the arugula files

Are You Eating Power Foods? Seriously.

Is the New York Times right or wrong?  Today's health section features an article called “Well: The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating.”   Best foods I'm not eating? Really? I doubt it.  You see similar articles in women’s health and fitness magazines. The titles form questions that leap off the cover, zooming in on my neurotic tendencies, and appealing to my need for a convenient universal remedy.  Are you eating the top five power foods that prevent cancer? As I flip to page 22, I am thinking please, let onion dip be number five. Putting aside the wish list--if you have read one of these articles, then, really, you have read them all.

Magazine writers have penned these cure-all food articles 100 different ways. I imagine that editors get extra points for adding a new twist and writing captivating titles.  I already know the foods that show up regularly on these lists: almonds, blueberries, garlic, salmon, and whole grains, among a few other regulars.  Right, I got it.  Tell me something new.  Gorgonzola cures bad posture. Now there is a title that commands attention.

I almost didn’t click on the NYT article, and probably wouldn’t have, except that it is currently on “the most emailed list,” and, yes, the title got me.  11 best foods I’m not eating? It was a throw down.  And it worked.  I clicked on the article expecting to find that I was, in fact, already eating all 11 items.  Turns out I’m not eating any of them.

1. Beets – Not a fan.
2. Cabbage – Maybe once in the past five years.  Mixed with a lot of butter, of course.
3. Swiss chard –  Embarrassingly, I’ve never tried swiss chard.  It sure looks pretty.
4. Cinnamon – Okay, I’ve had cinnamon.
5. Pomegranate juice – Do pomtinis count?
6. Dried plums – Never. Aren’t these prunes? Some how, the re-branding works in making them appealing.
7. Pumpkin seeds – Not since my ninth Halloween.
8. Sardines – No. Never. Ever.
9. Turmeric – This seems easy enough.
10. Frozen blueberries – Frozen?
11. Canned pumpkin – Too sweet.

Right on New York Times!  This list surprised me. And I’m easily influenced.  I will add numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10 to my shopping list and head to the bar for a pomtini to lower my blood pressure.

Cheap Eats: Ruan Thai

Ruan Thai is one of six Thai restaurants named on Washingtonian’s Cheap Eats list.  This small, dull looking eatery, located in yet another strip mall in Wheaton, Maryland, has a stellar reputation among foodies and professional critics. Everyone on chowhound.com raves about the place.  If you visit the boards, you will find an interesting cyber conversation that has a little bite. Giving Ruan Thai a mediocre or bad review? Be prepared for some major push back that includes ad hominem attacks. Ruan Thai’s defenders won’t disagree with your assessment of how the pad thai tastes, they will tell you that you are not “ordering like a chowhound” or that ordering pad thai is not for “serious eaters.”  How absurd is that?  What has the foodie world come to?  Shouldn’t we give all food (and peace) a chance?

With that said, let us get to the important stuff…my two cents.
I really liked my entrée at Ruan Thai, but was disappointed with the appetizers.

My main was pad se ew. The dish had a lot of flavor, the beef was tender, and the chef cooked the noodles perfectly.  I would return to Ruan Thai for this dish, if I happen to be in Wheaton.  I tasted a few bites of my friends pad thai, which was quite good. She also ordered the coconut soup, and reported that it was slurpolicious (well…okay, she actually said delicious). 

For appetizers, we ordered yum nuea (beef salad), crispy calamari, and kanom jeeb (steamed dumplings).  I would not order any of these dishes again.  Ever.  The salad lacked kick, the calamari tasted previously frozen, and the steamed dumplings were hard, as if they were re-heated in the oven. 

Let me end on a positive note.  The bill, not including tip, for four people (four dinners, four appetizers, two alcoholic drinks, and three sodas) was $86.14.

Mango Salsa

Fresh, homemade salsa can make anything taste better.  ANYTHING!  You know the saying if you fry anything, including my shoe, it will taste good?  Well this applies to fresh salsa. And, salsa has the added bonus of being healthy. 

Since the threat of salmonella is taking tomatoes off most menus, including meals made at home, I decided to make mango salsa to serve with my dinner—boring bean tacos.  You can make salsa out of most fruit: oranges, nectarines, peaches, strawberries, mango, pineapple—even grapefruit.  As Mark Bittman says, "there's a zillion different variations on salsa." The salsa base is often the same. You need four key ingredients: red onion, lime, cilantro, and jalapeños.  When I make strawberry salsa I also add mint.  Yum.

In the mood for salsa? Avoid a visit from SALLY-monella and make it with fruit.

Mango Salsa:

2 mangos
1 lime
1/2 red onion
Handful of cilantro
2 jalapeños

Mark Bittman's fruit salsa video.
Elise's demonstration on how to cut a mango.
Olga cooks everything vegetarian with Mark Bittman here.

Jim's Steaks, Philadelphia

I met some friends in Philadelphia this weekend.  Since they came all the way from Indiana, and they are HUGE cheesesteak fans, we decided to head over to Jim’s Steaks ("since 1937") to sample their famous hoagies.  As we approached South Street, I noticed the line at Jim’s was going out the door and curling around the corner.  We took our space at the end of the line without an ounce of trepidation.  It took 30 minutes to get to the ordering station.  I wish I could say the sub was the best cheesesteak ever, but it was only so-so (it is worth mentioning that I really liked the bread).  Admittedly, I am not a cheesesteak aficionado.  I ordered mine with provolone cheese instead of cheese whiz, which, apparently, is sacrilegious in some circles.

