FOOD: Spring Rises to the tune of Velt-LEEN-er

By CHRISTIANNA SARGENT
March 16, 2012
Special to the Falls Church Times

This past week, I stepped outside before the dawn had fully sprung. A blanket of misty fog clung to the frosted ground; but, slowly the shroud of damp dew began rising, as if lifting her skirts to reveal the tender young grass springing, the yellow daffodil petals yawning, and the purple crocus peeking open for its first glimpse of fluxing seasons. I thought for a moment how everything springs forward, ascending upwards toward a new morning light. I inhaled deeply the scents of fresh morn, waiting to exhale my hopeful pondering: spring has sprung!

The dormant land awakens to new life; and with it a farmer’s bounty and a wine lover’s new adventure into a world painted verdant green. Spring green demands a color descriptor all of its own, somewhere on the verge of light green splashed with yellow highlights, conjuring nascent freshness. In the wine world, this verdant green translates into wines such as Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and possibly even Pinot Gris or Torrentes. In the food world, ramps, artichokes, fava beans, and asparagus take their place once again on the spring menu.

So if we marry the wine and food world, a story unfolds of delicious pairings waiting to molt the winter senses. The trick is not slipping into wines that are too green just yet. Now is not the time for spritzy Vinho Verdes stacked high at Whole Foods in the zenith of summer, or Pinot Grigios flavored with fresh squeezed lime and lemon. This tender time between seasons calls for a wine that dons plumes of finesse and voluptuous notes of ripe stone fruits. Sauvignon Blanc strikes us with stiletto heels of acidity, tart flavors of grapefruit, and that reminiscent sniff of freshly cut hay. Thus, Sauvignon Blanc proves not the perfect fit. Rather, the way to go this time of year is with a wine that harnesses split personalities. The appropriate bride for this marriage would be the stoic grape from Austria, Grüner Veltliner, pronounced with a ringing Austrian accent: Velt-LEEN-er.

The beauty of Grüner Veltliner is that it has sprung all over the grocery store shelves and at your local vintner shops. This bride flirts with numerous of styles. The Grüner grapes produce wines of light, dainty bodies to full-fledged, voluminous curves. A tell-tale sign when Grüner rests in your glass is the slight presence of dissolved CO2. Surprisingly, the sensation of spritz is not passed on to your palate. Rather, this wine can deliver sensations of a world renowned white burgundy (aka fancy Chardonnay from France) unfolding myriads of richness and texture that can age in bottle for a decade or more. Most importantly, for these tender times, Grüner pairs with meat, yes, red meat; in addition to fish and green vegetables.

So, the next time you visit the Farmer’s market or your local grocer, search for the ingredients to make an asparagus frittata and spring for a Grüner Veltliner. Or better yet, make a meal with heirloom beans and edamame. Check out this amazing farmer’s website, Rancho Gordo, who is preserving the genetic line of heritage beans in Napa Valley http://www.ranchogordo.com/html/v_beans.htm. Plant these babies in your spring garden and spare them from extinction. You will reap the benefits tenfold in flavor, texture, and freshness. Plus, the groo-vee way to experience beans is with a velvety Velt-LEEN-er. More food thoughts with Grüner could be unique deviled egg preparations for your spring brunch table—make ‘em with bacon, cheese, curry, or the tried-and-true paprika.

Some tip top suggestions to seek out (but, don’t let the Austrian wine label scare you off!):

Hirtzberger, Smaragd Honivogl

Knoll, Smaragd Schütt

F X Pichler, Smaragd Kellerberg

Prager, Smaragd Achleiten

Bründlmayer, Käferberg

Loimer, Spiegel Alte Reben

Steininger, Kamptal

Christianna Sargent
Certified Sommelier
Advanced Certificate–
Wine & Spirits Education Trust
Association of Italian Sommeliers
French Wine Scholar
talesofasommelier.blogspot.com

WEDNESDAY, 3/14: Bruegger’s Fundraiser for MEH

On Wednesday, March 14th, all guests who visit the new Bruegger’s Bakery-Café located in Falls Church at at 7393 Lee Highway, will receive a free bagel with cream cheese.  They will also have the opportunity to purchase a Bottomless Mug trial card(s) for $5.00 each – good for unlimited coffee, tea or fountain drinks through the end of March – to the first 200 interested guests. All proceeds from the card, will benefit the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School teacher grants program.  We hope you will stop by to support the MEHMS PTA.

FOOD: Crawfish Dinner at Eden Center

By RA CHAN
March 9, 2012
Special to the Falls Church Times

Sometimes it’s hard when a craving hits me and our area really isn’t known for that type of cuisine. I love crawfish (also commonly known as crayfish and crawdads). There’s just something so decadent yet filling about getting my hands dirty while devouring those succulent little crustaceans that resemble mini-lobsters!

