The Weekly Feed: Never Skip Dessert Edition
Dish of the Week
Mio Restaurant - Butterscotch pot de creme with toast foam
Most restaurants can't afford a pastry chef - a 1 percent profit on desserts is considered successful. So many restaurants outsource the making of their desserts. Luckily Mio bucks the trend with its own pastry chef, churning out a varying collection of desserts, from crazily deconstructed items to multiple-sauced creations, each more adventurous than the typical cake or pie.
The butterscotch pot de creme with toast foam is one of those desserts. At first the toast foam sounds like one of those molecular gastronomic inventions - more air than substance. In this dessert, the foam is a salty-sweet mousse that counterpoints the buttery, dense and creamy sweetness of the pot de creme. If you love the combination of salty and sweet, you will adore this dessert.
The pot de creme is one of the desserts available on Mio's three-course prix fixe lunch menu for $22.50. This may be one of the best deals in town, featuring a house-smoked salmon on endive appetizer and several hearty entrees like a pollo con arroz and a duo of the biggest sliders that I've ever seen.
With the addition of former Maestro sous chef Stefano Frigerio, Mio has added a "chef's table" with two seats at the counter of the open kitchen. The menu for the chef's table is $100/person and consists of seven-courses. According to Frigerio, you will get a bird's eye view of the kitchen and every thing that comes out it. If any dish catches your eye, just let them know.
Small Bites
Monday Martini
Beacon Bar & Grill and Absolut Vodka will be hosting a Best Martini Competition on Monday, March 10, from 6-8 p.m. Competitors include mixologists from Dino, Old Ebbitt Grill, Mayflower Hotel, and others. Tickets are $15/advance, $20/door and include free food and drinks.
Tacos in Petworth
According to the Prince of Petworth, Taqueria Distrito Federale will open a second branch at the corner of Georgia and Kennedy some time in April. w00t!
Quiet Riot
Hank's Oyster Bar's Q Street location will be hosting an Oyster Fest March 30, from 1-4 p.m. For $65, less than Old Ebbitt Grill's Oyster Riot, there will be all-you-can-eat raw oysters, fried and stewed oysters, onion rings, and fries. Also included are premium beers. Buy tickets in-person at both locations.
WaPo Food Section Redesign
The Post Food section unveiled a redesign this week. The new look is cleaner and brings more content to the front. Be sure to check out Jason Wilson's column on flavored vodkas. His columns about spirits are well worth reading.