By Rachel Kaufman, Express contributor
December 31, 2008
WE’LL KEEP IT SHORT and sweet: Losing weight, saving money and learning a new language are old hat. This year, resolve to challenge your palate and try something new. We have a handy checklist for adventurous diners to refer to over the course of 2009, with options here for vegetarians as well as carnivores. Happy eating!
MEAT PROTEIN
Zombie Feast: There are brains on the menu at Bistro D’Oc. Sauteed with shallots and capers, the dish-that-was-a-lamb’s-cerebrum is available as a special roughly every other week; call ahead if you want to make sure the organ’s on the menu.
» 518 10th St. SE; 202-393-5444. (Metro Center)
They Promised Me Tapioca: Black pudding, aka blood sausage, is made from ground meat and filler cooked with blood until it congeals. CommonWealth’s version uses oats, bacon, onion and garlic, and served it with their Butcher Breakfast, along with eggs and four other servings of pig.
» 1400 Irving St. NW; 202-265-1400. (Columbia Heights)
Have a Ball: Until Jan. 25, Firefly’s serving up Rocky Mountain oysters in celebration of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “Over the River, a Work in Progress” at the Phillips Collection. The exhibit traces the artists’ attempt to suspend fabric panels over the Arkansas River in Colorado. Apparently, this tenuous link to the Rockies isn’t enough to get the “oysters” flying off the shelves, says chef Danny Bortnick. “I think people come here with the intention [of ordering it] and then they back out.”
» 1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW; 202-861-1310. (Dupont Circle)
THE OTHER PROTEIN
Jump at the Chance: If you haven’t tried grasshoppers — if you’ve had peanut butter, you’ve tried grasshoppers — but if you haven’t knowingly tried grasshoppers, hop over to Casa Oaxaca right away. For only $9, you get an appetizer plate of Oaxacan cheese, salsa, fresh tortillas and crunchy bugs.
» 2106 18th St. NW; 202-387-2272. (Dupont Circle)
FROM THE GROUND UP
Smells Like Hell, Tastes Like Heaven: The infamous durian, said to be illegal on subways in Singapore because of its dirty-sock-like smell, is available in smoothie and bubble tea form at Song Que in Falls Church. The fruit’s secret weapon, of course, is its divine flavor.
» Song Que, 6773 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church; 703-536-7900. (East Falls Church)
Smelly and Stinky: “Either you like it, or you are crazy,” the hostess at Tachibana says of those who order natto. It’s a “sticky, stinky” and stringy fermented soybean dish from Japan that isn’t even enjoyed by all Japanese. At Tachibana, it’s served as “natto-maki” — natto rolled up like a piece of sushi.
» 6715 Lowell Ave., McLean, 703-847-1771.
My Mouth is on Fire: Dare yourself to eat the heat. Dave’s Insanity hot sauce, was invented when Dave Hirschkop wanted a way to get drunks out of his College Park, Md., burrito joint. Still one of the hottest sauces, try Dave’s Total Insanity at the Wall of Flame at any California Tortilla location. A few drops at a time, please.
» Caltort.com for locations
BEVERAGES
In One End and Out the Other: The so-called best coffee in the world comes out of a cat’s poo. Kopi Luwak coffee — made by harvesting partially digested coffee beans from the droppings of a cat-like animal called the luwak — is imported from Indonesia and costs $20 an ounce. Try it for $10 a cup at Zeke’s Coffee in Baltimore when it holds a tasting next month. Tickets are expected to sell fast.
» Zeke’s Coffee; for tickets, call 443-992-4388, e-mail [email protected], or visit the roastery at 3003 Montebello Terrace, Baltimore.
Bit of Better Butter: At “super-secret” speakeasy PX, “liquid savant” Todd Thrasher whips up the seasonally-inspired Cold Buttered Rum, much like hot buttered rum except for the temperature. Thrasher claims that with this preparation, drinkers don’t taste oiliness, “just the flavor of the butter.”
» Learn more at restauranteve.com/eamonns/PX/px_home.html
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