A Taste of West Africa

While the region begins to settle into our most current form of snowchosis, I've decided to stray outside the region of SoCo and post a story on a brand new west African restaurant that has opened its doors about 2 miles south of the 'hood at 6115 Georgia Ave.

Typically, a place like this would escape my notice, but having become good friends with an Ivorian (someone from Côte d'Ivoire) I became well aware of its opening. The restaurant is called Le Cafe d'Abidjan. While it is new, Dominique, the lovely proprietress of the restaurant has actually been serving Ivorian food for quite some time. Prior to the Cafe's opening Dominique ran what is known in Côte d'Ivoire as a maquis, located in Adelphi, MD. If you're not familiar with the term - which I was not until a few months ago - a maquis is the name given to private houses that have been transformed into little restaurants. Their prices are typically very low, but they're always not easy to find since their addresses are passed around by word of mouth. (I hear we have our own maquis in the 'hood near Montgomery College - if I find it, I'll let you know).

But now Dominique has left her maquis and her new place is up and running on the Avenue. I've now had 2 of Dominique's meals - one at her home and one in the restaurant - and I must say both were quite tasty. On our most recent outing, we started with an order of what are essentially fried donuts made from ground chick peas. If you are a fan of garbanzo beans, you need to try this dish. It is great! You can eat them plain, but they're served with a mildly spicy sauce made with tomato paste, onions, garlic and other secret ingredients.

We followed up our starter with what felt like a sampling of the entire menu - including chicken, lamb and fish. The chicken we had was baked and marinated with parsley and oil. Not an elaborate production, but moist and very good. Accompanying the chicken was a platter of baked lamb, seasoned with onions and topped with a mixture of cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, mustard with oil and vinegar. We also sank our teeth into a couple of whole baked tilapia.

While tilapia often times gets low marks for its bland taste, if it's prepared the right way and is topped with something big and bold, I think it really works. And these tilapia really worked. They were topped with a similar mixture to the baked lamb, were nicely cooked and while it does take some work to extract the meat from the bones, it is definitely worth it.

And while our dinner may already seem to have been gluttonous, we can't eat an Ivorian meal without also having rice, fried plantains, and a specialty of the country, cassava cous cous. For vegetarians, this would be a great dish to have, and when combined with the chick pea donuts and fried plantains it would be a good meal. And I'm guessing if you still had room Dominique would whip you up another vegetarian dish of your liking.

Le Cafe d'Abidjan has now been open a little more than a month, taking over an African restaurant called Chez Aunty Libe, but has still yet to have its grand opening. Dominique is planning something for either March 13 or March 20. The restaurant opens every day (except Sunday) at 11:45 AM. From Mon-Thurs it closes at 11:45 PM, but on Friday and Saturday she gets a big late night crowd and remains open till about 6:00 AM if you can believe it.

There is no website for the restaurant yet, and if you drive by you'll only see 'African Restaurant' displayed on the front window. But do yourself a favor and try it out. If you do, tell her you read about it on the blog. The entree prices run from about $12-$17 and on Valentine's, she doing an all-you-can-eat buffet for just $10.

It's also worth noting she does not serve alcohol. But I believe it's fine to bring in beer or wine for your meal - I know we did. OK, I hope you get out there and try some very traditional Ivorian (and Senegalese) fare. I'm confident you'll be glad you did.

A Plug for the Peruvian Taste Test

Wanted to give a plug for fellow local blogger Dan Reed, who writes Just Up the Pike and is running the Great Peruvian Taste Test.

Starting this Friday (Jan. 29), you'll be able to vote on your fave Peruvian pollo dining spots in the area. The top five rated restaurants will then be taste-tested by an obvious connoisseur of pollo a la brasa, Mr JUTP.

I myself have never tried Peruvian rotisserie chicken. It certainly sounds good with its mix of garlic, cumin and chili powder. Maybe if I can get a rotisserie attachment for my home grill I'll give it a try over the summer. Watching this video of one of my fave TV chefs, Tony Bourdain, does make my mouth water. And please note, he's eating in Northern VA.


