the arugula files

Truffle Turkey from Gordon Ramsay

For your viewing pleasure, Gordon Ramsay's take on turkey.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Lunch at Surfside Plus Tips for the Billy Goat Trail

We rolled into Surfside hungry, dirty, and tired.  Marcus and I had just completed the Billy Goat trail, a 4 mile hike near Great Falls.   Surfside, a restaurant Washingtonian named one of DC's 100 best, was exactly what we needed at the time: casual, cheap, and borderline healthy (as in, not fried). 

Reminder: Food Blogger Happy Hour on December 2 at ChurchKey

 

The next food blogger happy hour is at ChurchKey, the much talked about beer-topia on 14th street. Please RSVP  to Orr at Young and Hungry, who graciously volunteered to track RSVPs for this month's event.  (Please note that I closed the comments to ensure that RSVPs are recorded in one place. Please take the extra click to tell us you are in).

Special thanks to the planning committee: Jenna from Modern Domestic, Cathy from We Love DC, Elizabeth and Mike from Capital Spice, Lisa from Dining in DC, Amelia from Gradually Greener, Lauren from Capital Cooking, and Orr from Young and Hungry.  Also thanks to Metrocurean for letting us use her photo for the flyer.

What happens at these happy hours?  Check out past events here, here, and here.

{p.s., please feel free to post this flyer on your own blog!}

Conquering Kale Part 3 (Baked Kale Chips and the Business of Poor Expectations Management)

I'm in the middle of a wicked love affair with kale.  It's an obsession that is destined to fizzle.  For now, though, it continues at full throttle.  I buy a batch of kale every week at the farmer's market, and I'm constantly thinking of different ways to prepare it. Recently, I made kale and farro and kale with chorizo.  This week, lacking the energy to stand over my stove and actually cook a meal, I decided to try the much talked-about kale chips.  "They are just like potato chips," said my friend at work.  "A delicious alternative to potato chips!" wrote another kale advocate. 

Just like potato chips?  Um, potato chips are my favorite food. Hand me a bag of UTZ BBQ and I'm forever your girl.  The problem is that potato chips are fattening, and should be eaten in moderation (when one can help it). Kale chips, on the other hand, sound like an infomercial for health and wellness.  In my mind, you can sit on your couch and eat kale chips until the next season of Mad Men airs.

The problem with infomercials is that they never deliver on their promises.

A Weekend in the Shenandoah: Buckwheat Pancakes, Devil's Little Stairs, and the Day Marcus Saved My Life

 
 It started as an easy, slow day.  I had buckwheat pancakes and, appropriately, an egg over-easy for breakfast.  Marcus and I were in the Shenandoah for the weekend.  We had driven to Luray, VA, a short two hour drive from DC after work on a Friday, and checked into the Skyland Resort.  That's "resort" with quotations, but not in a bad way.

Affordable Luxury: Lunch at Bourbon Steak

 

Most days I eat lunch at my desk. Leftovers or a sandwich when I'm organized, a quick salad or tacos when finding some thing to wear and making lunch in the morning seems like passing health care reform. Recently I was invited by Bourbon Steak to try out the new lunch bar menu. (Yes, I'm wicked lucky). Given the fact that I don't often have business lunches at luxurious spots around town, I wasn't sure what to expect. And, I'll be honest, I was thinking, it's a recession: oh my. Instead, what I found was true foodie bargain.

Find a bar stool and order the lunch special.  For $21 bucks you get a non-alcoholic drink (try the very retro and very delicious concord grape soda), a burger of your choice (beef, turkey, falafel, salmon, or boneless baby back pork ribs), a side (duck fat fries, onion rings, or mixed greens), and, if you are interested, lively conversation about seasonal drinks with Duane the mixologist on the bar. 

All You Can Eat

The internet offers an all you can eat buffet.  There's recipes, food porn, and high-quality food writing.  As is the key to any buffet, the trick is knowing what to pick from the overwhelming smorgasbord of mediocrity.  Here are a few delicious helpings that I enjoyed recently.

Arugula Files Recipe Box

This box includes recipes collected by the arugula files.