Web Address Change

Hi Everyone,

A quick note, since this was recently brought to our attention.  You may be surprised that the old web address is no longer functional.  With all the changes on the website in the past year, we recently thought we would change the website title and web address as well.

So, now the correct link to access our website is:

Mint and Mimosas

http://mintandmimosas.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

D.C. Eats - Barrel, By: V

My friend, Mirona, and I have this sort of unspoken dinner arrangement.  This is how it goes:  she'll text me saying we should do dinner or drinks, and then I usually follow-up with a list of options. Most of the time these options are places that I've desperately wanted to try out.  So, this week, this process began and we settled on Barrel.  Barrel is a Bourbon Bar in D.C. that is located around Capitol Hill.  "Bourbon Bar" clearly means it also offers southern cuisine.  I mean Kentucky Bourbon, right?  So, I was pretty excited, because I love some good southern food.  

Now, on arrival I realized this isn't the place to go for some down-south soul food, and it did have a mix of cuisine, but everything was fantastic.  We ordered the mac and cheese to share, and each got our own entree.  Mirona ordered the Corzetti, which was served with lobster, roast mushrooms, romesco and spiced walnuts.  Absolutely delicious!  (It's pictured in the back right below.  The restaurant was really dark!)  I ordered the Veal and Pork Meatballs with cabbage all' amatriciana, which pretty much means yummy soft-cooked cabbage on the base smothered in a delicious red sauce. Fabulous flavor!

I have to say this was probably the best restaurant macaroni and cheese I've had.  It was super creamy, had a crunchy breadcrumb topping and definitely had some horseradish grated into the cheese sauce.  The spicy, crunchy and creamy melded into one gratifying bite after another.

Definitely worth a return visit, if even just for the mac and cheese alone!

#318: Bacon Potatoes and Brunch at Rural Society, By: V

This weekend my friend Supreet and I met up for brunch at Rural Society.  Rural Society is housed on the main floor of the Loews Madison Hotel in D.C.  It offers Argentine cuisine and offers a fantastic brunch prix fixe menu.  For $25 you are served two courses, bread basket, and choice of coffee, orange juice or tea.  An awesome deal!

For the first course I ordered Remolachas, a delicious roasted beet salad served tossed in an orange coriander vinaigrette. Dollops of a delicious apricot butter were served around the plate.

For the second course I ordered the Biztec y Huevos.  I requested scrambled eggs and a medium cooked steak.  Both were perfectly prepared, but the star of the show was the amazing potatoes on the side, which were perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Also, the chimichurri sauce over the steak was just the right amount of garlic-y goodness!

After the delicious brunch potatoes at Rural Society, for dinner that night a small and easy dish, Bacon Potatoes.  Hey! I didn't say the dinner would be healthy, I just said it would be small. These warm potatoes are tossed in bacon pieces, bacon grease, onions and garlic.  Absolutely delicious.  This dish works as the perfect side dish to some pork chops, grilled chicken or steak, but also works on its own.  

Bacon Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 strips of pork or turkey bacon

2 tbsps olive oil (if you use turkey bacon)

3/4 cup chopped red or yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press

4 small to medium red potatoes, quartered

1/2 tbsp salt 

1/4 tbsp or 1/2 tbsp (if you can take the heat) of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Start with a cold pan on the stove.  Yes, this sounds odd, but trust me, the bacon will turn out perfectly crunchy.  Place the bacon strips in a cold pan.  
2. Then turn the heat to low and let the bacon start curling on the ends, the fat will melt and release into the pan. 
3. Have a plate nearby with paper towels laid on them.  Once the bacon is cooked place it on top of the paper towels to collect some of the excess grease.  Pour out the bacon grease into a glass jar or bowl.  
4. Take 2 tbsps of the bacon grease, or if you are using turkey bacon (which doesn't release much, if any, fat) use 2 tbsps of olive oil.  Place this back into your skillet.  Add in the onion and garlic, and let this cook on low heat. 
5. While this is cooking in the pan, place your quartered potatoes in a microwave safe bowl.  Lightly cover with a lid and microwave for 2 minutes or if your microwave has 'baked potato' instructions per those instructions.
6. Then add your potatoes into the pan with the onion and garlic, once the onions become slightly translucent.  
7. Toss the potatoes in the oil and coat evenly.  Cover with the skillet lid and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then take the lid off and let everything cook for another 5 minutes.  
8. Turn the heat off and add the salt and red chili pepper flakes.  Toss thoroughly and you are ready to eat!

