Hill Country BBQ

BBQ is one of those down-home comforting kind of meals that just feels like a great big hug when you eat it. And sometimes its hard to find really good BBQ thats not over cooked or over processed or accompanied by sides that taste like it came out of a can or a blue box. Because BBQ is not just about the meat. Ok, its mostly about the meat but its also about the side dishes that come with the meat, things like mashed potatoes, mac n' cheese, corn, cornbread...

My brother-in-law turned us onto a great BBQ joint in DC called Hill Country.  Its a unique dining experience with some great BBQ, great sauces, and great sides! Its not like a regular restaurant where the waitress brings you everything.  She brings your drinks (served in glass mason jars...how cute!) and then she gives you a ticket.  You then take your ticket up to the counter to order your meat. You can choose from beef brisket, ribs, pork chops, chicken, game hen, even sausage, among a variety of other items.  You can also order by the slice, by the rib, or by the link, as much or as little as you want.

Its a little chaotic as the meat servers are constantly shouting out meat orders for people and then they mark it on your ticket as you pick it up.  But its also kind of cool because its not like any other place I've been to. And the meat is so juicy and tender and smoky, all wrapped up in brown paper.

aahh, the messier the better! Yumm!

Once you have your meat in hand, you move over to the "sides" counter.  Baked beans with burnt ends (yumm!), mac 'n cheese, collard greens, German potatoes, sweet potato bourbon mash (you know I couldn't pass that one up!), cole slaw, potato salad, cornbread...the list goes on. And again they mark your ticket.

Then you can sit down and enjoy your meal for a while, scarfing down barbecued, saucy meat like a ravenous animal and barely using a spoon to scrape out the sweet potatoes from the bowl, all while downing a mason jar full of ice cold sweet and tart lemonade.  Man it doesn't get much better than this!

sweet potatoes (left) and cornbread (right) with honey butter

Then if you're not too full, you can take your ticket back up for seconds or sidle up to the dessert counter for some rice pudding, a pb&j cupcake, a slice of red velvet cake, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Unfortunately we were too full for any of that but they all looked very yummy! Can't wait to go back next time I get a hankering for some good ol' fashioned BBQ!!

Magnolia's At The Mill

Back in June for Father's Day (I know I'm a little behind but I've been a little busy) Superking and I took my parents out to dinner to a place we've been wanting to get to for a while...Magnolia's at the Mill located in Purcellville, VA. A special occasion + nice local restaurant combined for a great evening of yummy food. And the company wasn't too bad either. :)

old train station outside the mill

This restaurant is located in the heart of a quaint little town in the countryside of Loudoun County.  The building is actually an old mill built in 1905. It has served in the production of pasture seed as well as flour. During WWII, even orchard grass produced here was shipped to Europe as packing for artillery shells and armaments. The restaurant itself opened in February 2004 with the goal of resuming the position of the old mill as a vital part of the community. As you dine there, you are surrounded by its history as many parts of the mill still remain intact as part of the decor.

We began with a couple small plates.  First up is the pan seared sea scallops accompanied by bruleed oranges, a fennel salad, and dressed in a miso glaze. Sweet, tangy, and perfectly cooked!

Then came the roasted garlic chicken wings with two really yummy sauces...a smoked tomato aoli and peppercorn parmesan ranch.

My mom also ordered the tomato smoked gouda soup! My parents have graciously learned to let me take pictures of their food whenever we go out. Thanks mom and dad!

Another delight, fried green tomatoes! Nothing like a good fried green tomato especially when its topped with goat cheese! This version also had thin slices of ham on top along with a pistachio relish and the plate was drizzled with a red pepper aoli. Crispy breading on the tomato, the sweet tomato and tangy goat cheese...there are no words.

Both my parents went for a traditional steak and potatoes dinner. The NY Strip steak...a beautiful piece of meat.  It was served with whipped potatoes and tender asparagus, accompanied by a horseradish sauce and a peppercorn sauce.  I didn't get to taste any but every bite was gone from both their plates when the night was done.

Superking went for a delectable special of the evening...soft shell crab! This is something he's been dying to try for quite some time from various places.  Here was his opportunity!!  It arrived with colorful plating, the soft shell crabs with their legs kicking out for all to see.  In the middle of the plate was a pile of vegetable goulash topped with crispy potato wedges and surrounded by dollops of some kind of tartar or remoulade sauce.  I've never had anything like this.  They were quite tasty and crispy. If you like crab, whats not to like? However eating the shell was a little strange and off-putting at times. I guess that comes with the territory of eating soft shell crab. But nevertheless, a great dish!

I stuck to the smaller plates and ordered the house smoked trout.  I've had smoked salmon before and really enjoyed it and this was served pretty much the same way...surrounded by salty capers, spicy diced red onion, chopped hard cooked egg, a dollop of remoulade, and toasted flatbread.  The trout had a lighter flavor than the salmon but it was a lovely mixture with the stronger flavors of capers, onions, and egg.  The crispiness of the flatbread added a nice crunch and helped pull all the flavors together.

We could not leave this place without dessert.  There were two cheesecakes...dulce de leche and some sort of glazed peach, another special of the night. 

I went for the fancy sounding fresh berry zabaglione. Its not only fun to say but fun to eat as well. It was served in its own dish of a light sugary pastry shell which was filled with fresh sweet strawberries and blackberries and a delicious creamy custard, all topped with whipped cream and a mint leaf. To die for!

