How do they do it?!?

Seriously – there are some amazing cooking and baking blogs out there. And then there are some that are just food porn – I just drool over the pictures of the process these people take while working. But seriously – how in god’s name do these people do it?!?!?! When I am baking or prepping a meal – I’m on a strict timeline. And because I live in a city apartment, my kitchen is the size of some people’s third guest bathrooms – so there is the need to continuously clean my measuring cups, cutting boards, knives, etc as I move along. There is no way that I am able to bake and remember what my next 2 steps are suppose to be and frame a shot at the same time with the background tidy. I’M ONLY HUMAN WITH ONLY 2 HANDS AND A SEMI-FUNCTIONING BRIAN … BRAIN!!!! See I can’t even post correctly!



Anyway to prove that I too can take those artistic food shots – here is some food porn from when I am not in the kitchen and just stuffing my face or touristing.

Perfection is over rated … right?

One problem with being an OCD-equse perfectionist is the fact that my baked goods aren’t coming out perfect. I made this amazing pumpkin cheesecake for an office potluck – but one problem that I have with cheesecake is the simple fact that I’ve never had one not crack on me. I studied my Joy of Cooking closer than any regulation or textbook on various styles of cheesecakes and various tricks to keep a cheesecake from cracking.

So this time I was aware and armed with what I needed to do. I had my spring form pan to make sure when I took the cake out of the pan that I would have minimal issued. I had 2 loaf pans in the oven to keep the oven a bit humid to keep it from drying out. I also made sure not to over beat my mixture prior to pouring to make sure that it doesn’t get too much air beaten into it. And when I took it out I cooled it overnight in the pan, on a rack, and a pot over it to slow the cooling process down to prevent it from cracking from a rapid decrease in temperature.

But with all these precaution the cheesecake cracked in transport to the office.

Sigh. While everyone raved about how fabulous the cheesecake was, and even I will admit that it was amazing, all I could obese over was that damn crack.

But here is the amazing recipe. Hope that your cheesecake is crackless.

PS – My baking time was much longer to achieve the right consistency. So use the baking time as reference.

The finished product looks like this ... I was too crushed about the crack that no pictures of the cheesecake were taken.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/images/newlarge/pumpkin-cheesecake-recipe.jpg

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Serves 10 to 12
1 graham cracker crust (recipe follows)
2/3 cup packed light of dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1 lb cream cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

1. Firmly press the graham cracker crust into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Combine 2/3 of brown sugar, and all of the spices in a bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds. Gradually add the sugar mixture until smooth and creamy, about 1 or 2 minutes.

4. Beat in eggs one at a time until well-blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.

5. Add pumpkin puree and beat until just blended.

6. Scrape the batter over the crust and smooth the top.

7. Place a cake pan or loaf pan of water in the oven to moisten the air. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325ºF and bake for 10 minutes longer or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center still looks moist and jiggles when the pan is tapped, about 10 minutes more.

8. Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Pour on top of hot cake and tilt the pan to spread the topping evenly. Return to the oven for 7 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack and cover the pan and rack with a large inverted bowl or post so that the cake cools slowly. Let cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably 24 hours before serving.

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp butter, melted, warm or cool
1/4 cup sugar

1. With a fork or a food processor, mix the ingredients well.

From The Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer Becker et. al. (1997, Scribner)

Amazing or Craptastic?

Hello my poor neglected food blog. I’ve been going to eat at some amazing places lately and taking some amazing pictures. But I have been just too lazy lately to post them up. I also tend to forget what I want to post about so.

But right now a recap of places that I’ve eaten at that were amazing or craptastic.

Ray’s Steaks – OMG, Amazing! And their desserts are also amazing! If you go there, their chocolate mousse is a must. And if you are a fan of coconut – their coconut cream pie is the best I’ve ever had. A recap is coming.

Red Velvet – I’m sad to say that their Halloween Cupcake of the Day, Candy Bar Cake, was craptastic. I thought baking bits of kit kats, M&M’s, and snicker’s bars would be good. But it was dry and not tasty as well. And for my second favorite cupcake shop in DC, it was very disappointing.

