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Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011 12:34 p.m.

Scrumptiously Scott: Ceviche

by The GW Hatchet

Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet food columnist Scott Figatner.

You don’t need a stove to make a delicious seafood dinner. By marinating diced tilapia and shrimp in an acidic mixture, the seafood flesh actually cooks. Well, it’s not cooking per se, but the denaturing of the proteins mimics the process. With fresh ingredients, the South American dish is perfectly safe. My Peruvian ceviche is both low in calories and high in vitamins and protein. The seafood dish has a tender yet resilient texture, which along with ripe diced avocado, tomatoes and red onion, soaks up the flavor of the marinade, tangy with lime juice and slightly sweet from fresh coconut water. Served in a coconut bowl, the only other perfect accompaniment would be Peru’s national cocktail.

Sneak Peek: Check the blog next week for my take on the pisco sour.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

  • 1 coconut/ ¼ cup coconut water
  • 1 tilapia filet, diced
  • 1/4 pound peeled rock shrimp meat, diced
  • 3/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/8 habañero pepper, finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons small-diced tomato
  • 3 tablespoons small-diced red onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, diced

Important: Because the ceviche marinade will only kill surface bacteria, the tilapia and shrimp must be extremely fresh. It is best to prepare the ceviche on the day of purchase.

Directions:

1. To make the coconut bowl, use a screwdriver to make a hole in the base, drain the water and reserve.

2. Place the coconut on a towel in your palm. Use the blunt side of the knife to whack it forcefully where a natural line is visible – be sure to wear protective eye gear. Once a crack forms, continue to pound it until the crack spans its entirety. Pull it apart and fix jagged edges.

3. Generously salt the equally sized tilapia and shrimp cubes and mix with 1/4 cup of the coconut water, the lime juice (with habañero and garlic added), the tomatoes and the red onion. Make sure everything is submerged in the marinade. Refrigerate for 40 minutes, mixing at least once.

4. Generously salt to taste and add avocado and chopped cilantro. Add fresh ground black pepper. Scoop into the coconut bowl, draining the ceviche of excess marinade. Serve immediately as it will continue to cook.

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Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 3:11 p.m.

Scott’s Spots: Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

by The GW Hatchet

Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet food columnist Scott Figatner.

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers
2436 18th St., NW

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, Mellow Mushroom has come to town!

Straight ahead, hand-painted trapeze artists perform acrobatics on a patchy brick wall. To the right, poster-like images of circus freaks are inset in a wall of distressed wood, outlined with jazzy marquis lights.

Up above, a comical sculpture of a strongman – lifting a barbell with rotating Ferris wheels in the place of weights – balances precariously on a high wire atop a makeshift chandelier of iron weights and a glowing globe.

This circus is only the first floor of Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers’ newest location in Adams Morgan.

The ringmaster, owner Amit Mehta, 30, opened the restaurant with his sister Pooja Oct. 17.

“What’s unique about this Mellow Mushroom is our decoration,” said Mehta, who themed the eatery around a traveling circus while keeping the Adams Morgan vibe in mind.

This venue has been complimented for its unique design, which stands apart from the other of the chain’s 100 plus locations.

Mehta said the second floor was designed to look like the Big Top Circus’ backstage area. Ticket stubs spill across one wall while another displays mock circus animal crates that read, “Live Animals.”

But don’t worry; the food is equally as impressive as the décor. Mehta described it as “homey and unpretentious” and made with “good, natural ingredients.”

For the first act, off the “Munchies” menu, I tried a boat-sized loaf of garlic butter-basted cheesy bread, $5.75, which hit the spot when dipped in a special sauce as red as Bozo’s nose.

Act two was a jerk chicken hoagie for $6.95. Although half-size, it was full of flavor with sautéed mushrooms and green peppers, chunks of pineapple, tomatoes, spinach and feta. A pesto sauce with a fresh-from-the-market taste helped moisten the slightly dry chicken.

For the grand finale – drum roll, please – The Man-Eating Pizza! Okay, it was just myself consuming a 10-inch pie. For $13.95, we could taste two pizzas on one pie, made to order from dough sweetened with molasses and baked on a white pizza stone for extra crispiness.

The Philosopher’s Pie, normally $13.95 for a 10-inch pie, was a showstopper with steak slices blanketed by provolone and topped with Portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, feta and mozzarella surrounded by a parmesan-coated crust. The Magical Mystery Tour, $13.50 for a 10-inch pie, is a pesto-based pie with mozzarella sun dried tomatoes, spinach, Roma tomatoes and feta. The pie is finished with a psychedelic “pesto swirl.”

With a bar on each of the restaurant’s three levels, 24 beers on tap and 40 bottled varieties, Mellow Mushroom has enough beer to quench a rowdy troupe of circus performers. Heck, send in the clowns.

