Le Steak Maison

Translation: Steak and fries! And might I add, some of the best steak and fries I have ever had, accompanied by a kick: bearnaise sauce!

I was in Washington D.C. over the Thanksgiving holiday this year, and pretty much ate my way through the city. The best meal I had while there, had to be the Le Steak Maison, courtesy of Bistrot du Coin. This quaint little French Bistro is located on Connecticut Ave in the popular Dupont Circle area of D.C. It is very open and lively. They had paper doily-like placemats, blue and red napkins, blue and red flagging across room, and lots of French signage dressed the walls.

We started off the meal with a Reserve Nicolas Pinot Noir, which was really good! I wasnt sure how it was going to taste because I am not very knowledgable about Pinot Noirs, but it was remeniscent of a Cabernet, which I love. We were also served traditional french baguette slices with some butter, which I noticed was salt-free. I prefer the salt-free butter, because I think you can taste the bread much more.

For an appetizer I orderd the endive salad, which had a rich Roquefort cheese dressing and candied walnuts. It was so good! My 'eating partner in crime' had the Bouchée à la reine. Translation: Chicken and mushrooms sweetbread in cream sauce over puff pastry. I had a bite and it was very good, but a little too rich for my taste.

On to the main course: steak and fries. I had my steak medium/well based on the recommendation of the waitress. I could have gone medium, but it was delicious all the same. The steak was seasoned with salt, pepper and a little parsley. Served on the side was the béarnaise sauce, which I have actually never had. The sauce consists of egg yolk, shallot, tarragon vinegar, and butter. It was an excellent complement to the steak. I gather it is typically used as an alternative to Hollindaise sauce (sp - i cannot spell if you havent noticed yet).

The french fries were perfect! I pretty much ate each and every one. The bearnaise sauce served as a great fry condement as well. I also had a side of mayo, very French, and very me ;)

I typically dont clean my plate, but I sure did with this! I had walked about 10 miles that day, so I didnt really feel guilty about it. I would definitely go back! It was lovely.

For more information, visit http://www.bistrotducoin.com/.

Kitchen Additives!

I love most things Vintage, so I thought I would include something on the subject! Some day when I have my own kitchen (currently renting with a friend), i look forward to decorating my kitchen most! I would have to say I think I picked up my taste for this genre when I spent some time in Europe, specifically France and Italy. I just love things that look like they have a story behind them.

For example, old menus. I tried to start collecting vintage-looking menus but it ceased after just one that i picked up in Napa Valley. A friend of mine, Jamie, collects menus and posts them in her kitchen, which i think is a delightful conversation piece and something fun for guests to look at.

Other items i think are quite charming, are old labeled containers for baking ingredients or spices. You can typically find these types of things in Antique stores (which are indeed OLD) or Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma (they just LOOK old).

Small street signs or cafe signs are great if you can find them versus stealing them (federal offense) and also coasters, which people might think are really trashy, but I personally enjoy them. My mom collects them from all of her travels and has a huge decorative glass bowl full of them.

Other fun items to look for:

- Salt and pepper shakers made of depression glass

- Antique Steak Brander (you can customize with initials)

- Old Kitchen utinsels

- Linen napkins from different restaurants (this does require being sneaky - I did this all over Europe)

- Wine Bottle Labels
- Old Cook Books

Marguerite's Must-Haves....

Grill Pan

This is definately on the top of my must-have list. My mother Gretl, introduced me to this kitchen essential courtesy of Williams Sonoma. They range from about $50 - $120.

I am a big BBQ'er during the warm months, but when winter hits Seattle, who wants to be outside waiting for your beef to broil? I say, get yourself a grill pan. You can cook a range of items in this pan AND it is even oven safe; just remember when removing from a hot oven, to use a mit! I like to make burgers with this pan and finish them off in the oven so they are cooked to perfection.

Favorite Grill Pan Eats: Burgers, perfect steaks or chicken, vegatables like zuchini, eggplant or asparagus, grill cheese sandwiches, bacon; I could on.

Setbacks: Can cause food smell to stick around in your living room longer than you probably want. Just light up your favorite scented candle and keep your stove fans on for a bit to clear.


Silicone Spatulas & Spoonula
My lovely mother also introduced me to these wonderful items. For someone like me who tends to leave utinsels on a hot oven, these are ideal because they do not melt! I have tested them and they really dont. They are really great for baking.

They come in all different colors and sizes and range from $7 - $10.

Microplane Grater

I feel like these cooks' tools go underutilized. I heart my microplane and use it for many things. I actually have a thinner coursed version than the photo above. They are super easy to use and they really lower the risk of knuckle grating and other grater-related injuries.

Suggested Use: Excellent for grating hard cheeses, citrus zesting and grating fresh nutmeg. I use this specifically for when I make Giada's lemon/pine nut cookies, which can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33780,00.html.

'Thai' Something New!