But I just can't bring myself to hit up one of our local places to try out what I'm sure I would like. Since abandoning the vegetarian bandwagon I have chowed down on my fair share of poultry. But for me, I don't want to eat any industrially-raised birds. And I feel confident this is the case at pretty much every place that serves pollo a la brasa. I'd love to hear otherwise, because I'd definitely go out of my way to try it.

I know we have some great farmers locally raising terrific birds and I'm sure there are even bigger ones outside the region using humane practices that probably could supply a fair amount of birds to a restaurant. I'm not holding my breath, but it'd be fabulous if one of these restaurants gave it a try to see how popular this would be.

I know everyone would not want to pay a premium for this, but I bet some would. I mean, what would it be, $1 or $2 more per entree? Here's hoping someone emails and says they've found humanely-raised pollo a la brasa.

Now we need a dentist in the 'hood

And no, that mobile dentist guy on Easley Street does NOT count.

I write the need for a dentist after trying a few different treats from Velatis, our new caramels shop on Georgia Ave. Man, is some of their stuff sweet! I guess I shouldn't be surprised when the main ingredient found in most of what they sell is sugar.

But I do have to say, as not as big sweets guy - I would definitely choose savory over sweet if it came down to it - they make some pretty mean caramels. The two distinct styles they make are sugary and chewy - coming in about 20 different varieties. Now I can't say I've made much of a dent in the 20 different varieties, but I did try a few over the break. This is much to my chagrin of my waistline.

I think the first one I tried is still my favorite. That is the Sea Salt Turtle. It is pecan halves covered with caramel, dark chocolate and then topped with sea salt. To me, the addition of the salt really takes it over the top. And I like the crunch of the pecans. Just one is a nice dessert. This also helps since each one is $3.50 a pop. However you shouldn't go into Velatis looking for bargain-basement sweets. You're gonna need a little bit of scratch to sample their goodies.

In addition to the turtles, I've also sunk my teeth into their truffles. It appeared Velatis offered almost 2 dozen different varieties of truffles ($3 each). While many sounded good, I tried a couple of the cappuccino variety. And yes, I recommend them! They were excellent. Very rich, chocolatey-gooey and not too over the top sweet. I would have to imagine if you like truffles, Velatis will have one to meet your needs.

I also tried the toffee with nuts. This one was my least favorite. I bought a 1/4 pound and I just couldn't get through it. This one was way too sweet for me. I was thinking since it had nuts it would be more brittle-like. But it really didn't have much of a crunch to it, and that's what I was looking for. It really was predominately chocolate and toffee. Oh well, two out of three isn't bad.

I do plan to throw Velatis my business when I can, but at least for me, I can't see shopping there on a regular basis. I was told that during the holidays they did a brisk business. I'll be curious to see how they fare in the post-holiday season when folks are heading to the gym, not the caramel shop.

My guess is the most profitable part of their business is corporate events and weddings. Just as long as they're not relying on us local yocals walking into the store and buying pounds and pounds of caramels to keep them afloat.

But I definitely recommend you give them a try if you've yet to go in. I think you'll be happy you did. Just stick your scale in the bathroom closet for a while.

Felice Anno Nuovo!

Well, we're less than 48 hours away from a new year and a new decade. Where did the time go? Can I finally throw away my Y2K ballcap?

But I must say I am looking forward to the new year. First, we have several new restaurants on the way. I won't go on about them since I have in posts past, but I think we can look forward to Pacci's, H&L Brewpub and 8407 coming in the months ahead. However we won't have Jackie's charcuterie to add to that mix since she finally pulled the plug on that. Just as well - it leaves an opening for yours truly. That's a niche I'll hope to fill at some point in the new decade if someone doesn't beat me to it.

We also can look forward for the first time to the SS Winter Farmers Market. They'll kick things off in a couple weeks (1/9) and you can get your fill of potatoes and cheese - maybe turnips too. Well, there will be more, but the offerings will be limited since we are talking about seasonal items. For you carnivores out there, you can now get good local meat all year round. I love that! I purchased a lamb loin from one of our vendors (the guy who usually sells only lavender) for Christmas dinner and boy was it good. Very simple preparation (coated with olive oil, salt and pepper) and cooked for about 40 minutes and then topped with this fabulous rosemary/ olive oil drizzle. It was a winner. And had plenty of leftovers for lamb sandwiches all week. Just finished the last bit for lunch today. Still tasty!

