Girl Meets Food

Full disclosure: I got a free meal out of this. However, there’s nothing I like more than a good kvetch. So if something’s not kosher, I’ll be sure to let you know.

–’–,–@

I always thought a locavore was a dinosaur that was too lazy to hunt for food. You know, like how a manatee just waits around for algae to drift into its mouth.

I can’t say I disagree with that mentality.  So I was thrilled to discover that not only do I not have to go far for my food, my food does not come from afar.

Photo: Flickr TPWP

Cafe Saint Ex, the place best known as a laid-back bar for drinks with friends, and great music in the basement Gate 54, is lovingly named after Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French writer and aviator.

Saint Ex has a clean, dark, masculine aviation motif with lots of neutral colors and dark wood, feeling worn in and comfortable like a classy pub.

Few people know that Chef Billy Klein has been quietly pumping out incredible cuisine with his unique, fun and daring style of cooking.  He likes to experiment with different ingredients, and doesn’t apologize for it.

If you are part of the local food movement, you’ll be happy to know that Saint Ex gets its ingredients from local farmers’ markets like 14th and U, Dupont Circle and Bloomingdale. Chef Billy also relies on reputable local farms like Smith Meadow Farm in Berryville, Virginia; Eco-Friendly Foods in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia; and Path Valley in Pennsylvania, for his meats.

But let’s talk food.  First, the chilled asparagus soup with lemon crème fraiche.  It is like air-conditioning for your soul; cool, creamy—with the smoky, mouth-filling taste of smoked blue foot mushrooms.

The North Carolina tuna ($22) is seared, its center translucent pink and cuts like butter.  Served with a basil-pine nut risotto, smoked wild mushrooms and smashed figs, this was definitely my favorite dish of the night.

Lastly, dessert.  How sweet it is.  Pastry Chef Alison Reed’s almond cake ($8) is made with real almond essence, not that artificial stuff, so it smells like candied almonds, accompanied by chocolate gelato and local blueberries.  Who knew the flavors would go together?

Ask for a seat in the cozy outdoor patio; long, comfortable bar; or a booth by the window, and run, don’t walk, to Saint Ex before these delicious offerings are extinct.

Menu items are subject to change due to availability and season.  See Saint Ex’s sample dinner menu here,

Cafe Saint Ex
1847 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202.265.7839

Open Sundays 11:00-1:30 a.m.
Mondays 5:00 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Tuesdays-Thursdays 11:00-1:30 a.m.
Fridays-Saturdays 11:00-2:30 a.m.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get the latest and the best of D.C.'s dining scene delivered to your desktop absolutely free!

Beer isn’t the best reason to go to Birch & Barley.  Neither is the fact that it won a RAMMY for Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene, and for the Best New Restaurant.

Brunch is.  Especially since Birch & Barley serves it all day Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Thank goodness, too.  The sweet melody of morning is like nails on the chalkboard of my soul.

Birch & Barley’s handsome, organic dining room is what I consider the better half of bar/lounge ChurchKey, and now my favorite Sunday spot to break the fast.

I am convinced that pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac is a pied piper of sweets—the aroma of her baked goods will surely lead me to my demise.

I first sampled MacIsaac’s creations at the RAMMY nominations party.  Familiar, feel-good desserts like lemon cream puffs, “Hostess” cupcakes, and oatmeal cream pies; there isn’t anything she makes that I don’t love more.

Or is there?

I started with a snifter of freshly-squeezed carrot juice (Hello Mister Bond, I’ve been expecting you…), and a trio of freshly-fried donuts.

The toffee-bacon is warm, dense, more savory than sweet, with the thinnest of toffee glaze.  Topped with bacon crumbles, I was surprised it was not my favorite.  The lemon-poppy glazed is, its flavor alive, sunny, with the delightful pop of poppy; the bittersweet chocolate is a baby donut that crawls in last, topped with rich, smooth, chocolate icing.

All very dense and filling.  A plate to be shared if you want to be able to finish your entrée!

Because I need a hearty morning meal to fuel my Herculean blogging, I chose a breakfast of champions: corned beef hash.

Birch & Barley brines its corned beef in-house, which is fork-tender, aromatic, and savory.  Served with slightly tangy duck eggs with soft, smooth yolks, perfect for breaking over parsley-seasoned potatoes.

Other items not to be missed are sticky buns with pecans and cream cheese filling; Grand Marnier french toast with strawberries, mascarpone, and bacon; and Birch & Barley’s Boozy Brunch, with freshly-fried donut holes, choice of two brunch cocktails, entrée and bottomless iced tea or Illy coffee for $28.

With every bite of those warm, soul-snuggling sweets, you might hear a dangerous, sweet siren song, too.

Birch & Barley
1337 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 567-2576

In spite of recent school lunch debates, I can only say that I look back fondly on the meals I received as a wee moppet in Flushing, Queens.

Perhaps they weren’t always healthy, but they opened my eyes and taste buds to new gastronomic experiences.

You could say school lunches fanned the flames of my passion for food.

They also began my lifelong affair with Jamaican beef patties.  If it were socially acceptable, I would wear utility pants outfitted with six beef patties—one in every pocket, one for every situation.

In high school, each day that the lunch lady handed me a beef patty with a rubber-gloved hand was the greatest day of my life.

Oh, how I gleamed when I saw those gleaming Day-Glo pockets filled with mystery meat, hot and spicy like a certain Black-Eyed Pea.

Over and over again, I would suffer third-degree burns in my fervor to taste those piping-hot turnovers of puréed perfection.

I still maintain today that losing skin was worth it.

Did you know that Jamaican patties have cousins all over the world?  Spanish empanadas, Italian calzones, Indian samosas, Jewish knishes, Ethiopian sambusas—all hand-held, portable pies of meat or vegetables. In the U.K., tin miners would carry meat pasties in their coats, warming their bodies while descending deep into the mines each morning.

Jamaicans like to eat patties wrapped in coco bread, which doesn’t actually contain any coconut and tastes like Wonder Bread. The coco bread soaks up the juice and helps tame the spiciness.

Patty Boom Boom offers a version different from the neon pockets I knew of yesteryear. No more wondering how cows become beef paste. The coarse beef gives it body, more texture, more nooks to hold flavorful spices.

The firm, flaky crust is brushed with egg glaze and securely holds its contents, thus preventing visits to the emergency room.  You can tell it’s fresh. Low-sodium, meaty yet light, juicy and moist.

The guava goat patty sees tender shreds of meat tossed with sweet bits of guava.  An interesting, pleasant flavor medley.  Not overwhelmingly sweet at all.

Patty Boom Boom has something for everyone, including spicy or mild beef, guava goat, jerk chicken, spinach, and sweet potato. At $3.50 each, you can mix-n-match yourself a feast of flavors.

Open every night except Mondays, from noon to 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., Patty Boom Boom makes for a great late-night snack.  Grab some patties and head upstairs, where the dance floor is jamming to a live DJ.  You can order a Red Stripe, rum punch or a Dark ‘n’ Stormy to wash down your pockets of perfection.

But don’t dance in utility pants.  That’s socially unacceptable.

Patty Boom Boom
2007 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 797-7171