Red Hook – AMAZING! The lobster rolls were super tasty and I didn’t feel like I was getting jibbed in the amount of lobster or anything. The fact that they had both the mayo based and butter drawn is also a very big plus. The shrimp rolls were okay, not a show stopper but something I won’t get again on purpose. Also the whoopee pies that they carry is also amazing – not too sweet and not dry for something that was stored in the freezer.

Larry’s Ice Cream – Mix. The Baklava was craptastic. I like it lighter and crisper. It was too soggy and dense. But the one ice cream that I had a bite of was almost amazing. It was a flavor that I would never pick, Cinnamon Raisin, but it did taste like an oatmeal raisin in an ice cream form. I will go back to explore this Dupont Circle ice cream shop better.

Ben’s Chili Bowl – As always amazing. It might seem like screwing up a chili cheese fries might seem hard, but it’s possible my friend. And for going there for dinner after the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the line was quick. 

My attempt at making cheese pop-overs – CRAPTASTIC! All I could think about were the amazing cheese pop-overs that Fogo de Chao gives their patrons for a while. So one morning I attempted to make them. And they were not poppy, cheesy, nor overy. L But I have an idea of where I went wrong and another attempt is in the future.

My attempt at making Apple Pie – AMAZING! It was the first time I’ve made a pie crust with my standing mixer. And this joy of cooking recipe is going to be making rotations in apple seasons.

And on this note – I’m going to bed. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to make it home in time to bake loaves of honey wheat bread. Hmmmmm …

Politics of Food?

So this DC'ite traveled to Hot-lanta this weekend to catch the Giants vs. Braves play-off games. While I am a Nationals fans in my heart - we all know that they are never ever going to a play off game. So I've adopted my roommate's team for the play-offs ... Go GIANTS! And Atlanta is the home of southern cooking and apparently has one of my favorite road restaurants, Cracker Barrel, at every exit on the way there. While some people swear that the Waffle House is the best road food in the South, I am a hard core Cracker Barrel fan. No road trip starting in DC is ever complete without this half-Country Store half-restaurant with over cooked grits. Hmmmm ... I am drooling a little bit and my arteries are starting to clog up thinking about it.

So my little innocent guilty road side pleasure apparently is also mired with all sorts of political-y mess. First, it's very well known that C&B had some major issues with racism in the early 2000's. Though one of my friends puts it - It's the side of racism that makes the food taste soo good. They are also consistently ranked one of the worst places for anyone in the LGBT community to work in. In fact until the early millennium - they were very upfront on their preferred hiring practices of heterosexuals.

I am a total free market-ist, even after the recent financial tumbles. Everyone is an adult - act like it and be personally responsible for your actions. If you don't like something the company does - don't buy it. Vote with your dollars. One thing that my roommate and I actively did on this trip was buy gas from BP. While they did screw up royally with that oil well, compared to what past oil companies have done BP is at least attempting to show some corporate responsibility. So we voted with our dollars and drove a little further to buy gas from BP and not those evil commies from CITGO.

But how far am I willing to vote with my dollars ... am I willing to give up that clean restrooms, random candies from my childhood, and country fried steaks for something that C&B are sorta working on? That's something that I am going to chew on.

Not Dead and Give me Yummy Food lists!!!

So we have been on a unscheduled siesta due to life. But I finally have time to post again! I know my legions of readers have missed me. But I assure you that I have still been eating ... too much.


I've also invited some of my bestest foodie friends that I've known since high school and from different cities to also write about their food experiences. E is from Seattle and is also very adventurous in the kitchen. And A is from NYC and is one of the most camera happy diner out there. Hopefully they will be willing to share their experiences and I might add other friends to share



Now to today's rant ...