There is a chain-type restaurant that opened up near the Zoo that I’ve been to a few times. But on this particular cold night, I wasn’t in the mood to trek into the city. After doing my due diligence and looking on Yelp, we happened to find Seaside Crab House right in Eden Center, down the street from my house! There were a variety of mixed reviews, but for the most part, it seemed like a winner to me.

Upon first impression, this place looked a little on the sketchy side. It’s an outdoor tent that’s set up right in front of the tiny restaurant. And just a warning, this is not a place to impress a date. The décor is very random and odd and they use paper plates and cups. But looks aside, I was still determined to get my craving for crawfish satiated!

We started out with an order of their crab fried rice. I was impressed with the huge and plentiful chunks of crab meat. The fried rice was a little on the bland side, but there was a small sauce bowl of soy sauce and chili peppers, so that added the instant flavor boost I needed.

We also got 5 pounds of crawfish. For about $10/lb, I couldn’t resist. It came out steaming hot in a bag full of garlic and hot chili peppers. And since it was a Vietnamese establishment, they served the crawfish with a sauce dish filled with lime juice and salt/pepper, the best sauce to accompany any seafood in my book!

The crawfish themselves were all decently sized and juicy as ever. The spicy garlic sauce was perfect. All in all, it was a pretty decent meal. I think if my craving for crawfish comes back again, I know where I will be dining!

Seaside Crab House
6799 Wilson Blvd, Suite 5
Falls Church, VA 22044
(703) 241-2722

http://seaside-crabhouse.com/

FOOD: Great Finds at the Farmers Market – Friends and Food

By Kathleen Nixon
March 2, 2012

I wax poetic frequently about our Falls Church Farmers Market, much to the chagrin of my readers. Celebrating food and community has become one of my greatest pleasures in life second only to my family and home. Recently I was poignantly reminded of this little gem in our little city, when someone stopped me at the market to ask about my Farmers Market bag from San Francisco.

From there started a fabulous conversation about a new family that has returned to our area. Claire McConnell grew up in our area and after high school attended the Culinary Institute in New England. There she met her husband and they worked for several years at restaurants throughout the country, most recently Napa California.

While raising her two young girls, Claire writes her own blog creating recipes that focus on health, taste and budget. She will be sharing some of these posts with us from time to time.  It is with great pleasure that I share Claire’s first article and recipe that focuses on some of the greens – Collards -that we will find in the farmers market this week as well as the sausage and the french bread.

Farro with Stewed Collard Greens with Grilled Sausages and Grilled Bread

 

 Farro is a grain that is a lot like barley, in fact if you can’t find Farro in the store barley will work just fine. It is high in fiber, high in protein and low in fat. And like rice at little bit cooks up to feed the whole family. It has an excellent nutty flavor that makes it a bang of flavor for your buck.

Collard greens are members of the cabbage family, but tend to be more bitter. That bitterness will decrease as the greens cook. Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and Folic acid. They are also low in fat and calories. And unlike spinach let’s say, collards really hold their body and don’t shrink down to nothing.

Equipment: Large dutch oven (similar to a Le Creuset) and a grill pan.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil — $0.15
1 medium onion – small dice — $0.65
3 garlic cloves – sliced thin — $0.10
1 1/2 cups Farro – rinsed under water — $2.30
1 large bunch collard greens – remove stems, rough chopped (about 6 cups) — $2.50
1/2  cup white wine — $1.00
2 1/2 cups chicken stock  – $2.00
2 tbsp butter — $0.40
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese – grated — $0.75
4-5 of your favorite raw Italian sausages — $3.95
1/2 loaf of french bread  – $0.75
————-
Total ingredient cost =$14.55

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in dutch oven on medium heat, add diced onion and saute until translucent about 5 minutes. Add sliced garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add collard greens, Farro, wine and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stir, and then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour on med-low heat.

While the Farro is cooking, heat a grill pan without any oil. Brush sausages with 1 tbsp oil and when grill pan is very hot grill the sausages until cooked. Remove from grill pan and let sausages cool. Slice baguette and grill bread (crust side up) on the same grill pan, but turn the heat down to medium. The bread will soak up the oil and the juices from the sausages. Grill bread to your likeness, be careful not to burn. Once sausages have cooled slice them into 1 in rounds.

After an hour the Farro should be cooked and have no bite to the grain and the collards should be soft but not falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in butter, Pecorino and sausages.

Serve with grilled bread.

