2009 November | Johnna Knows Good Food Restaurants, Drinks & Recipes Washington, D.C.

Happy Monday: M Bar (DC)

November 30, 2009 By Johnna Leave a Comment

“Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we’ve no place to go,

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

Well the weather in the District is not frightening just yet, but it is cold enough to have an excuse to visit a happy hour that is focused on heating things up. Today’s Happy Monday comes from the M Bar (*located in the Renaissance M Street Hotel) which hosts a happy hour everyday. Everyday, we repeat. This includes Sundays (*Now why didn’t we know about this sooner?!?). Monday-Friday offers up $4.50 well cocktails in addition to daily specials such as Myers Mojito Mondays with $4.00 mojitos and Celebrate Students Wednesdays which offers students who show college ID’s (*You must be 21 and over, of course…) $3.50 rails and $2.50 domestic beers.

Now for the part you are probably really curious to hear about…a Sunday happy hour? Renaissance “M” VP happy hour is all day on Sunday featuring a selection of male-named “MVPs”, such as Jack Daniels or Jose Cuervo for $4.00 all day long. Of course, you can catch the football games here for all the Redskins fans (*or Cowboys fans, hehehe:-)who are glued to the screen on Sundays.

We did not forget about the food (*The most important part). Sauteed Shrimp over Creamy Cheddar Cheese Grits, Fresh Maryland Crab Cakes and Miso Marinated Sea Bass are some of the yummy selections you can choose from the menu. Chef John Therres has also included some traditional and premium sliders including Bacon and Cheddar Burgers and Lobster Burgers with Sliced Avocado (*Yum.).

Warmed up yet?? We might need to make the Sandy Smirnoff Party on Friday, from the looks of things the end of this week may call for a few Smirnoff-infused cocktails…and @ $4.00 a pop, this could be a no-brainer.

Picture source

Filed Under: Food.Fun.Stuff., Washington D.C.

Easy Candied Yams w/ Marshmallows

November 30, 2009 By Johnna 2 Comments

1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes (drained)

1/4 cup butter (sliced into pieces)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. imitation vanilla

1 dash of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups marshmallows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the sweet potatoes to a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; slightly mix to incorporate all ingredients. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes; top with marshmallows and continue to bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows are melted and just browning. Serve.

*Johnna’s tip: The holidays are not over! Thanksgiving ushered in all the good sweet potato, pumpkin and turkey recipes but there are still more to come. Now until the end of December, let’s see how creative we all can get, send JKGF all of your winter recipes so we can post them (johnnaknowsgoodfood@gmail.com). We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and shared this recipe with our family, who are probably our top critics…they gave this a thumbs up so it might be worth a try. Enjoy!

Picture source

Filed Under: baked, holiday cooking, side dish, vegetarian

Food.Fun.Stuff: Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 26, 2009 By Johnna Leave a Comment

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! JKGF wishes you and yours a wonderful Turkey Day.

Picture source

Filed Under: Food.Fun.Stuff.

Johnna’s Pick of the Week: Vace Italian Deli (DC)

November 19, 2009 By Johnna Leave a Comment

Recently one of our college readers requested more “Pick of the Weeks” that were affordable for their budget. We pulled out our old list of go-to spots that we frequented during our college years and the place that stood at the top of our list was Vace. Vace is the college students answer to the cheap eatery but with good food. Vace is an Italian delicatessen located in the serene Cleveland Park neighborhood. Tucked in between a row of stores and restaurants, Vace’s has become a staple in the neighborhood as the top pizza shop. For under $5, you can enjoy a slice of pizza just the way you like it and have a soda on the side. Unusual to find anything under $5 these days…

Now this post is not just for the hungry, broke college student…broke, working individuals should drop in for a bite also. For $9.50 plus tax, you can order a large pizza and for an extra $1.10 you can get a topping. This price is unparalleled in the District for the quality of pizza that you get. The pizza is simple but good and the only real downside is that they do not deliver. Homemade pastas and a gourmet deli make the trip worth it alongside all the fresh Italian ingredients you can add to your pantry.

Since college, we have made about 1-2 trips in here, but still remain pleased with the service and the taste of the food. It would be nice if they delivered because as it gets cold no one really wants to go and pick up their own food. We do, however, value tradition and for over 30 years this spot has been thriving on the same principles…they provide the good food for a reasonable price, you pick it up. As a college student it’s sometimes hard to find food that doesn’t insult the broke, but educated palate…Vace is a start in the right direction and…it makes the palate pretty happy.

Picture source

Filed Under: Johnna's Pick of the Week, restaurant reviews, Washington D.C.

Top Five Wednesday: Taste of the Holiday Season

November 18, 2009 By Johnna Leave a Comment

This Top Five Wednesday needs a holiday appeal so we decided to focus on the Top 5 must-have dishes of the season. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are here. The grocery stores are filled with customers trying to grab the last Turkey and everyone is getting their energy ready for the Black Friday sales. Here are the top flavors for your mouth:

1. Egg Nog- We explained this one earlier. This is our fave festive drink for the holidays…thick, creamy and with a little nutmeg, just the right bite.

2. Pumpkin- Pumpkin pie is waaaayyy underrated. We come from the family of devout sweet potato pie lovers so it was hard for us to convert…that is, until we had the right pumpkin pie. Find a good recipe and try it!

3. Cranberry sauce- Homemade cranberry sauce actually isn’t that hard. Get a good strainer and go to work.

4. Gravy- Yum. Thick, brown gravy sounds sooo good right about now. Just one more week until our wishes come true.

5. Mac ‘N Cheese- What Thanksgiving meal could be complete without some good mac ‘n cheese?? Mac ‘n cheese does not discriminate…so it doesn’t matter if you’re vegetarian, gluten-free or a staunch carnivore, you are going to want some mac ‘n cheese for the holidays. Find the recipe that meets your dietary needs and indulge in the noodles of happiness.

We purposefully left out Turkey. It is one of those things that “goes without saying”. Take advantage of the abundance of the five ingredients listed above as they flood your local grocery store. Eat too much and as always, Enjoy!

Picture source

Filed Under: Food.Fun.Stuff., holiday cooking