free of artificial bovine growth hormones. And the company's local food initiative is making strides to source other products from local farms too.

Also, if you still think Chipotle is still owned by McDonald's, you are mistaken. Mickey D's fully divested their interest in 2006. Chipotle is now a publicly-traded company. They also appear to be doing quite well for their shareholders. A quick look sees their stock price has risen 167% since the start of the year. Wow! They're trading at over $235 per share. I would not have guessed this, that's for sure.

But I am glad to see it. While I do like my independent restaurants, when I see chains doing the right thing, I want to reward them with my business. But obviously for Chipotle, their support comes from people who really like their food and not just because of their sourcing policies. And I'm glad to see it.

On another completely unrelated topic, check out this black pasta (homemade with sepia ink) with a creamy cherry tomato sauce and shrimp I made the other night. I had a pic so I thought I'd share it. Yummy!

OK, go get yourself a burrito and feel good about it!