Pizza - the comfort food

House special at Crust, Vienna

Pizza is a comfort food for people around the world. I have had the opportunity to try various kinds of pizza. Here are some of my favorites.

Lostdogcafe, Arlington VA
A local chain restaurant in Northern Virginia offers several gourmet pizzas. My favorite is the big red pie, wheat crust topped with marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

Pupatella, Arlington, VA
Another local favorite, offering Neapolitan pizzas.

Italian Store, Arlington VA
If you are in mood to try the New York Style thin crust pizza made of fresh dough, this is must-try. Reasonably priced, has several locations in Northern Virginia.

Crust, Vienna, VA
Another local chain offering some great Neapolitan wood-fired fresh pizza in Vienna. Nice ambiance, also sells wine and beer.

Varasanos Pizzeria, Atlanta, GA
Tried their house special thin-crust New York style pizza with mozzarella & san marzano tomato sauce with a secret blend of herbs. It was delicious albeit pricey.

Brixx, Santiago, Dominican Republic
I have not eaten a better pizza than the white pizza (sans marinara sauce) at Brixx (a chain restaurant, also in the United States) in Santiago, DR. A bit rich but unforgettable. 

My recent seafood picks

Octopus at Avalon Grille

Growing up in Goa, I've always considered seafood a delicacy. Given this, it is no surprise that I have taken the opportunity to try several local variants of seafood over the past few months.

At the Catalina Island, an hour-long ferry ride from Los Angeles, I tried grilled octopus (served with vegetable ragout) at Avalon Grille. It was well cooked and presented, albeit a bit pricey.

Smoked Salmon pizza at Spago

In a small town of Columbus, Mississippi, I tried several variants of catfish, a southern staple. Farm-raised locally, it was always delicious, whether fried or served in a Thai curry. Finally, during a recent trip to downtown Atlanta, Georgia, I enjoyed a whole red snapper at Southern Elements.

I have developed a taste for smoked salmon thanks to a smoked salmon pizza I tried at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Vegas. Simple, filling and delicious if you can handle smoked fish.

Spinach and Mushroom Dip

Ingredients

Spinach and mushroom dip

4 cups chopped spinach
1 cup mushrooms (diced)
2 garlic pods (diced)
1 cup cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayo
2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
Olive Oil
Chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Saute the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Add the spinach and cook slightly.

Step 2: Add the mayo, cream cheese, and mozarella cheese and mix well on a very low flame. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Add parmesan cheese and bake at 350F for 20 minutes until the cheese turns brown.
Serve hot with pita bread. 

Casual Dining

Kabab over rice

Havabite Eatery,
10416, Main Street, 
Fairfax, VA 22030
This is an old favorite from my student days in Fairfax. Havabite is a small, family-run American Greek establishment which serves the best food of that type in the area. It excels at the execution of fairly simple dishes. Recent favorites include the shrimp sandorini, spanakopita, chicken over rice and gyros. Reasonable prices.

Chicken Friand

La Madelaine, Country French Cafe
5861, Crossroads Cir
Bailey's Crossroads, VA
We tried this cafe for breakfast. Both the food and ambiance read as authentic, though I cannot claim to be an expert on traditional french cafes. Their menu is widespread and they offer a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. For breakfast, we had their chicken friand, a pastry served with mushroom sauce on top. The sauce masked the taste of the pastry but the combination was delightful. We also tried their cinnamon french toast made with raisin bread - served with fresh fruit and a dash of honey. Their benedict with fried bacon and ham wasn't extraordinary but edible nonetheless.

I would be curious to see if their lunch or dinner menus are as satisfying but I can recommend La Madelaine if you are looking for a breakfast or a brunch option in the Northern Virginia region.  

Eden Center - The Taste of Vietnam

Caramelized fish at Rice Paper

The Eden Center is known for its Vietnamese restaurants and stores. I recently visited one of the more popular of these establishments, Rice Paper and a family-run restaurant Huong-viet.

Consistent with the Vietnamese food I have experienced up to that point, the food I tried at both these restaurants was flavorful but not too heavy. We tried a few dishes - Autumn rolls with shrimp and crab, garden rolls with shrimp (rolled in rice paper), caramelized fish in clay pot, caramelized shrimp, roasted quail and a pho.

Roasted quail at Huong-Viet

While I preferred the quail at Huong-viet, the caramelized fish was tastier at Rice Paper than the caramelized shrimp at the former restaurant. Overall, the food was perfectly seasoned, perfectly executed, and very reasonably priced. One thing I love about Vietnamese cuisine are the fresh vegetables served on the side. For instance, the quail was served on a bed of green veggies. However, on the flip side, these dishes were not particularly heavy on the protein, which left us wishing for larger portions of meat.