Makes 4 large portions

How to modify for:
Vegetarians: Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock and take out sausages. Replace with roasted wild mushrooms, such as king trumpets or Mitakes.
Vegans: Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock, take out sausages, butter and Pecorino. Replace with roasted wild mushrooms, such as king trumpets or Mitakes.
Pescatarians: Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock and take out sausages. Replace sausages with firm, white fish such as Halibut. Grill each side and finish in 375* oven for 8-10 minutes.
Lactose Intolerance: Just remove the butter. Pecorino is a sheep’s milk cheese and does not contain lactose.
Gluten Intolerance: Unfortunately Farro contains gluten as it is a grain. Use a grain like Arborio or Carnaroli rice and make this dish more like a risotto. Follow the steps on the bag for cooking advice. And omit the grilled bread.

http://clairesculinaryconnection.blogspot.com/

FOOD: Sushi Nami

By KATHLEEN NIXON
February 24, 2012

Sometimes you never know where or when you will find next favorite eating venue. My new favorite spot is in one of the most unlikely places: the lobby of the Westin Tysons Corner on Leesburg Pike at the intersection of Route 7 and the Beltway. Thankfully it is before the Beltway for those of us in the City of Falls Church.

A few years ago, the Westin General Manager wanted to find a way to multi-purpose a high trafficked area in their lobby that wasn’t being used at night: the Starbucks stand. Many other restaurants in our area have found ways to create different revenue streams in the same space, such as Willow’s Nosh Bistro, but the Westin was way ahead of the curve on this one. The Westin felt that sushi would be a good offering for its many frequent hotel guests and the space was perfect to showcase sushi. At the same time, a young sushi chef named Sung Shin had just finished an apprenticeship in Baltimore learning both traditional and fusion sushi. Sushi Nami was born.

Sushi Nami made an appearance at the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef demonstration in the fall of 2010 just after they opened. Nothing like trial by fire for Sung, who was told shortly after he started that “he would be going out into the community to do sushi”. Sung delighted the farmers market chef participants with multiple vegetarian options including a yam and cream cheese, spicy basil cucumber roll and an avocado roll.

Sung says he feels very fortunate that his teachers were not only very forthcoming with sharing with him traditional sushi but also very inspirational in being innovative and creative. Traditionally sushi chefs keep their trade secrets very close to their chests and do not share their knowledge with young chefs. Sung not only learned traditional sushi, but how to experiment and be creative. I see this each time I happen by Sushi Nami. Like many great chefs, Sung knows his audience and remembers his customers’ tastes. It is wonderful to have a quick conversation with Sung as I am ordering and deciding the key ingredients that will be the mainstay of my meal. From there, Sung’s creativity and imaginations take over and I salivate with anticipation of what he will produce. Each time I am astounded at the manipulation of standard sushi ingredients under the influence of such creative and innovative mind to showcase delicacies I would have never dreamed of.

The creations for my most recent visit included: Salmon, spicy tuna with Japanese radish, marinated squash and sweet tofu; shrimp, cream cheese, cucumber topped with smoked salmon drizzled with eel sauce and spicy mayo sauce.  My husband’s  selections included spicy tuna with Japanese radish and spicy mayo topped with salmon; spicy yellow tuna chopped and combined with roe, sesame oil and hot oil topped with avocado; spicy tuna pocket with wasabi, rice, eel sauce, pickled radish. The spicy tuna pocket was a delightful treat taking a twist on the traditional maki roll.

Most times I will stop off on my way back from Tysons Corner to pick up an order to go. Other times I will order a Sapporo and sit in the Bluefire Lounge which is the hotel’s lobby bar and restaurant. While the ambiance is nothing special at the Bluefire Lounge but the sushi more than makes up for it.

Sushi Nami
Monday – Friday 4pm to 10pm
Westin Tysons Corner
7801 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
(703) 893-1340

FOOD: Best Hamburger in the City?

By KATHLEEN NIXON
February 17, 2012

When I am feeling blue, or a little stressed, a burger is one of my best pick me ups. Give me a juicy burger, with cheddar cheese and bacon, and I am in heaven. We have many options here in the city, but I wanted to turn the tables and ask you, the reader, for your suggestions on where is the best burger and why?

For me the burger bun is crucial. It has to be fresh and just the right size rather than big and cumbersome to the point that I have to cut the burger in half.  What about French fries or chips? Are these essential or just a nice to have? Finally, what are the perfect toppings? Tomato, lettuce, onion and pickles? Are more exotic sautéed mushrooms, balsamic onions or pate’?

As burger establishments pop up all over the community like coffee shops used to, where do you go when you a craving a good burger?

FOOD: Valentine’s Day – HELP!

