Monthly Review: April 2013

I feel like April went by in a flash, where did it go?  Fortunately, it looks like spring is (finally) upon DC, and I’m looking forward to some warmer weather!  Check out what photos I have capture on my iPhone this month!

Interested what we did in the past?
2013: January February March
2012: May June July August November December

After running the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon in DC, I needed some new shoes.  For running apparel, one of the best places to go in DC (or Virginia) is Pacers.  After trying out a bunch I chose these Mizuno‘s- they’re probably a little flashier than I prefer, but fantastic to run in!  What races are others running?  Any favorites one’s you’ve done before?

While training for a full or half marathon it’s important to get some delicious food, here are some suggestions for great fueling: Garlic Hummus, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Fall Granola, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Casserole.

Spring days are the best for exploring new neighborhoods and restaurants.  Which is exactly what we did when we stopped by Union Market’s Rappahannock Oyster Bar– check out what we ate in our blog post recap!  I also mentioned Union Market in the March review, see what I got then!

I had a great Sunday night dinner party with some DC bloggers (Anne, Ericka, Sarah, Sarah, Amy).  Sarah, of Why Food Works, wanted to spread the word about her new business in DC, and we got to see how her dinner parties work.  Definitely check out the post-  Why Food Works: A Dinner Party, and call Sarah to book a fun Friday night activity!

This month was busy for our new house, we had a housewarming with our friends, a brunch housewarming with Sam’s family, and both of our families came to check out the new digs!  It was a little hard to choose recipes for people to snack and nibble on (so many choices)!  Here are some links to what we made for our visitors: Herbed Almonds, Cream Cheese and Arugula Baguette Bites, Mediterranean Turkey Balls with Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Creamy Ranch Dressing, Lemon Bars, lox and cream cheese, Smokey Quiche, No-Bake Coconut “Cheesecake”, vegetables, fruit.  What are your favorite go-to ideas when you host parties?

Thanks to some expert advice from Emily, we tried making a pizza on the grill!  So delicious- would anyone be interested in a post on how to do it?  What are your favorite pizzas?  Some of our creations include: Apple & Smoked Cheese on Whole Wheat and Mushroom & Broccoli Pizza.  The one in the photo above is actually a “clean out your fridge” pizza.

When my parents were visiting DC, we took a day trip to Annapolis.  As we wandered through the cute city, we stumbled upon Seasons.  It’s an olive oil and vinegar taproom- a way to sample delicious oils and vinegars.  After trying out some, we each bough a couple to try out in our salads!

Coincidentally, salads have been taking over our Food Matters Project posts!  But they are all so delicious!  Check out the Bulgur Wheat Mango Salad with Avocado (above) or the Spinach Cobb Salad with Caper-Anchovy Vinaigrette.  Or see what other recipes we’ve made from the Food Matters Project.

I went to Nashville, Tennessee this past weekend to run the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon.  Thanks to a great Food & Wine article and from Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil, we got some great food recommendations.  I’ll be doing a post about the delicious meals soon.

Lastly, while at the expo- we got to hear Kara Goucher speak and take a photo with her!  It was really exciting for all of us.  The girls running weekend turned out great, even though we had some crummy weather.  Thanks for an awesome time: Becky, Beth, Cassie, Katie, Katie, Lianne, and Sarah!  (two of these ladies are bloggers, so definitely check their blogs out for more Nashville fun)

DC’s Union Market: Rappahannock Oyster Bar

I’m probably one of the last people to explore Union Market.  A big thanks to Alix for taking me there one spring Sunday afternoon.  That day we walked around, explored and then we enjoyed a sandwich from The Red Apron.

Since that afternoon I’ve been wanting to go back and check out the Rappahannock Oyster Co.  Upon my insistence, and his love for oysters- Sam agreed to go!

First a little history.  Rappahanock River Oysters can be traced back to 1899.  James Arthur Croxton, Jr. purchased 5 acres of land near the Rappahanock River near Bowlers, VA.  Today it’s led by his great-grandson’s, Travis and Ryan Croxton; the company also expanded- located in Butylo, VA on over 100 acres.

The 3 types of oysters sold at Rappahannock Oyster Bar in Union Market are:

Rappahanock River Oysters

• from Topping, VA
• salt range: 13-17
• sweet, buttery full-bodied taste

Stingray Oysters

• from Ware Neck, VA
• salt range: 17-22
• quintessential Chesapeake Bay oyster, sweet & mildly briny

Olde Salts

• from Chincoteague Bay, VA
• salt range: 28-33
• taste like the ocean, briny

We did order additional plates, since this is more of small-plate restaurant.

Lots of delicious dishes to choose from.  In addition, there are a number of great drinks, local beers and specials.

Since we’re still on the search for the best Bloody Mary in DC, we had to try this one.  Definitely towards the top range of the one’s we’ve tried- extra spicy, just like we wanted!

Other than the oysters, we split 2 small dishes:

This was the Tuna Tartare, with limes, chilies and Thai basil.  It was light and refreshing, a perfect pairing with the crispy bread.

We also shared the Crab Cake with celeriac remoulade.  Someone had told me that they thought this might be the best crab cake in DC, and I will have to agree!  Delicious!