I have knocked off more restaurants off the 2010 Best Restaurants of DC list thanks to Restaurant Week and great friends and I realized that I really like the 2009 list much better. I mean there are the DC staple restaurants - Citronelle, Obelisk, City Zen, blah blah blah that are always going to be on these lists because they have an world famous executive chef or are just a DC institution. But that's not a good enough reason for me to patronize these restaurants. I want to know that whatever list is out there is going to blow my mind if it's on this list and I have to shell out boocoo bucks for it. Or it's that fantastic hole in the wall that serves dishes that make me want to lick the plate clean.

But the 2010 list is filled with disappointments or mediocrity. They are the restaurants that one goes with an expense account and low expectations. There are soo many amazing places in the DC area that serve up amazing dishes that make you feel like you are eating a fantasy, a warm family meal, or like royalty. Surfside was on the 2009 list and they have carnita tacos that remind me of eating at an oceanside taqueria in California. It may be a chain but Devon and Blakely has killer sandwiches and soups. Same with Potbelly's, it's consistency rated high by the users of Yelp, Urban Soup, and the everyday lunch crowd. And what about the burgoeing food cart/truck markets.

I guess my point today is I want these lists to actually be a showcase of the best in DC - the ones with the best food and service - and not the most popular.

DC Resturant Week is coming! And Art and Soul.

DC Restaurant Week is August 16-22, 2010.

If you have never been to DC Restaurant Week - it's interesting. It's really a mixed bag on service and, to a lesser degree, quality of food. If there is a restaurant that you've been dying to try but your wallet can't handle it, by all means this would be the time to go and eat. In most other cities, Restaurant Week is seen as a time for restaurants to woo new regular patrons. In DC, it seems like the restaurants treat it as a marketing gimmick and the servers give up on any possibility on getting a good tip.

So the good and the bad ... a case study on Art and Soul.

A little background on Art and Soul for those that have been living under a rock or just don't care about food. It’s run by Art Smith - Oprah’s former personal chef, but more importantly, he was also one of the competitors in season 1 of Top Chef Masters and one of the judges on Iron Chef America. He is very well known for his southern cuisine. And because of Paula Dean - southern cuisine now congers up images of mounds and pounds of butter. And their bread pretty much just a mode of transportation for butter. It’s a pull apart bread that’s basically baked/fried in a cast iron pan. Just thinking about it is making me drool.

They have shrimp and grits (nothing amazing), Chesapeake Bay fry basket (comes highly recommend by many - but it‘s just another assorted fried seafood basket), mussel (good but once again nothing special) were the appetizers that I’ve had there. The Capital Hill salad was tastey, but it’s just a classic salad with fruit, cheese, and nuts.

But outside of the starter bread, the hoecakes there are just amazing. I’ve had them all and they are all good. The oyster po’ is one of the more popular ones, but salmon and caviar was my favorite. Seriously skip the appetizers and just order another hoecake. I was disappointed that during Restaurant Week in Feb, the hoecakes were not an option.

The main dishes that I’ve had there were very tastey - but not amazing, once again. And during Restaurant Week, the choices made me feel like I was at a wedding - with a choice of chicken, fish (salmon), or pork. The gumbo there was deemed amazing by one of my dinner partner that is a southern.

The side dishes of fried green tomatoes and macaroni casserole (aka baked mac and cheese) were amazing as well, and classic southern food. The pecan pie, chocolate terrine, and strawberry cheesecake - were amazingly executed.

But on the service side of things, going during Restaurant Week and non-Restaurant Week was like night and day. I went in December as an early Christmas gift from a lovely couple and we had a funny waiter that made sure that our drinks and water never goes empty. He brought out extra bread with a smile when he saw us inhale it. And he just paced the meal well. During restaurant week, we were seated right next to a service station and kitchen entrance, even though the restaurant was filled to 50% of capacity when we left. We had to flag down the bus boys to get more water, got sneered at for asking for more bread, and then a search party was sent out when the coffee didn’t come out with the dessert after it not showing up for the 10 mins after reminding the waiter as the desserts came out. I think that if I didn’t go during Restaurant Week, the rating for this place would be higher. But when I saw our server doting on another table while arguing with me that my cocktail choice is wrong. I find that annoying.