And speaking of home cooking, I will quickly say that our Feast of the 7 Fishes went very well. I think we ate for about 5 hours straight - just my speed. We ended up with 9 fishes - here was the line-up (and pics may come later, I can't access them right now, sorry).

Smoked salmon (Alaskan - not Atlantic, that is way too over fished) on top of rosemary and olive oil Triscuits (if you haven't tried them do yourself a favor and get a box) and then topped with creme fraiche, red onion and capers. A very big hit.

Brandade - this is a dish with potatoes and salted cod (I know, I'm a hypocrite, talk about being WAY over fished - but it's a must have with the Feast so I broke down) mixed together with garlic olive oil. I was a bit disappointed here - too much potato flavor and not enough cod. If I do this next year I need to cut out at least 8 oz of potatoes.

Salad with seafood - simple mixed greens with a vinaigrette and squid, shrimp and octopus. This was a winner, but my wife complained about the greens. But I love salad - so I think the greens have to stay.

Mini crab cakes - straight out of Maryland baby! Pretty straightforward, very little filler and covered in panko and then pan fried - with aioli. Another winner.

Tuna and white beans - needed some legumes in the mix and this did it. We do this often, but this time we took the extra step and made fresh beans and had a better grade of tuna than we usually buy for ourselves. Mix in some red onions and olio and that's it.

After our 5 antipasti, we did linguine alla vongele for the primi. Did it with just an olive oil and garlic sauce and had both fresh and canned clams. I took the easy way out and just use dried pasta instead of making fresh. I almost think it worked better with the dry pasta. Molto buono!

For our secondi we went back to Maryland and cooked about a 2 pound fillet of rockfish. Again, the simplest preparations worked best. I marinated the fish in olive oil, lemon and salt and pepper and let it sit for about 45 mins. I then put it in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes. Once it was cooked through I pulled it out and then topped it with a putanesca (a mix of cherry tomatoes (local, hothouse toms), red onions, capers, olives, parsley and olio - about 4 cups). It really did top off a fab dinner.

For our dolci, a friend made an Italian cheesecake topped with currants. I am not a big sweets person but this was great. Again, I've been eating leftovers all week. To make sure everything went down well, I broke out my new digestivo - Fernet Branca. It went over better than expected. It's only meant to be drank in small amounts and I really think it does help with digestion after a big meal. It is a acquired taste and can be considered a little medicinal, but it has a nice finish that really warms up the body. I also cracked open the Sambuca for those who needed something a little sweeter.

All right, that's enough out of me. Wishing you all a happy new year. Looking forward to many fabulous meals in the year ahead and hopeful that our local restaurant and food scene continues to thrive. I think soon more people in the metro area will take notice and may begin to consider SS a dining destination area.

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish folks happy holidays. I hope you eat some wonderful meals during this festive time.

My Feast of Seven Fishes seems to be coming together nicely. I'll post some pics soon. I think we might end up with more than 7 fishes though. But who's counting. I'll also report on an Italian digestivo I'm serving. Our County liquor store did not carry this variety (Fernet-Branca), but were very nice and brought in a few bottles for me. Although I only needed one. I hear it's an acquired taste. We'll see how it goes.

And I'd love to hear from anyone who's been over to the caramel shop -- Velatis -- on Georgia Ave. I know they opened about a week ago. I think I'll make my way over tomorrow so I can include some of their goodies as part of the dolci for our Feast.

OK, go on now and eat, drink and be merry!

News and notes

OK, I have a few things to report on the local restaurant and dining scene.

First, it looks like our new caramel shop, Velatis (8408 Georgia Ave), may be opening its doors this weekend. So you better get to the dentist to make sure your teeth are up to this task. These are sugary sweets - so come prepared. My wife and I walked by today and there were about a dozen people inside making preparations. They had planned to open last month, but alas, we are in Mont. County aren't we.

But they will certainly be open to supply much of our sugar needs for the holidays. We learned the family who started the shop had both Italian and Greek ancestry - not a bad combo. And while the Velatis' sold the shop in the 1990s, the recipes made today are the originals! I look forward to chowing down on some caramels - which will be made right at the SS shop - very soon.

