Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Win a free dinner with a couple of my favorite DC dining divas!

You know I love my Scoutmob dinner deals and my Scoutmob parties. Now they're combining the best of both worlds and hosting the ultimate Scoutmob Dinner Party hosted by a couple of my fave local gals, Lisa Shapiro of Dining in DC and Mary Kong of Girl Meets Food.


Mary, me and Lisa, along with Jenna Huntsberger
& Jason "Foodgeek" at one of our fun dinners.
 All you have to do is answer a fun question of whom YOU would love to dine with (besides me, of course) and you'll be entered to win a Chef's Table Dinner at the legendary Cashion's Eat Place in Adams Morgan, courtesy of Scoutmob. Winners will be selected on sheer creativity, although you can, of course, pick me. =)

The link again: http://scoutmob.com/dc-dinner-party/?Referrer=gg1128.

Best of luck and hope to see you there!


This delectable black cod dish could be yours!


Saturday, November 26, 2011

The cold is coming, so craving some comfort cuisine, Castellano style, at Taberna del Alabardero

I've been fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving with my sister in Michigan and a taste of some comfort food, Salvadoran style (her hails from El Salvador) and I'm excited to get back home to taste a few different comfort cuisines over the winter. While I got to practice speaking some Spanish this weekend, I figure why not also taste some Spanish? I'm craving some paella and when I get back to DC, I know exactly where to go: Taberna del Alabardero.

They recently launched Spanish Style Sunday lunches which offers a selection of 9 different succulent paellas at $22 per person:

Arroz Negro de Calamar, Mejillón y Gambas
Squid Ink Rice with Mussels and Shrimp

Paella Valenciana
Duck, Chicken, Seafood, Faba Beans and Vegetables

Paella de Carrillera y Queso Manchego
Pork Cheek, Fresh Vegetable and Manchego Cheese

Paella de Pollo y Chorizo
Chicken and Spanish Sausage

Paella de Pulpo Confitada
Grilled Octopus, Potato Confit and Paprika

Paella de Cangrejo de Maryland y Emperador en Adobo
Marinated Swordfish and Maryland Crabs

Paella de Pollo Moruno y Pimientos de Gernika con Alli Olli de Ajetes
Marinated Chicken and “Gernika” peppers with and Scallions Ali Olli

Arroz Abanda
Mussels, Scallops, Shrimp and Langoustines Paella

Vegetarian
Mushrooms, Faba Beans & Seasonal Vegetables

I am honored to have been invited to a tasting of several of these paellas and there was definitely not disappointed. Not that it sould be any surprise, but my favorite was the Paella de Carrillera y Queso Manchego with a most flavorful marinated pork cheek perfectly accented with the saltiness of manchego cheese.



The paella specials are available on Sundays, 11:30am-2:30pm. As you can see from the above video, they're made to order and take a little while to ensure diners the freshest and crispiest pans, so I highly recommend getting some of their delectable appetizers, like the Tortilla Espanola.

Anyone hungry yet? Who wants to come?