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Etiquette Tuesday: BYOB

January 31, 2012 By 4 Comments

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

So my reader from last week had yet another dating disaster.  I’ll get straight to it: his date ordered the tuna fish on the casual dining menu and proceeded to break out her own personal stash of crackers for the tuna. Etiquette Tuesday will never die with stories like these still prevalent.  This week’s etiquette tip is: leave your personal food stash at home.  The purpose of going out to eat is so you can enjoy (*or try to enjoy) what the restaurant has to offer specifically the food.  Bringing your own goodies to the table defeats the purpose and your best bet is to stay at home if you feel so inclined to bring your own food to the restaurant.

There are exceptions, however, where the restaurant allows you to BYOB or explicitly states that you can order take out while you’re in the establishment (*i.e. The Iron Horse D.C.).  For the most part restaurants want you to come and enjoy their food the way they present it so try to stick to the program.  If you absolutely must have your crackers with the tuna then maybe you should consider doing take out or delivery instead?  Just a thought…

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World Tour: Good Italian eats!

January 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Archele's Spaghetti ©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

I’ve come up with yet another way to get my Italian food fix since I haven’t accumulated enough United Airlines points to book an international flight the country infamous for its pasta, pizza and beautiful people. I put a little twist on my spaghetti that I found to be quite tasty and so I thought I’d share it with all of you. All I did, was substitute ground beef with ground turkey and I added a sauteed medley of zucchini, fresh mushrooms and diced tomatoes to the mix. I used my store-bought tomato sauce of preference and added hot sauce and sugar until it had just the right flavor. It was quick, simple and absolutely mouthwatering!

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Friday Roundup

January 27, 2012 By 2 Comments

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

DC Food Events

The 11th Annual Sugar and Champagne Affair: The annual affair for food and animal lovers will be hosted by 94.7 FRESH FM radio host Tommy McFly @ the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.  More info on the event here.

DC Meat Week kicks off next week (*January 29-February 5, 2012).  If you love BBQ, then this is the week you get to dine in DC with those of similar interests.  DC Meat Week will take place at seven BBQ restaurants in the D.C. area beginning with Urban Bar-B-Que in Rockville,MD (*5566 Norbeck Rd) on Sunday.  See the full schedule and updates here.

Winners Circle

Kudos to the winner of our Sweets on a Stick giveaway: TweetsSweets took the prize by participating in the contest and will receive a copy of the cookbook with over 500 ways to put sweets on a stick.

Now for the Sugar and Champagne giveaway winners (*Drum Roll…): Shawn & Aparna will join yours truly for a night of pups, champagne and chocolate.  Also, as a bonus, @ichoosethesun is the winner of the Two for One Muse Brunch card.  Congrats!  Thank you to all who participated.

New

Diep 9 has added some new things to the Genever family: Diep 9 Old Grain Genever and Diep 9 Young Grain Genever are unflavored and contain 35% alcohol by Volume, boasting “true” Genever.  Diep 9 has stepped out of the Belgian market in D.C. and expanded its sales in DC, VT, MA and RI…kudos!

A new way to eat: Feastly, an online marketplace that connects cooks with adventurous eaters, recently launched.  The concept is grounded on passionate cooks preparing homemade meals for the eaters at the cook’s home.  Get more info here.

Hello Cupcake keeps it fresh with their newest cupcake addition, DC Love Child.  DC Love Child is the first cupcake in the District to combine DC craft beer with chocolate cake.  The cupcake is finished off with a bourbon buttercream frosting and tipped off with a chocolate covered potato chip. Yum.

Girl Power!  The most popular young girls organization, The Girl Scouts of the USA, are set to celebrate their centennial anniversary.  Alongside the celebration, the Girl Scouts are launching ToGetHerThere, a campaign dedicated to girls’ leadership issues.  Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Donna Edwards are among the Congressional support for this campaign to promote girls’ leadership.

Catch Me If You Can

This week I had the opt to hang out with one of my fave food bloggers, French Twist D.C., at Zengo for the launch of their new Shanghai-San Paulo fusion menu.  Pomegranate Kumquat cocktails, Picahna Steak topped with King Crab and Coconut Batida’s made for an excellent way to dine in D.C. on a random Wednesday night. #lovetherandomness

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Honey Pig

January 26, 2012 By 2 Comments

It is the dead of winter and I am far from a fan of the Orange Line, which is the reason I surprised myself when I agreed to leave my car at home and trek out to VA on one of the coldest winter nights for food.  There are some foods that are not worth walking a block for and then there are those places like Honey Pig where traveling 30 miles is more than worth the commute.  Honey Pig is complete chaos upon entering the place.  Casual is an understatement where loud talking and jeans are not only encouraged but probably suggested considering the aromas and orders being thrown around the restaurant.

Honey Pig Appetizers

After adding our names to the list and waiting about 30 minutes for a table (*we took advantage of the Karoake Bar next door and indulged in the potent martinis), we were finally ready to order.  I let the veterans of the table take on the task of ordering and I simply sat back and took in the scene.

Honey Pig

Before I could pull out my camera, appetizers were being rolled out, then the meats, which they cook in the center of the table, and finally the Hite Beer.  The rest is a blur of steam, strong smoky flavors of pork belly and loud laughter from around the table.

Honey Pig

Honey Pig is like the crush you cannot get your mind off of after your first date.  I have not been able to shake the experience and I’ve made it my business to invite everyone I know out to Annandale for lunch, dinner or something (*anyway I can get it).  The icing on the cake was the price of the meal which was $100 for 5 people and we were all stuffed.  The part that disappoints me the most about Honey Pig, however, is the distance.  The District needs our very own Honey Pig.  Inexpensive, authentic and simply a place for loud chatter is necessary after a week spent in the office and pressing through these freezing temperatures.

I doubt my request will be taken serious, Honey Pig already has an audience willing to travel the 30 minute distance.  It is worth mentioning, however, who knows…maybe we can talk a Honey Pig into the new H Street corridor??…

Honey Pig (Gooldaegee) on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Announcements, restaurant reviews, Washington D.C. Tagged With: , , , ,

Sugar & Champagne

January 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

If you have a pet and you have not heard about the Annual Sugar & Champagne event, then today is your lucky day.  The 11th Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building on February 1, 2012.  The event honors the following organizations against animal cruelty: Washington Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement Officers, Animal Control Officers, and Humane Educators.  The areas top pastry chefs and restaurants will be on hand serving up gourmet desserts alongside plenty o’ champagne, hence the name “Sugar & Champagne”.  As delightful as it is to indulge in all things decadent and bubbly, the real benefit here is the fact that all of the proceeds directly benefit the animals and programs of the Washington Humane Society.  Today may be your lucky day because I have two (2) tickets up for grabs for two (2) of my lucky readers to attend the affair on February 1 alongside yours truly. 

How to enter: Like my Facebook page here and share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook.  Two (2) winners will be chosen @ random on Thursday, January 26, 2012.  *Bonus* Follow me on Twitter @jknowsgoodfood, tweet me your favorite pet name and you are automatically entered to win a Two for One Muse at the Corcoran Gallery of Art Brunch card.

Don’t want to play the giveaway game? Simply purchase tickets here or you can make a donation here.

P.S. Dog lovers, feel free to bring your dog, leashed pets are welcome (*No retractable leashes).

Filed Under: Announcements, Food.Fun.Stuff., Washington D.C. Tagged With: , , , ,
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