So just on the food side of things, I would go back in a heart beat for the bread, hoecakes, and dessert. But also for their cocktails. Whoever came up with their drink menu is an alcohol god. And during the summer they have snocone cocktails to help deal with the heat as well. I would go back to eat at the bar and fest on hoecakes and bread. But I don’t think that


DC Restaurant Week
Lunch: $20.10 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Dinner: $35.10 for a three-course fixed-price meal
Beverages, gratuity and tax are not included.
http://washington.org/restaurantwk/

Art and Soul
http://www.artandsouldc.com/
415 New Jersey Ave., NW
Washington DC 20001
202-393-7777
Food: B+
Service: C
Value: B
Price: $40 to $60 a person
Overall: B

Now a recpie from my hero ... Alton Brown

I don't care what all the haters say about him - he's an amazing guy with some awesome ideas that either he or his team of writers come up with.


This fine Sunday afternoon, I was digging around my fridge when I stumbled upon some really old cheese that I got from Cowgirl Creamery. If you say that you are a cheese lover that lives in DC or, where all amazing food comes from, California, you need to find your local Cowgirl Creamery and sample their cheeses. Their Mt. Tam is a classic, Red Hawk is amazing, well I can continue on about their award winning cheese. The first time I went into their store in DC on a Friday – I think I spend around $100 on cheese and ate it all by the end of the weekend. It was one of the most amazing 5 pounds I ever gained.

So when I stumbled upon the moldy treasures, I was trying to figure out a way to salvage it. After I cut off the mold on the assortment, I wasn’t left with enough to do much with. Then I remembered the cheese episode of Good Eats and saying, “Wow, that sounds like amazing cheese spread, I should make that some day.” Well some day turned out to be Sunday!

Fromage Fort

Ingredients
• 1 pound left-over cheese*, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
• 1 small clove garlic

Directions
Remove any rinds from hard cheeses. Grate hard cheeses and cut others into 1/2-inch cubes. Place cheese, wine, butter, herbs, and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 1 hour for a firmer consistency. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fromage-fort-recipe/index.html  

I halved the recipe. I used mostly soft cheeses and used some low fat cheddar cheese to make up the weight difference. My spread turned out very very blue-y because there was a very blue cheese block that was thrown in, as well as a Humboldt Fog. I also used oregano instead of parsley. And It turned out fine. I think I should have put in a little extra wine because my mix after being refridgaged turned out to be crazy hard. And no, I don’t have the patience to wait the 30 minutes for the cheese spread to get to room temperature when I just want to snack on a cracker. But super tastey! It's easy and fast and a little different from the normal cheese plate that you might bring to a party.


Cowgirl Creamery
www.cowgirlcreamery.com/
919 F Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-6880
M-F 7:30am-7pm; Sat 11am-7pm

The Burger Joint

Last night after my first yoga class in years – my friend, Sarah, and I went to the Burger Joint in Dupont Circle for dinner. Yes, after downwards facing dog and all that, we should have gone next door to Sweet Green. For lunch I was suppose to go to Ray’s Hell Burger but the stars weren’t aligned for that to happen. So after daydreaming about those juicy burgers that Obama has made famous (bastard for exposing this local burger joint to the touristing masses) and being denied, I couldn’t imagine having anything but a burger for dinner.

She had a classic cheese burger, I had their burger of the month “In Guac we rock,” and we split an order of their onion rings.

I am one of the most easy going picky eaters that you will ever meet. If there is something that I don’t like, I will just eat around it. My hatred of all things onion is pretty legendary, but I love the flavor of onion brings to everything. So how does a hater of onions eat a onion ring? One bites into the ring and then slide out the onion. And BGR Vidalia onion rings are perfect for that. It’s cut and battered like you would get in a steakhouse, not like Burger King. They were quite tasty and I do like them a lot.