Next up, just south of Velatis, and immediately south of Pyramid Atlantic, in a former pawn shop, is a building that is undergoing tremendous renovation. I'm sure if you've driven or walked by you have noticed the transformation. It's not done yet, but it certainly stands out on the Avenue. It's quite a mod design. Anyway, I just learned that the owners are looking to lease the space downstairs to a restaurateur. The upstairs will contain a business of some sorts. But who really cares about that. No one has leased the first floor space yet, but you can be sure I will stay on top of this one. If the restaurant matches the setting, you can be sure it'll be a nice place.

I also heard that our new pizza place, Pacci's, had its brick oven delivered last night. It is so big it had to come through the ceiling. Wow! I can't wait to order an extra large pie there! But it looks like we'll still have to wait a while till any of us can do that. It appears Pacci's and 8407 are in line for spring openings. But I think most of us expected that anyway.

And while I cannot confirm this, rumor has it that Mayorga (8040 Georgia Ave) will be shutting its doors on their SS location. I'm not sure how much business they do since I have not set foot in the place in at least two years, but I just assumed they were doing OK. Maybe the recession hit them like other places? I guess if you're interested in getting one of their brews, you'll have to truck your way over to Rockville. If anyone can confirm or refute this news, please let me know.

One last thing, Frank Morales, is taking over for Sam Adkins as head chef at Jackie's. Morales was previously the chef at a place in Alexandria called Rustico. While I have never eaten at this establishment, it has received good reviews. He gets good marks for creating gastropub fare that matches well with beer. I look forward to seeing his influence soon at Jackie's. I'll try to get some more info on Morales and his plans for downtown SS. But it's obvious he prefers downtown SS over stuffy old Alexandria. As always, SS rulz!

The Feast approaches

We are just over 3 weeks out from the Feast of Seven Fishes. And I must say, I'm getting pretty excited. For those of you unfamiliar with La Festa dei Sette Pesci, it is celebrated by Italians and those of Italian descent all over the world on Christmas eve. It is believed to commemorate the 7 sacraments. And to do this, seven seafood/fish dishes are prepared for family and friends. My wife and I will be hosting our 3rd annual celebration this year. And with Thanksgiving behind us, I am all about thinking of the dishes we'll serve this year.

So with that in mind, I did some experimenting on Sunday night. I was pretty excited that the fish monger at Whole Foods gave me a couple big fish heads (just ask them) to make stock. I've made veggie and chicken stock before, and they've turned out great. By the way, if you have the time it's cheaper and you'll consume a lot less sodium if you can make your own stock as opposed to the store bought versions. And it's so easy. But with fish stock I learned, there's a bit of a learning curve.

I threw both heads (I think one was red snapper) in with several cups of water with some garlic, onion, carrot, salt, fennel leaves, pepper corns and a bay leaf thinking I was well on my way to having some killer fish stock. After a simmer of about 45 minutes my wife walked into the house and almost fainted. I think her words were, "what the hell are you cooking?" I had not noticed the strong odor, but it hit her like a ton of bricks.

I turned off the burner after about an hour and let it cool on my deck to start the defunkifcation of the house. I then filled a couple big plastic containers and stuck it in the fridge still hoping for the best. And while it wasn't the worst stock around, it was in fact quite strong. Some might say overwhelming. But I still wanted to use it in a dish I'm considering for the Feast - cioppino.

But, I want to make a modified cioppino. This is due to a dish I had in Spain a few months ago called arroz caldoso (soupy rice). It was kind of like cioppino, but with rice and it had a lot of fabulous seafood/tomato broth. Trust me, it was to die for.

Anyway, my attempt fell woefully short. Although I bet you're saying - it looks pretty good.

I used arborio rice in the dish and man, did it ever suck up the 3 cups or so of fish stock (which I had reduced some) I poured in. It was still edible, I mean the fish, mussels and clams were all good, but the rice really did overwhelm everything else. So at this point, this dish is definitely not Feast-worthy. Back to the drawing board. I think for my next attempt I'll try it with shrimp stock. Wish me luck.