Their menus also included hot pots, a variety of protein-based soups (or pho), and a range of appetizers and salads. These are on my list for our next visit to the Eden Center.

Mutton Curry

By Lubna Usman-Rifat : "A simple, easy to make recipe but special because its my 8-year old son, Kibriya's favorite mutton curry".

Ingredients
1/2 kg goat/mutton
2 large onions
1 inch cinnamon
1 pod cardomom
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 red chilies
Salt to taste

For the Marinade 
1 inch cinnamon
1 inch ginger
6 garlic pods
2 cardamom
1 bay leaf
3 red chilies
2 cloves
1 spoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons coriander powder

Step 1: Blend all the ingredients for the marinade and apply on washed meat. Set aside for 4 hours.

Step 2: Take a pressure cooker, put in on flame. Dry roast 1 inch cinnamon, pop open a pod of cardomon, one bay leaf, two cloves, two chopped red chilies for a minute. Keep an eye, dont let it smoke.

Step 3: Add 3 tablespoon oil, and fry finely diced onion until brown for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Add the meat and fry for 15-20 minutes until the meat changes color. Add salt.

Step 5: Add water up to the level of meat (maybe an inch higher).

Step 6: Put the lid on and pressure cook (approximately 15 whistles). Add coriander leaves/mint for garnish. 

Apple Pie

By Norma Christie

Ingredients
5 apples (peeled and sliced) [ 4 Fuji apples, 1 green apple)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Karo sauce (Sugar syrup)
1 teaspoon butter
Pinch of salt

For the crust 
2 cups white flour
2/3 cup Crisco shortening (or vegetable oil)
6 tablespoons ice cold water



Step 1: Stir the cinnamon, sugar and flour in a large bowl.

Step 2: Add the apples as you peel.

For the Crust
Step 3: Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture.

Step 4: Stir the shortening with a fork until you form you large balls of dough.

Step 5: Roll down the dough (as thin as possible) to fit your pan. Make the bottom dough slightly larger than the upper crust.

Step 6: Fit the bottom crust into the pan. Pour the apple. Sprinkle some karo sauce on top along with butter.

Step 7: Roll the top crust and cut a few slits. Brush the crust with some milk.

Step 8: Bake the pie [First 15 minutes at 450F, Next 15 minutes at 425F, Next 20-30 minutes at 400F].

Spanish seafood rice (paella)

Ingredients

Seafood Paella

1 1/2 cup Arboria rice (Spanish rice)
Olive oil
10 shrimp
5 squid (with tentacles)
1/2 large red onion
1 tomato
1/2 red bell pepper/capsicum
1 teaspoon chilli garlic sauce
2 cups fish stock (more if necessary)
1 cup dry wine (I used Chardonnay)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon saffron
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1 cup green peas
Chopped cilantro for garnish
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala (optional)

Step 1: Saute Chilli sauce in olive oil. Add the veggies and let them cook slightly.

Step 2: Add the rice and squid and stir.

Step 3: Add the fish stock and wine. Add saffron, salt, pepper and lime juice. I added a little bit of garam masala but you do not have to.

 Step 4: Add the shrimp, green peas and cilantro.  Let it cook on a low flame until the rice is done.

Sprinkle olive oil on top and serve hot.

The Afghan cuisine - Panjshir

Chicken and mushroom curry/Zardach and lamb quorma

Panjshir, Afghan cuisine
924 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046

Muntoo (beef dumplings)

Before I visited Panjshir, I associated Afghan cuisine with kababs. I love kababs but find them a bit dry. But Panjshir's menu is surprisingly diverse. I especially enjoyed the curries, which are served with rice. I have tried their chicken curry with light spices and mushrooms and lamb quorma (lamb with Afghan prunes, walnuts and spices).

We also tried their chicken kababs and muntoo (beef dumplings with meat sauce and yoghurt) . The  menu features a large number of other meat entrees, mostly lamb and beef.

If you are vegetarian, they have some great dishes too. We tried their zardach as a side (slices of fresh carrots cooked with seeded afghan prunes, walnuts, and chickpeas, topped with tomato sauce).

On the whole, the food is delicious and not spicy. The ambience is cosy. If I were pick one fault, it would be the lack of choice in poultry dishes. There are only two chicken dishes on their menu (which I absolutely loved). 

Food on the Vegas strip

Roast chicken

Las Vegas boasts of several restaurants run by celebrity chefs, so we were very excited to experience the food scene. We visited a few restaurants on the strip at various casinos.

