May 9, 2008
The Weekly Feed: They Look like Aliens Edition
Dish of the Week
Soft shell crabs
Soft shell crabs have been in season for a few weeks now, and they're on menus all over town. And our interview with Eric Ziebold has definitely inspired a craving for these little delights. Nothing quite like the crunch of a deep-fried soft shell with the creamy flavor of its tomalley. The best part is the ease in getting to their crabby goodness, without all the work of mallets and picks to get through hard shell and cartilage. Yes, Virginia, you do eat the whole thing.
The non-traditional version at Comet Ping Pong rests atop a pizza with melted leeks and garlic. At around $17, it sounds on the pricey end for a pizza, but not when you throw in that briny crab. Tabard Inn is also doing a solid rendition on black ink tagliarini with grilled ramps, cherry tomato, chile flakes, and wasabi tobiko for $26.
Other places around town doing soft shells include: Central (as a special, so call ahead), Hank's Oyster Bar, Mark's Duck House (an elusive dish as they frequently sell out) and probably many more. Soft shells are just one more sign that summer is coming, and big, plump hard shells aren't far away. If you want to make them at home, you can get them at Buster's at the Dupont Market and make a sandwich using our DCist recipe.
Small Bites
Market Week
The first strawberries are starting to sneak into local farmers markets this month, so it might be a nice time to start making some tarts and shortcakes or just popping those ruby red jewels in your mouth. In addition to the usual sources, look for them at the Mt. Pleasant Market, which reopened last Saturday, and the upcoming U Street and Bloomingdale Farmers Markets - opening May 10 and 18, respectively.
Chicks and booze
Organic chicken spot Chix is now approved for a liquor license. They will be offering some local and organic beers, as well as wine. [via Prince of Petworth]
Salted, smoked and cured, oh my
The Grand Hyatt's new signature restaurant, Cure Bar and Bistro, has opened in Penn Quarter. Named for the process of curing meats and other foods - but probably a good solution for what ails you on a Friday afternoon - Cure touts a selection of cured dishes, including: Bourbon house cured salmon, smoked garlic sausage, and smoked ham mac 'n cheese. The opening also brings a new face to the area, Chef de cuisine Kevin Villalovos.
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Go to the Dancing Crab for simple, tasty soft shells, either fried or sauted, they are fantastic.
Also Breadline apparently has softshell crab sandwiches every Thursday now (or so the paper on the door said). Had one yesterday, a bit pricier than their regular sandwiches (maybe around 12 or 13 bucks?) but fucking delicious.
Johnny's Half Shell does a softshell saute with Old Bay and beurre blanc that's f***ing obscene. And there's no sandwich bread to get in the way of you and your crab. Seriously, order a bottle of champagne, eat this, walk out onto North Cap, and get yourself run over by a truck. You will die with a smile on your face and the crab will have it's revenge.
Item! The Tabard Inn has added a ping pong table on both the patio and the front sidewalk. Deeee-lish!
Mmmm, food that looks like something I'd hire the exterminator for.