Ray's Hell Burger - freaking amazing as usual

Ray's Hell Burger
1725 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA

Whenever we have visitors from out of town, we head to Ray's Hell Burger because, simply put, Ray's serves up the best burger in town (as Obama knows!). The ambitious Michael Landrum of Ray's fame certainly knows how to dish up a burger masterpiece, served no frills style.

Ray's Hell Burger offers 10-oz. burgers made from freshly ground, hand-trimmed beef. It's the same steak offered at Ray's the Classics and Ray's the Steaks, just ground in-house throughout the day. The basic burger is $6.95, and can be accompanied by a slew of free toppings, including lettuce, tomato, peppers and sherry-sauteed onions and mushrooms. Or you can add extras, such as White Vermont cheddar. The burgers are served on soft brioche buns that just soak up the burger juices. Although the last few bites tend to fall apart, there's plastic silverware to help scoop up those last morsels of tastiness.

It's true that DC has become a burger Mecca as of late (see: BGR, Rogue States, the upcoming Shake Shack, FLIP and Bobby's Burger Palace). But Ray's Hell Burger will continue to stand out, no matter what the next celebri-chef can throw at it. So what makes Ray's Hell Burger so freaking good? Simply put - it's the beef. The meat is of such high quality, and cooked so perfectly, that just a burger patty alone can incite orgasms of tastiness.

Originally Ray's Hell Burger adhered to a stringent menu of burgers and perhaps a side of watermelon or corn on the cob. But today, those options have expanded to include fries, sweet potato fries and mac and cheese. How are the sides? The fries are basic fries, nothing special (I would say don't waste your calories on them). The sweet potato fries are far better, and the mac and cheese is pretty rocking. It's creamy and delicious, although without any one overwhelming flavor.

I can't really point to any downsides at Ray's Hell Burger - I mean, it's pretty bare bones, with a cafeteria-style set up. You line up, peruse a printed menu, and order your meal. It's cash-only, but thankfully there's an ATM in the back, because you don't want to miss out. Once you've ordered, you can grab a table. But don't try to snag one without ordering, because Ray's Hell Burger moves people through quickly, and you're likely to be berated by a seatless customer holding a tray of food (and rightly so - wait your turn, people). If you're awaiting food, sans table, I've noticed that the wait staff will help you out.

Opening tomorrow - Jake's American Grille in Van Ness

Jake's American Grille

5018 Connecticut Ave., Washington, DC

Jake's American Grille is opening tomorrow, Friday Feb. 25, in Van Ness. Brought to you by the people behind the Ugly Mug and District 2, Jake's American Grille is positioned as a "neighborhood watering hole" replete with metal fixtures, dark blue paint and red oak, according to Urban Daddy. Supposedly, a long bar and five TVs make it a good option to watch games.

But I'm more interested in Jake's upscale bar food like Thai chili wings and duck confit sliders from Chef Michael Degginger. A Seattle native, Chef Michael is a recent transplant to the DC area who has cooked for McCormick and Schmick's and the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. We'll have to see how he does on the East Coast ... For drinks, Jake's hired fames DC Mixologist Gina Chersevani, who has worked for Rasika, EatBar and Tallula. Chersevani has won a buttload of awards, including the 2010 RAMW Beverage/Mixology program award, which allowed her to be honored at a James Beard House dinner in NYC.

At first glance, Jake's seems to be promoting itself as an event space - the Bridge is a private dining room available for 40 people seated or 60 standing. And in March, Jake's says it will expand with the Boiler Room bar. Located downstairs, the Boiler Room will house pool tables, foosball, shuffleboard, video games and ping-pong tables; a private bar with seating for 15; multiple flat-screen TVs; and Wii and XBOX 360/Kinect.

Food Truck Fiesta

A friend told me about this Web site - Food Truck Fiesta, which tracks and compiles information about all of DC's area food trucks.

They currently have 28 food trucks on their roster, with 9 food trucks listed as "coming soon."

So who are the new kids on the block?

• Austin Grill (AGTruckDC)
• BBQ Bus (bbqbusdc)
• Cupcake Buggy (CupcakeBuggy)
• People's Bao (PeoplesBao)
• Rollling Wit Burgers (Rollingwburgers)
• Sabor'a Street (Saborastreet)
• Stix (eatstix)
• The Rolling Ficelle (TheFicelle)
• Top Dog (topdogtruck)

Hurry! Artisphere restaurant naming contest closes Friday 2/18

Artisphere, the modern arts center in Rosslyn, needs a name for its new restaurant and bar. Slated to open April 1, the spot promises to dish up locally grown comfort food with a Latin twist. Expect homemade guacamole, fire-roasted salsa and chips, tortas, empanadas and charcuterie.

