Washington DC: Poste

Poste is the in-house restaurant at Hotel Monaco. I wasn't entirely happy with my first experience there but my subsequent experience was very satisfying.

At my first visit, I walked in and asked for a table. I was told that they had very few spots because of brunch reservations but was offered a seat at a small bar table. I pointed out to the hostess that for a hotel guest, being required to make reservations for breakfast was a little unusual. I ordered oatmeal for my breakfast and specified some extra items. When it arrived, I found that not only had those items been put into the oatmeal, but cream had been as well. I certainly think that I am capable of adding my own cream to my oatmeal, but the oatmeal was also very thin and soupy. I asked for a new bowl without the cream to try to get something with a thicker consistency. My next bowl didn't have cream but was still thin and runny. Watery oatmeal is usually a sign of making a pot of oatmeal last for a long time. In some circumstances I wouldn't be so picky about oatmeal, but when the bowl is priced at $11 I think that some amount of care is proper.

The next morning, I ordered an omlette, which turned out to be wonderfully fluffy and eggy. I couldn't have asked for a better breafast.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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