Overrated. Food was less than mediocre. At Bellagio, we stopped by the popular Lago. It specialized in small plates, tapas style Italian food. We tried their seafood risotto, and shrimp-stuffed squid. Although edible, I did not think the seafood was fresh. It looked fancier than it tasted.

Shrimp stuffed squid

On the other hand, Jasmine, a Chinese restaurant at Bellagio, was pretty good. We tried their roast chicken (with caramelized onion), and dumplings and were satisfied.

We also had a chance to try the much talked about smoked salmon pizza at Wolfgang Puck's Spago. It was simple, filling and not as pricey as the other restaurants but honestly none of this food struck to be as particularly great.

Finally, we sampled a couple of breakfast/lunch buffets that the strip is known for. The first was a French buffet at Le Village. Don't let the long waits deceive you. I identify French food with fine preparations served in petite portions. There was nothing French about this place. Bulky portion with no flavor. Not recommended.

All of these restaurants, just like the casinos, were flashy in appearance. Although some like Lago's dining space at Bellagio offered a beautiful view of the water fountains, overall, my impression of these restaurants was that they served a clientele who were looking for that Vegas gaudiness and are not necessarily targeted towards foodies. 

Goat Stew

Goat stew

Ingredients
1/2 pound goat (on the bone)
1 large red onion
2 small tomatoes
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
2 tablespoons yoghurt (marinade)
10 small baby carrots
3 stalks celery
4 small potatoes
1/2 bell pepper
2 garlic pods
1 cup of spinach paste
2 spoons coriander seeds
2 bay leaves
2 green cardamon pods
1 spoon chilli powder
1 spoon turmeric powder
1 spoon coriander powder
3 teaspoons garam masala
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Fresh coriander leaves
2 green chillies
Coconut oil
Ghee or Clarified butter for cooking

Step 1: Marinate the goat (on the bone) with yoghurt, chilli, turmeric, coriander powder and ginger garlic paste for 4 hours. In a separate bowl, boil spinach with green chillies and garlic. Let it cool and grind it to a paste.

Step 2: Saute diced onion, tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, celery, bay leaves, coriander seeds, cardamon pods in coconut oil and clarified butter until brown. Add the chicken bouillon and garam masala.

Step 4: Add the spinach paste and the goat to the mix.

Step 5: Add two cups of water and let it cook for about 2 hours. I pressure cooked it after letting it cook on a medium flame for 2 hours. If you do not want to pressure cook, you might want to cook it for additional two hours (depends on how tender you prefer your goat).

Step 6: Add 1 cup of milk and flour to thicken the stew. Add some more garam masala if you like it more spicy.

Step 7: Add fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with bread or rice.

Specialty ethnic food retailers in Northern Virginia

Amity, Meat and Grocery

Fresh olives at Amity

Turkish
10372, Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030
Located in Fairfax, Amity sells Halal meats and Turkish specialties. Their breads, feta cheese and baklava is mouth-watering! Their olives are also very good. 

European Foods, Portuguese, Brazilian and Spanish
2700 Pershing Drive, Arlington, VA 22216
Located in Arlington, European Foods sells some of the finest Portuguese, Brazilian and Spanish specialties. If you are fond of freshly baked bread and choriso (sausages), it is a must-go. They also have a variety of imported wines and fresh olives. A bit pricey. 

Italian Store, Italian
It has several stores in Northern Virginia. Slightly pricey but worth it. They have some of the finesh imported pastas, freshly made pasta sauces, a selection of cheeses and wines.

Russian Gourmet, Eastern European
Has several locations in Northern Virginia
Offers great cakes, russian salads, and other gourmet food. Pricey but good quality. 

Patel Brothers, South Asian
11116, Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA
Offers a range of South-Asian foods - spices, lentils, and fresh vegetables. Their strength is their fast food- samosas, vada pao are available at the counter. They also have several frozen meals that are worth trying. 

Babylon Market, Mediterranean
1044, W Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046
Located in Falls Church, this store has a variety of Middle Eastern food (dates, dry fruits, honey, Tahini, and grape leaves) as well as fresh meats including goat and beef. It has a wide range of prepared frozen foods including kubba (meat pies) and an aisle of Iraqi staples. 

Specialty Market, Peruvian
2190, Pimmit Drive, Falls Church, VA 22043
Located in Falls Church, this place offers a variety of Latin American food, veggies (great avocados), seafood and meats. They also have some delicious home-cooked tamales at their counter that you might want to try. 

Buen Nao, Vietnamese (near Bestway Supermarket on Route 50)
This small grocery stores sells a variety of Vietnamese staples. Freshly shredded papaya (great for salads), pickles, sauces for pho, duck eggs, kim chee and veggies. It also has a section of meats that includes duck and shrimp balls). 