You can submit your suggestions here, through the Washington Post-sponsored site. Work quickly, because the content ends Friday, Feb. 18 at 12 pm!

From March 1 to 11, you can vote on the top three entries selected by Artisphere.

The restaurant will open April 1 with a reservation-only launch party, limited to 300 guests. Details on how to reserve your spot will be announced at a later date.

So what do you win?

PRIZES

Grand Prize: An Artful Evening
Private dinner  party for eight in Artisphere’s Terrace Gallery
Catered by Artisphere’s restaurant and bar
Followed by VIP tickets to an event
Eight reservations to the restaurant’s April 1 restaurant launch party

Top Two Finalists
Finalists receive two tickets to an event of their choice, dinner and cocktails at Artisphere’s restaurant plus two reservations for the April 1 restaurant launch party

Contest Voters (Voting is from March 1-11
All voters will receive an exclusive discount coupon code for select March/April Artisphere events

Brown Sugar Chili Pork Loin

Looking to make an amazing, easy dish for your valentine? Check this out ...

My co-worker and his wife adopted me while the hubs was out of town, and they treated me to a killer pork dish - sweet with a pleasant amount of heat. I harangued my co-worker until he shared the recipe, and I made it that very night for some family members. The verdict? Phenomenal. The recipe has been passed around e-mail and Facebook, and now I am sharing it with you, dear readers.

To really finish off this dish, make the following accompaniments: coconut rice (cook 3-4 cups of rice, and when done, add a can of coconut milk. It will be absorbed and flavor the rice); and green beans (steam green beans, then toss with melted butter and soy sauce).

Note: The recipe says to use an overproof skillet to cook the pork in the oven, but I did not have a skillet large enough to hold 2.5 lbs of pork.  I just transferred the pork to a baking sheet and it worked out fine.

Brown Sugar Chili Pork Loin

Feeds 6

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs pork tenderloin (split into two tenderloins)
2 tbsp olive oil

Spice rub ingredients:

2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Glaze ingredients:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp Tabasco

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 deg. In a bowl, mix together the five spice rub ingredients. Coat the entire pork tenderloin with the spice rub. Heat olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over moderately high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Brown pork in the skillet, turning the pork equally, about 4 minutes total.

In a separate bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients. Pat the glaze onto top of each tenderloin.

Roast the tenderloins in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted diagonally into the center of each tenderloin registers 140 deg. Remove pork from oven, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. The pork's temperature will rise to 155 deg while standing.

Minted Pea Hummus

The other night the hubs and I threw together a quick meal of lamb burgers topped with minted pea hummus. Can you make hummus from peas, you ask. Hummus - traditionally made from blended chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - can really be made from any legume. We've made hummus from edamame and cannellini beans, with varying success.

This minted pea hummus was great on top of the lamb burgers, and I can also see it being pretty awesome paired with pita chips. At the very least, it's a really pretty shade of spring green.

Minted Pea Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked petite green peas (just thaw some frozen peas)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a mini food processor, process until smooth.

Try it with pita chips - yum!

Spoon and Fork launches new look

So I decided to clean this place up. Like the redesign? Hate it? I'm considering transferring this whole shebang over to Wordpress ... Pros? Cons? If you have an opinion, leave me a comment!

Bread and Brew, you confuse me

Bread & Brew 
1247 20th Street NW, Washington, DC

When Bread & Brew opened in January 2009, no one was more excited than I. Although there are plenty of restaurants in the Dupont area, B&B is one of only four restaurants in the DC area to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association. B&B boasts environmentally conscious packaging (such as biodegradable corn-based containers), products and decor. According to the restaurant's press release, "All efforts will be made by DC Bread and Brew to supply fresh locally grown all natural (sic) ingredients." If this was all true, then my efforts to eat "clean" - meaning few to no processed foods - were going to be helped immensely by the introduction of B&B.

Well, it appears that B&B has stuck to its goal of offering green dining, and it does serve up some decent food. The house-made soups are pretty amazing, especially the ham and black bean, mushroom brie and the carrot ginger, although I had one bad experience with a chilled avocado jalapeno soup that was just downright disgusting (picture tiny chunks of minced jalapeno suspended in a mildly revolting green cream). My only complaint with the soup is that if you order a bowl of soup for lunch ($6), you don't get any bread to sop it up. I mean, it's called Bread & Brew, isn't it? Where's my free roll? The sandwiches tend to be hit or miss - at first I branched out, but after encountering dried-out roast beef, I've just found my favorites and stuck with them (the grilled veggie and hummus on multigrain, the Béarnaise chicken salad on multigrain, the mozzarella, tomato and basil on ciabatta are all solid choices.)