Feel free to top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or hot sauce.  Turn this into your own variation on a smothered baked potato, that's what I did! 

Happy Vishu and Happy Vaisakhi!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Vishu (which is today) and a Happy Vaisakhi (which was yesterday).  Vishu is the New Year based on the Malayalam Calendar in Kerala. Vaisakhi is the Punjabi New Year based on the Punjabi calendar, and hold religious significance for both Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab. 

Our family being from Kerala, we all had a delicious Vishu sadya this past weekend.  A sadya is a huge vegetarian feast!  During most Kerala holidays and weddings, we have a sadya.  Traditionally it can be comprised of up to 25 dishes!  My mom definitely made quite a few, but not quite 25! The meal was fantastic.  Take a look at the picture below.  The sadya is traditionally served on banana leaves.  (That's my dad preparing to place a spoonful of ghee (clarified butter) over the delicious lentils and rice - adds to the creaminess of the whole mix!).

On Vishu morning, the day starts with Vishukanni, this is meant to be the first thing you see when you wake up to ensure prosperity for the new year.  As a symbol of prosperity, rice, fruits, vegetables, betel leaves, flowers, holy texts,  lighted brass lamps and a decorated statue of Lord Krishna will be arranged by in the prayer room to be a welcoming sight on New Year morning.  

S and I went to my parents place this weekend and had a great Vishu, with Vishukanni ready as we arrived!! Here's to a good New Year! 

#317: Meatball Noodle Soup, By: V

A couple weeks ago S and I went to New Jersey to visit his parents.  We had planned for a quick stop by Edison on our way back to D.C. Edison has its own "little India,"  a strip of several blocks lined with Indian clothing shops, restaurants and grocery stores.  We decided to go to Moghul Express for their delicious Indian-Chinese food.  Yes, you heard me right! There's such a thing as Indian food combined with Chinese food.  Two delicious cuisines together?! Um, yes, that sounds worth the stop, even if it means getting home is delayed a few hours.  So, we stopped by for some delicious Chicken Manchurian.  The dish wasn't exactly what I expected, but was still so delicious!  The dish of chicken meatballs was served in a thick, rich, sweet and savory oyster sauce base (well at least it tasted like oyster or hoison sauce).  The rice just soaked up the curry and made for a great treat and pit stop on our road trip home.  

With getting back so late and the work week starting, I was too tired to get into too much detailed cooking.  But, I happened to have some of those Chinese Meatballs I made in the freezer.  So, Monday when I got back from work I made myself a nice warm Meatball Noodle Soup.

Ingredients:
1 Collard Green Leaf, chopped into large segments
1 cup cooked Quinoa Rotini Pasta
4 Chinese Meatballs
1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
2 cups Swanson's Thai Ginger Broth

Directions

1. In a small pot, on high heat pour in the broth.  Allow the broth to come to a boil and add the collard green.  Let this cook for one minutes.  
2. In a bowl place your cooked pasta. 
3. Add the meatballs to the broth.  Let boil for 20 seconds. 
4. Then turn the heat off and pour the broth, collard green and meatballs over the pasta in your bowl.  Stir in the red chili flakes and you're ready to eat!

Feel free to add fish sauce or soy sauce to your soup - and for my fellow spicy food lovers out there - some sriracha (aka rooster sauce).