Lotte Plaza, Korean
It has several stores in Northern Virginia. Known for its fresh vegetables, meats and seafoods. If you are fond of sweets, try their Shila Bakery. They have some great cakes. It also has a decent sushi bar. 

Los Angeles - a destination for ethnic food lovers

Taquitos in avocado sauce at Olvera street

We recently spent a long weekend in Los Angeles. If you are fan of different ethnic cuisines, LA's various ethnic enclaves offer a variety of options.

We tried several dishes ranging from sushi, Korean soups, biryani to curries. While none of it was something I had not eaten before, when you try these dishes in places that primarily serve a native audience, you can be assured that the food is authentic.In Little Bangladesh, for example, one restaurant featured Bengali sweets like kheer kadam which are typically not found even in some of the Bangladeshi restaurants I have visited.

The ubiquitous Mexican food was a complete delight. From mom-and-pop shops to up-scale chains, this city has it all. I tried some dishes for the first time, like flautas, taquitos in avocado sauce at the popular Olvera Street, and experienced guacamole being made fresh at my table at Rosa Mexicano. And the fact that you can have a wholesome meal for less than $10 certainly adds to the feel-good factor.

West African cuisine - Appioo African Bar Grill

Appioo African Bar Grill,
1924, 9th St NW,
Washington DC, 20001

We recently visited Appioo African Bar Grill, a Ghanian restaurant in downtown DC. It was my first experience with west African cuisine so i may not be the best judge of its authenticity but I loved it!

 My personal favorite were their plantains (Kelewele) - which were well executed and had a very nice ginger flavor . We also tried their Appioo chicken wings with a spicy sauce, Jollof rice (Ghanaian rice cooked in a tomato sauce) with goat, and Komi Ke Kenan (fermented corn and cassava dough dumpling with chicken). I would imagine the food would be perceived to be a bit spicy for a western palate but, in my opinion, it was one of the best meals I have had - with just the right blend of spices.  There was a lot of meat on the menu. Although I did not try any of those dishes. if you are a fan of spicy stews, they would be worth trying them.

The ambiance was at best modest but the prices were very reasonable. Recommended.

Romanian Food Festival

Lime cake

Romanian Food Festival, 2017.
Potamac, Maryland.

We recently attended the Romanian Food Festival in Potomac, Maryland.

It was my first exposure to Romanian food. It was very simple, closest to home-cooked food. We tried their vegetables and pork stuffed cabbage rolls, polenta (boiled corn meal), grilled chicken and home-made stuffed pork sausages.

A bit bland for my palate but edible for sure. My favorite were the desserts. We tried a moist lime cake stuffed with cream and baklava. Unlike most desserts, these flavors were very subtle.

Qiche with caramelized onions and feta (topped with smoked salmon)

Basic Ingredients (2-4 servings)
4 eggs
Ready-made Pie crust
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Feta/Goat cheese
1 cup milk
Finely chopped 1/2 cup spinach
1 1/2 red onions
1 small tomato
1 teaspoon salt (alter to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Rosemary

Step 1: Break the eggs into a large bowl and add  the cheeses and milk. Add spinach, diced tomato, salt, pepper, rosemary. Mix them well and set aside.

Step 2: After allowing the frozen pie-crust to thaw for an hour and a half, set it in a baking dish, greased with butter.

Step 3: In a separate pan, caramelize the onions.

Step 4: Allow them to cool down and add it to the prepared mixture. 

Step 4: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F ( C) and bake it for 40-45 minutes. Place smoked salmon on top. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Russian-Uzbek Fare

Rus-Uz

Steamed dumplings

1000 N. Randolph Street

Arlington, Virginia 22202

Rus-Uz, in Ballston, Arlington, offers Russian and Uzbek cuisine. Having been here several times, I have found the quality of the food to be consistent and the prices are fare. 

During our most recent visit, we picked the pirohski (potato and mushroom pastry) and Herring under fur coat (a layered fish salad) for appetizers. For the main course, we had a Uzbek delicacy called manti (large steamed dumplings with lamb and onions, served with a sauce on top), and russian roasted salmon with pomegranate sauce. Personally, I found the food a bit bland for my taste. But I could see the comfort food appeal in all their dishes - simple and well-executed. For meat-lovers, there were several beef and pork dishes on the menu. 

If you are in mood for some simple and hot food on a cold day, this is a great ethnic dining option in Arlington. Reasonably priced. Recommended. 