Overall, though, Jim’s was totally worth the visit.  I love food landmarks. Especially the places that have a deep sense of pride, are dripping with b-list celebrity memorabilia (Lee Majors ate here!), and thumb their noses at food trends--instead keeping with their own traditions of “this is the way we do it here” (like it or stay home).  At food landmarks, all of your co-eaters are happy to be there, talking about how long they have been eating there, or helping newbies figure out what to order.  Everyone has an opinion at food landmarks.

Every city has food landmarks.  I guess DC’s include Ben’s Chili Bowl and--my personal favorite--the Market Lunch.  Other places?

Thai Beef Salad

I love Thai Beef Salad.  Marcus and I order it every time we have Thai. 

I have always wanted to recreate this dish, but until I found a source for the course white pepper that is usually sprinkled on top, it would be incomplete.  In my mind, the white pepper is one of the critical ingredients. We searched for a long time scouring Thai food sites on the internet.  I finally found it at Penzy’s in Rockville, Maryland—my new favorite place.  Penzy’s is the best spice store.  EVER. 

This is my first try at recreating Yum Neua (as it is known by its Thai name).

Ingredients

Salad:

2 cucumbers
1 red pepper
2 jalapeños (or Thai chili peppers)
Handful of cilantro
1 small red onion
1 head of romaine lettuce
3 sirloin steaks

Dressing:

1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
2 limes
2 teaspoons of sugar
Black pepper
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of white pepper

Directions:
Season steaks with salt and black pepper.
Heat a stainless steel pan with olive oil until it starts to smoke (light, barely visible, white smoke, not fire alarm smoke).
Sear steaks on both sides.  You will know when the steaks are fully seared when you can pick them up with tongs and they no longer stick to the pan.
Cook steaks at 350 for about 7 minutes.  Monitor your steaks for medium rare.  You do not want to over cook them.  Take them out a little early, wrap in tin foil and let rest.

Mix dressing with a whisk.

Chop up salad ingredients and then put it all together.  Sprinkle the white pepper over the salad. 

Mandu

If you are looking for a good Korean place in the city, Mandu is worth a visit.  It is located on 18th and S in the spot that formally housed Mount Everest, which I was sorry to see go. 

The food at Mandu is tasty, the price is right, and the service is attentive.  Try the restaurant’s namesake dumplings or the bibim bap in a hot stone.  And the seafood pancakes are a good starter.  A nice touch is the panchan—little side dishes filled with kimchi, spicy zucchini, and potatoes—that are complimentary.

My bibim bap is featured in the photo above.  I really wanted to take the photo before I stirred the dish.  I just thought it would look better with the egg on top.  Of course, as soon as I got it, I stirred my spoon around and dug right in.  Only about half way through did I remember that I didn't take a photo.  I always feel like a donkey taking pictures of my food in restaurants. Usually I fake taking a picture of Marcus first and then quickly take a picture of my dish. 

There is lots of chatter on the internets about food blogging and taking pictures.  One restaurant in NYC banned photos all together.  From the comments here, it seems that this policy is making a lot of people angry, especially food bloggers. Viva La Resistance!

Grilling Panic Attack

I usually do not cook a lot of meat, and I have never cooked a rack of lamb, not to mention one from a butcher that costs $60.  So imagine this scenario: it's dark out, the grill is fiery hot, the lamb has been on the grill for about five minutes, my friend Leslie and I keep touching it, trying to give it the "touch test" that seems so easy to everyone on food TV. 

I remembered the helpful tip Elise posted on her site Simply Recipes.  You know the one that helps you figure out how the meat should feel at different stages of doneness by touching the part of your hand at the end of your thumb, while your thumb is touching another finger tip.  For medium rare, your thumb should be touching your middle finger, and the meat will feel like the part of your hand at the end of your thumb.

So I'm all trying to explain this method to Leslie and I'm sure that any one who happened to be watching us were wondering why we were telling each other that we love each other in sign language while excessively fondling the lamb.  In a PANIC, I decided the touch test was not working, grabbed a piece of lamb, and ran inside to look.  It was bloody and rare. I ran back and forth three times, taking the lamb inside, cutting into it, and thinking...this time, we really burnt the lamb. HOLY COW, PEOPLE, WE BURNT THE LAMB. 

It ended up coming out perfectly.  Tasty, tasty, tastyness.  Yet, I am still clueless about how to test meat without running a knife through it. 

Dusit Thai

Enjoying the best ethnic food in the DC region requires a vehicle.  Want delicious Thai food?  Hop in your car and drive 25 miles to Wheaton, Maryland.  There, set in an ugly little strip mall, you will find the perfect blend of sweet and sour. This is the best thing about Dusit: the chef clearly understands balance and shows restraint with sugar.  Lime, basil, lemongrass, chilies, cilantro, ginger...you can taste them all.  Try the Yum Nuea (beef salad); the lime and cilantro make it a great summer dish. The spring rolls pack a flavorful punch with the perfect amount of grease and the grilled shrimp with lemongrass is lip smacking goodness.

I’ve heard lemongrass cures acne and baldness.  Okay, not really, but lemongrass is so GOOD that you won't care about your acne or baldness.  Lemongrass is the new pomegranate.  I'm sure we will see it in a martini soon. 

So get in your car, sit in traffic, and risk your life vying for one of Dusit’s five parking spaces.  Think of it as an adventure.  Also, there is a Target close by, if that means anything to you.

Dusit Thai Cuisine
2404 University Blvd. W.
Wheaton, MD
Phone: 301.949.4140