1/2 mozzarella, basil + tomato sandwich, cup of black bean + ham soup

The salads ($10) are of a nice quality, but not very large or filling. And do yourself a favor and skip the pizza - ugh, what a complete tasteless fail, plus I waited 30 min. for the pizza. Um no.

B&B is small. It can squash 20 people inside the main level - the "Bread" of "Bread & Brew," though expect things to get cozy. There's a lower level bar - the "Brew" - that can seat an additional 25. Unfortunately, the basement bar is just that - a bar in a basement. It's like you're sitting in someone's parents' basement drinking beer. It's just ... dingy and sad.

If you're eating in, you order at the register, then take a seat until a server brings out your food. But if you're taking out, you order at the register and then sort of stand, awkwardly, crammed between the scary bathroom and the seated diners who try to eat, converse and ignore you until your order arrives.

For the first year or so, the service sucked. I would return to my office with my lunch, only to discover that they had given me the completely wrong order (once it was roast turkey instead of roast vegetable; the other time, immensely dry roast beef). My order would be taken, and then forgotten, while I huddled awkwardly in a corner, checking my watch. Oh, and I hate giving my name for the order - just give me a stinking number, OK?

So now for my issues with B&B. I find the actual restaurant to be slightly gross. It sometimes smells like mold and bathroom cleaner mixed together, especially when you stand near the kitchen. I get it, it's got a coffee shop vibe ... a dirty coffee shop. If you're taking out, there's no where to wait while they prepare your food. And while a lot of staff seem to be busy running around, it doesn't seem like a lot gets accomplished.

Seriously, B&B, we're happy that you're all "green" and such, but come on now. Maybe in your quest to be green, you've forgotten what it means to serve up food in a decent, welcoming environment. Overhaul your decor, squash the stench, and give your staff a wake-up call.

In the meantime, though, I'll keep ordering the soup!

Amazing cassoulet at Bistro 412 in Park City, Utah

Bistro 412 
412 Main Street, Park City, UT

I love Park City, Utah. I just returned from my yearly ski trip - my fifth trip in six years - and it was painful getting on the plane to return to the East Coast. If you like nature, sports and friendly people, then Park City has it all - the mountains are gorgeous, the skiing is sick, the people are welcoming, and best of all, the food scene is bumping.

We usually head out to Park City during the Sundance Film Festival - not because we're super big movie buffs (though it is wicked good fun to catch the Sundance flicks), but because the Hollywood people tend to stay off the mountains, leaving the ski runs wide open. This year, we had the good fortune to snag a table for six at the 412 Bistro.

Mmm, the 412 Bistro. What can I say? Though described as "an American Bistro," 412 has a decided French flair. The location is superb - Bistro 412 is tucked between Park City's pricy boutiques and crowded eateries on Main Street. The food is phenomenal, the service spot-on, and the ambience is warm and cozy. It's a great place to kick back with friends and a bottle of wine.

Upon the recommendation of my BFF, we started with the Three Onion Soupe, which was topped with melted gruyere and crostini. The soup broth was rich and buttery, full of translucent onions and blanketed with a thick layer of melted cheese. Definitely not a calorie-conscious food choice, but I figured I had to re-install all the calories burned off in two days of skiing. 

I ordered the cassoulet for my main. Served as a ragout of red and white beans, the cassoulet contained chunks of braised elk, buffalo-chipotle sausage and lamb bacon. Wow. If there existed a perfect food to accompany skiing, this was it. It was hearty and meaty, and the flavors were so true to themselves. The elk/buffalo/lam  It was delicious, and absolutely filling. Alongside the cassoulet arrived a whole baked duck leg - duck confit - and a toasted crostini. 

Why else does Park City rock? Well, for being located in a Mormon state, Park City offers plenty of places to get your drink on, from the No-Name Saloon and their delicious grapefruit-and-voidka concoctions to the Polygamy Porter at the Wasatch Brewery. Delicious.

New Belgium Brewing to expand distribution to DC

We have it on good authority that New Belgium Brewing, out of Fort Collins, CO, is expanding to Virginia, Maryland and DC this year. According to this Washington Post article, NBB will make its Fat Tire Amber Ale available in this area by September.

However, according to our inside source, the company will ship kegs, bottles and cans to our area by July. The WashPo reports that Fat Tire will be joined by Ranger IPA, a wheat beer (possibly Sunshine Wheat or Mothership Wit), the 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, and possibly Hoptober Golden Ale.

New Belgium, which boasts a cult following, markets its beers in 26 states, and in 2010 the company produced more than 660,000 barrels.