A spacious rooftop seating area with 12 tables and an indoor bar is a charming place to eat and enjoy the view of 18th Street. Mehta said he plans to add more lighting and a tent to contain heat from the lamps. The added space makes Mellow Mushroom one of the biggest restaurants on the street, with enough space for 210 customers.

Open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, Mellow Mushroom is an exciting place to appease the late-night munchies. With a remarkable atmosphere and the food to back it up, Mellow Mushroom is no dog and pony show.

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Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 2:24 p.m.

Scrumptiously Scott: Fall flavors

by The GW Hatchet

Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor.

This post was written by Hatchet food columnist Scott Figatner.

On a chilly fall evening, there is nothing better than hibernating indoors with a warm glass of mulled apple cider and a rich, comforting meal.

My maple sage brown butter sauce takes comfort food to the next level. Just a taste of it will have your friends swooning. I enhanced brown butter, nutty and fragrant, with the subtle earthiness of sage and the caramel notes of dark maple syrup. Rounded out with half-and-half and dusted with fresh nutmeg, this dish is something you will want to “fall” for again and again.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. package of mushroom ravioli
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (Grade B if possible)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepot, boil and salt water for the ravioli. Cook until al dente for about two to three minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. To make the slurry, whisk the cornstarch with two tablespoons of water.

3. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the butter froths, add the sage. The milk solids in the butter will eventually start to brown.

4. When all the butter is light brown, remove from the heat and add the half-and-half and the maple syrup. Whisk to combine and allow it to cool.

5. Add two tablespoons of the slurry and heat to a boil, stirring continuously and vigorously. Season well with salt and add pepper.

6. Lightly coat the ravioli with the sauce, sprinkle with fresh sage and dust with grated nutmeg. Serve immediately.

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Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 10:27 a.m.

Scrumptiously Scott: Tabbouleh

by The GW Hatchet
Tabouleh

Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet food columnist Scott Figatner.

Parsley isn’t just a pretty garnish; it’s the basis for the Middle Eastern salad Tabbouleh. My Lebanese friend taught me this recipe, which is both simple and inexpensive. It’s also extremely nutritious and has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet for many centuries. I served the extremely addictive dish with lettuce leaves.

Ingredients:

Half cup of bulgur
4 bunches Italian flat-leaf parsley, de-stemmed
1 bunch mint, de-stemmed
5 large tomatoes
4 lemons, juiced
Olive oil
Salt
Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

Soak the bulgur until it is tender and thoroughly drain the excess water. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley and mint leaves. It helps to grab a bunch of leaves with your fingers and cut them all at once. Slice the tomatoes into quarter-inch discs and make small cubes out of each slice.

Gently mix the parsley, mint, lemon juice and bulgur in a large bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and salt generously. Allow the flavors to marry in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour. Serve with romaine lettuce leaves or pita chips.

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Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 11:32 p.m.

Scott’s Spots: ShopHouse

by Josh Perlman

This post was written by Hatchet food columnist Scott Figatner.

ShopHouse
1516 Connecticut Ave., NW

Jordan Emont | Assistant Photo Editor.

Chipotle’s new Southeast Asian concept, ShopHouse, debuted in D.C. as a pilot restaurant Sept. 15. Although Chipotle founder Steve Ells has done zero advertising for the fast-casual restaurant, a ripple of excitement is spreading through D.C. With a company like Chipotle, this new concept has the potential for changing food culture on an international scale.

Unfortunately, the venue does not exactly live up to these expectations.

If it were not for the storefront sign, I would have thought I entered the wrong place. The décor of ShopHouse, or lack thereof, is drab at best. The exposed outlets and wires complement the blank white walls while the naked lights, although energy efficient, lack energy all together. A line of Sriracha bottles, some used, is the only wall art.

The industrial restaurant does not evoke the small family restaurant or “shophouse” feel of Southeast Asia. Tim Wildin, Chipotle’s New York based director of concept development, defended the interior design by telling The Huffington Post that he and Chipotle founder Steve Ells “really wanted the color of the place to come from the food.”

The food was certainly colorful, with meals featuring tender rice, lime and ginger flavored papaya slaw and bright green herbs. But the eye pleasing entrées left a bit to be desired in terms of taste.

One benefit of the restaurant is that the vibrantly colored offerings are laid out cafeteria style so that putting a bowl together is easy. Simply choose a starch: chilled noodles, brown rice or jasmine rice. Then, choose grilled chicken, pork and chicken meatballs, steak or tofu. Top it with long beans, corn, eggplant or Chinese broccoli. Pick your sauce: green curry, tamarind vinaigrette or spicy red curry. Garnish with pickled vegetables, papaya salad or Asian herbs and add some crunch with toasted rice, crushed peanuts or crispy garlic. You can also try these in banh mi form, sandwiched in freshly baked bread.