Cheestique

Most people who know me, know that I am a cheese fanatic. My three favorite foods in the entire world are chocolate, peanut butter, and cheese. I don't think I could ever live without these things.  A little obsessed? Maybe. Whatever, we all have our vices.

A few weeks ago, we had a food-fun day in Alexandria and DC where we had ice cream, cupcakes, and cheese. This cheese shop we went to is called Cheesetique.  An adorable little market that even has a little cafe in the back where you can order cheesy filled sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, soups, salads, flatbreads, and even brunch on Sundays! Unfortunately for us, we had already had lunch when we got there, so we were just there to ogle the cheese.

The shop really wasn't that big but I don't know if I've ever seen so many unique cheeses in one place before. So many flavors and types...soft, hard, goat, cow, sheep, blue, cheddar, gouda, and so many more I can't even begin to name or remember. 

There was one whole section of just blue cheeses.  Blue cheese is one of those you either love or hate. I LOVE blues! The bluer the better! I love that strong pungent tanginess, especially when you can pair it with something sweet.  I bought a very intense blue called Black & Blue. Super delish!! Tangy and sharp, only to be enjoyed sparingly, just the way I like it!

We also bought a Garlic Brie. I love plain brie, epsecially when its served warm so its slightly melty and gooey. This brie was definitely very garlicky.  If you like garlic (which we do), its very good. But again, it is a stronger flavored cheese, so enjoy sparingly. 

The shop also offers a variety of cured meats, salamis and hams and such to accompany your cheeses, as well as crackers, nuts, jams, and even wines to create a perfectly paired cheese plate.

And the smell...Superking always laughs at me when we walk through the gourmet cheese section of the grocery store. He says it smells like feet. I however love the smell. It reminds me of a quote from Andrew Zimmern where he refers to the smell of cheese being like God's feet.  Feet smell or not, I love the smell of cheese. The smells, the tastes and flavors, the textures, all the amazing things you can pair with it that enhance both the flavor of the cheese and the thing thats being paired with it. Cheese is a wonderful thing!

Whats the BUZZ?

When I shared with you about my Secret Ice Cream Social, I mentioned there were three food adventures that weekend.  My second one involved cupcakes.  There's a show on the Cooking Channel called Unique Sweets that features all kinds of local sweet treats from all around the country. One night we were watching and they featured one of our local places, Buzz Bakery in Arlington, VA. It turns out they also have one in Alexandria, where we happened to be wandering around that day after our ice cream party.

Nestled in a cute, fresh little shopping area, Buzz Bakery is more than just cupcakes.  Though cupcakes and coffee seem to be their main attractions, they also serve other delectables such as quiche, breakfast sandwiches, scones, pies, cookies, brownies, even beer, wine, and cocktails!

We came just for the cupcakes however and ordered a half dozen to-go.  Here's what we got...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (2 on left)...moist chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter core, topped with chocolate peanut butter swirl icing and a chocolate peanut butter cup/cookie. 

Cookie Monster (2 on right)...chocolate chip cupcake topped with a cookies 'n cream frosting and a chocolate chip cookie sandwich.

Not sure what the exact name was (bottom middle) but it was a coffee flavored one: coffee cupcake, coffee frosting. Time to wake up!

Coco-Loco (top middle)...a coconut lime...a little sweet, a little tart.

While all the cupcakes were delicious, it was difficult to finish an entire one as the icing was all very sweet.  Not to mention the fact that they seemed bigger than other cupcakes I've had from other boutique cupcake shops. All in all it was a great adventure but I will always remain a loyal fan to my GTown girls in pink galoshes!

Happy 4th of July everybody!!

Secret Ice Cream Social

This past weekend Superking and I had several fun and interesting food adventures involving three of my favorite things to eat...ice cream, cupcakes, and cheese.  You may remember my recent post I did about an Irish dinner we had through an organization known as Feastly.  A mysterious Feastly Facebook post went up Friday afternoon saying only that 8 seats were available for a secret ice cream social on Sunday at 2pm.  No other details other than instructions to email for the address. We decided we couldn't pass this up. This delightful ice cream social we attended was now our 2nd Feastly experience. So much fun, not to mention the delicious ice creams we were able to sample.

Our lovely host, Victoria, is an attorney by day and ice cream connoisseur by night and she has her own blog called Ice Cream Jubilee, where she shares all her unique ice cream creations. A friend of hers graciously opened her downtown DC home to allow Victoria to invite a select few to try some of her latest inventions. What we got was a smorgasbord of flavors!

Thai Iced Tea...

Fresh and light, slightly citrusy

Raspberry Rosewater...

Fruity with a slight floral aftertaste...normally I'm not a fan of floral flavors/scents as they can tend to be overwhelming, but I was pleasantly surprised how subtle the rose flavor was and how the raspberry complimented it perfectly.

Banana Ginger...

Neither one of us like bananas but combined with the ginger it was a winning combination! The ginger helped mellow out the banana flavor, giving it a more creamy flavor

Earl Grey...

Love Earl Grey tea...the bergamot flavor always makes me think of Fruit Loops, my favorite sugary cereal. This Earl Grey ice cream did not disappoint! One of my faves!

Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Swirl...

You can never go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter...the little pretzel pieces added the perfect salty crunch!

Midnight Mocha...

This was dangerously smooth with a hint of kahlua...very rich and dark.

The texture of each ice cream was nice and creamy and each flavor came through beautifully! It would be hard to pick just one favorite. As we took a poll amongst the guests as to their favorite, it seemed everyone chose a different one.  There wasn't one flavor that stood out to be the best as they were all super yummy! Can't wait to see and taste what she comes up with next!!