The title was my attempt at word play ;) Did it work? Yesterday I enjoyed a fabulous Thai dinner with two of my oldest girl friends, Lisa and Sonali. We attended the Zao Noodle Bar in the University District. Needless to say, i left smelling of Thailand.

I 'thaid' something new alright: Tofu Fries! I was totally against ordering them at first, but i changed my mind when they arrived at the table. I dont know that I would have enjoyed them less the dipping sauces they came with on the side, but they were very interesting. They have a similar texture to fries but the inside is more moist. The sauces that accompanied the fries were Rooster Sauce (chili-garlic sauce), a ginger sauce and a peanut based sauce. I had all three.

On to the main course, i tried the Thai Green Curry Chicken which came with bamboo shoots, green peas, galanga (type of ginger), kaffir lime leaf lemongrass and green curry sauce with jasmine rice. I got mine double the spice, which was bold but a serious mistake. By the time i was almost finished with my dinner, i could barely breath from the heat!

To put out the flames, we had coconut ice cream for desert - it actually is referred to as Gelato on the menu but we were informed it was just ice cream :) It was heavenly and the perfect finish!

Rating: 4 out of 4 stars (see rating system very below under A Trellis & Some Cupcakes)

For more information, visit http://www.zaonoodle.com/menu.htm.

Game Day Cuisine: Mexican Lasagna!

This is a recipe I got from my friend Heather who use to work with me. It is fabulous and super easy to make, and 3 out of 3 boys will tell you its heaven in a caserole dish*.



Preheat overn to 375 degrees


Ingredients:
You can use any of your favorite Mexican ingredients; these are just what I like to use!

Package of Low Carb/Wheat Flour Tortillas
One can of black beans
1 Block pepper jack cheese
1 Block chedder cheese
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can chopped green chilis
1 can corn
Meat: I use both ground trukey (1 package) for this and I have also used broiled pulled chicken (3 - 4 breasts)
1 cup sour cream
Fresh salsa
2 fresh avocados (squeeze a little lemon juice to enhance the flavor)

Step 1: Lightly butter or vegatable oil a caserole dish (i prefer rectangle) to ensure nothing sticks
Step 2: Layer bottom of dish with enough tortillas to cover (may have to trim and place accordingly) and spread thin layer of enchillada sauce on top
Step 3: add a thin layer of meat with the about half the green chilis
Step 4: add enough of both kinds of cheeses to cover meat layor
Step 5: Spread a thin layer of sour cream on the next layer of tortillas and place sour cream side down onto the previous layor, then spread top with enchillada sauce
Step 6: add corn and black beans
Repeat Steps 4 & 5
Repeat Steps 3-5, then top with cheese

Baking Instructions:
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 10 more or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve with fresh salsa and avocados and your favorite tortilla chips. Also freezes well :)

*Derek Bunyard, Dustin Sherwood, Mike McCarthy

A Trellis & Some Cup Cakes!

Some Cup Cakes.....

I recently hosted a baby shower for my very good friend Jessica. She is the anti-baby shower theme kind of Mommy. I was strictly instructed no blue, no Poo and no animals from the zoo!

So, I decided to take the old fashioned approach and go with a sort of vintage look and feel. I very much enjoy cooking, but baking is less my bag due to my impatience and lack of self control with raw, sugary doughs. I think i might enjoy the dough more than the finished product!

Anywho, I landed on making cup cakes from scratch and giving them a little flair with some cream cheese frosting and the least offensive baby theme subject, a little rubber duck made of sugar!

They were quite the hit! I was shooting for a pale blue frosting, but it turned out to be more of a Tiffany Blue, which actually served my shower theme well.

A Trellis?

Recently I attended a lunch with some girl friends at Trellis, which is located at the new Heathman Hotel in downtown Kirkland. My intial interest was peaked when I was walking my dog the other week and it was packed with people and laughter on a Wednesday night!

Table setting included white linens and forks turned down side. Ice tea's were accompanied by rustic raw and white sugar cubes; cucumbers floated atop the water vase, which provided a very refreshing and different taste! We also started the lunch off with fresh potato bread and cherry pepper butter. The menu was not robust in selection, but im not sure it is because they recently opened, or if they simply have a limited menu?

We all ordered sandwiches except for our beet-loving friend who ordered a pickled beet salad that looked quite good (i always wished I liked beets). The sandwiches were joined by a pickeld zucchini relish, which added delicious flavor to your generic turkey sandwich. They were served on chalah bread (very light and allows for you to actually taste the sandwich ingredients). On the side was a choice of a white balsamic tossed salad (i had this and it was perfectly dressed!) or shoe string fries (i was told these were quite good as well).

Rating: I would give this venue a 3 out of 4 stars on food alone. It was excellent. Atomosphere was nice during the day, but I think I will need to make a stop there in the evening to make a better judgement call on the overall picture.

Rating System
**** Craving the menu

*** Excellent menu and would go again

** Satisfying, but mediocre

* Wouldnt go back unless forced