While my meal was well presented, the components of my food lacked finesse and balance. Vinegary eggplant will make your mouth pucker. As far as flavor goes, the small pieces of tofu get lost in a deluge of spicy, tongue-shriveling sauce. With the overpowering heat and flavor of the sauces in your mouth, everything starts to taste the same – and I didn’t even try the spicy red curry.

Anyone willing to try these sauces should purchase some bottled young coconut water, the subtle sweetness of which can cleanse the palate. I filled it up with water twice before the meal was over to calm my scorched buds.

I’m sure many Americans could benefit from organic meats, multi-cultural food and the existence of tofu in their cities. As for me, I’d rather eat a 1,000-calorie burrito than eat at ShopHouse again.

While Steve Ells may have stuck his foot in the proverbial door of Asian food, it is unclear whether or not he will ever truly gain his footing.

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Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011 7:13 p.m.

Tasting the town

by Melissa Turley

Thousands crowded downtown Pennsylvania Avenue to take a sample-size bite out of D.C. dining.

The Penn Quarter thoroughfare was blocked to typical traffic, instead of cars, food trucks and tents lined the street, all a part of Taste of D.C. weekend long event.

Long lines of hungry attendees formed at tent after tent, offering sample size portions from local restaurants. Guests could purchase 10 tickets for $15 and redeem tickets for samples of food, ranging in cost from one to nine tickets.

Food trucks parked at the corner of 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue including Sauca, which offered beef sharma and Mumbai butter chicken and Surfside, offering entree size fish tacos.

U Street restaurant legend Ben’s Chili Bowl served their famous half smoke with optional, but strongly recommended,  chili and cheese.

An unusual infusion food item were the “japa-weiners,”Japanese infusion hot dogs from Windows Catering Company. The three hot dog topping options included the “Okonomi,” fried cabbage, okonomiyake sauce, bonita flakes and wasabi mayo, the “Nori,” shishito pepper cheese sauce, teriyaki onions, roasted nori seaweed, enoki mushrooms and pork, and finally the “Yama-Oroshi,” grated daikon radish, ponzu soy, roasted green onions and volcano sauce.

Taste of D.C., sponsored by Groupon, also features musical performances by Big & Rich on Saturday evening, Styx on Sunday and Rusted Root on Monday, as well as a chili eating championship, bier garden and culinary stage.

Taste of D.C. continues Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 10

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Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 2:57 p.m.

Scrumptious from squat: spur-of-the-moment biscuits

by The GW Hatchet

Photo by Jordan Emont, Hatchet Staff Photographer

“Scrumptious from squat” is our recipe columnist’s new weekly post of dorm-friendly recipes for the culinary inclined.

Spur-of-the-moment biscuits

These biscuits are cheap, easy and made with ingredients you probably already have. I whipped them up when the spontaneous desire to cook took hold at 11 pm.

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick salted butter, cold
• ½ cup of whole milk
• 1 egg
•Pepper (fresh is best)

From pantry to palate:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Chop cold butter into tiny cubes and incorporate, with hands or a fork, until the mixture is very crumbly. Be patient.

2. Slowly add the milk and keep mixing until you create a dough ball. Flour the ball and the counter-top and roll the dough out pretty thinly—I used an olive oil bottle because I didn’t have a rolling pin. Fold the dough over until it’s about an inch in height and roll again to spread the dough out evenly.

3. Use a cookie cutter (or a wine glass) to cut the biscuits. Repeat the process, using the leftover dough to make more biscuits. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray and place the biscuits on it.

4. For a golden crust, brush or apply some egg wash (one egg, beaten). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden on the top. While hot, brush on some melted butter and some more salt and pepper if you choose.

5. Eat them. You know the drill.

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Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010 11:26 a.m.

Scott’s Spots: Meiwah

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Scott Figatner.

Meiwah
1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW

Meiwah has played host to some of the biggest names in D.C., as clearly evidenced by the photographs covering the restaurant walls. But Meiwah itself is a big name in Washington; the colossal neon letters can easily be seen from the seven-way intersection nearby.

The two-story restaurant is modern and tasteful, not too ostentatious, with glossy wood floors, expansive windows and a pleasant outdoor terrace. We were welcomed and seated immediately in a large and lively dining room.

There is nothing extraordinary about the menu. There are still the same Americanese standards—sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork, orange chicken, etc.— and they put those little chilies next to the spicy menu items too.

