Editor’s Note: DCist’s Eating In is a regular feature written by Scott Reitz, self proclaimed lover of food and in-home entertaining. Each Eating In post will feature simple yet impressive recipes that can easily made at home by the novice chef, focusing on local ingredients and items that can be picked up on the way home from work. Minimal effort, basic motor skills, and perhaps a bit of luck will result in exceptionally tasty menu items perfect for an off the cuff apartment happy hour, an elegant dinner for two, or a hearty cure for the mistakes we made the night before at the Black Cat.

To kick off Eating In we sauntered off to the Northern Virginia wine bar that’s been getting so much attention lately. DCist’s review of Tallula was highly complimentary, so it seemed to be a perfect venue for research into a great tasting dish that would prove impressive to guests arriving shortly after work. We were particularly excited to see “Steak and Cheese” (Tallula’s take on steak tartare) on the menu, but anticipation yielded to slight disappointment as we felt the dish could have been better. We were sure that steak and cheese could be elevated to new heights and set out to tackle this recipe DCist-style.