By KATHLEEN NIXON
February 10, 2012

After Christmas and Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day is the next big food holiday. A day wrapped in red roses and chocolate kisses. Holidays tend to bring expectations and emotions associated with them. Oh the pressure! Not just for us mere mortals but the harried restaurants and food purveyors who must satisfy all of our expectations.

This year, look beyond the Hallmark card, Costco roses and the Whitman’s Sampler to more creative food offerings to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Don’t have a sweetheart? Remember friends don’t let friends endure on Valentine’s Day alone.

My recommendations for Valentine’s Day:

Try breakfast rather than dinner: Start the day off with your Valentine by allowing a little extra time to share muffin, scone or croissant with a nice cup of coffee. You can bake your own muffins or you can grab some the night before at one of our local bakeries.

Special treat: Cookies, cupcakes and chocolates. Sweets tend to define Valentine’s Day “sweets for my sweet” In the sweets department, I definitely go for quality over quantity. Give me one really great piece of dark chocolate rather than an entire bag of M&M’s. Locally at the Farmers Market we have two great vendors: Pancha Dulce which now has my favorite cookie Double Chocolate Sea Salt and the Virginia Chocolate Company which always carries a wide variety of dark and milk chocolate.

Dinner: If you do want to try to go to dinner on Valentine’s Day, please go early. All of our local restaurants have special dinners available and they really appreciate reservations and coming in early on big days like Valentine’s Day. Or better yet, try to cook dinner at home, this is what I will be doing. You don’t have to do this from scratch. Pick up a few pre-made items like soup and maybe a Chicken Pot Pie at the Farmer’s Market. Stop by Red, White and Blue or Sfizi’s for wine and munchies to go with evening.

While you may think that the meal will make your Valentine’s Day special, it will be how you celebrate it that will make all the difference. My most memorable Valentine’s Day was celebrated eating a Domino’s Pizza reading a love letter from my best friend and sweetheart. Make your day special too.

FOOD: Places for Breakfast

By KATHLEEN NIXON
January 27, 2012

For me winter is about slowing down and taking life a little easier. Basically I am just taking a cue from Mother Nature, shut down, recharge and get ready for spring. One of my favorite things about winter is that mornings are later and I can linger a bit longer to start my day. This also means more time to enjoy breakfasts rather than just fortifying myself with cup of coffee.

When I say breakfast, I am not talking about brunch which I truly leave for a special occasion.  Breakfast for me is anywhere from a latte and a scone to a cup of Joe alongside eggs, bacon, and hash browns or pancakes and sausage.

Around our area we have many wonderful options for breakfast from al fresco munchies at the Farmers Market to good old fashion diners and some places in between. Now being a curmudgeon, I tend to go back to the same places over and over again, so I have not tried all of our available breakfast venues, but I am sure many in our audience have!

Here are a few of my breakfast hangouts:

Falls Church Farmers Market – from the new donut lady with her hot fresh donut holes covered in powdered sugar to the Atwater’s Triple Ginger scones there is always something wonderful for breakfast on Saturday mornings.

Le Marche’ at La Cote D’Or – What I love about Le Marche’ are the breakfast options: fresh, piping hot croissants with a Café au Lait or omelet Parisien served with bacon and a baguette. Too many times omelets are huge like the chef is trying to put the whole dozen of eggs in there. At Le Marche the omelets are just right!

Buzz Bakery – An outpost of the Slater’s Lane Buzz Bakery is located in the Ballston area. While Buzz is known for its cupcakes, I truly believe its breakfast options are stellar. From the ham scone with great chucks of ham, cheese and scallions to the all in one breakfast waffle with maple syrup and bacon in the batter. This coupled with awesome coffee takes the chill off of any morning for me.

The Original Pancake House – What more can I say – it’s the pancake house!. You want pancakes this is where you go and you have many options including gluten free pancakes.

Linda’s – Don’t let the sign out front touting the Gyros and Burgers fool you, this is a great place for breakfast. The staff remembers you and your order. The breakfasts are large, delicious and just what you are looking for when you want a great dive for breakfast.

Silver Diner – I really enjoy the Sliver Diner over in Merrifield. It tends not to be as crowded as the other locations and even with the construction it is still easy to get to. When I have a group of folks who all want a wide variety of breakfast options this is where we will go.

Of course there is Starbucks, Panera and Cosi, but these seem to be good for a “grab and go” kind of breakfast rather than a sit, relax and catch up on life kind of breakfast.

The three I have yet to try are Famous Dave’s, Bentley’s and Mike’s Deli but I plan on visiting very soon.

Now I know this will cause some controversy, but I have only been to Anthony’s a few times and each time it was an abominable experience. I won’t go into details, but our family refuses to go back ever again. I am happy for the business that there are so many in the community that likes to go there.

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