A Tasty Weekend

 

Sunday, October 7, 2012 – A Tasty Weekend

After subbing at AHS on Thursday and Friday, I needed to treat myself to a few indulgences this weekend.  First was a Saturday visit to Taste of DC, an annual 3-day food and beverage festival held over the Columbus Day weekend.  It occupies five blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of the city.  I’d been looking forward to this event eagerly for the past few weeks.  Over 50 restaurants from the DC area would be participating!  All would offer a least one “tasting” item for $3 or less.  How could I not go?  In fact, I’m not sure why I’d never managed to attend Taste of DC before.  This year, I wasn’t going to miss it.  Elliott wasn’t interested in accompanying me, so I decided to go on my own. 

To prepare myself for a higher than usual caloric intake, I chose to get off the Metro at a stop located a mile and a half from the festival site.  The brisk 30-minute walk from Foggy Bottom to Pennsylvania Avenue and 11^th Street burned up enough calories to offset whatever tasty delights I might consume.  Abundant sunshine and summery temperatures made it a delightful day for a walk through the city although I had to dodge the hordes of camera-toting tourists when my route took me near the White House.  But the fan-shaped gingko leaves fluttering down from the trees reminded me that fall has definitely arrived.  

By the time I reached the festival entrance, I was ravenously hungry.  However, before I could eat anything, I had to survey all of the offerings.  There was no point in just wolfing down something ordinary like a slice of pizza or a spring roll.  The search for something new and unusual (and not deep-fried) was more challenging than I had anticipated.  But when I got to Rosa Mexicano, I found my first taste-worthy item:  esquites shrimp, a warm and creamy corn “salad” topped with shrimp.  A few moments later, at different restaurant’s booth, I caught a glimpse of another intriguing item:  charred octopus with potato and red pepper confit.  The octopus was meltingly tender in my mouth.  Delicious.  Even though the portions were small, they were quite satisfying. But I wasn’t ready to stop yet.  In the area devoted to food trucks, I discovered Pepe, created by José Andrés.  For a mere $2, I sampled the super chef’s version of gazpacho.  This cold Spanish vegetable soup is one of my summertime staples.  The verdict?  I prefer my own recipe.  

Esquites Shrimp

Charred octopus with potatoes and red peppers

Now that I’d eaten a fairly healthy meal, I could add on a couple of extras.  I’d been thinking about something Asian to balance out the other cuisines I’d already tried.  I settled on pad thai, one of my all-time favorites, and had to choose from among half a dozen different Thai restaurants.  The $3 serving was so generous that I couldn’t even finish it.  Meanwhile, the sun had hidden behind some very dark clouds and the wind was whipping down Pennsylvania Avenue.  It looked like a storm was likely and I didn’t have an umbrella.  However, I needed a special sweet before I ended my tasting adventure, and I knew exactly what would fit the bill.  I hurried over to the CoCo Sala booth for a dessert that sounded irresistible:  Rose Raspberry Panna Cotta Parfait $3.  Absolutely divine, and the perfect finish.  Before a single drop of rain fell, I was in the Metro station and on my way back home.  

Rose Raspberry Panna Cotta

 

I stayed closer to home on Sunday, with the colder temperatures, gray skies, and frequent periods of rain.  But I managed to get out for lunch at Four Sisters, a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood.  Green papaya salad and stir-fried tofu and vegetables with wide thick rice noodles – so many fabulous flavors, textures, and colors.  With all of this eating out, I haven’t been doing much cooking at home for the past couple of days.  I’m satisfied with a salad, and fortunately, Elliott has been quite content with simple meals.  Give him a package of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter, and he’s a happy man!   Actually, with this fall weather, I’m eager to get some homemade soup simmering on the stove and some muffins baking in the oven.  

Green Papaya Salad with Tofu

Stir-fried tofu and vegetables over wide rice noodles