Northwest Deli Life: Wagshal's

So Wagshal's (an AU staple) has started doing an actual dinner service, with apparently happy hour and dessert happy hour specials coming soon.  I had mixed feelings when I ducked in for a sandwich and learned this news, since, last Friday, this was not the case.

Their sandwich menu is pretty restricted for the dinner service, though the full deli menu is still available for carry out, but the weather was nice and I wanted to eat on the patio. 

I got the TBLT sandwich, which came with salad, fries, or a side cup of soup.  I got the chicken rice, which was tasty and full of big chunks of chicken and carrot, but was not especially spectacular.

The TBLT, on the other hand, is their Tilapia BLT sandwich, with cheddar and onions and a spicy lime mayo.

Look at that gorgeous sandwich. The mayo was spicy and bright, and I surprisingly loved the cheese and fish together.  My only real complaint is that on a sandwich that's already so full of flavor, the red onion was a little overpowering.  I would definitely eat it again, but maybe ask for them to go light on the onions.

Reasonably priced, flavorful, and super convenient for any American student.  Overall: 7/10

Eat-In Takeout

If you're like me, you probably have a huge weakness for takeout.  It's easy, (relatively) fast, and it means you don't have to cook.  Plus, I'm sucker for Chinese takeout, and I crave some of those flavors like crazy.  But takeout on a regular basis adds up quickly, and money spent on takeout is money that can't be spent experiencing the rest of the amazing food scene this city has to offer.

So before I get into sharing some "Better Than Takeout" recipes I've found (Rachel tested, Rachel approved), we're gonna talk a bit about why it's SO GOOD, so you can get at the heart of that craving and hopefully replicate the flavors at home.  That requires talking a little bit of food science and food history, so bear with me.

Umami is a Japanese term used to describe an often-forgotten flavor category (like bitter, sweet, salty, and sour).  Umami is a full, almost meaty flavor found in a lot of Asian cuisine.  Typically derived from dashi (a kind of seaweed which has been used as a flavor additive for centuries) and glutamic acid, umami is also present in soy sauce and, most notably, monosodium glutamate.  Monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG, is a salty, delicious compound that has an incredibly bad reputation because it's not great for your health.  Considering it's a form of salt, however, that's not entirely surprising.  High sodium levels can lead to weight gain, headaches, and more.  But MSG is not the be-all-end-all of bad foods: proper water consumption and a healthy diet can mitigate its effects.

Assuming you don't have a bottle of MSG sitting in your kitchen, the best way I've found to imitate its umami-full goodness is combining salty, meaty soy sauce with a little bit of butter to create a sauce or marinade that turns chicken, seafood, fish, and veggies into Asian-inspired mouth-watering goodness.  Add a little garlic and pepper to take the flavor in a different, still tasty direction.

Now, onto some recipes.  I would feel awful trying to take credit for these epic recipes, since I haven't done much of altering them and they're just awesome the way they are.

• This Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with Shrimp and Shiitakes from The Woks of Life is just absolute perfection, and you know everything that goes into it!
• Turn any leftover rice into fried rice by tossing them with some butter, fresh chopped veggies, garlic, onion, and egg.  Top with soy sauce and pepper and serve!  There's an example of this idea here, but really I don't even really work from a recipe when I do this, since it's really easy and mostly up to what I have around.
• Crab rangoon is definitely a food I should avoid, because it's fried and heavy and full of cheese...but I can't help it.  I often find myself choosing my Chinese restaurants based on whether they have this (not the least bit authentic) appetizer on the menu.  While I haven't actually tried I Breathe I'm Hungry's Crab Rangoon recipe, I know other people who swear by it!

I hope this list encourages you to seek out some better-than-takeout and cheaper-than-takeout Asian-style food options, or at least to incorporate soy sauce and butter into your seasoning repertoire.  You will 500% thank me for that one.

Mmm...Donuts: Zombie Coffee and Donuts

Two reviews in one week?! Am I suddenly made of money?  No, definitely not.  But I couldn't resist sticking my head into Zombie Coffee and Donuts while running errands in Columbia Heights.  I mean, really.  It's got "zombie" in the name and I'm a complete sucker for good coffee and baked/fried dough.

The first thing I noticed is that regardless of how many donuts you're getting, they give you a little card to fill out where you can specify coatings (like glaze, frosting, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar) and toppings.  I'm a big fan of anything that lets me really build and personalize my order. 

I think the best way to tell the quality of a place's donuts is to eat one plain -- no frills, just donut.  While the yellow color wasn't super appealing, the flavor was sweet and doughy, and the texture was perfect: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside.

The coffee wasn't much to write home about, but considering that you can get out with a donut and self-serve coffee for less than $5, I'm gonna give it a thumbs up.

8/10 - would recommend

Garlic Marinated Steak 'N Eggs

I love breakfast.  But, if you're at all like me, you're not always awake in time to make breakfast at what society considers an acceptable time to make breakfast.  For a quick, protein-rich breakfast, or any meal if you pair it with some sides, steak and eggs are hard to resist.  This is a quick pan-seared steak and fried egg.

Trying to make things Pinterest-friendly.  Snazzy, eh?

