June 16, 2010, 10:59 AM Video of the Week
After watching Food Inc, I seriously contemplated returning to my vegetarian days. Writing about food as often as I do, makes that difficult. But it did reaffirm my insistence on knowing where my meat comes from. For years, I've been buying meat from U.S. Wellness Meats and now I'm getting whole chickens from Polyface Farms. That required a bit of a refresher on breaking down a whole chicken, which was also a question during Susur Lee'sFrugal Foodie. So, here's a review:
June 04, 2010, 10:10 AM Award-Worthy Tastes This Sunday, DC celebrates its culinary scene with the RAMMYs, the annual restaurant awards. We've featured several of the nominees in Frugal Foodie columns so you can sample some award-worthy meals without leaving home.
* BLT Steak's David Varleylights up the grill. The restaurant has been nominated as Power Spot of the Year.
* 2941's Anthony Chavezsatisfies your sugar cravings with a trio of desserts. Chavez has been nominated as Pastry Chef of the Year.
* The husband and wife duo from Birch & Barley, Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac, teamed up for a romantic dinner for two. The restaurant has been nominated for both Best New Restaurant of the Year and Hottest Bar Scene.
* David Varley from Bourbon Steak heated things up with a steak dinner for four. The restaurant has been nominated for both Best New Restaurant of the Year and Hottest Bar Scene.
* 1789's Daniel Giustiwhipped up brunch. He's been nominated as Chef of the Year. And 1789's Travis Olson has been nominated as Pastry Chef of the Year.
* Buzz's Josh Short sweetened spring with a dessert party for ten. He's been nominated as Pastry Chef of the Year.
* The Source's Scott Drewno cooked up an Asian-themed dinner for four. He's been nominated as Chef of the Year and the restaurant earned two nods -- Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year and Power Spot of the Year.
* Vermilion's Tony Chittumhelped us give thanks. The restaurant is up for Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year.
* 2941's Bertrand Chemel served up a French dinner for two. He is up for Chef of the Year. And the restaurant has been nominated as a Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year.
May 27, 2010, 02:32 PM Sound Bites During a recent dinner at Kushi, an Izakaya and Sushi restaurant in DC, the musical menu included this playlist: * Storm by Horace Andy and Alpha * Let Us Know Dub by Bush Chemists * House Made of Felt by International Observer * Truly by Rhythm & Sound * Sega Beats by Disrupt
Sound Bites, a semi-regular feature inspired by this story, dishes up mini playlists.
May 24, 2010, 11:58 AM Chemical Testing In a piece I wrote for Parade I learned that many of the chemicals we use everyday have never been tested for safety. Of the 80,000 chemicals in commercial products, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required testing on only 200 and restricted just five. The Safe Chemicals Act, which was introduced last month, will likely change that. Until then, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families has a great list of chemicals of concern.
May 14, 2010, 10:19 AM Sound Bites Several years ago, two friends and I were enjoying an offal meal at Babbo when I noticed Led Zepplin in the background. Chef Mario Batali likes to rock.
Suddenly I was tuning in to the more unique sounds restaurants were playing and eventually I wrote about it for USA Weekend. In writing the piece, I learned that Wolfgang Puck likes classic rock like Pink Floyd. But on a recent visit to The Source, I heard R&B, dance and a little pop. Not a single chord from the Rolling Stones. Apparently the staff prefers R&B.
Inspired by the musical menus being dished up, I bring you Sound Bites, mini-playlists from restaurants. First up, The Source's R&B picks:
* Run This Town by Jay-Z * Work It Out by Beyonce * Rehab by Rihanna
May 12, 2010, 11:15 AM Video of the Week
In the most recent Frugal Foodie, Chef Susur Lee deboned two chickens. If you're note at his warp speed with your knife skills just yet, here's a breakdown.
May 11, 2010, 09:52 AM The Mailbag Not too long ago, Mr. Postman delivered a sampling of Bitter Truth, flavored bitters. I've been slowly working through their suggested cocktail recipes -- loving the Bloody Mary with celery bitters. If you've got a favorite cocktail that uses bitters, send it in and I'll feature it in the next Bottoms Up.
May 10, 2010, 09:18 AM How Many Calories Are in Your Cocktail? Several consumer and health organizations are working to get nutritional labels placed on wine, beer and liquor bottles. Until then, the Consumer Federation of America has a great poster with how many calories are in your cocktail. Some highlights: * A 12-ounce Amstel Light -- 95 calories
* A 12-ounce Budweiser -- 145 calories
* A 12-ounce Guinness Draft in bottle -- 128 calories
* 1.5 ounces of Abslout -- 98 calories
* 1.5 ounces of Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Rum -- 86 calories
* 1.5 ounces of Jose Cuervo Clasico Tequila -- 96 calories
* A 5-ounce glass of Beringer Chardonnay -- 125 calories
* A 5-ounce glass of Gallo Cabernet Sauvignon -- 120 calories
April 23, 2010, 11:49 AM Mouth Off
It all started when a delicious and boozy birthday dinner turned into full musical theater with various friends belting out their favorite tunes from Glee. This led to several group watches of the show until suddenly I had my own Glee-tourage. And then, as if it couldn't get any better, the birthday boy who started it all made a genius call ... during our next viewing let's try pizzas from several nearby spots. So, with apologies for the camera phone pictures, I now dish up our results -- without the musical interludes.
Moroni & Brothers Restaurant The Order: A cucumber and tomato pie Size: Small Price: $15 Delivery: Yes. First to arrive. The Redux: Everyone agreed the crust was flavorful and crisp. The genius behind our taste test loved how fresh the ingredients were. One pal declared it the "best in show" winner while another called it the homecoming queen because it was pretty, good and easy.
Radius The Order: The Ducati, which has house-ground Italian sausage and roasted red peppers. Size: Large The Price: $18 Delivery: Yes. Second to arrive. The Redux: One friend, we'll call Karen Who Makes Candy, called Radius the "scrappy contender." She wanted a more flavorful crust, but noted it was the only pizza shop without a previous pizza pedigree. Everyone agreed Radius was the best value.
Pete's New Haven Style Apizza The Order: State Street, with sauteed broccoli rabe Size: Large The Price: $30 Delivery: Yes, but even though it was the closest it took the longest. The Redux: Pete's was declared the overall favorite. One friend whose father used to own a pizza shop explained that it was one entity of cheese, sauce, bread and toppings. Nothing slid off as you ate it. Yet, everyone agreed that it was too pricey.
Red Rocks The Order: The Cipolla with fennel sausage Size: Small The Price: $12 Delivery: No The Redux: Everyone loved the fennel sausage, but the crust got mixed reviews.
Overall, had we ordered any one pizza we would have loved it -- they were all good. Some were just stars, while others rocked the backup singing.
P.S. Please edit your menus, no one wants shit take mushrooms.
I'm the author of Gilded Lili: Lili St. Cyr and the Striptease Mystique. As a freelance writer, I cover more than the uncoverings of burlesque stars. I also write about food, travel, health, entertainment and more.
This Sunday, DC celebrates its culinary scene with the RAMMYs, the annual restaurant awards. We've featured several of the nominees in Frugal Foodie columns so you can sample some award-worthy meals without leaving home.
During a recent dinner at 
In a piece I wrote for 
Several years ago, two friends and I were enjoying an offal meal at Babbo when I noticed Led Zepplin in the background. Chef Mario Batali likes to rock. 
Not too long ago, Mr. Postman delivered a sampling of 
Several consumer and health organizations are working to get 