I never like choosing dishes from Chinese menus. The lackluster—or rather, nonexistent—descriptions bore me. Take “orange beef” for example. I like to know what flavors I can expect from a dish, not the color of the food. (Now, if the cow was orange, that would be worth knowing.) Also, for someone unfamiliar with “twice cooked pork,” I’m unlikely to order it based on the extra cooking alone.

I made my decision based on what looked tasty in the dining room. We ordered the Szechuan chicken which, after eating it, could have been described in this way: “A pungent dish of tender chicken, inspired by the Sichuan province of southwestern China, bursting with the flavors of garlic and red chillies, with a subtle pop of ginger.”

This was also the second time we ordered the “bok choy and mushrooms” or—as it should have been advertised— “baby bok choy poached in a simple, delicate broth with succulent and savory black mushrooms.”

The bok choy were cooked just right until sweet and tender, while the shitakes are plump and have that glossy sheen that comes from cooking in a reduced sauce. They absorb whatever juices the chefs add and burst with umami flavor.

We left Meiwah with full bellies and empty wallets. Now, if I could only get up on that wall of fame.

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Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 6:46 p.m.

Hungry? Try a Mexican fiesta for an easy meal

by The GW Hatchet

Photo by Jordan Emont

This post was written by Scott Figatner

Quesadillas are cheap and satisfying. Guacamole in the shell is always a crowd-pleaser and pico de gallo is simple to make and much healthier than store-bought salsa. This recipe will also show you how to liven up black beans and rice. But don’t fret. Although there are many components to this feast, any person or gringo can make it.

This recipe can feed six people

Ingredients:

5 tomatoes

2 green peppers

2 large onions

4 limes

Garlic,  salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes to taste

4 cups of brown rice

6 avocados

2 packages of tortillas

2 packages of Mexican cheese

1 can of black beans

Optional: jalapeños, hot sauce, cilantro, paprika

*Make do with what you have. A lot of the ingredients are suggestions, but not requirements.

Pico de Gallo Piquante

Chop tomatoes, green peppers and white onions. Mix with lots of lime juice and some zest. Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Let flavors marry in the fridge until you serve.

Rice Rico

Follow the directions on the bag or box. I had leftover onions and sautéed them with paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder. This went into the rice, along with extra pico de gallo. Use any extra lime in the rice as well.

Guacamole

Slice each avocado vertically all the way around the pit. Pull apart and use a knife to dislodge the pit. Slice cross-hatches in the avocado, without breaking the skin and spoon it into a large bowl. Mix in chopped tomatoes, red or white onion, minced garlic and lime juice. I also added lime zest and a tad of olive oil for smoothness. Season well with salt and pepper. Add diced jalopeño peppers and hot sauce for spice or some cilantro for a fresh tangy flavor. Serve in the empty avocado shells.

Quesadillas de Calidad

Sauté onions and peppers — seasoned with salt and pepper — for the filling. Fill half a tortilla with shredded Mexican cheese, top with veggies and fold in half. I used a cast-iron grill pan but you can also cook in a nonstick, buttered skillet or frying pan. If you are making multiple quesadillas, finish cooking them in the oven so they all finish simultaneously.

Black Beans Buenos

In olive oil, sauté diced white onions seasoned with salt and pepper. Add minced garlic. When the onions are soft and translucent, add the black beans and simmer.

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Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010 5:51 p.m.

German Club, PB host first Oktoberfest

by The GW Hatchet

Correction appended

This report was written by Hatchet Reporter Emily Cirillo

Anniversary Park was transformed into a European oasis Saturday, in celebration of the German Club’s first Oktoberfest.

More than 800 people turned out for the day-long event, with free food, beer and music filling the Foggy Bottom park. The club’s president said the event was a way to bring a German cultural phenomenon onto campus.

“We wanted a large-scale German event and Oktoberfest was the obvious choice,” Emily Sieg, who was decked out in a traditional German dress, said.

Bratwurst, pretzels and hotdogs were served to attendees, and Tonic and FoBoGro donated beer for students over the age of 21. Program Board co-sponsored the event.

“Oktoberfest was held so that everyone could come out on a nice afternoon in late October and to connect the GW community,” Wesley Callahan, the executive chair of PB, said.

A line to the food was long during the event, and students who attended said they were happy to be able to participate.

“I love German culture and I wanted to see how the Program Board could recreate it,” sophomore James Coclin, who was clad in a German flag scarf and a Munich soccer jersey, said.

Some attendees said that the event lacked the same cultural authenticity that the annual German extravaganza generates abroad.

“I came to eat authentic German food and experience German culture,” said Claire Brunner, a senior who studied abroad in the European country. “I’m disappointed because they gave me chili, which isn’t even German.”

For more, watch “GW German Club’s Oktoberfest.”

This article was updated on Oct. 24, 2010 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly reported the number of people who attended the event. A coordinator for the event put the number closer to 800.

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