This was a great Sunday early afternoon outing, and I can’t wait to come back for more oysters!  Afterwards we stopped by to pick up pickles from Oh! Pickles.

Where do you go for oysters and crab cakes?  Would love to hear recommendations!

June Review

It seemed like a lot of people liked the May review, so I think I might make this a regular post each month.  So what photos did I capture on my iPhone this month?

As I’m sure everyone has seen on Pinterest, drinks in jars are the cool new thing!  My friend Carrie loves this idea, and we cooled off with mimosas one night (grapefruit juice & prosecco)!

Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market finds!  My favorite from that week were the peas- could not stop eating them!

Blueberry picking at Butler’s Orchard with friends, what a great way to spend a Saturday!  Also, it’s a great excuse to make a blueberry-oat crumble!

Another week of deliciousness from the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market!  This weeks favorites were the squash blossoms for a frittata and more peas!

Sam and I were dog and cat sitting one weekend.  We tried out an new coffee place, Pound the Hill and made a blueberry-oat crumble!

An amazing dinner at Hank’s Oyster Bar!  They have 2 locations- Dupont & Alexandria!  We went sailing that afternoon, so the oysters were a perfect finish to a great Sunday!

We went to a fabulous dinner at Jose Andres Zaytinya with a friend who is spending 2 months in Turkey!  This is one of the top 10 restaurants in DC, should be on everyone’s list to try!

More goodies from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  The delicious tart cherries were made into a pie, just like last year!  We devoured the green beans dipped in hummus, a perfect snack!

We celebrated my friend Becky’s birthday with a Cherry-Chocolate Birthday Cake in Baltimore!

Jessica–  friend and fellow blogger– is fostering kittens!  At the time I was there, all 4 still needed a home- I almost wanted to bring one home with me!

Last weeks goodies from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.  Check out what I made with the beets– a perfect mid-day snack!  Tomatoes, peaches and nectarines are finally here!

Finally, while visiting Williamsburg, VA for a weekend we spotted these lemon ball cucumbers at the Williamsburg Farmers Market!  They taste just like a cucumber, but in a fun shape and color!

Visiting Boston, Massachusetts

This past weekend we went to visit our friends in Boston.  Other than taking the tour of Sam Adams Brewery, we also enjoyed some great food!

On Friday evening we stopped by the Cheers Bar in Beacon Hill.

Of course, this is where Sam found out that I had never seen even one episode of Cheers.  I know, that might be shocking since they had many reruns on Nickelodeon while I was growing up.

We walked around downtown Boston and saw

the Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in the United States.  Prior to being a seafood house it was a fancy dress good store, and during the Revolutionary War it was the location where Federal troops received their wages.

Fun Fact: The toothpick was first used here!

This is a menu at Atwood & Bacon’s (the name prior to Union Oyster House) from the 19th century.  All of the prices are in cents- most of the oysters were between 10-40 cents, while a milk or coffee was 5.

And looking at all those oysters in the window, we had to stop for a snack at the Farmer’s Market:

Lot’s of seafood to choose from!

And we decided to have some fresh Cherrystone Clams:

They were some of the the most delicious I have ever had!

After some more walking around we decided to stop in one of the many restaurants in the North End.  We chose Rabia’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, an Italian restaurant.  A group of us had a lot of good food, to give you a little taste:

we had to have a bit more oysters!

This was the Fradiavolo Alla Mediterranea (baby octopus, shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams, mussels, linguine, fire roasted tomato).

Linguine Alla Vongole (Cape Cod littlnecks, assorted mushrooms, garlic, linguine)

Fettuccine Con Aragosta (Fresh Maine lobster, fresh egg fettuccine, Vermont butter)

Lobster with butter!

After looking through all those photos, I now want to make some pasta and seafood.  Yum!

One last Boston tip!  We went to brunch at The Regal Beagle, which had a great atmosphere- very laid back and great for a Sunday morning.  This will be a bold statement- I had the best BLT sandwich I have ever eaten.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo (next time?)- but if I will ever be back, I will definitely get this again.

Good-bye Boston, we’ll definitely be back soon!

DC Fish Market

Every time I’ve driven from Virginia into DC on 395, I see the Fish Market on the right hand side of the highway, right on the water.  I’ve been meaning to visit it for almost over a year, and have heard great recommendations.  Feeling ambitious on exploring the city and taking advantage of a warm and sunny day, we decided to venture out of the house.

To enjoy the sunny day, we  decided to walk there.  There and back from the Penn Quarter area is about 3 miles, so it was a great way to walk off our lunch that we got there.

It’s a small area, but there are a lot of fish there!  It’s a little overwhelming at first to see what there is to offer- I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of shrimp (color and size).  First, we decided to walk around and explore what the fish market had to offer:

So many different varieties of shrimp!

We decided that next time, we’ll buy some of these Tiger Shrimp- they were huge!

In the end we decided to try some fried oysters and a crabcake.  The oysters were tastier, but there are many other things to try out there.  The place where we bought it from had a great lemonade-tea mixture that cooled us off for the walk home.

We didn’t end up buying anything to take home with us.  We would like to think of a menu and then buy it fresh and eat it that day.  So we’ll leave that for a future post.  Our first time there turned out great, we’ll definitely be back!

PS- Happy Birthday B* from Boston!!! Lots of love & hugs!!!