Category Archives: Washington DC

Lunch at Jose Andres’ Oyamel in Washington DC

25 Monday Apr 2011

Posted by in Avocado, Mexican, Restaurant Review, Travel, Washington DC

≈ 2 Comments

I heard Chef Jose Andres speak while attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York.  It was a few months before I was to leave on my externship, and I was very looking forward to hearing what Chef Andres had to say about the restaurant industry, the culinary scene in DC and his outlook on food.  Although I was not planning on doing my externship at a restaurant, hearing Jose speak sparked and inspired something inside of me, and made me wonder whether, perhaps, a restaurant externship could work for me afterall.


On my visit to Washington DC to see my sister, I arranged for a meeting at one of Chef’s restaurants – Zaytinya – with Mike Isabella, executive chef at the time (yes, the same Mike Isabella who was on the Top Chef and Top Chef Masters on Bravo).  The restaurant setting was incredible, and the offering of Turkish, Greek and Lebanese tapas made my mouth water.  While, I decided to do my externship elsewhere (I spent four months in Des Moines, IA working for Cuisine at home, developing recipes and writing) my dinner at Zaytinya was one of most enjoyable and delicious I have had in Washington D.C.


On my recent return to D.C., I was happy to try one of the other Chef Andres’ restaurants – Oyamel.  In fact, Oyamel was a location for my farewell lunch in D.C. along with my sister and one of my dear friends from the CIA.

The lunch started up with quintessential chips and salsa.  If you think that all chips and salsa were created equal, you’re quite mistaken – a lot could and often does go wrong.  This duo, however, was quite perfect.  The chips were thin, not greasy and lightly salted.  The salsa was nice charred and spicy just enough to please everyone at the table.

Since this was afterall our farewell lunch, we decided to have a cocktail.  Olga chose the Oyamel’s Ponche –
 Azul blanco, white wine, triple sec and fresh fruit and I selected The Classic – El Jimador blanco, triple sec and fresh lime juice.  Later, during our lunch, our server presented us with a taste of Oyamel José Andrés’ personal favorite with Siembra Azul blanco,  Luxardo Triplum, fresh lime juice and salt “air” – thank you chef!

We couldn’t pass on the guacamole – made directly at the table.  Lunch & a show at once – why not?  I love seeing exactly what goes into my food (that’s one of the benefits of cooking on your own).  This guacamole couldn’t be any easier – avocados, lime, red onion, jalapeno and cilantro.  The extra ingredient – fresh Mexican cheese.  End result – delicious.
 
For the lunch itself, we all decided to go with the Almuerzo Rapido – a selection of any two antojiotos and one taco for $20.

Albóndigas enchipotladascon queso doble crema
Meatballs in chipotle sauce with crumbled ‘double cream’ cheese and cilantro
I would love these meatballs over polenta on a cold, winter night.  Comforting and flavorful!


Cayo de hacha con pipián de chile pasilla
Seared scallops with a pasilla chile and pumpkin seed sauce, orange segments, pumpkin seed oil and toasted pumpkin seeds
I was honestly blown away by these scallops.  Not only were they beautiful to look at, they were creamy on the inside, tender, and well seared on the outside.  I could easily go for a few more!

Arrachera con salsa molcajete y nopales escabeche
Grilled skirt steak with a sauce of grilled tomatoes, tomatillos, green onions,  cilantro and green chiles, garnished with pickled cactus paddle
This was my first time trying pickled cactus – reminded me of pickled okra and if you know me, I love anything pickled – this was not an exception!

A plate of gourmet tacos: 
Lengua guisada
Braised beef tongue with radishes and a sauce of roasted pasilla chili, tomatoes, onion and garlic
Cochinita pibil con cebolla en escabeche
Yucatan-style pit barbecued pork with pickled red onion and Mexican sour orange
Tacos de hongos
Sautéed seasonal wild mushrooms with garlic and shallots, served with guacamole

Pastel de tres leches con piña
A traditional cake soaked in Coruba rum and three kinds of milk, with a rum and milk foam, 
fresh pineapple gelatin and a pineapple salsa.  Served with  a scoop of dark caramel ice cream.
Jericalla de chocolate con maracuya
Oaxacan chocolate custard with a Mexican origin chocolate sorbet, passion fruit 
gelatin, chocolate and pumpkin seed crumble and fresh passion fruit seed
I definitely loved the presentation and the creativity of the chocolate custard, but the traditional tres leches stole my taste buds.

At the end it was time to go.  Thank you for a delicious lunch and attentive service.  We shall be back!
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Jamaican Jerk Chicken at Just Jerk in Maryland

13 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Chicken, Plantains, Restaurant Review, Washington DC

≈ 3 Comments

I was recently introduced to Jamaican Jerk chicken.  Perhaps I’ve had jerk chicken before, but this time around, it was from an authentic restaurant in Maryland – Just Jerk.  My sister and I were invited to the restaurant by her friend and neighbor Andre, who is actually Jamaican (in fact, you can see both my sister and Andre walking into the restaurant in the photo above).  Inside this bright and unpretentious place, on a cold, grey and rainy spring day, we sat at the counter and ate directly from foil to-go-containers using plastic forks and knives – and yet, I couldn’t have been happier.

If you click on the photo of the menu, you can see for yourself that Just Jerk offers quite a few of the Jamaican delicacies.  Under the guidance of Andre, I decided to order a “Large Dark” platter.  The platter, or rather a to-go-container, came packed to its capacity with rice and peas (peas are actually small red beans), stewed cabbage (the cabbage was surprisingly still slightly crunchy) and most importantly Jerk chicken (thigh and a leg).  And did I mention slices of sweet plantains?  The word “jerk” actually refers to the cooking method and the spice rub – traditionally the rub is made from seeds of the scotch bonnet pepper, allspice, thyme, garlic, lime and orange juices, cinnamon, black pepper, brown sugar and nutmeg.  I’m pretty sure that similar ingredients were used to make the sauce for the chicken.  (When I politely asked the lady working at Just Jerk for their combination of spices, she declined to share, saying the recipe was secret).

My first bite was the chicken – I’m trying very hard not to use the word “moist” but that’s exactly what came straight away to my mind.  Apparently, Just Jerk actually steams the chicken which makes for very succulent and tender meat.  (From what I’ve read, steaming is not the traditional method of cooking jerk.  Instead the meat is first marinated and then grilled for a long time over a low burning BBQ).

My version of jerk seasoning was of regular heat – it was by no means completely mild, but had a nice little kick to it.  Turns out, one could ask for a spicy option, but there’s nothing in between.  When I tried the spicy Jerk chicken that Andre ordered I decided that I could’ve definitely tolerated a spicier option – perhaps on the next visit to Just Jerk.

Shamefully, I didn’t choose any of the Jamaican juices for a beverage and went straight for a Diet Coke.  To redeem myself and my palate, I happily shared a small container of mango ice cream that Olga bought on our way out.  And yes, we did use plastic spoons to devour this sweet, frozen delight.

I must admit, that at first glance I thought that paying $12 for a plate of rice and chicken was slightly over priced, but as I was taking close to half of the plate back to my sister’s apartment, both my stomach and wallet were happy.  I welcome you to check in a few days to see what happened to the leftovers of Jamaican Jerk chicken.

And if you have a recommendation for a Seattle restaurant that serves great Jamaican Jerk chicken and other Jamaican dishes, please share!  Thanks.