I love they fact that they ask how you would like your burger done, but it would be nice if my medium rare didn’t come out as medium done though. Sarah’s medium was actually medium. The “In Guac we Rock” burger is basically a burger with guacamole, tortilla strips, tomato, and a “hint of lime.” I asked them to add lettuce to it. It was just okay though. The meat was a bit over cooked so the guca balanced out the lack of juiciness. I couldn’t taste the lime. And the tortilla strips were just in the way. I think for the price tag of $9.99 – vs the hamburger $6.99 – there wasn’t enough guac to make it worth it. I’ve eaten at the Bethesda location before – their famous “The Greek” burger – and I kinda felt the same way there as well. Good but not worth the price tag.

Though a common snack that I have at this join is their roasted corn. But then again, I have an unnatural love of corn. And it just kills me that in DC 6 ears for $1 is considered a good deal. But it’s just a simple snack of an ear of corn that’s roasted with a brush of oil and sprinkle of salt. Nothing fancy but I love eating it while waiting for the Georgetown University shuttle.

I would go again, mostly because of the convenient location and the decent food. Good burgers, but I’ve had more amazing ones.



The Burger Joint
http://www.bgrtheburgerjoint.com/
locations in Bethesda, Dupont Circle, Alexandria, and Arlington

Food: B
Service: B
Value: C
Price: $10 - $25
Overall: B-

My Opinions on Good Food.

Good food is very much different from a fantastic restaurant, though they aren't mutually exclusive. Good food just means that it's food that makes your mouth happy. It might not be the best on your wallet or waist line, or it might be. Most of the restaurants on the Washingtonian list are fantastic restaurants that combine good food, great ambiance, and even better service. But good food is the basic compotent of a good resturant.

Honestly one of my favorite places to eat in DC is The Greek Deli. They have leigons of fans on yelp and a very devout lunch crowd. Why? Because they are the optiome of good food. Their customer service is just a few notches better then the Soup Nazi during the lunch rush (the line is looong, grab a menu and decide on what you want before you get to the counter) and they only have 3 tables outside to eat at. But for $12 - you get enough food to eat for the rest of the day and lunch the next day in the Greek Combo. They make almost every ingredient every morning - including thier bread, that delious melt in your mouth, slighty oily bread. A friend that use to work at the Peace Corp swears by thier lamb gyros. I'm just getting hungry thinking about it. I might just need to sneak out during my lunch hour and brave the heat to go get me some of thier amazing orzo with feta. If you get there around 11am - they have everything out and you bet the rush. If you get there past 1:30 - it's slim picking on the protien end of things.


The Greek Deli
http://www.greekdelidc.com/
1120 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 296-2111
M to F: 7am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday, closed
Red Line: Farragurt North or Orange/Blue: Farrgaurt West


Food: A+
Service: C (I thought attitude like this could only be found in NYC - both the clientle and the servers during the lunch rush)
Price: A
Overall: A
I love them.

Washingtonian's Best Dessert List

Yes, I am very big on lists. Maybe it's the baker in me. I like the structure of it. If it makes it on a list it means that someone out there thought that brownie was the orgasm inducing. I tend to be a purveyor of cupcakes - mostly because unlike NYC, there are no dessert bars here. But I found this list - so I want to eat all of these as well as the other restaurants.


I am going to be soo fat in 2 years.

Best Desserts

Hazelnut soufflé with orange granité and orange-ginger sorbet at Adour
Deconstructed carrot cake at Tosca
Chocolate tart with caramelized banana at Corduroy
Cider doughnuts at 1789
Chocolate-coconut candy bar at Bourbon Steak
Chocolate cream with hazelnut sherbet and cocoa nibs at Trummer’s on Main
Greek yogurt with apricots at Zaytinya
Zeppole with zabaglione at Assaggi
Salted profiteroles at Vermilion
Warm chocolate cake at J&G Steakhouse
Trio of crèmes brûlées at Charlie Palmer Steak
Crepe soufflé at BLT Steak
Lemon chess pie at Vidalia
Blueberry crumble at the Source
Key-lime pie at Ray’s the Classics
Vanilla ice cream at 2 Amys
Apple tarte Tatin at Restaurant Eve
Lingonberry linzertorte at Hook
Napoleon at Citronelle
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/restaurants/14613.html

