The RoundUp: October 2022
Favorite Foodie Things:
Early October brought the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which means we broke the fast with our friends with this beautiful spread. Many Jewish-Americans have breakfast for break-fast and the spread includes bagels and the works, kugels, blintzes and more!
I tried a new Korean restaurant in Annandale VA called Nak Won Restaurant in October and it was absolutely delicious. We got the BBQ selection of bulgogi and pork belly as well as a dumpling and egg drop soup. Definitely a no frills type of place but the food was outstanding!
I made Melissa Clark’s Olive Oil Ricotta Pound Cake and it was just the best bunt I have ever made. It was flavorful, soft, moist and held up for a few days. JUST DELICIOUS.
We also treated ourselves to a meal at one of our favorite DMV spots, Incheon and it was amazing as always! We have been a few times but this was the first time we had a different menu to try! This time we had a beef with soy cured shrimp over rice, a kimchi and bacon udon, the amazing steak with Korean sweet potato puree, pork belly ssam and an OUTSTANDING chocolate, orange and chili brownie.
I took a work trip to Philadelphia in mid-October and was able to check off two spots I have been dying to try by Chef Michael Solomonov. I tried Kfar Cafe (his cafe and pastry shop) and then Goldie Falafel. At Kfar Cafe I ordered the Yemenite Latte and the Jerusalem Bagel sandwich with egg and cheese and then took a bunch of pastries home to DC, including the tehina chocolate chip cookie, pistachio sticky bun, babka and some challah thing they had on that day. At Goldie I got the falafel sandwich with schug and it was so unreal that I bought a sweatshirt.
We finally made it to Caruso’s Grocery after about 1.5 years of trying to make that reservation happen. It was so great to check it off the list and the highlights for me was the spicy ragu pasta, the cocktails and the cheese cake. I thought it was a fun spot, with good pasta, but personally, it is about a 30-40 minute Uber from my apartment and I am not sure it is worth the schlep with so many other great Italian spots around DC!
We had some friends over for brunch to watch a Premier League Soccer game, so naturally, had to make an English Fry-Up. I don’t think this turned out half bad!! Also we tried they Beyond Meat breakfast sausages and they were pretty decent if you are looking for a veggie option!
We celebrated our 6 year anniversary at Lutece, our now, go-to celebratory spot. It was amazing, as always. If you haven’t tried Lutece yet- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
We are still on our salmon rice-bowl hype because it is just the easiest and most delicious dinner. It is also fun to be able to put everything out and have a DIY situation. Personally, I like the excuse to try various salmon marinades and buy a variety of Asian pickles.
October also brought a major kale-salad kick. I love a kale salad in the fall since it is a bit more hardy. I like to toss the salad with pickled onions, roasted veggies (such as chickpeas and sweet potato) and add some crunch like cabbage, almonds, hemp hearts and seeds. The nice part about Kale salads is that they hold up super well and make great leftovers!
No trip home is complete without Kabuto, my favorite sushi spot on planet Earth. Do you need any more convincing outside of these pictures?
Other Things That Made me Happy:
I have been loving the new Hulu series, Chef Vs. Wild. It is so fun to see chefs be taken out of their comfort zone, forage for food and cook incredible meals with their ingredients. If you like any sort of cooking show/cooking competition, definitely check this out!
Even though this was from September, I had to post this picture I got back from our friends’ wedding! It is my favorite!
I finally had to replace my black crew neck sweatshirt (that I live in at home) so I went for the Everlane Track Oversized Crew and I love it! It is a durable but comfortable material and fits really nicely.
It finally started to feel and look a bit like Fall in DC! It took a while, but we finally got there! Fall is my favorite season in DC, it is crisp and we get really nice foliage!
We spent the last few days in October in the Bay Area leading up to our wedding! It was beautiful weather the whole time we were there and it is always so nice to be home.
What’s Up With Len:
