the arugula files

Mr. Yogato

Mr. Yogato is at the top of the list for destination spots in Dupont Circle.  I recently visited the small yogurt shop on a Monday night at 9:30.  The line reached the door, and it appeared that most of the people waiting had made a special trip to the neighborhood to fulfill their cravings for some FROYO.

Mr. Yogato serves a variety of flavors (up to 18), but only rotates four flavors at a time.  Peach, mojito, tangy, and soft were available when I stopped by.  I chose peach and got chocolate chips to top it off.  It cost me around $3.75.  The frozen yogurt was delicious; it tasted more like yogurt than fake ice cream.  According to a HUGE sign on the wall, Mr. Yogato's is fat free and only 25 calories per serving (there are 5 servings in the little portion.  Not bad.

One of the attractions at Mr. Yogato is the goofing around that goes on between the staff and customers.  Here are the rules:

1.  If Mr. Roboto comes over the speaker system and you sing along, you get 10% off yogurt.

2. Try your luck with a trivia question. Get it right for 10% off, but get it wrong and 10% is added.

3. If you will wear a yogato stamp on your head, you get 20% off.

4. If you can recite the Stirling battlefield speech from Braveheart in a great scottish accent, you get 10% off yogurt.

5. Order a yogurt for 30 consecutive days and we'll name a flavor after you.

 6. If a customer suggests a topping or flavor which is then adopted, that customer receives a 5% discount for life.

 7. If anyone can stump Steve on trivia regarding Seinfeld or "The Rock," 10% off yogurt.

 8. Anyone wearing a kickball uniform and has played hard (evidenced by dirt on their knees) will receive an automatic 10% off yogurt.

I didn’t make these up.  I swear.

Other quirky things: olive oil is one of the many free toppings (chocolate sprinkles, Hershey’s syrup, and honey were also available free). Lots more toppings including fresh fruit are available for a few quarters more.

It’s clear that Mr. Yogato will continue to draw people to 17th Street.  I’ve seen a few glass-eyed frozen yogurt seekers coming through mumbling the lyrics “domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo…”

Ray's Hell-Burgers

Visit any local food blog or food board and you will find something written about the newly opened Ray’s Hell-Burgers.  The chatter is nonstop; in the foodie world the opening is akin to Angelina Jolie’s recent birth: first we want facts, then we want photos, then, bored with all that, we want gossipy tid-bits that have nothing to do with the headline (in Angelina’s case the birth of her twins and in Ray’s case the actual taste of the food at his burger joint). After a few weeks of reading chowhound boards and Don Rockwell, I got it together and headed for Ray’s, which is located in a small, easy to miss strip mall on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington.

Since I had read so much about what to order, I came with a game plan and tried my best to help my boyfriend and his brother decipher the menu.  I knew this was the type of place you could end up at the register and when they asked, “what can I get you?” an immediate sense of confusion and pressure would leave you looking like a hungry deer caught by headlights.

I ordered my 10-ounce burger seasoned “Diablo” with Vermont Cheddar and grilled red onions.  The burger came with corn on the cob and a slice of watermelon.  A mug of delicious root beer washed it all down. 

The burger was tasty.  The meat wasn’t greasy and the huge patty was matched with the right amount of cheese. I ordered the burger cooked "recommended" and it was just right: warm and red in the center.  It could have used a touch more seasoning or maybe the hell sauce for a little more flavor. The burger came with the new bun (apparently the old ones were falling apart) and it was good, but a little too big, maybe?  The watermelon and corn were a welcome substitute to french fries.  If I had fries, I would have had to lie down on the floor and wait for a crane to bring me home.

Ray’s would benefit from two improvements: frosted mugs for the root beer and air conditioning.  Otherwise, the price is right ($7.95) and the food is tasty.

I HEART Gordon Ramsay

Chef Ramsay cooks red mullet with orange and fennel en papillote (or how to cook fish in parchment paper).

Edamame and Pecorino Salad

Last week, Mark Bittman of the New York Times offered 101 picnic food ideas and featured this salad in a video.  The dish looked deliciously healthy so I decided to try it myself.  If Mark Bittman were a contestant on The Next Food Network Star, his point of view, as he often points out, would be minimalism. This salad is simple, but I found a few things make a BIG difference.  Remember, if you want to be a minimalist, you have to buy high quality ingredients.

1. Watch out for how much salt you add.  The pecorino already adds a lot of salt.
2. Cut your mint leaves into tiny pieces and go easy; the mint can be over powering.
3. Use fresh edamame or frozen in the pod; it’s a lot of work shelling, but it tastes better.
4. Use high-end olive oil.
5. I added a splash of rice vinegar to add a little kick.

Bittman doesn't really give a recipe, except for this... "steam frozen edamame and chill. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of sugar, lots of chopped mint, salt, pepper, and as much shaved pecorino or Parmesan as you like." So it might be helpful to watch his video.

Light and delicious.

Learning About Oysters

Oyster - ready to slurp, originally uploaded by Flickr User Basenisa. 

I’m neck deep in preparation for my upcoming vacation. Preparation? For a vacation? Yes, preparation.

The last week in August, I’m headed to Prince Edward Island. Just a week of sitting on the beach, biking, and eating. Eating OYSTERS, LOBSTER, CLAMS, MUSSELS, AND SCALLOPS. OH MY.

The problem with my plan is that I know next to nothing about oysters. Sure, I’ve eaten many, but oysters are much like wine—their taste reflects where they grow. And to pick good oysters, you have to be familiar with where they come from. Now obviously, my plan is to try every single type of oyster on the island, but it would be nice to know something about the different types before I start eating them like popcorn.

As part of my preparation, I’m reading The Geography of Oysters, a wonderful guide by Rowan Jacobson. His writing is beautiful and the book covers everything from different types of oysters, notes on sustainability, and how to shuck, prepare, and eat them. I highly recommend it.

A special thanks to Basenisa, for sharing the most luscious photo of an oyster I could find in the internets.