Old blog

I just found that I started this blog a few years back. And apparently I grew bored of it faster then I orginally thought that I did. But I'm trying to bring it back to life again ... I still eat out a lot and have a new goal to eat at all 100 best resturants by the Washingtonian in the next 2 years. We are going to go with the 2010 list because I can get a digital copy of it.


Below is the list ... Wish me luck!

Washingtonian's 100 Very Best Restaurants

(in alphabetic order)

1. Acadiana, 901 New York Ave., NW; 202-408-8848
2. Addie’s, 11120 Rockville Pike, Rockville; 301-881-0081
3. Adour, St. Regis, 923 16th St., NW; 202-509-8000
4. Art and Soul, Liaison Capitol Hill, 415 New Jersey Ave., NW; 202-393-7777
5. Assaggi, 4838 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda; 301-951-1988
6. Bibiana, 1100 New York Ave., NW; 202-216-9550
7. Bistro Bis, Hotel George, 15 E St., NW; 202-661-2700
8. Black Market Bistro, 4600 Waverly Ave., Garrett Park; 301-933-3000
9. BlackSalt, 4883 MacArthur Blvd., NW; 202-342-9101
10. Black’s Bar and Kitchen, 7750 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda; 301-652-5525
11. BLT Steak, 1625 I St., NW; 202-689-8999
12. Blue Duck Tavern, Park Hyatt, 1201 24th St., NW; 202-419-6755
13. Bourbon Steak, Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-944-2026
14. Brasserie Beck, 1101 K St., NW; 202-408-1717
15. Café du Parc, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-942-7000
16. Cashion’s Eat Place, 1819 Columbia Rd., NW; 202-797-1819
17. Cava, 527 Eighth St., SE, 202-543-9090; 9713 Traville Gateway Dr., Rockville, 301-309-9090
18. Cedar, 822 E St., NW; 202-637-0012
19. Central Michel Richard, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-626-0015
20. Charlie Palmer Steak, 101 Constitution Ave., NW; 202-547-8100
21. Circle Bistro, 1 Washington Cir., NW; 202-293-5390
22. Citronelle, Latham Hotel, 3000 M St., NW; 202-625-2150
23. CityZen, Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW; 202-787-6006
24. Corduroy, 1122 Ninth St., NW; 202-589-0699
25. Cork, 1720 14th St., NW; 202-265-2675
26. Eola, 2020 P St., NW; 202-466-4441
27. Equinox, 818 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-331-8118
28. Etete, 1942 Ninth St., NW; 202-232-7600
29. Et Voila!, 5120 MacArthur Blvd., NW; 202-237-2300
30. Eventide, 3165 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-276-3165
31. Faryab, 4917 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-951-3484
32. Four Sisters, 8190 Strawberry La., Suite 1, Falls Church; 703-539-8566
33. General Store, 6 Post Office Rd., Silver Spring; 301-562-8787
34. Grapeseed, 4865 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-986-9592
35. Hell Point Seafood, 12 Dock St., Annapolis; 410-990-9888
36. Heritage India, 2400 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-333-3120
37. Hook, 3241 M St., NW; 202-625-4488
38. Indique Heights, 2 Wisconsin Cir., Chevy Chase; 301-656-4822
39. Inn at Little Washington, 309 Middle St., Washington, Va.; 540-675-3800
40. Inox, 1800 Tysons Blvd., McLean; 703-790-4669
41. J&G Steakhouse, W Hotel, 515 15th St., NW; 202-661-2440
42. Jackie’s, 8081 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring; 301-565-9700
43. Jaleo, Penn Quarter, 202-628-7949; Bethesda, 301-913-0003; Crystal City, 703-413-8181
44. Johnny’s Half Shell, 400 N. Capitol St., NW; 202-737-0400
45. Kinkead’s, 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-296-7700
46. Komi, 1509 17th St., NW; 202-332-9200
47. Kotobuki, 4822 MacArthur Blvd., NW, Second Floor; 202-281-6679
