Term of the Day: “Food Desert”

Image credit: theworld.org That’s desert, not dessert.  Click here (audio) to find out what a “food desert” is. Full transcript here. Food deserts are something you definitely notice in certain neighborhoods in Washington, DC.  In the past few years, gentrification in Columbia Heights has radically changed the selection in grocery stores and even takeout food.

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D.C. Cheap Eats: Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger is a new sandwich shop imported to the U.S. from Britain.  But don’t let that deter you! (Sorry ) The pilot has already taken off in (notoriously cutthroat) NYC, which now has about 20 restaurants.  Sometime around January 2009, Washington finally got one, too.  I tried Pret yesterday and can happily report [...]

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Top Chef Star Has His Way With Unleavened Bread

For you locals, there’s a fun event coming up with Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn @ 6th and I Synagogue. Spike Up the Matzah Sunday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m. “Matzah brei, matzah pizza, matzah mania! Chef Spike Mendelsohn dazzled us last December with his suave latke-making skills. Just in time for Passover, he’s back with recipes to rev [...]

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D.C. Cheap Eats: $5 Well Spent @ Shawarma King

Today, I reached sandwich nirvana.  Do you ever eat felafel, those little croquettes made of chickpeas, fava beans, bulgur, parsley, and a medley of savory spices?  They’re often done wrong—restaurants typically pre-fry them in big batches and just reheat as needed.  Not surprisingly, this turns them into overcooked, bland, oil-logged little hockey pucks, tolerable only when drowned [...]

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Good Grape: Cederberg Bukettraube 2007

Vinoteca is a wonderful wine bar in the U Street Corridor of Washington, DC.  It’s also conveniently around the corner from Ben’s Chili Bowl, if you’re into late-night noshing after wine. But I digress.  One reason Vinoteca is such a fun experience is that they offer wine in three portions — tastes, full glasses, and bottles.  And unlike some [...]

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The Queen of Excess

Martha Stewart takes a lot of flack for pushing all things rich and fattening, but you know, she’s met her match in Paula Deen.  Paula just can’t stop herself: an extra pat of butter here, a hearty dollop of bacon grease there.  And she has a sense of humor—something Martha can only aspire to.  Just check out the mischievous look she flashes at 00:00:14 [...]

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