Kapnos - Greek fare

Saganaki

We recently visited Kapnos Taverna in  Ballston. I tried their lunch and dinner menus and absolutely loved it. The strengths of Kapnos are the small portions of most items on the menu (similar to the tapas); the flavor and presentation; and its variety.

I have to give a call out to their spreads. We tried the smoky eggplant (melitzanosalata) and a feta cheese spread (tyrokaftari). Both were served with some fresh pita and were very tasty. Their traditional saganaki (think flamed cheese with a dash honey) was also delicious. Their spanakopita, however, was just not as good.

Eggplant spread with pita

For the main course, we tried the falafel, marinated chicken souvlaki and spit-roasted lamb. All the dishes were the same size but were sufficiently filling. For dessert, we tried their almond cake. While nothing great, there was also nothing to complain about.

The Ballston location also has a raw bar. We tried their raw oysters. Expensive.

If I were to find a fault, it would be the ambiance. A bit noisy for a quiet dinner.

While not as good as what I have had was in Chicago's Greek neighborhood, Kapnos is one of the better Mediterranean options in the DC region. Recommended.

Indian Street Food in the DC area

Mysore Masala Dosa

Bindaas
3309 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008

In 2000s, Indian street food would have been quite a rare sight in the DC area. This scarcity of Indian fast food options appears to be coming to an end, as we recently discovered two places that specialize in Indian street cuisine.

The first, Bindaas, is a fairly new Indian restaurant located in the District. We tried their brunch menu on a Sunday - bhel puri, pao masala omelette, and chicken kathi roll with chai. The menu also featured some South Indian comfort dishes such as uttapam. The food was authentic and generally well-executed. Recommended.

Street Kitchen, 
7943B Tysons Corner Center, Tysons, VA 22102

The other restaurant was located in the Tysons mall next to the newly opened American Tandoor, Street Kitchen serves dosas and kathi rolls. The rolls were edible although an indian palate may not think of them as authentic. We also tried their mysore masala and chicken dosa and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. A new addition to their menu is Masala chai (Indian spiced tea), which is great. 

Tuna cutlets

Ingredients
1/2 diced large red onion
1 diced tomato
2 cans of albacore white tuna
4 small red potatoes
1/2 of cauliflower head (Other veggies you may add: carrots, brocolli)
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tablespoon ginger, garlic, green chilies paste (4 pods of garlic/1 large piece of ginger, 3 chilies)
2 teaspoons chili, turmeric, coriander, cumin powders
3 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 lime
coriander leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Saute the onion, tomatoes and ground garlic/ginger paste in oil. Add tomato puree and let it cook.

Step 2: Add the tuna along with the spices and let it cook.

Step 3: Pressure cook the veggies separately and mash them.

Step 4: Add them to the tuna mixture. Sprinkle some lime, add garam masala and coriander to suit your taste. Add salt/pepper.

Step 5: Make small balls and shallow fry them. Serve hot.

The seafood scene in New Orleans

Shrimp po-boy

Our recent trip to New Orleans was all about the seafood scene.

I tried several restaurants' take on a local favorite -the po-boy sandwich (a french baguette stuffed with fried seafood of your choice including shrimp, oysters or fish along with fresh veggies/mayo/remoulade). Nola poboys relatively non-pretentious version of the po-boy was my favorite and would make a great lunch or an evening snack.

Raw oysters at Acme Oyster House

Oysters came in different forms - raw, fried and char-grilled ((grilled with a lot of garlic sauce and parmesan). My favorite were the raw oysters on offer at the famous Acme oyster house.

Crawfish was another common ingredient in a lot of dishes served in restaurants. Of the multiple crawfish-based dishes that I tried, my favorite was a crawfish hash from Nottoway plantation, an antebellum-ear plantation about at an hour's drive from the city.

I also tried an omelette at the Beignet Cafe in the French quarter and thought it was alright. Crawfish ettoufet (crawfish tails cooked in a broth and served with rice) is another popular dish. Our experience at the New orleans creole cookery, where we tried the ettoufet was awful. But I would definitely try it again at another place.

Flounder at Atchafalaya

We had a fine dining experience at a couple of restaurants in town. One was the famous Commanders palace in the heart of the city. At Commanders Palace, we tried their shrimp and quail for lunch. Food was very delicious, although I thought their portions were small for the price. I was also not a big fan of its ambiance. Felt like a tourist trap.

On the contrary, Atchafalaya, a quaint little restaurant, was clearly a winner in terms of food and ambiance. Our meal included corn bread with jalapenos and olives, mussels in garlic sauce and fries for an appetizer, their special flounder. Absolutely nothing that I could complain about. Perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection, it offered the most memorable food in the city.