48. L’Auberge Chez François, 332 Springvale Rd., Great Falls; 703-759-3800
49. Liberty Tavern, 3195 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-465-9360
50. The Majestic, 911 King St., Alexandria; 703-837-9117
51. Makoto, 4822 MacArthur Blvd., NW; 202-298-6866
52. Marcel’s, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-296-1166
53. Marvin, 2007 14th St., NW; 202-797-7171
54. Minh’s, 2500 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-525-2828
55. Minibar, 405 Eighth St., NW (inside Café Atlántico); 202-393-0812
56. Montmartre, 327 Seventh St., SE; 202-544-1244
57. Mourayo, 1732 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-667-2100
58. Nava Thai Noodle and Grill, 11301 Fern St., Wheaton; 240-430-0495
59. Obelisk, 2029 P St., NW; 202-872-1180
60. Oval Room, 800 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-463-8700
61. Palena and Palena Café, 3529 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-537-9250
62. Passage to India, 4931 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-656-3373
63. PassionFish, 11960 Democracy Dr., Reston; 703-230-3474
64. Patowmack Farm, 42461 Lovettsville Rd., Lovettsville, Va.; 540-822-9017
65. Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza, 1400 Irving St., NW; 202-332-7383
66. Poste, Hotel Monaco, 555 Eighth St., NW; 202-783-6060
67. Potenza, 1430 H St., NW; 202-638-4444
68. Present, 6678 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church; 703-531-1881
69. The Prime Rib, 2020 K St., NW; 202-466-8811
70. Proof, 775 G St., NW; 202-737-7663
71. PS 7’s, 777 I St., NW; 202-742-8550
72. Rasika, 633 D St., NW; 202-637-1222
73. Ray’s the Classics, 8606 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring; 301-588-7297
74. Ray’s the Steaks, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-841-7297
75. Restaurant Eve, 110 S. Pitt St., Alexandria; 703-706-0450
76. Sei, 444 Seventh St., NW; 202-783-7007
77. 701, 701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-393-0701
78. 1789, 1226 36th St., NW; 202-965-1789
79. Siroc, 915 15th St., NW; 202-628-2220
80. The Source, 575 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 202-637-6100
81. Sou’Wester, Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW; 202-787-6868
82. Spice Xing, 100-B Gibbs St., Rockville; 301-610-0303
83. Sushi-Ko, 2309 Wisconsin Ave., NW, 202-333-4187; 5455 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-961-1644
84. Sushi Sono, 10215 Wincopin Cir., Columbia; 410-997-6131
85. Sushi Taro, 1503 17th St., NW; 202-462-8999
86. Tallula, 2761 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-778-5051
87. Teatro Goldoni, 1909 K St., NW; 202-955-9494
88. 3 Bar & Grill, 2950 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington; 703-524-4440
89. Tosca, 1112 F St., NW; 202-367-1990
90. Trummer’s on Main, 7134 Main St., Clifton; 703-266-1623
91. 2941, 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church; 703-270-1500
92. 2 Amys, 3715 Macomb St., NW; 202-885-5700
93. Vermilion, 1120 King St., Alexandria; 703-684-9669
94. Vidalia, 1990 M St., NW; 202-659-1990
95. Villa Mozart, 4009 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax; 703-691-4747
96. Volt, 228 N. Market St., Frederick; 301-696-8658
97. Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert, Ritz-Carlton, 1190 22nd St., NW; 202-974-4900
98. Willow, 4301 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington; 703-465-8800
99. Zaytinya, 701 Ninth St., NW; 202-638-0800
100. Zentan, Donovan House, 1155 14th St., NW; 202-379-4366
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/restaurants/14614.html