Anyway, this is a pretty quick recipe.  You'll need a small steak (I'm just using a strip steak), a clove of garlic, soy sauce (or Worcestershire), balsamic vinegar, one egg, oil, salt and pepper.

Peel a clove of garlic and smash it roughly, just enough to release the oils.  Add the smashed garlic to a bowl, and add about two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of soy sauce.  Stir in half a cup of water.

You're then going to marinate your steak in this mixture for 5-10 minutes, heating two pans on the stove.  Heat one to low-to-medium heat (for your egg) and the other at high heat (for your steak).

When you're ready, add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan for the egg.  Add your egg to the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cooking for about 2 minutes before flipping.  Season your steak with salt and pepper and add to the pan, watching for any flare-ups when the fat and marinade hit the hot pan (I say this because I had a bit of an incident).

Cook your steak for about 3 minutes a side, until seared on the outside and still medium-rare on the inside.  Plate with the egg on top and a bit of the marinade over the whole plate.

You're going to want to slice right into that fried egg so the yolk creates a sauce for the steak.  Trust me on this.

Better Than No Thai: Basil Thai

On my way back from Foggy Bottom today, I decided to hop off in Georgetown for some lunch.  I'm a huge sucker for Thai food, so I tried out Basil Thai.  The place is bright and pretty big, though it was completely empty when I got there.  Their prices were a bit high, about in line with what I expected in Georgetown.

I got started with a lemonade that was both the color and flavor of green Gatorade (less than ideal) and a bowl of wonton soup. 

Thai wonton soup bears some pretty distinctive differences from Chinese wonton soup.  The dumplings tend to be a bit more delicate and filled with chicken and shrimp rather than pork.  Also, they look like brains.  The broth is also usually a bit more aromatic and often has peanuts in it.  This bowl was huge -- spicy and salty with big pieces of cabbage and whole parsley leaves.  Lots of black pepper, absolutely delicious.

I also got the Pad See Ew, which was pretty tasty, though a bit pricey at $10 for the lunch sized serving.  

Pad see ew (phat si-io) is an egg noodle based dish with dark, sweet soy sauce.  I usually expect pad see ew to be full of bright, flavorful vegetables on top of the chicken and egg and noodles, but his was pretty one-note.  That note was solidly tasty, but still.  Portion was big enough for leftovers, which is always a plus.

Overall, 6/10, considering price and quality.

Quick Bites: Quick Lunch

For a quick, tasty lunch, I like combining deli ham, provolone, prosciutto, and Dijon mustard on a wrap!  Healthy, tasty and fast!

Meatless Monday: Red Pepper and Portobello Mushroom Pasta in White Wine Sauce

Temporary or long-term, there are a lot of reasons you might want to go meatless.  It helps cut back on the impacts of global warming.  You might be giving up meat once a week or entirely for Lent.  You could be full-on vegetarian or vegan for personal or moral reasons.  I know some of my readers do the veg thing or practice clean eating, and I've personally found that going meatless sometimes just feels good, and I don't always miss the meat.  Don't get me wrong: I am a serious carnivore, and this blog will contain a lot of meaty recipes.  But, for those of you looking for a meatless alternative, I'll try to update those too.

For this recipe, you'll need: dry white wine (I'm using chardonnay), extra virgin olive oil, one whole portobello mushroom, half a red bell pepper, one clove of garlic, half a lemon, and pasta.  If you're going gluten-free or completely vegan, you can substitute spaghetti squash or a vegan (non-egg based) or gluten-free pasta.

Begin by cubing your bell pepper and your mushroom into roughly 1 inch pieces and finely chopping your garlic clove.   Place a pan on the stove over low heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your pan.  Add your garlic and let cook approximately one minute.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper to your vegetables.

Then, add your mushrooms and peppers to the pan, increasing the heat to medium-high, and let them saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Once they have softened, add one cup of white wine, and turn the heat to high.  Let this cook until the amount of liquid in the pan has reduced by more than half.  Once your liquid has reduced, add two tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to the pan, as well as the juice of half a lemon.

Prepare your pasta according to directions on the box and toss with the finished sauce.

Cold Days, Hot Chocolate

It's gross outside in DC today.  Sleet, rain, and snow.  On a day like this, there are two things that I really want: hot chocolate and soup.

Making hot chocolate from scratch is really not difficult at all.  If you have chocolate syrup, it CAN be as easy as warming up milk and stirring in the syrup.

I don't, so we're gonna work slightly more from scratch.  What I do have is milk, Hershey kisses, Nutella, coffee, and vanilla.  And this is how we're going to do this.

You're going to start by building a double boiler.  This just means putting one pot or bowl over the top of a pot with a small amount of boiling water, making sure the bottom does not touch the water, so only the steam melts your chocolate and warms your mixture.

You're going to add, to the top pot/bowl, one tablespoon of Nutella and two kisses (or a small handful of other chocolate chips or chocolates that you might have).  Whisk this until it melts to an even consistency.

To this mix, add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of hot coffee.

Whisk until these are evenly combined, then add 3/4 cup of milk.

Continue whisking and heating until it is warm but not boiling.  Pour into your favorite mug.

Optional: finish with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or a big spoonful of Nutella.